Author Note:

YO~ this was ORIGINALLY posted onto my DeviantArt account but i decided to post here, since i've done A LOT of editing to this piece
so... yeah...

'Thoughts'
~Dreams~
'Other people's thoughts, when in Tsukiko's head'
Demonic Voice
Things that are written
"Normal Talking"
"Demon Talking"

The injuries she had sustained in that fight were worse than he originally thought. Her body moved sluggishly through the forest, and was feeling heavy. He needed to find a village or house soon or she could die, and that wouldn't be good for him. There was something up ahead... the sound of many heart beats reached him and the smell of lifeblood filled his nose. Harrumph, it was a rather big village but it would have to do. Stumbling through the gates he could feel the legs beginning to feel rubbery. Damn he wasn't going to make it to the hospital. He turned into the nearest shop and smelt the repulsive smell of ramen. How humans could eat this stuff he had no idea. Well there were people inside and they are bound to notice the young girl standing in the doorway bleeding. Now he could go back to the depths of her mind and sleep. To make sure his sleep was uninterrupted, he would take THAT power with him...

The world was bleary, everything felt so disorientated. Where was she? Why on earth was it so bright? As the world focused she saw an older man making something that smelled delicious. She tried to step forward but was far to tired. A small blonde boy was busy scoffing down what appeared to be his fifth bowl. "Hey! Welcome to Ichiraku's! What will it..." Everything spun and she dropped, slipping away into oblivion...

~Blood. There was blood everywhere. The smell filled her nostrils, causing something inside her to stir.
"Looks like it failed, kill the brat." A tall man covered by the shadows turned and walked away and two nasty looking men took his place. The men slowly closed in on her pulling kunai out as they did, a twisted grin creeping on their scarred faces.
"kukuku, this is gonna be fun hey Susumu?"
"Yes Takeshi, hmhmhmhm how shall we toy with this one? Slowly bleed her or cut her open and remove her innards while she still breathes? So many ways to kill her!" The taller one had a dark sinister smirk on his face as he approached her.
"No leave me alone!" She threw her hands out in front of her, slapping Takeshi as he drew close.
"Why you little! I'm gonna smash your brains out across the ground!" The man dropped his kunai and grabbed a nearby hammer, lifting it over his head and bringing it down on the girl's left arm with a sickening crunch.~

She screamed loudly sitting up and clutching her left arm.
"Whoa slow down there its OK! I'm here now, just breath," A hand touched her shoulder and she screamed, pulling away, jumping off the bed and backing into a corner in the room. The person who had touched her was a pretty lady with a nurse outfit on and short brown hair and dark eyes filled with concern. "Please relax! It's OK, my name is Suzume. What's yours?" she held her hands out in front of her palms up.
"T-Tsukiko" Tsukiko pressed herself up against the wall as Suzume approached.
"What a lovely name! Tsukiko, please could you tell me how you broke your arm? It was a terrible break. What happened to you?" Suzume put a gentle hand on Tsukiko's right arm. Tsukiko flinched but tolerated the contact.
"I-I don't kn-know, w-where a-am I?"
"You're in Konoha Hospital"
"How did I get here?" After the initial shock she felt her heart rate slow down and her breathing became easier. 'Questions... I can do questions... Just keep asking questions...'
"Teuchi brought you here. He found you in his Ramen Shop floor barely alive."
"How did I get there?"
"You don't remember? No one really knows. You were just there. The ANBU were hoping you might be able to tell them more," Suzume looked concerned.
"No I don't" Tsukiko could feel the world begin to spin again as she felt faint. "Why is it so loud in here?" There was a loud clamor of noise as hundreds of voices assailed her.
"What do you mean? Tsukiko? Tsukiko are you alright? Tsukiko!" Tsukiko dropped again under the weight of exhaustion. Suzume caught the small girl and realized she was just tired. "Poor thing. Maybe she'll remember when she's had more rest," Suzume carried the limp form to the bed and tucked her in gently and left the room to tend to her other patients...

As she slept, she slowly became more and more aware of the world around her. Voices at first, whispers at the edge of her awareness. She could hear the dark thoughts of the bereft, the forlorn thoughts of the dying. Pain, love, horror and other emotions swirled and turned dark, as something bright and warm approached her. Her eyes fluttered open as she sensed the warmth outside her door. The door opened slowly, and she sat up carefully, curious about this warmth, but cautious. A small boy, with hair like sunshine and cerulean blue eyes peeked in. Darkness swirled around him, even though he was the bright light she could sense. 'Why? Why is there so much hatred dogging his steps?' She carefully shifted her position so that she could make a run if she needed to.
"Um... Hi." The boy fidgeted. Tsukiko cautiously waved him in. He stepped through the doorway. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, what's yours?" He bravely ignored the glares, but his thoughts rushed her unbidden. 'Why? Why are they looking at me with those eyes? What did I do to deserve this!?'
"Tsukiko." She murmured, shifting towards him.
"Well.. um... It's good to see you're getting better!" He said, grinning. "So...uh..Bye!" He hurriedly turned and fled, people making space for him as he rushed by.
'It's HIM again,' She could hear, the words echoing around him. 'Who was he?'
"Tsukiko, you're up! How are you feeling?" A nurse came in, smiling brightly. 'HE was in here.'
"Why do you treat him like that?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" The nurse looked confused, her smile faltering.
"Why do you all hate that boy? What has he done?" Tsukiko frowned, confused at the reaction she was causing.
"He's-um well he's- that's top secret Leaf business only!" The nurse stormed out slamming the door behind her. Tsukiko flinched. Why was everyone acting like he was some kind of monster?
The voices began to get louder, clamoring for attention, drumming away inside her skull.
'I wish they would stop! I wish they would all be quiet! I wish they'd leave me alone!' Tsukiko threw her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. She sat there, writhing in agony for what felt like hours.
"Quick make way! It's an emergency!" The voice struck her and she could hear the frantic attitude that suddenly took over the footsteps that echoed madly around her. But it was the smell that caught her.
Blood. Again there was that stirring feeling in her gut.
"Hmmm, that smell is so sweet," A deep voice that dripped with malice woke her from her trance.
"Who's there?" Tsukiko looked around wildly, the pain and noise subsiding slightly. The room was completely empty, save for her. "Where are you?" Just as quietly and as smoothly as the voice and feeling had come, they left, leaving Tsukiko feeling scared and uncertain. Then she saw something on the side table that caught her eye. She moved over to it and picked up the small piece of jewelry with her good hand and looked at it. It was circular in shape with a crescent moon in the circle. It glittered faintly and had a familiar feel to it. Tsukiko climbed out of bed and walked over to the window, just as the sun set completely. She saw the moon gleaming outside her window, fresh and silver. It was a full moon, like the circle. Tsukiko held it up and marveled at how the light danced on it. She then noticed the small writing on the back.
Fear is only as deep as the mind allows.
Tsukiko smiled. Now she understood. She was aware of the thoughts of others because she feared their motives. Her mind reached out to other minds, causing the loud clamor, as she tried to discern friend from foe. Perhaps this power could be suppressed, controlled. Tsukiko focused her will on silence, and slowly, one by one the voices became still. Tsukiko sighed and walked back to the bed. Sliding under the covers she gripped the amulet and held it close, slipping off to sleep, hoping for a more peaceful rest...