Here's the third chapter that almost never came! I actually considered deleting this story but I changed my mind halfway through writing my apology letter. So anyway, please read and review! I know my writing style is a bit cluttered, you know, sometimes stringing sentences together or moving things a bit too fast. But please bear with it 'cause it's not like you can do anything about it. Enjoy!
The spinning stopped as abruptly as it started. And when they finally landed on their feet, Hikaru and Kaoru found themselves standing in front of a marvelous castle with many turrets and towers. It overlooked a lake, forest, and vast grounds, creating a magnificent scene. They were speechless for a moment, staring blankly at their surroundings.
A long silence followed, broken only by the sounds of many footsteps. The twins jumped and looked at each other as though seeing each other clearly for the first time. The enormous wooden entrance of the castle flew open and they found themselves running as far as their feet would carry them. They ducked behind a rather overgrown hedge deep into the grounds. They watched as a large number of people emerged from the doors, wearing long cloaks. Hikaru and Kaoru noticed that nobody looked younger than eleven nor older than eighteen except the small group of adults leading them. There was a tall woman whose graying hair was tied in a tight bun. Behind her, a man the size of an elf was struggling to catch up with them. A short, plump woman followed. And at the very back was a sulky-looking man with greasy hair. The Little Devils raised their eyebrows at the odd sight.
They saw the greasy man turn his head toward their direction; they quickly shifted out of sight. They didn't return to their comfortable position until they were sure he was looking elsewhere.
''Where are we?'' Hikaru asked his brother.
''From the looks of it, I'd say we're in England,'' Kaoru replied.
''But we've been to England and we've never seen this place before!''
''Who knows? Maybe this is a more secured place.''
''Oh, really? Then how come there are no security guards?''
''Look,'' Kaoru strained his face in agitation. ''We can worry about our fantastic location later. Right now, I'm more concerned about how we got here.''
Hikaru snorted. ''Yeah, like you don't know. It was your fault, don't deny it! Touching that weird portal-thingy was your idea and now you landed us in some castle.''
His younger clone winced at the sudden memory. But before he could reply, a third voice had intruded. ''My, my. Look what we have here.'' Hikaru and Kaoru jumped and stared, frightened, at the two identical boys crouching behind them. They both had flaming-red hair and loads of freckles. It hit the Hitachiins how similar they looked. ''What are you little angels doing out in the grounds?'' one of them said.
''Shouldn't you be off with your little friends to the little train so you could go back to your little home and enjoy your little summer?'' the other said in a mock-baby voice. He and his brother were speaking with British accents.
''What about you?'' Hikaru retorted. ''Shouldn't you two be off with your lot as well?''
''Blimey!'' the first twin laughed. ''What language are they speaking?''
''Gobbledegook? Mermish?'' the second twin listed.
''Japanese,'' answered Kaoru in English. ''And my brother said, 'What about you? Shouldn't you be with your lot?' ''
''What's that supposed to mean?'' The first twin suddenly seemed suspicious. A moment later, realization struck him. ''Hey, George, you don't think this pair are muggles?''
George looked at his brother as though what he was saying was comical. ''Are you kidding? That's impossible! They'd never be able to enter the castle if they were.''
''Yeah, but how come they're wearing muggle clothes? And why are they hiding out here when they should be boarding the train?'' the first twin argued.
''So you think they're muggles just because they're—'' George stopped abruptly. Shock surged through his face. ''THE TRAIN! WE'RE GOING TO MISS THE TRAIN!'' They both ran ahead. The people earlier have entered carriages that were seemingly pulled by invisible horses. They had gone so far now that they were no more than tiny, moving figures from where Hikaru and Kaoru stood.
''Wait!'' the first twin cried. He looked back where Hikaru and Kaoru were. ''We can't leave them! What if the teachers come back and find a pair of muggles hiding behind hedges?''
''Fred, we've got no time for this! We're gonna miss the train!'' George called. But too late: Fred was already running toward the Hitachiins. ''Fred, what are we gonna do? stuff them in robes and bring them home? That's mental!'' And when Fred nodded, he added, ''You're mental!''
Fred brandished from the pocket of his robes a long, wooden stick. With a flick of it, two black robes appeared from thin air and landed on Hikaru's and Kaoru's laps. They didn't have much time to be amazed for Fred had already instructed, ''Wear those and let's get out of here.'' Behind him, George was shaking his head.
It took a while for the Little Devils to put on their robes. But they sped up the process after a frantic George shouted, ''Hurry up!'' They all ran as fast as the could toward the single carriage waiting to be occupied. They hopped into it and heard the sound of galloping. The trip was not exciting; the invisible horse ran so fast the boys had to cling to their seats for dear life. When they reached the rest of the crowd at last, the horse finally slowed down, much to the pleasure of the Hitachiins and the unknown twins. They exited the carriage and arrived at a train platform. They paid little attention to it, however. They were still refraining from vomiting from the uncomfortable ride. They boarded a gleaming red train and into an empty compartment at the very back.