Author’s Note

(This is the first part of my ANs, the second one can be read at the bottom of the chapter - a different topic altogether.)

Whether you know it or not, this is the only story I’ve been focusing my time with (I have about two stories on hiatus) as I’m really having fun writing this. It should also come to no surprise that I appreciate the reviews I’ve received so far - especially from those who have dropped a review in nearly every chapter of this story. So, I will like to give a special thanks to the following people for doing just that:

Lady Phantasmagoric, Flame Jnr, Thomas Drovin, XxBloodyRiverxX and DeviousxXxSmile

Of course, reviews are not required because I’m sure everybody is busy (you all have way better things to do with your lives than sit around and talk to me). Reviews are loved because it shows you like this story enough to take time out of your day.

Now - to the story!

Chapter Fifteen - Escort

For one reason or another, the first thought that popped into my head when I looked upon Sakura’s home was - ‘Oh, cute.’ Yeah, that is not necessarily an everyday term one would use to describe the appearance of a house, but it was. It really reminded me of a cottage situated in the middle of some fairy tale forest. Like the majority of homes that were not apartment buildings, her house was surrounded by a tall wooden fence; stepping through the opening from the street and following a very short path, you would walk by a decent size patch of green. It was not much of a front yard (being small), plus, the little garden added to the whole cottage atmosphere I got when I first laid eyes upon it.

“I rarely have any visitors but I guess that’s what one gets when you live the life of a shinobi.” Sakura commented as she stepped through the door and whom I soon followed.

I have long ago threw out the idea of Sakura still living with her parents, as Tsunade would have never left her with the job of bab--watching me over. So while I expected her to have her own place, I was still surprised by the fact that she had her own home and not just any place but a house at that!

“I suppose you should still feel comfortable then,” Sakura finished, as she stepped into the living room. “Come, let me show you where you’ll be staying.”

I had noticed how Sakura went barefoot into the living room, leaving her footwear by the door where only a four-foot wide space was not of the same surface material as the rest of the house. Now while I wasn’t accustomed to using chopsticks, I had seen people take off their shoes before entering in the living space of a home in Asian countries, unlike us Americans who go everywhere with our ‘outside’ shoes. So following this knowledge and Sakura’s indirect cue, I undid my own sandals.

The next five minutes, I was given the grand tour of the house and I must admit that I was impressed; it was not only small but also somehow the simple layout of the living room, kitchen, etc, made the place airy and comfortable. What amazed me (I still have not gotten my head around the idea of being a ‘prisoner’) was that I was pretty much at liberty to do whatever I wanted so as long as it was in the house. I suppose I should look at the word ‘prisoner’ in the more liberal sense - I was being treated like a guest.

“So, have your own place?” Sakura asked as we stopped in front of a closed door, which it the one I’m assuming to be the room I’ll be staying in. I shook my head, “no.”

Fortunately (or not), I still lived with my parents. You see, being a poor university student, I could not afford to move out and since I lived near campus, there was no reason to stay in a dorm. The plus side of living at home is that, naturally, I was relieved from paying rent and food. I still needed a part-time job for the things that I needed, such as clothes and other necessities. So while I had the freedom of not worrying about bills, I felt strange by the mere fact that Sakura, who is younger than I am, already owned a home.

“Well, this is the room you’ll be staying in,” Sakura said as she opened the door.

Just like the rest of the house, the room was small and simple; there was a bed, drawer and a small desk that stood under a window. Yep, it was pretty simple and cozy; it certainly beat living in a cell, that’s for sure.

“There’s everything you’ll need in this room; unfortunately, I wasn’t so sure of your clothes, so I couldn’t get you anything.” Sakura commented as she walked over to the drawer, “So for the time being, I placed a couple of spare clothes of mine here for you to wear. Tomorrow, we’ll go and purchase some of your own clothes. Don’t worry about the money; I know you’ll pay me back once you get yourself settled.” She then turned and walked towards the table where a makeshift boy stood, “You’ll find here the necessities you will need as during your stay here.

I took the offered small box containing my toiletries and I was mildly pleased to find a razor amongst the things - yeah, I’m not so fond of fuzzy legs. Ha. “Thanks,” I responded.

“Well then, I should let you go and take a shower. There are some towels in there, feel free to use them.” She finished with a soft smile.

Yeah, not a prisoner but a guest… I like that!

x.X.x

After drying my hair with the towel, I took one last look at myself in the mirror, pleased to see that I look like my old self; thankfully, the clothes Sakura had given me where of the ‘normal’ kind. So while the navy blue shorts was to my liking, the white top was okay and by okay it was a size slightly smaller than my own (too tight around the chest area), but I could live with that. Heh.

And it was then, as I gazed at myself in the mirror that an idea dawned on me.

In this time of age, everyone had access to a telephone… Surely, Sakura would own a phone of her own…

I quickly picked up my stuff; I ran out of the bathroom, into my room, dumped my stuff and ran back out to the living room. Doing so, I must have startled Sakura from the book she was reading, if the aforementioned object on the ground was any indication. “Is something wrong?” She asked.

I mustered a half-smile, “Can I use the phone?” I used my hand to show her what I meant. Clearly, this she had to know!

Nope, she was befuddled.

You can really tell what a person is thinking just by the look they give you and I certainly got a look from her. This cannot be real… With a nervous chuckle, I signaled for the phone. Again, Sakura had no idea what I was talking about. I pinched the bridge of my nose with a sigh. “Please tell me you’re just joking and know what a phone is…”

“What does this exactly mean?” I turned to look at her mimicking what I just did. I would have gawked at her if I did not catch myself, really, I would have; I was also feeling the urge of just screaming how ridiculous this whole thing was.

Instead, I took a deep breath and smiled.

There’s no need to blow my head off just yet; this is merely a mistake and Sakura, after all, knows what a phone is. Perhaps I’m the one who’s not doing it correctly? I mean, it’s already late (haven’t found a wall-clock to confirm that), so that could be playing a part why she’s acting as if she had no clue what a phone was. Yeah, that must be it. So what if she had no idea what the phone signal meant…

This is just too ridiculous…

x.X.x

“Could I ask you one thing?” Sakura asked as we stepped out of the bookstore.

Unlike yesterday when we were literally caught in the downpour, today’s weather was beautiful. Blue skies, white puffy clouds… and had it not been for the buildings that surrounded us, green rolling hills would have completed this prefect scenery. Turning away from the sky, I glanced over to Sakura, nodding in response to her question.

“Let’s go this way - the clothes shops are over here.”

As I followed her lead, I wondered what exactly she wanted to ask of me. Surely, no favors because, frankly, I’m still confused about this village. So far, I have not seen telephone poles -which in turn explained why there was a lack of phone yesterday- but I had seen what appeared to be a computer. Why these people would have one technology and not an everyday object made no sense. I suppose people could live without a telephone if they have the internet, but what if there was an emergency?

“As you have seen yesterday with Kiba, the language you speak is quite unfamiliar to us.” Sakura started, “Frankly, throughout this world we have never come across a village that speaks a language other than the one I’m speaking. This, previously, lead us to believe that you must have come from a rather small, remote, village…”

Previously? How long have I been talked about?

“…I should have told you this yesterday when we left the hospital but, well…”

I glanced over to Sakura and noticed an awkward smile on her face. “Perhaps, you might want to limit speaking to others until you get the hang of our language.”

I quirked an eyebrow, what the hell was this about?! Sure, I’m in a country where they speak another language but clearly, these people should not be shocked by the fact that I speak English. Sure, I’ve agreed to ‘learn’ their language but this was a way to spend my time until this whole thing sorts itself out. No matter what Tsunade or Sakura had said, I will not be staying in this village! Gripping the handle of the shopping bag, I stopped walking. This deserved my whole attention, both mind and body.

Sakura halted and turned, obviously sensing I was no longer following her; clearly taking notice of my posture and reaction, she hurriedly spoke, “I did not mean to offend you but right now is not the perfect time to bring attention to yourself… not with the investigation still pending.”

A pending investigation? For crying out loud, am I that big of an anomaly in this part of the country? Seriously, what was so strange finding some girl lost in the woods? Okay, it’s a given that I don’t speak a word and that there must be a reason why I’m here but… common sense! I’m not a criminal! I don’t have magic powers! I have no idea what the big deal is about chakra!

“Oi, Sakura!” A female voice broke through the tense atmosphere that surrounded us both.

“Great,” Sakura muttered under her breath, her jaws clenched, “just the last person I need to see right now.” With a sigh, she asked me, “A blonde haired girl, dressed in purple, behind me?” I looked over her shoulder and nodded. “Yeah, that’ll be Ino,” she groaned.

“I’ve just heard from Kiba you’re esc--”

“Good morning, Ino.” Sakura interrupted.

So while I could sense that there was some kind of history between the two by the tone of Sakura‘s voice, I could also tell that by looks alone, Ino, was clearly a sociable person. Not only was she not shy wearing some rather revealing clothes (what was it with the fishnets on her elbows?), but that flat stomach of hers, oh wow… Plus, that bubbly personality -- come to think about it that would rub a serious person the wrong way and Sakura was certainly a serious gal…

“Morning,” Ino responded with a smile at the pink-haired girl before she turned to me. “You must be Ari, yes?” The nickname… don’t tell me that’s how the people would start calling me now.

“Ariadna,” Sakura corrected as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Oh, really? I hope you don’t mind me calling you Ari,” Ino commented with a soft chuckle and a slight wave of her hand. “You must be the new person Kiba was telling me about.”

“I thought you guys were on a mission?” Sakura inquired.

“I could also ask the same about you,” Ino shot back with a small grin. “By the way, why are you away from your team?”

“Orders from the Hokage herself,” Sakura answered, “Now what was it about that Kiba told you?”

With a flip of her ponytail, she responded “Something about you escorting someone around the village; I just so happen to have cross path from you, so, I’m curious to know who it might be. After all, not any civilian has an escort.” And with this, she turned to me, “You don’t look like a ninja, so I’m guessing you’re part of some governing body? Hm, you’re fairly young to be part of one tho...”

So not only was Ino an outgoing, physically fit person but outspoken as well…

“Oh, look at the time!” Sakura exclaimed, “We best get going if we are to make it on time to the meeting, Ariadna.”

I could not help but smile at this; Sakura was certainly not eager to expose my identity but having someone snooping around -like Ino- would make it difficult in hiding my true self. What better way to break away from some mundane conversation by stating my appointment with a clothing shop!

I nodded with a smile, “Bye!”

Before there was even a chance for Ino to ask what I’ve just said, I was already steps away from the purple-wearing girl. So, while Sakura had expressed -indirectly- how I should not speak my own language, I will still used the occasional singular word to confuse a person.

Well, only those who don’t know about the “language problem.”

#2 AN

Okay guys, we’re reaching the end of the first cycle of this story, which means there are about two chapters left before the second one begins. By cycle, I do not mean the story will be coming to an end. As you have seen so far, this ‘first cycle’ involves Ariadna going through the experience of living in a rather ‘strange’ universe, meeting its people, etc. Perhaps that’s not a thrill compared to a girl who gets sucked into some adventure at the second day of her stay, but as you know, I’m focusing on reality, so…

Yes, these two part-cycles involve one plotline which will be coming to play in the second part (still following me?).

I’ve been really looking forward to this (second part) for some time now.

Well, that’s about it for now. Thanks for reading!