"A Genie, huh?" Harri said in amusement as she looked over the small kid in front of her. He was wearing what had to be the most outrageous colour scheme, bright, glaring orange. He had bright yellow hair as well, along with blue eyes. In fact, everything about the kid screamed, look at me, and Harri found it a bit difficult to keep the snickers from slipping out.
"Yeah! Like in all the stories! I rubbed your lamp so I get wishes! Right, right!" his enthusiasm made him start to bounce up and down in his spot as he looked at her.
Harri's smile grew a bit, "Sort of. I decide whether I like you or not, and I choose how many wishes you get." at least, that was what she had decided for herself years ago anyways. Because she was Master of Death, at least in her own world, she wasn't bound by the same rules. She had to grant wishes, yes. But thankfully, she had a lot more range with it. The most she had ever given was two before she got tired of the Summoner and quit, going back to her lamp.
"Really? So you could give me a ton of wishes?!" he said, his voice starting to rise as he did a little dance around his small apartment.
"If I wanted to. However, I haven't said yes yet." Harri said, amused for once by the kids actions.
Instantly though, his enthusiasm disappeared and he turned to look at her fearfully, "What would make you say no?" he asked in a small voice.
Harri's smile disappeared as she looked away uncomfortable, "Depends. Usually people making the wrong sort of wishes. That sort of stuff. But, I doubt you're one of those types of people. You're too…bright." She finished lamely. Kids were one area where she struggled with. She had no idea how to deal with a potentially upset kid.
The kid seemed to be bipolar though, because instantly, his fearful air disappeared as he got excited again, "Great! So you can make me Hokage then! Then everyone will like me and respect me!" he started his excited dance again and Harri couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her.
He stopped and looked over at her, a smile on his face, "So, so, can I ask a wish yet?"
Harri gave a half-shrug, "I guess. I may not grant it though. I don't just grant wishes willy-nilly you know. I like to make people work for their goals. What's your name kid?"
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm going to become Hokage!" he shouted, pointing to himself.
Harri laughed, "Good to meet you Naruto. What's a Hokage?"
Naruto's mouth dropped open as he stared at her in utter disbelief, "You don't know who the Hokage is? Why not?!"
Harri gestured to her clothes, "Do I look like I'm from around here? I've been stuck in that lamp for a long time; clothing style changes a lot every time I come out." Harri was still wearing the athletic shorts and t-shirt she had been wearing when she had battled Voldemort, although one of her past Summoners had been thoughtful enough to get her a new pair of shoes (a pair of nice, sturdy black work boots that clashed terribly with her outfit, but had lasted against a lot worse) after the old ones had been destroyed by an overeager teenager looking to prove himself. Something about restoring his honour. Harri had quickly retreated back into her lamp from that one.
"You don't look that weird! You look pretty!" Naruto said, then clapped his hands over his mouth and looked away.
Harri snorted, "Sure kid. Whatever you say." She said amusedly, ruffling Naruto's hair. He pushed her hand away with a good-natured scowl on his face.
"Do you want to meet him? The Old Man is really cool! Plus, I bet he can give me some great advice for my wishes! Could I wish for ramen?" Naruto asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up at the mention of his favorite food.
Harri barely remember ramen from when she wasn't bound to the lamp, and wasn't sure what the big deal was. It hadn't been very good, but then again, Harri was used to the rich food of Hogwarts, so who knows, maybe they actually had decent food here, "I can't make food appear out of nothing. Sorry kiddo." Harri said with a half shrug.
Naruto groaned loudly, "What do I wish for then? You've said no to my two wishes in the whole world. What can I wish for then?"
Harri gave him a smile, "It's not like there's a time limit. You can wait. It's not that big of a deal to me. My rules for wishes are I can't make food, I won't bring anyone back to life, and I won't make anyone fall in love with someone else."
"Those are easy rules!" Naruto shouted, jumping up and raising his fist in the air, "I just need to pass the exam!" then he froze and looked over at Harri, "Could that be one of my wishes? For you to make me into genin and pass the test?"
"When is this test?"
Naruto shrugged, "Not for a while I think. Iruka-sensei never said exactly. But could you, could you? Then I wouldn't have to study at all and you could do it for me!" Naruto seemed really excited for his idea, but when he turned to look at Harri, he was surprised to see her sitting on his couch with a frown on her face. She was looking off into the distance, not even paying attention to Naruto anymore.
"You want me to cheat for you?" she finally said slowly, a finger tapping against her chin as she thought.
"Yeah! Because you're a Genie and you can grant wishes!" Naruto said, but he lacked most of his earlier enthusiasm as some of her previous words drifted back to him. Only if I want to.
For a minute, Harri just sat there thinking, one finger tapping out a slow rhythm that only Harri knew. She seemed lost in her thoughts, but Naruto didn't want to disturb her in case she decided that she also didn't like him and retreat back to her lamp.
"I'll make you a small deal." She said abruptly, "Show me around your town for a day or so, and introduce me to this Old Man of yours, and then we'll see. Deal?" then Harri stuck out a hand for him to shake on and seal the deal.
Naruto waited perhaps a nanosecond before enthusiastically shaking her hand before dropping it, "I want you to meet the Old Man! Come on!" Naruto grabbed Harri's thin wrist and started to pull her along after him, but Harri slipped her hand out of his.
"Naruto, grab my lamp will you? I don't like to leave it lying around when I already have a Summoner." She said, holding her arms close to her body in hope that Naruto wouldn't grab her again. Even though Harri knew he didn't mean anything, spending her life on the run, be it literally or metaphorical, touching was reserved only for those who had her complete trust. Naruto was a good kid, but not one she would trust her life with. Plus, he had to hold the lamp.
"Huh? Summoner? What's that?" Naruto asked as he went and picked up her lamp, examining it before shoving it in one of his seemingly invisible pockets. Harri eyed the general are where he put it, but didn't move to ask for it. It wasn't like she could touch it anyways.
"You are. The person who is in charge of my lamp is my Summoner." Harri explained in, hopefully, simple terms for Naruto to understand without asking a lot of details. Details that Harri wasn't willing to share yet. And hopefully never would.
"Cool! Now, let's go!" he shouted, before running towards his door. He stood there a moment, looking back at her, "I suppose since you're not in ninja training, you can't run at the same pace as me?"
Harri shrugged, "Probably not kid. Go slow. Also, most people won't be able to see me. To avoid looking weird, I would suggest waiting until we get to wherever we are going before you start chatting my head off."
"Why can't people see you?" Naruto asked, his head tilting to the side as he stared at her with familiar eyes. Eyes she had seen when looking in the mirror. So, he was alone as well, and was probably shunned for something that he had no control over.
Harri gave a half-hearted shrug, "They just can't. I can make myself invisible, but most times I don't need to because they already don't see me. They have to believe in the power of the lamp or something like that before they can see me. I've gotten used to it."
He stayed silent a moment before perking up, "Want to help me on a prank then? I bet you're awesome at pranking!"
For the first time in a while, Harri let herself truly laugh, "Kid, you sure are something. I can help in some pranks sure. It's been a long time since I've been pranking." Unbidden, the thought of a pair of gingers rose up to the front of her mind before Harri viciously shoved those memories away. She had spent too long in the lamp agonizing over her past. She wasn't about to waste the time outside of her lamp as well.
Naruto watched the strange girl in front of him in curiosity; he could see she was upset, but since his interactions with others typically had them mad or something similar, he had no idea what to do. So instead, he went for the next best thing.
"I know! I'll take you to Ichiraku's! They have the best ramen around! And then, I'll take you to the Old Man, then, we are going to set off some awesome pranks! Come on!" Naruto said confidently before grabbing her wrist again, taking care to have a loose hold on it. Naruto wasn't stupid; he hadn't not noticed how she had pulled away from his grip as soon as she could. Instead, he went for a looser hold as he pulled her out the door and outside. Trying to convey the fact he wasn't the threat.
He remembered her words about being invisible to others, so to avoid the villagers looking at him with more scorn than usual, Naruto didn't say anything as he raced to his favorite place, praying that Teuchi would be able to see his new friend so he wouldn't look like a freak and so she could enjoy some of the gods food: ramen!
As he slowed to a stop in front of the ramen stand, Naruto looked back at her with worry evident in his eyes before being replaced by sheer determination. Harri was a bit startled by the amount she saw in his eyes, but kept her opinions to herself as he led her in.
Harri could immediately tell that this man was different from all the others that they had passed by on their way here. He actually looked at Naruto and smiled at him, so much better than the other people who had barely looked at him at all, or worse, shot such hatred at the small boy Harri was surprised he wasn't drowning in his own sorrow. Then again, she had seen his personality back at his apartment, and knew that he was one of the almost insufferable types that were always optimistic. Harri looked around the small stand with a keen eye, looking for anything hidden that might become a danger to her or to Naruto. Already, Harri could feel the Summoner bind sinking into him, even if the boy didn't know it yet. That was a good sign at least; usually it took longer before the magic decided it liked a person.
"Ah, I see you have a friend with you." an old man's voice said. For a moment, it didn't register what he had said before Harri whipped her head around fast enough to crack her neck to face the old man who had spoken. He was looking at her with a kind smile, and Harri had to check behind her to see if anybody was standing behind her.
No one was, and Harri felt her shoulders start to tense as she stared at the old man in front of her. No one could just see her; that was one of the rules of the lamp in the first place!
He looked her straight in the eyes for a moment before sliding his gaze over to an exuberant Naruto, "Will it just be the normal then? Plus one for your friend?"
"I knew you would be able to see her! Since you were the one to first tell me the story, I knew you would be able to! And, yes! I want the normal!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist in the air before turning to Harri seriously, "Teuchi here was the one who first told me the story of the Genie, he even said it was a girl in the lamp and not a guy like most other stories, so I knew he would be able to see you!"
Harri's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the man closer. He made eye contact with her and Harri was about to slip into his mind when he looked down. At her shoes Harri realized.
"Yeah. My old friend once told me how he found an old lamp that summoned a girl, a girl a lot older than us who could grant wishes. He showed me once, using his wish on a new pair of shoes to match her." He chuckled at the memory, "Then he went off on a great adventure, he sent back lots of letters filled with his travels around the nations. He once mentioned losing the lamp, but didn't seem too upset about it."
A young boy rose to mind, about seven. Now Harri remembered him. She had thought his wish was odd, considering most people didn't wear shoes similar to them at all, but had granted it anyway. Harri vaguely remembered being thrown away by him, but couldn't remember most of the details. He probably started wishing for more aggravating things anyway.
"Anyway, best not to dwell in the past huh? Ramen coming up." Teuchi turned away from the two, concentrating on his next batch of ramen, knowing that Naruto ate at least 10 bowls per visit.
Naruto led Harri to a seat, still grinning madly like an idiot, glad that he was right and Teuchi could see her. Harri was just in shock that someone could see her. Thankfully Naruto didn't shove it around in her face that he had been right, just waited impatiently for his ramen.
When it finally came, Naruto waited just long enough to watch Harri put a bit in her mouth before devouring his. Literally. In maybe two seconds, his bowl was gone and replaced by a new one. Harri shot a small glance at the old man to see if it was normal to find him giving Naruto a proud smile. Harri gave a small half-shrug before starting to eat her own. Even if she didn't necessarily have to eat, it was till nice too. And as Naruto happily chatted away in her ear, Harri found herself enjoying the evening for the first time in a long time.
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Umm, wow! Big response for being up only two days! 76 follows and 40 favorites, it's almost weird knowing people actually liked the first chapter that much. Huh. But, anyways, I feel really proud of myself for updating so soon! Yeah for me! Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!