Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I only own my OC's.
What...what just happened? Where...am I?
My head is killing me and it's unbearably hot where I am at the moment. I mean I'm used to hot environments but this is way different than the Florida heat I know. This heat doesn't have the mugginess I associate with Florida weather; this heat feels much drier. Almost like being in an oven. I only notice now that my world is black and that I have yet to open my eyes. I almost don't want to….
Hmm...nah. Not gonna do it. Not opening my eyes, instead I move my body to try and determine the condition it was in. So far just my head is hurting.
Twitch right leg; all good.
Left leg; that's good too
Now for the arms.
Right arm; nothing wrong.
Left arm; a little sore but nothing bad.
My analysis is that I'm fine, I just have a wickedly bad headache. Now where in Florida is it not muggy and has...sand? Am I at the beach or something? I clench my hands in the ground, confirming that I was actually laying down in sand. Well...how did I get here? Ugh now I have to open my eyes to make sure I was at a beach I knew and see where the nearest lifeguard or place with a phone was.
Okay, eyes open in three,
Two,
One,
And that was not a good idea! Abort mission, abort mission! Why does the sun have to be so damn bright? Curse you sun, this is why I like the moon better.
Ok, let's do this again. Now deep breath, one
Two
Three!
My eyes open more slowly this time and I raise my hand to the level of my eyes (phantom reference anyone? too dorky? sigh…) to help block the sun from my eyes even more. I think this would be a bit better if I actually sat up. Lifting my body with a groan, I look more at my surroundings. I was right about the sand but where is the water? I'm at the beach right? So where the hell is the ocean! There's nothing but sand in any direction! What in the name of Cthulhu is going on here!
It's ok Alanis, take a deep breath,
Hold,
Exhale.
Okay, so I'm in some sort of desert. The closest states that I know that have deserts are Texas and Arizona...way too far from where I was. So question is...how did I get here? I look around for any tracks and see nothing. Just untouched sand for miles. How in the bloody hell am I supposed to survive out here with…
I look around to see if there was anything around me and I noticed a medium sized messenger bag. I pull it closer to me and look at the contents inside. It looks like it has a water pouch, a notebook, some pens/pencils, a granola bar, a letter, and a necklace? This is really weird…
I take out the water pouch to see if it was full or empty and to my welcomed surprise, it was full! I open the top carefully and sniff the contents to see if it was actually water or something else. Seems clean enough. I took a small sip and closed the pouch, placing it back in the bag. The next thing I went for was the letter. Would it explain anything or was it just some sort of sick, evil prank gone horribly wrong? Let's find out!
I pull out the letter, opening the envelope and taking out the note from inside. It looks so fancy like…
Dear Sir or Madam
If you are reading this letter, then it means you have been selected to journey across the universe and participate in an experiment known as Project Relapse. You may not know anything else about this project and I do hope that you survive. Please take the necklace as a token of our generosity and apology for what has occurred. Don't die.
Sincerely,
Prof. James L. Beckett
What?
What did I just read?
I re-read the letter another eight times before shoving it into the bag, letting out a small scream in frustration.
What the hell! Who does that guy think he is? Sending some random person to who knows where to do who knows what! What is this whole "Project Relapse" and why the hell did it say that I was sent to a different universe? I'm in a desert for crying out loud! Not some alien planet where everything is trying to kill me!
I let out another scream.
Okay, I'm good.
Now calm down. I need to be careful about the energy I expend because I don't have enough to help me live here. I just have the one water pouch and granola bar to last me until I can find help in this place. Like that's gonna happen! There is no sign of anything besides sand! Not even a tumbleweed or lizard! I groan in frustration. There are only two options right now and those are to stay put or to try and find any form of civilization. I opt for civilization and the chance to see what in the world is going on. I start my trek and head in what I believed was east.
*many hours later at sunset*
Kill me now. Please, something take me out of my blistering misery. The genius who kidnapped me left me in a blue and white striped tank-top, black shorts, and converse. I'm hot, probably badly sunburned, tired, thirsty, hungry, and utterly exhausted. And the worst part is that there is still NOTHING in sight other than sand.
You know what, I'm done. I'm just gonna sit here and let fate deal with me. If fate wants me to live then it will send help my way. If not then just send an animal to finish me off in my sleep.
I lay down on my back, feeling the shift in temperature go from burning to freezing. I sigh and close my eyes, curling myself into the fetal position and using the bag as a pillow. Please let this be some horrible dream...please…
*Unknown POV*
Night fell as my squad and I neared the end of the desert. Our mission to Sunagakure was a success and we now have to make it back home without being spotted by an enemy nin. We had about three miles before we reached the treeline where the desert ended and the homeward stretch began. All three of us were tired and ready to be at home.
"Wait!" Keisuke shouted, stopping all of us in our tracks
"There's something up ahead. It looks like it could be a person but something's...off about it." he continued, his Byakugan focusing on what's ahead.
"Is it moving or breathing?" I ask
"I see movement from it but...I don't sense any chakra nor do I see any coming from it. If it is a person then they might be dead Aoki-san."
I flinch at his words. I may be a shinobi but I still hate the thought of death. I turn to Chiyoko and ask
"Once we get over there would you mind doing a diagnostic to determine who that person is and how they may have died?"
"I don't mind." shaking her head slightly.
I nodded my head and we started towards what we believed was a body.
The darkness of the night made things a bit difficult but when we got over to the body my eyes widened. It was a little girl. She looked no older than six and she was badly sunburned. Her clothes were a bit odd but I wasn't focusing on that. The poor soul died out here, all alone in this hellish environment. I couldn't sense any chakra coming from her and I knew she was dead. I clenched my hand into a fist, angry at this miserable fate.
"Keisuke-san is there any chakra from her. Any sign that she might still be alive?" I ask
He stares at the girl then narrows his eyes.
"How...how can this be?" he mumbles to himself
"What is it? What do you see?" Chiyoko asks
"This child...her chakra pathways...she doesn't have any."
Both Chiyoko and I snap our eyes to our teammate and then back to the girl.
"Could it be because she's dead?" Chiyoko asks softly
We're startled by a rustling sound from down below and notice the girl moving. Impossible! She has no chakra, she should be dead! Chiyoko moves down to the girl and quickly does a diagnostic jutsu. Keisuke stands there with an expression of horror and confusion at what he is seeing with his dōjutsu. Me? I'm just standing here like an idiot not knowing how to react to what's going on.
"She's alive…" Chiyoko mutters
"She should be dead!" Keisuke hisses
The girl mutters something incoherently
"Let's take her back to the village and have Tsunade-sama take a look at her." I order
Keisuke doesn't look happy with my command but holds his tongue.
"Aoki-san, I don't know if she'll make it to the village. Even if we travel all night, we won't make it until almost noon." Chiyoko mumbles
"Not true. We have about three miles before we reach the forest edge and from there we have about another thirteen miles to the village. If we don't stop then we'll make it to the village by daybreak." Keisuke says
"I'll send a summon to send word that when we arrive at the gates Tsunade-sama must be there to meet us." I declare whilst starting the summoning jutsu.
"Though I'd hate to be the one to say this, what if it's a trap. What if this girl is a sleeper agent and we take her right to the village? She could put the whole village in danger and it would be our fault for being merciful and kind." Keisuke explains
We all stop and think upon his words. It's true that this kid could be an agent but what about the fact that we can sense no chakra from this girl whatsoever? Everything has chakra and the fact that she doesn't even have chakra pathways makes this unbelievable. Even is she was a sleeper agent, what could she do? Sure she could be a spy but if we condition her and keep an eye on her then it should be fine. If the Hokage wanted to take drastic measures then he could put a seal on her and that would be the end of it. If anyone from another village tries to contact her, we'll know. Then Chiyoko breaks the silence
"Keisuke-san, this girl has no chakra in her body. Not even residual chakra from anything or anyone. It's as if she had never been in contact with chakra before now. This is something that the Hokage needs to be aware of."
"Alright, no more talking, we need to get moving if this child even wants to have a chance at surviving. I've already sent my summon to give word to Hokage-sama and Tsunade-sama. Let's go." I demand
Chiyoko carefully picks up the girl and we begin running. I hope that we make it in time…
*hours of running later*
The girl has yet to stir in Chiyoko's arms and I fear her life is fading fast. She just has to hold on a little longer, we're almost at the village and I hope Tsunade-sama is waiting there for us.
"How much longer til we reach the gate Keisuke-san." Chiyoko huffs out, clearly exhausted from the run and the worry.
"We are about half a mile from the gates and I can see Tsunade-sama along with Hokage-sama waiting there. If we push ourselves then we'll be there in another ten minutes." Keisuke replies
Chiyoko gives a nod then speeds up. Keisuke and I match her and we make a mad dash for the gates. The sun is slowly rising and I can finally make out the shape of the gates and two figures standing under them: one is pacing. The need to arrive is so strong yet I can feel the exhaustion wanting to take over my body. I wonder how Chiyoko feels since she's been the one carrying the kid the entire way.
I had offered to take the girl but Chiyoko gave me a cold look and told me if she were to stop breathing that it would be easier to help if the kid was in her arms. I guess it's maternal instinct for her considering that she and her husband have been trying for kids but her shinobi responsibilities have been getting in the way. She already feels for the girl and I can relate in a way; I've always wanted a family but I know having one will be dangerous.
The gates become clearer and clearer as day begins to break. Chiyoko somehow finds some energy and shunshin's to the gates. Keisuke and I dash towards the gate with what little energy we have left. Once we get there I can hear Tsunade-sama almost yelling at Chiyoko about the condition of the girl.
"What in the hell happened!"
"We found her like this Tsunade-sama! In fact we had thought she was dead when we first found her." Chiyoko panted out, clearly exhausted.
"Give her to me and get yourself checked in. I need to work on her immediately." Tsunade-sama barked out
"The mission report can wait until after you get some rest and regain your energy. Once you're ready come to my office and we will debrief." Hokage-sama said
Keisuke and I nodded tiredly and I went straight home, wondering about the fate of the young girl. Where had she come from? What happened to her? How did she end up in the Suna Desert? And most importantly, who would do something like this to a kid?
*Coughs into mic*
Hi there. So this is a teaser chapter to my new story that just randomly popped into my head via plot bunnies. Some of you may know who I am and have read my other stories. Yes I have been on a sort of hiatus for a while but I'm just letting you know I'm back in business! I'm currently rewriting my other Naruto story and in the process of finalizing the next chapter in my FMA fic. So to tide you peeps over I made this! I've gotten out of my previous funk and have found my writing muse once more!
Now since this is just a teaser, the next chapter will be posted later this week depending on the feedback I get!
*Sighs*
Now that the explanation is out of the way, it's time for my normal barrage of questions!
What are your thoughts on the teaser? Any clues as to what Project Relapse might be? What on your thoughts on Alanis not having ANY chakra? What do you think will happen when Alanis wakes up next time? Anything you want to see in future chapters? Specific characters you want to see? Will I ever stop asking questions?
The world may never know...
So please let me know what you think! Reviews make my world go round!
Thanks a bunch!
-TheAlleyCat