Naruto Shippuden Fan Fiction ❯ Liability ❯ Real nightmare ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

I'm updating! And I feel so out of practice...

In any case, let me know what you guys think. :)

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Chapter 2: Real nightmare

Tsuneko clicked her phone shut again, nibbling on her lip. It had been more than two hours since Maemi had last been seen, and Tsuneko and her parents had called her repeatedly, yet never got an answer. Fidgeting in her seat, Tsuneko stared at the food, long gone cold. Unable to eat dinner since concern was gnawing at their insides, the family arrived at Maemi'sapartment half an hour later. They knocked and knocked, but still nothing moved from within.

Tsuneko, incapable of waitingany longer – patience was never her forte – grabbed the handle and yanked the door open. To her surprise, it did just that. Peeking inside, she called her friend. “Mae? You alright?”

No reply.

The new graduate stepped inside the familiar place and glanced around. Unlike her apartment, Maemi kept hers clean and relatively tidy: the dishes didn't crowd the sink, trash and recyclables sat neatly in a corner, the shoes in the entrance didn't act as a stronghold. Tsuneko took her shoes off and walked in, noticing the lights were on, yetsaw no sign of her friend. Becoming more and more anxious, shequickly waltzed through the small apartment. “Mae, it's not funny anymore...”

Her father examined the door and the lock, then entered and glanced at the keys on the table. “There's no sign of a struggle...”

“She could have stepped outside...” Hermother'svoice quivered slightly.

Tsuneko was almost running up the walls with worry. “Outside? Without her keys? Don't be ridiculous, she'd never leave the door unlocked, or the lights on, she's too greenfor that.” She forced a few loud chuckles. Her parents gave her a worried look. “What? I'm sure-- I'm sure she's fine.” Her voice was two pitches higher than usual.

Her mother gently grabbed her shoulder. “Honey--”

Tsuneko looked away, her gaze landing in the middle of Maemi's room. Her eyes widened instantly when she noticed something. She nearly tripped in the three steps she took to get to the table, where Maemi's diploma still laid. Tsune saw her hands yank her own bag open. “No-- It can't be... NO!” The bag dropped as her hands and armswent numb.

It was gone... The plushie she'd gotten from her boyfriend two years ago –the one she had a spell cast on –was nowhere to be found. Tsuneko fell over, eyes wide but unseeing. So many thoughts buzzed through her head. It's my fault... Did it work? Is Mae really in the Naruto world? Did she meet him yet? What if something happens to her!? No, but how will she come back!?

Realization and shock hit her square in the stomach. She caused her best friend to disappear against her will. How would she ever amend for that?

– – – –

The next thing Maemi was half conscious of was the feeling of some kind of ground against her stomach, and the smell of something foreign making her nose itchy. Her head pounded, especially one spot against a cool surface. Something was also stuck under her left arm, making it sore from the forced awkward position it rested in. Her limbs felt heavy, she could hardly move them through the constant tingling sensation. Even with her eyes closed, it felt like the world swayedbeneath her, along with her mind, leaving her disoriented. Her ears rung, blocking out almost every other sound. She felt sick to her stomach and although she didn't have any strength, her stomach heaved and she found herself attempting to sit up as she vomited from nausea.

She plopped back down, exhausted. Her face felt hot and clammy, her body much warmer than usual, as if she'd just run a marathon. Her head gave a few protesting throbs until she stopped moving, barely noticing how hair stuck to her moist temple. She closed her eyes again, trying to stop the back and forth swaying motion. However, the feelingof something cold and seemingly sharp below her jawline seemed to momentarily stabilize the rocking world. Hazily, she opened her eyes again, and realization dawned on her. She was lying on the ground, perhaps in a forest, and the dead leaves and twigs poked through her clothes to bite her skin, including her face.

The cool sensation, she realized, came from the something that someone held. Strange, it seemed like the world was rocking back and forth again. Maemi heard him ask something, though she couldn't really make out what through the incessant ringing. It seemed her hearing was still out of whack... Before long, everything had gone black again.

When she woke up, her arms were pulled back in an uncomfortable position and sore for some unknown reason. Slowly, as she regained feeling in each limb, she realized the soreness was caused by her bound wrists on her back, as if she was under arrest. Herright templegave a painful sharp throb as she opened her eyes, and she wasn't quite sure why.

An acrid aftertaste tainted her mouth; what she wouldn't have given for some water! Voices jerked her out of her wondering state and her eyes scanned the vicinity. A cool breeze brushed through the trees and brought a chill, yet also focused her attention on the circle of people around a small fire. The haziness she experienced earlier forgotten, she frowned at their highly unusual clothes. Odd bandages, pouches and... Are those weapons!?As soon as she realized the potential danger, adrenaline pumped through her system;at the same time, a face turned towards her.

“Hey, she's awake.” A man had been staring at her, but his announcement brought four new pair of eyes on her. Even though intimidated, Maemi stared back at the man, trying to hide her fear. Another man stood up and took a few steps towards her, his dark eyes looking through her like she was made of paper. He kneeled next to her face, an elbow on his knee to steady himself.

“Tell us where the copy ninja is, and you might walk free.”

His tone and expression were serious, yet Maemi couldn't help but think this was some kind of prank, somehow. Even though she was here – wherever here was– and tied up barefoot in her graduation dress, she had no other explanation except that Tsuneko had somehow arranged this to encourage her open-mindedness. “... Look, uh... I don't know what Tsuneko told or promised you, but I really don't fancy indulging her and her alternate universes...”

The man's expression became a puzzled one and he shot a quizzical glance at his comrades still near the fire. They all gave him a confused look. “A place, woman. Tell us where the sharingan user is and you won't have to die!”

Maemi stared at him in confusion. “... Who?” Her heart rate picked up again. Why should she die? She hadn't done anything! “I don't-- I'm not sure what you're talking about--”

The man shoved the plushie in her face, the same one she'd grabbed what she thought to be mere minutes ago. “Hatake Kakashi. Don't play dumb with me, we've been tracking him for days! Doesn't this prove you're on his side!?” An eerie silence followed, yet Maemi still had no idea what he was talking about. That thing was Tsuneko's, she'd glimpsed at it in her apartment right before-- right before the world went black.

Suddenly it was as if a black hole formed in her heart and stomach all at once. This was the present Tsuneko had bragged about, the same one she wanted a spell cast on. Had it worked? AmIreallyin another world!?Her lips quickly dried up as she attempted to explain what had happened. “Actually-- you see, I'm... I'm not from here and I have no idea who you're talking about.” Her eyes imploredhim to understand her predicament.

Before she knew what hit her, she tasted blood in her mouth. Stunned, she realized the man must have back-handed her so hard she bit her own cheek. Fear gripped every fiber of her being. Was this what fearing death felt like? “Yorikane-sama, please calm down. Even if it seemslike she's telling the truth, she had this didn't she?” Another guy grabbed the plushie.

“That's right...” Yorikane straightened himself out. “For a weakling, you're a pretty good liar.”

Maemi was at an utter loss of words. Liar? She'd told them nothing but the truth! How could they think otherwise just because of a doll!? That aside, why was she a weakling? Just because she was a woman didn't mean she was necessarily weak! “Regardless, it seems the prey took the bait.”

“In positions.” Yorikane grinned madly with excitement. Everyone else disappeared, but Maemi found herself standing, a blade at her throat and her back against a wall of muscles. Adrenaline kicked in again with renewed fear. What in the world was going on!?

She'd only taken one breath when the clashing of blades drowned her hearing, but she had yet to see the newcomers. After three long minutes of hearing nothing but clashes andyells on top ofbreathing in dust, she was surprised by the sudden silence. Maemi's eyes widened as the three figures emerged from the clearing dust. The one on the left was dressed all in black, his extremely pale skin contrasting with his uniform, especially his exposed midriff. He held a short sword in one hand and stood at the ready, his face smiling.

The one on the right wore a green vest over dark blue sleeves and his face was outlined by what looked like a silver guard. He didn't hold any weapons, but like all three men, he also had a pouch wrapped around his leg. And lastly, the man standing in the middle looked like a life size version of Tsuneko's plushie. Silver spiked hair, a mask and a covered eye. Although this didn't quite constitute proof, she at least saw who the plushie was based off.

“Tanuma Yorikane. As expected,” said the silver haired man.

The man holding Maemi against him chuckled deeply, “Hatake Kakashi. How good of you to answer my message,” he replied, pressing his thumb into Maemi's injured forehead.

The one called Kakashi gave the shadow of a frown. “If you could call it that,” he replied calmly. Like the two next to him, he had already assessed the situation. Even if the hostage was a stranger, they could hardly sit by and let her get killed, especially if she was just a pawn to catch them.

“I'm glad you found your way,” said Yorikane, his grip on Maemi's arm tightening uncomfortably. She fought her hardest to stay quiet, afraid that even a breath out of place would cost her her life. Her shoulders throbbed painfully from being in the same unnatural position for too long. The rope binding her hands bit into her wrists mercilessly, as if trying to break her resolve to remain quiet. At the same time, Yorikane's four comrades appeared out of thin air, surrounding the newcomers.

The three outnumbered men didn't seem fazed and their synchronization amazed Maemi. Well, the bit she could see, anyway. Once again, people became blurs and voices blended into each other. She couldn't see or understand jutsu, but things were flying at each other and too soon, a man slammed into a nearby tree, breaking it in half. He didn't budge. Just as the word “Wha--” left Maemi's mouth, the man holding her – Yorikane – shoved her backwards as he eagerly joined the fight.

It wouldn't have been a problem, were it not for the minor detail that they were located next to a ravine. As Yorikane engaged Kakashi in battle, Maemi was still stumbling backward, half spinning to regain her balance yet her bound hands destabilized her even further. Then the ground vanished from under her feet and she began falling towards the raging river 100 meters below. A sound had barely escaped her mouth that a well placed broken tree stump broke her fall by half puncturing her left arm, and in doing so ripped a short scream out of her. Her left elbow hung on the higher part of the stump, but her arm bled somewhat heavily.

Tears of pain began blurring Maemi's vision. This can't be happening... This is a nightmare!But her reasoning didn't work, even in her scariest nightmares, she'd never known pain like this, pain too real to ever imagine. She could feel blood dripping down her arm, onto her shoulder and collarbone. Besides the pain, the reality of her situation sank in rather quickly. Even though this hurt, she had better endure it, unless she wanted to die. Were it not for this tree, she'd be helplessly drowning in that furious river.

She tried very hard not to move a muscle and practically stopped breathing, fully aware that even the slightest shifting of weight could cause her death. Yet her efforts were in vain, because she heard a much dreaded sound much too soon: that of cracking wood. Looking beyond her bare feet, desperately trying to find footing to avoid the plunge, she fixed the far distant river. The stab in her arm throbbed and she grit her teeth in pain, a tear racing down to her chin. Unexpectedly, her body jolted, then she heard the sound again and felt her elbow slip away from the stump as her body tilted towards the bottom. She was too heavy, whatever grabbed and stabbed her couldn't hold her up indefinitely.

With a growing lump in her throat, she could do nothing but wait for the inescapable fall. Too soon, she heard the final crack of the wood and felt gravity pulling her down. For half a second, she was floating, then, with a sharp intake of air, she began the plunge. The air rushed around her, her body slightly turning during the fall. Eyes open wide in terror, she saw the brick of water she'd soon collide into. In a last minute effort to protect her spine, she drew in her legs and curled in her neck, folding in the shape of a fetus. With a deafening crash, she found herself batted away by the strong current, the air knocked out of her.

Fighting the sting of water against her open eyes, she tried discerning which way was up and attempted kicking towards the surface. Yet her weak kicks did nothing but twirl her body uselessly, her arms struggling against their restraints so she could at least try to swim. Much too soon, the last of her air bubbled to the surface and her body, demanding oxygen, forced her to breathe in water. Purely out of instinct she coughed it out, only to be forced to swallow some more. She felt herself sinking, still pushed around by the current, her lungs burning against the water inside her. She could now see the shimmering rays of sunlight beyond her reach taunting her, illuminating the much needed surface.

As she gulped another mouthful of water, something grabbed her right arm and tugged her up, breaking through the current determinedly. When Maemi next blinked, she realized she was lying on her stomach on firm ground. Her arms suddenly fell to her sides and she started coughing out the water from her lungs, seeing the wet smiling face of the man who pulled her out right before he disappeared. Slowly sitting up as the last of the water dripped from her open mouth, she looked around, but she was alone. The pale skinned man who saved her had already vanished, leaving her slightly downstream, but at the bottom of the ravine.

It was probably for the best, the less she saw of the other freaky, hot-tempered man the better. She shivered, even without the strong gust of wind sweeping through the ravine. Looking up at the imposing cliff, Maemi stared, incredulous. A wave of nausea hit her again and she bent over, her injured arm clutching her stomach as if to stop the incoming vomiting. Her throat burned as she spewed stomach acid and water onto the rocks in front of her. Left aching and trembling from the whole experience, she spit the acrid taste out and wobbled to the river to rinse her mouth. She slumped as soon as she sat down, her right arm the only strong pillar keeping her from falling down.

Distant clashes echoed from above, as if she was waking up from a bad dream. Alas, Maemi didn't feel better. Her breaths were quick and raspy, her lungs still burning from the water, not to mention her depleting red cell stock. Slowly, she turned her arm so she could take a look at the wound, frowning at the sight. If I don't stop the bleeding--There was only thing she could use as a makeshift bandage, and that would be her expensive dress. She grabbed one end and gripped it tightly in between teeth before ripping it with her non-injured arm.

Once she got a decent length on that, she kept the piece in her mouth and began wrapping the wound slowly yet firmly, cringing repeatedly throughout the process. Finally, she tied the cloth tightly and took a few minutes to focus on her breathing to avoid dizziness. The fight up there didn't seem very close anymore, but above the roar of the river she could still hear distant sounds. Time passed excruciatingly slowly. For lack of anything to do, or anywhere to go, Maemi was stuck in her thoughts, hearing them buzz 'round and 'round endlessly. I'm in another world... dimension? Parallel universe... Regardless, I'm not at home. Has Tsune realized it yet...? Will she tell my parents, or will they get a call from the gas company saying I'm unreachable and haven't paid my bills?

Could this really be the world that Tsuneko wanted to come to? She definitely couldn't see the appeal in it, the chances of getting killed were much too high! Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air caught her attention and she stood to find the source of the noise. She jumped when something grazed her cheek and landed in the river behind her, an explosion following soon after, showering her with more water. The blast of the explosion managed to propel her forward until she hugged the cliff side. Fear gripped her entrails once again as she remained against the cliff, perhaps to shield herself from-- whatever just missed her by a hair.

In denial, she squatted down and hugged her knees with one arm, slightly rocking back and forth as if she was waiting to wake from this terrible dream. Maybe if she closed her eyes and waited long enough... But when she opened her eyes again, Maemi realized her neck and shoulders were stiff. She was also no longer squatting but lying on the ground. Had she managed to fall asleep? She was astounded at herself and sat up, straining her ears to hear any sound other than that of the river but heard nothing.

Taking a few steps away from the cliff, she peered at the top. Nothing. Thankful, yet at the same time annoyed, she assessed the wall in front of her, debating whether she should attempt to climb it or not. The wind blew through the ravine again, and she shivered violently. The sun was setting, this place would get really dark, not to mention really cold. Guess I've got no choice.She clenched her left fist a couple of times, trying to build a little tolerance to the pain shooting in her muscles. “Here we go...”

Her right hand shot up and grabbed a rock, steadying herself as she lifted her feet against the cliff, raising her left arm at the last moment. Already breathing heavily from the strain, she pushed herself off her feet and reached for a higher hold. Maemi carefully progressed higher and higher, as if everything but the wind and the declining sun had slowed to a near standstill. By the time she was nearly halfway up, her left arm was ready to give out, and the wind blew as if aiming to take her off the cliff side. Panting, she made the mistake to glance down. Instantly her eyes snapped shut and she glued herself to the rocks, her muscles tensing considerably.

Almost there--!Once again, pushing herself from the legs, she reached with her right hand for that crevice. Just a bit more--But her left arm, which supported her while she reached for the next hold, throbbed painfully and weakened suddenly. “Shi--!” Terrified, she tried grabbing whatever was closest and would stop her from falling to a certain death. But it was useless, with her left arm out of the picture, whatever she grabbed wasn't good enough to stop her completely. Her scraped feet slipped on the rock and soon she was falling again, arm outstretched to grab onto anything that could save her.

Darkness engulfed her.