Chapter 3

So finally, I stopped being mad at the world. That was a good thing, right? I even made an attempt at getting closer to my old friends again. I tried to finally accept Apple into my circle of friends, too. You see, I had had a circle of friends for a long time, and it was always made of the same people. It was hard for new people to be invited into it, but not impossible. Sarah and Alexis had managed to get in, after all, and they were the most recent additions to my circle. Sometimes I found acquaintances; people I hung around when there weren't any friends around, the ones that kept me smiling anyway.

I began noticing things, too. I learned that Sam didn't really take a liking to Apple at first. I noticed that Apple liked to wear dresses and skirts. She liked checkered half-skirts, and floral dresses that were tight around the chest and stomach. She most often ended up wearing green, black, white, red, or brown as the main colors. I got more involved in the conversations at my table, and learned and discovered even more. Apple's favorite color was brown, and she loved to bake. "What do you bake?" I had asked.

"A lot of things! Although, I do have a sweet tooth, especially for chocolate," she answered. Sam perked up at this. Sam loved chocolate with a passion. The only problem was she ended up "chocolate drunk" when she had it. Most say it's a sugar rush or caffeine, but once she got "drunk" on cheese. How do you get a sugar rush from cheese? ("Because cheese is freakin' awesome," someone had answered when I asked.)

Apple, I learned, had also joined the environmental club. This proved she loved nature. She also mentioned once that she loved the beach. I'll have to take her to the island sometime…, I had thought absently.

I also began getting reminded of how my old friends were. Nadia was the funny one, the one that made the others laugh. She was very random, and it seemed her favorite word was "Bojangles!" I learned she had become best friends with Kyle, and still loved cupcakes. She also likes circles and triangles and chicken and muffins…. Well, as I said, she was random.

Then Mackenzie. She was also one of the funny ones, but often made perverted jokes (which didn't get any laughter from me). She was definitely the spazzy one. I heard her say, "What the fudge?" a lot as well. She didn't like to swear. Wait… how could she be perverted, yet be uncomfortable swearing?

Sarah. Oh, Sarah…. Sarah was certainly perverted, just as Mackenzie was. She was spastic and hyper. She had one of the strangest laughs… and she sometimes even cried when she laughed hard enough.

And back to Apple. She was really nice, actually. She was loud, talkative, sweet, and caring…. I couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed her bright green eyes before.

I could never get completely involved, however, as the memories of the Naruto world kept nagging at my mind, even when I wasn't thinking about it. I just wanted to go back desperately. And yet, I hadn't cried. Not yet, anyway….

Another two weeks passed, and it was Friday. After school, I headed back into the woods, to see if my old tree house was still there. I smiled sadly, nostalgic, when I saw it. I climbed onto the platform, and brushed off the leaves and dust. I slid my hand against the old wood, thinking of the times before the disappearance happened. Before I had responsibility. Before I knew of true pain. Before everything.

I went back home eventually, and looked around for my mom. From what I remembered, she'd be home by now, but there was no car in the driveway. She wasn't home yet? Well, I could just pass the time…. I looked around. I had a Wii… a shelf of books to read… a TV to watch… and a computer to… compute. I decided to try the computer. I hadn't been on one in over three years, so I amazed myself when I found I could still type considerably fast.

The first thing I did (after I turned it on, of course) was go to the internet; I went to Narutopedia. There was something I needed to look up…. The page came up. What had Sarah said…? I typed "Natari" into the search box, and waited to see what would come up. I watched wide-eyed as the pictures and words appeared on the screen.

There was a picture of me in a box, and below the box there was basic information. It showed the episode of my "debut," along with a box that said "Appears in American anime only." Then there was a section labeled "Personal" that went something like this:

Birth date: December 21

Gender: Female

Age: varies

This was followed by my height, weight, and affiliation. (My affiliation was both Konohagakure and Akatsuki.) To the left there was a simple introductory sentence: "Natari is one of the two mysterious people that first appeared in a clearing." The articles had my background, personality, appearance, and abilities, followed by the arcs I was shown in.

In the "Background" section it mentioned I was from "a far-off land, still unknown, possibly across the ocean of the Naruto world." It said that I always tried to make it home…. But in the "Personality" section it said, "Despite her determination to make it back to her homeland, she often set it aside for the well-being of those who were close to her." All of this was true.

I was surprised, believe me. I immediately scrolled to the top and searched "Samansa." Soon, there was a picture of Sam on the screen.

I was reading through it until I heard the back door open. I immediately closed the window and got up to greet my mom. Only… it wasn't my mom. It was her new boyfriend. "Oh, hi," I said with a smile.

"Hello," he grinned.

"Do you know where my mom is?"

"Your mother? She's… still at work, probably."

"Really? Is she working late?"

"Oh, no. She's had to work overtime for awhile now."

My smile faded. "…Really? I… didn't know."

"Of course you didn't know. Nothing to worry about." The door opened and closed behind him. "Oh, hello, honey!" he said as he turned. My mom, with her bags, stood in the doorway. She smiled at us. "You're home early!"

After I asked my mom for permission, I grabbed a few things and headed out to sleep in the tree house that night. "Love you, miss you, kiss you, bye!" I called as I left. Yes, I did say that. It was a farewell I had made in elementary school, and still used it, even then.

I set the tree house up nice, placing three pillows down, along with a sleeping bag, then a lantern to the right of where I'd lay, with a book beside it. The sunset was beautiful that night, even if it was blood red. That color sunset reminded me too much of…. Well, you know. The last time I had seen a sunset that red was the night I told Sam about the future of the Naruto world. The night Orochimaru had died, not that that mattered to me.

I lay down with a comfy smile on my face; in that moment, I was actually happy. Soon, though, the light began to fade, and I gazed up at the stars. It was weird. I don't know how to put it…. The sky was so… real here. My smile faded eventually, and my eyes grew sad.

"I'd give anything to go back." I paused. "Almost anything," I corrected myself, half-expecting the devil to pop out of nowhere and ask for my soul. Anything like that didn't exactly seem surprising anymore. I looked at the stars with now pleading eyes. "Please, Lord. All I want is to go back, even if it's only once more. I just want them to know…." I felt the tears prickle at my eyes. "I just want to let them know why…. Just why…. That's all I ask. I'd do nearly anything. Just… please. Please…." My voice trailed off, and, in the silence, tears began streaming down my cheeks. "At least let me see them one more time…," I whispered. "Just one more time…."

I heard twig snap down below, and I gave a small gasp in surprise. I heard a muffled curse, then rustling. "Come out," I said in a now-steady voice. I wiped the tears of my cheeks, grateful of the darkness that hid them. A figure came out of the brush, which had long blond hair… put up in a ponytail…. The first thing I thought was, …Deidara?

I turned and lit the lantern, and, as my eyes adjusted, I held it over the ground below me to see who it was. Is it him? I wondered. But no…. It wasn't him, but a girl with the same hair, and the same color eyes. I squinted in confusion. "Who are you?" I asked.

"Ashlie, Ash if you want. Who're you?" the girl answered.

"…Natalie. What are you doing out here this late at night?"

"I ran away."

I blinked in surprise, but didn't ask why. That was personal, although I was curious. "Need a place to sleep?" I offered. "I have an extra pillow, and I don't really need a blanket."

She broke into a smile. "Sure; thanks." She climbed up to where I was, and I found how tall she was; about two centimeters shorter than Kisame. And Kisame was tall. I patted the bare area on the other side of the lantern, put a pillow on her side, and got out of the sleeping bag to give to her.

After she got comfortable, we just lay silent. "You'll go back home eventually, right?"

"Pfft, no. The only thing I miss is my dog," she answered. This worried me. Were her parents abusive? That would be horrible. "I'm just sick and tired of being compared to my 'oh so perfect' twin."

Huh, that was bad too. I'd hate that. Maybe I'd run away too. Maybe. Well, at least it wasn't abuse…. I'd have had to go to my mom on that one. "You have a twin?"

"Hmph, yeah. I don't want to talk about her though."

"Oh, no, I understand."

More silence. "Thanks for a place to stay," Ashlie said quietly after a while.

I smiled in the dark. Maybe she'd be able to stay in my house, if my mom didn't just send her home. Maybe even take her into my school…. Just until her parents came and showed her they loved her. Unless they didn't, but that possibility was doubtful. "You can stay here every night if you'd like," I offered.

"Really?"

"Yeah, maybe I can even convince my mom to let you stay at my house. After all, the colder months are coming…."

"Wow; that would be great…. Thank you." I drifted off after that. I don't know if she said any more….


I stood in the woods – when did I get up? How did I get here? I wondered. Is this a dream? I began to walk through the woods, faster and faster. I was afraid; worried of something. But… what? Suddenly, I was physically gone. I could see, though. I rushed ahead with speed I didn't have. I soon stopped above my house.

My vision zoomed in from where I was, and soon, I could see in the house. There was my mom and her boyfriend…. Who the hell were those three?There were three others, although only seeming shadows. One seemed to look right at me, and my eyesight continued zooming in, to the person. He (she?) smirked, and I shuddered. Then all of the sudden the figure jumped at me.

I sat upright in the tree house, the boards beneath me squeaking slightly. Ash, nearby, turned in the sleeping bag and look at me. "Something wrong?" she asked in a whisper.

"There's someone in my house."

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "How do you know?"

"A dream."

"A… dream? Like a vision or something?" I nodded, then began climbing down the tree. "Hey… wait for me!" She quickly got out of the sleeping bag and climbed down.

"Careful of where you walk!" I called, already running in the direction of my home. It seemed only midnight, maybe early in the morning, and I could barely see. The dark barriers I assumed to be trees I avoided. As for the ground obstacles, I dodged to the best of my ability, stumbling occasionally. If only chakra worked here… then I'd get back much faster. As I ran, I began to remember….

I stood deep in the woods, the canopy blocking out most of the light. How did I get here?I wondered. I thought a moment. This must be a dream. I began to walk on the path, my pace getting faster and faster. I was afraid. But… what was I afraid of? Suddenly, I was gone. I could still see everything around me, but me, myself was gone. I was there, just not physically. I rushed ahead with speed I didn't have. I soon slowed, and stopped above a clearing. Something was going on down there, but what? My vision seemed to zoom in, from right where I was. There were five people…. Two of them were Sam and Gaara, and the other three were…Kabuto, Sasuke, and Orochimaru? What the hell was the Snake Squad doing here? Without my consent, my eyesight kept zooming in. Orochimaru looked seemingly straight at me, and licked his lips. I shuddered. Then, so suddenly, he rushed out at me. I sat bolt upright in bed. With all of my experience in dreams, I knew this meant something: Sam and Gaara were fighting those three outlaws, and they were still in the Land of Fire.

I drew my lips into a thin line as I ran. Whenever I thought of those times, as I once mentioned, I felt a sharp pang, but sharper than it used to be. It wasn't as if I were stabbed, but for a second… my heart hurt, and after that second I was simply sad. I went deep into thought, of what had happened…. But I'd soon emerge, and went back what I was doing. That's how each pang was, more or less.

I shook my head (which was kinda confusing since I was running as I did that). My legs were getting sore, simply because I was used to being able to put extra energy – chakra – into my legs. Now I couldn't do that. I pushed on, and soon found the back view of my house up ahead – the woods was in my backyard after all. I sped up when I saw the white, two-story house – I had an attic, but it was only a crawlspace – and stopped to catch my breath only once I had reached the back door.

I soon took a deep breath and opened the door, being very cautious. I heard a thump up ahead, and rushed to the opposite wall. Ever so carefully, I peeked into the entryway to the dining room, and, finding nothing there, I stepped into the open. Bad idea. Here's a note: always double-check. "Well, well, well…. Looks like she's here," someone said.

"She's who we're looking for? She doesn't look like much," another voice said.

"Yes, she is. Now stop disrespecting your boss, damn it!" a third voice said.

Oh. Crap. There were three of them. Well, I may be outnumbered, but they're outmatched against my ninja skillz. Yes, I even thought that with a "z." I'm just that awesome. …Unless they have a gun. If they have gun, well….

I ran at the shadow nearest me, and fake punched to the face, which he caught, and instead punched him in the stomach. He gasped, having had the air knocked out of him, certainly not expecting that. While he was vulnerable, I kicked him as hard as I could in the chest. He skimmed backwards, crashing into my mom's china cabinets, the glass shattering. Whoops….

I turned ready to face one of the other two. Dang, you'd think they'd be a bit stronger than that. What I didn't see was the man that was actually behind me. He put a gun to my head; I could feel the metal against my temple. Oh dear God…, I thought. Okay, just pretend it's Sasuke's sword. Sasuke can lengthen his swords range by channeling electricity out of it, right? So, a gun is kinda like that. Only the range is bigger. And more deadly. And made of metal. Damn, I hope I don't die….

"Don't move, little girl," the man still in front of me said. I assumed he was the leader of the group. A low groan came from the direction of the china cabinet, and I couldn't help but smirk slightly. However, there was still a gun pointed to my head, so that happiness was short-lived. At the back of my mind I began to wonder how the hell I got myself into these situations. I still remembered the times when I had longed for action….

Of course, I disobeyed who I now dub "The Boss" and decided to duck quickly and sweep my leg against the other's, knocking him off-balanced. He dropped the gun, getting a grip on the arm of the couch to steady himself. Seeing him, still as a shadow in the gloom, get to his feet, I called him simply "The Shadow." I decided to myself that the third one, the one who was now probably covered in glass shards, would be called "The Klutz." Not very creative, I suppose, but oh well.

I grabbed the gun, and effectively disposed of it, throwing it in the direction of the front hall. Well… I guess that's not disposing of it, but they still had to get past me before they could reach it. So now, it was a fair match. If you consider two grown-ups against a kid that was trained as a ninja fair, that is.

Then the struggle began, and, I must say, The Shadow must have known martial arts. I wasn't so sure about The Boss, as he stood simply watching the two of us fight. And, although I couldn't see it, The Klutz was getting to his feet as well. Finding The Shadow and my fight wasn't going anywhere, The Boss waved him away and began fighting me himself. He was good, I'll grant him that. He caught my punch, and, as he squeezed my hand tighter and tighter he said lightly, "We came here for you."

I threw a punch with my other hand, which he also caught, and began to squeeze until I could feel my bones grinding together beneath my flesh. I admit it, it hurt. Jeez, if I couldn't stand up to a normal adult, it was no wonder Madara beat the crap out of me. "Why the hell would you want me, huh?" I asked. Okay, I was curious.

"You're a girl that's been missing for two years, but has come home unharmed, without even a scratch. With your parents having been so worried about you, they'd be simply devastated to find she's gone missing again," he answered. I swear I could hear the smirk in his voice. "And if we take you, maybe we can get a good ransom out of you."

I threw a kick, which he dodged with his elbow, then made a swift movement, hooking my foot in the crook of his arm. He then let go of my fists, causing me to fall backwards. I took the only option open, and kicked him as hard as I could where the sun don't shine. He dropped me and fell to his knees. I always thought that was an unfair advantage, so I tried not to take it, but now was an exception.

The Klutz came from around the corner, and I could almost feel the anger coming off him in waves. "You won't have the chance to knock me down this time," he said with venom. He rushed at me, throwing a series of punches and kicks that I found hard to keep up with. Only now did Ashlie make her grand entrance. I saw her out of the corner of my eye as I dodged and occasionally threw a punch back.

She ran back to the kitchen, and came back with a pan. Skirting around The Boss, she hit The Klutz over the head as hard as she could, leaving a resonating clang from the vibration of the metal. I relaxed. "Thanks."

The Shadow's head snapped up, and I could tell he was annoyed. "Good job," he muttered. "Now I have to take both of them back."

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," Ashlie threatened, raising the pan.

"Mom!" I called as loud as I could. "Ashlie, can you make sure The Shadow doesn't get away?"

"The shadow…?"

"Sorry," I said, and pointed to him. "That guy."

Her figure nodded.

"I'll be right back." I rushed up the carpeted stairs, ran around, and knocked on my mom's bedroom door. I then opened the door, without waiting for an answer. "Mom, are you awake?" I hear a mumble. "Mom!"

She looked at me with bleary eyes, her boyfriend snoring on the other side of the bed. "What is it, honey?" she asked.

"There are people in the house!"

"What people? What do you mean, in the house?" she asked, suddenly alert.

"C'mon!" I said and grabbed her arm, pulling her upright. If this were a normal situation, she'd probably be considerably slower – she was never a morning person. Never was, never will be. That's just my mom.

When we got down the brown carpeted stairs, she looked around the living room. The Klutz was passed out on the floor by the couch, The Boss on the ground beside him. (I swear I could still hear him whimpering lightly.) Then there was Ashlie with the pan still raised, and The Shadow by the window.

My mom stopped, and thought. She was always a thinker, she was… pensive, if you will. Her brains were always a little bit above average, from a child to now. "Go upstairs," she whispered.

I nodded, and rushed upstairs to get her boyfriend. He was strong; a football player and coach. None of the three men knew he was up there yet, so I assumed she wanted me to grab him. So that's what I did. I stopped him halfway down the stairs, and peeked around the corner to see what was happening. My mom still stood there, waiting for The Shadow to make the first move. Or maybe Ashlie and The Shadow. She didn't know Ashlie yet. Only then did I realize how hungry I was. I hadn't had dinner. Oops.

Eventually, The Shadow said simply, "'Sup?"

"What's happening? Do you need any… help?" my mom answered after a moment's hesitation. She was stiff, nearly frozen in fear, but she stayed very cool and calm; she was feeling things out. She was trying to pretend as though she were walking in on something normal. My thought was her motherly instincts were the only thing that kept her functioning properly.

"Yeah," he answered. "Both of my friends are no help; one is out cold, the other whimpering like a kicked puppy, and there's a girl threatening to hit me with a pan if I so much as move a muscle."

My mom looked to Ashlie. "Uh-huh…. Okay…. So… what can I help you with? What makes you feel the need to do this?"

Ashlie hesitated at first, as though unsure of what to say. "You're… Natalie's mom, right?" My mom tensed, then nodded. "Well, I'm doing this because I'm not too enthusiastic about watching Natalie get kidnapped. I just met her, but there's no way I'd let that happen."

"So… you're a friend." Ashlie nodded. "And what of you, then?" my mom asked, directing her question to The Shadow.

His silhouette shrugged. "They were my boss's orders, nothing more. I didn't even want to come here."

"Who is your boss?"

He jerked a thumb towards The Boss, who was only just pulling himself together. He began inching towards the other side of the room…. "Ashlie!" I called, showing myself. "Don't let him get to the gun!" Without question, she turned and hit him on the head with the pan, as she had done with The Klutz.

"Great…," The Shadow muttered. "Now both of them are out cold."

My mom turned and whispered to me, "Call the cops."

I nodded. That was a good idea. Gee, why didn't I think of that? Maybe because I hadn't been able to use a telephone for the past three years? Maybe. I walked down the remaining stairs, and grabbed the phone. And, obviously, I called the cops. Not really an eventful conversation. Really. All I did was tell the lady there were people in my house with a gun, and where I lived.

I went back to the living room, and The Shadow didn't make any move, so we just sorta waited for the cops. Before I knew it, they were here. The first thing they did – other than call out to make sure we were here – was turn on the light. Why none of us turned on the light, I don't know. Whatever. Now that the light was on, though, I could finally see what the guys looked like. Mom's boyfriend came down the steps, slightly confused. Oops. I forgot about him….

The Shadow, even in the light, was kind of shadowy. His hair was raven black, which came down to just above his shoulders. Oh, and he had a knife in his hand. We couldn't see it in the dark, but I'm glad he hadn't used it. The Boss had longer, dark brown hair. A strand or two hung in front of his face, it's not like he'd fix it – he was out cold. The Klutz had bleached blond hair – it was a wonder how we couldn't see it. It was just that dark. His shoulder length hair was pulled in a ponytail, short bangs hanging over his forehead. All three were wearing black.

To me, these three were nothing special. To the cops, well…. "These are the three that we've been chasing for a while now!"

"Who are they?" Ashlie asked.

The cop pointed to the boss. "That's the infamous Bob, the boss of their group. The blond haired one is George, his right-hand man. Then that one," – he jerked his thumb at The Shadow – "is Steven, the newest addition."

The cop took another look at me. "Hey… aren't you one of the girls that went missing for two years, then reappeared unscathed?" he asked.

Unscathed? Ha. I was plenty scathed. "Yep!" I said anyway.

Well, that little adventure on the second week of October had ended. Yeah, it was October now. It had been six weeks since we'd been "found." I wondered how long it had been for the Naruto world….


Six months.

Had it really been that long? Half a year! If I couldn't believe it, I had no idea how Itachi could even begin to comprehend it. He was all the worse since they left…. Oh, I hoped they'd come back. At least Sam. Not for me, but for Itachi. He had been murmuring they'd be back ever since they left, and, well… his life was fading fast. I just wanted him to get that last wish, so to speak, and see them – or her, I don't know – one last time.

"Show me again," Sakura said to me. I could tell she didn't want to see it; what Itachi had been doing, starting two months ago. He wouldn't do it every night, but it was becoming more frequent each week. Nobody wanted to see someone slowly lose his sanity.

I gave a nod. "Tonight."

She pulled her lips into a thin line and nodded. "Right."

The rest of the day was uneventful. That damned Madara hadn't made a move yet. He was the one who tainted the family name, and I planned on killing him. I did my best, though, to not let revenge control me. That had happened once before, and that was a horrible mistake.

I went to the hospital when it was starting to get late. Sakura was already there; she forced a smile when she saw me. When I didn't smile back, she got the idea and we just walked in silence. I don't think she liked that, though, as she tried to start a conversation. "Yasuko's been missing for a while now… I wonder what happened to her. I hope she's okay."

"Hn," I answered. Nothing more, nothing less. I wasn't in the mood to talk. Not when I knew what I was going to see.

We turned the corner, and walked to the door I had gone through so many times before. It was closed, as it should be. From the other side, I could hear my brother having a coughing fit. Bracing myself, I slowly opened the door. Sakura and I just stood in the doorway, watching him; Sakura pulled out a small notebook. She was going to take notes, then show them to Lady Tsunade.

Itachi was sitting up, and breathing hard from the coughing fit he had had moments earlier, a line of blood coming from his mouth. His gaze was shadowed; I couldn't see his eyes, but I could see the line of tears falling from them. They fell to the light blanket, creating a muffled dripping sound. His hands clutched tight to the blanket. Then, his lips slowly curled upwards into a smile, as though it was painful to do so.

It probably was.

He began to chuckle, but his hand flew up to his mouth and he had another coughing fit. Blood dripped between his fingers. The dry coughs turned into choking sobs; the pain was too much. I could only imagine the pain he was in right now. "Sasuke…," he choked out, trying to look to the chair where I usually sat.

"Over here," I said softly.

He turned to look at me. It was strange; his eyes looked in my general direction, but they seemed… dead. It was more of a blank stare. "Sasuke…. Where are they? When will they be back?"

"I don't know," I said truthfully; sadly, knowing exactly who he was talking about.

"Where are you Sasuke?"

I took a step forward. "Here. With you."

"Where are you Sasuke?" he repeated. "Where did everybody go? Everyone… everything…. It's all gone…." He returned to those choking sobs. This was painful for me to watch. Heartbreaking.

I pulled my lips into a thin line, holding back my own tears. To think, I nearly killed him a little over half a year ago. Sakura had a pained expression as well. She walked over to the table next to his bed, and picked up a shot. "Calm down," she said soothingly. "It'll be alright." Itachi began trying to take deep, shuddering breaths. Sakura then wiped his arm, and gave him a shot.

Itachi gave a shuddering sigh, and relaxed. "A sedative," she whispered. "It's really all we can do: ease the pain."

I looked to the ground. Where are you, guys? Please come back, soon….


Well, uh, I hope you liked it! I can't really think of anything else to say, so... yeah.