Hey everybody! Story number two!! (In upload order, at least) As always, though, please read and review (even if you need to flame...)
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And always remember that I am Kishimoto-sensei... (Police enter Kishimoto's home, ah, I mean my home, screaming "Come out with your hands behind your head, you impostor!") Ah, well, there goes the next 10 years of freedom... However, Hikaru, Asagi, Mitsuki, and the whole Yasanabi family are my own personal creations; OCs if you will...
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"Wake up, Asagi," Her mother said as she gently tugged on the covers draped lightly around her daughter, in an attempt to rouse the child. Asagi moaned as the sunlight filtering through her window shade settled down on her eyes, like a bright, sparkling mist.
"Okay, just five more minutes, please," She mumbled, turning over again.
"No dear, you have to go help your father outside with the daily chores," Said Asagi's mother, a slight firmness forming in her voice. It was still smooth and honey-like, but it contained a twinge of something deeper, like the sadness, or even bitterness of recognizing and beginning to understand a big loss.
Just like a pomegranate. Sweet, with sticky, warm juice dribbling down your chin, yet bitter at the same time. The Yasanabi family's whole existence had been like that since their youngest daughter, Hikari passed on.
A small gray cloud seemed to dawn on Asagi as she recalled the moment she felt Hikari's life rapidly drifting out of her hands. She had been living in a fictional reality up until a month ago, when she decided to, no, had to accept that her little sister, her shining angel was now watching over her from a place free of worries of life and death.
It was when she discovered her sister's photo album, addressed 'to Asagi-onee-san.' It was full of pictures of angels, girls and boys, all with pearly white wings, (These were Hikari's favorite,) and there was even an encouraging message to Asagi on each page. She suddenly realized that little Hikari took the time to make sure she would be all right with Hikari's passing.
This thought calmed Asagi a little, yet there was still a large, gaping hole in her chest that she felt would never completely heal...
Asagi got up without another word.
She got dressed, ate and went outside, ready to help with the outside chores, the very same ones Hikari always used to do. Asagi started working, first watering the lilies, then sweeping the porch, and, lastly, feeding the dogs. The exact same order Hikari always did them in. Everywhere she went, Asagi remembered something small about Hikari, like the day she braved her ultimate phobia of bees to pick Asagi a lily, her favorite flower, as a birthday gift. Or the day she slipped and fell into the pile of leaves she had just swept up, scattering them everywhere, all over again, only to start crying.
Then Asagi remembered why she had trouble getting up this morning. She slipped out of the house to visit Hikari's grave every night after everyone else went to sleep, so she could set down fresh tulips at the grave, pray, or just have some peace of mind to think. She also went there to ask for advice. Last night, however, she had a lot more to talk about than normal.
The village's Chuunin exams would start soon, and Asagi feared that she, with few recognizable ninja skills, would not make it in the Challenge round. She often felt worthless in group situations, like she was constantly leaning on someone's shoulder, being a burden, especially now with Hikari dead.
She felt even worse when she was by herself. She was often taunted with the nicknames, "social recluse" or "crybaby" murmured behind her back. She really didn't want to add "dropout" to the list.
She shook her head and reminded herself that that was why she had started her vigorous training with Naruto and Sakura. To get over her hurdles, and become a ninja that made her family proud.
She went into the kitchen, announced that she was done, and said she would be heading out.
"All right dear, just be home for supper," Her mother called. "We're having oden."
Oden. Both Asagi and Hikari's favorite food.
"Okay, Mama," Asagi replied, with uncharacteristic cheer, as she skipped out the door.
. . .
Asagi broke out into a sprint, happily looking forward to seeing Naruto and Sakura, her two best friends.
What she saw, however, she was unprepared for.
A young girl was huddled up, hugging her knees in a corner of Hokage's office, Asagi and her friends' normal meeting place. Naruto and Sakura were desperately trying to calm the girl, who was crying and shrieking in fright of the unfamiliar faces swarming around her.
Tsunade-sama, the Hokage, was talking urgently to Maito Gai-sensei, who had found the girl. They went into the hall to discuss this turn of events.
Asagi looked over first in shock, but then a gleam appeared in her eyes. Understanding. She walked up to Naruto and Sakura, whispering, "Leave this to me." Then, carefully, softly, she walked over to the child and crouched down.
"Hello, my name is Asagi," Said Asagi in a soothing voice. "What's yours?"
The girl shook her head and whimpered, clearly not ready to answer.
"That's all right, you don't have to tell me," Asagi gently replied. "Listen, I'm here to help you. Are you lost?" "Yes," the girl managed to choke out. "Okay, then me and my companions," she said, gesturing to Naruto and Sakura, "will do all in our power to get you home. Can you tell us how you got here?"
With that, the girl was overtaken by violent tremors. Clearly the way here wasn't a good one.
Asagi gently pulled the girl into her arms. "It's all right, everything is going to be fine. We will protect you and get you home to your mama."
Suddenly, the girl's trembles, the last signs of attempted bravado stopped, and she just let it all out, soaking up Asagi's dress.
"It's okay to just cry now and talk later," said Asagi. "I promise everything will be better soon."
Eventually, the tears subsided, and the shaking stopped. The girl pushed herself out of Asagi's arms, and dried the last of her tears with her sleeve. "Th-th-tha-thank y-you," she whispered. She sighed, took a few deep breaths, and began...
"I was walking home from school with my friends in the Hidden Star Village, my home. That's when these really strange men came, and grabbed us from behind. They ran, carrying us into the woods we're guessing. We were all bound, gagged, and blindfolded. That was about a month ago, and I haven't seen my parents since."
"Oh I'm so sorry," said Sakura.
"Yeah," Naruto added.
The girl decided to continue.
"They kept us locked up in a shack at least two miles from all civilization with no light, and little food. They did, however, remove the gags and loosen the ropes, at last. Although, along with the slack came a warning to not cry out, or we'd never see our families, or anyone else, ever again.
We took the warning seriously, but I remembered that I had a skuriken tucked into my shoe for emergencies. With this I managed to saw my ropes, and everyone else's off.
We had been there for what we guessed to be about three weeks, when we found out that we were being held for ransom.
Thankfully, my friend Chiharu found a small trapdoor that led outside, and those thugs didn't seem to know of its existence. She said that she had tested it late one night, and its opening was near the back door of the shack.
Everyone decided that one of us should go for help, while the rest stayed and covered for the absent one, that way it would seem less likely that this was an escape plan. And then we figured the men wouldn't, being suspicious, heighten security.
Everyone suggested that I, being the most eager to escape, should go first. I agreed. They said that if I didn't come back with help in a few days, they would each slip away by night, one by one, until they found me, and we could all return home.
I got outside, and started crawling in the direction of the North Star, the easiest way to get home.
Suddenly, as I had to head out into broad moonlight, the tallest man with the unibrow and half-mustache spotted me. He called one of the others, with the diagonal scar across his face, and the two of them started running after me, furious that I escaped.
I got up and started dashing this way, that way, and whichever other way I could go to lose them. The trees seemed to be taunting me, snagging at my clothes whichever way I went. I just kept running, using the possibility of death around the corner if I stopped as motivation.
Finally, I lost them, but when I slowed down enough to get my bearings, I found myself on the far northern border of your city, only to be spotted and brought here by one of your border patrols."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Asagi said.
"That's okay, but please, you've just gotta help me go and save my friends, you've just gotta!"
"Okay," Said Asagi.
Suddenly, Asagi said, "Hey, everyone, let's promise to help this girl, and protect her with our lives!"
"Yeah," Said Sakura.
"Believe it!"Naruto said.
Everyone's pinkies locked for a second, and something brief, yet unmistakable, overcame Asagi's features. Something entirely new. It could only be described as determination.
. . .
Asagi quickly asked Hokage-sama, and she consented the mission.
"Thank you everyone," Said the girl.
"No problem," Said Naruto.
"Oh, and I want you to know, my name is Mitsuki."
"What a nice name," Said Sakura.
"Mitsuki, I want to show you something," Asagi said as she pulled a small white stuffed bunny out of her pocket. It had a small blue ribbon around its neck.
"Oh, so cute!" Mitsuki said.
Asagi handed her the little bunny. "Here," She said. "Ami once belonged to my little sister, Hikari. She said to me that I should give her to a little girl who needed her, so the girl would be assured that she was loved, and so Ami could watch over her."
"That is so sweet, Asagi-nee-chan!"
"Yeah. Even though she is gone now, I'm sure that she will watch over you and Ami, as well my friends, my family, and I from her special place."
"We're sorry, Asagi. We know this is painful," Naruto and Sakura said.
"It's fine," Asagi said as she grasped Mitsuki's hand, and headed outside. "My sister and I believe that everything will definitely be all right."
Asagi and her friends headed out on their mission, escorting, protecting, saving, plundering, and returning. What lay ahead, nobody knew. Asagi felt a little nervous, but overall, pretty good, a breath of confidence washing over her. Just then, a pearly white feather drifted out of the sky and into Asagi's hand.
:owari:
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AN: Actually, I wrote this little story back when I was 11-ish, and felt too attached to it to change any of the actual story... Except for grammar problems and run-ons, of course! (I used to have a ton of those...) So I apologize if it doesn't strike anyone as appealing... I hope it wasn't a total waste of your time, though...