Spirited Away: Wind and Sand

The Life of a Shinobi

Notes: I had really made another serious kind of chapter, but I still like the content because it is essential main character development for the rest of the story. I am also happy to announce that there is more of Gaara in this chapter and he . . . kind of talks. Well what do you expect from Gaara, he only seems to talk more to people he knows like his siblings. Also, I am excited about my ideas for the next chapter, they are actually less serious since I got most of the serious things out in this and the first chapter. Enjoy!

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Chapter 2: The Life of a Shinobi

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The next day I woke up realizing that I hadn't eaten much since yesterday. It wasn't that they didn't offer me anything but that the food seemed really odd to me. I mean, desert food is nothing you would expect, I had something with lizard in it. I guess it wasn't that awful but the thought of it made me feel sick. This morning I had eaten something with rice and meat. I didn't dare ask what the meat was since I was starving and I really needed to eat something. Surprisingly I found that it wasn't bad but the meat stuff was a little slippery. I heard that they imported some foods like rice and noodles but not too much else since things have to survive a long journey through the desert.

My meals were brought to me which made me feel like I was some kind of prisoner especially when I had bars on my window. After I finished my breakfast I looked out the window to see people in the streets. Some were talking with each other, others looked like they were in a hurry and some kids were even chasing each other. The scene struck me as funny when I thought that I could see this kind of sight on the streets back home. I suddenly felt the weight of concern when I thought of home. What was my family doing now? Were they looking for me? Did I die in that world? What was happening there right now?

I thought of my own bed and the simple problems I dealt with there and of how I missed it already. I was getting so caught up with the problems I was having here that the ones I had before didn't seem like much. It was weird to have to deal with all these things on my own, it was like going away on a trip alone but I didn't know when I was going back. Thinking of it as a trip made it a little easier to bear since I really didn't know if I would actually ever be able to return home. Come to think of it, I didn't know how I got here in the first place.

I tried to go over the last things I remembered before coming here. I remember it was Saturday and I was going on a walk with my friends. We were walking along some trails in the woods and we weren't very deep in the woods or anything, it was just up some hills near a road. We stopped and ate some food near the top of a hill and then I don't remember much after that. It starts to get fuzzy, and the next thing I remember I am in the street at night with a light around me.

What happened before that? I tried to think of it but it just started to give me a headache.

"Hey there alien," I jumped and turned around to see Kankuro at the door.

"I'm not an alien," I glared at him.

"Could have fooled me," he responded but quickly changed the subject, "I'm here to tell you that you're going to start shinobi training today."

This news took me off guard, "What? Why?"

"If you really want to help us or be of use then the least you can do is learn what we're about," he said seriously, "But don't think it will be easy, it takes years to learn how to be a true shinobi."

Something didn't seem right, "Why would you train me? Wouldn't it seem like a waste of time? I'm not cut out to be any kind of ninja. I can't hurt anyone and I couldn't possibly," the words got caught in my throat as I thought of that night, "kill anyone."