I'm glad some people like this. I want people to love and appreciate the different stories I'll one day write.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2
Strange Things
"When do you think Dad will be done with Sunday services?" eleven-year-old Rin Okumura asked his fraternal twin brother, Yukio.
"People should be getting out by the time we get back," answered Yukio as they walked to the supermarket. Both boys were tasked with buying the groceries while their adoptive father did Sunday services.
"Should we buy cat food for Kuro?" Rin asked.
"Uh, I don't know," Yukio answered. "Dad gave him some silvervine sake and he liked it. I don't know if Kuro will eat cat food."
"Well, we won't know until we give him some," said Rin. "I can't believe you guys found him at an old construction site. What was he doing there anyway?"
"Kuro was...uh… living in an old abandoned temple," Yukio answered as honestly as he could. Father Fujimoto specifically told him not to tell Rin about their… hobbies.
"Well, well, if it isn't the demon boy and his four-eyed sidekick," a nasally voice taunted. The owner of the voice appeared from around the corner. Rin immediately scowled at the boy who taunted him and his brother. The kid had very pale purple hair and two boys tailed him, like bodyguards.
"Drop dead, Reiji!" Rin barked. "My brother and I have better things to do than look at your ugly face!"
The boy, Reiji Shiratori, smiled sadistically. "Aww… but I wanted to play with you guys. Maybe your wimpy brother might want to play with us instead."
Yukio immediately grabbed Rin's shoulder to stop him from beating up Reiji. The last thing their dad needed to worry about was Rin getting into yet another fight. He already had a tooth knocked out and four of his fingers had Band-aids on them from all of the fights.
Reiji walked towards the twins, ready to beat them up and steal their grocery money. He was less than a yard away when he suddenly sank into the concrete of the sidewalk up to his waist.
"What the-?!" Reiji exclaimed.
"HUH?!" Rin and Yukio exclaimed simultaneously.
"What the hell is this? I'm stuck!" Reiji cried as he tried to get himself out of the sidewalk. His two sidekicks tried to help him.
"Hang on, boss!" one bully exclaimed as he and the other bully grabbed each of Reiji's arms and pulled.
Rin, seeing an opportunity, grabbed Yukio's sleeve. "Let's get out of here!" he exclaimed.
Both boys ran past Reiji and his crew as fast as they could. They didn't stop until they made it to the supermarket.
"We...made it," Rin gasped.
"Y-yeah," Yukio replied. "Do you think he'll be alright?"
"Who cares? What was that all about?" Rin asked as they entered the supermarket. He grabbed a hand basket as Yukio took out the shopping list.
"I don't know," Yukio answered. "How many times is that now?"
"This month? I think it's three," Rin answered as he put daikon radishes in the basket. "There was that time when I had to help weed the yard and every dandelion I picked turned into a daisy. Then there was that time you got stuck on top of a telephone pole and I had to call the fire department to get you down."
"I still don't understand how I got up there," said Yukio, inspecting the expiration date of a carton of milk. "One moment I was running from Reiji and his crew, the next moment I'm at the top of a random telephone pole. I don't even remember climbing it."
Rin suddenly brightened as they walked into the frozen foods section. "Maybe we're getting superpowers! Then we can be superheroes!" he said excitedly.
Yukio sweatdropped. "I've never heard of a superhero who could turn a dandelion into a daisy," he said nervously. "Don't forget to buy cat food for Kuro. Maybe we should buy tuna as well in case he doesn't like cat food."
The two boys exchanged theories about the strange things that have been happening to them for the rest of their trip in the grocery store. As they were walking home (using a different route than the one they used to avoid Reiji who was no doubt still stuck in the sidewalk) Rin noticed something quite out of the ordinary in the trees.
"Yukio! Look! An owl!" Rin exclaimed excitedly.
Yukio looked where Rin was pointing and saw a barn owl sitting in a tree looking down at them. This confused the boy as owls were nocturnal birds. Why was there an owl out and about in the middle of the day?
"It's so cool!" said Rin.
"Stay away from it," Yukio warned. "If a nocturnal animal is seen during the daytime, there's probably something wrong with it. It could be sick."
The owl blinked several times and ruffled its feathers, as if it felt insulted at what Yukio said. Rin looked at his brother.
"If something's wrong with it, shouldn't we try to help it?" Rin innocently asked.
Yukio frowned. "Are you crazy?! Don't you know how sharp an owl's talons are? I thought they were your favorite animal."
"That's why I want to help it," Rin reasoned.
Too late. The owl took off.
"Aww… I wanted to help the owl," Rin whined.
"It can't be helped," said Yukio. "Let's hope it's going to be okay."
Rin pouted as they started walking. "Fine."
~0~0~0~
"How was your trip to the supermarket?" asked Shiro as the boys were putting their groceries.
"It was alright," Yukio answered.
"Another weird thing happened to us," Rin said at the same time.
Shiro blinked at their answers. "Another weird thing? What happened this time?" he asked exasperatedly.
"Reiji Shiratori sank into the sidewalk," said Rin. "The concrete wasn't even wet."
"It was like he was stuck in mud," added Yukio.
Shiro grabbed his chin in thought. "These things are becoming more and more frequent, don't you think?"
"I know!" Rin exclaimed. "Remember what happened last month?"
"The Sanitation Department is still trying to figure out how that pipe burst," Shiro muttered. "Luckily Mrs. Tsukimo finally washed all of the raw sewage off her house."
TAP-TAP-TAPPITY-TAP-TAP
The three looked around to find the source of the tapping. Shiro then laid eyes on the kitchen window. "Is that an owl?" he asked.
"An owl?!" Yukio and Rin exclaimed. Both boys ran towards the window Shiro was looking out of and saw the same barn owl they saw earlier.
"That's the same owl we saw earlier!" Rin exclaimed excitedly.
"Did it follow us?" Yukio asked.
"You two have seen this bird before?" Shiro asked. Both boys nodded as they continued to watch the predatory bird in awe. Shiro looked at the owl again.
"Looks like it's carrying something," he noted. "Shall we let him in?"
"Yeah!" Rin said excitedly.
"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Yukio asked nervously. "What if it attacks us?"
Shiro laughed as he unlocked the window. "Come on! How bad can he be?" he asked. The owl flew in and dropped two envelopes on the counter. It then landed on the back of a nearby chair.
Shiro picked up the envelopes and looked at them. "They're for you guys," he said. He gave Rin and Yukio the envelopes. Rin's eyes widened at looking at how his letter was addressed to him.
Mr. R. Okumura
Second Floor Bedroom
Southern Cross Boys' Monastery
Tokyo,
Japan
"The hell is this?!" Rin cried.
"How do they know where we live, let alone sleep? What is this?!" Yukio asked exasperatedly.
"Why don't you open your letters and find out?" Shiro replied.
Both boys opened their letters and read its contents.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Okumura,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
The twins stared at the letters in their hands. What. The. Hell?!
"The heck is this?" Rin asked exasperatedly.
"A school for witches and wizards?!" Yukio cried.
Shiro took Yukio's letter and read it for himself.
"'Bout time you got these," he murmured.
Both boys looked up at hearing this.
"You mean you were expecting these?" asked Rin.
"Are you saying that there are such things as witches and wizards?" asked Yukio.
Shiro nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying," he answered. "And you two are wizards."
Rin and Yukio's jaws dropped. They were wizards? Was that why so many strange things kept happening to them? What did that mean? Were their biological parents magical too?
"I find that hard to believe that magic exists," said Yukio.
"Yeah," Rin agreed. "Next thing you'll tell us is that the Easter Bunny is real too."
"I'm telling you that magic really exists," Shiro insisted. "How else can you explain the strange things that have been happening to you two?"
Rin was at a loss for words. Yukio was trying in vain to think of an explanation to Shiro's question but came up empty.
"Why don't you reply, saying that you two accept and I'll show you proof?" Shiro offered.
Rin and Yukio looked at each other, shrugged, and ran off to find paper and something to write with. Shiro, meanwhile, went into the church and walked behind the altar where a trapdoor was hidden. He opened the trapdoor and descended down the steps. He took out a key from around his neck and unlocked the shelf that stood alone in the cellar. Inside was a long carrying case covered in seals. Shiro opened a drawer underneath the case and withdrew a sack with a drawstring. He closed the drawer and looked at the case. One of the seals' corners had the tiniest scorch mark on it.
~0~0~0~
Shiro returned to the kitchen where Rin and Yukio were sitting at the kitchen table. Both were trying to figure out how to attach their reply letters to the owl.
"Aren't you two going to give your letters to the owl?" asked Shiro.
"Well, it's just that…" Yukio started nervously.
"We're afraid of going near it," Rin finished bluntly. "Owls are predators. He's sure to peck us."
The owl ruffled his feathers again. Once again, it seemed that one of the twins' words offended him.
Shiro sighed and took the envelopes and gave it to the owl. "Make sure either Albus or Minerva get these," he told the owl. The bird blinked and flew out the window.
The twins stared at their father in awe. How did he do that?
"How were you not scared of the owl?" Rin asked in amazement.
Shiro chuckled. "He's trained to do this kind of stuff," he explained.
"How do you know that?" asked Yukio.
Shiro sighed. "Boys, I've known about the magical world for several years now."
Let's make one thing clear: no reviews equals no updates! If I don't get more reviews soon, I'm gonna take this story down forever!
