EEH! I'm sorry! School started here and I was trying to take care of some stuff and got side-tracked! Don't worry though cause I'll be updating a lot since it's pretty much almost done. Well, hopefully you like it! This chapter was a little weird for me to write. I might change it later.

As you know I say this a lot: Don't like it don't read it. Thanks! XD

I own nothing of Naruto I do however own Ann.

Chapter THREE: I'm Hysterical! I'm Confused and I'm Hysterical!

We had begun traveling after that little episode and after eating our breakfast. He was a fast walker, I had to power walk just to keep up with him. Actually I wouldn't quite call it power walking, more of jogging. The curse of being short and short legged… Now that I was fully awake, I was able to make some notes about him.

He certainly was tall, at least six feet. Compared to my five foot five I was just a tad bit jealous at his height. He was quiet which kind of sucked whenever I wanted to try to have a conversation. I think that was the most he had ever talked, when he was talking to me earlier. Was he always this alone?

We came to the edge of the forest and before us was this small village.

"Whoa! Look at that!" I stared in wonder like a little kid. Talk about a long ways from home. That hit me. Home. I felt a weird sensation in my stomach, not like butterflies but kind of like them only instead of feeling elated you felt down and sad. Homesickness sucked.

Sasuke walked past me and towards the people. "Come on. Let's see if we can find an inn." I followed slowly after him.

"…Okay."

We didn't have to go far to find one. One was right on the outskirts of the town. It was a little dinky place but had a homey feel to it. I stood a ways behind him looking around in amazement. It was so different! It was so weird! I felt a giggling fit try to push its way up but I held it down. The last thing I needed was to start that up and have everything think I'm a nutjob. He grabbed two keys and faced me.

"Here." With a small toss I caught it clumsily and looked at it.

"So where're our rooms?" Sasuke stared with that same curiosity as in the past before he jerked his head towards the stairs.

"Rooms are upstairs." We went up and moved down the hall towards our respective numbers, he ten and I nine. Before he could make it into his room I stopped him with a question.

"What is this place?" He turned to look at me. Don't you dare say that it's an inn…

"It's an inn." No duh. I shook my head.

"No, I mean, what is this place? Where am- where are we? What's this place called?" Before I could continue my flood of questions he held up a hand to stop me.

"You have amnesia or something?"

"No… I just don't know where I am," I answered truthfully. He stared at me again making me feel a little self-conscious. He had to stop doing that! It was getting weird! It made me feel like a freak. He stepped aside from his door.

"Come in and I'll explain." And, boy, did he. I mean, I can hardly remember a thing he said at all. It all came on so fast that I couldn't keep up. The only thing I was sure of was that I wasn't anywhere near home. I was somewhere completely different. He told me about how everything was divided into separate lands: fire, water, wind, sound, lightening, earth, and waves. There was also an unnamed portion as well used mainly for battles. He also told me of the main hidden villages in some of those lands: the Leaf Village of fire, Mist of water, wind and its Sand Village, and the Cloud Village in wind. Pulling out a piece of paper he also drew their symbols on the forehead protector things saying that I should keep it should I run into any. During the rest of the explanation I just stared at the paper reading and looking at the symbols he had drawn. Now that I look back on it, he didn't really talk much about himself during the entire thing. Himself or a certain village, the Leaf. I didn't think to question it. When he wanted to talk about he would.

"Are you alright?" He had finally finished his lecture and was now watching me. I looked up a little dazed.

"Uh…yeah." I blinked a couple of times before I felt the urge to laugh. Lips pursed and cheeks a little inflated, I let it out. Sasuke watched me calmly perhaps a little unsure of what to do in such a situation.

"Are you sure?" I nodded holding my stomach as I continued to laugh.

"Yeah!" I gasped. "It's just, I laugh when I'm in situations like this!" I fell back on his bed my laugh dying down then erupting back up. Before I knew it tears were once again streaking down my face, but it wasn't from laughing. "I'm hysterical," I said covering my face with my arm and keeping the other wrapped around my stomach. I couldn't tell you how I was doing it, laughing and sobbing at the same time. "I'm confused and I'm hysterical!" I don't know how long it lasted but it must have lasted a while and all that while Sasuke just sat there waiting patiently for it to end. It finally did subside into a small fit of hiccups.

"…Are you done now?" I looked at him my face wet from the tears I had shed. Nodding I wiped my face.

"Ye-eah. So-sorry," I said between hiccups. With a final sniff I looked back at the bed and noticed a few tear stains from where I was lying. "Oh n-no." Looking back at him I fished the key from my pocket and handed it to him. "Here ta-take my ro-oom." Staring at the key he plucked it from my hands gently and handed me his. Sasuke stood not a moment later and walked towards the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning." I nodded.

"Ni-ight!" I called after him. The door shut quietly with a clack.

He stood outside her door a moment longer listening to the sounds within. That laughing fit of hers caught him off-guard. So she really didn't know where she was. That and she really wasn't a ninja or any of the sort. She didn't even know anything about them! The sound of running water hit his ears. She must be showering now. At least she was alright. Perhaps that was what she needed.

He pushed himself from her door and made his way to his room. His hand twitched once as he entered.

'What're you doing?' Sasuke closed the door to his room and made his way to his bed.

"Shut up."

'Wouldn't it have been nice to be able to feel her warm body beneath you? Or perhaps the last beating pound of her heart? Go back! You know you want to do it!"

"I said shut up!" Slamming a palm against his temple he fell into his bed on his back.

'It's just another girl. What's wrong with adding another to the score board?' Sasuke gripped his head between his hands turning to his side and curling on the bed.

"I'm not going to listen to you." A maniacal laughter echoed in his head.

'You know sooner or later you'll just end up hurting her. Sooner or later it'll all end up the same way as it had before.'

"You're wrong. This time it'll be different. This time I'm in control."

The dream I had was a little weird. I was back in school only my class was empty. I stood from my desk and walked around cautiously. Where was everyone?

"Hello." In front of me a man appeared, an older man that wore white robes and a square hat. One of the corners was painted with a smaller white square over wise, kind eyes. That hat, those clothes, that pipe. He looked like someone important; I just didn't know who he was. "I'm glad that you were able to make it here." I nodded numbly.

"Sorry if we scared you before." I looked over my shoulder at two more men who looked a lot younger than the one in front of me. The one on the right who was standing with his arms crossed had long black hair with a forehead protector keeping his bangs from falling in his face, but it still didn't stop a few stray strands. The other white haired man who sat on the edge of a desk wore, instead of a headband, more of a head protector that circled his face along the sides.

"I told you I should have come along," a new voice sighed. Just how many of them were there! Looking back at the old man I noticed a new person accompanied him, a man with longish wild golden blonde hair. Each wore a similar symbol on the plates above their brows. That must mean they were working together.

"What…what's going on here?" The older one looked up at me switching his pipe from one side of his mouth to the other.

"We are in need of your assistance."

"Huh?"

I sat down in a desk absorbing all the things they had told me.

"So…You need me to help Sasuke get back on his feet and go back to the Hidden Leaf Village so they can take out this evil guy named Orochimaru and this other group of evil-doers together?" I asked trying to sum up as best I could. They all nodded. "And the reason you chose me was because I don't know a thing about this place or what's happening in it and it would probably do Sasuke better if he met a person who actually didn't know what the heck she was doing." Another nod. Okay so I got it all.

"You need to help him Ann," the blonde haired man said seriously. "Apart they might not have a chance but with all of them together they might. Besides, Sasuke needs the help. You've seen the look in his eyes." I've seen it plenty of times. I hated seeing it. Looking at the top of the desk I began to trace the lines of grain with my eyes. If I helped Sasuke, I'd be able to go back home.

That sounded like a good enough deal.

With determination I met the gaze of the four men and said my decision.

"Alright. I'll do it!"

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are."

-Bernice Johnson Reagon