Author's Note: Hello, peoples! This is a collab fic between Axel's Stalker and myself! There's really not much of a summary, it's just a totally random Naruto fic…and although it might not seem like it at first, there IS a plot! (I know, I know…Axel's Stalker is famous for her lack of plots. But this one has a plot!)

Warning: The timeline is incredibly effed up. Deal with it. In this fic, the Naruto characters are 4 years older than the normal series. That would be 2 years AFTER the time skip…and technically Sasuke would be gone, but he's not.

Also…this might get a little confusing, but the things in italics are flashbacks to what LED UP TO what's happening in the stuff NOT in italics. I'm not always gonna write "Flashback" or "end flashback" because it's actually one big flashback, it's just broken up by present time things. If you have any questions about what the heck is going on, feel free to ask them in a review.

Well, enjoy this brand new fic!

Chapter 1:

Start of a Nightmare

Kakashi glanced up as the front door of the newest nin team's apartment opened. The eldest girl (by ten days) stood there, gripping her headband with white knuckles, hazel eyes glued to the ground. Her cheeks were flushed and tear-stained, and her eyes were still misty when she finally looked up at him.

Wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her tan, hooded jacket, she said determinedly, "I'm ready to listen, Kakashi-sensei. Please, teach me." Though her voice was quiet, it was unwavering and strong.

The jounin nodded once, closing his book and heading for the Konoha training field without a word. Quietly and obediently, the girl trailed after him. She glanced at the headband in her hand, wincing slightly as she ran her thumb over the cracks in the metal. How had things gotten so out of hand?

Flashback, 24 hours before…

"Bryanna, Amanda! Check it out!" Erin called with excitement, waving to her friends from the middle of the river. Her feet were perched effortlessly atop the current, as though a mythical story had been made real.

Two of her best friends, Bryanna and Amanda, waved back before the latter returned to her conversation with their sensei—Iruka. The former took a deep breath, focused the chakra in her feet, and bravely trod out towards her friend. Her Walk on Water Jutsu was flawless. Smiling triumphantly, she ran the rest of the way to meet Erin.

"This is incredible!" She breathed, pushing the Konoha headband atop her head a bit farther back. "I never thought this could actually happen to us—I mean, we've had weird stuff like this go on before, with Satoshi and Dark and them, and the Sohmas, but to get into the action like this!" She spoke faster with every excited syllable, making Erin giggle.

"Calm down, BB—you'll scare Iruka-sensei!" She whispered, not wanting the jounin in question to overhear. Winking, she added, "He might think it's the first time we found out how to use our chakra properly!" Even though it actually was. As calm as she was trying to be, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed. "But our first jutsu, can you believe it?" She turned when she heard someone yelling. It was Iruka and Amanda, calling them back. Sighing, she folded her arms. "Well, that's no fun…what's going on?"

Suddenly, Bryanna's giddiness disappeared all at once and her features paled. She gazed in terror over Erin's shoulder and shakily said, "Mrt…I think we'd better get out of here…!"

Blinking, the older girl glanced over her shoulder. Instantly her feet were rooted to the spot. "Oh no…"

End flashback…

"Would you like to call it a day?" Kakashi offered.

Panting heavily and trying to shift her weight, the adolescent shook her head. "I…swore I'd learn this technique, and…" Throwing a glance forlornly at the discarded headband, she regained her composure and fell back into her fighting stance. "I plan on following through." 'No more broken promises…I'll get stronger. I'll protect them.' She told herself, taking a deep breath and focusing her energy on learning what the silver-haired jounin had to teach her.

Kakashi sighed at her adamancy. "Alright. Let's try again. Focus your chakra—make it take form in your palm." He instructed.

Nodding, she held up her right hand and closed her eyes.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

"Bryanna, GO!" Erin ordered, shoving her best friend into moving. The horrified girls bolted for the riverbank and while Bryanna made it, Erin's path was cut off by a man standing at least six and a half feet tall, with blue skin and eyes like a shark. There were gill-like markings high on his cheekbones and when he smirked it revealed razor-sharp teeth. His spiky blue hair stuck up, not unlike a fin, his nails were painted black as midnight, and he wore a long black cloak with a high collar and red cloud patterns on it. A huge, bandaged sword with what appeared to be a rounded tip was held expertly in his hand.

Only one word echoed in the teenager's mind: 'Shit…'

Kisame Hoshigaki chuckled darkly at what he saw in her hazel eyes. "Well, well…look who's on our turf now." His voice was gruff, like she remembered, but for some reason she was more afraid of him here than she had ever been before. Maybe because she knew that here, in his world, he could kill her without a second thought, without wondering if she was useful. Quite simply, she wasn't.

She tried to regain her composure, to hide her fear. Fat chance. "Hey, K-Kisame…how's life?" She asked in an attempt to act casual.

His smirk faded and he hefted Samehada onto his shoulders. "I've wanted to see this moment since day one, kid." He growled, swinging the heavy weapon down onto her.

She yelped, losing her focus and consequently sinking into the river's depths before the blade touched her. When she finally registered what had happened, she composed herself and opened her eyes, swimming to shore. 'I hope BB and Amanda got away…' Her mind reminded her as she came up for air at last—only to be grabbed by the back of her dark purple, almost form-fitting t-shirt and yanked violently onto dry land. Coughing and sputtering, she shoved away from another man in a black, red-clouded cloak and squirmed against the thing holding her shirt. Apparently, they were one in the same.

The young, raven-haired man grabbed her wrists tightly so she couldn't use her jutsu or weapons. "Kisame," He instructed, "hold her still. If the others are to escape unscathed, then we'll just have to give their punishment to her."

Erin recognized the voice. Half-glaring at him through fear-filled eyes as Kisame secured his arms around her wriggling form, pinning her own limbs to her sides, she cried, "Itachi, what did I ever do to you, huh?" She was scared—more scared than she had ever been in her whole life. Itachi and Kisame had never been like this in her world; why had they changed so much?

Itachi glared at her, his Sharingan activated. Letting go of her wrists, he caught her chin roughly in one hand and forced her to meet his gaze. "You exist."

VVVVVVVVVVV

The electric blue energy that had formed around her palm sparked dangerously as she tried to stabilize it, to keep it from fading. It was difficult—her chakra was running low, and her body was straining from exhaustion—but she refused to let it go.

"Good. Very good." Kakashi nodded his approval, glancing around for a target. "Now, can you release it?"

Grimacing as she tried continuously to hold onto the energy, the teen also shot a glance all around. "Possibly…" She grunted, feeling her fingers shaking. The jounin pointed to a boulder not far off.

"Do you remember the form?"

Swallowing, she nodded.

"That's your target."

Another nod.

"Alright—go."

Shifting her weight, the girl pushed off with her left foot and sprinted towards the rock, still focusing the chakra in her palm. Ignoring the pain in every muscle of her body, she hurled the sparking blue energy at the boulder.

After the smoke cleared, she stood in front of the rock—which now had a decently large crater in it. Her chest heaved with her ragged breathing and under her weight, her knees buckled. There was someone holding her up before she could fall and she heard the voice of her sensei at her side.

"Congratulations, Erin. You've learned the Chidori."

VVVVVVVVVVVV

When Erin woke up, she couldn't move her body. She groaned, flexing her fingers and blinking to clear her blurred vision. What she couldn't move, her wrists, arms and legs, ached dully from either lack of movement or something else. Shifting as much as she could, she yelped. A burning pain surged through her entire body when she moved, and she deduced that Itachi and Kisame had not been merciful. As she recalled what really happened, a shiver went down her spine.

They had at least released her, given her a chance to fight back; not that it mattered much. Between the two of them she had all but given up on trying to attack and instead took to dodging. Even that proved nearly impossible. They had two things she lacked: speed and power.

The odds against her proved too much. Before she knew it, her energy was gone and she was bleeding from more places than was probably safe. Kisame and Itachi looked satisfied and the latter stepped towards her, making her cringe. She was on her knees, breathing heavily and tasting blood when she coughed. Was he going to use his mind shatter on her? The thought terrified her more than the thought of dying.

Before she could try to get up and away, the Uchiha closed his fingers around her throat and lifted her until her feet didn't touch the ground. Instinctively, she grabbed his wrist and tried to pry his hand from her airway. At least she could breathe.

"Tell your little friends," He glared darkly at her, tightening his grip, "that they're next."

Itachi's words echoed in her mind now as she fought weakly against the ropes that bound her arms and legs. Every move she made hurt, but she had to find her friends. Another involuntary groan escaped her lips, sparking a coughing fit that brought the taste of blood back to her tongue. Catching her breath and shivering, she curled up as much as she could and closed her eyes. 'Amanda…Bryanna…Iruka-sensei…' She hoped they were safe.

As the world around her started to fade into blackness, she vaguely heard someone calling her name.

VVVVVVVVVVV

Her nap had helped a lot.

Erin stood in the hospital lobby, messing with the zipper on her jacket and staring blankly at the floor. She had used nail polish remover from home to take off the black nail polish on her finger and toenails, choosing instead a dark shade of purple. The color peeked out at her from under her sandals, which were the same style as Naruto's, yet black. They had been a gift, she recalled, from Bryanna's mother, before they had come to Konoha. Her hazel eyes grew misty as she thought about it, and she quickly pulled herself together as a nurse came into the room.

"You can go in now." She said warmly, returning to her desk and filing something.

Taking a deep, anxious breath, she headed down the hall until she reached a door numbered 203. Her hand rested uneasily on the handle, and she swallowed down the lump in her throat.

What she saw when she went in almost made her laugh with relief. Sitting up on the bed, elbows on the windowsill and writing hastily on a piece of white-lined paper, was a girl about her age with short, dark-brown hair and russet eyes behind purple-framed glasses. She twitched every few seconds as her pencil met the paper, and she was so deep in her writing that she didn't even hear the door open.

Unable to hold herself back anymore, Erin ran across the room, pounced onto the bed, and threw her arms around the other girl. "Bryanna, I'm so glad you're okay!" she cried, burying her face in her best friend's shirt.

Bryanna half-laughed as she put her pencil down and returned Erin's embrace. "It's good to see you too, Mrt!" She said happily as Erin let go. Puzzled, she added, "What happened to your headband?"

The older girl's cheeks flushed as she adjusted the headband, which hung from around her neck. "I'd rather not talk about it." She admitted, pulling a small package out of her jacket pocket and giving it to Bryanna. "I bought this on my way here today. It's a little cliché, but I hope you like it."

Tilting her head to the side, the younger girl opened the package and smiled broadly. The necklace she pulled out was silver, with a small key for a pendant. Engraved on one side was her names, and in the other side was the Konoha symbol and "BB". "It's awesome! Thanks so much!" She said gratefully, hugging Erin again. As she hooked it around her neck, the older girl pulled an identical key pendant from under her shirt. "I've got one for Amanda, too. How is she?" Tucking the necklace safely back under her clothing, she braced herself for news on her other friend.

Bryanna's smile faltered and she shook her head. "I don't know. No one's talked to me in a few days- besides that freaky Itachi guy." Shivering, she shook her head again.

There was a pause as the words sunk in. "BB…" Erin began unsurely. "It's only been a day since you…" Suddenly she stopped, deciding to not worry her friend. "Well, I'd better go check on Amanda. I'll come see you again soon, Bry." She got up off the bed and waved mildly.

As she walked down the hallway to the next room, her mind flooded with questions and fears about what Bryanna had said. Three days had most definitely not passed since Itachi and Kisame had entered Konoha- it had barely been one. The only explanation was that Itachi used Tsukuyomi on her best friend. Suddenly the beating she'd received didn't seem so bad.

Her hand rested on the doorknob of Room 205 and she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Would she ever stop crying? Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and entered the room.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

"Is she breathing?"

"Yeah, see? I can see her chest moving."

"I'M NOT GONNA LOOK AT HER CHEST, YOU PERV!!"

"Naruto, sit down and shut up.!"

Groaning, Erin slowly opened her eyes and sheepishly attempted to move. Her wrists and ankles were no longer bound, and her body didn't ache as badly as it had. Someone had bandaged her up. She wondered distantly if it was within her to sit up.

"Hey, are you awak?" The voice was female, and slightly familiar. She shifted again.

"Man, this is so troublesome…" Male, and definitely recognizable.

"Ngh…" She managed to mumble, easing herself into a sitting position. Her muscles throbbed dully as she looked around. There were six people in the room- four teens, two adults; two girls and four boys. She recognized them all, but didn't have the energy to say anything. Glancing over at the silver-haired jounin on he left, she put on her best puzzled look. "What's going on?" She asked, her voice hoarse. Suddenly she snapped to attention. "Where's Bryanna and Amanda, and Iruka-sensei? Did they get away? Is Itachi still in Konoha? How long has it been?!" She asked frantically, clearly panicking.

The man put a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Erin. It's only been a few hours since you've been out." He assured calmly. "Iruka told me about you and your friends. He's alright, and they… will be fine in a few days."

Terror settled in, weighing heavily on her stomach. She felt for an instant that she might throw up. "Bryanna and Amanda… What happened to them? She demanded to know, trying not to glare at him or reveal the fact that she was shaking.

A pause followed, and the thickness of the tension mounting was clear.

The jounin finally spoke. "They'll be fine, don't worry." Despite the atmosphere, he still managed to stay absolutely calm. "Maybe we should introduce ourselves. I'm Hatake Kakashi."

The blonde girl with blue, pupil less eyes spoke up. "My name's Yamanaka Ino, and this is Nara Shikamaru."

A boy beside her waved a little, looking bored.

"I'm Haruno Sakura." The pink-haired girl said.

The blonde boy in an orange jumpsuit leapt to his feet. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm going to be Hokage one day!"

Finally, the white-haired older man spoke. "I'm Jiraiya, the Toad Sage… Naruto, sit down."

"Look," Erin interrupted, shaking her head a little. "It's nice to meet you all, but I've got bigger things to worry about right now. Where are my friends?" She pressed.

Another silence followed her question. Naruto slowly sat back down.

Sakura cleared her throat. "They're at the hospital... um…"

"Itachi and Kisame got to both of them." Kakashi told her.

Erin's heart almost stopped.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Amanda didn't seem to notice the door to her room opening or Erin walking in. the young blonde had her hospital bed adjusted to a 'sitting up' position with her hands folded neatly on her lap. Her blue eyes were clouded and distant as they continued to stare out of her bedside window. Amanda's right forearm was bandaged and tinged with crimson. Erin hesitantly walked to the bedside.

"Um, hey Amanda. How are you feeling?" Her voice was sympathetic and unsure. Amanda merely blinked slowly in response. Not wanting to be left with uncomfortable silence, Erin tried something else.

"Bryanna's fine, and the medic nins said that you might be able to leave soon. The you can train with me! Isn't that great?" Her voice echoed into nothing; Amanda gave no indication that she was listening. A tense silence filled the white-themed room. Erin shuffled her feet. What had happened to her friend? She paced her hands on the edge on the bed, one on top of the other.

"Amanda, I-"

"Why?" Amanda's voice was weak; her gaze never left the window.

"Huh?" The question had surprised Erin. "Why what?"

"Why did he do it?"

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Amanda struggled against Iruka's hold on her wrist as he dragged her away, fleeing from the men. She clawed at his hand with her free one.

"Stop! Let go! We have to help her!" The last thing she had seen was Kisame's back blocking Erin from view.

"IRUKA! LET ME-"

"It's too dangerous, Amanda! We need more help!"

"NO!" Amanda broke from her sensei's grasp and made her way back to the water. Iruka had gotten her much farther away than she had first thought. 'Come on, come on! Faster!' Amanda never reached her destination. An all to familiar black-haired young man stood in her path and she skidded to a halt.

"Itachi… why?" Her blue eyes were wide and pleading. His crimson eyes were piercing and cold.

"I thought-"

"You thought wrong, Amanda." Itachi's voice was emotionless and chilling. Amanda's heart seemed to stab through her chest. Back in her own world, they had- or she thought they had- developed a tacit bond to each. He kept her safe and comforted, she accepted him for who he was.

While she was distracted with her thoughts, Itachi had activated his Mangekyuo Sharingan.

"Amanda, look at me." And of course, being the trusting girl she was, she did.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

A stray tear crawled down Amanda's pale cheek. Her voice cracked when she spoke.

"Erin, how could he do it?" When Amanda was brought to the hospital, she was on the verge of a literal mental breakdown; she refused to say what had happened to her. If she did it probably would have given her that final push over the line.

Glancing away for a moment, Erin tried to gather her thoughts without having a meltdown of her own. Knowing what had actually become of her friends was both a relief and a burden, especially since she knew the one painful fact that ate away at her; Itachi and Kisame had gotten away with their crimes. She still didn't understand what had caused such a horribly drastic change in the way the two Akatsuki members treated them. It irritated her.

"I don't know, 'Manda-cha." She admitted, looking back up and wiping the blonde's few tears away with her sleeve. "But I do know that we've got to do something, fast. We could really be killed here if we aren't careful." She spoke as gently as she could, carefully hugging the younger girl.

Of course, other than training, there was much they could do.

Pulling away, Erin slid another parcel out of her jacket pocket and set it on Amanda's lap. "I got these for all three of us… I hope you like it." Not knowing what else to say to console her friend, she stood up to leave.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

"Wha…what'd you mean? What's wrong with them?" Erin asked quietly, trying desperately not to panic. It wasn't working out too well.

Kakashi stood, leaving the book he was reading on the floor. "Can you stand?" he asked, still remaining calm under the circumstances. Erin glanced up at him, fear clear in her hazel eyes as she nodded a little and eased herself onto her feet. Her balance was a bit questionable, but she was up. Nodding, the jounin waved to the other people in the room and motioned for her to follow him as he left.

Obediently, she trailed after him. There was an awful feeling in her stomach that wouldn't let her be as she followed him the short distance to the medical compound. God, she hoped her friends were alright; not dying or in need of amputation or any other horrible thing that she didn't wish to think about. Sighing, she glanced sidelong at the young man walking in front of her. Part of her wanted to start a conversation, but she knew her voice would be shaking and she was afraid that she'd be sick if she opened her mouth.

After some thought, she took a deep breath. "Um… Kakashi-sensei? Sir?" Just as she'd suspected, her voice trembled with her fear.

Kakashi glanced back at her with the one eyes he always let show. "You can just call me Kakashi- you're not my, student after all." He stated politely, probably sensing her panic.

She lowered her head a little. "Force of habit, sorry… But… I was hoping you could warn me as to what condition my friends are in…" She felt herself choke a little, but pressed on. "Just so I'm not hit too hard, or surprised by anything."

"You're very insightful." He told her almost approvingly. "Well…" Turning his gaze back to the road, he began to explain. "Bryanna was… in a coma when we brought her to the compound, and Amanda seemed to be a little out of touch with her surroundings. She moved when we asked her to, but didn't say a word and was unresponsive to anything we said or did. She had a small wound on her arm, but nothing too serious." Stopping in front of the door to the medically compound, her turned to look at her.

Erin registered everything he said, trying not to picture her best friend in a coma or her hyperactive friend not talking in the sugar-induced rush that she'd thought was so much fun. She wiped her eyes on the back of one bandaged arm, carefully pulling on her tan hooded jacket over her bandages. Her legs ached and her left shoulder throbbed painfully. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." She murmured quietly, following him into the hospital without another word.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

She stopped with her hand on the door. "Amanda," She said quietly, glancing back at the younger girl. "I have been training…I learned the Chidori, and…when the time comes, I plan on challenging those bastards." Her tone was determined, even tinted with anger. "If they're going to be unmerciful, then we will too."

Slowly, Amanda looked down at the package that had been placed on her lap. In her mind she was registering the simplest of commands; pick up, open. She did. She felt the cool metal of the key against her palm before she actually identified it as a key. The chain told her it was a necklace; put on, her brain told her. With just a ghost of a smile, she turned her gaze to Erin by the door and was able to, for the most part, listen as she spoke. By the time Erin finished, it seemed that somewhere, a small piece of Amanda's former self had found its way back. Her voice carried emotion, but cracked when she spoke.

"Th-thank you, Erin." Amanda placed a weak hand over the key, some light returning to her eyes before fading again into dullness. She looked back to the window as another memory reared its ugly head.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Amanda's shaky figure lay crumpled on the ground, trying to breathe heavily. Her eyes were 'grey' and distant, and she could only mentally panic when Itachi's sandals entered her line of vision. 'Oh God no…' She thought desperately. 'Please…not again…' For what felt like a lifetime, Amanda had been ensnared in Itachi's genjutsu. The only thing keeping her from breaking down completely were the thoughts of her friends and family she may never see again. She just needed something real to hold on to…but after everything that she'd been through, nothing seemed real anymore.

Itachi's sinister chuckle tore through Amanda's mind. She wanted to leap at him, to scream at him, to just shut him up. But she knew she couldn't. The last thing she remembered was Itachi's back, leaving her. Leaving her there to die…leaving her alone.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Amanda's eyes glazed over, and her voice took on a high-pitched, airy tone.

"Erin?"

"Yeah?"

The mentally unstable blonde was silent for a moment.

"Erin…train hard."

Smiling a little bit, Erin nodded. "I will. You get better soon, okay?" She said softly, waving a little and leaving the room.

The teenager waited until she was outside of the medical compound to sit down, curl up into a tight ball and start sobbing. What else could go wrong?

End Chapter 1

Notes: Wow…that was…intense…? I'm not entirely sure how to categorize that. Well, like I said before, if there are any questions as to what the heck is going on, go right ahead and ask them. That's what the review button is for!

There isn't a lot more to say, except that the next chapter could take awhile. Hope you're satiated with this one! Enjoy!