To my readers: Hello! It's NarutoKura, back with another book... or a rewrite of my first book, The Healing Angel. Thank you all so, so much for giving this book a chance! I'm still working on my writing, and this is what I need! Thank you all. You guys are amazing, every one of you. You're making my day! :)
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"Oh, Rin! Do you want to play with us?" A voice rang throughout the large, traditional-style Japanese room. Nohara Rin turned towards the voice and smiled, ridding herself of troubling thoughts.
"Hashirama-san! Hello!" She grinned.
"Oh, for the millionth time, drop the 'san' already! We don't need formalities here! It's the afterlife, not Konoha! Hashirama will do fine," the Shodai Hokage smiled at the young girl. "Join us!"
"Are you sure it's okay?" Rin asked, glancing around the table. The teen noticed that Senju Tobirama was there, as well as Hyuga Hizashi. With them were many other shinobi, all wearing different headbands. She reddened to be in the presence of such respected figures. This time, it was the Nidaime Hokage who replied.
"Of course. Come sit with us. We were just about to start a round of Secret Angel."
Rin hesitantly padded over to their table of shinobi. She was cautious - until Hashirama grabbed her arm and tugged on it really hard - and she fell over and did some horrible acrobatic moves, complete with a crash, a fallen-over table, and a yelp. Rin scrambled to a kneeling position, her cheeks flushing and hot. Everyone was laughing. Rin cast her eyes down to her lap and shot an annoyed glance at Hashirama.
Unfortunately, he saw it.
"Hey, what with that look? It's fine, honestly. Hey! Okay, fine. I'm sorry, okay?" he puffed his cheeks out and pouted in her direction. Rin turned red and tried to hide a smile.
"Fine." Hashirama grinned again.
"Yay!! Let's play, then!"
The group watched as the table righted itself on its own. It wasn't abnormal; things in the afterlife tended to be rather... independent. Rin snuck a glance around the table and saw a man at the head of the table with navy-blue hair that went down to the middle of his back and striking purple eyes. They locked eyes for a moment. She turned away, embarrassed. Then, she was slapped on the back really hard. She swung her head to frown at Hashirama.
"Hashirama!" Rin grumbled. He grinned.
"Listen to Ryunosuke-sama. He's explaining the game," he said, looking down at the girl fondly. She turned to look right, but Hashirama took her head and directed it left. To the man whom she was just looking at. Who is he, anyways...? Rin wondered. She only caught the last sentence.
"-Secret Angel. Just grab a card and write your name on it."
A velvet bag with gold-lined paper in it was passed around. A feather pen appeared on the table beside each person. Rin loved the little miracles that happened in the afterlife. However, she did miss Kakashi, Obito and Minato. Rin frowned, just thinking about her old teammates. Minato-sensei seems to be doing okay, but I need to do something about those two boys down there... she thought, troubled. She was snapped out of her thoughts when a hand landed on her shoulder gently. Rin turned to find the concerned face of Hashirama.
"Rin, are you okay? You seem out of it lately..." he said. He blinked. "Don't tell me you're worrying about Kakashi and Obiko again..."
"Obito," Rin corrected glumly. "And bingo," she added.
"Darn it, child! Leave your burdens behind! You're in the afterlife! Afterlife, you hear me?" he asked, frowning at her. She sighed.
"Don't you worry about Madara-san?" Rin asked. Hashirama froze. Pain filled his black orbs and she instantly regretted saying what she had previously stated.
"Sorry!" she murmured, eyes wide. He glanced away. After an agonizing moment, he looked back and said,
"Do you want to come with me after the game? You can explain some of what's going on to me." Rin nodded, grateful. After she had arrived at the afterlife, she had met Hashirama, and the two had become very good friends, despite their age difference. Rin helped him with his problems, he helped Rin with hers.
Rin glanced down at her card to write her name, only to find her feather pen writing it for her. She peered over to this "Ryunosuke-sama" and found him staring at her with a slight frown. She looked away, feeling sheepish.
The bag was passed around once again, and the deceased shinobi drew the names this time. Oddly enough, Rin drew two cards and, without realizing that, flipped them both over. She did a double take when she saw the names.
Kakashi
Obito
The former shinobi scanned the entire table and did not find them present.
"Huh........?!" she muttered. Before she could do anything else, however, "Ryunosuke-sama" cleared his throat.
"The people you have drawn are the people you are to be a secret angel to. Give gifts to them, get to know them, be their friend. You are now their guardian angel. I will be watching you guys," he said. Then, a ghost of a smile appeared on his face, and his eyes softened.
And then, his eyes found Rin's. She had a feeling that this man was someone respected, for even Hashirama to use formalities and "sama" with him. His eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second, and then, he was gone.
"Huh?!" the teen muttered again. Hashirama glanced at her.
"Ryunosuke-sama?" he guessed. She nodded, frowning. "He's like that. Haven't you seen him before?"
"No..." she replied, distressed. When Hashirama's eyes flew wide with surprise, Rin grew even more frantic. "Was I supposed to have seen him?!"
"Well, no, but do you know who he is?" he asked the teen. She shook her head. Hashirama sighed.
"Well, I'll tell you. He's the lord of the afterlife. Come to think about it, if he is your secret angel, you're super lucky."
"............Huh?!" This day was getting weirder and weirder. And then, a great idea dawned on the past Medic Ninja.
"Hashirama," Rin began. "Is this... Ryunosuke-sama... Is he nice?"
The Shodai Hokage tensed. He gazed down at Rin with an unreadable but deadly serious expression. Rin shuddered involuntarily.
"...Yes." Hashirama had hesitated, but his reply was firm. His eyes narrowed gently. "Why?"
"I think I want to go see him."
The Shodai Hokage looked incredulous.
"You want to... date him?" he asked, eyes wide. Rin blinked. A whole minute passed before she processed what he meant. And she burst out laughing.
"No, of course not! I meant that I wanted to visit him to ask him something," Rin said, still laughing. Hashirama let out a sigh of relief. Huh, Rin thought. What a weird day.
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After a while of searching and not finding, Hashirama and Rin lay down in the middle of nowhere, grumbling to themselves.
"Well, I guess it won't work; that man has his own schedule. He shows up when he wants and you can never find him unless he actually wants to be found. Same goes for you too, kiddo," Hashirama tousled Rin's hair. She stuck her tongue out at her friend, then looked on with a determined face.
"Argh!" she growled. "I need to see Ryunosuke-sama!! I am so going to find him!"
And then he showed up in front of them. The two gave shouts of surprise, scrambled up, and hastily bowed. Rin heard a sigh.
"Rin, Rin, Rin. I liked you better when you didn't know my status here," he said, a wistful edge to his voice. "You were the only one who met my eyes with that boldness... I guess that's gone too, now..." Rin stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Ryunosuke-sama..." Hashirama said, eyes wide as well. "That was the most you've ever spoken in all the years I've known you..." Rin glanced at Hashirama in surprise. Then, she turned to face the lord of the afterlife.
"Ryunosuke-sama, I-"
"Ryunosuke will do."
Everyone froze. Hashirama looked outraged. And he burst.
"Ryunosuke-sama!!! You have never, in all the years I've known you, told me such a thing!!! And- and- you've met Rin for ONE HOUR and she can get rid of the formalities?! That is so not fair," he complained, deflating into a crying puddle on the ground. Rin watched the interaction with amusement, pressing her lips together in an attempt to hide a smile. Ryunosuke chuckled.
"I like the girl," he said. The aforementioned turned red.
"Rin, don't listen to him. He's gone crazy, that man," Hashirama grumbled from his spot on the floor. Rin gaped at the disrespect. And this time, the two men laughed.
"Relax, Rin." Ryunosuke smiled. "We are longtime friends."
And it was her turn to get mad at Hashirama.
"Hashirama!! What happened to promising to let me meet all your friends?!" she asked, puffing her cheeks out. Out of the corner of her eye, Rin saw the lord of the afterlife watching them with amusement.
"I-I thought you knew him..." Hashirama muttered. He didn't meet the young girl's eyes. She knew he was lying.
"Liar!" Rin snapped.
She gasped when she heard the same words coming from the person beside her. Rin turned to lock eyes with Ryunosuke. He was watching her, surprise apparent on his face as well.
"Rin," he said. The girl reddened with the straightforwardness of the young man. "Will you join me for dinner?"
Smiling, she nodded.
"Of course, Ryunosuke-sama!"
"Ryunosuke will do."
"Oh, right. Sorry."
"Nooooooo, whyyyyyyyy............ See, this is why I didn't want you to meet him.........." Hashirama went back to being a crying puddle, but he decided to soak Rin's shoulder instead of the floor this time.
"H-Hashirama..." Rin stammered. She smiled softly at him. "Hey, we're still going to be best friends!"
"We better still be!" he snapped, pouting at her. Then, he glared at Ryunosuke. "I'll let you guys go have your dinner or whatever now." He turned on his heel and stalked away. Rin's eyes were wide. She turned to the lord of the afterlife for help on what to do, and found him peering after his "longtime friend" with a completely blank face. He turned to Rin.
"Looks like someone's jealous."
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"Thank you so much for the dinner, Ryunosuke!" Rin chirped happily.
She had finally managed to drop the "sama," at his consistent reminders. He smiled softly at her. Rin grinned back, refusing to make the atmosphere awkward. Then, she remembered what she wanted to say in the first place, and the smile left her face. Rin turned to look at him and he watched her intently. There was an odd spark in his slightly narrowed eyes, as if he knew what the teen was about to say. The air turned somber.
"I..." Rin began.
"Go on ahead. It's alright to speak your mind. I won't blast you to pieces or whatever you think people with power do." She smiled at that.
"I like how you're a sensible-minded person," Rin said. Ryunosuke gazed softly at her with his piercing violet eyes. Rin sighed. She needed to get to the point before she ran out of time and courage. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves.
"Ryunosuke," the teen said. "I would like to travel back to the world I was in when I was living. My teammates are suffering for all the wrong reasons, and I really want to help them. Please, give me a chance..."
For a fraction of a second, if only for that fraction of a second, Ryunosuke's eyes grew pained. He glanced away. Rin's eyes widened, and she wondered if she had upset him. Strangely enough, the young girl felt no fear, only the strong desire to lend a hand.
"Ryunosuke...?" she murmured softly and uncertainly. The young man made no move to indicate that he had heard her. "Are you okay?" Ryunosuke turned his eyes to gaze at her, face void of emotion.
"I'm fine, don't worry," he murmured. Ryunosuke pursed his lips and met Rin's worried gaze with an unstable gaze of his own. "I approve of your request. However, a deal must be made and there will be regulations." Rin nodded.
"Yes, I understand. Please state them," she said. Ryunosuke nodded.
"I can grant you three years to be in that world once again. In three years, you must return." He paused for a moment. Then, he let out a puff of frustrated air. "Unless you find a living replacement to take your place. Then, you may stay there and live your shinobi life like any normal living person." Rin frowned. What's with the emphasis on those words? Then, she smiled.
"Thank you so much, Ryunosuke!" In the spur of the moment, she reached up and hugged him. She could feel him tense beneath her, but she held on tight nonetheless. "Thank you," she whispered.
I will return. There is no way I'm going to sacrifice someone - someone living, too - to keep my life back there. I'll just come back, and enjoy some more time with Hashirama and Ryunosuke, and all my other friends. Three years is enough. I'm grateful for the chance, Rin thought. Yes, it's decided.
"I will take you up on the offer, Ryunosuke!" Rin smiled. He smiled softly - albeit somewhat sadly - in return.
"One question," the lord of the afterlife piped up. Rin tilted her head, trying to contain her excitement, but even Ryunosuke could see it bouncing in her eyes. "Why?"
"I... I told you already, did I not?" Rin replied, a little uncertainly.
"Elaborate a little..." Ryunosuke murmured. "Unless it's too personal!" he added when he saw the teen's expression. Something's wrong, Rin thought. He's losing his cool. She made a mental note to ask him about his behaviour and to hang out more with the man before her when she got back to the afterlife. She frowned. Ryunosuke frowned too.
"Is something wrong?" he asked softly. "You don't have to tell me." Rin looked at him, suppressing surprise. He's pretty observant himself, she thought.
"No, nothing's wrong. It's just that... For the past year while I've been up here, I've watched my teammates slowly separate themselves from the rest of the world. Kakashi, the one whom I jumped in front of, is drowning in his own grief. I think it's about time I pulled him out of it. And Obito is even worse. He doesn't know the whole story, and he's plotting his revenge against Kakashi and Konohagakure! I need to stop that. He has Hashirama's cells in him; he can become very, very strong. I want him to use his power for good. With his abilities... He can start a war. I just... I'm so fed up with watching all this happen before my eyes... I can't stand it anymore!"
Darkness consumed the young girl's delicate features and shadowed her normally bright eyes. However, when she looked up, those eyes were pools of determination.
"I won't allow myself to be the cause of a war, I will not let my teammates be the ones to cause it, and most of all, I will not let my teammates fall prey to the hands of hatred and guilt!"
Conviction sparkled in the young teen's chocolate eyes. Ryunosuke looked into the deep pools of love she had for her loved ones, and he knew she meant it. He smiled softly, feeling a little wistful.
"You..." he began. Ryunosuke tensed as hands found his neck once again, pulling him into yet another embrace.
"Thank you," the girl whispered quietly. "I've finally poured it out."
"Glad to be of help. Call on me if you need, okay?" Though he didn't show it, the man was contented to finally be of help to someone whom he dared to call a friend. That friend smiled gently at him.
"Yes, of course! Thank you so much, Ryunosuke-san!"
"Deal, then?"
"Deal!"
"Alright," he murmured. "I will see you soon, Rin-san."
"Wait! Can I go say goodbye to Hashi-"
Rin felt a sudden jolt, and her entire body felt like it was burning in flames and dipped in ice at the same time. It was a horrifying sensation. And then, a tiny whisper reached her ears:
"Stay safe."
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And that's the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it... It's basically the same as the old one. If you could tell me what you think of this story, I would really appreciate it! Again, like I said in the first chapter in my old book, every little thing counts, so thanks so much for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it. Well, until next time! :)
~NarutoKura