Fear
Chapter 10: Fear
Kakashi-
The night Sasuke was led back to Hogwarts by Hagrid-san, Kakashi took his turn standing watch while the others slept and his mind, as it often did during the long, quiet hours of night, filled with worry. He sat on one of the tree branches and stared up at the stars through a small opening in the canopy while just below him slept Gai’s Cell as well as Naruto. They all slept in the tree branches below him and, like all people of Konohagakure, they were as at home in the branches of the trees as a babe in its’ mother’s arms. The Forbidden Forest was nearly black at night, but shinobi eyes were strong and well-trained. He could see well enough by the dim light.
Kakashi had watched Sasuke walk back to the castle that was Hogwarts with Sakura discreetly trailing behind. Those eyes were ultimately important to Sasuke's future and Kakashi valued them nearly as much as Saskue did. It was good that it was Kakashi’s turn to stand watch because, even if it hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep... not after seeing Sasuke’s face so burned and his eyes... no. Kakashi wouldn’t welcome dreams for a little while. Those eyes gave Sasuke value to the village and, therefore, kept him alive.
“He’s had enough recovery time,” The Hokage had privately told Kakashi before they’d left on the mission. “It’s time to see where his head’s at. I’ll let him out of the village for this mission. If he runs, I’ll know where his loyalty stands.”
All had to go well.
There was no alternative that Kakashi wanted to even think about. The mission was hard on Kakashi, but they always were. Ever since he’d had those three wide-eyed children - Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura - put into his care. He was so very aware that he was responsible for their lives.
Night faded into day, though the forest was so dense that it was nearly impossible to tell the difference between the two.
“You’re worrying.” Gai’s voice was soft, little more than a whisper. There were few people but Kakashi who knew Gai had the ability to be soft... gentle.
“I’m fine.”
“Of course you are.”
“If Sasuke’s eyes weren’t healed by now, Sakura would have brought him back. He is well." Kakashi turned and looked down at Gai, sitting against the massive tree trunk with his legs stretched out in front of him. The trees of the Forbidden Forest were nearly as immense as those that surrounded Konohagakure and there was plenty of room for everyone on just a single branch. On either side of Gai, Tenten and Neji slept. Tenten’s head rested trustingly on Gai’s shoulder and Gai absently patted Neji’s hair. To Kakashi’s surprise, Neji didn’t so much as twitch. He would have guessed Neji to be as light a sleeper as Sasuke. It was such a peaceful moment and illustrated beautifully the utter trust they had in their sensei.
Kakashi looked a little to the side and saw Naruto, the only one of his genin still at the base, asleep - alone. Naruto slept on his stomach, his arms and legs spread out. He, too, seemed as at ease on the branch high above the ground as he would have been in his own bed. Kakashi felt a stab of guilt, like fire in his gut. He didn’t think he’d ever be as good with his Cell as Gai was with his.
At once, Kakashi dropped down and sat, cross-legged next to Naruto. He was not a demonstrative man by nature, not like Gai who never hesitated with a friendly pat on the back or ruffling the hair of one of his genin. Iruka was a great one for that sort of thing, too - always ready with a hug for anyone who needed one. “You’re very good with them,” Kakashi remarked as he looked back at Gai. “They’re lucky to have you for a teacher.”
Gai, predictably, smiled. “Thank you.”
“I think I’m failing my cell.”
That made Gai’s smile vanish. He sighed, but didn’t raise his voice. “You have a different style than I do, that’s all. You aren’t failing anyone.”
Was it true, though? Hadn’t he failed Naruto and Sakura by paying so much attention to Sasuke? Hadn’t he failed Naruto by basically giving him to another teacher for a time? Hadn’t he failed Sakura by not focusing on her training just because the boys’ needs were so obvious? And he had obviously failed Sasuke or Sasuke would never have gone to Orochimaru in the first place. He needed to do better for all of them. “They all need so much.” Kakashi looked back down at Naruto. “The Hokage should have picked someone better than me to take care of them.”
Gai almost looked like he would laugh. “There is no one better. And if you doubt yourself so much, why don’t you ask them who they would like to have as their sensei? I think not one of them would trade you for even the strongest shinobi in the world.”
Sometimes, Gai was far too kind.
Kakashi wondered if, practically alone in Hogwarts, Sasuke was safe while he slept. Would he even be able to sleep with so many strangers around? He wondered if Sasuke would have more nightmares and was thankful that he'd thought to have Sakura guarding him at night. She was far more likely than Tenten to sit with Sasuke until he could sleep again after a nightmare. Ever since the day he’d been rescued from Orochimaru, Sasuke had suffered in his sleep. Night after night, Sasuke had woken screaming. Naruto had confided that Sasuke often cried in his sleep and thrashed around as if he were being hurt. The nightmares had never really eased, not even months later.
"I hope you’re right.” As it so often did, Kakashi’s mind flashed back to the only other cell he’d ever been apart of and how very badly he’d failed them. He saw Rin and Obito and... Kakashi closed his eyes and forced himself away from the memories.
“What are you thinking about?"
Rin and Obito flashed right back to the forefront of Kakashi’s mind. He glared at Gai, but without any real heat. While Iruka was the one great love of Kakashi’s life, Gai was his dearest and oldest friend. When Obito and Rin had died, it was Gai who'd sat with Kakashi through the night. He'd offered no judgments or opinions. He hadn't tried to cheer Kakashi up or reprimand him for anything he'd done. Instead, he just sat by Kakashi's side and never mentioned to anyone that Kakashi had cried all night.
“I’m thinking,” Kakashi admitted. “About things I can’t do anything about. Worrying uselessly. I’m thinking about ‘what-ifs’ and ‘maybes’ and ‘mights’. I’m thinking of my cell being away from me and not being able to help them.”
“It’s hard, I know, but we talked about this. They’re old enough to handle things on their own once in a while and it’s not really all that dangerous of a mission. They’re doing very well. You should be proud of them.”
“I am.” It was comfortable to be on a mission with Gai. They hadn't worked together in a long time. In fact, After Obitio and Rin had died, Kakashi hadn't worked with anyone. There were no Cells that needed an extra member and it was against tradition to have more than four people in a Cell. After some time, when there were positions available in Cells, Kakashi had refused them with the reasoning that if he was alone then he wouldn't have to deal with losing anyone else. “They’re all strong and bright and good. I am very proud of them. I would do anything for them.”
Gai chuckled. “Oh, I know that feeling. At least your Cell is all close by. You can reach any of them in only a few moments. My Lee is far out of reach and has no support should something happen between here and the village. What a weakness we've imposed on ourselves."
"What weakness?"
"The Cells," Gai said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "From our earliest days we're told that one day we'll be placed in Cells. We know without a doubt that no matter what Cell we're placed in, they will be our allies, the people who will live and die for us. We're all so fiercely dependent on them."
"It's logical," Kakashi said, repeating a lesson he'd heard many times throughout his life, a truth as simple and obvious as the fact that the sun rises each day. "People fight harder for the people they care about. With Cells, Shinobi fight to the death to protect each other."
"That's true. We put all of our hearts into our Cells. Especially our first Cell. We know we can't fail… ah! The folly of youth!" His voice trailed away and his smile faltered. "Death comes so easily. Our efficient Cells are so easily crippled when even one member is killed. I was seventeen years old when I saw my Cellmate, Yasin, killed. Eighteen when Lagera died. Only two years ago Ivsen was taken from me. And then I was alone and the pain was everything. Our dependence on our Cells is a weakness because losing them can cripple the survivors. And, still," Gai looked fondly down at Tenten and at Neji. “I would not give them up for anything!”
It amazed Kakashi that Gai had requested another Cell. It astounded him that anyone would volunteer for such pain. Kakashi himself had been ordered to take Cell 7 and that was only because Naruto and Sasuke held such potential both for the good of the village and for destruction.
"You've got the power to control them, Kakashi," the Hokage had told him. "You don't have a choice, this time. You will lead Cell 7."
And he'd found himself faced with three brats who looked at him as if he were the center of the world. Charmed by their courage and tenacity, their blatant unwillingness to fail, he had kept them. He had bound himself to yet another relationship doomed to end in pain and hoped that he would be the first of Cell 7 to die. Even with Iruka at his side, he wasn't sure he could deal with the pain of being left behind, again.
At last, Gai said, “All this serious talk. What’s this all about? What’s really on your mind? You and I are the best of rivals so tell me what has you so troubled?”
“Sasuke.”
“Ah.”
“I believe in Sasuke. He is not going to fail. He is loyal to the village and he is working hard to prove his loyalty.” Kakashi looked straight at Gai, at his best friend and his confidant. “I know what the Hokage ordered your Cell to do. I know that you are all here to kill Sasuke if worst comes to worst and he fails this test. I will defend him. I will fight for him before I let anyone hurt him.” And he hated saying it because it felt like a threat against his friend. He hated himself because he knew it was true. “Since this mission began, I’ve been thinking about it. I don’t want to fight you. We lost Sasuke to Orochimaru because of what his brother did to him and it almost broke my Cell. I won’t let it happen again. I will fight for him. I will. Naruto and Sakura will fight, too, you know they will. I failed Rin and Obito. I will not fail this Cell. I can’t lose them.”
Gai watched Kakashi, serious and steady. “My friend, no one wants Sasuke’s to fail. Yes, my Cell has it’s duty if that happens, but we don’t want it to happen. We are all on the same side. We all want Sasuke to succeed and complete this mission without incident. We aren’t enemies.” Then he smiled. “Is that what’s been bothering you all night?”
“I never want to be your enemy. But... Sasuke’s eyes were burned. His face was covered with blisters and his eyes... his sharigan... if his eyes are damaged beyond repair and he loses his sharigan then he loses his value. The Hokage made it very clear - she spared his life because of his sharigan. If he loses the sharigan,” he looked up at Gai. “Is that a failure? Does he fail the mission? Does he die if he goes blind?”
There was pity in Gai’s eyes that Kakashi didn’t appreciate. “Kakashi, the Hokage ordered that if Sasuke forsakes the mission and makes an attempt to rejoin Orochimaru or shows clear signs that he is a danger to the village, he is to be killed. A wound taken in the course of a mission is not a betrayal. It never once crossed my mind to eliminate him when he was injured.”
And Kakashi, who knew very well that Gai would never lie to him, believed him. “I hope the Hokage feels the same if we return to the village and Sasuke’s too injured to fight. If she decides he has no value...” Kakashi stood, abruptly. “I need a walk. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Gai-
Kakashi was gone before Gai could say anything. He didn't try to follow as he was well-aware of Kakashi's black moods and how to deal with them. Sometimes, Kakashi just needed time alone.
Neji's eyes drifted open and he looked to where Kakashi had all ready vanished into the forest. Then he looked up at Gai and sat up straight. "I think we face a fight with all of Cell 7 if we must kill Uchiha. He is not stable."
"Who is?" Gai asked. "We all have problems. Think, though, how desperate he is to stay with his Cell. He has seen what life is like without them." Gai smiled down at Neji. He was so proud of Neji. There had been a time when Neji wouldn't think about sleeping when there were other people around, but now he had fallen asleep resting against Gai. Neji had come such a long way. "Furthermore, think of yourself. Would you be so eager to return to Orochimaru knowing what Uchiha-san knows? He now knows that he was never important to Orochimaru and that all the promises of power were nothing but lies used to lure him into Orochimaru's grasp. If Orochimaru gets Uchiha-san, he will kill the boy and slip into his skin. No matter what promises and enticements Orochimaru has used, would you willingly return?"
“I would not, but can we be entirely certain that Uchiha will not allow his hunger for vengeance overpower his good sense? Uchiha Itachi murdered his own clan. I can not imagine the pain that would cause to have one’s own brother do such a thing. That pain might drive Uchiha to do something foolish.”
“Stupid Neji!”
Both Neji and Gai looked up to find that Naruto had woken and glared at Neji with his lips pulled back in a snarl and his whole body tense as a bow string. Gai hadn't even heard the boy wake. Naruto pushed himself up and sat on his knees. "Who are YOU to call Sasuke 'not stable'?” He looked at Gai. “Where did Kakashi-sensei go?"
"That way," Gai pointed in the general direction Kakashi had gone. "Don't be angry with Neji. We all must do our duty to the village. He acts on the orders of the Hokage."
"Yeah? Well, his orders suck eggs." Naruto glared again at both Neji and Gai, then moved off in the direction Kakashi had gone.
Kakashi-
He wanted just a moment to clear his mind. Too much quiet let Kakashi think of things he'd rather forget. He thought about all the lonely missions he'd completed before he'd been forced into heading Cell 7. He thought of that first day when the wide-eyed brats had waited for him and he’d been late because he’d gone to the memorial stone to talk with dead friends. He’d sat on the grass in front of the huge black stone engraved with the many names of everyone who’d fallen in service to the village and told them how scared he was to be put in another Cell, how horribly inadequate he’d felt at the prospect of teaching three very young children.
A rustle caught Kakashi's attention and he happily turned his thoughts away from his past.
There was no wind, but he distinctly heard leaves rustling. There was a 'chittering' noise and a 'thunk'. The familiar sound of metal slicing into flesh, but with an odd twist. The flesh didn't sound quite right. It sounded hard.
When he found the source of the noise, Kakashi stayed in place to watch. He'd never seen such a large spider. It was almost five feet tall with legs that would have spread out to nearly ten feet in width if they hadn't been curled up in death.
There were a dozen people surrounding the spider, all of them with their wands raised as if they expected the thing to spring back to life. Two men stood a short distance away bent over a large cauldron, stirring simultaneously as they whispered together. One of them turned to the people around the giant spider and ordered, "The blood. Now."
"You're sure this thing is dead?" One of the men around the spider asked, nervously.
"Don't be a coward," It was a woman who answered. A dark haired young woman with an exquisite face and elegant poise. She strode closer to the spider and wrapped her hand around a knife protruding from the animal's head and tugged it out. "Of course it's dead." She slashed hard along the glossy exoskeleton and a thick, oozing black substance, like hot tar, flowed out.
The smell was stomach churning.
The woman collected a sample of the blood on the blade of the knife and began walking towards the men at the cauldron.
"Don't touch it," one of the men around the cauldron instructed.
The woman laughed, but kept her hand steady on the knife. "Why not warn me not to run with scissors while you're giving out such useful warnings. You think I don't know the danger? Why don't you come here and help me carry this?" Her eyes were sharp and bright. She smiled wickedly. "Better yet, hold your breath." She tossed the knife with an easy grace, but it never reached the cauldron.
One of the men tending the cauldron was fast and raised his wand. He shouted out a spell and the knife froze in midair. "Are you mad?!" The man glared at the woman with wild eyes.
"Don't get so worked up. It's going in there, anyway."
"The knife, you idiot! Adding steal would make the whole thing explode!"
"Really? Well… that would make the day more interesting, wouldn't it?" She sounded amused more than anything. "How are you planning to test it if you're unwilling to take a chance? It's got to be tested. Lord Voldemort will not tolerate a failure of this caliber."
Kakashi didn't have any intention of interfering. They weren’t getting paid for anything but observation, after all. Besides, interference would take effort and he really didn't care one way or the other about the wizards or the little wars they were fighting. It was something to note in the report to the client, however.
The man who'd frozen the knife in midair with a spell reached out and plucked it out of the air. "There will be no failure. This isn't some experiment. This potion is well-established and well-documented. All we have to do is add the blood. Put your masks on. You don't want to breathe this in." At the order, everyone in the area pulled from their robes a plain white mask. They were somewhat similar to the ANBU masks, but without the distinctive designs. Every mask looked exactly the same and, when added to the uniform black robes, the masks made them all look like clones.
The man holding the knife held it over the cauldron and let the viscous blood ooze in. Whatever was in the cauldron reacted at once. There was a great hissing and bubbling. Mist rose from the cauldron and spread through the air. It didn't dissipate at once, but stayed thick as fog moving further and further away from the cauldron.
The people in masks shied away from the mist, but didn't seem adversely affected by it. It kept spreading and spreading outward until it crept into the trees and where Kakashi was hiding.
Kakashi felt the mist against his skin. It itched, then burned. When he breathed, however, the burning moved into his throat and lungs. If he hadn't been wearing his mask, the pain surely would have been unbearable. Kakashi put a hand to his mask to make sure it stayed securely over his mouth and nose.
Below, where the clearing was almost invisible due to the mist, Kakashi could see the man who'd been holding the knife drop it and toss something - some kind of plant - into the cauldron. The mist immediately stopped spewing from the cauldron and what had been in there clearly vanished almost at once. When Kakashi could no longer feel it against his skin he lowered his hand from his face and frowned down at the masked people.
"It's wrong," the woman snapped, yanking the white mask from her face. "It's not powerful enough! Too slow. They'll see it coming and stop it. Dumbledore will be able to stop it easily! It needs improving."
Kakashi made his way away from the group as they discussed improvements they might make to the potion, but stopped a short distance away when he saw Naruto in clear distress. Naruto sat on a low tree branch with one palm pressed against his chest and the other clutching at his throat. His skin was red and raw, irritated like Kakashi's. There were tears of pain running freely down his face.
"You breathed in that mist, didn’t you? Hold still," Kakashi whispered as he landed in front of Naruto. "I'll take you back."
"Hurts…" Naruto gasped out the word and winced as he said it. "Like… like breathing poison."
Kakashi saw the unshed tears in Naruto's eyes and it infuriated him. He picked up Naruto and carried him like one would carry a baby. Naruto didn't complain, but lay stiffly in Kakashi's arms. His body was wracked with tremors.
"Can't stop," Naruto said, hoarsely. "Hurts. Everything hurts. Sorry."
"Don't speak." Kakashi carried Naruto back to the base all the while silently cursing those who'd hurt Naruto. He wanted to kill them in the most painfully slow way he could think of. That, however, would be unprofessional. Naruto came first and that meant getting him to Sakura.
Hogwarts-
Sasuke-
The Defense Against Dark Arts class was not one Sasuke had been looking forward to, but at least he could see. That didn't make the closet at the front of the classroom any less intimidating. He stood at the back of the room near the door, leaning against the wall and hopefully invisible to the teacher. It struck him then, as the class waited for the teacher to arrive, that Snape-san really was the best choice Neji could have chosen. He was practically invisible. Even the people standing next to Sasuke didn't look at him.
The teacher, Professor Haleheart, strode into the classroom with a great deal of energy. He was clearly excited about the lesson and started right in. "Boggarts!" He nearly shouted the word. "Don't look like that, you've all been expecting this and I think each of you is ready. I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think. You've all been practicing the riddikulus this week - or you should have been - so everyone should have it down pat." He went right to the closet at the front of the classroom and slapped his hand against it. "You'll face your greatest fear today. Let's see who's up to it."
The professor looked around the room ready to have the students expose their most vulnerable point to their classmates. If the Gryffindors were unhappy about it, the Slytherines were livid.
"Mister Snape!" Professor Haleheart smiled broadly and motioned for Sasuke to go forward, towards the wardrobe. "Come along. I know you've got this one down."
Sasuke repressed a sigh and pushed away from the wall. There really was no choice. He slowly made his way to the front of the room. This couldn't end well.
Black-san stuck his foot out in a juvenile attempt to trip Sasuke, but Sasuke avoided it as easily as if he were simply stepping over a fallen log. He didn't even bother looking at Black-san or respond to the name-calling from him or Potter-san.
At the front of the class Sasuke stood before the professor and simply waited. What a fool he was going to make of Snape-san. The other boy's reputation would be ruined because though Sasuke had learned enough to know generally what a boggart was, he couldn't copy the riddikulus - a spell he'd never seen.
Sasuke made sure to hold himself rigidly straight and kept his eyes sharply on the wardrobe. Snape-san had shown himself to have no lack of self-confidence when it came to his lessons. Still, that didn't prepare Sasuke for when the wardrobe was opened.
The boggart - as Sasuke - stepped out into the classroom. The boggart was dressed in clothes Sasuke hadn't worn in a long time. The wide-necked blue shirt with his family's symbol on the back along with the baggy shorts and the white sleeves that covered his arms from wrist to elbow. The boggart had the traditional toe-less shoes that all shinobi wore and bandages wrapping his legs up to the knees. On it's throat was the curse mark Orochimaru had placed on him.
Sasuke went cold.
Remus Lupin-
Ink.
Still the overpowering smell of ink.
Remus shifted uncomfortably and scratched at his arms as discretely as he could. He was so tired that he was numb all over, but the scent of ink had still drawn his attention when Snape had walked into the classroom.
Sirius nudged Remus' elbow and snickered when Snape made his way to the center of the room. "This should be funny. Come on, Snivellous! Give us a show!" James was eagerly waiting for the wardrobe doors to open, grinning at the prospect of Snape's greatest fear. Peter bounced up and down on his toes and looked ready to shout out the first insults.
Even the Slytherins seemed impatient to see what would be revealed from Snape's mind.
Professor Haleheart waited a moment, as if to see that Snape was ready. He needn't have bothered. Snape didn't move a muscle.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Remus blinked when James lightly touched his arm. "Huh? Oh. Yes. Why?"
"You're staring at Snape."
"So is everyone else. Do you smell something odd?" There was more than the ink, more than the mysterious underlying smell that Remus was certain was NOT Snape. Remus sniffed again, trying to sort though the various smells of the many people and things in the room. Like before, the only mystery in the thick mixture in the room was Snape. He didn't smell like his potion's ingredients. There was no hint of the usual ingredients - not roses nor herbs, not fish nor garlic, or anything else that Snape normally smelled of. It was just ink. Ink and… and another person.
James looked confused. "What are you talking about? There's no smell."
"Maybe my imagination is playing tricks on me." But the ink was so strong. Also, just as worrying, Remus was counting an extra scent. He looked quickly around the room - fifteen Gryffindors. Fifteen Slytherins. One professor. He sniffed, yet again. Thirty-two human scents instead of thirty-one. It wasn't the boggart he was smelling, the extra scent was definitely human. He couldn't see anyone, though, and the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom was at the top of a tower so no one should be lurking outside a window.
Remus scanned the room again and saw nothing. Perhaps the extra person had an invisibility cloak. Why, though? What reason could anyone have for eavesdropping on a class?
Professor Haleheart swung open the wardrobe doors and the boggart stepped out.
It was Snape who stepped out. He was afraid of himself. The boggart Snape looked radically different than the Snape they all knew. He was dressed in the strangest clothes and useless boots that left his toes bare. His hair, instead of lank and hanging to his shoulders, was swept up off his neck. Without the robes to cover himself, Snape looked powerful. His arms and legs were strongly muscled and he held himself with an air of great dignity. On the side of the boggart's throat, Remus could just catch sight of a tiny tattoo - what looked like three black comma marks. He wondered, if under his greasy hair, whether or not the real Snape had the same marks on his throat.
"Would you look at that." Sirius elbowed Remus. "He's afraid of himself. I'm hurt. I thought he'd see me. Or a bar of soap." He snickered, but Remus was still worried and didn’t reply.
Snape didn't say anything to the boggart, didn't cast out his spell or even pull out his wand as he was supposed to. The boggart didn't move or speak, it just stood there. Not at all the way Remus had expected the boggart to act. Snape didn't look as terrified as he should have, considering that this was supposed to be his worst fear.
"You are not real."
Professor Haleheart made an exasperate sound. "Mister Snape, if you don't mind? The rest of the class would like a turn. Cast your spell and be rid of it."
"No." Snape didn't take his eyes off the boggart. "It is not real. I refuse to waste power on something I know to be an illusion."
It wasn't like Snape to waste an opportunity to show off, Remus thought.
The boggart suddenly grabbed it's throat, just over where Remus had seen the little tattoo, and clenched its teeth together. Its eyes squeezed closed and its whole body tensed. It clutched at the tattooed spot with both hands and its face twisted in pain. Its knees shook for a moment before it threw its head back and let out a piercing, bone-shaking scream. The boggart went down on its knees, screaming all the while.
Everyone backed further away from the screaming boggart.
Even Sirius stopped laughing.
The screaming stopped suddenly and the boggart stood. It was vastly changed with a terrible pattern of black marks spread out across its entire body, like flames licking across its skin. The eyes were nightmarish. They'd turned from black to a ghoulish bright red with tiny black marks swirling around the pupil. The boggart smiled at Snape and stood loosely with its arms at its sides.
"I'll kill them all," the boggart said, a hideous grin blossoming on it's twisted face. "Everyone one of them. My lord wants them dead!"
It was chilling.
The boggart's hands were dripping with blood. Two figures appeared at its feet. There was a boy dressed in orange and a pink haired girl laying lifelessly on the ground. They'd been savagely killed. The girl's neck was bent at an unnatural angle. One foot was actually torn off. The boy was in no better condition. His face was mangled and chunks of flesh had been torn from his bones. Both of them had a fist-sized hole punched through their chests. Clutched in one of the boggart's hands was a clump of blood-stained silver hair while the other held black hair.
No one in the room made a sound while the two Snape's faced off.
The boggart Snape laughed and laughed and its tongue slipped out of its mouth - a tongue that was almost two feet long. It was thin as a pencil and forked at the end, like a snake's tongue.
Finally, the professor stepped in and aimed his wand and the boggart. He shouted out the spell, and the image of Snape with its terrible, maniacal laughter vanished.
Snape was sweating. Remus could smell it. His hands shook and his face was lowered. What kind of fear was that? Fear that he'd become some kind of mass-murderer? Fear of something he had all ready done being discovered?
Snape turned sharply and strode out of the classroom. The moment the door closed behind him, the collective tension burst. Dozens of people all whispering and muttering, some shouting to each other, everyone focused on the spectacle that had just played out before them - a look into the mind of the most private of their classmates.
"Enough!" Professor Haleheart shouted, rapping his knuckles against the wardrobe. "I'll not have this disorder in my class! All of you, eyes on me and close your mouths! What you just saw is not terribly unusual. Many people have deep-seated fears lurking within them. I'm sure many of you will be similarly shocked when you step up. Now…"
The rest of the class went quickly. Everyone was eager to have it over and done with. Class ended early with four students breaking into nervous fits and three fainting. Twenty minutes after Snape had staidly walked out, Professor Haleheart dismissed the class.
Of course, Sirius and James wanted to go after Snape.
Sasuke-
Sasuke had escaped the room as quickly as he could and lost himself in the lonely halls of the school. He wasn't sure how long he'd just wandered or whether or not anyone had seen him.
He wanted to throw up.
He wanted to cry.
The mission was almost entirely forgotten as he staggered down the halls of the school, stumbling over his own feet. He felt clumsy and heavy, not like himself at all. To see himself with the blood of his Cellmates on his hands, hair in each hand that he knew belonged to Kakashi-sensei and Umino-sensei.
Itachi stood over Sasuke with the blood of their family dripping from his hands. "Little brother…"
Sasuke put a hand to his mouth. He could taste the rising bile.
"You want the power, don't you?” Orochimaru purred. “All you need to do is kill your closest friend. Who is closest to your heart?"
Naruto? Sakura? Kakashi-sensei? Maybe even Umino-sensei? "I don't know."
"That's all right," Orochimaru patted Sasuke's hair. "Just kill them all."
Sasuke stopped walking and put his knuckles against one of the stone walls. This was no good. He had to get back to business. He couldn't allow the mission to be forfeit just because of him. He sucked in a deep breath and straightened his back. The corridor was empty. "Sakura?"
"I'm here." She was at his side in an instant. "I didn't think you'd want me to interfere. Are you all right?"
No. Definitely not. "I'll survive." How unprofessional. How shameful to let his personal problems interfere in a mission.
She walked silently beside him until he managed to get his stomach under control. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere quiet. You're pale."
"I've always been pale. Mother was pale." Sasuke regretted it as soon as he'd said it. Images of his mother's face sprang to mind.
‘Mama…’ Itachi's bloody hands… "Kill them all."
"This is where Tenten and I agreed to meet." Sakura touched his arm and gestured towards a large door. "Go in and get your breath back."
Tenten paced warily around the room. She didn't stop pacing when Sasuke and Sakura walked in. The room was otherwise empty but for a narrow window and many wooden crates piled up, one on top of the other. The room, itself, was dark. There was no light but for that which was coming in through a small window.
"You're early," Tenten said. "What happened?"
"Nothing," Sakura said, easily. "He left class early. That's all."
"That's breaking character," Tenten gave Sasuke a disapproving frown.
"Maybe," Sakura shrugged. "But it's done. Sit down, Sasuke."
Sasuke slid down to sit on the floor. He was exhausted and didn't want to explain to Tenten or tell Sakura how grateful he was that she'd spoken for him. He was grateful that she didn't flinch at what she must have seen when he'd faced the boggart. "Where are we?"
"A storage room," Tenten answered, briskly. "It is safe enough, judging from the accumulated dust. Are you going to be ready to go back soon? Your sensei needs you, Haruno-san. It's important."
"Just give Sasuke a minute," Sakura told her. She went to sit on the floor by Sasuke's side and drew her knees up to her chest, then rested her cheek on her knees. She looked as tired as he felt. "Tenten and I switch off now, Sasuke. I only stayed so long because you were hurt, but you don’t seem to be having any side-affects from that stuff that blinded you or the stuff that healed you so I can trade off with Tenten. I'll be back tonight. I… " She stopped and her head rose sharply. Her eyes widened. "The floor's moving!"
Sakura and Sasuke leapt away from where they'd been sitting. It was moving. The stone of the floor shifted and the room filled with the grinding sound of stone rubbing against stone. Sakura and Tenten were armed and at the ready within seconds. Sasuke readied himself for whatever threat might rise up. They watched as the grinding sound continued and one of the large stones that made up the floor began to lift up. It rose very slowly, then settled back down to it’s original spot.
"Tenten," Neji's voice came up through the floor to them. "Give me a hand."
"Neji is still working on mapping out the secret passages he and Naruto found." Tenten told Sasuke and Sakura as she put away her weapon and tried to help lift the stone. She gripped the stone, but couldn't lift it at all. Strength wasn't her forte. Tenten was a weapons master. Perhaps not literally, but Sasuke had heard rumors that she was only a few months away from getting her certificate from the Hokage. Maito-san was working with her and she could use almost any weapon. She had a respectable arsenal of kunai, shuriken, scrolls, fans, senbon needles, exploding tags and wire. Those were only the weapons Sasuke had seen. He was certain she carried more.
They watched Tenten try, a second time, and the stone shift again, then resettle. Tenten grunted at the effort.
Sakura said, "Right. Let me have a go." Sakura bent low over the stone. It inched up again, but this time, Sakura reached down and curled her fingers around the edges of the stone that was barely above the level of the floor. She heaved and the stone rose enough for Sasuke to see Neji peering out from below. Sakura's face turned red from the effort, but she moved the stone enough to set it on the floor and let a dusty Neji, his hair covered in cobwebs, climb up.
Tenten asked Neji, "Find anything interesting?"
"Many, many passages. I can see them, but it will take time to map them out. There are passages that lead far enough away that I can't see all the way to their end. Those will take the most time."
Sasuke felt a surge of envy. He'd much prefer to be prowling under the earth with Naruto than play-acting for the students and professors. "Where is Naruto?"
Tenten said, uncomfortably, "He was injured. That's why I told you your sensei needs you, Haruno-san. You'd better go quickly."
"How bad is it?" Sakura asked.
"I'm not sure. He didn't look very good. Something about poison fog and spider blood."
Sakura bid Sasuke farewell and left quickly through the single window.
Sasuke watched where she'd gone for a moment. Naruto would be all right. He was strong and Sakura's healing power was impressive. He would be fine. He had to be fine.
Sasuke went on to tell Tenten and Neji his plans. "I'm going to confront Malfoy-san tonight. I want more information about these people Snape-san is supposed to meet. Also, I heard this morning that there is an outing planned for the upper-class students. They will be allowed to go into a nearby village on the weekend. There's something going on tomorrow night. A game of some kind. I've never heard of it, but everyone seems excited."
Tenten added in, "It's called Quidditch. It's very popular and played while flying on broomsticks." She went on to explain rules and the general atmosphere of mass fanaticism. "They all take it very seriously. Gai-sensei told me about it."
Neji said, "Make sure you attend this game, Uchiha. It will be another opportunity for you to interact."
Sasuke frowned. He didn't need instructions from Neji. "How long will it take you to map out the hidden passages?"
Neji shrugged. "Everything seems to keep moving. I've had to re-map rooms, stairs, halls… everything. We make one chart then everything changes and we have to go back over it again. I won't be accused of incompetence."
"Oh, Snivellous!"
Everyone turned to stare at the closed door. Tenten was at the door quickly and braced her feet on the floor and pressed back to keep the students out. Together, Neji and Sasuke put the stone Sakura had moved back in the floor where it belonged.
There was a loud rapping on the door. "We know you're in there and we know you've got friends with you. Open up."
The expressions of everyone in the storage room went dark. "They know you're here," Sasuke looked around at the bleak faces. The mission could be over. If their presence were discovered then the contract could become void. "That's impossible. They can't know."
"But they do," Neji said.
Sasuke frowned at the door. "You'd better leave. I'll try to convince them that they're mistaken."
Neji looked at the door and placed his hands together to open his byakugan. "They have a map they are consulting. They are using… something to hide beneath. A blanket or something."
"A map? They're using a map to find a storage room?" Tenten asked. "That's strange."
"More than strange," Sasuke replied. "It's suspicious. I want that map."
"And I want whatever it is they're hiding beneath," Neji added. "Distract them, Uchiha. We only need a moment and we'll steal what they have."
Tenten and Neji both leapt up, landing on the high ceiling, holding on with their hands and feet - chakra focused there to keep them from falling.
The door opened and in walked… no one.
Remus-
Hiding beneath the invisibility cloak was getting a bit tight for four people, especially since Sirius had hit another growth spurt. Remus didn't complain, though. He stayed squashed between Sirius and Peter and looked at the map even when James pounded on the door.
"Why are we using this, again?" Peter asked as Sirius stepped on his foot for the fourth time.
"We just want to follow him," James explained - yet again. "See what he's up to and, if he's doing something interesting, we can throw it off and pretend we just appeared out of nowhere. He hates it when we do that."
They'd followed the portraits from the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom and they'd been led straight to this small door. The map definitely showed four people inside the room, but none of them was Snape. A portrait of a little girl had seemed sure, though. "I saw him. He went in there… with a girl."
Remus was certain their target was in the room, too. All the time that they'd followed the directions of the portraits, Remus had been following the smell of ink. Not only was there ink and the smell that was not Snape, but he could still smell the extra person he'd detected in the classroom - obviously the girl the portrait had mentioned.
It was too good of an opportunity for them to miss out on, Peter had laughed. Snape… with a girl? Remus had a hard time even imagining it. Who would want to spend time with a foul-tempered guy like Snape?
As they stood there with Sirius puzzling over the Maurader's Map and James trying to figure out why the door wouldn't open, Remus yawned. He could feel the day wearing on and on. Every minute that passed, he felt weaker and more tired. He wanted nothing more than to slip away to the Hospital Wing. He certainly didn't want to be tagging along so James and Sirius could harass Snape. Even if there was a tempting mystery, Remus was becoming too tired to care about their little feud.
James reached out to rap on the door again when it swung open and they saw Snape standing in the middle of the dark room. He looked like a wraith, glaring from under his hair, his face eerily pale against the darkness around him.
"Well?" Snape asked, sharply. Though he stood perfectly still, Snape's eyes scanned the doorway.
‘Of course. He can't see us,’ Remus thought. The room seemed otherwise empty and Remus wondered if they had to work on the map. It now showed that there were only three people in the room. Still, Snape was the only one they could see. The room was almost completely dark so it was possible that people were hiding in the shadows.
Remus felt a rush of fabric against his face and suddenly, Snape was smirking at them. "Ah, there you are."
The others all exchanged confused, horrified looks. The invisibility cloak was gone. James clenched his fists and looked like he would charge Snape. "What did you do with it?!"
Snape raised an eyebrow. "Do with what?" He began pacing. Back and forth in a rapid step he strode, then slowed his pace, then sped it up. He kept talking the whole while. "You come bursting in here and demand to know where things are? What makes you think I keep track of your belongings. I come for some quiet time and…"
"Quiet time?" Sirius laughed, unable to keep silent any longer. "We know you weren't alone. There are other people here!"
"Where?"
Sirius raised his hand with the map… but the map was gone. Sirius stared at his empty hand, dumbfounded. He looked at the ground, obviously thinking that he'd dropped it, but it wasn't there. He looked at James, then at Remus.
The invisibility cloak was gone.
The Marauder's Map was gone.
They couldn't rightfully blame Snape. He'd been right in front of them the whole time without his wand and he hadn't cast any spells.
Furious, Sirius opened his mouth. James elbowed him and shook his head, making Sirius close his mouth. They couldn't blurt out about the invisibility cloak or the map. They couldn't admit to having things like that, even if it was just Snape who would hear.
Spluttering, angry, and confused, they left Snape without saying another word to him. Not so much as a hex. They would, undoubtedly, return when James and Sirius had recovered from the loss of their things.
Remus paused in following his friends away and stared at Snape. The map hadn't been wrong. He still smelled strangers in the room. Two new scents plus the extra one he'd smelled in the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom.
Snape stared back at Remus, impassively. He made no biting remarks as the Marauders left. No comments about losing their toys. No veiled threats. He remained quiet and just stared. As Snape said nothing, Remus was convinced. Ink. A scent that just wasn't right. A mysterious girl. Two unknown people. Yes, Remus was certain - the boy standing in front of him, so still and solemn, was not Severus Snape.
To be continued…