Chapter Two: Beyond Duty

It felt so weird to be back in the steam-lined Sage. The last time I had seen her was many years ago –when we had traveled to a hostile planet. I felt my lips tugging into a...smile? Which I quickly hid behind my usual stoic mask. No one would know how badly I hated my voice, if I had anything to say about it.

I ran my hand, I wish I'd quit referring to this body as mine, along the side, feeling the grooves from the violent sand that had tried to keep us on that planet.

Sage wasn't even really her name, but I couldn't recall any of my former languages, and Kiba said that's what it roughly translates to. Compared to how small of space humans take up, Sage looked as if she consumed us when we entered. Thanks to a very bored Kiba, though, there were at least seats that we could securely sit in

Even though Kiba had already taken the trip to Earth before, Tsunade would drive, if only because with Kiba, he may or may not fall asleep in human form. After that story, no one would get on Sage until he wasn't driving. Luckily, he had imput the coordinates, so anyone with half a brain could correctly drive it.

"S-Sasuke..." Hinata timidly said, "It's time to g-go..."

My palms pressed to the large glass window as I stared in the general direction of my home planet, I released a heavy breath of air as I turned to face her.

She offered me a nervous smile and reached out for my hand.

Hinataknew of our predicament as well, and I knew she was just trying to accept it, but I couldn't help how my brows slid together into a scowl. But I would have to try, as well, so I squeezed her hand gently, and watched the slight smile slide across her face.

None of us understood why she had that stutter, but, she had always been quiet and polite, so we guessed that was just the human interpretation of it –shyness.

I stepped ahead, taking the lead as we walked up the platform to the ship we had entered so many times before. The sealed door to the ship went at least 7ft higher than I, and 8ft on either side. The ramp looked more suited for my old form and dwarfed me now.

Walking through the entryway to two serile white rooms, I noticed that there were several differences. A small section away from everything else, hidden behind white material resembling a...shower curtain.

Annoyed with the voice, I noticed how compared to the chairs we used to sit in, the ones humans sat in appeared more like a model for the tall ones then their own structures.

I took a seat in the far back, not near the seperate little room, and wasn't surprised when Hinata followed me.

Crossing my right leg over my left, I tugged slightly at the high collar of my so-called "Private School's uniform", not really liking how tight it felt on my skin. The uniform was black with silver trim and brass buttons, long sleeved, with trousers for the men and skirts for the girls, and the symbol, a weird, swirly leaf thing, was embroidered on the breast pocket.

Supposedly their school was an actual school, and as a part of their cover, everyone but Kakashi and Tsunade (who had to get actual jobs) would actually have to go to school. According to Kiba, though, we'd be arriving on the very last day of summer vacation, whatever that is.

Tingling shot across my skin, not that unpleasent, but noticable, and I could see my breath as I exhaled.

"Hey, we all going under! Makes the journey go faster!" called out Kiba, pressing a button on Tsunade's dashboard, to her annoyance.

Dashing back to this part of the ship, a glass wall slid down between our part of the ship and the captain's, followed by a white gas that made me feel...weird. Dizzy, unfocused, and very panicked as I felt my hold on reality completely slip away.


I woke up to a ball in my window. A round, little green and blue ball with puffy white clouds on parts of it.

A rough, craggy form hung next to it, caught in Earth's orbit, but it didn't matter. I had seen many asteroids, but never before a planet like this.

Impossible to describe at a glance, but I felt safe to say humans certainly left no land un-manned.

"Strap yourself in!" Tsunade announced, "It'll be a bumpy landing!"

I obliged, snapping my shoulder strap into place as I felt the ship humming with the invisibility shield. To the rest of the known galaxy, a declaration of war would come of our passage being disrupted, but for uncharted planets, the shields could prevent war.

Watching out of the main window, now that the glass seperater was gone, I could see the ship quickly approaching a blue patch of Earth. I distinctly recalled Kiba saying that humans couldn't live on the blue part, and felt my face muscles react, probably in horror, to the knowledge that we would crash.

Seeing my face, Kibagave me a reassuring smile and said, "Don't worry, we're landing where I put our past becon."

He then laughed and began telling a story, "The first time I landed, I had fallen asleep, not knowing humans do that, and we almost hit the ocean! Luckily, my partner saw a small piece of land –an island, called Japan, and crash-landed us there."

As we moved, faster and faster, I could see a huge city where we were to thrive in. We weren't so stupid, though, to come down in the city, just in case, so I wasn't surprised when a large, open space outside the city was our goal. Oddly, it appeared to be some kind of park, but it had a large, human carved stone at one end, and three leaf-less trees in the middle.

My brain told me this seemed odd, considering none of the other trees were bare. We landed right in front of the bare trees, the beconon the middle one. For some odd reason, no person walked through the park today.

"What day of the week is it?" I mused out loud, not really talking to anyone.

Of course I wasn't shocked, though, when Kiba answered.

"Uh...Sunday morning, I think. Church should be letting out around now, though."

My brain instantly made the connection, but, honestly, I had to admit I found it amusing that they worshiped a great being in the sky.

The ramp jutting out of the ship, Tsunade opened the door and Sol's light entered our foreign vessal. Many of our people cringed away from the new sensation of warm light on their skin, but I felt nothing. If you were from my planet, you would be shown pain so often that normally by my age you would no longer be able to feel much.

But of course I exited the ship first, coming to rest on slightly soft grass. From the brillience of the blue sky above, I'd say it rained the night before.

A faint smile crossed my lips, too small for any of them to notice, I was sure.

The colors here were much more vivid then a lot of our planets, but what truely took my breath away was the sky itself. The blue background filled with white swirls and one single bright star, almost perpendicular to the ground. Now I frowned, normal human terms were hard enough to comprehend without bringing their weird logic into it.

"Sasuke!" called Kakashi, "You'll be left behind if you don't hurry!"

My eyes reluctantly leaving the sky, I turned to see that they had already set out, ready to make our base in this new world. I sighed, taking one last look at my last link to whom I was, then turned away from it, not looking back once.


It figures that out of all the chores to do, I'd be the one to go get groceries.

Ino and I walked together part of the way, considering we all needed wardrobes, she also had to go shopping. But Ino and I had never been even remotely close to friends, so we parted ways quickly.

The town of Konoha seemed extremely modernized from the sky, but now it was clear that we landed in the more traditional part of town, or Old Konoha, as a sign referred to it. Instead of concrete, a very well-packed dirt path served as the road, where only peoplewalked –no cars in sight. Also, stores and houses sat side by side, some grand, others simple, but all some how blending.

Kiba had been right, I observed, most of the vendors were either just setting up, or in fancy clothes, showing they were good little worshippers.

A lot of the pedestrians wore fancy clothes too -going out to lunch with loved ones after purging their sins.

A complex grocery store, claiming to have the "most filling, yet cheapest!" groceries in Konoha ended up being my choice.

The isles were well organised, and I grabbed a cart to fill it up. I snagged perishables, but nothing that had to be cooked –after all, as far as I knew, none of the others knew how to.

After stocking up on everything we would eat, but wouldn't have to be toiled over, I headed over to the single register.

The girl at the register had pink hair, not that it was that weird to me. But I did find it slightly suspicious, about her stutter and red face. A trap...?

She rang up my items pretty slowly, I noticed.

My eyes narrowed –how had she figured out I wasn't human? And more importantly, how long until her armada she called came?

Once all my bags were filled, I hung them over my arms, not caring about the weight or number and laid the money down, telling her to keep the change. Getting out of there fast without fuss obviously wasn't happening, because she called out to me.

A click sounded, and I raced out of there, praying I'd make it and not die in this body.

Running out of the shop and turning, I ran face first into someone, knocking some of my groceries out of their bags. If anything fragile had fallen out, I swear I'd run him through on my left le-wait. Not in that body anymore...I'd have to settle with verbal, since I didn't yet know this body's physical strength. Oddly enough, I found I spoke Japanese, as well as English.

"Usuratonkachi, why don't you watch where you're going?" I asked, annoyed, but keeping my voice stoic. Who knew when the army would get here, and he knocked me over!

His face went pink and he stabbed a finger at me, "T-Teme! You're the one who ran outta there like something was chasing you!"

"Hn," I sneered, bending over to pick up my spilled things.

"Hey..." I heard him say, my brain interpreting that he sounded troubled, "Here."

He bent over and handed me some of the things that had been scattered around him.

I glared at him mistrustfully and snatched my things back.

Looking a tad bit hurt, but trying unsuccessfully to hide it, he went on, thrusting his hand out at me, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"

I raised one eyebrow, not stopping to think it over, and blurted out, "Why do you have two names?"

Now he gave me a strange look.

"It's your last name? You know, it defines where you came from?"

Oh, now it made sense.

"I'm," I paused to remember his format, "Uchiha Sasuke."

Noticing his hand still hanging there, I took it and we awkward shook, his face oddly still pink.

"I could...help you carry all that!" he blurted, "I mean, it looks overwhelming for a teme!"

I frowned –he was so loud. Was it normal for humans to be this loud? Recalling Kiba, I decided a selective disease may cause this.

I scowled at him, "Just because I carry too much for a dobe like yourself does not mean this is too much for me."

Suddenly, his crazy mood shifted once more, and I felt a fist connect with my cheek, flying backwards, but luckily not losing any of my bags this time.

Then time slowed down, and it was like I wasn't in my body, but watching this all happen.

I saw myself blink, eyes surprised, mouth slightly open, and I realized just how little I convey through body language.

I also saw the boy, the polar opposite of me, face contorted in anger, kind of scrunched up, fist still clenched in his follow through. His eyes were trained on mine, and I truely noticed what a human should look like. Not at first, though. The first thing I noticed were the six whiskers, three per cheek, like a cat's but not nearly as long.

The description Kiba gave us didn't describe feelers at all. Maybe he liked surgery? But the REST of him...perfection.

NOW I saw what we were all supposed to look like. His very being reminded me of the first glimpse of that beautiful sky –tan, muscular, blue, gold, and orange clothes... Okay, maybe more than one oddity.

Then the moment ended, I back in my body, he panting slightly in his anger, and my cheek throbbing tenderly. Well, my first injury as a human. It felt like bleeding under the skin...how odd.

"Whatever," he growled, "It's not like a teme like you should be allowed help!"

Spinning around, he strode off while I stared, noticing my hand was now hovering protectively over my bruise.

Dazed, but not letting my face or movements show it, I stood up and headed for the appartment that they had bought for me. Still in Old Konoha, rustic, with only as much space as a couple without kids would need, somehow they thought it would be start to meet up there.

The dirt road crunching under my shoes, I lowered my head, effectively hiding my face with my bangs, thinking of the boy.

The perfect human... It wasn't until I reached my new home that I realized I hadn't even caught his name.


*sighs* Ahhh, what a long week! But hey, freedom is dawning, and I was able to update! Also, yes Naruto said his name. Sasuke just didn't remember. XD Now, the greedy child I am, I'd like to ask for:

A beta

You (my readers) to check out my other storys

If you do that, to give motivation for updating them -_-;;

Tell me any side parings for this

Ideas for Kiba's partner (I have a few picked out, but...)

Mistakes, or things I could do better

A response or some showing of appriciation!

Please and thank you!

~Hippie-chan