Red Eyes (Naruto FanFic)

Chapter 1 - The Red of The Undead

Konoha used to be a place where the sun shined bright, children laughed and played and it seemed as if everything was perfect.

And maybe it was still that way. But to two teams of Konoha, the sky would never look the same and the people would never smile as bright. No, for team Kakashi and Team Ibiki, the world was dark and a place of loss.
Sasuke Uchiha, marked a traitor of the Leaf village. A man full of revenge, a man with a dream and a promise to himself and family he used to know once upon a time. A promise of revenge, a promise of death.

And Akai Hozuki. A girl who never believed in the way of the ninja, a girl who made her life out of stealing and being an outcast. But a girl who came to love her team, who would give up her life for her team. Akai was more than just a team member on Team Ibiki, no, she became everyone's friend. No matter the amount of picking she did, no matter the pranks she pulled and the anger she had every once in a while.

After the leaving of one, and the death of the other, Konoha was never the exact same. From Team Kakashi, Naruto left with The Toad Sage in an attempt to be stronger, for he vowed that he would bring Sasuke back. And Sakura, she trained under the Fifth Hokage, learning to be just a strong so one day she could bring back her forgotten love.

For Team Ibiki, Shin and Akito continued to grow stronger in memory of their fallen member. They continued to create memories that would have only been better with Akai there. With a smart comment, but a way to make everyone feel better. But instead, they told the stories to a grave in the ground with the girl's name engraved on it.

For the sensei's of these groups, Kakashi showed no real remorse for losing Sasuke. That was just how Kakashi was. He didn't show that he was upset, or that he blamed himself some days more than others. No, Kakashi Hatake held himself high and continued to train.

On the flip side of that same coin, was Ibiki Morino. A man held in high regards for his tough attitude and ability to break anyone who he was told to. He was the head of the Interrogation Unit of Konoha, and had been for years. But when he lost Akai, it seemed as if his world fell around him.

Ibiki knew that he lost teammates and friends all the time, and that it shouldn't bother him nearly as much as it did. But maybe it was because he had a deeper connection with Akai than he did almost anyone else he knew. Maybe it was because he felt as if he had a responsibility to take care of Akai, because she lived with him. Or maybe it was because in a sense, he became a father figure to the girl.

Not completely, he would never admit that. But in ways, he did. He took care of her, he made sure she was housed and trained so that she wouldn't feel like she was left out or didn't know how to do something. Ibiki Morino could say that he loved someone in a non-romantic way, and that person was Akai Kiri.

But now, Ibiki stared at the door frame of what was Akai's room, a place that was still untouched because for two years, he hasn't entered the room. He refused to believe that when he opened the door, Akai wouldn't be there to scream and yell at him to shut the door, and then throw a kunai at him.

Her death was sudden and quick, from a sickness that no one truly knew she had. Sure, everyone had their suspicions that she was sick, but anyone who knew Akai knew she would never, ever, tell someone that she was in pain for needed help. Because that just wasn't who she was.

As Ibiki stared at the door, his hand moved up the knob with a small shake to it, and he placed it on the cool metal. He continued to stare at the door, before he dropped his hand from the knob and cursed himself. Two years, and he still couldn't open that stupid door.

With a sigh, Ibiki turned towards the front door and walked out of it. He started his day the same every single day, a stop by Akai. Because it helped the pain fade a little more every day, helping him face the idea that she was truly gone. This wasn't in Ibiki's character, and everyone knew that. People worried for him, especially his team.