WARNING: This chapter includes Gore, violence, guns, swearing. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Death was strange to Maki. One seconds, you could be laughing with somebody, and the next you could be holding them as they bled in your arms, the light fading each passing second.
"Mr. David?"
"Hm?" He walked next to the young girl who looked at him, eyes full of curiosity and knowledge.
"Why are you so nice to me?" He placed his cigar away, throwing it in the garbage.
"Why not?" She opens her mouth to reply but finds she can't. He chuckles and smiles at her.
"I guess you deserve that kindness."
"Why?"
"Because you're so unbelievably kind and caring even though your aware of how disgusting, and cruel this world is, it's insane. You somehow keep that innocence to you, but still have a sense of maturity and wisdom too..."
"Oh..." She looks down. "Thank you." He grins.
"Anyways~ Let's make this walk faster. It's almost midnight, after all-"
*SPLAT*
*THUD*
"MR.DAVID?"
Inoichi's eyes widen in shock as the man fell backwards and onto the ground limply.
"Shit! We accidentally killed a man!" The men ran away as her gaze fell on them before returning to David in shock.
"M-Mr. David?"
He smiled.
He.
Smiled.
At A Time Like This.
"That's...Blood..." She said, though the smile on his lips never fell.
"Heh Heh..." He chuckled hoarsely. "I guess the world really hates me. Just when I was going to adopt you too...How cruel..." She furrowed her brows.
He was just hurt, right...?
"Adopt...Me?" He nodded.
"I found out what your parents were doing..." Her breath hitched.
"How?" He laughed though it soon turned to a cough as blood splattered on her gray sweatshirt. Sirens rang, as the ambulance from a distance drove towards them.
He was just hurt.
He would be okay tomorrow, right?
...
Right?
"Listen, Maki." His voice was more hoarse, and raspy, as if he was struggling to breathe.
"Your parents are dumb-asses."
"I know." He snorts.
"And they don't know how lucky they are to have you..." He placed his hand on hers. "I wont be seeing you for a very long time. At least, I hope."
"Huh?" She furrowed her brows.
"But you're going to be awake tomorrow, right?" He sighed.
"I was right. Innocent but mature..." His eyes looked into hers, striking with sadness. David opened his mouth and muttered three choked words.
"Im dying, Maki."
Her eyes widened.
"Yeah..." He smiles once again.
"How can you keep smiling like that?"
The sudden realization of the situation came crushing down on her. as tears ran down her cheeks.
"A smile always helps make things better. Even in death, so listen to me." The sirens get closer.
"You're going to go through many hardships in life. Many worse for you than others, but you're also strong willed, and have one of the greatest understandings over our worlds truths and lies..." His eyes seemed to dull and his mouth moved slower than it did.
The few words he uttered were etched into her brain until the day she would die.
"You have a power Maki. Use that power to change people...Because I believe that you can change the world for the better."
"Mr. David...?" She shook his shoulder lightly.
"Hey, Mr.David?" She tried again, but one look at his dull and lifeless eyes and she knew.
Mr.David was no more.
She didn't try and shake him again. She simply raised her hand and slid his eyelids down so that they closed.
"Goodnight, Mr.David. I'll see you later..."
And she wondered. Is this how all those people felt in the videos?
All of those people who mourned over the dead bodies of their loved ones...
Did they understand the throbbing in her heart now? Did they understand her pain right now? A day of torture it was, for Maki. A day where Maki grew into an adult, but remained a child.
Innocent but mature.
Always.
She wondered, if all of those people who died and the pain their loved ones felt, were all bunched together, would the person holding that pain be able to handle it?
She decided.
Smile.
Always smile.
Because as her first father-figure had said, a smile always made a situation better. And she would be the one to hold all that pain. She would understand for those people when others couldn't.
So why did it hurt so much for her?
Inoichi was flabbergasted.
What was he supposed to say?
'Oh hey, we went inside your brain, looked into your memories and found out you were super close with this guy and watched him die?'
Yeah, no.
Her second last memory that he could reach, though he knew there were many other important ones, was of her parents beating her after Davids death.
She had simply sat there and took it all.
All with a smile that hurt her too much than it should've.
They laughed at his death, and she couldn't do anything.
Just took it all... It was a form of torture, even if it was unintentional it still was. And finally, her final memory was of her in a court-like room.
"Would you like to press any charges, miss _____?" Inoichi hummed when he couldn't hear the name for some reason.
"Me?" Maki Muttered. "I'm allowed to do so?"
"Well of course. You were the intended target." She stared at the man who killed David, not even caring for the fact that she was supposed to die instead. But for some reason, the man saw no resentment directed towards him.
"No, I just want it all to end." Sensing she wasn't done, the judge allowed her to continue.
"Mr?" She said to her father-figures killer. "Why did you do it?" He felt no remorse at all.
"For the money."
"Oh..." She nodded.
"But did you get the money?" He shook his head.
"I see." She suddenly sighed.
"I have nothing against him, your honor." People gasped at her words.
"Feeling any sort of resentment towards you would simply restrict my heart from many other emotions I could possibly feel. If I hated you, I would never get over it."She stood up.
"That's how humans are. All we know is love and hate and many long for peace without knowing it's already there." The man gaped at her words, and he suddenly seemed desperate.
"Then, t-tell me! What is it?" Maki sighed.
"You already know."
"What?!"
"I highly doubt money lets you feel free, does it?" He doesn't answer.
"Whatever makes you free is your peace, I guess." She looks at her fist with sadly narrowed eyes.
"Mr. David was mine."
The man, also named Jacob, felt an arrow strike his heart.
It was weird for him, suddenly feeling guilt. Money never did make him happy for long.
But Allison did. And he chose money over her. As the guards took him away he didn't even resist.
"You did well, Maki." She looked at the judge.
"Thank you, Sir." She bit her lip to keep in the sobs.
"Thank you..."
What was Inoichi supposed to do now?
The poor girl had gone through so much, and that wasn't even half of her important memories.
"Inoichi, you need to get out now!" The panicked yell of the brunette snapped him back.
"It's the tailed beast! It's trying to get out!"
"I'm leaving!"
"Lord Hokage!"
"Yes, I know!" Hiruzen rolled up his sleeves.
"Hold her still, Tenzo!" The man nodded and bit his lip, watching the red chakra take over her body and bubble out like a cloak, burning his hands. The third hokage finished weaving the signs just as the chakra cloak completely surrounds her being.
"ANBU! Prepare to fight!" He slams his hand against her stomach.
"Sealing jutsu!" Her eyes snap open and her mouth opens, letting out a pained scream that made Tenzo want to cry. The hokage grit his teeth as he felt his chakra pour into her seal.
Judging by how much chakra this was taking, it had over seven tails... Finally, after a few minutes of struggling, they managed to seal the beast away and retrieve Maki Safely.
Tenzo quickly wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve, and looked down at Maki in horror.
The sealing process must have been so painful for her, he couldn't even imagine it.
He hoped Inoichi got at least some information on her.
If only Tenzo knew.
Information wasn't all he got.
Chapter End~
NEXT CHAPTER~
"Who are you?" Maki looked at the red glaring eyes at her.
"My name is Kurama..." Her own ocean blue orbs widen.
"Theres no way I'm talking to the nine-tails, yo!" She grinned, surprising him.
"The hell? Are you freaking insane?"
"Yes!"
Edited Oct 11, 2021