New readers and old readers alike, welcome. Some of you might recognize this story, it's a rewrite of my old fic, Unfounded. I wasn't too fond of the way it was heading, so I took some time off and brought my ideas together. This is a rewrite, a new, updated- and hopefully- better version of Unfounded.

That said, please enjoy the fic.

Your thoughts and reviews are always appreciated, thank you so much.

Disclaimer: The Naruto franchise belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing but my OC and the plot-line of this story.

A special sweet thanks to my beta; without her encouragement, this rewrite would have never happened! And to Star Dreamer Peace who has waited for this for quite some time now, thank you for believing in this story.

PART 1

Chapter 1

Down The Rabbit Hole

Days had passed by.

One after another. With each day, the trees lost more of their leaves. Those once beautifully radiant leaves that hung elegantly on the now bare branches, slowly faded away. The winds were becoming harsher and colder and the land; bleaker. Everything seemed so depressing and lifeless, now that the colours were gone. I could practically remember the faint autumn breezes as if they were just yesterday's flurries. As if the season hadn't passed, but only lingered on in the subtlest of ways.

There really was something about fall that one couldn't help but admire the beauty of the season.

It would have been a sad season if it weren't for the flashy leaves dancing along with the wind. It was always the first autumn leaves that were the most beautiful. The vibrant, lively colours they displayed were nothing short of breath-taking. I would shift my gaze to the sky, a stunning shade of baby blue where clouds scuttled across it and the sun shone through faint bursts every now and then.

But like everything else, it dies and withers away. The wind becomes strong gusts of unbearably cold air. And now-

We were closing in on winter, the first snowflakes were just around the corner. So much time passed me by without so much as realizing it. It was as if time was slipping right between my fingers and I couldn't do anything about it but watch helplessly. Staring through my bedroom window, I couldn't help but realize that there was not a single soul out on the streets— it was unnaturally quiet.

Too quiet in fact.

Although it wasn't completely dark yet, the sun had just set, leaving behind a perfect shade of cerulean blue with a few clouds here and there. My gaze travelled to the black cat perched on the roof of our next door neighbour. It was a strange one, always waiting for me back home, following me back whenever I left, it had been a while and if I didn't know any better, I would have pegged it as a runaway. With a last glance at the kitty, I turned around and sighed.

What am I supposed to do now? I mused, a faint smile crept to my lips.

I had nothing to do and I didn't have many friends, actually now that I thought about it, I didn't have any, all except for one. Though, I considered her more of a sister, one that I never had. But more importantly, a partner in crime.

I honestly couldn't remember who I was before I met her. I wasn't fond of people, and that particular tendency never played well in my favor. It required far too much effort to put in and effort wasn't something I looked forward to doing.

Besides, growing up quiet and keeping things to myself had its perks.

"But this still doesn't answer my question, what am I supposed to do now?" I asked myself.

Talking to myself was something I did all too often. Another habit I could not get rid of.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I looked around my room. Spring cleaning seemed to be long overdue. I sighed again.

Effort was beckoning me.

Great. What should I start with, hmph?

My room wasn't a complete disaster, save for the clusters of random papers piled everywhere; on the bed, on the night stands, beside the bed and the night stands, on the shelves and even stuffed in the closet. Though, my desk seemed to have been hit the worst. A few textbooks laid here and there. Novels stacked upon novels in one corner of the room, I couldn't find any more space for them. A cup or two that once held deliciously hot coffee, was scattered on the wooden table and the dresser underneath the mirror. There was no need in delaying this any further.

…

Weeks passed by without anything eventful really happening. Every day, it was the same old, same old. Wake up, go to school, attend classes, waste time with her and repeat. At some point, I thought that perhaps I had been caught in some sort of cycle of a never-ending loop of drowsiness.

And a never-ending loop it was.

It was nearing six o'clock by the time I got out of school.

It did pour a hell lot, I thought as I was desperately trying to avoid large puddles spread all over the concrete sidewalk. It was completely dark now and the street lights were shining bright.

To say it had rained cats and dogs would be an understatement.

"Thank you Mina, really. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't helped me today," he laughed, rather oddly.

"These papers are due to be handed in tomorrow for the mid-year reports and I don't think I would have been able to correct nearly one hundred papers by then," Mr. Matthew blabbered on nervously while he headed to his car.

At the far corners of my eyes, I could see him rubbing the back of his sandy blonde hair. Memories of the last two hours consisted mainly of both of us sitting oppositely at the desk correcting a shit ton of students exam papers. I couldn't say no unfortunately, I had a hard time refusing tasks given to me. However, I couldn't help but wonder if this was even right, though he kept reassuring me it was fine. There were a considerable amount of awkward small talks and even then, they were a bit unbearable.

"...If you need a car ride, I mean you can— come with," he was saying something but I couldn't quite catch what.

"Hmm?" I gave him a questioning look. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" I clarified.

"I said I can drop you off wherever you're heading since it's- hmm- cold out here and looks like it's about to rain again," he repeated, much more anxiously this time. Apprehension oozed from his voice.

"No, thank you, I can walk. My house isn't very far from here." I declined with a polite smile, as respectfully as one could in that situation.

"Are you sure? I-"

"Yes, I'm sure," I cut him off, not bearing to stand here in the cold parking lot a moment longer.

"Alright, I see," his tone had dropped a pitch at my abrupt refusal.

"Goodbye then," he replied as he opened his car's doors.

"Bye," I answered and started walking in the direction of my house. The roar of the engine deafening at first before it melted with the bustling traffic.

It was a chilly night.

The moon; high up in the sky, shining bright as always. I decided to take a short cut through a park so I could find myself under a warm roof faster, and preferably, sooner.

Halfway through, I stopped momentarily and looked up at the sky.

Beautiful.

The trees were now completely bare and devoid of any life. I suddenly felt a tingling sensation on the tip of my nose. It was faint but it was there. The smallest drop of water. I looked up again, half expecting it to start raining but in its stead I was greeted with the smallest white spots falling ever-so slowly. A wide smiled appeared on my face. I didn't need a mirror to see it.

About time.

Minuscule snowflakes started to fall, one after another. More and more were falling. I was always mesmerized with this scene. No matter how many times I saw it- even if it was every year- it was always new to me, a new sensation, a new feeling. It always made me smile like a child. I was a child again in those moments.

All of a sudden, a loud snap had caught my attention, the sounds of twigs breaking. It pulled me out of my musing. I turned around to see what the commotion was about but it was too dark, too obscure to notice anything. Yet, I had heard a soft meow.

"Huh?" I narrowed my eyes, trying to adjust them to see in this darkness. I could see a shadow move behind the trees. In a blink of an eye, I was met with familiar yellow orbs. For a short moment, I disbelieved my own vision, preferring my own concoction of a reason, as the bullshit excuse it was, than to the sight I was gifted with.

That same black and soft fur was shared with thousands of other cats. But its slitted eyes, the lucid yellow globes—

I heard it meow again. Louder this time. It really was the cat.

How could it have followed me here?

As I started to walk away, it meowed again. As if though trying to catch my attention. I turned around to see it already heading back into the dense area of trees, making the same sounds that would normally have my knees weak.

If I had had better judgement at that single, decisive moment; then perhaps, what would happen next would have saved me from the countless decisions that would lead my life into a downwards spiral and into another's grasp, one that wasn't my own.

For the next thing I knew—

I was falling. To my horror, I had fallen through the damp leaves, through what should have been a solid ground and into...into absolute nothingness.

I just kept falling and falling like there was no end. Everything was deadly silent except for my shattering screams. There was no time for fear to settle in before I suddenly hit a cold stony surface. For a moment I couldn't feel any pain, couldn't understand what was going on. My mind was hazy and my yells had ceased, not a cry escaping my lips. And it was then, that the pain kicked in, as immense and unbearable as it was. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs but I couldn't. I didn't know what prompted me or how I was even able to turn and lay on my back, but I did.

And as I did, I saw a small furry creature with wide yellow eyes staring down at me from what seemed like miles above an ocean of blackness. The last image I could see was of the waning silver moon shining down upon us and that black thing fading into thin air.

Slowly, I could feel my consciousness slipping away.