First off, thank you to anyone who reads my story. A lot of planning went into it- three or so months to be exact. It is a rewrite of a story I began in 2009 under another account, and for personal reasons decided to completely revamp. It features my OC Nozomi (pic in cover art; updating when I finish a better one), the jinchuuriki of Kumoraku, a vicious shadow cat, and her finding her place in the world as she lives through the Naruto story line. This fanfic will cover Pre-Shippuden; Shippuden will be in a separate fanfic. This will allow me to add any Pre-Shippuden fillers or specials without screwing up the story order/
OCxCanon stuff will be hinted at, but nothing major will happen till later, as I want to work on building other relationships, and Nozomi is more than just a love interest. If you enjoy OCxCanon, then I hope you will give this one a chance. 3 If not, all I ask is that you don't leave rude reviews bashing me. There is a back button on your browser for a reason. ^^;
With that being said, let's get onto the story, shall we? 3
Disclaimer: I in no way, shape or form claim ownership of Naruto or its characters. I do, however own this story and the characters I've created.
Prologue - The End of the Kubota Clan
"Keep looking, I know I saw that monster!"
Nozomi glanced up as distant shouting reached her ears and inhaled sharply as a trio of teenage boys appeared. Kohaku, the redhead and self designated leader, along with the identical twins Ichirou and Noburu, who could only be told apart by their eyes (Ichirou's were green and Noburu's a deep blue).
Nozomi knew the three of them more than she'd like to admit, having spent many an outing on the run from them. She tried to hide but her efforts were futile. Kohaku had already spotted her, and he wasted no time pointing her out to his friends. "There she is! "
Her gold eyes grew large with fear as the rowdy gang raced toward her, and she snatched up the bag containing her purchase hurriedly. "Please! Just leave me alone!" She cried, turning on her heel and bolting as the three boys gave chase.
'What was Kaa-san thinking, sending me out when it's still this bright out?'
The brunette took one turn after another, trying to lose them, and a ray of hope surged through her as the scrape of sandals behind her grew fainter. Heaving a sigh of relief, she turned another corner, only to find herself staring at a wall and she cursed her luck.
"Dead end."
Shadows fell over her, and the brunette glanced back to see Kohaku and the twins stalking toward her, leering menacingly.
Her brain screamed for her to do something, and in a moment of desperation she leapt up, scrambling to find a hold in the wall. 'Please!' As she silently begged Kami for help, she gripped onto a groove in the wall, and she began to climb carefully, drawing nearer to the top.
Her joy was short lived as a sharp pain shot through her spine. "You won't escape!"
The brunette cried out in pain as she glanced down, where Ichirou had grabbed her tail and was trying to pull her down. "Let me go!"
Reaching the top, Nozomi grabbed the edge of the wall with both hands and tried to pull herself up. Luck wasn't on her side, it turned out, as the other boys joined in, and the three of them gave a firm tug. "I told you we weren't letting you get away, didn't I? Not until you pay!"
The brunette grit her teeth as her chin scraped against the wall, drawing blood and she landed in a heap on the ground at their feet. "Ha! How unlucky. A cat that can't even climb!"
Nozomi glared up at them, her canines glinting dangerously in the light. "I was doing FINE until you pulled me down!"
"Don't you dare show your fangs, demon!" Noburu pushed her head into the ground with his foot, and she grunted under the pressure.
"Stop it! That hurts!"
"That's the point, stupid!"
Nozomi's arm thrust out in desperation, and Noburu yelled in pain as her claws grazed his shin, leaving five thin, red lines on his skin.
'I didn't mean to do that...but he deserved it.' Scrambling back to her feet, the brunette glanced around, her eyes filled with fear. She may have gotten free, but unless something happened to distract her captors, there was no way she'd escape them all.
"Make her pay, Kohaku!"
Their leader stepped forward cracking his knuckles, hatred burning in his auburn eyes. "You've got a lot of nerve, attacking my friend! You're really gonna get it now."
Nozomi pressed into the wall, praying in vain that by some miracle she could disappear into it, though she knew it was only wishful thinking. There was only one thing she could do, and as much as the brunette hated the idea, if it could spare her any pain she would.
Bowing her head, she pinned her ears back submissively. "Please, Kohaku-san. I'm sorry. I swear I didn't mean to hurt your friend… Honest."
Kohaku and the twins laughed harshly in response, and her vision clouded over with tears. "Nice try, but the word of a monster is worthless!"
A tear slid down Nozomi's cheek as his words sunk in and she raised her head, the hurt plain on her face. "But I'm not a monster.."
Her words were soft, but she knew they'd been heard because Kohaku's fist paused. "As long as you house that demon that makes you one!" Kohaku's fist slammed into her gut, effectively knocking the wind out of her, and she gasped with pain, struggling to stay standing.
"You're going to be feeling a lot worse by the time we're finished with you, demon!" Noburu snarled as he and Ichirou joined in; Ichirou punched her in the chest while Noburu socked her left eye, and her vision blurred as she crumbled to the ground, crying in pain.
'I...can barely see. Are they going to kill me?'
As Nozomi braced herself, resigned to her fate, she heard a voice call out her name, and she forced her eyes open painfully. A gasp escaped her as she saw a boy with dirty blond spiked hair...three of them. One for each attacker. "Suoh-kun?!"
The spiky haired boy grit his teeth as he held Kohaku back. "Nozomi-chan. My clones won't last long. Go, now!" He glanced over his shoulder, grey eyes conveying his urgency and Nozomi's eyes teared up again as she nodded.
"Thank you." Gathering up her spilled belongings, the brunette carefully weaved her way out of the alley and took off running as hard and as fast as she could.
The wind whipped her eyes, making them tear up and she grimaced, knowing she'd likely have a black eye- it was already beginning to swell. Though it could've been a lot worse, she reminded herself. 'Bless you, Suoh-kun. I owe you one for coming to my rescue…'
The brunette nearly cried out with relief when her home came into view, and she raced to the door, barging inside and shutting it behind her, as if afraid that her tormentors were behind her. Safe at last, Nozomi leaned forward, hands on her knees as she caught her breath.
"I'm home." She choked out, still too winded to speak and she grimaced. No matter what, it was always like this anytime she went out. It was just a part of being the clan's jinchuuriki. Her parents had explained this when she was younger, adding that no matter who she was they loved her, and that had soothed the sobbing child. Now she was 12, and convinced that couldn't be all it was. Surely the clan couldn't harbor so much ill will toward her over something she'd had no control over to begin with. There had to be another reason!
Sighing, Nozomi kicked off her shoes and took off her cloak, hanging it up as she made her way into the living room. "Kaa-san? Tou-san? I'm home-"
Her voice broke off and she dropped her bag. A strangled cry escaped her as she spotted both her parents on the floor, lying in a pool of their own blood. "No! This can't be- it's not real!"
The brunette knelt beside her mother's body, fighting back her tears as she looked at her face. Her warm, chocolate brown eyes were dull and lifeless, seeming to pierce right through her, and her mouth hung open, as if stuck in an eternal scream.
"Kaa-san...Tou-san…" As much as she wanted this to be a nightmare, it became glaringly clear that it was real, and her disbelief melted into anguish as she screamed. "Who DID this to you?!"
Slowly she rose to her feet and backed away, deeply unsettled by her parents' blank stares. 'Why did I ever go out?! I should have been here! I left them here to die!'
A deep, velvety voice in her mind reminded her that she was only a useless child, and would've burdened the adults, but Nozomi ignored it, unable to tear her eyes from the gruesome scene. She gagged as the smell of death and blood invaded her nose and fled the room, only stopping to put on her shoes and grab her cloak before thrusting the door open and taking off.
Her sandals scraped loudly against the ground, but Nozomi could care less. She was too numb to even worry about attracting attention to herself right now. All she could think about was the fact that her parents were both gone, and she was completely alone. The image of her family, soaked in their blood as they stared up lifelessly at her haunted her, and she shook her head to clear the mental image. 'I don't want to remember them that way!'
Fresh tears sprang to her eyes, and she squinted as it became harder to see. 'What am I going to do?!'
After a few minutes of prolonged running, Nozomi's legs were ready to give out, and she turned down an alley. Her cloak enabled her to blend in perfectly with its shadows, and she hunched over, panting hard as tears streamed down her face of their own accord.
Her ears rotated back at the sudden sound of footsteps behind her, but before she could run, a heavy weight slammed into her from behind, sending her face first into the dirt.
"I've finally found you."
A chill ran up Nozomi's spine at the voice she easily recognized, and she lifted her face from the ground, glancing back. "Wh-why? What are you..?" She broke off, crying out in pain as the boy who'd rescued her earlier suddenly jerked her arm backward, forcing her up on her knees. "Suoh-kun, you're hurting me!"
Ignoring the girl's cries, he roughly turned her to face him. His face was void of emotion as he pulled out a thick, black ribbon with a medium sized bell attached at its center.
"What's that for..?"
Suoh smirked at the question, pushing the hood of her cloak down before he leaned in and wound the ribbon around her neck, tying it almost tight enough to choke her.
"The elders have decided that your ability to hide in the shadows is a danger to us all. Not knowing where you are makes the clan uneasy since you could just attack at any moment. This bell will put an end to those fears."
The brunette just nodded weakly, sobbing as she gazed up at him with tear stained cheeks, struggling to form a coherent sentence. "M-my parents. They're…" Unable to finish, her ears pressed flat as her shoulders shook violently, and she slowly got up from the ground, wiping her tears. "Why did they have to die like that?! I just don't understand!"
An unreadable look flashed across Suoh's features before he smirked, and suddenly Nozomi found herself pinned to the wall by him, her hands restrained above her head. "Well then, I'll make you understand."
Nozomi's face fell as she began to put two and two together, and her heart clenched painfully as she looked at him, stunned. "You-you were in on this?!"
Suoh's facial expression morphed into a cruel grin as he nodded. "I knew it was going to happen a long time ago, actually. If your parents had just complied with the clan's wishes, this whole mess would have been avoided. See, the elders are not happy with you, Nozomi-chan. Your demonic powers are growing too strong, so they wanted to extract that monster out of you and put it in a younger host."
Nozomi's eyes narrowed, her tears slowing as she glared up at the boy. "So my parents had to die in order for such a thing to happen?! They couldn't have been spared?!"
"They were always getting in the way, doing everything they could to keep you away from the clan. Finally the elders had enough and decided to have them eliminated." He paused, letting his harsh words sink in before adding, "From what I've seen you weren't allowed outside unless it was night. Didn't you think it was odd they'd send you out in broad daylight? They knew what was coming, and tried to protect you one last time!"
Nozomi narrowed her eyes at the boy, feeling another painful throb in her chest as another piece of her heart was trampled on and she inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. "So then if you knew all this time…why did you even bother helping me earlier?!"
To her surprise, Suoh's eyes softened and a hand came to rest on her cheek. He leaned in close, and the brunette's eyes widened as he whispered in her ear. "All part of the plan, sweetheart."
"What?!" The brunette shot him a bewildered look, trying to calm her heart. She knew now that it was wrong, but the truth stood that she'd found him attractive, and having him so close so suddenly had really freaked her out.
The boy smirked as he saw the emotions in her eyes and stroked her jaw gently, whispering again. "It's true. They told me to get close to you, and get you to let your guard down."
Pain etched itself into Nozomi's face as she realized she'd been betrayed, and she felt as if a knife were in her chest, carving out what remained of her heart.
"It took forever, but now that this whole thing is finally over I can tell you how I really feel about you.". His face twisted into a sneer as he leaned in again. "I hate you."
Before Nozomi could even react, he backhanded her across the face and thrust her onto the ground. Then he kicked her, again and again, and she covered her face with her arms, whimpering brokenly as he threw rocks at her. When the assaults came to a stop, she uncovered her face cautiously, and Suoh's fist slammed into her cheek as he pounded her mercilessly.
Throughout the entire thing, the brunette just stared up at him, as the truth of everything he'd just said came crashing down upon her, numbing her to his assaults. Suoh kept going until the girl was barely conscious, and he stepped back, staring down at her coldly. Nozomi was nearly unrecognizable; not only was her face swollen, she now sported two black eyes, and was bleeding from both her nose and mouth.
A heavy silence hung over them for a moment before he spoke, grinning maliciously. "Your parents' death is all your fault. None of this would have happened if it weren't for you." He paused, watching the pain flit through her damaged face, laughing. "Don't worry, though. The elders are preparing for your demon's extraction as we speak; you'll be joining your parents very soon."
Something inside of Nozomi snapped at his words, and her eyes dilated as she let out a roar neither of them knew she was capable of. "And you guys call ME a monster?!" She began to tremble as purple chakra bubbled out of her body, and Suoh stepped away, looking nervous as it completely engulfed her. Suddenly, she vanished in an explosion of smoke that knocked Suoh into the wall. Covering his mouth, he squinted as the smoke dissipated and cried out in shock as two glowing, red orbs peered down at him. "Th-this can't be-"
The massive blackish purple cat gave a devious smile that showed off its long, jagged fangs before proceeding to level the buildings around them with one swipe of its powerful forelegs.
In the midst of the chaos, Suoh began to sneak away, but no amount of dust could hide him from the demon's eyes. "Don't think you can hide from me." Slowly her tail wound around the boy, squeezing tight as she lifted him off the ground, and he barely had time to shout for help before she tossed him high into the sky as if he were merely a toy.
"It's Kumoraku! She's loose!"
Her attention was taken off her prize in the sky as other clan members had been alerted to her presence, and began attacking her.
"You really think you are enough to stop ME?" Kumoraku smirked devilishly as she flung them into the buildings until their bodies were too broken to move. The less fortunate were stabbed by her long claws, or crushed under her paws.
A yowl of pain tore through her as one of the villagers shoved a long blade into her paw and she scowled at the aforementioned person, shoving him away as she continued her rampage.
The Kubota clan fought bravely, but they were no match for the demon cat, and in moments the entire village had been reduced to rubble, burying the remains of those who'd dared stand in her way.
Looking over the destruction she caused, Kumoraku smirked and sat back on her haunches, running her rough tongue over the more serious injuries she'd sustained. "Well, that's enough for one day."
In another puff of smoke, the cat had vanished, leaving a barely conscious Nozomi laying in her place. Slowly she got to her feet, her eyes widening at the sight before her. "What...what happened…?"
Even though she already knew the answer, the brunette hurried through the ruins, searching for any survivors, but as she'd expected, there were none. Tears filled her eyes again as she surveyed the damage, horror on her face.
"I..I did all of this..?" The brunette dropped to her knees, staring in disbelief at the ruins she'd once called home.
She hadn't really expected an answer, but the voice of Kumoraku graced her with one, purring with satisfaction. "Who else but a monster is capable of such destruction?"
"..A-and Suoh-kun..?"
"That pretty boy? He made a great toy." Kumoraku purred again, sounding quite satisfied and Nozomi's heart clenched.
"What about-"
"They're all gone, brat. Just shut up and be grateful. I did you a favor."
'Even if Suoh-kun DID lie to me...he didn't deserve to die..none of them did.' Guilt clawed at her heart as she realized maybe she was the monster she'd been called all her life, and the brunette pulled her cloak's hood over her ears before turning away from the ruins. "I'm so sorry, everyone...please, forgive me."
Without another glance back, Nozomi turned on her heel and took off running, even though she had no idea where she'd end up. Anywhere was better than here.
Let me know what you think and I'll be back with an update soon (I've finished the Pre-Shippuden part of the story, so I can update anytime xD) Thanks everyone!
~NinjaKitty91