!Disclaimer! Honey, I don't need to own Naruto to write FanFiction.
Penname: LiveLoveLaugh
FanFiction Story: Magical Chakra
Summary: NarutoHP Xovr When Team Seven has been sent to Hogwarts School, they meet up with the Boy Who Lived, experience new wild rides in a new place, and go on incredible adventures of a lifetime.
Chapter Nine:
Vertical Lines
It was sundown when he struck.
The little boy in him could remember it, so…so…clearly.
He bet everyone was either enjoying a walk around the block, or maybe even having dinner with their families. Fathers came home from missions, sitting legs-crossed to listen to their children's exaggerated stories of today's classes and trainings with their teams. Mothers sat at the corner knitting, in front of the stove cooking their special meals, with small smiles on their faces for being content in living in this household.
Children, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, distant cousins, lovers, girlfriends, boyfriends, admirers, wives, and husbands were all there.
They were all there at the Uchiha Estate to celebrate the full moon.
The little boy didn't return until after sundown, accidentally spending more time alone at his shuriken training that his brother promised to help him with, and came running back to the huge front gates of the infamous Uchiha Estate.
He was always so proud of the successful clan.Being the biggest and largest around in Konoha, even rivaling the damn Hyuugas. He was so…so…proud…The little boy was practically obsessed.
He thought his mother might scold him as usual for being late for dinner. His mother can be such a female! What would she know if she never even touched a shuriken! Mothers…
His father…oh, wouldn't he be so proud of his second son when he finds out how much stronger he got! How happy he would be once he learns his second son had got all his targets this time! Twenty-two in a row! His new record!
From now on, his father would be talking solely and proudly about him!
Maybe even more than his brother!
The little boy was practically giggling with anticipation!
He ran headfirst, with his schoolbag bouncing heavily against his shoulder and short legs, with a huge grin plastered on his face. He rushed into the gates and he was expecting the glimmering lights of the street lamps to blind him.
But where was the blinding?
Where were the lights?
Where did the smile he had on disappear to?
Where is everyone?
Sweat beaded at his brow, his white knuckles were painfully stretching across the skin. He whimpered into his pillow.
Sasuke woke up sweating and panting, letting the thick goose-feather stuffed blankets and thin sheets fall off his shoulders and lean front. He ran his long fingers through his long wet raven bangs over his heating forehead.
Luckily, Tom the barkeeper left a pitcher of water and a tall glass on his nightstand. The prodigy quickly took a giant swallow and slipped out of his white tee shirt to let the heat escape his body and welcome arms open to the cool breezes around the room. He sat on the giant canopy bed, burying his face into his trembling hands.
His head was hurting and paining, like veins around his brain was about to explode into a horrifying shower of blood. He dug his finger pads into his scalp and bit back a scream.
Not that he wasn't used to the scorching pain that was delivered into his sleep every fucking night of his life since the Massacre. It was unexplainable of what was happening right now.
Was it just him or did his nightmares begin to end early? And after every time he had this nightmare, he woke up at most crucial parts to take a breather or just cry (Okay he admits), but now…it was different. Instead he falls into a deep sleep after the break, and kept dreaming about…about vertical lines…
HE DREAMS ABOUT VERTICAL LINES!
What kind of dreams had he'd been having lately? Normal people might dream about fields of flowers, maybe soaring in the skies, or even eating a bowl of ramen—wait, that's just Naruto. He's not even normal, let alone people.
But Uchiha Sasuke now dreams about vertical lines. Thick and long bold black vertical lines that stood up into the blackness and stabbed into the hard colorless ground, lined next to each other in one single straight row and it went right and left forever. Long gray shadows formed in the splotches of crimson lights and deep red colors. The rest of the world around the vertical gate of lines was black and empty, if he tried singing (Which he wouldn't do, ever) no echo would return.
In fact he couldn't even sing—say anything. Mute.
It was just an empty atmosphere. Empty. And the only that split up the vast open red area was the line of vertical bars.
Bars? Well the vertical lines did remind him of prison bars. Were those it? Maybe…
Knock, Knock.
He turned his head behind him at the shut door that led to the narrow brown carpeted hallway.
Knock, Knock. Slow and loud knocks banged softly on his door.
He got up and unlocked the lock, and opened the door. And standing outside was the pink-haired kunoichi.
"Sakura…it's late…" he whispered, a little embarrassed that he was currently only in his blue boxers.
Sakura nodded and tugged tighter on the purple shawl she wore around her shoulders, murmuring, "I heard some voices coming from in here, I wondering if you're alright, that's all."
Sasuke shook his head, and lied, "It's nothing…go back to sleep…"
He was about to close the door on her until Sakura pushed her way into his bedroom. She was actually not all fazed by his nearly naked attire, in fact she was using those green doe eyes of her's to stare straight into his bottomless black ones. She closed the door behind her self and leaned her back against it, breathing slowly.
"What's going on, Sasuke?" she whispered, totally not buying his lie. Damn Ibiki, teaching her those stupid techniques in reading emotions.
"Nothing, alright? Go…just go back to sleep…" Sasuke lowered his eyes, grabbed her arm and ushered her out. Sakura wedged her way back in again. Then the two begun a war of pushing and pulling.
"No, I want to know," she muttered, angrily, "You have to tell me."
"No, I don't."
"Yes, you do!"
"Go back to sleep."
"No! Let me in!"
"You're going to wake up that dobe and the giant…"
"They can't hear us out here, these doors are almost sound-proof—"
"Get out of my room."
"No Sasuke! You better tell me!"
"Go—"
"I'm not leaving until I get an explanation!"
The Uchiha boy glared at her but instead of receiving the frightened look she always used to give him, she just glared back. Sasuke had a firm hold onto her wrists and shoved her into the door, closing it immediately. She grimaced at the back-breaking pain and gripped back her muffled scream. He put his lips towards her ear, having a strong clutch on her struggling.
Sakura could his warmth against her slender neck. The purple shawl she wore slipped off her arms and landed between their legs.
"You don't want to know…" Sasuke whispered silently, moving closer, "I don't want anyone to know…"
She frowned and growled, "I haven't seen you for more than a year, and you still haven't changed one bit, Sasuke."
He was quiet for a long while, still holding onto her arms. It was such a silence; you could hear a pin drop. But these two wouldn't be able to hear it at all, since their eyes were boring into each other's and everything they stood for was focused on the other. When looking into his black eyes, unconsciously Sakura began closing her's.
"I know."
The two words she heard for the night.
And the moment before she could blink, she was outside the door.
"AHHHH! WHAT KIND OF DRIVER ARE YOU!" Naruto complained greatly, feeling several bumps on his head. Sakura' body collapsed on top of his, entangling their limbs in a bruising mess. Sasuke growled and stood up again, taking the backs of his companion's collars and pulling them up straight. Hagrid's face was literally yellowy green and looking to hurl.
The shinobis held tight on each other and anything else that seemed strong on this crazy contraption. Hagrid made himself a seat on the floor of the bus trying not be nauseated and the chairs flying about and knocking painfully against their calves. Whenever they tried to make their spots on the counters around the glass windows, the half-blind muttering driver would make a dangerous sharp turn and their bodies would fly to the other side of the damn Knight Bus.
The ticket boy of the bus with acne problem was not much of help, just sitting behind the driver's box on his counter with a seat belt and just kept licking the tip of his thumb and flipping the corner of the wizarding newspaper the Daily Prophet.
"You shouldn't hold on to that—" the ticket boy winced whilst Naruto crashed into Sasuke's back when the blasted driver drove directly towards several children crossing the street and turning abruptly, "Yeah, well, I warned you." And he returned to the article section he was currently reading about some celebrity witch taking some slim fast diet potion to keep up her figure.
Hagrid tried explaining to them about 'necessary transportation', "I'm sorry tykes, buh dis 'ere is da cheapest and fastest way to be getting' at da Express." Naruto frowned and Sasuke scowled.
"I think I'm going to die before we arrive at the station," Sakura groaned, feeling hurt and dizzy. Ernie, the bloody driver, made another turn and she was thrown against the window with the boys.
The ticket boy looked up and looked at his sundial watch, and barked out the stop, "Train Station, England! Train Station, England anyone!"
Naruto literally peeled his compressed cheek off the glass pane and made it out the door with the rest of the people who needed the stop. Rather quickly. The ticket boy carelessly threw out their luggages and bags, the purple doors closed, and the Knight Bus left without any non-magic folk noticing anything.
The shinobis scowled harder and picked up their luggages, and glared dangerously at the gamekeeper. Hagrid laughed nervously, shrugging a little. "Er—let's be goin'?"
They arrived, pushing three carts of their luggages towards the stop of Platforms Ten and Nine. Hagrid inserted his sausage finger into his breast pocket and took out three folded tickets. The three teenagers stared oddly at their fares.
What the hell is a Platform 9 and 3/4s?
Hagrid grinned and when they made a second chance to look back at the numbers, he disappeared.
Wait, wait a minute…Hagrid disappeared?
Three sets of humongous anime eyes popped out of their heads.
"HAGRID!"
"HAGRID-SAN!"
"WHERE ARE YOU!"
((Inner Sakura: IS THIS SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE HE'S PLAYING ON US!)) 'Because it ain't funny…'
Naruto was literally biting his nails off, Sakura was panicking, and Sasuke was thinking up thoughts of murderous things…
OH MY KAMI-SAMA, HE MADE SASUKE THINK!
WHERE THE HELL IS HE!
LEAVING THEM THERE LIKE THAT!
WITHOUT A GOODBYE OR A SIGN!
ISN'T HE SUPPOSED TO SAY SOMETHING BEFORE LEAVING THEM STRANDED IN A FUCKING SMELLY TRAIN STATION!
AND COULD SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHAT THE HELL IS A PLATFORM NINE AND THREE-QUARTERS!
"Naruto? Sakura? Sasuke? What you three doing here?"
They twisted disbelievingly to find the bushy-haired girl, the redhead, and the four-eyes guy with the bad hair. They almost hugged them. Almost.
Okay the author lied, they did hug them.
Well, two-thirds did.
Sakura and Naruto threw themselves on Hermione while Sasuke just nodded nonchalantly to the bewildered boys. Hermione shuffled on her heeled leather shoes and tried balancing the bear hugs the two foreigners were giving her out of relief. She was laughing nervously and patted their backs.
"Nice to see you two in a good mood," Ron replied, smirking, staring interestedly at the two release their holds on her.
"Oh dammit, Hermione, aren't we glad to see you!" Sakura said happily, wiping the nervous sweat from her forehead.
"YEAH! That gigantic jerk left us here!" Naruto exclaimed, "A-and you know what! He gave us these weird tickets that said Platform nine and three-fourths, I mean what the hell is that all about! And you know what else, I'm starving!"
"You just ate, dobe," Sasuke muttered.
A tummy growl roused the group, Naruto snickered, "Well, I'm hungry again."
Hermione waved her hands to calm down the tension between the two guys, "Okay, okay, there's a food cart at the Express and I can explain about your fare. Just follow us alright?" She quickly pushed her cart towards the block of a wall that had two number stands of nine and ten in bold black lettering. When the Muggles around weren't paying attention, Hermione gestured Ron to come over.
"What?" Ron asked boringly, glaring at his stupid owl fluttering crazily around his cage.
"Could you help me demonstrate something for them?" Hermione put on a forced smile, trying her best not to shove him over for his lack of civility. Taking the death look as a sign, the redhead nodded grudgingly and positioned himself. He took speed and pushed himself and his cart into the wall.
The three shinobis took up a cry of panic, just waiting for the painful crash that never came, then Ron was soon swallowed up by the brick wall and disappeared into another dimension.
The brunette grinned and took a chance to look at the open-mouth gaping the foreigners were having on their faces. "Go on, Naruto! It's not going to kill you!" she exclaimed, exhort her pushcart away to make room.
Harry could easily remember his first experience with Platform 9 3/4s, how astounded he was when several Weasley brothers rode dangerously through the wall and never came out.
Naruto stared at her as if she said the words 'low-fat', and not budging at all.
"Hurry up! It's almost time for the train to leave!" Hermione cried, glancing nervously at the ticking-tocking clock hung on the ceiling arches.
Naruto gave out a 'what-the-hell-why-not?' expression and try his best to put on his irresistible foxy grin. He gripped his hands strongly on the handle and shoved his way a little crookedly in an almost straight line, shutting immediately at the suspecting impact. The last thing he heard was Sakura's gasp. He felt his entire body was sucked in, as if he just ran into…well, nothing. The blonde popped open his eyes when he heard the loud whistle.
The whistle of the Hogwarts Express.
What he saw would have made the Kyuubi no Youko in him squeal like a little girl.
Or a very small, very cute kitten.
A puny kitten entrusted with extreme power to destroy thousands of villages.
What a pet.
It was massive red and black train, gigantic white puffs of steam created a like fog that surrounded the tunnel. With huge gold letterings written across the train of Hogwarts Express. About a thousand kids in cloaks were giving good-bye kisses and hugs to their weeping mothers and proud fathers, luggages were pulled into the small openings, and there were cries of Hogwarts students who were waving out of their wide open windows in their compartments.
While he was gawking, he saw that Ronald boy with the freckles in the distance catcalling him to come over.
"Hey! You! Yeah you! Come on!" he suddenly was attacked by his mother hugging the daylights out of him, "MUM! Not here!"
There he stood, a stout woman and balding man with flaming red hair that were blossoming him with kisses and scolding him about his untuck shirt tail. If he were to look closer, Naruto had spotted a smaller girl with red hair and freckles hidden behind her's mother's cloak.
That must have been Ron's family. And just looking at his freckled face, there was cross of embarrassment and sullenness. Kami-sama knows Naruto had better not kill him for being so fucking fortunate.
'Lucky.'
"Naruto!" he twisted around to see his princess, Sakura, with the human ice-cube, the bossy know-it-all, and the guy with the bad hair.
"That was so weird! I almost screamed when you vanished!" Sakura laughed, tucking her loose pink behind her ear. Sasuke grunted, for he almost made a noise when his two comrades went through the wall.
Hermione tried to make the conversation a little cheerier, "See what I mean? Hundreds of things can happen!"
The blonde grinned and pushed his baggage cart with the crowd towards the train. The little girl with the red hair stared oddly at him for a moment, well like everyone else around the train station, was staring at him and his teammates, and began whispering amongst themselves.
"Check out those three there!"
"How odd, I don't think I've ever seen them around Hogwarts before."
"Why are they hanging out with Harry! A-are they famous too?"
"If so, can we get their autographs?"
"Could they be new students?"
"That's impossible, they look too old to just come in now!"
"Unless! There's another tournament! They must be foreign wizards!"
"Really!"
"Wait a minute, the bigger question here is who are they!"
"Yeah, who are they…?"
"Who are they?"
Hermione, Ron, and Harry began to wonder that too. Of course the three didn't really talk about themselves much. At all. Except that Naruto lik—loves ramen, Sasuke doesn't like to socialize, and Sakura didn't get her hair dyed.
In the minds of the shinobis when they entered into the Express, this was the beginning of their one true mission.
To Be Continued