Disclaimer: Elements from the animes used in this story (DBZ and Naruto) belong to their respect owners, Akira Toriyama and Masashi Kisimoto. OC's and most plot elements that aren't canon with Naruto belong to me. Enjoy!

Everything after the explosion was a haze. It had been an intense fight with some random demon-like stranger who'd attacked her out of nowhere. Somehow, she'd managed to hold her own without needing to transform at all, and how that was possible, she didn't know. That demon was relentless. And then there was the light, the thunderous noise, and the pain. It was a kind of intensity she'd never felt before, even in all of her years fighting. And then, darkness.

The subsequent memories were sparse, broken. Those moments in which she had clarity were few and far between the darkness that'd seemed to become normalcy for her. She'd awoken once, only to find she was immersed in darkness, save for a dim light above her head.

There were voices. "Hey, she's awake."

"Didn't you give her the drug?"

"Yea, three hours ago."

"Interesting…"

She tried to speak. Working her mouth and trying to form the words felt like she was trying to mold water. She'd never felt so disoriented in her life; it was almost as if she was outside her body, trying to manipulate it like a marionette.

"Wh… where 'm… wh…"

Then there was a prick in her arm, and she spiraled away, falling into some dreamless abyss that she couldn't get away from.

The last truly clear memory was that of those same voices again, this time arguing:

"I told you to give her more!"

"I did! It wasn't enough!"

"Then increase it again!"

"But the amount she already gets would kill a grown man! If we give her more, she might die!"

A rustling, a startled shout, and the sound of someone being slammed up the wall, followed by a low-toned, threatening voice.

"Well then, I guess she wasn't a good product, now was she?"

Another prick, more darkness.

After that, there were occasional bouts of something. Flashing lights and faraway shouting. Sometimes, she would feel pain, and she grew confused. Why does it hurt what's hurting me I don't understand stop it stop hurting me get away from me! It became survival; she'd lash out until the attacks ceased and then everything would just drift away.

So much time passed, or had it? She didn't know, she couldn't know. She didn't even know if she was awake; she never felt hunger, never felt thirst, never felt fatigue. She simply was. Or maybe she wasn't; perhaps this was the Afterlife and the explosion had killed her after all. But, this wasn't what her father had once described to her. It wasn't even how he'd described Hell. Where was she?

"… Sorry… th… me."

Who's there? The voice, distant yet close, drifted to and fro. It floated through the fog she was lost in, and she desperately sought to catch it, frantic to find an anchor in whatever reality she was stuck in. Reaching out, she found her hands grabbing hold of something, and tightened her grip, terrified of letting go. That something was a hand, which returned her squeeze before releasing her.

No! Don't leave me! Had she said that aloud? She didn't know. She just needed help, someone to rescue her, a way out, anything.

"Stay strong… it will all be over soon.

…

Everything came back to her excruciatingly slowly, as if she were inching her way out of whatever black hole she'd fallen into. Her vision returned with the speed of a snail, her surroundings rolling and spinning to the point of vertigo. The sound of dripping water was muddled at first. Scent returned shortly after, and she was met with an onslaught of various aromas, including the mustiness typical of caverns and the stench of decaying bodies.

Eventually, she came to, and was stricken at the sight that greeted her. She was in some kind of underground arena, poorly lit by spaced-out torches. The rocky cave walls were damp, water from some unknown source trickling down from the ceiling to the floor. There were bodies everywhere, each it its own stage of decomposition.

Truth be told, she was barely in better shape; emaciated, severely dehydrated and almost too weak to move. And she was covered in blood.

She could only stare, horrified. There was far too much of it to be hers, even with the various festering wounds on her being. Had it come from the bodies now littering the ground? How? What happened?

She didn't want to think about it, every time she tried to remember, only screaming and pain came to mind. There were only so many conclusions that were plausible. Did… did I do this? Oh god… what happened? What have I done?

She had to get out of here, find help, find answers. Where 'here' was, she had no idea. She just wanted to go home.

The easiest way to find a starting point was to simply locate her brother; powerful and easy to pick up without even trying. Gohan was one of the world's strongest, ascending before she did, which was funny because she was the twin who obsessed on following in their father's footsteps, while he was the twin who was always more peace-loving and willing to allow their mother to push him towards academics. They were the epitomes of a 'mama's boy' and a 'daddy's girl.'

So, with this idea in mind, she reached out, searching for his ki signature, only to find that there wasn't a trace of his presence on the globe.

She froze at this piece of new information, and her heart plummeted to the ground, the rush of anxiety nearly causing her to collapse. What… what the hell was that supposed to mean? That wasn't right. It was a fluke, right? It had to have been a fluke Gohan was one of the most powerful fighters on the planet he wouldn't no he couldn't just up and disappear why is he gone I can't sense him he's GONE.

She tried again, only to have the same results. Not here not there not anywhere why I don't understand if I can't sense him that would only mean that he…

No no no no no no that's a lie that's impossible. There's was no way, had to be some kind of explanation aside from that.

Her mother's ki signature, though significantly weaker since she was human, still should've been traceable. It wasn't. There wasn't even a sign of baby Goten.

Why? Why? Where were they? Where's my family! They can't be gone what is this no I refuse to believe this where are they are they hurt I need to find them!

Growing desperate, the half-Saiyan expanded her search. Vegeta, Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, Krillen, Master Rochi… even Bulma and baby Trunks.

They're all gone.

Why? Why were they…? That wasn't a coincidence. Where had they gone? There had to be someone, somewhere that she knew, something, anything!

"S… SOMEBODY!" Her voice was hoarse, cracking and sore from misuse. Her plea echoed off the walls, filling the emptiness of the arena. It was pointless, she realized. No one would be able to hear her all the way down here. Anybody… is anybody still out there, somewhere? I just need someone…

Sasuke…

It was sort of unexpected that he came to mind; he was completely unaware of her inherited powers, let along the kinds of adventures she'd been through. But, surely he wouldn't have disappeared as well?

Once again, this time apprehension gripped her as she, almost tentatively, reached out. What if he too was gone? What if everyone was gone? What would she do then?

Distantly, however, she found his presence.

The fact that it seemed he was ridiculously far away didn't matter. But the fact that someone was alive, someone she knew… the burden that had settled on her shoulders lessened just enough.

He was in Konoha, surely? It didn't matter. She would travel in his direction until she came across either him or something familiar. All that mattered was getting home.

Standing took a Herculean effort, and even then she stumbled, slamming into the nearby cave wall with a whimper of pain as her whole body ached. Leaning heavily against the wall, she began to lurch forward, chest heaving with the effort as every muscle screamed in protest.

She'd never felt so weak.

How was it possible for a half-Saiyan to reach the point where they could barely walk? Granted, there had been moments where she'd been beaten to that point, but, if being beaten was the cause of this…

No, it wasn't. Because being beaten wouldn't leave her bone thin, nor would it leave her parched to the point of slightly delusional. Because being delusional was the only explanation as to why she couldn't sense any of her family and friends. Just how long had she been here?

Hours seemed to pass before she reached the surface, finding herself in some kind of forest. The crisp, fresh air was heavenly, and it gave her some solace through all the pain and misery she was in. Still, she had no idea where she was.

She trudged on, stumbling from tree to tree. Her stomach felt like it was eating itself and it was causing her head to spin like never before. But she'd only managed to walk several yards before her knees suddenly gave out, and before she knew it, her face smashed into the ground.

She turned her head to the side and choked on a sob. She couldn't pick up her arms to drag herself forward, they felt like lead weights. Everything just hurt so much, and she was just exhausted. Was she… was she going to die?

It was night, but even that was beginning to slowly fade away. She continued to quietly cry. Everyone was gone… but they're not they can't be… The pain was nearly unbearable. There wasn't any hope… she really was going to die.

Papa…

...

Blackness. It covered her mind like a thick blanket, shielding her from the coldness of reality. It was comforting, in a strange way, and she would have rather liked to stay in this sheltered state for the rest of all eternity. But, subtly, noises and sensations began to reawaken her senses and tug her back to the present.

There was a steady beeping noise to her right; just above her head… was she lying down? The surface underneath her was heavenly compared to where she'd been sleeping prior. She felt warmth covering her. Her body was tremendously sore, and her head ached, giving her the impression that she had a fever. There were voices talking next to her in hushed tones. They sounded familiar, but she couldn't associate them with names or faces.

Although her eyelids felt swollen, she slowly cracked them open, feeling her headache intensify from the bright lights glaring down at her. At once, the voices stopped, and other than the beep, it was quiet.

"She's awake," a voice observed. Looking over, she immediately recognized the faces of Hatake Kakashi and the Sandaime Hokage.

"Where…" she managed to whisper. Her throat felt dry and sore; just speaking took gargantuan effort.

"You're in Konoha," Kakashi answered, his voice gentle and… sympathetic. What had happened? Why was she here? How had she gotten here?

Had it all been a dream?

"Juri."

Juritsu looked up at the Hokage after he called her by that familiar nickname. His smile was kind, reassuring. "How are you feeling, Juritsu?"

"… Tired," she replied, her voice still raspy from misuse.

"You've been sleeping for the past week and a half. Your ribs are healed fully, and the infected wounds are almost cleared up. The nurse told me you should be free to go in around three days."

Juritsu nodded slowly, head still buzzing and heavy. Almost immediately, she remembered the most important thought, and she glanced around, before her eyes settled on her two visitors.

"Where are they?" she asked quietly, hopefully.

Almost automatically, Kakashi and the Hokage glanced at each other knowingly. In that instant, it gave Juritsu the answer that she had been denying ever since she had first failed to sense them. And even though in her heart, she already knew, she still waited, still hoped that she was wrong and that her mother was in reality too busy with Gohan and baby Goten to come visit her in the hospital. But she would come and visit as soon as they had the time, and she would bring her back home and cook her favorite meal and things would be as close to normal as it could ever get…

And then, Kakashi looked at her, locked his gaze with hers, and she knew, at that point, that it was all over.

At first, she felt nothing, as if she were completely numb. And then, gradually, it felt like everything inside of her was being sucked away in to a black hole. Soon, she felt completely empty, save for the tight feeling in the chest, which could be compared to having her heart in an iron fist with a tightening grip. That was when her eyes began to sting, and soon her vision blurred with tears. The only thing she could do was keep her widened eyes locked with Kakashi's, not even feeling it as the tears trickled down her cheeks. She barely felt it, barely noticed it when Kakashi placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," His voice sounded heavy, understanding, and above all, deeply saddened.

It's not true… it's a lie. Abruptly, she threw herself from his grasp, from her bed, tore out of the room. She didn't even feel it as the IV needles ripped out of her arms. Her body screamed in protest, but she ignored that, like she ignored the surprised shouts and calls from whoever noticed her pass through. She burst out the main doors and into the sun. It was a nice day; it was too nice for her family to be dead. It was just physically impossible.

She nearly fell turning a corner, and barely noticed that she had bumped shoulders with a stranger. The next thing she knew, her shoulder was being grabbed tightly, stopping her in her tracks.

"Watch where you're going, kid. I've have a bad enough day with other shrimps like you pissing me off, and I just might take my anger out on you."

Juritsu barely noticed the other two people accompanying the strange boy with purple paint on his face; she was too focused on him. He gave her a strange look – most likely he was confused about the frantic look she was giving him.

"LET ME GO!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, startling him into loosening his grip and she took off again, not paying heed to their surprised shouts. She didn't stop running, sprinting even after she found her self on the familiar road to her home in the more peaceful part of the village. And then she saw it – her house. It looked completely normal. The clothes weren't hanging out. Her mother must have already washed the laundry. There wasn't any smoke coming through the chimney, but it was summer, so there wasn't a need for a fire. She was right; they really were lying.

She threw open the door, not caring that it slammed against the wall.

"Mama! I'm back…" Her voice trailed off and her eyes widened in horror at the sight that met her eyes.

The living room was in shambles, and dried blood coated the walls and floor in splashes of dulled red. Everything froze in time and the only thing she could think was oh god why is there blood on the walls WHY IS THERE BLOOD ON THE WALLS it can't be no it's impossible they can't be dead where's Mama and Gohan and Goten please I know I didn't feel them but it's a lie where are they why can't I find them THEY CAN'T BE DEAD!

She sank to her knees, barely able to comprehend what she was staring at. Then, squeezing her eyes shut, she let out a long and bloodcurdling scream, her hands clutching her hair tightly before she buried her face into them and began sobbing outright.

She sensed a presence suddenly appear, and then a hand on her shoulder. It was Kakashi, who had caught up to her.

"Juri… I'm sorry," his voice was full of sorrow and he picked her up to her feet and held her comfortingly, albeit a little awkwardly. Kakashi wasn't one to give out hugs, but judging from the situation, a hug, at the very least, was needed.

"It's not true!" she shrieked in between hiccups, "This is just a sick joke! Where are they?! I want them back!"

Her knees gave out, all of the adrenaline and strength from before disappearing in an instant, and she fell forward into the Copy Ninja's arms. Her head began to spin and her chest was feeling far too tight and she couldn't breathe she couldn't breathe she was going to die right here and join her family in the Afterlife. Everything was spinning, spiraling away into darkness once again.

"Juri… Oi, Juritsu, are you alright?" Kakashi's voice was starting to fade away too, "Hang in there!"

It was too late for that.

...

"Kakashi-sensei, you're late again!" Naruto yelled as the silver-haired Jounin appeared.

"Sorry, you guys," Kakashi replied, holding his hands up in defeat, "I had to take care of a troubled girl…"

"YOU'RE LYING!"

"Actually, this time I'm being honest."

"So you're saying that every other time you've been late, you were late for no real reason!" Sakura spoke up, clearly more than just a little annoyed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the whole display. Really, how much more idiotic could his team mates be?

"Where would a troubled girl come from, anyway?" Naruto half-pouted.

"She's lived here in Konoha her whole life, you know," Kakashi replied, "She had disappeared a few months ago, and about a week ago, she miraculously reappeared one night. She's had to take in a lot, so it's been hard."

Sasuke glanced over at his sensei, slightly interested at the piece of information that Kakashi was generous enough to share.

"So where is she now?" Sasuke spoke up skeptically.

"After she passed out, I brought her back to the hospital."

Naruto and Sakura had immediately piqued at this information.

"She's in the hospital?" Sakura asked, "Is she alright? And… wait… you had to bring her back to the hospital? She ran away from the hospital?"

"She passed out? You did something perverted didn't you!"

The last comment was from Naruto. Kakashi stared at Naruto blankly.

"You think I'm that type of person?" he spoke up, "That's cruel."

When the blonde made to speak up, Kakashi quickly cut him off; "I didn't call you guys out here just to gossip. We've got things to do today, and I don't feel like wasting all day just chatting. Let's get to it."

Naruto and Sakura sulked for a bit, knowing that he brought that up just to escape their probing. Sasuke, on the other hand, grew slightly suspicious. Kakashi hadn't leaked all of that information on accident; it was almost as if he wanted them to go find out what was going on for themselves. Why couldn't he just do the easy thing and tell them outright? It would've made everything much easier.

As they set out, Sasuke asked a single question. "Do we know her?"

Kakashi glanced over at his student, an unreadable glint in his only visible eye.

"Yes, you do," he answered, his tone serious, "You all do."

There was no more discussion after that.

...

He already had a feeling that he knew who Kakashi was talking about. But that wasn't stopping him from walking towards the hospital. He just needed to confirm it, just wanted to make sure that it wasn't who he thought it was.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke valiantly fought down the wave of irritation. That pink-haired gnat really seriously needed to get a life.

"I'm going down to the hospital too. Do you want to walk together?"

How did she realize it? Was she, in reality, an observant kunoichi?

"I don't care," he replied offhandedly. She probably was going to follow him regardless, anyway.

He tuned out her senseless blabbering and retreated deep into thought. What if it was her? What then? She had left without even a warning. Didn't even tell him anything, and they were supposed to be best friends, weren't they? He understood that they weren't the stereotypical best friends, who always hung out with each other and spent every waking moment together. That had changed after that fateful night at the Uchiha compound. But they still trusted each other, didn't they?

The glass doors to the hospital slid open as they approached, and the two shinobi walked over to the receptionist's desk.

"We're here because we heard about the girl who returned after missing for several months," Sasuke informed the woman.

"Do you mean Son Juritsu?"

Sasuke blanched. He noticed Sakura's widened eyes and assumed she came to the same conclusion.

It was her. She had returned?!

"Which room is she in?" he suddenly demanded, almost forcefully. It startled the receptionist, but warily, she gave him the number and directions. He almost left Sakura behind as he took off down the hall.

It couldn't be her. She had disappeared without a trace; those who didn't claim she was dead claimed she was a traitor to Konoha! How and why did she return out of the blue?

Go up to the third floor. He took the stairs two at a time. Make a left and go to the end of the hall, then turn right.

"Sasuke-kun, wait up!"

The room was at the end of the hall on the left…

He burst through the door, panting heavily. It was only an instant later that he took in the sight of the girl.

Juritsu was sound asleep on her bed, dark circles under her eyes. They stood out on her paled skin. It almost didn't look like her. But he knew. It was.

He walked slowly to her bed-side, still staring at her unconscious form incredulously. She hadn't so much as stirred. Most likely, she had been knocked out with some sort of sedative. But still… this didn't look like the Juritsu he had known for so many years.

"Sasuke-kun! Why didn't you…" Sakura voice trailed off into a gasp. She hurried over and knelt next to Juritsu's form, carefully cupping a cheek. The skin was cool and clammy to the touch.

"S-Sasuke-kun, is this really Juri-chan? She's so thin!" she whispered in horror. As he nodded wordlessly, she continued, "Oh, Juri-chan! What happened to you?! This doesn't look like the old you at all!"

"Too much happened," Sasuke answered stonily. Though inside, he was asking the same question.

What in the world did you do to yourself, Juritsu?

Too much had happened to her, and most likely, she'd never be the same again.

"Ah, I didn't think you would come so quickly."

Sakura and Sasuke snapped to attention, whirling around to find their team leader.

"What do you really know about all this, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, clearly angry that the silver-haired Jounin hadn't just come clean about the fiasco in the first place.

"Not much," was the apologetic reply, "She was found by some travelers some miles away, and luckily she was recognized as missing when she was brought to authorities. The Hokage was informed, and she was brought here, two weeks ago."

Sasuke went back to watching her sleep. It was unnerving, seeing her hooked up to so many machines, let alone her physical condition. Regardless of the problems she faced, she had always come across to him, and most likely to everyone else, as a strong, unbreakable warrior.

It seemed that it was no longer the case. But to think that something had hurt her to such an extent, knowing her sheer willpower was one of her greatest aspects, it seemed unreal. It reminded him of the immediate aftermath of the massacre. He had been a broken shell of his former self. He wondered if she would turn out the same way too. Would she finally understand him then?

"Anyway, just be sure to take care of her. She'll have a ways to go before she catches up with you guys."

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Should she choose to pursue her original goals of becoming a strong kunoichi, I've already offered to take her into our cell."

"That would make us a five-man cell," Sasuke spoke up immediately, "The normal size is four, and you know it."

"I do, but we also know that one more person didn't make a cell less effective. She'll be a good addition, and besides. Out of your peers, she knows you three best. I'm sure she'll settle in nicely."

Watching Juritsu sleep was enough to distract him from the details Kakashi was going into. Her assimilation into Team Seven probably wasn't going to be an issue. Getting over the shock of seeing her in such a state would take some time.

You've got a long road ahead of you, Juritsu.

A/N: My god this is a long chapter. So you know, the rest of them probably won't be as long. The next chapter is in the works; I've got a little bit of a couple scenes. We'll see if I have the time to write more. I've moved to Arizona, and just started my two year Master's program (OMFG). I'm super pumped; I've never been out this far before (it's gorgeous!), and I'm looking forward to this program. But I'll do my best to update soon!