Writing a Singer

Calm After a Storm

    | Third Person |   

It was many days after the battle against Orochimaru and Shukaku, leading to the death of the much beloved Third Hokage.

The village was at peace while the ninja and common folk worked tirelessly to rebuild their devastated homes. Among them, were genin teams and their mentors.

Shikamaru helped to build the roofs of one of the houses, Ino and Choji chatting away as they too, worked tirelessly. Shikamaru glanced at the other teams, only to see Kiba Inuzuka glaring at him coldly. Shika blinked at him, surprised the boy was even looking at him.

Kiba previously showed no interest in him, but now Kiba looked at him with a burning hatred that left him stunned.

"Shika." Shikamaru suddenly realized he was being pulled back by someone and noticed he'd almost fallen through a hole in the roof. "Pay attention." Atsu judged, raising an eyebrow when she looked back up at Kiba, only to see him working diligently.

Atsu shrugged it off and looked down at the startled Nara boy. "A-Ah, Atsu." Shika laughed sheepishly, a bit surprised by her presence. After all, the last time they saw each other... Shikamaru gulped at the thought and turned a bright red.

Atsu noticed the stares of Ino and Choji, quick to hold back her blush and instead let go of Shikamaru, coughing softly.

"Anyways, go about your work." The kunoichi said, pulling up the hood of her black jacket and disappearing.

Ino smiled widely in realization while Choji remained as oblivious as ever. "Shikamaru~" Ino cooed, and the boy sighed, too exhausted to even refute whatever conclusion she'd come to.

Atsu sighed, walking through the village, nearing the outskirts of the village quickly.

She sighed, glancing down at her simple ninja sandles, almost expecting Greek and Latin to appear at her sides, rubbing their soft fur against her thighs. "Where are you?" She murmured, before raising her head to the sky, closing her eyes slowly.

Atsu stood quietly, listening to the wind murmur in her ears, rustle through the leaves of trees and bushes, and sweep fallen leaves from the forest ground. It was soon to be fall as the leaves started to loose their color, but the weather was stubborn against change.

Atsu opened her eyes slowly, a look of despair crossing her expression as she walked into the forest. She hoped the wind would carry some trace of Greek, or possibly even Latin...

"Hey, Bob," Atsu called out sharply, awakening the changeling.

"Ugh. First, you trap me, now you wake me up in the middle of my beauty sleep?" Bob muttered, rubbing their eyes slowly. "Bob? That's not my name."

"You told me Greek was in the village. Where?" Atsu asked, not really up for any of Bob's bull.

Bob noticed the urgency in her tone and smirked maliciously. "You thought I was telling the truth? I had no idea where they were."

Atsu's heart skipped a beat.

Atsu could feel her emotion welling up inside her, her ears burning as her vision started to redden. "You what?" Her voice was low, its coldness seeping into the depths of Bob's soul.

The dam broke free and water flooded the valley.

Kakashi turned suddenly, an overwhelming aura overtaking his body. The villagers and even some ninja fell to the ground, passed out or on the verge of doing so.

The weight on his shoulders did nothing to stop his urgent pace towards the source of the aura. He noticed Anbu members jumped towards the source as well, running past the fallen bodies of the genin.

Shikamaru stood confused, the aura having no effect on him. He looked around, before meeting the worried gaze of Kakashi Hatake.

Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows, but kept running, turning his attention back to the forest.

Why wasn't Shikamaru Nara effected?

Atsu growled ferally, her hands curling in and out of a fist. Rage overtook her despair as she felt swallowed up by her emotions.

She could no longer see as she appeared before the cage she'd trapped Bob in. Once, those bars was their prison; and now they were Bob's protection.

"How dare you?" Atsu tried to say, but only intelligible snarls came from her throat.

Bob lay on the floor, their eyes wide as their heart beat wildly in petrification. "P-Please don't hurt me." They managed to croak, their body shifting between forms. One was a familiar summoning Atsu had not seen for a month.

"Stop." Atsu suddenly said the aura that had seeped out, slowly retracting back into her body. "What was that? Why did you change into her?" Atsu reached through the bars to try and grab onto Bob's motionless body. "Why Christina?"

Bob's body would no longer answer to their commands as they completely shifted into the form of Christina.

"Y-You... No..." Atsu wanted to dissuade her suspicions, but she had always wondered why the changeling's voice was so familiar. "You were..? You were Christina?" She whispered, and Bob frightfully nodded, slowly regaining control of their body. "Why would you-?"

Atsu's aura retracted to the deepest depths of herself, and she took in a deep breathe, her body falling to the ground as she started to convulse. The toll on her body would be immeasurable, and her idiotic rage was the cause.

"D-Damn.." Atsu cursed as she shook, her hands frozen in place as foam gathered around the corners of her mouth and the back of her throat. "M-mm.." Atsu had been thrown from her own mind by her sudden seizure.

She was suddenly aware of the Anbu resting in the trees above her. She so badly wanted to flip them off, but her hands were busy clamping onto her thighs. The Anbu sat still and did nothing, watching Atsu as if relishing in her pain.

Kakashi appeared in front of her fallen, seizing body, and Atsu felt a spear of shame stab her through the heart. "S-Sorry-" Atsu's body stilled once Kakashi gently tapped a pressure point in her neck.

Kakashi gently cradled him in his arms, wiping the foam from her lips and sighing in relief. "It's okay. You didn't cause any trouble." He muttered, gently picking her up, his eyes closing softly.

He'd never run so fast before.