"Spread your arms."

Kali never felt so violated. She was suddenly missing that little police station further down the road. The FBI was a more structure place and always did security checks. Yet since she couldn't go through a metal detector without setting it off, they had to take things in a different approach: a strip search. The woman was less than hospitable as she examined her clothes and had her pat down.

She was now embarrassed and felt worse.

Kali was grateful when she could redress. She watched the animal handler checking over Kamara as she rushed to his rescue as best as she could in her situation with her injuries and pulled him close frowning at the man, causing him to back off as she petted the tiger's fur. This pretty much proved the animal was of no threat and the man wrote this down. Kamara nuzzled Kali softly licking her cheek slowly and sighed. He was more than willing to put up with a few idiots if it would keep Kali safe.

Kali buckled her boots and stood up as she was led in an interrogation office. The only three things in the room were two chairs and a long table. One wall was a two way mirror. She got a good look at herself as she was parked on one end of the table. She saw how pale she was, how her eyes looked like she was as exhausted as she felt. She felt like she was more a prisoner than she was a victim. She sighed softly as she closed her eyes, the cold metal table seeming to provide some relief.

The next thing she knew, an officer was shaking her awake. She slowly sat up, every bone in her body giving a pop that echoed the room. "A man is here to take you," he said as she looked up seeing a neatly dressed man, middle aged from the look of things. He wore a black suit with a blue tie and was somewhat balding, with a neatly shaved goatee, graying in some areas. He was tall and slightly big.

"Miss Logan?" he asked. "I'm Andrew Cutter, I'm here to escort you."

Kali suddenly felt uncomfortable. This Andrew Cutter…she never heard of him.

Mr. Cutter moved to her wheelchair and unlocked the brakes as one of the agents gave him a folder. "Thank you for assisting us," one said as Mr. Cutter nodded.

"It's my pleasure," he said as he took the folder and pushed her out the door.

Yet instead of being parked out front, he wheeled her into a back alley where a large truck stood. It looked like one of those trucks used by the army. Only then did Kali's worst fears become imagined.

Cutter was none other than William Stryker.

Stryker smirked as he looked down at her. "Surprise," he said. "Thought you could get away this easily?" Kamara lunged when two men quickly tangled the tiger down and fitted him with a shock collar as Stryker gave a tsk sound. "Bad kitty," he mocked. Kali could only watch in horror.

Yet then she suddenly lunged, a SHINK sound heard as the familiar adamantium claws her father once had, now came out of her hands as she aimed for Stryker's throat.

Stryker took a well leveled punch to Kali's stomach knocking her back as two men dragged her up to her feet. He lifted her head up and slapped her hard against the face. "Put her in the mutant proof chains and give her a sedative," he ordered. "She'll be reunited with Wolverine soon enough." He walked to a black car parked down the street. Kali felt a needle stabbed through her hip as she was soon unconscious.

A sudden jerk of the truck woke Kali in a daze. She lifted her head a moment shackled to the top of a cage that shook with every move of the truck. Her eyes blinked a moment getting rid of the dizzy feeling as she looked up at the cuffs, noticing that spikes were inside, in case of escape. She frowned bracing herself as she wiggled her hands as the spikes got her right under her thumbs in a matching gash that just didn't heal. She dropped to the ground with a thud as she grunted. "Damn," she muttered.

Kamara gave a snort as he raised his head, the collar still around his neck. She moved to the cage door and picked the lock with a well placed claw before she moved to Kamara. She broke the door off his cage and used her bare hands to get the shock collar off, nearly frying herself, since she was a walking lightning conductor as well. She looked at her leg and broke it out of the cast able to walk now.

Kali floated off her feet flying up to the roof of the truck as she phased through it like a ghost to see where they were. They were on a busy freeway. Although the location was unknown on what freeway. She raised a brow and slid back down as she gathered Kamara on her back carefully. "Hold tight," she instructed and flew back up phasing them both onto the roof as she now stood on the roof of the truck. She looked behind her noticing they were the last truck in a line.

Perfect…but probably not for the people in the mini van behind them actually staring in horror at her. She gave them a desperate look and put a finger on her lips as if saying not to alert those in the truck. She felt a bump seeing they hit an overpass. Now was her chance as she gripped Kamara and suddenly jumped landing on the sign on the pass as she slipped and held onto the metal area. Kamara's claws gripped her shoulders in fear suddenly. She looked down seeing they were a good fifty to a hundred feet off the ground as she gulped.

She always was afraid of heights.

Kali's heart beat fast. She had to get Kamara down first. She looked at him. "Jump," she told him. Kamara stared at her, yet nodded and let go, the tiger landing in a field nearby. She looked relieved as she swung a bit the metal becoming slippery with sweat and blood. This became dangerous when she suddenly slipped and free fell straight to the rushing river below as she braced herself and landed with a splash. She surfaced coughing as she flew over to Kamara.

"I'm not doin' that again!"

Now cold and wet, Kali looked up where she had been and shivered. Yet above on the embankment, she could see one of those "welcome to" signs. She squinted and blinked when she realized what it said. "Welcome to Canada…checkpoint ahead," she read as she looked at Kamara. Of course, she had no intention of using a checkpoint, but she did have an intention to get to Toronto. She looked at the river and began to follow it into the Canadian territory when she soon noticed she was safe. Yet she had no money, no food, nothing.

But she did have her powers. Although Xavier taught her never to use her powers for selfish reasons, she had no choice. Her first destination was a clothing store. She froze time around her making people look like store mannequins while she did some shopping to change out of her clothes. She got some to put in a suitcase and added some personal items. She then walked to the food area and got some food from the deli to stick in a backpack along with books and some money. She made a mental note of the place and knew she would repay these people. After this, she walked to a car wash to give Kamara a bath and got him cleaned up. She fixed his fur carefully and looked at a map she had got.

"All right, Kam," she said after a moment. "We're not too far from Toronto. I got your papers redone and all so we'll head for the airport and then to Tokyo." She petted him as he nodded his head. Once she had left town, she allowed time to restart and went about walking down the highway. She soon saw the city ahead and looked around. It was then a pain hit her heart as she remembered something her father had told her.

She was now in her birthplace.

Kali looked around quietly as she walked down the busy streets heading for the airport. She moved to the counter and showed her passport as she discovered she was expected on the next flight to Tokyo. She blinked walking with Kamara. "How's that possible?" she mumbled to herself as she looked around. She then frowned. "They probably had the ticket set for then," she said remembering what the cop told her. He nodded as he stayed close as she saw her gate.

After bidding goodbye to Kamara, who was put in a carrier and put on the plane, Kali soon boarded the flight bound to Tokyo. Weariness and exhaustion was filling her mind as she made her way to a first class window seat. The fight attendant gave her a pillow and a blanket to curl up in. She felt the flight begin to take off once all were on board as she sighed, relief flooding her mind.

She had outdone Stryker…she was leaving Canada and America.

Now all she wanted to do was sleep.

By the time they reached Tokyo, it was at least seven AM Japan time, while she was adjusted to the time in New York. Kali shook her head a moment to clear it as she gathered her bags and Kamara. Light rain was falling outside as she walked staring outside the huge windows of the Tokyo airport a moment. She sighed and moved off away from it as she stepped outside. She watched people greeting family and love which caused her to look away.

It was understandable for the newly orphaned girl.

Kali walked deep in thought. While the city was huge, she still had nowhere to go and Stryker knew she would be going to Tokyo. She realized she needed to leave the city and find another place to go. After taking a few trams, she found herself standing along a path leading down another road through the forests. She studied this a moment as a breeze blew around her, leaves going down the path. She took this as a sign and began to walk.

Minutes turned to hours which turned to days. With the occasional tea house and rest area, the only way to travel was to walk. On the third day, Kali saw a crossroad as she studied the signs. "Konoha," she read. "And Suna…" She blinked. "Village Hidden in the Leaves or Hidden in the Wind…" She looked at Kamara, yet froze. Her sharp hearing picked up on the sounds of footsteps trying to be quiet. She sniffed the air a moment as she looked around.

She was being watched.

Kali's feet slowly turned toward the Suna arrow as she tried to stay calm. She kept walking straight ahead, pretending nothing was wrong. Yet she heard these steps follow in tune with her own. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Kamara. He too could hear these steps and his fur bristled a bit. She looked up seeing the woods end with desert. She looked toward the forests and then to the desert.

And began to run with Kamara at her heels through the sand.

Two days and Kali was greatly sunburned. She had water, yet it was slowly leaving. She was afraid to go to the bathroom behind any dune, afraid a scorpion would be there to get her. She wiped sweat off her face as she slowly looked up thinking she saw a village ahead. She slowly moved toward it as she collapsed suddenly at the gates unconscious.

"She's overheated."

"Then maybe you can help?"

"I will do what I can…just don't let him know she's here!"

"He won't touch her, I can assure you."

A teenager with long blue hair was creating a tub of ice water. She was dressed in a blue bikini with a bit of fishnet around the waist and barefoot. Around one ankle was a gold bracelet and around her neck was her forehead protector. She had matching ocean blue eyes that were as blue as her hair. A teenage boy stood beside her in a black cat suit looking thing with makeup over his face. He was assisting her as he checked on the brunette girl they had found.

"Kari…I think she'll be waking soon," he said.

Kari Oak looked over at the boy a moment. "I'm surprised," she said. She moved to lay her in the ice water. "And the tiger's condition?" The boy nodded. "He's done better after a few ice baths and some food," he said. "You still won't go near him, will you?"

He was teasing her.

Kari frowned deeply. "Tigers like fish…this one's no exception, Kankuro."

Kankuro chuckled softly, his lips meeting her forehead. "I know, Kari, I'm just teasing."

Kari smiled a bit nodding. "Let's help these two before Gaara discovers them here."