A/N: Told ya I'd ship these out in a wave, didn't I? (grins)
In case there are those of you I haven't gotten the chance to thank yet… COLOSSAL thank yous for all those votes you've given already! Goodness – almost SEVENTY of you have voted thus far, can you believe it?! (HUGS, and gives all kinds of delicious treats) THANK YOU!
ABOUT THE RATING OF THIS FIC: The rating MAY be turned in M as the story progresses, depending on whether I'll go through with some storylines I'm thinking of or not. But no worries; I'll let you know well beforehand so you'll be able to find this ficcy if things go there. (smirks)
WARNINGS: No yaoi, or OCs, whatsoever, so you can sigh with relief there. BUT, there'll be VERY dark themes, so, eh… Not for kiddos, or those with a faint heart. (scratches head sheepishly)
Okay, OKAY, it's time to stop stalling and babbling. Here it is, folks – the first chapter of Lotus Leaves! I REALLY hope you'll enjoy the ride!
DISCLAIMER: ME, own something like Naruto?! (starts laughing hysteriously) That's gotta be the best joke EVER!
In a village named Mist existed a small, rather dark shaded motel many of the villagers talked about only with whispers.
It was a house of screams, they said, carried four walls full of secrets. A house of death. Many said that even during those rare days when the village bathed in sunlight, no light ever managed to touch the walls of that building. And those who stayed there for longer than one night, tales told, were never able to leave – they always left behind their money, their sanity, their heart, or something with even more value.
In that dark, hopeless place lived a girl who'd long since lost all hope of a better future – at least until she met a boy who's spirit was brighter than any sunlight. And that's where our story starts.
This is a story of darkness, death, lies, hope, passion, love, and lotus leaves.
CHAPTER 1: Prologue
Naruto's blue eyes widened with amazement when he walked into a very appropriately named, tiny village called Mist, and noticed all the huge houses towering around him, seeming to challenge each other.
This… is nothing like Konoha! A huge grin appeared to his lips. I can't wait to get to tell Sakura-chan and the others about this.
" Watch your steps, kid", his teacher, Jiraiya, ordered suddenly, outstretching a hand. He was stopped right on time to not get hit by a man running wildly with a huge cart. " I've heard quite a bit of stories about this place. It's easy to get lost in here if you don't watch out."
He rolled his eyes. " Yeah, yeah, Old Pervert." He couldn't keep himself from grinning when seeing the glances his sensei cast towards three rather pretty women walking on the other side of the street. " And you keep your eyes and hands to yourself. I'm sick of bailing you from jail."
Jiraiya swatted his head. " Respect your elders, brat." The man then looked around, this time obviously not looking for entertainment. " Now… If we're going to stay here for a while waiting for Kakashi, we should find some sort of a place to stay."
His eyes moved at the exact right second to spot an elderly man walking nearby, appearing deep in thought. " How about that one? He looks harmless."
The white haired smirked. " Well how about that, you have learned something after all." A hand moved dangerously close to his face. " Hey, wait a sec!" The stranger stopped with clearly visible reluctance, and looked towards them with deep suspicion. " Where could we spend a night? We're both pretty exhausted."
The man scoffed. " You're actually planning on spending a night here?" Seeing their expressions of confusion, the stranger made a sound of disbelief. " Unbelievable… Well, if you really want to stay, there's a motel a couple of street corners to right from here. But I suggest you to stay as far away from it as possible – it's no holiday resort. Actually… It'd be a very smart move to leave this village entirely." With those gloomy words the man started to all but rush away.
They stared at the distancing back for a while in dumbfounded silence. " That… was odd", Jiraiya stated finally.
He shrugged. " Yeah, I suppose." He then grinned brightly. " But at least he knew a place. So let's go – I've got about thousand blisters already."
Jiraiya swatted his head again. " Stop whining."
He scoffed, rubbing his head with one hand. " Then you stop hitting me, Pervert! It can't be healthy!"
-
While they went, only Jiraiya was trained enough to notice something quite alarming.
There were no noises of people, even of kids, and if there were any birds they were perfectly silent. The sounds of their playful argument were the only voices heard in the village.
He shuddered, feeling very cold.
Perhaps leaving would've been a wise idea, after all.
Sasuke's eyes were closed while she sat on the edge of a small pond that'd been built to a yard closed by a motel's walls, letting cool water flow past her legs. Without noticing it she started to hum quietly, letting the scent of lotus flowers carry her mind far away for the time being.
/ Seven years old Sasuke's eyes were filled with marvel while she watched her brother polishing weapons. " Brother, what are those?"
Itachi didn't look at her but smiled, which was quite rare – usually her brother ignored her altogether when focusing on his duties. " They're called Shurikens", the teen explained while she crawled into his lap, and laced one arm around her to make sure she wouldn't fall. " They're used in great battles."
Her eyes widened. " You mean, like those father always talks about with his friends?"
She was too young to understand that there was something wrong with how dark Itachi's eyes became. " That's right."
Her tiny fingers were fast enough to snatch one weapon before her brother could stop her. " Will I get to use these one day, too? Just like you and father?"
Her back was to Itachi, so she couldn't see the boy's expression. " Maybe." It wasn't until years later she understood that the teen had meant to say ' But I hope you'll never have to'.
Her eyes shone when she looked at the boy. " Will you teach me? I know you're the best!"
Very much to her dismay, Itachi poked her forehead with two fingers. " I'm sorry Sasuke, but I'm busy." Seeing her pout of disappointment, the boy softened. " Maybe next time."
Her eyes shone once more. " Really?"
Itachi smiled faintly. " Yeah. I promise." /
As the memory faded, she had to fight with herself to not chuckle bitterly.
To think how simple things had once been…
" Sasuke." Turning her head towards the demanding voice, she met the face of her best friend, TenTen. The girl's expression was unusually tense, and she found her muscles stiffening. " Kabuto told me to come and get you. We have two new clients who intend to stay for a while. Their room must be prepared."
She nodded, swallowing down a groan, and got up. She shivered when cold wind tickled her skin. " Let's get going, then", she muttered, casting one last longing glance towards the beautiful flowers in the pond before starting to walk away. " We both know what Orochimaru thinks about waiting."
Naruto felt somewhat confused when standing in a motel with Jiraiya and looking around.
He didn't understand why that strange man had been so repulsed by this place. Sure, it'd looked pretty creepy from the outside, but on the inside it was just like any other of those dozen inns they'd stopped by during their long journey. Even that guy who'd greeted them when they'd arrived – Kabuto, wasn't it – had seemed perfectly normal. So what was the big deal?
" Well hello, and welcome. I'm Orochimaru, the owner of this place." The soft male voice, smoother than velvet, caused him to jump with fright. Turning around, he felt ominous cold shivers when meeting a man at about Jiraiya's age with long, black hair and the strangest pair of eyes he'd ever seen. 'Snake' was the only word that came to his mind when the man smiled, the expression colder than any winter. " My most sincere apologies for the wait, but you know how hard good staff is to find."
He knew Jiraiya well enough to be able to tell that his teacher wasn't comfortable with the situation, either. " It's okay." The white haired's face calmed down, but not by much. " So, how much for one night?"
Orachimaru's smile turned even more threatening. " The price is quite negotiable. I'm sure we'll reach… an understanding."
Jiraiya nodded, not seeming quite pleased. " That's good. It'd be pretty hard to find another place at this hour."
" True enough." Orochimaru took a glance towards a door nearby before speaking again. " Well, as it seems my subordinates are taking their time… There are only two rules you must remember under my roof – aside taking care of the payment, of course." The man's eyes were almost hazardous. " Do not touch my employees – you may look, but otherwise they're off all limits. And although you're free to go anywhere else as you please, basement floor isn't at your disposal. Are these rules understood?"
They both nodded slowly, cold shivers running once more. " Yeah…", Naruto muttered, suddenly feeling like escaping from the building as fast as possible. " Sure."
" Good", Orochimaru stated, the tone sounding like a snake's hiss. " Very good."
" Orochimaru-sama." A sharp female voice claimed all his attention. Turning his gaze, he felt an odd twinge inside when seeing a girl with long, black hair and equally dark, fiery eyes. A breathtaking sensation of familiarity struck him. " The room's now ready."
He couldn't help feeling a dark slash when noticing how Orochimaru's eyes surveyed the girl. " Thank you." The man then looked back at him and Jiraiya slowly. " This is Sasuke. Feel free to ask her if you have any requests whatsoever."
He couldn't keep himself from all but staring at the raven haired girl. He blinked, feeling out of breath all of a sudden. He opened his mouth for a couple of times before sound came. " Uh… Hey…"
Sasuke's eyes seemed to turn slightly darker before she spun around. " Follow me", she all but commanded, her voice sharper than any knife. " I'll show you to your room."
Geez!, he scoffed mentally while doing as ordered. What a grouch!
As he followed the girl, he had a distinct feeling that something had just changed irreversibly.
Outside wind blew through the lotus pond, making the flowers spin around dizzyingly.
Sure enough, fate was making its mysterious work…
TBC, no?
A/N: And so it begins. (shudders)
So, what do you guys think – does this one deserve a fighting chance? Would you like to know where this one goes – even with me being unable to update to as often as I'd like?
PLEASE, do let me hear from you!
Until next time – be it with this story or some other!
Take care!
To those waiting for the start of 'Welcome To A Masquearade':
I've still got some details to polish, but the startout should be out in a week or two. So no worries. (grins)