Chapter 6
Jin didn't bother waiting in her room and took her chances with the maze of hallways that made up the castle. It wasn't long before Jin felt completely lost, and very very hungry.
As luck would have it a mirror was up ahead and with her glimmer of hope Jin ran to the mirror.
"I need help" Jin said with purpose
"Well glad to hear that you're passionate about something. How can I help?" The reflection said as she trimmed her nails, not bothering to look up
"I am lost; I have no idea where I am"
"Those two usually go hand in hand with each other" The reflection said as she brought her nails to the light and criticized mentally her handiwork
"Can you help me find someone I know at least?" Jin asked as the hope she once had started to drain fast.
"Down the hall and to the left, fifth door on the right is the fox's room, he is probably sleeping he needs to get up soon for dinner soon anyway" The reflection said glancing briefly at herself on the other side "Really, you shouldn't give up passion and hope that easily, fight and don't stop fighting until you win otherwise people will walk all over you for the rest of your life" she said as she walked out of view. Jin took the information in as she followed the directions her reflection had given her to see Naruto asleep on his stomach and snoring, which was barely audible since he had his head buried in his pillow. Jin quietly walked over to the boy and gingerly sat on the mattress as stroked the hair out of his face gently. Naruto instantly opened his eyes and was on the other side of the room with a gun cocked and loaded. Jin raised her hands in shock and stiffened. The last thing she wanted to see was a gun. Naruto cocked his head to the side in slight confusion before something clicked in his mind and he grinned. The gun disappeared as he pounced on her
"You're safe! You're here!" He yelled happily as he hugged the woman and Jin found herself laughing over his enthusiasm. "How did you get here?" Naruto asked
"I asked the mirror directions" Jin said
"And she gave you directions from the Hatter's mansion to the castle?" Naruto asked confused
"Oh, no. I have no idea what happened, one minute I had my eyes closed and in the midst of a shooting battle in the dining room at the Hatter's mansion and then everything goes quiet and I am in my room"
"Ah" Naruto said intelligently "You used your power"
"What power?"
"Your power as the Cheshire Cat, the ability to move somewhere by your own free will" Naruto said as intelligently as he could, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes closed and he nodded his head and his tail swooshed back and forth.
"I have powers?" Jin said and Naruto sighed before his stomach growled with intensity
"It doesn't matter, it is too hard to explain, and you'll get the hang of it eventually" He said as he grabbed the woman's wrist and dragged him out of his room and down the hallway "Besides, food is more important right now anyway"
The two passed a room with about ten people talking that stopped when the two passed
"Naruto" A man said as the two were about to turn. Naruto turned and Jin saw the Ace of Spades.
"Hey"
"When did Jin get back, who else knows?"
"She just got back" Naruto said as he nearly doubled over when his stomach argued with his decision to converse rather than find food. "Need. Food. Now. Bye" Naruto said as he once more began heading to where he knew food was. Kakashi caught up and kept pace with Jin and Naruto
"Are you hurt?"
"No" Jin answered "Just flustered, they got into a fight that ended with bullets being shot everywhere" Jin recalled as a shiver went down her spine. The Ace of Spades put a hand gently on her shoulder.
"Well now you are safe" He said as he grinned and smiled. Jin felt her face flush from his simple act and for the thoughts flooding her mind of just how gorgeous he was.
Jin's thoughts were cut short when she was roughly pushed aside with a lot of force. Kakashi caught the woman effortlessly as she fell and Naruto growled at the person
"AHHHH I'm late!" A pink haired woman with pink bunny ears yelled.
"Who was that?" Jin asked in shock, her blush furiously redder than it was before since she was still in Kakashi's arms.
"That would be Sakura the rabbit, I guess you could call her the secretary to the Queen of Diamonds" The Ace of Spades said as he helped Jin to a standing position
"With the force she pushed me out of the way with you'd think she was a man!" Jin exclaimed in shock. Naruto burst into laughter before his stomach growled once more
"Come on, the dining room is not far from here"
Jin, the Cheshire Fox, and the Ace of Spades entered the dining room and sat in the few remaining chairs open. Food was quietly and quickly being passed around the table in an organized manner. Jin enjoyed this dining room a lot more than the dining room at the Hatter's Mansion
"So what did you think of the Hatter?" Kakashi asked
"He wasn't that bad" Jin said as she helped herself to a serving of mashed potatoes and passed the bowl to the Ace that she was talking to. "He's not nearly as crazy as some of the people he keeps with him" Jin finished
"So you met Sasuke the Emo Hare?" Naruto asked the woman as he passed an assortment of meats
"Yes unfortunately" Jin said as she put some of the meat on her plate "He tried to kill me when I complimented on his ears" Jin said as she passed the meats to Kakashi.
Two people, a woman with purple hair and very revealing clothing, and a man that was taller than her with a bandana on his forehead walked in and took the two remaining seats at the table.
"Who are they?" Jin asked in a hushed whisper to the Ace of Spades
"The Tweedle Twins"
"I don't get it" Jin whispered to the Ace of Spades "They aren't twins" She said looking back at the purple haired female and the bald man next to her, "They are different heights and look nothing alike"
"No one ever said they were identical" Was all that Kakashi said as he began to eat the food on his plate.
"Give it to me Ibiki" The purple haired woman said as she yanked on the plate with the meats.
"No, it is still my turn" the bald man said with the bandana. Jin looked at the oncoming disaster with dread. But yet no one else at the table seemed to care or even look up at the two
"Give it"
"No, Dee"
"Dum, you are going to get it" The woman said as she yanked harder on the plate. Jin winced and couldn't help but think that she was watching the grim moments before a car crash in slow motion as she watched the twins pull the plate towards each other in violent motions.
Thankfully the crash that resounded was not of the meats that were on the plate but rather a chair that was sticking out of the wall by its legs, defying gravity from a distance until you were close enough to realize that the chair was thrown there by the clear cracking of the drywall. Jin was close enough to notice this. People continued eating as if nothing happened and the twins glared at each other before each grabbing the meats they desired and passed the plate onward. The chair had been thrown by a monstrously drunk Queen of Diamonds and she swayed as she stood, dazed and confused to why she was standing until she slurred out
"I have a hangover, shut up" and nearly fell if it weren't for the arms of a grizzly bear of a man dressed in black and white with decals and decorations on his outfit that clearly marked him as a club.
"That would be the King" Naruto whispered.
"Are you not hungry?" Kakashi asked the Cheshire Cat and Jin looked down at her food, still too shocked to eat, but knowing the amount of food she had eaten today was less than admirable resorted to eating though she didn't feel like it.
