Crossing Over (#2 In Shifting Series)

Promises, Promises

One Year Later...

 Melissa clinched her hand at her side.  It was the fifth time her new manager "accidentally" brushed against her ass while doing inventory in the back.  She sent a narrowed look at him from the corner of her eye.  She needed this job, but she had about had it with his "hands on" approach. Men like him should never be promoted into a position of power over people that were barely making it to survive.  It created an instant no win situation.

He was an ugly piece of shit on top of it.  His almost bald head had the greasiest look with the haphazard comb over.  He sweated profusely and was a good hundred pounds overweight.  She wasn't the only female he would touch inappropriately.  They had lost a few workers over the last three months because of his wandering hands.  The bastard would also say some of the most inappropriate things imaginable.  He was REPULSIVE in every way a human could be repulsive.  How did someone like him ever become a manager?  If she was the person hiring, she would have never given someone so obviously sleazy a job of power.

"Hmm. Why so frowny Woods?  Those lips of yours should be turned up or better yet opened wide," he chuckled to her right.

That was it!  She started to turn towards him to let him have it when he abruptly patted her on the ass, his hand lingering in a stroke.  Not quite a goose but it was close enough.  The disgust turned to fury.  She had managed to keep her temper to a small simmer, but it now boiled with a fury that she had not experienced in a long while.  She had been victimized enough as a kid, the hell she was going to be victimized by someone that looked like they literally had crawled out of the gutter. She did not even think as she reared her arm back and leveled a solid punch to his bulbous nose, receiving a satisfying crunch in the process.

He howled, bending over as blood spurt out.  "Oh, you are so fired!  Better yet, I'm going to have your ass arrested for assault!"

"Do it you disgusting piece of shit!" She snarled at him, "I'll make sure everyone knows just what kind of slime you are!"

Melissa walked out of the back, her hand shaking.  She took the pin off her chest and threw it at her co-worker, Donna, behind the counter.  "Good luck with that pervert!"

She was shaking all over as she got behind the wheel of her little silver Nissan.  She probably shouldn't have hit him, but boy did it feel good. Shit, she should have gave him a couple more good hits so he would think twice about doing it again in the future. She started her car and drove across town to her home, only then noticing her knuckles were a little sore from the punch.  Reality started to also sink in.  She wouldn't be surprised if he did call the cops on her.  Slime like him always seemed to get away with what they did.

"I hate men," she muttered under her breath.

It was not the first time someone in authority had come onto her inappropriately.  It was the first time she had punched one of them though.  She pulled into her driveway and got out of the vehicle.  She expected the cops to show up any time.  She went inside and sat down on the couch to wait.  Max hopped up on her lap and she absently ran her hands along the soft white and blond coat of fur as she thought about the consequences that would follow the loss of her temper.  Not only did she lose her job, but she also now most likely had the cops heading her way.

"Damn, I really got myself into something now," she muttered.

It would be hard to prove that he was being a creep.  It would not be hard to prove she assaulted him since she was pretty sure she had broken his nose.  It was her experience that women didn't usually come out on top in he said, she said cases.  No one had ever believed her before in the past.  Why would they start now? 

"I don't care, it felt good to bust his nose," she muttered to herself, refusing to feel bad about punching the bastard. "He will think twice before he paws another girl."

Melissa heard a car pull up out front.  After a moment a door opened and closed.  She stood, holding her little dog in her arms before peeking out the window.  She cursed under her breath, seeing the uniformed officer coming up the walkway.  Fuck.  Damn they didn't waste any time, did they?  

A strange sensation rolled over her and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.  She felt a breeze roll across her skin, as if she was outside.  She turned away from the window and watched in shock as the air in front of her rippled before it abruptly split open in what looked like a window outside.  Her mouth dropped open as she looked at the glowing opening and she could not help herself from stepping closer.  She had always been more curious than scared of the unknown.  What looked like an open field greeted her gaze from the other side and it was so bright from the sun shining overhead.

Pounding on the door behind her made her jump. "Melissa Woods, open up it's the police!" 

She looked over her shoulder then back to the opening.  Her eyes widened as she saw a familiar face now on the other side.  "Sarah?!"  She laughed at the absurdity of what she was seeing.  Did she die?  What in the hell was she looking at? Behind her, she could hear the officer yelling her name again as he pounded on the door.

Sarah laughed and extended her hand to her.  "Come on, Melissa..."

More pounding on the door behind her.  She looked back once more then reached her free hand towards the image of her friend.  Their hands connected and abruptly Sarah pulled her through the opening. She tightened her grip on her fur baby, Max, and broke through to another world.  The sweet smell of spring hit her immediately as did the warmth of the sun.  It had been winter in her own world, gray and dreary.  Much like the state of her emotions at the time.  She blinked as she looked around at wonder then back to the smiling face of her best friend and sister.

"Oh my God... what just happened?  Sarah?  Did that really just happen?" Melissa asked, wanting to know if she was crazy or not.

Sarah was laughing as she looked at her expression. Melissa was certain that she was hallucinating. Did she have a mental breakdown?  Her friend looked... different.  Other than the fact that she was no longer chubby, she almost looked... older?  Her eyes were also no longer shadowed, and she appeared almost at peace.  It was the happiest she had ever seen her actually and despite the fact that she looked older, she looked much better!

Sarah tilted her head to the side with a smile, "Yes!  Guess where you are at?"

Melissa turned to look around the open field once more.  She leaned her head back as she watched a man, two little boys, and a small dog running around in the distance.  The man looked vaguely familiar... She gasped as she took in the mask and the clothing he was wearing.

"I promised you if I ever got here, I would bring you, didn't I?"  Sarah said beside her, her eyes also on the group that was now coming back towards them fast.  "Sorry it took so long but I haven't been able to control my Ninjutsu very well until recently."

Melissa literally felt her mouth drop open as she took in the man wearing a mask, spiky silver hair jutting out above a Leaf Village headband, and a scar running from his eyebrow to his cheek.  She turned and looked at Sarah.

"Is that?"

Sarah grinned, a devilish twinkle in her hazel brown and green eyes.  She looked like she was almost preening.  The group reached them by then and there was no mistaking who was in front of her even as Sarah confirmed it with, "Yes.  Melissa meet Kakashi Hatake and those two are our sons, Obito and Tiberius."

Melissa's mouth was hanging open and she even set Max down in her stunned shock.  Sarah was laughing next to her and even poked her to bring her out of her stupor.  She lowered her voice as she leaned in towards her.

"I know we both wanted him but what do you think about meeting Iruka? Or one of the other hotties?"

Melissa stared at Kakashi for a moment before a grin crossed her features.  She was really in Naruto?  She looked over at Sarah, "You're speaking my language now!"

They both laughed and Kakashi gave them a strange look.  He tilted his head to the side, "Sarah, mind telling me who this is and what is going on?"