Disclaimer: Naruto is the intellectual property of Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, and VIZ Media. The Harry Potter series is the intellectual property of JK Rowling; various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, and Raincoast Books; and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made from this story, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: The first chapter of this story was a slightly belated birthday gift for Asuka Kureru, who asked for a crack Naruto/HP crossover. I don't think I achieved crack, but I did manage the crossover part. Sort of.
"An Ounce of Prevention" will not affect canon in either series -- that is, it takes place during the Naruto timeskip and before Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. All characters and props will end up in the right places and conditions for Naruto's return to Konoha and the Weasleys' 1992 trip to Diagon Alley.
Summary: During the timeskip, Sakura finds a very interesting diary among Tsunade's books and papers. Trouble ensues.
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Chapter 14: Put Your Money
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Sakura opened her eyes to blackness.
Kakashi slouched in front of her, an oddly thoughtful expression on his face. Then he blinked and reverted to his habitual sleepy-eyed and slightly mocking smile. "Yo. Welcome to your subconscious mind... or at least the part you're willing to show to strangers. From the complete lack of décor, I take it you don't trust me much."
Sakura shrugged; that wasn't exactly true, but it was close enough and this wasn't the time for that discussion. "Now what?"
"We look for the thing that doesn't belong," Kakashi said. "And since there's absolutely nothing else here, I'd say we want that door to your left."
Sakura turned, and then blinked. A tall, solid door -- made of oak fastened with iron bands -- stood, with no walls or frame, in the middle of nothing. The darkness flinched from its edges, giving it the impression of a sickly halo. A rusty key stuck out of a massive lock, and an iron ring hung beneath the lock-plate, presumably to serve as a doorknob.
As Sakura walked closer, she noticed three unfamiliar words carved in the wood; beneath them, in a sloppy version of her own writing, were the kanji for Tomu's name.
"Riddles and riches. At least the family name is accurate," Kakashi said, slouching beside her. "I still think this is an unnecessary risk. We don't need anything you can pry from the imprint."
"Maybe you don't, but I need to know if he's a victim or a spy," Sakura said. Pushing down her unease, she turned the key.
The door swung soundlessly away from her, revealing a dusty, high-ceilinged stone corridor. Paintings in an unfamiliar style hung on the walls; in the distance, a shaft of sunlight fell through an unseen window. Nothing moved; no sounds stirred the air. There was no sign of Tomu, no sign of an ambush.
Sakura hesitated, uneasy. "What if the door closes while I'm gone?"
"It has to open from the other side as well," Kakashi said. "That's how the imprint reaches you. But if you're worried, I can wait here." His face looked strangely naked with both eyes exposed, even though everything from his nose down was still covered.
Sakura had always thought Kakashi was nearly useless as a teacher or a team leader. Aside from the brief tree-climbing lesson in Wave Country, Team 7 had had to teach and train themselves, because Kakashi couldn't be bothered. Looking back, though... maybe that had been the point. Maybe he'd been trying to make them learn to trust and rely on each other. She thought he'd picked a stupid method -- and she was still furious about the way he'd ignored her during the month before Orochimaru's invasion -- but he'd meant well. Probably.
He probably meant well now, too, even if he was still going about it all backwards.
"Thank you," Sakura said. "We'll all be safer if you keep an eye on the door. That way, if Tomu realizes what I'm doing -- if he tries to start the drain, or take control of my body -- you'll be ready to stop him. Just don't poke around in my head!"
Before she could lose her nerve, she walked through the door.
Dizziness swept over her in a wave, and Sakura placed one hand on the stone wall while she caught her balance. The crisp chill of the air, the scent of dust and books and people, the faint noise of wind and water drifting in through an open window, the distant murmur of human voices that never quite resolved into a person coming within true earshot -- everything screamed that she wasn't in her own mind anymore. She wasn't in her own country. She wasn't in her own world.
After a minute, Sakura felt steady enough to turn. Beyond the door, Kakashi seemed like a painting, flat and unreal -- the same way this corridor had looked from within her own mind. His mouth moved, but she couldn't hear anything.
She pointed at her ears, shook her head, and then switched to hand signs. 'Unharmed, mission continues, hold position.'
'Acknowledged,' Kakashi motioned back.
Sakura took a deep breath and crept down the corridor, toward the corner. The next hallway was lined with rows of closed doors, each with a small window just above eye height. Sakura stood on tiptoe and peered through the first door.
The window showed a dark, narrow room filled with flimsy metal beds. Each held a sleeping boy -- except for one, whose occupant had sneaked over to sit by the window and watch patchy clouds drift over the full moon.
Sakura blinked. In the corridor, it was mid-afternoon. In the room, it was night. What on earth?
"Oh, of course," she realized. "It's a memory! That must be Tomu when he was little."
The memory room had the same flat, painted effect that marked the boundary between her mind and Tomu's. She wondered if opening the door would let her talk to the boy. Maybe she could try befriending this younger version of Tomu, back before he'd been trapped and grown wary? On the other hand, an eight-year-old boy probably wouldn't know anything useful, and she didn't want to risk drawing Tomu's attention for no gain. She needed to find a more recent memory, preferably one from right around the diary's creation.
But where would that be? How did Tomu organize his mind? What if the corridors changed while she was exploring, and she couldn't find her way back to her own mind?
Sakura drummed her fingers against the wall and bit her lip, wishing she had someone to tell her what to do.
Then she heard the screams.
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AN: Thanks for reading, and please review! I'm particularly interested in knowing what parts of the story worked for you, what parts didn't, and why.
Further Note: I apologize for taking so long to write this chapter! The trouble is that shortly after I finished chapter 13, I bought the season DVD box sets for the first three series of the new Doctor Who. The show proceeded to eat my brain.
I think I'm mostly recovered by now, so with any luck my writing speed should pick up again -- back to its usual snail's pace rather than the absolutely glacial crawl of the past month. -grin-