The Phoenix Child
Chapter 1: Alone
I looked out of the window and saw children playing in the grounds of the academy; scurrying here and there around the swings. I shivered despite of the warmth and looked away, my crimson orbs staring now at the black board.
A part of me wanted to go outside and play but another part of me was afraid that nobody would accept me. Despite my appearance and my natural powers, I was a coward inside, a shy person or just plain cold. I was afraid that if I went outside, I will be send back but with tears because nobody accepted me at all. They said I am strange, that I am ugly… that I was better off dead. And it was kind of ironic to see kids my age, that is only six, will have such a colorful words to chose from when insulting. I never said a word to them and they call me weird or scary… or ugly. I was like them, I wanted to play too. No, I argued with myself now, I wasn't like them… I was cursed. There was something inside me that made me act like how I was. Something I hated and it was something that made other people hate me.
I sighed sadly and then looked at the window again but this time my gaze was not outside but at the diminished reflection of myself on the glass window. I was red… literally. My long, straight red hair ended till the middle of my back and a thick layer covered my forehead and my ears. My big eyes were crimson and glowed with pain and hurt from which I was suffering. My complexion was pale… so pale that sometimes people thought that I did not eat at all. I wore a white button-up shirt but it was hidden by a black poncho that I wore on top. My skirt was black and so were my socks and shoes. I glared at the black bags under my eyes that were because of lack of sleep.
The bell rang loudly, pulling me out of my thoughts. I wearily looked at the clock that hung on the wall, just above the black board. Recess was over and soon the children would start coming in and the classes would continue. I liked to sit in the class during recess; like I have a second choice.
The door banged open and my classmates came in, laughing, joking and hitting each other cheerfully. They ignored me as they took their seats. But a few did look at me; their eyes full of arrogance abhor and disgust. I cowered under their stares and bit my bottom lip, scared before slouching down on my seat.
The blond look haughtily at her and rolled her eyes as she slouched in her seat, giving an expression that she was innocent and scared.
"Humph, I hate that girl… why does she even bother to come to an academy?" she muttered to a small timid pink haired girl who blushed slightly and looked at the alone red-haired girl that was sitting by the window.
Confusion lingered in her green emerald eyes as she stared at the blond girl intently.
"What do you mean, Ino-chan?" she asked as her best friend looked at her.
"I mean Sakura is that she is that why does she comes to the academy to train and become a ninja when she already have powers that so many people fear of," Ino explained as she ran her hand through her gorgeous blond hair.
Sakura blinked as she slowly understood what Ino was trying to say.
"But Ino-chan… she kind of looks scared," she slowly muttered as she looked at the red-haired girl who held a slightly pained expression.
Ino looked at Sakura and sighed slowly.
"Never judge a book by its cover. She might look scared in front but inside she is a demon… a real demon,"
Before Sakura could say another word, they were joined by a brown haired boy with a puppy on his head. Red marks shone on his plump cheeks as he keenly looked at them.
"Hello ladies… couldn't help overhearing the conversation but have you heard about the latest news?" he said, grinning and showing his sharp teeth.
Ino at once looked at him, interested; her arms on her desk and her chin resting on them as she looked at him with her big blue eyes.
"Really Kiba? It amazes me how you find about stuff so fast… so what's the latest," she said excitedly.
Kiba's blush vanished as he narrowed his eyes and looked at the red-haired girl. He brought his face closer to the girls so they can hear him whisper.
"I went for a walk yesterday with Akamaru here… I was going through the path in the forest when I saw her,"
There was a minute silence as the three children narrowed their eyes at the red-haired girl.
"I heard pants and cries from the Lake Tsuki and I couldn't help exploring what was happening. So I left the path to see what was going on and what I saw, totally terrified me,"
Kiba was sweating now, his face pale and he gulped loudly.
"Go on," Ino encouraged him.
Kiba inhaled sharply and closed his black colored eyes.
"She was covered in blood, her clothes were torn and she looked severely injured. First I thought that somebody had hurt her but the next thing I heard, made all my suspicions wrong. She looked up at the sky, her face covered in fresh blood and tears started to flow out of her eyes and then she yelled, in pure anger I must say, 'BURN THEM ALL'"
"Burn them all? But that doesn't make sense," Sakura whispered as she stared at the red-haired girl who was blankly staring at the opened book in front of her.
"Of course it does Sakura! It means that she has just killed someone," Ino harshly whispered at her.
Sakura's eyes widened as she shivered, imagining the whole story in her mind.
"They say she has killed many and will kill if anyone stands in her way. She is a demon," Kiba said as his dog, Akamaru barked from under his jacket.
Ino sighed as she sat straight herself up and looked at the ceiling. She suddenly sensed her best friend shivering so she immediately put a relaxing arm around her.
"The best way is to stay away from her because as I told you before; never judge a book by its cover,"
The meaning of life for her was like a purpose of a feather for a fish. The feather will never reach the fish anyway but will float away on the water. Just like her.
She would never truly live her life, she always wished that she was like normal people, eat and play like normal people. And like normal people, be loved.
I shook my head and sighed silently as I walked out of the academy. Today was a horrible day as usual; Iruka-sensei wanted everyone to practice a special nin-jutsu but in order to that, they had to be paired in groups. And like every activity, she was left alone to do her own work.
'I wonder what is teamwork and equal participation. I wonder what really happens in groups and teams… will I ever be a part of it.' I thought solemnly as I turned the corner and suddenly bumped into someone.
I staggered back but thankfully did not fall because I knew what would happen if I fall… the thing that was in me, would take over. Would destroy and burn everything.
I blankly stared at the boy in front of me and I again felt a pang of pain in my heart when he stared back… his eyes frightened and his body numb.
I waited for an apology, for a remark, for a comment, for a movement… for anything but none came.
I ignored him after a few minutes of waiting for a reply and walked passed him as quickly as my chibi little legs could go. Apart of my rumors, I was still a kid… the fact that everyone ignored.
I hadn't gone far when I heard a couple of kids running to his friend who had bumped into me earlier.
"Chouji! Are you alright?" someone shouted at him.
"Yeah I am fine… it was just a bump, I am not dead," the plump boy said cheekily.
"What a relief! There I thought you were about to go in flames!"
"Did you even saw her? She looked so scary!"
"Yeah a demon!"
"Did you hear? She killed someone a few days ago! Kiba told me!"
"Whew… glad it wasn't me!"
The taunts, the humiliation, the criticisms, the remarks… it burned into my flesh stronger than the fire that was already burning in my chest. My head spun and I stopped in my tracks, trying to control the emotions that had suddenly filled me. Every word had slashed my glass covered heart, not breaking it but giving tremendous amount of pain. I was a good hider and I could easily control my emotions instead of going berserk and hurting everyone.
But I was weak if compared to the monster inside me. I was VERY weak… the monster was so much stronger and it wasn't a good controller at all. The taunts and criticisms provoked him and made him angry. The insult that I was getting made him go mad and when that happened, it took over me and even how much I fought, nothing could control him. He hated everyone who jeered at me because I was him and he was me… we were joined by faith and God… a prophecy that has to completed in order for me to return to mortality.
I dropped by bag and turned around at the children who at once stopped talking and stared at my in pure fright. My crimson eyes were now still and cold and an invisible force blew at my long crimson hair and my clothes. I gritted my teeth and looked at them fiercely, hating the way they cowered when they saw me. I wished that they would stand up to me and fight me and treat me like they did everyone else.
But my inner self was angry; he wanted too much that could be given to him.
The fire in my chest burn more strongly than ever and the ends of my hair lit by orange and red flames of fire. A red aura began to flow through my body, lighting the scared children's faces as they slowly backed away. A thread of fire appeared out of nowhere and started to circle me protectively… as if keeping me away from their harsh comments.
But scaring them wasn't the part that the demon in me wanted… he wanted to teach them a lesson. A lesson they would never forget.
Fire rose from my feet like a wave, full of crimson, orange and yellow colors as it slowly went towards the kids who screamed in fright and terror. I wanted to stop, I didn't want to hurt anyone but I couldn't stop… the thing in me was controlling my body now and doing everything I did not want to do. And it's quite ironic when the monster leaves me when its time to face the consequences of what my demon have done earlier.
But the fire never touched the children's skin because the next thing I knew, somebody had blocked the wave of fire with a strange nin-jutsu. The barrier of water had stopped my fire and now it retreated back to me, suddenly scared of the angry cruel man that stood in front of the water barrier which protected the cowering children.
I hated my demon for this. Now that it was time to face the consequences of what had happened, he would leave me alone and then come out after I was well punished. It made me angry that the demon refused to be one and face the results as one but I got punished for his doings.
Why?
Because I was weak and I couldn't stop him from conquering me.
The fire around me vanished and my hair fell on my back gently, now extinguished. I blinked, my eyes turning from steel cold to a kid's innocent ones.
I frighteningly looked at the man in front of me who glared at me with his cold green eyes before making a few hand seals and the barrier of water disappeared. The children at once scramble to their feet and ran away, leaving the man and me alone in the street. I wish I could just run away like that… run away from the horrible place I lived in, from the people I call my family and from my fate.
But I couldn't… I could never.
I gulped slightly as I picked up my bag from the ground and looked at the man again. His green eyes were fixed on me as his purple chin length hair fluttered with the wind. His tanned skin stretched over his strong looking muscles.
"Kimiko…lets go to the compound," he muttered coldly before walking past me with a last hatred filled glance. It was strange why he never called the compound "home" when talking to me (which was rarely). I heaved a sorrow filled sigh before following him, my head bowed down. I know what was coming at me when I reached the compound… I would probably get tortured again.
"Yes father," I muttered as I followed him, trying to forget whatever I was thinking.
I screamed loudly as I fell on my knees, my crimson hair falling in front of my face as I grabbed my head tightly; my nails digging into my scalp as I tried to maintain the painful throbbing in my head. I coughed blood, crimson red. The pain in my chest increased as tears started to flow down my cheeks.
"Stop father, please," she whispered, slowly.
But he didn't seem to listen. He raised both of his hands and an electricity wave erupted into her body, making her scream in pain and agony. She fell on the ground face first, on the verge of unconsciousness.
"Get out of my face, you filthy maggot," her father sneered angrily.
Sometimes I was thankful to the phoenix, it sometimes saved me from more torturing, like now… when my father had almost killed me and I have shed countless drops of blood and my energy was nil. And then the phoenix would help me. It would gather me in its fire and take me away from him.
A natural teleporting jutsu.
I would find myself in front of Lake Tsuki, the lake the phoenix always bought me when I was hurt.
Sometimes I didn't know what was going on in my life. Sometimes the things I most hated, would love me and the things I wanted to love, would always hate me.
My mother loved me, she told me that every day but I always thought that if she loved me then why didn't she tell my father to stop hurting me? That it wasn't my fault I was like this?
The phoenix said that she was lying and I think I agree with it. My brother, the heir of the family is a prodigy (of course) but it's patronizing to see that he only cares about himself rather than anybody else. Not even mother, never me. All he cares about is about father and being heir.
I grabbed my hand as my phoenix healed my wounds slowly and steadily.
Sometimes I wished that I would become a ninja quickly and run way from Konoha, to somewhere where people accepted me for whom and what I am. To the place where I will never see my family, where there would be no rumors.
A place called heaven.
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