Chapter 1: Encountering an Angel
(Shikamaru's POV)
Lady Tsunade assigned me on a mission. I have to escort a man from the rain village. This is such a drag and I am too lazy to even do this, but a man's gotta do what he's told and besides, this is my job anyways. Put me into use. As we were walking, the man kept asking me so many questions. He was probably around his sixties. He's pretty old so I had to carry him from time to time.
"Young man," he called out to me. "Do you have someone special? Maybe a girlfriend?" Here we go with the questions again. Such a drag. "No, sir." I can feel a huge amount of questions going to be coming right at me again. "Why not? You're a fine young man. I'm sure there must be a lot of ladies trying to win you over," he said. Ugh. More questions. "I'm not really interested in having a girlfriend right now. They're a pain in the neck," I reasoned. "Don't worry son. You'll find a great girl later on in your life. Someone who'll take care of you and protect you even with her life," he reassured." His words sunk in deep. Now I'm wondering if I'm ever gonna meet the type of girl I've always wanted to be with. So I asked, "So how do you know if she's the one?" I don't really have a romance interest but since I'm all bored here and nothing to do, I might as well ask. I don't know if I'm gonna need his answer one day. "You'll know if she's the one. She will take care of you when you're in need. She will give you happiness but also troubles. She will love you for who you are even if you have a bad side. She will protect you like how you would protect her, and she will sacrifice her life just like you would sacrifice yours in order to save her," he paused and gave out a huge sigh. I looked at him and his gaze looked like he was reminiscing. He sighed again. "If you feel love, pain, happiness, loneliness, and you cry because of her, then you'll know that you love her and won't be able to let her go," he added. "If she makes you happy and you're happy with her, then she's the one. If you ever meet that kind of girl, take care of her and hold on to her because you might never find a girl that's going to love you for you."
We finally arrived at the village. I said my farewell to the old man. I walked back to the same route that we took, going back to the leaf village. It's about two or three days of travelling for an average person. It's already getting dark. I need to rest and sleep too so I have enough energy to travel again tomorrow. Time to camp here in the forest. I don't wanna waste money to stay at an inn.
I took out and prepared my sleeping bag and jump on a tree's branch. I need to make sure there's no danger in this forest before I sleep. I ate before I slept. I bought some ready-to-eat foods from the store before leaving the village. The cake I bought was pretty good. Not too sweet.
I hopped on to my sleeping bag. I can't sleep, and I kept thinking about what the old man told me. I don't really know what love is since I've never fell in love yet. I've always viewed women as a pain in the neck. Besides, they're always nagging their partner. What a drag. I slowly closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard a girl screaming like she was being tortured. I quickly got up and tried looking for the voice or whatever's going on. I hate getting to other's business but it sounded like this person would need my help. She sounded so fragile and in so much pain. I hate it when girls get hurt.
I kept roaming around the forest jumping on branches and twigs just to see what the hell is going on. I heard another scream. I was getting closer to it. I have to think of a strategy just in case. I have to hide near the bushes and trees to see what's going on.
I hid behind this big tree. There are three men and look like they're from the mist village is fighting this girl. She appears to be from a different village. Her headband showed an image of a feather and small droplets of water below it. I've never seen this sign before. Is she a friend or a foe of our village?
The tallest guy from the mist village with a sword punch the girl in the gut, while the two other guys held her hands on each sides. Witnessing this kind of cruelty made my stomach dropped. I was in disbelief and I hate seeing these scenes. I wanted to jump in and save her but I still can't think of a strategy.
I've finally found a good spot. I went behind the bushes close to the men who were hurting her. There I saw a beautiful girl in a blue dress. She was wounded and her mouth was bleeding. She looked like she was beat up pretty bad. The three men just looked so perverted and one of the men kicked and slammed her on the bottom of the tree. Her long, black hair in pigtails and her long bangs covered her face. She looked like she was done. The other guys grabbed her and made her stand up. Her knees were shaking and she looked lifeless. The two men grabbed her arms so she can stand up. The tallest guy standing in front of her took out his sword and cut one of the straps of her top. This time I need to step in. I don't care if I haven't come up with a strategy but I can no longer want to watch this unpleasant scene. This asshole is going to rape this girl.
I kicked the guy with the sword to the side and paralyzed the other two with my shadow possession jutsu. I threw them somewhere far so we have enough time to get out. I carried the girl and went back to my camping place. She was beat up really bad and unconscious. She had cuts all over her body. Just looking at her made me feel so bad for her. I wonder if she was running away from these guys the whole time? What happened to her? And who is this girl? She's very pale and her temperature dropped. I put her inside my sleeping back to keep her warm. I took out the healing balm that Lady Tsunade gave me and applied it on her wounds. I couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to just be a look out just in case those guys come back.
I hear birds chirping. It's already morning. Crap! I fell asleep. I looked at the sleeping bag and the girl isn't there. I heard something from behind the bushes so I decided to be on guard just in case it's an enemy. The person finally came out and it was the girl carrying my bag in her back. "Good morning," she greeted me with a smile. "I decided to go look for something to eat since you were still sleeping. I also have water for you," she added. I stared at her innocent face. She looks so pure. I finally snapped out of it. "Thanks a lot and good morning to you too," I replied. "I should be thanking you. Thank you so much for saving me and nursing me back to good health," she said. Her wounds didn't look too bad anymore. "It's no problem. Glad I could help." She smiled at me. She took out an apple and throw it at me. "Let's eat!" She looked like a cheerful person. She was probably waiting for me to ask her about herself but I won't right now. I took out the other food I bought from the leaf village store and gave her some. After eating, she stood up and put my sleeping bag away.
She sat on a tree's branch, looking away from me. Her gaze was somewhere far away. Her eyes filled with loneliness. I jumped into a tree next to hers and sat on one of the branches.
Shikamaru: "So…Where are you from?"
The girl finally snapped out of it.
Girl: "I'm sorry but I can't tell you."
I stared at her apologetic face, looking away.
Shikamaru: "It's okay. Just talk to me when you're ready to open up. I'm not forcing you to."
Girl: "Thank you."
Shikamaru: "By the way, I'm Shikamaru. What's your name?"
Girl: My name is Athena. Tena for short.
Shikamaru: That's a beautiful name, Athena.
Athena: "Thanks. I think it's time for me to go. Thank you again."
Athena jumped out of the tree, walking away from me. I grabbed her hand.
Shikamaru: "Do you have somewhere to go?" I asked with concern.
Athena: "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." Her hands slipping away from me.
Shikamaru: "Look if you don't have any place to go to, you can always stay at my village for a while. Those men might come back looking for you."
Athena: "I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."
I was getting pissed so I had to do something. I knocked her out by pressing a sensitive part between her neck and shoulder. That should do it.
I packed all the things that needed to be packed up. Have to get out of here soon since those men might come back. I carried Athena on my arms while traveling. She wasn't even heavy. She's probably just around seventy-five pounds. She has the ideal body image Ino and other girls would hope to have, but she's a bit short, which makes her look even younger.
I decided to stop at another village to get some food. After I bought food for us, I decided to head to the forest and look for a new place to sleep. Even though she's very light, carrying her was very tiring. She's been out for almost the whole day and it's already near twilight. I'm really getting tired. I took out my sleeping bag and slipped in. I tied Athena to a tree so she won't get away next time especially since she's still in danger. I don't wanna be too rough on her but I don't have much choice right now. If I wanna keep her safe, then I have to do this. I closed my eyes, feeling very exhausted. I finally fell in a deep sleep.
A drop of water fell on my forehead, waking me up. It's starting to rain. I turned my head into the tree where I tied Athena. She was staring at me, smiling. "Had a good sleep?" I replied with a yes. "It's pretty smart of you tying me to a tree. That's pretty reasonable," she stated. I gave her a smirk as a response while shaking my head. I've finally untied her since it was starting to rain a lot harder. It turned very dark since the bonfire was out. We climbed one of the trees and sat there, conversing and talking about random things for hours. She was finally starting to open up to me.
Suddenly, there were movements around the bushes. Then three men appeared in front of us. Same men who were after Athena. This is bad. I haven't regain much energy to perform my shadow possession jutsu. I'm still too tired and weak. This is such a drag! If only I had enough chakra.
We both got down from the tree and tried using our fists to fight. We're both weak and don't have enough energy.
The men hit me and Athena over and over and I was trying to block them from hitting Athena. I don't know how long am I going to be able to keep this up but I can barely open my eyes and starting to fall unconscious. Then I saw Athena getting up slowly.
Athena: "That is it! You're after me so come fight me instead!" she yelled with extreme frustration and anger.
This is my first time seeing her angry. She stood right in front of me, blocking the guys from the mist village to stop attacking me. Next thing I saw were hand signs. "Sharp needles jutsu," she chanted. The three guys dropped to the ground, bleeding cus of the needles that penetrated their body. I looked back at her. She was panting and looks like she used a lot of chakra to attack the three guys. She took my arm and put it around her shoulders, helping me get up to escape from these guys. Before we could go further from these guys, the tallest man with the sword who beat up Athena earlier threw a kunai at her leg, wounding her. We both fell and we don't have enough chakra to perform a jutsu. We couldn't even get up. The guy who hit her with the kunai stood up, taking out the remaining needles that he hadn't took out. The guy grabbed Athena's clothing and slammed her on the tree across from where I was. I couldn't do much. I tried standing up but I couldn't. I can barely move my body with these broken ribs. The guy took out another kunai and stabbed Athena on the abdomen. All I could hear was that she was screaming in pain. I saw tears in her eyes and blood on the side of her lips. I tried using my shadow possession jutsu but I don't have enough chakra and energy. The guy took out the kunai on Athena's abdomen and said, "I should've killed you earlier just like what we did to your clan and village men." Hearing this shocked me. Who are these people and what the hell happened? Why are they after her? The guy turned around and looked at me. "Since I've been having a hard time killing you, how about I kill your friend here right in front of you," he threatened. I froze and couldn't think of anything. Shurikens were being thrown at me. Next thing I saw is a flash of bright light and heard fluttering of wings. I could see Athena kneeling right in front of me, but something seemed different. I could see wings coming out from her back. She covered me with the wings to protect me. Wings. Who is she? I looked up at her face with disbelief. I could see tears coming out from her eyes. "I'm so sorry I've caused you so much trouble," she whispered with pain and tears rolling down her cheeks. "Protection seal," she yelled. A barrier appeared in front of us. "I've created a barrier for us. I can't keep it for too long but I should have enough time to heal you," she said. So she knows medical ninjutsu. What else can she do? She lifted her hands and light appeared. "You're all done. I've also restored the energy and chakra you have lost." I opened my mouth and couldn't believe it. I felt strong once again. "Now, take this opportunity and leave Shikamaru," she demanded. "I'm not going to leave you here Athena," I insisted. The protection seal was fading and the guy kept on punching and stabbing it with the kunai. "Hurry! I can't hold on to this any longer. You must go now." We both stood up. I can't just leave her here. She had already done so much for me. The guy breaks through the barrier with the kunai. Athena turned her head and pushed me away from her. She coughed up blood and dropped down to the ground. The guy stabbed her on the back. At this rate, she's done. "Silly girl! You would save this person instead of running away and saving yourself?" The guy laughed. Athena is still kneeling on the ground and she's losing more blood. I froze here on my spot. I looked at her while she tries to stand back up. Her legs were trembling. She finally reached her limits. "That's it! You leave me no choice. I would never wanna do this but this my last resort," she threatened. She turned her head and told me to run now. "Scream of death," she chanted. The guy dropped dead to the ground. "Thank you for everything Shikamaru," she smiled. She looked pale. Her eyes were slowly closing. Second, her legs gave up but I was able to catch her. The wings slowly went back to her body. "Athena, stay with me," I begged. I called out her name so many times but there's no response. I checked her pulse but it was very weak. I walked to the guys who are after Athena. The man who attacked us with the kunai's dead. The other two had pulse. I felt a presence of others around the bushes so I stand on guard. Naruto came out from the bushes with Neji and Chouji. They just stared at me. "Hey you guys. Tie those two guys there because I'm going to talk to them later," I commanded. "What happened?" Naruto said. "I'll tell you later now go tie them up!" I exclaimed. Naruto and Neji tied the two guys that are unconscious. "Okay now that we're done, let's hurry up and go to Lady Tsunade," I said. "I'll explain everything later."
We finally got to the leaf village, and I handed Athena to Lady Tsunade in the hospital to heal her. I stayed outside the waiting room waiting for the fifth hokage to come out. After a few minutes she finally came out.
Shikamaru: "How is she Lady Tsunade?"
Tsunade: "She's in a coma right now and a very critical condition. She could die."
Shikamaru: "No! Don't say that! Just do whatever you can to save her!"
She looked at me and nodded. Reassured me to not lose hope.
Tsunade: "Who is she Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru: "I found her in the forest and she was being attacked by three men from the mist village. Her name's Athena."
Tsunade: "We have a lot to discuss later, but first I need to go make sure she'll be fine. I'm going to need to heal her broken bones and ribs and replace the blood she lost. I'll see you later Shikamaru."
I left the hospital for a while and head to Naruto, Neji, and Chouji who are holding the two men. I grabbed the first guy on the collar and demanded him to speak up.
Shikamaru: "Speak up and tell me what did you do to that girl and her family! You better tell me and maybe I would still spare your lives."
I was getting so angry. I just wanted to punch them so many times.
1st guy: "We were ordered to kill her whole family and clan, but the boss wanted the girl alive so we can use her as a weapon in our village. We were also ordered to kill every single person in her village. After that, we burnt down the whole place."
2nd guy: She kept running away from us and the guy that you killed just had enough. He attempted raping her even when we first caught her."
I clenched my fist and trembled in disgust, anger, and hate. How could you do that to this girl? I finally let them go and told Naruto and Neji to send them to prison.
I went back to the hospital. Looks like Lady Tsunade hasn't came out yet. After another hour, she finally came out and medical corps came out with her, directing Athena to her room. I followed them and Lady Tsunade took me out and talked about her condition.
Lady Tsunade: "She's still in a coma. I don't know when is she going to wake up. She's pretty stable now. She's just unconscious. Who is this girl again and what really happened?"
Shikamaru: "I found her in the forest. Heard a scream when I was sleeping and it was her. Three men from the mist village massacred her whole clan and family and the two men said they even killed all the villagers and burnt down the whole place. She has nowhere else to go. I tried helping her but didn't have enough chakra so she healed me and restored my energy and chakra with her healing powers. She also have wings."
Lady Tsunade: "You said wings?"
Shikamaru: "Yes. Do you know anything about her?"
Lady Tsunade: "I thought it was only just a legend. This is my first time encountering someone from the feather village. Long time ago, elders said there's this one village called the feather where normal people lived, but there was this one clan who had angelic powers. It's almost the same thing as the sharingan of the Uchiha and Byakugan of the Hyuuga clan. They are called mortal angels. They are still humans like us and do not have an eternal life. Their purpose is to protect and guard their village. It's basically a shinobi kind of thing too. They have different kinds of power, but they need to be hidden because if other villages find out, they will use them as their ultimate weapon. This poor child has nowhere to go since they burned down her whole village. You can make her stay here all you want, but I need her to stay under Azuma and Kurenai's hands for now. You're also going to be responsible, Shikamaru. We might need her assistance, just in case our village might get attacked."
Shikamaru: "Yes ma'am." I bowed and thank her. She left and told me to look after her for now. I went inside her room and she's lying there, looking so lifeless.
