Yeah I realize I have another story similar to this, but I wanted to try it this way too. ^^
Oh, and I don't own Naruto.
It is sunny today. The sun gently filtering into the large tent, and the breeze lightly dancing around the canvas belied the dark desperation within. A dreadful stillness gripped the camp. An unnatural silence. A young girl, no older than sixteen with dark hair and bloodshot grey eyes watched as the light moved over the ground from her place near the open tent flap.
With a pained moan, Akiri forced her body up off her bedding. The smell of sickness and decay filled the air. Fighting back nausea, she staggered shakily around the tent, checking each body. Clammy skin, too pale, too still. No pulse. Move to the next. No pulse. Crawl to another. No pulse. Another. No pulse. Another. Nothing. Tears running silently over her cheeks, she made her way back to her bedding and collapsed. The sunlight shone cheerfully over her face as she closed her eyes.
The smoke rose thickly over the treetops as Akiri made her way slowly towards the road. Pausing she turned one last time to the burning camp, numbly staring at the dark smoke before adjusting her pack and walking away. She was the last one now, the last of her clan. The knowledge made her chest tighten painfully as she staggered over rocks and fallen branches. She was the last.
Akiri's sensitive ears perked up at the sudden noise and she bolted unsteadily to her feet. Someone was coming. Grabbing her pack, she wiggled behind some bushes and crouched low to the ground. She watched wide eyed, trying to quiet her breathing as several people came into sight.
They were loud, was her first thought. An energetic blonde in a painfully orange jumpsuit was arguing noisily with a pale, dark haired boy. She tore her gaze from the pair and glanced at the other two. A slender girl with candy pink hair and a tall, masked man with silver hair, reading an orange book as he walked. Watching them silently, Akiri debated approaching them. After the sickness that had taken the rest of her family, she was still weak. She wouldn't get far on her own. She hesitated, unsure.
"I totally kicked ass back there, Sasuke-teme! You're just jealous dattebayo!" The blonde and the pale boy passed her, the pale boy snorting derisively at the blonde. Her ears twitched at the sound, but she froze as the silver haired man looked over towards her hiding place. "You can come out now," the man said casually. It wasn't a suggestion. Trembling slightly, Akiri slowly crawled out from the bushes and stood, watching the man and the shocked kids warily. "H-her ears!" The blonde boy stammered, pointing unnecessarily towards her head. Said ears twitched anxiously as Akiri stared warily at the man. "Who are you?"
The man stared back stupefied for a moment before answering. "Kakashi Hatake. These are my students." He gestured to the kids, his eyes never leaving Akiri. Up this close, she noticed their hitai-ate. "Ninja?" The man nodded. "I'm Akiri Kitsuri," she said quietly. "Hey, hey! Why do you have ears like that?" The blonde boy asked excitedly. The pink haired girl scolded the blonde for his rudeness but Akiri found herself giving the boy a small smile. "I was born with these. My clan all has…" she stopped herself and swallowed painfully. "My clan all had ears like these." She briefly reached up and touched the fox ears that matched her hair.
"A bloodline limit?" The pink haired girl asked curiously. Akiri nodded. "I've never heard of a bloodline limit like that." The girl moved a little closer, eyes fixed on the furry ears. "What happened to your clan?" Akiri turned back to the silver haired man at the blunt question. "An illness. I am the only survivor. We traveled rather than settling in a village, I now have nowhere to go." Her eyes stung, she ruthlessly dug her nails into her palms. The pink haired girl gasped and Akiri gritted her teeth. "I see," the man replied softly. "We're going back to our village. If you would like to come and petition the Hokage for citizenship, we will take you back to Konoha with us."
Akiri considered the offer carefully. She didn't really have anywhere else to go and she hadn't decided where she was headed anyway when she had left the camp yesterday. Meeting the man's one visible eye she nodded. She'd go to Konoha.
She was slowing them down. It was painfully obvious as she lagged behind, breathing harshly. The illness had sapped her strength and she had been traveling most of the day yesterday. The man, Kakashi, noticed and led them into the woods until they found a small clearing. "We'll camp here for the night."
She smiled gratefully, and clumsily began to help the others set up camp. "Let me lady!" The blonde boy chirped at her cheerfully. On the way she'd learned his name was Naruto, the pale boy was Sasuke, and the girl was Sakura. She murmured a quiet thank you to the boy and sat down, feeling slightly dizzy. The boy beamed at her and continued setting up the tent, chattering happily to her about his beloved Konoha. "And there's this really awesome place called Ichiraku's! They make the best ramen ever! And.."
She didn't catch the rest of the conversation as she nodded off, too exhausted to keep her eyes open. She barely felt as strong arms lifted her and tucked her into a sleeping bag, she slurred a half conscious thank you and fell asleep.
Morning was, as all things involving Naruto were turning out to be, loud. Akiri drowsily downed her breakfast and wondered idly where the kid got so much energy. As soon as everyone was finished, the camp was quickly packed up and they were back on the road. They'd been traveling maybe an hour when Naruto looked back at her curiously. She raised an eyebrow and waited. "Hey lady," he seemed strangely nervous and Akiri couldn't help but smile. "You can call me Akiri you know. I'm only a couple years older than you." Naruto grinned at her. "Can I touch your ears?"
"Naruto!" Sakura brought her fist down hard on the blonde's head. Akiri winced. "You can't just ask stuff like that idiot!" The girl raised her hand again and Akiri stepped in, lightly touching the blonde's shoulder. "I don' t mind Sakura." She bent down a little, since Naruto was a few inches shorter than her. "Just be careful, they're a little sensitive." She thought she heard a slight choking sound from Kakashi and glanced at the older man curiously. A gentle touch on the tip of her ear brought her attention back to the blonde as he ran his fingertips over the fur.
"They're soft," he said, his blue eyes widening cutely. Akiri smiled. "Thank you." She glanced over at Sakura whose fingers were twitching oddly. "You can touch them too if you'd like." She offered a little awkwardly. With a high pitched squeal, the pink haired girl did just that. Sasuke snorted and slouched against a nearby tree. After a few more moments of letting them pet her ears, Akiri straightened and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Payback for playing with my ears," she grinned as he blushed. They started off down the road again, Akiri feeling better than she had in weeks. The blonde in his orange jumpsuit walking next to her for the rest of the day.
Akiri stared up in amazement at the huge gates. "We're here," Kakashi said cheerfully, walking up to speak to the two ninja guarding the entrance. She blushed slightly as the men eyed her curiously. She nodded a quick hello to them and looked around at the houses a short distance away. "It's big," she murmured, straightening her clothes self consciously. Naruto practically bounced next to her in excitement. "It's awesome huh?!" She looked over at the blonde and smiled. "Yes. I've never been somewhere like this before."
She felt her pulse race as she looked around and got her first glimpse of the village. "Akiri," Kakashi waved her over. She looked at the two ninja standing with the silver haired man. "You'll have to see the hokage right away miss," the one on the left said. She nodded. They wished her luck as Kakashi and his team led her away. They arrived at a large tower and after a few quick words with Kakashi, a frayed looking secretary waved them in.
Akiri felt her chest tighten. This was it. In a few moments she'd find out whether or not she'd be allowed to stay.