AN: I only own the ocs and I in no way own Naruto.
Nora Alston woke with a hand prying her eye open. She squawked as her brain quickly shook off the drowsiness of sleep. There was a man kneeling beside her and she was no longer in her dorm room. Reacting quickly, she kicked her up trying to hit the soft spot she knew would be behind the stranger's ear. He blocked it with the same grace and nonchalance of some of the more seasoned fighters at the mma gym she attended. She twisted her hips so that her legs were under her. She knew what to do in this situation. Run and don't fight. Find help. She ran from the clearing she found herself in, and hurtling down a path that lead into the woods, she cared only that she was putting distance between her and the stranger. The woods surrounding her now were old and strange, the predawn light her only illumination. It was different from the forest that bordered her campus. Gone were the vines and ivy that chocked the trees before they could reach old age. Adrenaline pushed her faster down the path. She could only hope that it would lead her somewhere safe.
"Yosh! Consumed by the passion of youth, did you train last night until you fell asleep on the training grounds?" Her stomach dropped when she realized that the stranger had caught up. She was already running faster than she ever had before; it wouldn't be long until she would have to rest and catch her breath. "I have not met you before, I am the beautiful green wild beast of Konoha, Rock Lee." She glanced at him, confused as to why her probable kidnapper was cosplaying. He did in fact look like Rock Lee, with his overgrown eyebrows and green compression clothing. The large smile on his face confirmed her newest belief: a deranged anime fan had kidnapped her. She could think about what it meant later, she had to focus on her escape.
Her kidnapper who looked like Rock Lee was still keeping pace with her. "I love a good morning run before training, don't you?" His voice came out steady—he was barely winded. Nora's breathing was becoming more and more strained; she was going to have to make a choice. She could continue running and hope she could make it to the break in the trees that was a few minutes away, or she could fight. She had several inches height on the guy—a young teenager—but that advantage didn't mean anything if he was a more competent fighter. She continued running, hoping that the break in the trees would lead to someone that could help.
Panting, but not slowing down she ran past the final tree only to stop as she took in her surroundings. She was on top of a mountain on an observation deck. Below her was a village. It was large and real and she recognized it. She was in Konoha. She was royally fucked.
Rock Lee stood beside her. "Yosh, the village looks beautiful today. You still haven't told me your name. I've never seen you before."
She stared blankly. "Nora," her voice didn't sound like her own. "I have to go." She spun around and walked down the staircase that she spotted off to the side of the observation deck. It would be best to stay low and avoid everyone until she knew what the fuck was going on. She need time to process what exactly was happening. There was no fucking way that she would go to the Hokage and try to explain. That would lead her to deep shit, if she knew too much about what would happen they would use her, and if they didn't believe her she would get sent to the asylum. She would figure it out on her own.
Slightly dazed, she wandered aimlessly through the village. She would have to find work. She would have to find food. She would have to find a place to sleep. She would have to find shoes—all she had was the pair of socks she usually wore around the room. There was already a tear at the bottom from running through the woods, and she hoped no one would notice. She thought of her options. Perhaps she should pretend to be a refugee. Come up with a sob story and pull at the villager's heartstrings. She picked at her cloths, she had on the tank top and running shorts she had put on the night before. Procuring work would have to come first she thought. That will be what leads to food, to shelter, to safety. She wondered what work she could possibly perform. Her accounting and finance classes would do little to help her now. The village around her started to stir as businesses started opening for the day. She hoped someone would have a help wanted sign. She didn't want to have to result to the seedier work open to young women.
It was midmorning by the time she spotted the sign. Help wanted. Looking through the shop window she saw buckets of cut flowers, and a display inside featuring small potted flowers, the kind that you took to the hospital when the patient would be there a while.
Opening the door she heard the twinkling of bells. A woman looked up from the counter, before giving her a smile. "Is there anything that I can help you with?"
A brief wave of anxiety rushed over Nora. "I saw the sign in the window, and I wish to apply." Asking for work was nerve wracking, and it hit her that this might be her only opportunity for a while. She had to remain calm.
"If you will fill out this application and turn it in along with a copy of your work permit." The woman behind the counter handed her a two-page document.
Nora tried not to let her panic show. What the fuck is a work permit and how the hell am I going to fucking get one? "Thank you. Do you mind if I bring this back after I fill it out?"
"Yes, that is fine. When you bring it back make sure you ask for me. My name is Ayame Yamanaka, and yours is?"
"My name is Nora, it is a pleasure to meet Mrs. Yamanaka, I'll be back when I have finished the application." She left before the panic could start to show on her face.
Walking briskly she made it to an alleyway before sliding down the wall to contemplate how truly fucked she was. Where do I even go for a work permit? Do I even qualify for one? I'm going to end up on the streets with nothing. Work permits would be government regulated right. The leadership of the government here is the Hokage. That's for ninjas though. Is it the same for civilians? I should go to the Hokage building. I can pretend I am lost and ask if this is where the work permits office is. I'll make up a story. She stood and walked back out to the street. I am lost. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. She could see the top of the building. She would just walk in the general direction and hope she found it. Asking would make people suspicious. People being suspicious would be a problem, because no one would believe that she just conveniently traveled from her world to here. She could use the time walking to make herself a cover story.
Artemis Seabrook woke near dawn, and quickly became confused. Her glasses were still on, her blanket was still covering her, and her biochemistry textbook was still opened—it wasn't unusual for her fall asleep studying—but she was in a forest. A fucking forest. Alone. She looked around her and spotted her waterbottle a few feet from her. As she shifted out from under her blanket to grab it her keys fell to the ground. Fat lot of good they would do in a fucking forest.
She needed to focus—crying and panicking would only make things worse. She picked up the metal bottle. Judging from the weight it was half full. She was thirsty. By the time you feel thirst you are already slightly dehydrated. She fought tears—she couldn't lose anymore liquid.
Breathing deeply in an effort to calm herself Artemis studied the surroundings. The forest seemed off. It was too flat—her school was in the foothills. This is bad; a forest this flat would be more coastal, and at least six hours away from her dorm by car. Her hands started to shake. She didn't know where she was. She didn't know how she got there. Her mother always told her that when she was overwhelmed she use logic to come to a conjecture and get a handle on the situation. I am no longer in my room. I did not move myself. It is therefore safe to assume that someone brought me here. I do not know their purpose for doing so. Friends don't leave you alone in the forest. This person is probably not my friend. Murderers and kidnappers and sexual predators leave you in the forest, therefore there are people you do not want to be found by. I remember it turning midnight and I typically wake earlier than eight without an alarm. The farthest away I could be would be eight hours, but it is more likely seven. She thought back to the summer camp she had attended for years—wilderness survival skills had been stressed. I don't need whoever brought me here to find me. She shuddered. In a survival situation finding water, shelter, and safety are the most important things. Find a river. Running water leads to civilization and downstream would lead me to the coast. Most of the world's population lives on the coast. The coast has people. The coast is safe. In theory at least.
She glanced at the rising sun. East would be as good a direction to travel as any. I just hope I don't meet my abductor. Oh God, what if it is a people hunter. What if I am going to be chased down and hunted like a deer? Fighting the panic that threatened to consume her, she grabbed her blanket from off the ground and knotted the ends. She put her biochemistry book in the blanket and slung the makeshift pack around her shoulders. Taking her keyring she was thankful that her clothing had pockets. She had worn scrub bottoms and a tshirt to bed the night before, and she slept in a sports bra. She signed when she saw her feet still in her slippers. Soft bottomed but at least they will provide a little protection. Stuffing the keys into her pocket she grabbed her water bottle, took a sip and walked.
It's fairly warm for a morning, which means I probably won't freeze to death at night. It also means that it will be too warm in the afternoon to walk on without sweating to dehydration. I'll have to rest unless I find water. I'll keep a look out for animals and their trails. They will know where water is. If they don't eat me first, after all, there are pumas and coyotes and bobcats. Not to mention snakes and spiders and scorpions.
Grace Montague woke with the breath knocked out of her, and as soon as she recovered it she screamed. Two figures were above her, and the look on their faces suggested that they were rather unhappy with her. So did the knife at her throat. Tears sprang to her eyes, the result of both her impact with something hard and the knife—the man had it resting a mere inch above her throat. It could sever my carotid artery and I would die of blood loss and oxygen deprivation to the brain. If it gets my trachea perhaps my lungs will fill with my own blood during my last few breath.
The pressure on her throat eased and she was pushed into a sitting position. Her arms were quickly tied behind her back with a rope that felt more like wire. Her legs had already been tied, probably when she had been screaming. There would be no escape from the room she was in. It seemed to be an office judging from the desk in the center. The floor was carpeted with a good amount of stains. She glanced at her captors, both were men, and both were much bigger—not surprising given that she was 5'1". They had on thick green vests that reminded her of Kevlar. One had long hair that was covered by a head rag, he was the one tying her up. The other, the one who had the knife, had been burned on his face—Third degree by the scarring. She had only ever seen burn scars that bad from the slides shown in her nursing anatomy class. He had on the kind of headband worn by martial artists in the kung fu movies Artemis made Nora and her watch. She paled as she recognized the symbol.
The world went dark for Grace Montague and she knew no more.