Secrets of Avalon

Silver's Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. We hope that you all enjoy this chapter. Oh and for those of you who may have been wondering what happened to Ino, here's your answer ;)

Chapter 36

Passing a hand over the surface of the water, his wrinkled brow furrows. Kaguya was at it again, this time, recruiting the orc king into her plans. It was not often that he found those with the potential to end her reign of terror, flitting about the realms, causing chaos and destruction from behind the scenes. But it was not the first time he had hoped that the Seekers might defeat her. But each time, they had failed and died.

"Sasuke Uchiha…and Hinata Hyuga…" His chosen Seekers, this time, at least. Otherworldly purple eyes gaze at the images of the sleeping prince and princess. Perhaps a single Seeker was not enough. Perhaps even two were not enough. But how many could he summon, without throwing off the balance of this realm? Avalon appeared strong enough to handle more than one at a time, however…

He sighs, passing a hand once more over the water, bringing forth the image of a human girl, from the world whence came his two Seekers. Perhaps they required further assistance. This girl could be influenced into touching the book, she was close, once again, looking for any trace of her missing friend.

But what was it that she sought, what was her heart's desire? Love? Friendship? A place to belong? To be important? Perhaps a little of it all? In any case, she would have to do. There was a strength within her that may prove useful in the coming battles.

And once the girl places her hands on the book, the magic beings to flow. She could see the writing. She was strong. "Oh Seeker with the clearest sight, know this. What has started cannot be stopped, even by the hands of time. Cast on this book is a spell, one to grant a heart's deepest desire. With it, comes salvation or escape. Only one, you may choose, else the door slams shut for all eternity." His eyes glow slightly as in her world, the glow envelops the girl. "Seeker, you are called. Come to us, Seeker. Your powers are needed."

"COME!"

This couldn't be happening. This could not possibly be happening! She had only come here because it was the last place anyone had seen Hinata. It had been a year since she disappeared, and Ino was one of the few still desperately looking for her friend. Graduation had come and gone, senior year was over. It was time to go out into the real world.

But Ino was stuck, waiting for her friend to come back. She didn't believe that Hinata was dead. Missing, yes, but not dead. And if finding the truth meant retracing Hinata's footsteps again, then that is what she would do.

A glowing book and a disembodied voice were not part of the plan. "COME!" She couldn't put the book down, it was like it was glued to her hands. It felt like she was being sucked into a vacuum, and though she tried to scream, no one could hear her, it was like she no longer had a voice.

"Help me!" She could hear her own words, but it was like she was trapped in a bubble. "Please! Someone-"

And in an instant, all was silent. The glow of the book faded to nothing, and the row of books was empty, devoid of one Ino Yamanaka. Like dust in the wind, blown away without a trace.

The journey took far less time than expected, merely four days. And Neji had been able to keep Hinata asleep the entire journey. Their expedience was most likely because both elves were terrified of what would happen if Hinata woke up in the carriage. In what seemed like both an eternity and no time at all, they arrived in Sindaron, riding in through the city gates as the carriage is escorted towards the middle of the city.

It took even less time to get the princess inside the castle and to Sasuke's bedchamber. "I presume you have a spell to trap sound inside your room?" Sai looks at Sasuke anxiously. "The princess is likely going to be very distressed and loud."

Neji nods at this. "I hope your shield magic is also strong." Gods and Goddesses knew that Sasuke was going to need it. "I fear that she might lash out in a rage."

Magic flicks around Sasuke's fingers, revealing a tailored shield spell covering his body. "I got Itachi to teach me a few stronger spells, just in case." Though he was not at all confident that he'd mastered them so quickly. "But I'm expecting this to hurt. Itachi is on standby, just in case. I have a spell I can shoot off if I need medical attention. And yes, the room is soundproofed."

It would have been most amusing to see such a proud warrior so frightened of his sweet cousin, had the situation not been so serious. "Very well. In that case, I wish you all the luck in the world." Because he was going to need it, Neji muses.

"Thanks…" Sasuke brushes a few locks of hair from Hinata's face. "You guys might want to get clear of this wing as fast as you can. She'll probably be up sooner, rather than later."

They nod and swiftly make their exit. "Mmm?" Which was a very smart move on their part, because Hinata started stirring not even five moments later.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke runs his fingers through dark blue hair. "I missed you, Hinata." He smiles softly hoping that maybe being gentle would spare him he rage for at least a few seconds.

Her eyes were a bit unfocused, but highly confused. "A friendly ghost?" That or maybe, in her insanity she had just decided that the ghost was friendly. Maybe, she was just imagining all this. So why did it feel so real?

"Uh…no." Sasuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm not actually dead. I was going to tell you before the news got to Aladel, but it looks like someone spread the news in a bit of a panic."

"Not dead?" She takes out his dagger and glides it over his cheek, just enough to draw blood. "You're alive." Ghosts didn't bleed. "YOU'RE ALIVE!" How as this possible?! "H-How? What?! When?!" What was going on.

"An orc king ordered my assassination, but the assssin decided to spare my life, and instead, he sent a bison's severed head, disguised as mine, to the orc king. As far as he knows, I'm dead. Killed by his assassin. And as far as most of Avalon knows…I was killed by a herd of stampeding bison. An 'accident' while out hunting." That was the shortest way to explain it, in Sasuke's mind. He just hopes that Hinata wouldn't go cutting him up much more as he wipes the blood from his cheek.

Fortunately, she had the presence of mind to put down the blade before smacking him. "YOU IDIOT!" That didn't change the fact that she smacked him hard. "If you had been a good Sasuke and just come to me when your grounding was over or sent for me, none of that would have happened, but no!" She flails as her eyes narrow in fury. "You had to go HUNTING! YOU ALMOST GOT KILLED BECAUSE YOU TO GO CHASING OFF AFTER SOME POLAR BEAR!" It was infuriating!

Sasuke rubs his sore cheek, certain that there was already a bruise starting to blossom on his pale skin. "No, I wasn't almost killed. Sai decided not to kill me. I was never in any danger from the animals, I could have fried a herd of stampeding bison with lightning if it came down to it. It's not their fault that the orcs want me dead."

"I thought you were dead!" Did he have any idea how much pain that had caused her! "I thought I was going to lose you! AGAIN!" She couldn't take it! What on Earth did he expect her to do?! To just ignore that he had nearly been killed again? To pretend that she hadn't been forced to imagine a life without him again?! To overlook all this?! Was he out of his mind?!

Kneeling over Hinata, Sasuke sighs as he reaches down to touch her. "I'm alright…I'm fine…" He leans down to press his forehead to hers. "And I know that you're angry with me. I'm sorry. I love you…I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

She knew that she should be happy that he was still alive. "At this rate, we're never going to marry." And on some level, Hinata was. She was overjoyed truly. "You're going to kill me long before we're thirty, let alone old enough to marry." Mostly though, fury and disbelief was overriding that at the moment. Why did this keep happening?!

Sasuke smiles slightly…nervously… Was it really going to be this easy? "Will you forgive me, Hinata? For making you worry?"

"Sasuke, you didn't make me worry." He had shattered her heart into a million pieces. "Worrying is becoming anxious because someone was late to dinner, this...was far more than that." How could she ever possibly explain the sheer hopeless that she had felt. "I love you, but I'm still making that leash."

He blinks. "Leash?" Oh gods and goddesses, what was his love up to this time? "I'm afraid that I don't understand."

"I quite like the lasso, but variety is important." She shakes her head. "You're like a dog that wanders off too much and gets into trouble. So a leash is necessary."

She couldn't be serious. Sasuke gapes openly at his lover. "You want to put me on a leash like some pet that needs walking? Since when have you been into THAT much bondage?"

"Mostly, I just figured I'd tie you to the bed at night so you can't slip off and nearly get yourself killed." She blushes. He made it sound so much more naughty than it actually was. "It wasn't like I was going to make you wear it in public."

"Good. The collar, maybe, but I'd never let you put a leash on me in public." Sasuke had limits, though he could definitely push them. Wearing a leash in public was beyond them, though.

"I was about halfway through it, before you decided to give me a heart attack." She grumbles. "I'm making it myself. It's going to be quite pretty when I'm done."

"Oh, really?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow as he settles himself next to her, pulling Hinata into his arms, now that he'd deemed it safe to do so. "What are you making it of?"

She probably shouldn't tell him. It would serve him right. "Unicorn hair." Still, Hinata wasn't very good at keeping secrets and that hadn't changed with her coming to Avalon. Well at least, she wasn't very good at keeping secrets from him. "It's supposed to be rather durable."

Sasuke's eyes widen. "Unicorn hair!?" Was she trying to restrain a wild animal!? "…I'm not a dragon, you know. Unicorn hair is kind of overkill."

"No. Apparently overkill would have been dragon hide, griffin, or mountain giant skin." The princess makes a face at the last one. "Though the skin felt like a rabid morbid and disgusting choice. Unicorn hair is so much more poetic."

"Are you serious?" What was she trying to do!? Lock him up in a dungeon!? "Those kinds of materials are for restraining wild beasts, not elves."

"Well considering you nearly got killed by a herd of bison, I think they're appropriate." She smiles.

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "I didn't nearly get killed by a herd of bison. That was the cover story. You know, so that the king who wants us both dead wouldn't send any more assassins after me."

She nods. "I know, I was teasing you." Hinata gives him a dirty look. "And you're lucky that's all I'm doing at the moment."

Masochist, Sasuke had to admit that sometimes, he really did ask for it. "And what else did you have it in your head to do?"

"Well..for scaring me like that, I could have turned you into a punching bag or practiced some of more offensive magic on you." She shakes her head. "I can't take anymore scares like that!"

Sasuke nods slowly. "That's actually about what I'd expected." The shield shimmers as it goes down. "I made sure to protect myself against broken bones, just in case." Though it looked like he'd be walking away from this with just a bruise.

She tilts her head. "Perhaps, I shouldn't have been so restrained." He was that well prepared? "I'd say that you are a sneaky son of a bitch, but I like Queen Mikoto..."

He coughs uncomfortably. "I…may also have soundproofed the room…and Itachi is on standby with Sai to stabilize me, should I need the healer they prepared." Not that he wanted her to attack him, but he figured it was best to be honest. Not being honest had gotten them into a lot of trouble thus far.

"I'm starting to think you want me to become violent." Hinata looks at him in confusion. "Are you some kind of a masochist?"

"Itachi asks me that a lot, but I don't think so." Sasuke loosens his hold on her. "I just…don't want to lie to you, even by omittance. It didn't really work out for us the first time we did that with each other, so…"

She sighs and rests her head on his shoulder. "Yes, honest. We should be honest with each other. "We also need to come up with a plan."

"Itachi and Sai are on it." Sasuke re-tightens his grip on his lover. "They already shot down my ideas, so they can go ahead and handle it. Besides, Itachi is a genius, he's probably got ten plans right now to choose from, and another hundred that didn't make it past the preliminary stages of his scrutiny."

"Well considering your habit of nearly getting killed repeatedly, Itachi is clearly the smarter prince." She shakes her head as she kisses his cheek and teases him. "That's alright though. You have OTHER talents." And once, she got that leash ready she was going to make sure that she never had to go through this again.

Sasuke glares at her, once again resembling a wet cat. "Yea, I have other talents, but I'm not an idiot, you know. My plans aren't dumb, Itachi just vetoes them because he doesn't like them!"

She nods at him. "You're very smart and you were always at the top of our class." The bluenette shakes her head. "It's just you have absolutely no regard for your own safety, unless you're anticipating me turning you into my sexy pinata, it seems."

He clamps his mouth shut, biting back a retort. Sasuke didn't really want to get turned into a pinata, not even a sexy one. "Anyway…now that you're not angry with me…can we do something a little more fun? I've been stuck inside since I got back, and with the whole court thinking I'm dead, I can't exactly leave my room."

"Logically, I should deny you my affection for a good long time." Hinata nods sagely. "As I don't want you think that nearly getting killed is acceptable, but...I guess our relationship has never been very logical." She leans against him. "A massage to ease the tension sounds good."

That sounded rather nice, but Sasuke knew it would torture him later. Oh well, he'd take what he could get, and deal with the cold baths later. "Alright." He releases Hinata and rolls her onto her stomach, fingers already dancing up her spine. "Maybe this will help get you to forgive me." He presses down, gently pushing the heels of his hands into the muscles of her back.

She wanted to inform him that it was going to take a long time before she'd forgive him, but that was pointless. "Maybe." In the end, she'd melt into his touch and they both probably knew that. For now though, she'd pretend otherwise.

Three days…she'd been out here in this forest for three whole days. She wasn't entirely sure how she got here, wherever here was, and Ino certainly had no idea how to find food beyond the berry bushes littering the ground.

The trees were unimaginably tall, taller than anything that should be possible in Japan! Where had she landed? The Amazon? Wherever this was…it was nowhere in her home country. But how could she have been brought to such a place without knowing it? Had she been kidnapped like Hinata!?

Stumbling through the forest, she notes the oak trees, the maple, spruce, and yew. Trees that should not be together, and yet…were. Wildflowers from every region, every season were scattered across the ground, and without a single bramble or bush of poison ivy to be seen. It was as though someone had grown the forest here, weeding it carefully to rid it of dangerous plants, while making it as natural as possible.

It was stunning, magnificent, awe-inspiring. Not that it helped the starving, thirsty girl any. And it was hot, her clothes drenched in sweat from wandering the past few days. Whoever did this to her must have had a sadistic sense of humor, dropping her out here without even basic supplies.

Finally, though, after searching for what seems like forever, she hears the sounds of water flowing. Water… Ino stumbles again, making for the sound of the water. The trees begin to clear, revealing a crystal clear stream. Normally, she would question whether or not it was safe to drink from, but right now, dehydration trumped caution as she bends down to drink.

It was cold, clear, and delicious as it trickles down her throat. And splashing some of the water over herself, it felt nice against her overheated skin. Relief…after so long wandering around, lost. Maybe she could stay here. At least until she found her way to a town, or a city, or some kind of place that she could take shelter in.

Adrian was trotting around the forest in search of those berries that his Mate liked. She was becoming quite pregnant with their first foal and thus, he knew that it was in his best interest to humor her in her food cravings. Some things were truly universal.

As he was nudging some berries into a basket with his nose, he heard some splashing water. Curious, he swiftly stands up fully again with the basket hanging around his neck in a manner that could loosely be described as a necklace before following the sound. What he found surprised him.

*My Lady?* An elven woman who was drinking from the stream as if her life depended on it. *Did you get lost?*

Ino blinks at the sound of noise, turning around and holding up her hands in preparation to fight, not that she expected to win a fight this way. Only…there was no one there. Just a horse. That meant she was safe, a horse wasn't going to hurt her.

Wait… She blinks again, eyes widening at the sight of the horse. No…a pegasus!? But those were just myths! Stories! "How…?" She tilts her head, staring at the pitch black stallion with gigantic wings. "That's not possible…"

*Can you hear me?* The female looked rather startled. *Ah. Maybe, her magic isn't developed enough.* Hmm. What would be the best way to approach the startled mare then?

This had to be some kind of dream. That was it. She'd passed out from hunger and was hallucinating, dreaming up a pegasus to pass the time. So, she holds her hand towards it. "Hi there…my name is Ino." Not that she expected it to understand a word she said. It was a horse. A flying horse but still a horse. They were smart, sure, but to understand something like that…no way.

*You remind me of Prince Sasuke.* The horse shakes his head, seeming rather amused somehow. *A little lost foal.*

Ino frowns. The horse…pegasus was shaking its head? "Is something wrong?" She lowers her hand uncertainly, backing away slightly. Was it not friendly? Did it not want to be touched?

*Apparently, I've frightened her.* He shakes his head again and turns to head off towards the city at a slow and leisurely pace, to gesture for her to follow him. *Maybe, it'd be easier if I just let her ride me.* With that thought in mind, he stops rather abruptly and seems to crouch down low as if expecting her to get on him.

She watches as the horse crouches down, looking back at her almost…expectantly? It was so strange,it was like it wanted her to ride him. "…Okay…?" What was the worst that could happen? She get thrown off its back while in mid-air?

Actually…

Shaking her head quickly she slowly approaches the pegasus. Cautiously she runs her hand along its back, reassured by its soft whinnies. It seemed friendly enough. What a strange dream this was. She carefully slides onto its back, lightly trembling hands trying to find somewhere to hold on to, despite the lack of a saddle.

*You can just wrap your arms around my neck.* He was trying to be helpful, though it was unlikely she'd understand him. *Well probably best to trot instead of fly.*

Softly, Ino slides her hands across the soft coat, finding a couple of hollows on either side of the horse's neck that didn't seem to bother it. "Um…you can take me…wherever it is you want to take me." She doubted that it could be any worse than wandering the forest for a few more days. Besides, animals ate too, and horses were herbivores, so maybe it would take her to a wild orchard. Maybe that's where it got the basket around its neck.

*This would be much easier if you could understand me.* He trots off anyway. *Oh well, one can't have everything. Perhaps they'll know what to do with you at the palace.* And with that thought in mind, he begins the trek towards Queen Mikoto's city of Sindaron.

Ino watches, astounded as the pegasus trots through the forest, seemingly knowing precisely where it was going. She had no idea where it was taking her, but she was grateful for it. Something in this forest felt…alive, and it both excited and unsettled her. But after days wandering around, she just wanted to see a city or something.

No…way…

About an hour into the ride, Ino had just kind of settled down, settled in, and started looking around curiously as the scenery went by. But that was hours ago. Now, there was more than just the scenery to look at.

How anyone could manage to hide a whole city so effectively, she had no idea. But despite not seeing it until they were literally at the gates, Ino could see it now. A huge city, grown right out of the giant trees. "What…the…hell…?" …Okay, it's official, she had somehow dreamed up an entirely different world because Earth certainly did not have pegasi running around, picking up lost girls, or cities grown out of trees, or magical floating lanterns dotting the streets of said tree cities.

*Well we're back in the city.* She couldn't hear it, but Adrian was rather proud of himself. *Let's get you to the queen and then I can give Nix her berries.* Nix was his mate. Her name meant snow, and with her beautiful pure white coat, she certainly lived up to it.

As the pegasus takes her through the city, Ino looks at the people in the streets. But…there was something seriously wrong here. These people…they didn't look human. They looked like… "Elves…?" No way… Then again, this was a world with cities grown from trees, and pegasi frolicking through the forest. So…elves? Why the hell not? "I don't suppose there are dragons here too?"

*Well there are a few dragons, but they're exceedingly rare.* Adrian neighs merrily as he leads her right inside a freaking palace! *Queen Mikoto! King Fugaku!* Surely, one of them would answer.

Fugaku hears the call of a rather excited pegasus from inside the throne room. What had he found now? *I am coming, Adrian.* Of course, he had to remain at least outwardly, saddened and demure. *What is it this time?* He emerges from the empty throne room, striding into the courtyard to meet with the pegasus.

*I found a lost elf.* His tail swishes. *She seems friendly, but can't understand me.* In Adrian's mind, that meant she was most likely a foal.

*A lost elf?* Fugaku raises an eyebrow as he approaches the pegasus, spotting a young woman with extremely long blond hair, and strange clothes perched on his back. *I see…* Perhaps, then, it was best to use the common tongue with her. "Greetings, young one. I am King Fugaku Uchiha of Thiral. Welcome to the palace of Sindaron."

Ino's jaw nearly drops. A king! The pegasus had brought her to see a king!? What the hell was going on!? "Ah…my name is Ino, Your…Majesty?"

When Mikoto heard the sound of hooves in the courtyard, she quickly goes to see what is going on. "Adrian, is something wrong?" She blinks as she walks over and sees her husband speaking with a blond girl. A girl who looked rather stunned. "Hello, I am Queen Mikoto and it seems my husband has already introduced himself."

Another elf. And this one was a queen!? Ino looks from one to the other, determining that if one was the king, and the other was the queen, they were probably married. And damn was the queen beautiful. The elf was like a work of art! And…kind of familiar too… "Ah, yes…he has…" Ino gulps. "I'm…Ino Yamanaka. I think I'm…lost? The pegasus brought me here, wherever here is…"

"Well Miss Ino, you are currently in our palace." Mikoto nods at this as she pets Adrian. "More specifically you are in the capital city of our Kingdom. Thiral." The pegasus neighs happily at the attention. "Our city is known as Sindaron, by the way."

Okay, those were names she'd never heard of before. Ino couldn't place those in any country she'd ever heard of. Great, so she really had dreamed up a whole other world. Somehow, she'd also managed to dream up hunger and thirst. "I…I don't know those names, sorry…"

"..." The Queen goes silent for a moment. "A book didn't bring you here, did it?" She pauses and adds for clarification. "Before, Adrian."

"How did you know?" Ino wasn't sure, but maybe these people knew what had happened to her. Wait, but if they knew that then… "Is this a dream? Because I'm pretty sure that I'm dreaming. Elves and pegasi are myths, legends, kids stories, fairy tales! I-I have to be dreaming…" Great, she was insane. Ino was officially going insane.

Mikoto looks at her husband. "She's like Sasuke then." Though the Queen wasn't sure what to do about that. "I suppose that it'd be safer to have her stay at the palace until we find out what this all means." Three of these Seekers? What in all of Avalon was going on!?

"It seems so…" Fugaku reaches up to the girl, lifting her off Adrian's back. "She will stay with Sasuke and Hinata, then. It is a sufficient place to keep her, without exposing her to undue dangers." After all, no one but a few select people ventured into Sasuke's chambers anymore. Most people thought he was dead.

"Hinata!?" No way…it couldn't be. "Did you just say Hinata!?" Ino stares up at the king as he sets her down, blue eyes blown wide with astonishment and disbelief.

"Yes, he did." Mikoto looks at the girl in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't know why you sounds so surprised." This girl truly was foreign then. "Princess Hinata is my son's intended, after all." She smiles at the girl. "Follow me and I'll take you to them."

"I-intended!?" Ino couldn't believe it. Hinata was gone for a year, and she was… "Exactly what do you mean by intended!?"

The queen leads Ino off towards Sasuke's chambers. "Hmm. Perhaps, they call it something else in Tokyo." That is what Sasuke called the land of his birth. So the queen could only assume that was where this girl hailed from as well. "His intended. My son intends to wed Princess Hinata when they are both of age."

Ino nearly chokes on the knowledge. "Tokyo? You know about Tokyo?" And the hell? Hinata was getting married!? "If Hinata is getting married, I have to make sure that this guy isn't some weirdo. If he's hurting Hinata, he's in for a world of pain." And like hell was Hinata getting married without Ino there as her maid of honor.

"I am not sure what weirdo means." Though it sounded like an insult. "I do assure you that my son is a good elf though and I know of Tokyo in passing." Hmpf! Was she attacking Sasuke's honor? There was no denying he was far too reckless at times, but he never meant any harm! "Because that is the land my adoptive son hails from!"

No way…that wasn't possible. Ino was beginning to wonder if she'd been sent to another dimension. What was it that voice had said? "Seeker…?" That was it, wasn't it? "And Hinata, she comes from Japan as well, right? I mean…Tokyo. Japan is the country, Tokyo is the capitol city."

"He has mentioned a kingdom known as Japan on occasion." It was rather apparent that to Mikoto, Japan might as well have been the Moon though. "And yes, I believe that Princess Hinata comes from Japan as well. Sasuke does say she came from the same land as he did."

She found her. Ino couldn't believe it, she'd found her best friend. And…Sasuke…? Why did that name sound so familiar? If he was from Japan…did she know him? "Those two have a lot of explaining to do. Starting with just what the bloody hell kind of fantasy I've been pulled into!"

Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "I assure you this is not a fantasy." Though Sasuke had thought the same thing as her once. "I'm flesh and blood, just as you are. Your reality was just...different than ours before." They arrive in front of the door. "I don't believe it's locked and if it is, they'll hear you, if you knock" She pauses. "I'll leave you to your reunion."

The girl didn't strike her as being a threat. More like she was lost and feeling agitated at not understanding this realm. "We shall get this sorted out soon, but do follow their instructions. I'm afraid that I'm needed elsewhere." And with that, the Queen makes a swift departure.

Without even knocking, Ino turns the wooden handle and pushes the door open, stepping into what looked like a full-blown luxury condo, complete with bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and a bunch of space she didn't even know what was supposed to be used for. And right in the middle of the room…lying on her stomach on a giant circular bed, was Hinata. On top of her was a guy, and he was touching her all over.

Oh…that was so not going to fly. "Get your hands off my best friend, you pervert!"

Hinata blinks. At first, she had no idea what was going on. Someone had just barged into Sasuke's room and instead of freaking out that the prince was still alive, they were calling him a pervert for touching his fiancee?

Sasuke's ears ring with the deafening shriek, and his hands pause as he leans back up, looking over his shoulder as he sits on Hinata's thighs. For some reason, there was a familiar-looking blond girl in his room, and she looked more than a little pissed. Wait a minute…it couldn't be, it wasn't possible. "Ino?"

"Ino?" The bluenette looks up in shock as her eyes widen. "It really is you!" How was this possible?! "When did you get here?!" She blinks. "How? Was it the book?" Oh wait. She should probably introduce Sasuke.

"And um this is Sasuke. He's not a pervert." Well actually he was. "Well he is, but it's okay though. We're engaged..." She had told him to give her the massage though to Ino's eyes, it probably had looked pretty bad. "He's also...a prince so you really shouldn't smack him." Which it looked like her friend was considering doing.

Shouldn't smack him? SHOULDN'T SMACK HIM!? Ino twitches at the sight of the idiot in front of her. "And just why the hell are you engaged to this…"

"I'm engaged to him because I love him." Hinata huffs and crosses her arms. "And engaged people are allowed to be intimate, Ino." She shakes her head. "You are the one who always said that I should get a boyfriend. Well I did."

Ino blinks at the sight of the man in front of her, slowly taking in his appearance as he glares at her over his shoulder. "Wait a minute…you're…"

"An old classmate from middle school, yes." Well, this isn't a conversation Sasuke ever envisioned having, let alone twice. "Yes, I'm the Sasuke you remember." And a whole lot more than that. "Not that I expected you to."

"How could I forget?" Ino crosses her arms defiantly. "You're the one who disappeared in the ninth grade. The police were sure that you were dead, or carted off to some other country when no one could find a trace of you."

Well, that wasn't too far from the truth, but in the interest of not earning any more of the old fangirl's ire, Sasuke rolls off of Hinata sitting himself back down on his bed. "Well, I guess I should say 'Welcome to Avalon', or something like that."

Nevermind. Hinata could defend her virtue later. "Anyway, I'm glad you're here." She smiles. "It's complicated, but you're stuck here until you make the choice which world you want to stay in." Oh boy. How was she even going to explain all this? On second thought, maybe explaining Sexy Times with Sasuke was easier...

Sasuke sighs impatiently. "For one reason or another, the book's creator decided that there's something in this world that you want or need badly enough to bring you here. If you've noticed, you've changed species." He points to her ears. "Which means that you'll live at least five times as long as you would have as a human, and you will stay here either forever, or until you decide that whatever it is that you were called here for isn't worth staying for. One or the other."

Ino blinks. "Say what?" She was stuck here? And…wait, when did she change species? Her hands fly to her ears, finding them to be pointed and thin. "I'm…" Oh no, what the hell had happened to her?

"You're an elf." Hinata nods as she leans into Sasuke, cuddling into him. "It's a good thing really. Better senses, you live longer, and you probably have magic now." She smiles.

"Magic…?" Ino frowns, looking down at her hands. "That voice said…that my power was needed. But I don't have any power…"

"Not yet." Sasuke strokes Hinata's hair gently. "But you will. It seems that we Seekers are gifted with powerful magic. At least, according to Sai. And along with that is the ability to achieve either ultimate happiness, or ultimate sorrow." Not the greatest of prophecies, but he'd take it. "For now, you're stuck here with us. And if Danzo and Kaguya find out about you, you might make their hit list as well."

"Let's just say Danzo and Kaguya are the bad guys. Oh and the orcs." Hinata nods and adds. "Yes, they're real too. Oh and once your magic develops more, you'll probably hear Adrian talk to you telepathically. He's very smart."

Adrian, but wasn't that… "The pegasus talks?" Ino smacks her forehead. "Of course the pegasus talks. Why wouldn't the pegasus talk? I've been sucked into Crazyland."

Sasuke smirks at the sight of Ino sort of losing her mind. He'd been through that once already, and was more than happy to watch someone else go through the mental gymnastics to try and figure this shit out. "Yes, the pegasus talks."