"I'm late! I'm late!"
cried the rabbit as he glanced
at his pocket watch, with that said
he quickly jumped into the rabbit hole
and disappeared into the darkness..."
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
CHAPTER ONE
-Into The Rabbit Hole-
Dark.
Why is it so dark?
"Heart rate accelerating."
Who said that?
"Breathing increasing."
Where am I?
"Blood pressure rising!"
Who am I?!
"Quickly! Inject the serum!"
W-why...
It-it h-hurts!
"Sir, the serum's reacting violently with the blood cells!"
B-burning...
I-I'm burning!
"Then hurry up and inject the xt-41001!"
What's going on...?
"Sir, heart rate returning to normal."
It doesn't hurt anymore but-
"Breathing at a normal pace."
Why do I feel so-?
"Blood pressure decreasing."
Sleepy...
"Sir, the subject has calmed down and is currently in full health."
"Good."
So sleepy...But I want to see-
"With this..."
Who...?
"We can have..."
...Red eyes.
"Our wonderland."
Cold red eyes.
"Isn't that right...?"
So tired...
"Alice."
Darkness.
-- -- ♠ -- --
"Kisame! Give me the report on Alice's current condition."
"Yes boss. Alice has woken up several times this week yet it has not fully gained conscious yet. Alice will be able to summon Kyuubi again in a week or so."
Red eyes narrowed dangerously and growled, "Not good enough! I want Alice up and ready to summon by tomorrow! Do you understand!"
"B-but sir-" Kisame stuttered as he stumbled backwards.
"No buts! Go prepare Alice. We're going to summon Kyuubi tomorrow at dawn. Now leave!"
"Ye-yes sir!" With that said Kisame rushed out the door.
Silence filled the room and the lone figure moved towards his desk and pulled out a folder marked 'ALICE'.
"Soon, my little Alice. Soon..."
Darkness engulfed the figure leaving only a pair of glowing red eyes.
-- -- ♦ -- --
"The boss demands that Alice be ready to summon by dawn tomorrow!"
"B-but that's impossible! He-he's not read-"
"Well the boss doesn't care whether that thing is ready or not!"
Why do I hear people arguing?
Why are they fighting?
"Look, Alice is not stable right now and it'll be a hazard if we release it."
They're arguing about...me...?
"We have the force field up, what does it matter then!"
"That's not the problem! The problem is that if Alice can't handle the summoning then we would have to sedate it again and it would be asleep for at least a month!"
Summoning...Kyuubi...
"I don't give a damn! The boss wants Alice summoning tomorrow so just wake the damn thing up!"
Wake me up...?
But I'm not asleep...
I'm awake...
I'm awake...
I'M AWAKE!
Alarms started to sound and sirens went off, the whole room shook violently.
"W-what's going on?!!" Screamed Kisame trying to regain his balance.
"S-sir! Alice is waking up a-and trying to summon Kyuubi!" One of the scientists in the lab stuttered while leaning over the monitor trying to stabilize himself.
"WHAT?! THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" Screeched the man who just a few seconds ago was arguing with Kisame. He rushed over to the main panel and tried to shut down Alice. The tube containing Alice glowed brightly and after a few seconds the glow faded and all was still.
"W-what was that..." Kisame looked at Alice in wonder.
Suddenly the tube exploded and glass shards went flying into the air piercing those unlucky scientists who didn't take cover in time. A crimson streak of light appeared from within the tube and blasted the wall creating a gigantic hole. Smoke and dust rose and covered the entire lab blocking their visions.
"Where's Alice?!" Yelled a voice from within the smoke accompanied by a few coughs.
"Fuck!" Kisame swore, "Find it! Don't you dare lose that thing! The boss will have your heads"
Panic arouse among the scientists as they blindly searched for Alice. Minutes passed until the dust finally settled, the tube which held Alice was destroyed. The wires were ripped and fried, sparks flew everywhere and Alice was no where to be found...
-- -- ♣ -- --
ALICE'S POV
I regained conscious and looked at my surrounding, a dark empty yet clean alleyway with no sign of human life.
'Master, are you alright?'
At first the voice startled me but I soon registered the voice.
Kyuubi...
I smiled softly as I moved into a more comfortable position rather then lying on the cold ground.
'I'm fine Kyuu-kun.'
He purred in my mind, apparently satisfied with my answer. I shivered slightly when a cold draft blew my way.
'Kyuu-kun,' I asked quietly, ' Where are we...?'
I clutched my legs close to me and rested my buried my head between them.
'Do not fear young master, for we have escaped from them.' He hissed angrily at the mention of their captures. After he calmed down he continued softly 'I'm sorry master, but I'm low on energy and can no longer keep up my physical body. Please stay here and remain safe while I regain my energy.'
'Thank you Kyuu-kun.' I smiled softly 'Please rest well. You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine.'
'Of course master.' With that said I felt him go into a deep slumber.
"Thank you." I whispered again. Lifting my right hand over my stomach, over the seal that connected me to Kyuubi. Slowly my world became black.
IRUKA'S POV
"Whaa...Who knew it'd rain this much." Iruka rushed down the street deeply regretting on not bringing an umbrella. When he left his house, it had only been a drizzle and now it's down pouring.
He attempted to shield his head from the rain with a newspaper he just bought.
'Oh what's the point.' Iruka sighed looking down at his wet clothes. Spotting a recycling bin he threw the soggy newspaper in. Sighing again he continued home, this time walking instead of running seeing as how his clothes were already wet. Suddenly a car rushed by splashed him with rain water.
"This day just gets better and better doesn't it." He muttered bitterly. Looking at his grocery bag, he started to wish he had a giant grocery bag to cover himself with. Giggling at the thought he turned a corner, and stopped in shock at the sight in front of him.
There huddled in the alleyway was a small figure. The gender of the child was unidentified but Iruka guessed that it was a girl seeing how small and slender she was.
'She's going to get sick if she keeps sitting here.'
Iruka approached the girl until he was in front of her. Kneeling down he said in a gentle, soft voice.
"You shouldn't be sitting in the rain like this. You'll catch hypothermia…"
The girl visibly tensed when she heard his voice but still did not lift her head.
"It's also not safe out here. Where are your parents?"
The girl still not saying a word remained still.
Iruka sighed but decided to try once more.
"Are you hungry? Would you like some food?"
The girl remained quiet but a loud rumble from her stomach answered him.
Iruka laughed," I see you are hungry. Why don't you come with me, my house is not far from here. After we get some food into you, we'll see about finding your parents."
Slowly the girl raised her head revealing two beautiful orbs of blue. She stared at him for a while before slowly nodding her head.
Iruka gently smiled and started to get up and walk away hopping that she would follow, and follow she did.
On the whole way back to Iruka's house the girl stuck to following him from behind. When he slowed down she slowed down, when he stopped she stopped, until finally they had reached their destination.
Iruka led the girl into a 3 story tall apartment and up the stairs until they reached the third floor. They walked to the end of the hall where a single door stood with the number 303. Iruka took out his keys and opened the door revealing a small but cozy apartment.
"Well this is it. It's not much but it's enough."
The girl stood in the doorway and peered curiously inside. Her eyes followed Iruka as he moved towards the kitchen to unpack his groceries.
"Come on in. Don't be nervous. Why don't you go take a shower first and get dried while I'm making us something to eat." Iruka kindly suggested looking at her with warm eyes.
The girl hesitantly walked in and approached Iruka slowly keeping her eyes on the floor.
Iruka pointed around the corner and said, "The bathroom is the last door down the hall. There should be clean t-shirts on the rack, so help yourself to one."
The girl nodded and disappeared around the corner. After a while of silence Iruka started to worry. He approached the bathroom and knocked on the door.
"Are you alright in there?"
Silence.
So he tried again, "Can you put your clothes on? I'm coming in."
He waited a minute then opened the door. In the middle of the bathroom stood the fully clothed wet dripping girl. She stared at him then back at the shower.
Iruka blinked then realizing the problem. "Do you not know how to open the shower?"
The girl shook her head.
Iruka mouthed a 'oh' before walking to the shower. He turned the water on making it just the right temperature then turned to the girl. "Okay the waters ready, the soap is over here, and the clean t-shirts and shorts are over there."
The girl looked at him and nodded as if to say thank you.
"Your welcome." He smiled and left he bathroom but not before grabbing a dry towel to dry himself with.
Iruka returned to the kitchen after hearing the sound of running water and the rustling of clothes.
-- -- ♥ -- --
Iruka set down the bowel of steaming ramen just as the girl stepped into the kitchen.
"Come, sit down and eat." Iruka gestured towards the empty seat. "I'll be taking a shower now so you go ahead and eat first." He smiled and walked to the bathroom.
The girl slowly moved towards the seat and stared at the bowel trying to study it. Then she reached out her hand and touched it only to hiss and pull back in pain, for the bowel was hot. Her stomach grumbled again in hunger. She looked around hoping to find something to help her eat the food without being burned. She turned to the two sticks beside her bowl.
'Maybe these will work.'
Maneuvering a stick in each hand she carefully lifted a single string of noodle and moved it into her mouth. She slurped it up happily, proud that she had found a way to eat the delicious food. Then she continued to eat this way until Iruka came back into the kitchen.
Iruka tried to refrain himself from giggling at the sight of the girl balancing a single strand of noodle on her chopsticks.
"That's not how you hold chopsticks." He started approaching the girl. He took another pair of chopsticks and said, "This is how you hold chopsticks."
The girl stared at his hand in wonder and copied his action.
Iruka settled in the seat across form her and took his own bowl of noodles and began to ear. The girl followed his example and began to slurp up her noodles as well.
After finishing his noodles Iruka turned to the girl who finished hers as well.
"So…Can you tell me any information about your parents? So I can tell them your safe?"
The girl lowered her head and whispered softly, "I don't have parents."
The kitchen became silent.
"What about your relatives or guardians?"
The girl paused as if to think about her answer, "No."
Iruka sighed, "Well then I guess we'll have to go down to the police station tomorrow and sort this out. With the authorities"
The girl froze at the word authorities, her eyes filled with fear.
"NO! PLEASE! DON'T SEND ME BACK THERE! PLEASE!"
Iruka shocked at her outburst tried frantically to calm her down.
"Don't worry! I won't send you to the authorities! Please calm down!"
The girl collapsed on the floor burying her face in her hands.
"Sorry." She whimpered.
"It's alright. Just calm down." Iruka grasped her hands and pulled them away from her face.
'Whiskers? No wait they're scars…' Iruka stared the three whisker-like scars on each side of her cheeks.
The girl let out another whimper which drew Iruka out of his thought. Realizing he was clutching her hand too tight he quickly let go. "I'm sorry!"
The girl whispered pleadingly, "Please don't send me to the authorities…Please don't send me back to them…"
"Alright then...I guess you can stay with me for a while. But I don't think you can stay for too long."
"Do you not like me...?" The girl whispered and lowered her head.
Iruka panicked afraid that he made the girl sad. "N-NO! Of course not! It's just that I don't think a young girl like you will feel comfortable living with a grown man like me."
The girl blinked then slowly said, "I'm a boy."
Iruka gawked at the girl now boy which made the boy squirm in discomfort.
"Um...I'm not a girl, I'm a boy." He whispered again this time snapping Iruka out of his daze.
"Ah! I'm sorry!! It's just that you look so much like..." Iruka trailed off, a blush stained his face. Shaking his head he cleared his voice and asked, "So what's your name?"
The blond boy shuffled under Iruka's gaze, hesitating before answering, "I don't have a name..."
Iruka feeling sympathy for the boy decided not to ask anymore questions.
"So then would you mind if I gave you a name? Something to call you by. But though I warn you, I don't have the best naming sense."
The blond nodded eagerly, a small smile graced his face.
"Okay then," Iruka started, looking around for anything that might give him ideas for a name. His gaze lingered on the kitchen table and stopped on the bowels of empty ramen.
"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."
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A/N: I apologize for the OOC-ness of this fic. But they will get into character as the plot progresses.