I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.
HOWEVER, I OWN DAME AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS EXCEPT SHIZUKESA, HANA UCHIHA, RINGO HYUUGA AND CHIZU.
THOSE OTHER CHARACTERS BELONG TO TWO OF MY FRIENDS AND IT WILL STAY THAT WAY. I WILL HURT YOU IF YOU TAKE THEM.
….FFFF, RAWR!
A black haired boy sat in a small chair in front of three judges. He had just finished his Genin exams and here, he would learn if he passed or not. In front of the three judges was a table where about fifty forehead protectors sat neatly. He crossed his arms over his chest and the judges moved their eyes on him.
"Desu, Dame?" asked a male, who is known as Kamichi. He merely nodded in response. "We are going to discuss your scores. Please sit here quietly."
Dame refused to twitch. He had been sitting here quietly. Why tell him to do it? He was very sensitive to people talking to him like he was an idiot; he knows the obvious. He always has. If you live alone, with no relatives to help you, you'll have to learn to think on your toes. He watched as the three judges conversed. After what seemed like a lifetime, they turned to Dame to tell him if he passed or not.
"Mr. Desu," began another man, Fluem. "We are happy to tell you have passed this exam. Please, take the forehead projector of our choice." He took the closest headband and left the room without another word.
He passed his classroom, but he heard his teacher call his name. He walked inside to see lots of other students waiting impatiently for their exam.
"Did you pass, Dame?" everyone, including his teacher, asked.
"Yeah," he murmured. The kids cheered and his teacher clapped him on his shoulder.
"I told you you'd get it! Congratulations!"
A small girl ran up to Dame. She had blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. Her name was Shizukesa, which is cut short to Shizu. He found her annoying at times and really wished she'd go away, but he couldn't help but enjoy the look of awe on her face. What can he say? He enjoyed showing off to people.
"I'm so happy for you, Dame!" she exclaimed happily. He blinked at her slowly. "I hope I pass. Then we can be on the same team! At least, I hope we will. Oh, no. What if I don't do well enough? What if I don't pass and you get on a different team and then I'll be all alone? I don't want to be alone, Dame. I don't want to be alone. I need to pass. But I don't think I can."
Dame sighed, trying very hard not to look annoyed. "You'll pass, Shizu," was all he said. He turned on his heel and left the room to walk home. Outside was a crowd of parents. He glanced at them and walked around. He didn't want to talk to any of them. They were all completely stupid, bragging about how bright their child was. He snorted and walked to his house.
His house was pretty big for this kind of village. He didn't own any of it; his parents did. However, his parents were dead—died in a fire years ago when he was three. Half of the house was smoldered and Dame was never allowed to fix it. Not like he wanted to, anyway. He had to wait until he was about eighteen to get the fortune of his family. He walked up the stairs of his house and walked inside. Still, after many years, you could still smell the smoke in the house. He winced, remembering watching his mother burn and sat on the couch, chewing on his tongue. He wiped his face, refusing to cry. Many children had loving families. Hell, the girl, Hana Uchiha had a brother. Dame had nothing. Nothing. And it hurt like hell.
He put his forehead protector in front of his face, looking at it and seeing his reflection. He saw a tired, crummy-looking boy at the age of fourteen. His hair was jet black and his eyes were a pure violet. He sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand and looked down at his feet.
Does no one care?
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A knock at the door woke Dame from his slumber. He jerked awake and stood up. Who would be knocking at the door? The answer came when he opened his front door. Shizukesa. She was smiling happily, a forehead projector on her forehead.
Did Dame forget to say Shizukesa was half demon? Yeah, she had dog ears and a tail. When she got angry, her hands would turn into claws that dripped poison. This poison was very, very deadly. It would kill you in a matter of seconds. So it's important not to get her angry, or you're dog food. But that never stopped Dame.
"What're you doing here?" Even if Shizu had no parents, she was adopted. She had Hana Uchiha and Ringo Hyuuga to take care of her. He couldn't help but feel jealous; maybe that's why he treated to terribly. Even so, she would follow him wherever he went like a puppy, which is remarkably close.
"I wanted to tell you that I passed!" she said happily.
"Well, you did. Can I go back to my nap?" he muttered, yawning the last few words.
"Nap? How can you be sleeping? Come on, let's go celebrate!"
"With who?" he asked bitterly. Her smile faltered. "If you haven't noticed, no one cares."
Immediately, Shizu cut in, "I care."
"No, you don't. You're just an annoying girl. Go celebrate with your family. Leave me and my misery be, why don't you?" She bit her lip, looking at him with big eyes.
"Dame, I—"
"Save your words for someone who cares." He then shut the door on her face.
It didn't matter. She'd come back tomorrow like nothing happened.
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Dame woke up, feeling the cold air seep into the large house. He shivered and walked outside to see snow falling on the ground. However, it did not stick; only melted. Kids were outside, squealing happily. It was Christmas morning and everyone seemed terribly happy. He sniffed and walked back inside to grab his jacket. He walked back outside and down the stairs only to be stopped by Shizukesa. He told you she'd be back. She held a neatly wrapped gift in her arms.
"Morning, Dame-kun! I brought you a Christmas present."
"Err…" Dame certainly didn't get Shizukesa a present; not like he cared, anyway. He took the gift and seriously considered chucking it at her. He really hated gifts—they were useless and stupid. There was no point in them. Even so, he neatly took off the tape that held the paper together and undid the paper so there were no unnecessary tears in it. The box felt unusually light and Shizu was rocking on the balls of her feet anxiously. He opened the lid of the box to see there was nothing inside of it.
Was this a joke? Was she trying to get back for him being so mean to her the other day? "What is it supposed to be?"
"Well, I figured it out after I wrapped the box. I forgot to put the gift inside, so I decided to give something that can't be wrapped."
"What, a ghost?" he snorted.
"No," she murmured vehemently. She leaned forward and her lips touched his cheek. For a moment, a warm sensation filled his body, completely impossible due to the cold weather. She pulled away from him, her face a brilliant scarlet.
Dame stood there, bewildered. "What—what was that for?" he stuttered.
"It was your present," she whispered, as if she lost her voice. When she pulled back, the warm sensation immediately left and he yearned for it to come back. He clenched his jaw and gave the box back to her.
"Well, it was sort of pointless," he growled. "I don't do gifts." He pushed past her and walked off in the direction of the Ramen shop. Dame couldn't hear her, but he could guess she was crying.
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A month had passed and it turned out Dame was on the same team as Shizukesa. There was also another girl, Chizu, who seemed terribly shy and would only look at her shoes when words were directed at her. The first day, she smelled like she had just stepped in horse dung.
"What's up with that smell?" Dame growled. Chizu's head snapped up.
"It's… my perfume…" she muttered.
"Well, it smells like crap. Go jump in a lake, will you?" She burst into a fit of tears and turned her back to Dame. He rolled his eyes.
Pretty much, that day was a complete waste of time. The Sensei, Prolen wanted them to introduce themselves to each other. He wanted them to say what they liked and disliked. Shizukesa was first. However, Dame didn't bother to listen; neither for Chizu's. Then it was his turn.
"Me? Oh, I'm Desu, Dame, orphan, and keeper of millions of Yen. I like pretty much nothing and dislike lots of things: one of them being this little puppy here." He pointed to Shizu, but it was worthless. The insult bounced off like a rubber ball hitting a wooden floor.
So the month was worthless. He spent most of his time at home, but no one could hide from his birthday. He heard a knock at his door and opened it to see his team shouting "Happy birthday!" It took a great amount of control not to slam the door in their faces. Shizu's blond tail wagged happily as they walked to the nearest restaurant, where they would celebrate Dame's birthday. He didn't want any of it. He wanted to be in his room alone at the moment, with no one shouting or singing happy birthday.
So they sat at the table, the waitress asking for what they wanted. He told her he wanted nothing, but his sensei told him to eat up and forced him to get something. They eventually found a way to stick a cone-shaped party hat on his face. After eating two bites of his chicken, the cupcake came with a candle on it, the small fire blazing brightly. They started singing and Dame shrunk in his seat slowly, only to have his sensei pull him back up again. He stared at the cupcake with a look of immense loathing. When they told him to blow the candle, he just sat there, motionless. Chizu eventually blew it out for him and let out a loud whoop of joy. He gritted his teeth angrily, wishing he could just poof away; anywhere would be better than here.
"You better eat that," his sensei said. "I'm paying for it." Dame quickly learned that his sensei did not like to spend money, so he guessed Shizu and Chizu had to really beg him to do this. Even so, he didn't reach for the cupcake. Rather, he watched as the two girls ate it. Shizu seemed to have a dazed look upon her face because of the chocolate icing. Yeah—dogs like chocolate, you didn't know that?
When it was finished, Dame left as quickly as he could—but it wasn't quick enough. Once he reached his door, he heard Shizu's yells. He turned around to see her jump on the first step to his house and grin widely.
"Happy birthday, Dame-kun! I have a present for you." She walked up to him and pressed her lips to his cheek. Having remembered what happened the first time, it was odd to find out nothing happened. There was no feeling, and no warm sensation; maybe it was the fact that he knew it was coming.
At that precise moment, a plan formulated in his head. If he got Shizu to like like him, then he'd be able to break her heart and she'd leave him alone forever. No more annoying little Hachiko (pet dog) running around him all the time. "You know what?" he suddenly said. Shizu looked up at him. "I'm sick of this play." He put his finger on her chin and kissed her on the lips.
He could feel the shock and excitement roll through her body. Even if he hated this, he made himself enjoy it, just so Shizu would buy it. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer, which he really didn't expect her to do. He decided to do the same, just so she could be happy and whatever.
He really didn't think this plan through; he'd have to be nice to her.
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It had been months since that kiss and their "relationship" grew stronger. Dame was eventually taking Shizu out on dates, which her adopted father, Ringo Hyuuga, did not like. Then came the day Dame thought would be the best day of his life.
The day he would break Shizukesa's heart. He didn't care how she acted—he just wanted it done. He wanted her out of his site because the heated make-out sessions were seriously starting to bug him. He didn't like the emotions rolling through him when they did that. He walked through the park, seeing Shizu sitting under the sakura (cherry blossom) tree. She looked up and smiled. Dame—forcing a smile—walked up to her and sat next to her.
"Hey, beautiful," he murmured. She giggled wildly, putting her hands in front of her mouth. "I have something very important to tell you." Shizu scooted closer, putting her face dangerously close to Dame's. He put a hand to her face, pushing her away. "It's not going to work. You're too hideous." A look of immense dismay settled on her face.
"W-what?" she said slowly.
"You're too ugly. I can't love someone with such a horrific face. Sorry—it won't work out. Bye, then." He jumped to his feet and left Shizu sitting there in silence. He tried to hide the grin that wanted to creep onto his lips.
The trick had worked; there was no more Shizu. When their team met for missions, she went unusually quiet and would never look directly at Dame. He really didn't care; she was out of his hair, now. Years passed and pit grew in Dame's stomach. He learned how depressed Shizu was—how she had kept away from the people in society. Every time he saw her, her ears were drooping and her tail was in between her legs. People decided to pick on her, too. They randomly hissed "demon" at her as she walked by, only making her depression worse. Dame didn't want this to happen. He didn't want her to feel this bad.
The one day he tried to talk to her, she gave him the cold shoulder. Apparently, if you dump a girl and leave her alone for a couple of years, she'll still have a grudge on you. Dame snorted at her and walked in the other direction. He tried to forget the pains he'd get in his stomach, but it was impossible. Every thought revolved around Shizu and he couldn't keep his mind straight anymore.
Then came the mission. Having reached jounin, there was need to have a sensei anymore. Their teammate, Chizu, however, had fallen sick and could not attend this mission. So Dame and Shizukesa were forced to go alone to the Suna (Sand Village), lead by the old Gaara of the Desert. Dame met Shizu at the entrance gates and when she finally came, he gave her a somewhat crooked grin. She barely looked at him as she continued to walk past him and out of the Leaf. Dame blinked and walked after her.
"Look—" he began.
However, Shizu cut him off. "Don't talk to me. I want this mission over with. I know how much you hate hideous people." Her voice was cold, distant. Dame swallowed with difficulty, messing with the hem of his jacket nervously. He never acted this way.
Truth be told, Shizukesa had grown into a beautiful young lady. But even so, he loved her then—he just didn't realize it until it was too late. He had broken her heart and it was very difficult to find the rest of the pieces that had shattered everywhere. So he walked in silence, looking at the ground. Shizu walked ahead of him, but he didn't speed up. Leave her be, he thought. She wants to be alone. He sighed softly and followed her shadow as the three-day hike to the Suna started.
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They were packing up camp when it occurred. Dame had started a conversation.
"I'm sorry, you know," he murmured.
"For what?" Shizu snapped.
"For breaking up with you."
"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" She had tugged on her tent too fiercely and it tore. He sighed and walked over to help her, having packed his side already. "I don't need your help, thanks."
"Looks like you do. Listen, I really am sorry. I only did that because I was selfish."
"You think?" she snarled. Dame tried not to wince.
"Please, accept my apology. I learned I can't live without you…"
Shizu dropped the side of the tent she was holding and turned her piercing blue gaze on him. "Don't tell me you can't live without me. You did it for years. Years, Dame. You broke my heart and I will have nothing to do with you." Dame paused.
"Shizu, please," he whispered. She walked to him, pointing a finger that started to grow into a claw.
"Don't talk to me," she growled. Her claw was right at his chest and for a moment, he thought she was going to kill him. Though she removed her hand.
"Shizu, just hear me out—"
"QUIET!" she shouted, lashing her claw at him without thinking.
Searing pain instantly filled Dame as the cut on his arm sizzled. He fell to the ground, unable to move as the poison took its effect and started to spread. He heard a faint gasp and the pain in his arm only worsened. He groaned, wanting that pain to go away so he could let the sensation of the poison fill him. It was the most beautiful and horrendous thing he's experienced. Pain unlike any knife would bring him was like heaven, but the knowing fact he would die turned off the glory just a little. However, instead of the world getting blurrier still, it came back in focus. He blinked his eyes rapidly and looked around to see Shizu's mouth on his arm. He watched her, dazed for a moment. She spit out greenish liquid and went back to sucking. Instantly his mind remembered what happened—Shizu had tainted him with her poison, and she was sucking it out before it killed him. Just brilliant.
"What…?" he murmured, finding it hard to form words. He felt terribly numb, and Shizu was painfully aware of that. She sucked harder still until only blood was spat out of her mouth. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand, sighing in relief.
"I'm so sorry, Dame!" she shouted so quickly, he couldn't grasp what she said. She threw her arms around him, making him fall to the ground again. "I'm sorry for almost killing you." Tears filled her eyes and Dame could do nothing except wrap his arms around her comfortingly. She sobbed on top of him and he looked up at the sky, suddenly feeling exhausted. "I didn't know what I was thinking—I didn't mean to! Please, please, don't hate me!"
"Shizu, I don't hate you. I thought I hated you years ago, but I don't… I love you… I always have; I just didn't know it. Look—we have to go to the Suna. Once that's over, we'll be alone. Okay?" The nodded, tears still streaking her face.
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Ugh, terrible ending. I got fed up with it. xDDDD Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it. Now, you might have read one of the stories with the same names. YES. It also starts the same way. YES. It's supposed to do that. It's like… Well, an alternate universe, but, yet, not an alternate universe…. It's hard to explain. It's just like a side "if" story.
