Megumi:
My cousin, Suzanne, and I were kneeling down in front of her laptop, staring at someone's face. It was the face that could launch a thousand ships, no, actually, we were staring, or rather she was staring while I was looking at the picture. Her Desktop background, Uchiha Itachi's face. She's so obsessed with him, and I can't keep up with her. We were feeling pretty sad, because we knew those kinds of people are only anime characters. Well, anyway, we really made a story about those, and of course, we always updated it.
Suddenly, the picture moved. At first, I thought it was the trick of the light, but when my cousin grasped my arm, I knew it was for real. In a split- second, the next thing we knew, Itachi (the guy in the picture) was standing there, absolutely right in front of us. We were so stupefied, we never dared to say a word. He looked about calmly, then said "Pouvez vous mais- dais?"
We were horrified. One of our idols we'd been hoping to meet spoke French! Then he spoke again. "Nah, just kidding. I don't speak French. Oh, yeah. I noticed you both staring at me. It was irritating. Of all the people who did that, you are the most intense. I couldn't stand not blinking for more than a minute, and I also really wanted to take one of you away. So here goes."
Imagine our relief when he started speaking English! But our suspicion grew back once he announced he was taking one of us with him. Then, it was followed by Itachi taking hold of my cousin's arm and dragging it back to the laptop's screen. Much as I liked it to meet him, of course I couldn't let him take away my cousin with him.
But two things happened. One, at once, we both forgot the story we had made. (I don't know why, but I was able to take note of this fact.) And two, once Itachi touched my cousin, she kind of like, glowed and suddenly, her face changed. As what we had discussed on our previous stories, she'd said she wanted to have green, deep green eyes and dark, dark brown hair. And in an instant, it became true. She was staring at me with those green eyes of hers. I couldn't understand what was really going on, but I confess it had me intrigued right then and there. Well, anyway, he started pulling her.
Of course, I also started pulling her from the other side. She screamed ,"Agay! Sakit baya na! Buhi-i kuno ko! Jedidiah, tabangi kuno ko! (Ow! It hurts, you know! Let me go! Jedidiah, help me, will you?!)"
For a moment, Itachi seemed unsure. "What're you saying? Speak English, for heaven's sake!"
My cousin again screamed "I don't care if I speak any language, honestly, this is enough! Unhand me!"
He shook his head. "Sorry, I just can't. Tell your friend there to stop pulling your other arm!"
"I won't! And she's my cousin!"
I started to go crazy. Man, this guy was very, very determined, and nothing could stop him. Well, nothing would stop me too. I pulled harder. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone also emerge from the laptop. Still a boy.
The first boy stopped. But he didn't let go of my cousin. "Sasuke!" he barked. "What are you doing here?"
Sasuke, or whoever he was, looked at me and said "Who are you?"
I replied, "I don't care whatever you call me, just help me get my cousin from this maniac!"
He said, "Sorry, I've got orders to also take your... cousin?"
"Yeah. My cousin. And I'm equally sorry, yes, she is my cousin and I'm not gonna leave her alone. Shoo!"
"I'm not some dog."
"I know. You're not a dog, just a stupid cockroach."
"Shut up."
"You shut up."
"Jed?! He's getting away with it!!!" Suzanne cried out.
"I'm there!" I called back.
Without warning, this guy called Sasuke pulled me off and took my place on my cousin's arm. I was about to say, "Hey! That was rude of you!" Instead, I felt a funny sensation, and I saw my cousin staring at me. "What?" I managed to ask her in the midst of chaos.
"Your eyes are hazel," she remarked.
"I don't care!"
She shrugged while she still could. "They are. Ow! That was really way over the edge. Stop it!"
Here goes nothing, I thought. I started to pull the shirt of Sasuke in an attempt to redeem my original place. "Get out of there, you goof!"
"Don't disturb me!"
"None of you can get my cousin!!!"
He turned around and said," Will you keep quiet for a minute?! I'm trying to concentrate here!"
But it was too late. When he turned back, Itachi had already pulled Suzanne through the laptop. I panicked, and I couldn't think of anything else to do.
So I pushed Sasuke into the laptop screaming, "Get my cousin back!!!"
Because of this, he stumbled and fell through the computer. I suppose there had to be some kind of stones or slippery stuff to where he landed, because he sort of slipped, and in reaction to this, the idiot pulled the hem of my shirt to keep himself from falling. So...into the laptop I also went.
When I looked back, the last thing I remembered was the "doorway" closing. I remember throwing myself back but the guy who started it pulled me back.
He grasped me in front of him and said firmly, "You can't go back. Stay here. You can help me look for your cousin. Understand? It will open again when we have found your cousin."
I could only nod. Finally, I managed to say, "What about my family? What's gonna happen? My cousin's family? What'll I do? They're gonna worry!"
"Well, you don't worry because they'll just get on with their lives as if you didn't even exist. When you go back, that's when they'll remember you."
"Ookay." I was still a bit nervous.
I looked at the path and my nervousness returned. I tapped the guy who started to walk away. He turned. "What?"
"Um.. I don't know my way around here. I'm not from this place. And look at me! I've become like you!" Sure enough, I looked like an anime character.
He raised an eyebrow. "So?"
I let out a sigh of exasperation. "You don't get it! I want you to tell me everything about this place. I want to go with you while looking for my cousin. Honestly, you're the only person I know around here. And you obviously know a lot. Well?"
He thought for a moment. "I suppose I could educate you a bit."
Haruko:
The guy, Itachi, was carrying me like you would a sack of rice. And I was so frustrated. Of course I was. Who wouldn't be?
Well, the last thing I remember was that my arms felt like they were lead, after all that pulling and shouting. And now, I was being treated like filth. "Why are you doing this to me?" I screamed. "I've got legs, you know! Let me walk, for goodness' sake!"
He stopped. "Just don't escape."
I stared at him like he was crazy. "Escape? If you'd had a bit of a mind, you'd be able to think that I don't know anyone in this place. If I tried to escape, where would I go?"
"Anywhere."
"Yeah right. And for what purpose?"
"Escaping. Duh?"
I sighed. "I just want to point out that right now, I am in a place where I don't know anyone, and where I have never set foot before. So, because you're the only one I know around here, I'd like to go with you."
"Very well."
He set me down carefully, and boy, was I relieved! "Thank you," I said.
"You're welcome."
"What about my family? What's gonna happen to them?"
"They'll continue living on and they're gonna forget that you ever existed. Once you can go back, they will remember you again."
I thought for a moment. "That doesn't sound so bad."
He nodded.
"Wait, how about my cousin? What happened to her?"
"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened to her and my little brother."
"Brother? That was your brother?"
He nodded for the umpteenth time.
"Is nodding all you can do?"
This time, he grinned and shook his head.
"Okay. I understand that. What do you want to do with me, anyway? Are you just gonna keep me for a scientific experiment or something?"
"Of course not." A thought seemed to have struck him. "What's your name?"
"Princess Haruko," I answered without thinking. Then, I thought, Why did I say that? My name is... is... I couldn't remember what my name was. The name "Haruko" seemed to pop off into my head, or something. Well, that was fine with me. At least I had a name that also fit among these people. Besides, they seemed pretty cool to me. Living life like an anime character... one word: awesome. Maybe I'd even be seen on TV when I get back home. And I trusted this guy... not implicitly, just enough. And somehow, I knew I'd find my cousin here. Maybe she even took another name too!
"... So, as I was saying, you have to be trained on how to use chakra under my supervision. And--"
"Wait, wait, wait. Rewind. What were you saying?"
He sighed for the first time. "You weren't listening, were you?"
I nodded meekly. "I was. Just a bit. Not really. No, I wasn't."
"I thought so. You've got a lot to learn. "
"Darn, I was hoping to have fun."
"Haruko, fun is not only the only thing in the world. There are other things too, you know."
"Such as?"
"Discipline, perseverance, skill, tolerance and responsibility."
"Sounds a lot to me."
"It IS a lot. And you have to achieve those... 'lot'. Well? Up for it?"
"Not really."
He stopped. "This is it. We've arrived. The Hidden Leaf Village of Konnoha."
I also stopped, and gazed at the most amazing town I had ever seen in my whole life.