AN: Okay, I'm on a publishing spree, id much rather add another thousand or so words to this, but I've been writing on it for a while now, and it has infected my head.
Reviews help keep me inspired.
Thanks guys!
Disclaimer: plot line is mine…characters, not so much.
Prolouge:
A snowflake, perfectly formed of ice into its own unique pattern, drifted serenely through the vast expanse of sky; tumbling occasionally in a sudden gust of wind, blown off course before calmy resuming it soft zig-zag pattern. It swirled past the others, independant and free...only to be met with the blanket of those fallen before, now free to blend in and loose its uniqueness, become part of the whole and be utterly lost.
Much like the humans had been.
Uniqueness inspired only when it could still be strangled out by the whole. Stand out too much and danger was sure to come..suspicion, anger, hatred..all for the desire to be ones-self and toss away the self-loathing. To be accepted it was expected that you wear a mask, and never let anyone in. Act every second of every day, pretend that the world was alright when you alone could see it falling to pieces. Refuse not to act for the sake of your own self-preservation as the people around you fell to horrors they were too sheltered to understand. Watch the world fall apart with a bitter 'I-told-you-so' ringing in your ears.
That was what had been expected...and that was exactly what happened.
Ch.1
The bitter wind blasted at the window causing it to rattle in its already unstable frame. A tan hand was placed against the glass, as a lean young man leaned against it. Tiny bits of blonde hair poked rebeliously out of a knitted winter cap, sky blue eyes peered past the tan hand into the gathering day-light. The world was all sparkle and glitter as the cool yellow sun poked its head above the ever-falling snow. The man lowered his eyes in a quiet moment of reflective bitterness before a small soft voice, barely above the level of a whisper, reached his ears. "Naruto?", He turned swiftly, smacking a dumb smile onto his face as he gazed to the petite woman now standing before him. Her pale, pupil-less eyes watched him, a line of worry etched in between her eyebrows before Naruto's child-like voice easily cut the silence, "I just can't get over how sparkly the world is at dawn." His eyes twinkled as if there were no greater joy in the world, and at this the small woman's face softened. He covered the space between them in moments, one large hand resting on her belly as his free arm encirled her shoulders for a brief, but warm hug. "How are you feeling?", his tone was affectionate and caring as he placed a small brotherly kiss on her forehead. "f-fine Naruto..." a light rosy blush dusted her cheeks while a warm smile lit up her face. She placed her own hands on her somewhat rounded belly, her smile softening more, yet somehow even more blinding in its intensity. "Everything is going fine" she whispered, almost to no one in particular. Naruto looked down at his watch, tapping the watch face experimentally once or twice before grinning again. "Should be about breakfast time, eh Hinata?" and with that he began walking, his arm still wrapped around her shoulder as he steered her around the large table and its many chairs, all used not too long ago for meetings and other things that the world had once thought to be important, and out the door into the large room that had once served as a lobby between the many other even larger rooms full of cubicles. The glamour and luster of the room was gone. Now replaced with the general mish-mash of what one would have once considered a living room to look like.
He could hear the early morning chatter beginning to rise as they neared the 'snack lounge'. It was once an employee lounge of sorts now used as the breakfast/lunch/dinner area. As he pulled open the door, ushering Hinata ahead of him the noise hit him like a wall. The smiles on the faces of the few inside was a very nice reminder that life was still going on, at least here in their small group. He ducked as a package of cheetos went past his right ear, thrown by Kiba, a tall lean muscular boy with messy brown hair, wolf like eyes and sharp teeth. His most distinguishing characteristic was the red streaks of 'war paint' he wore horizontally across his cheeks; He was the father to Hinata's child, she being the one who caught the cheetos, her face lighting up at the cheery atmosphere of the room. He was then pushed aside by a petite girl with a flat chest and vividly pink hair chopped off rather boyishly near her ears, "move it Naruto, your blocking the doorway!". He moved rather sheepishly to the side, allowing Sakura to pass, before making his way up to Kiba, who had the duty of gathering food for everyone and passing it all out. Kiba snapped his head up from chatting with an eccentric man by the name of Kakashi, Naruto's former guardian from when the world had been balanced, and the only person in the world that knew his secrets, "what'll it be dude?" He smiled his very canine smile as he gestured at the absolute smorgasbord of junk food on the table in front of him. "Pick any three, and make do with water to drink, drink variety is getting dangerous to come by" He grabbed his three: cheese Danish, crackers, and gum, then made his way back out the lobby to join with the others. Just as he made to sit next to Sakura and Lee he caught sight of Kakashi gesturing him back towards the meeting room he had occupied earlier.
They sat together at the large table, Kakashi's silver hair just as unruly looking as usual. His turtle neck and scarf wrapped up to his eyes, one medical eye patch covering his left eye. He spoke in a low, calm voice, one that wouldn't carry if anyone had an ear pressed to the door. "we need to get moving again, soon. Today would be best." Naruto nearly choked on the large amount of Danish now crammed into his mouth, "T-Today!" He swallowed forcefully, "I haven't seen any movement, nor felt a flicker anywhere near-by!" Kakashi's one eye pierced him, warning him to lower his voice, "Sorry,-" He began much more quietly, "-but this is the most secure place we've come by since-" He gestured out the window at the endless white blanket, hinting to the remains of modern life and the never ending snow," well, since the shit hit the fan, to be honest. "Naruto, do you really think this amount of snow is natural? They will come here hunting those of us not blind to them, and we are not prepared to fight them."
"Yea well, if you would let them use me-"
"Naruto, stop! They cannot know!" Kakashi was across the room now, barely inches from Naruto's face, "You cannot imagine the danger if they knew."
"they will find out eventually Kakashi, I can't keep hiding this forever, every day we become more entwined, every day it gets harder to control. I need to train more but making up lies about where I am going and why is getting more difficult. ..I'm pretty sure Hinata knows something is up, she..she looks at me funny when she thinks I'm not looking.." He trailed off, his eyes distant as he replayed the memories.
Kakashi stared at him for a moment, his forehead scrunched in affectionate concern, "We have to leave at noon, that way we can travel partially by day and partially by night."
"Do you have a destination in mind, and can we be there by 3am?" Kakashi turned away, walking to the window his body tense as he contemplated his answer.
"Even I'm not sure what to expect Naruto, but there seems to be a change to the south west, I'm not sure if it's good or bad, but we need to go somewhere less conspicuous. Somewhere less congested and full of evil energies. The aura of this city is attracting them back."
Naruto looked back down at his Danish, the plastic wrapper glittering at him as he processed the information. Half-heartedly he wrapped it back up in its plastic wrapper and slid it into his pocket. "I'll tell the others.."He murmured quietly, and then stood making a quick exit from the large glass paned room and back into the hallway.
He marched quietly in the opposite direction.
He brushed black hair back out of his eyes, turning and eyeing his companions with a calculating gaze. Chouji and Shikamaru were beginning to wear down for the day, Neji was keeping pace with him fairly easily. Suigetsu and Karen were not far behind, Karen was erasing the trail that their energy was sure to leave and Suigetsu staying by her as protector. All in all today had been successful. They had found food fairly easily as they navigated the city, finding a suitable shelter was getting to be the difficult part.