Of Blood And Sand

Written by: BloodySandGirl

Disclaimer: BloodySandGirl doesn't own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto; all BloodySandGirl owns is Akane Tsukino and her family.

Aika Sakurano belongs to Ori Heartlyng respectively and BloodySandGirl has permission to use said character for Of Blood and Sand...s~

Thanks: Thank you for those who are so far following this story, here is chapter one. I hope you enjoy it, I'll get chapter two out in about a week :)

Writer's Note: First Edit : Edit: Some minor changes, but not much.

Playlist: Linkin Park - In The End

Prologue:

You know how birth is so hard on a woman? Well personally I NEVER want to feel being actually born again, not that I had a kid at that point so I can't really compare the two. I just know that being born, and actually knowing that was my current predicament was so not something I really wanted to remember.

I guess I died, and was then reborn into a new life.

Not that my 'new' life was to be much better, you see fate has this funny idea the weird 'punk-goth' chick that I was would make some kind of useful ninja. I guess I can also say that is because I was not a person who wouldn't learn how to survive anything, so becoming a ninja was my obvious choice. A freaking ninja, no way was I being a civilian, in the Naruto Universe. Of all the stupid things fate decided I could handle this was not anything close to my norm. You see my world isn't like yours...people are different. My difference...well...it deals with my blood...and apparently fate thought it would be humorous to carry that shit over, and personally I could have done without it. Especially with all the other weird shit I would undoubtedly have to deal with...

I was weird enough in my own world but that is the past and this...this is my story of survival, pain, love, happiness and of finding my place in this world...and hopefully...my best friend...

Chapter One: Birth Of Blood

The first thing I realized was warmth, and although I was inside something in water like...stuff...it didn't feel wet really just kind of like I was floating in air almost. It was definitely odd to move and felt like I was trapped in some kind of stretchable sack, which just made me freak out a bit. However, it was the pressure all around me as I struggled, to scream or escape, that really drove my mind to panic. It was that pressure that really wigged me out, that constant pushing and pulling feeling was so not normal, I mean what the hell was I in for Gods sake?! I can say the whole experience was just surreal and might have panicked me...quite a bit. I didn't feel normal, my surroundings were definitely not normal. Suddenly more pressure around my head made me squirm away from whatever was causing it but apparently escape wasn't gonna happen! Squeeze, release, squeeze release...this same sequence on a repetitive cycle; soon enough I kind of got used to that weird pressure so I let my mind drift as I tried to figure out what I was in, and why I felt...strange.

What was wrong with me? Why did my body feel...different?...I couldn't explain it but I felt...less? How could a person feel less? Well, I suppose something could be missing maybe...to test this theory of mine I wiggled my toes and while they did not respond quite like normal, I felt secure in the fact they were there. Okay, now for my finger's-a wiggle, although again-weird...like my body wasn't quite in the condition I was used to; so what could that mean? I mused for just a brief moment before I went to touch my head and that was where I started to get some idea of my situation. My head felt relatively normal, if I normally did not have a head full of curls, which this 'new' or 'altered' head did not. My movements were...sluggish...and I wondered if whatever had happened before could explain my current predicament? I couldn't be sure, but something had happened to me and the after effects did not seem rather...pleasant.

It seemed an eternity of this pressure as I tried to gather myself...Then, a sudden cold rush on my head!.. that was my head, right? My whole body felt sluggish and somehow wrong. Then, a tugging sensation-which I was really not happy with, it left me feeling rather small and insignificant...and I did not like the feeling. I had not felt so weak or helpless in years and that feeling made me very frustrated-it caused flashes of my past which were best forgotten. These images flashed across my mind with dizzying speed, all centered around a jealous and spiteful stepmother whose biting tongue and stinging snaps of physical violence haunted my blackest thoughts.

Suddenly the pressure eased up and large...hands?... were cradling me, pulling me from those dark memories. I opened my eyes for the first time, only to be painfully blinded by bright light and voices I could not decipher. They spoke, but not English; although some of the words sounded vaguely...familiar. A sudden pain caused me to scream...only to stop mid vocals as my voice registered as my own.

That wasn't my voice! I had sounded much younger than my nineteen years of age...while this new voice that seemed to come from within me sounded small and childlike. I felt more touching and poking on my body that seemed even more alien than ever, what was going on? I tried to recall my last thoughts...or memories...before of the warmth of whatever I had been in. Headlights...my brain seemed fuzzy...and I knew something was wrong; but for some reason I couldn't place the feeling. I made myself focus on that flash of a picture in my mind...headlights...rushing towards me...

~Flash Back~

I had been on my way back from my small hometown to my prestigious yet unimaginative college in Louisville Ky; the semester had ended and a new one was about to start. My best friend had just gotten accepted and was coming back with me; after about two trips to of packing and unpacking her belongings- that is, with the help of some family members, as well as borrowing their larger trucks (I happened to own a small car as did Lei). Classes started Monday, and we had two other roommates who also happened to be best friends. Luckily enough the four of us were all from the same small town in Tennessee and had managed to swipe one of the few dorm rooms that allowed for such a large group. I had previously been the only one of us enrolled, we had all decided to enroll in the same college so we could stay together. It had made us all so happy that everyone had been accepted and even more so for them to allow us all to room together.

That weekend had been a blur of activity for Lei, Jazz, Rae, and I as we raced back and forth setting everything up.

Lei Gray, (my best friend) who was our sports buff and who tended to be a little obnoxious in her friendly manner with too much hugging, as well as her shy tendencies with people she didn't know. She was our healer, quite literally her Oddity was the capability to heal herself and others, not to mention she was damn weirdly good with any kind of plant.

Jazz Wilson who happened to be Rae's BFF, our 'cow-girl' of the bunch who I constantly teased about her love of nature and 'redneck' crap. She was a blast once we came to a understanding but I had a bit of a complicated relationship with her most of the time. Chick was down right wolf like at times, with her heightened senses.

Rae Louis who was Jazz's best friend our resident 'goth' artist who was actually a very happy loving person who always seemed to have a mothering instinct. She hated labels as much as me, and we bonded quickly over our Empathic capabilities like flowers and sunshine. She also had unnatural speed, and healed quickly.

Then there was me, Anna Mallory the odd-ball who was typically classified as a goth-punk because while I loved dark color's I also loved random splashes of color. I had what was called blood magic, meaning I could manipulate most any blood especially my own to put it simply.

Lei had been driving us back for the final trip to our college dorms in her old beat up Chevy, when it happened. A screech of tires, the smell of rubber as headlights flashed across the windshield and I felt my heart seize up as suddenly everything became a blur of motion. It was louder than I could have expected making my ears ring as I was jarred around in the small car the seatbelt digging into my chest and neck painfully.

She was sprawled across my lap, and I could taste metal in my mouth. The thought it was from the car passed through my head...but no...it wasn't metal it was blood. There was that particular coppery tang with salt, but also a sweet undercurrent to the taste only I associated with blood.

My Blood, and Lei's.

"Shit! Rae! A-"

"Calm down Jazz...get Rae and get the hell out, I'll get Lei." I shifted as best I could wincing in pain as I locked my eyes with Jazz "Calm."

"I smell gas Anna...I...I'm scared...w-what if R-"

"Stop!" The word was more of a bark than spoken in my earlier soothing tones "Get. Rae. Out. Now. Leave the rest to me." A glance at Lei had already told me my best friend was dead but I was not going to leave her body here. Jazz didn't need to know that though and I could see Rae moving slightly although I was sure she was mostly out of it. I started trying to undo my seatbelt but started to panic when it would not release. I bit my lip making myself calm down, panic would get me nowhere but dead fast because if any spark hit that fuel I was literally toast.

Then fire sprung to being as I tugged and pulled on my seat belt yelling to Jazz "Just keep going! Get Rae and yourself away from here..."

"Damn it Anna!" Jazz bellowed at me but I gave her a glare and she growled.

"Rae needs to be your top priority go!" I snapped as I finally pulled the buckle loose and shifted to tug on Lei's. "Just fucking go you stupid wolf!" I watched her defeated look as she finally complied with my order, and order it was. I knew her seat belt wasn't going to release it was locked in place and I felt a few tears slide down my face as I grabbed Lei's cooling hand in my own warm one.

"I'm sorry Lei...so sorry..."

The explosion ripped through the silent night but I didn't die there...no I started to burn and couldn't help but scream as the sound of sirens could now be heard.

~End Flashback~

I screamed then uncaring as I remembered the pain, the loss and it was more rage than remembered pain at the unfairness of the world. Lei...perhaps she was with me or would be in this new world, I had a small sliver of hope and I was determined I would find out. I felt something soft envelope me but I just continued the high pitched noise making my feelings of unhappiness known to whoever was present. I felt someone's breath on my face as they pressed what I could only guess was their mouth to me, a kiss I supposed. I just got louder even though it hurt my throat, but when the soft tones of a female making soothing noises and I couldn't help but quiet.