Chapter 1

Welcome Back!

Something wet was brushing up both of my cheeks, as if licking them…at first, I just ignored it, but it got so irritating, that I was forced to open my eyes that felt as heavy as lead just to see what was attacking my face. I came face to face with my small bishon frise's cold, black nose and her big brown eyes.

"Ok, I get it, Angel," I groaned, pushing her away. "Just stop."

She backed off my chest slowly and waited for me to regain my bearings, which I did not feel like doing. A massive hammer was pounding away rhythmically at my brain and I felt like just falling back into a deep sleep. I rose painfully and slowly to a sitting position, despite gravity protesting against my body. Sighing and groaning, I rubbed my eyes at a snail's pace and pulled my hair out of my face.

Angel finally lost her patience, barked loudly, and pawed at my hand, tail wagging excitedly.

Fool! Do you have any idea where we are right now?

"What the hell?" I immediately looked at her, sleepiness evaporating in an instant. "Angel…I…I can understand you…"

Tch, duh, Sherlock, she rolled her eyes, which looked hilarious for a dog to be doing. So what does that tell you?

My eyes widened and I slowly took a look around. I was sitting on soft, green grass under the base of a majestic oak tree, surrounded by many, many more similar looking trees. The many emerald leaves created a canopy above, making warm, golden sunlight stream in through their spaces. I quickly stood up, peered behind the tree, and found myself staring at a training ground: a wide green pasture dotted with occasional sycamore trees with a clear, blue stream cutting through it. On the left, was a giant and reflective diamond memorial, shining a metallic blue.

I walked back to my spot in a daze, sat down again, and slowly shook my head, back and forth, repeatedly.

"There's no way," I muttered. "It was just a stupid little wish that we didn't take seriously…How is it possible?"

I dunno, but whatever the case, we're here, and if we hang around in the same spot for too long, then we'll be found out…

"But don't you want to see everyone?"

Of course! But, don't you think it's a better and more fun idea if we hide our chakra levels, sneak in, and then surprise all of them?

I smiled, nodded, and stood. That's when I realized that my black bag that I had brought with me to Mammoth was parked right behind me, all zipped up. Curious, I peered inside and found all of my belongings in there: clothes, running gear, Xbox 360, iPod nano chromatic, laptop, art stuff, camera, etc. I started to ponder how it was possible that everything I had unpacked was all packed up again, but then realized that I had to get a move on.

I took a deep breath and gently closed my eyes. I could definitely, without a doubt, feel the presence of my chakra, but the only problem was I couldn't figure out how to control it.

"It's been too long…" I smiled weakly. "Two and a half years…"

After a long time of concentration, I finally figured it out. I opened my eyes and glanced down at Angel, who gave me a slight nod of approval, indicating that she had nailed the technique of secreting chakra as well. I took the handle of my bag and rolled it along the dirt trail with my dog trotting beside me.

~ L ~

Damn, I'm so tired…I thought as my subconscious slowly awakened. Why did I have to wake up now…? Oh, that's right…we're up in Mammoth and have to wake up early in the morning…Guh…Alright, let's get outta bed and ready…

I groaned and sleepily opened my eyes, attempting to mentally prepare myself for the expected tennis practice. However, it was not ceiling, pillow, or the side of the bed my eyes focused on. Instead, it was a canopy created by millions of lush, green leaves with brilliant sunlight filtering through. And of course, those leaves were connected to fingers of branches that eventually led back to dozens and dozens of enormous oak trees.

I found myself lying on soft, long grass at the base of a tree, and immediately moved to the dirt path in front of me before a rash started to form all over my body due to an allergic reaction. Taking in my surroundings, I spotted my medium-sized Nike shoulder bag in which I had packed all of my clothes and belongings for the Mammoth trip. I examined the contents inside and found that everything was there where it should be. I then leaned up against the oak tree's gigantic trunk and pondered my situation.

"Where the hell am I?" I wondered aloud. "One minute we're in Madeline's room, and then the next…"

Realization suddenly dawned upon me and I hit my forehead with my hand with shockingly impressive force that it surprised even me.

"I can't believe we actually wished for something like that…" I muttered. "I mean, what are we? Thirteen all over again?"

I sighed and stared at my bag down at my feet.

I can't just stand here and do nothing…I should try finding them…but I should get some new clothes first, I stick out like a sore thumb…but I'll be noticed anyway with my chakra levels…How do I control them again?

I was fully aware of the flowing chakra pounding through my veins; I had sensed something different about myself the second I had opened my eyes. The only problem was how to take control of that energy when you haven't done it in almost three years.

It took probably about half an hour, but I finally managed to get the hang of the skill of lowering the presence of my chakra. Once I was sure I was confident in myself, I slung my bag over my shoulder and started down the dirt trail to the village of Konoha.

~ M ~

"I just realized something," I said, walking along the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Angel wrinkled her nose.

What?

"We look really obvious lugging this giant suitcase around," I sweatdropped. "Not to mention my clothes…"

Well, let's head over to that clothing store over there. Do you have money? Or do you happen to bring your old ninja clothing with you?

"Of course I didn't bring those with me," I scoffed, entering the store. "I'm not that weird. And of course I have money."

Not wanting to be stared at by dozens of people that I don't know, I grabbed the first pieces of clothing my size and hurried into the fitting room, pulling my luggage and Angel in behind me. After changing into the clothes, I went back out, took a little more time, and finally found some things that suited my taste.

I had put on a black sleeveless undershirt that stopped about half an inch above my now pierced belly button and showed off my pale yet toned stomach. On top of that, I wore a lilac and black shirt in which my shoulders stuck through the opening where my neck protruded. I also wore a pair of fishnet undershorts that stopped mid-thigh and over those, a pair short, black spandex. On top of my spandex was a navy blue, mid-thigh skirt that split up on both sides of my legs. Two black and white striped arm gloves were on both of my arms and a pair of black sandals was attached to my feet. Finally, I attached a shuriken holster to my thigh and a weapon pouch and a Hidden Leaf Village headband around my waist.

"You think anyone will recognize us?" I looked at myself at different angles in the dressing room mirror.

Angel cocked her head to one side.

Maybe. It depends who remembers you the most…I mean, you're a little taller, but your hair is still the same length and color…you haven't changed that much at all…you're still as flat as a pancake.

"Shut up!" I whipped around to glare at my dog. "You try being a vegan and cross country runner and then we'll see if your boobs grow any!"

Bring it, bitch!

A vein started to throb near my temple. I was about to attempt to punch her, but decided against it. If we were to make a commotion in the store with all these people, we would surely be noticed and may even be taken to the Hokage.

"Forget it," I snapped, snatching my bag and yanking the door open. "Let's go."

I paid for the clothes with money I had found in my bag, which was normal before but had somehow turned into yen, and returned back to the streets of Konoha. As we were passing by some restaurants, my stomach growled. Loudly.

"I'm starved, let's get something to eat," I scoped the place for my favorite restaurant, The Teahouse.

I finally found it and sauntered on over, dragging my bulky suitcase along with me. After looking through the menu and waiting for the waitress to come back, I sat at the table, finally having some time to recollect my wits.

This is so weird…I thought. Why did we suddenly come back here? I mean, back as an eighth grader and freshmen, I always wished I could come back to this place, but it never happened…Why now? I wonder…maybe it has something to do with that legend that involved our tailed beasts…?

As my mind swirled deeper and deeper into psychological distress, I heard someone shout, "Oh my God! Is that you, Maddie?"

Shit, I've already been found.

I slowly turned my head in the direction of the voice and I smiled. About four or five tables away from ours was a girl my age and height, staring at me in disbelief. She wore her chocolate-brown hair up in two buns and had a pair of similar colored eyes. Her top was long-sleeved, loose, and white while her bottoms reached her knees and were maroon. Two black sandals with small heels were attached to her feet.

"Daaamn, Ten-Ten, when was the last time I saw you?" I got out of my booth casually.

"OH MY GOD, IT IS YOU!" she rushed over and engulfed me in a bone-crushing hug. "And Angel's with you!"

She pulled away, scooped up my dog, and cuddled with her.

"Heh, yeah, it's me…So how are you? What's been going on lately?"

"Oh, I'm great," Ten-Ten put Angel down and beamed. "But it's been really boring lately. All we do is train and carry out meaningless missions, except for now of course. Now that you're here, you can make things more exciting! Tell me; are Lilian and Noah with you? Have you seen anyone else yet? Shikamaru or Temari or even Chouji?"

"Not so fast," I sweatdropped. "Um, I hope those two are with me. They were back in my world before we got here. Knowing them, Noah will go to Shikamaru's and Lilian to the Hyuuga's. And no, I haven't seen anyone else. I've probably only been here for a couple of hours, but don't tell anyone I'm here; I want to surprise them all individually."

"Ok," Ten-Ten laughed. "Well, you wanna come back to my place for now? I noticed that rather large suitcase of yours…"

I nodded, laughing nervously. We left The Teahouse, even though I never got a chance to eat, and walked over to Ten-Ten's condo. Surprisingly, we didn't happen to run into anyone that I had met two and a half years ago, but at the same time, I was grateful for my unusual luck.

"Hey, Ten-Ten," I started as she was getting out her keys. "I've always wondered, why is that I always find you living in this condo?"

"Oh, I just want to prove to my parents that I'm mature and responsible enough to live on my own," she grinned. "But they believe me now, so I'll be moving out pretty soon."

Ten-Ten unlocked the front door and the three of us stepped inside onto the shiny, wooden floorboards. The condo was exactly as I had remembered it: The front room was the living room, in which there was a small couch and television, and was connected to a puny kitchen, where a small table, a few chairs, a refrigerator, and other average kitchen appliances were placed. South of the kitchen were two doors that led to two separate bedrooms, each containing a nice bed, some furniture, and a fan attached to the ceiling. A sliding glass door at the end of the living room led out to a balcony with a fantastic view of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"I've been saving your room all this time," Ten-Ten slid open the door to my bedroom. "I'm going to run to the store, so just make yourself comfortable."

I thanked her and she left shortly later. After taking everything out of my suitcase and setting everything up, I grabbed my black iPod nano chromatic and walked back outside to find everyone else.

I strolled around for a while, listening to music, not really sure of where I was going. Becoming bored, I found a ladder that lead to the top of a building, climbed up, and took a look at the entire village.

I forgot how big the village was…I thought.

Angel suddenly sniffed, whirled around, and barked.

Has he really found us already?

I turned around to see what she was talking about and upon realization, shook my head. Sitting a couple of yards away from us was a tall man about thirty years of age with spiky silver hair. He wore a blue mask that covered his whole face except for his eyes and a Hidden Leaf Village headband was pulled down over his right eye. His top was an olive green Jounin vest and the long sleeves of a navy blue shirt protruded from the arm holes. His pants, fingerless gloves, and sandals were also the same shade of blue. In his hand was a turquoise book titled Make-out Tactics.

"Well look who's back," he said, not looking up from reading his book.

"How the hell did you find me, Kakashi-sensei?" I pouted, walking over to him.

"Hm?" Kakashi looked up. "I just happened to see you walking around the village is all. Plus, I felt your chakra; it's very distinct you know. And, you're the only girl in the village that has a little white dog follow you around everywhere you go."

That was then his cue to pick up Angel and scratch her behind her two fluffy ears.

I sighed, "Man, I wanted to find everyone myself and surprise them or something."

"Well, you might just accomplish that, considering how much you've grown. They might not recognize you…"

Shrugging, I turned my attention back to the village, "Do you might have an idea where I can find some other people?"

"Well, there's someone that you can see just to your left that you should consider going over to and greeting."

I followed the direction and scanned the area…then I smiled and sweatdropped at the same time.

"MAAAADDDDDIIIEEE!" a hyper voice yelled.

Before I could do anything else, a boy my age jumped and landed right in front of me. Even though he was my age, he was a couple of inches taller than me and had more self esteem than I ever will. His short and spiky blond hair, bright aquamarine eyes, whisker marks on his cheeks, and blinding orange and black jumpsuit made him stick out like a sore thumb. Around his forehead was a black Hidden Leaf Village headband with long strands flowing out from behind his head.

"Hey, what's up, Naruto?" I smiled, looking up at his face.

"Nothing much," he grinned back. "How about you? I haven't seen you in ages! Hey! It's Angel!"

He bent down to rub her belly and while he was doing this, another figure landed next to him. This old man was as tall as Kakashi and had his long, spiky, white hair pulled back into a low, flowing ponytail. He wore a long, red robe, khaki colored pants, and wooden sandals with blocks on the soles. Below both of his eyes was a red streak that traveled all the way down to his chin.

"Damn, it's the pervy sage," I groaned.

"I told you it wasn't just Naruto who calls you that, Jiraiya," Kakashi chuckled.

A vein throbbed on the side of Jiraiya's forehead and he sighed, "It's good to see you too, Maddie, Angel."

"Relax, I'm only playin' with ya," I waved my hand at him. "Hey, Naruto, I don't know about you, but I'm starved. You wanna go grab something to eat? And no, fool, not like a date."

"I-I-I wasn't going to ask!" Naruto stammered, blushing lightly.

"C'mon," I grabbed his arm and we started to make our way over to Ichiraku's Ramen Stand.

Kakashi and Jiraiya slowly walked behind us, talking in low voices. I strained to hear what they were talking about while at the same time chatting with Naruto.

"As promised, he's all yours," Jiraiya sighed. "While you take care of him, I'm going to go off and gather more information of the Akatsuki."

"What about Maddie?" Kakashi asked, not looking up from reading his book.

"She will just have to get back into training. It certainly won't hurt her to know what information I acquire about the Akatsuki."

"HUH?" I heard Naruto cry out. "S-Sakura…! Is that you?"

I turned my attention back to where Naruto had stopped and at who he was looking at. The girl was my age and about my height with short, bubblegum-pink hair. Her eyes were shining green and she wore a red vest, white skirt, black shorts, and a pair of black sandals that traveled all the way up to her shins. A red Hidden Leaf Village headband was tied around the top of her head.

Next to the girl was a tall woman with large hazel eyes and enormous breasts. She had long blond hair tied back into two limp ponytails and a small blue diamond on her forehead. A cream kimono tied with a blue sash was worn underneath her long green coat.

"Naruto?" Sakura stared at him and then turned her attention to me. "Maddie? I haven't seen you two in so long! We all have really grown, haven't we? Right, Maddie? We both become more like women, yeah?"

"If you say so," Naruto snickered. "I don't think you two have changed at all!"

Sakura gave him an angry glare and Angel coughed.

I told you, you're still as flat as a pancake.

"SHUT UP!" I swung a punch at her, but she dodged it and my fist hit the ground.

When I got up, I found everyone staring at me, so I gave a nervous smile.

"Hey, Naruto!" a childish voice called from behind. "Check this out!"

Everyone turned to face a puff of smoke that eventually cleared to reveal a trim and naked woman surrounded by smoke in a suggestive pose.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" I screamed, shielding my eyes.

Everyone else just stared in disbelief and disgust, except for Jiraiya, who was practically suffering from a severe nosebleed. The woman then vanished in another puff and a short kid about the age of eleven with spiky brown hair and wearing a blue scarf, navy shirt, and khaki pants stood in her place.

"How's that?" the kid grinned. "I've really mastered that jutsu, huh?"

We all turned to Naruto; for it seemed that the question was truly meant for him to answer. The blond stared at the ground, remaining silent.

"Konohamaru…" he finally muttered. "I'm sorry but…I'm not into those things anymore."

The whole group took this opportunity to stare at Uzumaki in sheer shock. I could tell by the look on Sakura's face that she did not believe what she was hearing.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT, KONOHAMARU?" Naruto suddenly cried out. "CHECK THIS OUT, MY NEW AND IMPROVED PERVERTED NINJUTSU!"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched, and in a mere second, she had planted Naruto deep into the ground with her fist. While he climbed out of the rubble, dazed, Kakashi stepped forward, snapping his book shut.

"Well, it seems that you two have both grown quite a bit," he held out a pair of silver bells. "From now on, we are Team 7 again, but just as students and teacher; we're going to work together as equal fellow Hidden Leaf shinobi. Now, I'm going to see how you've grown with your battle skills. Just like before, all you need to do is take these bells from me."

Naruto and Sakura nodded and started to walk off with Kakashi. I sweatdropped and started to run after them with Angel at my heels.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei!" I shouted and waited for him to turn. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

He was silent for a moment, and then his only visible eye closed, as if he were smiling, or so I thought.

"Just relax and take it easy, Maddie," he replied. "You only just got here. There's no rush to start training. Why don't you go off and say hello to anyone you haven't met up with?"

"I guess so," I shrugged.

Kakashi shook his head, chuckling quietly. He motioned with Sakura and Naruto to follow him with his hand and they all strolled off. Now, it was just me, Angel, Pervy Sage, Grandma Tsunade, and the shrimp Konohamaru. I turned to the group and scanned their faces.

"Any advice, Hokage?" I asked Tsunade.

She shrugged, "Just do what you're sensei told you to do…unless, you'd like to help me with organizing paperwork."

I gave a fake smile, shook my head, and walked off back into the busy streets of Konoha.

~ L ~

There it is…I thought, peering through the branches of a tree.

In front of me was the well-known and very large Hyuuga neighborhood. After I had successfully bought a new outfit at the store, I wandered around aimlessly, taking directions from random strangers, until I finally came to what I was looking for.

I had hidden in a tree to make sure I could scope the area without being seen. From my view, it looked like no one was home except for a girl my age with shoulder-length, violet hair and light lavender eyes. She wore a black and tan long-sleeved jacket and a pair of black pants with black high-heeled sandals. Her black Hidden Leaf Village headband was worn around her neck.

Good, Hinata is the only one home…She can keep my presence a secret until I've seen everyone except HIM…It's a miracle that HE isn't there at the moment…

I wondered if Hinata would even recognize me if she just took a mere glance towards my direction. She's smart enough to figure out who I am, but would it take a really good look at me to realize it?

Because I didn't even think of bringing up my old ninja clothing, considering I haven't worn it in two and a half years, I was forced to purchase some new clothes. I wore a white tank-top as an undershirt and some white wrappings that traveled to about my mid-thigh. Over the wrappings I wore a pair of white spandex and on top of that, a mid-thigh black skirt that split up on both sides of my legs. On top of my white tank-top, I wore a loose, black shirt in which my shoulders protruded from the seam for the neck. Both of my arms had pieces of fishnet that went from wrist to elbow and each of my hands wore a black glove with a flat piece of metal on the top of my hand. Fishnet stockings that traveled from my ankles to my knees were attached to my legs and almost completely covering those were a pair of high-knee, high-heeled, black sandals. Finally, I wore a black cap on the top of my head and wore a black Hidden Leaf Village headband around my waist.

Suddenly, Hinata stopped strolling about the Hyuuga garden and froze. I raised an eyebrow. Had she heard an enemy or something? Wait…

Shit! I forgot to…

Instantly, Hinata looked straight in my direction, her lavender eyes piercing my being as they were using Byukugan. After about a minute, her lips slowly turned into a smile.

Rolling my eyes because I was caught, I climbed out of the tree, grabbed my bag, and walked into through the family's gates to meet her right in the middle of the neighborhood.

"L-lilian…" Hinata stuttered slightly. "Is…is that you?"

"Yep," I smiled. "So how are you? How's everyone doing?"

She hugged me awkwardly and motioned with her hand for me to follow her, starting to lead me to the Main Household.

"Everything's fine," she answered in her quiet voice, obviously happy to see me. "No one has seen you for about two and a half years now…Is Maddie here? Her brother?"

"I don't know," I sighed, following behind her as we entered through the side sliding door. "I was with them back in my world before I came here, but I haven't seen them yet…I can't sense their chakra."

"B-by the way…why…why were you keeping your ch-chakra levels so l-low?"

"Oh…that…" I grinned. "I just wanted to surprise everyone, that's all."

Hinata giggled and opened a sliding door to reveal my old bedroom. Smiling, I stepped inside, threw my bag to the ground, and collapsed on the bed.

"Hinata…?" my voice was muffled against the pillow. "Where…where is everyone else? The rest of the family?"

"Um…" she sat on a chair in the room, thinking. "Father is out discussing some issues with some shinobi, Hinabi is at the Ninja Academy, and Neji is out training."

I flinched ever so slightly at the last name. I didn't really want to have to face that person after I had just randomly disappeared from his life without as much as a single explanation.

"When will they be back?" I mumbled, already starting to get sleepy.

"Father and Hinabi will be back in the middle of the afternoon, but Neji usually stays out until after sunset."

Good…that'll buy me some time…I thought.

"Alright, just don't tell anyone that I'm here ok?" I sighed in relief. "Especially…Neji."

Hinata opened her mouth, paused for a few seconds, and nodded quietly.

~ N ~

Noah calmly hiked up the dense forest trail, whistling softly with his hands in his pockets. Brushing some blond strands of hair out of his eyes, he spotted the thinning tree line and ran towards it like a maniac. Once leaving the last of the trunks, he came face to face with a twenty foot tall wooden gate with a tall wooden guard tower on the inside of it. Noah approached the gate, switched his gaze to the guard tower, and squinted through the glaring sun, trying to see the man posted there.

"Hey!" he called. "Um…can you please let me in?"

"And may I ask who this is that wants to enter onto the Nara's property?" the guard asked. "And his purpose for coming here?"

"Uh…it's Noah…and…I kinda live here…or at least I did."

The guard paused and leaned over the edge of the railing, straining to make out Noah's figure. After about half a minute, a look of realization dawned upon the man's face and he hurriedly started to open the gate.

"It's so good to see you!" the guard exclaimed, beckoning Noah to come inside. "My God, how you've grown!"

Maddie's younger brother grinned and gazed upon the Nara's land.

Man, I haven't seen this place in ages…

Long, flowing fields of grass dotted with buttercups, daisies, petunias, and the occasional dandelion spread across the landscape as far as the eye could see. A worn dirt path weaved its way in and out of the grass and eventually split into a fork. One way led to an old, faded, red barn that contained many hens, roosters, and chicks and had an outside lot of land barricaded by a fence where a few pigs populated the area. The other way led to a long, two-story house, painted a fresh white. If one looked along the horizon, they could spot majestic indigo mountains and a long tree line of evergreen pine trees.

When Noah came to the fork along the trail, he stopped and considered where he should go. The cock-a-doodle-doos, oinks, peeps, and squawks, along with the sweet smell of hay, enticed him to head over to the barn, despite the odor of fresh feces. Regardless, he continued on over towards the house.

As he walked, fuzzy bumblebees buzzed back in and forth in front of his line of vision, pollinating from one flower to another. While robins and blue jays chirped happily, communicating to one another, green and brown grasshoppers bounced through each individual blade of grass. Butterflies flew delicately through the slight breeze and were carried by the currents towards the many flowers that they craved.

Finally, the small dirt trail ended at the base of a small wooden white staircase consisting of three steps that led to a spacious wraparound porch. Here, there was a rocking chair, a swinging bench that was attached by two cables to the roof, and a couple of chairs. Noah stepped up the slightly creaking stairs and as he approached the door, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Turning to his left, he saw a pond colored crystal blue about a few yards away from the porch. Mahogany cattails and rich green weeds sprouted from the water's edge while lime green lily pads, some covered with a pastel pink flower, floated stagnant. Sitting on one of these lily pads was an olive and warty frog that belched to its partner somewhere unknown as a snow white duck followed by a line of fuzzy yellow ducklings waddled into the water.

Smiling, Noah turned back to the door. To the right of it, hanging from a nail, was a wooden plaque with The Naras carved into the surface and had paintings of deer and farm animals on its smooth exterior. Now, after being distracted for quite a while, Noah finally knocked upon the door's rich rosewood surface.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'," a lethargic voice called from one of the slightly open windows.

Noah's grin became wider as he recognized the voice and waited impatiently for the door to open. Finally, the silver doorknob turned and the door swung open.

"Yeah?" the same voice asked.

Maddie's younger brother waved to the tall boy that stood in the doorway. He wore an olive green Chuunin jacket and a black, long sleeved shirt underneath. He was also dressed in a pair of dark pants with his shuriken holster attached to his right thigh. On his forearms he had on two pieces of fishnet material and on his feet a pair of black sandals. His dark brown hair was pulled up into a spiky ponytail and two black circles for earrings pierced his ears. His chocolate brown eyes were half open, as if he had just woken up from a mid-afternoon nap.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" Noah beamed. "What's up?"

The boy stared at Maddie's brother, squinting, trying to recognize him. Once Shikamaru realized who the person standing in front of him was, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly in disbelief.

"N-Noah?" he exclaimed. "Is…is that really you?"

"Hey, how you doing? Haven't seen you in ages."

"Y-yeah…same…"

There was an awkward silence as the two stared each other, trying to remember what they had looked like two and a half years ago. Noah was now dressed in a fishnet undershirt with a loose blue sleeveless vest on top. Both of his two forearms, from his elbows up to the knuckles of fingers, were completely covered in white wrapped bandages. His bottoms were a pair of black pants and on his feet were blue sandals. Wrapped around his short but shaggy dirty blond hair was a blue Hidden Leaf Village headband. Finally, a shuriken holster was attached to his right thigh and a weapon pouch on his right hip.

Noah randomly burst out laughing to break the silence.

"You look like you don't believe I'm here right now!" he snickered.

"Well…yeah…" Shikamaru tried to gather his wits. "I mean…you haven't been here for two and a half years now…How did you wind up here again?"

Noah shrugged, "I have not idea. All I remember was that I was with Madeline and Lilian and then I suddenly woke up here."

The lazy ninja stared, "Wait, your sister was with you? Is she here now?"

Once again, Maddie's brother could not answer, "You can go look for her if you want. I just came by just to let you guys know I'm here. I think I'll look around for Lee, or Kankurou, or Gaara, or whatever."

Shikamaru nodded and stepped aside, making a sweeping gesture, beckoning Noah to come in, "Alright, let's get you settled in first."