So, what did you guys think of the prologue? Love it, Hate it?

More importantly, I'd like to ask that you please don't flame. This is my first attempt at fanfic. But anyways, on with the story!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Naruto. If I did, Sakura would have died... painfully.

Chapter 1:

Underneath the Underneath

The morning started in like any other morning;

as the sun rose into the sky, so to did the people rise from their beds. Adults either prepared to go off to work or stayed home to watch the children, teenagers prepared themselves for the work and drama that was high school, children giddily got ready for elementary school, and toddlers were blissfully ignorant as to how hard or easy their future would be.

Yet one boy fell outside the teenage norm. He cared very little about relationships or gossip and even less about his grades. As such he garnered a few more precious minutes of sleep, until the ringing of his alarm roused him. Instantly his arm shot out from under his sheets before slamming down upon the alarm clock, silencing it. Pulling himself slowly to his feet and stretching his arms to the ceiling, the boy revealed himself to the world. He was tall for a sixteen year old boy, standing at six feet and three inches. He weighed about one hundred and fifty pounds, yet it was all muscle. His short spiky hair was a dirty blonde colour and slightly shadowed his face. His face was void of baby fat with a few pimples scattered across his visage. Finishing his stretching, the boy opened his sapphire blue eyes and his face became void of any and all emotion as it always was. After removing his checkered pyjama pants, he put on a lime green T-shirt with a black leather jacket on top, which he left unzipped, and ripped blue jeans. He finished his look by slipping on a pair of black leather fingerless gloves. Turning to his mirror, he felt a hint of pride enter his mind as he studied himself before crushing it. Yet before he could think more on the subject, somebody interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, Matt!"

Following the voice downstairs, Matt came upon a miniature version of himself, but with well-kept hair, a red polo shirt, and tan khakis. Crossing his arms, Matt looked at his younger brother who was sitting on the couch typing away on the laptop. Realizing, after a minute, that he wasn't alone, the younger boy met his brother's gaze with a smile.

"Glad to see you're actually awake bro." the boy said with a chuckle. Matt, however, was feeling slightly annoyed and decided it make it clear. "Chris, how many times do I have to tell you that yelling like that this early in the morning can and will wake the devils we call parents?" Matt questioned in an exasperated tone. He was grateful that Chris felt enough guilt to at least scratch his head sheepishly.

"Um... four thousand, eight hundred, and twenty one?"

Matt just shook his head and walked out of the living room, muttering about "idiotic brothers". Fixing himself a quick sandwich, the teenager grabbed his backpack and left before his parents could come downstairs. Matt wouldn't go as far as to say he hated his parents, but nor did he love them. He, and his brother, found them to be insanely strict as well as temper-mental; the rules imposed upon the two sometimes made prison look pleasant. As such Matt did his best to stay out of the house as much as possible and when he was at home, he occupied himself with something he truly loved: anime and manga.

While few people were lucky enough to know just how smart he really was, even fewer knew how extensive his knowledge of anime was. Matt had literally put years into studying and memorizing various anime facts, from the most general to the most obscene. Even now as he walked to school, instead of listening to music like most teens would, Matt was reciting as many jutsu he could. As soon as he was done that he began the same, but with zanpukto and then Devil Fruits and many more.

Once his high-school was in sight, Matt took a moment just to take in the sight before him. A vast green yard with maple trees around the perimeter and a garden and flagpole in the centre lay in front of O'Neill High. Red bricks made the three storey archaic looking building with granite making up the pillars at the front entrance as well as the entrance itself. The four corners of the school also appeared to have little towers on the rooftop that only influenced it archaic look even more. Walking to the flagpole and looking up at the Canadian flag that proudly adorned the top, for the second time that day, Matt felt pride swell within his heart. It was there for a mere moment and then the teenager stamped it out before it could show on his face. That was when he looked around observing the other arriving teenagers.

Though it was only the second week back from summer break, everyone had all but perfected their own little schedule. Some were currently saying goodbye to whichever parent dropped them off, others were greeting their friends. Matt could already see some girls sharing the latest gossip and some jocks going over to hit on said girls. From his position, he listened to the horrible pick-up lines the brutes used and shook his head in disgust before almost dry heaving upon hearing the girls actually buy into their bullshit. In his eyes it was absolutely pathetic; if you're a guy with muscles and a libido, you're instantly considered hot and\or boyfriend material. Now, Matt himself wasn't interested in a relationship, but seeing nice guys get rejected because they weren't muscle-bound idiots kinda pissed him off.

Turning his gaze away from the scene, lest he did something he'd regret later, his lack of vigilance was quickly taken advantage of by something, or rather someone. As soon as Matt felt the weight on his back, his one foot shot out for stabilization while the blue-eyed boy casually noticed the tan legs lock around his waist, the slender arms wrap around his neck, and two significant ... bulges pressed against his back. Mentally scolding himself for not being more attentive, Matt let loose a little sigh, and then looked over his shoulder at his impromptu passenger. "Hello Cassidy."

Shoulder length black hair shadowed most of the girl's face, yet her mischievous emerald eyes were easily discernible as the seemed to almost glow. An ever-present naughty smirk lay upon her beautiful tan visage. Covering her top was a black silk short sleeve cut off that was intentionally one size too small as to make her C-cup chest look that much larger and showed of her lean stomach. To finish off the look, she wore a pair of dark blue short shorts that left little to the imagination and a pair of black runners. This was Cassidy Hilde, one of the few friends Matt had and the most alluring, though he'd never admit the latter. He often found it interesting that she could dress like a hooker at times and still be a virgin. It boggled his mind. Putting that aside, he turned around, Cassidy still glued to his back, to greet the rest of his little group. He wasn't disappointed as he saw the other four girls quickly approaching.

The tallest of them had golden hair akin to silk that trailed down to the small of her back, save for the small braid she had over her right brow. She possessed hazel eyes that were filled with knowledge, a straight face that gave a no-nonsense aura, and slightly tan skin that always felt warm. She wore a grey long sleeve button up that was open to show her sky blue T-shirt covering her B-cup bosom. Covering her long legs were faded blue jeans and on her feet were a pair of moccasins. This was Melody Laurens, the self-appointed den-mother of the group. While often serious, she had moments when she acted more like a teasing sibling, much to Matt's chagrin.

The second, and shortest of the group, to arrive had long light brown hair done up in a ponytail and dazzling teal blue eyes. She had her trademark sparkling smile sat upon her adorable face. A green and black long sleeve lay on her top, but anyone with half a brain could see it was visibly straining to hold in her DD-cup breasts. On her lower half she wore beige khakis that ended just above her knees and a pair of red trainers. This was Alice Ferrard, the group's little ball of sunshine. It was a cold day in hell when Alice wasn't smiling, and the apocalypse could be expected if she was actually angry. Matt often found it funny, not that he'd ever admit to it, that the shortest of the group had the biggest bust while the tallest had the smallest. He'd often point out this fact so in the ensuing argument he could slip away. That or run away.

The third arrival was taller than Alice, yet shorter than Melody. She had shiny black hair that ended just past her ear and dark brown eyes that rarely made eye contact with freckles dotted her beautifully pale face. She wore her trademark blue plaid button up with the sleeves rolled up just past her elbow. It was currently buttoned up with a few button ready to pop from concealing her D-cup bust day in and day out. Black baggy jeans adorned her legs with black hiking boots on her feet. This was Lydia Jeffrey, the shy girl that loved books. Matt often found her shyness annoying, but ignored it for the most part. He did, however, enjoy the fact that a few promiscuous words could turn her face into a tomato if not outright faint.

The fourth and final arrival was a littler taller than Alice with brown and black shoulder length hair that covered the right side of her face. Her visible eye was ice blue, almost white, that were full of humour. She wore a black spaghetti string that showed off her tan arms and held in her C-cup chest. Black stretch pants accentuated her legs and her feet rested in a pair of black runners. This was Rheanna Dilore. She was quiet and slightly gothic, but what Matt liked about her was that she loved horror and had an amazing imagination. If left alone, the two would often come up with terrifying tales off the top of their heads.

Together, Cassidy, Melody, Alice, Lydia, and Rheanna were the only friends Matt had, or rather the only ones he accepted. Aside from his little group, just about every student in the school was terrified of him, especially with his title "The Reaper". He earned said title when he decimated a group of bullies. What called attention to this event was that: there were fifteen of the bullies that attacked as one, he shrugged off most of the blows like they were nothing, and he was very brutal in his retaliation; everyone of the bullies ended up in the hospital. Since then only the five girl voluntarily came within two metres of him. While Matt preferred solitude, he did find that his time with the group was often enjoyable.

Melody stared at at Cassidy, who was still on Matt's back, with annoyance while she crossed her arms as the other three girls sat down, ready to watch the sparks that would soon fly.

"Cassidy, as I've stated before, I doubt Matt likes feeling you attached to his back" she said calmly as to hide her jealousy. Her pride would never allow her to jump on the handsome boy, but it infuriated her to see Cassidy do so. Said girl's naughty smile just grew as she started gently gyrating against her 'mount' while returning Melody's gaze.

"Oh I don't know," the girl commented with a giggle, "he seems to be enjoying this just a bit" Matt, meanwhile, remained silent while mentally he was shouting blue murder as he did his best to ignore the feeling of Cassidy's soft bust and slowly hardening nipple moving up and down his back.

"These girls will be the death of me" he thought. Quickly he sent the other three girls a look that begged for help, but they were getting to much fun out of this; somehow it never got old. True they'd all rather be take Cassidy's place, but this worked too. Ignoring the two arguing girls, Matt did his damnedest to think of some way, anyway, out of his current predicament. Miraculously, the bell rang, breaking Melody and Cassidy apart before their argument could get ugly.

"Well we better be going," Alice chuckled as she stood and stretched "after all, you all know what today is right?"

She didn't even need to ask. It had been all anyone could talk about. One of the biggest technological companies in the world, Everbyte, had set up a contest for schools worldwide and O'Neill had won. The prize was the unveiling of their newest product and the school receiving five for free. The group of friends quickly dropped their things in their respective lockers and hightailed it to the auditorium. Managing to get seats close to the front, they sat down and turned to the curtained stage, pondering what the product could be. Soon the rest of the student body filtered in and took seats where they could, talking with friends. Yet the general din all but disappeared when the red curtains parted slightly and a man stepped out.

The first thing Matt noticed was his hair. It was coloured like a reverse skunk; his hair was snow white except for a patch of hair, up front and centre, that was pitch black. It spiked up at random intervals, looking like he just got out of bed. He had very pale skin, probably because he worked inside with computers so much. Though that theory was shot down when Matt saw his red eyes. He smiled, showing pristine white teeth, and instantly Matt felt a bad vibe for the guy. He filed it away for later as he studied the man's white buttoned up lab coat, beige slacks, and black dress shoes.

"Good morning O'Neill," the man drawled " I am Doctor Malvourn Krochanx, head of the Research Division and here to day to introduce my company's latest creation."

As he was speaking, he pulled a cart with a blank screen out from behind the curtains. Reaching into his coat, Malvourn pulled out a tine remote and pressed one of the buttons and the screen flicked to life. The image of an interesting looking helmet with a visor appeared on the screen.

"This is Project Mental. Put quite simply, it is a virtual reality device."

He was met with stunned silence.

This device could allow one to enter virtual reality!? It was the dream of gamers worldwide to play in virtual reality and much of the school was a part of that community. But to suddenly have the device allowing it to be possible just dropped in their lap? It seemed almost impossible though Everbyte had completely revolutionized just about everything technological. Those thoughts zipped through Matt's brain in an instant, though he didn't let it show he merely continued silently glaring at the scientist on the stage. Said scientist smiled at the silence before continuing.

"I won't go into all the technicalities about Project Mental, but I will say we have already created a few games and programs compatible with the system." With that said a dark smirk crawled across Malvourn's face that had every warning bell it Matt's head go off.

"However..."

And then all hell broke loose.

Their were four doors that were in the auditorium and each of them burst open to allow a few dozen men to rush in. The men were dressed head to toe in what looked to be black riot armour and each of them held a fully loaded M16. Many of the students and faculty started panicing, yet Matt and his group stayed still. The would be riot was called to a grinding halt when a single gunshot rang out. Everyone, aside from the soldiers, turned to look at the smoking pistol Malvourn was holding. The smile the scientist now had was the same as before, but now it had dark and evil aspect. Calmly holstering his handgun inside his coat, he continued his explanation.

"As I was saying before being interrupted: However, this isn't what I'm showcasing today." Ignoring the confused murmurs floating through his captive audience, Malvourn pressed another button on his remote and the curtains drew back revealing a large piece of futuristic looking machinery.

The focal point of the machine was a large circular hole, at least three metres in diameter. Around the hole was all kinds of metal wonders, though aside from the circle all Matt could really discern was what looked to be a control panel. The panel held a few dozen multicoloured buttons and one large, red lever, more than likely what started the machine.

Stepping up towards the machine, his hand almost caressing the control panel, Malvourn turned back to the crowd a smug smirk replacing his vile smile. "This," the scientist began, "is my greatest creation. It is a portal, with which I can travel to any and every possible dimension ... theoretically." He paused letting what he said sink in, his smile growing as realization dawned on a few.

"The hell does he mean 'theoretically'!?" Matt thought, staring at the mad doctor's creation. "And why does he have everybody hostage here? It doesn't add up... unless," The teen's eyes widened at the same time Malvourn turned his gaze onto Matt.

"We're gonna be that bastard's guinea pigs!"

"I see some of you have realized what my previous statement implies." Malvourn said sadistically. "I have yet to test my portal and was ... unable to get any volunteers. So, which among you will be lucky enough to travel to another dimension?" Unsurprisingly, there were no volunteers. Matt, though, could see what the mad scientist was hinting at; Malvourn didn't know if his machine would work or kill its would be user, so he planned on shunting someone through to see what would happen. In all honesty, Matt couldn't care less about what happened to the majority of the school. However, he would do all within his power to ensure his group of friends remained out of harm's way. But with the current situation, there was little Matt could do other than hope Malvourn didn't choose one of his friends. Unfortunately, hope wasn't enough.

Staring at Matt and his group, Malvourn smirked as he pulled out a few papers before rifling though them. Stopping on a certain page, he looked back at the mismatched group of teens, calling out,

"How about you, Mrs. Melody Laurens? Care to take a dimensional ride?" Melody shrunk into her seat, terror etched into her face, and made to refuse, but was cut off. "And keep in mind, refusal may result in a few... casualties."

Matt had never been so angry in his life. One of his precious people was being threatened and the bastard doing it couldn't look happier. Then a crazy thought entered his mind. It could result in both him and Melody getting killed or, at worst, get the whole school killed, but it had a slim chance to work in his favour. Without wasting another second, jumping up before Melody was even half-way out of her seat, Matt glared at Malvourn and yelled, "Wait!"

Malvourn quirked an eyebrow as he turned his gaze to the boy who spoke out, still smiling, and motioned for the boy to continue.

Still glaring, Matt took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing." he thought. "I volunteer to take the place of Melody Laurens."

He was met with silence, before there was an uproar from his friends, each shouting to take his place. However, everyone was once again silenced by Malvourn's pistol.

Calmly meeting the boy's hate-filled gaze with his calculating stare, the mad doctor thought for a few seconds. A contemplating look crossed as he pondered, before being replaced by his trademark smirk as he gave a little shrug. "Oh, why not?"

With a look of content, Matt gave a sharp nod and quickly made his way to the stage. When the teen finally stood beside Malvourn, he could clearly see the sparks of insanity that danced in the mad doctor's eyes. Malvourn placed a hand on Matt's shoulder and lead him to stand in front of the currently deactivated machine. After getting his volunteer in place, the scientist quickly made his way to the control panel and began flipping switches, pressing buttons, and eventually pulling the lever. The auditorium filled with a mechanical whirring sound as electricity began to spark across the portal base. More and more electricity condensed within the circle before bolts began branching out, connecting one side of the circle with the other. Soon there lay within the circle a lightning blue portal that looked as if it was made from water.

Matt stood there a moment, admiring the portal, before reaching out to touch it. His hand sank into it as though it were water. Taking a deep breath, the teen looked over his shoulder. His gaze danced across the many teachers and students before coming to rest on his friends. A sliver of regret slithered into his mind, but he crushed it instantaneously. "I'm doing this so they'll be safe." Matt thought. He spared a moment to glare at Malvourn and then turned his attention back to the dimensional gateway.

Then Matt stepped through.

Pain lanced through the boy's body. It felt like every nerve he had was on fire! So agonizing was the pain that Matt couldn't even scream. All he could do was watch as he fell down what looked to be a long blue tunnel...

Malvourn gave a little chuckle as he watched the last of his volunteer's body disappear through the portal. "Wonder if he'll survive?" the madman thought idly, "And even if the portal works, he'll still have to survive whatever dimension he's dropped into." After a few seconds Malvourn shook his head, a smile returning to his face as he muttered, "Who am I kidding? I made sure this would work."

With that said, he turned to look at the audience, taking in the various reactions he saw. Most were of shock or respect, but from the group Matt was sitting with, Malvourn saw regret, rage, despair, and worry. He let loose a quick little laugh, bring himself back under the proverbial spotlight.

"So... think he'll remember to send letters?"

What will happen to Matt? Where will he go? Why am I asking questions I already know the answers too?

Find out next chapter! Also, I'll be starting a poll for pairings soon, so if you what a certain girl ending up with Matt, leave a comment.

See ya!