{100}
-Monologue-
I don't know where I am.
Does anyone else know how much that sucks? I'm not sure if I'm afraid or angry.
I also have no idea how I got to be here in the first place and that makes it suck even more.
All I know is it's a forest. Boy does that narrow down the locations.
I'm annoyed and a little afraid. I've never been a fan of nature, and nature knows that.
If a person screams for help and nobody is around to hear them, do they make a sound?
Of course they do, they're screaming aren't they!
Argh!
-Monologue End-
The girl screamed. She was annoyed, lost and confused.
"Is someone there?" She listened for a response. Nothing but the rustling of the leaves.
"Bastards," she grumbled, "Someone send me a sign or something!"
She stared up at the sky. The sun shone down brightly, she shielded her eyes and looked away. In the distance she saw something shimmering.
'Follow and find?'
That's right... go follow it
She got up off the grass and walked towards the shining object. She was good at finding shiny things, especially money. Crouching down, she reached into the bush where the shine was originating. Her hand met cold metal and a long strip of material. Grasping the object, she pulled her hand out. A rectangular metal plate was attached to the black material, it had some snail thing engraved on it. A ninja headband from the Leaf Village. She felt a tugging at her naval. Her surroundings blurred and slowly changed. She was now sitting on a hill overlooking a town.
The Leaf Village. She felt sick.
You have more than that to worry about {110}
-Monologue 2-
Perhaps we should start over.
For this story, my name is Rin. I'm not from around here.
Anywhere near here. At all. To me, this place doesn't exist no matter how cool ninja's are.
At least I know where I am now. I guess that's a plus to add to the ever growing list of minuses.
I'm still wondering how I got here though.
And maybe why is another one.
Man this sucks.
-End-
Rin sighed and grumbled a bit, "What the hell am I supposed to do?" She pocketed the headband and grimaced, "First I have to find my way down from here." She turned away from the cliff face and spotted a path. Hoping it would lead her to the town, she followed it.
'Funny, I feel lighter,' she thought as she went down the path, 'Hmm…' She pushed the thought aside, replacing it with a yawn. "Mmm… sleepy."
Rin followed the path for what felt like 15 minutes when she reached the outskirts of a shopping district. She stared at the semi busy street before her, "Now what?" Her hand went to her pocket, where she fiddled with the object she'd found. 'I don't suppose anyone'd buy this off me would they? Hah!'
Her face turned thoughtful, "Perhaps there is an idiot somewhere that will…" She began walking down the street in hopes of finding a bric-a-brac store or something of the like. As she walked, she caught her reflection in the glass of a shop window. She stopped. So did it. She closed in on the window, studying her reflection closely, confused at what she saw. A girl of about 8 years old stared back at her. 'No way… how did this?'
This latest development had the girl puzzled. As far as she remembered and knew, she was 16.
"Man, this is screwed up." She continued on her way, walking deep in thought.
-Monologue 3-
Ok… now I'm even more confused.
First, I'm here.
Second, I've lost at least 7 years.
That makes even less sense than the first thing.
Just what the hell am I meant to do? Where is an 8 yr old gonna get a job?
I think I'm 8, 8 or 9. Or a really short 12 year old.
But still…. Goddammit! Oof!
-End-
"Ow," groaned Rin, rubbing her head. She looked up and saw an annoyed guy looking down at her.
"Watch where you're going stupid brat!" he growled. He walked off in a huff.
Rin was left on the ground in the middle of the street, people walked around her. She felt her eyes water. She brought one of her hands up to wipe the tears. 'Why am I crying?' she thought, her eyebrows creasing. She stood, still wiping the tears away only to have more replace them. She sniffled, an ironic smile coming onto her face. 'Am I really that insecure about being away from home?' She laughed quietly to herself, 'I can't believe this…' She kept on walking.
Soon, Rin spotted a trinket shop and decided to try her luck in there. A bell rang as she entered the store. The old greying man behind the counter looked up, his eyes scrutinising the young customer. Rin approached the counter. He looked down at her.
"I don't suppose you buy things from people?" she asked.
"What do you have to offer?" he asked, "Pop it on the counter." She reached into her pocket and took out the headband, placing it in front of the man. The man's expression turned annoyed, he stared at her with disbelief.
"Do you think this is some kind of joke? You don't buy and sell these things, kid. Shouldn't you be in school? Or are you one of those prodigy kids that graduated early?" Rin took the headband back, putting it back in her pocket annoyed.
"Sure, whatever," she mumbled, "This store's probably some sort of front or something, with those darkened windows." She made her way back to the door, not noticing as the man threw an array of weapons at her.
"Insolent brat!" Rin saw glinting silver in the glass, freezing with fear. She closed her eyes. She heard the weapons clang to the floor and the man gasp in surprise, "No! Impossible!" Rin slowly opened her eyes. She saw a man standing in front of her, a kunai in front of him. He wore the standard ninja gear, his headband around his neck. She looked at the weapons at his feet.
'He saved me.' The man turned to her, "Are you alright?" Rin nodded, the man smiled at her, "I'm glad." He turned back to the old man, "By the authority of the Leaf village under the Third Hokage, you are under arrest for illegal distribution of dangerous goods, leading to the deaths of 6 families." 3 more ninja's appeared, standing around the man, detaining him.
"I am sorry for endangering you like that," said the ninja beside her, "But thank you for your help."
{115}
Utterly confused, all Rin could do was nod. Cautiously she left the store, her brow creasing as she continued down the street. She looked around for an empty place, slipping into an empty side alleyway. She sat behind a bin and buried her head in her arms. Her shoulders shook as she began to laugh, her laugh gradually getting louder and more maniacal. She leaned her head against the wall, a large crazy smile on her face.
She brought her hand to her forehead, "That was just… hahahahahaha! What's going on? He actually was a criminal! Hehehehe… I'll chalk that up to coincidence." She wiped the tears from her face, stood and wiped herself off. She sighed, remembering the object in her pocket. A realisation suddenly hit her, her face grew dark.
"Why am I keeping it with me?" She pulled it out of her pocket and dropped it on the ground.
"I'm so stupid." She grinned with satisfaction and went back into the street.
That's not fair! You can't just throw it away! {65}{50}
Her stomach growled, stopping her in her tracks.
"It's just one thing after another in this place." She sighed in frustration, 'I don't have any money.' Her stomach went off again, she clutched it to try to muffle the noise.
"I'll live, you'll just have to wait a little longer." Her stomach complained in reply. "Shut up you!" She stopped at Ichiraku, looking inside. She went up to the counter.
{75}{50}
"Welcome," greeted a man and his daughter. Rin pulled a face, scratching her head.
"I don't suppose you can give me a job?" she asked, nervously. The man stared at her with surprise.
"Why would you need a job?" he asked, "What about your parents?"
"They're sorta not around," replied Rin, "I'm not sure how to say it."
"You poor thing," said the girl, "I can't imagine what you're going through."
"Huh? No, it's not like that!" said Rin, "They're just away. For an unknown amount of time." 'That's not too much better…' she thought.
"Come back at around 7 tonight," he replied, "There should be something for you to do then."
"Thank you," said Rin with a bow, "I'll be back later. See ya."
She left the Ichiraku stand and continued on her walk. She turned her walk into an exploration, her fancy word for being aimlessly lost. Her wanderings took her to a sandstone building. She recognised the insignia on it, 'Nin'. She tensed, quickly backing away and retracing her steps.
'I wanna stay away from this place. I'm not getting mixed up in ninja business. No way!' She walked away from the school, only to find her path blocked by a serious faced woman who was looking at her disapprovingly.
Hehehe, well you're going there now! {200}{50}
"Ditching class are we?" she asked, her purple eyes scrutinised the child before her. Rin's head hung. "Didn't think you'd be caught?" Rin didn't answer. The woman took her hand and toted her along, "Come now, back to class." Rin followed silently.
-Monologue 4-
List of things that suck:
Being here,
No money,
Being a kid,
Being alone and being a kid,
Being a lone kid with no money,
Being here and a lone kid without money,
Not knowing how I got here in the first place,
Having to go to school,
Needing to get a job and not knowing what the hell I'm doing.
It's just one thing after another. What am I supposed to do? I don't want to be a ninja! I mean learning it would be cool but I don't actually want to be a ninja.
Should I go along with it?
-End-
Rin sighed, "How did I get caught up in this?" The woman turned to her.
"You were skipping class and don't think you won't be punished."
"Wha? That's not fair!" cried Rin outraged. The woman shook her head.
"What do you expect happens when you ditch class, a parade?"
"That'd be nice," said Rin flatly. They stopped at a door, the woman motioning for her to stay while she entered.
"Iruka, one of your students was ditching class."
Iruka sighed, placing a hand on his forehead, "Thank you for finding her Mitsuki." Mitsuki nodded.
"Not a problem." She ushered Rin into the room, "I don't want to find you ditching again."
With Mitsuki's leave, the classroom broke out into talking.
"Hey! Quiet! Get back to work," called Iruka, a vein pulsing in his head.
Formula: 5(c) = p, let c = 30 therefore p=150 {350}{50}
The talking turned into whispers as Rin made her way to the empty seats at the back. She was near the classroom's back door, a space between her and the next student. She put her head on her arms and lay down on the desk. Iruka walked up next to her and put a sheet next to her, "See me after class." He returned to his desk and watched over the now once more silent class.
The students around her sniggered, Rin ignored them, pulling the worksheet in towards her, not making any effort to complete it. Iruka watched from the front with a sigh, 'Another one of them.' He leaned his chin on his hands and surveyed the class. 'I hope she finds some friends.' Without noticing it, his eyes rested on Konohamaru and his friends.
Rin spent the remainder of the class with her head in her arms nearly asleep. She was pretty sure she'd fallen asleep a few times, for about 5 minutes each time. Finally, Iruka dismissed the class. By that time she was sitting up and staring out of the window. After the class cleared out, Iruka approached Rin, his face plastered with worry. He sat beside her.
*grumble* {330}{70}
"Are you alright?" Rin snapped back into reality.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered quietly. Iruka sighed.
"Why were you skipping class?"
"I wasn't," Rin replied, "I was just walking around."
"During class time," said Iruka, "It's not a good start to your schooling."
"I do it more often than you know," Rin mumbled, turning from the teacher.
"Don't be like that" implored Iruka gently, "Come to think of it, I don't recall seeing you in any of my classes. Hmm." The room was silent. "Have you come to any classes?" He frowned at her, "Ever?"
Rin shrugged, she couldn't be bothered correcting him. "What's your name?"
"Rin," she replied simply.
Character stupidity purchased: {300}{70}
Iruka went back to his desk and looked over his class list, frowning when he couldn't find her name. 'Strange.' Putting it to an administrative mistake, he added her name to the list.
"I expect to see you tomorrow, alright." Rin gave him a thumbs up. Iruka smiled, "Good, I'll see you tomorrow."
Rin got up and exited through the back door. Iruka groaned loudly, sinking into his chair and leaning against the blackboard.
"These students will be the death of me."
{305}{70}
Rin walked through the back streets, continuing her exploration of the Leaf Village. Once more, she may have been lost and just not wanting to admit it to herself but she was pretty sure this path was familiar. What better way to get to know a new place than by getting lost there?
She heard scuffing behind her. Curiously, she turned. No one. She looked down, feeling something fluffy circling around her ankles.
A small white dog with brown patches on its ears. Akamaru. In his mouth was a headband. She recognised it as the one she threw in the alley way. She sighed.
"Shoo dog."
Hehehe, good dog {360}{70}
Akamaru placed the head band at her feet and yipped. He looked like he was glaring. Rin continued walking, only to have Akamaru follow her, the headband being carried in his mouth. She was slowly getting annoyed with the small canine. Akamaru ran in front of her, growling. He threw the headband at her feet. He barked at her.
She squatted next to the dog, her eyes narrowing, "You are starting to annoy me dog," she hissed.
Akamaru yipped at her, saying something like 'I know this is yours now take it.' She grumbled and got up, leaving the headband on the ground. Akamaru's eyebrow twitched, picking up the headband in his mouth for the third time that day, tailing the girl.
"Oy! Akamaru! What are you doing?" called a voice. Rin knew it was Kiba. Akamaru barked at his master. "Is that right, I don't think she's seen you. Hey, little girl!"
{365}{70}
Rin stopped, Kiba running up to her with the headband, "I think this is yours." He handed her the headband which she took with a small smile.
"Thank you, I've been looking for this everywhere!" She put it away in her pocket, "Thank you so much."
Kiba smiled at her, "It's not me you should thank, Akamaru found it." Rin looked down at the small dog, hiding her malice for the puppy.
"Is that so? Thank you Akamaru." She reached down to pat him. Akamaru seemed to be smirking at her, his face saying something like 'Ha ha, I win!' "I'll get you back, don't you worry." Akamaru barked at her before jumping onto Kiba's head.
"Well we have to go now," said Kiba, "Take care of that headband. If you ever lose it again, just find us." Kiba and Akamaru left, Rin continuing her walk, an annoyed look on her face.
'I can't believe I got it back!' she thought, 'What are the chances of that? Stupid mutt.'
Soon, she had found her way back onto a main-type street where she sat on a bench. She looked to the front and spaced out.
'What do I do now?' The bench got heavier.
Team combo {380}{70}
"Aren't you that girl that was ditching class?" asked a voice. Rin turned, seeing 3 kids around her age; two boys and a girl. She recognised them as Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. She didn't answer them. Konohamaru sighed.
"Hey, are you alright?" asked Moegi, "You seem sad. Is there anything we can do?" Rin shook her head. Moegi eyed her sceptically.
"Are you coming to class tomorrow?" asked Konohamaru.
"I might," Rin answered. Konohamaru had a thoughtful look on his face, as if trying to remember something.
"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you in class before," he said in realisation, turning to Moegi and Udon, "Have you guys?" The two thought about it before nodding in agreement with Konohamaru. They all turned to Rin.
"What's your name?" they asked in unison.
"Rin," Rin answered shortly, "yourselves?"
"Konohamaru," "Moegi," "Udon." They answered in succession, "It's nice to meet you."
"Same here," replied Rin. The three grinned at her.
"Wanna come practice with us?" asked Konohamaru, "We can help you catch up on what you've missed. Iruka's gonna test us in a couple of days."
{450}{70}
"How do you know we have a test?" asked Udon.
"I took sensei's week planner and had a little peak," grinned Konohamaru proudly.
Moegi gasped, worry evident in her expression. "Konohamaru! You shouldn't do that!" Konohamaru grinned sheepishly.
"It's alright Moegi, it's not like I was caught. I'm a super strong ninja." He flexed his muscles, "Grandson of the Third Hokage and just as strong." Rin laughed quietly, though not going unnoticed by Konohamaru.
"Look! She can laugh!" he cried, "I thought she was one of those emotionless robots that doesn't smile or anything."
Rin stopped laughing and frowned. Konohamaru stopped and looked at her with concern, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," she replied. He gave her a funny look and then shrugged.
"Let's go," said Moegi, "Mum'll want me home before dark. You coming Rin?"
"Of course she is!" said Konohamaru, "We are her teachers and it's our responsibility to teach her all we know! Our duty! Are you with me?"
"Yes sir!" replied Moegi and Udon, saluting their leader. Moegi took one of Rin's hands and pulled her to her feet. Rin found herself being dragged by Moegi and Udon as Konohamaru led them to a training ground. They began with weapons, because that is what all small children want to learn about first. They taught Rin the proper way to hold and throw the shuriken and kunai, showing her how to aim and practicing with her. After what felt like an hour, Rin was consistently hitting the targets in the outer to middle rims. Her three teachers were proud of her and of themselves.
"You're pretty good Rin-rin," said Moegi, "It took Konohamaru 3 lessons to even hit the stump."
"Why are you using me as an example?" cried Konohamaru, blushing, "The grandson of the Third Hokage won't be belittled by someone that can only hit the targets from 5 metres away!"
The two glared at each other, before turning away.
"It was thanks to your teaching that I hit the targets," said Rin, trying to distract them. Konohamaru smirked. He put his arms behind his head.
"Naturally, I have the blood of the Professor running through me," he looked at Moegi and Udon, "I don't know what Iruka-sensei's always complaining about. This teaching stuff is easy." His two friends matched his grin.
"Iruka-sensei better watch out or we'll steal his job," said Moegi, "Right Rin-rin?"
"Maybe you should take the teachers exam," suggested Rin.
"No way! There's a test before you can be a teacher!" cried Konohamaru. Rin nodded.
"But first you'd have to pass the chuunin exams," she stated bluntly, "Chuunin is the minimum qualification after all." She twirled a kunai in her hand. Konohamaru's eyes were popping out of his head, his mouth hung low. Rin turned to the trio with her arms crossed over her chest. "Of course, before that you'd have to complete your academy training and become a genin," she sighed, looking at her new friends, "You guys look surprised, didn't you know this?"
The other three had turned into motionless dolls and were babbling incoherently.
"NOOOOOO!" cried Konohamaru, pulling his hair, "Man this is stressful! Why don't they warn you of all these exams before we sign up?"
"If you think that's the worst thing you have to worry about," said Rin seriously, "Then you are gravely mistaken. If you became a ninja to play around then you should rethink your career choice." She flung the kunai away, it embedded itself with a dull thunk. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Emotional speech + 50 {500}{70}Weapons purchased {450}{70}
She left the three standing at the training ground, Moegi and Udon stared after her. Konohamaru stared at the kunai. It had hit the target dead centre.
"Hey, did anyone else get the chills just now?" asked Moegi, "Rin-rin sounded so serious." Konohamaru looked at Moegi.
"What's this?" said Udon, looking at the headband, "I think Rin left her ribbon." He went to pick it up, he felt the hard metal of the plate. He unwound it, his eyes widening as he saw the leaf symbol. "Konohamaru, Moegi. Come here!"
"What is it Udon?" asked Moegi. She gasped as she too saw the headband. "You don't suppose she's already graduated, do you? Konohamaru?"
Konohamaru continued to stare at the kunai, mesmerised by it for some reason. Udon sniffled.
"It could belong to one of her family," he suggested, "That could be why she was so serious. Someone in her family has died and she keeps this as a memento."
"If it was, she'd keep it in a box at home," said Moegi, "To make sure she never loses it. I think this is hers." The two got up and went to Konohamaru.
His friends looked at him with worry. "If she has already graduated, that would explain why she's never at the academy," said Moegi, "She could just still be there so that it's not made a big deal of. What do you think Konohamaru?" Konohamaru looked up with a 'hmm.'
"It's not 'hmm'!" said Moegi, "Don't you think it's mysterious? She can already use the weapons as well as the sensei!" Konohamaru looked at Moegi then at Udon, his eyes eventually resting on the headband.
"I think we should try to learn a bit more before jumping to conclusions," he said, "We'll return it to her tomorrow." The other two looked at him, and nodded. "We should be going now."
'She spoke like someone that's beyond her years," thought Konohamaru, 'Like someone that's been in a life threatening situation. I don't think she's any ordinary academy student.'
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Rin stood outside Ichiraku, searching her pockets for the hitai-ate. 'I lost it again, hopefully it won't be found this time. Stupid dog.' She went to the counter, greeted by the man and his daughter.
Stop doing that! {400}{120}
"You're early," said the girl, surprise on her face.
The man smiled, "That's good. A tardy apprentice is a bad one. Ayame, let her through."
The girl nodded and lifted the end of the counter. Rin went through to the back where she was given a light pink apron.
"I hope you don't mind," she said, "It's one of mine from when I was younger." Rin shook her head, Ayame smiled. She looked over Rin as she put the apron on, giggling to herself, "You're almost like a mini me. Isn't she father?"
Her dad turned around and gasped in shock, "It's like looking into the past!" Rin wasn't sure what to say. Ayame gasped, "I can't believe we didn't ask! What is your name? I'm Ayame and this is my dad."
"I'm Rin," Rin replied, "It's nice to meet you." She bowed to them, able to hear their whispering about how they were embarrassed they didn't ask her name and how rude she must think they are.
Ayame took her over to the sink, "You'll be on dishes tonight Lil' Rin." Rin nodded.
"How clean do you want them?"
The man laughed, "I like enthusiasm! Let's see… clean enough for a king, that alright with you?" Rin nodded and began on the small pile next to the sink. Not soon after she'd finished washing them, Ayame had put a pile of already clean bowls onto the sink.
"We have a special guest tonight," she explained, "So get these bowls as clean as you can." Rin emptied the sink water. Ayame went back over to her father, "A very special customer indeed."
Filling the sink with clean water, Rin began on the pile of dishes, scrubbing each as clean as she could. She studied each dish carefully, looking for any blemishes before she rinsed them. She was cleaning each bowl for 5 minutes, getting through half the pile before she heard a loud greeting.
"Hey old man Teuchi and Ayame!" greeted Naruto loudly, Rin was sure he was grinning widely, "It's been a while hasn't it!" He sat at the bench.
Just coz you're in the back doesn't mean you'll get away {440}{120}
"It has been a while Naruto," said the man, "What would you like?" Naruto thought for a minute, scanning through the menu Rin was sure he had memorised long ago.
"I think I'll start with the beef ramen with the lot!" he announced. Teuchi smiled and began prepping the blonde's meal. Rin heard another person shuffle into the shop.
"Eh? You took your time Iruka-sensei," said Naruto, "I've already ordered." Iruka laughed nervously, wondering what damage would be dealt to his wallet after this visit. He quietly looked over the menu as Naruto dug into his first bowl with gusto.
"Man I've missed this stuff!" cheered Naruto, "Old man, you make the best ramen!" Rin watched from the sink as Naruto ate bowl after bowl. Each bowl piled on top of the others in front of Naruto. The pile reached 20 bowls after an hour. She was amazed at how much he could eat.
'It's inhuman… his stomach.' She looked pitifully at Iruka who sat on his second bowl, a nervous twitch developing in his eye. 'He must love Naruto a lot to do this for him, with the amount he eats,' she thought. Ayame brought one of the piles over. She had a big smile on her face as she brought over the rest of the dishes.
"Have fun!" She went back out to the front.
Naruto had gone, leaving Iruka to pay for his monster appetite. She could imagine what Ayame and Teuchi's faces really looked like at this moment. She sniggered quietly, washing dish 4 of 23.
"It's nice to see him again after so long," said Ayame, "He's always a little ray of sunshine."
"Especially for my business!" laughed Teuchi, "He must have really missed us to eat 24 bowls in one sitting! Here you go Rin."
4 more bowls were placed onto her pile to wash. 'Dish 4 of 27,' she corrected herself mentally, 'He sure eats a lot.'
Rin stayed at Ichiraku until it closed for the night, washing the Naruto pile plus other people's bowls then later the pots. She didn't know what time it was when she left, only that it was late. Teuchi had paid her 3000 ryo for the night plus a bowl of ramen. She was grateful for that, her stomach had been complaining loudly. That may have been why he gave it to her free of charge, laughing at her.
Rin was wandering through the streets again, not sure where she would stay for the night. Was there an abandoned house somewhere close? Rin soon found herself in a dimly lit street, eerily quiet.
"Which of my senses is strongest? Run or sleep?" she wondered aloud, a hand at her chin. Shrugging she answered, "I'll decide in the morning."
She continued down the street, finding a hole in the fence that she crawled through. The street turned into a garden, lit only by the moonlight. She saw a large old style house. It looked dead, a strange description for a non-living object. She went up to the open window, trying to see as best she could into the room. Deeming the room empty, she entered through the open window, landing semi-quietly on the tatami floor, falling forward slightly.
She felt the dust in the air, "This room mustn't've been used in recent months… even years."
Rin moved herself into one of the corners, near a window. She curled into a ball, laying her head on her arms.
'At least it's warm tonight,' she thought, closing her eyes.
Sleep soon came over her.
{440}{120}