*Recap*
I heard footsteps and looked up as the door opened and the eraser did a soft down drop onto a man's head. I observed him silently. He had standard Jonin outfit, and a headband over one eye. White hair that defied gravity and a lazy looking expression.
"I-I'm sorry Sensei I tried to stop him!" Sakusa...? Stuttered out.
"Hm.. How should I say this..? I don't like you guys." The three others sweatdropped as I just patted Kiko.
"Lets go to the roof."
* ~ * ~ *
I followed after the man who was to be our sensei. Not that I would acknowledge him as so until he has gained my respect as one. Iruka gained mine when I saw how much he cared for his students. Not one of those fake, "I only care from 8 to 3" teachers. But who would let you come to their house to ask help from a homework, or if seen in a public place would talk happily. Or something. I don't know.
We appeared on the roof, not that he saw I was there. I was in between of Naruto and Sakusa..? Sasuke was next to Sakusa..?
"So. Go ahead, introduce yourselfs."
"Huh? How sensei?" Sakusa asked.
"Your likes, dislikes, stuff like that." Our sensei seemed too lazy to explain it. I think I like him a little for that. He gets Zen Points.
Kiko chirped with a laugh, seeming to think the same.
"How about you go first?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, you seem pretty suspicious." Sakusa said giving him a look.
"Oh, me? I'm Kakashi Hatake, things I like, things I dislike. I don't feel like telling you. My hobbies aren't any of your business, my dreams..? I think I have a lot of dreams." The three other genin sweatdropped.
"That didn't tell us anything." Sakusa sighed.
I like him
Everyone jumped and looked at me in shock as Kiko chirped out loud for them to hear, and the words were heard to me.
"Yeah. I like him too." I stated to her, petting her softly.
"When did you get here?" Kakashi asked.
"Sensei- she's been here the whole time." Sakusa said. Kakashi nodded then pointed to me.
"Then you can go first." I shrugged.
"The name I call myself is Zen. I have no last name, but if I must use a last name I like to use Meinai. Therefore you may refer to me as Zen Meinai." The four people sweatdropped in confusion. "My likes so far are the seasons Fall and Summer, and Kikoenai-chan. My dislikes are the seasons Winter and Spring because its hard to find places to sleep without getting sick during then. I also dislike holidays when stores close because I can't eat then." Everyone looked confused but I continued. "My hobbies would be stealing and training to be a stealth assassination shinobi. My dream is to become a proper Shinobi." I stated.
What is that supposed to mean?
Everyone jumped as they heard her chirp. But they never heard her words, only the sound of a beautiful bird. She was a spirit speaking bird. Meaning she is somewhat like me. Unable to be heard or seen often unless she transfers her words to this world. However it is very tiring to do that. I should know. Thats why I rest and zone out so often.
"Nothing really. Just means I have to keep my emotions away and kill thoughtlessly, but retain sanity." I told Kiko and pet her softly with a smile.
It was really quiet for a while.
Did I scare them all?
I looked up to see everyone somewhat pale and in shock.
"I'm sorry, did I confuse you at all?" I asked in my usual monotone.
"Are you a boy or a girl?" Naruto asked. Sakusa..? I still need to find out her name. But she smacked Naruto's head down.
"YOU CAN'T JUST ASK THAT!"
"I'm sorry Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled. Oh! SakuRA- not SakuSA. I thought it was SA because of the quick way that everyone always spoke her name.
"I am Zen. Zen is Zen. Zen is not a girl, Zen is not a boy. Zen is merely Zen." I stated with a shrug.
"Wait, but what gender are you?" Sasuke asked.
"I have yet to know. I'll choose when I want to." I stated.
Ah. I've confused you yet again.
I am part spirit. Therefore my body and voice seen by humans can change with my will when I have enough power for that. I don't really like the spirit world though. This place is nice. But I have yet to choose a gender for my body. Choosing a gender is probably one of the hardest things I've had to make a decision for, and the one I'm most judged for.
Being Human is hard. They have so many labels, and if I don't abide by them I get looks or they isolate me.
Being the shadow of the Human that was what I want to be is harder. A Shadow of a Shinobi. I wan't to be stealth assassination shinobi. I however, will have to be alleged to what I think is right, and only that.
It seems so far off and impossible. But I know I can.
"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked.
I ignored him and Kakashi coughed awkwardly.
"Alright, you next." He stated pointing to Naruto.
He went on ranting about Ramen, and when it came to Dream, he wanted to become Hokage. With that attitude. I just think he will.
Next was Sakura. She mostly glanced towards Sasuke with squeals and blushes. I sighed.
She might be smart and pretty, but she doesn't seem like she is the type to be a Shinobi. When asked of her dislike she stated Naruto. Leading him to cry.
Human emotions are weird.
When it was Sasuke's turn, he was vague, but with a cold chill and hateful glare to the ground he stated his dream was to kill someone.
It was quiet until Kakashi broke the silence. "Alright. You all are very different in your own ways."
Everyone payed attention to him quietly.
"Tomorrow we will meet at the training grounds for a Survival Test-"
"WHAT?! I THOUGHT WE WERE DONE WITH TESTS!" Naruto screamed causing Kiko to jump and me to cover her ears and glare at the energetic boy.
"Yes, but this a Survival Test, this test will see if you're worthy of being taught by me." A number of 'Huhs?' Erupted from the other three genin.
"You see- Man, I don't know how to say this without having you freak out.." Kakashi sighed and just told us straight out. "Only 33% of the students pass when they take the test. And if they fail, they can't become Shinobi." Kakashi stated and shook his finger as the three other yelled in protest. I covered Kiko's ears again as she chirped from the loud noise and glared angrily at the three again. They don't respect other beings.
So loud
"I know. I wish they would respect you." I told her softly.
Everyone gave me looks.
"Who are you talking to?" Sakura asked raising her eyebrow at me.
"Kikoenai-chan." I said responding to Sakura's question.
"Who is that?" Sakura asked once again.
"Kiko is Kiko." I stated and gestured to the bird that hopped down onto my shoulder. "The sounds you hear from her. The sound you hear from her as a chirp. To me is her words." I stated. Everyone gave me a look that probably meant I should go to see a doctor.
"One day you-" Humans "-Will understand. You will find yourself in a forest around animals and hear nothing. Absolutely nothing from the animals around you." I said trying not to seem too dark.
"Uhmm.. okaay...?" Naruto mumbled while everyone else continued to give me looks. I just sighed.
Humans are so thick skulled and stubborn. I dislike their judgmental kinds. Which is the reason I chose to be a silent song-bird. I'm quite shocked you chose to be a Human.
"One of the Few." I stated and it grew quiet again as Kakashi decided to bring us back to topic again.
"Anyways. We're going to meet up at 5 in the morning at the Training Grounds, don't eat breakfast or you'll puke. Here's a paper for what's to happen and I'll see you all tomorrow." Kakashi said before poofing off. I fanned the smoke from my face and everyone groaned before leaving me alone.
"Wow.. That was pointless information." I mumbled and hopped off the roof to another roof, and made my way to the floor.
My stomach grumbled hungrily.
"I dislike the physical aspects of our bodies." I told Kiko as I sneaked a few vegetables as I walked in the market.
Yes, but without them. We would never be able to touch or interact with the humans and living creatures.
Kikoenai chirped softly, and quietly so nobody would notice as I stole.
I no longer felt bad about stealing in this thirteen year old body form. The humans give me no help to support myself, therefore I must help myself.
I got extra and gave Kiko a small carrot to hold in her mouth as I held a good ammount of food in my hands.
I returned to my home under the bridge and created a clone to keep watch over the stolen goods so no other humans steal my stolen goods.
I left to get some more because I must stock up for winter. I get sick pretty easily in the winter if I don't have enough nutrition.
I got a few apples, leeks, and when I went to grab bread a hand grabbed mine keeping me from doing anything. I looked up to the hand to see-
"Kakashi-sensei?" I asked in confusion.
"What are you doing?" He asked suspiciously.
"Going food shoping." I stated in monotone.
"With no money?" He asked pulling me aside into the middle of the street so we were nowhere near the booths.
"This is my survival. I must eat to live. I have no money, how do you expect me to live without food?" I asked raising my eyebrow as I stated with a dull look to him.
"Well you can't go around stealing." Kakashi said giving me a look of disspproval.
"You call it stealing. I call it living." I stated shrugging and took a bite out of my apple as my stomach growled loudly.
Kakashi snatched the apple from my hand.
"Thats stolen, how could you do that?" He asked in shock.
"Give me back my lunch please." I asked putting my free hand out to grab the apple, but Kakashi kept it out of reach.
"Your lunch?"
"Stop asking questions, let go, and leave me alone please. I'm hungry and must get back home." I told him.
"Then I'll take you home and talk to your parents." He stated. I opened my mouth to counter-reply but stopped.
"Okay. Come on then." I sighed, walking back with my hands full with my stolen supply of dinner breakfast and lunch. Going to the bridge.
When I was by the bridge I walked around and went down. Footsteps behind me reminded me that Kakashi was still here.
"What are you even.. doing here.." Kakashi stopped short as he saw my clone standing in waiting next to my pile of food. I dropped the rest of my food there and smiled to it, leaning on the bridge wall and slowly moving to sit down.
"I found Kakashi while re-stocking." I told her.
"That sucks." She sighed and poofed off.
How should we explain our situation to this Human? A reasonable one that will not lead to suspicion of our species and the investigation of your sanity?
"I don't know. They're very sensitive and easily triggered with the big things, and don't really look at details." I told her as she flew onto a brick that stuck out slightly. She flapped her wings shrugging then chirped softly, and inaudiably to the humans, yet a melody to my ears.
"What are you talking about?" Kakashi asked.
"Hm?" I asked him dully. It was quiet for a good amount of time.
"Do you hear voices?" Kakashi asked me giving me a look of concern in the one eye I saw.
"So you aren't wondering why I live under a bridge instead?" I asked and smirked just a little.
"You live here?" I tried not to laugh.
"Why else would I be here?"
"To drop off your stash of stolen goods?"
"Wow. Not only are you lazy, but you lack common sense." I sighed.
"Excuse me? Pay your sensei more respect." Kakashi seemed to demand.
"I'll give you respect when you earn it."
YOU SHOULD BOW DOWN TO US! YOU SHOULD BE GLAD WE DONT KILL YOU, THAT WE GAVE YOU A SECOND CHANCE OF LIVING. Kiko screamed.
"Hey- calm down. I know you want to kill a lot of the humans, but sometimes you just have to deal with their thickness." I told her sighing. I'm quite sure all Kakashi heard was angry cheeping.
"Excuse me?" Kakashi asked, looking from me to my bird companian.
"Not to you." I said sighing. "Now, I'm home, my parent's are.. dead. What do you want to do now? Take away my food supply? Kill me and throw me into a river to stain it red? Perhaps make me return everything I stole and apologize?" I struggled not to laugh.
"Well, I can't have you stealing all the time, and you're a minor living under the bridge. Why would you even be like this? Why not an orphanage?" Kakashi asked.
"I do not exist to others until they see me. Nobody knew of me. Nobody remebers me. I am non-existant to them. And for your information- I've been doing this ever since I began existing. And I've turned out quite fine. Now you can just go back to whatever you've been doing since before you found me surviving. I'll see you tomorow morning at five, or whenever you show up." I told him and waved my hand at him, a signal for him to leave
He looked troubled but did so.
* ~ * ~ *
"Hokage." Kakashi called as he entered the room.
"Yes Kakashi?" He asked.
"I caught Zen Meinai stealing from the market."
"Zen Meinai...? Who is th- OH. You mean Zen." The Hokage said with a nod. "Yes, it takes advantage of it's invisibleness, however I have no choice but to let it do so if nobody notices." The Hokage said sighing.
"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked in shock. How could the Hokage let her/him steal so much?!
"Zen does her own thing, but nobody is bothered by it or has any complaints. Zen has a very intresting way of thinking of things.. Also.. As your sensei I think I should tell you this.." The Hokage gestured Kakashi forward and whispered quietly to him, causing his eyes to widen in shock.
"What? Are you serious?" He asked. The Hokage nodded.
"Zen is practically a Shadow." The Hokage said with a nod.
"Zen is Zen.. Zen is not a girl.. Zen is not a boy... Zen.. is.. Zen.." Kakashi mumbled.
*end chapter*
~ ~ ~
I hope its long enough for you guys!~
I'm going to go to sleep soon.
I like this story alot.
And Zen.
I appologize if I write he or she next to Zen or when reffering to her,
If anyone is unsure about anything then just ask away! I have no problem awnsering questions~
~Bubby-chan