Versus
Chapter 2
"Okay," Kurenai said. "Alright." She sighed and ran her hand through her hair which was finally clean. Harry sat on a rock across from her and Sakura on one of her own. "Let's talk about ourselves a bit, introduce ourselves. Hmmm?" She smiled warmly. She was going to make this team work, damn it.
"Mm, sensei, does Sakura do two introductions for her two personalities?" Harry asked with a glint in his eyes.
"Harry-kun!" Sakura screeched and blushed red.
"Ao-san, behave," Kurenai said, holding back the desire to smack him.
He smiled and said, "You can just call me Harry, sensei, all my friends do."
"Oh," she smiled, feeling a burst of happiness. Despite their rocky start he wanted her to call him what friends called him. "Alright, Harry. Why don't you go ahead. Tell us something about your goals, dreams, maybe a hobby."
"Well, my name is Harry -" Sakura snickered at his side, Harry dipped his hand in the water and splashed her. "I want to be strong enough to protect my family and my clan. And…" his eyes took on a wistful look.
"Yes," Kurenai said. "No one's going to judge you."
"Well," he smiled shyly. "I want to find a summon contract for a mystical beast."
"What, like a dragon?" Sakura frowned at him.
Harry shrugged. "Or a phoenix or a unicorn."
"What's a unicorn?" Kurenai asked, trying to stay true to what she'd said to the boy and not judge him.
"Ah, well, it's like a kirin." His voice lowered and he spoke as if it were from memory. "They are the purest creatures in the world. Even in the brightest sunlight they can outshine the sun...and when you see them, it's as if everything dark that ever happened to you is washed away…" he trailed off in a whisper.
Kurenai was spellbound. Everything she knew about analyzing people told her that he was speaking from experience, but it made no sense.
"Harry-kun!" Sakura suddenly jumped from her boulder in the water to Harry's. That boy was more than a bit startled as the girl took his hands in hers. "Let's find unicorns together!" Her green eyes were shining with excitement.
Harry opened his mouth to say something but there was a scream from the distance that made them all snap toward it.
Sakura shook her fist and yelled back, "SHUT UP, NARUTOOOO!"
"Damn, he sounded like he was really in pain," Harry said.
Kurenai wondered what Kakashi was doing to his students that she could hear them all the way from training ground 7 to 13.
xXx
Several Hours Previously
It was 5:00am and in the long days of summer the sun had already started peaking over the horizon. On a bridge over a small stream in training ground 7 Nara "Bella" Kumori was waiting for her test. She wore a sleeveless kimono style black blouse held close by a green obi. Instead of shorts or pants like most girls prefered in her class she wore a loose black skirt. The headband with Konoha's symbol was tied around the green obi.
She sat perched on the red bridge with a drawing pad open on her knees. A piece of charcoal scratched the paper guided by her deft hand. She had picked up drawing as a way to improve her dexterity as a baby and kept up with it over the years. Under her fingers the image of a sunrise appeared in bold strokes. It developed until it showed what one might see as they entered the training ground at early dawn: The bridge, betraying its color slowly as tendrils of light reached over tall swaying trees, water bubbling away in the stream, and a dark-haired girl sitting on the bridge.
"Good morning, Naruto," Bella whispered, having sensed her minion.
"G'morning, Bella-chan. Sorry, I thought I was very quiet. I didn't mess up your painting, did I?" Naruto asked. He looked more disheveled than usual. One end of his yellow jacket was tucked inside his pants, the other was outside. His Konoha headband couldn't hide his bed hair.
"No, you were very good, this time, Naruto - and it's a drawing, not a painting." Bella smudged out the charcoal marks next to where she had drawn the girl and started adding Naruto into the picture.
Naruto kicked his feet like a child and hummed while resisting looking over Bella's shoulder at the drawing. She would kill him if he did. Bella's beatings hurt worse than Sakura's punches. "Are you having fun drawing, Bella-chan?" he asked inanely.
She hummed agreeably while frowning in concentration at the drawing. "It's strange… Sometimes I lose myself drawing as if I am back in battle with tortured screams and the smell of blood in the air."
Naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously at Bella's words. "Y-you don't mean that, Bella-chan."
Bella's hand whipped out and grabbed Naruto by the jaw. For the first time since he had met her that morning she looked up from her drawing. "Hold right there, don't move." Her eyes went from his face back to her paper where she was drawing him. "You have such a weak chin, Naruto."
Tears were stinging in Naruto's eyes from the pain of having his jaw crushed between Bella's fingers. "I dun haff a-" Bella's squeezed harder making him stop talking. He suffered quietly. It wasn't the first time she had used him as a model. It was nearly always a painful experience.
In another five minutes she was done with him and let go. Naruto rubbed his jaw but made no complaint. She was his only friend his age. So what if she was a little abusive, she always stood up for him.
"Why aren't you wearing the green jacket I bought you?" Bella asked.
Oh shit! Naruto thought. "Err, I dropped ramen on it, it's drying, I washed it."
"Go put it on. You're not going to start our first day as Team 7 without our colors. What have I told you about our colors, Naruto?" Bella asked.
Naruto looked at the charcoal pencil in Bella's hand being held like a knife and gulped. "Green and silver are nobility's colors. I'm lucky that you're letting me wear them," he rattled off quickly.
Bella smiled thinly. "Go on, go get the jacket and get me something to eat."
"But Kakashi-sensei said we couldn't eat!"
Bella stared at him silently. He threw up his hands and ran off to do as she said. It was no use arguing with her when she gave that look.
Bella returned to her drawings. She turned the page over to start on a new one when Uchiha Sasuke shuffled onto the bridge. He stood as far away from her as he could. She arched a brow and started drawing him. She smirked when he started looking nervous. He had caught her looking at him from the corner of his eye. Given Uchiha's paranoia he was probably thinking she was up to something. Bella didn't mind his fear. It was good that even when she was doing something as innocuous as sketching that Sasuke thought she was out to kill him.
"So Sasu-chan," she said in that baby tone she used to drive Harry crazy. "What are you going to do now that Harry isn't around to protect you from me?" Sasuke's hand fell to the weapon's bag strapped to his leg. Bella openly laughed at his actions. Sasuke clenched his fist and turned his face away from her.
In half an hour Naruto was back, this time wearing a green jacket with black shorts. In his hands were two large bowls of ramen, still steaming. Bella smiled and took a bowl from him. After years of hanging out with the boy she had developed an appreciation for the simple food.
"Yo, bastard! Wanna share some of mine?" Naruto called out to Sasuke. Sasuke shot him a loathsome look, grunted, and then walked off the bridge. Naruto grumbled under his breath but didn't really mind. "Wow glad Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet. I don't want to throw up all this sweet sweet ramen."
Bella sighed. "Don't talk about disgusting things when we're eating, Naruto. We'll deal with him when he gets here. Just be ready to put your life on the line for the test. We have to make it. I'm not going to be held back again by Sarutobi!" She spat.
"I wish you didn't get so angry at jiji," Naruto said morosely.
"Jiji," Bella scoffed. "He has you totally fooled."
Naruto didn't say anything. After the last few days he had no argument against Bella. It was Bella who used to hold his hand when the villagers ignored him and broke their bones when they called him names. It was her who taught him outside of school when teachers wouldn't pay him attention. It was her who had been there for him when he had found out about the secret of what was inside him. It was she who reminded him Jiji could have protected him from all that.
So he drowned his troubled thoughts in ramen and decided to be happy he was sitting next to the girl he had a crush on, who was also his best friend. Now if only Sakura-chan came around too his life would be perfect. For a brief moment he fantasized about sitting between a doting Sakura-chan and Bella-chan.
"Why are you blushing?" Bella asked with suspicion.
"No reason!" Naruto lost the color in his face in terror of what his best friend might do to him if she could figure out his thoughts.
xXx
Five hours later found Naruto sprawled on the bridge fast asleep. Bella was sitting in a meditative pose next to him. The blank expression on her face hid the fury inside her at being kept waiting. Sasuke had chosen to sit by a tree in the field instead of wait on the bridge with his teammates. The farther he was from Nara Bella the better he felt.
It was on this scene Kakashi arrived. He appeared with lunches and a clock. At Nara Kumori's glare he gave a closed eye smile. Killing intent sparked from the girl forcing him to take an instinctive step back. His one visible eye narrowed - that KI was nothing a fresh academy brat should've been able to manifest. The girl in question was waking up Naruto with a kick and shouting for Sasuke to come.
Genius and prodigy were words that civilians threw around easily these days. The last Uchiha, Sasuke, was sometimes called that as well. By Kakashi's measure that wasn't true. The boy was talented and driven but he hadn't done anything to make him stand out. Not like his brother, not like Kakashi himself. Konoha had gone through terrible tragedies in recent years. People wanted to believe in the future. So they stamped the title of genius on kids to make themselves feel better. After the devastation of the Kyuubi's attack, the shame of Hyuga Hizashi's death, and the horror of the Uchiha massacre they wanted heroes.
So when he had heard of the the prodigy of the Nara clan, from a branch family no less, he wasn't impressed. It sounded like the deluded talk he was only too used to. But the girl's KI...it had made him wonder if he had been wrong.
"Oi! Pervert, stop staring at us!" Naruto shouted and broke Kakashi out of his musings.
"Hmm? Right, so, the test. See this alarm clock? I'm going to set it for one hour. You have that long to take these two bells from me. Those who get the bell pass." After explaining Kakashi shuffled off to a training post in the field and set the clock on top of it. He heard three pairs of feet following him.
"But you only have two bells, it's three of us," Naruto said with obvious confusion.
Kakashi turned to them and shrugged laconically. "Noticed that finally? Well the two who get the bells get to each lunch, and the third goes home." He stretched his back and yawned. "Anyway, come at me with intent to kill or you won't make it."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Naruto shouted. "This is bullshit, you can't just have two bells!"
Kakashi sighed. "You know, in my experience the one who barks the loudest has the weakest bite. We both know you're not going to make it."
Naruto couldn't take the insult and rushed Kakashi only to have the collar of his shirt jerk back and stop him. "Bella-chan, let me go! I'll show him I can bite too."
"He's getting you to lose your temper, idiot. What have I taught you about that?" Bella snapped. She dragged Naruto back. "Sasu-chan, come with me."
Sasuke grunted. "I'm ok by myself. I'm not going anywhere with you."
Bella laughed nastily. "Like mass murderer brother like brother. I shouldn't have expected you to help out your team."
Sasuke's face reddened and he almost lunged for the girl but caught sight of Kakashi watching them all silently. He didn't want to do anything that would prove Bella's words right in front of his possible new sensei. "Fine, I'll come with you."
"Aww, sho shweet, Sasu-chan. Oh and if you're confused, the sharp end of the kunai goes into our sensei, not your teammates' backs, ok?" She patted him on the shoulder when he was close enough. "We do things differently than the Uchiha clan."
Sasuke kept his lips sealed and his desire to kill the foul Nara bitch bottled. Once he was through the test, he resolved, he was putting in for a transfer to Harry's team. There was a spot open and he was going to use all his political capital to get himself away from Nara Bella.
"Ma, you kids are so dramatic. I don't think my old bones can take it," Kakashi said and took out an orange book from his breast pocket to read. "Well, come at me when you're ready."
While his eyes moved over the words his thoughts were turned to what he had heard Nara Kumori had said to Sasuke. She had thrown out a serious accusation but the boy hadn't reacted much - so he was used to such taunts. Kakashi didn't like that. It reminded him too much of his own past with what had driven his father to suicide.
Farther into a copse of trees the three candidates for Team 7 met. Sasuke made sure to have the sun behind him and Bella opposite. She didn't just rely on her clan techniques but when she did they were painful. Even with that precaution he couldn't help keep an eye on all the shadows around and Bella at the same time. Her dark eyes gleamed knowingly and the corner of her lips was pulled in a half smile.
"Alright, what's the plan, Bella-chan? I can't wait to kick his ass." Naruto was looking toward the empty field where they'd left Kakashi.
"Plan is simple," Bella said, her smile stretching. "You and Sasu-chan will be bait and I will get the bells."
"Hell no," Sasuke growled.
"What? Bait?" Naruto squeaked.
Bella rolled her eyes at her minion. "Yes, bait, distraction, diversion, remember those things we learned in tactics class, Naruto? With that new clone technique you've got you can distract him with numbers." She turned to Sasuke. "And Sasu-chan is adequate with his taijutsu and kunai work to make up for your lack of skill."
"But there are only two bells…" Naruto said.
"Exactly," Sasuke muttered. "If you get both bells who'll get to pass other than you?"
"We can settle that amongst ourselves." Bella said airily. "Hatake is the bigger threat right now. We take him down, then we can fight each other for who gets the bells."
"I don't trust you," Sasuke said and crossed his arms. "Why don't you and Naruto be the distraction and I will be the one to get the bells."
Naruto started laughing. "You suck, Sasuke, Kakashi would beat you down harder than Bella-chan does. She's our only shot."
"Fuck you," Sasuke snapped. "You'll just use me and then hand the bell to Naruto. I know you." He glared at Bella who was smirking.
"Come now, Sasu-chan, we're a team. Are you going to let Harry's lies about me make us fail the test?"
"Yeah, bastard, don't be a bastard," Naruto added. "You and I can do this...and then I'll fight you for the second bell. That's fair, right?"
Sasuke let out an explosive breath and shook his head. "If it's you, Naruto, I could probably trust you, but everyone knows you'd do anything for Kumori-"
"My name is Bella, Sasu-chan. Call me that name again and I will slit your throat," Bella growled.
Sasuke just pointed at Bella's hand holding a kunai and shrugged at Naruto. "See what I mean? Sorry, I'm going to get the bells on my own." He stepped away and was soon lost from sight in the underbrush.
Naruto crossed his arms and glared at Bella. "You scared him away."
In answer Bella walked close to Naruto, so that he could feel her breath on his face. She caressed his hair with her fingers. "He's right, you know," she said in a low voice. "You would do anything for me, won't you?"
Naruto blushed hard and choked on his spit. After clearing his throat he said, "O-of course, Bella-chan."
"Then we don't need him, Naruto. You are I are strong together. We can beat Kakashi. Who needs that pussy?" She smiled at him gently.
"You're right!" Naruto yelled. "So what do I do?"
Bella took out something from her weapon's pouch and handed to Naruto. "Die for me, Naruto."
Naruto blinked. "Err…"
xXx
The kids had been gone for a good fifteen minutes. Kakashi snapped his book shut and mosied off into the woods. He didn't want to hang about all day waiting for them.
"Stop stomping this way, idiot, you're going to lead him right to me," he heard Sasuke's angry whisper in the distance. Kakashi made a sharp turn and headed in the direction. Soon he saw ruffled leaves, snapped branches, as if someone had run through in a hurry. He frowned at the utter lack of stealth.
"Sorry, Sasuke, Bella said you were going to help us whether you like it or not," Naruto's voice, a little louder, floated to him. Kakashi took to the trees and jumped from branch to branch hearing Sasuke cursing out Naruto.
In a few heartbeats he was where Sasuke had hidden himself in a tree. The boy was scaling down, knowing his cover was blown. Kakashi wondered what was happening between the kids. It sounded like Naruto wanted Sasuke's help and was coming to get him but by the time Kakashi arrived Naruto was no where.
"Ah, there you are. Got separated from the herd, little lamb?" Kakashi said. In the blink of an eye three kunai came flying at his face. Kakashi leaned his head to the side to avoid the kunai. Sasuke was running fast away from him. So Kakashi gave chase. Since Sasuke had opened with weapons, Kakashi decided to oblige and keep himself limited to kunai as well.
He threw one aiming for the boy's calf. Sasuke jumped at the right time to dodge it and spun to launch a shuriken at Kakashi. The jounin smacked it aside but was surprised by the second shuriken hidden in the shadow of the first one. He jerked out of its path but the weapon managed to slice his shirt. "Not bad, but running won't help you. How will you get the bells if you keep running away." Kakashi sighed. "Typically running away from the objective is counterproductive...kids these days."
"YAAAAA!" Naruto screamed a war cry and came hurtling from a tree at Kakashi. Kakashi lazily raised a hand and grabbed Naruto by the face.
"You really are a loudmouth with no tactical sense." Kakashi couldn't help but be disappointed in his dead sensei's son. Naruto smirked and blew up. Kakashi had no time to react. The cloud of red fire and concussive blast threw him back hard. He only stopped after bouncing off three tree trunks.
Even in his dazed state he sensed four chakra signatures practically blaring their presence. He got up drunkenly and body flickered blindly to the side. He needed to get out of the woods fast. Unfortunately he body flickered right into a thick of Naruto clones which blew up as soon as they laid sight of him.
As Kakashi's world turned white, black, and red he wondered what imbecile had taught the boy the exploding clone technique. Instincts developed in the bloodiest and most desperate battles warned him of the next attack. He raised his kunai and parried the kunai coming at his throat. He rolled and stood up to find his body frozen. His eyes weren't swimming from the blast any longer and he saw he was facing Nara Kumori. The girl didn't wait and stabbed at his heart. Kakashi overwhelmed the shadow-hold technique with his chakra and let the kunai glance off his protective vest.
Bella used the replacement technique, throwing another Naruto clone in front of Kakashi. He exploded right where Kakashi was standing a moment before but missed the man.
Kakashi had jumped up and into a tree to give himself space. He put his hand to his headband intending on revealing the sharingan hidden underneath. Then he remembered he was facing academy students and he would never be able to live it down if he used the eye to beat them.
His momentary indecision cost him. All around him clones appeared. His one eye widened at the two dozen clones. They simultaneously exploded but Kakashi was using all his speed to escape. He was at the edge of the blast radius but two dozen exploding clones was no small matter. He was launched hard and crashed to the ground.
Kakashi was a veteran and a true monster amongst the ninja elite of the world. He was no longer out of step from the rhythm of the battle. He knew Kumori would be next, so he backflipped and was standing by the time the girl reached him.
The girl opened with a spinning kick at his face. Kakashi spun where he stood, bringing up his leg to drop kick the girl down. Bella was slammed into the ground and screamed. Kakashi followed with a kunai, intending to pin the girls hands down. Naruto replaced Bella with himself. Kakashi jerked back mid motion a second before Naruto exploded.
He felt something pierce his chest. He hadn't seen the attack. A gasp of pain escaped him involuntarily and his hand went to two wounds on his chest. There was another sharp pain and blood bloomed from the wounds. He heard a low laugh behind him and turned to see Nara Kumori with her shadow's kunai planted in his shadow.
"Hmm, that's a new technique. Using your shadow to attack my shadow. I thought you shadow users had to take control of the body first...well it's time to end this," Kakashi said, deciding to knock the girl out. She had impressed him but that wasn't enough.
"I agree, sensei," Bella said and smirked. "NOW, NARUTO!"
All the fallen leaves and rocks on the ground dropped the henge technique and an army of Narutos appeared. In another moment they blew up.
Kakashi's world turned white. His head was ringing and when his vision cleared he saw something that made him think he was hallucinating. He had no idea how long he had been passed out.
Sasuke Uchiha was standing over him. Someone had propped him against a tree. Sasuke was engaged in a fierce battle with Naruto and Kumori. The Uchiha's back was to Kakashi. Is the moron protecting me? Kakashi wondered. He made to stand up but realized his legs were bloody and burned. He could fight through it or simply use ninjutsu or genjutsu to put down the kids. Except he couldn't make head or tails of what was happening.
"Traitor!" Kumori hissed, stabbing Sasuke in the shoulder with a kunai.
"You're the traitors! Killing a jounin of Konoha is treason." Sasuke grunted through the pain and broke Naruto's jaw with a powerful hook. Naruto fell to the ground swearing. Sasuke ripped out the kunai Kumori had stabbed him with and threw it at the girl. She slapped it aside with a kunai of her own. Sasuke cradled his wounded arm close to his body but stood his ground.
Bella put her weapons away. "I'm warning you, Sasu-chan. If you don't get out of my way, I'm going to end you like your traitorous clan should've been from the start."
Sasuke spat. "Do your worst, bitch. I'm an Uchiha, I will never run."
"Sasgei - fugging bassard," Naruto swore, holding his rapidly swelling jaw in his hands.
"He said come at him with intent to kill. He was playing around with us. He didn't use a single offensive ninjutsu, you prissy little bitch. If we don't put him down now he might get over his arrogance and put us down instead!" Kumori snapped.
Suddenly Sasuke made a strangled noise. The kunai in his hand fell from his hands and he fell to his knees with his hands going around his neck.
Kakashi saw Kumori's shadow attached to Sasuke. Oddly she wasn't making a choking motion, her shadow seemed to be acting on its own. Kakashi got up and dashed to Kumori faster than her eyes could follow. He barely held himself back when he punched her across the face and knocked her out. Naruto was next with a chop on his neck. He left Sasuke alone, the boy looked like he was ready to pass out anyway.
"Get up, Sasuke. Time to get you all to the hospital." His hand went to his waist and found the bells missing. "Hmm, who got the bells?"
"Kumori," Sasuke spat. "When she fought you the first time. You blocked her kunai and her shadow grabbed both bells...you didn't notice."
That she could split her attention like that was very impressive. Kakashi was willing to call her a genius. Demented genius. But then again, that wasn't a crime in Konoha.
"Are they going to be court martialed?" Sasuke asked watching Kakashi put Kumori over one shoulder and Naruto over the other.
Kakashi thought about telling the Hokage that Naruto needed to be court martialed and getting his head caved in for the suggestion. "No, technically, I gave you all permission to kill me. Ah, grab the lunches I brought and my clock."
"What?! They're going to get away with it?" Sasuke was beside himself.
"Maa, Sasuke, if we start pointing fingers, you turned on your teammates," Kakashi said and start walking off.
Sasuke stared after him in unhidden disgust. He was so putting in a request to be on Harry's team. At least Harry's sensei was hot.
"Did we pass?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi paused in his stride for a second. Shrugged as if he didn't have a body on each shoulder and kept walking. "I better have passed for stopping them from killing you," he muttered and followed the jounin. Although at this point he'd rather fail and redo a year than be with Kumori and Naruto.
xXx
10 years prior, Harry and Bella age 3
Harry glanced curiously around the office as his mother spoke to a stern looking woman. He imagined she looked somewhat like McGonagall as her black hair was drawn up into a tight bun. The office itself was very Spartan with the only furniture being three chairs, a desk, and a bookshelf. No pictures adorned the walls. He kicked his dangling legs idly as he turned his attention back towards the conversation.
The instructor peered over her glasses and asked his mother skeptically, "You say he already knows how to read and write, Yamanaka-san?"
Mio's hand tightened on the arm of her chair but otherwise showed no reaction to the slight against her son. Her face remained serene as she coolly replied, "That is precisely what I am saying, Hara-san. He is a Yamanaka, is it really that surprising? We are masters of the mind, after all."
The other woman's eyes narrowed briefly at the casual dropping of the Yamanaka name. "Of course… but you are no Nara, Yamanaka-san," she said stiffly, "Even so, I am surprised as to why you wish to enroll him here. He will have nothing to learn within his age-group."
Harry grinned at that and looked excitedly up at mother. "Mom?"
"No, Harry-chan," his mother replied with exasperation, "You're still being enrolled here."
Harry pouted and crossed his arms, acting like the three year old boy he looked like. He didn't want to enroll in a school with children, he was 19 years old, no matter what he looked like! His mother, obviously, didn't agree with him.
The school administrator watched all this with a raised eyebrow. She asked, "Yamanaka-san, if the child does not wish to enroll, why are you forcing the issue?"
Mio folded her hands primly on her lap and replied, "Because I do not want Harry to go through his childhood never having friends his own age. All his friends are at least ten years older!"
"He's friends with teenagers?"
"That snake bitch," whispered Mio. Harry rolled his eyes when he heard that.
"I'm sorry?"
Mio blushed and said, "Sorry, I said yes. And that can't be good for Harry-chan!"
Hara hummed her agreement and took a few seconds to look through some papers before looking inquisitively at Mio. "What exactly is the boy's name? It says here his name is Ao yet you call him… Harry?"
Mio smiled and said, "Yes. It is a name he chose for himself and that he insists we call him."
Hara nodded as her gaze fell upon Harry. He fidgeted as she stared at him for several moments. She arched an eyebrow before turning back to his mother and asking, "Is he antisocial?"
"I'm not antisocial!" exclaimed Harry, unable to control himself.
"Harry-chan!" scolded his mother, "Be silent!"
"Bu-" Harry fell silent and looked away as his mother glared at him sternly.
Satisfied, Mio looked back to Hara and said, "His high intelligence makes him bored around children his age, he seems to prefer being around his older teenage cousins. My hope is that this environment will help foster relationships with other children."
"I see," nodded Hara, turning to look at Harry again. "Then there shall be no issue with his enrollment here, Yamanaka-san."
Harry stared in horror at the administrator. Mio smiled brightly and said, "Excellent! Thank you, Hara-san."
"But…" started Harry.
Hara rifled through a drawer on her desk. She took out a bundle of paper and gave it to his mother. "These are the standard forms for enrollment. Please read them over and sign them and hand them to my secretary."
Harry twitched and tried to say something again, "Can't I-"
"I will make sure to do so right away, Hara-san. The first day of school is in two weeks, is it not?" said Mio, briefly glancing at each page of the stack of papers.
"I don't-"
"Indeed it is. Class begins at 9 A.M. promptly, please be on time."
Harry grit his teeth as he was constantly rebuffed. He let his mother take him by the hand and lead him out of the office.
"Harry-chan, go to the playground while I finish these papers, ok?" Mio distractedly said as she obtained a pen from the secretary.
The green eyed boy glared sullenly at his mother before sulking off towards the playground.
"Mio!"
Mio heard someone say her name and looked up from the papers. She turned her head and saw her old friend Mei. Her eyes widened and she smiled, "Mei! Oh my, it's been so long!"
Mei rushed to her friend and they gave each other a hug. She pulled back and said, "I know! It's been almost a year, hasn't it?"
"Time seems to fly faster these days," said Mio ruefully as she shook her head. "I am so sorry that my boy seems to always attack your girl when they see each other."
Mei smiled wryly at the Yamanaka and said, "Bella-chan attacked him just as much."
"They used to get along so well, too!" Mio sadly said.
Mei sighed despondently and said, "They did, didn't they? Ao was her only friend too, she hates every other child that comes near her."
They fell silent, reminiscing on their children. Mio looked at her papers and went back to reading them while asking, "Is that why you're here, to enroll Kumori-chan?"
Mei nodded and held up her own pile of papers. "Yes, I sent her out to the playground while I finish signing these forms."
Mio nodded absently as she signed another sheet. "I sent-" She froze, suddenly, her hand in stopping in the middle of her signature.
The Nara looked curiously at her friend, not understanding her frozen state. Suddenly, Mio paled. "Mio!" exclaimed Mei, "Are you all right? You've turned so pale!"
Mio whispered something softly that Mei couldn't hear. "I'm sorry, say that again?"
"I said: I sent Harry to the playground just a few minutes ago," said Mio as she turned her pale face towards her friend.
"Oh dear."
xXx
Harry exited the building and made it a few steps into the playground before he felt something shift. He felt slightly anxious suddenly, like he didn't belong on the playground.
A rock hit the side of his head.
"OW! WHAT THE FUCK!" Harry instinctively fell into English as he cursed and rubbed his head. He looked wildly around for the source of his pain and stilled as he caught sight of a small girl with hair the color of the blackest night. She stood next to the monkey bars, smirking at him. He hissed in anger, his earlier pain already forgotten.
"Bellatrix," he whispered to himself. His tiny hands formed tiny fists as he glared at his psychotic nemesis. He stiffened as he heard her trademark cackle.
"Aww, aren't you glad to see me, Hawwy?"
Harry smiled slowly and jeered, "Oh, I'm bloody ecstatic,LeStrange. That's a cute dress you have on there!" She had on a pretty yellow dress with a dainty pink bow in her hair.
Bellatrix flicked her hair back and said, "Till death do us part, Potter. The name is Black again, you best remember that, boy."
"How dare you take HIS name. I remember you killing the last remaining Black," he hissed, "I remember you LAUGHING as you killed him!"
Bellatrix narrowed her eyes and spat, "That filthy blood-traitor was no Black, I was doing the world a favor by ridding it of his presence!"
Harry roared and launched himself at Bellatrix. Her eyes lit up with a childish glee as he neared her. She reared back and launched the sand in her hands at Harry. Harry cried out as it hit him right in the face and fell to the ground rubbing his eyes. Bellatrix shouted in victory and rushed to him. Harry curled up into a ball, protecting himself as she started kicking him in the ribs. She cackled, relishing in the feeling of causing pain. Her eyes opened wide when she felt her leg get grabbed. Harry smirked up at her through teary eyes and yanked. Bellatrix yelped as she fell to the ground. Tears rushed unbidden to her eyes as her young body couldn't handle the pain.
She wheezed as Harry jumped on top of her. Harry grinned at her maliciously and started pummeling her with his tiny fists. "How's it feel to have a mudblood beat you, bitch!?" he whooped with boyish joy. She howled in anger and Harry was abruptly thrown off her as a burst of flame erupted between them.
Harry groaned as he propped himself up on his arms. "What the bloody hell was that?"
Bellatrix was just as shocked as Harry. She grinned slowly and looked at Harry. "That was magic, you ignorant whelp," she said victoriously. She started giggling uncontrollably as she relished in knowing she still had magic. Harry could only gape at her.
The little girl shot to her feet and shot Harry a malicious look. "Now, it finally ends, Harry, dear," she said, "You have no chance!"
Harry growled and got to his feet. No matter what she did, he wasn't going to die here. He saw Bellatrix scrunch her face in deep concentration. He wasn't about to let her attack him again with fire. He looked around and picked up a nearby rock "Feeling constipated, Bella, dear?" he called out mockingly to grab her attention. He hurled the rock straight at her head.
She glared at him and shrieked. The air in front of her warped and a burst of flame shot out towards Harry. The rock he had thrown disintegrated in mid-air and he yelled in dismay. He fell into a crouch and covered his head with his hands. Suddenly, the earth in front of him seemed to boil before shooting up and forming a wall. The wall shook as the blast of fire hit it, but easily withstood the flames. Harry peeked out from beneath his hands when he didn't feel himself being burned. He saw the earth wall and grinned. "Ha! Now look who has magic, Black!" he crowed, jumping to his feet. He walked out from behind the wall and laughed at Bella's expression, a combination of disbelief and anger.
She clenched her fists and shouted back, "No matter, mudblood, my magic is still superior!"
Harry responded by giving her the one-finger salute. She hissed at him and he was forced to dodge back behind his wall as a wave of fire was directed at him. He tried to peek out after the fire had subsided but was forced to quickly duck back as a fireball was launched at his face. He scowled, he didn't know what to do to go on the offensive and Bellatrix wouldn't let him stay behind his wall forever. He punched the wall in frustration.
He blinked in surprise as he felt something give way and then heard a cry of pain from beyond the wall. He hesitantly extended his head to see what was happening and gaped when he saw Bellatrix groaning on the ground, a hard piece of earth sitting innocently next to her. I must have shot that out from the wall when I punched it, he thought. He grinned and jumped back behind his wall and started enthusiastically punching it. He heard Bella yelp and his grin grew wider.
"You. Little. Shit."
Harry paled as he heard those words spoken from his side. He turned and saw a bruised and dirty Bellatrix, her hair in disarray, glaring venomously at him.
"Oh, bloody hell." He only had time to get out those three words before being forced to dodge and run away.
The next minute was spent with Harry erecting walls and pummeling Bella with solid earth, and Bella throwing fireballs with great abandon.
The fight screeched to a sudden halt as they both heard their names shouted.
"Harry!"
"Bella!"
Their mothers squealed and rushed through the destroyed playground. Harry and Bella glanced at each other and with a silent look, agreed to stop so they wouldn't harm their mothers.
Mio gasped as she looked at her son, his eyebrows seemed to be singed and soot covered his face. His clothes were also blackened and had patches where it looked like fire had eaten through them. He grimaced irritably as she tried to rub the soot off his face. Mei was in a similar situation with her daughter, except that Bella was covered from head to toe in dirt and had numerous bruises all over her body. She looked in dismay at the new dress her daughter was wearing and said, "Oh, Bella-chan, you ruined your new dress."
"Why do you always have to fight your friend, Harry-chan?" said Mio as she tried in vain to clean Harry up.
"Oh…"
Mio looked at her friend as Mei put a hand to her mouth and slowly stood up. She looked curiously at where Mei was staring and gasped. There was an earthen wall bisecting the monkey bars. The plastic slide seemed to be melted to slag. She turned around and reviewed the entire playground. It was entirely ruined, no piece of equipment was left unscathed. Earth walls were everywhere, and she saw some patches of grass where fire was still burning. They were shocked out of their reverie by a shout.
"There! That's them! Those are the two hooligans who destroyed my school!" shouted Hara, her once immaculate bun now coming apart. Her face was red with anger and her finger shook as she pointed to the two children.
The Uchiha police followed her finger and gave each other a confused glance. "Er, do you mean those two civilian women caused all this, Hara-san?" one of them asked.
"No, this was done by those two children!" she yelled.
The Uchiha looked at each other again in confusion and then looked back at the kids. The children looked back at them innocently with wide eyes. "Umm…" one of them began.
"I'm telling you, these two thugs destroyed my playground! Ask their mothers, they saw what happened!" shouted Hara in frustration.
Mio and Mei looked at each other and then looked back at the officers. "We have no idea what happened, Uchiha-san, we came rushing out at the commotion and saw our two children looking like this," said Mei, picking up Bella. "Do you honestly believe these two angels could have caused this?"
"Well, no, er…"
"Nara, Uchiha-san," she replied to his unspoken question.
The Uchiha officer nodded and said, "No, Nara-san, but then how do you explain this?"
"Genin training gone wrong, perhaps?" piped up Mio. "I think I did see some kids running off, but I didn't think anything of it."
"That does seem more likely," said the officer. He turned to Hara and said, "Hara-san, did you see these kids as well?"
Hara narrowed her eyes in anger at the lies and said, "No! There were no children! I saw these two attack each other and cause all of this!"
The other officer finally spoke up and asked Harry and Bella, "Kids, did you do this?"
Bellatrix smiled sweetly as she grasped her mother's shirt and said, "No, Officer-san, how could we have done this?"
Harry nodded in agreement and moved closer to his mother and grabbed her leg and pretended to be shy. He softly said, "No, sir. Me and Bella were just play-fighting when some kids came through here and started fighting with each other!"
Mio subtly did a few handseals behind her back and used the tiniest bit of chakra to nudge the officers into believing the children. She smiled prettily when her Yamanaka technique worked as both officers looked at each other and nodded. "Hara-san, it looks like these two didn't do it. Excuse us, we need to see if we can find these genin who starting throwing jutsu around children." They both vanished in a burst of speed.
Hara-san stood for a moment, not believing that she had just been rebuffed. She looked at the two women and turned purple, "You… you…" she was so angry that she was at a loss for words.
Mio and Mei looked at each other and shrugged. Mei said, "Hara-san, I don't think that this school is right for our children. We'll be taking our leave now." She nudged Mio and the Yamanaka took Harry in her arms and walked away with her friend. Hara spluttered and started shaking at the indignity of it all.
Mio whispered to her friend as they exited the front gate, "It's a good thing they thought we were civilians, huh?" Mei simply grinned at her conspiratorially and winked.