When best friends Alison McKay and Michelle Prince found a small piece of paper bearing a promise of the greatest Naruto experience of their lives, they were unwittingly sucked into the world they had only ever watched and read about. Now, hearts will be stirred, Bonds will be formed, blood will be spilt, and worlds will collide as fantasy and reality fuse inextricably into one.
Disclaimer: Obviously, as this is a fanfic, I don't own Naruto. Anything found in this story that does not exist in the real Naruto plot line though, including the characters Alison, Michelle, Shinjako and Kai, I claim as my own.
This is a comedy/drama/romance story I've been meaning to write for a long time. Any pairings will be decided as the story progresses, though suggestions are welcome. Also, before I begin, I realize that there are some of you out there who may not like my writing style, or the angle I'm taking with this story. As much as I'd like constructive criticism, please do not simply review to say how much you hated it. It's common courtesy.
Note to Readers: NOOOO! UNLUCKY THIRTEEEEEEN! We're all gonna DIE!
Nah, in my religion thirteen is a luck number, so I'm not worried. Thanks for all the feedback on chapter twelve, so here's some response to your reviews.
To Dragon Of The Water- I like Kai too, poor pathetic little guy. He will get himself a girl though! Just wait!
To Chuni Luni-Thanks much for the water gun! I shall put it to good use!
-squirts Neji-
Neji: Hey!
SL: Gomen! Not, heh heh heh...
Ahem, anyway...
To Kyra Odayashi-NOOOO! Lee is mine! MINE I SAY! YOU CANNOT HAVE HIIIIIM!
Well anyway, let's get on with chapter thirteen, shall we?
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Chapter 13- A Tale of Two Dogs
In a world that thinks we're all crazy,
the least we can do,
is laugh at ourselves.
"On this perfect daaaay! Nothing's standing in my wa-ay! I could staaaa-ay forever as I am! On this peeeeer-feeeeeect daaaaaaay!"
Alison sang quietly but with unbeatable enthusiasm as she pulled her tank top over her head, a bright smile painted on her face. Today was the day! They were finally going on a mission! She'd barely slept that night, but no one would be able to tell by looking at her, pacing back and forth across the small apartment, brushing her hair, tugging on her sandals and singing one irritating song after another. She checked the clock-only six AM. She frowned, sighing. Why couldn't they meet earlier? She redhead stared enviously as a soundly sleeping Michelle. She'd beencomatose from the moment they had gotten home yesterday, and didn't need to worry about being impatient or restless. Alison sighed in resignation and decided she'd take a walk before heading to the Hokage tower.
"Come on Naruto-kun, let's go for a walk."
She called into the apartment as she picked up the backpack that hung near the back door. Oddly, there was no response from her puppy, who would usually perform back flips through flaming hoops to go for a walk. The girl glanced over her shoulder in puzzlement, hoping to see him stumbling toward her, tired but eggar as always. He didn't. As a matter of fact he wasn't on her bed or Michelle's either. After ten minutes of an increasingly desperate search, Alison determined that he also wasn't under the beds, in the kitchenette, in the bathroom, in any cupboards, or in Michelle's Jar of super-thick chunky peanut butter.
Tearign her hair out at the point of a nervous breakdown, she suddenly noticed the hole. Alison had left the screened window open last night to let a breeze in, since it had been hot. What she hadn't noticed at the time was the small rip in the screen at the bottom right corner-just big enough for a four pound puppy to squeeze through, and jump onto the waiting fire-escape. She felt her heart leap into her throat as the color drained from her face. She bit her tongue to keep from screaming.
Okay Ali, just chill out.
She told herself, resuming her pacing.
All you have to do, is go out and look for him. No big deal, just go out and look around town, and you'll find him. There are no testing labs, no dog catchers, so he'll be fine. They only eat dogs in Korea, right?
The last though seemed to pop out of nowhere, and she hurriedly tried to shove it aside, biting back panic at the thought of her baby served up with a side of fried rice and a fortune cookie.
"Gah! I've got to find him!"
She cried suddenly, racing for the door. The girl cast a single backwards glance at Michelle, who was still dozing peacefully. Alison had promised to wake her friend up in time to get to their mission meeting, but under these circumstances, she was sure that Michelle would understand a broken promise. She then turned and raced out the door.
---
'NARUTO-KUUUUN! Come here baby! Where ARE you Naruto-kun? COME BACK TO MOMMY! Why're you HIDING from me BABY!"
Alison ignored the strange looks she got from people who knew Naruto as she charged through town, screaming for her puppy. She made sure to stop by the Korean Barbeque restaurant to find out EXACTLY what was on their menu, and to inspect the plates of several customers. She ended up getting dragged out by a pair of kitchen staff after trying to pry a woman's mouth open, and was thrown into an alleyway.
"And Stay out, you freaky kid!"
Said one as they clapped the dirt from their hands and left. Alison sat dejectedly in the alleyway for several minutes, crying inconsolably, convinced that her puppy had just been eaten. She only stopped when passers-by started tossing coins at her and muttering about 'poor orphan children'. The girl huffed in irritation and stood, dusting herself off and tightening her shoulders in a dignified manner. She then promptly started down the alleyway, wailing for her Naruto-kun.
"Come here puppy! Come here Naruto-kuuuun! Here doggy doggy! Here boy!"
"Hey, Sakura-chan!"
Alison stopped shouting as she heard a voice somewhere outside the alleyway. She continued following the narrow passage until she came across Naruto and Sakura, standing in the street. Curious, she hung back in the shadows, watching as the pink-haired Kunoichi frowned at her teammate.
"Oh hi Naruto."
She said unenthusiastically.
"What is it? "
"Uh well, you know how we have that mission today at the Hokage tower?"
Naruto started. His back was to Alison, and she watched him reach one hand behind his neck.
"I was just wondering if...well you know, you'd like to walk together?"
Alison saw Sakura wrinkle her nose, folding her arms across her chest.
"Oh come on Naruto, as if! I'm going with Sasuke as soon as I find him, and besides, were all meeting at the same place anyway, so I'll see you there."
Alison saw Naruto droop in disappointment, mutter something along the lines of 'ya, okay.' as Sakura walked off in search of her crush. The kunoichi hidden in the alleyway dug her nails into the brick wall to keep herself calm. She'd never had anything against Sakura before, even though she'd watched and read these rejection scenes time and time again. Now though, it just seemed so...so mean! Sakura vanished around a corner and Naruto had started off alone when Alison came out of the alleyway. She was determiend to at rlast try and make him feel better.
"Hey, Naruto! I need your help!"
She saw the blonde glance up, smiling as he recognized her.
"Hey Riku-chan! What can I do for ya?"
"Um, well.."
Alison started, a sweatdrop forming on her head as she suddenly realized how stupid her problem would make her sound. This was the third time she'd Naruto-kun in four days.
"I uh..I lost my puppy again...snuck right out the window! Think you could help me find him?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, but smiled broadly a moment later and nodded.
"Sure, I'll help ya out! I was just headed toward the Hokage tower for a mission though, so why don't we check over there first?"
Alison nodded quicky with a smile, and they started off down the street.
"Sure! I have a mission there too anyway!"
"Really? Cool!"
---
It turned out that it wasn't just teams seven and fifteen that had a mission at the tower that day. Teams eight and ten were also present, as was team Gai. When Naruto and Alison realized this, they kept their distance, watching from a nearby rooftop. Alison listened, amused, as the blonde started introducing his friends. 'So you know who to stay clear of' he had said.
"Let's see here. The blonde is Ino, a Sasuke fangirl. I fat guy is Choji, but don't call him that unless you want to get flattened."
The both flinched and ducked behind the concrete ledge of the roof as Choji started glancing around, frowning as if he had heard something. Why they judged it was safe, they peeked over the edge again.
"Okay, where was I? Shikamaru's the guy next to Ino- ajerk who doesn't care about anything! You already know Neji, Tenten, and Lee. The girl in the hooded jacket is Hinata, freaky little shy girl, but alright I guess. Then there's Shino who's a bug freak-I mean absolute FREAK! And that guy's-"
"Naruto-kun!"
Alison screamed, her eyes going wide. Naruto frowned.
"No, I'M Naruto! That's Kiba!"
Alison didn't listen-she had already flung herself off of the roof and was charging toward Kiba. He was leaning against the wall of the building with both Akamaru and a very familiar blonde puppy tucked into his jacket. Alison skidded to a stop only a few feet away from him and pointed at him accusingly.
"Give me back my Naruto-kun you puppy-napper!"
She screamed. Kiba scowled at her.
"Hey back off!What are you talking about?"
"My dog! You have MY DOG, Naruto-kun!"
"What the hell kind of a stupid name is that for a dog?And just who-"
The blonde puppy barked three times, and Kiba gave him an inquiring look.
"What? Are you serious, this is her?"
The puppy barked once again, and jumped fromhis jacket, dashing toward Alison with his tail wagging. She scooped him up in her arms, twirling him in circles then hugging him close.
"Oh Naruto-kun I'm so happy to see you! I thought that horrible restaurant owner got you or something! Promise me you'll never do that again! I was so worried!"
"T–T-The dog's name is N-Naruto?"
Hinata asked in a small, timid voice, taking a step toward Alison. Kiba snorted.
"Look lady, his name is Reiki."
"Oh? And how would you know that mister smart guy?"
Alison asked haughtily, glaring at him with steely eyes.
"He told me!"
Kiba snapped back.
"Akamaru and I found him wandering the streets this morning and we asked him what his name was, and it's Reiki! You should be taking better care of him too! Do you know how dangerous it is for a dog out on the streets? He was totally lost!"
Before Alison had a chance to bite Kiba for questioning her pet-owning skills, Naruto was behind her.
"You had her dog Kiba? Wow! I knew you were a jerk but stealing dogs-this is a whole new low!"
"Stay out of this Uzumaki!"
"Make me!"
A bolt of lightning flew between the two boys. Alison, unwilling to get in the middle of a fight so early in the morning, stepped between them. There was a brief lull as both turned to stare at her in confusion. She turned to Kiba.
"Thanks much for finding my dog for me. I'll make sure to keep a better eye on Reiki from now on."
This seemed to placate Kiba, who nodded, still glaring. Alison then turned to an infuriated looking Naruto. She offered him a bright smile, being sure to grit her teeth hard so to keep herself calm. This was no tiem for a street-fight.
"Let it go, kay? I appreciate the backup, but this isn't worth a fight."
Naruto looked shocked, and tried to argue.
"But he-"
"Never mind!"
"But-"
"Calm!"
"Rik-"
"Enough!"
Naruto growled in aggravation and folded his arms over his chest. Breif introductions were made in the few minutes that followed, and Alison smiled and asked questions politely, dispite already kowing just about everything there was to know about everyone there. Sakura showed up soon after, clinging to Sasuke's arm. When they arrived near the group, she glanced around questioningly as if only noticing now that they weren't alone.
"Hm? What's everyone doing here?"
She asked. Sasuke managed to extricate his arm from her death-grip with an irritated scowl, and wandered off to watch and generally be his brooding, stoic self. Ino gave her rival a dark look.
"We've got a mission here forehead-san. You think you're the only Shinobi in the village?"
Sakura returned her glare.
"Oh shut-up Ino-pig!"
"Ah! Sakura-san! A beautiful flower like yourself outshines the majesty of this glorious youth-filled morning!"
Lee cried as he recognised her, racing over. Sakura twitched uncomfortably, but attempted to seem hospitable.
"Uh...hi there...Lee-san..."
No one noticed that,as Lee asked Sakura out on a date for the umpteenth time, Alison started to tremble, her face darkening with rage. Naruto-kun-now Reiki-whimpered as she set him down and stepped toward them. Just as she was about to start screaming about how unworthySakura was of her idol, Kai suddenly spoke up.
"Guys! They're coming out!"
The boy had been clinging to a window several stories up, once again attempting to spy on his teacher and gather information on the coming mission. At that moment, However;the door slammed open, causing him to loose his balance and fall to the ground with a shout- directly on top for the exiting Jounin. Gai ended up catching him, and the boy could do nothing but smile sheepishly and turn red as all shinobi present turned to stare at him.
"Shinja-san! I believe this boy is one of yours isn't he?"
Gai asked. The young woman had her arms crossed, her glaive strapped to her back. She nodded, a malignant smirk playing on her features.
"Yes, unfortunately. Put him down Gai, I'll handle this."
The jounin set Kai down gently. He was trembling uncontrollably, and whimpered quietly as his sensei grabbed him by the collar and dragged him off somewhere behind the building. Kakashi sighed, stepping toward the genin, who had gathered together in a group to listen.
"Well, let's just get this over with shall we?"
He said, his smile recognizable by his closed eye. Somewhere in the background there was a cry of pain, but he seemd to either not hear, or ignore it. Alison guessed the later of the two.
"I'm sure you all know, you have been called here to participate in a mission. That mission calls for a group of bodyguards."
"Recently, a small hidden village on the outskirts of fire country was decimated by an unexpected attack from a Missing-nin faction, originally from Hidden Grass village."
Kurenai picked up, regarding the genin with stern red eyes She too ignored a scream from the direction Shinja and Kai had gone.
"It was the small Hidden Village of Blossoms, a branch village from Konoha, though so new and undeveloped, that it had yet to replace the tree leaf symbolof it's shinobi with their own, unique design."
"There's currently a cleanup operation going on"
Continued Gai.
"Though sadly, there were no survivors of the attack, workers from Konoha are busy burying the dead and extracting information from the village archives. Your job will be to guard those workers."
Ino raised her hand, and spoke at a nod from Asuma.
"But, does that mean we'll be fighting missing-nin? Isn't that kind of dangerous?"
"Yes, it's very dangerous"
Kakashi answered, pausing for effect to let the genin either get very determined, excited or scared. He then continued, smiling.
"But you will not be fighting ninja. Just coyotes, wolves, and possibly a bear or two that comes looking to snack on the dead. There have been no shinobi in the area in over a week. Konoha sentries have made sure of that."
At this point, Shinja and Kai returned, the boy looking quite shaken and sporting several bruises. He walked over-or rather limped over- to stand next to Alison, while their sensei took her place with the other jounin.
"Well, did we miss much?"
She asked cheerfully.
"Not much, just the entire mission explanation."
Kakashi said with a sigh, as he tucked one hand into his pocket. Shinja's bright expression didn't change.
"Oh, that's good! I was worried there for a sec. I know what it's about, and Kai was spying on us so he knows, so we're good!"
There was a collective sigh from most of the senseis-and a few genin.
"Alright, are we ready to go then?"
Asked Kurenai.No hands were raised for further questions,and so the group started off toward the Hidden Village of Blossoms. As the large group exited the gates of Konoha, Alison turned to her battered teammate, hugging Reiki to her chest looking very thoughtful.
"You know Kai...I have the strangest feeling that I'm forgetting something. Something important."
Kai shrugged., giving her a small, tired smile.
"I don't think that there's much to forget. We weren't told to bring supplies or paperwork or anything. But...if it's really important,I guess you'll remember sooner or later."
Meanwhile back at their apartment, Michelleopened one eye groggilyto see the clock blinking seven thirty four at her. Within three seconds, horrible realization dawned on the girl, and she started wailing pitifully. Jumping to her feet, she startedracing around the apartment like a whirlwind trying got get ready.
"ALISOOOOOOOOOOOOOON! YOU ARE SOOOOOO DEEEEEAAAAD!"
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Heh heh, thirteen is a bad chapter for poor Michelle. Anyhow, thanks for reading! Please forgive any spelling/gramatical errors because I was in a hurry posting this!You guys only have until I post next chapter to put in your suggestions for baddies, so do so! Oh, and if you have time, check out my new story "My Inspiration" it's not funny, but I'm quite proud of it. LeexOC. Anyhow, this is SevenLevels! Don't take candy from strangers!