The town seemed lonelier than before. Before, it had been teeming with life and festivals. Something was wrong. He could feel it. He dared to walk through the gates and he knew somehow he would regret it. He stopped dead in his tracks only to hear a scream. A scream of pain... this scream... he had never heard anything like it. Worst of all, it was the scream of a child. He listened but he heard not another sound. He strode away from the town gates. He didn't know where he was going but he knew someone was in trouble and he had all the time in the world to help. He had followed the sound and came to a large building. Probably the largest in the town. It was the Chicoro mansion. But what had been a mansion was now ruins. Charred and burned almost to the ground is what it looked like to him. Something in the ruins was moving. He strained his eyes to see the far away object. A man. A middle-aged man who was resting a sword on his shoulder. A man with a mask and short black hair. The man was moving into the ruins...toward something. He made out that something to be a young girl. The girl, about five or so, was injured. He had guessed her to be the one that had screamed.
The girl lay extremely still and bloody. He knew the man with the sword had hurt this girl and he would not allow this killing to take place any longer. He strode toward the man. He had wanted to have the element of surprise. He grabbed a kunai from his pouch and ran to stab the man. The man disappeared and had taken a fighting stance behind him. He had thought he had the upper hand. He turned around to face his opponent.
"May I know the name of the person I fight?" The man asked.
"My name is of no importance to you." He replied
The man laughed and took a regular stance.
"Then know mine, I am Nobuya Chicoro." The man said.
"A Chicoro trying to destroy the Chicoro name? Disgraceful." He said
Nobuya nodded and replied.
"They had dishonored my name by keeping the secret of the Five-tailed demon, Houkou, under my roof! I had no choice! The girl," Nobuya pointed to the bloodied young girl in the corner. "it's inside of her."
His eyes widened at the sight of the girl. She was so very young and so bruised he could barely make out her face. She had a huge gash across her chest, he guessed, from Nobuya's sword. But...She was still breathing! How could she have survived a cut so deep? Was this Houkou's doing?
"You kill a helpless young girl because she had a secret of holding such a beast? She couldn't have known better than to count her own fingers!"He exclaimed.
The girl stirred. He looked back at her and was surprised to see her open her mouth to talk.
"Daddy...I miss Mommy..."
Nobuya cracked an evil smile."You will be with your mother soon, Maru"
Maru Chicoro. So she was a Chicoro also. His face had turned hard with anger. This man, Nobuya, is attempting to kill his own daughter? Disgrace! He charged hoping to catch Nobuya off guard. He hit Nobuya with as much force as he had. In the dust he could barely see but he knew he hit him at least. He stood his ground and waited for a counter attack. He was patient but no attack came. The smoke cleared and Nobuya was gone.
"Coward..." He whispered.
He turned slowly hoping not to find Maru dead. Good, she was still breathing. Amidst the smoke it was hard to tell that something was burning just next to her head. He strained to see what it was.
"Damn!" He raced over to Maru and managed to get her out of the way before the exploding tag went of. The bad part was his own self had been damaged by the explosion. He winced as he set the girl down at his feet.
"Don't worry I'm going to help you alright?" He managed to choke out.
She stirred a little and grimaced at the sight of the blood on her chest.
"W-where is mommy?" She asked on the brink of crying.
"I can't tell you that." He said. He could tell she was crying now. From all the dried tears and blood on her face the only thing that lit it up were the shining streaks.
"Why?" She asked hoping to get an answer that would make her happy. At least, happier then she was now.
He looked around the remain of the house. Then he saw them. What he suspected to be Maru's mother and possibly her brother. They were laying lifeless in the rubble. He couldn't tell her that they had passed, it just seemed too heartless. He turned his head reluctantly to check on Maru. Her crying had ended.
"W-why?" She repeated in a lower voice.
It was hard to face such a child with a truthful answer. "B-Because... I don't know where she is."
The girl starred blankly at him as if she didn't understand. She coughed and tried to breath steadily.
He starred back at her and asked. "Maru...do you want to be a Shinobi?"
She slowly nodded
"Then bear with the pain because I can't help you unless I get you to a hospital"
He picked her up and she cried in pain. He winced, and not because of the pain in his back from the tag, but because he couldn't stand to hear such a cry from a girl so young.
He raced off into the town, but since it had been abandoned he ran passed it trying to get to the nearest village. He looked down to check on Maru once again. Her eyelids had gotten heavy by the look of it.
"Maru, are you still awake?"
"mmhhmm" She moaned trying to open her eyes.
"Maru, don't fall asleep on me OK? I need you to keep your eyes open!"
"But mister, I'm really sleepy and..." She had started to trail off.
"Maru, please stay awake!" He yelled not knowing it.
"Mister?"
"Yes, Maru?"
"W-what's your name?"
"My name? He asked, dumbfounded that she would want to know something like that at this time.
"W-will you t-tell me?" She was trying her best not to fall asleep now.
"My name..." He looked ahead and could see the gates to a village.
Her eyes were completely shut now and her breathing was becoming slow.
"My name is... Jiraiya from Konoha"
Sesonga: Sweeeet! My first attempt at a novel! OK so i'm new at this so if it sucks... DEAL WITH IT! Otherwise i hope you enjoy! I feel so accomplished...