The Fun Just Never Stops

Or

I Love This City

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

...

"I'll tell you something, Ren…" the young woman managed to say around the cigarette she was lighting in her mouth. "I love this beautiful god-forsaken bloody city. I'll never; never get bored of this. Its ab-so-fucking-lutly fabulous. It's perfect" the younger woman frowned and yanked the cigarette out of her friend's mouth. She threw it on the floor. Ren was nervous, the slightly older woman noticed. Maybe she shouldn't have bought her along. Still, it would do her good to know where her meals were coming from. Maybe she would stop taking money for granted. She didn't care either way. Money didn't exist. Her dad taught her that.

"What's your problem? Do you want to die?" The woman shrugged and took another one out of her pocket. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement there. Something about her shrug suggested the job would get her before the tobacco did. That's what you get for choosing the short, easy-money path of crime. Every moment of their lives was proof that crime didn't pay. Oh no, no it didn't. The money was fleeting, but the paranoia lasted forever. Because, in the words of the nameless woman, sooner or later, everyone fucks up.

Carelessly, the previously mentioned un-named woman flicked the detonator switch that lead, by means of small wires, to the vault door, coated as it was in explosive material of just about every kind… and dove for the floor before the blast took her head clean off. She dragged her less-experienced friend down with her. The explosion sent fragments of rock and brick crashing around them. Five minutes now to get in and get the hell out. Just enough time for a quirky catch-phrase, she thought.

She got to her feet, brushed the dust and debris off her clothes, opened her mouth to speak and then…

Bang. (Louder, to her, than the explosion only moments before, she saw Ren's face fill with terror...)

Pain. (Oh, dear god. If there is even a god. Don't let Ren get hurt. Why isn't that idiot running?! The ground crept up to meet her halfway...)

Nothing.

Blank.

...

Ibaraki Kyoko woke up.

It was dark.

She didn't know at first that her name was Ibaraki Kyoko, which is a very confusing state to awaken in, but there was a very helpful chart at the bottom of the bed that told her lots of things she didn't know about herself, like her age, date and place of birth, her exact dosage of painkillers for the exceptionally large fracture on her skull (upon reading this her hand shot up to her head, where she found tightly wrapped bandages and a large shaved patch. She almost freaked out then, but tried her best not to), and, oh so much more importantly, her name. That was a start. At least she had somewhere to start.

The first time Kyoko tried to stand her vision spun and blacked out. Her head throbbed with pain that had been momentarily blocked out by the surprise and the rest and the painkillers. She had absolutely no idea what was going on or where she was, which just added to her suffering. She sat back down eventually. Her legs hadn't been planning on holding her up for much longer and were just waiting for her brain to make some kind of decision. After a few moments she lay down. Her head hurt. Somehow she knew sleep would help. Her eyes sunk shut.

"What the hell is going on here?" she mumbled, burying her head in the pillows. By all means she should be terrified, but she was vaguely aware she was in a hospital, and the fact they know her name was comforting. It meant someone must have told them. It meant someone cared. She had no idea who, of course, but it was comforting anyway. Her pillow didn't answer her question, of course, but it still felt good to ask. Sooner or later, though, she would get an answer. Someone would tell her what the hell had happened to her

...

Take back the city for yourself tonight…

Next time Ibaraki Kyoko woke up it was light outside. Someone was playing a song on a laptop near her head. She pretended to be asleep, mostly because she didn't know if she could face other people just yet, but also partly because she almost, but not quite, remembered the song. The words seemed vaguely familiar.

There was a voice singing along. Kyoko frowned under her covers. The singing wasn't bad, per say. She wouldn't pay money to hear it, but she wouldn't run away either. The voice was just… unfamiliar, interrupting the song. She recognized the music, but as far as she was concerned the voice was just pretty noise. She neither knew nor cared who it was.

All these years later and it's killing me, your broken records for words…

She rolled over and tried to peek at the mystery person without making it obvious she was awake. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but either way she was pleasantly surprised. A pretty, dark haired young woman, a few years older perhaps than Kyoko herself, sat on a small, uncomfortable chair Kyoko hadn't even notice the night before, or whenever it was she was last awake.

No need to put your words into my mouth, don't need convincing at all…

The stranger seemed to notice her move, and her sharp green eyes flicked up to Kyoko's, where they peeked out from between her duvet and her pillow. Hastily, Kyoko closed her eyes, but not soon enough. The woman noticed.

"Kyoko?" She opened her eyes. It seemed to be useless hiding now. Her confused blue eyes met the woman's piercing green. This was followed by the longest silence imaginable. It probably lasted no longer than a few minutes, but to them both it must have lasted a lifetime. Eventually, Kyoko realized she was expected to answer in some way. She tried, but she just couldn't find the name for the face. This was her only visitor and she had no idea who she was. As far as she was concerned this was a complete stranger.

I love this place enough to have no doubts…

"I'm sorry. I don't know who you are." She answered finally. She tried to sound sorry, but there was no emotion at all. She tried to care and she couldn't. A tear seemed to be forming in the stranger's eye. She found she didn't particularly care about that either. She couldn't help it. She didn't know her. The song kept going in the background, forgotten. Occasionally Kyoko would catch an odd lyric or two. They were familiar, eerily familiar. But, try as she might, this woman wasn't.

You can sing 'til you drop

"I'm your sister, Kyoko. My name is Hanako" Kyoko just plain didn't know what to say to that.

"Oh" She let her mouth hang open.

'Cause the fun just never stops.