What the hell…?” Sasuke Uchiha, one of the last two Uchihas, wielder of the Sharingan, Adonis made flesh (to some), and all round egotistical jerk (to most) looked around the desert he found himself in. Around him mesa’s and rocks jutted out of the ground like the fossilized limbs of long dead insects.
Where’s the valley? Where’s Na…? Sasuke stopped at the thought of his former team mate.
Very former.
Naruto Uzumaki was dead. By his hand.
It shouldn’t matter. It was, after all, the only reason he let the dead last get close to him. To kill him. To achieve the perfect Sharingan. The Mangekyou.
And that didn’t even work, Sasuke thought grudgingly. But that wasn’t why he regretted his actions. If only It were that simple. No, Naruto, in his typical fashion, had gotten the last word. And, in typical Naruto fashion, they were profound, ground shaking and enough to send all of Sasuke’s beliefs down the drain.
‘Y-you didn’t it, Sasuke. Th-this means y-you’ve got that u*cough*ltimate Sharingan, right? So…you don’t ha-*cough**cough*have to go to Orochimaru. You ha…the power to…kill your brother… Gi-give him one for me…’
“Naruto…” Sasuke whispered. “Why did you…?”
“Hey, kid, you alright?” Sasuk’s head snapped up, looking around as he dropped into a defensive stance. “Up here,” Sasuke looked to the top of the nearby rock, only to find no one. “Little higher…” Sasuke looked above the rock and let out a loud gasp. “How ya doin’ shugah?”
“Y-you’re… flying!” The brown haired girl, dressed in a black jacket with a yellow and blue one piece jumpsuit underneath. Around her waist was a red belt with an ‘X’ on the buckle.
“Ya noticed that,” she said lowering to the ground. “Name’s Kitty Pryde. An’ you are?”
“S-Sasuke Uchiha,” oh for Kami’s sake he sounded like Hinata! He was an Uchiha, dammit!
“Well, nahce to meet ya, Sasuke, Uchiha,” she said. “C’mon. The other’s are waiting.”
“Others?” Sasuke asked as they began to walk…west, he thought. “What others?”
“You found another one, Rogue?” Sasuke looked up again. This time there was a man with a mask covering his eyes, dressed in a black and blue suit, as tight as Kitty’s. On his chest was a S in a shield of yellow, completely out of sorts with the rest of his costume. Around his waist was a belt that seemed to hold various pouches.
“Yeah, he seems to be the last one, shugah,” Kitty said. “Any closer to figurin’ out where we are?”
“No,” he sighed. “There’s nothing for at least a hundred miles in either direction.”
“So we just starve out here?” Sasuke’s turned to the speaker, a man in a completely black suit, a mask with large white eyes covering his entire head. A white spider motif covered his chest and back. “Great. And we thought life sucked back home.”
“We were gathered for a reason, Spider,” a red haired lady, leaning against a rock, said. She was dressed in tight pants and boots, with a white shirt. One her wrist was an odd bracelet that almost seemed…alive. “All we need do is wait. That reason will be revealed soon enough.”
“Who the hell are you people?” Sasuke demanded. “Where are we? What’s going on here?”
“We don’t know yet,” the flying man said as he touched down. “As for names. I’m Nightwing. The guy in black is Spider.”
“Just Spider, thank you very much,” was the response from Spider, his tone flat, almost asking for them to add something.
“Over there you have Sara Pezini…”
“Wielder of the Witchblade,” Sara responded.
“Right,” Nightwing said. “Sitting next to the rock over there is…”
“Tommy,” Sasuke watched the young man he hadn’t noticed before stand up, dressed in black pants and a green singlet top, holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you,” Sasuke shook the hand, noticing the firm grip.
“You know Rogue,” Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her.
“Rogue?”
“Ciode name,” Kitty said, looking off in the distance. “Don’t ask, shugah. Ah ain’t tellin’.”
“And you?” Nightwing asked.
“Sasuke Uchiha,” he said.
“Nice name,” Spider teased. “Get it from an anime?”
“Let’s get one thing straight,” Sasuke said, his Sharingan flaring. “I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t know you. I’m in a really bad mood my…my best friend just died because of me and you will be next if you bug me.”
“You wanna try us small fry?” Spider challenged. Sara shook her head.
“Children, “ she chided as Sasuke began making hand seals.
“That will do, gentlemen!” A strong, commanding, female voice echoed around them. A flash of green light appeared in the centre of the group before it cleared, leaving a blond young woman in what seemed to be green armour. “We’re not here to measure who has the bigger gear. We have a job and I really don’t want to have to go find new members th9is early in the game.”
“It’d be nice if we knew what this game is,” Tommy said wryly, his body tense. “Who are you?”
“Glad you asked, Tommy,” the woman said. “My names Buffy, formerly vampire Slayer and currently Omniversal Guardian. And I need your help.”
“Your names Buffy?” the Spider snorted.
“Considering I could send you right back into the middle of where you were before I brought you here, Mr Parker I suggest you keep judgment on my name to yourself,” the Spider sobered immediately. “Any other comments? No. Good, ZI’m glad we got that out of the way.”
“Why are we here…Buffy?” Sasuke asked slowly.
“Simple,” she said. “I need champions. I saw something that might work. I chose you.”
“For what?” Nightwing asked.
“To be my Exiles,” she said. “To travel from world to world, maintaining a balance in the Omniverse and generally being heroes.”
“What’s in it for us?” Kitty asked.
“You help me, I help you,” Buffy said simply. “You do as I ask, and I, and this team, help you fix the little snares in your own personal timelines,” Sasuke looked around him. Each of them seemed in deep thought, remembering something that needed to be fixed, ghosts that haunted them.
He knew the feeling, But…was it possible…?
“You can save Naruto?” he asked. Buffy nodded, honest feelings shining in her green eyes. Sasuke took a breathe. Naruto… “I’m in.”
“And I,” Sara said. A chance to erase her mistakes and, perhaps, her ‘mentor’.
“Trips to other realities, saving the world, possible death and dismemberment…sound like home,” Spider said almost jovially. “Why not?”
“Sounds like a good deal,” Kitty agreed. Tommy nodded. Perhaps he could save them…save her.
“Alright, we’re in,” Nightwing said softly, his hand brushing the shield on his chest. “When do we start.”
Right after I do this…” Buffy said, releasing a green flame from her hand which wrapped around Nightwings wrist, transforming into a gold band with a large gem fixed to it. “That’s the Tallus. It’s how I’m going to be able to communicate with you and tell you what the deal is.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Nightwing said.
“Nice bracelet,” Soider teased.
“Now you’re ready,” Buffy said, waving her hand. Green fire covered each of them, taking them to where they were needed. “Good luck to all of you. The fate of the Omniverse rests on you.”
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