Hello ALL! This is my first fanfic, so reviews would be greatly appreciated. The first chapter might seem a bit long, but the rest of the story will make more sense if you read it... SO PLEASE! Don't let me hinder you and bore you and make you leave... I do not own Naruto or any characters of the Naruverse.

I woke up screaming again. It was getting more and more frequent, and I didn't really understand what was going on, but it happened. When it first began, I waited for a concerned parent to come through the door. To worry about me, fret about me, hold me. To tell me everything was going to be alright. But I've given up on that. I've never really understood why kids whose parents loved them and adored them always complained. Anything's better than what I've got going.

I yawned and stretched my legs out. Blurry details still reel through my mind. A booming voice, fire, people running. I quickly dismiss all of them. Dreams aren't real. I've dreamed for around a decade that my real parents were actually somewhere else, and that for some reason they weren't able to come and get me. That one day, by some miracle, that they'll appear at my front door and sweep me of my feet. They'd be a king and a queen. They used to always be kings and queens, and I was their little princess. But those were dreams. And no matter how much I dream, I can't escape the cold truth of reality.

I got out of my bed and decided that I would go and get a glass of milk. As I went downstairs, I decided two things: That my hair was too long, and that I was going to cut it soon. I had always had a love-hate relationship with my hair. It was all the way down to my knees, and was a deep, dark black. Not like one of those blacks that when you look in the sun it's revealed to be actually a brown; but a black that is as black as a crow's wing. Now that I think of it, we have a lot in common, crows and I. The blackness of our hair/feathers, the sound of our voices, the crooked straightness of our noses. My skin was a deep tan, a deep brown that my grandmother would call "Milk chocolate with a touch of dark mixed in". I was one of those "akward teens", who neither looked right nor talked right. At 15, it seems that I still have a long way to go.

I reach the fridge and open the door. I look inside at the miserable contents: a couple of pieces of wrapped American Cheese, some buttermilk, rice, and a sad little container of yesterday's tofu stir fry. No milk. Looks like I have to go shopping again. I sighed and reached for the container of tofu. Might as well have some reward for the journey I had undertaken. I looked at the clock that hung above the oven. 1 AM. If I didn't go to sleep I wouldn't be able to go to school tomorrow. But what was the point? I'd still have that dream.

I finish my stir fry and went back up to my bedroom. One bed, one desk, one closet. That was all that there was in it. That was all that I needed. I closed my eyes and after some time fell into a deep slumber. It was the first dreamless one I had had in months.

...

Sun was shining in my eyes. I groaned as I forced myself up, and threw my legs over the side of the bed. The alarm clock said it was 6 AM. I had over an hour and half to get ready for school, but all my tiredness had been sucked away from my body. I reached for my glasses that were next to the alarm clock, in front of the picture of my grandmother and I. It was the only picture I had of us together, standing in front of the temple in India that she loved so much. I used to love visiting India, where all my crazy cousins and aunts and uncles lived. But after my grandma died, it had just lost all of it's magic. I haven't been there in three years, and I haven't kept in touch with anybody over there. I know I should, but I just don't care enough.

I stare at the piles of neatly finished homework that lie on my desk. One day I just want to burn all my notebooks and papers, but the Indian in me is just too...Indian to let that happen. I grabbed them and stuffed them into my backpack and took it all downstairs. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, which is another wierd thing only Indian people do. Brush their teeth before breakfast. After doing so, I began on the most difficult task of my day: brushing my hair.

It's okay when you first start, lightly combing over it to get any overhead tangles. But it gets very difficult, not to mention painful, when you start to push the comb deep into the hair, uncovering tangles that you wouldn't think would exist. For the hundredth time of my life, I told myself I was going to cut it. I finally finished combing it after what seemed like an hour, and tied into a signature braid with a red ribbon at the bottom. I then went back upstairs, got dressed, and ate my breakfast. Finally, I went out the door to catch the bus.

You know those days when even you forget your birthday, and someone had to remind you? Well, this was one of them. As soon as I left the house, I nearly tripped over a weird little brown box. On top of it was a manila envelope that had only one letter on it. My name, Rini, in very fancy writing. I decided to look at it right then, and went back inside with it.

I opened the envelope first. Inside was a plain, white paper that had a gold embroidery at the edges, and a key with a necklace poked through it. I took out the paper and unfolded it. The contents went something like this: My Love, Happy Birthday. That was it. Now, this was a mind boggling experience for the girl who had never even been asked on a date before, and even though she seemed like she didn't care about, she secretly wanted some handsome boy to come up to her and say "I love you." My Love? Just reading those words made my heart jump a little. And the fact that it said happy birthday. No one would remember my birthday if it were not for VisageLivre, the new social networking craze that has got everyone hooked. But no one would check that at 7:30 in the morning, or even earlier depending on who and when delivered this. I set the letter down and decided to take a closer examination at the key. It looked like one of the oldest keys in the world, like the one from the first book of Harry Potter. The one he had to catch on the broom as one of the exams to get to the sorcerer's stone? Yeah, that one. It had delicate symbols crafted into it's side, but they were hard to make out with all the rust covering it. It was supposed to be worn like a necklace, from the thin chain that went into a small hole that was poked at its top. I decided to put it on for the heck of it. Then, I turned my attention to the package.

It was a plain package, the wrapping held by a dark brown drawstring that was tied in a double knot at the top. After some difficulty, I managed to get the drawstring off, and inside was a small white box. When I touched the small white box, all the hairs on my body stood up on their end, as if a freezing wind had just passed by. Inside the box were the weirdest things ever: a large piece of empty white paper and a golden lotus attached to a headband. When I say "Golden Lotus" , I don't mean a lotus with golden petals; I mean a lotus made out of pure gold. Or what looked to be pure gold. It was a closed lotus, not an open like the ones you'd find on blossoming lily pads. But it was still beautiful. I picked up the piece of paper to examine it. Completely plain. How bizarre. Maybe it was supposed to be drawn on? Or maybe there was invisible ink on it? These were the things that were going through my head as I heard the bus pass my house and turn at the intersection.

...

"How did you get to school?"

"I walked."

"Wow, you're dedicated."

I sighed as I looked down at my paper bag lunch. It contained a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips, and a cookie. I wasn't feeling to good. I had my hand on my forehead, trying to keep the massive migraine I had in check. My best friend, Elle, was sitting across from me at the lunch table. Her dainty hands picked at the pizza she had for lunch, and her nose scrunched up as she saw how much grease was on it.

"This is so disgusting! How can they serve this to High Schoolers? I can already imagine one of my arteries clogging up! Don't you think, Rini? Rini? Oh my god! Rini!"

That was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

When I woke up, I wasn't in school anymore. I don't think I was in America, North America, or even Earth anymore. Everything was pitch black, but a weird black. Like the color of the night sky. And the weirdest thing, there were little dots of light, that looked just like stars, surrounding me. And if that were not bizarre enough, in a flash of light, a lady stood in front of me. She wore an elegant white dress that had a black sash tied around the waist. Her skin was the color of milk with the tiniest bit of cocoa mixed in. She had dirty blonde hair and eyes that were purple. Yes, purple. I'm starting to think I'm dead.

"W-who are you?" I manage to stammer out.

"My name is Aphena. I am a member of The Council." She said, her lips not moving as she said them.

"Council? Wha? Am I… Am I dead or something? I mean, I don't….I don't understand….."

"Shhhhh." She silenced me. "All will be explained soon enough. But I must tell you now, before it is too late, do not go home tonight. Instead, go to the abandoned factory near the pier. Many of the questions you ask may be answered."

She started moving farther and farther away from me. I tried to run to keep up with her, but to no prevail. The tiny lights started to surround me, and in a flash, I woke up in the Emergency Room. A worried Elle and some other people were staring at me.

"Oh my god! Rini! You're awake! You just passed out…and I….I…" Elle was cut short by a bout of crying. A doctor consolidated her by putting his arm around her shoulder, and another one got her some tissues.

"What time is it?" I asked, barely mumbling out my question.

"Around 9 PM. You were out for quite some time young lady." A nearby nurse replied.

I had been passed out for around nine hours? It sure didn't feel like nine hours when I was talking to that lady, if it ever really happened. I tried to sit up, but the nurse immediately pushed me down.

"No, No." She said in a motherly voice. "You're not ready for that yet. We think you might have gotten a mild concussion when you hit your head on the floor. Now, we have to take an MRI to confirm that and then we can start with some…."

Her voice trailed off, and then she let out an ear piercing shriek. I looked behind me, and noticed that the doctor that was consolidating Elle was not there anymore. Instead , there was an ugly…thing. Monster. Creature. Call it what you may, but it was definitely not human, or animal, or even plant. It resembled something from a horror movie. It was kind of smoky, and had deep red eyes. Eyes that looked hungry. It was holding a knocked out Elle with it's claws. It looked like it was going to come for me next.

I should have played hero. I should have tried to rescue Elle. I should have risked my life for the others. But I didn't instead, I did the only thing that came to mind. I ran.

...

It was around 11 PM when I reached the abandoned factory. The hospital was only around half a mile away from it, but that was not the problem. The problem was that those… things were everywhere. I didn't know what they were, but they had different sizes and shapes, some were fat, some were skinny, just like normal people. Except those things weren't people, and they definitely weren't normal. By the time I managed to get to the factory, I had had to hide in around ten trash cans, and sneak into three people's houses. Now, I smelled like death and felt even worse than death.

Why did I come here? That conversation was probably a stupid dream. But I guess it doesn't matter. Those things are everywhere anyways.

"Those things are called 'Tenebrae'."

I turn around, startled. It was that woman again, except now her brow was creased with worry, and her youthful face seemed decades older. Her purple eyes that were dancing with joy when I first met her had now become dark and sullen. She looked at me with a frown.

"It's you! You! It wasn't a dream! I mean, this can't be a dream, can it? Oh my… Wow. I don't know what to say." I say, not hiding my disbelief.

"You can begin with telling me how you got that key and lotus." She said, her expression still not amused.

"Uh… well you see… They were in a package addressed to me this morning. I didn't steal them or anything, I swear! I just… I don't know."

"What is wrong with your voice?" She asked, her face suddenly becoming a bit more bright.

"Huh?"

"You're voice. Why do you stammer and put so many incomplete sentences together? Are you not capable of even doing that?" I felt offended. And the last thing you want to do is make an Indian person who had gone through sleep deprivation and seen her friend being captured by a tene-whatever was to make her feel offended.

"What. The. Hell! I come here, going through all that trouble to come here, and you say I'm not capable? Well, you know what, you should look in the mirror, cause it seems you're not capable of putting on botax right, cause you look like you just aged a million years or something. And you know another thing? You…"

She laughed. It was a dainty laugh, the kind flirting princess would use to court the handsome prince. But for some reason, it seemed so right for her. And all of a sudden, she looked just as young before, her youth completely restored.

"You amuse me, young one. I have never met one such as you. Tell me, what is your name?"

"My name's Rini. What's going on? What are those things?" I asked in a hurry, pleased the conversation was finally getting somewhere.

"As I said before, my name is Aphena. I am a member of The Council, the highest power in all the universes in keeping the balance between them. Tell me, Little Rini, have you heard of the theory that there are parallel universes?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I've even thought about it once or twice, but what does that have to do with anything?" I said, not catching on where this conversation was going.

"What if I were to tell that it is completely true, and that there are various universes? That the very balance of things are being disrupted because of these creatures. You see, not only in your own, but in many have the Tenebrae shown. The Council and I have used to be able to keep them in check, but now, it is hard to keep up with both them and not letting rifts open in space and time. Please. I am begging you. We need your help."

I didn't know what to say. Partly because I still didn't know what was going on, but mostly because I was never in the position where an other worldly being had come to me for help before.

"These… Tenebrae… how are they created? Do they take over bodies, or do they just kill people?"

"Neither, I am afraid. They are the people. When the darkness of the heart overcomes that of the light, they become the creature, with no conscience, no emotions, no love. They become empty shells that have only one sole purpose: to serve their leader."

"Leader?"

"Yes. Her name is Aeterna. She is not only evil, but the incarnation of it in a humanly form. It is said she planted the seed of evil in the minds of the first beings, and ever since then, she has not stopped."

"So, she's the one who's turning people into these things?"

"Yes, essentially. It is a very complicated process, but I do not have time to explain much. "

"So what do you want me to do about all of this?" I asked, still uncertain on how I fit into this.

"You see, thousands of years ago, a similar predicament occurred. Aeterna seemed unstoppable, until her twin sister, Lucence, used the Key of Light to stop her. She sealed Aeterna away in a time seal, never to truly live, but never to die either. Recently, however, Aeterna escaped, and you have seen the results. But before Aeterna was sealed, she cast a spell on Lucence, capturing her into a stain glass window and breaking her."

"Oh no! Did she die?"

"Physically, yes. But her soul is still within those pieces. We thought that Aeterna was sealed, that we could just not look for the pieces, but we were wrong. And now we are ill-prepared for these events. Unfortunately, you're universe has the worst case for now. But, if you gather all the pieces of the glass window and resurrect Lucence, there may be a chance of saving all these people. Of saving your friend."

When I heard that last sentence, I nearly had a mental breakdown. Oh Elle. The girl who had been with me throughout the pain, the laughter, the craziness. The girl scout, the hopeless romantic, the one who always believed. The girl who had helped me through my parents. And how do I repay her? By running.

"What do I do?" I asked, sounding more determined than I actually was.

"The Key that you hang around your neck is know as a Transport Key. Every member of the council has one, but this is the first that one outside get hold of it. It allows you to travel through the dimensions through ease. That blank sheet of paper is supposedly a map of where the scattered pieces are located. It will reveal itself once you utter the word "aperio". The Golden Lotus is an indicator for when the Tenebrae are nearby, as it will open itself and start intermittently flashing light. The closer you get, the less intervals there are between the lights, until finally, it will grow completely once you encounter one. These are the only tools that I can give you, and I am very sorry for that."

My mind was reeling. Me? Saving not only my, but other universes? I couldn't. I really just couldn't. But Elle….

"Ok. I'll do it."

Aphena smiled. She pulled out the lotus and piece of paper from inside her dress, and handed them to me. She took out a key that was similar to the one I was wearing, but looking much nearer, and pressed it on the ground. Immediately, a large light blue gash appeared, with

"You should leave now. You don't have a minute to lose. People are counting on you."

"Wait! But what if something attacks me! I don't know any karate, or judo, or anything like that! I'm just normal!"

"You're key will have a self defense mechanism, and it will reveal itself to you in a time of need."

"But what if I need to talk to you?" I shouted, my voice barely being heard beyond the steady hum of the vortex that was right in front of me.

"I'll always be here for you." She said, giving a faint smile. "Now, jump!"

I looked down. It looked never ending and terrifying. Why am I doing this again? And then, an image of Elle flashed through my mind. I held my breath, closed my eyes, and jumped into the abyss below.

...

"Is she dead?"

"Of course not, you idiot! She's still breathing!"

"M-m-maybe she needs water?"

"Mmph." I mumbled

Suddenly, everything became quiet.

"She said something! She is alive!"

"That's what I've been telling you all along."

I stirred, barely listening to the argument. I tried opening my eyes, but they felt glued shut. Finally, with a lot of trouble, I managed to pry them open. Only to be found being stared at by a pink haired girl , a blonde hair boy with a loud voice, and a girl with clear colored eyes that looked like she was going to pass out. This is going to be a long day.

Thanks for reading! It'll get much more interesting, I promise. On that note, what other universes (TV shows, animes, cartoons, etc) would you like Rini to travel to? What pairings would you like to get together? I'm always open for ideas! So, Review. Please.