"Ow!" rang a voice through out the vacant clearing as the owner had cut their finger. "Damn that stings." They grumbled looking down at the cut on a small elegant finger. Bring the finger to soft pink lips to suck on the injury. Sapphire blue eyes stared ahead of them in a little glare.
"Oi! Naru where are you!" Called out another voice.
Uzumaki Naru sighed and shouted back; "Over here!" she looked at her finger seeing it already healed.
"There you are!" sighed a tired voice from behind the golden haired girl.
Turning around Naru put on a sheepish smile. "He-he sorry Sakura-chan I thought I saw something."
The pink haired genin blinked her emerald green eyes. "Like what?" she asked.
"That!" Naru said pointing at a raven that looked badly beaten up. "He bit my finger but I guess its cause I scared him." She said bending down to the wary raven.
"Eew Naru that could be covered in diseases." Sakura said.
"But the other ravens where beating him up. So I scared them off." Naru said shrugging off her horrendous jacket. Laying it on the ground she slowly reached for the raven. "Its okay little guy. I'm not going to hurt you." She cooed giving a bright smile. The raven allowed her to pick it up and set it down in her jacket again. The blonde wrapped the jacket carefully around the bird and picked it up cradling the injured avian to her chest.
Sakura sighed at the shorter girl's behavior. She cared about Naru she really did, Naru was like a little sister to her, but sometimes the blonde did such crazy things. "Alright do whatever you want. But we got to get back to training, Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun are getting impatient." She told the other 13 year old.
"Yeah, yeah." Naru grumbled and started to walk scratching the ravens head a little.
When they rejoined the other two Sasuke scowled at the two. "What'd you run off for dobe?"
"Can it Teme!" Naru growled with a glare.
"Hmm? What do you have Naru?" Kakashi asked looking at her bunched up jacket.
"Oh yeah!" Naru said smiling she moved the jacket out of the way for them to see the raven. "Poor thing was being attacked by his own flock!" she said looking over the beautiful bird in her arms. Its glossy black feathers shinning in the after noon sun, its ruby red eyes looking at the humans, studying them.
Kakashi sighed. "Well you can go home and heal the bird but come back."
"Okay! I'll go home patch the little guy up then come back here!" she said grinning while dashing off to her apartment.
"She's like a 5 year old." Sasuke muttered. "Picking up things that should be left alone."
"I think its sweet she wants to help the bird." Sakura said defending her little sister figure, even if it was from her crush.
"Alright you two get back to work." Kakashi said. Was it me or did it look like that birds eyes were spinning?
"Home sweet home!" Naru chirped closing her door behind her. Humming softly she set the raven down on her bed. "Okay lets see how your wings are." She said carefully moving the bird's left wing.
"Cacaw!" the raven cawed nipping at her hand.
"Ow, sorry." She apologized. "Now the other wing." She lifted the right wing and the raven remained silent. "So your left wing is busted huh?" she made a thinking face. "I know what to do." She smiled and began to make hand signs until her hands began to glow green softly. "Okay this won't hurt promise." She said setting her hand on the bird's wing gently.
The raven made a cooing noise as the warm chakra seeped into its system, healing the sprained wing.
"Done!" Naru chirped smiling. "Does it feel better?" she asked tilting her head to the side.
The raven opened both wings and flapped them a few times, the wind making Naru's short boyish hair sway a little.
Giggling softly Naru smiled as the wind tickled her face. "There you go! Good as new!" she smiled standing up she walked to the window and opened it. Walking back to the bird she held up her bare arm and silently the raven jumped on, talons scratching a little but not breaking skin. Naru smiled sweetly to the bird and patted its head. "Be careful now and feel free to come back any time." She said as the bird jumped onto the windowsill.
The raven blinked its ruby eyes cocking its head to the side looking at the smiling blonde curiously. It bowed its head a little as if saying 'Thank you' before taking flight.
Naru's smile dropped. "Everything leaves eventually." She muttered sighing she closed the window and locked it tightly. She left her apartment not bothering with her jacket and left to go finish training.
The sun was setting as Naru made her way home after a long day of training. She hated walking home as she lived in a bad part of the village where buildings were still damaged from the Kyuubi attack years ago.
She looked up stopping as there were two muscular men leaning against the wall of a run down building, glaring at her. Gulping she continued on ignoring the two as she walked passed them.
A yard away she glanced over her shoulder a little still seeing them glaring at her. Looking ahead she quickened her pace turning a corner she bumped into something and was knocked down to the ground.
"Watch it!" growled a voice above her.
The blonde winced a little at the tone. "Sorry." She muttered standing up and tried to walk around the man but was stopped as her arm was grabbed.
"Where do you think your going?" the man growled glaring down at the small blonde.
Naru shut her apartment door looking down with sad eyes at her hand the gripped the door knob. She was covered in bruises as not only the man she bumped into but also the two she passed, beat her up.
She could have fought and beat the shit out of them…But that would only serve to prove them right that she was a monster. Fortunately they thought she was too much of a 'disgusting demon bitch' that they didn't do anything sexual. Unfortunately they took her headband.
She sighed. "Someone must really hate me up there." She muttered walking down the hallway to her room. flipping on the lights she was very surprised to see the raven from earlier that day, sitting on her headboard.
Tears gathered in her eyes and she smiled. "You came back." It made her really happy, she didn't know why it made her happy to see the bird there. It just did. "But how'd you get in?" she muttered looking at her window seeing it open. "Huh?" walking over to it she closed it blinking. "Could've sworn I closed it."
The flapping of wings alerted her that her feather friend was on the move. She was surprised when the raven perched itself on her shoulder. She smiled as the raven nuzzled her neck making cooing noises.
"Oh well at least I'm not so lonely anymore." Naru said scratching the birds head. "I should give you a name if your going to stay." She said while sitting down her bed wincing a little as her body was still sore from the briar beating.
The raven narrowed its eyes and cawed, flapping its wings looking displeased at her state of health.
Naru smiled and scratched the back of her neck. "I'm a bit of a klutz and got into a fight with some assholes." She explained to the raven. The bird did not look any happier. "Come on lets focus on your name." she said making a thinking face. She looked down at the bird into its beautiful ruby red eyes and said, "How about…Aka? 'Cause your eyes are red." Aka tilted his head to the side but cawed his okay. "Wow you're really smart!" she said smiling. "Maybe the next time I'm called a bird brain I should take it as a compliment." She said giggling softly while Aka rolled his eyes.
Sun light poured into the lonely apartment and over the small figure sleeping peacefully under white blankets. Soft golden locks shimmering in the early morning light like a halo, sweet even breathing coming from slightly parted pink lips, a peaceful and relaxed expression on a tanned heart shaped face.
A pale hand began to softly caress a tanned whisker marked cheek. The hand moved up and ran through those silky strands of golden hair once, twice. Another pale hand gently held a small chin as softly, like a feathers tickle, pale lips covered pink ones in a sweet soft kiss.
Naru snapped open her eyes staring up at her ceiling as the sun light lit up her apartment. The sound of wings flapping followed by the slight weight on her head told her that Aka was sitting on top of her head.
The little raven looked down at the blonde somewhat amused. Naru puffed out her cheeks. "What are you laughing at?" she grumbled and Aka cawed softly, almost sounding like a laugh. Naru turned her head to the side to look at her clock, Aka jumped off her head onto her headboard.
Naru blinked at the clock. "Huh? A morning I'm on time." She muttered sitting up pulling her large white t-shirt down as it had ridden up during the night. Getting up she yawned stretching, Aka flying to her shoulder. "Let's see what to eat?" she said looking in her cabinets. "I could give you some bread crumbs if you want." She said to Aka.
Aka jumped onto the counter watching the blonde as she made herself some instant ramen, while the ramen sat she took out a piece of bread and tore it into beak bite pieces on a napkin. Smiling she slid the crumbs over to the bird. "There you go." Aka cawed and began to peck at the bread as Naru slurped up her ramen.
After finishing Naru took off the white shirt, threw on a bra and a red tank top. She jumped on one foot pulling on her orange pants and punching her arms through the sleeves of her jacket. While putting on her shoes Aka landed on her shoulder.
"Oh you want to come?" she asked smiling as Aka cawed. "Alright." She said standing up and walking out her door. While she was locking it she said, "Time for some training." She punched her hand in the air. "Today I'm beating Sasuke-teme!" she said laughing while running to where her team met.
Aka flew after her watching her back.
If only she knew.