HI EVERYONE! I'M SO PUMPED UP TODAY! Why? BECAUSE I'M GONNA GO TO AOD CON!!! It's gonna be so awesome, I just can't wait! If you hadn't heard from Aizoanime about it yet, you've heard it now! Once again, I'll be going as Shippuden Sakura, and as soon as the con ends, expect to see pics of us being stupid at the con posted soon! IT'LL BE A BLAST! Aw...all my gatorade is gone...
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
The next day, Kyoko found out that Midori had refrained from sleeping in her room and had instead fallen asleep around five AM within the heaps of various items. Not only that, but Nami hadn't come home either. Wanting to do something for her friends but not knowing what, she decided to attempt to make breakfast. It was their last day here, after all…
Ten minutes later, Midori awoke to the smell of something burning. She sniffed the air and looked around, alarmed. She jumped up and ran into the small kitchen section of the apartment with the fire extinguisher shrieking, "WHERE'S THE FIRE?!"
Kyoko whirled around from the stove and motioned her hands forward and back in the familiar "calm down" gesture. "No fire! Just a little…crispy…"
"Huh?" Midori blinked. She stared down at the pan Kyoko was holding. Sitting in the middle of the pan was what seemed to be sunny-side up eggs, more or less charred. She then looked back up at Kyoko, a look of utter bewilderment on her face.
"Well um, you always like your eggs kinda burnt around the edges, right? So…here you go," she said awkwardly.
"…Thanks."
"I try, okay?!" Kyoko blurted. "I had to do something, you know?! You and Nami made me feel pretty useless, just standing there and watching you guys fight! I didn't even get to have a say in anything!"
Midori blinked several times again then said, "Um…okay then. All right now?"
"Yeah…Yeah, I think I am." Kyoko exhaled.
"Good." Midori stood up and brushed herself off, heading towards her room to change into clean clothes. "Is Nami still asleep?" she called from her room.
Kyoko flinched.
"I think its best if we all go together to tell our friends we're leaving," Midori continued. "And I have to apologize to her too." She came to Nami's door and cracked it open, peering in.
"Um…Midori…"
"WHERE'S NAMI?!"
Kyoko steadied herself as Midori ran past her frantically, babbling about being too harsh and stubborn and the like. The taller girl waited for Midori to consult her.
"Did she come home?!" Midori questioned rapidly. "Maybe she ran away! This is not good…so not good…Where could she have gone?"
"Calm down, Midori," Kyoko said slowly. "I bet Nami just went out into the woods or something. You know, like a last training session or something."
"Do you think?" Midori said hopefully. "Let's go then!" She grabbed Kyoko by the arm and ran outside, the door slamming behind her.
Little did the girls know, Nami was closer than they thought. She had actually decided to stay with Naruto for the night, hoping that talking to the energetic blond would help clear her head. It actually seemed to work, because she was a lot calmer in the morning.
"You said you'd tell me in the morning why you wanted to stay over," Naruto said, sitting down next to her at the table and opening up a cup of steaming ramen. "So what's up?"
"I don't know how to tell you this, Otouto, but…I think I'm leaving tonight," Nami said evenly.
"Eh? Leaving? What do you mean? On a long mission or something?"
"No. I think it's for good."
"For good?" Naruto repeated.
"If I can't get Midori and Tsunade-baa to change their minds, yeah."
"This…doesn't have anything to do with that universe thing, does it?" Naruto questioned.
"Yeah."
"Anyway, thanks for letting me stay," Nami said, opening the front door and waving. "I'll…see you around. Maybe."
---
"No, no, no, no, no!" Midori panicked. "Where could she have gone? Kyoko, what if she left—"
"She didn't leave Konoha, okay?" Kyoko said sharply. "We just have to look harder! If I know her, she's probably just hanging around and goofing off. We'll split up, so just come back home at say…four o'clock. Why are you freaking out so much?"
"I don't know," Midori answered with difficulty. "I guess it's…just the fact we're leaving…" She looked toward Kyoko who already had her back turned, ready to search in a different direction. "Kyoko?"
"I'll look this way," Kyoko said monotonously. "We'll find her."
Midori stared at Kyoko strangely for a few seconds, but tore off in another direction, determined to find her friend before the day ended.
The first place Kyoko passed was the Yamanaka Flower Shop. She entered, seeing that Ino was hanging up her apron to end her shift. Ino looked a bit annoyed for a second, but then put on a bright smile and said, "May I help you with anything?"
Obviously the girl wanted to go out and have some time to herself, so Kyoko decided to make it quick. "Have you seen Nami, Ino?"
"Not today," Ino said.
"Okay," Kyoko sighed, her eyes glancing over at a colorful display of flowers. She suddenly remembered the limited time the Sand Siblings had spent staying in Konoha. Smiling absent-mindedly, she picked up a bundle. Gaara had been so different, especially after Naruto had knocked sense into the boy. And to think he liked flowers…She'd have to remember to send him some—
That's right…I won't be able to… Kyoko thought. The light fragrance of the bouquet seemed to clutter her senses for a second. Her smile faded.
Gaara lived so far away, and she wouldn't even be able to say goodbye. She couldn't believe the thought had just occurred to her. How on Earth could she leave before even saying goodbye? And how could she possibly leave in general? Had she been asleep during all the drama in the Hokage's office and in the apartment? Even after she voiced that she hadn't had a say in the decision to Midori earlier, Midori seemed to brush it off as nothing. Why hadn't she pressed on the matter more? Maybe if Nami and she had overpowered Midori, they would've been able to convince everyone else...
"Mom! Why do I have to stay?" Ino whined quietly, glancing at Kyoko. "I don't even think she'll buy anything! Can't I go now?"
"No! Our deal was that your shift ended when all customers are finished and satisfied, young lady!" Ino's mother said.
"But mom—!"
"Ino…"
Then Kyoko remembered what she had come into the shop for. Nami was still missing and here she was sniffing daisies. She placed the flowers back into its rightful spot and walked out through the door, leaving the Yamanaka women to stare at her back in perplexity.
---
Midori felt like her legs were on fire. She hadn't had to walk this much since what seemed like forever. Not only that, but she felt like she had only had three hours of sleep the night before.
Everywhere she checked, nobody had seen Nami, and she was starting to get infuriated with the whole business. When she found Nami, there would be some serious reprimanding going on. But first she needed to collapse in the most dignified way she could.
Lee was completing his eighth lap around Konoha when he noticed a familiar body sprawled on a bench in the park. He mulled over stopping, though Gai-sensei would be pretty disapproving if he had ever taken a break before the tenth lap. He chose to see what Midori was doing anyway, for Gai-sensei always said that friends, family, and the people who stand beside you were the most important. OH GAI-SENSEI!
"Midori-chan?"
Midori was lying on the bench with one arm over the side and one leg trailing onto the ground. She looked incredibly sleepy, and Lee found the rings under her eyes mighty not youthful. When she opened her eyes to see a pair of large, round eyes topped with bushy eyebrows, she yelped and fell off the bench with a 'thud!'
"Ow…" Midori moaned. "…Lee-kun?"
"What are you doing sleeping on this fine day?" Lee questioned. "And on a bench too!"
"Oh…well…I was actually looking for—Lee-kun! Have you seen Nami?"
"Nami…? No, why? Is she missing?"
"Yeah…"
"Then we must send out a search party!" Lee declared. "Quick, Gai-sensei will want to know about—"
"I'm sure she's still in the village!" Midori said hastily. "She couldn't have gotten past the night guards. It's nothing, really. I'll just…look some more…"
Lee couldn't help but notice that Midori looked extremely troubled. "Is there…something else bothering you?"
"Mm…" Midori figured that Lee would know from Nami or Kyoko anyway if she didn't tell him now, so she sat herself down on the bench once more and nodded. "Yeah, actually…Lee, there's something I want to tell you."
Lee (who had taken a seat as well) suddenly got a frantic look on his reddening face. "Y-You do?"
"Yeah," Midori said. Her eyes had traveled to her fidgeting hands on her lap, and she hadn't noticed Lee's expression. "It's kind of hard to say…"
"M-Midori," Lee said seriously, forgetting the '-chan' he had always added before. "I think I know what you're talking about."
"Huh?"
"I am flattered, really! You are a very nice girl, but I have devoted my love to Sakura-san and I would not want to act unfaithful, so—"
"What…are you talking about?" Midori gave him a questioning look.
"Uh…What were you talking about?"
"I'm from a different universe, Lee!"
"…Come again?"
"My friends—Nami and Kyoko—and I came from a different world," Midori explained. "And now we have to leave."
"What? How? Why?" Lee had never looked so confused.
Midori shook her head. "There's too much to explain. I just wanted to tell you this before we have to leave."
"You…And Nami and Kyoko will leave? When…?"
"Tonight."
"Who else knows about this?" Lee asked. He still looked hesitant, and Midori couldn't tell whether he believed her or not. Then again, the thought of a friend lying to him never really crossed Lee's mind.
"I'm not sure," Midori admitted. "But…I did tell Neji once. Do you know where he is, by the way?" She had had an urge to talk to him all the time she was trying to focus on finding Nami, though she wouldn't admit it.
"We were all training together," Lee nodded. "Gai-sensei is having us run several laps around Konoha, and I think he and Tenten were a bit behind me…" He got up from the bench and said, "I would guess they have passed by already. Do you want to come with me?"
"…It's all right," Midori said. "Can you do me a favor? Can you tell Tenten and Gai-sensei about my teammates and me? And also…Tell Neji I said goodbye."
"I will," Lee replied, "You do not want to tell them these things yourself?"
"With Nami running around doing who-knows-what I think I won't really have the time…" Midori said with a sad smile. "Kyoko and I really need to find her. Thanks." She stood up as well, gave him a quick hug, and continued on her way. It felt as if she would never see the exuberant, green-clad ninja again…
Lee started running to catch up on the laps, single-minded to inform Gai-sensei and his teammates of the news. He didn't even notice Neji standing silently a few ways away behind a well-placed tree, a look of discontent on his face. Shaking his head, he waited for the bowl-haired boy to turn a corner then started jogging back to his team's training site as well.
---
"Marieke! You're lagging in timing again!" Tsunade barked.
"Sorry, sorry," Marieke grunted.
"Tsunade-sama, is it really wise to let them go so soon?" Shizune asked, wiping sweat from her face. "It'd be close to impossible for all of us to master our parts in less than a day, and it might be useful to keep them around."
"Don't question my decision, Shizune," Tsunade ordered. "And I'm certain everyone here is capable of completing this jutsu." Her eyes scanned the few faces around her, two of them being Shizune and Marieke. Mitarashi Anko, Jiraiya, and two jounin who were known to have a massive amount of chakra compared to the people in their rank were standing at the corners of a intricate design that was outlined in black on the ground. All of them looked weary, for they had been there since morning. Tsunade had made it clear that the girl would leave tonight.
"But what's the rush?" Shizune urged.
"If you must know, I'm not sure what to expect from enemies now," Tsunade said seriously. "Within the village, there are many shinobi anyone would want to get their hands on. Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and much more. Now there are three others. If they have homes in a different world and had a chance to get back to the safety of their own place, it would be to everyone's benefit, even if they don't think so."
The beings surrounding her nodded with solemn faces.
"All right, once more!"
---
An hour had passed, and Kyoko and Midori met outside their apartment door, coincidentally at the same time. It took less than a second for them to realize that neither of them had found their missing teammate. Discouraged, they opened their door to talk things over inside only to find Nami lying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Kyoko and Midori screamed, startling Nami.
"Here…" Nami said. "I've been waiting for a pretty long time."
"I can't believe you…" Midori fumed, "We've been looking all over the place for you! Don't you have any consideration?" Before she could go on, she felt a nudge, courtesy of Kyoko. "Wha—oh, right. Nami…"
"I'm sorry."
The two gazed at each other, surprised that the other person would even apologize first, let alone both at the same time. Kyoko and Midori joined Nami on the couch, inwardly feeling pleased to be all together again.
"You were right," Nami said, "If we stayed, we'd only cause trouble."
"No she wasn't!" Kyoko argued. "I want to stay here, not go back!"
"What are you talking about?" Midori said, her brow furrowed, "Just when Nami agrees, you disagree?"
"Guys, I can't leave Gaara!"
Nami couldn't help but roll her eyes, earning her a dangerous glare from Kyoko.
"Kyoko…There's no discussing the matter…" Midori said tiredly.
"But…I thought I was finally getting to know him…you know…connecting," Kyoko said quietly. "And even if we aren't staying, I'd at least want to say goodbye…"
Midori and Nami looked at each other. They each put an arm around Kyoko's shoulders comfortingly.
"Look, we'll figure out how we're gonna do this, okay?" Midori said kindly. "We all don't want to leave, but that's what has to be done."
"And I'm getting pretty annoyed with having it mentioned over and over again," Nami added. "So let's just deal with it."
Kyoko lowered her head, but nodded. "Yeah. Okay."
Midori smiled. "Great. Why don't we meet up with Marieke-sensei and Tsunade-sama now, then?"
"I wanna stop by a few places before we go," Kyoko said.
"Sure, we have time before…we leave."
"I'm gonna miss this place…" Kyoko mumbled after setting down her clean bowl.
"Are you going somewhere?" Ayame asked, confused.
"Yeah, sort of," Kyoko answered.
Ayame didn't press on the matter because another customer had arrived, so none of the girls informed her or her father.
Nami and Midori still had quite a long way to go with the ramen, and Nami seemed to want to drag the time out for as long as she could. Kyoko ordered another bowl. However, no matter how much time anyone wanted to take, they eventually finished, and left the cozy shop for the Hokage Tower.
Tsunade stood in front of the doorway when they arrived, arms crossed, others at her sides. "Are you all ready?"
The girls nodded and Nami asked, "So what do we have to do for this jutsu?"
"Nothing much," Tsunade said.
After exchanging a confused glance with her friends, Midori said, "But…It's a teleportation jutsu, right? Certainly we'd have to do something; it can't be easy."
"That's exactly right," Tsunade agreed, "Which is why you girls would be incapable of doing it. You didn't think you had enough chakra for something like teleporting to a different universe, now did you?"
"Yesterday Tsunade-sama and I didn't explain clearly," Marieke said. "Come inside and we'll clarify."
The group trailed inside the Hokage's office, each taking a place they felt was comfortable; against the wall, in a chair, etc. Then, Tsunade began to speak.
"This jutsu requires a complicated method to performing," she started, "and it takes several beings of high chakra levels. There are three steps. Number one—" she held up a single finger, "—a design must be carved into a clearing of some sort. Number two—" her middle finger joined her index, "—the users execute the jutsu, using a series of hand signs simultaneously. All users must be in sync otherwise problems will occur, and they must have their minds cleared of all thoughts. And number three—" a third finger went up, "—the targets, you three, step into the design, thinking of the location and only location you wish to appear.
"Universal Step hasn't ever been used to skip into other universes, believe it or not. This is because no one has ever been to a different universe and therefore has no description of a place. It was used by the few who knew it, to infiltrate and steal from other locations without the bother of getting through guards and enemies. It was also used to teleport foes to interrogation rooms and such if shinobi were in a faraway area. That's why we, as the users, must keep our minds blank, so we won't disrupt your travel."
"Wait, then why's it called 'Universal Step'?" Kyoko questioned.
"The targets described the journey through as 'falling through the universe'," Marieke answered.
"So this is all waging on theory," Midori said with a hint of uneasiness. "Are you certain this will…work?"
"I'm ninety-two percent sure you'll be able to get to your universe safely," Tsunade replied.
"What's the other eight percent?'
"There's a chance you'll end up somewhere else or…you'll be torn to pieces by the intensity of the chakra."
The three figures standing in front of her had mixed expressions: disbelief, shock, and anxiety.
"Don't worry, it will be successful. I'll make sure of it," Tsunade assured them. But for some reason, they didn't look as reassured as she would've liked.
And there you have it! I know I keep saying this, but I'm PRETTY sure it'll end in two chapters. Or three...maybe...It depends on how much I feel like writing. SO ANYWAY I'm going to bring my laptop and flashdrive to the hotel we're staying at and I'll probably get some of the story typed there, so FEAR NOT! School will NEVER consume my will to write!
Thanks for the reviews! I'm very happy with the steady number I'm getting. (grin) If I've said it once, I'll say it again: YOU GUYS ROCK. R&R please!
Until next time...!
-HM