Hello, and welcome to Reality Check!

I won't reveal too much as of yet, but please note that this story will be rated Mature eventually, though probably not for a while. This chapter is pretty tame. I will put warnings on any chapters that aren't, however, so reading these author notes might be a good idea as the story progresses.

Thank you so much for reading! I do hope you enjoy.

~xXx~

Great, heaving coughs tore at her lungs and throat as she fought to expel the sickeningly sweet-smelling smoke that clung to the air, thick and viscous. Much to her lungs' delight, however, the vapors dissipated fairly quickly, though her chest still felt as though someone had taken a sledgehammer to her ribs. She drank in the fresh oxygen that had replaced the smog in an attempt to relieve the pain, eyes wide and searching as the air cleared.

It appeared as though she were in a bedroom, though one not her own. She was certain that she had fallen asleep in her own bed the night before, but... she was also certain that she did not have this many posters of, nor any copies of, a manga by the name of "Kanashi Yajū". Whoever this bedroom did belong to, they were quite obviously obsessed. Not that she was one to talk, with how much Naruto paraphernalia she had littering her apartment.

She blinked once or twice, hoping to redirect her thoughts to more pressing matters (like what the hell was going on and why), and sat up from her hunched position as the ache in her chest began to fade. A weight she hadn't even noticed previously then shifted against her left thigh, drawing her gaze to the unconscious form that rested beside her. She jerked in surprise, dropping the person's head- which had been using her upper thigh as a pillow- upon the hardwood flooring with a sickening thud. They barely stirred.

She gaped.

Had she been kidnapped by this person? Or with this person? Were they in danger, or was this stranger the danger? Why were they sleeping? Had they been drugged? Had she been drugged?! Was that what that smoke was?!

Though hyperventilating would certainly not help the situation- nor her sore lungs- she could not help but do exactly that. Her sight blurred as she grew lightheaded, the oxygen that had previously been such a relief now feeling far too thin to breathe. Fear crept into her heart and sank vicious claws into her mind, cruel and unyielding.

One, two, three...

She sucked in a shaky breath, fingers tapping the hardwood floor beneath them absentmindedly.

One, two, three...

Tap. Tap. Tap. The familiar rhythm soothed her, calming her nerves and clearing her mind. She could not panic now, not while she still had no clue what was going on. Four questions were in need of immediate answer, which would hopefully clarify the situation.

One, where was she?

Two, how had she gotten there?

Three, why was she there?

And four, who was the person next to her?

She pushed herself up, wobbling slightly on her feet as her head spun with vertigo. A headache settled into the back of her skull, throbbing out an irritating pattern that was difficult to ignore. She tried anyway, moving towards the door on silent feet. Twisting the doorknob slowly, she was pleased to find it unlocked, and opened it just wide enough for a single eye to see through.

A darkened hallway and some dimly illuminated stairs were all that was visible, a few other doors scattered here and there. It looked like a normal house from what she could see, though that meant very little. Who knew what was behind those doors?

Widening the gap, she was just about to slip through when she heard a door open down below. She shrank back, crouching even as she continued to hold the door open just the slightest bit, listening carefully.

"Tadashi?" A distinctly feminine voice called, echoing through the otherwise silent house. There was the sound of shoes being removed and set down, followed by quiet footsteps moving towards the stairs. "Tadashi, I'm home! Sorry I'm late, a couple Genin came in at the end of my shift and needed some stitching up from their first C-rank."

The girl flinched back as the woman began to ascend the stairs, nearly tripping over the prone form of her unconscious companion in her haste. She wondered vaguely if they were this "Tadashi" person the woman was looking for, even as she searched frantically for a place to hide. The bed was too low the the ground, and beneath the desk was far too open and visible. It seemed the closet was her only option, and she leapt for it with desperation, the woman's footsteps growing ever closer.

"Tadashi?" The woman called once again, concern lacing her tone as she poked her head into the room. Having just barely made it into the closet in time to avoid detection, the girl worked to steady her breathing, peering out at the room warily. The woman, she noticed, had the same mint-green hair and pale skin as the person on the floor. Was she their sister? Mother? "Tadashi!" The woman cried out, spying the unconscious form on the floor.

She rushed in, scooping "Tadashi" into her arms and setting them carefully upon the bed. Her hands fluttered around, panicky but well-practiced in their movements as they checked for a pulse and a fever. Whatever she found relieved her, though she was still quite tense.

"What have you done to yourself this time, stupid son?" The woman whispered sadly, confirming the girl's suspicions of her motherhood. It was also nice to know that this Tadashi character was male, since it gave her an extra clue as to who exactly he was, though it did bring up the question of why she was in a boy's bedroom.

The woman shifted, obstructing the girl's view of everything except her back and Tadashi's face, though it was obvious from the movement of her shoulders that her hands were still dancing desperately over the boy.

"Chakra exhaustion." Tadashi's mother muttered, nearly too quiet for the girl to hear. She was obviously quite frustrated with her diagnosis, though she continued to treat the boy with gentle hands. The girl narrowed her eyes, confused. Was chakra exhaustion even real? She hadn't thought so, but apparently this woman did. Surely, though, if chakra had been a part of the Evolution Revolution, it would've been announced with all the others?

Her train of thought was soon derailed, however, as Tadashi's eyelids began to quiver. Another moment, and they sprung open, stunning the girl with the vibrant silver irises that they revealed. Her awe only lasted a moment, however, replaced by a bolt of terror as the boy managed to form a single word.

"Sayuri..."

~xXx~

Thank you for reading the first chapter of my Naruto fanfic! Hopefully this one lasts longer than my other one... I grew pretty sick of the idea pretty fast. But this idea's been stuck in my head for years now. I just hope I can write it eloquently enough to make it interesting!

Feel free to leave reviews! I will try to read every comment, and reply to them whenever possible. Any support is much appreciated, even if it's a critique- so long as it's a useful one. Any rude or ignorant comments, however, will be promptly deleted.

Thirdly, this story is mostly a copy-paste from my Wattpad account, though the author notes might be a little different. I will be uploading chapters here on only once a week, but to Wattpad much more frequently. If you can't wait for the next chapter, please head over to Wattpad! I have the same username over there, so it'll probably be pretty easy to find me.

Until next time,

The Monochrome Dragon