AN: Okay, yeah, I know. I've still got "Legend of the Leaves" going, "Naruto: A Destined Heart" going, and "Ask Zuko" still needs it's 'goodbye' chapter… but unfortunately for me, I'm on a new computer writing this and the beginnings of those first two's chapters are on my currently-without-power desktop. =.= Ah well, here comes a new fic that the idea struck me while reading the first few paragraphs of Protoomegavox's "The Fox of the Red Cloud" fic.
Also, this will be a FemNaru/Naruko fic. Don't like it, don't read.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or the original line that sparked this fic:
-Sarutobi spoke in a heart fallen voice as he watch with out in his the Angel of the leaves for the last time-
That belongs to Proto, and Naruto to Masashi Kishimoto. I make no money off this.
Angel of the Leaves
Chapter 1 – An Angel gets her Wings...
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed around the dark, damp tunnel that was the sewers of the proud hidden leaf village, mixing with the heavy panting of the small form running for its life. This continued for several minutes until the small person slipped on a patch of wet ground, crying out first in shock from the slip, then pain as they hit the ground, landing on what appeared to be a broken arm.
Wincing, the figure used their good arm to raise themselves from the ground, shaking slightly as they resisted the urge to scream in pain from the injured limb. Attempting to stand, the young figure nearly collapsed upon discovering the slip must have twisted their ankle. Limping and holding their arm gingerly, the figure passed beneath a grating, allowing a beam of pale moonlight to illuminate their features.
Long, waist-length, sun-kissed blond hair hung in two dirty pigtails on either side of the young girl's face, her short bangs hanging over dull cerulean orbs as she paused to look up at the moon from behind the bars that mocked her from the top of the sewer tunnel that she had used to escape the mob that formed every year on this day, her birthday, October Tenth. She was seven.
Sighing quietly she continued along the tunnel, noticing an "X" carved crudely into the floor of the tunnel next to handholds on the wall concealed to any who did not know of their existence. Bracing herself for what she was about to do, she released her injured arm, it falling limply beside her as she clenched her teeth in pain, tears forming in her eyes as she lifted her now free hand and placed it within the handhold, slowly pulling her small form up, having to throw her hand up quickly from handhold to handhold to avoid falling the growing distance between herself and the concrete below, using her uninjured arm to hoist her good leg up as the twisted ankle would nearly give each time she ascended.
Tears were rolling down her face by the time she reached the hidden panel, hidden from view by a powerful illusion by the man who had created it for her. Using her head she knocked quietly on the loose wood. Shuffling was heard from above as the panel was lifted, revealing what appeared to be the underside of a desk, uneasily she crawled out from the hidden passage and to the stretch of floor to the front of the desk.
"Naruko? Why are you here this late? What- Kami! Naruko! Who did this to you!" Came the worried voice of the elderly man who sat at the desk, and had opened the passage for the young girl, stepping around to take a look at the young girl, his triangular red hat falling away to reveal a balding, tanned scalp with white hair spiking outwards behind his hears, along with a white goatee, crows feet resting beside panicked eyes, sparks of anger glimmering just behind their worried appearance.
His only reply was a muffled sob, looking closely he saw her cradling her right arm, the distortions beneath her skin an obvious sign of it being broken. Quickly he stood and pressed a button on his intercom. "Raidou! Fetch my personal doctor! Quickly, this is a matter of utmost importance!" As the intercom clicked off, the man known as the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, kneeled back down beside the girl, placing a hand on the shoulder of her uninjured arm. "Don't worry Naru-chan, Eboshi-san will be here soon… then we'll get you all fixed up… ANBU!"
Several men wearing grey body armor and white masks with animal shapes appeared in the room, crouched low with their heads bowed.
"Boar, bring me the schedule for Naruko's guard patrol today, along with today's guard and all members of their squad." He said quickly, the ANBU in question left in a swirl of leaves. "Sparrow, Tiger, capture anyone who is a part of the group searching for Naruko and bring the civilians to the jail and the Shinobi to the interrogation department!" The two masked ninja nodded as one and vanished as such, just as the door burst open to reveal a middle-aged woman with dark hair up in a bun rush into the room wearing a nightgown, a robe hastily thrown over it as she held a suitcase filled with medical instruments and supplies.
"Kami… what have they done this time…" Eboshi frowned, kneeling next to the girl and flashing through hand signs, her hands glowing green as she passed them over the young girl's body. "Her arm's broken in six places… a fractured rib… and her ankle's twisted… but other than that she's fine… surprisingly enough there's no internal bleeding…" the medic said, sighing "right now she's just in pain, if we can set her arm in a splint and speed along the healing, her 'tenant' should be able to heal her the rest of the way…" Sarutobi nodded to this. They both knew that the nine-tailed demon fox sealed within the young girl's body would heal the damage over time once the problem was set straight.
Getting to work Eboshi began to set the arm, trying to ignore the cries of pain as the young blond cried out from her arm being forced to move while broken. Eboshi hated hurting the young girl, but over the years she had grown sensitive to touch while sleeping, if anyone neared her she'd wake up instantly, even if forced into unconsciousness, and her tenant made it as to where sedatives had no effect whatsoever.
Several hours later, Naruko was sleeping quietly on the couch in the third's office, the only place he could be certain she would be safe. After her arm had been set and put into a sling, her ankle in a splint to avoid moving it as it healed, Sarutobi had brought her to the interrogation chambers, along with the jails, to see if she could identify any of the villagers or ninja that assaulted her. That was the plan however.
Naruko you see, had denied any of them being there, despite several of them bragging to each other when they thought themselves alone about just what they had done. The elderly village leader could see that despite the young girl knowing just who had done this, she would never turn them in. She was just too kind to do that to a person, even one who had most likely mortally wounded her on several occasions. After that the hokage had brought her back to the tower and told her to rest on the couch as he tackled the enormous amount of paperwork that had sprung up since she had arrived via the secret tunnel he had constructed and concealed for her.
Looking away from the stack of paperwork he had just finished, Sarutobi smiled at the way the young blond's hair spread around her head like a halo, if it weren't for the orange and black jacket the girl wore he'd swear she was an angel, sent from the afterlife to spread joy, but then as he saw the sling on her injured arm he remembered just why she was sleeping here. Sighing he took out his pipe and tapped out the ashes of his tobacco (AN/ don't smoke kids! It kills!) before placing new leaves within and lighting it, taking a deep puff before breathing out the smoke in a ring around his head.
"Naru-chan… despite all you've been through you're still the same angel you always have been... If only the villagers could see this…" Sighing again he returned to his paperwork, planning to finish before the young girl awoke.
Several weeks had passed, and in this time Naruko had still refused to reveal the identities of those responsible for the two days she had spent with a broken arm, saying she had merely tripped and fell down a long flight of stairs. Even the elderly Hokage treating her to all she could eat of her favorite food ever, ramen, she would not divulge the names… though after seeing the amount of noodles the girl packed away it had left both himself, the store's owner, and even several jealous members of the Akimichi clan wonder just where she put it all.
Naruko had also learned that she would be attending the shinobi academy the coming fall, much to her excitement. After all, one of her dreams was to become hokage, the guardian of the entire village, and not to mention the most respected person she could think of. The hokage had laughed at this and told her with training she would make a fine hokage. With his encouragement she had spent almost a week reading up on books the hokage had given her after she had left his care, saying they were presents to help her when she entered the acedemy.
Naruko smiled as she walked happily through the village, ignoring the glares sent her way by villagers that passed her by who didn't simply ignore her presence all-together. As she passed by a playground she stopped for a few minutes to watch the children playing happily with one another, sighing quietly and squishing the urge to go and ask to join them, for she knew what would happen. Either they would decline and call her names, or accept only to have a parent appear out of nowhere like they always did and pull their children away, calling her 'demon brat' and 'monster', before telling their children not to mess with her. As she went to turn away a voice made her pause.
"H-h-hello…" Came a quiet voice, turning Naruko noticed that there was a girl about a year her junior, with medium length bluish hair and the most beautiful lavender eyes the young blond had ever seen.
"Uhhh… hello…" the stunned girl replied, for no one had ever actually come over to talk to her without harsh words coming from their lips. Both girls shifted uncomfortably before the lavender-eyed girl spoke up.
"My… My name is H-hinata Hyuga… may I ask who you are?"
"Naruko… Naruko Uzumaki."
"It… It's nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san…"
"San? Please, just call me Naruko" The blond blushed, not used to having such formalities placed upon her. Receiving a nod and a soft smile from the pale-eyed girl she smiled back. "Can I call you Hinata-chan?" Receiving a nod in reply she smiled. "So, Hinata-chan… Are you alone? Most parents don't like their children playing with me…" A sad look crossed Naruko's face, a similar look crossing Hinata's.
"No… a member of my family is with me here though, he is watching from the other side… are you here with anyone?" as soon as the words crossed her lips she realized she had said something wrong as the short blond (Naruko Note: I'M NOT SHORT!) hung her head, her bangs obscuring her eyes.
"No… I don't have a family…" At this Hinata gasped before reaching out to put a hand on Naruko's shoulder. It was then the Hyuga made himself present.
"Hinata-sama, I believe it is time we returned to the clan compound." He said, placing a hand on Hinata's wrist, keeping her from touching the whisker-marked girl before them as he eyed her with a look of distaste, something that did not go un-noticed by Hinata. Blinking she looked back to her new friend and sighed, something deep inside her urging her to tell her family member something rude… but her outermost personality wouldn't allow it as she silently nodded and bowed her head.
"I hope to see you soon, Naruko-chan" she said softly, smiling as the blond looked up and gave a weak smile back, nodding.
"Yeah… me too" replied the blond, waving as her new friend followed her clan member back to their home. Sighing quietly Naruko turned and left the park, not noticing two pairs of eyes watching her go.
"You think we should follow her? She looked kinda down…"
"But I thought our parents said she was a bad person and we shouldn't be around her?"
"Dose she look like a bad person? I know you've got a brain behind that massive forehead pinky. Now c'mon! Before she gets too far away!"
"Alright… but if we get yelled at it's all your fault, pig!"
The two figures followed the blond all the way to a ramen stand that was hidden between two of the pair's favorite clothing stores. It amazed them that they never realized it was there. Quietly they entered the place to see the girl smiling as a bowl of ramen was placed before her.
"Thanks Teiuchi-ojiisan!" Said Naruko, as she clapped her hands together "Itadakimasu!"
The girls watched quietly from next to the entrance as the girl went through four more bowls before finishing and giving her thanks to the chef, both of her followers wondering in unison where she put it all. They almost jumped when she turned around after paying her bill and spotted them.
"Umm… Do 'ya need anything?" asked the confused blond, looking between the two girls in the entrance, one a bold looking blond with her hair up in a ponytail, the other a shy looking girl with pink hair held out of her eyes by a red ribbon. She recognized the pink-haired girl from the park. They had met briefly before her mother had dragged her away before the girl could get a good look at Naruko.
"Uh… we were just…" the pink haired girl started, biting the tip of her finger slightly before her friend spoke up.
"We were wondering why you looked so down… did that stuck up Hyuga say something to you?" asked the blond, frowning and pursing her lips. Blinking, Naruko stared at the girls before her before shaking her head.
"What? No, he had to have said something! You looked like someone just let their dog tear up your flowers right in front of you!" the blond cried, waving her arms wildly and fuming slightly.
"Ino-chan… she said she was fine…" The shy one said, turning emerald eyes towards her friend.
"No she's not Sakura! Nobody gets that look on their face when their' fine!" Ino said angrily, stomping her foot. Sakura sighed and shook her head slightly.
"I'm sorry Ino-pig is so pushy…" Sakura said, a vein appearing on her large forehead. (Sakura Note: IT'S NOT THAT BIG!) "My name is Sakura Haruno… and she's Ino Yamanaka… Who are you?"
"Oh… My name's Naruko Uzumaki… it's nice to meet you" She replied, bowing politely. "ummm… I don't mean to stick my nose in… but… did you follow me from the park?"
At this both of the followers turned red, starting slightly at being found out so easily.
"Then… aren't your parents going to get worried if you're not there any more?"
Those words were all it took as the two looked at each other with wide eyes.
"Mom!"
"Daddy!"
Both girls were off before Naruko could blink, cries of "Bye Naruko-chan! See you soon!" could be heard from the dust clouds that had become the two girls. Sighing quietly and smiling weakly Naruko bid the ramen stand owner goodbye before heading back to the small apartment she had been living in since she turned six last year. Looking up at her window she saw that the glass was broken, again, along with the boarded shutters she had put over them to keep stones and kunai from breaking them, obviously to no avail. Shaking her head she walked away from her apartment complex and down a side alley, followed by two more as she came across one filled with dumpsters and piles of blankets and things of the like. Looking for a certain pile of blankets she spotted it, moving slightly signaling something was beneath it. Smiling she moved towards it, pulling out an obviously stale cracker from her orange jacket's pocket.
A muzzle stuck out from beneath the blanket, red and narrow. More rustling followed before the head of a small, red fox popped out. It gently took the cracker and began eating, not minding it was stale.
"There you go Kona-chan… eat up…" Naruko said soothingly, stroking the fox's head gently as more movement followed from beneath the blanket, two smaller foxes popping their heads out, looking up at the girl with big green eyes. One was red like its mother, the other was an ash-grey with black tips to its ears and tail. Giggling Naruko pulled out two more crackers and fed one to each kit, rubbing behind their ears as they ate.
"It's nice to see you too Kofu-kun…" she said, petting the red kit "And you Hai-kun" the ash-colored fox (AN/ I'm using hai to mean 'ash', not 'yes', like the Haimaru triplets (Hana's dogs) or Haineko(matsumoto's zanpak-to on Bleach, none of which I own.))
"I hope you guys have been doing okay…. Sorry I don't have more, I got kinda hungry again…" she blushed as the mother fox seemed to give her a look that said 'you're always hungry' Sweat-dropping, Naruko sighed. "I'll get you guys some more food tomorrow… I still have to check and see if my money is still in my apartment… but for tonight I'm staying with you three…hopefully they wont find us… and if they do you three hide just like I showed you, okay? Receiving nods from the three animals Naruko sighed and wrapped herself in the blankets with her three fellow outcasts, remembering just how she had met these foxes as she fell fast asleep.
~Flashback no Jutsu~
Naruko was cold, the rain made sure of it as she attempted to seek shelter beneath an old tarp. As she pulled it over her head the wind chose to pick up, carrying the tarp away from the six year old. Shivering she resisted the urge to cry and headed for the next form of shelter, an empty space behind a dumpster. As she entered the wind died down and the rain ended… for her at least. It just seemed to pick up outside her makeshift den. The sound of growls behind her caused her to freeze, turning slowly she saw a rather thin, yet round looking fox, its fur obviously red, yet patched with mud and what looked to be small cuts.
Her eyes widened as they locked with the kitsune. Blue met green and the young blond could see… herself, in the animal. They sat there like that, simply looking into each others eyes for what felt like hours. Finally the staring contest ended as the fox moved over to her slowly, resting it's head on the young girl's knee. Smiling, the whisker-marked child reached into a pocket and pulled the soggy remains of what was once a cracker… the last bit of food she had after being kicked out of the orphanage she was staying in. Holding it out to her new 'friend' she smiled as the young fox ate. Gently she pulled the fox into her arms and leaned against the wall. Closing her eyes, Naruko began to sing a song that had always played in her head.
"Home is where the heart is… I want to go home…"
Stroking the young fox in her lap she smiled, the words coming as she sang, unknowingly filling the young animal with a feeling she herself kept within the song's words…
"Long I've traveled… Long I've tried…
To find the feeling deep inside.
With all my heart, with all my soul,
To find a home to call my own."
Hope.
"With friends and family I call dear,
To be with me through joy and fear…"
She wasn't sure how she knew it, or if she had just made it up, but it helped to keep her going. It gave her a dream, one she wanted to fulfill more than anything…
"To be the ones close to my heart…
The ones to let me start…. Anew…."
To have a family she could love… and be loved by in return.
"Home is where the heart is…I want to know home…"
Naruko soon passed out, curled around the small animal who she had unknowingly saved from death. Those who had heard the song through an open window, or in neighboring alleys could not help but wipe tears from their eyes… though had they known where the music had come from they would never have let it finish.
The next morning Naruko awoke to find herself alone. As she crawled out of her hiding place she looked up to see the sun high in the sky, the small strip of blue devoid of any clouds to hide it's brilliant light. Hearing quiet yips coming from a small pile of blankets, Naruko raised it slowly to reveal her friend from the previous night… curled around two young fox kits, both pawing blindly at their mother's stomach. Her eyes widening a smile formed on her face as she reached down, petting first the mother, and then the kits. The smallest of the two, a grey one with black tips to its ears and tail lifted its muzzle towards her, sniffing quietly before licking her fingertips softly.
"Maybe… maybe you can be my family…" Naruko said quietly, smiling down at the young foxes.
~flashback no jutsu – KAI!~
The next morning Naruko sighed and entered her apartment through the open doorway, the door hanging from a single screw in it's bottom hinge as it had been kicked in. Looking around the devastation she could see several new marks of graffiti with things like "Monster" and "Demon Scum!" written in large letters. Sighing she saw that even her fridge had been both disconnected, and tipped over, causing the few things held within to either spill, spoil, or a combination of the two. Moving to her bedroom she saw that all her clothing had been shredded, her closet ransacked, and more graffiti strewn about the walls, and even the ceiling, surprisingly enough the bed was left untouched. Looking closer she saw that there were senbon needles jutting from the mattress at random spots, so that if she laid down they would impale her small form.
Sighing she looked under her bed and saw that it was untouched, not even the dust was touched, exactly how she liked it. Reaching under the bed, she pushed on a nail that stuck just barely above the surface of the wood, causing the rest of the plank to lift, on the other side of her bed. Standing and walking around she looked inside and fetched the money hid there, which surprisingly enough was several thousand ryo, stuffed into a small frog wallet, which was actually rather large from all the bills inside.
Smiling that she still had it she put it inside her jacket and ran to the hokage's office. Panting as she stepped in the door the elderly leader smiled at her from over the mountain of paperwork that was his desk.
"Ah, good morning Naruko-chan… is there something I can do for you?"
"umm… jiji…I was wondering…how much dose it cost to have a house built?" the young girl asked, looking at her feet and causing the elderly hokage to blink before frowning.
"Now… Naruko-chan, what is wrong with the apartment building I rent for you?" he asked. Naruko sighed and explained the state of her living quarters to the old man, from the tipped fridge to the senbon jutting from her bed, and everything in between. By the end of the story the hokage was furious to the point he had actually snapped his tobacco pipe halfway through the explanation without realizing it. Standing the hokage set the remains of his pipe on his desk and moved around the wooden structure to his unofficial adoptive daughter… only going around because he was not young enough to merely say… throw the obnoxious structure through the window at the idiocy of the village outside.
"Come Naruko, show me where you would like to build this house of yours." He said, opening the door for her, to which she smiled and headed through, followed quickly by the elderly Sarutobi clan member. "Raidou-san, please reschedule all my appointments for my return. I am afraid there is an important matter to which I must see to." He said, nodding to the scarred man at his desk, receiving a confused "y-yes, hokage-sama."
And with that, the two left. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the most powerful man in the village, holding the hand of the village's pariah as they left to where Naruko's imagination ran rampant so as only she could see it.
"Well… I must say that this is a wonderful place to build a home… tell me Naruko… How did you come across this?" Asked Sarutobi, as he gazed around the large clearing in the forest around the hokage monument. Naruko merely smiled.
"I come here every now and then to tend my flowers…" Naruko said, moving towards a small patch of brilliantly colored flowers. "Yamanaka-sempai says that they are some of the best flowers he's seen grown outside his household… he actually sells me fertilizer cheaper than normal if I only buy a little." At this Sarutobi smiled, making a mental note to thank Inoichi personally the next time he saw the clan leader.
"This truly is a lovely place to build a home, Naruko-chan." Spoke the third, nodding.
"That's not the only reason I like it here jiji! C'mon!" and with that, the short blond (NN: NOT SHORT!) grabbed the curious man's hand and dragged him towards the tree line, and after about four minutes of being dragged, they stopped at a sight that took away the old man's breath… in a good way that is.
The view was remarkable. From this point Sarutobi could see the entirety of the village of Konoha, bar what stood on the other side other side of the mountainous monument. Smiling he looked down at the young girl before him, only to have his breath catch yet again.
The sun was starting to set, and had caught the young girl just the right angle so as her hair had become alight with the dying rays of the sun, turning it from sun-kissed blond, to a bright, fiery inferno of yellows and golds and whites. Turning, the young girl smiled and the aged Hokage could swear that he saw a halo hanging over the young girl's head as she glowed in the evening light.
"See Jiji? I told you it was beautiful!"
"Yes… Yes it is Naruko. Yes it is."
AN/ *whistles* wow. Didn't expect that to take that long! Anywho, I'm not sure what pairing, if any, will be in this fic, so feel free to put forth your own suggestions! NOTE! I will NOT be pairing her with Sasu-gay, Sakura, Kakashi or Kiba. Also, next chapter expect Cameos~!
I hope you all like this, and let me tell you that the ideas for the story came as I typed, including that song. Speaking of it, I'm not sure if I was subconsciously remembering a real song or just came up with it as I went. If it's a real song it belongs to whoever it was written by, if not:
"Want to Know Home" © Takami Haru
Welp, gotta say it's been fun. Until next chapter, Ja Ne!