Title: The Bug Lady
Author: Serrie
Rating: K
Word Count: 2,277 words
Summary: Slight AU. At the ramen stand in town there's a lady who's a bug too! A kid fic, as Naruto meets mysterious ninja who like to wear big, shiney goggles...
'Hi.'
I look down, at the child to my left. He looks normal enough through my tinted goggles, all childish smooth features, chubby cheeks and fresh skin on top of the slightly emancipated frame that has become common to both the children and the adults of this village.
His clothing looks to be hand-me-downs, and his bright voluminous blond hair could indeed do with a scrub, but he's not repulsive I suppose, no immediate smell to him, apart from the streets. His strangest features are some scoured whiskers on each cheek and a couple of barrettes keeping precariously perched leaves on top of his head, but everyone has their foibles. I intend to dismiss him, but my eyes wander to his hands, and getting distracted.
They are grasped onto the edge of the booth, him on his tippy-toes to stay stable as he peers up at me. The nails glint in the harsh artificial light from the stall, appearing mottled from grime. They capture me, as small as a tiny shell and twice as delicate, a creamy pink shade I can almost taste. Like raspberries that burst in your mouth, something sweet and young, a quiet contrast to the ever present humming presence I feel hidden out there in the village, resonating with the insect inside of me.
But he's speaking to me again, my stare apparently acting as encouragement to the child. I've missed most of the speech, but his eyes settle on my bowl of ramen on top of the counter and I feel the smile I have been missing tug at my lips. Some kids always know the soft touch in the crowd, and at this time I'm inclined to humour the little menace. A quick flick of my eyes to his, and I am encouraged. Deep and blue, I bet this guy knows how wind anyone with half a heart around that delicate little finger, and I can't hold it against him.
One hand on the back of his jacket and he's mid-air, squirming, until I deposit him onto the high-stool next to mine. His eyes are wide, focused on me, his little fingers hooked into the sticky seat cover until I slide my bowl of miso ramen over to him. Then his eyes are firmly on the food, and I wonder if I should re-assess my opinion of how well fed the boy is, or if ramen is just his favourite food.
His eyes snap back to me again, watching solemnly until I break the wooden chop-sticks myself and place them into his fingers, moving as if to manipulate him into scooping the broth. He makes a huffing noise and indignantly proclaims that he can feed himself.
'Only the little kids need feeding nee-chan, I can do it!'
'Well, don't let it get cold then.' I reply, that smile from before again tugging my lips, contorting my features into an amused grin. I release his fingers, and immediately he sets to (clumsily) drawing noodles to his mouth. His cheeks bulge, and I snort at his appearance while lifting my hand and lazily, signalling the cook for another bowl.
I watch out the corner of my eye as the boy messily consumes his meal, his attention fully on that, apart from the occasional glances towards me as my arms scrapes against the formica.
He is finished long before me, and again I observe from the corner of my eye as he starts to shred his chop sticks, slowly using the bigger splinters to build crazy, misshapen animals and bizarre buildings. By the time I raise the bowl to my mouth to finish the broth the boy has a menagerie of creatures and a small compound, which he is beginning to arrange into some semblance of a defensive structure.
I place down my bowl and regard him again. He glances up, feeling my eyes on him and beams at me. 'Look, these are the war el-fants, and those are the dogs, these are the zeebas and the ninjas go here.' He points to a couple of splinters that seemed to have corn from the miso as their heads, next to figures that were interchangeable with the previously mentioned dogs.
'Zeeba...?' I query.
'Yeah!' The boy bounces upon the stool, making it wobble precariously before I steady it with a foot.
'It's cause 'ruka-sensei was telling us bout some wars today, and we were looking at the pictures in the book, and he was showing us some horses that some people rided, and both me and kiba thought that was silly cause why would ninja's need to ride things that boring looking, cause ninja's can, like, fly or ride big dogs or something. I know, cause 'ruka sensei always falls out at us when we hide on the roof, and all the anbu-sans that play chase with me are super sneaky, and only catch me if they fly!' He waves his hands about as he talks, re-enacting the 'flying' anbu and teacher dropping out of the air.
'And when kiba and me looked at a different page in the book (it just fell open like that, we never made it!) there was the zeebas, and they're much more cool looking than any horse, so I decided that ninjas ride on zeebas, when they don't fly!'
He finally seems to realise that all his jiggling had caused me to hold his stool in check, to prevent any accidents and blushed slightly. 'Thanks, 'ruka-sensei is always telling me I get too exited' He grins up at me sheepishly, and I can't help but grin right back.
'Don't worry about it gaki, if you say that zebras are more suited to be a ninja's steed, then I think you've gotta be right.' I assure him, smile firmly in place He squirms in apparent delight, before saying, 'Yeah, I'm always right! It's jus stupid grown-ups who don't believe me!' He waves around a splinter something, illustrating stupid grown-ups.
We lapse back into a comfortable silence as the boy goes back to moving his figurines about the surface, making small whooshing and bleeping noises under his breath. I sip my drink, watching the night pass us by through the noren, the presence almost tapping against my mind now.
Gradually my cup is emptied, and I slip from my stool to glide back out into the night, readjusting my goggles for the glare of the illuminated stalls either side of the street. The muffled clatter of a stool falling over and shouted recriminations from the booth owner followed by a patter of small, scuffled steps signals the boy following along. I glance out the corner of my eye at him and ask, 'Are you going to follow me forever, now that I've fed you once?'
He defiantly states, 'You never said bye. You gotta say bye, if you don't want people to follow you!' I chuckle at his strange logic, replying, 'Usually, you invite people to follow you though.'
He appears to consider this for a moment before asking, 'Can I follow you, then?' and I nod 'yes' while wandering on, smile still firmly in place.
He trails me in silence for a few minutes before huffing, and questioning, 'Where are you going then? Cause there's not much that way, but some fields and the wall.'
'Lucky that I'm looking for a field then, yeah?'
He nods again, and goes back to muttering to himself while playing with a couple of those splinters he had obviously grabbed back when we left. It makes me smile again, though the ever present buzzing...awareness...that follows me in this village, as it did in a few of the others, seemed clearer, more crisp, then it ever had in the bustle of the main streets. I glance at the kid, drawing down my goggles as I do. I don't need them, out of the harsh light from before.
He notices me adjusting the goggles and pipes up, 'Why you wearing the big glasses nee-chan?' And I shoot back, 'Well, what's with the leafy barrettes and whiskers?'
He immediately bares his teeth and proclaims, 'I'm a Lion, see? Rwaaar!' He curls up his fingers and shakes his 'mane' as he roars at me, before explaining further, 'I used some of Kiba's sisters hair thingys to make me pointy ears, cause mine were in the wrong place.' He indicates the rather drooped looking foliage on top of his head. 'Yesterday I was a tiger, but Hana-san didn't leave any of the crayon stuff for drawing on people at the academy today. But it doesn't matter, cause lions are better anyway. Plus they like miso ramen much better than tigers! ' He grinned up at me as we walked on, leaving the path to stroll to the centre of a grassy field.
The buzzing hasn't abated, and again I glance at the boy, before casually stating, 'Oh, not a fox then?' His face immediately crumples into a pouting frown, before he mutters something about the villagers not liking when he is a fox. I narrow my eyes, suspicions confirmed.
His face clears quickly again though, and he remembers his initial question. 'Is you also an animal, nee-chan? I bet you're an owl!' He makes a quick flapping movement with his arms, and tries to circle me before stopping suddenly and shrieking in childish joyous horror, 'No, I know what you are! You're a bug – with really big, glittery eyes! That's what your big glasses are!' He proceeded to circle his eyes with his fingers, one stuck up from each hand like feelers, and hop around the area we had finally come to rest.
His insight was slightly grating, but I couldn't hold his perceptions against him. After all, he wasn't that wrong. He settled down beside me finally, breathing hard from all his exuberant acting. I smiled gently at him, ruffling his hair, being careful of the now askew ears.
'I guess I am a bug, a little shiny beetle of some sort.' I lie back in the grass, enjoying the starlight bathing the night sky, only the ever present hum distrurbing the night. 'But you are definitely a fox.' I then hasten to reassure the boy, 'A cute and cuddly fox!' He smiles hesitantly at me, unsure of my proclamation, until it is obvious that no other action from me is forthcoming. He follows my example, lying on the grass, and again there is silence.
Until he begins to figit.
I sigh with a smile, before regaining my feet, and nudging the boy back down when he tries to follow. 'No. I think it's time for home, ok?' He frowns before asking, 'But where you going?' He pouts pitifully up at me.
'I've gotta leave the village now kid, I said I'd be gone by now anyway.'
He looks pathetic, mouth all a quiver. 'Why?'
I try to explain, 'Unless you have a permit, you can't stay overnight in the village as a foreign ninja, little one.' He looks confused, his darting eyes catching my Waterfall headband on my right arm.
'So, you gotta leave? And travel to a different village?'
I nod, 'I'm always travelling, experiencing things. I like it like that.'
His turn to nod, looking pensive. 'So you're like Jah-ya-sama? Only cause jiji says he likes to 'sperience too. Will you come back too?'
I shrug. 'Sure kid, I don't see why not.' He looks confused again, and explains,
'How long? Cause I don't remember Jah-ya ever coming.' He leans closer and whispers, 'Sometimes I think jiji just make'd him up, like where babies come from! If he was right, how'd they get in there?' He looks outraged at the lies this old man has been telling, before refocusing on me. I don't know how to respond.
'Well, I can't promise anything-' (don't make promises you can't keep, that's what jiji says!) '...but how about I give you something, so I can come back and get it?'
His eyes practically jump from his head, and the bouncing on the spot starts again.
'Heh, okay kid.' I glance around, at a loss. And decide. 'Here.' And I hand over my goggles, pulling them from entangling strands of loose green hair. He looks on in mute astonishment, gently fingering the tinted lenses in something approaching awe. He glances back up at me, and even my smile doesn't get anything in response. I sign, and ruffle his hair again.
'Right kid, be seeing you!' A quick scuffle and he's semi-launched himself at me, arms clasped around my waist.
'Thank-you nee-chan! This is the bestest thing anyone ever gave me!' At 'ever' he releases me, and indicates with arms spread wide, 'This awesome! I can be an amazing bug now!' I almost laugh out loud at the tangents his mind leaps to. But he's not finished. 'Here, this is my present.' Into my palm he presses one of the barrettes, leaf still caught in the prongs. I can't help thinking as I push it into my fringe that no-ones ever given me a lion's ear as a present before.
The kid smiles his pleasure at the sight. I smile right back.
'Cool kid, just look after that for me, for a while. I have a million anyway. And I'll do the same for your ear!'
And then I decide I really have to leave, before the ANBU in the bushes over the way decides I've violated protocol more than is permissible. So with a final hair ruffle (that stuff could be addictive) I'm up and over the wall, leaving the breeze to bring me his childish babble to the ANBU, explaining about the bug lady who gave him her eyes.
As I head into the night the stifling resonance of the kyuubi with my schichibi becomes dampened, a quiet hum that will gradually become nothing as distance dulls their, and our, kindred spirits.
Well, hope that wasn't too disappointing! I know, it's just another version on how Naruto got his goggles, and I know it probably bent the time lines a bit, to get the bug lady in (Hope it was not completely impossible to guess who she was!) but it was just a fun idea, something that I wasn't sure where was going until after i had finished!
I don't claim to be up to date with current manga, or even anime, haven't been for over a year now (le gasp!) so forgive me if I have butchered something!
Thanks for reading!
~Ser