Yeah, yeah, late chapter again...so, sorry, I guess?
''Are they gone?'' whispered Hikaru in his native language.
''I think so,'' said Kaoru. He then snuck a peek at the door; careful not to seem obvious in the slight case someone was watching them. ''Yup. They're gone.''
Hikaru heaved a sigh. ''Good.'' He sat up, soon mimicked by his younger twin. ''Do you smell something?''
''It's probably just the scent of old, unoccupied bedrooms.'' Kaoru pinched his nose. ''Anyway, why do you think those idiots were laughing earlier?''
''Were they laughing?'' Hikaru asked.
''Maybe. I heard some noise before they left.''
''Oh. Whatever.'' The older brother shrugged. ''So what do you think is going to happen? Reckon mom and dad are sending troops to look for us?''
''I wouldn't be surprised if they are,'' replied Kaoru. The Hitachiins have been discussing the mess they had gotten themselves into. They did not trust these people at all. Well, maybe a little, but many things could go wrong. What if they were actually kidnappers who wanted to take them hostage so their parents would give them a million dollars or something? And all this ''magic'' stuff…was it real? What if it was all a get-up to make them believe these people were wizards and gain their trust? It didn't seem like it, but one can never be too sure. Still…Hikaru and Kaoru were idiots to just blindly let these weird folk ''help'' them. Even they didn't know how to help the Hitachiin twins return home, so what could they possibly do? Of course, there was a high chance the Little Devils would be found by some secret Ootori agency or something, but the mystery is what will happen to this family that had kept them while search parties were being sent. Would they be arrested? Or will they be let off the hook considering they watched over the Japanese redheads? There were too many questions to ask, and not enough information to provide answers! Plus, the sleeping arrangements really did suck. Hikaru and Kaoru were just too gentle to admit it even to each other.
''I wonder how long it would take for the police to find us,'' said Hikaru.
Kaoru frowned. ''I'm betting it won't be anytime soon. It's not like we left any clues or traces or anything.''
Then, together, they chorused, ''I mean, really, a magical portal? You've got to be kidding me!'' They laughed maniacally. But there wasn't anything particularly funny about being suddenly transported to a castle the moment you touch an unexplained floating round blue light that most people would assume was a portal. Laughing was simply the best way to hide from sorrow. But hiding would do you no good. It's quite the contrary at times.
Finally, Hikaru said, ''So.''
''So what?'' said Kaoru.
The older of the two was silent for a few moments. ''This place has a pretty nice view,'' he said eventually.
Kaoru smiled and looked out the window, which overlooked a vast expanse of ground. ''Yeah. It sure does.''
A loud noise like a banshee's wail was what woke the Hitachiin twins from their deep slumber. One of them had been dreaming that he returned to his normal life, while the other dreamt of riding unicorns over rainbows. It was a shame they had to wake up. But that didn't give them an excuse to get out of their surprisingly comfortable yet very dusty and old bed. They simply snored on.
''Get your fat, lazy bottoms off of the bed now!'' Fred and George screamed together, each holding a trumpet. They were ignored once more. Hikaru and Kaoru smiled, though their joy didn't last very long due to the fact that the Weasley twins blew their trumpets right next to their ears.
''You boys!'' Molly shrieked. ''Troublemaking, good-for-nothing, ungrateful—''
''Whoa!'' Fred and George chorused.
''Troublemaking yes, good-for-nothing maybe,'' said Fred exasperatedly as though every word cost him a great ounce of breath.
"But ungrateful!'' George bellowed. ''When have we ever been ungrateful?''
''Shut your traps!'' Molly screamed. The other two children who were sitting near her seemed to agree. Their older brothers' sad attempt at ''getting the Hitachiins' fat, lazy bottoms off of the bed'' had greater effects on Ron and Ginny than the intended victims. ''Look what you've done! Did extreme damage to the poor boys' ears, that's what. Have you no shame? None at all?''
George rolled his eyes, which landed on Hikaru and Kaoru. Surprisingly, they both gave him a thumbs-up. George raised an eyebrow before looking away.
They were in the agonizingly small kitchen; Mrs. Weasley had scolded and almost resorted to spanking her devilish sons, especially when she found out the poor Japanese boys had received a mega blow on their eardrums. Luckily, Molly was quickly able to mend them with a few incantations she had learned from someone called Poppy.
When Mrs. Weasley's rant was over, she turned to the Hitachiin twins. ''I'm so very sorry, dears. These two dunderheads just can't behave themselves. Fifteen years of fireworks in the bathroom, fake scorpions dangling from the ceiling…oh, I am just so sorry.''
''It's quite all right, Mrs. Weasley,'' said Hikaru and Kaoru in unison. ''Actually, we enjoyed being woken up in such an unusual way. Back at home, we usually just wake to the alarm clock; pretty boring, to be honest.''
Molly Weasley's expression looked baffled upon hearing the word ''alarm clock'' but waved it off, probably thinking it was some sort of useless Muggle contraption. ''Well, now. How about some breakfast? You two must be starving.'' With a wave of her wand, several cabinets and drawers opened; placemats, spoons and forks, plates and glasses flew and set themselves on the table. Mrs. Weasley then placed a steaming hot bowl of porridge and three big plates piled with eggs, bacon, and sausage at the center. ''Go on,'' she gestured towards Hikaru and Kaoru. ''Take your seats, there's no need to be shy!''
The Hitachiins did as they were told.
''Would you like some orange juice? Or do you prefer hot chocolate? Perhaps coffee?''
''Just water, please,'' Hikaru and Kaoru replied.
''Are you sure?'' persisted Molly. ''Just water?''
''Yes, thank you. In fact,'' the Little Devils both stood up, ''we'll get it ourselves.''
''Oh no need, dears! I shall get it for you. Just sit and eat.'' Mrs. Weasley smiled at them before grabbing their glasses and heading to the sink.
Ron and Ginny, who were already seated at the table, filled their plates with food and munched away. Their older brothers took the chairs beside the Hitachiins.
''Nasty bit of mucus you got there.'' George pointed to Kaoru's ear. He blushed ever so slightly and wiped away the yellowish substance from his earlobe with a napkin.
''It wouldn't be there if you hadn't blown a trumpet right next to it,'' Kaoru retorted indignantly.
''Oh don't pretend you didn't enjoy it,'' piped up Fred from Hikaru's side. Then, with a ridiculous imitation of the Little Devils' voice, he added, ''It's quite all right, Mrs. Weasley. In fact, it was enjoyable to be woken up in such an unusual way.''
Hikaru and Kaoru dramatically turned their heads away, a bit annoyed that Fred could not even manage to remember the exact quote.
''Oy,'' said Ginny suddenly. ''You prats have been scolding us for bothering them yesterday. A bit ironic, don't you think?''
''You just love that word, don't you? She's been saying the word 'ironic' since last summer. Just can't get enough,'' Fred added to the Hitachiins who still wouldn't look at them.
Ginny turned red. ''Well, I'd appreciate it if you'd—''
''Here you are, darlings,'' Molly interrupted as she set the two glasses of water on the table. ''Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just go fetch my husband.'' As she turned to leave the kitchen, another voice had joined.
''Don't bother, Mol, I'm here.'' Arthur Weasley entered the room while straightening his robes. He sat down just as a large owl came drifting from the window carrying something that looked like a newspaper. Mr. Weasley untied the package which did turn out to be a newspaper from the bird's leg and dropped a few bronze coins into a pouch around its neck. He took one look at the front page and clicked his tongue. ''Bad day for business…poor Lorlax….''
''What's the matter, Arthur?'' Mrs. Weasley asked.
''Some fool stole all the copper Russian cauldrons Lorlax was supposed to introduce to Britain today,'' her husband explained. ''Said they broke in last night and took every single one of them. I suspect it was a Ministry worker. Nobody could have done such a thing.''
''Goodness!'' Molly grabbed the paper from him and Hikaru could have sworn he saw the black-and-white photos moving.
While the couple was busy gibbering about the latest news, Percy Weasley was trying to worm his way into the kitchen without being noticed, but of course he was spotted anyway.
''Oh hello, Perce!'' Fred called.
Percy ignored him.
''This came in early this morning, you know?'' George said, holding a letter above his head. That seemed to catch his older brother's attention, but still he refused to look at the twins as Percy filled a plate with eggs and sausages. George unfolded the piece of parchment in his fingers and read (or pretended to), ''Dearest Perseus, I come forth to apologize for being such a total git yesterday. I hope you could find it in your big, red, Head Boy heart to forgive—''
''Oh, give me that!'' Percy grabbed the letter and his eyes moved rapidly while his mouth quickly formed an O. ''Mother! Father! I've been hired!''
Molly and Arthur Weasley, who have been heatedly discussing the stolen cauldrons, looked up immediately. ''Oh, Percy!'' Mrs. Weasley embraced her son. ''We are so proud of you!'' A second later his father hugged him as well. Ginny gasped, Ron looked at his family wide-eyed, and a mischievous smirk tugged at the Weasley twins' lips. ''Oh Percy...my dear, darling Percy...my son...'' Mrs. Weasley murmured while Percy tried to push her away.
''Congratulations, Perce!'' Fred said.
''Yeah, you've really done yourself this time!'' shouted George.
Percy shot his twin brothers a loathing look and marched back to his room without breakfast. Wondering what the hell was happening, Hikaru and Kaoru just kept munching on, trying to become invisible. All throughout breakfast, Molly and Arthur babbled on about their son's new job, Ginny and Ron kept on fighting for an unknown reason, and the Weasley twins exchanged looks and grins and seemed to be communicating through their eyes.
Finally, when everyone had eaten (Percy came back several minutes later to grab a bowl of porridge), Mr. Weasley had gone to work, and Molly cleaned up the table, the twins tried to creep silently to Fred and George's room to ''do something extremely important that could save the entire Wizarding community.'' Unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley was not in a very favoring mood.
''And where do you two knuckleheads think you're going?'' she bellowed.
The sixteen-year-old redheads stopped dead in their tracks.
''O-oh, mum, how very beautiful you look in that position,'' one of the Weasley twins stammered. ''The lighting is perfect, and that pose...Why not take a picture, eh? Let me just get the camera and—"
''Do you think I'm going to let you off the hook that easily!?''
''Uh-oh,'' the other Weasley twin murmured. ''RUN!"
Fred and George prepared to dash up the stairs but Mrs. Weasley cried, ''Oh no, you don't!'' With one flick of her wand the stairs turned flat as a board and no matter how much they tried, they kept slipping downwards like an escalator. Grabbing two bags of popcorn from midair, Hikaru and Kaoru watched fascinated as the Weasley twins pathetically attempted to climb their way up. Molly grabbed her sons' ears and pulled them away.
''Owowowow OW!'' yelped the freckly redheads.
Their mother fixed them with an evil glare. ''Now if you'll behave, I want you to degnome the garden.''
''WHAT!" Fred and George shrieked. ''But mum—''
''No buts! Now get moving!'' Mrs. Weasley shoved her sons out the front door, then she smiled apologetically to Hikaru and Kaoru. ''I'm ever so sorry you had to see that, darlings. I really am. Now why don't you go upstairs or explore the house? I'm afraid there's not much to see though...''
''We'll just watch them degnome the garden, then,'' the Little Devils said kindly.
''Oh, but...it's very dull work. I don't think you'd enjoy it very much...''
''Are they really gnomes?'' Hikaru and Kaoru cut her off.
''Yes, but—''
''And what do they look like?'' asked Hikaru.
''Do they really wear pointy hats and beards?'' wondered Kaoru.
''What kind of magic do they use?''
''How big are they?''
''Can they talk?''
''Can they eat?''
Excitement was evident in the Japanese twins' expressions. Of all the things Fred and George told them about living in the Wizarding world, gnomes were not included. Mrs. Weasley blinked rapidly. Clearly their curiosity about the magical community is as great as her husband's enthusiasm for the Muggle world.
''Well, they're very small, ugly, non-magical creatures and they can say a few words, but they don't have their own language,'' Molly explained. ''And what's that about pointy hats and beards? Why, I've never seen a gnome with a single hair or piece of clothing on its body!''
''Is that so...'' the Hitachiins said softly. ''Surely you wouldn't mind us watching your sons in action?''
''Of course not! Do whatever you want, be comfortable.'' Mrs Weasley smiled one last time and walked away. Unless Hikaru and Kaoru were wrong, she was muttering something about ''weird folk.''
Hikaru and Kaoru dashed to the front garden and grinned as they watched Fred and George grabbing the legs of several hideous beings who were all screaming their potato-like heads off. The Weasley twins held the gnomes above their heads and started spinning their arms rapidly. All at once, the gnomes went soaring in the air, landing God knows where.
''Just like when Harry first came...'' one of the wizard brothers groaned.
''Why do we always have to be embarrassed like this?'' the other moaned.
Fred and George continued grabbing and spinning the hideous beings while Hikaru and Kaoru watched, amused, with two bags of popcorn they summoned from mid-air. ''How many are there in one garden?'' the Hitachiin twins asked.
''What the—'' The Weasley twins turned to look at Hikaru and Kaoru with disbelief. ''You were there the whole time?''
''Yep!'' the Little Devils chorused.
''Well, instead of doing nothing, why don't you do some chores as well?'' said Fred.
''Yeah,'' George agreed. ''After all, we don't just let people stay at our house for free.''
''We'll pay you when one of our agents come,'' the Hitachiin twins said coolly. A faint ''rich bastards'' was heard from the English redheads. ''But since we're bored,'' they stood up from their seats, ''we'll play with you.''
Fred and George smirked. ''This isn't all fun and games, you know,'' one of them said.
It was Hikaru and Kaoru's turn to smirk. ''We'll see about that.'' Grabbing the nearest gnomes, they spun their arms and a second later sent them flying through the air. The Weasley twins grinned at them with admiration. ''That was boring, but still a better way to kill time.''
''Okay then, you go degnome the garden while we sit back and watch,'' one of the Weasley twins proposed.
''We're cool with that,'' said Hikaru and Kaoru in unison.
''Here, gnomey gnomey...'' Hikaru cooed while clapping his hands.
''Come to daddy,'' Kaoru said, hoping to lure the potato=headed creatures.
They repeated this while Fred and George watched. At last, a gnome poked its head out of a hole and ran to the Hitachiins. Before they could catch it, however, it bit Hikaru's finger.
''Ouch!'' the older Hitachiin twin cried. He sucked his bleeding thumb and the gnome got away.
Kaoru ran over to him brimming with worry. ''Are you all right? Does it hurt?'' He then grabbed Hikaru's finger and sucked it himself. A sound that seemed like vomiting erupted from behind them.
Kaoru kept on sucking his twin's thumb with great concern. Hikaru stared apologetically at his brother.
''I'm sorry...for worrying you,'' Hikaru murmured.
''It's...all right,'' Kaoru soothed as he finally released Hikaru's finger. Then he jumped and hugged him.
''I'm sorry...I'm sorry...'' Hikaru cried.
''Just be more careful next time,'' said Kaoru without taking his hands off of his brother's neck.
''HOW LONG ARE YOU GONNA PLAY THAT LITTLE ACT!?'' Fred (at least, the Hitachiins thought it was Fred) yelled.
The Japanese siblings broke apart and grinned. ''Damn, you caught us.''
Smoke billowing from his ears, Fred looked at George. ''George?''
A red-faced George nodded. ''One..two...''
Taking this as a sign that they should make a run for it, Hikaru and Kaoru jumped on their heels and sped off. Clearly yaoi and incest simply did not fly with the Weasley twins.
''THREE!''
''SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, HELP US!''
Three hours later, four bodies were found in a paddock on top of the hill. Witnesses claim to have seen four redheaded boys on a wild-goose chase earlier.
Since I'm busy with school, expect veeery slow updates. Thanks for reading, anyway!