Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, but the idea that it should be named Sasuke might. Maybe. Probably not. But maybe.

A/N: … I'm not dead, yo. As per the number of votes on my profile, I wrote a chapter for Beautiful World first.


Chapter Three: Calling


"You wish to go to the Temple? Today?" Mimori asked, dropping her spoon into her soup. "But you just got here!"

That was a lie - we've been here for three days.

Why? Because every time we wanted to ask Tarou or Mimori to take us to the Temple of Aoizora, they'd interrupt us, or make us do chores around the shop to distract us. And while, yes, me and Tenten were grateful they let us stay here, and answered our questions (both the big ones and little, everyday ones), it was obvious they were trying to make us stay.

And as much as I would love to stay longer with the motherly, fussy, and talkative woman and her reliable, domestic, and silent husband, I knew we couldn't. There were others who were in Aoizora, in PARADISE, and we still had no idea where they were.

And honestly, I wasn't worried about anyone as much as I worried about the boy with the beautiful eyes. He didn't look like the rugged and street-smart type like Naruto was, he didn't seem like the hyper-intelligent guy like Shikamaru, and if Tenten was right, I wasn't worried about Neji either, or the two girls that were with them. (They were attached to them still, I hoped.) That boy seemed like a Neji actually - very capable of self-defense - but I couldn't help but worry because he was alone. Everyone had entered the door in pairs or in a group of four (Neji, Tenten, Naruto, and Hinata… I think that was her name), and I had been with him, but woke up without him.

Tenten nodded. "Yes. We appreciate you housing us here for the last few days, but we must find the others. We're really worried - none of them seemed to know what was going on when we were taken here through the Door."

Mimori's eyes looked downcast. "I know, the Door you went through to come here. But girls, you're still not used to the environment!"

I placed a hand onto Mimori's folded ones, and said, "Then we'll learn the hard way. Please, Mimori-san, we have to get to that Temple. We need answers that we can't get from you or Tarou-san."

The woman's lips formed a thin line. "Fine, but on one condition."

"Yes?" my friend asked.

"I'm taking you girls shopping today. You can't be walking around Aoizora looking like that, much less at the Temple." She smiled warmly. "If you want to be treated well, you gotta look like a local! Tarou and I will take you tomorrow, okay?"

"But, you make clothes. Can't we just buy it here?"

"Oh, no! Tarou and I make cheap, everyday clothing. You're going to need something of higher quality if you're going to the Temple. So? Will you come with me, get some clothes to be treated well, or would you rather get glares from all the folks around these parts?"

Tenten and I looked at ourselves - we had just changed out of our borrowed clothes (given to us by Mimori) and back into the clothes we had been wearing when we came to PARADISE. We didn't quite fit in with the style the locals were dressed in so to say.

Mimori's hopeful eyes made sure we couldn't refuse. I scratched the back of my head, an old habit from Naruto, and answered, "All right, I'm cool with that."

She looked at Tenten, who caved instantly.

With a squeal of delight, the woman stood, forgetting her soup breakfast, and said, "Great! I'll just go tell Tarou to hold the fort, and we can go, okay?"

"Um, okay, but where is the Temple-"

"Tarou-chaaan!"

I slapped my forehead. She had ignored us again.

Tenten watched Mimori run off to the front of the shop where Tarou was. And like she knew I was slightly worried, she said, "We have her word. And knowing her husband, he'll make sure she sticks to it. Those two make a good couple, you know."

Nodding, I smiled. "Yeah, they do. They'd make quite a set of parents."

Mimori returned, and grabbed a cloak from the hook next to the entrance. "C'mon you two! We don't have long until the new group of people from Akaito get here! By then, the prices will skyrocket! So chop, chop, let's go!" She pushed the both of us out of the back, through the front where Tarou waved like there wasn't anything wrong with the scene.

I picked up my messenger bag before it was out of reach, and prepared myself mentally. Sure, I liked shopping, but I never did it with anyone before. Before he went into a coma, my dad would let me buy whatever I wanted from a limit of three stores, and he always stood outside. Every time I called my friends from school to ask if they wanted to come with me, they always declined, saying they had other things to do. I had always wondered what it would be like to shop with another girl, and sometimes, with a mom.

Mimori definitely acted like a mother when she shoved us into a random booth, and began holding things up to us. And though it was hard to deal with the fussy woman and her high criteria for what would suit the two of us, I found it somewhat endearing and kept my temper under control. (I hated being pushed around, but I made an exception. The woman seemed happy.)

After going around several stores, we returned to one of them, and Mimori actually made us try things on. I let Tenten go first - "I am deeply annoyed by this, Sakura." "Better you than me!" - and what felt like hours later, we finally were able to find a top for my brunette friend. Now, all that was left was a skirt.

"Mmm… no. Try this one."

Tenten made a face as she shimmied out of the purple skirt.

"Mimori-san, it's the exact same thing!"

"But it's a different color, Tenten! Oh, I knew navy blue was your color. Here, try the black corset-" the woman helped Tenten tie the garment around her waist, and then stood back. "Oh yes. That looks good. Miss, we'll take these!"

Tenten did look good. She blended in perfectly with her surroundings with a white peasant top that was slightly off her shoulder, exposing her well-defined clavicles. And with her long legs, the skirt folded and hung in a way only tall, fit people could achieve. And it was true, the navy blue was definitely one of her colors. I was a bit jealous of her brown hair and eyes now - she could get away with just about any color on her, and she wouldn't look out of place, unlike me. (I could never wear anything purple.)

The young girl who was watching the store nodded, and rushed into the back. She came back a few seconds later.

"That'll be twenty silver coins, please."

Mimori looked offended. "Excuse me? Twenty silver coins? I've seen cattle wear finer quality clothes! Ten silver coins is enough!"

"Ma'am, please, the merchant will accept no less-"

"Let me speak to him! Twenty silver coins, my butt!"

She nodded, and rushed off again. I gave Mimori a shocked face. "Mimori-san, is it really worth…?" Tenten looked down, feeling the cloth. Our older guide smiled, and winked silently. As the curtains opened, revealing a bulky and almost inhumanly hairy man, wearing a fez hat and a vest, her anger returned.

"Hello, ladies, my assistant tells me you have a problem with my pricing, yes?"

Mimori, both thinner and smaller than the man by far, put her hands on her hips, and said, "Yes, yes we do. It's horrendous! There is no way this get-up is worth twenty - ten is more than enough!"

"Madame, I have come all the way from Giniro! These prices are very cheap! You can't deny them!"

"Sir, you are not in Giniro! You are now in Aoizora, and now you must follow Aoizora's pricing!"

This resulted in a stand-off between customer and merchant.

Tenten and I gave each other a look.

I mouthed, "Did he just say he was from silver?" (1)

Tenten shrugged. She fingered the cloth of the skirt, and gave me a raised brow, and mouthed back, "I think so."

As the two argued, and Tenten reexamined herself in the mirror, I looked around. The clothing, as I touched one of the more brightly-colored skirts, wasn't the best quality, but it was light and looked nice to move in. The one I touched especially. It was a nice red color, and it reminded me of my mother - she loved the color red.

I guess the merchant saw me, and he called, "That skirt is eight silver pieces! I suggest the bell-sleeved v-neck!"

Mimori turned to eye the skirt with her analytical eye. When those green orbs softened with approval, she faced the man once more, and said, "Look here, I know you're one of the more intelligent Ape men, and I'll tell you what: if you give me this outfit, along with one more, I'll pay thirty-five silver pieces. Maybe forty-five if you throw in a bag for Tenten here. Does that sound reasonable?"

My mouth hung open for a second, then shut.

An Ape man? You have got to be kidding me.

Mimori walked towards the skirt I was looking at, tore it from its place, and handed it to me. She went off further into the tent, and came back with a white shirt.

I held it out; I saw it was the v-neck the man (ape?) had recommended. With that, she shoved me into the dressing room, and hollered, "Try it on! Come out when you're done."

By the time I had finished, I had realized one thing: that this Ape man was definitely gay.

("Oh, golly, how can I say no to two beautiful girls? Ow! Girl, you know you ain't no girl anymore, you be a woman, okay? Fine, give me the forty-five, I'll throw in a bag. Why you need to change clothes though, Bun Bun, I don't see. I like the foxy Chinese look, you know you got with your hair!")

Not that it was bad thing, but he was very, very gay, and it made the fact that he was part animal all the more vivid. And very, very ape.

When I came out, Tenten was the only one to speak out. "Wow, you look really good!"

I gave my thanks. The Ape, after looking up from the calculator he was holding, smiled and said, "Sold!" and went back to pressing the numbers with his large fingers. He seemed to be having a hard time. The girl from before ended up being the one to push all the numbers in, shyly watching me.

My gaze went to Mimori. She noticed my look of concern (and slight worry - did I look strange?) then smiled warmly. Her eyes were watery as she laughed, "We'll take it."

...

The next day, Mimori and Tarou took Tenten and I onto the main highway to go the Temple. It was a relatively busy road, though not as bustling as the town we had left. Apparently the walk would be far, and seeing as the Uechi couple didn't keep a horse nor a buggy, we were, indeed, walking. I was mentally hoping that there would be some type of taxi service in PARADISE, but no such luck. You would think there would be another crazy old coot driving a cart, barreling down the road like before, but even he wasn't here to save me from physical activity. (Groan.)

To fill in the hours we would be walking, the couple entertained us with mundane stories of everyday life. They answered our questions, even named some of the native birds that flew past us every once in a while.

"Ah, look, a Paracoct," Tarou said, shielding his eyes from the sun, and making gesticulations at a tiny neon orange bird with a stray black feathers poking out of its head like whiskers.

I tilted my head. "Naruto?"

The brown-eyed girl next to me had laughed.

I think we were about an hour into our travels when I finally began to get antsy. We had just passed a huge troupe of animal-people: women with long, black and white striped hair, little boys with curling horns, and more than half a dozen men with fangs and really cranky faces, as if they didn't want to be out in the sun. I tried not to stare, but I ended up just full-out looking at them.

Tenten was the one who asked about the merchant we had dealt with yesterday once we got out of hearing range. Both of us were curious.

"He said he was from silver."

"Silver? You mean Giniro? Hm, I'm pretty sure he meant Ginkiniromoi. I'm assuming you met a talking animal?" Tarou asked.

The man's wife nodded. "Yes, an Ape man. Thing was sweet as pie. Surprised he had the guts to come all the way out here."

"So, you're telling me there are more of them in… 'Ginkiniromoi'? I'm assuming that's one of the Ten Countries."

Tarou nodded as well. "Yes, it's another country across the Daiumi." (2)

The Daiumi, as explained by Tarou and Mimori, is the largest mass of water in PARADISE. Apparently it's the one thing separating the two greatest land masses in this world, and circles around the world vertically. Though, strangely, no one has ever traveled around the world using this body of water. You'd think they'd go Magellan on the Daiumi, but "those who tried never came back." According to the couple, it's a PARADISIAN legend that if you can travel to the other side of the world, and float on the half of the world where it's entirely covered by the Daiumi, the Gods will praise you, and grant you one wish. "It's just a legend though," Mimori had mused, "Even those who said they would wish for their instant return home never came back." I figured I ought to put that into my laptop, so I ended up typing a bit during the journey.

"Anyway, talking animals usually don't venture out of Ginkiniromoi. It's very inconvenient for talking animals, seeing as they have to face the world's prejudice. Ginkiniromoi is the only place in PARADISE where they really don't have people staring. It's also more accommodating for them," he explained, "Was he alone?"

"No," I said, finally getting the answer to my question. "He had a girl with him. She seemed really shy."

"Ah, probably a mouse girl. They're known for being shy. Anyway, I wonder why he came all this way? Ginkiniromoi is practically on the other side of the world from Aoizora. Very strange…"

I ignored Tarou questions, and began to think for myself. PARADISE was overall a very strange place, and it just got stranger as I walked down the dirt road with Tenten, Mimori, and Tarou by my side. The sun was nearing its peak, blaring down at it. Tarou and Tenten were talking about Animal people, and Tarou was eagerly explaining. Mimori was somewhat occupied, gathering apple from the trees that overhung from the side of the road, and she seemed to be talking to them. I didn't pay much heed to it.

As we walked, it was becoming very apparent why Aoizora was named as such. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, and the clouds were white and fluffy enough to contrast perfectly. But it made me wonder if the sky really stayed that shade of blue all year-round. It felt like the latter end of spring or the beginning of summer here. The orchards around us were filled with fruits and vegetables and farmers were seen beyond the wooden fences on either side of the unpaved highway. I took a deep breath in, savoring the clean air. It was different than the air in Konoha, Tokyo.

This must be a great place to live, I thought to myself.

"For your travels, young sprout."

I stopped dead in my tracks. It wasn't a voice I recognized, yet I strangely knew it was directed to me. "Who-" I looked up, and there was a low-hanging branch displaying a bright red apple. I glanced around. When I looked back at it, it was a shaking slightly.

"Go on, take it."

And though it had been drilled into my head to never accept things from strangers, I saw no harm in taking it. Pulling back my white sleeve, I gently plucked the fruit from the branch, and the limb retracted back into the air. I traced the limb back to its original trunk.

So Mimori wasn't just acting a little crazy; the trees were talking.

"Uh… thank you?"

The tree seemed to smile. The bark of the trunk moved as a mouth. "Of course, young sprout. Anything for Akiko-sama's daughter."

I went red, whether from anger or from embarrassment, I didn't know, and turned sharply away. Once I was twenty paces away, I slowed down.

Even the trees saw me as my mother's daughter!

"Sakura, would you like-" Mimori jogged up beside me. When she saw the apple, she gasped, "Oh, you already got one!"

"Yeah… one of the trees gave me one."

She smiled warmly, and sighed, "How lucky! The orchards here can be pretty stingy with their fruit. But of course they would give some to you, you look just like Akiko-sama: she used to talk to them for hours without wanting a thing from them, even if they offered her their sweetest goods. I have to smooth-talk them for even a few!" She held out her apron with several apples in them.

I took a bite of the apple in my hand; I quickly touched my lips with widened eyes - it was so sweet!

Mimori laughed full-heartedly. "Haha! See? They're spoiling you already."

We continued to chat as the couple continued to explain their experiences of their world to us. Tenten and I found ourselves looking at one another to make sure this was real. There were stories of distant lands that held both humans and animal-human hybrids, oceans that spanned for miles, and of four people who were quietly awaiting their God to return from the Otherworld. From Earth. It made the six-hour walk to the next town over that much easier though. When you're trying to listen and believe a person's story, it makes you forget your shoes don't match your outfit's style nor its era and that your shoulder hurt from carrying a ten pound bag.

(Yes, I'm still wearing my sneakers. I refuse to remove them. Because, knowing me, if I do, I will lose my sanity in this insanity-driven land, and will eventually spiral to the point of self-destruction. Enough said.)

Once we left the mid-way point (a simple cottage with a few benches and a nice old lady with water) Tenten asked, "So, what is this Temple like, anyway? We might as well know, seeing as we had to wait a whole day to get here."

"It's large, almost two hundred feet high! They say it was carved out of pure marble, it's so white. They have stained glass windows, giant arches, and the inside is just as grand. I can't tell you how many times people get married at its doorstep."

"Did you?"

"Yeah, we did," the man sighed, smiling. Covering his eyes from the light above, he looked into the distance, and said, "We're almost there. You can see the tip of it now."

I looked the way Tarou was, and squinted because of the sun. I saw a thin tower with two other bell towers chiming amongst the green hills. Pearly white, it stood out.

"C'mon, you two, let's hurry. I'm sure you have plenty of questions."

I nodded, and the four of us sped up.

...

It was silent inside their sanctuary. The early morning sun colored the floor of this place with the hues of the stained glass that blessed the sides of the building. The rainbow of colors bled onto the wooden benches that spanned across the floor of the cathedral-like Temple. It was rare to see this place so silent and utterly lifeless. But, then again, this Temple didn't have any appointments for marriages or mass today. This was also strange, but it wasn't like the silence was unappreciated. As a matter of fact, one of the gorgeous marble Temple's Guardians was quite pleased with the lack of noise for the moment. He would be able to enter the main hall without being sought after. Most of the Guardians of Aoizora felt this way. The only two who wouldn't be were out and about doing whatever it is dogs did in the early morning and the other had a hangover and was sleeping. (As of that moment, the fourth Guardian GREATLY appreciated the silence, and thus led to the majority actually liking the absence of the usual racket. Now, if she was awake and sober…)

A tall man stood before the altar of the Temple. His hard eyes let his gaze linger on the statue before him, a mere replica of his Master, his Lord, his God. It's gold body stood out against the white back drop, much like this Temple did against the green hills that looped around it. He looked at it a while longer before clasping his hands together and kneeling before it on the stairs. He slowly removed the bandana that covered his head, revealing horrible and severe scars marring his bald skull. His face fell to the ground as he began to pray; black eyes fell shut.

All was silent in the Temple of Aoizora because he didn't say a word.

Inoichi-sama, he began. He remained soundless, as he mused over what he would say to his God, as he did everyday.

He proceeded to tell the statue through his thoughts about his sleep, then about his family. He went on about his little brother, making his way through his plans for the day. He got the meaningless, mundane things out of the way. (Or, at least the man thought these things were mundane, as compared to his Holy figure.)

But as he clenched his hands together in prayer, his battered and scarred countenance tightening as he did so, he thought, We need you, Inoichi-sama. Aoizora may not be safe under our protection within a few short months. I worry that we may not be enough to keep the one thing you left us with safe and the way it was when you vanished. Please, my Lord, return to us in our time of need-

"Someone is coming."

Ibiki raised his voice as he said, "Tell them we are not accepting visitors."

The younger man leaning against the nearby pillar said nothing. Dark glasses didn't indicate if he heard the order or if he was thinking. Nevertheless, he stayed rooted to the spot and the buzz of flapping insect wings only cemented the identity of this person. The larger, scarred man's eyes gazed at him with a cold look telling him that he nor the pet bugs he kept with him were wanted at the moment. Yet he remained unmoved, as if he was disobeying the wordless command.

"Shino, I told you to-"

"I heard you."

"Then go tell them they are not welcomed today! I do not have time for you and your childish attitude."

The buzzing noise continued in the large room. Several moments passed, and Ibiki realized with growing irritation that not only was the man not leaving him to his morning ritual, but Shino's voice was growing in volume as he spoke to his insects and bugs. The young man, Shino, suddenly said, looking at the small insect that had told him of the visitors, "It can't be Akiko-sama."

This made black eyes slam open. Ibiki Morino's head rose as he said, "What did you just say?"

Shino seemed surprised Ibiki heard what he said, but he replied, "One of my flies told me a girl that looks like Akiko-sama is coming."

"Your flies have horrible eyesight."

"But twenty of them are insisting it's her."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You usually have forty on patrol."

"The other half of them are saying it's just a look-a-like."

As the Morino opened his mouth to speak, an echo sounded. The pair instantly knew it was coming from the large wooden door at the entrance of the Temple.

Without saying a thing, Ibiki made large strides towards the door, with Shino in tow. His mind raced with feelings and factual thoughts.

It couldn't be. Inoichi-sama would have replied to his bi-daily prayers if Akiko-sama was here, if Akiko-sama was here, then maybe Inoichi-sama was coming, if Akiko-sama was here, there must be hope, but what if she's not here, there is no hope, if Akiko-sama, if Akiko-sama-

With a single large hand, the bear-like man threw open the door with an ear-splitting slam. Fresh Aoizoraian air blew in as he stared down at the eyes of two commoners, one of which he recognized. Said woman was not supposed to be here unless it was dire due to certain incidents that had occurred in the past, all of which included Inoichi-sama's portal to the Otherworld. The stupid thing had tried to commit suicide before the holy portal, and as part of her punishment, she could no longer return to the Temple unless it was life-threatening or changing.

She seemed fine, and she didn't seem panicked. She had no reason to be before him.

"Uechi-san," he said darkly.

The small woman gasped. "Mo-Morino-sama, I…" green eyes looked away, and the man next to her tightened his hold on her hand when she whispered, "I didn't know you were on mass duty today." (3)

He ignored her, looking behind the couple. He didn't have the patience for her. His eyes were instantly caught by pink.

"You." His arm rose, splitting the Uechi couple as he moved them to look at the pink. He moved them completely aside as he exited the Temple and stared down at the girl.

The resemblance was striking. If he had not known any better, he was standing before Inoichi-sama's equal, Akiko-sama. The pink hair had the same length, the same straight flow and curve of every follicle. Her brows were pink, her nose rounded the same way. Her lips were moderately sized for her face - fuller than average, but not large enough to be considered, 'pouty'. Her eyes were filled with light, and they were shaped exactly as he remembered Akiko-sama's eyes were shaped. All the way from the ironically black and pink eyelashes, to the red skirt and white top, the girl looked just like her. It was almost perfect, but the number of incorrect features she had compared to the Goddess just made his realization all the more painful.

This girl was not Akiko-sama. Not only was she too young, her eyes were the wrong color.

"Who are you?"

"Sakura," the girl spluttered after a two-second pause, "My name is Sakura."

His already marked face was drawn with wrinkles when she did not give a last name. His stare was not helping her - her smaller body was beginning to shake with fear. Those wide, large, very green eyes displayed that while she was afraid, she was also unwavering. This confused him, a natural at sensing emotions without the obvious signs, greatly, but he continued to wait for that last part of her name that he wished to hear. A moment later, she added, "Haruno," to her name.

This made his eyes narrow dangerously. The face of Akiko-sama, but the name of Haruno. Impossible.

"You lie."

This made her shrink back in shock. He couldn't decipher if it was guilty shock or just pure surprise. She then proceeded to deny his charge in a slightly soft, but more confident voice.

"Who are you, you fraudulent child?"

The rosette's green eyes flashed. While her body still shook, her eyes frowned before glowing with what he's come to know as anger. She was angry.

"I told you."

"And you lied. What is your real name?" He demanded.

The anger in her eyes rose. The quivers lessened as the fire grew and she said, "I am not lying. My name is Haruno Sakura."

"You cannot lie to me. What are your real intentions, child?"

"My intentions don't need to be known if you won't believe me when I tell you my own name." Now her voice rumbled with the fire in her eyes.

Shino had come from behind him. His glasses-clad eyes stared at her.

"Please, Morino-san, let us explain, but I'm positive you have mass still-" the Uechi woman attempted to explain, but he would have none of it. He eyed Shino. His mind was clouded by this mysterious child and was in no mood to deal with the woman. He knew her on a level that did not please him.

"We are not holding any events today," Shino interjected, his hands in his pockets. "But there must be a reason why you're here if you're willing to challenge your punishment so blatantly."

She went red. "I-I, it's just," she looked at the pink-haired girl, then at the quiet brunette he had not noticed, "these girls have something to speak to you about. It's about their friends-"

"We are not counselors to mere teenage problems, we are Temple Guardians," he said rudely.

"-and Sakura's relationship to Fuya-sama and Akiko-sama."

"Which is…?" Shino asked carefully, trying not to evoke any careful planning the woman might have for coming back. For all the pair knew, the foursome had come based on a lie the eldest woman made.

Beyond the four, the town's marketplace that was across from the Temple had gone quiet. Eyes were beginning to burn holes into the back of their heads apparently, as she said softly, "May we please go inside? This matter is important and shouldn't be spoken in public…"

His made sure he let the group know he was reluctant to let them have their way. But as he stared down, intimidating the women, the single man said, "Please, Morino-san."

He sighed. "Fine. Quickly." Ibiki would never say it aloud, but he was slightly fond of the woman's husband. He gave off a good feeling, one that evoked trust and care. He preferred this type of logical and honest person.

They quickly rushed inside, and the doors shut with a swoosh behind them. Once inside, Shino led them to one of the rooms off of the nave. It was a small yet grandly decorated office that was once used by Inoichi-sama for one-on-one talks with his people. While no longer used, it was near the entrance, large enough for the group, and well-kept, (obviously for when the God reappeared) so Shino ignored Ibiki's look.

"This would be the ideal place to discuss a problem such as this, is it not?" Shino inquired thoughtfully. The older man scoffed, but moved to sit behind the massive desk. Shino followed after gesturing the travelers to sit.

Once they were all settled into chairs, he asked, "So, tell me child, who are you, and what problems do you have with your, 'friends'?"

The pink-haired girl's face was still angry. So in response, she said in a restrained tone, "My name is Haruno Sakura, and me, Tenten, and six others are not from PARADISE, sir. We would like some questions answered and a way to contact the others not from here, sir."

Ibiki searched for the word he was trying to place on her behavior. She did not seem to be lying this time, though he was still unsure if her name was really what she said it was. And he knew that she was sarcastically placing, 'sir' at the end of her sentences to either bug him or indicate she was being honest by trying to be respectful. (And failing.) Then it came to him: ah, she was being defiant, like a pouting teenager. What else? He thought a bit longer, staring at her eyes when he humbly realized there was something about the shade of her eyes. They seemed familiar. Like he had seen that shade before in a leaf, perhaps. He's seen countless leaves in lifetime, seeing as he has lived in Aoizora his whole life, but this color was strictly prohibited in his mind to memories that pertained to eye colors.

"Hmm. Tell me, what proof do you have that your name is, 'Haruno Sakura'? No mere commoner would have that surname, child, and I'm not a fool."

Uechi-san cut in. "Morino-sama, she's not stating you're a fool, she's just trying to get you to believe-"

"Silence, woman. I am talking to the girl."

The small woman looked offended, but she obeyed with pursed lips.

"Don't talk to Mimori-san like that! Look, I have proof my last name is Haruno, look-" the girl dug into a bag she had on her shoulder, pulling out a piece of paper. His eyes zeroed in on it. The sheet was pure white, not yellowed in the least. She stood, and shoved the paper at him. "Do you need anymore proof?"

He took the folded paper and opened it immediately. The moment he laid eyes on the first line, his fingers began to tremble. Sacred Writing on holy paper.

It's been so long since I've seen it.

His fingers slowly ran down the paper, feeling the smooth grain between his fingers. Flawless. Not even those imposters in Nekome or Kurokaki could make such a fine grain of paper. And even if they could, they'd get the color all wrong, and never be able to dye it like this. His eyes traced the first word, his memory coming back again. Fura- no, Hara. No! Haru. That's right, the first symbol meant, 'haru'. Spring. The last symbol was difficult for him. He remembered the first one because it was a season, and Inoichi-sama used to speak of the seasons often in his emails. He loved gardening, after all. But the second one was one of those symbols that had a double meaning when used with another symbol, and thus he wasn't used to it. (4)

The bushy-haired boy next to him whispered, "Haruno. It says Haruno, Morino-san."

"…right."

Shino kept up with his studies, Ibiki mused. Who would have thought that the calm-natured child he met a mere ten years ago would turn out like this? The man went on reading. He struggled with a few of the symbols, each of which Shino helped him understand when he pointed to them. Again, Ibiki mentally praised the boy, but said nothing aloud.

Meanwhile, the other group across the desk patiently waited for his verdict.

After making it through once, he reread it. Then he reread it again. Then again. Once more.

There was no doubting it. It was a holy letter from the Otherworld. When he placed the paper onto the desk, he went to look at the girl once more. More for confirmation than anything. Suddenly, the hair seemed a shade too light. Her forehead too wide. Her eyes a shade too dark. Her skin glowing with too much health. The perfections he had seen before suddenly seemed wrong. There was someone else's genes needed to create the girl in front of him, and when he placed the picture in his mind, he knew he had been wrongfully accusing the girl of lying to him. There was no other pair of people who could give life to this child.

"Fuya-sama," Morino said, "you're Fuya-sama's daughter, aren't you?"

The girl - Sakura, was it? - nodded. "Yes."

He looked back down at the letter before folding his hands together in front of him. "And Akiko-sama's your mother, correct?"

"Yes."

"I see… this letter is real. There is no denying the sacred writing. Only those who come from the Otherworld can obtain this paper." He gently lifted the paper and handed it back to Sakura. "Be careful with that. You'll need it."

She nodded.

"I give my most sincere apologies to you, Sakura-sama, and to your companions," he lowered his head. "I didn't know. To redeem myself, I'll help you find your friends and answer any questions you have personally."

"It's fine, Morino-sama-"

"Just Morino. And please, I insist. Inoichi-sama would never forgive me if I left the offspring of two holy figures out in the cold."

Sakura scratched the back of her head, then said, "Um, all right, Morino-san. We would greatly appreciate it-"

BAM.

Suddenly, the door to the main part of the church flew open, and there stood a familiar sharp-toothed face.

"Hey, Morino, where the hell is every-" a pause occurred when the figure noticed there were others in the room. "-body? Woah."

"Kiba." A bark. "Akamaru."

All eyes shifted to the pair in the doorway. Kiba's eyes focused on the brightest shade in the room, and he said, "Who are you?"

"Sakura."

"Sakura? Hm, okay," Kiba shrugged. He made his way into the office and sat directly on top of the desk. He leaned in to get a closer look at her face. "You remind me of someone. I just don't know who-"

"Kiba, please remove your bottom from Inoichi-sama's desk," Shino deadpanned.

Kiba grinned at the other teenage boy. "Hey, lighten up, what Inoichi-sama doesn't know won't hurt him." He rubbed his butt even further into the desk to prove his point. The pair behind it couldn't help but make faces of disgust. Ibiki reminded himself to wipe the dark mahogany desk off once this whole ordeal was over with. He wouldn't have Inoichi-sama coming back to a desk that smelled like dog butt.

Akamaru yipped in agreement, the dog's forming vocal cords struggling to say, 'Yes!'

"You animal, get off."

"Hey, I resent that. That's Mr. Animal to you," Kiba said, but when he turned to face Sakura again, he growled in a husky voice, "but, to you, maybe I could be just Mr. Animal in bed-"

Sakura was looking over at her brown-haired companion. The thing was red all the way to the back of her neck. The more… "normal-colored" girl sighed, then said, "Hey, Mr. Animal, you're not doing a very good job at seducing your prey. Back up."

Kiba looked at the girl. "Oh, hey there, sorry babe. Would you like to see how much of an animal I really am-"

He leaned in, getting even closer to the brunette's face. Unlike Sakura, her face wasn't bright red. Her cheeks were painted a pink color, but nothing more.

"Kiba!" At Ibiki's command, Kiba instantly backed up. With his hands raised like had gotten caught by guards, Kiba held still as he said, "Kiba, get off the desk. And watch your tongue, you're speaking to a Goddess."

The already slit-like eyes went even smaller in shock. "Goddess? Which one?"

Sakura's green eyes hummed over the boy with a slightly annoyed (and still red) face. He sensed a small amount of fondness in them though - did Kiba remind her of someone?

"The pink-haired one."

"Oooh, I see, no wonder you look familiar. A relative of Akiko-sama, I assume? Or maybe Fuya-sama? Or maybe you're related to one, but hang out with the other?" when Sakura didn't respond, but gave him a questioning look, he tapped his nose. "Your scent. Are you their kid or something?"

Her eyes widened, but she said, "Y-Yeah." She squeaked when the large dog came up from under her hand and allowed her to pet him.

"Heh, figures. You remind him of Fuya-sama. He loved petting Akamaru."

After a few moments of Akamaru being spoiled by the two girls, (turns out Akamaru preferred the brunette, Tenten) Ibiki got back to business.

"Kiba, go wake up Anko. Tell her it's an emergency and to prepare the Portal room."

The shaggy-haired teen groaned. "Again? Why am I always the one to wake that bitch up?"

"I said, watch your tongue! Now go!"

Kiba grumbled, and stomped out of the room to fetch the second oldest Guardian of the Temple of Aoizora, leaving the original six people in the room.

Ibiki let out a large sigh. After calming himself down, (Kiba always did get his nerves wound up. Why Inoichi was so lenient with him growing up, he'd never know.) he faced his newest Goddess with a professional face.

"Sakura-sama, please, continue where you had left off before you were rudely interrupted."

"Yes… um, may I use your webcam?"

...

"Uh… is thing on?"

"Yes, Sakura-sama, it's on."

"Oh! Uh, um… hi."

"Really, that's all you have to say to your friends?"

"Shut up, I'm trying! I didn't plan what I was going to say beforehand!"

"Uh, Sakura, it's still on."

"I know!"

"Well, then, say something! People are going to think you're hijacking the webcam, hehe!"

"Kiba, shut your trap, let Sakura-sama speak!"

"D'awww, I ain't bothering her none, am I, Sa-ku-ra-chaaan?"

"Kiba, I'm trying to announce something, hey, wait, stop! What are you doing, no, don't touch me there!"

"Kiba, keep your mitts off of Sakura-sama!"

"OW! Why'd you hit me?"

"Get off of her, let her speak for the love of the Gods!"

"You know what, I'm winging it."

"Sakura-sa- I mean, Sakura, you can't just, 'wing it'! This is a national broadcast!"

"Oh, that's right. I already made an idiot out of myself, so what's a bit more?"

"But you're a Goddess-"

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm talking here, be quiet!"

"Don't you think we should stop broadcasting now?"

"No, Tenten, I am going to broadcast, NOW. I've turned this thing on and off seven times now! I'm doing this!"

"Sakura-sama-"

"Hello people of Aoizora."

"Completely ignored, Ibiki. You're getting soft."

"Be quiet, Anko."

"I know this must be a little strange, seeing a foreign face on the webcam, but this is an emergency."

"Right."

"Shut up, Kiba. Anyway, my name is Haruno Sakura, and I am currently searching for my…"

"Friends?"

"… acquaintances. I'm looking for my acquaintances. You're probably wondering why this is so important that I had to ask your Temple to let me announce this, but people of this land, we are not from here, if you get my drift. My friend and I are looking for the others so we can all find a way home.

"Please, those of you from Konoha district, if you can hear this, come to the Temple of Aoizora. It's in, oh, never mind, here's a map. Thank you, Morino-san."

"Hm."

"And citizens of Aoizora, I beg you to help them get here. I know it's not much, but you'll have my gratitude… Kiba, what does that sign say?"

"Nothing, Sa-ku-ra. Just ignore this."

"… 'She's the daughter of Haruno Fuya-sama and Midoriyama Akiko-sama. Suck it up.'"

"That's a horrible thing to write on a piece of cardboard and show to your loyal people."

"If they're not used to it by now, Inoichi-sama save them."

"You mean you've done this before?"

"Yeah, what's it to ya?"

"Seriously, come! I don't know where you guys are, but we have to stick to together in order to leave!"

"Anko, did you know of this?"

"Um… I'll just go set up the Portal Room for Sakura-sama…"

"Anko… Anko!"

"Whoa, she dodged a bullet there."

"Tenten and I will wait for you here."

"You shouldn't be talking, Kiba, because now I'm shooting at you."

"Oh shi-"

"Thank you for your attention, everyone, and I plead for your support. Thank you again."

"Hope you're not dead Neji, I still need to kick your ass for hurting Lee-san!"

...

I pressed the button one last time, and slouched into the seat. I had no idea announcing information was so freaking exhausting!

Tenten placed a hand on her shoulder, and I looked up at her. She returned it with a quirky grin. "So, like the tidbit I added?"

I gave her a grin of my own. "Sure did! Neji outta be cowering!"

"Well, not cowering, but he should at least feel threatened," she replied sheepishly.

Morino then came up to the two of us. "Sakura-sama, Tenten-sama, the Portal Room's preparations are complete. Would you like to see it?"

Tenten and glanced at each other, then back at the tall, broad man. We nodded that we should leave the webcam alone after using it so much; I stood up with a fleeting look at the monitor and small microphone-like camera.

The Uechi couple were taken away by Shino to wait for any wandering member of our so-called, "friends" slash "acquaintances" group, though I got the feeling they weren't allowed any further than they had already gotten. Mimori probably felt crushed, but from what I've heard so far, she was on a strict probation that concerned the Portal Room, and I didn't want any drama. I already had enough. Cooling down my temper was first on my list.

After leading us out into the hallway, the towering ceilings seemingly as high as the cathedral-like Temple itself, Morino lead us down another hall with more multi-colored floors. The decorations of the place were immaculate and intricate in its delicate mixtures of glass, wood, pure white marble, and charcoal-colored ironworks. Almost every shade and every hue I could think of off the top of my head were present, excluding any unnatural ones (I knew I wouldn't be seeing neon green any time soon). Planters were left hanging on some of the wooden pillars, and natural light flowed in from clear windows too high up for me to see. I had no idea who designed the building, but they had great taste.

"This Temple was built by Inoichi-sama himself," Morino said without looking back. "He chose every color, every piece of wood, every slab of marble."

I felt the wooden floor beginning to rise into an elevated position. The angle forced us to head upward, but Morino simply kept talking as if going up was the only thing the ground should do.

"Uh, Morino-san, is it just me or-"

"He chose every piece of material and color because they have Nature's essence in them. Worry not, the essence of the floor is just being playful."

A bump that appeared under my foot caused me to jump; I held in a squeal of shock. I glared down at the floor, thinking, This will be the only time I will ever glare at the floor because it provoked me, I swear, I swear, I swear!

After a single stern command from Morino, (and half a dozen attempts at tripping me) the floor calmed, and I began noticing more about the ascending floor and halls since I actually started listening to what the Guardian had to say about the Temple of Aoizora. I knew Tenten had been listening intently the entire time.

"As you can see, we're heading to the Portal Room, which is always located at the highest point of every Temple. It's a place of celestial honor and meant to be sacred, but is usually very difficult to get to. The floor transitions from wood to slabs of granite, as you can see - not as much essence in it, but enough to be wary of who is walking upon it. Then again, it's here in the Aoizora Temple you'll see such a feat. In other Temples, they have other ways of protecting themselves, but that is not to be discussed here."

I made note to type this all down in my laptop. Tenten seemed to be horribly interested, even more so than me, and so I made another note to ask her for the information I missed while dodging bumps in the wooden floor, now granite.

Finally, after spiraling through what I assumed was the highest part of the cathedral Temple, the inclined floors came to an end and flattened before a grand iron door. Wooden benches laced the sides, and ivy grew rampant, taking over the benches, swirling around on the floor. Certain branches decided to make their home on the door itself as well after they completely dominated the tiny amount of wall surrounding the door.

I felt even smaller in front of the metal door to the Portal Room than when I was standing before the wooden entrance to the actual Temple. The feeling the cold door exuded was… creepy.

Morino knocked on the attached metal ring, and uttered a few words under his breath. A square of wood appeared in the ring's place, and he began writing the kanji for, "Morino Ibiki" in a strange type of flawed grace - while he was fast at it, he used a different order - and finished his name with a tap on the block. The wood shrank back in, and apparently unlocked some unseen lock. The sound of cranking gears and moving parts welcomed us into the opening room, and

Surrounded by at least twenty panels of glass, two giant twin bells, and an almost 360 degree view of Aoizora, sat a circular frame made of branches, leaves, and the occasional flower. Everything, like the outside of the Temple, was clean, pristine white, as if completely untouched by any means. Light was still pouring in from the early afternoon sun, and I spotted Anko still dusting one of the two bells with a rag.

"So, this is a Portal Room?" Tenten asked, still fascinated by the sheer beauty and simplicity of the round room and of the Temple in general.

"Sure is, kid," the purple-haired woman grinned, wiping her forehead as if she had been working hard under the blazing sun. "It's not often we get guests up here either."

Morino brushed past her, and up to one of the branches beside the only nature-inspired structure in the room. And as if the leaf was a switch, he pushed down on it with his entire palm, and a pedestal rose from the ground a few feet in front of Tenten and I.

He waltz up to it, began writing the kanji for "on" and "home", then proceeded to frown when a screen appeared within the woodwork frame. It was a familiar blue color that instantly reminded me of the screen I got when my computer shut down and booted itself back up before any of the cool tools or programs kicked in - basic computer programming.

"Error. Circuit not complete."

He tried again. The same message appeared.

"Peculiar. It won't charge."

"You big oaf, the Holy Writing was never your forte. Let the Master show you how it's done."

Anko stuffed the rag she was holding in her trench coat's pocket, pushing the bigger man out of the way of the pedestal. She also inputted the same information, but got the same exact result. ("… master." "Shut up.") The two began to bicker, even when the door reopened, and Kiba came in with Akamaru closely trailing. As a matter of fact, he joined the bicker when he too couldn't do anything to stop the blue error message from appearing. They tried at least two more times, but to no avail.

"How come it's not charging?" Kiba growled, trying to man-handle the tree trunk base. Anko tore him off, and tried again, but she only groaned in frustration.

"I'll fetch Shino," Morino said, not confessing he was also confused.

"Leave him. If we can't figure this out, how the hell can Shino? His reading skills may fuck all of us over, but you know the wood prefers us over him."

"His insects do not make the essence of the wood refuse him, Kiba," Anko hit up side the head, and went back to trying to get the portal to charge.

As they fought, Tenten went for a window, admiring. I followed, not knowing what to do.

"Pretty, huh?"

She nodded. "Very. I've never seen so much green in my life. The other side had a great view of the ocean, but living in Japan, that gets tiring."

"Hm," I hummed, glancing over my shoulder to the other side of the glass room. True to her word, there was a grand view of the ocean stretching between the view of two hills.

"I have to visit the harbor for my aunt's restaurant every week, so there's no point for me to look over there. But this," she stretched her arms, and I heard a distinct crack. I made a face.

"Did you just crack your back? In front of a med-student who knows how bad that is for your joints?"

Tenten's face of surprise came, then she said, "You're a med-student?"

"Tsunade."

"Ohh, I see, so you're the pupil everyone's talking about-"

I looked away from Tenten and the view of continuous lime and evergreen hills. The frame was still blue, and I read the message over to myself.

Error. The circuit is not complete.

The circuit is not complete.

The circuit.

I gasped out loud, and said, "The circuit is not complete. It's not complete!" The three pissed-off Guardians glared at me, but I went on to explain. I turned, and took a step forward, my eyes widening with the memories rushing in my head.

"Before I came here, when I was still, well, in the Otherworld, Earth, or whatever, I kept hearing this voice in my head," I gestured my hands accordingly, "and she told me… that the door needs all of us to open! It needed a certain number of people, I guess, and nothing happened until that last person came! Maybe a certain number of people must stand before it before it works!"

"But that doesn't make any sense," Anko exclaimed. "The doors have opened just fine before any of you were here for Inoichi-sama!"

"But that's for one person! You said my parents have used this portal before. Did they enter the portal as a group, or one at a time?"

Their faces went from dumbfounded and annoyed, to realization and a pinch of horror. They exchanged worried looks.

"Sakura-sama, you must understand… that our god gave your parents permission to use his portal. Each portal only allows one person, unless otherwise."

"What? But Mimori-san said-"

"The woman knows nothing," Morino's tone was harsh. "She is merely a peasant that Akiko-sama was kind enough to speak to. She knows more than the average Aoizora person, but it's vague."

I froze. "So you're telling me that every portal can only have one person?"

"Exactly. You're the daughter of our deities, so we all figured you had a code that allowed you and your friends to pass like Inoichi did," Kiba said, his playful nature drained.

"A code?"

"Yeah," he twinkled his fingers in the air, as if typing. "You know, code. The complex stuff with a whole bunch of mumbo jumbo? Like the two lines, and the pointy arrows, and the dots-"

Confused, but barely comprehending what was being told to me, I took out my computer from my bag. I opened it, and typed in a greater-than bracket. I showed it to them.

"You mean… this?"

Kiba pointed at it, and said, "Yeah! That's it! And then there are these," he began typing picking symbols from the keyboard using his index fingers. "And these…" He turned it. "Like this! Code!"

img = "."

Tenten was behind me and in her stunned state, whispered, "Computer programming code?"

"Your God was using a computer code to get to the Otherworld?"

The dog-like boy merely nodded, not having any issue with this at all. I groaned, and buried my face in my hands.

None of this makes sense! I want to go home, dang it!

It was then Shino burst through the doors, and from the blank confused part of my mind where I decided to place my thoughts, Shino's low voice said, "Someone is here. She calls herself Ino."


A creature was flying. It was its first flight, and it was enjoying it immensely, as it was told to do. It flapped its wings, making loops in the air out of glee for the feeling of wind brushing its streamlined face and body. It was designed for flight, perfect from its pointed tail with wing-like membranes to control steering, to its powerful muscles to help take off.

Buriri was a happy dragon. Not only because he was flying, but because he had a purpose… even if it was a little hazy, but that wasn't Buriri's fault. As Buriri floated, glided, and made his way across the sea and around the world, he twitched from time to time, and spoke aloud to himself.

"Buriri, Buriri, Bu-Buri-riri," the purple membrane over his keen eyes kinked up, then relaxed in a sporadic fashion. His pitch black pupil looked like a faulty TV, the sharp lines becoming jagged with every twitch. Every part of the dragon twitched and moved unwillingly for a split second except for its smoothed-out back, with its eight saddle-like shapes.

Suddenly, the twitch worsened, and temporarily paralyzed the black and purple creature. With a slick sound, and a poof, an toy-like creature fell from the sky and into the awaiting ocean. Buriri waved its now stubby arms frantically, his wings useless in this form.

"BUUURIRIIIII." The cry echoed, but no one was around to hear it.

From the darkness of a prison, a man with a beard, glasses, and a wide forehead grimaced. He knew he had left some faults in his coding, but he had prayed that they weren't too bad. But seeing as he had no control over the crazy guide dragon, and that the dragon had no control over its transformations or brain. He didn't have any other choice though. It was either destroy all his work and never get this chance again, or let this half-assed piece of work try to do its purpose to the best of its haywire ability.

And worst of all, aside from his daughter's future guide being completely unreliable, that man knew something was up. He mentally cursed his captor. If only he hadn't returned early! He could've gone back in his code and corrected everything! But he had, and behind the metal frame, burning green eyes shined with stubborn willpower.

What could that long-haired person be thinking that he had to come to PARADISE a day previous to the one he typically did?


A/N: BURIRI MAKES HIS APPEARANCE. IT TOOK ME LONG ENOUGH TO FINALLY TYPE THIS ALL OUT. NO, I AM NOT DEAD. UH. YEAH.

(1): Giniro is silver
Technically, "gin" means silver. "Iro" is an indication I mean a color, albeit not in an adjective form, but in a noun form.

(2): Daiumi
Great, or Big, Ocean.

(3): Isn't this a temple? Why mass?
Because of the structure of the building, the religious meetings are called mass in Aoizora. I don't know, it just seemed right when I was typing it.

(4): Reading Kanji 101
When reading kanji, there are two ways of reading it: the Japanese pronunciation, and the Chinese pronunciation. The Japanese pronunciation is used typically when there is only one kanji surrounded by hiragana, which one of Japan's writing systems (the other two being katakana for things foreign to Japan, and kanji). The second way is used when there are at least two kanji symbols placed together. For example, Sakura's last name Haruno is spelled like this: 春野. The first means spring, and can only be pronounced, "haru". The second means field, but it can be pronounced as, "ya" as well as, "no", depending on what other kanji it's paired up with. In Sakura's case, it's pronounced, "no", and thus, her name is Haruno.