Chapter Two: Traverse The Canyon

Floating endlessly, aimlessly without end. Without destination and without knowledge feeling weightless as though gravity no longer held meaning. His thoughts, memories and own mind struggling to hold on to meaning while fighting off the pain which started to surge inside. Tearing viciously at the skin and veins spreading all through his body. His mind gripped and began to shake violently to gain some form of control, anything which could be used to push back against the green which hurt him so and to no avail. Feeling the pain increase as each second passed with an unheard screaming echoed in the vast nothingness that surrounded him, his throat hurt. It felt dry and raspy. How much time has passed? It felt like ages now. The fragments that once made him felt blurry, unclear and distorted slipping through his fingers tip helplessly as they dissolved into grains of sand which floated away, somehow the sense of self-continued to hold on, if weakly. Fighting tooth and nail to keep his identity from being erased, being taken. Refusing to back down.

His body ached. Shouted. Yelled and screamed in fury. The blood inside began to revolt at all movement which he tried to do rebelling against the threat entering inside, clutching his teeth and biting his lips angrily.

'Harry.'

Froze. Uncertainty built up and wariness. Who? And why?

'Follow my voice.'

The voice spoke again. Familiar, and warm like a distant memory. Suspicion remained as slight consideration surfaced thoughtfully.

'You must follow my voice. Harry. I will guide you.'

A pause.

'Please. Follow me.'

The decision had been made clear. This voice whoever had been speaking to him was to be trusted following the vibrant echoes of the voices through the tunnel of green using all of his consciousness to focus on the voice, allowing to be lead towards the destined path. Vision's blurriness subsided slightly bathing himself within the warm light before him as the pain started to wash away. All that hurt vanished instantaneously as though it never existed, a mere horrid memory from a time long forgotten. A small groan echoed from his lips forcing his head to shake roughly regaining some level of self-awareness flinching back as the ray of the sun flashed down on him jerking back as his arm shot up to cover his eyes. It had not been unpleasant, however, far too long had he been without the rays of the sun. Slightly taken aback yet welcomed. He squinted his eyes. "Where… am I?" Harry murmured, nose twitching as the aroma of flowers entered in his nostrils. "A flower field?" A soft sigh from behind. "If you think it's one."

"… Who are you?" He tried to swing his head back, his body stilled and unable to move. "Huh? Why can't I –"

"To look upon the dead," The woman answered. "And you'll become twice damned."

Harry swallowed thickly. "…The dead?"

"Yes."

Foreboding began to needle at the edge of his mind. Words threatening to leave his lips torn between wanting to voice his thoughts as sentences started to fail him, Harry did not dare trust himself with such a question. Not now, not ever.

"I'm glad to see that you are well." She said, pleasantly.

The vision of a warm smile crossed his mind. "Thanks," He responded, dryly. "Where am I?"

"Where? Many people refer to this place as many things but the closest thing would be the Lifestream." The woman began. "It is where all things begin and all things end. Where the life of the world flows back and forth, to give and to take. However, on earth, no one is aware of the lifestream and the power it possesses. An untapped, untainted spring of life that co-exists within the world remaining dormant and hidden from the rest of the world, hopefully forever. The lifestream is capable of many things some which can be used for the good of mankind and others not as much, in a manner of speaking the Lifestream is the stream of magic that provides life to the planet."

Harry stared confused. "Just… hold on, give me a second." This was a bit… big for him to deal with. "Okay. Is this lifestream essentially the blood of the planet and of magic? It's something that's on the planet and it's untapped? So… what exactly does this have to do with me?" He asked, slowly.

"Would you believe me if I said there is another world alongside this one?" She inquired.

"Not really, no." Harry said. The wizarding world and the muggle world resided side by side with one another with the former hidden from the latter thus it came to no surprise that another possible world connected to his own exists, with magic existing the possibilities were endless. "I still don't really understand what exactly this has to do with me. Not that I mind being saved from…" What exactly could he say? Saved from Black who took him under his wing form the backstabbers from Hogwarts? His heart ached with worry over his friend's wondering what they thought. The odds were stacked against him thus his own hand was forced to ensure their survival.

The woman fell utterly silent. "It is difficult to say. However, the world and you share ties to each other which go beyond that of mere fate's meddling. Ties to that world which will guide and aid you in your journey."

"Journey? Ties? What in the bloody hell are you talking about?" Just what exactly was this woman talking about? "Can you give me a straight answer or not? I've have had just about enough for today. The least you could do is tell me what I need to know –"

"Harry James Potter you will not use that tone with me, young man!" She responded sharply.

That made him jolt. Her tone instantly reminded him of how Mrs Weasley scowled the twins on the platform at King's Cross and felt himself nearly submitting to that tone as the inner rebellion inside refused to admit defeat. "I have no reason to trust you," He grounded. "And you say such things but what proof do you possess?"

"I cannot provide you with an answer." The woman commented. "This is a journey for you to learn. To discover and grow."

"Helpful," Harry responded, sarcastically.

The woman fell silent. "My powers are limited as are the answers in which I can give. You must find your own way to overcome the obstacle before you. Then, and only then will you be able to find your answer."

"Right. Okay then," Harry said dubiously. "And what about Bla –I mean Sirius?"

"Sirius is your ally. That much I can say with certainty," She stated.

That did not dissuade his distrust. "How can I trust you? I barely know you. And I have no reason to."

"Your scepticism is sound. I can assure you that I mean no harm to you or two Sirius. In fact, I can say on good authority that he is talking with your father right now," The woman informed, softly.

His body froze. "My…. Dad?"

"Yes." She nodded curtly. "He is talking with Sirius right now."

"But how?" His furrowed confused, and uncertain and fearful. What was his dad doing talking with Sirius and why was he even here in the first place? His dad was dead, wasn't he?!

The woman sensed his thoughts. "The lifestream is not merely a fountain of magic. Rather, it is where the souls of the dead return to the planet and continue the cycle of life and death for the planet. Souls are from the planet, giving life and living before returning and then being reborn once travelling through the planet once more. An endless, and beautiful cycle. The memories and lives are held and recorded deep in the Lifestream."

"Wait, wait just… hold on." This was far too much information. "Souls return to the planet and have their lives recorded on the planet? then reborn and then repeats?"

She nodded.

"Then what exactly does this have to do with me?" Harry asked, exasperated. This had been getting him nowhere and creating more questions instead of receiving answers.

The image of her lips pressed thinly together crossed his mind feeling a tingle of frustration. "You share a specific bond with certain people in this new world, those that would stand beside you in the coming darkness which threatens the worlds themselves. However, the shattered hearts and distorted memories must be repaired, a task which you can accomplish. But you must be aware of the growing evils of this world that plagued and tainted the planet as they will do everything in their power to stop you from succeeding, they are powerful and many." Her hands folded. "I know this is asking much of you but you are the only one that can be counted on to do this."

"Are you serious?" Harry stared deadpanned. "I have to save an entire world and these… people connected to me? I'm thirteen."

"I know." She whispered, quietly. "But you are their only hope."

"And Bla…. " Harry corrected himself. "And Sirius?"

"He will be going with you. After all," She smiled. "Sirius Black is your godfather."

His body jerked shocked. "I'm sorry what?"

"Your godfather. Your parents entrusted him to protect and look after you," The woman started, and the scowl. "However, he was manipulated and backstabbed by not just the true traitor but by Headmaster Dumbledore as well. He knew that if Sirius raised you, managed to speak with you about the truth his plans of control would fall apart."

"His… plans of control?"

Her head titled. "Did you ever stop to wonder how odd things were? How easily a bunch of eleven-year old's managed to get past defences created by experienced Wizards and Witches?"

"I – That's…" His voice trailed off, words failing and unable to deny the absurdity of it all. His first year bothered him with how easily Hermione, Ron and he managed to get past all the differences which Dumbledore and the rest of the Staff created to protect the Philosopher's Stone from Quirrell and Voldemort, Hagrid's slip-ups bothered him. Far more than Harry desired to think on. He loved his friend very much, however, Hagrid had not been the best when it came to secrets spewing them out unintentionally. It seemed odd that Dumbledore trusted Hagrid with such sensitive information and then for Harry and his friends to so happen to question just in time for the chase under the third floor, planned meticulously straight down to the last detail. For the second year, none of the staff had been willing to stop the vicious rumours from spreading from student to student vilifying Harry as Slytherin's Heir and with Lockhart's idiocy, the school became a bit of a joke in his opinion.

Yet that did not explain the way Dumbledore did certain things. How his friend was able to help him during his fight against Riddle and the trials are thrown in their way, the more he began to think, a lot of things began to become suspicious. Dumbledore usually always knew what went on in the school, then why did it appear that he never realized about Quirrel? About the Diary and such?

And the way he had been sent back to the Dursleys after they revealed to be untrusted guardians, for nothing to happen. No words, no complains just shipped straight back.

Had that been Dumbledore's plan all along? Keeping him under their thumb so that he'd swoop in as a saviour? It just did not fit into how the Headmaster presented himself, but, if what this woman said to be true then was Dumbledore's true goal to control him? And if so, why?

"I'm sorry." The woman spoke, head shaking. "But we are running out of time. You must go and save the two waiting for you and Sirius on the cliff."

"You aren't making any sense," Harry's head shook. "What exactly am I – are we supposed to do?!"

The woman paused. "Please. You must save the two that await you, please… this is a task that you and Sirius can accomplish together. Now hurry, go!"

Why? Why was she asking this of him? There had been too much which Harry did not know about, wanted to know, needed to know! However, that did not seem to be in the cards. Lights shimmered around him becoming weightless – airborne losing control over his motor senses with vision turning blurry and disorientated, consciousness slipping away and words becoming jumbled. Nothing could be done as the imagery of the flowers welted away leaving nothing other than the bright green flashing within his eyes blindsiding him until his consciousness no longer existed drowning deeply into the corner of his mind, hand reaching out to grasp at something anything dissolving midway between his fingers tips tilting backwards descending straight into the abyss.

Nothing seemed real, or visible.

Drowning in the sea of green; aimlessly and steered towards the unknown as the last moment of self-awareness whispered quietly in his ear.

'I believe… in you.'

And then, did everything go white.

"Ugh…."

His throbbing head hurt. Like a giant drill piercing through one side of his skull to another strapped with firecrackers and knives carving at the edge, the heat prompted his sudden awareness pushing himself off the hardened ground. Feeling the rough edges of the earth beneath his palms pressing sharply against his own flesh, Harry coughed quietly as the debris swarmed his lips jerking back. The sun's rays beat down upon mercilessly forcing himself to raise his arm covering all while taking in the area in which surrounded him. Nothing other than rock all around. No sign of life, and no sign of anything else. For a moment believing to have ended up in some sort of… desert? The temperature felt hotter than back home, dry and humid. His fingers gripped the fabric near his neck tugging repeatedly, his throat began to felt dry and raspy too. His head shook glancing around vision remained blurry and unable to properly focused, a painful sting at the front of his mind but quietly pushed aside focusing on getting his bearings once more. Nothing of the place looked remotely familiar. Out of place and different. Very different as trepidation ran up his spine feeling a tingling of the air pass within him. There were no words in which he could properly find to describe it.

It placed him further on edge. If Harry had to be honest, the quietness get to him more than he wanted to admit. His feet moved cautiously each step taken little by little taking some comfort at the sunny blue sky hanging above least that way he would not have to worry about a possible downpour and cocked his head around. A frown soon marred his features as a flicker of cloth managed to align with his eyesight.

"Bla – Sirius?"

The damp, heavy rags concealing the body underneath as pained noises echoed from beneath as hesitation began to settle in his stomach. An arm reached shakily worried of what happened to the man while not entirely placing his trust into him that did not mean Harry desired him to be harmed, hesitation wavered before casting aside and latching his hand upon the rags. On cue, the rags rumbled beneath rising with a groan of agony weariness. Straightening his posture as fingers grabbed at the rag before releasing as it rose steadily the noises echoed. Taking a step back giving the rags some room to move they fell onto the ground with a loud 'thud' forgotten to the world, however, what had captured his attention was not the discard of the rags rather what had been underneath. A sharp breath was taken surprised blinking owlishly in an attempt to make sense to his staring but his words and mind seemed to fail him.

No longer did Sirius look like an escapee from prison. The gaunt gaze become nothing more than a lost memory with youth being restored to his face, teeth whitened completely and the glow upon his skin shined brightly from the sun's ray, the crisp and grimy hair became a thing of the past replaced by the strains of black silky hair resting far past the man's shoulders, with some locks flowing upwards due to the breeze. It took Harry a moment to grasp that the convict appeared far younger than normal… youthful. The prison outfit clung to the body hindering the movement despite how fluid and easy the man made it look, moving with a flair in his steps, enjoying bathing under the sun. It occurred to him to how long that the man might have been locked up for; magical prisons operated differently from that of muggle ones though with a few eccentrics, exception the Dementors (they were creepy as all hell and why ANYBODY would employ them was beyond him) but what did he know? Lips curled thinly thinking of some way to start a conversation. The two barely had time to talk once that green light flashed before them whisking the two off to… wherever this place was. His mouth opens briefly before clutching his jaw.

The look Sirius wore had been one that Harry knew all too well. Freedom. It would be wrong for him to interrupt such a moment thus chose to patiently wait. It felt strange almost intrusive to watch this moment perhaps allowing the man space would be best as emerald hues cast one last glance before quietly scaling away.

"Where do you think you're going, Harry?"

That made him freeze. Harry glanced just to be met with an arched eyebrow from Sirius. "I erm… "

"Well, what?" Sirius inquired ask amused more than displeased.

"Thought you'd want space," Harry answered, awkwardly. "You looked like you were having an epiphany or something."

The man snorted incredulously cracking a smile. "Nah," His head shook. "It's… nothing, really. But enough about me what I'm concerned about is you."

"Me?"

That threw Harry slightly the woman mentioned that Sirius was his godfather, how much truth had been within her words had yet to be revealed, frankly did not know what to think. The mistreatment from the Dursleys over the years made him wary about those that revealed sudden concern, the Weasleys were a nice group of people, filled with warmth and love that the Dursleys never had. Treating him as though he was one of their own at first Harry felt like a burden after what happening during his first year with Ron than with Ginny being taken down to the Chamber feels that everything bad happening to them had been his own fault. Despite all of that they cared enough to look for him after going vanishing from Private Drive, then warned him of the coming danger to Hogwarts. While not necessarily agreeing with Mrs Weasley for chewing out her husband for telling him about Black, he understood that her heart had been in the right place; desiring for him to have a normal year.

Unfortunately, that did not seem to be in the cards. In fact, everything managed to fall apart during his third year, his friends were attacked and rendered defenceless thus forcing him out of Hogwarts walls before ending up in a strange new world, nothing seemed to work out. Just the mere thought of his friends caused his heart to ache. Hoping that they perhaps one day they would be able to forgive him for choosing their safety over his own.

As his attention resumed back onto Black, Harry could feel the genuine worry from Sirius. The concern lit inside of those grey eyes staring down at him as his cheeks began to glow brightly until he averted his gaze while attempting to compose himself.

"Right."

Harry shook his head. "I'm fine." Emerald hues bounced around at the canyon they seemed to be on with the terrain being utterly desolate of any greenery seeing nothing other than rock for miles. "I have zero idea where we are," He added. "But I know we aren't on earth anymore." With what he had been told both were brought to this place to help people, the connection sharing with two others. Still unable to understand or what the connection was somehow doubting that it would be explained soon. "I can't hear anything either. We should probably start heading towards the nearest city maybe we'll be able to find some food, some water and clothes."

"That's not entirely true." Sirius disagreed, staring upwards. "I can hear something."

"Wait…" His brows furrowed confused. "How –?"

The grin on his face glowed brightly. "I'm an Animagus. My senses are naturally enhanced due to that," Sirius elaborated. "It's different for everyone depending on what their Animagus form is, your dad, for example, gained stronger endurance and strength. That's beside the point," His handwaved. "I don't think this place is safe."

Was his dad an Animagus? Harry desperately wanted to ask Sirius more questions about his dad but refrained from saying anything biting down on the desire inwardly deciding to pester the man on a later date, sharply nodding in agreement setting off towards somewhere safer. Getting caught in a crossfire had not been something desired, treading across the deserted canyon as the scorching heat started to beat down on them. The temperature had not been anything like England's humid weather. It did little to help his current mood without any real answers given all that they had to go on had been this connection and a duty to this world; it made him want to snort. Felt like another adult shoving their responsibility onto his shoulders. The two wandered near aimlessly searching for some sign of civilization with neither of them knowing where exactly they ended up, or where they had been going all the two had to go on was their own eyes and ears with Sirius's enhanced senses exploring had been easier, avoiding wild animals along with tremors.

Oddly the traverse through the canyon proved to be the easiest thing done thus far. Whether that could be chalked up to good or bad luck were yet to be seen with the walk being made entirely silent unable to think of anything to say, subject to approach or what to even begin a conversation having heard for so long that Sirius had been after him; vengeance for killing his so-called master. Voldemort's right-hand man. Instead of coming face to face with a deranged murderous killer turned out to be a rather exuberant, concerned and warm demeanour showing genuine worry, of course, there had been a chance that it had been an act to get his guard down except a part deep within knew that Sirius cared for him. What that woman told him that this man had been his godfather. His guardian. His heart twisted painfully once confirming that Sirius indeed knew his father and his Animagus form made the thought difficult to deny though found himself unsatisfied desiring to know more about his parents having been denied even the tiniest of tidbits from his relatives as well as from the Professors at Hogwarts, there had been too much that Harry did not know. Being left in the dark for so long about his parents and now having someone that possibly may have known them…

Would it be wrong of him to be selfish for once? Somehow Harry doubted that the woman, the lifestream or whatever would have allowed any malicious intent to be inflicted on him since both were needed for whatever the reason they were brought here, indulging his curiosity would not be such a bad thing.

No. Harry thought, shaking firmly. Focus on what's in front of you.

Now had not been the time to allow his mind to wander. He needed to keep wits about himself.

"Hm?"

Harry snapped back to reality noticing Sirius halting. "What is it?"

"Something's wrong." Sirius murmured, brows furrowed in confusion and sniffing the air. "I can smell something oily. Like fire and dust and a sharp sound too."

"Gunfire," Harry commented and grimaced, just what they needed ending up in a gunfire zone like it could have been anything else. "Can you tell how far away they are?"

Sirius's lips pressed thinly. "They aren't too far from where we are."

"Probably time to find someplace to hide?" That's all Harry could think of. What point would there be for them to get involved with people firing off guns?

"You sure?" Sirius glanced, and frowned. "Whoms ever firing off those… gyauns –"

"Guns." Harry corrected automatically. "There's a chance they might be good but given my latest attempt at placing faith in people it did not end so well."

The man fell silent and then nodded sharply. "I'd rather not put you in a position when you're in danger. I can see a cave not far from here might be an ideal place for us to hang until their done doing whatever it is."

Why and what were they firing at? It seemed off that there would be guns being fire so far out of nowhere seeing as neither had seen any wild animals among the canyons other than dust and rock there had not been much. It made no sense to him thus seeking shelter until confirming whether the people nearby were friends or foe. The risk remained high; enough that the two would end up being caught in whatever fight might have been going on – becoming the hunted. Harry learned from Ron that a tactical retreat would be necessary during times of doubt, uncertainty and necessity with neither Sirius or himself knowing the situation that the two had been tossed in they needed to regroup and try to figure out what exactly had been going on. Staying out in the open with weaponry being heard in that not-so-far distance did nothing to elevate his worries. The probability of the guns being turned at them was significantly high and not know how the people in the area where Harry would take a chance in surviving. Besides a cave would not be so bad seeing as it would be far bigger than a cupboard.

Not that it could be any worse than spending another day in Snape's dungeon. Carefully treading from the rocky terrain unable to help notice the dust clouds that started to form not too far from their general area first dismissing them as nothing other than debris until silhouettes started to take visible form making Harry pause hesitantly.

His throat became sore and dry. Why was he stopping?

"Harry?"

The teen spared a look. "Sirius…. Someone's coming."

"… And?" Sirius paused. "Do you want to wait for them?"

"I…" What did he want to do? Why was he stopping? "I don't know." Harry swallowed, trying to make sense of what had been going on inside. "I just…" Taking a moment to regain his bearings. "I think we should observe a bit. Before going into the cave, I mean. We don't know if there are others that need help, right?"

Sirius said nothing with grey eyes lingering in sober silence. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

What did he want? Getting to safety had been one thing but he could never let someone else in need suffer. It went against everything which Harry had come to be fighting for those whom could not protect themselves doing the right thing when others chose the easy path, ignoring someone that could be in danger did not sit right with him. The chance to help – even possibly save an innocent like echoed deep in the tremors of his mind, curling his lips and glancing at the silhouette forms becoming more and more visible as the seconds ticked away, biting down on his bottom lip feeling his mind racking back and forth on the decision the decision weight on his mind determining whether it would ensure their safety or place them into further danger. It felt cowardly putting his safety first when someone might have needed help more! Inwardly cursing his good nature and bolted across the rocky terrain quickly as his legs could carry them, the blasts of the winds smashing against his face charging forwards ignoring the cries from Sirius. Using his legs as a type of spring to push him forwards leaping towards the rocks above stretching out his arms and latched onto the noticeable rock, fingers slipping slightly trying to grip firmly upon with his fingers. Teeth gritting angrily and threw his other arm upwards pulling himself up with a mighty haul. His shoes kicked against the dirt giving him the boost for climbing further up. Years avoiding Dudley and his gang taught him how to endure obstacles such as these to prevent getting caught and beaten up, but this had been different… this was to save an innocent life.

Grasping onto the ledge with a loud gruff Harry used all his strength to pull himself over to the hardened ground. His heart beating against his chest breathing heavily then straightening his posture, eyes squinted to gain a better look at the shadows ahead managing to make out two people with rather spiky hair in the distance bolting across the terrain at an impressive speed.

Behind them were several other silhouettes a bit further behind the two, however, had been able to make out the long-rifled shape which they carried and the sounds of bullets firing. This had been what Sirius mentioned earlier. Harry nearly groaned realizing that his attempt at trying to help ended up placing the two in danger, but, felt no regrets in his attempt at helping someone. His arm raised in the air keeping his voice to a minimum waving over to the direction briefing waiting as the taller silhouette glanced then bopped the head up and down indicating that they had gotten the message, once down, Harry slide back downwards scaling straight to the bottom, pillars of stone stood treacherously in his path as Harry lunged forwards seeing the faintest shadow of Sirius from above echoing the harsh stomping on the rough surface of the rock trailing downwards aligning together once on the same level running towards the cave. It shocked him as to how narrow and hidden that the cave had been carved in an almost invisible structure. How Sirius managed to see from that far away had been amazing! The man places a hand on upon his shoulder holding a finger to his lips pointing at the cave heading together inside giving a brief pause and glanced out.

How would the two know where to find them? There had to be some singular which could be left… or something? His mind rattled thinking up some way of communicating for the two that were running from those soldiers (Where they soldiers? Their shadows had been too far and obscure for Harry to make out completely).

"Harry?" Sirius whispered, harshly.

Emerald hues glowed and stared back, lips curled in hesitation before nodding briskly. "Okay." It seemed wrong for him to huddle into the cave without a warning or notice, keeping a close watch for the two. Hopefully, they'd be able to see Sirius and himself making it to safety. There had been doubting given how much smaller shadows chasing behind unable to make out the exact number. Squeezing through to the other side had been as easy fit due to how thin and scrawny his body was slipping through with hardly any trouble, tripping slightly over a small rock just to be caught by Sirius. His cheeks flushed brightly murmuring 'thanks' then pulling away, coughing embarrassed.

The man slides his body against the wall peering out of the crack. "Something's coming."

"Friend or Foe?"

"Not sure," Sirius answered. "But he is not alone that I can see. Poor guy looks like he's had better days though, strange hair too."

"Hair?" His brows furrowed. "Spiky hair?"

"Yeah. Never seen that type of hair in my life, mind you, your father certainly wore bedhead day in and out but nowhere nearly as insane as those hairstyles," Sirius smiled sardonically, attention focused outside. "Are those the two you were having over?"

"You saw?" Harry questioned.

The man huffed. "I do have enhanced eyesight you know."

"Oh… right. In that case yes. Those were the two I was trying to single over here," Harry answered abruptly changing the subject, the temptation to ask questions about his father were deliberately shoved aside. There would be plenty of time to grill Sirius about that later, adjusting his head to get a good view. "Should I get out there and lead them here?"

Sirius's head shook. "No. That would draw too much attention. Hold on," Sliding to the ground gripping a handful of stones and then chucked them far as his arm would allow him to throw. The tiniest noise of rocks knocking up against the pillars of stone waiting in silence for a moment after hearing nothing, another set of rocks was tossed this time harder. A thud echoed with an 'ow!' being heard not too long after. "There," He smiled widely sticking his arm out to wave. "That had not been too hard at all know was it?"

"I guess not." Harry quipped flatly, a tiny bit bemused and felt the tug of a smile upon his mouth. It vanished slightly noticing someone bolting towards them carrying another sporting the spikey-ist hair that he'd ever laid eyes upon, the sheer length must have been hell to look after, not to mention the uniforms that wore. It had been unlike anything is seen almost sci-fi. However, there had been no time to admire as the need to move further backwards for room took priority as the man leapt into the crack carrying his friend with him barely managing to make through and skidded across the grovel coming to a sharp halt.

"That's what I call an entrance," Sirius said cracking a smile.

The man in purple sported a sunny smile. "Thanks for your help! I wasn't too sure if Cloudy and me were going to make it there. Almost had to fend off those damn Shinra Troopers myself, I owe you guys big time!"

"Shinra?" Harry murmured quietly. "What about your friend? He… doesn't look so good."

That had was being kind as the blonde laid quietly up against the all making no movement, no noise and no indication of awareness. Like that he had gone through the bowls of hell barely managing to survive and now being hunted down, noticing the relatively muscular body there remained a thinness that Harry knew it did not look healthy. The sound of breathing had been the reassurance that the blonde had not been dead. The way he looked almost resembled that of a corpse. It felt like he had been a mirrored image, how things were before discovering the truth of magic, a near skeleton fighting to live another day. The blonde's company surveyed worryingly pain burning behind the hues of violet and understandable anger is seen within. He wished that there had been some way that Sirius or himself could do to help, taking the blonde somewhere that he could see a doctor or someone that would know what to do. Harry did not even know whether their magic would even work.

Sirius bent down, fingers slide beneath the blonde's chin and raised slightly. "It's not just on the outside. Something's going on inside his head too can't tell what it is really, but I think I might be able to do something. Don't know if we have enough time before those troopers find us in here. Might be forced to do a runner."

"Can't we… distract them or lead them on a goose chase?" Harry prompted spurting out ideas, wondering how Sirius could tell but refrained from asking. There were more important matters for the group to attend to throwing a frantic gaze at the blonde before meeting the two elder males. "He needs help!"

The purple-armoured man stroked his chin. "There's a lot. Barely had time to count but they are looking for us; troopers are better using guns and rifles trained in security more than tracking. Might have to wait until nightfall to make a move…" He hesitated. "Think Cloud will be fine until then?"

"Should be." Sirius nodded curtly. "For now, the four of us should lay low."

Honestly, Harry could not deny that the day had taken a lot out of him. Too many things happened all at once with barely having much time to or space to think, walking beneath the beating also made him feel rather fatigued the temperature not-so-much, his head shook. A little rest would do them all some good. "I think Sirius is right," He said. "I wouldn't mind a little break."

"Can't argue with that logic." The purple-armoured man mused thoughtfully and then grinned. "Fine with me. What about you Cloud?"

The blonde remained still.

"Hehe… r… right…" His voice trailed off losing the upbeat tone.

"I'm sure that he's fine it." Harry tried to assure. "Beats being carried and shot at right? Give him some time. I'm Harry by the way."

Sirius waved. "And I'm Sirius."

"Ah, right!" A sheepish grin appeared. "Nice to meet ya. Thanks for both of your help again wouldn't know what to do if you two had not come to our aid, the name's Zack. Ex-SOLDIER First Class!"

Chapter Two End.

I am so sorry for the incredibly long wait for an update but this chapter simply would not work with me, ending up re-writing this several times before finding one that I liked. The next chapter should not take over a year to get published that I can promise.

Please leave constructive criticism in your review!