Please, give me your precious feedback! This is my first attempt at an in-depth Naruto story that includes a tough character to portray! I need opinions!
And if y'all were wondering where I get my pictures---> totally pinterest XD I love pinterest.... Anyway! Enjoy!
^^^ Pic of Linksys :3 ---------------------->
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Two days later...
I walked through the streets, the early morning breeze chilling my exposed skin. I had changed from my normal, casual clothes that mainly consisted of long, cloth dresses and now dawned my armor. I never thought I'd ever wear it again, but by now, keeping promises was a part of the past me – the me from what felt like a different life. I studied the ground as I walked, the sun creeping higher and higher into the sky to shed light upon the village. I couldn't help recalling the argument I had with that Tsunade woman as the blissful atmosphere forced me to reminisce.
The mission she was coercing me to participate in was ludicrous, not to mention I never wanted to go on it in the first place. I'd much rather – no sarcasm here – kill myself.
The only reason I agreed, not that I had a choice, was because she wanted to "keep an eye on me", and I also had a debt to repay. I didn't, however, intend to be of use.
I headed toward the training grounds by instruction of a map handed to me yesterday where this so called Team Seven was supposed to meet. It was slightly crinkled for reasons I'd rather not recant.
I kicked at a rock on the ground before sighing and looking up at the beautiful tree in front of me, Linksys rubbing my cheek with his scaly muzzle for attention.
It seemed so long ago now, I didn't even know these kind of beautiful plants existed. Only rock, brimstone, fire, and smoke. A few singed trunks of what used to be plants stuck out of the ground. The only plant I could fondle the uniqueness of was our country's fire flower, but even the most ethereal beauty only lasts so long. It soon became a tool, its former gleaming quality lost, kind of similar to me.
I may have understood its beauty better if I wasn't so naive at the time, but now I could only appreciate it from afar, long ahead in the present.
The churning waves of time rushed upon me, and my mind was brought back to reality, making me suddenly remember my intentions and what got me here.
"What," I exclaimed, slamming my hands on her desk, "you're sending me on a vexatious mission to fight a kid's war?!"
The woman's eyebrow twitched, sick of arguing with me.
"Yes," she said lowly, leaning back in her throne-like chair and narrowing her eyes at me, "what's the problem?"
"What's the problem?!" I repeated incredulously. "Maybe you haven't realized this, but I don't exactly have to follow your orders. . . And besides that. . . I don't fight. I don't fight." I emphasized the latter, my eyes flashing green in uncertainty.
She raised her eyebrows, "oh?" She put in a taunting manner. "I might have believed you if Naruto hadn't said otherwise." She smiled, clicking the pen in her hand.
"Naruto. . ." I gritted my teeth.
"You must be an adamant fighter according to his recant; although, he's known to exaggerate at times." She let out a blasé huff.
I stood firm, slanting my eyes down at her, "I think you misheard me. . . Tsunade." Her name slid off my tongue mockingly. She furrowed her brows. "I said, I don't fight. Not I can't fight."
She clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Well, let's hope you run into no real trouble, then." She had to suppress her confidence. "Plus, you've got a member of the ANBU Black Ops with you. You'll be back before you know it." She winked before waving her hands at me as if to shoo me away.
I glared at her, "you should trust me no more than how you trust that mendacious task force of yours." I gave a dissatisfied glance at the Yamato guy who shifted uncomfortably at my insinuation.
She slammed her hands on the desk as she abruptly stood to face me.
"Don't disparage my people until you've earned a say so." Her terse but fervent warning caused a smirk to grace my lips.
"And you have a say so? Even when you're that scared of the threat?" I backed away, Linksys jumping back to my shoulder.
Her eyes immediately bulged in shock.
"Yes," I shook my head, "I can see it in your eyes. Ya know," my face fell, "eyes are like windows to the soul." I left her with that clue and made my way out of the room, crumbling the map given to me.
"Anyway," Yamato glanced at me nervously as we gathered in front of a building, "from now on, the five of us are off on a mission."
I glanced around at the people here. Naruto – of course – the girl from the hospital room, and the boy who had attacked Naruto from the day before stood among the rank. I guessed the black haired boy was the one in question. He definitely stood out to me.
"But look at you," he sweat dropped nervously, "there's no time to get to know each other so just introduce yourselves."
"Uzumaki Naruto. . ." His voice was rather displeased, having said his name through gritted teeth.
"I'm Haruno Sakura." The girl said similarly, her eyes slanted in annoyance.
"My name is Sai." The boy smiled, his eyes closed and creased. I knew that smile all too well. I was a pro at it – fake smiling, that is.
They all looked at me now, waiting on my voice to be heard. Sakura gasped, making Linksys look up from my shoulder.
"Where'd you get all that?!" She exclaimed, studying my abnormal armor. Compared to their attire, mine was a bit flashy, but to me, it was proper fighting armor.
"Battle," I replied dryly, "and it's Elvinia." I stated, not giving them the time of day.
"Well, now that we know each other, that's the end of that." Yamato sighed, already seeming weary. "Now, I'll explain our mission."
He began stating how we were going to Tenchi Bridge for a plan to find information on two men named Orochimaru and Sasuke Uchiha.
Naruto and Sakura stiffened at the two names, seemingly affected in a way, so I deduced them to be either nefarious criminals or rogue brethren. Nefarious criminals seemed more likely.
"We will assemble at the front gate in an hour!" Yamato stated fervently. "After sorting our equipment, we will depart!"
Everyone dispersed with grumpy sighs. I discreetly followed Naruto and Sakura. Maybe I'd get some information about these two guys we were going after.
"I really just. . . can't stand that asshole Sai!" Naruto complained as I stuck to the shadows. "Why is he taking Sasuke's place? Three people is enough for team Kakashi!" Naruto had a pained expression as if Sai was disrespecting this Sasuke person.
So. . . Sasuke is revered?
I zoned out the next part as a sudden thought hit me. That specific, important annual day was nearing. Because of all the startling events that had happened recently, it had escaped my mind. This was not a good time. How was I going to get through this while trying to deal with this mission at the same time?
I couldn't just not commemorate my siblings' would-be birthdays, or should I say, the day they all died.
I had to honor them, but it was so hard. I always did it alone in case I couldn't handle it, but how would I be able to isolate myself during the mission? The so called ninja here would never let me out of their sight.
"Oh, Elvinia!"
Startled, I was taken from my frantic reverie to see Naruto waving at me and Sakura motioning for me to join them. Linksys hopped off my shoulder and ran over to Naruto who stiffened in response. He looked at me warily.
"He won't bite." I teased. "Unless I tell him to."
Sakura chuckled as Naruto panicked. I watched as Linksys sniffed him curiously before running up his leg and to his shoulder.
"Gah?!"
"Hmm," I was surprised, "he must actually like you. That's rare." I walked up and ran a finger down the dragon's neck, watching as he pushed against me like a cat. Naruto smiled.
"He sure is cute." He stated as he relaxed a bit.
"Yes, when he's not angry. . . or hungry." I sighed.
"So," Sakura interrupted, "any questions about the mission?" She inquired, beginning to walk again. I took the hint and followed.
"Well, I was actually trailing you guys for information until something else caught my mind. All I got was how Sai is disliked for taking this Sasuke character's place?" I stated, eyeing them carefully. They both looked down in dismay.
"Ah," Naruto smiled painfully, "Sasuke used to be a ninja here. He left on a revenge kick to kill his brother, Itachi, so he could avenge his clan." Naruto explained.
I sighed, "killing family, huh?" It was such a startling coincidence that I couldn't help the reminder of what I had done. This Sasuke boy was in for a rude awakening if he managed to kill his brother.
Sakura eyed me curiously, "you've experienced something like this, have you?" She questioned. I immediately felt a twinge of pain in my chest, and I could feel my eyes fade to black. They stiffened in surprise.
"You could say that." I huffed indignantly, a self-incriminating smile gracing my lips.
"I-i'm sorry." Sakura turned away. I jumped to the fence, Linksys following.
"See you in an hour."
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We stood at the gate, the same sour looks on the other two's faces.
Yamato looked back at us warily, "alright, then. Team Kakashi departs!"
The tension was so thick as we walked that I could cut it if need be. Naruto wouldn't take his eyes off Sai, annoyance evident. After a while, I could hear the sigh.
"What is it?" The dark haired boy inquired. "Please stop staring at me. Don't make me hit you."
"Every damn thing you say just pisses me off more!" Naruto finally exploded, rupturing my delicate years as well.
"I don't have any malice toward you." The seemingly indifferent boy countered, putting on the fake smile once more.
"LIAR!"
"I'm just trying to put on that kind of attitude." The creases under his eyes grew as his smile widened.
"AHA! You do have malice!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE?! ALL YOU DO IS PISS PEOPLE OFF!!"
"HEY, HEY," Yamato interrupted, "don't say something like that right in front of your captain, Naruto." He sighed exasperatedly.
Naruto scowled.
"Teamwork and cooperation are the most important aspects in a team. I thought Kakashi-san had already taught you that." He mumbled the last part, glancing at me in slight amusement. I stiffened, remembering the supposedly embarrassing "kiss" I had shared with this Kakashi. It honestly didn't bother me. What was a kiss anyway?
"Someone like you in a team with the great Kakashi-san, what's it with you anyway?" Yamato furrowed his brows angrily.
"It's because he's not a member of Team Kakashi!" Naruto yelled, equally aggravated.
I placed two fingers on the bridge of my nose, trying to massage the oncoming headache away. This argument was fruitless.
"So I don't need to be here either? I'm not a part of Team Kakashi? Is that what you're saying, Naruto?"
Having been quiet the entire time, everyone turned to me in surprise at my comment.
"Because I can happily leave." I added dryly, Linksys grunting a sort of approval.
"No, no," Naruto shook his head frustratedly, "i-it's just," he gritted his teeth, "the other member of Team Kakashi is. . . Sasuke." He breathed heavily, having finally passed the barrier of saying this boy's name.
I glanced at the raven haired boy, assessing the glint in his eyes for any emotion.
"Besides," Naruto slanted his eyes at me, "you already seem well acquainted with Kakashi anyway."
Yamato and Sakura failed at containing their snickers, Sai slanting his head in confusion. I sighed.
"I still don't get it." I said blandly, apparently having been funny as their snickers burst into insatiable laughter.
"This guy, though," Naruto began, having returned his glare to Sai, "is just taking Sasuke's place, someone chosen to fill the gap. I'll never consider someone like him a team member!" He stated maliciously.
Truly, humans weren't that different here than they were back in my homeland – still the same judgmental, resentful, unforgiving species. We'd be at our destination by now if they would cease this meaningless banter.
"Well, I'm glad you think of me that way." Sai stated, seemingly unfazed. In a way, he reminded me of myself, unemotional and uncaring.
"I wouldn't want to be likened to the weak shit-for-brains, Orochimaru's clone, who only cared for power and ran off to Orochimaru, betraying Konoha." The boy stated rather cheerily, not caring about the flagrant offense he spouted.
So. . . Sasuke is a vengeful betrayer. . . I can relate. . . But causing so much trouble for these kids. . . His must've been something. . .
"You bastard," Naruto clenched his fists, his eyes seeming anomalistic with anger.
Sakura quickly held her arm up, stopping Naruto from being rash.
"Truly," she sated, her eyes hard, "the most important thing is teamwork. Sai. . . Naruto, since he doesn't know you all that well, he just said too much," Sakura concluded, "I'm sorry. Please forgive Naruto."
"Sa-sakura-chan. . ."
"Mmmm," Yamato closed his eyes in satisfaction, "I'm glad to see one of you is reasonable."
"Think nothing of it." Sai said confidently.
"Well, that's good." Sakura stated as if to console herself, but a hit of amusement caught my astute ears.
I should've seen it coming as she reared back, an odd energy permeating her fist, and socked him in the face. He was sent flying across the path a good few yards.
Incredible. . . What was that energy? It amplified her power tenfold. Magic?
"Huh?!" Everyone stiffened in shock as Sai propped himself up, the same weary smile on his face and wiped the blood off his chin.
"On the other hand," a vicious glare that rivaled even my own was on the capricious girl's face, "me, you don't have to forgive."
Sai smirked, "you fooled me completely. That fake laugh before – "
"Since you don't seem to know anything about Sasuke-kun, you shouldn't speak of things you have no idea of!" She pursed her lips. "If you bad-mouth Sasuke-kun one more time, I won't hold back." She warned.
"Pft-haha! Marvelous!" I couldn't contain my taunting laughter. Humans truly were entertaining.
"Elvinia," Naruto addressed me through gritted teeth as Sakura cut her eyes at me, "we're not a spectacle to be enjoyed, I hope you know." He murmured, silent warning tones in his voice as if to tell me to act more normal.
"Ah, yes. Pardon my amusement." My eyes glinted dangerously, hidden aggravation in my voice because while I might have been entertained, their irrelevant quarrels were getting annoying.
Sai chuckled, "gotcha. I won't say anything in front of you, but the fact that you can use a fake smile like that – I'll remember that." He stated surely.
"You've just been hit! Why're you acting so cheerful?!" Naruto exclaimed, making me loll my head back and fall to the ground dramatically. Linksys jumped off my shoulder before I landed, making himself a bed on my torso. Staring at the clouds, I waited for them to finish.
"A smile is the best way to get out of trouble, even if it's fake. Amazingly, it fools everyone. I read that in a book once." The boy mumbled the last part, standing himself up. "It doesn't look like it works here, though."
A silence followed, music to my ears.
"Shichuu-tou no jutsu!!" Yamato's voice rang out, and the ground began to shake. Linksys jumped, crouching as a small growl permeated the air. He was too cute in his small form to create any trepidation.
I rose my head lazily, watching in wonderment as a tremendous cage made of thick, aged wood crawled from the earth. I had to admit, if not aloud, that I was astonished, as rare as that was. It was beautiful. I couldn't help my fascination. After all, greenery was a privilege where I came from.
I stood, Linksys equally intrigued, and made my way toward the cage. It was silent, and although I could feel the stares, I felt as if I was the only one there.
I slowly extended my hand, waiting to take in this new experience but was greatly disappointed after running my longing fingers over the creases of wood. It was lifeless.
"E-elvinia?" Naruto raised a confused eyebrow at me, Yamato seeming just as awkward. My face contorted into disgust as my eyes took on that red flare.
"It's lifeless," I mumbled, "how disappointing."
"Lifeless?" Sakura asked pointedly. I turned my gaze at her, causing her to flinch.
"Nothing," Linksys jumped to my shoulder, "please, continue your meaningless quarreling, so we can be on our way." I brushed passed them, jumping to a tree branch to relieve myself of that disgusting lifeless feeling.
"WHO SAID IT'S MEANINGLESS?!" Naruto yelled back, causing me to grimace and rub my ears.
"She's got a point. If you guys don't stop arguing, I'll have to toss you in a cage. I said we don't have time before we go to the Tenchi Bridge, but there's five days." Yamato sighed wearily.
They all seemed as surprised as me about the cage, but I deduced their surprise had a different cause than mine.
I leaned my head against the bark, closing my eyes and zoning out their conversation as they attempted to alleviate their banters.
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To the hot springs it was. But hot springs? What are those?
"These are hot springs?" I pondered aloud as Sakura and I parted ways from the boys.
"You've never been to one? Where are you even from?!" She chuckled, only deepening my scowl.
"Hell." I said blandly to which she chuckled once more, taking my seriousness as sarcasm.
"I'll say, especially if you don't even know what a hot spring is." She added, making me cringe even more.
As we entered the room, several women were already there either dressing or undressing. I was thoroughly confused.
"Um," I stopped, Linksys covering his bluish green eyes with a miniature wing, "don't tell me it's public bathing?" I stated incredulously, studying the steamy bathing pool. It looked inviting except for the numerous, filthy humans – excuse me – people.
"Elvinia, you coming?" Sakura inquired. I glanced at her, not expecting for her to have already undressed. I huffed amusedly.
"Are you kidding? I will not sink as low as to publicly bathe." I looked away, taking a shy Linksys and putting him in the folds of my armor.
"Suit yourself." Sakura shrugged, trying to hide her aggravation at my arrogance.
After the temptation of trying a hot spring for the first time consumed me, a nefarious plan began to swirl in my mind. The only way I would ever go in there was if all these petty humans ceased to exist.
I pulled Linksys from his sanctuary, removing the wing from his face to gather his attention. His bluish green orbs stared up at me, his gaze hesitant to move around.
"Ne waveh pas. Sheh nwed vah ta cess pomling fev muy." (Don't worry. I need you to do something for me.) I whispered, waiting as he cut his eyes to the side in displeasure. I sighed. "Sheh'jj zen vah da opum?" (I'll give you a treat?) I raised a brow, almost smirking when his tail slung back and forth. "Sheh'jj kwab shat das da vas." (I'll take that as a yes.)
His forked tongue flicked out, licking his nose in anxious waiting. I chuckled.
As I whispered my plan into his ear, he became more and more reluctant to comply, but with the promise of many fish to come, he took the deal.
I slid the door open a tad, allowing him to sneak into the bushes next to the pool. Mission: commenced.
I watched as he jumped onto one of the rocks, getting a few women's attention. Eventually, all the women, except for Sakura who was looking around suspiciously, had gathered around him, fondling his cuteness. I almost laughed at the strained look in his eyes. He was struggling for sure. Such a lecher.
I waited a few more minutes, just to pick on him, before whispering, "vehemeh chee!" (Level two.) My magic floated inconspicuously toward him, surrounding his limbs and absorbing into his scales. He grew in size, roaring and rearing his head. His eyes narrowed and hardened, his lips pulling back in a snarl to showcase his pearly white fangs.
It took them a minute to overcome their speechlessness before scrambling through screams to get passed the door. I quickly pressed against the wall, allowing them to scramble into clothes and run for dear life.
Reveling in the peaceful silence, I walked outside, earning a glare from the only girl left, Sakura. She shook her head.
"You're despicable." She mumbled through bubbles. I smirked.
"You don't know the half." I stated apathetically, earning an amused huff. Again, taking my serious tone as joking.
I concentrated, allowing my armor to shine brightly, returning it to my magic reservoir. As it disappeared, Sakura's eyes widened.
"I'm jealous." She mumbled, studying my body. I quirked a brow.
"Jealous of what?" I inquired nonchalantly, striding into the water. Her cheeks reddened.
"Your body. It's just so. . . perfect." She breathed. I cringed.
"Perfect by whose standards?" I looked at my massive, scaly friend who once again hid his face under his large wing. She sighed.
"B-boys', of course." She stammered, her cheeks reddening even more. I scrunched my face in confusion.
"I'm confused. Why would one base one's body appearance by someone else's preferences?" I pondered aloud.
"Wha?! Are you truly that ignorant, or are you just making fun off me?" Her brow twitched, reminding me of the Tsunade human. I sat there in silence, looking at her blankly.
"Wow," she sighed exasperatedly, "you're a handful."
The time spent in the spring was the relief I had been needing. Besides, the day I'd have to repent was coming soon.
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