Largest story I've EVER worked on! I'm glad I finally got this up, FanFiction was being a butt. Kept crashing and everything. I will post Child's Play Chap. 2 later as well. This is something I really enjoyed writing, and can't wait to continue on.
I have had a whole bunch of input from my friends on this, (I based the characters on them and myself) and they definitely made it awesome. About Kaede's 'abnormality', let's just say I can't wait until the next chapter!
Please tell me what you think! I love reviews! Good, or bad, I don't mind.
Thump.
"Urgh," Kaede groaned. She had fallen asleep, causing her head to collide with the wall. Painfully, at that. It was hard to believe she actually fell unconscious when she was running on this much excitement and attitude power. Resuming her bolt upright position, turned against the window, her thoughts commenced sprinting.
Normally she'd be out like a light, snoring even. But this morning was something to look forward to. The day that she'd become part of an official team. She was more than giddy, for it actually certified she had finally graduated academy. The Sunagakure hitai-ate on the bedside counter was also withstanding proof. She had been fussy about wearing it, not wanting to scratch the metal, or roughen the fabric at the slightest by donning it before team day. Scooting across the small mattress, she picked it up and ran over the cool metal in her hands, fingers slowing at the indents of Suna's city emblem.
Behind the dark haired girl, the sun began to rise as a smile creased her features.
"Izumi..."
"Nnn...Dad?"
He patted her on the head.
"Come on shōmei. Get up. You'll be late for your first team meeting."
The girl that was named Izumi smiled slowly, facing up at her father with closed eyes.
"Come on, up!"
"Alright, alright. Calm down. I'll be there with time to spare.
"Great." With that, he left the room, an almost sentimental smile etched onto his face.
Izumi stretched, ruffled her hair, and sat up against the wall. Sitting on her bed, well, her mattress set in the corner of the room, she was almost glum. She honestly didn't understand why her father insisted on registering her for a team here. They had just moved into the sandpit of a village two days ago, not nearly enough time to settle. Her dad had taken it in haphazard steps, first mentioning it as a joke, then seriously months after, before outright telling her to start packing.
It all unnerved her, plus the action of changing hitai-ates was utterly jarring. She missed Kumogakure. A lot. It wasn't that she hated this new village or anything, (it was more of a strong dislike), but she was truthfully scared. Frightened of the new surroundings, the people. And not to mention shy.
She released a sigh through her bared teeth, and wobbled up to her feet.
Secho scuttled away with a homely tack, tack, tack noise. The sound of claws against wood made the brown haired boy grin after his lizard as it went off to find a snack.
Zeko sat at the root of a large maple, fingers toying with the grass absentmindedly. His uncle, the only fatherly figure he lived with, had to go off to work early, and Zeko decided he'd walk up to the meeting place of his new team in the early hours.
Evidently, he wasn't as before time as he thought he was, for there were many other eager genin running to and fro around the tree, screaming and laughing, spreading rumours god knows who started. Of course, none of them came over to start conversation, or invite him to play a game. Things like that just didn't happen. To them he was the freak.
Loner.
Weirdo.
Everything someone apparently wouldn't necessarily wouldn't want as a friend. Still, Zeko was perfectly content. This kind of thing happened per usual.
His eyes were blank as they glanced over the other kids. Running more enthusiastically amok was a certain genin that he rather detested even more than the others. They called her the "match-maker", which was more than highly fitting. She, real name Naomi, had paired, ugh; he hated that word, each and every genin, if they had mild feelings for each other, as a "couple". It made him gag.
Secho tack, tack, tacked back to sit beside him on his black pant leg, crunching a cricket satisfyingly.
The brown haired boy was snapped, abruptly, out of his relaxed state with a rather painful strike to the top of his head. His head darted back and forth reflexively, looking for the perpetrator.
Upwards, in the very branches of the tree, he heard a frustrated groan.
"Ungh. Crap."
Then he realized what had hit him in the head. Beside him in the grass, lay a navy shoe. He frowned, and then picked it up before calling up the tree.
"Uh...Hello? Drop a shoe?"
Rustling of leaves.
"Uh yeah! Thanks! I'll-Just-Get-" Undoubtedly, it was a girl's voice. Before getting to finish her sentence, she landed with a loud THUMP on the ground next to Zeko, with her arm slapping his leg.
What the hell was the only thing that registered.
"Holy...Are you okay?"
She had landed back first, feet still caught on the trunk of the tree. One shoed and one sock foot.
"Uh...I think? My forehead protector broke my fall," She joked as she rolled over to get up, showcasing her now flattened and grass stained hitai-ate. She picked it up and started smoothing it over, and scooted away from the dirt where she had fallen, which meant closer to Zeko. She then stood up, and brushed dirt off herself as well, before pulling her long, black hair out of her face and retying the hitai-ate back on her forehead. Her eyes remained fixed on the top of the tree, measuring how high she'd fallen, so she failed to see Zeko, mouth agape.
It all happened so fast, that when it all hit him, the blow was almost lethal. Standing in front of him, was one of the most...striking, for lack of better word choice, girls he'd ever seen. She had dark, onyx eyes which set perfectly into her rather attractive face, which was framed nicely by her dark hair.
And this was when she had just fallen 7 feet out of a tree.
He felt like an idiot, for he hadn't ever necessarily thought of any girl like this before.
Her eyes fell to his face.
"...Can I please have my shoe back?" She said after shaking her head free of leaves.
"Huh? Oh, yeah!" He replied, a little over enthusiastically, before handing the shoe out to her.
"Thanks."
"No trouble." He breathed, regaining some of his composure. "So...Are you sure you're alright?"
She stretched awkwardly.
"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit sore."
"Oh-Okay."
"Thanks though, again."
"Uh huh. Hey, are you...new or something? Because I haven't seen you around before."
"Yeah, I just moved here about two days ago from Kumo. I'm Izumi Junko, nice to meet you."
"Zeko Dayame. And this is my lizard, Secho," He motioned to his shoulder, where the reptile was now snoozing, unruffled by the noise of Izumi's fall.
"Haha, he's cute."
Zeko scrunched his eyebrows in confusement.
"Huh? You mean you aren't scared of him?"
"No...Of course not. Why? Are other people scared of him?"
"Yes, scared witless, in fact."
She laughed, and his stomach flipped. Apparently, her laugh was enough to wake Secho, who began scuttling up the tree.
Her eyes gave him one look, and instantaneously, he knew what she meant. Also, her climbing up the tree before him was a dead giveaway. He followed full wit, confused at how fast she was. But the confusion was mostly based on earlier happenings. She was perched on one of the higher branches of the tree, with Secho walking across her arms. She smiled, causing Zeko to almost lose his footing as he stepped towards the branch she was on. From the looks of it, they were sitting awful close to each other, knees touching.
Below, faster than Zeko had ever seen, "match maker" sped straight under the tree.
"Loner and the new kid in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" She chided, although it sounded like more of a jeer.
Izumi almost fell from the tree, and Zeko went scarlet before slipping off, landing, and sprinting away rapidly.
Far from the two girls, instantly his heart sank. He had left Izumi in a tree.
Come on.
Who does that?
Izumi teetered on the branch, confused.
She stared after the boy, contemplating. A sensation on her arm jarred her a little on the branch. Secho crawled up her arm, unflustered. She ran her finger over his head slowly.
Oh, crap.
Zeko had left his lizard.
"Ahm..."
She figured she'd find him after the team meetings, which were starting in fifteen minutes. Bounding down from the tree, she waited as the lizard crawled down, nestled on her shoulder, and set off to the meeting place for her squad.
Kaede sighed thoughtfully. She didn't think her house was that far from the meeting place, to be truthful. Now she was afraid she might actually be tardy for the first day. Still, she relaxed. Normally walks like this were ones she enjoyed very much.
She was actually interested in what her teammates' first impression of her would be, taking heed of her abnormality and all...
Zeko reached the park first. In his head, he figured that their sensai was odd to pick a place like this for the team meeting. He sat on a rickety swing, and swayed to and fro. Something seemed to be missing, though he didn't exactly grasp it.
There was a rustling in the bushes to the far side of the park, and he raised his head to see what the ruckus was.
It was a girl, by the looks of her kimono like shirt. She wriggled out of the bush, unscathed, and began to walk towards the playground, towards Zeko. He recognized her as one of the girls that usually hung around by herself, with only one or two friends at the academy.
Kaede hadn't noticed the boy until she sat in the sandbox behind him and her eyes met the back of his head.
She frowned, confused.
"Hey! Are you here for a team meeting?" She called to him, and he slowed to a stop, turning around.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Why, are you?"
"Yeah. What squad are you?"
"12."
"...Same here," She replied, now awkward.
"Oh, okay. Since...I guess we're on the same team, I'm Zeko Dayame," He said, introducing himself for the second time that day.
"Kaede Minoru," She answered, now figuring that it would be best to walk over closer to him, to shake hands or something, if she really was going to be stuck with him as a teammate. She settled for the monkey bars stationed near the swings.
"So..."
"So..."
It was silent for a while after that.
Takeo's head wasn't what you would call cluttered.
Shit, shit, shit, shit.
One, he couldn't find his damned hawk. Kazue drove him mad.
Two, he was going to be late for his team's first meeting, and he was sensai.
Three, he couldn't find his hitai-ate.
The only relieving thing about this, was that his house was two minutes away from the meeting place, which meant a mad dash if he ever found the dim bird.
"Kazue! Damn it! Where are you?"
Well, it'd been an hour, this was definitely an accomplishment. Instantaneously, there was a plop on the table in front of him. Insert immature giggling here. Takeo looked up at the ceiling at Kazue, completely unseen 'till now, with a smile in his eye.
"You idiot bird...I have to clean this up now. You're going to make me late!"
Squawk!
"Moron, come and eat before we leave." The silver haired man grinned and hurried to clean up the mess the bird had made.
Zeko couldn't stand to look at the girl. All the awkwardness, it was almost painful.
Kaede focused her mind at the opposite tree.
Izumi sprinted for the playground, Secho nestled in her pocket.
Takeo ran, and made it to the meeting place with a minute to spare. Before falling on his face over a crook of wood jutting out of a tree.
Kaede noticed the older man's fumble and pointed it out to Zeko.
"Hey, meet our sensai," She smirked.
Vocab:
Hitai-ate - Forehead protector
Shōmei - Lighting (I thought Izumi's dad should have a nickname for her)
Hope you liked! Pweez review?
'Till next time!