Chapter Six – Where a Prophecy Leads…
"Hello…? Is anyone there?"
His voice echoed back at him from across the barren wasteland of thick unseeing mist. Naruto turned, trying to see the unfathomable white that was everywhere, but did not prevail.
"Hello?"
His head snapped around as voice finally spoke up. Someone else was here.
"Who's there?" he called out into the abyss.
"Is someone out there?" the voice asked as it drew closer.
Out of the mist and clouds stepped a figure dressed in red and gold, it appeared human and that fact was confirmed as soon as the mist cleared. It was a boy his age with large frightened green eyes that could have rivaled Sakura's on a bad day.
"Who are you?" the boy suddenly asked as he spotted Naruto and took a step back.
"Hey! I asked you first!" Naruto protested, crossing his arms.
"No you didn't"
"Yes I did"
"No you did not"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"I'm Naruto"
"I'm Harry"
They were quite for a few moments, their words finally dawning in the other's minds.
"Then that means your one of the kids me and my partners switched with right?"
Naruto felt a way of relief wash through him as the boy, Harry, nodded eagerly in response.
"Nice to meet you" Harry smiled.
Well that wasn't by any means what the blonde fox vessel was expecting - someone whom was friendly from the start.
"So… do you where we are?" he asked.
"Not a clue. I was kinda hopping you would"
"Just great… Hermione's going to kill me"
"Oh don't worry" Naruto laughed as he looked back into the mist. "I think we're dreaming"
"But the same thing at the same time?" Harry asked.
"Stranger things have been known to happen right?"
"Right…"
Looking at each other, they knew that they at least had one thing in common. Turning back to the mist they found that it had taken on an icy quality, causing their breaths to come out in bursts of steam.
"Okay…" Harry whispered. "This isn't good…"
"You think?"
Without bother the see if they were on the same page, they both bolted into the mist, seeking a way out or away from what ever they sensed was behind them. The mist began to take the shapes of blurry black figures that were moving into to surround them, cutting off any hopes of escaping. Suddenly Naruto tripped over some unseen object and came crashing down to the ground head first. Seconds later Harry crashed down on top of him, knocking the wind right out of his lungs.
Wheezing slightly, Naruto pushed Harry off of him and looked up at the figures that now loomed over them.
"It is time…" A voice whispered to them.
"It is time…" a chorus echoed.
"T-time for what?" Harry
"Time for you to understand…"
Naruto snorted.
"Enough with the cryptic please, I –"
He would have continued, but Harry jabbed him in the ribs with a glare.
"I don't really think we should piss the off… whatever they are" the raven haired wizard hissed.
"So what are we suppose to understand?"
"Everything…"
And with those words Naruto suddenly felt an immense pain, which of blind agony tare through his stomach. As he cried out in shock, clutching his stomach, he found that Harry had done the same. The green eyed youth was holding his head tightly, tears leaking from his tightly closed eyes.
"W-what's happening" he moaned, his fear mirrored by his companion as the looked up again at the figures.
"It is your connection to destiny which causes your distress…" the voices whispered.
And then the voices merged together, forming one that was, to both boys, the voice of an angel.
One Child born of Summer High,
One Child born of Winter Nigh,
Both of Fire and of Fate,
Forced so young through Destiny's Gate…
One Child barring Nature's Might,
One Child barring Evil's Sight,
Both of Innocence that was tainted,
Neither damned nor sainted…
Child of the Golden Stag,
The time has come to make your stand,
Beware of dimond eyes that lie,
That seek the way to make you die…
Child of the Golden Storm,
The time has come to raise your hand,
Beware of things that can't be seen,
That seek the way to capture thee…
Be wary of the Dying Ones,
Whom power comes from all and none,
So protect those precious to your heart,
Or Darkness shall weave its art…
The voice suddenly stopped and the figures disappeared, leaving the mist to turn blood red and suck the two startled boys up in to a hurricane vortex of their minds. Holding onto each others hands, Naruto and Harry could feel the force of the power raging around them being to pull them apart.
"D-don't let go!" Harry cried over the din as they began to drop at an alarming fast rate.
"I t-think I'm going t-to be sick!" the fox boy whimpered, his whole face turning green.
And then they began to spin faster and faster until their fingers parted and they where thrown screaming in opposite directions, not knowing where they would land…
Naruto woke up screaming and the very act causing him to unconsciously launch himself out of bed and come crashing down on the floor, two startled animals coming with him. The first was his own red and green pet toad Gama (named 'affectionately' after good old Gamabunta) and the other was Sasuke's pet cat Sazunami, a grouchy little midnight black tabby.
Panting and chocking, the profusely sweating Naruto looked up – and then wished he hadn't.
Standing over him was Sasuke. The pale boy looked extremely sleepy behind his pissed off and harassed expression, but with the world's worst bed head. It was down to inner turmoil for the blonde to wither he wanted to apologize for waking him… or burst out laughing.