So this is my Chapter 25 rough draft! Enjoy! XD
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Someone was poking me. Incessantly. Annoyingly. It was Blade. I knew it. He was the only one stupid enough to interrupt my precious sleep.
"Go die in a hole," I grunted, and swatted the hand away.
For a while, there was peace. I sighed contently, snuggling inside my warm covers.
I was almost engulfed by the arms of sweet respite when, again, it started. Harder, this time.
"Go away," I groaned.
It continued.
"I'm warning you..."
Still there.
"Goddammit, Blade!" I exclaimed, annoyed. Expecting to see the familiar grinning face of a silver-haired monkey look-alike, I turned to find...
...a boy who resembled less a monkey, more an angel.
Huh?
Annoyance faded to confusion. Huge, doe-like, blue eyes peered at me between soft, brown locks of hair. A boy still, he looked no older than seven.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. I stared, bemused. Who the hell...?
And then he smirked wide. "You're stupid."
I blinked, what he said not fully registering yet, still wondering where the hell did this... boy came from. But then the words sunk in.
And so, doing what every mature, rational, human being in the world would do, should they be woken up by being poked continuously by a little boy whom they have never ever seen before in their lives, I narrowed my eyes, and lunged.
Holy hell and mother mercy!
I gasped as pain shot across every part of my body. Stars went behind my eyes as my knees gave out. Even moving my fingers seemed to hurt. I just laid there, hurting, thinking about how Karma was an unfair b-word and that in that moment, I really, really, really hated her.
And then the memories rushed out.
"Oh my god!" I sat up fast, then immediately regretted it.
Sweet pudding in a stick!
I tried to calm my breathing and let the wave of pain pass by, but I realized that one cannot really stop breathing that hard when one was currently in the throes of excruciating agony. So, failing that, I just thought about the heavens above using really bad words.
Karma was an unfair b-word.
I heard a childish laugh to my left, and resisted the urge to turn my head and glare.
"Boy, you are dead," I rasped through gritted teeth.
Then said boy replied with, "You're stupid."
The amount of willpower it took not to throw a knife at him was unbelievable.
"Timothy!" a female voice called out before I had the chance to retort back (or turn him into ashes by sheer force of will, whichever). I heard muffled shuffles, then cool glass met my dry, swollen lips.
I gratefully downed the water in three gulps.
"Thanks," I croaked, opening my eyes, trying to see what the woman looked like. It was hard, the dim light in the room not helping, but I could discern a mess of dark hair and brown skin.
Instantly a dozen different ways to say 'thank you' sprang from my throat, and the woman had to shush me from speaking so fast. I quieted.
"I knew it," the devil leaning on the door said. "You're stupid."
That's it! I narrowed my eyes, already concentrating on controlling my chakra, thinking of creative ways to commit murder. I could feel it flowing. Starting from somewhere in my center, spreading out to my heart, rushing in time with my blood. It was a warm feeling, getting warmer still...
I blinked, forgetting momentarily about the woman and the boy. The rush was still getting warmer, it was almost hot... And it was still heating up. Still. This was not... normal. This was not empowering, like I usually feel, but like... It was dominating, controlling... Like the power was controlling me, not the other way around.
I clutched my chest, feeling uncomfortable. My insides were hot. The burn licked at my organs, smoldering my heart in a painful grip. My vision blurred dark, then I felt a liquid-something flow down to my cheeks, dropping down my jaw.
A sharp intake of breath, then I was being shaken. Somebody's voice sounded very faraway, like at the end of a tunnel.
Then the burning rush faded.
I blinked.
What in the hell was that?
"....hear me? Hello?"
Slap!
I yelped. "Why did you slap me?"
"Because you're stupid."
I groaned, rubbing my stinging cheeks. I was really starting to hate that boy, and I didn't even know where I am!
"Are you alright?" a closer, feminine voice asked with an accent.
Something weird happened. My chakra felt alive, like it had a mind of its own. Moreover, I'm hurt. I'm not sure if all this was just a dream, and I'm gonna wake up back at that hellhole. And on top of all that, there's a child I am positively sure was the evil-incarnate who keeps on telling me I'm stupid. No, I don't think I'm alright. "Yes, thank you." I managed a shaky smile.
"You're stupid and a liar," said said evil-incarnate.
The woman gasped. "Timothy, stop it!"
I frowned. The boy's name was Timothy? That's weird... The name sounded like it could come from my world. But then, this is a world where demons apparently existed, so there could be a country full of people named Joe for all I know (which is still kind of weird, even for this world's standards. I mean, Joe? Tom's a better name choice, if you ask me.)
"Sorry about that," the woman said, bringing me out of my (weird) thoughts. "He's mostly good, but he's... wary of strangers." Her expression told me how much she believed in that. But all the same, I nodded.
"Oh!" She clapped suddenly. "Where now my manners? I'm called Nalla," she introduced herself, bowing, her soft brown curls framing a too-thin face.
Nalla. Another weird name. Somewhat familiar...
I inwardly shook my head. Think of the country full of Joes, Alice. (Or Toms. Don't forget the Toms.) (what?)
"I'm Ayame, ma'am." I inclined my head a little.
She smiled.
Meanwhile, I was a little puzzled. She looked younger than I thought. I vaguely remembered the woman who saved me call me 'child'. Although I was at the brink of death at that time. A hallucination, maybe?
"So. Nalla," I started. "Thanks again for saving my life—"
"Oh, no!" she cut me off, grinning. "I didn't save your life. 'Twas me Ma who did. She found you on the desert, croakin' at death's door." She then frowned. "Say, you're not together with bad folks, are ya? 'Coz this place, it needs none of more trouble like the ones ya keep screamin' 'bout when you're taken in. Clawin' an scratchin' like a cat, you were!" She gave a loud laugh, that turned to a gasp of horror.
My face must've showed enough, because she looked satisfyingly chastised.
"Oh!" she breathed. "Damn me yappin' mouth! I didn't mean... That is... I shouldn't've..."
I sighed. "It's okay." I tried to smile like it was okay, but it came out feeling awkward and wrong on my face.
"Finally," a voice exclaimed somewhere from the doorway. "Was wonderin' if you'd ever wake up, chub."
Turning gingerly, I saw an old woman with salt-and-pepper hair, dark skin, weathered features, and a plump figure, standing with calloused and vein-filled hands on her hips. Intimidating presence aside, I knew without a doubt that this woman was the one who saved my life.
Before I could get a word out, though, the woman interrupted me.
"Well, don't just sit there on your skinny bum, smiling," she chastised, accent sounding oddly Southern (what's up with the accents here?). "After you're fit to stand, you'll help around. You don't think staying here is free, do you? 'Cause if you do, then you're very mistaken."
Something about her voice made my back go stiff-straight, pain be damned. "No, ma'am. I don't think that."
She nodded, then pointed towards Nalla, who hadn't moved from her place. "That young lady right beside you's gonna give you instructions on how things work around here. You're gonna work if you wanna stay here, young lady."
"Yes, ma'am," I squeaked.
The room was silent even after she left. It took me a while to get my thoughts together, to figure out what just happened. When I did, I turned towards Nalla, who in turn looked at me.
We stared. Then broke into giggles.
"Oh, man," I snickered. "What was that?"
Nalla shrugged, chuckling. "Sherryl'd seem a tough chick to ya, but really"—lowering her voice to a low whisper—"she's the nicest lady ya can steal apples from." She winked.
I chuckled, amused. If all of this was just a dream conjured by my mind in an effort to block the horrors of my reality, at least it had interesting people in it, evil-incarnate put aside.
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"Come on, dumb-nut! Put your back into it!"
I grumbled, rolling my eyes at Timothy's insults. For some reason, ever since I was taken in by Sherryl, the little twat made it his priority to annoy the heck out of me. His record, so far, was perfect.
Heaving the basket of apples in one hand, and a bucket of water on the other, I, as Timothy had said, put my back into it and carried it for home.
This had been, more or less, my job, carrying supplies to and fro, since three months ago, on that faithful day I woke up at the orphanage. Yep—orphanage. I was in the Naruto-world's version of the foster care system.
I was still continuing my training, although secretly. If the orphanage found out I was a citizen from somewhere like the Leaf Village (one of the foremost instigators of chaos, as Sherryl accurately put), I don't know what they'd do. The orphanage was located on neutral grounds, somewhere between the borders of three countries. Countries that, Sherryl told me, were on alliances with each other. However, with the continuing unrest provided by hostile organizations (most commonly the Akatsuki), they were on shaky ground. There was a distinct possibility that the town the orphanage was in would be caught in some kind of territorial dispute, and anything that even suggests that they were in some kind of acquaintance with any other country would result in, possibly, bloodshed.
Politics. What more can I say?
That's why, if the orphanage found out, I don't know what they'd do. Of course their first priority was their children, and any danger I pose was unacceptable. But I wasn't planning on giving them any reason to kick me out. I would stay here, in this little corner of the world, hidden from all the secrets, the torture, this damned world, forever.
And if that sounded a bit harsh—selfish, childish, even—I didn't care. My previous world had been hard, but this world had been downright cruel to me.
"What are you waiting for, you sea-donkey? Come on!" Timothy, again, shouted. "We're gonna be late for dinner! The old hag specifically said not to be late!"
I sighed, pushing my previous thoughts away for now.
"Will you be patient for once?" Where were the manners in youth these days? Seriously. Was saying 'please' once in a while poisonous? I sent him a glare, to which he replied with his tongue. Rolling my eyes, I grunted, then stood.
"Oh god. You can't help me with these?"
He shrugged. "I have a delicate physical being. I can't exert myself." He then grabbed a piece of apple, and tipped my bucket a little to wash it with water.
I fumed. How I survived three months without murdering this little twat was beyond me. But I comforted myself by imagining scenes of his death by my hands.
"You know," he started. "You're stupid."
I sighed. Here we go.
"I—Ah!" He jumped up in fright.
I tensed, and immediately dropped everything I was carrying. Drawing my self-made kunai, I extended my chakra range and went towards Timothy, who was on the floor, rubbing his butt.
There was a faint rustle.
I stiffened, readying myself. I had my weapon up when the bush rustled again, and out came a...
... rabbit. A harmless, innocent, rabbit.
I blew out a sigh of relief, and laughed at the little demon on the ground.
"Oooh, a rabbit," I taunted. "So scary."
He frowned at me. "That's not funny."
I laughed more. "Can you see the size of that thing? We could've been killed!"
"Shut up, stupid." His face had taken a reddish tint, and he was stubbornly looking everywhere but me.
I shook my head, unable to tease him any further. Little demon or not, there was no doubt Timothy was still a child. He had big, blue, innocent-looking eyes, his height barely came to my hips, and if it wasn't for the Home's limited resources, I imagine his baby fat could make him cuter, even. He was an orphan, like me. He was abandoned (at least that's what Nalla told me), and harsh words and tough exterior was his way of surviving.
"Want up?" I offered my hand.
He pushed it away and stood. "It was an honest mistake."
I nodded, pursing my lips from smiling. "Of course it was."
He humphed and went towards the scattered fruits and vegetables I dropped, and started picking them up, grumbling.
I chuckled, then felt something nudge at my feet. Looking down I saw the previous rabbit looking at me, its beady eyes seeming to stare at my soul.
...a few inches from my face, was the glassy eyes of a rabbit, staring at me, its eyes dull. Lifeless. Its face was mangled, its jaw gone. Its white fur was covered in blood, a stark contrast against its pure white background.
I gasped at the gruesome flashback, and tried to erase it from my thoughts. It was enough that those images haunt me in my sleep, they don't need to follow me when I'm awake.
"Hey, stupid!" a child's voice called out. "Little help, maybe?"
I blinked, then let out a shaky breath. Right. Right. Scattered foods; sun setting; need to go home... That's what's right now. No mangled animals and burned wasteland.
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We were quiet. So very, very quiet. Walking on tiptoes, not a squeak of sound, not even a sound of exhaled breath. Quiet. Legs trembling from slow movement, arms shaking from heavy baggage, yet quiet. So, so quiet. Timothy's fingers were twitching, as if he wanted nothing more than to make a run for it, and hope for the best. But he didn't. Because he was a smart kid. He was a smart kid who knew the consequences of taking the wrong mov—
"You're late."
"Ah!" Both Timothy and I jumped about three feet in the air.
Then instinct took over.
I ran with my heart pounding on my chest, dropping what I was carrying. I ran with all my might, not caring at all if Timothy survived. Every person for themselves.
"Stop, you little maggots!"
There were chuckles all around, a few shouting, and... oh god, there was the sound of the Broom of Doom.
I ran faster. I needed to go to my room, close the door, lock it, and possibly never see the light of day ever again. Just a little more, Alice....
Whack!
"Ow!" I screamed, clutching my head.
My rhythm got lost. I stumbled. Hit my head again.
"Oh god. That hurts!"
Whack!
"Jesus Christ!"
Whack!
I'm pretty sure my head was bleeding internally now.
"Woman! Will you stop?!"
This time, she hit my stomach.
I doubled over.
Yep. My soul's already leaving my body.
"Holy crap. That hurts."
Whack!
"Okay. Okay," I panted, rubbing my head and stomach. "I'm sorry!"
Sherryl humphed, then narrowed her eyes at me. From the corner of my eye I could see Nalla sheepishly holding a struggling Timothy. The other children at the orphanage were eavesdropping, their big eyes showing amusement and pity.
"Well. Well." Sherryl had her hands on her hips, and her expression made me want to melt with the walls, never to be seen again. Ever.
"Looks like two somebodies decided to show up." She was shaking her head at us.
"There was an animal!" Timothy suddenly shouted.
I blinked, then turned towards Timothy, who was looking at me, his eyes telling me something.
I cocked my head a little to the side, confused.
"A-A huge animal," Timothy continued, still glancing at me with those eyes. "With sharp teeth."
Was there a huge animal? The only thing we encountered bigger than a grasshopper was a rabbit. And rabbits aren't supposed to have sharp teeth, right? But what...
Oh.
Then I got it.
"Yeah..." I nodded, then my voice grew stronger, "Yeah! It was freakin' huge, man!"
"Uh-huh," Timothy backed, "Like this big." He stretched his arms as wide as he could, giving Sherryl his signature huge-innocent-eyes-with-bangs-covering-one-eye look.
"And it had huge, huge teeth!" I continued, describing whatever my idea of a terrible creature was. "Sharp and deadly. They were like claws. Only it's on its mouth!"
"Yeah! Yeah! And it had icky scales as its skin! And its tongue was purple, like dripping with venom!" Timothy's eyes were glinting with laughter, but his expression was serious.
I nodded. "Its eyes were black, you know? Like it had no soul at all."
Timothy nodded with me. "We almost died!"
I nodded again.
"One might not know what would've happened," Timothy's expression looked so... sagely... that I had to purse my lips to keep myself from laughing.
I heard a burst of laughter besides me, then it was lamely covered by a cough. Nalla.
"But alas!" I continued, not even knowing why the heck I was talking like this, but loving doing it anyway, "my dear, sweet... um..." I scrambled for words.
Lady, you stupid-head!
"...Lady!" I hurriedly added. "But alas, my dear, sweet lady, the sun has set before we even noticed. And thus our late appearance." I finished, giving her an apologetic smile.
Sherryl raised an eyebrow. "An animal. Really."
Both Timothy and I nodded our heads vigorously.
She snorted, rolling her eyes. "You both has got to be the worst liars of the century. An animal, really." She barked out a laugh, eyes shining with amusement. "Wash your hands, the both of you. Better clean your dirty faces, too. And clean up that mess you both made!" she spouted, ordering the whole orphanage with her booming voice.
Timothy and I sighed with relief, then grinned at each other, heads filled with bumps. We were immediately shooed towards the bathroom by Sherryl, however, promising that we'd receive punishment later.
"Lying, bumbling, ungrateful, miscreants...," I heard her mutter, closing the door, shooting us a playful glare.
I laughed. "An animal, really?"
Timothy shrugged, opening the faucet to wash his hands. "My survival instinct is not as good as it used to be."
I grimaced at that, though he can't see it. It was just a joke. A statement carelessly thrown out without thought. It made me wonder, though. What kind of ten-year-old boy even needed survival instincts?
Without meaning to, my eyes strayed towards the mirror in the bathroom. I looked better than I first came here. The deep eye-bags were gone, the sunken cheeks were filled up a little, and my complexion had a little colour to them. Few scars scattered over the visible skin on my arms, but they were mostly shallow. The deep ones were hidden by my clothes, but there was one crossing from my right eyebrow, almost missing the edge of my eye. But overall, not bad recovery.
"Hey, stupid," a childish voice called somewhere behind me, bringing me out my thoughts. "Stop admiring your stupid self, and let's eat!"
I rolled my eyes, but followed him out.
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Breathe in. Out. Slow and steady.
The forest was a festival for the senses, even at night. If you listen hard enough, you could hear the soft chirping of birds, the gentle swaying of trees and grass, the soft patters of hidden creatures just out of sight. If you concentrated, you could smell the earthy hints of grass and the sweetness of flowers, and the evidences of possibly a thousand creatures' day-to-day activities. Even in darkness you could see shadows. All that you could sense without even the use of any extra senses.
In. Out.
Slowly, I reached for the energy silently coiling inside my core. It felt warm, comforting. I smiled a little. Carefully, I extended it in a rough circle around me. I felt the flap of the wings of a bird, heard the distant sound of flowing water, smelled the sweet smell of newly-riped apples. I tried to feel as far as I could, concentrating on nothing, but simultaneously feeling everything else.
Crack!
A twig snapped. I instinctively latched onto the source, feeling vibrant life, mischievous intentions. The culprit was small, not yet an adult. I heard a small giggle, then it was immediately cut off. He was getting closer, closer, closer...
"Boo!"
I opened my eyes slowly, feeling a bit annoyed at the abrupt interruption in my training. Timothy stood, looking down on me. His grin transforming his whole face into sweet innocence, his falling bangs covering his right eye furthering the look.
Rolling my eyes, I stood. "Yes. Real mature there, squat."
He laughed. "Why were you sleeping in the middle of the forest?" he asked. "That's kind of stupid, you know."
I sighed. "What's it to ya?" I started to smile.
"Well, it's dangerous."
It took me a while to understand what he said. When I did, I backtracked, a little shocked.
"Huh?" My face must've showed my confusion.
He shrugged, and jammed his hands on his pockets. "The old hag said so, remember? This forest"—he swept a hand towards his surroundings—"is where bad people go, right? So... it's dangerous to sleep here."
"Okaaay...," I trailed, unused to his concern. "I... won't sleep here again, then."
He nodded as if that's that.
I frowned. "Alright, Timmy, what do you want?"
He scowled at the nickname. "Don't call me Timmy."
"What about Tim-tim?"
"No."
"Mothy? Timo? Tim?"
"Shut up, egg-head."
"Oh, oh! What about Joey?"
His scowl deepened.
I laughed. "Really, what do you want?"
He didn't answer, just looked at me as if he was deciding something. Then his eyes took a hardened glint.
"Who are you?"
I blinked. "Huh?"
The boy in front of me squared his shoulders, as if readying himself for a fight. His hand reached behind him, and despite myself, I tensed, ready for an attack. Although thinking about Timothy, of all people, attacking me with a knife messed with my sense of reality a bit, I couldn't help the instincts drummed into me by experience.
"I found this when I found you," he began, opening his hand to reveal something that took me a while to comprehend:
My Leaf Village headband.
My mouth hung open in shock. A dozen different emotions whirled and went through my head, dizzying in its speed. The sight of the headband, so simple and trivial to an outsider, was like a blow to my chest, reminding me of so much.
"Where did you get this?" I breathed, unable to believe. My hand trembled inches above the cloth. I didn't want to touch it. Because if I did, it would be like acknowledging a terrible secret that I just know would eat me alive.
If I touched it, and it was real, then I knew it was a sign that I had to go back.
And I didn't want to go back.
"I found it when I found you," Timothy replied.
My hand stilled, my expression hardened into something undecipherable. I took the damn thing in my hand, gripping it with all my might, as if willing, by sheer physical force, for it to crumble and fly with the wind, bringing everything it meant away from here, my little hidden corner from this damned, treacherous world.
"You're from the Leaf Village."
I nodded stiffly, gritting my teeth hard. Of course, I thought. What did I think? That I could just simply find a little house, and hide from the pain and cruelty forever? Such a thought belonged to a child's. And I had thought that I had grown out of those silly little fairy tale nonsense.
There was no such thing as hiding. There was running, there was screaming, there was even crying, but there was no such thing as hiding forever. One way or another, I had known I had to face the music.
I sighed. A long, weary sigh that even to my ears sounded as if it carried a weight that could make grown men weep exhaustion.
Slap!
I moved, instinctively grabbing the hand that slapped me, twisting it so that any wrong move on my attacker's part would result in him breaking his own arm.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Timothy exclaimed, scrabbling to right himself.
I let go of him, crossing my arms.
"Why the hell did you slap me?" I rubbed my cheek. "How the hell did you even manage to reach my face?" Timothy's size was small, even for a child his age. His head barely reached my ribs.
Timothy scowled. "I have my ways." He stood, and copied my crossed arms. Impressively, I secretly thought. "So?"
"So what?"
"What do you mean, 'so what'?"
I frowned. "What do you mean, 'what do you mean 'so what''?"
He growled.
I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay. You got me. I'm from the Leaf Village. So?" I tried to act nonchalant, but my smile felt stiff.
"Are you going back?"
A harsh laugh got out before I could stop myself. "Go back? No. I'm not going back." My voice sounded weird. Hoarse. My throat felt like something was lodged in it, and for some reason, my chest was hurting.
I felt like crying.
I gritted my teeth, so goddamned angry at myself. Why did I felt like I wanted to slap myself when I said I wasn't going back? I wasn't. I didn't want to go back. All I ever got when I was there was heartbreak and misery, revelations that didn't make sense, questions on top of other questions. I don't want to go back.
"Hey!" Timothy was only inches from my face.
"Ah!" I exclaimed, taking a few steps back.
Timothy's eyebrows scrunched. "What's wrong with you? You spaced out all of a sudden."
I blinked. "You..."
He rolled his eyes. "Ha-ha, very funny."
I shook my head. "N-No... I meant you... Your..."
"You really are stupid, aren't you." Timothy snorted. "Come on, let's go back. It's getting dark."
It took me a few seconds to snap out of it, and by then he was already a few distance away. I shook my head. No, it was impossible. What I saw was just an illusion of an angry mind. Because if it wasn't, then I was pretty sure that I just saw Timothy's eyes turn a familiar shade of red.
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If you didn't get it, that shade of red means Sasuke's sharingan (I legit had to look it up because I couldn't remember -.- It's been a long time since I've read it XD)
Anyways! Again, thank you for reading my fanfic! :) Have a nice day! XD