Sorry this is so late, everyone D:

I rewrote it like six billion times because I wanted it to be the best it can be…seeing as there are only three more chapters in this story… D'X

So sad :'(

Moonlttiger – unfortunately, all good things must come to an end (even though we wish they wouldn't)… please read the next one! I promise you'll like it :D it's going to be almost like a direct continuation of this one X3

And that goes for everyone else who's been such an amazing a faithful reader :D I promise the next one will be just as good (if not better) than this one! Please don't stop reading :3

And for any Zabuza fans out there…he makes an appearance soon ;D

And on with the show!

**Chapter twenty-three**

Shannon landed on what she assumed was the ground with a loud thud. She still held Kiba tightly in her arms – the large canine was whimpering fearfully after being so very abruptly torn from its own world and thrust into the bowels of inter-dimensional travel.

Shannon's head was spinning, and her stomach lurched sickeningly as she lay prone on the ground. She felt like if she moved, she would throw up. She cracked an eye open gingerly, trying to figure out where the hell she was. Well, she sort of had an idea where she was, but she didn't know her exact location in said place.

Soon enough, the dizziness dissipated and Shannon slowly pushed herself up so that her upper body rested on her elbows. Kiba huddled himself closer to her, shivering. He was not liking this one bit.

Shannon groaned, blinking as harsh sunlight streamed into her eyes.

"I see you made it back safely."

She started at the voice as her eyes slowly adjusted to the light. Pretty soon, the spots in her vision began to fade, and Shannon saw Sai sitting a few feet away, crossed-legged on the ground. She looked at their surroundings – they seemed to be in the middle of a forest. Tall trees cast dappled shadows around them, and Shannon could hear an assortment of birds and other animals meandering around out of sight.

"I take it this is Konoha?" she asked, pushing herself into a sitting position and rubbing her eyes. Her grip on Kiba slackened, but the canine didn't move an inch from her side.

"You'd be right," Sai nodded. For the first time since she had met him, Sai looked…at ease.

Shannon looked around. She saw nothing but tall tree trunks and shadows, and felt a tiny stab of worry. Where was her mother and Ashley? And where was Shikamaru? "And the others?"

"I'm sure they're around somewhere," another voice answered as Sasuke emerged from the line of trees to her left. "The real question is – where are the people who brought us back?"

Sasuke paused mid-stride when his onyx eyes landed on Kiba. His expression went from reflective to stony in an instant. Shannon's face adopted a similar look as his eyes met hers.

"There was no way in hell I was leaving him behind," she answered firmly, expression deadpan.

Sasuke just snorted and rolled his eyes, sitting down next to Sai as they waited for the others to appear. "There's no use in me saying anything. You would have done it anyway."

"Damn straight," Shannon muttered not quite under her breath, earning another scowl from the Uchiha.

"I think I'd agree with Shannon," Shikamaru chuckled as he pushed his way out from a couple of bushes, followed by the rest of the squad. He collapsed next to Shannon, seemingly exhausted. "Whoever did those transportation jutsus needs to work on their landing techniques," he grumbled. "What a drag…"

"That's no way to show gratitude, you lazy ass," a female voice reprimanded. "After all this time, and that's the first thing you say?"

"Nice to see you too, Ino," Shikamaru didn't even look up as his blonde team mate stepped into the small clearing.

She looked at his and the rest of the group's state of dress and quirked an eyebrow. "What the hell happened to you guys?"

"It's a long story," both he and Naruto groaned in unison.

…

A few hours later, Shannon was comfortably settled into an apartment in Konoha's bustling centre, under heavy ANBU guard, of course. Not that she minded. It was such a relief to have a stable roof over her head and a warm place to sleep at night after months of living in constant fear like a wild animal. To tell the truth, Shannon wasn't actually all that sure how to adjust to normal life again. That is, if that was what you considered 'normal'.

Her perception of the word 'normal' had been permanently altered.

Shannon re-entered her bedroom after stepping out of the shower, slipping a large t-shirt over her head. She, Ashley, Josephine, Hinata and Sakura had promptly been abducted by Ino and Tenten and taken to the local bath house, where they had been thoroughly scrubbed spotless, their hair cleaned and removed of dreadlocks and they had been made to feel halfway human again.

Even though her skin had been rubbed raw, Shannon had taken to showering every two hours. She just couldn't get that feeling of dirt literally embedding itself in her skin to go away. She never wanted to be that dirty again.

Kiba wagged his tail as she made her way over to the bed. Shannon threw her damp towel over the back of the chair at the foot of her bed and sprawled over the covers, enveloping Kiba in a loose hug. She buried her nose in his thick fur, breathing in the sharp scent of flea shampoo. He too had been given a thorough cleansing. By who, she had no idea, but Shannon knew Kiba had given them quite a rough time. No one touched him except his masters.

As Shannon lay on the bed, content with the fact that she actually had a bed to lie on, she reflected on her whirlwind first day in Konoha.

After she and the others had been scrubbed spotless from head to toe and had been made socially acceptable, they had been thrown into some new clothes and rushed off to the Hokage's office to report back. Shannon hadn't realized it, or even thought about it before, but they had been wandering around that desolate wasteland that had used to be her home for five months.

She actually got the shivers thinking about how long it had been. Now that she was back in civilization, it all seemed like a bad dream. A really, really bad dream.

The Hokage – a very buxom woman by the name of Tsunade – had listened to their full report, everything from the very first time Shannon had encountered the group at the crumbling shopping centre, to the defeat of the Akatsuki. When the village leader had heard of the Akatsuki's demise, she had been visibly relieved. It was one less enemy the village had to contend with now.

Shannon rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. She sighed. She and Shikamaru had barely had time to even see each other. Everything had just been so rushed and sudden, no one quite knew what would be flying at them next. So many things to do, so many people to brief and debrief, so many places to be…Shannon closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She was just glad she could finally collapse and catch up on all the sleep she had been deprived of. She would make sure she saw him in the morning. Him, Ashley and her mother.

She yawned loudly and stretched, clambering to her feet to turn off the light. She slid back into bed, nestling under the covers and shifting Kiba to the other side of the mattress. The large canine snorted and turned, resting his head on Shannon's stomach.

Shannon suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable in the dark. Even though she knew that there were no Creatures around to attack her in her sleep, she was still paranoid after all those months of fearing what lurked in the blackness, waiting to catch you unawares.

Holding Kiba close, Shannon flicked on the small lamp on the table next to her bed. Only then did she deem herself comfortable enough to fall asleep. Within seconds, she was unconscious.

…

It was in the dead of night, when even the crickets and stray dogs had lay down to sleep, that four shadows slipped past the night watch at the gates and into the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

They moved without sounds, sticking close to buildings and away from open roads. They moved with ease, like they had prior knowledge of the village's many twisting streets. They were looking for one location in particular, and would not be satisfied until their target had been achieved.

Even the team of ANBU didn't notice the shadows creep up silently behind them until their throats had been slit. They didn't even have time to cry out as they slumped to the ground and were still.

The four shadows made their way over the slanted tiled rooftops until they reached one parallel with a window. That window was the entrance to the dwelling they had been looking for. That dwelling was currently housing their target. And they would not be satisfied until their target had been acquired.

A soft light emitted from the window, making the job of picking the lock that much easier. The quartet stole into the room. Their target lay sleeping in her bed, a large dog curled up at her side. One of the intruders produced a small dart gun from somewhere out of their loose black bodysuit. They couldn't have any unwanted…interruptions.

Not to worry, though. The gun was only loaded with sleeping darts. Powerful ones, but sleeping darts nonetheless. They couldn't afford to accidentally hit the girl with something more poisonous. They needed her alive.

Neither the dog nor the girl so much as flinched in their sleep when a pair of red-tufted darts embedded themselves into their flesh. Not that either of them would wake for a while, anyway.

One of the black-clad intruders silently gathered up the limp girl.

And as soon and as quietly as they had come, the quartet of shadows were gone, with their prisoner in tow.

You know the deal :3