Red Lightning Guardian - A Naruto Fan-Fic

Epilogue - Start Of A Quest

Once again, thank you all who stayed with the story from start to finish (even re-reading it LOL) :D

- Akai's P.O.V -

Seven days.

A week has passed since I left the village and let me tell you...I'm beyond glad to be rid of that detestable village.

I was cursed to be in that village. I have experienced nothing but pain since waking up in that village. I didn't even know what awaited me, all I knew was that I had to escape. And subconsciously, I led myself to a den of more suffering.

From my last meeting with Tsunade, I had the suspicion that she figured out who I am even when I kept up the pretence that I was still suffering from amnesia. And even when I was leaving, the feeling within my gut was telling me that she revealing it to someone. And that someone was Kakashi...

Go figure.

The sun shines in the early morning as I stroll through a road shouldered by forests. The birds sing beautifully from their tree top perches and the wildlife scuttles along the ground. I pause and watch as a squirrel scuttles from the forest. It tilts its head inquisitively, its beady eyes watching me while I mirror its movement before running away at a disturbance in the forest. I sigh before continuing on.

The pain of Kakashi's betrayal is still as raw as the day I was told about what he had done. I do not care if it's bad to leave on such negative terms but it couldn't be helped. He made me sick to my stomach. If I'd looked at him before I left, the feeling I felt that day when I found out what he had done would just come back fresh and painful.

I couldn't do that to myself, not after experiencing that painful moment. Especially not after that. He betrayed my trust and I won't be able to forgive, or forget, about that. I don't think I have the will courage to ever do it...

I sigh heavily as I follow the road at a bend, deciding between a crossroads before turning left. Eight days since I regained my memories. All because of Kazue's death at my aunt's hands.

She took everything from me. She killed my parents and took me from my brother, from my Clan, from my home. She raised me to be a killing machine to be of use to her will. She did all of that and still you'd think she'd be satisfied.

But oh, no. She wasn't nowhere near satisfied.

My aunt decided to take the life of my best friend, destroying the only bond I trusted in and wanted. She decided to yet again rip my heart out and crush it, scarring me with the death of another loved one. Couldn't my aunt decide that I've been through enough?

I'll never forget the way my aunt's sword tore through Kazue's chest nor will I ever forget the way Kazue smiled at me, as if he had already succumbed to his fate. I'll never forget the way the light diminished from his vibrant green eyes but more importantly, I'll never forget the way I cried that day.

I don't remember crying so hard and for so long other than the time I witnessed my parents' gruesome end. I cried so much that I left myself with a head splitting migrane that hasn't gone away. That very day, I grew numb but not as numb as I'd hoped. The day when I lost all my feelings was when my aunt made me kill a girl younger than me. And it wasn't a quick kill. She made me kill her brutally, slowly and tortuously. That day did I truly grow numb.