Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto and am not earning any money through this story. I own only the plot of this story and all the OCs that will appear here.
'Thought'
"Talk"
A start with an end
There are things you haven't felt yet; give them time they're almost here.
- Fresh
"A strange black line's appearance in the sky has been reported by people from all around the world.
The strange line has no ends visible and it has been told by people that the width of the line is increasing.
Scientists are not able to answer the question as to what it is; NASA has given an official statement that their scientists are looking into the matter with other countries and will soon find out the reasons.
The scientists at ISRO have told that they are collaborating with the other Space Research Organizations of the world to find out about the matter.
Meanwhile, all around the word rumors are gaining speed about 'Alien Attack' and 'End of the World'. To prevent the unnecessary chaos, the Honorable President has given a message addressed to all the fellow citizens of India, to not believe in rumors and help maintain peace in the country.
More on this news by my fellow reporter Sameer who is outside the ISRO head office. 'Sameer this is Nina, what is the latest hold of….."
Ignoring the report on the Television I walked out of our living room into the garden; tired of listening to the same news being repeated since morning.
"Why can't they just tell what it is right away? So much of development, so much of technology and they can't even find out if it's all going to be over or not!" I cursed under my breath in irritation as I turned to look up at the sky, the root of all this mess.
It was an unusually beautiful, clear cerulean sky with small clouds floating freely making artistic patterns here and there; a rare view in itself with the monsoon on its peak in India.
But such a shame that the beautiful scene was scarred with a thick black line passing across the eastern part of the sky, like a cut brutally rip open.
The line which was the reason for all the pandemonium going on all around the world.
From its sudden appearance that morning with the first rays of sun, to its getting thicker with every passing minute as if some deadly creature coming closer and closer; it just reeked ominous.
It was no wonder everyone was scared.
But unlike everyone else, I had one more feeling stirring inside me among all the restlessness and fear.
It was curiosity.
And with every passing minute since when I laid my eyes on that eerie line, it was getting the better of me; frustrating me when even the scientists couldn't give me an appropriate answer.
And for 11 years of my life I believed that scientists knew everything being the genius they always showed themselves to be; so much for my childish faith!
It was definitely scary and ominous, but still I couldn't help myself from admiring its beauty.
Although just a simple black line it had a striking aura of its own; a strange kind of 'gravity', making everything standstill when you look at it.
And I wasn't the only one who felt like that.
Every channel on TV, every radio station, every call and message that was getting transferred and every person out in the street was talking about 'that line'.
That line that was as black as you can never imagine.
Darkest and richest of the color but with no depth at all; as if there was nothing beyond it, just nothingness.
"Come inside Nidhi, don't stay out in the open, what if something happens!" my mother call from inside brought me out of my trance.
"Coming coming... The sky will not fall on me." I replied irately; adding the last part in almost a whisper as I tore my eyes away from that beautiful mystery stretched unending over the horizon.
There was something very weird in that line, kind of hypnotizing but at the same time making me restless.
Just as I entered the house and closed the door behind me my father started attacking me with 'something could have happened to you' dialogues, my mother agreeing with his unreasonable worries.
My emotions that were already on the brim with frustration, restlessness and fear, took hold of me and I shouted out without thinking.
"Just because of your fear of 'could' I never got a chance to live, be carefree or enjoy my life like other children. Your thousands of rule to not do this, not do that have weighed down my childhood. Your protection and care has only caged me till now and if the world ends today I'll be dying with only regrets of being alive but not being able to live!"
I spit the words with annoyance that only a stressed preteen can muster and ran into my room; sighing sadly and falling on my bed head first.
Ever since I remembered, my parents were always the overly protective type. Never letting me do anything that was even slightly dangerous, or I should say fun.
I being their much awaited only child; they were always too afraid of me being hurt or sick that they rarely let me out of the house for other than school; forget about playing on the streets like other average Indian children.
I basically spent my whole 11 years of existence in front of the TV or in the corner bench of my class; being a shy and introvert person that didn't really have any friends, but just classmates.
As I lay there on my bed seething with irritation, I thought about all that I said to my parents and instantly regretted it.
It was not like me to shout out and tell my problems to anyone let alone my parents. I was the type of person who even in her suicide note would not write a reason.
That weird line and all the suspense was getting the better of me.
I don't know how long I lay there in my room thinking of that line and all the 'what ifs' of the world really ending.
There were so many things I never experienced that I always wanted to.
Shouting my thoughts out loud, getting wet in the rain, going to sleepovers, having a best friend, falling in love like in movies, and so much more.
11 years. Just 11 years of an overly sheltered life was nothing.
Thinking about it all and getting depressed, I was on the verge of crying or screaming out in frustration when I heard my mother's cry from the living room and my breath hitched.
Without another thought I dashed out of my room, heart beating like crazy as I literally jumped down the stairs and ran through the passage, heading for the hall.
I entered the hall within a few seconds and instinctively ran towards my mother sitting on the floor, but couldn't reach her.
The breaking news being telecast-ed on the TV made me stop abruptly on my way; my mind unable to think, my body unable to move.
On the screen were a bunch of scientists from different countries giving out the news that our UNIVERSE was going to END!
Incomprehensible emotions spread on their faces as their leader was saying something about a' blackhole' and 'engulfing the whole universe' in trembling voice, his hands shaking.
I forgot how to breathe in that moment.
A loud shriek from outside, then another and then loud crying coming from different directions of our neighborhood brought me out of shock.
People were traumatized and so was I.
I fell on my knees just where I was standing; not able to think, not able to listen, not able to cry.
It was a weird feeling, to think about dying like that. My small life literally played in front of my eyes.
I was just 11; it was too young to die!
I had yet to live; get to know life, turn 16, 18, grow up and grow old.
It was too sudden and I was freaking out.
I wasn't even fully out of the shock yet when the earth below my feet shook so violently that everything around me fell with crash.
With that my Fight-or-Flight instincts switched on and I ran towards my mother, making her get up and run to the outside; my father following us as we made a futile attempt to find safety in a Universe that was collapsing.
All the time we ran through the stairs and corridors to reach outside, the ground was still shaking. Not as violently as the first shake, but like trembling in fear of what was coming.
We ran past our front gates and reached out in the street in hope of finding safety, only to witness a scene no sentence in this world can ever truly describe.
A few buildings at the far end of the street were crashed on each other and the ground beneath them was rising slowly in an unnatural way.
Bodies were stuck in the ruin of the buildings, dead or dying; people were screaming and crying all around, calling out for their Gods.
There were cracks appearing all around on the ground as if the earth was breaking apart out of horror, and when I looked up at the sky I wondered why I wasn't breaking like that.
The line that was there in the morning was now covering the whole half sky; the edges of it were blurred as it was sucking everything around it.
The atmosphere and earth, the life of millions and billions, the blue planet, third in orbit of the star sun in the vast universe; the only place where life existed.
I looked at that black sheet (which was not actually black but the color of 'nothing') with fear exploding in every atom of mine.
Fear of death; of loosing not only my body but my world, universe and whole existence all together.
I stood rooted at my spot in fear, in the midst of chaos of a dying civilization when I felt a tug on my shoulder.
It was like someone placed a hand on my shoulder and I stopped shaking, even when the ground below me still shook.
I turned around to see who or what it was that caused it but I never found out.
Everything happened too suddenly and just as I turned around, it all faded into black and I lost many things in that moment other than just my consciousness.
AN- Edited 04 March 2016
ISRO- Indian Space Research Organisation
Thank you for reading, I hope this version is better than the last. Do leave behind your review! :))