Blue flame of the east, Red flame of the west

Chapter 4: Recovery

It was pitch black.

Harry could see nothing. The darkness spread across the space with no beginning or end.

He had no idea where he was. His feet were touching to a floor of some sort but he couldn't see it. He crouched down to touch it, but no matter how low he stooped down he felt nothing. This is weird.

He started walking. His feet kept touching solid ground. He cried out but there was no sound.

Where am I?

[Within you,] said the same voice that kept coming in his head.

What do you mean?

[You're lost]

I know that.

[Then call for help]

I can't talk.

[Then, listen]

Harry strained his ears, trying to hear.

Then he heard it. Whispering. It was so soft he could have missed it. It was coming from above.

" ……………. Chun-ha …………. ji-goo ……………."

The voice sounded familiar. I know this voice … what's his name? J, Ji, Ji-ho!! That's Ji-ho!!

He went towards it. He felt his body rising. The whispering got louder.

"… Harry … nah-ui dong-seng … il-a-na-lyum …"

" … chun-san-chun-ha … mu-ryum-ji-goo …"

Ji-ho! I'm here!

Ji-ho!!

JI-HO!!!

Harry's eyes snapped open. He saw the blurry form of Ji-ho in front of him.

"We nearly lost you," Ji-ho said matter-of-factly.

"You almost starved and dehydrated to death. Not to mention bleeding. You've been unconscious for nearly a week.

Harry blinked, confused.

"If you're wondering, you're at my place. If you have any other questions, it will be answered after you've rested."

Ji-ho placed his finger on Harry's forehead and started to whisper softly:

"ja-guh-la nae-dong-seng … jal-ja …"

Harry's eyes began to droop. In no time at all he was asleep.

Harry woke again. There was a cold wet cloth on his forehead. He blinked and remembered that he was at Ji-ho's house. Harry tried to rise but found somebody stopping him.

"Don't. Your thighs aren't healed yet. "

It was Ji-ho.

"Are you hungry?"

Harry didn't know whether the feeling in his stomach was caused by hunger or shock. He decided that he was hungry, so he nodded.

"Good. Your appetite has returned," Ji-ho turned his head and shouted, "OK Aunt Imu, you can gorge him!!"

Harry gave Ji-ho a half confused, half inquiring look.

"Yeah, she's the one who makes my lunches."

Harry let out a mock groan. Ji-ho seemed to smile.

'Aunt Imu' turned out to be elderly woman in her 70, and Harry thought she must have been quite a beauty in her prime -- her face, though wrinkled with age, had a graceful and dignified air in it (he had to squint his eyes to see this since he didn't have his glasses on). She was wearing a light-blue kimono and her hair was tied up like the women drawn on traditional Japanese paintings.

Before Harry could contemplate her anymore, he found himself being fed my Aunt Imu. Harry tried to tell her (and Ji-ho) that he could eat on his own, but he didn't have time to open his mouth to talk, let alone finish chewing and swallowing whatever food Aunt Imu was stuffing in his mouth before another morsel was stuffed in. In the meantime, Aunt Imu was talking furiously to Ji-ho in Japanese. Only after Harry frantically waved his left hand (Harry noticed at then it was covered with bandages) in front of his mouth, showing he couldn't eat anymore, did Ji-ho finally get the chance to update him with information, while Aunt Imu grumbled under her breath.

"Aunt Imu basically says she can't believe a human can get so thin. Bottom-line: you need serious fattening.

"She fed you with soup and various other liquid food products by a gallon for a week. You didn't eat anything for quite a while, so you couldn't eat anything solid or you'd get serious stomach and liver problems. You were unconscious anyway. When I finally declared you can eat solid foods, she started cooking -- I think that was about two days ago,"

Ji-ho looked at Harry's painfully embarrassed and guilty face. He let out a laugh that sounded more like a pained sigh.

"My whole family was on their toes for several weeks, worried about you."

Harry gave Ji-ho a confused look.

"Yes, weeks, the plural of week; ever since I met you at that library."

Harry stared at Ji-ho. He looked pained.

"I felt I met a person who was going through child abuse. You didn't look like you were, and you didn't sound like you were … not from your writing anyway, but I just knew something was wrong. I told my family about you, and they were shocked. Ryo, one of my cousins, wanted to take you away from your household right then and there, but I told him we should wait till I found proof. I wish I'd listen to him."

Ji-ho looked at Harry sadly. Harry could almost see the painful sadness and regret Ji-ho was feeling in his eyes.

"Ryo took you out of the house that day. I never saw anything like it. You had cuts on your thighs -- you needed 13 stitches each for those -- had VERY severe burns on your left hand, and numerous miniscule but deep punctures on both arms. There were marks of old beatings all over your torso and legs, and you suddenly looked like you've been starved for more then three days. I don't know how that happened. Anyway, it wasn't pretty at all. Your glasses were smashed, so we took the broken glasses to an optician and got new ones." Ji-ho gave Harry the new glasses. The new glasses were black, like his old ones, but the frame was more narrow and stylish. When he put them on, everything looked miraculously clear. Harry couldn't help feeling oddly guilty and grateful for everything Ji-ho and his family did for him.

"We took everything that seemed to belong to you in your room." Ji-ho looked at Harry and said, "Yeah, I know where your room is. I've been keeping an eye on you ever since our first meeting. Your … guardians weren't taking any chances when it came to being spied."

"They slipped on your birthday. I saw what happened that evening, Harry. And I'm telling you, I was ready to kill. Harry, water torture isn't just wrong; it's just down-right inhumane. WHY didn't you tell me about it?! Tell anyone?!"

I didn't know it was that wrong. I thought they were being … creative. I didn't wanted Sirius to get caught either.

"After that evening I called the police. They didn't believe me. I called the child abuse center. No one came. I decided to take the matter on my own. The day after your birthday, when you didn't show up, I confronted your male-guardian." Ji-ho spat out the last word like it burned his tongue.

"HE called the police on ME for false accusations and loitering. I was arrested," Harry gave Ji-ho a look of alarm. Ji-ho merely shrugged. "I wasn't held for long, so don't worry. After that, Ryo had enough. He went to your place alone that night. I have no clue what he did."

I think I do, thought Harry. Then the memories of that night came to him -- the hwe-seng-ma, the fighter who's name was probably Ryo, the chunk of flesh that landed on his right palm, the decapitated head, the blood ... blood … blood …

Harry started to shiver violently and uncontrollably. He tried to block the memories out of his mind, but it only came flooding over him even more. He screwed up his face from screaming, but choking and gurgling sounds escaped his throat. He couldn't breathe, and his heart started to beat in an impossible rate. Something was rampaging in his body, but he couldn't control it. Aunt Imu gave a cry of alarm. Ji-ho started shouting things in Japanese while he placed his hands on Harry's shoulders.

A warm wave of energy started flowing through Ji-ho's hands and circulated inside his body. There was a small internal explosion, and Harry felt excruciating pain radiate through his body as it made a violent jerk by the impact. Then he felt the something rampaging inside his body slowly returning to back to original course. The shivering and pain subsided, breathing became easier, and Harry felt his heart rate slowly returned to normal. He was still dizzy after the exertion but he was OK. Ji-ho let out an exhausted sigh.

"Fucking hell,"

Harry blinked. Ji-ho never cursed like that before.

"Bloody, fucking hell!! Ryo!! What the fuck happened there??!!"

"I already told you," said a voice speaking American English with a Japanese accent. Harry looked up. There was another man by the door way. That must be Ryo, thought Harry dimly.

"The hell you did!"

"I told you what I could tell you."

"Fuck you."

Ji-ho didn't ask anymore. He merely spoke to his Aunt (who looked like she was suffering a mild catatonia), who shortly after the talk she fled from the room.

Then Harry saw the world started to swim away from him in a mist.

The third time Harry woke up, he felt like waking from a very good nights sleep. He felt refreshed and rejuvenated for the first time after the start of summer holidays. He yawned, and then someone shoved a spoon full of unknown substance into his open mouth.

"Eurgh!!"

Harry never tasted something that vile. He kept choking and sputtering as he involuntarily swallowed it.

"Good medicine never tastes good."

It was Ji-ho.

Harry grimaced. The after-taste of the unknown substance was as vile as the initial taste.

"Drink all of this. It'll help you get well."

Harry looked at the LARGE bowl full of black and muddy-brown liquid substance he just ate with absolute horror.

"All of it, Harry."

Harry groaned and drained the bowl. It seemed to taste viler and viler with every swallow. When he was done, Harry swore that after drinking this 'medicine' a vomit flavored every flavor bean would taste like chocolate.

"Judging from the look on our face, the medicine is working well."

Ji-ho gave a bowl of water to Harry. It relieved the vile after-taste somewhat. Ryo -- at least Harry assumed it was Ryo; he was the same man standing on the door way the last time he woke up -- came into the room carrying a bamboo container full of long needles. He glanced at Harry.

"Hello, Hari-goon. I am Kuzeyamashiro kan-no-shin Ryosuke. Better known as Ryo."

Ryo looked a lot like Ji-ho: they had the same hard and expressionless face, long black hair tied up in a pony-tail, and piercing eyes. Ryo looked a lot older then Ji-ho. He was shorter and, though quite slim, stockier then Ji-ho. In closer inspection Ryo was a lot grimmer, and the eyes were different: Ji-ho's eyes always shined with intellect, but Ryo … his was empty. It reminded him uncomfortably of Snape's eyes, but there was no coldness in Ryo's. It didn't make any sense, but Harry thought Ryo's eyes were shinning with nothingness.

Anyway Harry nodded thinking: Hari?

"HARRY, Ryo: H-A-R-R-Y. Not HARI. 'Hari' is the best a Japanese person can pronounce your name." Ji-ho added looking at Harry's puzzled expression.

"I will call him Xiu, then."

"You are not calling him 'Xiu,' Ryo!! Of all game characters you could name him after, why in the world Xiu?!"

Harry didn't know whether Ji-ho and Ryo was trying to be funny, or Ji-ho was actually annoyed because Ryo was trying to call him after a game character Ji-ho obviously didn't like. Their faces were too serious to be funny, but the tones of their voices were quite humorous.

"xIU?" Harry croaked. Both Ryo's and Ji-ho's jaws hit the ground.

Now THAT was funny.

Harry snorted with laughter. Ryo and Ji-ho stared at him, amazed, and then looked at each other, jaws still hanging open. Harry couldn't help it. He let out pearls of laughter. It was good feeling -- laughing out loud, making noise. The weight on his chest seemed to ebb away. Then he realized he was crying. Not several drops when someone laughs too hard, but a full stream, dam blast, overflowing-tears crying.

He was laughing and crying at the same time.

The notion was absurd and embarrassing.

But Harry didn't care. The misery that was rapidly growing in his chest like cancer, but never been able to get rid of for the past month, was coming out of his system at last.

He was free.

…

After everyone recovered (and Harry wiped the last tears from his eyes) Ji-ho started to do acupuncture on Harry.

"I'm glad you recovered your voice, Harry. But we must take all precautions: this is to ensure you don't lose it again."

It wasn't as bad as it seemed; the worst moment was when the needle was being inserted and that didn't hurt much at all. After Ji-ho put enough needles on Harry, he told him to relax for a while.

"How do you feel, Xiu?"

"Stop calling him 'Xiu', Ryo." Ji-ho said moodily. "His only calling you that because he can't pronounce your name right." He added.

"What's wrong with the name 'Xiu?'"

"Nothing is wrong with the name Xiu."

"Everything is wrong with the name Xiu," growled Ji-ho. "He got it from this Japanese game name called Mazangishin -- lord of elementals. There's this arse-hole character named 'Xiu Shirakawa.' Ryo thinks he's cool."

"What about you? You who likes Howan=Yyanron? Masaki I can understand, Ryu-nae, maybe it is possible, but Yyanron? At least I have taste."

"Shut up, Ryo."

Harry was choking with laughter. Contrary to their serious and reserve faces, Ryo and Ji-ho were very much like a pleasant combination of Sirius, Lupin and Ron.

Then he panicked.

AAACCCKKKK!!! Sirius!! Oh my god … he's going to have a heart attack …!!! Ron, Hermione …!!

Harry panicked so much the thought came out as a weird combination of unidentifiable wheezing, groaning and choking.

Ryo and Ji-ho looked at Harry's face with utter shock and surprise.

"Whoa, what's wrong, man?!" Ji-ho said in alarm.

"I-I just remembered something … I'd rather not …" croaked Harry. Kind though they were, Harry wasn't sure he could tell Ji-ho or Ryo about the magical world and his wizarding friends.

Ji-ho and Ryo looked thoughtful, but neither seemed to want to push the subject.

"Well, I'll take out the needles now. It's about time." Ji-ho said calmly. He started plucking them out.

"Mmm. I thought Ji-ho gave you the wrong vile concoction," said Ryo.

"If you keep teasing me Ryo, you WILL eat the wrong concoction," growled Ji-ho.

Harry smiled feebly. He felt awful. After all the Kuzeyamashiro family did for him, he had to lie to them, keep something away. How was he ever going to payback for this?

Ryo suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Oh … I just remembered. Xiu, do you own a white Owl?"

Harry's heart jumped to his mouth: Hedwig!!!

"When I was taking you out of the hellhole -- uh, number 4, a white owl came swooping down with a piece of paper tied to its leg. It promptly started to attack me, but after it realized I was not going to hurt you, it stopped. It followed me to the house and somehow flew inside (Mother was not pleased, by the way). It looked worried about you, so we kept it inside the house. It would not let anyone take off the paper tied to its leg; my brother, Suzunosuke, still has the claw marks, and is swearing that he will eat owl meat if turns out you do not own it."

Harry nodded frantically, assuring he owned the owl that was, without a doubt, Hedwig.

"No owl meat for Suzunosuke," remarked Ryo.

"Bloody carnivores," sniffed Ji-ho.

"Fanatical quasi-vegetarian," retorted Ryo. "Can you walk, Xiu?"

"Stop calling him Xiu!"

"You do not mind, do you?" asked Ryo. Harry shook his head, feeling a trifle guilty for not taking Ji-ho's side. But it was true: he didn't mind. In fact he liked it.

"See? The person of concern does not mind. Anyway if you can walk, you should better claim the owl before Suzunosuke eats it. I am not planning to do it for you -- I would rather have my hands without claw marks."

Harry gingerly tried his legs and feet. It was rather wobbly but he could stand. However he needed Ji-ho's help to walk.

The Kuzeyamashiro's were clearly a very well-to-do family. The interior was distinctively Japanese (or Korean, Harry reminded himself): there were various Asian pictures, furniture, fabric and ornaments. There was (of course) plenty of Asian pottery, much to Harry's delight. Everything they owned looked very elegant and expensive.

"Hedwig!!"

The white owl was perched on one of the trees in the Kuzeyamashiro's Japanese tea garden. She flew over to Harry and nibbled his ear affectionately. Harry giggled as he stroked Hedwig.

"You have a very loyal and loving pet," remarked Ryo.

"An unusual one at that," said Ji-ho, his eyes twinkling.

Hedwig hooted at Ji-ho haughtily. Ji-ho raised a brow.

"Did I not mention it is very smart?"

Hedwig hooted appreciatively.

"REALLY smart," muttered Ji-ho, smiling at Hedwig.

"Since the owl was most insistent that only Xiu should take the paper tied to her leg, I think we must leave Xiu to take it off alone. She might attack us if we do not. Come Ji-ho." Ryo motioned Ji-ho to follow him. Ji-ho nodded. They left.

Harry looked at their retreating backs for a long time. He didn't know how to describe Ryo and Ji-ho. They were mysterious … VERY mysterious. They left awkward the questions unanswered, and waited till the question could be answered. They knew what questions needed to be answered and those better left unknown. They helped out Harry, a total stranger, like they knew him for the all their lives. They kept silence for things better not mentioned. They left him alone when he needed to be alone, before he could bring it up. They seem to know what was going on in Harry's mind. They … knew. But Harry was pretty sure this had nothing to do with mind-reading. It was like having someone young with all Dumbledore's experience and qualities right beside him as a friend.

Harry noticed the letter tied to Hedwig's leg was his letter. She didn't leave him to deliver his letter. Apparently she knew he was in danger and didn't leave his side.

"You stayed to help, Hedwig?"

Hedwig hooted softly.

"Thanks Hedwig," said Harry throatily. Hedwig nibbled his ears.

Harry couldn't imagine what kind of state Sirius would be right now. The Weasley's, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore … He had to tell them he was alive. He had to write to Dumbledore about the attack. He thought about telling Sirius first, but thought Dumbledore had first priority. He started to wonder how he was going to write to him. Then realized he had pen and paper in the pockets of the pants he was wearing. He looked at them thoughtfully.

Did Ryo know I'd need this? Did Ji-ho know? Or is this an odd coincidence?

Harry sighed resignedly. He decided to take the Kuzeyamashiro's attitude and wait till the answer came to him. He wrote about the attack with as much detail he could remember, told Dumbledore that he was saved by an extremely generous Japanese (muggle) family, the Kuzeyamashiro's, and was staying there at the moment. He also told him about the injuries he received, for he thought Dumbledore needed to know about them. Harry tied the papers as best as he could on Hedwig's leg with only his right hand (his left hand was still completely wrapped with bandages), and told her to go to Dumbledore. She nipped his finger affectionately and took off.

Harry stared at the disappearing figure of Hedwig. Then he went back into the house. Ji-ho was waiting for him.

He didn't ask any questions. He didn't even seem to be curious.

He simply seemed to know … understand.

What does he understand? Harry wondered.

"Let's get back in now. Aunt Imu is throwing a fit because we aren't eating all the food she cooked. Get ready to be gorged."

"How much did she cook?"

"My last lunch multiplied by fifty."

Harry let out a mock-groan. Ji-ho smiled.

"Aahh … but there's California rolls … lots and lots of California rolls … and Suuu-Shiiii."

"Sushi??!!"