Well, here it is! Thank you so much for your reviews, everyone! They mean so much to me! . They help me through the troubled times, when I am not sure I can make it...! Here's chapter 4!

Disclaimer: NO. No no no no no no. This is not my intellectual property. This is my intellectual wasteland~~~~~


CHAPTER 4

"Wakey wakey, eggs 'n' bacey!" Bailey yelled, pouncing on her sleeping friend. Abigail had always been the late sleeper, while Bailey was always awake before anyone else; often this followed a night of having not slept at all. The two girls were staying at Sakura's house, much to Bailey's dismay, as it was the most convenient.

"What?" Muttered Abigail grouchily, without opening her eyes. Bailey smacked Abigail's face none too gently, but her friend was fast asleep again. Bailey narrowed her eyes. She grabbed a corner of the sleeping mat Abigail was lying on, and tugged it into a bright beam of sunlight filtering through the window. Abigail squinted, but turned onto her stomach and put her arm over her face.

Bailey scowled. So the war begins early, she thought grimly. She yanked open the door of the spare room and ran into the hallway. "Sakuraaaa!"

The door to Sakura's room slid open and Sakura's head popped out of the doorway. "What?" she snapped.

Geez, everyone's crabby in the morning, thought Bailey. "Where's the kitchen?"

Sakura sighed and pointed down the hallway to a staircase. "In the room at the bottom of the staircase, there's a doorway on the right hand side."

Bailey raced across the hallway and leapt onto the top stair. Her landing hit the very edge of the step, and her foot skidded out from underneath. She toppled down the staircase with a loud squeal and smashed into a table, whose legs cracked. The whole house shook. Then Sakura's and Mrs. Haruno's doors both crashed open. Mother and daughter sprinted to the top of the staircase and looked down anxiously.

"I'm fine; just hemorrhaging slightly from the nose," gasped Bailey. "No, really, it's okay!" she said bravely, holding out a quivering hand and closing her eyes dramatically as Mrs. Haruno started down the staircase. "There are more important matters at hand. Defend your stations. The battle draws near. Don't worry and for goodness' sake do not mourn. 'Tis better we lose one warrior than the whole army!"

She stifled the blood pouring from her nose with the back of her hand, and darted through the doorway on her right, into the kitchen. Glass snatched, filled with water, Bailey dashed back into the living room and up the stairs, where Sakura and her mom were still standing in confusion. The spare room's door was slammed close as the last droplets of blood spraying in Bailey's wake pattered onto the ground.

Abigail was snoring peacefully, hugging her pillow. Bailey lifted up the glossy mop of Abigail's hair with a bloody hand, and emptied the icy water onto her friend's bare neck. The house shook again, rattling in resonance with the high-pitched scream."We have a mission, soldier! Snap to it!" Yelled Bailey, throwing the glass aside with unnecessary force. It shattered against the wall. Bailey was slightly woozy from blood loss and it only made her more caught up in her wartime fantasy.

"Oh, yes!" Abigail's anger evaporated at the mention of the mission. She sprang to her feet.

"That's the spirit!" Said Bailey approvingly. She eyed Abigail critically, who eyed her back, wondering what the bloody face was from but not asking. "Chin up! Shoulders back!" Bailey barked. Abigail struck an exaggerated military pose and saluted.

"At your command!"

"Until death do us part!" Bailey cackled, "and I get a medal of honour while you DIE FOR GLORY!"

They marched out the door, slamming it open a final time. Sakura and Haruno-san were still standing paralyzed, too shocked by the crashing and screaming to return to their lives, but too afraid of what they might see to investigate.

"Good thing you've put on some makeup for once," Sakura said to Bailey, whose bloodcrusted lips and chin looked like she'd marched off the set of a vampire movie.

Her mother decided she was doing more than her part already, and that she didn't need to offer help with injuries when self-inflicted by borderline masochists. "Breakfast," she mumbled, and drifted off.

When they had eaten, Mrs. Haruno told her daughter to lend Bailey and Abigail some clothes instead of their filthy, and now bloodied, pyjamas. Bailey thought Sakura would refuse, or give them horrendous clothes, but, up in her room, Sakura surprised her by turning to them and saying, "I'm sorry I've been a bit mean to you two, I think we just got off the wrong way."

"She said, 'got off,'" snickered Abigail. Bailey elbowed her.

Sakura, caught up in her vulnerability, didn't notice. "So I wondered if you would like to start over. I don't think we have enough in common to be friends, but at least we could stop being enemies."

"Sure!" said Abigail brightly. She held out a hand to shake.

"Of course!" Bailey said sweetly. "It'll be a love/hate relationship, like with you and Ino!"

This got Sakura's. "How do you know Ino-pig?"

"Uh, we uh… I mean..."

"Bailey is kind of psychic." Abigail provided quickly.

"Oh. Wow!" exclaimed Sakura in awe. Bailey decided to steer the conversation out of these dangerous waters.

"So, uh, about the clothes…"

"Right!"


A few minutes later, Abigail, Sakura, and Bailey were on their way to the training grounds in the forest. Abigai wasl wearing black biker shorts, and over that a light blue skirt with slits up the sides. For a top she had a plain dark blue t-shirt. Bailey was wearing an olive green tank top with a white anime cat head graphic and a short black skirt. Sakura had apologized that there hadn't been many outfits to choose from, but the girls didn't mind. Bailey was frankly astonished that Sakura had any clothes other than her famous red dress. She started wondered if Naruto had any different clothes than his orange outfit, and Sasuke... what kind of leisure clothes did he own...

The three girls arrived at the clearing at the same time Naruto and Sasuke walked in from different directions.

Amazingly, Kakashi was on time just a few minutes later. As everyone grappled with the shock, he said, "Glad to see you all on time," without a hint of irony, and smiled through his mask. "Your mission today is to look after and protect somebody very important."

"Dare dare dare?" Naruto yelled. Everyone leaned forward in anticipation.

"Yes, somebody important, very vital to this village, whom you should be honoured to be in the presence of, especially for a full day…"

"Stop beating around the bush, Kakashi-sensei!" screamed Sakura.

"Who is it?" Naruto yelled.

"Konohamaru, grandson of Sandaime. I believe you've met him, Naruto?"

"Whaaaat?" Naruto's eyes went extremely wide, with the pupils reduced to little dots, and the background around him went all funky and psychedelic, like it can only do in cartoons. It was quite an experience for Bailey and Abigail to see it up close and in first-person.

"Not that annoying kid!" Abigail yelled before she could stop herself.

"You know him?" Kakashi scrutinized her suspiciously.

"Uh, I uh…"

"Oh, Abigail, do you have psychic powers too?" Squealed Sakura in excitement.

"Wha – oh, oh yes. Yes I do! Hahaha…" Abigail grinned, sweat dropping. Sakura shrieked and clapped her hands.

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi asked.

"Oh, never mind." Bailey said.

"Yes, never mind! We have to babysit that brat? That's not an honour; that's a nightmare!" Protested Naruto.

"An outrage!" Yelled Abigail, punching her fist in the air.

"A scandal!" Bailey joined in, leaping to her feet.

"A torment!"

"A monstrosity!"

"A bad egg!"

"A–"

"That's enough!" Yelled Kakashi. "You girls are beginning to get on my nerves! You're the ones who wanted to participate in this mission, so you can cooperate or go home!"

Bailey sniffled, her eyes filling with tears. "We don't have a home."

"We just…just wanted to be… accepted!" Abigail whimpered, her voice cracking on the last word.

Kakashi took one deep breath and turned away. "You are expected at the Hokage's home in about half an hour."

"But–" Naruto began, cutting off when Sasuke smacked him over the head.


"This sucks." Bailey whined to no one in particular, switching off the vacuum and brushing a few wisps of hair that had escaped from her ponytail back from her face.

Abigail came bouncing over and sat on the coffee table. "Hey, did you know –"

"Don't sit on the table!" screeched Bailey, diving forward and tackling Abigail to the ground. "I just wiped it; I don't want your fat butt-oils all over it!"

"Bailey! There are children around!" barked Sakura from across the room. Bailey stuck her tongue out.

"Yeah, like you, forehead girl," she shot back, forgetting their truce. A red anger mark popped up at the side of Sakura's forehead.

"I will refrain from starting a fight with you because of present company."

"I don't mind!" Konohamaru said eagerly.

"Be quiet and drink your apple juice or whatever. Take a nap." Snapped Bailey crossly.

"I'm not five!" Yelled Konohamaru. "I don't just take naps and drink juice! I have a busy life! Babysit him," he concluded, pointing at Naruto, who was chugging a juice box and then suddenly stretching to take a nap. Konohamaru snickered, looking oddly furtive.

"Weird kid." Muttered Bailey.

"As I was saying." Abigail said impatiently, turning to Bailey. "Did you know you look kind of like Ino, with your blonde ponytail and all? Only your hair isn't as pale."

"Oh really?" Bailey wasn't sure whether this was a compliment or not. She thought Ino was pretty... she was predisposed to like Ino, on principle, only because she, Bailey, hated Sakura.

"Yeah, and you don't have blue eyes." She peered closely into Bailey's eyes. In Bailey's experience, when someone got this close to your face, they were normally about to strike. She started to sweat and roll her eyes like a nervous mongrel.

"Mhmm," concluded Abigail, leaning out. "Your eyes changed colour a bit in this world. They're more golden than whatever you call that shit colour IRL."

"HAZEL," snarled Bailey.

"Yeah, GAYzel," chortled Abigail. "Now they look kinda like, uh…" She leaned in close again and Bailey started to bend backwards.

"Owl eyes."

They both jumped. Sasuke was passing behind them, carrying a load of laundry.

"Are you saying I have bulging, lashless eyes that blink upside-down!" Bailey yelled at his retreating back, shaking her fist. He gave her a strange look over his shoulder before continuing to his destination. "I guess I must be," he called as he went.

"I think that's chickens that blink upside down." Abigail said. "Owls just sleep upside down."

"No, that's bats," said Bailey. "Owls sleep in barns, but right side up. It's how you tell the two apart at night. Also by whether they fly into your face like THIS," she lunged at Abigail with talon-fingers, and raked them through Abigail's hair, then pounced back out of reach. "-Or THIS," she said again, immediately lunging again, flapping her arms and shrieking, "K-K-K-K-K-K-Kcchhkkkkk!" which was her idea of sonar clicks. She tried to flap into Abigail's face, but this time the taller girl pushed her away.

Bailey, not to be deterred, lunged forward again and grabbed Abigail's arm. "Snow White's evil mom! Take me to your mirror! I haven't even thought about my appearance until now, but now I'm curious."

"Oh, ok." Abigail, with Tae Kwon Do knowledge, reversed the grip and twisted Bailey's arm behind her back. They frogmarched through the hallway, peering into rooms for mirrors. In a room with a large window they saw a large orb lying on a cloth on a small table surrounded by cushions. "Look! It's the crystal ball that old dude used to spy on Naruto and the others so many times!" yelled Bailey, starting towards it.

"That 'old dude' is the Hokage, disrespectful worm," Abigail clucked her tongue, tugged Bailey's arm and yanked her back into the hallway. "We're looking for a mirror, remember?"

"No!" Bailey struggled against Abigail's grip, which earned her being picked her up and slung her over Abigail's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Bailey screamed and pounded Abigail's back.

When Abigail finally put Bailey down in front of a large, 5 foot high mirror, Bailey forgot all about the scrying orb. Abigail, also, forgot everything else.

"Whoa. That's really me?" Bailey's eyes were wide. They do look like owl eyes, she thought in wonder, only not in a bad, Furby way! Her hair was no longer such a dull dirty blonde as she was used to seeing, but saturated into a slightly faded version of Naruto's egg-yolk tufts.

"I never realized how freaky it would feel to look into a mirror and see an anime person." Abigail said, tugging a strand of pitch-black hair and narrowing her eyes, which had also changed considerably. They were a clear, light blue with slightly darker blue lines spreading out from the pupil and forming a blurry ring around the iris' circumference.

They stared at their reflections for longer than either of them realized, until something crashed in the living room. They jumped, turned around, and skidded into the hallway. Bailey landed in a spider-man crouch, with her hand outstretched, fingertips brushing the floor.

"Which way? Which way?" She asked wildly, looking back and forth. Abigail smacked her head.

"There is only one way, retard." They were at the very end of the hallway. Abigail ninja-ran back towards the living, and Bailey followed, caught up in an onslaught of fears. Catching up, she clutched at Abigail's trailing hands and whimpered, "Abby, Abby, it's Zabuza, I know it's Zabuza! I can smell cow hide –"

Abigail stopped running and Bailey crashed into her. "Zabuza died, you moron," Abigail panted as they picked themselves up off the floor. Back on their feet, Bailey shoved Abigail, and Abigail body-chucked Bailey into the wall, as they fought to be first into the living room.

Abigail won, got there first, and skidded to a halt intentionally so that Bailey ran into her once again. Then, both their eyes widened in shock at what awaited them.


Yes! Finally I get to end a chapter with a cliffhanger! I've been wanting to do that for some time , just so all of you know, even if I get a kazillion reviews (which would be really nice!)I probably won't be posting another chapter til at least the 20th, because I'm going on vacation to the Queen Charlottes, end of the end of civilization. Almost. Anyway, I'm sorry you're going to have to wait quite awhile. And on a cliffhanger, too! Tsk, I'm so evil... buahahahah.

Well, ciao! Try and guess what happens next! And hope that my ferry doesn't do a Titanic on me!