"Hello?"
"We've got a problem!" A fairly short, brown-haired woman shouted into her mobile phone.
"Ahh! Yuu! You don't have to shout! And why are you calling from a private number?" Asked another woman asked wincing into her phone.
"I'm using my boyfriends, listen Mato, the world is coming apart!" Yuu Koutari said quickly.
"What?" Asked Mato Kuroi. "What are you talking about? The thing in London?"
"No! Well, yes, partially. London is a portal to the Otherworld right? But it's not natural, it's like a hole in glass caused by a brick, fragile and cracked." Yuu explained.
"But it was caused by magic, I thought they had stabilised it?" Mato replied, slightly confused.
"They did, you know Masaaki's lab team had been brought over to research the tear? They found Otherworld energy coming from all over Britain." Yuu stated.
"Aaaaand?" Mato asked, still confused and hoping one of her oldest friends would get to the point.
"It's slowly increasing, they've spoken to one of the wizards here and apparently it's not coming from the tear." The brunette said.
"Wait, you said here." Mato paused. "Are you in London?"
"Yep, I was hoping you'd come over as well." Yuu said.
"Why? I'm not a scientist or a wizard." Mato said.
"I know, but apart from me you're the only other personwho has spent time in the Otherworld. I've sold it as getting a second opinion from an expert." Yuu paused. "But really, I'm missing you guys, Saya's too busy, and she's told me that Yomi and Kagari are the same."
"Probably not a good idea anyway to get Kagari on a plane, not when she's so late." Mato said, thinking about her blonde friend, only a few months away from her due date. "Wait, does that mean I'm the last person you wanted with you?" She teased.
"You're not getting me like that Mato!" Yuu declared proudly. "Although this is really important, despite being stabilised, the tear is getting bigger and we think magic is the cause."
"How?" Mato asked.
"You know that hole in glass idea? Imagine you've taped up the cracks around it but at the same time you're still throwing bricks through it. Every brick does slightly more damage to the glass." Yuu explained.
"So what's the solution?" Mato asked, a cold sweat spreading down her neck.
"There isn't one yet, that's why I wanted someone with me. I thought we could go to the Otherworld and speak to Black Gold Saw or Dead Master, they know the most about this sort of thing." Yuu said.
"Are you crazy?" Mato cried. "You, a human, want to go there? Not as an Otherself but as you? And speak to Dead Master? She'll rip you apart!" She looked at her phone in disbelief. "You can still speak to Strength can't you?" She asked gently.
"I can." Came the quiet reply. "But remember how good it was when we met them properly for the first time all those years ago?" Yuu asked.
Mato thought back, it was on the hillside that overlooked their hometown. She recalled the quiet, intimate words spoken to her by Black Rock Shooter. The encouragement and pride, the love that came from the Otherself. It was a little overwhelming, especially the last time they had encountered each other they had been fighting to the death. Still, she had longed to speak to her again, that desire had only increased in the intervening years that they had been cut off from each other.
"Alright, I'll come over." Mato said sighing. She hung up to the sound of loud squealing and smiled.
I wonder if I'll see her again?
The plane journey was long and tiring, she also found out that Heathrow airport was one of the most intimidating places she'd ever been to, so it was a huge relief that she was greeted by Yuu when she eventually left.
"Mato!" Yuu squealed, rushing up and hugging the taller woman. "I can't believe you actually came!"
"Me neither, it's slightly unreal that I'm halfway across the world." Mato couldn't help but grin. "So where are we going?"
"First thing, let's get you into a hotel and drop your stuff off, then we'll meet up with Masaaki and go to the tear." Yuu said, helping Mato load her suitcase into the car that her boyfriend had loaned her.
The driver took the pair to a cheaper hotel a few underground stops from the tear, after a quick change of clothes Mato met back up with Yuu and the two went to the research lab next to the tear.
The temporary buildings looked similar to oversized cargo containers, raised up slightly on concrete pillars embedded deep into the ground. Mato looked around the area, in the distance was a large, shimmering dome with a faint blue tint. Inside she could just make out twisted columns that reminded her of cannon barrels and a black and white checked floor. She could feel a pull deep inside her that she couldn't explain.
Home, something inside her said.
"Hey, Mato you alright?" Yuu asked, poking her head outside the door. She looked in the direction that the taller woman was staring. "I know, I'm feeling it too, it'll fade in a little while."
"Do you think.." Mato started, a slight tremor in her voice. She couldn't be sure if it was fear or nerves.
"I don't know, but she's stubborn, like you. I'll bet a thousand yen she's waiting." Yuu grinned. "Anyway, come meet Masaaki, I've been talking his ear off about you coming here."
Mato managed to turn away from the tear and go into the building, inside wasn't quite what she had been expecting. Far from the vast arrays of machinery and monitors, it was strangely empty, a few large tables with microscopes and bunsen burners, two or three sinks dotted around the outside and that was it. Mato felt a little underwhelmed as she walked through. Soon enough though, the rooms got a little more cramped as more space got taken up by large fridges and the strange machines that she was sure nobody could explain adequately to her.
Yuu ran off in front and almost tackled a young man to the floor, he had short-cropped black hair, the pale skin tone of someone who spent most of their time indoors and looked to be about Mato's height.
"Yuu! What are you doing? Get off me?" He said laughing.
"I missed you though." Yuu pouted.
"It's been like two hours since you were last here." He muttered, gently removing her.
"Still missed you though." Yuu smiled. "Anyway, here's Mato!" She exclaimed, holding her arms out as if she were presenting a prize.
He turned and looked at Mato with a smile.
"Kuroi Mato." Mato said bowing. "It's nice to meet you."
"Takahashi Masaaki, its nice to finally meet you too." He said flashing a smile while returning her bow. "Athough I'm hoping we can dispense with being formal if that's okay with you. Mato."
Mato gasped slightly and nodded.
"Masaaki, you've made her blush!" Yuu said, playfully punching him in the arm.
"I-its okay, I don't mind, just a bit of a surprise." Mato stammered.
"See? Mato says it's okay." Masaaki grinned.
"It's a good job you're so cute Takahashi." Yuu glared. "Or I might make you sleep on the couch."
"Please." Masaaki pleaded, his face dropping. "Anything but that."
Mato tilted her head slightly at the odd exchange going on in front of her, she was about to speak when another person came in. He was a little taller than Mato, pale like Masaaki but a heavier build. Messy red hair sat on his head and he wore an annoyed look. He had a stick pointed at his own throat.
"Takahashi." He said as he wandered in. "Do you have any…" He stopped mid sentence as he spotted Mato and dropped the stick.
*"Rock?"* He asked quietly.
"Huh?" Yuu said, breaking her hold of her boyfriend.
*"Is that you Rock?"* He asked again, he had a stunned look on his face.
"Who's Rock?" Masaaki asked Yuu who shook her head.
Mato stood there, confused and not saying anything.
The redhead took a step forward, causing Mato to step back.
Masaaki cleared his throat and when the man turned to him, the scientist pointed at the floor towards the stick.
With a slightly embarrassed look on his face the man knelt down and picked up the stick, placing it towards his throat.
"Who are you?" He asked.
Snapping out of her confusion she bowed again.
"Kuroi Mato." She said.
"She's my friend from Japan." Yuu clarified.
"So you're not… But you look just like her." The redhead muttered.
"Who?" Mato asked.
"Black Rock Shooter." The man said.
Mato took another step back. "You know Black Rock Shooter?" She asked.
"She came here to defeat… a very bad wizard." He said hesitantly.
"Mato, this is Ron Weasley, he was friends with Harry Potter. He helped her when she came to this world." Yuu explained.
She turned to Ron.
"Mister Weasley, this is Black Rock Shooter's human counterpart, I asked her to come here to help with the tear."
"You're… You're Mato?" Ron asked.
Mato nodded.
Without another word he turned and left, although Mato wasn't sure, she was thought she saw a hint of anger creeping on his face.
There was an awkward moment of silence between the three.
"I'll go see what he wanted." Masaaki said finally, he gave Yuu a quick kiss on the top her head as he passed her and left.
"Let's go outside." Yuu said.
"What was that?" Mato asked.
"You can't blame him, Black Rock Shooter literally crashed into their lives, from what I understand, and killed not only an extremely powerful evil wizard but also the most powerful and beloved wizard on the good side as well." Yuu stated.
"I remember, she said they had to die to protect me. I had no idea the old wizard was that important to these people." Mato said, shivering from the memory.
"You were fifteen and in a different country, in a secret world that none of us knew existed. How were meant to know?" Yuu said, placing a hand on Mato's shoulder.
Mato started shaking. "I saw her lose it Yuu, I saw the exact moment she lost it and gave in to the insanity."
"It's okay, we've been through this. You don't have to explain yourself. Least of all to me." Yuu smiled
She's so close, I can feel her Yuu. Her world is just beyond that barrier, I know she's there." Mato breathed.
"I know, I can feel Strength too. Not yet though, we need permission to go in. That barrier stops anything passing through it." Yuu said.
"I've always wondered, why don't the others have this connection? I mean Saya can talk to Black Gold Saw just like you and Strength." Mato said.
"We've got a few theories, but I think the most likely one is that we are the only ones who have been to the Otherworld, I swapped with Strength but you merged with Black Rock Shooter. That's deeper than even Strength and I." Yuu said, sadness edging her words.
"Yeah, just in time to see her go crazy for the first time." Mato said bitterly.
"Mato." Yuu sighed,
"I know, I think I'm just tired. It's like what? Nearly midnight at home? Think I need sleep." Mato said with a weak smile.
Yuu smiled brightly back. "I'll call you when it's time to wake up, I know what you're like in the mornings."
"Oh hush." Mato grinned.
Back in the hotel room, Mato flopped down on the bed and with every intention of getting undressed, promptly fell asleep.
She awoke the next day to the sound of her phone ringing loudly, with a groan she answered, put the obnoxious device on loudspeaker and dropped it on the bed next to her.
"'Lo." Mato grumbled.
"Hi sleepyhead, you up yet?" Came a bright cheerful voice.
"How do you do this?" Mato moaned. "It's too early."
"It's eleven in the morning Mato, it's been nearly eighteen hours since you left." Yuu giggled.
"No, don't believe you." Mato said and rolled over.
"Don't go back to sleep Mato, I'll come over and drag you out of bed myself!" Yuu warned.
"Fine." Mato complained. "I'm up."
"I'll never know how a grown-ass woman can be so difficult to get out of bed." Yuu muttered.
"The struggle is real." Mato replied sitting up. "Let me get a shower and get dressed, I'll be there soon."
"I'll get Masaaki to drive you here, so you don't go back to sleep." Yuu said.
Mato sighed. "Alright." She looked longingly at the surprisingly comfy bed wishing she was still asleep.
When Mato arrived at the research buildings Yuu was waiting outside for her, instead of the casual clothes she wore yesterday she was instead wearing a smart business suit.
"I feel underdressed now Yuu." Mato muttered, she was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt with a blue star on the back.
"It's alright, the Ministry of Magic called me in to ask a few questions about the tear." Yuu replied. "I don't think they were very happy with my answer."
"Which was?" Mato asked.
"I told them that until the research guys know more it would be best that everyone nearby stopped using magic." Yuu replied.
"That sounds reasonable, surely they can go without magic for a while?" Mato asked not understanding the problem.
"It's not that simple apparently." Yuu explained. "Turns out magic is more ingrained into their society than we thought. They've enchanted entire regions of the city to an insane degree, there are hidden doorways, buildings, even entire streets magically wedged between what we see as solid walls. And that's just the minor stuff."
Mato looked amazed.
"They can really do that?" She asked.
"Apparently, they've also said that some of it is so old that they would have no way of undoing it, even if they could control the massive damage that it would cause." Yuu carried on.
"So the world is cracking and the one thing that they could do to help is the one thing they can't do?" Mato summarised.
"Pretty much." Yuu shrugged.
"So what's the plan?" Mato asked.
"There isn't one, Masaaki and the rest of them are going to continue working. I have no idea what the wizards are going to do, probably something with magic." Yuu sighed.
"But that'll just make it worse." Mato looked at her quizzically.
"I know, but if there's a problem they immediately turn to magic. It's like us with the internet, any issues and it's straight there searching for an answer." Yuu said.
"Last time I checked though, the internet wasn't going to end the world." Mato said.
Yuu turned to look at the tear.
"We don't know if it will end the world, probably what would happen is we'll merge with the Otherworld." Yuu said darkly. "We're not ready for that, hundreds of thousands would die. It would be endless war."
"You're assuming we'd actually be able to fight them." Mato whispered.
Suddenly the ground rumbled, loose bricks and masonry from the surrounding rubble crashed to the floor.
"What the hell?" Yuu shouted.
The pair quickly ran inside and accosted the first scientist they found, a middle-aged man with streaks of grey lining his beard.
"What's happening?" Mato asked, when just as suddenly the trembling stopped.
The man looked that the pair.
"You're Takahashi's girl aren't you?" He asked.
"That's right." Yuu said, choosing to ignore the ownership aspect of the question. Normally she would've called him out but there were more important things going on.
"We don't really know, however just before the tremor we detected an increase in some of this Otherworld energy. Whatever is happening it seems to have sped up." He said.
Yuu and Mato bowed their thanks and left.
"So you told the wizards that you called me in as a second advisor, and you had a meeting with them today." Mato stated as they sat down on a low wall nearby. "Does that mean I'll have to talk to them too? I'm not sure I can do that."
"I doubt it, I told them about what happened at Hogwarts and you being kidnapped. They were relatively understanding, I still don't think they like the fact they're having to rely on us to provide them with answers." Yuu said.
"Us? Non-wizards?" Mato asked.
"Yeah, nobody says anything but I'm pretty sure they look down on us because we can't use magic. Not sure why, they rely on owls and written letters when they want to talk over long distances. It's completely backwards." Yuu stated.
"We haven't exactly been kind to them in the past." Mato reminded her.
"We haven't been kind to ourselves either, two world wars, centuries of racism, sexism, slavery, homophobia. As a species we've gone after virtually every single thing that makes us different. We don't have the choice of hiding away like they do, we had to settle our differences and work through things." Yuu ranted.
"Yuu." Mato said, feeling a strange sense of deja vu from yesterday.
"And do you know they did if one of us discovered them?" Yuu continued. "They would wipe their memories, without consent. It's called 'Obliviating', to be fair they would only do it as a last resort. They tried to keep themselves hidden as much as possible, but still. It's wrong, having such an important part of you violated. Memories are what make a person who they are, you can't just screw around with that!"
Mato said nothing, instead waiting for her friend to finish. It was one of the things that Mato loved about the shorter woman, she always stood up for what she believed in. Despite it actually being Strength who she made friends with, Mato was pleasantly surprised to find that their personalities were very similar. Especially when it came to equality. She supposed it was to do with her early life, those years of neglect and abuse that even she hasn't been privy to. Only Saya knew the full story, but she was even more tight-lipped than Yuu.
Mato was broken from her thoughts by silence, Yuu had stopped talking. Feeling a little guilty that she had missed part of it, she sheepishly apologised.
"It's okay, it wasn't anything I hadn't said a thousand times before." Yuu said waving her off.
"No really, I'm sorry, I know how much it means to you. How much it should mean to everyone." Mato replied.
"And I know you do too, you've always been caring, it's your biggest strength." Yuu said sweetly.
"I don't know about that, I always thought it was basketball." Mato joked.
"And when was the last time you got yourself on a court?" Yuu teased.
"Shut up." Mato said, knocking Yuu with her shoulder. "I can still play."
"Never said you couldn't." Yuu defended, placing a hand on her chest in an over exaggerated fashion. "I just implied you'd be useless." She grinned.
Mato shook her head smiling. "It's not too late to catch a plane home today, you know?"
"Nah, you wouldn't do that. You're too nice and caring." Yuu said.
"What makes you think I care?" Mato replied, attempting to be nonchalant but failing.
"Because unlike other people." Yuu's grin got even bigger. "We actually have something to judge it by, or do you have another explanation how Black Rock Shooter managed to defeat Chariot, Dead Master, Black Gold Saw, nearly me if it hadn't been for you, that evil wizard and the good wizard?"
Mato's face dropped.
"She wasn't herself for most of them." She muttered.
"My point still stands, she came from you girl." Yuu told her.
Mato sighed and looked towards the tear.
"What are the chances we'll be able to fix this?" She asked.
"Not good if we don't have some sort of breakthrough." Yuu replied honestly.
"So what is it that you do here? You've got the researchers and I'm guessing the wizards looking into this, what's your part besides a free trip to London?" Mato asked.
"The free trip mostly, I was hoping to do some sightseeing but when Masaaki found the energy from the tear was increasing, he thought I could be some sort of early warning system." Yuu replied looking up at the grey clouds. "I've mostly been stuck here in the dirt with nothing to do."
"I can understand why you wanted one of us to join you, this place is so depressing." Mato said gesturing to the cratered ground.
"Yeah, but honestly." Yuu said leaning in and dropping her voice. "I've got a bad feeling about this, like really bad. Strength has it too, that's why I called when I did. Whatever it is it's soon."
Aside from the frequency of the tremors increasing, the next few days passed smoothly, the two friends passed many hours walking around the city, talking and doing some minor sightseeing while staying relatively close to the tear. A few times Yuu was called in to discuss the current situation with the Ministry of Magic, she always looked frazzled after leaving, they were pushing for answers and a solution without being able to provide any non-magical help.
"I ought to take their wands and shove them up their asses!" Yuu huffed after one particularly stressful meeting.
Unfortunately, it was the sixth day when everything came undone.
Yuu finally got permission from the Ministry to pass through the barrier and enter the Otherworld, albeit with an escort to keep her and Mato safe. She scoffed at the idea that a single wizard would be of any help but it was a condition of the Ministry.
So Yuu, Mato and a grizzled Auror named MacPherson stood at the edge of the tear, ready to enter.
"Why are we waiting?" The Auror growled, wand pointed at his neck.
"Because despite what your Ministry thinks, the Otherworld is a dangerous place. One wizard isn't going to do much." Yuu spat, tension stressing her out.
"Watch your tone lass, I've been hunting dark wizards since you were in nappies." MacPherson snarled.
"You weren't here when the tear opened were you?" Mato asked politely.
The Auror shook his head. "I was in York, tracking down Bellatrix Lestrange." He said proudly, as though that name should mean anything to the two Japanese women.
"So you've never encountered an Otherself?" Mato wondered.
He shook his head again.
"That's why we're waiting, there are two Otherselves coming to join us." Yuu explained. "In the Otherworld you need all the protection you can get."
MacPherson nodded, accepting Yuu's point of view but it was obvious to the pair he didn't truly believe them.
Two dark figures appeared through the gloom.
"Who's Bellatrix Lestrange?" Mato asked, hoping to ease some of the tension between them all.
"You've never heard of her?" MacPherson asked.
Mato shook her head.
"Surprising, there was a kidnapping case in Japan about twenty years ago, about the time when You-Know-Who came back to power. She took a young girl and gave her to him." He said. "I don't know the details, it was never my department. I just find Death Eaters, I'm not interested in their history." He sniffed
"Mato?" Yuu asked, noticing her friend was in tears and visibly shaking. "Mato are you okay!"
One of the figures started running.
"What's going on, are you okay girl?" MacPherson asked, he noticed the running figure and removed the wand from his neck.
"Mato! Talk to me!" Yuu pleaded.
"The. Girl." Mato said haltingly. "It was me."
"What?" Yuu asked stunned.
Both figures were running now.
"She took me." Mato cried. "I'm so scared Yuu."
"What's going on?" MacPherson shouted in confusion, quickly pointing the wand at his throat.
"She's having a flashback! She was the girl who was taken!" Yuu yell back.
"Shit." The Auror muttered.
The figures were nearly on top of them.
MacPherson raised his wand as one of the figures pointed something large at him, it looked like a naval cannon.
*"Stop!"* He yelled. *"Identify yourselves!"*
No answer came, instead there was a high pitch whine and a blue glow from the end of the cannon.
Yuu turned around as she knelt beside Mato.
"Stop! Don't!" She cried.
It was too late.
A red bolt of light burst from the tip of the Aurors wand and hurtled its way to it's target.
It had all the effect of throwing a snowball at a freight train.
It was the last thing Yuu saw before her vision exploded into colours beyond imagining, hues unknown to humanity blinded her as she fell. And fell. And fell.
Gravity had no pull upon her, no air pushed against her movements. Her eyes burned with sights unseen in history, visions too terrible to know.
Eternity raged, fighting her, threatening her with infinite understanding. Mountains grew and died, entire universes reduced to ash and darkness, multiverses sputtered into dregs of pathetic scraps, background noise for new life to ponder.
After even the infinite had guttered out, a pair of strong metal hands embraced her.
"Close your eyes Yuu."
When Yuu opened her eyes again, she was met by a shadow looming over her. She blinked her eyes against the harsh, bright daylight.
"Easy there. You've had a hell of a fall." The shadow said.
Wincing to make out the faintest detail, it looked like a man.
No, not a man, younger, teenager maybe?
With darkness clouding her mind she made out a few noticeable details.
Red shirt, green sleeves, a black mask and the letter R on his chest.
Then black.
"No! Well, yes, partially. London is a portal to the Otherworld right? But it's not natural, it's like a hole in glass caused by a brick, fragile and cracked."
"But it was caused by magic, I thought they had stabilised it?"
"You know that hole in glass idea? Imagine you've taped up the cracks around it but at the same time you're still throwing bricks through it. Every brick does slightly more damage to the glass."
So what happens if it's not a brick that goes through the glass.
But a truck?
A/N
Sooooooo, yeah.
I had an itch, mainly from reading some amazing crossover stories lately, to do another story.
I didn't want to have to start over with fresh new characters and have to go through everything all over again and explain how everyone encounters each other. So I took the easy route
I'm lazy, I know.
Big thanks to:
Gamer95
.
Mazamba
For their amazing BRS stories which were the inspiration for me writing.
And StarvingLunatic whose Walking The Line series was actually the first fanfic I ever read, and showed me how incredible fanfiction can be.
I also blame you for my Kim Possible addiction.
You guys are amazing and I wish you all the best.
The BRS Project and Harry Potter + Co are not owned by me, but surprisingly by their respective owners.
The little cameo at the end? He belongs to DC