M-P: Hi guys! I've been having this weird dream where loads of characters from my fave anime- yes anime- all end up in a whole new world (no pun intended) and have to do something really cool and possibly scary, I haven't decided what yet, to get back to their own individual worlds. There's more information on my profile- at the very bottom. Do y'all think it's a good idea? Please review and let me know. And of course, please review this chapter as well. You are about to meet a very special group of people in the chapters to come. Enjoy! ^.^
P.S- I'm sorry for not having updating for a while. Gomen!
I walked up behind Natsu and paused when I noticed that he seemed to be having a stand off with a young man around our age. Standing stationary beside him, I eyed the stranger.
"Gaara, do you know him?" the young pink haired man asked me. I shook my head, knowing that even though he wasn't looking at me, he understood me silence. I could suddenly feel my hackles rise when he grinned at us. It bothered me. Why, I didn't know, but I wasn't going to let this sudden spark of annoyance get to me.
"Who are you, and what is your business here?" I questioned. He smiled.
"I'm going to help you."
"How can you help us if you're creeping us out in the middle of the street!" Lucy yelled, looking exasperated. He eyed her warily, his eyes glinting dangerously in the daylight.
"I know how to get you home." I felt my stoic glare dissipate.
"How?" Naruto asked, suddenly appearing beside me. The green eyed boy smiled at us, revealing his even white teeth.
"One of you knows my name. Tell me my name, and I'll answer your question." My eyes locked with his and we stared each other down. A strange sound began to fill my mind, but it was so faint that I began to tune it out. He began to turn away from us, walking slowly.
"Jake." He stopped moving and turned his head partially, so that only half of his face was revealed, his overlong black fringe moving to reveal his sparkling green eyes. All around me, my comrades and new allies faded out into silence. The guy cocked his head to one side.
"Well done Gaara. You need to travel to a place you've been to before but forgotten in your memories. You may meet people who will provide you with clues, and you yourselves will also begin to remember things from a place that your brain forgot in the past. Follow your intuition and find the first person to give you your clue. Get the least intelligent amongst you to think first." His began to fade out as he walked into the crowd that had suddenly appeared. Or had it? The last thing I heard, as he raised his hand while he walked away, was,
"You'll meet me again, don't worry. I'll help you when you figure out the last steps." And with that, he was gone, absorbed into the busy rush. Blinking, I traded blank looks with Natsu before turning around and glancing at the others. Shikamaru came over to place his hand on my shoulder, tugging me back so that we were standing a little further away from everybody else.
"Well, that's me and Gaara out for the first clue." He murmured. Naruto glared at him.
"Why would that be?" He challenged. Shikamaru shrugged, raising his hands in a dismissive gesture.
"That Jake guy just said that the least intelligent among us should think first. Gaara, Temari and I over think things. We wouldn't be the best people to think of the first clue. But we can help figure out where we can find it." I nodded slightly.
*0*0*0*0*
"Right. He said that the least intelligent of us can help find the clues." Shikamaru began, standing in front of all of us.
"So that means that the best candidates we have are; Naruto, Kiba, Natsu, Gray and Gajeel." Said candidates' mouths fell open as they all produced large sweat drops. I spoke up.
"We aren't from this place, and our first clue is here, meaning that Naruto and Kiba can't help." Kiba exhaled with relief as Naruto gaped at me, before giving up and walking away. Natsu, Gray and Gajeel all turned and gathered around me. Shikamaru asked from his spot behind me.
"Do any of you have any recollection of a place that you may have been to before, but haven't gone to in a long time?" Natsu's eyes began to widen as he searched in the depths of his memory, frowning at things long forgotten, before smacking his fist into his open palm. We all turned to him.
"My house! We haven't been to my house for almost a year!"
"But he said a place we have 'been to before but forgotten in our memories'. I don't see how not going to your own home for some time counts." There was a pause.
"Why exactly do you not go to your own home?"
"Cuz Lucy's house is better! Right Natsu?" Happy, the blue cat piped up, flying above our heads. Natsu nodded as Lucy dragged her hand down her face in exasperation.
"Anyways, back to the matter at hand. What is it about your home that brings back memories?" Shikamaru returned to the original subject.
"Behind our house, there's a forest, and we used to go there for fun. We stopped when I was old enough to go on missions, because it would take us days to get there and back." Natsu exclaimed, his voice raising as he recalled his past. I looked over at my sister, who had stepped forward and was watching with one hand on her hip. Not a good sign. Natsu was taking too long. With intense impatience and self-control, she spat out.
Where's 'there'?" Happy looked over at her as though she was stupid.
"The cave of Integrity."
"Why do you call it that?"
"We always vowed to be pure-hearted and honest when we went in, for when our adventures required it. Of course, we never had any- the cave was shallow. A solid wall with small carvings and images blocked our chances." Natsu added sheepishly, rubbing his finger under the bridge of his nose.
"I was born in that cave." Happy finished, unnecessarily. A wall with carvings and images?
"You make it sound as though they were put there before you discovered it, Natsu." I pondered quietly. The crimson haired man turned to me.
"Huh?"
"What exactly are these images of?" Temari asked, a little cooler now.
"Well, they're . . . I mean, they look . . ." Natsu tried to explain whilst gesticulating, before giving up and scratching his head.
"Well, you know. I can't describe 'em." We all sighed in exasperation.
"So w-why don't we just go there so that we can s-see for ourselves?" Hinata finally spoke up. Naruto grabbed her into a hug.
"That's a real good idea! Thanks Hinata!" He shouted happily. Hinata, still puce from his embrace, nodded with a minute smile. I glanced over at Natsu.
"Would it be alright for us to go to this cave?" I asked softly. He paused for a second, before blinding me with his dazzling smile.
"Sure! It's this way!" He turned and marched dutifully to this cave.
*0*0*0*0*
We were now standing around an opening. Peering inside, I took note that it was indeed shallow- to small for anything of major significance. But- these images . . .!
"These are-" Kiba's voice was strained. They were pictures of all of us present, at a young age. They were old and worn images, with strange coloured slashes going through the parts that one might use to identify a person, but these were undoubtably images of us: Naruto, Temari, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba, Sai, myself. We were all lined up, with a strange shape under our feet. On top of us was another group of young children, these ones resembling the members of the guild present also: Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Gajeel, and the cats, too. Below us were drawings of another group of young children, this set we didn't know, but one distinguishable one had spiked orange hair. Below that (A/N-don't be frustrated, just setting the scene!) was a set of children, these who looked quite strange: one was blonde with strange eyebrows- well, I can't really grip, considering that I don't have any of my own, one with bright green hair and three wooden swords, a little girl with cunning brown eyes, a small boy with a long nose and a small boy with a worn straw hat. Why were these images here? And who exactly are these other children? Judging by the artwork, if those were drawing of us at around the age of six or seven, and those other children looked around the same age, then- if they exist, they'll be around our age. Instinctively, I reached out and ran my fingers across the image of myself, my mouth open as I inhaled quietly.
"Wha-?" I gasped, and stood back, staring at the image of myself, the slashes which had started glowing.
