This is the life of Mesuko after her clan left her behind and the missions she goes on, as well as discovering who she is and how she is tied to a certain ninja by the will of the dead.
I have made it my goal to name every chapter after a Disney song and have it still relate to the story :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, but if it is a character or power not seen/read in Naruto I do own it. I tend to add things from movies as well so I do not own those either.
Strangers Like Me
Something stirred in the Nara clans tranquil forest, the sun was only just beginning to set, the first row of velvet clouds dotted the skies.
"Shikamaru, come on. Something is disrupting the deer."
Shikamaru had only just recently healed from his mission to bring back Sasuke, the Hokage hadn't given any new missions to the members who went on that assignment. But something was about to happen, weather it was a mission or not.
The pair of them converged on a spot near the center of the forest, they hid in the trees and watched as several deer gathered in one area. At least thirty deer were surrounding a young girl who was covered in black tribal markings.
"One of Orochimaru's pawns!"Shikamaru spat angrily.
"Hold on son… we don't know what she's capable of, or if she's here alone. Let's think of a plan first."
Shikaku sprang from a tree landing by the girl a few feet away, far enough to either attack or defend. She jolted at his swift presence producing a small thick metal rod about the size of a soup can.
"Judging by the tools in that satchel you're carrying I'd say you were here to collect antlers. Your friends need healing?" he smirked.
"Grhh." She glared at him tensing her stance ready to fight at a moment's notice, and in only seconds the tattoos had faded and were now gone. She took a step back and there was a long silence. She swiftly took hold of an antler on one of the large bucks and glided onto its back which took off in the opposite direction giving way to speedy chase as the sun sunk lower behind the trees. Shikamaru sprinted in the trees as his father chased on the ground, the deer were fast but ninja were all the faster, catching up and passing was a simple task, the two of them landed ahead of her cutting the buck off and she lunged awkwardly forward. As they aimed to catch her but she spun in the air and her metal cylinder thinned and expanded using it to swing at them. They dodged quickly jumping in either direction and she ran off through the gap they made.
Her metal staff in hand as she sprinted out of the forest onto a roadway, the sun had fully set and the moon took its place in the sky providing light for her path. Her long red gypsy skirt lagged behind her viscously as she made her escape, but futile it was, Shikamaru was only steps behind her, she stopped abruptly impaling her staff into the ground and using her momentum to swing and knee him in the face, but he quickly ducked and she missed, wasting no time she attempted to pull the metal from the ground, seconds too late as strong hands pinned her to the ground her arms behind her back forcing her to her knees.
"Release me! I've done no wrong!"
"You'll be taken in for questioning." Shikaku said catching up to the scene he was prepared for using his shadow possession jutsu but it seemed it would not be needed. She struggled to get free wriggling her body but Shikamaru only held on tighter crossing her arms over her back harder and she screamed out in pain. "Shikamaru…" His father scorned.
"Sorry." He let go of one wrist and she was ready to run again but a quick hit in the right place on her neck and she was out of it.
As the stranger began to wake she could hear voices in the background, she groggily opened her eyes and looked as the two men from the forest stood by an authoritative looking woman, who was indeed scolding them.
"She is not one of the sound nin that took Sasuke! She is of the Akusho clan." A small pig that was at the ground oinked as if it knew what the dark haired woman was talking about.
"Akusho? What are they doing here?" Shikaku asked
"The Spirits Festival is tomorrow at sundown…" The girl said, still lying on the hospital bed, it was quite comfy…
"Oh you're awake." The woman walked towards the bed, "My name is Shizune, I'm the Hokage's assistant and I'm here to apologize for the way these two have treated you. One of our own was recently taken from us by skilled ninja who bare similar markings to the ones they described you having. But you're clan has no history of markings like that and we have examined you for similar marks." There was a slight pause as everyone awkwardly shared glances. "Only I and another doctor did the examining."
"I know what I saw, she had them, those markings covered her body!" Shikamaru exclaimed but was soon hushed by his father.
"Don't embarrass the family Shikamaru." He dad said calmly. He gave him a look, the look, one that he understood perfectly, his father was secretly on his side.
"The contents of your bag have also been looked at, and I must ask… where you in the forest to collect antlers?" she said very cautiously, like walking on thin ice.
"Yes. I was." She answered calmly. "But I did not know that the forest and its deer were protected. I am sorry to have disturbed your evening gentleman." Shikaku gave a small bow acknowledging her apology.
"Does your clan need healing?" Shizune asked with surprise.
"Yes, many of us have fallen ill." She casted her eyes downward as shadow swallowed her face.
"They are always welcome at the clinic here in town, I thought that we explained that to the Majo."
"It's not that our Majo forbids us from coming… it is that our clan simply cannot trust your people." She paused briefly, as if she was gathering her words to help explain, "I know… ,as well as the Majo, that you and your leader are trustworthy, but the Lord Hokage cannot protect us from their insults and eyes. And should my people lash out, we would be ashamed…"
"Lord?" The three of them said in unison.
"Have you not heard the news?" Shizune asked solemnly.
"News?" The girl said ignorantly.
"Lord Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has passed away the title of Hokage has been appointed to Lady Tsunade." The girl stood up suddenly
"Forgive me, I must excuse myself." She walked out of the room with quick grace like a fleeting memory. After she had left Shizune looked to the both of them wearily.
"It seems to me that the new generation of the Akusho clan is more forgiving than their elders."
"Why is the clan so untrustworthy?" Shikamaru asked.
"Because they have the same abilities as your clan, with the exception of one thing, they can make people kill themselves. Long ago before they became wanderers some of the family members killed an entire village." Shizune informed him sadly
"They made them all commit suicide, in a variety of manners if I remember correctly, and after that they destroyed their homes and fields, when help arrived all that remained were splinters of wood, rock, even metal." His dad said.
"Yes, they had found that many people had hanged themselves, others were found at the foot of a cliff and the bottom of rivers, drinking toxins… all of the deaths had signs pointed to mass suicide."
"It happened to two other villages, all just outside the first village, there were rumors that they would strike here next."
"Then the culprits were discovered by their clan and a large civil war broke out between them. In the end the accused were given to us but no one trusted them, so they built wagons and packed what they could carry and have been traveling ever since." Shizune ended.
"Why are they in charge of the festival?"
"That is their tradition, they have been doing the spirits festival for as long as there have been dead people, the Akusho clan is known for its very unique connection to the spirits, and the story goes that when the very first human died they touched a person of this world and told him that the day should be remembered forever. But you'll hear the story tomorrow night if you go."
"Majo!" She shouted, "Majo!" An older woman with graying black curly hair protruded from a wooden wagon, she was wearing a traditional long layered skirt and white shirt, but it was covered in a decorative poncho.
"What is it child?"
"Majo, the Hokage, Lord Hiruzen is dead!" when she said this some of the other clan members stopped, things grew dangerously quiet… "We are no longer safe here, Majo."
"And what would you have us do, Mesuko?"
"Are you asking my advice Majo? Or is this another test?" Mesuko said in a very professional, serious, tone. The Majo didn't answer her, and after a moment to think the young girl looked her straight in the eye and said, "We should meet with this new Hokage and form a new truce. We must respect the spirits, and tomorrow night we must honor the dead, so we form a treaty tonight, or be there by the morning."
"Very good, but how can we make an appointment so late at night?"
"I will take a letter to them." She said dutifully.
"It is too late to go alone, please take Genzai with you."
"I understand…" she said quietly as an ounce of sadness soon washed over her.
She walked down the dirt road to another wagon in similar size and shape, drawing back the curtains there was a boy around her age with short hair and curly bangs that were always swept back. He was tall for his age and was a strong apprentice clan warrior. He bore a black tribal tattoo of an arrowhead on his left arm with wings on either side of it.
"Genzai, we have a mission." The boy looked up from a book he was reading and smiled at the girl devilishly.
"Is it just you and me this time?" He said smoothly.
"Yes." She smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Oooo a nice stroll in the moonlight?" He winked while walking down the steps of his wagon.
"Come, we have a letter to deliver." She chuckled.
"You're so serious, it's not like anybody will get scolded for a little play time." he drew out his 'play time'.
"Your play time and mine are on different schedules, and meanings."
"You know… you have such beautiful eyes." He smirked while looking at her.
"They're the same as yours genius, there just like the everyone's."
"Nah mine are more of a dark earthy gold. Yours are like a golden sunset."
"Are you truly that desperate?" she said playfully, "What about Uta, are you not, ya know, 'together' if that's what you wanna call it."
"She's being a bitch. Again!" he huffed throwing his hands in the air.
"Oh, please, what's new Genzai?"
"I know…" He pouted, they were almost to the front gates of the village.
"What made you pick her…" she asked softly, casting her eyes to the side.
"She… All the guys asked her, she just said yes to me." He told her in almost comforting words.
"I would have said yes…" Her words were even softer than the last ones, but the silence of the night made them clear as day. Genzai tensed as she said this, but his sworn commitment made him hold his tongue.
"It was…" he wanted to find something to say to help his guilt, but no words would help him in his time of need.
"Why didn't you ask me? You know that I love you, and I had thought you felt the same way Genzai." She had almost choked, but instead her voice only wavered.
"Mesuko we already talked about this…" he had a hidden pain in his eyes and heart, he did love her.
"No! You told me you won't talk about it so we didn't." She had become irritated with abandonment of the subject.
"Well… no one knows what you're like!" He said quickly.
"What I'm like! We have grown up together Genzai!"
"That's not what I mean! ... what I mean is… you've never practiced dancing or singing, not even music, you're only talent is speaking to the dead…" he said weakly.
"What?!" she stopped in the middle of the street and put her hands on her hips.
"Don't get me wrong now! You talk to those dead people better than anyone!" he tried to defend himself. "You know that my mother…" he said in a low serious tone, "she has expressed to me several times that she wants me to marry a dancer or singer… and she said you weren't good enough, and Uta is the best…"
"I know but you… You have broken a promise…"
"I-!..." he sighed, he quickly grabbed her, hugging her tightly. "I can't say anything… or do anything that would betray my honor…"
"What are you doing now then…" she asked on the verge of tears.
"People hug each other all the time…" she held him tighter, "You're trembling Mesuko." He whispered.
"I'm cold…" she lied.
"Come on… let's deliver the letter." He let her go and she felt alone without him, they walked in a lonesome silence until they reached the Hokage's office, a single light was still lit in the big red building.
"Shikamaru, come to the kitchen." He heard his dad say, "I've got something to show you."
"What is it?" he asked seeing his dad spacing out at the wall.
"I'm going to teach you how to watch the forest…" he said simply
"What?"
"Just sit down, stop being a drag."
"Fine…" he steadily sat down in the seat opposite his father.
"You know that we are in charge of watching over the deer, as well as scouts for this part of the village."
"Yeah… and…?"
"I want you to look after the forest tonight."
"Huh?" he said jadedly
"Do I have to explain everything to you…"
"Don't be a drag dad and just tell me what you want me to do."
"I want you to take possession of a buck and look through the forest tonight."
"You want me to… what?" he said suddenly interested.
"It's pretty easy actually… just get into a comfortable position in your room and cast your shadow out to the nearest dear, using this technique requires little chakra to maintain, but you will feel everything that the deer will, just like our shadow possession jutsu. I'll teach you the hand signs, and from now on I want you to help protect our land."
"Are you teaching me this now because the Akusho clan is parked on our doorstep…"
"Yes… these are sensitive times for that clan, everyone in the fire country still bears a lot of hatred for them, they have a very dangerous ability but they're not brutes or ignorant, they're cautious intelligent people, and they work as a unit just as we do."
After their conversation he went to his room, sitting cross-legged on his bed he preformed the appropriate hand signs. He could feel an eerie pull in his chest as he fingers and toes went numb. A frozen wave washed over him until it reached his head, falling back on the mattress limply. He stood there, or thought he was, feeling light and airy, he felt as though he was walking in his own dream, before realizing that he had become a shadow and was glued to the ground.
He slipped under his door and walked through the house, his dad was still in the kitchen, drinking… slithering out of the house he ran in the moonlight, bending and growing over the hills under the light of waning crescent moon. He came upon a large buck and walked into the shadow, all at once the airy dream feeling washed away, he became a buck seeing through his eyes, touching the earth with its hooves, taking a few steps to become coordinated he began to walk through the forest.
After a time Shikamaru had come to the furthest part of their forest, it was a large dip in the ground that created a small valley before another hill, squatters would often sit here he heard, before a landslide would come and make the crook even smaller. At the very edge of the property he could see a faint light, the Akusho clan made their camp literally on their forest outskirts, he thought of going to investigate, but going into the camp outside the safety of the forest could be dangerous. His newfound expert ears picked up faint sets of footsteps. He promptly released the jutsu and woke up in his own body.
He put his shoes on and ran back to the spot as fast as he could, the deer body he left behind had passed him, and briefly felt guilty for not returning him to the herd. He sat in a tree and waited for the people to come closer. As they neared him he could see a boy and a girl, since they were heading in the direction of the camp he knew that they belonged to the Akusho clan. They were not ninja but they did have special abilities, he knew they were strong so he would only stop them to ask questions as to why they were out so late.
'It's not insulting to ask questions.' he thought. He stealthily jumped from his perch in the tree and landed softly behind them, the boy must've sensed his presence because he was the first to turn around, following the girl who he immediately recognized. "What are you doing back here? I thought we made it clear that the antlers aren't up for grabs." He accidently sounded a little too hostile and the boy she was with this time stepped forward.
"We are passing through Nara." She said.
"Then you won't mind if I ask where you're coming from."
"We came from the village kid." The boy was very condescending, making him scoff and irritable, as the tension began to grow an overcast shrouded the moon.
"What was your business there? All of the shops are closed at this hour and the Hokage doesn't take meetings this late."
"It's not your concern what we were doing." He said
"We delivered a letter." The girl deadpanned.
"What the hell woman!?" he said loudly.
"Genzai I just want to go home! Tomorrow is an hour away and we have too much to do?!" She started to turn red, "Ughh!" she turned and started to stomp away.
"Who was the letter for?" Shikamaru called out.
"None of your business!" Genzai said as he started to follow Mesuko back to the camp.
"It's not wise to turn your back on an opponent." Shikamaru said calmly.
"Are you saying you wanna fight, little man?" Genzai turned around and pulled out a soup can like the one he had seen Mesuko carry. "Maybe I'll just make you kill yourself." When he said that Shikamaru tensed and so did the girl… who quickly turned around and smacked her friend hard on the face… "Wha-!" she looked frightened, scared to death even, and in a moment it was gone.
"Dumbass, you do not know how… and more it will not work on the Nara boy."
"Well- Fric- Damn it he didn't know that!" he said loudly gesturing to him, Shikamaru relaxed quickly and stood his ground confidently once more.
"How could you say something like that anyway? We are trying to fix this and you go saying something like that it could ruin everything the Majo has worked for…" Mesuko sounded desperate, trying to teach her thick minded friend about what he could cause. "And you!" She said pointing Shikamaru, "Your jutsu will not work here, the light is not strong enough due to the clouds, if you have a problem with us taking passage through your forest speak to our Majo, she will handle things diplomatically."
"What did you mean when you said it won't work on me?"
"Because you are part of our family."
"What?!" Genzai blurted out, and Shikamaru had almost done the same.
"You've all those book and you don't read them? The Nara clan is part of our lineage. Why do you think shadow possession is so easy for them to master and so difficult for others?"
"Ughh… I-.."
"And where do you think the Halla come from, they were born in this forest."
"They were?" He asked.
"We used to live here, don't you remember the Majo telling us that when we were kids?"
"Wait! This was your land?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yes, but that was over sixty years ago… Don't tell me neither of you know that…" They only stared at her, "Ughh men are stupid. I'm going home!" she said and turned away, Genzai followed behind her, and Shikamaru watched as they walked away…
Please, please review! Tell me what you think.
Information.
A Halla is not my creation, though I modified it a bit, a Halla is from dragon age origins and it serves the same purpose that I use it for in my story, mostly, but we'll come back to that later.
Mesuko stands for Doe child Mesu=doe or female deer and ko=child
Genzai I think means stream or flowing water
Uta means poem
Majo means enchantress and that's not her real name if you couldn't tell it's a title
Nara means a good place, Akusho means a bad place (According to Google)