...

In the bed Ichigen passed away peacefully that afternoon. Both he and Kuroh were in the room as he passed. Harrison was still in his fox form allowing the man to run his hand through the fur. Refusing a dying man's last wish wasn't something he wanted to do.

In this state he could smell the sickly sweet of death as it crept in. He was barely able to keep himself from sobbing as the breaths came slower and slower. It was a quiet thing for the man to die. Not like the others Harrison had seen in his short life. Killing Curse for his mother and blood adopted father, burning for his professor, and a Killing Curse for Cedric. There was barely a whisper of breath this time and he was gone. His chest did not rise and fall anymore and his hand lay heavy on Harrison's back.

Kuroh let out a pained sound as he demanded, "Harrison let me see him."

Harrison didn't hesitate. He slipped out from under the arm and shifted back to his human form. Kuroh pressed two fingers into Ichigen's neck for a moment. Silence reigned between the two teenagers as they waited.

Finally after a moment Kuroh shook his head and said, "No pulse. He is gone."

There was a clenching of Harrison's heart at the words. He should stop trying to get close to people at this rate. It seemed that every time he got close to someone they died. Whether it was natural causes or murder.

"Don't have regrets at meeting Master Ichigen, Harrison," chided Kuroh, "To do so would dishonor his memory. Our lives are defined by our choices. You cannot make someone accept you. Just as you cannot force them to forget you. Not really."

Harrison begged to differ. There were spells for that even if it was an extreme option. It was still an option. But it would take away another person's free will. He wasn't sure he could do that to someone. Free will was a right to all living creatures magical or not. So it left him contemplative.

Together they go ready for a funeral. Ichigen's wish was to be buried in the garden next to his pond where he would meditate. That was where they buried him in a quiet ceremony. With it being just the two of them Harrison would have to inform the other Kings. Another throne was up and waiting for its new King. He wondered how long it would be before the next Ascended to his throne.

From what Harrison understood there were two Swords currently available. The Colorless and the Grey. Not much was known about the Grey King but according to his father the man had served with the previous Blue King. They had tried to take on the previous Red King to stop the Damocles Down before it happened. Both men were unfortunately waylaid and it happened before they could stop it.

The Grey King was killed in the Down itself vaporized by the heat. The Blue King Jin Hibari was killed by his own subordinate in order to save the city from a second Damocles Down. Nearly a million people in total lost their lives that night. Now it was all of their goals to keep another Damocles Down incident from happening again.

There was no telling who would be chosen or when. All they could do was work with the information they had. When the two finished burying Ichigen, Kuroh returned him home. He apparated them into the back alley. The scents of the city hit him like a wave. Internally he cringed but it was good to be home. The mountains held to many memories now that Ichigen was dead.

Kuroh hesitated for a moment before he said, "I'm glad to have met you, Harrison. I wasn't sure about us taking you in originally but you proved yourself loyal. I am happy to have called you my clan brother. If you ever need anything do not hesitate to reach out."

Harrison blinked before smiling at him, "Same to you. If you need anything, anything at all Kuroh I'll come."

With that they shook hands and Kuroh apparated away. Harrison waited a few minutes before stepping out onto the street. Once he gathered where he was he headed in the direction of SCEPTER4 Headquarters. Unfortunately for him it was on the other side of the city.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he turned down familiar streets. Someone was watching him. He cast out he senses seeking who might be following. The scent of a werewolf lay heavy on the air. They were to the south of him and it was clear they would be catching up to him soon.

Harrison bit his lip and considered options. The city was crowded but with a werewolf after him he wouldn't be able to hide. Which meant he needed to find a place to face them. Preferably a place where they wouldn't hurt someone if it came to a fight.

He chose a back alley far that had plenty of escapes. A hand was kept on the sword as he caught the scent of another. The werewolf wasn't alone then. He pulled at the power of the Black Sword of Damocles. Better safe than sorry. It would alert his father as well that trouble was happening.

Just as he expected two familiar men came around the corner. One of them wore shaggy robes that needed many patches. The other wore all black muggle clothing and sneered at him. He didn't put away his wand a way even though he knew them. It was Dumbledore's loyal dogs. Severus Snape and Remus Lupin.