Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto – which is a pity, but reality.
Warnings: Swearing, mild-violence scenes, rape (commented, not described), Fem!Naruto (don't like, don't read).
Summary: Kori was annoying and loud – or so they thought. When her smile fails, nobody knows how to handle the situation. Then, by a deed of Kyuubi, all her friends found themselves in a dark hallway, in front of an apparently innocent door titled "Difficult Days", where there're memories.
"blah blah" – talking
Blah blah – emphasis or Kori's thoughts, be aware
'blah blah' – thoughts
Easy Days
By Amaryllis Namikaze
"Any day nobody's trying to kill me is a good day in my book. I haven't had many good days lately."
(Darkfever, Karen Marie Moning)
Nobody in the office dared to move a muscle, remaining silent – as if waiting for something, a reaction. But nothing changed: people's mouths stayed shut, the girl's body was perfectly still and doubt swam across their eyes.
"How is she, Tsunade-hime?"
Instinctively, everybody looked at Jiraya, who had spoken. The Toad Sage had a worried expression as he stared at the unconscious girl on the couch.
"I have no idea of what's wrong with her," Tsunade finally admitted, which didn't make anybody feel better, since the Godaime Hokage was the best medic-nin in the Fire Country and other nations. "Her blood pressure is normal; there is no damage or injury of any kind, no concussions, and no sort of poison or pill acting in her body…"
The Godaime hesitated briefly before proceeding, "Whatever has caused this extreme reaction… it was her own choice."
Some frowned. The current Hokage's office generally wasn't so full, especially if you take into account the fact that said person didn't have the patience required to deal with so many desperate people at the same time. However, in this situation, even she did not complain.
Everything had started as an absolutely normal day in Konohagakure no Sato. Merchants opened their stores, civilians worked, children played or walked to school and ninjas made their way toward missions or training grounds.
It wasn't any different for Team Seven.
Sasuke was, as always, the first to arrive at the team's meeting point. He sat leaning against a pillar of the red bridge and waited. The second that came was Sakura, who practically jumped to greet her Sasuke-kun – who, as always, responded coolly. Both remained silent in the next few minutes, with a typically annoyed Sasuke from the looks of a typically satisfied to be able to admire Sakura.
Until then, everything was very normal. Then, Kori arrived.
Said blonde was noisy, annoying and utterly stupid. She wears a horrible-looking, attention-getting orange jumpsuit with her hair covered by a neon-orange cap and a Konoha hitai-ite tied around it, and permanently had a shit-eating grin on her face. The blonde would come to the meeting point every day and greet her teammates with joyful shouts of "Sakura-chan!" and "Teme!" for what they would grunt or not really answer.
It was like this every single day. And when it didn't happen, Sasuke and Sakura asked themselves what the hell had occurred.
Juts to begin, Kori hadn't covered her blond hair, leaving it loose. For the first time, both her teammates saw the length, which could easily reach her hip. It looked silky and soft with her hitai-ite proudly tied around her forehead, preventing the bangs to obscure amazingly blue eyes. The jumpsuit also had changed to a dark-grey khaki shorts, a simple red T-shirt and a gray vest over. The legs were covered by black socks that reached her knees and her feet by typical shinobi shoes.
"What, dow? Finally discovered that your clothes were ugly and you, a girl?" The last Uchiha sneered with his usual smirk.
Sasuke would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised when the blonde masterfully ignored him, going to sit on the grass with the same stoic expression of when she arrived.
"Oi, Kori-baka! Sasuke-kun talked to you!" Sakura fumed, her voice being an annoying shrill.
Called girl didn't say anything.
"Kori-baka!" She squeaked once again.
The pink-haired teen was about to hit the blonde, but a firm hand on her wrist prevented her from doing so.
"Do not even try," Kori spoke quietly, not betraying her anger or annoyance.
The other kunoichi knew what was good for her – when she wanted to be rational, of course – and did nothing to retort. Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't afraid of Kori and smirked for the nth time.
"As if a loser like you could do something. Just because you changed your clothes it doesn't mean you're powerful now."
Kori growled, but didn't answer. The raven-haired teenager did not even pay attention, "And don't try to keep that cold attitude, dobe. I know that finally realizing that acting like an idiot doesn't help you, but don't try to be smart, it does not suit you."
"Baka, Sasuke-kun is talking to you!" Sakura repeated with the same high-pitched voice, which didn't improve the mood of the blonde. She, then, stood up and began to walk away. "Kori, where are you going? Kakashi-sensei told us to meet here at seven!"
Kori spoke so suddenly and coldly that both other found themselves wide-eyed, "You are so naïve, Sakura. Do you really believe that this excuse of sensei will be here at seven? I have better and more important things to do."
"Like what?" Sasuke scoffed. "Stumble and make a fool of yourself?"
"Like go away from here," Kori murmured to herself, without stopping or looking back.
Sakura and Sasuke observed the vanishing form that was the girl. Later, they found her unconscious in her house.
Everybody in the office immediately observed the blonde when she moved, but otherwise didn't wake up.
"I don't understand," Ino complained in a whining voice.
"If somebody did, Ino-pig, we wouldn't be here," Sakura replied angrily. Both began an argument that included "Ino-pig!" and "Billboard brow!" over and over again until Tsunade yelled at the two to shut the fuck up. Since the Godaime was frightening, they complied.
Shikamaru, who was quiet through the whole show, finally remarked something, "Her reaction is understandable if you look at how she has been in the last few days. I myself haven't seen, but I imagine that you," he indicated Team Seven "have. How was she acting?"
Seeing that the Jounin and the Uchiha wouldn't speak, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and made a sound of disbelief.
"She was being her stupid old-self until today morning, happily screaming and running around. I can't imagine what could have happened."
Kakashi, Kurenai, Gai, Asuma and the two Sannins frowned at the pink-haired girl's disgusted tone. Okay, Kori was really loud, but not a hateful person.
Chouji was going to point out something, but was interrupted by an amused voice, "You don't understand, do you?"
Alarmed, everyone turned to the window, where a woman was leaning against. And what a weird woman she was. Her tan skin had no scar, leaving just angular, almost animalistic features. Red eyes with vertical pupils carried an ancient feeling and even a touch of suffered irony. Her hair was divided into nine long thick dark-auburn braids.
"Who are you?" Jiraya demanded, narrowing his eyes.
The woman laughed – a bitter sound, free of happiness. She moved from the window toward the couch, where an unconscious Kori was, with graceful moves, like a predator after its prey. Her clothes – a long, bloody-red dress that exposed her left thigh and dark high-heels – seemed to dance with her.
"What a disappointment. I expected you to recognize me… Ero-sennin," the woman pronounced her words carefully, testing them in a malicious manner.
For the first time, Jiraya didn't act like a pervert in front of such a pretty woman, "Stay away from my apprentice now."
The teenagers in the room were completely paralyzed by the killing intent leaking. To everyone's surprise, the weird woman just laughed again – this time with irony.
"Right, as if I could get away from the brat. Ha! I'm stuck in her since the brat's first hours of life."
Tsunade's honey eyes widened, "But that means you are…"
"Kyuubi no Youko, yes. Call me Kurama, though," her red eyes then carried fun. "You puny humans are one of the few who dare to hear my real name. You should feel honored."
The people there were too shocked to speak, which made the woman – Kyuubi – sigh exasperatedly, "You pathetic human are so slow to process things. Yes, I am the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, I was sealed into your little friend there, blah blah blah."
"If…" Kiba stuttered in fear, gulping. "If you're sealed in Kori, then, why are you out here?"
"Good question, Puppy Breath. For a smelly dog, you know what to ask," Kurama quickly smirked, exposing teeth sharper than a human would have. "I'm here to show the reason for Kori's collapse, of course."
"What do you mean by of course?" Sasuke absolutely fumed. "This usuratonkachi just freaked out this morning, disappeared from sight and was found unconscious near her kitchen table. There's no of course in this matter."
Kurama narrowed her eyes at the Uchiha.
"Watch your filthy tongue with me, kid, I may take it off. I never liked you and liked even less when you tried to flee the village, curser seal or not. My brat here, for some absolutely strange reason, sympathized with you, so, you should be thankful that she dragged your cocky fat ass back. Moreover, I'm not one of your friends or fan girls for you to demand something; I'm a demon older and more dangerous than your whole massacred clan together."
The hatred in Sasuke's onyx eyes increased, which made Kurama smirk.
"Do you really think I am afraid of your disgust for me? I'm a mass of pure hatred and chakra, boy. I have no fear of your cute bunny-like glares." Kurama chuckled once again, before sitting on the edge of the couch, absent-mindedly stroking Kori's hair. "You're appalled by her behavior, yet claim yourselves her friends. Real friends would understand why she acted like that.
"But it was never like this!" Ino protested. "She always-"
Kurama lazily waved her hand. "I know, I know. She runs around happily, yadda, yadda, yadda. Look, are you stupid or what? It was only a mask."
Silence in the room.
Nobody knew what to say, nobody knew what to think. No one had ever thought, even in the slightness, that Kori's happiness was false, let alone a mask. She just smiles a shit-eating grin no matter what, no matter how difficult the situation was – and sometimes was so contagious!
"A mask?" Jiraya's voice was painfully incredulous. The Toad Sage knew that Kori had a dark childhood, but never thought she pretended. The small blonde seemed so… so brave. Someone able to leave the past in the past and only look ahead at the future. Kori was impossible to imagine otherwise.
"I suppose I've already talked enough. The brat will bother me for the rest of her miserable life only because I told you she is the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi no Youko."
Kurama suddenly stood up, hasty like someone late to a reunion.
"Wait!" Kurenai exclaimed. "Where are you going to? You need to say more!"
"More? More?" The Nine-Tailed Fox sounded bewildered. "You, humans who despise and belittle her, want to know more?"
"We don't belittle her," Sakura complained, but shrank when a furious look was shot toward her direction.
"And you, Haruno Sakura, let me start talking about you. Always obsessive over this useless Uchiha – do you think you're better than Kori? She at least tries to be a kunoichi; you haven't even realized that there are other people on your team beyond your Sasuke-kun!"
"It, it isn't true."
But it was true and Sakura knew this. She didn't want to acknowledge it; however, she couldn't help but recognize the truth in the fact – especially when two red eyes watched her so intensely.
"You want to know more about Kori's mask?" All people in the office nodded, still hesitant around the hot-tempered, redheaded fox-woman. "Good."
Simple as that: Kurama snapped her fingers and the office dissolved around them. Hinata groaned and winced; Sakura and Ino hugged each other, too frightened to even care; Kiba cried "Hey!" along with Akamaru's bark; Kurenai stumbled in surprise, being held for Asuma; Kakashi observed around with a lazy eye, Shikamaru muttered something about "too troublesome" and Chouji even stopped munching chips; Tenten grabbed Neji's arm; Lee and Gai shouted; Jiraya and Tsunade looked at each other while Shizune tensed; Sasuke and Shino stood emotionless, but attentive.
The only one that seemed completely undisturbed was Kurama, who watched the scene in disgust.
"Thirteen years here and one would think you'd get used…" She murmured to herself, starting to walk.
Though feeling lost, the huge group followed. They were in a corridor with metal walls, water until their heels and the ceiling lights had burned or were failing, with smoke escaping through pipes.
"Where are w-we?" Hinata stuttered fearfully.
"In Kori's mind," Kurama replied without a second thought, never stop walking.
"Wait, wait, wait! In Kori's mind?" Kiba asked perplexed.
Kurama nodded and angrily muttered something that sounded like "where's the bloody door?" and "damn far". They turned right in an equally grotesque corridor and stopped.
"Ah-ha! Years and years, and I can still get lost," Kurama said, annoyed with the fact, before joining hands in a solitary clap and exclaim to the group. "Here are we! All you need to know about Kori is right through this door."
The group observed said door without much credulity. It was a common door, though a bit old. Dye worn, aluminum painted handle. There was a plate made of slightly rusty iron where you could read in childish, capital letters: Difficult Days.
"Riiight," Kiba whistled. "I didn't understand."
"What's new?" Neji mumbled.
Kurama rolled her red eyes, "What part did you not understand, Puppy Breath? You see the door, you go through the door, you understand what's behind the door."
"And what's behind the door?" Shino suddenly questioned, startling Tenten and Hinata, who were nearby.
Kurama gave a cold, sarcastic smirk, "Emotions. Thoughts. Memories."
"All Kori's?"
"No, Godzilla's," Kurama lowered her shoulders in irritation as she looked angrily at the pink-haired girl. "Frankly, where have you been the last few minutes?"
Sakura's green eyes widened in fear and she did not respond, which made the demon fox gesture impatiently at the door.
"See here; I brought you to this smelly place because a minimal, stupid and insignificant part of me believes that you can possibly be good friends for the brat I happen to be stuck with. So, if you want to do something useful, go through that damned door and have a good dose of what's a shit, hard life!"
To everyone's surprise, it was Kakashi that made a decision. He walked to the door and opened it determinedly. Went forward and crossed the doorstep, which everyone repeated. Kurama smirked and entered last, closing the door with a thud.
Whatever everyone expected, it wasn't that. Unlike the hallway, the floor was perfectly dry, made of cold and gray cement. Strange as it seems, nobody could define how the walls were, because the room had an undefined space of deep black. There was no furniture, it was barely lighted, but a person was in the center of a circular-shaped spotlight that was weakly shining.
"Who is that person?" Gai asked to Kyuubi. "She doesn't seem to have flames of youth!"
"Right, Gai-sensei!"
"LEE!"
"GAI-SENSEI!"
"LEE!"
"GAI-SEN-!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, WEIRDOS!" Kurama yelled, getting so angry that her hair seemed alive and fumbling as tails. She took a deep breath, calming herself. "I do not want to hear any of these shit idiocies here, is that understood?"
Both dressed in spandex green nodded mutely for the first time in their life.
"And to answer your question, Weirdo n. 1, why don't you approach?"
Said and done. The group walked silently until they were face to face with... a girl? Her hair was blond, but was so messy and mistreated that was hard to be completely sure; it was only an indefinite mass of poor hair failing to her waist. The skin was pale in an unhealthy way, stretched as if the girl had lost weight in a very short period of time. The face was lowered, staring at her hands in her lap. The clothes were a torn ragged white shirt with one sleeve sliding down one shoulder and a filthy black short. She was barefoot, but the cold floor didn't seem to bother her.
"K-Kori?" Sakura muttered in bewilderment.
The girl did not answer, but no one could even talk. She looked small, smaller than actually - or it could be the way she behaved, seemingly afraid of everything around. Her lips moved and she whispered so quietly that it took a few minutes to notice the song that Kori hummed.
"Flower, gleam and glow… Let your power shine… Make the clock reverse… Bring back what once was mine…"
"What is she doing?" Asuma questioned.
"Singing. She does that a lot."
In fact, Kori hadn't stopped, "Heal what has been hurt… Change the fate's design… Save what has been lost… Bring back what once was mine…"
"Which song is that?" Kurenai asked curious.
Kurama watched the girl with sad eyes – not that someone captured that expression on her face – and did not answer. Instead, stood with her back to everyone and walked toward the indefinite darkness of the room, returning with a metal box in her arms a few minutes later.
"And this is?" Jiraya questioned eager to know about this mask of his goddaughter. Heavens! He was so stupid! He had left her alone being the coward that he was – too afraid of seeing her face and remembering Minato, Kushina and their sacrifices. He was weak.
"Her memories. Her thoughts. Her feelings."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Kiba exclaimed once again. "We'll read her memories? How boring!" Kurenai scolded him while Kurama rolled her eyes.
"Who said anything about reading, genius? Look again."
Everyone gathered around the demon fox in order to observe. Inside were - not papers as Kiba suggested - but figures like spirits dancing, walking as if alive from side to side of the box. Most figures were light gray with black lines, others completely black, and few, very few, were a soft white. They danced and danced, never tiring from their apocalypse.
"Now that everyone had made their questions and annoyed me enough, can we begin?" Without waiting for a response, Kurama reached into the mass of spirits and easily chose a specific one, tossing it in the air.
The figure seemed to swim for a while, the gray floating innocently in the room, however, after a couple of minutes, it expanded until there wasn't a shadow and had changed the entire landscape of the room.
Kurama - the only calm - still carried a metal box, observing everything around her with indifference. The rest, meanwhile, failed to stop showing their surprised expression – suddenly, they were no longer in the lonely room. They were in what looked like a huge garden, full of smiling children running to and fro. There were swings and slides strategically scattered.
"Where are we?"
"Why no one seems to see us?"
"Hey! Did this boy just passed through me?!"
The fox-woman could only sigh at the face of such ignorance, but inwardly didn't blame them, because it was really complicated.
"We are in one of Kori's memories, so, nobody can see us and, yes, Tenten, this kid passed through you. We're mere spirits here since this is, after all, a vestige of the brat's thoughts.
"Where is she?" Shizune asked, noticing that the girl was no longer sitting on the floor and humming the unknown song.
"I left her in another room," a less cold and depressed one, Kurama added in her mind, but didn't dare show this side of her to this humans. "Now, be quiet and pay attention. I know that human ignorance is monstrously huge, but even you won't be able to ignore it."
All ninjas seemed to fidget, uncomfortable with the reality in the words of the Nine-Tailed Fox. So, they complied and watched the scene unfolding in front of them.
The first thing they noticed was that they weren't in a park, as it originally seemed – they were in an orphanage. A small, slightly worn building made of bricks, white windows and big double-doors denounced it because, above the doors, lay a wooden board written in old tincture "Konoha Adoptions". Even with the old appearance, the place was nice with the kids playing and the sound of laughter filling the garden.
"Why would Kori wear a mask?" Sakura questioned with a confused expression. "This looks like a very good orphanage to live. I mean," she said, seeing Kurama's raised eyebrow, "despite the fact that she was an orphan."
"Girl," Kurama practically exuded impatience, "which part of 'not even the enormous human ignorance will be able to ignore it' you did not understand? Look around you. Look."
And that's what they did.
They looked through the smiling children and their laughter, through the adults helping toddlers to play, through the beautiful yard and the creaking of swings with each thrust. Partially hidden by a tree trunk, in the shade, was a child watching. She small enough to disappear behind the tree, but being spirits in a memory, none of these ninjas had trouble approaching and take a better look.
Her sunny-blond hair curled like a princess's one would, reaching her shoulders and adorning her childlike features and big blue eyes full of curiosity. There were three whiskers on each tanned cheek, giving her an innocent appearance. Her body – tiny and frail – hid behind the tree on a defensive, yet shy, stance.
"What a sweetie!" Ino and Sakura exclaimed, their eyes as bright as when they looked at their Sasuke-kun.
Jiraya observed the little girl with a sad frown. This tiny child was not supposed to be his goddaughter – shy and hidden. His parents were Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, damn it! Both were courageous and inspiring, both transpired confidence, not shyness. 'Damn villagers', he cursed mentally. She looked so innocent, how could they hate her?
I wanted them to talk with me.
Startled, the group began looking for the owner of the voice, but there was no one but Kori. Kurama smiled wryly, showing sharp canines, "I said that we would see her thoughts, didn't I? Do not be frightened – everything that passes clearly through her blonde little head will be said aloud."
Kori bit her lower lip nervously.
Horie-sama said nobody talks to me because I'm a bad girl. The toddler twisted her hands even more nervous. But I did not do anything bad… did I?
Even Sakura and Ino stopped whispering about the beauty of girl to look at her sadly. Was it fair that a child so young questioned herself about this kind of thing?
"Wanna play with me?" A voice asked with excitement.
Everybody turned in that direction, including Kori. The petite blonde was obviously smaller than the brunette boy, even though they appeared to be the same age. Kurama quickly informed them that Kori was three at the time.
Kori's blue eyes widened, "You… You pway weally wit' yours?"
This must be the new boy Hori-sama commented.
The ordinary-looking boy giggled with a big smile that missed its two front teeth, "You talk so funny!"
Kori blushed and lowered her sight. I do not talk much with people. Her voice echoed in the ears of the spectators. The blonde clearly wanted to say something in response, but couldn't find the courage to do so. And this simple conversation made all the ninjas hesitant, because – as supposedly stupid as Kori was – the blonde was one of the bravest people they met. Seeing her so shy was… weird.
"Jin-kun, don't get near that child," someone mocked the word. Kori cringed when she saw a short, black-haired woman with icy brown eyes glaring at her.
"But why, Tsumi-san?" The boy, Jin, questioned with childish curiosity.
"She's not worth your time," Tsumi, one of the orphanage caretakers, said simply. "Why don't you play with Ai-kun and Mai-chan over there?"
Jin smiled again and, with incredible ease, forgot Kori, running to the appointed place. Tsumi, then, turned to the blond child.
"H-Horie-sama," stuttered the small girl
"So that's Horie-sama!" Shouted Lee.
"Shhh!" Some made.
"You little piece of uselessness! What do you think you're doing attracting poor Jin-kun to your claws? You cruel fox demon!"
Horie Tsumi proceeded to do something nobody expected: she slapped Kori's soft cheek, leaving a red mark. Without any further comment, the woman left the small child behind, clutching the sore right side of her face with tears in her big eyes.
Kori sniffed, lonely searching Jin, who was happily playing with the twins Ai and Mai. I am not a demon, her voice ringing in everyone's ears with incredible fragility, as if she tried to convince herself.
Without expressing any more, without uttering another word, Kori stood up and walked in the opposite direction of the Konoha's orphanage, circling herself with both arms.
I am not a demon. I'm not.
And with that sad thought, the image dissolved.
Silence.
They had come back to the room with gray, cold floor and fell back in absolute silence. Kurama – this was becoming frequent – was the only one not affected; following with her eyes the memory spirits within the metal box in her arms.
Unexpectedly, Kakashi said, "What happened to her? What happened to Kori after she ran away from the orphanage?"
"Oh, well."
Kurama was simple, tenderly grabbing a black dancing figure and throwing in the air. As it did last time, the memory fluctuated across the room, before expanding itself for the endless black walls. The next image they say was of a filthy alley between two small establishments of old appearance.
Two trash cans made a metallic sound after being hit and, jumpy, everybody looked toward that direction. Kori was shrunken between the trashcans, firmly holding something close to her chest. Her face – so soft and beautiful in the last memory – was dusty and full of dirtiness, as well as her hair and clothes. The only thing that distinguished the small girl was her big blue eyes.
"As you can see, she stayed in the streets," Kurama explained, meanwhile observing Kori open her tiny hands and avidly eat a pitiful piece of bread. "Being a child, orphan and without money, it was difficult to survive. Even more difficult with the fact that…-"
She was suddenly interrupted by a voice in the memory - the voice of a clearly drunken man.
"Look here, Takeo, hic, today is our, hic, luck's day," a fat, ordinary-looking man commented, hiccupping between some words. His friend and he were found in the alley's entrance, each one carrying a sake bottle relatively empty.
"We found the little demon, Sho!" Takeo shouted in victory, raising his bottle as a toast. Sho imitated him, before they drank a big dram.
Kori stuffed the rest of the bread in her mouth, obviously scared that these men would take it away from her, and glued close to the brick wall.
I am not a demon.
Both mean approached in clumsy steps. Sho pulled Kori's blond hair, making said girl scream in agony, while Takeo took advantage of the situation to kick her.
They continued to beat her, but Kurama violently moved her hands and the memory dissolved, bringing them back to the cold room. The fox-woman didn't say anything, silently staring the box in her arms, while perfectly listening to the others' anger.
Jiraya and Tsunade were shaking with fury, their fists tight by their body. The Jounin had their frame tense, as if ready for a fight – not even Kakashi could keep the lazy posture or Gai, the cheerful. Konoha 12 – sans Sasuke and Shino – discussed fervently, yelling in rage. The remaining two simply stared at the endless walls with evident anger.
"After these… men hurt Kori, what happened to her?" Shizune almost couldn't say intelligible words.
"What happened to her? Well, she was in pain, isn't this obvious?" Kurama derided with a mocking grin. "I healed her, of course, seeing that if she dies, I'll go together. The brat remained one month and three weeks more in the streets, fighting for survival – literally – until the Sandaime found her."
"How did he find her?"
"Why didn't he find earlier?"
Tsunade and Jiraya blurted out respectively with different tones. Kurama smirked, satisfied to see that the mere mortals were starting to understand one by one.
"He used to pay visits to the orphanage, so, it's more than obvious that when he went there to see her… Well, he didn't – was furious, that's all I know. He sent Chunnin squad in her trail, but none saw her," Kurama mocked, clearly leaving the phrase "As if they had searched right" in the air.
"This doesn't answer my question," the Godaime spoke.
"Impatient today, aren't we?"
"Oh, you…-" Jiraya held his old teammate back, preventing her from doing something she'd regret later. The blonde snorted and crossed her arms over her chest.
Kurama narrowed her eyes with satisfaction.
"An ANBU found her two months after her flight in a, let's say, darker part of Konoha - didn't recognize the brat immediately, I bet. You saw her state, right? This was only one week after she had escaped. You can imagine how bad she was almost a couple of months later."
"And what did Sandaime-sama do?" Kurenai questioned after a brief pause.
"He gave her a bath, a meal, a pair of clothes; gave her an apartment that is still owned by Kori nowadays and started to pay an orphan fund monthly."
"What?" Asuma dropped his cigarette due to his incredulity. "He did just it?"
"And what more could he do? The Council would never let the demon child have a home – not that someone wanted to adopt her. Sarutobi obviously couldn't send her back to the orphanage."
"But… give an apartment to a three-year-old girl?"
Kurama tilted her head to Tenten's question.
"During the next year, a random Genin team would come and take care of her in the afternoons. Kori hated them all. Not that I can blame her – they were horrible. Sometimes, the brat would go to Sarutobi's office and help him to separate paperwork or read a book on his couch. Even nowadays she still misses these afternoons. And this basically summarizes the rest of the year."
"But talk about it more, goddamnit!" Sasuke boomed, scaring all Genin and some adults, that had never seen the Uchiha explode like this. "She was mistreated, so what? The civilians beat her, so what? She lived alone, so what? This doesn't explain anything. People with shit childhoods don't go tripping down the prairie as Kori did! Why did she decide to use a mask? When did she decide it? Answer it!"
Kurama was observing her red nails with bored expression, while holding the metal box in her other arm. She glanced up, eyeing the last Uchiha as he shouted.
"Finished? Great. First: don't talk to me in this tone. Second: don't demand answers from me, since I summarized Kori's year to the sake of your sanity. Want to know the truth? Excellent, take the truth, just don't ask me to show the memories of this, because there are little girls here," the fox demon cast a glance toward Ino and Sakura, who shrunk.
Lee – that was really quiet considering his usual yells about flames of youth – politely requested that Kurama told them the story if they couldn't see it. The demon stared at him for a few seconds, before she started talking with satisfied eyes.
"I see. Every time Kori went to the streets, the civilians would beat her – she cried for help, but who would like to assist a demon disguise as a child? Kori was always hungry and thirsty, buying only, in the next two years, rice, ramen and water, because it was the cheapest thing out there. She didn't have enough money to buy anything more, seeing that the merchants charged everything up. Nobody acknowledged her as a person; parents removed their children from her presence; wherever she looked there would be cold glares sent at her direction…"
Kurama hesitated for a moment, pondering. Whatever thing had crossed her mind, she decided to say, "And was raped in her fifth birthday."
The somber memory room changed from cold to hot. Jiraya and Kakashi were shaking, infuriated – the orange book fell to the ground. Everybody was furious, doubtlessly, but fearfully eyed the two ninjas with fists closed tight.
Kurama narrowed her eyes.
"Shaking in fury and blaming yourselves for not being there won't change the facts. Kori was mistreated, was beaten, was raped – not once, but four times – was ignored, was despised. And just because you cuties there discovered it when she was already thirteen, well, it won't change absolutely anything."
"Stop!" Tsunade shouted, grabbing Jiraya's arm in comfort, though she almost couldn't control her own temper. "Why do you talk in this ironic, depressive tone? Why do you talk about Kori as if you don't care?"
"Because this situation is ironic. Think about it. The powerful and dreadful Nine-Tailed Fox, the one sealed inside her belly and that ruined her life, is the only living being aware of her true-self. Nobody cared enough to pay attention, except one person. That person I respect."
"Who is it?" Shikamaru questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Good question, Pineapple," Kurama shot him a feline smirk and threw a white spirit in the air – it danced until dissolved itself.
They found themselves in a clearing. Tall trees with green leaves and thick logs were seen everywhere. The wind whistled, bringing the sound of soft crying. Looking around, the group found a tattered figure sitting on the ground with both knees touching and small hands covering the face. The hair was rudely cropped as a boy's, its blond locks swaying gently. Frail shoulders shot up and down with each dry sob. Kori had grown next to nothing since the last memory.
"One week after her fifth birthday," Kurama helped, since the group eyed the small girl with doubt.
I am not a demon. I'm not.
Jiraya glanced down as his goddaughter's thought was heard.
The sound of moving leaves made the small Kori glance up with fear and wide her incredible blue eyes. The person that emerged from between the trees was the last one they expected.
He was around ten or eleven years old, being at least 5'2". Black hair was held by a band in a low ponytail. The face was handsome, with narrowed eyes that could drift from black and silver-gray depending how it was observed. Soft skin as white as porcelain with a lightly thin chin. The clothes consisted of a gray T-shirt, khaki black pants and a proud hitai-ite around the forehead.
"I-Itachi?" Sasuke stuttered, so shocked that it was difficult to think coherently. The Genins that didn't know about his revenge eyed him with confusion.
Kori shrunk after seeing Itachi a few meters from her.
"W-who are y-you?" The small girl stuttered, looking really different from her actual person, or, well, mask.
Itachi didn't smile, but his silver-gray eyes softened after observing her dreadful expression.
"My name is Itachi."
The small Uzumaki looked down and up hesitantly, "I'm K-Kori."
"Oh, you must be a damsel."
"I-I'm not a d-damsel. I'm just Ko-Kori."
"Your name," Itachi said with so much kindness that those who knew of his deed were surprised, "it means damsel."
"Ah."
Itachi calmly sat on the floor with crossed legs. His eyes traveled for the tiny and shrunk figure that was Kori, noticing the obvious signs of a abused child – but remained silent.
"W-won't you r-run away from me, I-Itachi-sama?" Kori questioned, her childish face giving signs that she was ready to cry as soon as the older boy did so.
"There's no need to call me sama."
"Horie-s-sama taught me to r-respect everyone. She s-said that I'm not w-worth anything, so I m-must be po-polite."
Itachi narrowed his eyes, "It's not necessary call me Itachi-sama. Of course you are worth something, every human is."
"R-right, Itachi-san."
Both stayed in silence for a couple of minutes, before the Uchiha heir speak, "You asked me if I won't run away from you. Why would I do that? You are, Kori, an adorable little girl."
The small child had her hands close to her chest and her hair partially hiding her face, but not her eyes widened in shock and admiration.
I am not a demon. I'm not.
During the talk, the spectators kept quietude, observing with incredulity the kindness that Itachi exhibited and the shyness of Kori. It was weird.
Kori, then, tightened her tiny fingers and her shoulders once again trembled with dry sobs, though this time in gratefulness. She didn't say thank you, but Itachi understood. Both spend their minutes in a pleasant silence and the memory dissolved in shadows.
In a room far away and different from that one, Kori was laying down on a bed. Although it was the best room from the teenager's mind, it was simple to the extreme, with a bed with white sheets and pillow, a table, a chair and a closet. There weren't pipes or water in the room, much less a cold ground – just a shiny wooden floor and creamy walls.
The blonde had her hands together over her belly, observing the ceiling with blank eyes. White spirits fluctuated and danced around the room, creating a hypnotizing and charming choreography; they were contorting in the air and leaving the sound of laughter and happiness.
One of the memories – practically glowing with its whiteness – swam gracefully near Kori; it was small and thin, pirouetting in the air. Kori heard laughs, a feminine and a masculine one. The spirit unfolded momentarily, showing the image of a blonde and a teenager boy chuckling together while sitting on a bridge over the river. The memory bottlenecked and flew away.
Kori didn't move, but her blue eyes became less nebulous.
Kurama tapped her fingers over the metal box while waiting for everyone to process the information. The room was incredibly quiet – not even Ino, Lee or Sakura talked. Jiraya had his fists tightened and Tsunade clench her jaw. Kakashi even dropped his Icha Icha Paradise again.
"Itachi and Kori became friends?" Chouji timidly asked, seeing that everybody was concentrated in their own fury. He trembled when Kurama's red eyes looked toward his direction.
"Best friends. As the months went by, more and more pressure fell upon Itachi, who became an ANBU when eleven and had the responsibility of being the future head of his clan. Kori, on the other hand, suffered in the hands of the villagers. Her money, meals and clothes became so scarce that Itachi came to the point of himself buying and giving her everything she needed."
"And she accepted? It's not her style to do that," Tenten said, remembering Kori's determination.
'Not that we would know her style, since everything was a mask,' Sasuke thought bitterly. Shikamaru murmured a "troublesome" beside him, appearing to be in the same train of consideration.
"The brat tried to refuse, of course. Itachi, however, is as stubborn as her, which is a lot, believe me. In the end, she accepted it all."
Kurama looked briefly to the box, seeing one of the spirits highlight itself – one of the memories that the Uchiha gave something to the brat.
"I still do not understand where Kori's mask came from," Shino said in his usual stoic-self.
Kyuubi smiled predatorily.
"I suppose not. Well, it's easier this way…" She said, leaving her words in the air while pulling up the gray shadow and throwing it into nothing. Now used to the process, none of the spectators was shocked to see the room disappearing and being replaced by a landscape.
They found themselves in a clearing near Konoha, where the soft hiss of a creek could be heard. The trees had yellowish, orange and maroon leaves and with a light breeze, they indicated the autumn. There was a red bridge over the river and it was there that Itachi and Kori were sitting.
The former Uchiha heir hadn't changed much, except for his height and two small wrinkles of stress near his nose. Kori, though too tiny for her age of six years, had grown up a few centimeters, as well as her once masculine hair, that now touched her shoulders in a carefree manner. Her blue eyes still were big and carried sadness, even with the smile on her face.
"Sometimes, I'd like to be born elsewhere," suddenly, Kori commented.
"And why is that?" Itachi asked in a relaxed way, looking surprisingly different from his original character.
"I question myself if I'd have been treated differently, or if Kurama would have been sealed in me. I'm wondering this since I saw her for the first time three weeks ago.
"And what is your verdict about the question?"
"It wouldn't be worth it."
"Hmm?"
"If I had been born elsewhere, I wouldn't have met you," Kori turned her face and smiled at Itachi, who returned with simplicity, losing a little bit his tired expression.
Kori closed her eyes when she felt the wind caressing her face and her hair brushing her simple white dress. Itachi observed her, thoughtful. The spectators waited in silence.
"You should let your hair grow, Kori-chan. It's very pretty."
"I had it long, but the civilians cut it against my will, Itachi-kun, so I let it like that. Soon enough I'll cut it again."
Itachi twisted his lips in disgust, "I hate the fact that I'm always away in missions, if not I could prevent these worthless humans from hurting you."
"It is kind from your part, but you've already saved me. From sadness. From poorness. From loneliness."
"Not from pain."
"One could difficultly save me or anyone from this, so I suggest that you ignore this item."
"I don't like to see you suffering."
"Close your eyes."
"I don't like to know that you think of yourself worth."
"Forget that I once told you."
"I don't like to see you sob when trying to prevent tears."
"Do not listen," Kori whispered, as if all of this was the easiest task in the world.
Both stayed immobile for a few seconds, before Itachi spoke, "You're not a demon."
"I knew I shouldn't've told you."
"Oh, no, you definitely should. You are not a demon."
Kori looked at the ginger colours of the sky, observing its beauty as well as the full moon that started to surge. A breeze caressed her again. The ones watching didn't have any problem seeing her emotions – they were written in the blonde's aqua eyes.
"No, I'm not a demon and will never be," she agreed, before stopping, "unless they influence me to be one."
"I suggest you to create a façade."
Kori's eyebrow shot up at the suggestion – her eyes just turning curious toward Itachi.
"Like… be fake?"
"Yes. The civilians beat you because they see you as an easy target to take their hatred out on. You have a tiny and frail appeared, and they notice how miserable and sad you are when they treat you like trash. If you show them that nothing of it bother you, they'd stop."
"A mask, then?"
"Hn."
Kori rocked her legs, supporting her weight on her elbow while partially laying down, "Perhaps I'll someday. Which one do you prefer: the cold or the idiot one?"
"The cold is mine," Itachi accused.
"The idiot one, I see."
They stayed in silence during a couple of seconds. Kori bit her lower lip and glanced up at Itachi, who returned the gaze, before both burst out laughing. Kori held her belly, trying to breathe and Itachi was trying to retrieve oxygen to his lungs.
Their laughter followed the spectators as the memory spirit dissolved.
"They looked so… in peace with each other," Kurenai commente, taken by surprise. Kurama hummed in agreement.
Hinata frowned, "B-but Sasuke-san i-is the only U-Uchiha alive… T-then…" She hesitated before continuing, briefly glancing at said person, whose expression was lost in thoughts.
"The only Uchiha alive in Konoha," granted Kurama. "Not everyone knows the truth about the Uchiha massacre, but the culprit was Itachi himself."
"What?!" Kiba yelled, bewildered.
Kurama rolled her eyes, "I didn't know you were deaf, puppy. It's exactly what I said: Itachi killed every single Uchiha. Regardless being Kori's inseparable best friend, he still was an ANBU and had missions that demanded cold blood. The massacre was just one more."
Sasuke quickly glance up.
"What do you mean by one more? He was ordered to do this? He, he told me he just wanted to test himself, that's why he killed the clan."
Kurama looked bored.
"He lied, obviously."
Sasuke started to shake; his fists closed tight, his head down, "If Kori knew the truth, why she never told me? I thought we were teammates."
To their surprise, Kurama started to laugh loudly. Her chuckles appeared to echo in the room's endless black walls, freeze everybody's blood with the coldness in it.
"Teammates? Now you're teammate? Where were you when she was hungry in her apartment? Where were you when she was being beaten? Where were you when she was raped for the fourth time?"
Sasuke was wide-eyed and, if it wasn't tragic, it would be comical. But the remaining people couldn't snicker, nor blame him. After all, it was their fault too.
"This happened in the past…"
Abruptly, Kurama interrupted him, "If it was only the past, she wouldn't use the mask nowadays. Do you think she earned money suddenly? Do you think that people's hatred disappeared? The last beating Kori received was two weeks ago. The last time she was raped… was the day before yesterday. Why do you think she was like this today morning? She didn't just decide 'Hey, let's take my mask off!'; there was a reason, a purpose. If you were good teammates, you'd know."
"I…"
Kurama raised her hand in order to keep Sakura silent,
"I don't want to listen to your excuses - that's not my reason to being here. I'll just answer Hinata-san's question and that's it."
Grabbing the blackest spirit, she threw it in the air. Ink appeared to paint around them and they were in an empty street. It was night and there was little illumination, which made discern anything a difficult task. Stores and houses had their lamps turned off, showing that it was late enough to all Konoha be asleep.
A shadow moved, attracting their attention – they turned in time to see a child running. All spectators thought about run toward her, but it was like they were over a treadmill that took them there.
Kori had, in fact, let her hair grown, it reaching her mid-back. Her tiny body showed fatigue, her chest and shoulders going up and down due to the effort of running so desperately. One of her hands had the neon orange cap – the same one she always used to hide her hair.
Itachi.
She turned around a corner. The spectators recognized the streets as the ones of the Uchiha compound.
Itachi.
Kori astonished everybody when she climbed the walls of one house by applying chakra to the soles of her feet, but nobody had time to comment anything, since the girl started to run really fast and they followed her with the invisible treadmill.
Itachi.
The lampposts were sketches. Abruptly, Kori stopped next to one wall that surrounded the compound. A figure dressed in ANBU combat clothes was motionless. Itachi looked over his shoulder.
"Kori."
The blonde narrowed her eyes and walked toward him with a feline grace. The difference in the way that she carried herself surprised everybody.
"Itachi."
The girl touched her friend's shoulder.
"Why did you do that?"
"So you know what I did."
"Of course, if I'm here."
"I had to."
"No, you hadn't."
"It was an order."
"A stupid order."
"Even so, an order."
"It was your family."
"People planning Konoha's downfall."
"Even so, your family," Kori finished their argument.
The spectators watched the exchange as if it was a tennis game, turning their head to the right and left. Kori walked around and looked up, right into Itachi's silver-gray eyes.
"You're leaving me." It wasn't a question.
"No."
"Yes, you are – going away from Konoha, leaving me."
The Uchiha glanced down at her with surprisingly kind eyes. He held her chin with his right hand, bringing it up. The girl's blue eyes widened and her cheeks were red with the chilliness.
"I won't come back."
"You will."
"Maybe not – if it's the case…"
The teen bended and, with a delicacy almost innocent, he deposited a chaste kiss over Kori's lips. Then, cleaning a tear over her cheek with his thumb, he stood back, letting his arm fall limp by his side.
"Don't tell anyone you saw me, or you'll be in trouble."
"I won't."
"Don't stop using your mask yet, it's your greatest weapon."
"I won't."
"And… take care of Sasuke for me."
"I'll."
Itachi walked toward the tall wall, but stopped for a second. Without turning, he completed, "You are aware of who you are, aren't you?"
"Uzumaki Kori."
"Good."
I am not a demon. I'm not. Kori observed her friend jumping over the wall with a grace that only a skilled ninja would have and disappear in the night. With great calm, she lifted her head, letting her hair fall over her back, to look at the moon. The moonlight reflected in her blue eyes while her tears dripped to the ground and dissolved the memory.
Kori sat with slow movements. She was in no hurry. Her eyes swam across the room and came back to her body. Kurama had changed her clothes. She was wearing a simple white dress like the one Itachi had given her and her long blond hair fell in waves over her back.
She knew she was pretty, knew her appearance was exotic. Yet, why did she feel so ugly inwardly? So worthless? A creamy-white spirit caressed her face when it fluctuated near her, as if it could feel the sadness emanating from the teen.
Kori didn't move again for a few minutes, but the ghost of a smile traced her lips as she listened to the laughs of a happier, less lonely times.
Kurama didn't give room to questions; she grabbed a gray spirit and threw in the air. Soon, they were found atop of Yondaime's head over the Hokage Mountain.
The sun was setting behind a few houses, giving bright colours to the village. Kori sat mutely over the monument. This memory appeared to be recent, since the blonde looked the same as now. She was barefoot, while wearing shorts jeans and a green halter. Her blond hair was reflecting the sunrays as diamonds would, it being so long that touched the ground when sitting.
The girl let her blue eyes travel over the village, observing the people strolling down the streets without a care of the world. Children were running and ninjas jumped from roof to roof. Genins were painting walls and weeding gardens, while bars were opening for the night.
You'd be happy to know that Konoha is the undamaged, Itachi… though the same. The voice that expressed Kori's thought said smoothly. She gave up observing the village and laid down in the hard rock, looking relaxed and carefree.
Two weeks ago Sasuke tried to flee from the village; you asked me to take care of him, so, I kept my promise and prevented him. He probably hates me now.
Said boy just looked harshly to the girl, who sighed as she thought it.
Ero-sennin said that the Akatsuki is hunting me. Seeing you in the hotel, saying that you came for me was a shock… Kori closed her eyes. Then, I remembered something that you said a long, long time ago.
The spectators waited, anxious to discover the most recent thoughts of the teen.
You said that didn't to see me suffering… and that I'm not a demon. I know that you still have to fake being a Nuke-nin, but, at least, I understand that I'm still your best friend.
Kori smiled a little, a sunray illuminating all her face.
Wherever you are, I hope you're happy. Happier than me – and without your mask; I wear mine for less time than you and am already tired of it. Someday, maybe, I'll take it off – I just need a reason. I know that I'm tired of hiding.
Kori sat again, glancing down at the people. Her eyes glued on the civilian men entering the bars, the ones who usually caused her physical pain.
"After all, I am not a demon. You are," she commented to no one in particular. The image dissolved.
Nobody said anything; nobody replied or tried to explain themselves to Kurama. Nobody apologized. The Nine-Tailed Fox simply snapped her fingers and they were, once again, in the Godaime's office. Kurama couldn't be found anywhere.
Kori moaned and opened her eyes.
Still in the room, Kori saw Kurama opening the door and walking with graceful steps toward her.
"I showed them."
The teen raised her eyes to her mind companion, "I know."
"Won't you freak out?"
"The past can't be changed – what happened, happened."
Kurama smirked.
"I suppose so, brat, I suppose so. Now, tell me: when you plan to meet the pretty boy again?"
"I shall meet Itachi again when it is the time. Until then, I shall see what do about life."
"There's no need to be to pompous about it, both of us know that you'd like to see him right now."
Kori lifted her head, analyzing the ceiling with great interest. Two white spirits danced around each other and parted to different ways. She sighed.
"He makes me feel alive. As if I could forget my past, forget who I am. When with Itachi, I feel like I'm just Kori – and I like that."
"You are in love, do y'know this?"
Kori grunted.
"Yes, I do. If you continue talking like this, you'll sound like Sakura or Ino."
"Awww, you're no fun. I'm sure that both fan girls changed their view of life after seeing your memories."
"It's not better."
Kurama sniggered and stood up, "Well, I'm going to my home, sweet home cell. Good night, brat, dream with your pretty boy."
Kori smiled softly and waved good night. She leaned back on the pillows and observed the spirits dancing across the room. Laughter filled the place and the small blonde felt in peace.
She knew that when she opened her eyes again, she'd be out of her mind, but, during a few moments, Kori settled for staying with her eyelids closed and listening to her and Itachi's laughs echoing across the room.
"Ah, the love… is born I do not know where, come I do not how, and hurt I do not why."
(Luis de Camoes)
Author's note: Finally! I finally finished translating this damn story! Yay!
Now, there are some things I'd like to say:
First: there's no need to rant about "how Sarutobi wouldn't let the civilians beat Kori senseless" or "no kid would be fine after so much pain", yadda, yadda, yadda. I wrote this story with one thing in mind: Kori's and Itachi's relationship. Kori was beaten because Sarutobi couldn't be there 24/7 – and, for all I know, in cannon, Naruto doesn't have ANBU bodyguards, and neither does Kori. Kori was "fine" after so much suffering because she had Itachi, people! She wasn't alone – she had her freaking best friend with her!
Second: since it's a translation, I found it harder to do, since the stories that I write originally in English I use words that the meaning is clear to me. Seeing that Easy Days was written in Portuguese, I had to search for the meaning of a lot of words. So, give me a break here if something about it is wrong.
Third: criticism is accepted – flames are ignored. I won't waste my time with people's flames, okay? I want to improve my English when I write these stories, not become "the world's greatest English teacher" or whatever you expect when you give a shitty review.
So, thank you for reading this one-shot, people! Until next time!
Amy.
P.S.: for those who read Tag, you're it! and saw that this protagonist has the same name as the other – Kori -, NO, this one-shot doesn't have any connection with my other fanfic. It's just a story that I wanted to write.