FicWad

Shadow Warrior

Chapter Two





Harry sighed as he looked around the trash-strewn, run-down playpark. "I hate this damn place."

Tonks nudged an empty whiskey bottle with her toe. "I can see why. It's a total mess."

"Not just the playpark. I hate this entire neighborhood, I always have. I hate having to come back here."

"You know, now that you're emancipated you don't have to live with your relatives. You can live wherever the hell you want."

"I'd leave today, this very hour, if I had somewhere to go that wouldn't end up with me sent right back here."

They walked in silence for a few moments before Tonks spoke up. "I've got a spare room you can use, if you want. And once I get everything straightened out and official with Grimmauld Place, you can stay there. "

"You wouldn't mind? I wouldn't be intruding or anything?" Harry asked

"Not at all. I enjoy your company and I've always wanted a roommate." Tonks replied.

"Okay, as long as I'm not intruding.

"Then it's settled. You'll be moving in with me today. Is there anything that you want to pick up from the Dursley's? Or do you just want to leave?"

"Most of what I have in the house is shit, but I do have a few things I want to take with me, Hedwig specifically and a few books."

"Let's get going, then."

They resumed walking and were soon standing before #4 Privet Drive. Harry paused as he looked at the house and sighed deeply.

"Something wrong?" Tonks asked.

"Not really. It's just weird knowing that I won't be coming back here after this. I've never thought of this place as my home, despite the fact that I've lived here nearly my entire life, and I won't miss it at all. But it still feels weird."

"Big changes like this can always feel a bit weird." Tonks said.

Harry shrugged. "Anyway, let's get this over with."

He walked over to the door and, more out of habit than anything else, opened it silently then, just as quietly, climbed the stairs.

"Still messy, I see." Tonks said when she reached Harry's room. "Though not as bad as last time"

Harry shrugged again and walked over to his closet. "Would you mind telling Hedwig where to go? I'm going to get my stuff together."

"Sure, I'll have to let Moody know where you're going though, for security purposes."

"Moody will be the only other one to know where I am?"

Tonks nodded. " Moody knows how to keep a secret."

"Alright, that's fine." Harry said. He opened his closet and pulled out an old, battered duffle bag. He slipped his new sword into the bag then walked over to his open trunk. After a few minutes of searching, Harry had pulled out the few books he wanted to keep and stuffed those into his bag. Finally he went over to his bed, opened the hidden compartment and placed everything into the bag as well.

"That's everything I want, other than Hedwig's cage."

Tonks looked around the room. "No clothes? Or your trunk?"

"I plan on buying myself all new clothes as soon as possible, I never want to have to wear these rags again. And I can always buy another trunk sooner or later, one that's in a little bit better shape."

Harry slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and started walking out of his room. "Anyway, I'm all set to go."

"Did you want to say anything to you relatives before you go?" Tonks asked as they descended the stairs.

Harry shook his head. "No, they don't care about me and I really don't care about them. They mean nothing to me."





%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%





Fawkes was roused from his light slumber by a keening, high-pitched squeal. He opened his eyes and gazed around Dumbledore's office.

One of the monitoring devices that his companion kept was shaking violently and emitting aplume of light gray smoke. As he watched, the shaking grew even more violent and the smoke darkened to black. The squealing ended as abruptly as it began and the device broke in half. Thick, greasy black smoke coiled up from the ruined device.

Fawkes trilled worriedly and flared his wings and flew out the open window. Once he was free of the castle, Fawkes summoned a teleportation portal with a burst of song. His companion would want to know of this development at once.





%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%





Sonouske Hirohito frowned slightly as he gazed out at the darkening night sky. He had stretched his sense to their fullest and could not detect even the faintest glimmer of the Shadow Amulet's presence. The new wielder of the Kage no Ken was not in Japan.

'Not that Itruly believed I would find him here. Master would have known, and told me if he were in Japan.'

Sonouske turned away from the window and walked over to the vanity mirror. He examined the simple robes and sashes of his order and frowned again. They would be too conspicuous. He narrowed his eyes and focused his magic.

The shadows of the room grew deeper and his robes morphed into an elegant, charcoal gray three-piece business suit. Sonouske nodded to himself.

He then reached over and picked up the simple rucksack that held the documents and money that he needed for his quest. He focused his magic again and transformed the rucksack into a Corinthian leather briefcase.

Sonouske adjusted his new tie and opened a shadow portal to the nearest international airport. He exited the portal in a small alcove near the front entrance and walked briskly p to the ticket window.

"Good evening, sir. How may I help you?" The ticket agent said, bowing and smiling pleasantly.

Sonouske placed his briefcase on the counter and opened it. He pulled out a packet of papers and a credit card. "I require the earliest flight to Honolulu Hawaii."He said as he handed over the packet. "And money is of no concern. "

The ticket agent took the packet then typed away at her computer. "The earliest flight that we have leaves in two hours, and it is an executive first class flight."

"That is perfectly fine."

The ticket agent typed away again. "Okay, sir. You've been booked. The flight leaves at gate 35b." The ticket agent returned Sonouske's documents and his boarding pass.

Sonouske tucked the documents into his briefcase and the boarding pass into his jacket pocket. He then bowed. "Thank you ma'am."

'Two hours until the flight leaves, plenty of time to find the gate and get something to eat.'



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



"Severus!"

Severus Snape jerked in surprise as Draco stormed into his private potions lab. The bowl of Doxies and Mandrake root he had been carefully powdering and mixing tipped over, wasting nearly an hour of meticulous and monotonous work.

"Severus!"Draco shouted again.

Snape sneered as he turned to face the blonde wizard. "What? What is so damned important?"

Draco puffed out his chest. "Mother has become entirely unmanageable. I need you to make me a potion that will put her in her place."

"And what potion would you that be?" Snape replied, barely able to hide his contempt.

"I don't know!" Draco snapped. "I am no potions master. You figure out the potion that Ineed to make her obey me, and brew it at once!"

A sudden thought struck Snape and he smiled. Pointing to his desk on the other side of the lab, he said. "Go fetch me my potion's book."

Draco scowled. "I am not your damned house elf, Severus."

"Get the book, or I will not brew your potion."

Draco sneered and stomped over to the desk.

While Draco's back was turned, Snape cast a diagnostic charm on him. He smiled at the results; Draco was a suitable candidate for his Lord's plan, providing he was allowed to use the younger Malfoy. Snape quickly cast an impotence curse on Draco. The curse would last for at least two days, giving him plenty of time to brew a potion with far longer lasting effects.

Draco stomped back and carelessly dropped the book onto Snape's potion table, further scattering the spilled ingredients. "There's your damned book. Brew my potion at once!"

"It will be done the day after tomorrow. Return then for your potion."

Snape scowled as he watched Draco swagger out of the lab. "Stupid, arrogant little shit. You'll get what's coming to you, one way or another.'



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



"Here we are." Tonks said as she opened her apartment door and waved Harry through.

The door opened immediately into a living room, slightly smaller than the Dursley's. An old, worn yet comfortable looking sofa sat against the far wall of the room opposite a medium sized television and VCR. A small kitchen was visible through a serving window in the wall to Harry's right, and a sliding glass patio door took up most of the wall to his left. A short hallway extended from the back of the living room, ending in an open bedroom door

"It's not much, but"

"I like it." Harry said. "It looks like someone actually lives here."

"Well, make yourself at home. Your room is the door on the left. The bathroom is the door on the right." Tonks said, pointing down the hallway.

"Thanks." Harry walked down the hall and opened the door to his new bedroom. The room was sparsely furnished, containing only a full-sized bed (larger and in far better shape than the one he had at the Dursley's), a writing desk and chair and a dresser. A window and a closet door were the only other features in the room, save for an overhead light.

He walked over to the bed and dropped his duffle bag onto the bedspread and pulled out Hedwig's cage. After placing the cage on his new desk, Harry walked over to his window and opened it as widely as possible.

'I think even the air smells better away from them.' Harry thought. He barely resisted the urge to laugh out loud; his life had dramatically improved in only ahandful of hours. Not only had he been emancipated, and now had access to more gold than he thought possible, but he never had to return to Privet Drive, or even see his relatives for the rest of his life.

A knock at his door drew Harry's attention from the window. He turned around and saw Tonks standing just outside the doorway. "May I come in?"

"Sure. Did you need something?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to go get you new clothes now."
"I don't have any of my gold yet, and I don't have any muggle money."

"Don't worry about that for now. I can pay for your clothes today, and you can pay me back later." Tonks said.

"You have enough muggle money?""

"Close. I have a Gringott's checkbook. I fill out the check with whatever muggle currency I need and it automatically converts and deducts the gold from my vault. The whole thing is really useful; a lot of wizards that live in the muggle world use it. We can get you signed up for your own checkbook if you'd like."

Harry nodded. "That sounds good."

"Okay, tomorrow we'll go back to Gringott's. Today, however, we're going shopping!"

"I don't like how excited you just sounded." Harry said, feeling nervous at the sudden, nearly maniac gleam that appeared in Tonks' eye at the word 'shopping'.



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



Dudley Dursley grinned as he saw Jonathan Richards, a new boy in the neighborhood, walking down the sidewalk across the street from him. He punched Piers on the shoulder and pointed across the street. "Check out the new meat."

"Let's go give him them neighborhood welcome." Piers said, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "I'm running a little low on cash right now."

"Half and half split?"

Piers nodded. "Yeah, but I want his shoes too."

"Fine. Let's go." Dudley pushed off the wall, flicked his cigarette away and stalked over to Jonathan, Piers in tow.

"Oy, new kid! Come over here!" Dudley called as he stepped in front of Jonathan.

"What do you want?" Jonathan asked, a slight edge of contempt in his voice.

"You forgot to pay the toll."

"Yeah," Piers said. "You didn't pay the toll."

"And what toll is that?" Jonathan said, defiantly shoving his hands into his pockets. "I haven't heard of any toll near here."

"The ' Pay me so I don't pound you into pudding' toll."Dudley growled.

"Shouldn't that be tax instead of toll?"

"Shut it! Gimme your money and your shoes, now!"

"Go fuck yourself you fat-assed faggot." Jonathan growled as he pulled his clenched fist from his pockets.

Dudley roared and lunged at Jonathan, fists raised. He stopped dead in his tracks and grunted when his side, just under his ribs, erupted in white-hot agony. Pain exploded along his side a second, then third time in rapid succession. Dudley looked down and saw blood pouring down his side at an alarming rate.

"What?" Dudley asked stupidly. He looked to Jonathan and saw him holding a blood coated folding knife. Piers was nowhere to be seen.

Dudley slowly sank to his knees, feeling increasingly weak, as Jonathan put away his knife and pulled out a mobile phone. " Hey Uncle Jimmy, it's Jonnie. I need your help moving something down to the farm."

After a short pause, Jonathan started speaking again. "Looks to be about three fifty, probably closer to three seventy-five. No, not yet, soon though. Thanks, Uncle Jimmy."

Jonathan hung up his phone, returned it to his pocket and knelt by Dudley.

"You're fairly lucky, fatso. You'll be long dead before the pigs get to you." He reached into Dudley's back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "And you have more than enough for gas money."



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



"Mister Dursley?"

Vernon Dursley looked up from his desk. One of the secretaries was standing in his office doorway.

"What do you want? Can't you see that I'm busy?"

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, sir. But Mister Walburg wants to see you right away."

"Why?"

"I don't know, sir, he didn't say. HE just told me he wanted to see you."

'It must be my promotion. Finally, all of those years of putting up with the wogs, wops, niggers and queers has paid off.' "Tell him I'm on my way."

Vernon heaved himself out of his chair and lumbered out of his office and towards the nearest elevator. The entire trip up to the top floor, Vernon was imagining how he would decorate his new office, the new secretary he would need and how he would finally get to treat his inferiors the way the truly deserved.

He paused at the door to Walburg's office to adjust his shirt and tie, then knocked loudly.

"Enter."
Vernon opened the door and stepped through.

"You wanted to seem me, sir?"

Mister Walburg, seated behind his maple desk, nodded and waved him forward. "AH, Mister Dursley, please come in."

\ 'I think I'll take an oak desk with my new office. And aleather sofa.'

Vernon sat down, still thinking of how to arrange his new office.

"Mister Dursley, we've been reviewing recent accounts from your department and have found some recent irregularities. Because of that we will be conducting an audit. We need you to gather your files and records as quickly as possible to help makes this unpleasantness go more smoothly."

Vernon leapt to his feet. "I've one nothing wrong!"

"We're not saying that you have, Mister Dursley." Walbug said placatingly.

"It's his fault! That freak boy is doing this!"

"Calm down, Mister Dursley, this is nothing to get excited about."

Vernon, face growing steadily redder, grabbed Walburg by the lapels and shook him. "It's the boy, don't you see? Him and his freak friends!They're doing this to me! They don't want me to get promoted! It's the only explanation!"

Spittle flecked Walburg's face as Vernon continued to rant and tug at his suit. "Unhand me at once, Dursley, and go home. Take tomorrow off as too, you're obviously unwell."

Vernon suddenly felt as if a giant fist had closed around his heart and begun to squeeze. He staggered away from Walburg, clutching at his chest. "The freak." He gasped before collapsing to the floor.





%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



"That's it, Tonks. No shopping." Harry said, dropping the bags he was holding.

"Just one more store," Tonks pleaded. "We still need to get you-"

"No! It's been over three hours and I have plenty of clothes. Besides, I'm hungry and tired of walking around."

Tonks sighed and checked her watch. "You're right, we have been at this for a while. I guess we can call it a day."

"Thank you." Harry said. He bent down and picked up the bags. "Can we go get something to eat now?"

"Sure. How about we order out when we get back to the apartment?Do you like pizza?"

"Don't know. I've never tried it before."

"We'll have to fix that then." Tonks said as she led the way to the nearest subway station.

The station was less crowded than Harry had expected, and they were able to get a train car nearly to themselves.

"I can shrink those down for you, if you want. Make them easier to carry."

Harry heaped the bags onto an empty seat next to him. "That's okay. I'm fine with them like this."

Tonks shrugged. "Alright. So, how's it feel to be emancipated and away from those relatives of yours?"

"Like I'm dreaming. I keep expecting to be woken up by my aunt screaming at me to cook breakfast."

"I can pinch you to prove that you're really awake."Tonks said. She flashed him a mischievous grin. "All you have to do is stand up."

Harry blushed slightly. "No need for pinching."

"Maybe later then. But seriously, you'll never have to go back to that neighborhood again. I promise you that I'll make sure of that."

Harry felt a rush of gratitude towards Tonks. "Thanks, that means a lot to me."

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Other than the dream-like quality of the last few hours, it feels great. I feel free for the first time in years, ever really. And I don't have to worry about getting in trouble just for using magic anymore. I almost feel like finding Fudge, or Umbridge, and rubbing their faces in it."

"I don't think that's such a good idea, fun as it sounds."Tonks said. "You're likely to get arrested for insulting a Ministry Official."

"True, but I do have plenty of gold for 'donations'. And I can always claim that I was under the Imperius curse when I 'insulted' them."

"Can't you throw that off?"

Harry nodded. " I can, but I don't know if it's very common knowledge. And if the Ministry does know that I can throw off the Imperius, I can always claim that somebody used polyjuice potion to impersonate me."

"That could work. Anyway, this is our stop. Tonks said as the train coasted to astop. "Do you need help with those?"
"No, I'm fine." Harry gathered up his bags and followed Tonks out of the train.

The station, and the street above, was nearly as deserted as the previous one and the walk back to Tonks' apartment was quick and uneventful.

"I'll have to get you a copy of the key." Tonks said while opening the door. She walked over to the phone. "You go ahead and get your new clothes put away while I get dinner ordered. And feel free to take a shower if you want, I've got towels and non-girly smelling soap in the bathroom."

Harry nodded and walked into his new room. Once inside he dumped the bags out onto his bed and sifted through the clothes. He set aside a pair of cargo shorts, a white undershirt and a blue, short-sleeved button-down shirt and a pair of briefs, then put the rest of his clothes away in his dresser.



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



"Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

Albus Dumbledore stopped dead in his tracks and looked over to where Moody was standing.

"Alastor, I could use your help. The wards around Harry's home have fallen."

"It was never his home, Albus, I've told you that before. And I'm not the only one who's done so. Besides, Potter no longer lives there."

"It is imperative that Harry lives with his relatives. That's the only place he can be safe."

"Potter is perfectly safe where he is now. And he's better off far away from those relatives of his."

"You know where Harry is?"Dumbledore asked.

"I do. But I won't tell you. Not unless you swear to leave him be."

"Why are you doing this Alastor?"

"Because you've lost your edge. You're getting sloppy, making mistakes. That stunt you tried to pull with Black's will for example. We could have been in serious danger because of you. Luckily Black had left Grimauld Place to Tonks, so no matter what, the Malfoy's wouldn't have gotten their hands on it, or any of the information inside."

Dumbledore's brow furrowed. "I was sure that Sirius would have left his home to Harry."

"Then you should have made absolutely sure that Potter was there instead of trying to pull sour political maneuvering shit with the goblins. You know that they don't give a flying fuck about human affairs."Moody sighed and walked over to Dumbledore. "You're getting too old for all of this, you have too much on your plate."

"What do you mean?"

"The politics, leading this war against Voldemort, running Hogwarts; you're too old to be doing all of that. You need to give some of them up."

"What do you suggest?"

"Pass the torch or the Order for one. Let me take charge. And focus on the school." Moody said. "This war is going to get bad, and people will need a safe place to go if the worst comes to pass. Make sure that the larders and Hospital Wing are fully, shore up the wards and get the castle ready to handle a lot more people."

Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Poppy has told me that I've been under too much strain lately. Very well, I'll hand over control of the Order at the next meeting"

"I want Potter at the meeting, the youngest Weasley's and Granger too, if they want to join. They've earned their spot in the Order."

"I cannot promise that Ron or Ginny will be allowed to join, that will be up to Molly more than me." Dumbledore said. "But I can have Harry and Hermione inducted into the Order."

"That's good enough, Albus."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



"My lord, please forgive my intrusion." Severus Snape said, bowing low before Voldemort's throne.

The snake-like dark lord gestured to Bellatrix Lestrange, seated to his right. Bellatrix flicked her wand at the pair of muggle girls serving as their entertainment, freezing them in place.

"My forgiveness depends on the reason for your intrusion."Voldemort said.

"I have found a suitable candidate for you project, my Lord. But I thought it best to ask your permission before using him."

"And who is this candidate?"

"Draco Malfoy, Master." Snape replied.

"What would you have to see, Bella?"

"It would be a good punishment for Lucius, Master."Bellatrix replied.

"He has failed me quite often." Voldemort said. "And you have no problem sacrificing your nephew?"

"No, Master. Draco is a weak and foolish coward. He has been nothing but an embarrassment to the Black Family bloodline."

"Very well, Severus. Prepare Draco for the ritual at once."

"I have already begun so, Master. I have placed a impotence curse on him and plan to give him a similar potion to ensure that he remains suitable."

"There's no need for that, Severus." Bellatrix said. "From my experience, Draco has all of his father's charm and none of his skill, money or power. He would remain suitable even if he were the last male on the planet."

"You are forgiven, Severus." Voldemort said. He gestured to the frozen girls. "Would you care to stay for the rest of the show? Bella has found a quite lovely pair of twins."

Snape looked the twins over. They were redheads and looked to be no older than fifteen. They reminded him of Lily, before she rejected him and cozied up to Potter. Each girl held a small dagger in one hand.

"Yes, thank you, Master."

Voldemort gestured to Bellatrix again and she unfroze the girls. They immediately resumed circling each and slashing each other, sobbing openly and clearly trying to fight off a variant of the Imperius curse.

"I am feeling most generous today, Severus. As a reward for your diligence and dedication to completing my project, I will give you the victor, to do with as you please."

"Thank you, Master. You are most kind."



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%





Harry stepped out of the shower, feeling refreshed and relaxed, and grabbed a towel from the rack.

"Showers are a lot more enjoyable when no one's screaming at me for using too much hot water."

After drying off, Harry quickly dressed in his new clothes and examined himself in the mirror. "New clothes really make adifference. I don't look like a bum or a hoodlum anymore."

Harry hung his towel back on the rack and left the bathroom, carrying his old clothes in a bundle. He walked into the kitchen and dumped the bundle of clothes into the trashcan.

"Hey, Harry. Just going to throw those away?"

Harry looked over to the living room and saw Tonks out on the patio. She had changed out of the tight jeans and t-shirt she had been wearing earlier and into a pair of sweat pants and a much looser t-shirt.

"Yeah. I thought about burning them, but that would just cause a lot of air pollution, and donating them would just be an insult to whoever go them, so throwing them out is the safer for everything and everyone."

"Makes sense." Tonks said as she stepped through the patio door and slid it closed behind her. When she was closer Harry was able to see that the shirt that Tonks was wearing had, in red lettering, the slogan 'Get a taste of religion... Lick a witch'. "By the way I've ordered the pizzas, they should be here soon. While we're waiting would you like to pick out a couple of movies to watch tonight?"

"Sure. Do you have any suggestion?"

Tonks nodded and walked over to a cabinet next to the TV. She opened it to reveal a moderate collection of movies. She pulled a few of the shelf and returned to Harry.

"This is one of my favorites." She said, handing over one of the tapes.

"Aliens." Harry read the title out loud, then turned the case or and silently read the back cover. "Sounds interesting, but do I have to see the first one to understand this one?"

"Not really. Aliens is pretty easy to follow on it's own."

"Alright, we'll watch Aliens first." Harry said.

"Cool, and afterwards we can pick out another one."

There was a knock at the door. "That should be the pizza, right on time. Would you mind getting a couple of plates and cups? They're in the cabinet over the dishwasher."

"Sure." Harry said. He walked into the kitchen and gathered the plates and cups.

When he returned to the living room Tonks had already paid for the pizzas and had placed boxes on the coffee table. She had also placed a bottle of Coke on the table by the pizzas.

"Okay," Tonks said as she opened the boxes. "Dig in and enjoy."

While Harry loaded up his plate and poured himself aglass of Coke, Tonks put the 'Aliens' tape into the VCR. She sat down and got her own food as the opening credits began to roll.



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



Sonuske lounged in a beach chair, watching as the sun slowly sank below the western horizon. All around him the tourists were packing up their umbrellas and blankets and leaving. Only the locals seemed to remain. Several beach fires had been lit in preparation for the coming night.

He could also see, and hear several surfers out riding the last waves of the day. The beach had become quite peaceful.

'I may have to move here once I have completed my mission. Maybe buy myself a nice beachfront house, get myself a cute little hula-dancer girlfriend and rarely leave the beach.'

Sonouske smiled as he imagined his future life as a Hawaiian beach bum. Several minutes later the sun had finally disappeared.

Sonouske effortlessly dropped into a meditative state and stretched his awareness out over the islands, seeking out the new wielder of the Kage no Ken. His search found nothing, and he frowned. His brief Hawaiian vacation had already come to an end and he would have to board another plane.

He sighed and gazed out at the fires and the glittering stars far overhead. "Maybe I can take a boat to my next destination instead of a plane. I have no desire to repeat that experience that again. I fear that if I do, Iwill kill someone.'

"Excuse me."

Sonouske looked up and saw a very young, attractive woman wearing an almost criminally small bikini standing nearby. "I noticed you earlier and I was wondering if you'd like to join me and my friends."

She gestured to a nearby fire. Sonouske could see several more equally attractive and scantily clad girls around the fire along with aroasting pig and several kegs of beer,

'My trip out can wait. It's been far too long since I've had my kind of fun.' Sonouske thought. He climbed to his feet. "Yes, I would like to join you."

He followed the young woman over to her fire, marveling at how her tiny bikini bottoms fit her.



Chapter End.