AN: Um...Hi? Ugh, I'm so sorry it's been so long. I bet some of you thought I'd abandoned this one, right? Nope! Life is just a bitch sometimes. Anywho, not a super long chapter, which will annoy some of you, but I'm trying to kickstart my muse here people. I also think it could be better, but I'm always critical of myself. I sincerely hope the next chapter does not take as long to write and post. For those of you still here, thanks for waiting and I hope you enjoy this one.

Legend for this chapter:

"I am speaking Japanese"

'I am thinking so linguistics doesn't really matter'

DISCLAIMER: See First Chapter.

Chapter 6: Two for the Show

"Well, that was a thing." Uzume had no idea how she was able to understand Harry's words, but they caused her beaming smile to morph into a playful smirk. If he thought that was good, just wait until she got him alone. She had no intention of letting him stay out of her knickers for any appreciable length of time. She had felt so sorry for all of Minato's Sekirei; the boy was the most prudish pervert she had ever seen. True, Musubi and Ku had no idea there might be more to life than a kiss, but poor Matsu was so hard up it was scary.

Despite the winging, her desire for him had not diminished in the slightest. She would need some more of that water soon judging by how much she was still gushing from her nether regions. Dehydration would start to set in soon without either some relief or replenishment. A brief flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to sigh in frustration. Replenishment it would have to be; relief would have to wait, apparently.

"Harry, please step away from her." Unlike Harry's speech, she still could not understand the old man when he spoke English. It was rather strange, but not her most immediate concern. It was more than clear that Harry had not liked whatever his headmaster had said. The scowl that marred his face was almost physically painful to her. Her Ashikabi needed to be smiling, especially so soon after winging her.

"What did you say to him, Dumbledore?" Uzume demanded, turning a scowl of her own at the man. She noted that the nurse had an alarmed look on her face and was babbling something in obvious protest. Harry seemed to understand the exchange seeing as he turned a curious gaze toward the woman. Uzume began to lose her temper. She really needed a way to understand what was going on. "Harry, can you understand me?"

"Yes," he replied after turning a curious gaze back in her direction. "Should I not be able to?" She smiled in relief as there was at least someone firmly on her side with whom she could communicate.

"What are they arguing about?" Normally, Uzume would not have ignored his question, but she needed answers of her own at the moment. She was still half-bound to the bed frame after all. Harry seemed to appreciate her desperation and pressed his own curiosity down. He turned his head slightly back towards the arguing adults.

"The Headmaster really seems to want the two of us separated. Madam Pomfrey is yelling something about that being dangerous. Something about a soul bond or something." He paused with a ponderous frown, sliding his startlingly green eyes back to Uzume. "Is that what just happened?"

"I...don't know." And that was the honest truth. "I don't think so, though. But, then, I have no idea what a 'soul bond' is either." Certainly a Sekirei bond had formed, but was it really the same type of bond without a Sekirei core? There seemed to be more to it. The wings were there, definitely, but the power melding and level of reaction were both unprecedented. Had the core also limited the strength of the bond? Perhaps that would make sense if their purpose really had been to protect the Sekirei. With the core-governed Sekirei bond, death of the Ashikabi only led to deactivation. With the depth of connection she now felt with Harry, she had a suspicion that were he to die, it would spell her end as well. It was just more incentive to protect him as best she could.

"Never heard of it either," he responded. "Though, that's not too surprising. No one ever tells me anything. Everyone just expects me to know everything already." Harry's final words were accompanied by a glare towards Dumbledore, who by this point seemed fully cowed by the stern nurse – Madam Pomfrey, Harry had called her. The woman turned to Harry and said something in probably the most conciliatory tone she could muster. Whatever it was, it worked as Harry seemed to deflate. She kept speaking in a teaching manner for a minute or so, at the end of which, Harry turned a speculative glance in her direction again.

"Are you sure we didn't form a soul bond?" he asked. Uzume opened her mouth to speak out in declination but noticed that Dumbledore was once again paying rapt attention. She still had no idea what to make of the old man, and she really had no intention of giving away anything about Sekirei. There were too many ways to turn that information against her and now, Harry. She knew the old man suspected her of keeping secrets already, well he would just have to learn to take his own medicine.

"Harry, I don't even know what a soul bond is. How could I be sure one way or another?" He looked confused as he took in her response.

"But," he stuttered a bit as he pointed back between Uzume and the nurse, "Madam Pomfrey just explained it. How…"

"I can't understand English, Harry."

"What do you mean? You're speaking English...right?" A light of understanding was dawning in his eyes. It was accompanied by a desperation in his voice that spoke of the recollection of something unpleasant.

"Sorry, Babe, Japanese here." His shoulders slumped, and his head dipped at her response. He muttered something she could not quite make out about parcels, though it escaped her what packages had to do with anything. He seemed to shake off whatever funk had set in quickly enough and raised his face showing a rueful smile.

"Well, at least Japanese is human. I always did want to learn another language."

"Not sure you really have. I think you just understand me through our bond." This was a facet of Harry she was not prepared for. He seemed to jump to conclusions rather quickly. Currently it was not a huge problem, but it spoke of a lack of experience and a high level of credulity that could prove dangerous, especially in wartime. Uzume would need to find a way to build up a healthy amount of skepticism in her Ashikabi. She had certainly seen enough in the decade or so she had been out in the world to realize superficiality was rampant.

"Really? Huh…" Harry blinked owlishly for a moment before his eyes narrowed. "Wait, you said 'bond.' I thought you didn't think we had formed a bond?" Well, that was a little better.

"Oh, we definitely bonded, hun." Uzume responded with a saucy wink."But I have at least a better than average notion as to the type of bond we have, and it ain't of the 'soul' variety. At least I don't think so."

"Then, what –" She cut off his question with a gentle but firm squeeze of the hand she was still holding. The headmaster and nurse were no longer arguing and had turned their attention back to the new couple. Uzume had no intention of disabusing Dumbledore or the nurse of their false conclusions regarding the Sekirei bond. That would lead to having to tell them about Sekirei, and she still had no reason to trust the old man with that information yet. That is assuming he was telling the truth about not rummaging through her memories while extracting Kingsley's. Regardless, she would not willingly inform the man of her origins until she had some confidence that he was trustworthy.

Thankfully, Harry seemed to get the message, though the confused expression told Uzume he did not understand her motive. Dumbledore approached the couple with a healthy amount of caution and an air of uncertainty. It did not suit the aged wizard, and Uzume supposed he was likely unaccustomed to dealing with unknown circumstances. Despite his apparent unease, the man's voice was as even and measured as it had been all morning. It was just annoying that he chose to speak in English again.

"He wants to know if he can cast a translation spell on you," Harry thankfully interpreted once Dumbledore finished speaking. There was a bit of tension in his voice, though it was not directed at her. She assumed the old man had said something else that annoyed Harry– likely about her, seeing as he chose not to convey whatever it was. All Uzume knew was that Dumbledore had spoken for considerably longer than required simply to request casting a spell on her. Regardless, she looked toward the man and nodded perfunctorily in assent.

"Now, we should all be able to understand one another," the headmaster said after a sending a light blue spell from his ornately carved wand at her. She noticed that the Veil had tried to emerge and block the spell, as if it had a mind of its own. Thankfully, it only took a brief exertion of power to keep it at bay. She did will it to once again wrap around her in her normal battle attire, though. It did not appear she would get to be alone with Harry anytime soon, and the blanket currently covering her was starting to itch and chafe at her sensitive bits.

"Well, that's handy," Uzume responded. It was an odd experience being under the translation spell – almost like hearing in stereo but with one speaker in Japanese and the other in English.

"Indeed," the old man responded. "Now, I think there are some things we need to discuss before any other...momentous events transpire."

"Sir," Harry jumped in a bit quickly. A glance at his face told Uzume that Harry was not quite as naive as she may have suspected. His interjection seemed like a well rehearsed tactic to keep Dumbledore from controlling the flow of a conversation, as if he had been burned by letting the old wizard speak at length before. "I have a question. What is this 'soul-bond' you and Poppy were talking about?"

"Ah…" The question seemed to bring Dumbledore up short. Uzume could tell it was not out of any desire to keep information hidden; rather, he seemed to be searching for where to begin. She had to admit, she was more than a bit curious herself as to what the man had to say on the topic. It seemed these wizards had at least a passing idea of the connection shared between a Sekirei and her or his Ashikabi, even if they did not fully understand it. She was still unsure of what the spirit of Sirius had meant when he spoke of other Sekirei possibly being free of the core-restrictions. She was wondering now if there had been something to that off-hand comment.

"It is a theory," he began before pausing with an uncertain look on his wrinkled visage. "Well it was a theory, at any rate. One posed by the late Lady Flamel some 400 years ago. Very few people even know the concept exists outside the healing field, and even then only in passing. I will admit to having several academic...conversations with Perenelle on the subject during my time working with Nicholas. She knew I had an interest in soul magic from some of my explorations in my early youth, and often wanted my opinion on her theories."

Uzume caught Harry's eyes as Dumbledore continued to ramble. There was a long suffering look on her Ashikabi's face indicating this exposition was par for the course. Here was a man who loved the sound of his own voice with a level of sexual depravity unparalleled. Eventually, he did come to a point.

"Her theory involved the melding of two souls in such a way that they became indistinguishable from each other. Not only their souls, but their magic as well. Arithmantically, her theory was sound as far as the formation of the bond and the melding was concerned. I argued with her on the improbability of the conditions required for the initiation ever occurring and what I had assumed to be the impossibility of anyone actually surviving the process." He trailed off with a curious expression, glancing towards the nurse.

"What do you mean by the conditions for initiation?" At the risk of another pontification, Uzume needed to know more. So far the theory seemed pretty far off from what a Sekirei bond actually was. The way he described it so far suggested that the bonded would essentially be the same person. Furthermore, they would have the same powers. That certainly had never happened with the core-restricted wingings she was used to. She turned a speculative look at Harry. 'I wonder…

"According the calculations, the two souls would essentially have to be the same prior to bonding already. I tried several times to break the arithmancy. I was fond of the idea of soulmates. Love has always held a strong fascination for me, you see. I was hoping the calculations could be shifted from congruence to compliment. In other words, if rather than two people needing to have the same soul already, it could occur with souls that were perfect compliments. Complimentary souls, while still extremely rare, are still possible. But the math never worked," he finished with a sigh.

Uzume now knew the theory Dumbledore was working from was fundamentally different than the Sekirei bond. In fact, the way he tried to manipulate the soul bond theory would have him much closer to what she knew about the connection with an Ashikabi. The problem, as far as she could tell, was he was working only with human physiology and meta-physiology. She had a suspicion that were he to apply Sekirei to this 'arithmancy' he spoke of, he would derive a very different outcome.

She also understood why surviving the bonding would be considered impossible the way the wizards' theory worked. The bonded would essentially be losing their souls and then trying to share a single one. Even to someone completely foreign to the world of magic like Uzume, that sounded like bad news. Apparently, Harry felt the same from the skeptical look on his face. But as he was about to speak, there was commotion from the office on the far side of the room.

"Madam Pomfrey!" a female voice shouted after a short flash of green. Before the nurse could turn to respond to whatever was occurring in her office, the door slammed open revealing a young woman of average height with auburn curls and stunning grey eyes, not to mention a body that even had Uzume looking on with appreciation. Of course, her beauty was overshadowed by the air of desperation and anger she was currently displaying.

"Miss Tonks! What is the meaning of this?" The healer exclaimed, rounding on the young woman who had just barged into the infirmary from her office. Uzume was more curious as to how she managed to arrive from there rather than through the main doors she could see on the other side of the room. Had she been there this whole time?

"Tonks?" Harry questioned softly to the point Uzume was sure she was the only one who had heard him. So he obviously knew who this woman was, but he seemed shocked to see her. On a second assessment of his expression, he actually seemed to not recognize her despite knowing who she was. Needless to say, Uzume found this reaction rather strange. She was beginning to realize she was going to need to suspend her disbelief if she was going to make her way in this new society she had barged into.

"Madam Pomfrey! There's something wrong! I can't morph." The desperation was clear in her voice.

"Miss Tonks? What do you mean?" This time it was Dumbledore who responded. A very worried tone entering his voice. Apparently, this day was bound and determined to frustrated the headmaster. Even only having just met him, Uzume could understand his need to be in control and have all information at his fingertips. Between their earlier discussions, her winging, and now whatever this incident was about, the old man was being assaulted on all sides by surprises.

"I woke up in this form like I always do," Tonks began after taking a few calming breaths. Uzume, who was watching her closely, noticed something the others missed. None of them would have known to look for it or even have recognized it for what it was even if they did see it. "I was about to morph into my common form when...something...hit me. It was, well, if I'm honest, bloody fantastic," she said with the hint of a goofy grin crossing her features, causing the nurse to mumble something under her breath.

"Miss Tonks?"

"Uh, r-right," she stammered with a blush that did not fade as she continued. Uzume sighed slightly both in exasperation and wonder. 'How is this even fucking possible?' "Well, um, after...it I tried to change, but nothing happened. It's not just morphing either, professor. I had to try four times just to floo here. I can barely cast a lumos!" The desperation was back in her bearing. Uzume did not understand half of the words this Tonks had just said, but one thing was clear. There was something wrong with her powers. Uzume had a pretty good idea what it was too.

The nurse sprang into activity, her wand out and rapidly moving in strange patterns. Various lights and colors passed between the tip of the wand and the woman's form. With each spell, Uzume could see the healer's expression become darker and more frustrated.

"Ugh, it's no use," she eventually said in anger. "I can't make heads nor tails of these readings."

"What do you mean, no use?" Tonks replied, obviously unsettled by Pomfrey's assessment.

"There's technically nothing wrong with your magic," she replied. "It's all still there, if rather agitated at the moment. What makes no sense is that there appears to be a block, but if the scans are correct, you placed it on yourself. Since you are clearly distressed by this, I doubt that is actually the case. Hence my frustration."

"Um...I think-" was all Uzume got out before being cut off rather aggressively.

"What the hell is that bitch doing here?" Tonks snarled. Apparently, in her distress, she had yet to notice the other occupants of the infirmary, at least consciously. Uzume's interjection drew the woman's attention to her, and she found herself glad Tonks' magic was currently on the fritz. If the look of pure loathing was any indication, Uzume's head would be no more than a stain on the wall if Tonks had her powers available. Well, that was certainly going to make things awkward.

Despite having an apparent block on her magic that for some inexplicable reason she had placed on herself, she was an auror trained in all forms of combat. She did not need her magic to remove that whore's head from her shoulders. The moment Tonks' attention was brought to the woman who had killed her friend lying cozy in the infirmary bed, she saw red. Not only was she here rather than in the deepest, darkest dungeon known to man, she was sitting there holding hands with Harry Potter.

Harry Potter, who looked fucking delicious. For a moment, she almost forgot her rage as she drank in the young man's presence. It was intoxicating. Her knickers, still damp from earlier, became freshly drenched just looking at his face. Her wrath hit full force again as she gave him a long once over, once again seeing his hand grasping the murdering hussy's lovingly.

She sprang forward quicker than a cat, her hair streaming behind her like flames, pure rage etching her features. She saw the black veils she had noticed last night leap up from behind the bitch, but someone was faster than both of them.

Before she had taken three steps, Tonks rammed into what felt like a steel wall. She felt strong hands grasp her by the shoulders, giving her a gentle but firm shake. She looked up to see who or what was keeping her from her revenge only to meet a pair deep green seas. Seas filled with sadness and understanding but also a firm resolve. She saw his mouth moving and knew he was trying to say something to her, but all Tonks understood none of it.

She was lost. Her rage gone: replaced by heat and wonder. She felt her entire body light up in a blush of epic proportions. She stared at those lips that were still moving trying to tell her something. All she could think was there were better things those lips could be doing...needed to be doing.

Despite her suddenly weak knees, she lunged forward trying to silence those perfect lips with her own. The desperation grew as he pushed her away. Not enough to let her go, but such that she could not reach what she needed.

"Harry...please." She was not above begging.

"Tonks-"

"Do it, Harry."

"But, Uzume…"

"Later, she needs you. Now."

There was something weird about that second voice, but Tonks had no time to contemplate it as the resistance to her advances melted away. She surged forward, lips meeting his as orgasmic bliss surged through her soul. As her eyes rolled back in her head, she briefly caught a glimpse of a rapidly shifting rainbow of light surrounding her. She did not think it possible to eclipse the feeling she had experienced earlier that morning, but that threshold had just been shattered. As the torrent of pleasure subsided, she pulled away and found Harry's eyes once again.

"By the variance of the soul, I shall morph my Ashikabi's perils to nothingness."