Okay, here it is like I promised, the next part of this fic! Please comment on it! PLEASE!!!!! -makes puppy eyes- This chapter goes into a lot more detail than the previous one and I hope that it's okay.

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Chapter 2: Catching up the years

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It was now dawn in the town of Karakura. The sun was just barely peaking above the horizen and the air was still, peaceful. That is until...

"GOOD...MORNING!" Came a call from a house in the residential district, specifically the house belonging to the Kurosaki family. A series of bangs and crashes followed, punctuated by the odd curse thrown in there for good measure. Now, let us journey inside that house shall we?

"Damn it old man!" cursed the first teenager. He had slightly tanned skin with dark brown eyes and bright orange hair. He was quite tall for his age and of a lean build but clearly had some muscle but not in the steriod kinda way. This was Ichigo Kurosaki. Right now he was glaring daggers at his father, Isshin Kurosaki.

"When will you ever learn?" came an exasperated voice from the second teenager. This teenager was far different from Ichigo. Unlike Ichigo his hair was a deep black, so dark that when in the sun it seemed to change to a dark purple or blue. Through his hair he had dark green streaks. The hair was a lot longer than Ichigo's and fell gracefully to a few inches below the teen's shoulder blades. If it was any shorter then it would be impossible to tame. He'd tried everything after all. Growing it out and tying it back was the only way to control it. Right now it was tied back at the nape of his neck by a dark emerald ribon. The emerald ribbon matched the boys eyes. His skin was white but not in an unhealthy way. It helped to eluminate his eyes. Bangs covered hsi forehead upon which rested a lightning bolt shaped scar. This was Harry James Potter. Well, what I should really say is that it WAS Harry James Potter before he was adopted by the Kurosaki family. Now he went by the name Akira Kurosaki.

Right now Akira and Ichigo were holding their father still after he'd attacked them (again) to wake them up. The rutine had gotten old fast but Isshin refused to stop, saying that it would toughen his boys up.

"On the count of three," said Ichigo, nodding his head towards the open window.

"Okay," replied Akira.

"One," began Ichigo.

"Two," continued Akira.

"Now boys," began Isshin nervously. "There isn't a need to-"

"Three!" The kurosaki boys called out and flung Isshin through the open window. How he never seemed to get any injuries from these encounters was frankly beyond the teenagers but they ignored it for the most part.

Ichigo sighed and began to dress in his school uniform after making sure the curtains were pulled over. He heard his father shouting something in the street up at them but didn't pay him any attention. Instead Ichigo turned to study the room he and Akira shared. There were plenty of rooms in the house but they preferred to share. It had been like that ever since Akira joined the family. You see, Akira had nightmares. No, these were not your usual nightmares. They were bad, really bad. Akira would often wake in the middle of the night, chilled from the cold sweat running down his body and gasping for breath after letting out a scream. Ichigo was the only one that seemed to keep the nightmares at bay. As long as he was close there was nothing for Akira to fear from sleep. Their beds were close to each other, only separated by a small bedside table which held their alarm clock. (rarely usec becuase of their father) It was a decent sized room, definitely big enough for both of them and they felt comfortable in it. Akira looked at the window and began pulling on his grey trousers, white shirt and then pulling on the uniform jacket. Akira let out a small yawn as the pair made their way downstairs.

"Good morning Ichi-nii! Good morning Aki-nii!" chirped their twelve year old sister, Yuzu Kurosaki, the younger twin of Karin Kurosaki. She was just setting the food for breakfast on the table as they entered the kitchen.

"Morning Yuzu," greeted Ichigo, grabbing a slice of toast.

"Hey there Yuzu," Akira replied with a small smile.

"Are you two ready for school?" Yuzu asked them.

"Pretty much," replied Ichigo. He slung his bag over his shoulder and began to make his way to the door. Akira followed close behind, grabbing a couple slices of toast and a small juice box.

"C'ya later Yuzu!" he called as he left the house. Akira glanced down at his watch and saw that they'd be late if they didn't hurry. He relaid the message to Ichigo who immediately picked up the pace. Akira jogging slightly to keep up as his legs were shorter than Ichigos. It annoyed Akira to no end that he was so much shorter than his brother even though they were only a few months appart in age. Akira just barely reached Ichigo's shoulder for crying out loud! He hated being short. He wouldn't mind so much if he wasn't the shortest male in their year group, (or the one the year below them) really he wouldn't. Karin never stopped teasing him about it.

"Don't forget we need to stop by that street to drop off those flowers for the ghost," Akira reminded Ichigo.

Now, you may be wondering what they're talking about. Well, you see these two boys were no ordinary teenagers. Both of them are able to see the spirits of the departed (whether dearly loved and missed is not known) Anyway, They can see, talk to and even touch these spirits. Karin can see the spirits too but not nearly as clearly and Yuzu can't see them at all, neither can their father for that matter (or at least he pretends that he can't see them) but they aren't aware of that. Last night a gang of idiots had been messing about when they'd knocked over an offering left to a little girl who had been hit by a car a few months ago. Ichigo and Akira had been walking home and had seen them. Needless to say they were not happy in the slightest. They had stood up for the girl who couldn't stick up for herself and had promised to return the next day with a new batch of flowers for her. She was thrilled.

Pretty soon they reached the school where they were greated enthusiastically by Keigo. Akira had to hold back a groan. The kid really got on his nerves. He wondered why Ichigo hadn't punched the kids lights out yet instead of just stepping out of the way to let the kid fall flat on his face. Mizuru greated them a little more calmly and asked them how their classes were going. Just then Tatsuki and Orihime Inoue entered the room.

Tatsuki was their best friend. She was a tomboy through and through. She had dark spiky hair which she kept short and only wore the skirt because it was mandatory for all girls. Any other time she would be wearing a pair of jeans. A recent adition to her outfit was a necklace shaped like six dark violet leaves. She was tough, really tough. They had first met while they were training at the same dojo when they were younger. They'd been friends ever since. Orihime on the other hand was another matter. She was a shy girl and seemed to keep to herself, only really interacting with Tatsuki and sometimes Chizuru when the other girl tried to get too close to her. Tatsuki would always interfere then. Whenever she was around Ichigo she would stutter and blush profusely. Akira couldn't really blame her. She'd been living on her own ever since her older brother, Sora, had died a few years ago but she needed to learn to stick up for herself and soon or she wouldn't last long in the real world.

Classes that day were uneventful. While the teacher droned on about the importance of factorial equasions he let his mind drift to his other lessons, the ones he took at night when he studied magic.

You see, unlike many magical comunities the Japanese wizarding population strongly believed that they should not shut themselves away from the advancement of the muggle world. It was silly not to pay attention and adapt in their opinion. When a child who is magically adept reaches the age of eight a notification is sent to the family in question and a representitive of the Japanese government is sent to the family to explain things to them. Needless to say the Kurosaki family was shocked, especially Isshin. So the boy had magic and spiritual pressure? He'd found it interesting and had paid great attention to the guy, Mr Suzuki, when he'd been explaining things.

While the Japanese wizarding comunity did not comunicate much with the other wizarding nations they were not ignorant. They were well aware of Voldemort and all the trouble he had stirred up in the UK. They were also aware of Harry Potter and his dissappearance many years ago (we'll come back to that). Anyway, they were aware and were able to piece together the facts and came to the conclusion that Akira Kurosaki was really Harry James Potter. Mr Suzuki felt that it was his duty to inform the family of this and all other information he had on the subject.

"So," Isshin had said. "What you're saying is that this Voldemort guy killed Akira's birth parents, tried to kill him and somehow wasn't able to and got himself killed?"

"That's right," Mr Suzuki said. "The Brittish wizarding population is completely baffled. They really don't have a clue how it happened. And of course after the parents were killed the charms around the house fell and natrually people flocked there. The Potters were an old Pure-blood family after all. From all acounts Sirius Black reached the house first and then Albus Dumbledore. Black was arrested on charges of betraying the Potters and sentenced to life in Azkaban."

"Pure-blood family?" Akira asked, interested in his heritage. He'd ask about the other parts after. He hadn't known that much about his parents. All he'd been told by his aunt and uncle was that they were freaks and a 'waste of air space' along with some other words that he did not know at the time. He asked Isshin about them but the man had refused to answer until he was a bit older. The Dursleys had called his parents many names, several were extremely graphic and not fit for a child to know the meaning of after all. Now he knew why the Dursleys had acted the way they did. They saw people with magic as freaks of nature. That explained why they were always so nice to Dudly and never to him. They hated magic so they hated him.

Meanwhile Isshin was thinking about the possibilities. It was entirely possible that Akira's reiatsu had been the reason the attack was stopped. The two forces, magic and reiatsu seemed to be different substances all together so it was possible that the introduction of such a powerful reiatsu rebounded the magic in the killing curse on the caster. It was an interesting prospect. He'd need to check it out later.

"Pure-bloods," Suzuki continued. "Are wizards who are decended from a long line of wizards. They have not chosen to breed with normal humans. It is their belief that breeding with the larger population who they refer to as 'muggles' weakens their magical abilities and taints their blood. In the English society the government is mostly run by Pure-bloods. It is because of them that so many muggle-born witches and wizards either leave the country or return to the muggle world." Suzuki shook his head in disgust. "They don't realise that the oposite is happening. By inbreeding they are ensuring that their genetic defects are passed onto the next generation and amplified, making them far weaker and subsequently dwindling the numbers of the magical folk and producing squibs through genetic mutation. If this keeps happening then within the next half a millennia there could only be a quarter of the wizard population there is today in some countries, possibly less thanks to Voldemort."

"What about Akira?" Ichigo asked. He wasn't completely sure what Mr Suzuki had said, he and Akira were only eight after all.

"Young Akira, then known as Harry Potter, was the son of James Potter, a Pure-blood, and Lily Potter ne Evans who was a muggle-born and reputed to be one of the most gifted students to pass through the walls of Hogwarts school of Wicthcraft and Wizardry since Rowena Ravenclaw herself!"

"Hogwarts?" Akira asked.

"Rowena Ravenclaw?" Ichigo asked straight after.

"Yes," Mr Suzuki explained. "Hogwarts is a school in the UK which all magically gifted children are invited to at the age of eleven be they muggle or magical born. The school was founded roughly one thousand years ago by four of the greatest magic users of the time: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Hogwarts today is devided into four houses named after the founders based on their personality and traits. Some refuse of course because they don't wish to go to a magical school and some of the older families perfer to school their children at home. This brings us back to the purpose of my visit." Suzuki stopped speaking for a moment and pulled out a folder from the brief case he carried. "This is a list of courses available for young magic users to take should they accept the invitation to learn magic."

"Will Akira have to be taken out of school?" asked Isshin worriedly. One education was not worth giving up another completely.

"The classes will be in the evening," Mr Suzuki explained. "Many ask this question. We perfer the children to have a balanced education so they are able to have a broader scope when they are old enough to seek out employment." Suzuki handed the file to Isshin who passed it to Akira who was sitting in the middle between Isshin and Ichigo. The three peered at the list.

Courses Available to young Magic Trainees.

Beginner:

Basic transfiguration

Herbology

History of the many magical societies

Basic Potions

Charms

Introduction to magical creatures

Defensive Magic

Offensive Magic

Introduction to Ritual Magic

Intoduction to Blood Magic

Beginner Rune Carving

Basic Arithmancy

Divination

Intigrating magic and muggle

Basic healing magic

Intermediate:

Intermediate Transfiguration

Intermediate Herbology

In depth study of magical cultures

Intermediate Potions

Intermediate charms

Care of Magical Creatures (more in depth, gets up close with different creatures)

Intermediate Defensive Magic

Intermediate Offensive Magic

Intermediate Ritual Magic

Intermediate Blood Magic

Intermediate Rune Carving

Intermediate Arithmancy

Divination (for those who have an actual talent for the subject)

Intermediate Healing Magic

Intigrating Magic and Muggle. Building and bonding the two worlds further

Advanced Courses

Advanced Transfiguration

Animagi study (can be taken separate from transfiguration or can be added into the course)

Advanced Herbology (working with dangerous plants and fungi)

Advanced charms

Advanced Potions

Advanced defensive/offensive magic (taught together)

Advanced Magical creature training (dragons, vampires, chimera etc. (Please note that these creatures are fully sentient and deserve the utmost respect. Although not human they are just as capable (if not more so) than any magical human or muggle.)

Advanced Ritual Magic

Advanced Blood Mgic

Advanced Rune Carving

Advanced Muggle and Magical bonding classes, intigrating the Magical element into technology

Advanced healing magic

Necromancy

Shadow Manipulation

Magical art work

Magical musical studies

Study of the Eurpoean and American magical laws and regulations (recommended for any magic user who wishes to travel.)

Akira looked up from the list and looked at Suzuki in awe.

"That," said Ichigo after a minute or two of staring at the list. "Is a lot of classes!"

"It is recomended that the child in question only take four or five classes at any one time lest they be overwhelmed," said Suzuki. "There is no time limit on these courses but if the child is struggling with a course it is recomended that they forfit that course and transfer to another. The training starts when the child reaches the age of eight and continues until they reach the age of sixteen which is when they come of age unlike in Europe and America where the age restriction is seventeen. When the student reaches the age of sixteen they are allowed to seek a familiar. A familiar is an animal whom is bonded to the magic user for life. Many simply choose owls or cats as they are considdered the most useful familiars but there have been rare cases in which a wizard chooses to bond himself to a fox or possibly a snake or some other animal he or she feels a connection to. I heard about a case in India a few years earlier where a witch bonded herself to a tiger cub but you will receive more information about that later when it is time for Akira to choose a familiar of his own. Any earlier than the age of sixteen and there can be side effects of the bonding. We also train our students for eight years instead of the usual seven because the nature of the courses means that more time is needed in some fields of study."

"How long is each course?" asked Isshin, looking at the healing magic in particular. That could be useful.

"It depends on the course," replied Suzuki. "For instance the transfiguration class can take from one to two years to complete but the healing magic can take from two to three years depending on the aptitude of the student. Each course is different after all. There is no particular order in which to take the classes. For example a child could take the beginner courses in healing, runes, ritual, potions and history and once he or she has finished one course then they have the option of moving onto the intermedite course or taking another beginner course. Some choose to do this so they have a much more varied education so can apply for different jobs. The European schools start training the children at the age of eleven. From there they spend seven years at a boarding school where they are taught all they need to know about their magical community. They are allowed to return to their families during the summer and around the time of New Year but that is all. It separates the young from their families. This teaches the Pure-bloods to be more independant but it also cuts off the muggle-borns from the advancements in their birth world. This can be a problem if they decide to return to the muggle world as they have to reeducate themselves. Not all Pure-bloods are the same of course. Some may choose to ignore the advancements but others are not so foolish. Sirius Black was one of the few, along with James Potter, who embraced the changes."

"You mentioned him before," said Isshin, remembering the reference to Sirius. "Who exactly is he?"

"Sirius Black was one of the best friends of James Potter along with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. During Hogwarts the four of them were inseperable. When the Potters went into hiding under the Fidelious Charm they were thought to have chosen Black to be the secret keeper, meaning he was the only one that could reveal the information that was under the charm, in this case the location of the Potters. As Voldemort discovered the Potters it is thought that Black betrayed the Potters and is now serving a life sentence in Azkaban after suposedly killing thirteen muggles and Peter Petigrew by firing an exploding jinx in an alley way. He was the only survivor. As there were many witnesses that can comfirm that Black chased Petigrew into the alley Black was arrested instantly and shipped off to Azkaban without a trial. Despite this there are not witnesses that can confirm that they saw the spell leave Black's wand."

"Why wasn't he given a trial? What exactly is Azkaban?" asked Isshin. Something wasn't sitting right with him.

"Azkaban is the Brittish prison where criminals are held. The prison is guarded by creatures called Dementors which litterally suck all the hope and happiness out of a person. Muggles are unable to see them. If they get too close to a person then they are able to forcably remove a soul from it's body." Suzuki explained. Isshin felt a shudder go through him. That didn't sound good. If a shinigami ever came into contact with one of those creatures...They actually sounded a lot like hollows. He'd need to look into it.

"Because there were so many eye witnesses who said they heard an explision and heard Petigrew shout something about 'Sirius betraying their best friend' they all asumed that Black was the traitor. He was not given the chance to defend himself however so some governments remain sceptical. If he had been given a chance to defend himself under Veritaserum then the truth would be known instantly." Seeing the blank looks of his listeners Suzuki continued. "The potion forces the drinker to tell the whole truth. They cannot lie under the influence of the potion no matter how hard they struggle. Three drops is the usual dosage. Any more can result in serious damage to the brain and anything past six drops is fatal. Depending on how much is added the victim can die within the next five minutes or the pain can be drawn out for several hours. All the while the potion is in effect."

"So he wasn't allowed to defend himself?" Ichigo asked. He didn't like that idea. Even if someone had done something wrong he thought they should at least get the chance to tell their side of the story. It was only fair after all. Some well known cases were only figured out be the police once they'd heard the accounts of both sides. That meant that Black could be innocent and if there was one thing that Ichigo hated it was when people got blamed for things that they did not do.

"That is correct," replied Suzuki. "Right now Black is in one of the deepest cells of Azkaban. Right now our government along with the Chinese, Australian and American wizarding governments are petitioning for Black to receive a retrial to give him the chance to defend himself properly but the Brittish Minister, Cornelious Fudge, won't allow it."

"Why not?" asked Akira.

"He doesn't want to make it seem like his government made a mistake," replied Suzuki simply. "He would lose his public support and that means losing the next election and that is something he cannot afford to do. He's become too used to the feeling of power."

Not long after that Suzuki had left. He had left an address which Akira was to send his form with requested courses to when he decided. He had to decide within the next week. Eventually he had chosen to take: Transfiguration, healing magic, blood magic, potions and magical creatures.

It had all been going quite well since he'd decided. He'd discovered that he was very gifted with the practical side of the work, especially in transfiguration. After completing that course he'd moved onto defensive magic (which he excelled at) and then offensive magic.(he did just as well if not better) He'd taken a year to complete each subject. He discovered that he was not very good at healing magic as he did not have quite the control needed for the precise work but he finished the basic healing course and moved onto the basic rune carving lessons. He began that course a little shakily but he managed to pick it up and continued through to intermediate classes. He also took intermediate transfiguration and opted to continue to advanced Transfiguration and animagi training. He also took the intermediate blood magic course but did not go through to the advanced courses. Magical creature courses seemed to be one of his favourites. He absolutely sailed through the basic and intermediate courses and had started the advanced courses when he'd reached the age of twelve while most students only started on the advanced stuff when they reached the age of fourteen. He also made sure to take the beginner course in Herbology and potions so he knew which plants would help or hinder him and the beginner and intermediate classes in charms. He also opted for the class on the laws or the magical cumunities of America and the UK. He had a feeling that eventually he would have to go back to the UK and he wanted to at least know what he was getting himself into. One class that he could not resist taking was the magical art work lessons. He loved them as they were all about expressing himself through his magic and artwork. He loved making little sculptures and making them move as well as paintings. He had discovered that he was actually a very tallented artist and it was one of the few things that could help him relax. It was tricky as it involved the casting of many combined spells and runes. Because the spell work was so intricate and difficult it required a wand. The same was true of Blood magic.

He still remembered the day he'd been taken to get his wand. Wands were not used as much in the Eastern Wizarding comunities but they were still needed so he'd gone with his dad and Ichigo to collect a wand. The twins had been left at the house of one of their friends for the afternoon. The old man who owned the wand shop had been very excited. He'd had to make a custom wand for Akira as none of the others seemed to fit him just right. In the end his wand had been a surprise to the store owner, Souta Umino.

After trying out all the wands in the shop Umino had lead them through to the back room where he kept all the ingredients and components for the wands. There were many different woods stacked along the walls and diferent tables holding vials, boxes and other containers which Akira couldn't identify.

"Right," Souta began, looking extremely excited. "I haven't had a customer this hard to find in a long time. The first thing we need to do is find out which wand wood is needed. Go along these shelves and find a wood that you think fits you. You're magic should pulse when you touch the right now. Go on lad, give it a try."

Akira had nodded and began walking along the room, carefully running his fingers over the many different lengths of wood. There were many different woods in many different shades and lengths. He felt something when he ran his hand over a stick of holly but it didn't quite feel right so he continued. Finally he stopped at a long stick of wood, maybe thirteen inches long. It was a deep black in colour and smooth to the touch.

Akira had unconciously stopped when his fingers had come into contact with the stick and Souta came over to see what his customer had found. A glint entered his eye as he saw which wood Akira had been chosen by.

"Ebony Willow eh?" he asked. He carefully took the stick of wood from Akira's fingers and held it up to the light, exposing the wood and making it gleam slightly in the candle light. "Interesting choice. It's a rare wood and can be a little tempermental but good and strong." He set the piece of wood down on a clear table and ushered Akira to the centre of the room.

"Now," he continued. "Unlike most wands I perfer to have two cores in my wand. Most just have a phoenix feather, unicorn tail hair or heartstring in them but I find that suspending the core in a liquid of some sort helps to balance the wand. There are many different liquids here so take your time. You should feel a similar feeling as before. Good luck." He stepped back and allowed Akira to study the vials carefully. There were many different liquids such as phoenix tears, basilisk venom, dementor escence, blessed water etc. Finally Akira stopped when he felt his magic pulse. He looked down at the container his hand had stopped over and found himself looking into a jar waht appeared to be swirling with white and light blue. There were odd flecks of silver in the swirls and as they moved Akira felt himself become hypnotised.

"Interesting," Souta said. "The breath of an ice dragon. Very curious." He picked up the container and stood it beside the ebony willow branch. "Now for the core itself. Choose very carefully lad. You may be atracted to a few things but just let your magic guide you. It won't steer you wrong. Collect a few things and when they're all together you'll be able to tell which feels right."

Akira did as instructed. Carefully he selected a few things that seemed to be calling out to him. These included a basilisk tooth, phoenix feather, hair from the mane of an ebony unicorn, feather of a hippogryph and something in a carved wooden box. It wouldn't open to show what was inside but when he picked the box up to place it with the others he noticed that Souta took in a sharp breath and his eyes had widened a little.

Akira carefully began to run his hand over the items, carefully putting items back until he was left with the wooden box. He looked at Souta for an answer and found the man staring at the box in wonder.

"What is it?" Akira asked him, breaking the man from his thoughts.

"That box," Souta said after a moment. "Contains one of the most powerful cores I have ever collected. I am not completely sure what it is as no one has been able to unlock the box. According to my grandfather the box will only open for the person who is destined to posess the core in their wand. If your magic is reacting to this box then it is entirely possible that the core is meant for you young one. Try and open it. Send a little of your magic towards the box. It should unlock if it you are the true wielder of the core."

Akira was rather nervous at hearing this. He took a deep breath and carefully began to gather a small amount of magic. He'd already started his lessons at that point and one of the first things he had learned was to gather his magic. It was a simple process once the wielder of the magic got control of it and soon Akira was able to draw exact amounts of magic whenever he felt like it. Rigth now as he was gathering the magic he did not notice that a small amount of reiatsu had slipped in to mingle with the magic. Isshin noticed though. He felt Akira's spiritual pressure pulse slightly before his son reached over and carefully pulled the lid from the carved box. Isshin heard Souta inhale in amazement.

Sitting on a bed of crimson silk were the most beautiful feathers he had ever seen. The first appeared to be pitch black like the ebony willow and glossy as a raven's wing but as you lookec closer you could see flecks of dark emerald green. There were also traces of silver near the centre of the feather. Sitting next to it was a feather of the deepest white. Along the outside of the feather was a layer of crystaline blue with flecks of silver. It seemed to sparkle like frozen ice. Each feather was about twelve inches in length and looked as soft as any silk scarf.

"What are they?" Akira asked, reaching out to carefully stroke the black feather. It felt delicate against his touch and was extremely soft, softer than it appeared to be. It also seemed heated although by what he could not tell.

"That," breathed Souta in awe. "Is the feather from the wing of one of the greatest dragons known to the Magical world. It is the feather of the great shadow fire dragon who roamed free over the land millennia ago. The name of the great beast has been lost throughout history but what is known is that it comanded the darkest fires known to man or beast. The fire has been called 'Hellfire' for lack of a better word. It is unlike normal fire in that it is a deep green tinted with black and sometimes silver according to legend. The other feather is from the greatest Ice dragon known to walk the earth. The name of the beast has also been lost but all the images of the great dragons depict them intertwined, always together. Which feather is calling you lad?"

"The black one," Akira replied instantly. "How can dragons have feathers though? I thought all dragons have scales adn skin for wings?"

"That is true for normal dragons," Souta replied. "These two were different however. Both dragons had feathered wings but there were differences. For example the feathers of the Shadow Fire Dragon were said to burn, each feather a separate flame while the Sapphire Ice Dragon's feathers were all said to be made of shards of the strongest ice. According to legend the two dragons had met with a young magic user. He had saved their lives although I do not know how this came about. As a show of gratitude each gave the young man a single feather from their wing. One from the left wing and the other from the right wing. As soon as the feathers left their wings they transformed into what you see before you today. Not many know of the existance of these dragons or these feathers."

"Then how do you know about them?" asked Ichigo. He was desperate to reach out and touch one of the feathers but something held him back. It was like an invisible force was silently but gently pushing him away, as if warning him not to touch. His instincts told him not to push so he did not. He trusted his instincts.

"I know," Souta said calmly. "Because the young man from the legend was my ancestor. We of the Umino line have watched over these feathers for generations. We were not told what was actually in the box though. Our family has collected many rare items in the past. All my family ever told me when I was younger was that I was to make sure that the contents of the box were never to fall into the wrong hands. I grew up hearing the story of the great dragons but I never fully believed it. Now one of the feathers is calling out to you young one until today. Along with the ice dragon breath and ebony willow I can tell you right now that this will be one of the most, if not the most powerful wand I have ever created."

Souta had ushered them out of the back room then. Wand making was a secret art after all, known only to the family that practice it. Each family have different methods of wand production and they guard their secrets well. It had taken over an hour but finally Souta had emerged from the back room with a long thin box in his hand, looking exhausted but smiling slightly. The box was made of cherry wood and inscribed with flames along the outside edges. He carefully placed the box on the counter and lifted the lid.

Inside lay a beautiful ebony wand atop a cushion of sapphire blue. Unlike most wands there was a carving of a dragon swirling around the handle. The outline and detail were picked out in silver and the eyes were made using a pair of sparkling emerald green gems. Small though the jewels were they were beautiful against the obsidian of the wand. The dragon covered much of the upper part of the wand with the head resting near the end. The tail coiled around the handle where the wielder would hold the wand. Akira reached forward carefully and touched it, running his fingers over the smooth surface, carefully running his idex finger over the small indentations where the dragon's body and wings were inlaid into the wand and over the gems.

"Pick it up lad," Souta told Akira quietly. "The components of the wand chose you as their wielder. Pick it up and give it a wave."

Akira reached out with a slightly shaking hand and carefully wrapped his small fingers around the handle. Instantly he felt his magic, and something else, pulse as he lifted the wand from the cushion. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again. 'Here goes something,' he thought to himself and brought the wand down in a powerful thrust. Immediately deep emerald green and ebony sparks lept from the end of the wand in the shape of a dragon. The exact shape was not clear but it was clear enough what it represented. The sparkling apparition flew around the shop for a moment before dissappearing.

"Remarkable," Souta breathed. "Truly remarkable. I think it is safe to say that we can expect great things from you young one."

Even after all these years Akira still wasn't sure exactly what the old man had meant. Was he referring to his past with Voldemort or was it something else? He wasn't sure. Ichigo just shrugged it off, saying taht he'd know when he knew and taht was all there was to it for now.

Just as Akira was thinking about this the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Finally! He grabbed his bag and made his way towards Ichigo. Time to go see the ghost.

-o0o-

Well? Was it okay? I hope so! Tell me please! I'd really like all your opinions on this!