Chapter One

The spring night air was thick and smelled of pollen. My allergies couldn't have been worse even if I had shoved every single flower straight up my nose. Whipping my legs over my bed I trudged through my messy room to open my window.

My room was becoming stuffy and oddly uncomfortable. Out of the corner of my peripherals I caught a glimpse of myself. Turning fully towards my reflection I noticed my eyes looking especially red. I groaned at the thought of having to implement eye drops.

Listening carefully to hear if anyone was awake, I tip-toed to the bathroom. Bath & Body Works overwhelmed my nose. A refreshing feeling compared to my hot suffocating room.

I swung the medicine cabinet open, my eyes scanning the rows of remedies. Finally I found the Visine. Holding it in my hand I weighed my options. Allergies. Eye drops. Allergies . . . Eye drops.

With a flick of the wrist the cap was off and I was looking to the ceiling. Feeling my feet become weirdly placed I looked back down. Soapy water. My little step-brother must've taken his bath not too long beforehand. "Isaiah." I growled.

As to not swear I clutched the necklace that hung loosely around my neck. A symbol of my undying fangirlism for a fictional character. Yet my dying fantasy with an anime; Naruto.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I rebalanced myself and looked up once more. 'I bet the Akatsuki don't have to put up with allergies.' I complained to myself, referring to the villains in Naruto's plot.

While I subconsciously began to put eye drops in, I day dreamed of how things might've gone if my own reality was filled with things like ninjas. When the drop of Visine finally dropped to my eyes, it caught me off guard.

Suddenly panicked, I lost the little balance I had and my feet went out from under me. I tried to catch myself on the sink but failed miserably. My feet slipped and slid on the tiled floor. In a large bathroom, I may have just fell on my butt. Except my bathroom wasn't particularly big, in fact it was a downright small bathroom, so in the end my head collided with the bath tub.

Sunlight hit my groggy eyes. Cautiously I sat up, my head throbbing with every pulse of blood. Trying to ease the pain I gently rubbed the back of my head. When I pulled my hand away I examined it for any signs of further injury. Only a blonde strand of hair. "That's good." I think.

The background behind my hand starting coming into focus. Grass. Staring at it for a second, I tried to think- how had I gotten in grass? My eyes slowly looked around. More specifically how had I gotten in a forest?

With no plausible theory I concluded with only one thing; What would Theodore Roosevelt do? Brought to a new wave of inspiration I thrust myself from my seated position. "He'd get the hell outta this forest! That's what he'd do!" I exclaimed.

Doing a quick 360 I glanced around for somewhere to start my expedition. A more lightly wooded area peeked through a honey suckle bush. Normally I might've stopped and sucked on a couple flowers, but sadly they didn't seem ripe enough. Nor was the my first priority either.

I squeezed through spots and ducked under branches. Within a minute or so I broke though my shrubbery barrier. A light sense of accomplishment waved over me. The only thing left to do was pick a direction to go. I couldn't write with my left hand so right was the way to go!

The forest was at least pretty. Where ever I was, they had nice hiking trails. Though the farther I walked the less I felt it was a hiking trail The path seemed barely treaded and not worn in the least. A light thought popped in my head of some adventurous quad rider letting my hop a ride.

I frowned at the improbability. A girl could dream right?

The path just seemed to wind on and on. It forced grumbles of laziness from me. Surprisingly through my own complaints I heard grumblings even louder than mine. Two heads bopped above the hill ahead of me. With the sun shining in my eyes I squinted to quickly evaluate the oncoming strangers. Before they noticed I focused my attention on the woods to my right, so I wouldn't have to make awkward 'hello's.' When I came into their sights, the arguing halted. I felt nervousness creep up on me. I took the seem of my shirt into hand, a nervous trait I'd always had.

Keeping my eyes locked on passing trees, I couldn't help but steal another glance at them. They were wearing cloaks. Familiar cloaks. Cosplay maybe? Now not only was I nervous, I felt intimidated too. People in costumes have that effect on me.

I held my breath as I passed by them. Not that they probably even noticed. As soon as they were behind me I let go of my tension and clutched my pendant. 'Thank God that's over.' Refocusing on the path ahead of me a voice sounded behind me. "The fuck?" More chances that not, it wouldn't have bothered me if a series of aggressive steps hadn't started running up behind me.

A hand grabbed my shoulder and yanked me around. A tall man glared down at me. I could only look up, shocked and slightly terrified. "What are you clutching?" He hissed venomously.

Immediately I released the pendant. His lavender eyes narrowed, not looking away from the necklace. While he was distracted for what ever reason I seized the moment and ran for it. I spun in the direction I had been heading towards and ran like I never had before. Surprisingly I tapped into the memory of my annoying middle school basketball coach telling me to run on the balls of my feet. Who knew she'd come in handy? Almost unnoticeably I gained some speed. With my eyes squeezed shut I ran aimlessly.

My escape was sabotaged by a figure. More specifically by that man. Scared stiff I gawked at the man in front of me once again. "Where the hell do you think you're going, love?" Before I bolted again he seized my pendant and pulled me closer. "Now your going to tell me where you got this, got it?"

The tightened necklace started pinching off my airway. I blinked up at the man. What was going on? Was this man insane? Did he even know what I was going to do when I got to the nearest police station? "Let go! Or I'm calling the police!" I wheezed.

My hand scurried for my pocket for my cellphone nevertheless being caught in another clutch. "Just tell me where you got the pendant, bitch!"

"Get away you cosplaying freak!" I snarled.

"Cosplaying? I'm not cosplaying!" The man snapped incredulously. "Don't you know who I am?"

I eyeballed his look. He was indeed wearing a cosplay Akatsuki robe, his chest was exposed more than needed, and a pendant identical to mine hung around his neck. "Hidan." I stated dryly.

His grip on my wrist tightened, bringing out an even more alarming color of red "That's right, you little bitch. Now tell me where you got that pendant!"

I tried to rip out of his grip. "It's-" I tugged. "None of-" My hand began to slip out of his hand. "Your business!" Using one last jolt, my hand was free and a snap echoed to me ears. I fell to the ground paying to attention to anything but being terrified..

The cosplaying Hidan dove for me but I was already on my feet and off. This time I ran into the dense woods. "You bitch!" He growled behind me. On an adrenalin rush I dodged branches and jumped over boulders. Not gaining one inch from him I ran as hard as I could under the circumstances. "Just wait 'till I get a hold you!" He cackled maniacally. His voice was overcame with excitement, like he was getting a sick thrill from chasing me down.

Almost in tears I emerged from the woods only to find a small canyon. Without another thought I leapt with everything I had left. A quick peer below my feet made any color left in me, drain. My stomach slammed into the edge of the cliff. With all of the wind knocked out of me, I struggled to get a foothold . A displaced root helped me scramble to pull myself up.

I trembled on my stomach as I inhaled deeply. What the hell? Was that man on meth or something? Did he seriously- KA-CHANK!

A three bladed scythe dug into cliff side, mere centimeters from my stomach. I let out a shriek and jumped to my feet. I spun on my heals to face the maniac. He stood gripping a chain that extended to the scythe. This Hidan-man screeched joyfully as he yanked it back to his hand. "Really?" I shouted more at God than at the man trying to hunt me down.

Not sparing a second I turned from the canyon scene and rushed into the wooded area. "Think you can run? Just you wait!"

Before I could hear anymore his voice diminished. As I neared a giant oak tree I let myself slow down. Not to far behind me was the pain that caught up with me. My lungs quivered with exhaustion and my legs begged to give out. Unwillingly to become a sitting duck, I peeked over my shoulder. Surely that horrifying psycho was far behind. Was that man just having a psychotic episode again? Or was it me?

"That was pretty real back there, though." There was no way it was just a dream from some coma and it definitely wasn't a drug rush considering I'd never tried them. Gnawing at my inner cheek I trudged past the giant tree.

An image of this 'Hidan' raced through my mind. He had every flawless feature the true Hidan had. 'Maybe this isn't a cosplayer's psychotic episode and maybe I'm not dead or whatever . . .' I said softly in my head. There was only one other theory I let my mind wonder to. Had I possibly entered another dimension when I hit my head? And that dimension was actually a place where Naruto was a reality? Hell, why not? I mean I was just attacked by a sinister psycho.

Coming to no other conclusion, I figured I would just go with it. When something came along that proved me wrong- well I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. For then, ignorance was bliss.

I found my way back to a trail that I hoped was in the direction I was initially going. All that I knew was that, somehow I had found a way to switch realities,- or something- I still had my phone and my outfit, and I might've been on an Akatsuki hit list.

Weird enough I had some service, not full bars-age but enough.

I attempted several times to make calls, to which failed. "Damn it!" Pounding the end button I slid it back into my back pocket. What's the use of having cell phone if you can't even use it in parallel universes?

For the first time since my encounter with Hidan, I took in my surroundings. The forest was thinning out, I could see a beautiful blue sky over head. What little trees did block the sky, wove together at the tops. The path was becoming more weathered the farther I went on and unnatural smells filtered the air. The aromas almost were that of a fair or a bar. I couldn't really decipher.

Low and behold a town came into partial view. It was bordered with trees, but I could still make it out. Bustling people were scrambling all over, not once stepping foot outside of the town. With less trees to sift the air, more smells shot at me. I'd never smelled such things in my entire life.

Astoundingly I wasn't run over when I made my way into the lively area. People just passed me without a single care. I seemed to be going against the natural flow of things, seeing as how everyone was either going to my right or left and I was cutting straight through their unorganized rows. Still no one said a thing, only kept going.

When I was out of the primary rush of things, the more business looking area seemed less busy, but still crowded. I was afraid to stop and look around so I just kept walking. As the town progressed the streets thinned out. My aching legs wanted to find a place to sit but again I neglected them. An elderly woman was sweeping the street in front of a small shop.

"Ma'am?" I smiled sweetly. The small woman jumped a small bit. "Oh I'm sorry for-"

"Dun't ya know it's ruhd to scur people!" The woman scowled. "I cood'a killed o'r, ya know!" Her accent made up for her height's lack of intimidation.

My nerves found their way to my voice. "Uh- I- I- really didn't- I just-"

The scowl on her face was replaced with a smile. Her face reminded me of scrunched up aluminum foil. "Oh dun't you wurry then." She held her short broom like a cane. "Now, can I h'lp ya?"

I cleared my throat. "Well I was wondering if you knew a place I could stay for the night."

Her lips pursed. "Where ya from?"

Crap. 'Well I'm from a small place in America. Oh you don't know where that is? You wouldn't it's in a complete over reality.' "I'm from Konohagakure." I smiled again. "I'm seeing the world before I become a full-fledged shinobi."

Her face lit up. Hook, line, and sinker. "Ah! Muh der, I see!" She shuffled into her shop and set her broom somewhere then shuffled back. "I have jus thuh place fer ya!" At last, God was giving me a break! "I suppose ya're hungr' then, ta?" Her voice was filled with such hope, I was happy to oblige.

"Actually, I kind of am." I said faking a shyness.

"Well why dun ya jus f'llow me!" She clasped her hands and began farther into the town. She began to babble on about something, but I couldn't make heads or tails of any of it. While she led me to my meal I examined the town. No two places looked exactly alike. Small shops were scattered everywhere. Rapidly houses began to replace them.

Soon enough houses and apartments were only occasionally separated by shops. In next to no time the elderly woman waddled her way into one of the rare shops. It was a bakery. A young couple was seated in a corner, otherwise it was empty. Slow day?

"Aki!" The elderly woman called. She looked over her shoulder at me. "This is muh boy's shop. He'll take cur o' ya real good." Her face contorted to impatience. "Aki!" She half yelled.

A young man nonchalantly walked out from what I figured was the kitchen. He was wiping his hands off on his apron. "Mother. Lower your voice."

So this was her boy. "Aki, if ya'd jus ansur meh evureh once in awhile, I wouldn't haf ta!"

Aki gave me a quick look then back at his mother. "Mother, you don't come to see me unless you want something." He crossed his arms over his chest. "What is it now?"

The woman shook her head. "Na, boy, ya lissun her," She yanked me by the hand and shoved me in front of her. "This young'n is tuhr'd from a vury long juhrney. Beh a gen'lman and geev her a nice mehl, and a warm bed."

Her demands made me feel selfish and imposing. I could feel my face flushing. Plus Aki's stare didn't help either. You'd think a cold look would make you want to punch someone, but who'd ever bite the hand that might be feeding it? Trying to be as polite as possible I gave a deep bow. "Please take care of me." If anyone had ever said I wasn't humble, I'd have loved for them to see me then.

Terrified to even think about coming back up from my posture, I stayed in the deep bow. Why wasn't anyone saying anything? Had Masashi Kishimoto just added Japanese culture to that of some far off reality not knowing of the stupidity it could cause? A loud chuckle erupted breaking my thoughts. A strong arm pulled me up again. Aki had a large grin across his face. He shook his head, trying to shake off his laughter. His smile was probably the best thing since sliced bread. Though, that's not too great if you ask me.

"You know what, Mother? I got this." Aki said through heaves. He waved his hands at her as if to say 'shoo-shoo.'

'Mother' gave me one last wrinkled smile and waddled back out of the bakery, leaving me with Aki. I hadn't thought to take notice to it before but, where on earth did she get a southern accent? As she hobbled out of sight I rose an eyebrow to her back.

"Mothers." Aki breathed.

I turned back to face the baker. His hands on his hips he was shaking his head at his mom. His hair was perfectly messy and the flour covering him added a certain cuteness to him. Suddenly his face fell. "So, what do you want?" So much for the cute factor…

More than uncertain about how to act with him I simply coughed. Hadn't he just told his mom he'd help me?

The look he gave me made me feel like I was stupider than dog with a bag over its head. Seeming agitated he began to massage his temple. "Listen if you are uncomfortable with your arrangements I can fix that."

Aki didn't have to try to hard with the subtle hints. Obviously he didn't want to be bothered with my awkwardness. But to be honest, there were only so many good people willing to give me a meal and a place to stay. "No! I'm fine. If you don't mind." Aki rose an eyebrow at me.

"Alright then." His hands land on his hips. "One condition though." I straightened out my back. Condition? "You'll work for me, so there will be no mooching."

I sucked in my breath. To be honest, I had never worked a day in my life. This was supposed to be a vacation until I somehow returned home! He was ruining everything! "No problem." I heard myself say.

'Are you stupid?' I inwardly yelled.

A slick smile came upon his face. "Great, I'm glad we see eye to eye." He walked back behind his glass counter and into his kitchen. Instinctively I ensued him. His kitchen wasn't what I expected. It was large and spacious. A center counter was a mess of ingredients, but otherwise the kitchen was spotless.

For a second I forgot about Aki and admired the almost modern features. There was a large oven in the wall on top of a smaller one. Cabinets and drawers were graciously placed through out the room. Even a refrigerator sat in a corner. Why the small things shocked me I'm not sure. I guess I didn't expect to see fridges.

Thinking about to what my motive had been in I remember Aki. Turning back to the direction he'd gone, I was met with something to my face. My hand yanked it off of my face defensively. Aki stood smirking not too far ahead. Had he thrown the it? In my hands was a thing green apron.

"There's your uniform." He stated with amusement of my expressions.

After a short untangling session I found the ties for my stomach. "What, I start now?"

"Naturally."

Suppressing a growl I tied on the apron. Aki gave me the run down of my duties. The cleaning, the serving, the money, it all was quite simple and I wasn't sure how he made a living. Though that really didn't pertain to me, did it? My long hair only pestered me to further extent. Impatiently I tugged my hair into a neat ponytail.

After an short war with my hair I noticed Aki was missing. Poking my head out of the kitchen I found him. He was pulling a large down. It reminded me of my dad's garage door. But why was he doing that? "Aki." I called shyly.

Once he had the door down and locked shut he turned to me. "Hmm?"

I wiggled a finger at the bakery entrance. "What're ya doin'?"

Spinning to see the object of my attention he simply shrugged. "Closing?"

"Why?"

He lifted an eyebrow at me. "It's getting slow, and not to mention late." The way he said it though it was like he was questioning of I knew that. Exasperated at the fact, I couldn't tell if I had woken up early or if maybe time had gotten the best of me.

"Oh."

Before I knew it Aki brushed past me fiddling with his apron ties. I watched him hang it on a hook. It seemed almost habitual as he brushed his shirt off and began back another hallway I'd missed earlier. The farther he went the more I wondered if I was to follow him.

Almost as though he heard my thoughts. He halted abruptly and looked over he shoulder at me. "Coming?" A little dumbfounded I raced to catch up. I felt like an ignorant two year-old, knowing only to follow their mother

Up a small set of stairs we came to a small split area. There were three doors. "Well, here we are." Aki huffed. I looked around. All three doors were closed. He didn't expect me to follow him into a room did-

"You'll sleep in here." Aki swung a door inwards. It was small but quaint. "I'll be in this room." He pointed to the door across from mine. "And this is the bathroom." He tapped the door in between us. "Need anything else?"

I smiled at him. "Oh no, nothing." I started into my room. Aki caught my wrist. I spun back around to face him. "Need something?" I laughed nervously.

He released my hand. "I just realized, I didn't get your name."

Relieved that that was all he wanted I flashed a smile. "Oh it's Taylor."

This is the updated version of the first chapter so it is a little short. Itachi as you can see hasn't arrived yet. So how about a review for some love? Hmm?