**Chapter one**
It was like any other day Shannon spent at the mall – she was helping in her mother's shop and, like usual, was sent down at lunch to fetch something for herself and her mother from the food court.
There was a gaming convention in the centre court of the mall, so naturally it was packed. Shannon dodged and weaved through the crowd with practiced ease, twisting and turning with the flow of people and thoroughly enjoying herself.
Shannon paused in the shelter of a doorway to one of the staff lounges to catch her breath. Weaving through crowds like that was always tiring, and she needed a moment to get her bearings in the throng of people. She whipped her shoulder-length brown hair into a messy ponytail and prepared to dive back into the milling crowds.
She was stopped short by a gentle tap on the shoulder. Turning around, Shannon was greeted by the grinning face of her best friend, Ashley.
"Hey! Didn't expect to see you here during a game convention of all things," Shannon laughed, embracing her friend.
Ashley wrinkled her nose and grinned. "I may not like games, but it's always fun scoping out the competition for my brother." She paused for a moment, her grin widening. "Especially when he's paying a hundred bucks an hour."
Ashley certainly wasn't the gaming type, and her appearance gave that much away – her long red hair was loose, fanning over her shoulders, big silver hoops dangled from her ears, and as per usual, her make-up was flawless.
Shannon herself didn't particularly like make-up, and thus never wore much of it at any given time – the most she ever felt comfortable with wearing was mascara and eye liner.
"You'd make a bit of a conspicuous spy, Ash," Shannon said with a wink, folding her arms and scrutinizing her friend's clothing, taking in her black heels, electric blue skinny jeans and white dress shirt.
"You, on the other hand, would fit right in," Ashley retorted, pulling a tongue at her friend.
Shannon – skater extraordinaire, soccer player, computer geek and avid manga, anime, science fiction and gaming fan - looked down at her attire of powder blue high-tops, black skinny jeans with chains looped through the belt holes and a sleeveless white band shirt. She shrugged. "They call me a tomboy for a reason, smartass."
"Even so," Ashley smirked, draping an arm over Shannon's shoulders, "you attract more than enough attention from the opposite sex."
Shannon scoffed and rolled her eyes at the red-head. "Only you would say something like that, you closet pervert."
"Hey! I'm just telling it like it is!" Ashley held her hands up in a gesture of defence. "But enough about that, why don't you come with me to the food court and grab something to eat? I haven't seen you in weeks!"
"Sure, I was just on my way there anyway," Shannon agreed with a laugh, pulling Ashley with her in to the dense crowd.
It was a little while later, when Shannon and Ashley were heading back through the crowds towards her mother's shop, that The Event happened. The Event that would set everything in motion.
Shannon was weaving through the crowds like she normally did, brushing past people without even so much as a second glance, when she smacked into something solid. And warm. And as she looked up to apologize to whoever she had walked into, something that in all reality should not have been there.
Shannon's apology died on her tongue when she caught sight of the silver hair slicked back from a pale face high above her own. And she died a little inside when she saw the glint in those cruel magenta eyes.
"Uh…" she stuttered, not really believing what she was seeing. "Sorry about that…"
Shannon was still rooted in place, seemingly held there by the power of those pink eyes alone and the fear that coursed through her veins at the sight of them, so it was quite inevitable that Ashley walked straight into her.
"Shannon!" she whined, "Move, will ya!"
"Shannon, huh?" the pink-eyed man sneered, looking down at the two girls.
Shannon swallowed nervously. Her thoughts were in turmoil. What the hell was Hidan – a fictional character – doing here?
"I think," he continued, smirking, "you might just be the person I'm looking for."
Shannon really didn't like the look in Hidan's eyes. It was nothing to do with the fact that he was technically supposed to only be a drawing on a piece of paper and everything to do with the fact that the look in his eyes boded no good will for either of the teenage girls in front of him.
She laughed nervously and latched onto Ashley's wrist. "I think you might have the wrong Shannon, sorry," she smiled apologetically and tugged Ashley behind her as she disappeared into the crowd before Hidan could even reply.
"No, I think you're specifically the one I want," he chuckled darkly and pursued the girl through the mass of people.
"Shannon! Slow down, what's the rush?" Ashley whined, trying in vain to free her wrist from her friend's vice-like grip.
But Shannon wasn't listening - the only thing she was concerned with was getting as far away from the Akatsuki member as possible. She glanced over her shoulder and instantly regretted it. He was coming after them, still grinning with that malicious intent in his eyes. She doubled her speed and focused on moving with more agility through the crowds. Hidan seemed to be at a disadvantage due to his larger build and had resorted to trying to roughly shove people out of his way.
"Shannon! Are you even listening to me?" Ashley managed to pry her hand away from Shannon and pulled her to a stop behind a potted plant. "What's the matter?"
Shannon peered around the leafy appendages of the large plant. They seemed to have lost Hidan, for the moment. She took a deep breath and looked at Ashley, frowning. She had no clue how to explain this.
"You know that Japanese stuff I'm always watching and reading?" she began, wringing her hands nervously and peering out from behind the plant every couple of seconds to make sure they hadn't been spotted.
"Yeah?" Ashley responded slowly, not really sure where this conversation was headed.
"Well…I don't really know how to say this…but I think one of the bad guys from Naruto is following me," she whispered conspiratorially, her frown deepening.
"Following you?" Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it's not just one of those cosplay freaks we see around here sometimes?"
"Positive," Shannon groaned, running a hand over her face. "He's the real deal, and he does not look friendly."
Now it was Ashley's turn to peer out from behind the plant. "How is that even possible?"
"I have no clue, but it isn't good," Shannon motioned for Ashley to follow her back into the crowd.
"How do you know he's after you?" the red head asked her friend as they wove though the dense throng of people, making their way at a doubled speed back to Shannon's mom's store.
"I'll explain to you at mom's shop, I don't want to stay out in the open with that creep around here," Shannon shuddered, thinking back to the show Hidan originated from. "And if one of them is here, there's bound to be more lurking around somewhere."
Shannon could have sworn she heard Ashley audibly gulp.
Epic Author's note
I've always believed that one of the signs of a good author is a solid, engaging author's note. This is my first attempt at such a thing, so if it sucks, you all have my sincerest apologies and I vow to do better in the next one. Alright, here we go...
This is my first fanfic, and this idea sort of just seized hold of my brain and refused to let go of the poor battered organ until it was written out. This is an AU fic, seeing as it takes place on good 'ol planet Earth during the Apocalypse, of all things. I'm a cruel, twisted soul. I know. If anyone is interested in being a beta reader for this story, please let me know :) And I'm eager and willing to improve on any faults anyone may find, so reviews are major love :D
Right, now that's out of the way...the Majorly Intimidating Disclaimer must follow.
I own nothing, save for Shannon (bless her heart), Ashley, and any other OC's that may feature in this here story. This Majorly Intimidating Disclaimer holds true throughout the entire story.
Naruto and all characters associated with it belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Boring details aside, READ AND ENJOY
...and don't forget to review
