A/N-Feel free to flog me for not updating last week . I was super busy. The next update shall come next weekend, sometime although not necessarily friday. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter-Puppy444219, Kyuubi92, RoxasRocks and Hatake Sienna. Read and Review!
Disclaimer-I Don't Own Naruto. I Also disclaim any songs mentioned in this chapter.
Chapter 11
And thus, the next day, the search for the three missing women began. Home base would be back at Michelle's old house, the house where they had come through the mirror. The game plan, however, had changed a bit. Now, instead of just splitting up and keeping in contact via cell phone, they agreed to come home and report in after a week of searching.
Keiko seemed to have a knack for technology despite her ninja upbringing and she went crazy on the phones. After listening to the radio the night previous with Sienna, the two of them picked out songs that suited each of the father's best and downloaded the ring tones to the cell phones. For Kakashi, she downloaded 'Who Let The Dogs Out?' for Neji she got 'Anyways' by Martina McBride and for her father; she downloaded a song called 'Mr. Sandman'. Then, she programmed each phone to ring specifically. That way, everyone knew who was calling whom.
Neji wasn't overly pleased with the song choice for himself, but, as Keiko pointed out, in some weird obscure way…it just suited the Hyuuga. And when Gaara protested, his daughter had just given the Kazekage puppy dog eyes and he had given right in.
And so, now, everyone was on a plane headed to different locations. There had been a little shuffle with the kids. Sienna, Keiko, Itachi and Kame went with Gaara to the mid west while the younger boys Yoichi, Angel and Kenji went with Kakashi to the west. Misaho was perfectly happy just being with her father so they stayed together on the east coast.
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The first stop for the Hyuuga and his daughter was down south, in Florida. Starting in Miami, they searched relentlessly. Rather, Neji searched and Misaho darted from woman to woman asking if that person were her mother. After about a dozen times, Neji finally stopped her and told her to just look with him. "Sweetie, she's not going to be just random on the streets."
Finally, after about half a day of searching, the two stopped in a nearby park for a much needed rest. A cart vendor, similar to ones seen in Konoha were selling hot dogs on a bun, so Neji bought one for himself and Misaho. Surprisingly enough, Misaho, who was the pickiest eater out of all the kids enjoyed the hot dog with the works –ketchup, mustard, relish, onions et all.
However, halfway through her hot dog, the little girl suddenly gasped and froze. Neji, thinking she was choking on a piece too big for her, got up and asked her in an urgent voice, "Misaho are you okay?" She appeared to be breathing fine, however, her gaze was transfixed on something across the park. Before Neji could say anything, she was up, had thrown down her hot dog and was gone, running across the park faster than any normal (in other words, a child who wasn't the daughter of a Hyuuga and a Uchiha) could.
"Misaho come back!" he called. But his daughter didn't listen, instead made a beeline for a woman, who, from a distance looked a lot like Michelle, from the dark wavy hair to the almost black eyes and complexion. This woman was probably about 28, younger than Michelle but to a six year old who missed her mother, there was no difference. After all, even if she looked slightly different from Michelle, Neji had told his daughter that her mother's looks had probably been altered.
From across the park, as he got up and hurried in that direction, he could hear the woman's shriek of surprise as Misaho threw herself around her legs.
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The woman looked down in surprise as the little brown haired girl knit her arms tightly around her knees. Unable to move, she could only stand there as the little girl sobbed into her pants.
"Mommy!!! I'm so glad we found you!!! Daddy said you'd look different but you're still mommy!!! He said we wouldn't find you just ra…ran…ran…" her face screwed up in concentration. The lady substituted.
"Randomly?"
"Yeah!!! That's it mommy, randomly!!! He said we wouldn't find you randomly, he said you'd look different but we did!!! I'm so happy to see you!!! Guess what mommy? I just tried onions on my hot dog and I liked them!! I guess that means I'll have to try them on Ramen now…are Aunty Mika and Aunty Seyann with you too? We're sorta looking for them too but mostly for you. You scared everyone when you disappeared… "
The woman looked up, around the park for some sign of a parent. Upon seeing a man headed right for her, an apologetic look on his face, she smiled at him and untwisted the girl from her legs. "I'm just going to talk to daddy for a few minitues, okay?"
The little brunette girl smiled widely and nodded. "I'm gonna play on the swings mommy."
Straightening up, the woman watched the little girl race across the park for the last open swing. "She's very cute. My name is Anita. What's her name?" she addressed the man standing next to her.
"Misaho. And I'm Neji" answered the Hyuuga. "I'm extremely sorry about this. We lost her mother awhile back and she's had a hard time coping."
"Oh, I'm sorry…" Neji shook his head.
"No, she's not dead. She…this is going to sound strange, but she along with her two best friends were abducted in front of our eyes. We believe that they may have been given drugs to alter their memories as well as had their entire looks changed. Her best friends husbands and myself are searching all across the US because we know they're here somewhere we just don't know where. I…you do look a lot like my wife so that's probably why Misaho attacked your legs like that."
Anita didn't know what to say. On the one hand, she was late for meeting her boyfriend, but on the other hand, here was a little girl who had just lost her mother and who had just mistook herself for her mother. "Do you mind if I play with her for awhile? I'll make clear that I'm not her mother, but she just seemed so happy when she first saw me."
"Actually…." said Neji softly. "I wouldn't mind. She's happier now than I've seen her in a very long time."
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The first target city for the Kazekage, the girls, Kame and Itachi was the twin cities-St. Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota. Upon arrival…and upon the girl's discovering The Mall Of America, it was unanimously decided that the two girls would take Gaara's debit card and 'search' the mall. Of course every store would need to be searched, that was a given.
The boys opted to search with Gaara, after watching Keiko and Sienna's eyes glaze over at the prospect of shopping. As Kame put it, "You're our friend but there's only so much we'll do."
The two girls were looking for their moms in the change room of Abercrombie and Fitch, when the subject of Itachi was once again broached. "So…. Keiko, what I said before…it's true. About me liking Kame more than Itachi. Why haven't you gone for Itachi yet?"
"Sienna, not everyone has your gung-ho personality when it comes to getting guys. Personally, I like my method. I'm going to feel him out, see if there's any way to switch his affections…and if not I'm not even gonna bother."
Keiko's cell phone rang. The older kids, all who had been recently qualified as Genin had been given cell phones when it was realized that they would be able to search on their own. Keiko's ring of choice was a country song, 'What I Really Meant To Say'. And, according to her at least, it wasn't supposed to reflect how she really felt at all. But Sienna didn't believe her.
"Yeah…okay daddy, bye." She flipped it shut. "Shopping trip is over. They're coming to take us out for lunch."
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Kakashi and the boys were in Southern California; having decided to do as Neji and Misaho had done, start south and work north. Having just disembarked from their plane, they were gathering the luggage from the carousel and preparing to go to the hotel.
It had only been a flash, and only for the briefest second but it was enough to make Kenji gasp in suprise, drop his bags and look up, startled.
"Uncle Kakashi, I sensed Mom."
A/N-MUWAHAHAHA!!!! CLIFFHANGER!!!!! For those of you who find it odd that Kenji can sense his mother REMEMBER THE COUNTER JUTSU USED AT THE END OF WRBB!!! There is a permanent bond between those two that nothing can really erase, not even a jutsu like this one. Read and Review