A/N: This story contains vulgar language, violence, and may contain mild suggestive themes. I do not own, nor claim to own, Naruto or anything associated with it. I only own my this story and my O.C. On another note, I have decided to change the title of this composition from "The Answer is You" to "The Only Proof". I hope you enjoy.
Prologue: The Only Proof
I have many questions for the creator of this world-the one who invented life itself – if a being like that even exists. There are endless things I would ask, so many mysteries that I could unfold about myself and the galaxies in which we dwell.
Why would you want to create a shinobi world – a place ruled by hatred, suffering and the terror of all we are?
Why couldn't you create a world of peace instead of handing us the reigns to guide ourselves to that destination?
Why do the best of us die so young?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why me?
The answers to everything will turn up eventually, but for now it would be best not knowing. I cannot help myself but to wonder how long it will be until solutions are uncovered, and perhaps that day will never come; perhaps I'll die ignorant, but I don't care.
I don't care one bit.
Why don't I care?
All the answers should be in my grasp; but, unfortunately, I'm too ignorant to understand myself. I'm too deep in the hole to ever scale the walls and escape; I can't flee from my ignorance. It's one of my perks – my flaws that I can't change – but I'm fine with it. Being ignorant isn't always a liability because sometimes the answer is so shocking that it'll make you regret everything you've ever lived by. This world is full of unanswered questions; just add one more and no one will even stop to think about where it came from. My ignorance can be my strength, and when the world crumbles into the shards of humanity I'll be able to fight alongside my ignorance. As long as I don't allow it to narrow to a complete abyss of obscurity, I'll be just fine.
Am I the one to made sense of all the broken pieces and failed theories?
No, I can't; it just can't be me. I'm no pessimist, but being optimistic isn't easy. I am no savior, either, but I am persistent; I will never give up, or go down willingly. I am ruthless–relentless; I am Kitsuyuki Mikasu, the pride of the Kitsuyuki Clan. A measly, love-stricken couple broke away from the Yuki, and, through many trials and discoveries, created the Kitsuyuki. I guess one could consider us an advanced branch of the Yuki, but that advancement is put to waste when leaders are embodied by fear and worry. It seems that they had nothing but my protection in mind when they sacrificed themselves to keep me, the Kitsune Gate, alive. I was locked away to protect that once-in-a-century aptitude I possess. I was alone and isolated until that fateful day – the day that changed me and everything I thought I knew.
Chapter One: Alone
Thunder claps as the dark skies spiral like clouds of smoke. I pace aimlessly along the pathway with no destination in sight. The stormy winds dance across the untamed grass, lapping at the pale, green blades like the ocean tides. I stare downward, watching my black, open-toed boots intently. Small droplets a of rain appear on the ground, and soon enough the storm was in full onslaught.
I don't care, though.
The rain hides my tears so I don't have to, the sound of the water slapping onto my skin washes away the agony resting on the surface, and the feeling of the brittle wind against my neck blows the painful memories to the back of my mind. Crying won't raise the dead, and they wouldn't want me to grieve over them and become a burden.
My wet, strawberry blonde locks brush against my bare, lower back, and my baggy pants cling to my thighs. I wipe over my navy armor and reposition at the bottom of my ribcage. The wrapping around my breast becomes soaked and loosened, but I don't feel like stopping to reset it, so I pull a navy cloak from my bag and cake it around myself for cover. Even my ninja tool pack is beginning to droop. I snatch it from my right hip and stuff it into my backpack; I rarely use metal kunai or shuriken, anyway.
The metallic case of my fan clanging at my heels frustrates me, along with the drenching rain. I tighten the grip on my fan to my back and exhale deeply. Lightning booms in the background, cracking its way across the dark sky. I grow wearier as the minutes pass, but I refuse to quit walking. Nightfall draws amidst me, and my limits are reached by the dawn of morning.
The tawny sun slowly ascends into the pale sky, gracefully illuminating the the air in shades of salmon and lilac. The few strips of clouds seem to float on the relaxing, morning breeze. My pace slows to a meager stammer, my arms drooping as a numbness surges about my muscles. I collapse on the dirt road, splayed like a dying starfish. Dusk flies up and sneaks down into my lungs. I don't bother to cough; I'd be wasting my energy. I try to recall my family in my last moments of consciousness, but I know I can't remember what I had never learned.
My vision bars away from me, my breathing steadying and tense body loosening. My mind is temporarily allayed of all my regrets, inducing an abyssal trance of darkness all around me. I can't think straight – hell – I can't think at all. Will I ever awake? If I do, I'll be at the mercy of this merciless world.
I'll have no knight in shining armor to rescue me.
Is this what it's like to be truly alone?
A/N: It's really short, and I apologize. I reuploaded this chapter and the next one and I changed it quite a bit – actually I changed it quite a lot. I used to write in last tense, I don't really know why, but I didn't like that so I changed it to present. Please reread if you're a returning viewer and have the time; it'll make so much more sense if you do.
