Summary: After a portal is made linking the Ninja world with your own, you find yourself a test subject in the underground organization known as Portal, run by the FBI and USA government in secret. Along with you, there are others, strangers who claim to be "ninja", who have been captured by the Akatsuki— a group of rebel ninja who are in league with Portal— and delivered to be tested on by the scientists in Portal. Soon after you awaken in a lab, you meet Sasuke— a young, dark boy who rarely talks— Naruto, Neji, Tenten, and Gaara. After Sasuke is badly wounded, you accidentally touch his wound, healing it instantly. What will you do, now that you've discovered these new found powers? And how'd you attain them? Could it have been the scientists doing? One thing's for sure: you all have to escape, and quick.

Chapter One: Taken

When you were a little girl your father would get into fights with your mother. It happened almost every time they saw each other, which wasn't often, maybe once or twice a week. This was because your mother worked for the government. At first, when you think back on those times, to your youngest memory, things were great. Mom was always around, and she and dad always got along. But then, she got called in one day, really late—they said it was an emergency. When she got back a few days later, she wouldn't tell dad what had happened, she told him that she couldn't. That's when dad got angry. Mom ended up in the hospital that night, and dad in jail. You were only five. After that, things got a little better, but it didn't last. Your mom began to get thinner, and more stressed—she rarely ate or slept when she would come home. Dad would try and be nice to her—he'd always tried real hard after being released from jail. But then, around the time you were eleven, mom stopped coming home. At that point, she'd only come home for only one or two days a week, but still, it was forty six hours of seeing her face. She didn't tell you that she wasn't coming back, not to your face. When you came home from school one day, you found the note she'd written explaining things lying on your pillow. "I'm so terribly sorry, my Darling… But what I am working on may decide the future of this world. I cannot say any more. One day, I hope you'll understand." After your dad had read the note, he went to the local bar. You were left alone to deal with it.

Your name is Ember. You are sixteen; your birthday was this past month. You used to live in London—you lived there ever since your mother left—but your dad got a job transfer to Boston last year. You have red hair and blue eyes, and your dad says your voice could take on Rihanna's and win. That's pretty much it. You like to read, and sketch. You have a small group of friends, but they're enough to get you through the school year. You're pretty much as boring as a person can get. You're the quietest kid in school… But hey, who cares, right? One thing you can't stand is blood—anything that has to do with doctors or cuts or scraps or breaks… You guess this might be because of your father always getting hurt: he's a professional daredevil, if there really is such a thing…

You were heading back to school today. It's the thirty first of August, which means that tomorrow school begins at Lily Valley Prep School. You have to take two planes and a train just to reach it. You've personally always enjoyed traveling to and from school—you like to look out the windows of the plane and train and sketch what you see. One time, last year, you sat next to a cute boy who attends another private school. He tried talking to you, but…you're quite, remember? The plane rides were uneventful today, unlike last year… But then, the train ride… You'd been on it an hour, reading a new book you'd gotten for your birthday. The sun was setting, which made it harder for you to read. You'd looked up out the window for a brief moment, trying to gauge how much longer the sunlight would last when it happened. A flash. You don't think anyone else noticed it, though you're not sure how it could be missed. Everything outside the train went white for a second, and then it all came back. Of course, you were a bit freaked out. And the next thing you know, someone had opened the door to your cabin, walked over to you, and plunged a needle into your neck. Everything sort of went blurry after that, and then you blacked out. And now, well, this is where the story begins…

What's… What's going on? I…can't move… Why can't I move…? Something is wrong… Sasuke opened his eyes, his vision slightly blurred. He groaned slightly, his head throbbing. What…? Where was he? Above, a dim light allowed Sasuke to faintly see his surroundings. The only problem was, he couldn't move. Gasping, Sasuke managed to crane his head back to find his wrists tied to the table with a strap. He was… lying on a table? Sasuke tried to move his legs, but found them in the same predicament as his wrists. Looking around the room as best he could, Sasuke saw that he was not alone. To the right of him, on another table, lay a girl about his age. Long red hair framed her heart shaped face—Sasuke couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. What am I thinking? Shaking his head, Sasuke took his attention from the unconscious girl and let out a breath, trying to remember what had last happened before he'd woken up here… He'd been doing nothing—leisure time—wandering through a forest. And then… then… Then what? Why is it so hard to remember? Again the throbbing pain in his temple was back, causing Sasuke to grimace. He'd been walking, and then… then he'd stopped. He'd heard something. And then there was that sudden pain in his neck. Then… darkness… Sasuke closed his eyes, the lighting making his head hurt even more. That pain in his neck… it'd reminded him of the time long ago when he'd been wounded by Haku's senbon. Sasuke strained against the straps, but found that it was no use. I have to escape. Struggling with all his might against the strap that bound his wrists, Sasuke focused his chakra, unintentionally remembering his training with Squad seven years ago. Ignoring the thought, he sent the chakra to his wrists. It seemed to work for a moment, as the bonds began to strain, but then—"Aaaagh!" Sasuke couldn't help the cry that escaped his lips. Back arching in pain, Sasuke was powerless as electricity rebounded through his body. It was gone as quickly as it had come, leaving Sasuke breathless. A small, gnawing thought, a pit in his stomach that alerted him to how much danger he truly was in, began to form. Teeth set, Sasuke again sent his chakra to his wrists, though this time he sent even more, and strained even harder to free himself from his bonds, and again he was electrocuted, only this time it was worse. Going limp, Sasuke let out a slow breath. There was no point in using any more of his chakra—he could not break free. There was something strange with the straps that bound him. In fact, there was something wrong about the place in general. His chakra was subdued. Not by much, but he could feel the extra effort that was needed to do things. Also, it seemed as if things were heavier than before, as if gravity had settled in a bit too much. Sasuke closed his eyes. Who had done this? What did they want with him?

Naruto shuddered and gasped. He'd been trying to break his bonds for what seemed like forever, but now it appeared that he was nearing his limit with chakra. Clenching his teeth, he tried once more, sending his chakra to both his wrists and ankles. "Aaaaughhh!" He cried as the electrical current ran through his body. He couldn't take much more of this… But he had to get free!

"Naruto, give it up already! You'll only hurt yourself more!"

Naruto growled, glaring over at Neji. "I don't care! We have to get out of here!"

"Yes, but that clearly isn't the way to do it!"

"Well, why don't you give it a try?" Naruto practically yelled, his wrists straining painfully against the straps that tied them.

Neji frowned. "I did, remember? It doesn't work, Naruto."

With a final struggle, Naruto let his wrists go limp. "Neji, what the hell is going on? Weren't we training with Tenten half an hour ago? How'd we get here?"

Neji shook his head. "More importantly, what do our kidnappers intend to do with us? We can assume that whoever's done this intends us harm."

Naruto glanced around the room again. It was all white and completely bare—save the tables he and Neji were lying on. There was a door just to the left of Neji, though as far as Naruto knew, it was locked. A shiver ran through Naruto suddenly as a thought struck him.… How many more people were trapped like them? And what did whoever had kidnapped them intend to do with them? "Hey, Neji. You don't think this is the Akatsuki's doing, do you—"

"Someone's coming!" Neji gasped, his head turned so that his eyes were on the door. As soon as the two had woken up, he had activated his Byakugan. Naruto swallowed, turning his head so that he too could see the door as it opened.

"So, they're finally awake, huh? Thank God, I've been waiting long enough! I was afraid I'd never get to do my research!"

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get this over with."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly as the two men walked into the room. White coats, a briefcase… What was this? The taller of the two, a man with a crooked nose and a scarred face, turned to glare at Naruto as the door swung shut behind him. The smaller one, the one with the briefcase, ignored his comrade and flicked his mousy eyes over the two ninja. His eyes slid first over Naruto—making the young ninja feel like he needed to take a bath—and then Neji. "This one." He said suddenly, walking over to stand beside Neji. "This one will do."

"G-Gaara?" Tenten whispered, her voice echoing slightly off the white walls. Beside her, Gaara lay motionless, still unconscious. Great, now what? Sitting up as best she could, Tenten examined the bare room, scanning Gaara's motionless form, the tables they were tied to, the white walls. Suddenly, her gaze passed over a strange object lying in one corner of the room. "Hm? Oh!" Tenten gasped, eyes locking onto the gourd that lay forlornly on its side. That's… that gourd is Gaara's… Tenten lay back, thinking. Gaara could control the sand within the gourd… perhaps that sand could aid them in getting free—

"What—?"

Tenten's gaze locked with Gaara's—he was awake. "Gaara?"

The sand ninja shook his head, wincing, and Tenten guessed that he was experiencing the same throbbing headache that she had when she'd first awoken. Gaara began to struggle with the strap that bound his wrists together. Tenten felt her heart drop as she remembered how she'd first tried to break her bonds with chakra. "Gaara, stop! If you try to break any of the straps with your chakra, it'll only electrocute you." Gaara paused, eyeing Tenten as if he was unsure if she was telling the truth. "I wouldn't lie to you!" Tenten said indignantly. Gaara closed his eyes for a moment, suddenly letting his body go limp.

"Alright then. So how do we get out of here?" He asked, gaze flicking back towards Tenten.

Despite her situation, the kuniochi smiled. "I have a plan." Gaara's eyebrow rose questioningly. "Gaara, your gourd is in the corner of the room." At this, the Kazekage's head snapped to the left, his gaze locking onto his gourd.

"What idiots these kidnappers are." He said, sand beginning to rise from the gourd. "I'd prefer them over the Akatsuki any day—this will be too easy to escape."

Tenten felt her breath catch in her throat as she remembered the long journey that she'd taken with her team as well as Naruto's in an attempt to rescue Gaara from the Akatsuki. This wasn't the first time he'd been kidnapped… Tenten's eyes found Gaara's sand, which was sailing towards him. As it drew closer, the sand changed directions abruptly, quickly wrapping itself around the strap that bound Gaara's wrists. "It's Tenten, right?" Gaara asked, eyes on the ceiling. "Was this your plan?" Tenten's eyes were watching Gaara's sand carefully—it had already encased the strap. Suddenly, Gaara's right hand opened. "Sand coffin!" Tenten gasped as a ripping sound echoed around the room. After a moment of silence, the sand surrounding the strap drained away, falling to the floor as Gaara released it. Slowly, he sat up, rubbing his wrists.

Tenten grinned. "Yes, that was my plan exactly." She gasped suddenly, craning her neck so that she could see her bound wrists as sand began to enclose the strap that tied them. Slowly, Gaara opened his right hand again.

"Stay still—this won't hurt."

Nodding, Tenten steadied herself, her heart beating loudly in her chest.

"Sand coffin!"

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded, glaring at the man who had just walked through the door. Bald, around the age of thirty five, with thick glasses and rather larger teeth, the man sneered at Sasuke, yet didn't speak. Instead, he reached into his white coat. "What do you want with me?" Sasuke growled, wrists straining against the strap. The man was uncomfortably close to the table that Sasuke lay on, still rummaging in his coat. Suddenly he drew out what he'd been searching for.

"Why should I tell you?" He grumbled, holding the incision knife up so that he could inspect it. Sasuke's eyes locked onto the knife and narrowed.

"What, are you gonna kill me?"

The man pushed his glasses, which had slid to the tip of his nose, back. "Then again," he continued, oblivious to Sasuke, "you do have a right to know."

"Wha—?"

"You're here for research—the FBI and government have taken this project under their wing, unbeknownst to the United States and president—"

Sasuke closed his eyes, his head beginning to throb again. FBI? United States? He'd never heard of these things. "What the hell are you talking about?" He yelled, cutting the man's next words off.

Almost instantly the eyes behind the glasses narrowed. Standing up straighter, the man sneered at Sasuke again. "My apologies, I forgot how clueless all of you would be." Sasuke started at these words. 'All of you'… So there are others here. "Yes, well, where to start? Eleven years ago, the FBI stumbled upon the greatest discovery since electricity—in my opinion, it's even greater. They created a time machine. However, this machine didn't work as planned. Instead of transporting the agent who tested it out backward or forward in time, it left the agent in the middle of a field, in a very different world than Earth. After much exploring, it was only six years later that we formed this secret organization known as Portal. While in the other world—your world, presumably—agents discovered a group of rebels. These people call themselves… ugh, what was it again, some weird name… the Akatsuki, I believe? Anyways, it was quickly established that both the FBI and the… the Akatsuki were very powerful groups, and so logically, we partnered together."

Sasuke's heart was drumming against his chest. "What?" It was all so confusing, but if what this man said was true, then—

"And so, we made a deal. The rebels were to supply us with test subjects, since the beings of your world are so… so phenomenal. And in turn, we would grant them pretty much a free rein in our country—as long as they didn't make themselves known to the citizens… I must say, they are quite the nuisance."

Sasuke swallowed, unable to get around what he'd just heard. He was… in a different world? There were other worlds? What did this man mean when he said that Sasuke and people from his world were 'phenomenal'? Sasuke gasped, wincing. His headache was getting worse.

"So… I'm a test subject—?"

The man, however, was ignoring Sasuke again. Moving closer to the table, he suddenly gripped Sasuke's right wrist. "Don't move." He commanded. Before Sasuke could react, there was an agonizing pain in his wrist. Clenching his teeth, Sasuke strained his neck, trying to see what was happening to his wrist. The pain continued to move down his arm as the man slid the knife further into his skin. Sasuke's knuckles clenched and he gasped as the knife continued to slice his skin. After a moment, the man withdrew the knife, inspecting it closely. Blood beaded on the surface. Seeming satisfied, the man took out a bag from his coat and slipped the bloodied knife into it. Without another word he left the room, leaving Sasuke gasping in pain. Blood flowed freely from the long wound that snaked its way all the way down Sasuke's upper arm. Sasuke grunted as the stinging increased. That bastard cut one of my veins. Sasuke thought, narrowed eyes trying to get a good look at his bloody wrist. Already the blood had begun to pool, and the tips of Sasuke's hair became wet. Clenching his teeth harder as both the pain from his arm and head overwhelmed him, Sasuke struggled to let his tense body go limp. If the blood isn't stopped soon, I'm a goner. Damn…

"Hey, are you… okay?"

Sasuke turned so that he could see who'd spoken. The girl who he'd noticed earlier was awake now, sitting up. Her hands and ankles aren't tied…! Sasuke grimaced as his wrist stung painfully. On the opposite table, the girl cocked her head slightly, a confused expression on her face. "Hey… what…? Oh—Oh my god!" Hand flying to her lips, the girl reeled back for a second as her eyes locked onto the blood that was pooling around Sasuke's wrist.

"Get out!" Sasuke snapped, eyes flicking towards the door. "Before they find out that you're not tied up—Aggh!" Arching his back as his head suddenly erupted into skull splitting pain, Sasuke closed his eyes, his breathing heavy. Suddenly he felt a hand on his left arm. Opening his eyes slightly, Sasuke found the girl standing beside him, one hand over her mouth. Suddenly she reached into her skirt pocket, withdrawing a small pocketknife. Quickly the girl cut a strip of her shirt off and hurried around the table to Sasuke's wrist. "Oh God…" She breathed. From what Sasuke could see, the girl looked like she was about to pass out. "I can do this." She whispered, taking a deep breath.

"I can do this." You repeated to yourself, gulping as you slid the strip of cloth under the boys injured wrist. Accidentally, you jostled his arm, causing the boy to grunt in pain. "Sorry!" You gasped, heart beating a mile a minute. You tried not to notice the puddle of blood that was slowly soaking the boy's hair—it was making your stomach do flips just to see it in your peripherals. You were an inch away from a total breakdown. What was going on? You'd been on a train, the last you remembered. So then, what were you doing here? Ignoring these thoughts, you focused on tying the cloth around the boy's wrist, which oozed blood. The rest of his arm wasn't as bad as his wrist, though it was also bleeding. "I think a vein's been cut." You murmured.

"I kind of guessed." He snapped sharply

You decided to ignore the boys' rudeness. "How'd this happen—Oh!" You flinched in horror, your finger accidentally brushing all along the deep wrist wound. There was a sharp intake of breath from the boy, and then suddenly he sighed.

"How'd you do that?" He asked.

"Do what?" You wondered, bewildered.

The boy craned his neck so that he could see you. "You… The pain is gone."

What? You stared at the boy's wrist… The wound was gone! "How did I…?" Slowly, scaredly, you took your finger and ran it along the deep cut that extended down the boy's upper arm. Again, there came a sharp gasp of pain, and then, a sigh. You couldn't believe what you were seeing. Where the long- cut had been a moment ago now there was only smooth skin.

"How'd you do that?" The boy repeated, looking back at you. His eyes pierced your skin, making you feel uncomfortable.

"I don't… really know. I just touched it and it healed." Again you found yourself staring at where the cuts had just been. How had you done that?
"Well don't just stand there, help untie me!" You jumped a little at the urgency in the boy's voice. You shivered. Whoever'd done that to him had been planning on letting him bleed to death. You had to get out of here.

"Right."

This isn't happening. This can't be happening…

"Aaaaugh!"

No, I'm dreaming…

"S-stop—Rgh!"

Why is this happening?... "Neji!" Naruto yelled, straining against his bonds. He had to get free, he had to save Neji. "Stop it! What are you doing to him?" Naruto screamed. The taller of the two men turned to glare at Naruto.

"Can I knock this one out? He's getting on my nerves."

The smaller man frowned, eyebrows furrowing as he glanced up at his comrade. "How many times have I told you not to interrupt me while I'm working? No, you can't knock him out! Gag him if you want, just don't bother me anymore!"

"Fine." Moving from his place beside Neji's table, the man moved off to the side, searching in his coat for something to quite Naruto with. Now that the man was out of the way, Naruto turned his head, desperate to see what was happening to Neji. The sight caused him to freeze, a gasp escaping his lips. They cut him open. He's awake… and they cut him open… Naruto felt his nails grow longer as his anger grew, felt fangs grow in his mouth as the fox spirit took over his features. "You sick bastards! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

From Neji's side, the smaller man didn't even look up when he answered. "Research. I would have thought that obvious."

"You're killing him!" Naruto growled. He shuddered as again he caught sight of Neji's bloody chest. That man… he'd just cut Neji open… Naruto felt like he was going to vomit, and turned away for a moment. Memories flashed through Naruto's mind, of the past, of the chunin exam, of the days after. He'd hated Neji when he'd first met him. No— he'd despised him. But little by little, Naruto had grown to like him. And now, this… Suddenly, Neji let out another pained cry. Naruto snapped. "Stop! Please stop! Use me instead! Knock it off; can't you see that it's hurting him? Why are you…" Naruto suddenly saw only red, his voice growing rougher as the nine tails spirit took over. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?" A tearing sound ripped through the room, and suddenly, Naruto was free.

"Whoa… what the—?" The taller man gasped, taking a step back. Naruto stood hunched on the table he'd only moments ago been lying on, red chakra swarming around him. Behind him, nine red tails of chakra had formed.

Casting one last glance at Neji— who was on the verge of passing out, his face full of agony— Naruto focused his attention on the man who had caused his friend so much pain. "I'm… GONNA KILL YOU!"

Wow, I really can't believe it only took me a day to write all that—normally it takes me weeks… Hm, well, I only thought this idea up yesterday, and since I was too sick to fall asleep yesterday (yaaaay freezing cold! Thank you once again -_-) I had time to really think about it. I'm so used to writing goody-goody things, where no one really gets hurt and nothing bad really ever happens—it makes me uncomfortable when I write about those things, so I wanted to see how I could do. I hope you liked it, I'll try and get the next chapter out so (will they escape? I hope so… *sweatdrop*). I actually just got into Naruto a couple months ago, thanks to my cousins XD. I'm on the 24th Shippuden episode, so I'm getting there! I have to saw, I like how it's not little kiddish anymore (and Sakura's badass! Yes! Now I don't have to hate her anymore!). Anywho, please review, I'd really like to hear what you think of this! 'Kay, peace!

~MarXno

*Me and my cousin late at night talking about Naruto*

Me – I really love it—who's your favorite?

Cuz – Sasuke, duh! You?

Me –Erm…

Cuz - ?

Me – Well… there's SO MANY hot guys! I really like Naruto though… And Neji… And Shikamaru… and Sasuke… And Gaara… and Deidara… And Itachi… and Kakashi…. And—

Cuz – OK! God…

Me – You know who I hate though? Like, with a passion…

Cuz – Lemme' guess…

Us – Orochimaru.

Me – EXACTLY!

Cuz –Yeah, same here…

Me – Is it me, or is he…

Cuz – He just seems so…

Us – So… unnecessary.

*Looks at each other in surprise* O_O

Us – HE REALLY IS! *Wiggles tongues*

*sighs* Yup…Has anyone else ever had a retarded conversation like the one above? -_-

Does anyone agree with us…? =P