"Okay, do you have any idea about what's going on? Because it is seriously freaking me out." Naruto said, flipping her jacket back right side out. "I can't feel my chakra at all, and last time I checked, I was a guy, and now," Naruto paused to hyke her pants up above her hips again, "I possess girly parts! And these... things!" She jabbed at one ear above her head.

Sakura huffed. "This is another world! It probably doesn't even use chakra." She snapped her skirt around her waist and rolled her shoulders. "At least your not stuck in a pair of wings. I don't even know how to use these!" She complained, pulling out the ponytail her hair was in and shaking it out. Sasuke, finished shifting his clothing back to it's original state (the shirt would have to be thrown out... the combined efforts of running and the fight at made it irreparable), looked to the sky, ignoring the girls as much as possible.

They had all moved to what looked like a very grimy alleyway, hard cement walls towering above them while they set about flipping their clothes back to their original states. Naruto looked down at herself as she flipped her jacket around, then dropped it in favor of gripping her breasts. "S'not fair. They should've been bigger..."

"Naruto! Stop that you perv!" Sakura said, hitting the other girl's shoulder mockingly, pretending to be annoyed as she did whenever she thought Naruto was being indecent. Naruto stuck her tongue out at Sakura, muttering a quiet, "I can't be a perv if I'm doing it to myself…" Sasuke let out a tired sigh. Well, at least some things hadn't changed.

"The nurse in my room said she was an 'anima.'" Sasuke said, changing the subject and commanding his teammates attention. He turned to the streets, studying the people who bustled around, bumping and jostling each other without even a sideways glance. "A 'Mouse Anima' to be exact. I'm betting that the ears-" he looked at Sakura. "-Or wings that someone has determine what animal they patronize." He continued. Sakura nodded, seeing his logic.

"Well then, I have to be some kind of bird anima…" She mused, letting one wing stretch out. It was strange how something so alien could feel so... natural on her. It was like a perfect extension of herself; as if it had always been there. The feathers were light, creamy brown at the top, darkening to an almost blue near the bottom and edges, the inside more of a grayish hue down to brown at the tip.

"Well then, I'm a dog!" Naruto said somewhat happily, twitching her tail and fingering one sandy gold-beige ear.

Sakura shook her head, dragging her eyes off of her wings and looking Naruto up and down. "I'd say more wild." She said thoughtfully, tapping her chin. Sasuke noticed that she still had a bit of (very chipped) mint green nail polish from when they were...

"Fennec Fox." He stated quickly, then blinked, as if he hadn't quite realized he said it. He looked back at the crowd. "I saw a few in the desert on a mission."

Naruto stared, then her face broke into two equally dismal faces. "Oh come on! Why do I always get stuck as a fox!" She cried. "First Kyuubi, now this! Why can't I be something cool? Like a bear! Or a wolverine!" She grinned at the though, her tail twitching behind her with a mix of anticipation and aggravation. She unconsciously tugged at her ear.

Sakura rolled her eyes as Naruto rambled on. She looked back at Sasuke. "What are you, Sasuke?" She asked. Sasuke's lips tightened.

"Panther."

There was silence, then Naruto bust out laughing.

"You're a cat? A little kitty cat?" She laughed, doubling over. Sakura snorted. It suited him so well, it was almost funny, and Naruto wasn't helping with his- her- laughing. She smoothed a hand over her wing. Soft to the touch.

A stone cracked near the wall and instantly, all laughter stopped. They were on their feet and back to back in a matter of seconds, scanning the walls of the alleyway, searching for anything out of place. Sakura squinted at one section. The wall almost looked bent... as if the cement had been poured in sideways. Except that the wall was straight.

She scooped up a can lying near her foot, chucking it hard and fast and was rewarded with a very young-sounding yelp.

"Ouch!" From right next to a pile of boxes where Sakura had been staring, a piece of the concrete moved to cover the spot she had hit. There was a shift, and suddenly, a boy appeared, rubbing his forehead and staring at them with angry brown eyes. His dark brown hair stuck to his scalp with grime and his pants had a tear in the knee. "What the hell was that for?" He asked, moving with a lanky pace until he was standing straight.

Instead of answering, Sakura opted for a quick, "Who are you?" Naruto, always the first to relax, dropped her stance.

The boy eyed her warily, then at the bag of garbage behind her, as if he was afraid she'd throw something else. "Suterusu. Chameleon anima." He said, then his gaze shifted to Naruto. "Rusu, for short." He glared back at Sakura. "Who're you? Haven't seen you on the streets before."

Sasuke stood straight, seemingly relaxed except for the tense of his shoulder blades and the fists by his side. "None of your business. Where are we?" He replied curtly.

Rusu looked ready to bolt, his legs stiffening the way a person prepared themselves for a mad dash. Naruto, seeing this, leaped forward, landing in a crouch in front of Rusu, her face creased an a big, shit eating smile.

"Sorry about him, he can be a little grumpy sometimes!" She winked and felt an icy glare settle itself on the back of her neck. Ouch, she'd probably pay for that one later. "But hey! That was pretty cool, that trick you showed back there! Want to tell me how you did it?" She said. Rusu gave her look that said he clearly thought she was crazy.

"Cause I'm a chameleon. Duh." He replied, as if it were obvious. Naruto gave him a confused, somewhat guilty look and Rusu rolled his chocolate brown eyes, taking a step back. "Watch." He leaned against the wall stilling in a way Naruto would have expected from a seasoned ninja, not this... what, eight year old? Said eight-year-old's skin took on a scaly look, each tiny plate taking on a different color and blending into the background. In seconds, Rusu had completely disappeared from view.

"Whoa!" Naruto said, racing up and pressing her cheek on the wall. "I can see his outline! He changes colors!"

Rusu's eyes opened, giving the wall a face that looked strangely creepy. "Best defense in the world." He said. Then he looked at Sakura. "Except for the likes of her." He said somewhat hurt. Sakura looked down guiltily, but Sasuke stared impassively at the kid.

"So you're a shapeshifter." He said. "Any other tricks up your sleeve you want to tell us about?"

Rusu adopted a mischeviously look. "Watch this!" He said gleefully. And then he was changing again, his skin going from caramel brown to light and pale, a speckling of freckles erupting over the bridge of his nose. His dark brown hair bleached itself, becoming a dirty blonde, his eyes fading from brown to an emerald green. And before any of them could react, he darted off into the crowd.

Sakura watched as he faded into the crowd, then turned her angry gaze on Naruto. "Now look what you did, you idiot! That kid could have been our chance to get out of this city, and you let him get away!"

Naruto spluttered at her. "Me? At least I didn't throw a freaking can at the kid, or scared him shitless like Sasuke did! And what would we do if we got him to take us out of the city? We don't even know where we are, much less what's outside this place! We could end up in another damn world, getting out asses kicked again by a-"

"Shush!" Sasuke hissed, his eyes scouring the crowds with an intensity that resembled his concentration when in sharingan mode. Naruto gave an indignant squeak.

"Don't shush me you asshole! I wasn't even talking to you, you big-!"

"Shuttup Naruto!" He snapped at her. "The child is coming!"

As if on queue, Rusu returned with a smile, looks already fading back to his normal coloring, a sleek black wallet clutched in his grasp/

"Don't get caught, and they never know." He said triumphantly. He held the wallet out to Naruto, and she took it, unclipping it's brass clip and looking inside. "Hope you don't mind, but I took all the paper money in there. You can have the cards."

"What are we supposed to do with cards?" Sakura asked, moving so she could peer over Naruto's shoulder. Naruto slipped out a thin, rectangular piece of plastic out of a slot in the wallet.

"Crack the detiniator code, then go to a Kokan machine to get money from it." Rusu said. His head tilted to the side. "Where are you guys from? The old Country?"

Sasuke took the wallet from Naruto's hands, slipping it into his back pocket and giving a quiet nod to Rusu. "Thank you for your assistance." He said. "How do you-"

Sirens. Rusu looked up, alarmed. Naruto gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

"The fuzz!" Rusu hissed. He began to jog down the alley rapidly, face panicked and whiter than it should have been outside the boy's color changing habit. He looked over his shoulder at where Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were still standing. "What are you doing? Run! We don't know who they're looking for!" His skin began to ripple and color and then, he was gone from sight.

Sasuke looked at the place where Rusu had blended into and then out at where he had seen the crowds walking by. Everyone had started to walk faster, panicked looks drawing their skin tight over their faces as they rushed to get home. The streets were draining far too quickly for his liking.

"What are fuzz?" Naruto asked, walking up to where the street opened up and looking out. "Where's everyone going?" The sirens were growing nearer, blaring noise through the tall buildings towards the skies.

"Let's go." Sasuke said and pocketed the wallet. Whatever the fuzz were, he had a sneaking suspicion that they weren't good news. Heading deeper into the alleyway, he listened to Sakura and Naruto's footsteps as they fell in line behind him.

Naruto jumped up front, her nose in the air. "This way! I can smell it." She chirped, pointing down a tiny alley that was no more than seven inches wide. "No one's been this way in a while!" She said turning down the narrow passage. Sakura felt panic began to well up inside her as she squeezed herself into the space. She shook her head. She had been in tighter spaces than this before, why was it different now? It was almost as if... if the walls were trying to crush her alive.

They stopped, trying to breathe quietly as they stayed pressed against the walls of the corridor. Sasuke had his eyes closed, his bicep brishing Naruto's shoulder, while Sakura's hand gripped the wall near his thigh as if it were going to come up an eat her. Sakura fought down a huge wave of nausea that rolled over her, closing her eyes and swallowing.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked quietly. "What's wrong?"

Another swallow, too loud in the cramped space. "I don't know." She replied, voice hoarse. Her eyes opened and she looked up at where a sliver of sky peered down at them through their crevice. An unnamed feeling flew in her throat and she nodded upwards. "We need to get up there." She said. She grit her teeth, pressing her shoulders and knees to the cement walls on either side of them, and began to shimmy her way to the top.

"Wait, Sakura! Where are you going?" Naruto called in a stage whisper. If they moved, whoever it was they were hiding from would see them! Sasuke muttered a curse but her followed her on her quest up the wall. The sirens had come dangerously close, and by now, the streets were almost completely empty.

"I see them! They're in section four ninety two, we may need backup." A voice called. All three of them began to move faster as they saw figures squeezing into the opening. There was a ping and a chip of cement flew off near where Sakura's hand was. She squealed, pulling her hand closer.

"What the hell are those?" She called, and stopped looking down at Sasuke and Naruto who were steadily catching up.

"I don't know. Just keep moving, and don't stop." Sasuke said and passed Sakura. "We don't want to be here when they catch up."

"Ah!" Naruto yelled. She had stopped and was holding her shoulder where blood had started to drip. Then, she was racing up the wall faster than Sasuke and Sakura. "Don't get hit by the things they're throwing! They're weapons!" She yelled. Naruto was first to reach the top, and swung herself onto what appeared to be a long, flat rooftop.

Sakura grimaced, the rough surface of the cement walls scrapping her elbows skinless. A stone stuck itself to her knee, but the sky was so close, only a few feet away now. If she had chakra, she could just boost herself up, but now her hand could almost reach the edge and...

Air, open and clear and not weighted down by the stone buildings that littered the area. Sasuke was up in seconds, Naruto on his heels. "You think we're safe?" She asked him. A sound light metal on stone echoed through the air, loud as the crack of lighting and something whizzed past Sasuke's ear with a sharp whistle, another chipping the stone at Sakura's feet.

"That's a no." Naruto said, backing up quickly and running towards the opposite end of the roof, ducking her head down as more of the flying shrapnel hurled themselves past their heads.

"Duck!" Sasuke called.

"No freaking duh, teme!" Naruto yelled back.

Sasuke sneered, shooting her a venomous glance and opening his mouth.

"You know this really isn't the time to be fighting!" Sakura cut them off. Naruto skidded to a stop, her toes inches from the edge of the rooftop. She looked across the opening to the next building. A fifteen foot jump.

"What are you doing? Jump!" Sasuke said, coming to a skidding stop next to her.

"Are you kidding? That's a four story drop over a huge jump, and I don't have any chakra!" She cried, holding her arms out. Sakura came up behind them and peered down, then back over shoulder to where she could see figures in dark gray uniforms coming up.

"We're gonna have to." She said and gulped. She looked hesitantly at the edge.

"I'll go first." Sasuke said. He backed up two steps, giving himself a running start. His muscles tensed as he jumped, propelling himself across the opening and landing easily on the other side.

"How the hell did you do that?" Naruto called. Sasuke shook his head, looking a little surprised himself.

"C'mon!" Sakura yelled, giving Naruto a nudge with her hand. They didn't have time to be stalling.

Naruto ran back farther than Sasuke had, building up her speed before she threw herself over rim. She landed dangerously close to the edge and teetered slightly before Sasuke gripped her arm, pulling her to safety.

"Let's go Sakura!" He called. Sakura nodded, and steeled herself. If Sasuke and Naruto could make it, so could she. Sakura jumped forwards and automatically, her two tawny wings unfurled, catching the slight updraft and launching her across. Almost as soon as she was being pulled up higher by the warm updraft, Sakura's wings snapped shut and she went into a freefall, a suffocated scream trapping itself in her throat. Sasuke rolled to where Sakura was dropping and cushioned her fall in his arms, swinging to slow her momentum so she didn't drop.

"Landing needs work." He said dryly and dropped Sakura on her butt on the ground.

"How was I supposed to know that would happen?" She said, rubbing her butt and standing up.

"You know, I think I may like the whole anima thing going on." Naruto said, flexing her muscles in an unladylike fashion. "Gives me some edge. Some feistiness! Som-" Naruto bowled forward, face screwing up in pain as she reached for her shoulder and landed on her knees on the gravel rooftop. She tipped forward dangerously, a bright red smudge staining her jacket as she collapsed on her face.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled. Running over. Naruto was writhing in the ground, a hand clenched around the hole that went nearly straight through her shoulder. Sasuke ripped open her jacket, tugging down Naruto's t-shirt to stare at the hole.

"Sakura! Can you heal her?" He asked urgently, roughly pulling Naruto's jacket off the rest of the way. Naruto cried out in pain, her jaw muscles clenching and unclenching. Sakura knelt down focusing. Her eyes widened.

"I have no chakra…" She whispered.

Sasuke stared, disbelieving, his eyes slightly wild. He looked back. There were people running across the rooftops, and they were getting dangerously close for comfort. One of them stopped to lift a white plastic megaphone to their mouth.

"Put your hands on your head and lie down on the roof!" The chips were still coming, rapidly chinking off stone all around them. Sakura flinched as one slid of the ground by her thigh, making the stones there scatter in a million different directions.

Sasuke cast a murderous glare at their pursuers and tossed Naruto's jacket to Sakura. "Take this." He hoisted Naruto up onto his shoulder, ignoring her whimper. "We need to move."

"I said get down!" The voice said again, crackling with fuzz.

Sasuke flipped them the bird, his face stoney. He didn't check for Sakura, instead moving fast and smooth, taking jumps in single leaps, all the while glancing back and forth. They needed to find cover, and quick. Whatever they were throwing had a farther range than any shuriken, kunai or arrow, and they couldn't keep this pace for very long. He could feel warm liquid dripping from Naruto's shoulder down the back of his shirt and his mouth thinned to a white line. She wasn't going to last long like this.

"Over here!"

Sasuke's head snapped around, looking for the newer voice. There. A woman leaning out of one of the rooftop doorways that stuck up like grave markers from the tops of the buildings. She waved her hand and Sasuke changed direction. He didn't care who she was right now. They needed safety, and now.

Sakura gave a shout of pain and there was a crash. Sasuke looked behind. "You okay?" Sakura nodded.

"Skimmed my leg." She ground out, hoisting herself to her feet. Sasuke gave a quick nod.

"Keep going! We're almost there!"

"Almost where?"

Sasuke ignored Sakura's last question, jumping the last two roofs to the doorway. He gave the woman a silent, grim look. Safety?

The woman nodded her wrinkled face. "We can help." She said.

"All I needed to know." Sasuke ducked inside the door that was being held open for him.

"Go down the stairs and open the first door on you right. Then go in the second room and stay there!" The woman called from her place holding the door open, waiting for a limping Sakura.

Sasuke's feet thumped down the stairs and Naruto groaned as it jolted her shoulder. Sasuke glanced around wildly. First door on the right. He looked down at the door handle, once before kicking it down. Inside, there was mass chaos. Children screaming, teenagers gasping, curious gazes peering around walls and out of doors. At the sight of blood dripping on the floor, there were swallows and paling faces. Sasuke ignored them, running down the hallway, turning into the second room, spotting a mat. He knelt down, transferring Naruto from his shoulder to the floor gently.

The sheen of sweat on her forehead was a bad sign and there was blood everywhere, soaking through her shirt and making the dark blue fabric seem black. Her breath came in quick, hot gasps and she was chewing her lip until it bled, eyes hazed over and eyebrows scrunched up.

There was a touch to his shoulder and Sasuke jumped, turning his gaze to a girl, almost his age, with low set, cream-colored ears and ash blonde hair. She looked scared for a split second, but leveled it immediately. "We need to hide her." She said in a soft voice, calm voice. Sasuke paused, uncertain, then gave a barely perceptive nod. The girl smiled and reached for Naruto, but Sasuke stopped her, picking up her limp form instead.

The girl smiled grimly, then lead them to a closet with hurried steps. She opened it, shoving aside piles of shoes and coats from the floor before tugging open a panel that lay flush to the wall, the cracks at the edges nearly invisible. "In here. There's a light, but keep it off." She said. Sasuke stayed silent, moving into the cubby-hole and laying Naruto down gently. Not even a second later, Sakura was ushered inside. She paused at the sight of the small space, eyes going wide with fear. One glare from Sasuke and she was crawling inside, avoiding stepping on Naruto. They were shut into the darkness.

"How's she doing?" Sakura whispered.

"I don't know." Sasuke answered, quiet, worried. He looked at where Sakura would be in the pitch-blackness. "How are you doing?"

"Trying not to panic." She said with a stressed sounding bark of laughter. "I don't think I do well in closed spaces anymore." Sasuke rolled his eyes. If her reaction in the alley was any clue, she was probably never going to like small spaces again. "My leg hurts as well." Sasuke grunted and moved himself into a sitting position, bending his legs over Naruto's, keeping one hand on Naruto's unhurt arm.

"Let's just hope that we didn't just walk into a trap." He said quietly. Now, there was nothing left to do, but wait.


Part 2 of my rewrite. I'm leaving the prolouge as it is for now, cause I think its okay. If I feel bad about it later, I'll probably change it.

So, there used to be a chapter replace setting, and apparently, the FF staff thought it would be cool to get rid of it. Not cool, FF. NOT COOL.

Anyway, I'm changing little things, making their attitudes tenser, more on guard. They were in their early-mid forties when they were "killed" and had been working in the Anbu for almost fifteen years. When they were "resurrected" (as I've decided to call it), they were set back, and now they are all around the age of 17-18. Fairly young bodies, older minds. They'll probably be sterner than they are in the manga now, but feeling the effects of age decrease. Probably prone to moments of childness. I don't know, you make it up. I'm just the writer XD.

Rusu will still be coming back (I think thats what I did...?) Sasuke will still be a stern ass, but I'm going to expand on Chiyoki's personality a bit more (Thats the old woman, for all you first time readers). Expect that, and don't expect it to be happy. MUAHAHAHA.

Still looking for someone who'd love to beta my stories... pretty please? They need it badly, since I can't edit my own work for crap. This whole "redoing" crap is a miracle in itself. GIVE ME A BETA.

Thanks for reviews (more please?), look forward to the next redone chapter, and hopefully i'll get this done soon so we'll be getting the story on a move!

*NOTE* - If you didn't get it, the shrapnel throwing things are guns. They aren't in Naruto, so none of them know what the hell they are.


Chapter title: Meet

Song of the chapter: No Lights No Lights: Florence and the Machine

Word Count: 4,326