Okay, okay. Ignore the warning that used to be here. After receiving those reviews from Kaleni-chan, I realized that she was right. I mean wtf was I thinking? I feel stupid. And if you don't know what the hell I'm talking about, then forget it and read the chapter! It's good! Promise! I swear on Kakashi's grave that it's a good chapter!

Kakashi: But I'm not dead.......-.-'

YES you did. You died and came back to life. Do not try to defy my divine logic, you n00b

Disclaimer: I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Cuz you'll be waiting for a long, long, time.

Chapter 2 - Suspected

The next morning Mum couldn't understand why I was so keen to go to school. It's not as if I could've told her, so I just said that I had a lot of energy. She accepted this because I was weird that way; mood swings like hell.

I didn't wait until lunchtime. I couldn't have. I had too much to see, too much to do. I reached the tree and I put my hand on the trunk, like last time, and thought about Konoha. I was rewarded with a creaking sound and I opened my eyes. There was the hole, appearing as suddenly as it did the first time. I took a deep breath and walked through.

It was a windy day in Konoha. My hair swept around me like something I couldn't control as I stepped into the marketplace. It was as busy as ever with people yammering on in Japanese.

Oh yeah. I couldn't speak Japanese. Right. Well. THAT was a rather big obstacle in my plans for the day.

'This is why you think before you do, sweetheart.'

'And you can just shut the hell up, you jerk.'

'Nooooooo way. I've been silent too long.'

Well, I suppose that was true. Being stuck in someone else's body for twelve years wasn't really anyone's idea of fun.

'Back on the topic at hand, though, what are we going to do? We can't talk to anyone, and your school doesn't teach Japanese.'

'I don't know.....OH, GOD DAMN IT! I was so excited!'

Now what was I gonna do? If I run into those two punks again there would be trouble, and this time there was no Itachi to save me.

That's right! Itachi had saved me! I put my hand over my mouth and smiled widely, a small habit that I had. Itachi had saved me from the bad guys. He had saved me, he had looked at meeeeeee.....

'Uh, Edie?'

Right. Fangirl moment over. Man, I gotta get with it. What if I saw-

'Yukana-neechan!'

Jesus Christ on a bicycle. Speak of the devil, that obnoxious voice could only belong to......

I felt something crash into me from behind that sent me flying. I landed on my stomach, dazed, not completely sure what had happened. The first thing I registered was the weight on my back and the excited chattering in Japanese accompanied by the occasional 'Dattebayo'.

I turned my head and there was Naruto sitting on my back, raving on about who knows what; all the while getting both strange and loathing looks from randoms in the street. What were the chances that I'd run into him twice at the same place? Although, this could be the place where he usually hung out. Hmm.

Seeing that I was uncomfortable, Naruto jumped off and asked me something. I knew it was a question because it ended in deska. Since there was nothing I could say, I merely gave him a look that said 'I'm sorry' and stood up. He seemed to remember that I couldn't understand him and frowned. I could almost see the cogs working in his mind. I ruffled his hair in reassurance and he looked up. I smiled at him and he grinned back. Oh, he was just so adorable! I'd always liked Naruto when he was a kid. He was so energetic and naive. Only, he looked so sad when he was alone. He had no-one to talk to....

I suddenly hugged him. I hugged him tightly, and he yelped. He was startled by the unexpected contact, but hugged me back anyway. He started squeezing me too, as if this was the first time anyone had hugged him in his life. Which was probably the case anyway.

Naruto suddenly pulled away and glared at something behind me. I turned and immediately saw what the matter was.

Sasuke.

Sasuke was standing behind me, staring. He smirked and said something to Naruto, to which said boy stuck his tongue out and yelled something back. Sasuke then looked at me, and recognition spread across his face. He pointed at me and said something, then called through the crowd of people.

'Niisan!'

..........

..........

.....Oh, fuck. I looked around the marketplace for an escape route, ignoring the cartwheels Eri was turning in my head. There had to be some way out. If Itachi saw me he might start talking to me. He would realize I couldn't understand, and he'd take it a touch more seriously than Naruto had. He'd think I was a spy or something. I had to go.

I tried to sneak off in the other direction before Itachi appeared.

That plan promptly failed as soon as he appeared right in front of me. I shrieked and jumped backwards. He chuckled and said something in a soft voice. Of course, I couldn't answer, so I just looked at my feet, hoping he'd go away. Unfortunately, he didn't. He said something to catch my attention and asked me something.

Naruto answered. Itachi's eyes widened slightly and he looked at me warily. 'Shit!' I thought. 'Naruto's gone and told him that I don't speak Japanese! Oooooh, I'm in trouble.'

Itachi gave me a friendly smile and started walking back the other way, while beckoning me to follow him. Intrigued, I followed against my better judgment. Both Naruto and Sasuke tagged along, not really knowing what was going on.

Itachi stopped at a large building and led me inside. I didn't get a good look at it, but it looked important. As we walked though hallways and up staircases, everyone we passed gave me a strange look. I supposed it was my appearance; I didn't exactly look Japanese, and my clothes didn't really fit in. I kept my eyes on the floor.

Itachi stopped me in front of a door with a sentry standing next to it. He spoke to the guard and after what sounded like a small argument, the sentry stepped aside and rapped on the door. An elderly man's voice answered. The sentry answered back with something about 'Itachi-san' and the elderly voice apparently granted us entry.

It was then that I realized who the old man was.

Itachi had taken me to the Hokage.

He was as kindly-looking as always, with a small smile on his wrinkled face. His assistant was looking more than a little stressed; probably due to work.

Itachi bowed and I hastily followed suit, deciding that it would be better in the long run if I acted on all I knew. Itachi then started talking and he didn't stop for a while. He gestured to Naruto, then to me a few times. The Hokage answered solemnly and looked at me curiously.

I flinched. What were they saying? What was going to happen to me? Was I going to be locked up? Questions were running through my head at a hundred miles an hour with no way to ask them and it was driving me crazy.

The Hokage was silent for a bit. He regarded me closely as he took in my appearance. I shut my eyes tightly and waited for something.

He spoke. He addressed his assistant, I think, and instructed him to do something. The assistant replied with, "Hai, Hokage-sama," and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Itachi remained with an even face but questioned the Hokage. The Third replied with a smooth-sounding answer and Itachi fell quiet. Naruto, however, brought it upon himself to maintain the conversation. He faced the Sandaime and spoke in his loud, obnoxious voice. He mentioned me once, I think, and ranted on for quite a bit before (I think) Sasuke told him to shut up.

The Hokage replied with the same smooth voice, and the room fell silent. I took this as a chance to check Itachi out.

'OH MY GOD. You're in the Hokage's office under suspicion of being who knows what and all you're doing is CHECKING ITACHI OUT. While I admit that he's got a sweet ass.....'

My eyes flickered down past Itachi's lower back before I could stop them and Eri burst out laughing, which echoed around my head like a cave. He really did have a sweet ass. I glanced up at his face again. Although it was serious, there was none of the foreboding sense of coldness about him as there would be in the future. I wondered how long it would be before he changed for the worse.

The assistant came back in a few minutes later, with a kunoichi following close behind him. She looked about twenty, and she was wearing an all-too-familiar trench coat with not much underneath. Her black hair was held back with a clip and I recognized her immediately.

Miterashi Anko had a slightly bothered look on her face. She quickly bowed to the Third and said something that sounded like a complaint. The Hokage ignored this and explained the situation to her. I think. She looked around at me and her eyes widened.

'Ya wanna stop STARIN' at me, bitch?!' Eri retorted.

I silently agreed. I hated being stared at, especially by people I didn't know.

Anko turned to the Hokage and spoke in a disbelieving voice, to which he answered only with a small smile. She sighed and turned to me again, only this time she didn't stare, thank god. Instead, me gestured that I should follow her. I eyed her warily. Where did she want to take me?

Seeing my nervousness, Itachi put a comforting hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. At that point my mind didn't have enough brain space to even think about the consequences of following Anko, so I did what I was told.

The fuzzy feeling of comfort disappeared at the door of the Hokage building. As we walked, I recognized the route we were taking. She was leading me back to the place where I had run into Itachi this morning. I thanked the gods once again for my good memory. When we reached the Market square, however, she didn't stop. She went straight off the path and into the trees. It was almost as if she was heading to the portal. Did she know? But how could she?

But it seemed she did. She walked up to the tee and turned to face me. "This tree, yes?"

I jumped. The English language wasn't even supposed to exist in the Naruto world, and the fact that she had spoken in said language was a shock to say the least.

"Y-you speak English?!" I stuttered.

This question she ignored. "You come from this tree. Yes?"

"Y-yes."

She nodded and looked thoughtful. "I....discover? This tree."

I nodded to say that I understood.

"I find new world. I learn....Engrish."

How true.

"I......I tell....." She faltered, probably unsure how to say 'Hokage.'

"Your leader," I put forward.

"My.....reader? Leader. Yes. He....he say, if anyone come, give them choice. Stay, leave-"

Shit! "Um....do I have to leave forever? Couldn't I stay some of the time?"

Anko frowned. "Not let me finish. Stay, leave, half-half."

"So I can come and go?"

"Nani?......ah, what?"

"Ah.....half-half. I can?"

Anko nodded. "Yes. But." She put on a stern face. "No tell. Anyone, ever. I see your land. Dirty, loud. Your people. Greedy. No tell."

While I didn't appreciate her talking about my world that way, I had to admit it was true. We didn't exactly care for the environment and if anyone got wind of a new world to be explored, they would fill it with cars and rubbish. I nodded back. "Of course. I promise."

"No excuse."

"Yes."

"Good. Come." She turned and started walking back to the Hokage Tower.

I obediently followed and we didn't speak until we were outside the entrance. "Others do not know that I speak you language. Must not. Do not speak."

"Of course."

We went in and headed for the Hokage's office. The guard let us through and opened the door, to which I found everybody still there. Anko nodded slightly at the Hokage, he nodded back and said something to the group in a cheery voice. I hoped that meant something good. But soon his face turned serious again and asked something else. Naruto immediately volunteered for whatever it was, but was promptly denied by the everyone in the room, and Naruto went into a sulk.

Itachi spoke in a business-like voice, and the Hokage smiled warmly at him. He said something that I think might have had 'Aregato' in the middle of it. Itachi nodded and left the room. It was quiet again, and it gave me time to think.

So Anko had found the portal. Dominique had said it had been there for a month. Either Anko was good at learning languages, or the time pattern was different. Not too different, but different. How long had I been gone? A day? Half a day? I would have to have an explanation ready when I came back if this was going to work.

Any further thought was dispelled as Itachi reappeared with his father. His father, Uchiha Fugaku! What was going on here?

Fugaku had a peeved look on his face. Obviously he'd been interrupted, and didn't want to be here. He sounded huffy hen he spoke to the Hokage, anyway. The Third replied calmly, gesturing to me in the process.

Fugaku blew his top. It was really, really loud. He shouted at the Hokage, frothing at the mouth, eyes glinting dangerously. What the hell was his problem? He was always hot-tempered, but Jesus Christ. What had made him so angry? I looked at Anko. She wasn't looking at me, but rather glaring at Fugaku. He noticed and glared back. He muttered something spitefully.

Anko twitched and yelled at him. He started yelling back, and soon the room was the noisiest I'd ever been in. The Hokage tried to calm them down but failed miserably. Finally, Itachi stepped up and placed his hand on his father's shoulder. His brows were furrowed slightly, and spoke in an agitated tone. After a few seconds Fugaku calmed a little but turned the remainder of his anger on Itachi. He remained unaffected by this and continued to speak in a firm, serious tone.

Fugaku fell silent and sulked for a full minute before muttering a grudging agreement. The Hokage broke into a wide smile, Anko smirked, Itachi smiled lightly, and Naruto complained.

Just what the hell was going on here? This was driving me crazy. What were they saying, dammit! I glanced at Anko again, and caught her eye. She winked and I calmed down somewhat. Still, this was really, really annoying.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jumped. The hand's owner chuckled softly and said something in a soothing voice that calmed my brain cells. Of course it was Itachi's, who else's voice had that magnitude of sexy in it? Nobody, of course.

Itachi gestured for me to follow him. Ignoring the catcalls Eri was doing in my head, I glanced uneasily at Anko. She nodded and gave me a half-smile. I guessed that was a good thing, but with Anko it was hard to tell. So I followed him, unaware of where he was leading me for the second time that day. Fugaku walked briskly ahead of us, still miffed at whatever had gone on between him and the Hokage.

As we walked, I kept my eyes on the ground. I was attracting too much attention as it was, and the last thing I needed was to look like tourist by gawking at everything I see. This was harder than it looked. Everything was so....different to home. It was without the noise and pollution, and everyone was so carefree. It was nice.

'Nice it may be, but you won't be here to enjoy it once they execute you.'

I mentally poked my tongue out at Eri. 'They're not going to execute me!'

'And you know this how?'

'Anko told me they'd let me stay! And as if they'd kill me, they know I'm not a spy!'

'No they don't,' Eri tutted. 'You could be a spy from our world. They don't know.'

This thought caught me off guard. It was true. All they had was my word that I was innocent. And that meant nothing at all.

'Ah, but don't worry. Mr. pretty boy would have objected if they were going to-'

Eri never finished as I collided with Itachi's back. Thoroughly embarrassed, I quickly backed off and looked around him to see where we were. This question was immediately answered when the huge estate belonging to the Uchihas loomed in front of me.

Holy shit.

Well I wasn't going to leave it there but I find I just don't fucking care anymore. This Fucking chapter was SO ANNOYING to write! do you realize how long it takes to write a chapter without the necessary dialogue? It was driving me nuts! So, sorry that held me up with this chapter.

Eri: Oh, and it had nothing to do with those Dating sims and hentai rpg's you were playing on newgrounds?

.....Maybe that too. Shut up! As if YOU don't play hentai games. Review please! I want at least 9 reviews before the next chapter! thanks!