Title: From ALPHA to OMEGA

Author: Tsuminoaru

Genre: Slice of Life/Humor/General/Romance

A/N: not beta-es yet. Hope the writing is ok Dx

The sky was blue, the sun shone, the birds chirped – all was right with the world, right?

I was trying to believe that, despite the fact that my hair was gray and always had been - meaning life had been hard on me from the day I was born; despite my weird mismatched eyes and the way I looked like a pirate with the eye-patch over my left eye; …despite the fact that I was going to be stuck in some small town at some crappy high school for god knows how long because the great superior of mine decided it was good for me. Or something like that, I didn't really know what the hell he'd been thinking. Maybe that I needed a change of air and a break of some sort.

The hell...!

Even before I placed a single foot of mine on the ground of this out-in-the-sticks-town, I knew it would be troublesome and not at all restorative.

You can imagine that, as expected, I was greeted with disapproving and curious looks and fingers pointed at me.

Sure, nice to meet you all, too. This is definitely how civilized people should behave on the streets!

Sighing, I shouldered my backpack and looked after the bus which was disappearing at the horizon. I could have cried then, or at least almost - I couldn't cry. Maybe there was something wrong with my lachrymal gland, I didn't really know. Sometimes my left eye was watering for seemingly no reason but that's another story.

It was time to check my new apartment. I was thinking of grabbing some food first because I had quite a journey – Fire Country was big and I came from pretty much the other side of it - but really, after I had been welcomed so charmingly I lost my appétit.

I searched through the pockets of my pants and found a piece of paper on which I'd scribbled the address.

You should know I didn't know I would be brought here. I was forced into that bus – they'd actually used chloroform on me! Was that a kind of way you would expect your company to treat its long-time member? Remembering it still made me mad. Anyway, I'd woken up in a small and uncomfortable bus sit with aching muscles, with my belongings placed on the sit next to me and a file folder in my lap. The rest is history – I was left here with no money and no credit cards in my wallet.

I'm sure you can understand I thought at that point life was a bitch and the company to which I dedicated almost my whole life betrayed me.

Well, getting to my flat meant I had to ask someone the directions.

I panned the place from where I stood. There were quite a lot of people on the street for a small town and I seemed to be a lodestone catching all their gazes. What a pain in the ass…

I braced myself, slouched somewhat more just to feel more comfortable in my own skin, and approached a guy who was about to part with some older person he'd been talking to. He appeared to be the only person who hadn't noticed me yet.

He had a scar across his cheeks and nose which was another reason I felt more comfortable talking to him – we had something in common.

"Excuse me…" I crinkled my eyes in a smile despite my indifference – it was always better to make a good first impression, it would spare you a lot of trouble. I finally learned that after some difficult years.

Indeed, as the man turned to face me he didn't gape at the part of the scar which wasn't covered by the eye patch. He still sized me up though. I understood I looked quite out of place compared to the people here but there was a limit to the way you openly gape at someone.

"How can I help you?" he asked, smiling politely.

Ok, he didn't run away which was a success already. But he was probably a robot anyway, as well as the rest of the town people. I couldn't help but think it looked fake how everyone smiled and talked friendly with each other. Like a big happy – and fake – family.

This place was so rotten…

"I'm new here and I have some difficulties finding the way to my apartment. Would you be so nice to help me?" I asked, scratching the back of my head sheepishly and showing him the piece of paper with the address on it. I almost choked on my own false pleasantries. I hated this town already.

He read the address, smiled and nodded.

"That's easy! You just keep straight on all the way till you see a pink building – it's a famous candy shop here – when you turn to your right you'll find your street"

"Ah, thank you very much," at that I bowed slightly and walked away in the direction he'd suggested me. I had the urge to take a shower… and to dash out at the next person who would point their fingers at me. I tried to restrain that desire.

Walking through those small streets I wondered at how this town actually had its own high school. This whole place wasn't bigger than the departments of the Hidden Leaf – the organization I worked for.

I arrived at the said candy shop after five minutes, and Oh Good Lord, it was so pink it was actually painful to look at.

Had I said I hated this place? I decided I hated it even more as I realized my flat was actually only two houses away from that pink monstrosity full of noisy little children.

Maybe I forgot to mention it – I don't like children very much.

At least my apartment turned out to be quite cozy and nice, and ready-furnished. It was on the second floor, by the way. There were two rooms – a living and a bedroom, both surprisingly spacey –, a small kitchen which was ok since I didn't cook, and a bathroom with a toilet in it.

To see my not at all that bad flat was like sunshine after a rainy day. It made me suspicious though – it was too good to be true.

I left my backpack in the small floor of my new flat and pulled my mask down – I had to wear one since I was allergic to nearly every plant that blossomed at spring time – before entering the kitchen. I could find out later what the catch about this apartment was. More important was the fridge – I had some hidden hopes regarding it. You see, I was spoiled; there always had been a lot of delicious food on any long-time mission.

My hopes were turned to dust as I opened the refrigerator door and looked inside – it was empty. After I inspected all the kitchen cupboards and drawers I found myself heartbroken. There wasn't even coffee! How was I supposed to live through the next morning without it?

This was hell! And my stomach told me it was not amused.

"Fuck…" I muttered as I realized that I actually needed to go out and buy some food if I didn't want to starve. To sit on my couch and read my favorite soft-core seemed to be a vision that wasn't about to become reality very soon.

Since there was no way around it I accepted my fate unwillingly and stepped out the door. I went upstairs and only then I realized I had absolutely no money. It was such a strange thing that I actually forgot.

So what now?

Before I was able to solve the problem at hand someone bumped into me from behind. I managed to keep my balance, side-stepping. Unfortunately the stranger dragged me along and all I saw was a flash of yellow before I was knocked out.

When I woke up it was already dark outside. It was dark in the room as well. I thought I had a really bad dream about a small creepy town and even creepier people living in it.

You know the movies where, at some point, the town's people reveal their true appearance and transform into ugly, scary, slimy monsters or aliens? My dream was pretty much like that sort movie only that I came to realize it wasn't a dream.

It was the scent that made me aware of reality.

It wasn't my scent which meant it wasn't my bed. And it wasn't my room for it wasn't my bad. And so on… I know, I was quite a Sherlock Holmes.

I set up but regretted doing so immediately since the movement had been too sudden.

My head HURT! And my stomach hurt even more – I was starving!

Muttering and pressing my hand against my forehead I made an attempt to will the pain away. It turned out to be pretty much ineffective. Anyway, something else caught my attention...

I sniffed; it smelled delicious of food… Of course I followed the scent, doing so I left the bedroom, went through the living room and finally entered the kitchen, noticing that the apartment was a mirror of my own, apart from the furniture.

Let's see what we had there… It was a man in his middle twenties, or so it appeared to me. He had chaotic yellowish blond hair and… I couldn't tell of which color his eyes were since I couldn't see them properly from where I was standing. He wore a pretty tasteless yellow apron over a blue jeans and an ugly orange turtleneck sweater…

Funny how such a handsome man could have such a misguided taste.

He was looking into a pot which was steaming out the delicious scent from the stove where it was placed.

"Yo," I called out to draw his attention to me since he hadn't noticed me yet.

The man jumped in surprise topping over the pot. In an instant I leapt forward and yanked him to the side. The boiled water splashed over the floor, the pot rattling as it hit the ground.

"Wah… thank you – that was close…" the man in my arms – I'd probably pulled too hard so he'd landed there – breathed after he recovered from the shock. He glanced to the floor where what once had been miso ramen (the noodles weren't in there yet) with eggplants was draped all over the floor. Then he tried to look at me. It was an uncomfortable angle, I imagined, so I supposed that was the reason he didn't try too hard and glanced back to the now ruined food.

My heart sunk. Not only was it the loss of the opportunity finally to eat something it had been one of my favorite dishes too. I loved miso soup and I loved eggplants. Aw~

My stomach gave away a loud grumpy sound as if to mirror my own despair.

Again it was a moment I could have cried if I actually could, that is.

"Hn… I thought I could make it up to you by inviting you for dinner," he said, sighing in regret. Running his hand through his hair he released himself from my hold which I didn't mind. I simply forgot to let go of him since my attention had been caught by the food.

My stomach talked to me again, suggesting eating the eggplant pieces from the floor. I fought back the urge to do so although the floor seemed clean to me.

"As long as it's eatable I don't care what it is, really" I told him. I was almost about to search through his fridge myself.

He threw a bemused glance at me. "Well we could order some food, I suppose"

Was he deaf? Or didn't he understand that I was starving here.

"Don't you have bread or something? Cereals maybe? I'm desperate here," I asked impatiently. Because, seriously, I didn't care what it was but it had to be now.

As if to underline the urgency my stomach vocalized itself too.

The man cringed in sympathy, smiling.

"Aye, sorry! Take a sit," he said, laughing. He hurried to his fridge while I did as suggested. I watched him taking out the milk, placing it on the table before me. A bowl, a spoon and the cereals followed.

"Thank you!" I was already grabbing the cereals and the milk and filling the bowl with them. He laughed somewhat as he saw my enthusiasm, which made me mumble a lilte. Certainly he didn't know how it felt to be in my situation, that jerk.

"You're welcome. I'm still ordering though. You ok with ramen? Which flavor would you prefer?"

Wolfing down the food I shrugged. Apparently he understood me because he disappeared in the living room. Some moments later I could hear him talk through the phone.

I was already eating my third bowl of cereals – mourning over the fact that there was no more milk – as he came back with a mop and a bucked to take care of the mess on the floor.

Out of any better options I watched him.

Surprisingly the man seemed perfectly normal to me, apart from his clumsiness. Even now he somehow managed to hit his forehead against the kitchen worktop. I figured he was the one who'd run into me and dragged me down with him… and apparently had used me as his pillow.

I grimaced. Although I wasn't nearly as hungry as I had been some moments ago, I was definitely staying for ramen. It was the least he could do to make up for my headache and the monstrous bump on the back of my head.

I touched it carefully, wincing nevertheless.

"Mah… I'm really sorry about that accident. I intended to make a good first impression," he said breaking the silence.

Actually I didn't mind the silence… but well, now that I wasn't starving anymore I hadn't such a sore mood anymore so I didn't mind some small talk, either.

"It was probably a blessing in disguise," I said leaning back in the chair, slouching into a more comfortable position.

"Huh?" he looked at me questioningly over his shoulder.

"Uh, nothing", I waved aside, "A raven stole my wallet as I'd been about to pay for my hotdog. Of course I didn't get my hotdog since I couldn't pay for it. And the bus driver was already humping… Your usual unlucky day"

I should have known it was a mistake to eat the ramen at *his* place. I should have taken them and gone to my own apartment, right after I found out it was at the other side of the floor.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I asked suspicious, trying really hard to stay composed. Yes, I was serious. First the bump of the size of an apple then he'd denied me food and now I nearly lost my fucking eye! My good one!

I couldn't see him since I couldn't open my right eye and still was wearing the eye patch over my left one but I was almost sure this guy was cringing and smiling apologetically, and rubbing the back of his head in that somehow annoyingly familiar way. Because that was what he'd done since I've first seen him do something clumsy.

"You owe me more than food!" it was only fair if I let him know. I turned to the side I assumed the front door and walked in that direction. I had a good memory so I managed to avoid the furniture in my way quite fine… Until Mr. Clumsy attempted to help me, that is.

It started with a "Uh… wait I hel…!" and ended with me meeting the floor with my nose and another man on top of me. I managed to crawl from under him and get to my feet, noticing that I was bleeding. I snarled, because seriously, what the fuck? I'd done far more dangerous things and never ended up as beaten as I was now!

"Ok. FORGET the food or whatever you are thinking to do to make it up to me. Just don't EVER come fucking near me again!" I snapped, cutting him short before he could apologize. I pressed the sleeve of my shirt against my nose and cracked my sore eye open. My view was blurred but I was able to make out the door. I didn't wait to hear for anything the man could have wanted to say and hurried to leave his apartment. This time I managed without any further accident, thanks god!

I would have felt bad for snapping at him - it wasn't my usual way to deal with people - but I couldn't mobilize enough sympathy given the situation.

Stumbling into my bathroom I felt my way to the sink. I was about to turn the water on as I heard the knock on the door. I simply ignored it and proceeded with my tasks. I washed my face, grabbed the towel next to the sink and pressed it against my nose, preventing the blood from dripping. Then I searched for another towel which I intended to wet with cold water since I doubted there was any ice in the freezer.

In the end I was lying on my bad with my face and my head hurting and a wet towel over my face. I was trying really hard to think positive but I simply couldn't.

To sum it up: I was stuck in a creepy small town in the middle of nowhere, in an apartment where I was in a deadly peril because of my neighbor. I had no money and no food. I was injured and I was almost blind. So I pretty much had the impression I was dogged by bad luck.

I growled.

To sit on my couch and read my favorite soft-core seemed to be a vision that wasn't about to become reality in the near future now.

Life was a bitch! I was certain of it now...