A Pretty Short Prologue

Years ago in the shadow village, a group of villagers found the dark arts and they started practicing this. The 2nd kuraikage banned the dark arts because he knew of the power. He was afraid that if more shinobi got hold of the knowledge, they could use it for evil. But the villagers were too stubborn to quit. They had no intentions of using it for evil, but they wanted the knowledge. They did not want to be ignorant. So, they fled the shadow village and made a small town where they can have their practice in peace.

Later on, the kuraikage eventually found out about their small town, so he sent a group of shinobi to either bring them back, or wipe them out. It was an A-class mission because the kuraikage knew even he could not beat the dark arts. It was a suicide mission. The only option they had was to convince them to stop.

The 3 sent shinobi, Ayishi Kukeiro, Asami Yuno and Mana Hiro, arrived at the small village. They talked to the leading family of the group. They were kind-hearted and innocent people. They had no intentions of ever using the dark arts for evil, but they wanted the knowledge. They refused to stop their practice. They did not want to leave anything unstudied and remain ignorant.

The shinobi wanted to leave the family alone, but they were given orders they can not disobey. They attacked the people, but they did not put up a fight. After all, even a child of the dark arts can not be defeated.

The kuraikage was angered by the failure. He didn't know what else to do. He was afraid and he could not think well. He sent his best men to assassinate the leading family. He thought that if the group of rebels found out about the leader's death, they would be afraid and stop their practice.

Desimo and Iyana, the ones who lead the group, disappeared and were never heard from again. It is unsure if they were killed or taken away. The rebels believed they were killed, so they obeyed the kuraikage. The identities of the rebels were kept unknown and they were made to forget the dark arts.

But nothing can be completely forgotten. There was one who remained.

Chaptah 1: Lea

My hair flew with the wind. It's much darker than usual today. I have grown to love the night sky here at the shadow village.

I arrived at the training grounds. Naytishi, Kitashi and Lea were already there.

"Where have you been, Hiruka-kun?" Lea asked.

"Training" I lied.

"Well, we can now begin." Naytishi said.

We had a recall of all the important things we have been taught so far. Training finished and as always, I performed well.

"Tomorrow, the three of you are going to Konohakagure for the Chunin exams." Naytishi said.

"What are the Chunin exams?" Lea asked.

"They are tests that will determine if you can advance to the rank of Chunin."

"Ah"

"Will you be going with us?" Kitashi asked.

"I can not. You will be going on your own." Naytishi answered.

"Will we be going there on foot?" I asked.

"You can use any form of transportation, as long as you get there before Thursday."

"The exams are on Thursday?" Kitashi asked.

"Yes." He handed us small pamphlets. "These are passes. You may need these for identification purposes."

I took mine and kept it in my back pocket.

"Go now. If I were you, I would start packing and sleep early. The leaf village is quite far."

The three of us left the training grounds and went our separate ways. I went back to my house. I entered and went straight to the kitchen. I live alone, so I do not need to worry about anyone but myself.

There was a knock on the door.

I left noodles in the pot and lit the stove. I went to the door and peeped through the eyehole on the door. It was Lea.

"Hiruka-kun, are you there?" She called.

I opened the door. "Lea-san, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"My house was locked when I got home. My parents must have accidentally locked the door. Can I stay with you for a while?"

"Sure, come in."

She came in and I closed the door.

"Have you eaten?" I asked.

"I'm starving, actually." She answered.

"Good. I was just making noodles."

We went in the kitchen and she sat down in front of the counter.

"You cook?" She asked.

"I have been living alone for 4 years. I can't just keep going out for food."

"Why do you live alone, anyways?"

My throat tightened. I hate having to talk about this subject. I looked at Lea and she was waiting for my response with her beautiful smile.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I—don't remember." I lied.

"That's weird." She inhaled and smiled. "Your noodles smell good."

I chuckled and went to the stove. "Looks like they'll be ready in a while."

"Ah. Since we're going to wait, what about you tell me where you were before training?"

"I told you already. I was training on my own."

"Hiruka-kun, we both know you were lying."

I chuckled and sat on the chair across hers. "How did you know that?"

"I can read you."

"That, or am I just a bad liar?"

She looked away as if she was thinking. "Both"

"Kitashi-san and Naytishi-sensei seemed to have believed me."

"They don't know you like I do."

"You can't be wrong with that."

She smiled.

The pot started boiling. I stood up and turned the stove off.

"Let me help you with that." Lea said. She stood up and handed me two bowls.

I got a ladle and poured noodles into both bowls. "Could you put a couple placemats on the counter?"

"Where are they?"

"In the cupboard to your right"

I poured the soup into our bowls as she got placemats. She placed the placemats on the counter and I put the bowls on them.

"Smells good" She said.

I got a couple pairs of chopsticks. "Thanks" I said as I gave her a pair.

We started eating.

"You know something funny? I used to be so afraid of you before." She said as she formed a smile.

I looked up at her. "I'm not surprised."

"But I always liked you."

I was shocked—but happy. There could be a possibility she means what I think she means. "Now that is a surprise."

"Really? I thought you knew."

"Well, I didn't"

"It really shouldn't be a surprise, though"

"Why is that?"

She looked at me and chuckled. She must have seen the confusion in my face. "Oh, nothing"

I squinted at her. I wanted to convince her into telling me, but I didn't want to prolong the topic.

"I'm really glad we were put in the same team."

"Yeah, me too"

"So, have you packed yet?"

"Not yet. I just got home when you showed up."

"Ah. Well, I'm sorry for being a burden."

"You're not a burden. It's my pleasure having you here."

She smiled and looked down. "Thank you"

We finished eating and she helped me wash the bowls and pots.

"I should really get going now. Thank you for having me, Hiruka-kun." Lea said.

I walked with her to the front of the house and locked the door. "I'll take you home." I said.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. You've already done too much."

"I can't send you out in the dark alone. I'll walk you home." I insisted.

"Hiruka-kun, it's always dark." She chuckled.

"I'm still going to walk with you."

"Well—my parents do always tell me that it's rude to refuse help."

"Then, there you go"

"And I would really love your company." She looked away for a moment then, looked back at me with a smile. "Alright, let's go"

We started walking.

"Are you excited for the Chunin exams?" I asked Lea.

"I'm more excited about for the trip to Konoha."

"Why?"

"Who would not love to spend a couple days travelling as a team? Just you, me, and Kitashi-san"

"Ah, I see. You know, I wish I could be more like you."

"What do you mean?"

"You are always so happy— and people love you."

"People love you too. All you need to do is turn your frown upside down—or at least stop having a straight face all the time."

I chuckled. "What's there to smile about, anyways?"

"I have a family who loves me and friends that I love, who will also love me back."

That's exactly it. All the things she can be happy about are also all the things I do not have. I simply nodded my head and faked a smile.

"So, where's your family?" She asked.

My mind drifted away and I saw the very few memories I have of my family. I saw my mother's beautiful smile and pronounced cheek bones. I saw my father's handsome face and his purple eyes.

"Hiruka-kun?"

I looked back at Lea, but it was obvious that my attention was not at her.

"Is there something wrong?"

I looked down. "Gone." I said softly.

"Excuse me?" She ducked her head to see my face.

I looked up, then at her. "They're gone"

"Oh" She looked away and her smile slowly faded. "Do you mean?"

"Yes, they're dead."

"I'm very sorry. I apologize for bringing up the topic. I didn't know."

"It's alright. It feels good to actually tell somebody."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I sighed. "I'd rather not."

"Okay."

There was silence.

"Lea-san" I called softly.

She looked at me with raised eyebrows.

I smiled. "I think I now have something to smile about."

"What is that?"

"Oh, nothing" I said with the same tone she used earlier.

She narrowed her eyebrows in confusion, but then got the mockery after a short while.

We arrived at her house.

"Are your parents here?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll go check." She went to the door and looked through the glass. She then went back to me. "The house is still empty. This is very unusual of them. You can go home. I'll just wait here. Tha-"

"No way" I interrupted. "I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Hiruka-kun, please, you are doing too much. Thank you for everything, but stop it. Go home"

Just as I was about to say something, Lea's neighbor called her.

"Hold that thought." She went to talk to her neighbor. She then went to her house and gestured me to go to her.

I went to her. "What happened?"

"It turns out my parents are going to be gone for the night and left the key to the front door with Misato-sama, my neighbor."

"Ah, well, good night, Lea-san. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Lea looked down and bit her lip. "Can I ask you a big favor?"

"Anything"

"It's really embarrassing."

"It's alright. What is it?"

"Can you—spend the night with me? I'm really just not used to being alone."

I chuckled. "Well, I did lock the house before we left. But aren't your parents going to get mad?"

"We'll be gone before they even get back."

"Well, sure"

Her eyes lit up and she wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

I smiled to myself.

She let go of me and gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry"

I chuckled. "It's alright."

She unlocked the door. "Come on"

We entered and she locked the door. We left our sandals beside the door. She showed me around.

"I'll go sleep on the couch." I said.

"No way" She mocked. "You're sleeping with me."

I found it strange that she would let me sleep with her. "Uh, alright" But I had to admit I actually wanted to be with her.

"Come on, my room is upstairs."

I followed her up the steps. We went in her room.

"Get comfortable, I'll go change." She said as she went to her closet.

"I'll just go leave the room while you do."

"That's really unnecessary, but alright. I'll call you when I'm done. I won't be long."

"Sure" I left her room.

I walked around the hall looking at the pictures hung on the wall. There were a lot of pictures, but there was one very different from the rest.

The picture was taken some time ago when Lea was still a child. She and her family looked so happy. But unlike the rest, the man was not the same man in the other pictures. Also unlike the rest, they were very happy in this picture if compared to the others.

"Hiruka-kun" Lea was poking her head out her door.

I turned to her and started walking towards her, but I stopped when I saw her walking towards me.

"It looks like you've been looking at my family picture." She said.

"Picture? " I was confused because there were a lot of pictures and she only mentioned one.

"Well, yes" She pointed to the old photo. "This is the only family picture here. The rest are just pictures of me and my mom with Miroko-sama."

"So, this Miroko-sama is your stepfather?" I guessed.

"That is right"

"And I'm guessing you don't like him very much."

"That is also correct."

"Why?"

She sighed. "Come on. Let's talk in the room."

We went back in the room. She sat on one side.

"So do I get a mat to put on the floor?" I asked.

"Of course not," She answered. "You sleep beside me."

"You sure about that?"

She pulled me by the wrist and got me on the bed. "Just relax, I won't bite."

I relaxed my stiff body, and it felt nice. I put my feet up on the bed and leaned on the wall.

"So, do you still want to know why I don't really like Miroko-sama?" She asked as she went into the same position as me.

I nodded my head.

"I might bore you, though."

"I'm sure I can stay awake." I said hiding my eagerness to just be with her all night.

"Well, when my father was gone, my mom was left weak. Miroko-sama easily won her over with his lies and money. Even though I was only 7, I knew he was no good for my mother, although nobody else saw it. When they got married, things started getting better for us—financially. But later on, things were even worse than they were when my mom was still alone, weeping."

"Why is that?"

"Well, my mother is just always alone—again. Miroko-sama is rarely home, and during the times that he is home and my mom happens to be out, he has a woman over. He also lies about everything my mother loves about him, but she just can't see it. I just—wish my mother would leave him already."

"Why don't you tell your mother all the things you know, then?"

"I just don't want to see her disappointed again. My mother is a very happy person, but the last time I saw her sad was when my father died, and it was painful to watch. Since I was still a child when he left, I couldn't remember everything very clearly, but I have the hazy memories of my mother so wrecked. I just can't bear to see that again."

My chest softened and I couldn't help but to form a smile. She has people looking after her, so she also has people to look after. She's an angel. She would love to get rid of Miroko, but she knows it'll break her mother's heart.

"So are you planning to just keep everything like this?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You're not going to do anything about your stepfather?"

She moved closer to me. "I don't know what there is to do. Mom loves her too much to see all of the lies."

"But things will continue to worsen if you don't do anything, you know that."

"You're right" She said softly as she looked down. "Let's not talk about it, Hiruka-kun."

"Uh, sure"

"So, how did your father die?"

Her minded then drifted away. She was staring at the ceiling. "He died in a mission."

"I'm sure he was a great shinobi."

"Only the greatest." She said trying hard to smile.

"What was the mission?" I asked.

"I'm not completely sure, but I think it was about a group of rebel ninjas."

I was surprised. My eyes widened and my eyebrows narrowed. I looked away.

"What is it?"

I kept silent, but then I shook my head. "A group of rebel ninjas? I think I know that mission."

"Really? Tell me about it!" She put her hands on my shoulders.

I looked down and removed her hands. "7 years ago, there was a group of villagers who were practicing the dark arts, but the Kuraikage banned this practice. The villagers fled and made up a very small town, so they can practice their dark arts without being bothered or threatened. The Kuraikage eventually found out and sent a group of ninjas to bring them back, either dead or alive."

"Why was it an A-class mission?"

"Well, why do you think the Kuraikage banned this practice? The dark arts are very powerful techniques. He was afraid that if the knowledge of the dark arts spread, shinobi may start using it for evil."

"Oh. Well, continue with your story."

I nodded. "The group of ninjas got to the small town. They talked to the family who lead the group. The family never intended to use the power for evil. They only wanted to study it. Though they were nice people, they refused to stop their practices. So, the group, your father's group, engaged in battle with them, but they were no match."

She bit her lip and leaned back. "Hiruka-kun, why do you know so much about this?"

I chuckled to myself. "I know somebody who was included."

"Who? Was he or she one of the rebels?"

"It's a he, and he might have been. I don't know his name. All I remember is his voice."

"Oh" She lied down and put her head on my chest. "Hiruka-kun, what happened to your family?"

"I've already told you." I smiled at the obviousness I was showing.

She lifted her head off my chest. "Really? When was that?"

"Before. But I didn't really tell you what happened to them, just why they died."

She put her head back on my chest. "Huh. I don't remember."

I knew that if I made it too obvious to her, she would never guess it. That is just a good thing, because I do not want her to find out. If she does, she might find out why her father died too.

I wanted to ask her something, but I looked at her face and she had already fallen asleep. She looked even more beautiful asleep. I couldn't help but to smile. I leaned further back and closed my eyes.