Well, what can I say about this? I felt like I needed a little change, so I typed this. Sure, it's much different than my other two love stories, but I think that this one is really good. Also, I change point-of-views quite a bit, so I'm sorry for any confusion. It's mostly between Zakuro and Itachi, but there will be instances where I make It Sasuke's point-of-view. That won't be for a while, though.:
Summary: What happens when Zakuro Kiyoshi, a girl who has never experienced love, gets her life saved by Itachi Uchiha, a boy who never wanted to feel love? T just to be safe.
.:xXx:. = Time change.
Word = flashback
Zakuro's P.O.V….
I walked into the Ichiraku ramen shop with a very empty stomach. I hadn't eaten anything all day, and I was tired from training for a huge exam I had next week. I was at Ichiraku to celebrate. My parents had just left me all alone exactly one year ago, and, frankly, I was happy. I knew that they had people after me for a very bad reason, but still. My parents had never really cared for me that well, and that was why I'd ended up looking like I did. I had been told I was very beautiful by many people in my life. Except my parents. They had never cared enough to tell me anything encouraging, and that had scarred me emotionally., and physically. They were the type of parents that wouldn't go as far as just leaving their child in a dumpster, but they were almost as bad. They were the type of parents that wouldn't get a child anything supportive, helpful, or anything else of the sort. They would purposely leave me at the store, and just come back after a few days. They've even left me in a dark alley when I was only about six. That was when I discovered my family's kekkei genkai. It was also before I moved here, to Konahagakure.
"Hello, how may I help you?" the girl behind the counter asked nicely. Her long brown hair was held away from her face by a
"Can I get a bowl of miso ramen?" I asked.
"Of course. It will be ready in a couple minutes, so if you would sit in that chair and wait, that would be appreciated." she gestured to a chair next to the door.
"Thank you," I said. I sat down and thought about what had happened exactly one year ago.
~Flashback~
"Zakuro. Get up." my mother demanded.
I heard her leave the room grumbling to herself, and I thought I should get up, because if I didn't do what she said, I would get a beating.
"Zakuro. Get dressed," my father said when I got out into the living room, "Your mother and I want to take you out somewhere."
That had surprised me, considering what they'd done to me in the past.
I went back into my room and got dressed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that had the symbol of my village, Iwagakure, on the back. I walked quietly, as I always did, into the kitchen, where my parents were.
"—What we're going to do? Just leave her?" I heard my father say.
"Yes. We spoke about it last night, remember? It was your idea," said my mother.
I was shocked. I went into the kitchen, a little louder this time, and said, "I'm ready to go."
We drove about five miles, and they got out. I followed them into a little building, and they spoke to the receptionist. I heard a lot of what I'd heard earlier, and finally, the receptionist said, "Can you follow me, please?"
We went with her, and my parents made me go ahead of them. I could hear their footsteps get slower and slower, then just stop. I didn't pay any mind to them. I knew what I had to do. I knew about my family's bloodline trait, and I knew I had to use it. I didn't know what it did, but I'd seen my uncle use it a bunch of times when I visited him in Konaha. It was the only time I had away from my parents.
"Now, if you could just come through this door," the receptionist began.
I didn't pay any mind to what else she had to say, because I was thinking, Okay. I have to use it. But how? I've never even gone through ninja training before! How am I supposed to use the kekkei genkai?
Then, out of nowhere, the receptionist was in the air, screaming for mercy. It was then that I had figured out my family's fabled kekkei genkai, terekineshisu, or telekinesis.
"Let me go now, or I will crush you," I threatened. I'd never been a violent person—or a child that said much, to add to that—but I felt like I had the power to do anything right now.
She hesitated, not a good thing to do when someone is using their kekkei genkai when it's been the cause of many deaths in the past ten years, then said, "Okay. You should leave after your parents leave."
I nodded, went back to my silence, and let her down. I'd seen my uncle's eyes when and a little while after he'd used the kekkei genkai, and they looked very interesting. The pupil expanded, leaving the iris to show only a very slight bit around it. The iris stayed the same color as normal—for boys, red;for girls, violet. It also had a shape to the pupil. It varied, though, depending on your level of experience with it. I'd never seen my parents use it, so I didn't know if they had it or not. I didn't care, though. They were gone. Or so I thought.
I turned and saw my parents standing in the doorway with the same bewildered expression on their faces. My mother came over to me and said, "Zakuro, you're coming with us."
She grabbed my arm and dragged me roughly to the car. They drove and drove, and I didn't know where we were going, or how much I was going to hate it. I just knew that they wanted to get rid of me, and fast.
When we finally stopped, my father was the only one who got out. "Get out now, Zakuro," he said.
I got out of the car, and looked straight ahead. All I saw was a dark alley. I wasn't sure I liked where this was going.
My father dragged me towards it, and some very big, strong, and just plain scary men came. But there was one that didn't look like he belonged there. He had long blond hair that was tied up into a ponytail on the top of his head, and a fringe that covered his left eye. He didn't really look very buff, but I could tell that he was. His visible eye looked like he had the intent to kill, but then he looked me straight in the eye. I was sure my eyes looked extremely scared. I could tell that he didn't want any part of this.
"Just leave her. We'll take care of her," one of the big ones said.
My father nodded, and let go of my wrist. He turned and left, and I saw the blond go after him, mumbling something about getting paid. My focus was changed abruptly to the big men that looked like they wanted to eat me for lunch. I knew they could—and probably would, if given the chance—but it wasn't like I was going to let them. Oh, no. I wasn't going down without a fight. I activated my terekineshisu, but all except the biggest, most terrifying one there didn't even flinch. He grinned maniacally, and walked slowly towards me, I knew I was in for it.
"Well, well, little girl," he said, "Why don't you put those guys down, and we all—"
"Not likely," I said.
"Heh. You're feisty, kid, I'll give ya that. But that don't mean I'm'a take it easy on you," he said as he reached for a weapon. A kunai, no doubt.
He ran at me, and I jumped. I knew I wouldn't be able to dodge his attacks for long, but it would give me time to think up a plan.
Then, out of nowhere, the man charged straight at me. I knew I was exhausted after even just that little bit, and I could tell that he knew that, too. His kunai was aimed for my face, and I didn't know how to dodge it. I flinched back a little, and took the blow to my left eye. It stung, and through my good eye, I could see blood splattered on the ground by my feet. The pain was enough that I was forced to drop my jutsu, and the men I had wrapped in it were now on the ground, coming at me.
~Flashback end~
"Um, excuse me, but your ramen is ready." said the girl behind the counter, shaking me out of my flashback, "I'm sorry for the long wait."
I smiled, "It's quiet alright."
I sat at a table in the back, and ate my ramen.
All of a sudden, I heard someone say, "Um, excuse me, but you look like you're alone. If you don't mind, would you give me the chance to be so kind and walk you home?"
I looked up. He seemed nice enough. He wasn't ugly, either, "Okay. I just finished, so let's go."
We walked in silence, until he said, "So where do you live?"
I told him, and he said he knew where that was, "Uh, this is a shortcut." he said when we passed a dark alley. It brought back the memories of that night one year ago, "Trust me. I know exactly where it is."
We went through the alley, but he stopped. I stopped, too, waiting for him to say something. He kept quiet. I turned around and saw him… and someone else. Now, I was officially scared.
"It's okay. We're not gonna hurt you," the man that had just shown up said with a maniacal grin on his face.
They crept towards me, and I screamed.
Itachi's P.O.V….
I walked out of the shop with two shopping bags for my mother. She had me go shopping for her again. I didn't like it, but when she was mad, it wasn't pretty. Luckily, where my large family, the Uchiha, lived in the large city of Konahagakure wasn't far away—about a mile or so.
I walked in silence as I made my way down the street, trying not to bump into someone else that was walking home.
"Thank god it's not raining," I mumbled to myself. Then, like clockwork, it started raining, "I guess I spoke too soon. This is just my luck."
I walked a little farther until I came to a little ramen shop. I walked inside. It smelled slightly of herbs, spices, boiled eggs, and ramen, of course.
"Hello, how may I help you today?" asked the lady at the counter.
"Hm? Oh, uh, I'm just here for a moment. Get out of the rain, you know," I said.
"Oh," she seemed rather surprised, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm quite sure, thank you. My mother is probably in the process of making dinner as we speak," I said.
"Yes, but, sir—"
I walked out of the shop and didn't bother turn back. I walked all the way home in the rain.
When I got home, my mother smiled and said, "Oh, Itachi! Good. You got what I needed. Thank you."
I handed her the bags, nodded, and went upstairs to my room.
"Itachi, what took you so long?" asked my little brother, Sasuke. He seemed as though he wanted to be just like me. It was cute, in a funny and annoying way.
"I had to get groceries for our mother. It can only go so fast," I shrugged, "And what are you doing in my room, anyway?"
"Uh… I was waiting for you. Do you want to play, big brother?"
He had an expression on his face that made it hard to say no, so I said, "No. I can't. I have to train, and I'm tired. Maybe later."
"Oh…. Okay…" he walked out of my room slowly, only looking back when he reached the door. I waved my hand, urging him to keep walking.
I opened a book telling the history of jutsu, but got bored after half an hour, so I went to my friends' house.
I went down the stairs to leave, but my father stopped me.
"Where are you going?" he asked, "It's almost time for dinner. You're not allowed to leave this house until after we eat."
I sighed and went back up to my room, changed out of my ninja clothes that I'd been wearing when I went to the store, and into the clothes I wore when I was home—a simple black shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back, black pants, and ninja shoes.
"Sasuke! Itachi! Come down for dinner!" my mother called.
I was out of my room and at Sasuke's in a matter of seconds, "Sasuke. It's time for dinner. I think you should hurry, or our parents will be angry. Again."
"Right. I'll be down in a minute. Tell them that," he said.
"Where is Sasuke?" my father asked.
"He will be down in a minute. He's just finishing something up, and will be right down," I said, then thought, Sasuke, you owe me big time.
Sasuke came down the stairs as I was kneeling onto my mat in front of the table, and he came without a word.
"So, Sasuke, do you feel you're ready to participate in the Ninja Academy?" my mother asked Sasuke.
"Yea! I'm gonna get the highest scores out of everyone in my class!" Sasuke said. He was just too hyper a lot of the time.
"Good luck with that," I mumbled under my breath.
.:xXx:.
About an hour after we'd eaten dinner, I told my parents that I was going out for a walk. I didn't know where I would go. Probably to Akio and Yuzo's house to do nothing but get extremely mad at them for no reason whatsoever.
On my way over, I walked past a dark alley that looked really… creepy. I kept walking, thinking nothing of it, but I heard a scream that sounded like it came from in the alley. I contemplated going in there, but eventually, I figured it would be the best thing to do. Someone could be hurt, or in the process of getting hurt.
I saw two ninjas, and a girl. She looked like she really needed help. She was all cut up and had an eyepatch over her left eye. She didn't look very familiar, so I assumed that she had just moved here.
I fought the ninjas, and they ran away like the cowards they were.
Zakuro's P.O.V….
"Hey. What are you doing here? Wake up. Are you okay?"
Who's that? What the heck is going on?
"Hey. Do you want me to get a medic?"
Who… I drifted back into the dark abyss that I'd just spiraled out of. I had no clue what was going on, and I wasn't quite sure I wanted to, either.
Itachi's P.O.V….
I knew I had to get her back to somewhere safe. I didn't usually do this sort of thing, but she was different. She was beautiful. The rest of the girls I'd seen like this were either not very pretty, had a horrible personality, or a mix of the two. I could tell she was a nice person just by looking at her.
I carried her bridal style back to Yuzo and Akio's house, and when I got there, Akio said, "Itachi, what are you doing here? And why do you have that girl?"
"I am here because I found her in a lot of pain, and I thought she might need medical attention." I explained, "Akio, what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to wake her up!" Akio said as he looked up at me from what he was doing.
"Akio, cut it out."
Zakuro's P.O.V….
The next thing I remember when I woke up was a rather abrupt awakening. I felt shaking, and it wasn't because I was cold, either. In fact, it was very warm. I was being shaken.
"Akio, cut it out."
"Aww, why? I mean, she's probably dead, or something. This is a huge waste of time, Itachi!"
I groaned. Their squabble was giving me a headache.
"Ha. Did I hear you say something about 'she's probably dead', or was that all in my mind?"
"Can… you please… erg… keep your voices… down?… I'm… erg… not feeling… good, in case… you couldn't… ow… tell…." I managed to say even that. It was hard, but I did it.
"Let's leave her alone for a while," said one of the men, "She needs to rest."
"Eh, whatever. Hey, shouldn't you get back to your house?"
"No. I told my parents that I would be at your house the rest of the day."
I heard nothing after that. I'd drifted back into the dark abyss.
Itachi's P.O.V….
"Itachi, why'd you bring her here? What were you thinking?" Yuzo asked when we'd gotten into his room.
"Yuzo, she was in great pain, and she was surrounded by ninjas when I found her."
"Yea, but shouldn't you have taken her to the hospital, or something?" Akio piped up.
"No. I can use some medical ninjutsu, so she should be fine." I explained, "Besides, you two know a little, don't you? When I'm not here, and she needs something, one of you can get it and the other can stay and watch her."
They looked a little angry, but they nodded. They knew what I was capable of.
.:xXx:.
"Itachi, where have you been?" my mother asked when I'd gotten home.
"Mikoto, he was at Akio and Yuzo's house. He told us that before he left," my father defended me. He always did.
"Well. Have you trained at all today?" she asked skeptically.
I nodded, "Yes, of course I did."
"You see? Sasuke's the one that really needs watching I've heard that he's been sneaking out to see someone in his class. Naruto Uzumaki."
"Oh, really? Itachi, would you please go get your brother and tell him that I want to talk to him?" my mother asked.
"I would, but isn't he sleeping at the moment?" I asked, not wanting to do it.
"No, we just sent him off to bed," my father said.
I nodded and walked down the hall to Sasuke's room. I opened the door and said, "Sasuke. Mom wants—what the heck are you doing?"
He looked at me like he had just committed a crime. He said, "I have no idea what you mean."
I cocked an eyebrow, "Somehow, I don't believe you. Well, I don't care. Mom wants to talk to you."
Sasuke followed me into the living room without another word. I just had to witness this.
"Sasuke Uchiha, what have you been doing?" my mother asked rather loudly. She didn't wait for him to answer, "What are we going to do with you? You know, you're just lucky that your father and I—"
"Don't spoil the surprise, Mikoto." my father told her quickly.
She nodded, "Right. Itachi, go to bed. You have a huge exam soon, and you need to get some rest."
I nodded and waited for Sasuke to go ahead of me.
Zakuro's P.O.V….
What happened? I… I feel like that time… that time I found my… my terekineshisu. It… it's… it's different, though… I thought when I'd woken from my dark abyss. Again. I groaned, and tried to sit up.
"Hey, hey! Easy now!" said the one closest to me. I opened my eyes. The boy had a shade of brown so dark, it was almost black. His eyes were almost the same color, but they had more of a brown tint to them. He had very angelic features, and he looked about my age. He turned to the other boy who was on the other side of the couch that I was laying on. That boy had the same angelic features as the first, but his hair was a dark gold and his eyes were an unusually deep shade of blue. The dark haired boy turned to the other and said, "Yuzo, go get Itachi. He needs to know about this."
The blond, who I now knew as Yuzo, nodded and turned for the door. Just as he turned, there was a knock at the door. "If that's Itachi," he said, "then he's got some pretty darn good timing."
The door opened, and revealed another boy who had long hair as black as night. His eyes were the same exact shade, and gave off a strange feeling. Like he could read your mind, or something. He locked his gaze on me, and I looked away immediately. He said, "Akio, did you shake her again?"
The dark haired boy—Akio, I assumed—shook his head, "No! I didn't lay a finger on her since earlier!" he paused, "Hey, aren't you supposed to, like, be home going to bed, or something?"
"I snuck out. Left a clone. It was very simple."
I looked back at him. He reminded me of the boy I sat behind and to the right of in the academy. That was when it dawned on me. He was the boy I sat diagonal from. Itachi Uchiha. He looked me in the eyes again, and said, "So, I see you've woken up."
I nodded, a little unsure.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"… Zakuro Kiyoshi," I said. I didn't want to say anything else until I knew exactly what was going on.
He nodded and said, "That name seems familiar. Do you, by any chance, go to the Ninja Academy?"
I nodded and said unwillingly, "Yes. I sit behind you and to the right. In the Academy."
"Okay, so, we're a little out of place, so we're just gonna go into the other room. Make some tea, or something." Yuzo said.
Itachi nodded, but kept his eyes locked on me. They left the room, and Itachi and I just stared each other down for a minute, until he finally said, "I must get back to my own home. I will see you at the Academy in a few days, then."
I nodded and he got up, knocked on the door that the other two had gone through, saying something about him leaving, and walked out the door. I watched in slight wonder of how calm he seemed. I knew I looked very frantic, and I also knew that I needed to freshen up, but I knew I wouldn't be able to in the state I was in.
Akio and Yuzo came back into the room, laughing. I didn't know what about, and I also didn't really care. Instead, I took a cup of tea, drank it, and went to sleep. Not to the abyss, which was the first time in the last couple days, and also a huge relief, but to a different place. A better place. It was better in the way that I actually dreamed instead of having a nightmare.
This will be a single chapter for a while, until I finish either Forbidden Love or Love Is A Bang.
Review, please!!!