(Disclaimer: Okay, so this was inspired by a certain Naruto fansite that I found a while ago. Naruto is not mine. If you see grammatical errors and crap like that, feel free to yell at me. This is one of those fics that I make and not check for ANYTHING whatsoever)
Over 200 years have passed since the Akatsuki Organization collapsed. Peace yet again prevailed in Konoha. Some problems here and there, plus a touch of chaos from the Uzumaki family every now and then, but peaceful nonetheless.
Caging around this village is a vast forest, continuing for miles and miles outwards, as if there is no end. Most of this territory belongs to the Nara Clan so they can let their deer roam and use their horns as medication. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation, and has not failed them yet, and hopefully ever.
The Boy, the Deer, and the God
Shika Nara lazily walked out of Konoha's gates toward the forest with a large tattered bag dragging behind him. He sighed and looked up toward the blue cloudless sky, wishing his mother wasn't such an annoying woman sometimes.
"Man, there's enough food in the forest itself," he said aloud to particularly no one. "Why the hell do we have to feed them all the time?" The young Nara boy looked down at the dirty package and scrunched his eyebrows together into a childish glare. "Damn you deer."
He let his shoulders rise and fall into a long sigh. Only birds chirped in reply to his complaints high above.
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An hour later, the young Nara found an opening in the forest ground. The feeding territory. Shika's slow walk paced up to a jog, the bag behind his skipping as it hit pebbles and rocks on the way. He stopped and looked around, looking for any sign of deer. He spotted a little foal, about two-thirds his size, curiously staring at Shika and his dirty bag. The young Nara felt his lips twitch into a tiny smile at the animal, it's large eyes making him "aww" inside.
Shika picked up the bag and opened it to reveal dried corn seeds, grass, and some random nutrients and medication his parents made so the deer's horn would grow larger and the deer themselves are healthy. He turned it upside-down and let it pour out like a sandy waterfall. He shook the back a couple of times until the bag was completely empty, then hung the empty sack over his shoulder. The foal watching this shyly came out from behind the bushes and trotted towards Shika. She tilted her head as if asking for permission to eat. The boy smiled a bit wider and reached out his hand to scratch the back of her ear. She took this as a yes, lowered her head and helped herself to a good meal.
Shika watched this as he backed away slowly, sensing other deer nearing the feeding territory. Within moments, there were at least eight deer indulging themselves with other hungry ones tailing right behind them. The young Nara then turned his heels and started pacing himself back to Konoha. But then he thought about what would happen he does go back to his annoying Mother. Chores, chores, chores, help dad fix the broken door Mr. Uzumaki's kid kicked open (damn him), and more chores. He groaned, looked up at the sky again, this time partially blocked by the trees.
I have nothing else better to do, he thought, I guess I'll take a walk.
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The little Nara boy made his way toward another open area in the forest; his 'secret' napping place. It wasn't really secret since it was accessible to anybody who knows the forest well (which is almost everybody in Konoha), but Shika likes to call it 'secret' just because it sounds cooler (he's seven-years old, mind you). The little boy hummed his favorite tune on the way with his hands in his pockets, his fingers toying with his brother's marbles he found earlier that morning.
Shika stopped as he heard something other than his own humming and clicking marbles. He looked around, but saw nothing other than trees, bushes, and a rabbit making it's way back to it's nest. The Nara boy shrugged it off and resumed walking, slowly, until he heard it again. Moaning? The sound came from his right. The curious Nara climbed over the bushes and jogged toward the sound before it was gone again.
The sound came from another clearing in the forest, but Shika saw nothing. The moaning stopped, and Shika panicked. He knelt down and pressed his ears on the ground, hoping to hear vibrations from footsteps nearby. Surely, he did get a vibration, but it was no footstep.
The moaning came from underground.
Shika, startled, only stared at the dirt ground. He thought he heard a "Aw fuck, I can't fuckin' breathe man...and who turned out the fuckin' lights?!" But that could've just been him. Right now, he needed to dig whatever is under out.
"Uh, um, I-I'll get you out! Hold on!" The boy said to the ground. He hurriedly made some hand-signs and watched his shadow grow into several kid-sized hands. They aimed at the ground where the moaning came from and started digging ferociously. Pebbles and mud rained down on Shika (he doesn't know how to control his shadows very well yet) and it partially blinded him. Eventually, his little body started shaking as his chakra level became low. He released his jyutsu, and at the same time the rain stopped. The young Nara panted as he looked at the messy hole his shadow made. He wiped the mud off his face and spat out rocks that somehow managed to get into his mouth.
Well, it didn't look like there were any person trapped underground.
Worms and little insects squirmed here and there, most of them attempting to escape the sunlight by crawling back into the soil, some actually trying to climb out, and one crawled on top of a pale face...
Wait,a face?
Shika quickly slid inside the hole and trotted to the mud-caked face. It was a quite, if not a very handsome visage of a twenty-ish-year old man. The boy reached out and started moving the dirt out if the man's face until his eyes suddenly snapped opened to reveal ruby-red pupils.
"Wah!" Shika jumped and snatched his hand back as if he touched fire. He watched the face yawn widely and heard it's jaw pop.
"Ow...damn, is it morning already?" The head spoke lazily. "Man, I still can't move...hm?" The man turned his face toward the shocked Nara, then gave him an embarrassed grin. "Hey kid, wanna give me a hand?"
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Shika was able to pull the strange man out quicker than he anticipated. Miraculously, the man had absolutely no scratches or bruises anywhere on his pale white body. But his black baggies were tattered about, revealing his legs in every hole and loose stitches that looked as though they were burned off. The Nara watched the silver-haired man with large, curious seven-year old eyes as the man cracked practically every single part of his body by twisting his hip, popping his knees, rolling his neck side to side, opening and closing his hands, etcetera. When he was done, he turned to face the little boy and grinned again, this time with a thanks. Shika gave him a confused grin back.
"A-are you...," the boy started, "a...uh...some kind of...guardian of this forest...?" Shika carefully got up to his feet, feeling that if he made any kind of sudden movements, the mysterious man would disappear into thin air (remember, Shika's seven, he doesn't even understand what he's thinking about either). The man cocked his eyebrows with a little frown. Then he tilted his head thirty degrees to the left with his pupils looking up at the sky in thought. He stayed in that position for several minutes before he looked at Shika again with another grin.
"I have no clue who I am."
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Shika decided to call the silver-haired man "Jashin-sama" because that seems to be the only name that the man could remember. The boy did remember that name from somewhere...ah yes, from one of the Nara Clan's history books. Some hundred years ago, his great-great-whatever-grandfather, Shikamaru Nara sealed a shinobi who was one of the followers of a Jashin Sect and part of the...Aka-what organization? It said that the organization consisted of several something-class criminals from all over the country and...whatever.
The little Nara scratched his head as he watched the older man nibble on his dried deer meat that he always keeps in his 'secret' napping place. Both sat down in the middle of the open area and quietly enjoyed watching the clouds pass by.
If my ancestors sealed this guy up, Shika silently analyzed, then he also must be some kind of dangerous criminal or something...He watched Jashin-sama finish the last bits of deer meat and he chewed happily away.
"Hey Shika, this 'deer jerky' is really fuckin' good! What kind of seasoning do you guys use?" the older man asked while reaching for another from Shika's leather bag. The young Nara boy shrugged his shoulders a little.
"I, uh...dunno. I'll ask my mom later."
"Okay."
"...Jashin-sama?"
"Hm?"
"You...really have no memory?"
"Nope."
"Not even of your real name?"
"Just the name 'Jashin-sama'. Oh wait...I think I've got another..."
"What, what is it?"
"Ka...uh, Ka, Ka...Ku...damn, lost it."
"Aww."
Both chuckled and resumed watching the clouds roll by. I guess this guy isn't all that bad.
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Considering the fact that taking home a strange man like a stray dog is just completely ridiculous (plus his mother would have a horrifying fit), Shika decided to let Jashin-sama live in an abandoned cave located in the deeper parts of the forest. It used to be inhabited by some bear family, but apparently they haven't been there seen since Shika's angry father fought them off a few years back because they kept on eating the deer.
Jashin-sama looked around the bleak cave, somewhat feeling a little bit nostalgic. The damp smell. A large meeting room dimly lit so each member could barely see each other's face...
Meeting? Members?
The tall man cocked his head sideways and folded his arms, deep in thought. Where have I felt this before?
"Hey, Jashin-sama?" A child's voice brought him back as he turned to face the boy. "It's getting kinda late, and mom's gonna have a fit if I don't get home soon. I'll come back here tomorrow with more food and stuff for you, okay?" Shika waited patiently for the silver haired man to reply. Jashin-sama smiled and ruffled the boy's hair.
"Thanks a lot Shika. You've been a really a big help." He watched the Nara boy's face light up. Shika trotted his way out of the cave with Jashin-sama tailing behind him. "Yo, Shika!" Jashin-sama called out, "I think you should either pull your hair up or cut it! It's too fuckin' long!"
The young Nara boy and the silver haired man laughed as they waved good-bye and parted ways.
This was the start of a strange relationship between the Nara Clan and 'Jashin-sama'.
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Jashin-sama was sitting on a ivory rock nearby his cave when the young Nara boy came running back the next day, hugging a large paper bag. He noticed that the boy pulled his long, silky hair back into a high ponytail. Somehow, he looked like someone he used to know, but that feeling disappeared before he could manage to catch it.
"I thought you might need some extra clothes," the boy told him, "you might catch a cold with those on." Jashin-sama remembered that he was topless and his pants were practically non-functional. He knelt down to the boy's height as he observed Shika rip open the package he brought. Inside were neatly folded black and white-rimmed kimino-top, a tan shirt that would go under it, a pair of black Capri, and a pair of old grass sandals. The silver haired man quickly changed his clothes and tried each item on. The pants and sandals were a bit big, but the rest fit quite nicely. The young Nara looked at the older man with eyes that were both happy and somewhat melancholy.
"Those were my older brother's clothes," the boy looked down, "I don't really have a place to keep it, so I might as well make good use of it by giving it to you." Shika forced a grin. "I think it looks good on ya though." Jashin-sama gave the boy an unsure smile and petted his head.
"Your hair looks good too kid."
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For the next 20 years, Shika continued to travel to Jashin-sama's place to give him food, take walks around the forest, and hang out and talk at either the 'secret' napping place or the silver haired man's cave. The Nara wondered why Jashin-sama always refused his offer to come and visit Konoha.
"Hey, Jashin-sama?"
"Hmm?"
"Why don't you come to Konoha Village?"
"...I can't."
"Why not?"
"...lost..."
"Huh?"
"If I get lost, I have to stay put. If I move, I'll never be able to see him again..."
"Are you waiting for somebody?"
"...I might."
"Do you know who?"
"I honestly don't know."
The conversation always ended the same way. After several tries, Shika just decided to give up.
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As the years flew by, Shika started coming less and less as he received more missions. By age 18, he was a Jounin teaching his pupils the ways of the shinobi.
The silver haired man, on the other hand, didn't have much to do. He hung out with the Nara Clan's deer and picked berries, nuts, and hunted for rabbits occasionally, though he didn't really need to eat much daily.
He was just so bored without company.
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"Jashin-sama, are you here?"
The silver haired man rolled over to face the entrance of the cave. There he saw a silhouette of his friend, Shika. He gave the young man a tired grin.
"Heya Shika, long time no see." He lazily got up and walked towards the man, but before he could reach him, the young Nara dashed and bear-hugged him. Confused, Jashin-sama tried to pull away, but then noticed something was wrong. Shika was crying. "Hey hey, what's wrong man?" The older man patted the Nara's back like a Mother soothing her baby. He sobbed and hiccuped quietly, digging his fingers into Jashin-sama's clothes, like trying to hold on to something lost. The older man could only attempt to comfort the young Nara.
When Shika finally calmed down, Jashin-sama was drying his tear-soaked shoulder with a towel. The young Nara apologized several times before he explained anything.
"I-I...," he hiccuped, "...killed...Kanako..." Giant teardrops flowed down his cheek like a waterfall, wetting the cave ground.
Kanako was his wife. Their squad was paired into a four-man-cell for a B-rank mission into the Water Country. Their assignment: to annihilate and/or (if possible) capture a gang of missing-ninjas that have been terrorizing nearby villages and trade-routs throughout the Water Country and northern parts of the Fire Country.
"Our squad split into two groups," he said, "I was with my partner...my wife with an old friend...both of them are dead...because of me." Shika sealed his lips and swallowed in the tears welling up. "I-I shouldn't have let them go in there! If, if I listened...only listened...even for a second to her, then she'd probably be alive! But...no...," the Nara choked, "...I called her name...she came...got skewered in the stomach...and died in my arms..." Shika's head hung low, his tired eyes staring blankly at his gloved palms. He squeezed his hands into fists and glared at them, quivering.
Jashin-sama silently listened, both his arms and legs crossed. He didn't know what to do in these kinds of situations. He wasn't used to them. The older man reached out to wipe the tears off the Nara's face with his thumb. The silver haired man gave a sympathetic smile to Shika, his ruby eyes also saddened.
"A big boy shouldn't cry, man."
With that, the young Nara took Jashin-sama's hand into both of his, and sobbed into them. Almost like a prayer begging forgiveness for his sins.
That same day, Shika went back to Konoha to attend Kanako's funeral. He promised Jashin-sama that he would return once it was over.
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Jashin-sama was sitting in the middle of the 'secret' napping place when the young Nara returned. His eyes were a little pink, but overall calm and somewhat content. He brought two glass cups and a rather large bottle of sake.
It was already dusk. The magenta sky was gradually turning deep violet and blue. The silver-haired man smiled at Shika, happy that he looked much better. Shika grinned back, holding up the sake and cups.
"Brought you some drinks. Can you grab some firewood?"
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The two sat around the campfire, sipping sake and chattering about any topic that came in mind.
"...So I was all, 'dude, that's sick man' and he's all, 'no way, I'm too manly for her anyway'!"
"Haha! Man, that's one disgusting friend you've got there!"
"Yeah, I know, right?"
"Hahaha!"
"...Hey, kinda changing the subject..."
"Hmm?"
"...Have you ever killed anybody?"
Jashin-sama's movement stopped for a moment. His eyes blankly stared at the blazing fire and his mind digging for answers within his lost memories. For a moment, the older man felt a stinging pain in his chest, like a pike slowly burrowing itself inside. He touched his chest, as if making sure that nothing was there.
"...I have..."
"Oh...okay."
"Wanna change topics? This is kinda depressing."
"Oh, oh yeah, sure, sorry. Then, uh...have you ever fallen in love with somebody? Anybody?"
Then, he felt something else. It was a different kind of pain. A longing...a hole in his heart. Jashin-sama gripped his shirt with a light squeeze.
"Yeah."
"Can you remember who?"
"Mmmmm...uh-uh."
"Aww...that's too bad. Was she pretty?"
"Haha, I dunno. I don't even know if 'she' was a 'he' or 'he' was a 'she', man."
The two laughed and poured more sake into their empty glasses. They drank and chattered the night away, unknowing that this was their last night they'll ever have together.
Ever.
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"Get off me you damn animals!"
Deer chewed at the boy's tattered leather bag, begging for the food inside.
"I'll give it to ya if you calm down!" The angry boy yelled, "GETOFF!!!" He struck out his legs in an attempt to kick the deer's face away from the bag, but instead he hit air, making him lose balance and fall forward into the herd of hungry deer. "Wah!"
His face dove straight into one of the doe's fur, startling her. She reared forward as if threatening to head butt him, her nostrils shooting out angry air.
"Okay, okay, fine! Take the whole damn bag!" The boy scooted back quickly out of the deer's way to a safe distance. He watched and sighed as the deer attacked and devoured everything inside the bag. He stood up, patted his pants and walked off, thinking that his bag is probably useless now that there are holes all over it.
He slowly walked down the forest trail, his eyes staring at the grassy ground. His vision blurred suddenly, the boy noticed that he was crying again. He wiped his face with his sleeves and quietly weeped.
Why...? Why daddy...?
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Jashin-sama poked through the bushes with a leafy stick. He dropped his pendant somewhere in the forest floor.
"I know I had it when I was sleeping," he mumbled to himself, "so I must've dropped it when I was chasing that duck." The silver-haired man dug his way through a tall bush. That was when he saw something move ahead. His ruby eyes caught black, bushy fur bouncing downhill.
Ah, that must be Shika.
Then, Jashin-sama made a childlike sneer. He crouched low and quickly shuffled towards the bouncing fur.
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The little boy stopped when he heard the bushes next to him rustle. He sniffed and wiped his wet eyes again. Nothing happened, so he assumed it was probably a bird that was startled by his presence, so he began to resume his walk until
"GOTCHA!!!"
"AAAAAAH!!!???"
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The silver-haired man frowned as he stared at the little boy he just pounced on. It obviously not Shika, but he did look just like him. His ponytail, his face, hell, even the little hoop earrings! But he still wasn't his friend. Jashin-sama put the frightened boy down and looked at him apologetically.
"Uh, sorry man...I thought you were a friend of mine."
The little boy's expression turned from fear to wonder suddenly, like he found hidden treasure.
"A-are you daddy's forest guardian?" The silver-haired man gave the boy a confused look. The boy continued, "Daddy said that he was friends with a really pretty guardian in this forest. He said that it had really pretty silver hair, and uh, pale white-ish skin! And it was kinda tall...and..." While the boy talked on, he circled around Jashin-sama with curious eyes, looking up and down as if checking whether or not this man was the one his father was talking about.
"I guess I am." Jashin-sama shrugged and gave the boy a confused grin. Cute kid. "Is your dad Shika?"
"Yeah!"
"You wanna tell me where he is now?"
The boy froze, and frowned deeply. His eyes dropped as he muttered, "Daddy's gone." The silver-haired man felt a familiar sting in his chest.
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They were assassin. Shika and his squad were ambushed in their camp.
"They wanted revenge," the boy said, "daddy took out their leader and stuff, so they were after him for a while." He squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to hold back the tears from falling. "I...I want to kill them! I want to fucking kill them all! They took out mommy AND daddy! What else are they going to take away from me?!" The boy gave in and started crying out loud. Trying to be sympathetic, Jashin-sama hugged the boy and patted his back.
"Shhh. Kid, you're scaring the birds away...," he whispered, "...I like them robins." The boy's cries died down to watery hiccups. "That's a good...kid...uh, so what's your name?"
"M-Maru...Maru Nara..."
"Alrighty then. Maru, my name's Jashin-sama. I'm all high and mighty and shit, so you better listen to what I have to say." The little Nara, his head still down, nodded rapidly. The older man made a crooked smile.
"Revenge ain't pretty. Don't do it." Maru looked up at his dad's forest guardian, his face all wet and red. "I'm sure your dad wouldn't be too happy if he knew his son was gonna go berserk in the Water Country. Well, at least the Shika I know wouldn't be." The young Nara rubbed his eyes and stood up. The older man did the same with his hands to his hips.
"...Okay."
"That's a good boy. So, while you're here, want some deer jerky?"
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It was like old times. Maru was like little Shika all over again. The young Nara traveled to the forest almost every day and hung out with him, talking about almost any topic they could think up of. The boy wondered why this forest guardian didn't have any past memories, but he never wondered why he never aged. He is a forest guardian, after all.
And like Shika, as the years passed by, Maru started coming less and less.
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"Goddammit you old hag! Why the hell are you so fucking slow?!"
"I looked where I left you."
"Well, I looked wherever you fucking went!"
The taller masked figure sighed and shook his head. "You're so hopeless."
"What the hell is that supposed to fucking mean?!"
"Absolutely nothing. Now listen Hidan..."
"What?"
"If you think you're lost, stay put." A large hand ruffled the other's hair. "I promise, I'll find you wherever you are."
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"Hey Jashin-sama?" Maru, who just came back from a mission a few nights ago, decided to ask a question that has been bothering him for quite a while.
"Hmm?" The older man let a piece of deer jerky hang out of his mouth like a tongue, nibbling at it.
"My dad said that you're here because you're waiting for somebody...or something."
"Mm-hmm."
"What are you waiting for?"
Jashin-sama ripped off a piece of jerky with his teeth and chewed, thinking.
"...Something...really important to me."
End
(AN: Okay, so the ending is bad. I apologize. I even feel that I rushed. Please give me some suggestions for improvement. PLEASE.)
Thank you very much for reading! If you have any questions, or if there are some unclear parts in this story, please feel free to ask me.