Hello…. It's been a while! I'm so sorry!!! But this chapter is close to 7000 words! The longer I have written! Anyway! Please enjoy this chapter cause I worked hard for this… the editing took forever and I was about to quit several times! well i wanted more editing but i guess i have delayed this chapter too much... Read and review! Suggestions and constructive criticism helps me and flames are simply ignored!
King's Cross and the jail break
"Whoa! Wait a minute! If you say that this weapon is so important for the enemy then why don't you destroy it or something?" trust Naruto to express his thoughts aloud in the most unsuitable of moments.
Sakura made a defeated sound. She didn't want to do the explaining for the hundredth time this week to the loud blonde. Sai was too preoccupied with writing only god knows what on one of his sketchpads so it was Sasuke's job to do all the hard work. He scowled.
"Because, this so called weapon is important to them as well, not to mention that it mustn't be exactly a weapon, but something else, something different but equally important." Sasuke sat and watched Naruto process all this new information and made a chuckle when Naruto made an "oh", showing that he finally understood what was going on.
"Now I get it!" he said loudly.
"So you created that in order to protect this something from the bad guy right?" he asked the people in the room.
Hermione was about to say something when Sai muttered "Don't bother" to her and nodded his head in a yes manner towards the direction of Naruto. She closed her mouth and thought of the obvious similarities between Ron and the loud blonde. Big heart and no brains, it made her smile uncharacteristically.
Harry was about to make yet another question when Mrs. Weasley said loudly "Enough! It's time to go to bed! Now! All of you!"
Sirius gave a chuckle as the middle aged woman was ushering them to bed. She really was mothering everyone, even though not all of them needed her.
A defeated murmur was etched through the dusty old kitchen, and one by one the youth of the room retreated to their own bedrooms. Soon one by one the adults left as well and it was just the two old friends in that dusty old kitchen alone.
"So, how does Harry seem to you? He lost some more weight during the summer, didn't he?" Remus said and lifted himself off the table. He searched the cupboards and found a thirty-year-old bottle of sweet red wine along with two crystalline, covered with dust, glasses. He flicked his wand and soon the glasses were free from the filth that covered them. Remus then proceeded to fill the two glasses with the crimson liquid.
Sirius took his time before answering as he observed the dying flames in the fireplace.
"He seems taller as well." He finally said and sipped from his glass. He closed his eyes and savored the sweet taste of wine in his dry mouth. He twirled the glass in his hand and examined its container closely. "He does seem a little off as well. Don't you agree?" he added in the end.
"The memories are much too fresh. He has shown a remarkable courage. Others would have lost their sanity in his place." He spoke as the wise man he was, the voice of reason from his now scattered group of friends.
"Let us drink to that courage then. To remain intact, along with his sanity, through his life." Sirius said and lifted his glass.
"To courage…" Remus repeated and lifted his glass as well.
Together the two old friends spent the night drinking to that precious drop of courage the young boy possessed.
-
When Sai woke up, it was still too early for everyone else in the house. He lifted himself from the bed, making no sound as Sakura slept quietly beside him, and watched the clock on the nightstand. It was five thirty in the morning. No one would be up so early, he figured. It was time to search the rest of the house as he intended for a while now. He quietly dressed himself and exited the room masking his charka as well in the process. The doors creaked when he closed them behind him, but fortunately no one took notice.
On his way down he passed through many different rooms, most of them were bathrooms and bedrooms. He had seen all of them. But there was one room that he had not visited yet. The one located on the first floor, next to the library. The reason why he wanted so much to see what's inside was because he noticed how when each and every one of the people coming in and out from there, locked the door with some kind of spell. And his shinobi instincts told him that something important must be in that room.
Silently he came closer and closer to the room. It was darkness all around him but his senses and his memory of the place allowed him to navigate with great ease through the hallways. It wasn't long before he finally reached his destination. To his great surprise the door wasn't fully closed as he expected it to be and the light that came from within showed that the room was occupied. And then he heard talking coming from inside the room.
He was so close that he could hear clearly everything that was told from the inside. The first voice definitely belonged to a man. And he was certain that the man was Sirius Black. The second voice belonged to a woman. Her voice was slightly hushed and had nervousness in it. But it was also strong and held authority. She was probably old and someone in a position of power as well.
"Sirius, I don't know why exactly but Dumbledore told me to say this to the order. As we discussed earlier I couldn't come there myself so I'm telling you this now. He said that you must all keep an eye on our guests." She said and took a deep breath as she finally said what was nagging her since she spoke with the headmaster.
"Minerva, we know that already, and we already did it without Dumbledore telling us. Why all the rush?" Sai heard Sirius ask and waited for the comeback.
"You don't understand! He was very unsure about this! Snape told him something a few nights ago. He didn't tell me exactly what it was but it must be something very important to make him this troubled. "
Sai was certain that the guests she was talking about were them and apparently they were being watched. Not that he didn't expect it though. It was only normal after all. But he would prefer it they weren't. He was taking this rather calm but he wasn't sure if the others would take it as well as he did.
"Sirius, he especially told me to watch Naruto the most. He said that there was something inside him that made him dangerous!" her voice was slightly panicked and it was obvious she didn't like the situation at all.
"What is inside him?" the firm male voice asked. Sirius was very troubled from this new information and made a mental note to speak with the headmaster as soon as possible.
"I don't know. He didn't tell me. Listen I told you everything I know. I have to leave now. We will talk soon. My greetings to everyone!"
Sai didn't stay long after that. He went back to the room and was grateful that he slipped unnoticed. He closed the door behind him and leaned his figure on the closed door. He let a breath slip from his lips. Soon Sasuke woke up from the noises, which were very disturbing for him since he was a very light sleeper. He was about to say something when he was cut off by the artist.
"Not yet. Wake up the others first." Sai's voice was still emotionless as ever but the serious tone which held didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke. He went next to Sakura and kneeled by her side of the twin bed. He shook her and soon she woke from her slumber. He then went to Naruto and woke him up as well.
"What the...?" Naruto asked as he jerked up from bed and looked around. "Why did you wake me up bastard?" his eyes fell at the clock and soon after they widened in pure shock. "It's six o'clock! For the love of…"
"Shut up Naruto. There's something very important to tell you." Sai said effectively silencing the blonde.
"And that would be…" Sasuke tried to coax the answer from his teammate.
"They are watching us." He finally said.
"What do you mean watching us?" Sakura asked.
"I mean that they are keeping an eye on us. They know we are dangerous." He emphasized the word "know".
"Oh! Oh my!" as he predicted Sakura immediately panicked. She stood up and begun pacing up and down the room.
"Those assholes! I'll show them!" Naruto yelled as rage begun to take over him. He stood up as well.
"Calm down, Naruto. And keep your voice down!" Sasuke said. "There's more to tell us. Isn't it Sai?"
"Yes, yes there is. They know that there is something inside Naruto. I don't know how much they really know, but they already know too much." Sai finished and for just a second, maybe less, there was some kind of emotion in his eyes. What was it they will never know, for no one seemed to notice at the moment.
As if on cue Naruto panicked. His hands were trembling. He knew how they must have known. He kept it a secret. But now was the time to tell them, only if he knew how to begin.
"How do you know all of this?" Sakura asked as she sat down next to Sasuke again. Sasuke just sat there impassive as ever, never admitting that he felt better with her next to him. With an almost unnoticed movement he touched her hand. She didn't become aware of it though.
Sai took a deep breath and begun. "I heard them. Half an hour ago, I woke up and decided to check the house. I just happen to stumble upon Sirius and a woman named Minerva talking. I overheard their conversation. I came here right after they finished."
"Did anyone see you?" Sasuke asked in thought.
"No." the monosyllabic answer was a pure relief for the shinobi. All the while Naruto stood there silently. The question he feared was asked not seconds later by Sakura.
"I don't get it. We never told them for… Naruto's condition. How would they know?"
"I would like to know that as well." Sasuke agreed.
"I… I know." Naruto said with a trembling voice. The looks his teammates gave him urged him to continue. After a few more seconds he began. "One day… we met a man, here. He said I was weak and I went to him to show him that I wasn't. And he did something, something magic. And then he was inside my head. And everything he could see, I saw it too. And he saw… him." He said finally. His face was drained of all colours as he spoke and his eyes were hard and fixed on the painting behind the twin bed, avoiding his teammates.
"It's my fault." He whispered once. "It's all my fault." He said with his voice higher. "It's all my fault!" he nearly screamed in the end.
Sakura with an amazing speed got of the bed and slapped Naruto hard across the cheek. He only placed his hand above it from instinct.
"Naruto! Get a hold of yourself. This isn't your fault… entirely." She added after the look he gave her.
"I'm sorry." He finally said.
"Don't be." Was the answer he received.
-
Dumbledore sat on his office with the pensive directly above him. He wanted to observe the conversation he had with Snape a few nights ago. He let himself to be consumed by the silver mist emitting from the stony object and soon he was watching the all too familiar conversation again.
"Ah. Snape, what brings you here tonight? It's quite late for tea, isn't it? Perhaps would you like some fire whiskey?" he asked nicely and watched Severus taking of his cloak and sitting at one of the chairs before the headmaster's desk.
"We don't have time for this." He said and it was obvious that something was worrying him very much.
"Snape. Tell me exactly what is going on? Is it about Voldemort?"
The other man flinched upon hearing the name of his former master.
"Those guests of yours are very dangerous. You know of who I speak, the ones staying at the order, especially the blonde one. I took a look into his mind, and what I saw was terrible!" Snape didn't wait long and begun talking fast and with a drop of fear in his voice.
"Continue please. Tell me exactly what did you see." The old man sat in complete calmness the exact opposite of the younger man right before him.
"I called him weak to Moody. The boy heard it and came to obviously start a fight. I used occlumency on him. At first I saw him when he was five, maybe six years old. He was crying and some people were treating him badly. Then I saw him when he was older, maybe eleven or maybe more, and he was in a forest with a man giving him a ribbon with that metal thing on it, like the one he is wearing now. But the next thing I saw was very different than the other two." Snape stopped for a while trying to regain his composure. Soon afterwards he continued.
"The next image I saw was of him and the other one from their group, the one named Sasuke, fighting each other. And not just fighting Dumbledore. They were tearing each other apart. They were fighting to death. And they changed during the fight. I didn't get to see it clearly though. The boy's mind is so chaotic… anyway I saw more. I saw him running through a forest. His pupils were red though. That is what took my attention. I wanted to know what was different with his eyes. I went deeper. And then…" he let out a sigh and his eyelids fell until they were closed. He placed his hands between his eyes rubbing the forming headache away.
Dumbledore didn't say a word but let the other man to continue when he was ready. It was obvious to him that what Snape saw next was the most important thing of all. When Snape spoke, his voice was much weaker than before. Dumbledore wondered what could have terrified him so much.
"There's something inside of him. What I saw wasn't a memory or a thought. It was real. It was something like a creature. It was inside a cave. I couldn't see it clearly, but I know it was evil. I felt it."
"Snape. Could you give me exactly what did you saw?"
Snape only nodded his head and lifted his wand to his forehead. He removed the wand and a silver thread was attached to it. Slowly he placed his wand above the pensive and let the memory to fall inside. He then lifted his eyes and look at the powerful headmaster.
"What are you planning to do Dumbledore?" he finally asked. Even though he kind of already new the answer.
"I plan to send them somewhere that I could watch them closely of course."
"Hogwarts? You want to bring them to Hogwarts? This could be very dangerous not only for the students but for the staff as well. It's not that I mind a few problems to leave our school but it would be way too dangerous. And how do you plan on bringing four, very noticeable individuals here? They have no magic in them and they can't be passed as exchange students."
"Oh, it's quite a simple plan actually. I will tell to the school that they are here to study the magical world. We will introduce them as muggles that are here to study our ways. They will be participating in classes as observes and they will study all the theoretical parts. They will be put in the seventh year. And since they are already familiar with some students, they will be placed to Gryffindor."
"Are you mad? Do you remember the new staff member? Mrs. Umbridge?" Snape spat the name in disgust. "And not to mention muggles at Hogwarts? The entire wizarding community will be against you. More than they already are. Dumbledore be reasonable." Snape tried to convince him in vain.
"I'm sorry Snape. But if I want to keep them, and us, safe, I have to be near them. And if I say they are wizards, people will begin to wonder why they don't perform any magic. I will handle everything. Don't worry. As for your part I don't want any Slytherin trying to terrorize the muggles."
"Yes. There will be none. I will personally see to it." He said defeated.
"Very well then. Now if you'll excuse me I have a few letters to write." He smiled and bid goodnight the dark haired man.
Then Dumbledore was once again at his desk and was going to visit the order tomorrow and tell the shinobi the news. He rembered all the arrangements he did and how they could go safely to Hogwarts.
-
Harry watched the four shinobi enter the kitchen for breakfast. For some reason they seemed edgy. They were looking around the room and observed everyone in the room one by one. Naruto, who would usually sit with the twins, chose to sit next to Sakura and Sasuke for a change. The only one who seemed as he always did was Sai. Before he could make any sort of comment Mrs. Weasley spoke upon seeing them.
"Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, and Sakura… tonight at seven o'clock I need you here at the kitchen. Dumbledore wants to speak with you." She said firmly.
When Harry heard the news he felt a little happy to see the headmaster and to talk about his upcoming expel from Hogwarts. But he was crashed when he heard Mrs. Weasley say "in private". He didn't even make an attempt to protest.
The hours flew quickly and the Weasley's children along with Harry and Hermione were being ushered through the door. Sirius entered and closed the door behind him.
"Good evening everyone!" the old head master exclaimed happily. "How is your stay so far?" as he spoke he was studying the expressions of their guests.
Naruto was clearly scowling at him, and he had a small idea as to what for. Sasuke was glaring at him, even though the boy couldn't intimidate a man, so powerful like him, Dumbledore acknowledged his effort for trying though. Sakura was switching her gaze between him and her teammates and Sai was just smiling. Something that did not sit well with him.
"Dumbledore-san. What did you want to tell us." Sasuke was straight to the point, he expected it.
"Well I will be honest with you. At this moment I have no idea how to send you back in your own world." He said and waited for the outburst that surprisingly never came. He took that as his signal to continue. "So since the order will be much emptier since school stars at September I have arranged for you to attend the school as well." Now the outbursts came all together.
"Hell no! I'm not going back to school!" Naruto yelled and stood from his chair.
"No."A double monosyllabic answer came from the dark haired duo.
Mrs. Weasley was walking up and down murmuring incomprehendable words through her teeth. Sirius was patting Remus in the back because he almost drown with the tea he was drinking.
"This school of yours… it's for magic right?" Sakura asked and continued to ignore the commotion around her. Such an intelligent young girl Dumbledore noticed. He then nodded his head in confirmation.
"We can't do magic. As what we will go there?" she finally asked and with her gentle eyes she looked at him expectedly. He smiled at her in return.
"That I would like to know as well." Sirius said at once.
"As guests. Muggle guests that are there to watch, observe and understand our world. Simple as that." The headmaster said.
"Do you have any idea what this would cause?" Remus asked the question that crossed everyone's mind.
"Don't worry. I have everything planed." The kind man said.
"What if we don't want to go?" Naruto asked aloud.
"Wait, Naruto. I think we should go. Hogwarts has a lot of books and magical objects that we might find helpful for us to return home. Am I right?"
"Of course miss Sakura." Dumbledore answered.
"Then we will see you at the school!" she said happily. "But how we will get there?"
"Ah. I will leave all the instructions here and I'm sure Mrs. Weasley will be happy to help you."
"Of course Dumbledore." Mrs. Weasley said.
The tall white haired man lifted himself of the table and before he vanished he whispered to Mr. Weasley "I'll see you tomorrow at court." And after that he was gone.
-
Time flew as usual. It was already the last day of august, which meant that tomorrow school would begin. Everything turned out somewhat fine. Harry wasn't expelled, and things between him and his friends were back to normal.
The ninjas though had apparently decided to cut themselves off from their company. Sasuke, Sai and Sakura would be seen together almost all the time. The exception of course was Naruto, who preferred the company of the mischievous twins. Sirius commended that these three combined were even worst that himself and James. Well sometimes they went a little too far, and Mrs. Weasley had no problem to punish them, by making them clean all the mess the hippogriff had done in the attic.
Right before the four cast-away friends fell to sleep Sakura muttered after yawning "how do you think this school will be like?"
"Before nightfall tomorrow we will know." Sai whispered from next to her and closed his dark eyes.
Sakura shifted closer to him and to the warmth he emitted. With a smile on her face she fell asleep as well.
-
"We're going to be late! For Merlin's sake! Hurry up!" the annoyingly loud voice from Mrs. Weasley echoed through the whole mansion.
"Mom, have you ever thought of not yelling so much? I think I'm deaf!" George exclaimed and high-fived his brother.
"If you're not ready in ten minutes you will be crippled too."
"Dear lord! My mother is threatening my brother!"
"Fred! That goes for you too."
"Sorry mom." A twin ironic voice was heard, and Naruto who stood right behind them begun to snigger.
"Everyone here? You have your things ready? You don't want to be late do you? Come on then! Let's go! Sirius I said no!" Mrs. Weasley was having a rather stressful day. First the twins aparated on the stairs and were magically flying their chests down the stairs, which ended in an almost dead Ginny. Somehow Naruto was absent from the entire charade. And now Sirius wanted to go along with Harry to King's Cross in the form of his alias snuffles.
Snuffles stayed firmly next to Harry, who only stared in return. A part of him wanted Sirius to come to the station with him, but he also knew how dangerous that could be. What if someone recognized him at the station? Then the aurors would be right on his tail. Harry stopped his mind. He didn't want to have this kind of thoughts now that he was about to begin school.
Now the large group found themselves on the grey streets of London. Naruto was happily walking on the crowded streets as they were heading to the subway. It was the first time he was able to see this city since no one was allowed to leave the order. He watched as so many people, all of them looking rather different from each other were minding their businesses, no one seemed to care that four Asian kids with rather strange clothes and looks were passing by beside them. Sai and Sasuke seemed to watch their surroundings and observing the world, trying to gather information. Sakura on the other hand was looking around her in the same amazement that Naruto had, pointing and asking loudly at the things around her.
They were all standing in front of the wall that would eventually lead them to platform 9 and. But unfortunately for Sakura her three teammates had chosen this time to argue. Apparently Naruto exclaimed his awe about the way they would get to the platform. Sasuke decided that it was time to irk the blonde and Sai was his usual unpleasant self. To sum it up they were arguing, good-naturally of course, and their train was leaving in the next five minutes. This situation was making Sakura quite angry, and that was not a good thing.
"Hurry up! We're going to lose the train!" she yelled to the three quarrelling men behind her. She immediately got their attention. And the look she gave all three of them didn't really leave room for more protest.
Sakura whirled her head suddenly. For some strange reason she thought she heard her voice being called. But the strangest part was what she sensed. It was the good warmth she received when she was around friends. It felt like someone else, beside her three teammates, was there. She shook her head. She was probably missing her home. This was not the right time or place to get home sick.
They all passed through the wall and they were now being squashed through the mobs of people as they were trying to get on the train.
They caught a glimpse of Harry as they walked through the corridor of the train just as he entered a wagon. They were about to enter when a tall handsome black haired boy stopped right in front of Sakura, who was right behind her teammates.
"Hi there." He said to her and she just stared back at him. She finally muttered the same greeting at him.
"Have you chosen a wagon yet? If not you could come to sit with me." He said and showed her his dazzling smile. Her cheeks began to turn a lovely shade of pink, something that the young man noticed immediately.
"Um… I don't even know your name and my friends are wai…"
"Oh! How impolite of me! I'm Roger Davies! And what is your name?" and he gave yet another of his amazing smiles.
"Err… Sakura, Haruno Sakura. Thank you for the invitation but I must return to my friends. We want to sit all together." She turned around and was about to leave when a hand griped her wrist.
"You don't have to leave. You and I could spent some really quality time on our way to the castle. Don't you agree?" his voice was much slower and huskier and he leaning closer to her.
Sakura was about to punch him directly to Hogwarts if her overprotected teammates hadn't stepped in.
"You know, Sakura will sit with us, no matter what you say." A very irritated blonde young man said to the now gapping Roger. The two dark haired boys right beside him didn't speak but their message was more than just clear.
Sakura left from his side and joined her friends as they strolled towards the wagon Harry had entered a while ago.
"You know I could have handled him on my own. I was about to do so."
"Yes we know. And we chose the less bloody way hag."
"Sai!" Sakura screamed and punched the smiling boy. Of course that little display earned them unwanted attention. They could practically hear the whispers from around them. Luckily a door right in front of them opened and they quickly entered inside.
"Hey Fred, George!"
"Hey Naruto! What the hell happened out there?" George asked the quartet.
"Oh nothing big! This annoying guy was pestering Sakura and we took care of it."
"He wasn't pestering me! He was flirting with me! And I could have handled him on my own!"
Just as they were sitting on the seats the door opened and a tall black boy with deadlocks entered the room.
"Lee!" the twins yelled as their long time friend and partner in crime entered.
"Hello! You will not believe what happened just a few minutes ago! Davies was hitting on this hot chick and her boyfriends or something, came and cut him off! And then one of them called her a hag and she punched him! It was great!" the amusement was evident in his face and for the first time he saw the people in the room.
"Shit! You're the hot chick!" he finally said after a lot of staring and gapping.
When they finally reached Hogwarts Sakura had fallen asleep on Sasuke's shoulder and he had lifted her head and let it lie gently on his chest as she was off in dreamland. He made it look like it was for his own better comfort. But the four sniggering noises and the "humph", didn't let him rest for the rest of the trip.
During the trip Lee was very fond of the newcomers. Especially the Uzumaki kid, since he was a lot like his two best friends. His mind was already creating a lot of pranks that the four of them could accomplish. During the trip Sai was just drawing on his notebook and Sasuke just stared out the window. Lee wasn't very thrilled with those two but didn't care that much.
-
Shikamaru looked at his partner next to him. At the moment they were standing in what the people of this world called a "train station". Well it was quite hard to learn the language once they got there. When they left that much hated cave they easily found trails of their comrades leading to a lonesome house on a grassy hill. It wasn't hard to find the tracks and to follow them. It wasn't hard to enter the house either. But it was very hard to find out what had happened next.
They found clues that the missing team had spent at least a day at the house. The forgotten kunai was a clearly identifiable proof. But what happened next was a mystery to them. The duo found several books, and they eagerly tried to read them but to their dismay the books were written in a strange language.
The decision to search the wider area soon followed and then they came across a small town. The bad part was that they couldn't understand a word and the money they had, were as good as dust in this world. They were saved when they found a book in their language that had an easy guide to English. They borrowed the book. And when they finally were able to speak the language they learned that the biggest city, were everyone went was London. And London became their destination. Through small jobs they found money and bought train tickets.
"So this is London... it's quite big."
"You don't say." Neji said ironically.
They both knew their search was quite hopeless. From the maps they studied, they found out that this world was unbelievably bigger than their own. It really was like searching for a needle in a haystack. But they weren't going to quit. They were castaways here themselves. And the word "quit' didn't exist in a Hyuuga's dictionary. Well in Shikamaru's dictionary it was probably used quite often but apparently Neji had enough motivation for both of them. Well he didn't have much of a choice either.
"Troublesome… so now what do we do?"
"You're supposed to be a genius aren't you?" Neji asked irritably.
"So are you."
Neji was about to answer back when the corner of his eye caught something very interesting. A pink head was getting lost through a big crowd. He began running searching for it. Shikamaru didn't waste a second and was right behind the Hyuuga prodigy in an instant. They fought through the people in an attempt to reach the pink head. They lost sight of her. Seconds later there it was. It had stopped right before a coffee stand. Neji reached his hand and turned the girl around.
"Sakura!" he said breathlessly only to stare back at an unfamiliar face. Dark brown eyes face piercings, thin lips. This girl was not Sakura. And this girl was screaming for help. Before any of them knew it they were shot with an electrified gun.
-
The policeman was sitting on a chair right opposite of them.
"Why did you attack that girl?" he demanded quite angrily.
Shikamaru sighed and glanced at Neji. He was standing there with his face stony and unemotional. But Shikamaru knew he was quite pissed off at himself, he wasn't about to talk any time soon.
"We told you. It was an accident. She looked like our friend. Our friend has pink hair. We lost her in the crowd. The girl had pink hair. You do the math." Shikamaru finally said. He was itching for a cigarette. He thought otherwise. He wasn't going to risk looking disrespectful and get the policeman angrier than he already was.
The policeman looked at them skeptically. On the one hand he had two young men, obviously tourists, something he figured from their strange accent and clothing, that were trying to prove their innocence. On the other hand the girl they harassed was very stressed since there was a rape incident at the train station a week ago and everybody was on the edge since the media were magnifying the whole thing.
"I want to see your passports." He said firmly.
The two shinobi looked at each other. They had no passports or any sort of paper. As a matter of fact they weren't supposed to exist.
"They were stolen."
"What was stolen?" the policeman looked at Neji waiting. It was the first time Neji spoke through this whole fiasco.
"Our passports and papers, we have nothing. Not even money. And we really need to look for our friend. She will be alone out there. We are worried for her."
"Young man, do you really think I will allow to two foreigners with no papers go out of that door that easily. You are under arrest and will spend the night in a cell." He said and left banging the door behind him.
"Troublesome."
Neji didn't say it out loud but he definitely agreed with his partner.
-
"What do we do now?" Shikamaru asked as he sat on a filthy bench inside the cell. It was nighttime now and the guard outside their cell was half asleep and lazily watching a rerun of a show called "Blackadder". Shikamaru was watching it for a while now as Neji was walking up and down the room.
"Well. That's what I'm thinking. And I tried to get your attention but you were watching that box over there." He motioned at the direction of the television.
"Say it already." Shikamaru said. He was apparently too bored to think.
"Well we're shinobi. We can cast a genjutsu at the guard and then escape." He said with a huff. A five year old could think of that. But Neji's partner wasn't wasting energy to think.
"I've already thought of that. I mean what do we do for the others, Naruto and the rest of them."
"I don't know. We could get out of here for a start."
"Well. Then let's go." Shikamaru said determinately and stood up. "A simple genjutsu would do. And a small explosion tag. The wall isn't enhanced with anything. Ready?"
"Yes."
Neji's palms were making the standard seals for a c-level illusionary technique. As soon as the guard was thinking of an intimate moments with a luscious geisha they set the explosion tag on the wall and stepped away. When it blew and the wall fell they stepped out and run away as people were going towards the place where the big noise was heard.
"I feel like that crazy blonde from Akatsuki. The one who blows up everything." Neji said jokingly as he run across the streets next to the lazy genius.
They finally came to a stop at an alley. It was pretty dark and deserted.
"We should probably find a place to stay, and a job to pay for that place." Shikamaru suggested. He took another cigarette out of the packet in his pocket. He was about to take a mach out of a box when he discovered the box was empty. "Damn!"
"What?" Neji asked alarmed.
"I run out of matches."
"We have bigger problems. We really need a place to stay. Something low though."
Shikamaru was about to speak when he saw man coming out from a door carrying a big bucket filled with something. The man was short and looked weak. He obviously had trouble carrying the bucket. He rushed towards the man and helped him. Shikamaru took the heavy bucket from the man and poured the filthy water at the side of the street.
"Oh! Thank you young master! You can hardly find any kind youths these days! Come inside me pub!" he told to Shikamaru who smirked and motioned Neji to come with him.
"Thank you sir. It really was no problem." He said to the man.
"Oh. Nonsense. I'm Tom! And this is my pub! The leaky cauldron." He said and shook enthusiastically their hands.
But the two shinobi were busy noticing their surroundings. The room was empty, except a man sleeping with his head on a table. The pub looked cozy and small. And the owner was probably cleaning.
"I'm Neji, and this is my friend Shikamaru. Not to be impolite but why did you invited us in since you are apparently closed?"
"Ohohoho! Well this is an inn too. And you two are foreigner wizards and seemed lost. I thought it would be nice to help fellow wizards in need. You were probably looking for my pub. Ya see only wizards can see the pub." He gave them a good hearted explanation that left them even more confused than before.
"Wizards?' Neji whispered to Shikamaru, who only quirked an eyebrow.
"Sir, could we sit and ask you a few questions?" Shikamaru said to the smiling man.
"Of course, of course! Let me get you something warm to drink! Alright?"
"No time for that. Please." Neji half asked and half demanded.
"Alright. What is wrong?"
"Well me and Neji, are kind of lost, and well we are looking for a job and a place to stay. Would you like us to work for you and sleep and eat here for free?"
"Um, lost? I'm not sure I understand very well." He said hesitantly.
"Well, we are not wizards. We honestly have no idea where we are actually." Shikamaru said to Tom. Tom's eyes widened. They weren't wizards but were able to see his pub. This didn't make sense.
"Please. Let us work for you. We are looking for our friends and this wo-city is very large. We will be forever in your debt." Neji said, even though he wasn't planning on staying forever in this world.
"But, you are…oh! What the hell. You will work for me but you will pretend to be like us, wizards that is, or else you will be in a lot of trouble. No matter what you will see you will not look surprised."
"Thank you sir." Shikamaru said and looked at Tom. "Perhaps you could tell us a few more things about you wizards?" he asked in way that Tom wouldn't refuse.
"Me and my bloody kindness!" Tom said to himself and begun telling them in a night-long story about the wizarding world.
Preview of chapter 7:
They turned their heads simultaneously. They hoped what they heard was true. If it was, then God really existed.
"I'm going to kill her!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.