Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters or places. I only own the characters from Earth/our world. Even then, they are based on actual friends of mine.

Author's Note: Usually, I've been posting only one chapter a week for Fangrlz, however, I'm feeling generous this week since I've made great headway in actually writing this. Thus, in celebration of completing the 20th chapter (I'm keeping ahead of my posting so you all don't have to wait), I'm supplying a second chapter for this week. -throws confettii- So, it's time to introduce the fifth and final fan girl taken from our world and dropped into the Naruto universe. Presenting . . . Ashley!! Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Fun with Charades

ASHLEY

I don't know how I stay awake, floating in a strange dream-world of light and darkness -- sound and silence. My eyes feel heavy, and I want to sleep, but a nagging voice at the edge of my mind keeps me awake. So I float and try to make sense of my surroundings.

Suddenly, I realize that I'm not floating anymore. The light and darkness around me shifts. Chaos becomes order as color returns. I sit now on the ground, cross-legged and staring at a door in front of me. Sunlight casts the shapes of windows across the floor in golden squares.

Someone is speaking, a woman. At first, she sounds as if she's underwater. Then, the sound clarifies -- though it does me no good. She's speaking in a different language -- Japanese by the sound of it.

I lean forward to push myself to my feet, but my head spins, forcing me to sit back down. I blink several times to clear my head. Taking a deep breath, I listen to the calm cadence of the woman's voice and try to pinpoint her location. She's somewhere behind me.

Slowly this time, I rise. The room tilts, but it settles quickly, leaving me on my feet. I pause for another moment to make sure my balance is steady.

The woman stops talking suddenly. I hear a chair scoot against the wood floor. She demands something in a louder voice. I flinch and slowly turn, getting the feeling that the comment was directed at me.

My heart misses a beat as my eyes register that I recognize the faces staring back at me. The speaker is Tsunade. She leans over her desk, hands flat on the top, and peers at me with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Gai, Lee, Tenten, and Neji stand in a half-circle in front of her.

I lift a hand hesitantly. "Um . . . hehe . . . hello."

Their faces are marked with various degrees of surprise -- except for Neji, who looks rather frustrated -- or bored. It's hard to tell.

Tsunade snaps a question at me. I shake my head. "I have no idea what you're saying."

She scowls and looks at Neji, firing off another question. His frustration deepens and he shakes his head, answering flatly. I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. This isn't good. Dream or not, we can't understand each other and that'll end with trouble.

Tsunade addresses me again, repeating her question, slowly this time. Wait. Dare (pronounced: dah-reh). I know that word. I rack my brain. Dare. Dare. What is it?

"Who." I breathe. "It means who."

The Hokage's eyebrows furrow. "Nani?"

And that's 'what'. She's probably asking me who I am. I take a breath, hoping that I'm right.

"Ashley," I state. "My name's Ashley."

Tsunade and Gai exchange puzzled looks. I sigh again, chewing on my lower lip. How can I get them to understand me? Swallowing, I point at Tenten. She stiffens, sliding one foot back. Lee, beside her, follows suit. I smile in what I hope they see as being a friendly way.

"Tenten," I say carefully and clearly. I move my hand to the left. "Lee. Gai. Lady Tsunade. Neji." I then place my hand on my chest. "Ashley."

"Ashley," Tsunade repeats.

I nod, smiling. There's one step forward. My triumph is short-lived, though, as the Hokage shoots another question at me. I groan and drop my head, mumbling, "This isn't going to work."

"Ashley." I look up at Tsunade. She points at me and then at the ground. The older woman then cocks her head and lifts her hands in a questioning position.

Charades? Wow. I blink at her, working though the motion as she repeats it. How did I get here? That could be it, but what if it's not? I take the chance, shrugging and shaking my head.

"I don't know."

Gai turns and makes some comment to Tsunade. Her annoyed scowl deepens and a thought comes to me that threatens to destroy what calm I have left.

Here we have a few rather powerful shinobi reduced to having to use charades in order to communicate. I fight down the urge to laugh. This is not the time, especially if they can't understand me in order for me to explain why I'm laughing.

I glance cautiously at Tsunade, fighting a smile. She is staring helplessly at the ceiling and sighs. From the odd look in her eyes, I can guess that she's thinking along the same lines that I am, though her reaction isn't exactly amused.

Tsunade begins a low and fast conversation with Gai. I shuffle one foot on the floor. What can I do? There has to be some other way for us to understand each other -- especially without making fools of ourselves.

"Ashley." Tsunade motions for me to approach her desk.

I cautiously step forward, feeling Neji's eyes follow my every move. Tsunade pushes a piece of paper and a pen at me. She then points at Gai's headband -- at me -- and then at the paper.

I stare at her, confused. What does she want me to do? She points again at the headband -- the symbol -- and then again at me. She wants me to draw my symbol -- the symbol of my village? Is she asking where I came from?

"Kingsford," I state. She cocks her head and I point at Gai. "Konoha." Myself. "Kingsford."

Tsunade repeats the headband-paper motion. I shake my head. "We don't have a symbol."

I can see her frustration edging toward anger as she taps the paper. Sighing, I shrug and draw the first thing that comes to mind -- a three-pointed crown. I guess it makes sense. I'm from Kingsford and go to Knight High School, after all.

Tsunade takes the paper and peers at what I had drawn there. I turn the pen over and over in my hand. Did I do the right thing? I hope so.