A Subject's Horror - Book Six

Chapter One

I was the last one standing after even Nathan was shoved through the veil. Tears filled my eyes as my nose burned while I just let the guards pull me forward without fighting.

What was the point when the others were already gone?

From the way Hilton was smirking it seemed that he was taking real joy in my misery, making me want to do something that would make Stacy and Nathan proud.

"I hope karma ruins you," I choked out while finally fighting back my tears as I stood before the veil that had taken the rest of my family. "You deserve nothing but misery."

There was more I wanted to spit at this monster, but I wasn't able to considering the guards took that moment as I gathered breath to shove me forward.

That was the last I could focus on as the world around me faded and nothing, but pain filled me in return.

~ UNKNOWN ~

Shooting up caused me to become unbalanced and fall out of the bed I seemed to have been laying on. Which didn't make sense as the last memory I had was being thrown into the veil.

"Nayu-nee?" called out a small child's voice towards my left making me struggle to sit up and look in that direction, only to freeze in disbelief. "Are you alright?"

Standing there was a child, no older than likely four or five, who had golden messy hair and startling blue eyes.

But it was the three whisker marks on his cheeks that held my attention.

Only one person had that appearance.

Someone fictional at that.

"Naruto?" I asked almost choking on that one name as part of me didn't even want to speak aloud, especially considering how young I myself now sounded.

This had to be a nightmare, if not it meant that Hilton had been right.

"Yes, that's me," answered the child with a bright smile even as he shuffled closer to my frozen form to kneel down and pat my cheek. "You seem to still be sleepy, Nayu-nee."

Nayu, that wasn't a name I was familiar with and yet one this child believed belonged to me.

Meaning not only was I in a fictional world, but as someone else.

Hilton had taken even my identity from me.

"Seems so," I muttered with a shaky smile while shifting only to then have my eyes drawn to crimson locks that fell forward over my shoulder.

It took a moment, and help from Naruto, to gain to my feet and then stagger towards the bathroom. Once again, Naruto had to helpfully point out where it was.

I was lucky he was still so young and didn't question my actions.

Staring back at me for the cracked mirror, in a tiny run-down bathroom, was an unfamiliar little girl. She had long crimson hair and the same startling blue eyes as Naruto.

There were also a set of very feint whisker marks on my cheeks as well.

A shuddering sigh escaped me as I turned on the water and splashed the chilling water onto my face as if hoping it would help wake me up.

Not that it worked in the slightest.

I couldn't change the fact that I was now Uzumaki Nayu, and twin to Uzumaki Naruto, nor could I somehow find a way back to my world and my original body.

There was just something inside me whispering of it being impossible.

The only good news I could take from this is that the others were likely in different worlds as new people. Meaning they were at least alive and that meant the world to me.

Even if it meant I would never see any of them again.

"Feeling better?" asked Naruto the moment I left the bathroom and began to look around the small one room apartment. "Whatcha looking for?"

"Clothes," I answered since I was currently in a pair of ratty sleepwear. "We need to clean this place up better as well."

How they could just allow two children as young as us to just live alone in this tiny apartment was baffling.

Even if I knew it was better than us living on the streets since I remembered it being mentioned that Naruto at a young age had been kicked out of the orphanage.

Something that would have seen the place being shut down and the adults punished in my world.

Though everything that once applied in my original world wouldn't here.

This wouldn't be just about learning how to live as someone else, but also learning to live and accept the new rules and laws of this world.

Meaning I would have to watch what I said.

Part of me feared that I would slip up.

"Okay," agreed Naruto with a light shrug as he sent me another beaming smile. "Where do you want me to start?"

We spent the next two hours cleaning up the small apartment, I even organized the clothes in the closet and in the small dresser set between the two beds.

It seemed we were provided two twin sized beds with a tall dresser placed between them.

We were also given a low table and seat cushions that was in the middle of the room and finally two bookshelves that were set on either side of the bathroom door.

Walking a bit further towards the right leads to the kitchen and then the front door.

The apartment was really small and open spaced, so it was all in one large room.

This left only the bathroom as a single space, something I was grateful for.

I had even asked Naruto in a roundabout way how we got groceries, which seemed to just appear in the kitchen ever two weeks.

That meant it was likely the ANBU bringing them.

Though I knew that would stop by the time Naruto entered the academy.

"Done," I breathed out tiredly while taking in the now clean apartment. "We'll need to reach out to Hokage-jiji about getting more groceries and more fruit options as well."

There were more packets of ramen than anything else already in the apartment.

Though that reminded me that I would need to further get used to being a child before facing the Hokage.

Mainly as he wasn't someone to take lightly, and I couldn't risk him being suspicious of me as that would only end in me being locked up.

That also brought another issue to my mind, was I also a Jinchuriki?

I'd have to figure that out as well and quickly.