"Japanese"

**Google Translate**

Chapter 2

Kakashi Hatake had been in many situations over his twenty-seven years of life. He had looked death in the face multiple times. Hell, last he remembered he thought he had died. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the lack of a hole in his chest when he came out of that water.

Then he had woken up in a strange home with a rather large dog staring at him and an odd voice echoing from another room. He wasn't sure what to think. His first thought was genjutsu. But, after a quick Ki release, that theory was proven to be wrong. This was no illusion.

Kidnapping then?

He quickly ruled that out. On one hand, it made sense since all of his weapons were gone, along with his mask (Of which, he was rather irritated). On the other hand, if he had been kidnapped they had to be rather idiotic to not bind him or restrain him. If someone had saw fit to heal his wounds and kidnap him there would have been a restraint of some kind placed on him. But, there wasn't. While he sensed no ill will, he had to figure out what was happening.

That led him to his current situation. Opening his Sharingan in a scare tactic that usually worked on civilians. She was untrained, that much was obvious. Having been trained since the moment he could walk and hold a kunai, he could spot a shinobi from a mile away. She was no such thing. She hadn't even been aware enough to hear him approach. But, even if she wasn't trained, as soon as she saw the eye she would realize who he was. And, when she did, she would tell him exactly what was going on, and exactly what he was doing there.

That wasn't what happened though.

When Alysha saw the bright red iris of the Sharingan, she didn't notice the three tomes. All she could think was that the water had infected his eye to a degree she couldn't even imagine. She had never seen an infected eye so bad before in her life!

Alysha turned and fumbled through one of the kitchen cabinets that was filled with medical supplies. The old pill bottles fell out and clattered on the counter as she tried her best to reach for something, anything, that would help. The whole time talking to herself as well as him, "Oh my God! I am so sorry! I can't believe the lake was dirty enough to get your eye infected. Can you see? Does it hurt? I can take you to a doctor!" She held up two bottles and looked over her shoulder in a panic, "I have Tylenol and ibuprofen!"

She had expected a response, but instead all she received was silence. In fact, he looked utterly confused. Why did he look confused? Her mind worked itself into overdrive trying to think of plausible reasons to why he was so confused. Then, it clicked.

"You don't speak English do you?"

The confusion didn't waver, only solidifying her fears and feeding into her anxiety. Great. She had a strange man in her home, and he didn't even speak English… Alysha held up a finger to him. She hoped that he would understand the gesture for, 'Hold on a sec.'

Kakashi watched as she grabbed the small rectangle on the counter and began muttering to herself. He didn't catch it at first but he soon realized she was trying to repeat what he had said before.

She was doing a horrible job.

It was like listening to a toddler.

"You don't speak Japanese, huh?" He said aloud.

Her head shot up to look at him and he saw an idea spark in her eyes. He watched as she used her thumbs to tap on the small rectangle again and then she held it out to him, "Say that again, please." Though he didn't understand her, he could hear the sincerity and the plea. It wasn't until she used her free hand to gesture outward from her mouth that he thought he understood.

He repeated the phrase he just said, and then watched as the girl brought the rectangle only a few inches from her face. Then, a moment later came a voice that put him on edge.

**You don't speak Japanese?**

The next moment was a blur. Faster than she had ever seen a person move he was suddenly right in front of her. A short scared yelp made its way past her lips and she was deaf to the hurried sound of Jasper running into the kitchen to investigate.

Alysha only had a moment to think about her current predicament. This man, while average height, still towered over her five foot frame. Her wrist crushed in his tight grip and her phone now in his free hand. Most importantly, his body pressed against hers, though not in any suggestive way. It was as if he only intended on blocking her escape. His eyes were intently studying her phone, as if he had never seen one before. How could he not know what a phone was?

She wanted to say something. Wanted to ask him to back up. He wasn't hurting her, even though he had gripped her wrist too harshly. No, it was the sheer closeness that set her on edge. The racing of her heart, the anxiety heating her face to an unbearable degree. The last time she had been caught in a similar situation, it hadn't been so quiet. Her body was reacting as if this man in front of her was him. Against her wishes, she could feel herself start to tremble.

Finally, she took a shaking breath, "Please."

He looked from the phone down toward her. Her eyes were pleading as she slowly reached for the small device. He listened as she repeated the word again and again. Until, finally, he let her take it from him. His scarred eye closing.

Alysha quickly opened the Google Translate app again and did her best to speak clearly. "I'm sorry if I made you mad. I don't speak Japanese and this is the only way I can think to communicate with you. Could you let me go, please?"

When the phone repeated her words back in his language she felt him stiffen. His eyes zoning in on her phone. She didn't even pay attention to the string of gibberish her phone was spewing. All she could focus on was the beating of her heart in her ears as she prayed that he would take a step back. Just one. That's all she needed.

Finally, the phone finished and he slowly stepped away from her until his back was against the island. His eyes never left the phone in her hand.

Silence filled the space between them. Even as Jasper butted his head against her leg and whined, she couldn't bring herself to pet him. Not until his large head rubbed against her hand and she did so on impulse. Muscle memory.

Her thumb hovered over the button. There were so many things she wanted to ask, but how to ask them? A thousand things running through her mind, she finally settled on one. "Why were you in the lake?"

Kakashi listened to the robotic voice. He understood that whatever that device was, it seemed to be the only method of effective communication they had. Good thing he didn't crush it after all.

Why had he been in the lake? He had fallen in, obviously. She didn't need to know anything past that.

He said as much when she held out the slab like she did before. Picking up that she wanted him to respond.

The phone beeped, **I fell in.**

Alysha's face fell. Well, that was obvious. She scratched the back of her head, choosing to look at the screen rather than him.

She was about to speak again when he held up a hand. Oh, he had more to say. She hurriedly nodded and held out the phone, pressing the button for record.

Kakashi nodded, hearing the beep that seemed to indicate the readiness for translation. While he had closed his Sharingan and deemed her to be not a threat, he knew if she tried anything he could restrain her with ease. "Out of all the questions I have for you, at the top of the list would be; Where are we, and who are you?"

Alysha listened to the translation in earnest. How she wished she could understand him. Her phone didn't capture the seriousness of his tone at all.

She frowned. He wanted her to introduce herself and yet he still hadn't offered his name. Though, she guessed she could understand. He had to be confused after crawling out of a lake and immediately falling unconscious, right? "My name is Alysha Thompson. You're on a small farm in north central Minnesota. What's your name?"

For now, she would do her best to answer all of his questions. But she had a few of her own as well.

Alysha Thompson? What the hell kind of a name was that? Kakashi had never heard of a name like it. Minnesota? He had never heard of that either. "What nation is Minnesota in?"

She was a little taken aback by the phrasing. Maybe that was just the translator? "The United States…" She said uneasily, suddenly seeing a text pop up from Monica.

Shit. She had to message her.

Kakashi didn't pay any attention to the apologetic smile as she tapped away on the small device. He was too busy trying to think of somewhere called that. He looked out the window behind her, taking in the trees. It didn't do much narrowing down for him.

His gaze turned back to her. Alysha. What an odd name. He had taken a general once-over of her before, but now he took the time to really pay attention. She was a good half foot shorter than him. Vibrant red hair that shimmered in the sunlight, even in its unkempt state. Large blue eyes and a button nose. He had to admit that the anxious way she bit her thumb was rather cute. His gaze trailed down, taking in her overly large green hoodie and gray sweatpants that were too long. Only her toes were visible. There was nothing about her that told him where they were. Just an average civilian.

**Is your eye okay? Does it hurt?**

His head shot up and he looked into her eyes. Genuine concern looking right back at him.

Fascinating. He thought as he shook his head in reply. She still didn't recognize him. He certainly had to be far from civilization if the mere presence of his Sharingan wasn't enough to tell her who he was.

His eye narrowed, motioning that he wanted to speak. "Where is the nearest village? Am I still in the Land of Fire?"

Alysha listened and read the words on her phone screen. She blinked, her face slowly twisting into a mesh of confusion. Just where was this dude from? So, she asked, anxiously waiting for this man to respond.

He regarded her with equally elevated, but subdued confusion. He was sure she had seen his headband, even if he wasn't wearing it now.

"Konohagakure."

**Hidden in the Leaves**

Once again, Alysha was confused. Her hand ran through her hair and she bit her lip in frustration. The longer they tried to communicate the more weird this whole thing was becoming. Where the hell was 'Hidden in the Leaves'? What the fuck did that even mean?

While she didn't know how to respond, Kakashi watched every single move she made. He didn't need a translation to see that she had no idea what he was talking about. How could she have never heard of Konoha? Even those in the deepest recesses of the world had heard of the village. How out of touch did she have to be?

**I've never heard of it. Do you need me to call someone for you? You still haven't told me your name.**

Call someone? How could a commoner in the middle of nowhere have the means to do something like that? Long distance communication was something only those with money or status possessed. He paused, wondering if this building was indeed a home, and if it was indeed hers. If that was the case, then perhaps she wasn't just some nobody.

"Kakashi Hatake." He said openly, watching for her reaction. What he saw wasn't recognition or fear, not even that admiration he had come across from random admirers. She only nodded, a flash of mixed emotions showing themselves before swallowing her acceptance. So, his name wasn't so outlandish compared to her own. Interesting.

Suddenly, he sneezed, covering his nose and mouth with the back of his arm.

Both Alysha and Jasper jerked at the sudden noise. She bit her lip. Shit, he was still wet from his time in the lake and it was freezing outside. It had taken her damn near an hour to drag him back inside. No wonder he might get sick. Alysha stepped forward and was going to place a hand on his shoulder to usher him into the dining room to sit down, but stopped when he jerked away. Her hand snapped back and she offered an apologetic smile speaking into the translator again, "It was freezing outside, how about I show you the bathroom so you can take a shower? After that we can talk more." She could see that his clothes were still very damp and clung to his skin. It was a large house, and she had to pay the bills so she didn't keep the heat as high as she probably should have either.

Kakashi tossed the idea around in his head for a moment. There were definitely more questions that he had to ask. But, there was even more that he had to think about. Something wasn't right with this situation and he had to get to the bottom of it. Thankfully, she seemed genuine enough. He didn't feel as though she would run away and leave him. He would get his questions answered in due time.

He only had to be patient.

Finally, he nodded. A hot shower sounded amazing and he wasn't about to turn that down. He watched as she smiled brightly, a small dimple on her right cheek making itself known. She gestured for him to follow her and he did so obediently. His eyes scanning every wall and every surface as they made their way to the bathroom on the second floor. If this entire place was hers, she had to be someone important. It had to explain that small contraption that acted as the bridge between them. Without it, who knew what would have happened. Perhaps, it was a status symbol of some kind. A symbol he didn't understand.

Alysha opened the bathroom door, revealing the modestly sized bathroom. For a moment, she was embarrassed by the pink floral wallpaper and hoped he didn't think it was her idea. It was easily three times her age. She grabbed the towel from a cabinet and placed it on the vanity, making sure he saw it. Then, he grabbed her shampoo and pantomimed herself scrubbing her hair before placing the bottle next to the towel. Past that, she backed out of the bathroom, giving him an awkward thumbs up to be sure everything was okay.

To her relief, he returned the gesture.

She shut the door, stepping into the silent hallway. Knowing he was out of sight she stumbled back and slid down the wall until her chin was resting on her knees. She thought over the last several hours. Jasper's morning out, a stranger popping out of the water, the confrontation in the kitchen. She had been on an emotional rollercoaster and for the first time in a few hours she felt like she could breathe a little easier. While there was nothing normal about this situation, she felt confident that he wasn't going to harm her in any way.

Alysha thought over the moment when he had pinned her to the counter. Now that the moment had passed, her face flushed upon revisiting it. How long had it been since someone so good looking had been so close to her? Her head hit the wall behind her and she groaned softly, guilt washing over her. Guilt for thinking about him. Guilt for looking back and actually enjoying the thought of that moment. Guilt for thinking that maybe, just maybe, she had been desirable. She scoffed, how fucked up could she be? How lonely was she really to make up things in her head that weren't there. She had startled him and that was it.

But, no, it wasn't her that startled him. It was her phone. Did he really not know what a phone was? She sighed. Questions for later.

Alysha reached out to pet Jasper who decided to take a seat near her. The shower just started and she was brought back to the here and now. "Guess I should go find some clean clothes for him, huh boy?"

She hoisted herself up and made her way to her grandparents old bedroom. All the old furniture was still there and she knew her grandmother had kept some of her grandpa's old clothes. Kakashi seemed to be about the same size... she hoped. Rifling through the closet she thought that maybe she should make some coffee to warm him up too. Oh, and his other clothes should be dry by now. After he changed she could wash his clothes and then he wouldn't have to feel weird wearing her deceased grandpas clothes. The man had been dead for so long and her grandma never had the desire to throw them out. For once, she was happy for her grandmother's aversion to throwing things away.

After several minutes, she finally found a nice blue and green flannel shirt that was still in good shape, and black pants. Alysha tossed them on the bed and returned to her work, looking for a pair of underwear. She felt strongly unsettled as she realized she was looking through her dead grandpa's clothes for his underwear to then give to a stranger.

"Alysha."

She jumped. Did he have to be so quiet and sneak up on her all the time? Was this going to be every interaction they had? Her body turned to face him but the sight had her fumbling. Her face flushed instantly and she had to resist the urge to cover her eyes, opting to look at the clothing she had pulled out for him instead.

Now would be a good time for him to put them on.

The response to this story has been phenomenal! Thank you all so much!

A few things to go over quick and I hope you will take a moment to read this over. First, I've been thinking this over since I posted Chapter 1, and I've come to a decision. In the version of Earth Alysha lives, the Naruto manga was never published. I thought long an hard on this, and think it will be more fun writing going forward. Naruto is another universe entirely in this story.

I do not speak a word of Japanese. The language barrier gets better with time. Remember, Kakashi is a genius and the internet is a thing. I do however deal with language barriers nearly everyday at work, and use Google Translate to make interactions easier with Spanish speakers. A lot of the communication is also through tone, and body language. I hope I portray the language barrier in a believable way that isn't too hard to read.

I hope you all continue to like the story, as it has been extremely fun to write and think about. Thinking about how Kakashi might interact with everyday objects we use. What kind of western foods he would like. What kind of movies he would be into. Questions like that, ya know? If you want to give your opinions, feel free to share!

Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review!

Posted - 12/27/21