Chapter 2:
I slowly open my eyes just to promptly close them again at the harsh light of the hospital.
Ugh, when did I fall asleep? It's obviously the middle of the day now, I think that when I was last awake it was early morning. Good, I wasn't asleep for very long.
I force my eyes to open again and allow them to adjust to the harsh light. I glance around, a nurse and a doctor are quietly talking close to the corner of my bed. I frown as I realize that the doctor has sky blue hair...that's really well dyed. Must have got it done yesterday or something because I can't even see his natural colour at the roots of his hair.
I feel something heavy on my chest and look down to spot the necklace from before. So it wasn't a dream…!
I shoot up and grab the pendant, I pull it away from my neck and silently stare at it. Nothing interesting, no pain, nothing.
I suddenly hear yelling and glance at the noise. The doctor and nurse are freaking out, they're yelling unintelligible words and before I know it the nurse has ran out the door. I silently stare at the doctor, who's making an effort to keep his distance from me.
He asks me something and I frown, "...what?"
He frowns too, and asks me the same thing again, I stiffen, he's speaking another language. "I'm sorry, I only know English. Do you speak English?" I blankly stare as he says something else, in the same language. Wait is that...Japanese!? I recognize the sound in general and I think that he used the word for "what" or "why". I shake my head in confusion, "where's my brother? Uh-Laté Conner." In Japan they put people's last names first, right?
The man gives me another blank stare before sighing out of frustration. My frown deepens, if this is some sort of a practical joke this is ridiculous.
Suddenly I realize that my throat isn't bothering me in the slightest even though I was only injured last night. "Wait...how long have I been asleep!?" I snap at the doctor who immediately takes a step back at my sharp tone. "Alright, this isn't funny anymore. Tell me where either my brother is or my foster mother is, her name's Paula." Only silence follows my word and I feel my anger welling up.
"Tch, if you won't help me I'll find them myself." I kick my legs over the side of the bed and land on the floor, immediately the doctor's in my way. I think that he's trying to tell me to get back into bed, "then start speaking English!" I snap back, this has moved from mildly irritating and confusing to pissing me off real quick.
"Get out of my way," I hiss and simply sidestep him. I move towards the door but feel my arm being grabbed, my entire body freezes up.
I sense something...very unnatural.
I force my head to turn and glance over my shoulder, what I see immediately sends chills down my spine.
A man in a cat mask, with a dagger pointed right at my face. They say something and I try to decode it, but it doesn't work.
"I-I can't understand you…" I stutter, my recent fire completely gone. It's been replaced with fear.
The doctor says something and the masked man immediately lets go, they give the doctor a small nod before suddenly disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
"What the hell…" I mutter as I look around, where-how!? The doctor says something again and gestures to the bed, well I'm too scared to try to leave now. So I sit back down on the side of the bed, I still send the doctor a glare though. I hate losing arguments.
I don't understand anything that's going on, first I wake up and nobody speaks English, then a dude in a cat mask appears. Wait...that mask looks just like what a member of the ANBU black ops would wear in Naruto. That's weird-
I jump in my seat as the door to the room opens, I lean forward expectantly. There might be the smallest chance that it's Conner or Paula…
It isn't.
I eye the three men who enter nervously, the doctor bows deeply to an old man in red and white robes. "Hokage-sama," he greets and I feel my entire being freeze up.
"Hokage…-Holy shit…" I stare at him and lift a hand to cover my mouth, this isn't real. It can't be! The old man takes off his hat and says something to me with a kind smile.
My mind races, this can't be possible! I can't actually be in the Naruto world!
But then a lot of things add up, the masked man, the doctors weird hair colour, the fact that I've been magically healed…
Actually, when I pay attention I can sense everyone's presence. As in if I closed my eyes I could point out everyone in this room, that must be their chakra signatures.
I realize that the Hokage's trying to say something to me and I look up at him. His face is serious, I give him a blank stare. "Why are you still trying to talk to me? I can't understand you," I say helplessly and the man lets out a sigh. He says something to the other two men and they nod.
I frown as I try to figure out what he's saying, "Kirigakure? Sunagakure?..." He's trying to figure out where I'm from.
I shake my head, "Canada." The old man frowns and repeats the word, he strokes his short beard and looks to the other two men.
Both of them shrug.
I can feel panic starting to well up but I force myself to stay composed. If I completely break down, I won't gain anything from it other than some pity from the people in this room.
I make an effort to distract myself from my thoughts by looking the strangers over. One has really long blond hair being kept in a ponytail. He has pale blue eyes without any visible pupils and he's wearing a grey trench coat. I frown for a moment before recognizing him, this is Ino's dad. Inoichi Yamanaka if I remember correctly, one of the members of the old Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Also a member of the T&I department and focuses on psychology.
I turn my gaze to the other man and immediately recognize him as Shikamaru's father. Shikaku Nara, the Hokage's adviser. His dark hair that's been put in a ponytail to make it look like a pineapple gives it all away. Suddenly his dark eyes flick over to me and I immediately drop my gaze.
I have to be careful around these people if I don't want to be locked away and torchered. I turn my focus to the bedsheets and start fiddling.
This is how a few minutes are spent before Inoichi steps forward and I immediately stiffen. I narrow my eyes at him, "what are you doing?"
Despite my immediate hostility Inoichi remains completely calm. I'm impressed, most of the time if I use anything close to a hostile tone of voice anyone, including adults, they back off.
He gestures to himself, "Yamanaka Inoichi." I was right, but I'm not happy that I'm right. This proves that I'm for sure in the world of Naruto, some would see this as good but I see more bad…
"Laté Erin," I gesture to myself and he smiles, this only adds to my suspicion. I cross my arms and silently flick my gaze around the room, I wonder where that ANBU went?
Wait, I can't just let my brain get off topic like that, "what are you doing?" I repeat even though I'm sure that I won't get an answer.
Inoichi says something before forming a handseal, "huh?" I gasp but I don't get a chance to react as Inoichi reaches out a rests his hand on the top of my head.
I'm slammed into darkness.
~0~
"Ow," I hiss and clutch my head. Everything around me is pitch black, other than myself and Inoichi.
I feel the same burning sensation in my head as I did when I touched that necklace. But somehow this is more tolerable, it isn't enough to make me start screaming in pain but it is enough to make it difficult for me to function.
"Hello Erin-san." I look up at Inoichi.
"I can understand you," I say in surprise, this is interesting. "Where are we?"
"I believe that we are in a halfway point between your mindscape and consciousness. Also, the mind has no language. Anyways, where are you from?" This is interesting, the mind has no language huh? I guess that that makes sense but I also tend to think in words, and those words are English so…
"I'm from somewhere called Canada, have you ever heard of it?" Please know of it, please. Inoichi shakes his head and I feel myself practically deflate, "oh no…" I mutter. Now what? I'm I stuck here forever?
Will I never see Conner again?
It suddenly feels like I'm being strangled by panic and anxiety. I don't want to be here, why did this have to happen to me?
"E-Erin-san, please calm down." I snap out of it at Inoichi's voice, I glance at him and focus. He lets out a long and relieved sigh, "alright, how old are you?"
"Fourteen," I say simply, I clear my mind so I can only focus on this conversation. But that burning in my skull isn't helping me.
"Are you a shinobi or have you received any shinobi training?"
"No, but I know some martial arts." Inoichi immediately stiffens, "I-I mean just basics and stuff like that. I wouldn't stand a chance against a shinobi," I rush to keep myself out of T&I.
"I see, so you can't understand a word that we speak to you on the outside?" The pain's getting to the point where I have to focus very hard to register what he's saying.
"...No, I can't-only a little bit," the pain is getting too overwhelming, "It...hurts…" I gasp and clutch my head.
"Alright, if it hurts I think that this is enough information for today."
"Thank you," I mutter as Inoichi forms a hand seal. And our brief discussion is ended as my world becomes black again.
~0~
I gasp for air since it feels like I'm being ripped back into reality. As Inoichi steps back I let my body hang forward ever so slightly, I'm exhausted. Well, at least the pain's gone.
The three men are talking, sometimes the nurse and doctor add in a few words. I wearily watch them, I hope that they don't send me to T&I just for the hell of it. I know that sometimes people can be the worst and if these people don't trust me I'm in trouble.
Damn, right now I'm looking at people who shouldn't even exist. Am I going crazy? Maybe this is just a dream, maybe I'll wake up and I'll be back in my world and I can continue trying to have a regular life.
Before I realize it the small group of people are leaving me alone. The Hokage calls a cheerful farewell as I silently watch them go.
I focus on the sheets of the bed, a slight throb still going through my head. It must have been chakra that was making it hurt so much. I'm not interested in that happening again. Even within about a minute it was getting pretty close to my pain threshold, and I like to think that I have an incredibly high tolerance to pain.
One time when I was about five a had a superiority complex, and I kind of still do. But anyways some classmates didn't like that so after school they decided to try to beat me up. I didn't fight back but I didn't cry or react either, I even lost a tooth but the only reaction that they got out of me was me telling them how pathetic they were and asking if they could only hit that hard.
Damn I was such an ass.
But that was pretty badass too.
I sigh and allow my body to collapse on the bed.
I would cry right now but I'm almost completely sure that I'm being watched by ANBU.
Maybe if I go to sleep I'll wake up and be back home…
~0~
Sarutobi Hiruzen's POV:
"So, what did you find out?" The third Hokage asked as they walked through the hospital. Inoichi sighed, that wasn't a good sign.
"She's from somewhere that isn't even on the map, she's fourteen, she actually can't understand us, she has basic taijutsu training, I'm pretty sure that she's hypersensitive to chakra…" Inoichi paused to take in a breath as they left the hospital. Hiruzen smiled at the people who stopped to bow to him, "and she's also mentally unstable."
"Oh really? How so?" Shikaku asked curiously, the man had his hands shoved into his pockets as he walked.
Inoichi hesitated, as if the words that he was about to say were taboo. "She has a lot of bottled up emotions, one second her mind was completely calm and then the next she was being completely overwhelmed with panic and anxiety. Also, I couldn't even make it to her mindscape. And that means that either she's incredibly well trained when it comes to mind reading jutsu or something has been set up as a barrier, so nobody can't reach her memories. Or it may just have something to do with the fact that she's missing natural chakra which I don't understand how that's even possible…"
"That's concerning, I'll have to keep an eye on her." Hiruzen knew exactly who could do the job, Minami the nurse would be perfect with her gentle nature to help get the girl to open up. And Minami already had the training for it as well, since of course she was previously an ANBU.
"But, while I was in her mind I could sense chakra." Hiruzen looked to Inoichi in surprise.
"Perhaps it's been sealed away so she can't use it." Shikaku suggested casually, the man took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag.
"No...it seemed different, I could only sense yang chakra. Nobody can survive that much of an imbalance, it would tear her apart from the inside. People can survive a yin imbalance, but a yang imbalance...it's just impossible."
"Maybe she has a Kekkei Genkai," offered Hiruzen before dipping his hat to some children on the street.
"Maybe, it's just that something felt very wrong…" Shikaku blew out some smoke and nodded.
"We'll just have to be careful, this is a very strange case. But we've dealt with much worse." Hiruzen sighed.
"Right!" Shikaku and Inoichi agreed in unison.
~0~
A/N: A shorter chapter, what do you guys think?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO UZUMAKE I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT A FICTIONAL CHARACTER HAS HAD SUCH A GREAT IMPACT ON MY LIFE!
Please review! I love feedback, what you liked, what you disliked, questions, advice, anything I love to hear from all of you!