Raven's Flight
Chapter 1
A young sixteen year old girl stood in an open clearing in a forest. She was embraced by her father who stood in front of a shimmering portal. He stroked her greyish blue hair softly as tears trickled down her cheek.
"Please don't go. I forgive you. I'm going to miss you, please dad, don't leave me here, not like this." the girl said.
"I have to do this, I told you already. I can't keep running away from my reality." her father said. He broke free from his daughter and handed her two envelopes. "Take these. The first, open when you get home, the second, open on your wedding night." He turned to the portal and was about to step though when his daughter called out to him on last time.
"Wait, dad! Take this!" she said taking off her necklace and giving it to him. "Mom gave it to me for my birthday. She said it was the only thing her mother left her, she passed it down to me and now I'm giving it to you. Take it as a memento of me and mom..."
Her father smiled and took the necklace placing it around his neck. "I'll never take it off. No matter where I go, you two will always be with me." He embraced his daughter one last time. "Goodbye Karasu. I love you." He broke from the embrace for the last time, and stepping through the portal, disappeared.
Karasu dropped her head, allowing her bangs to cover her face. She turned and left the forest to return home. When she came to the gates of the village, there was an anbu waiting for her.
"Karasu, may we speak with you?" the agent asked.
"I've been through a lot today, I'm not really much in the mood for talking..." she replied.
"We are very sorry to hear that, but we must insist, seeing that your mother and grandfather are dead, with you being the only witness." the agent said.
Karasu sighed, "Fine. Lead the way..." and followed the agent back to their headquarters in a remote part of the village. She was seated in an interrogation room with the agent who brought her there.
"May I get you something to drink?" the agent asked.
"No thanks." she replied, her eyes going hazy.
"Look, Karasu, I'm sorry about what happened. I'm just here to ask you about the details of the matter. Anything and everything you know to help us with the investigation. We've also taken the liberty of setting aside some temporary housing for you while your house is being taken care of." the agent told her.
"I'll save you a lot of time and effort. My father is the culprit. He killed Grampa, and he killed mom, and you'll never be able to catch him." she said.
"What do you mean we won't be able to catch him? Were you a conspirator in your grandfather's and mother's murder?" the agent asked.
Karasu stood from her seat and glared at him with rage, "Of course I wasn't! Why would I kill my own family and destroy my life, leaving me to dwell in loneliness and pain?!"
The agent held up his hands, "Calm down Karasu, I was just testing you, I know you didn't have anything to do with the murders, however I would like you to elaborate on your previous comment. You said we won't be able to catch your father? Why not?"
"Because he went back home." she said angrily folding her arms.
"Again, please elaborate." the agent asked.
Karasu looked over at him, her expression was a mix of anger, sadness, but also fear. "Before I tell you what happened, I have one question for you."
"And what would that be?" the agent asked.
"Do you believe that there are some incredible jutsu in this world that are capable of unbelievable things?" she asked.
"I have seen so incredible jutsu in my day that have left me in shock, so to some degree, yes, I do believe that." the agent replied.
"That's encouraging because what I'm about to say would fall under that category." Karasu said. "My father will never be found because he returned to his dimension, or more accurately, his form of reality."
"He what? How is that possible?" the agent asked.
"It turns out the Uchiha have an advanced ability where they are able to send someone to what is considered their 'dream world', under the right conditions of course. My father had a run in with an Uchiha who sent him to his dream world which happens to be the reality we are in now. From what dad told me, the real world and dream worlds are supposed to be similar in nature but the person who is sent there has the capability to change it based on their deepest desires..." Karasu said.
"I hate to cut you off, but what was the ability like and what was your father's deepest desire that shaped this world if any at all?" the agent asked.
"Dad said the dream world jutsu is a genjutsu that can be applied with the sharingan an the help of a red full moon. As to what my father's desires were, well, from what he stated, in his reality, my mom, nor grandfather are alive. Grampa died when my father was eight while on a mission as an anbu, and mom died while trying to kill a man who started a world war. My dad admitted to having many loves in his life but of them all, my mom was the one whom he loved the most. So naturally you could expect his desire would want to be with her and Grampa again." Karasu replied.
The agent looked down, "That's very unfortunate... but how does all of that relate to their murders here?"
"When my father was sent to this world, he was given a chance to return home in the exact same way he came in. The man who sent him here was ready and willing to do so, but my dad refused. Having mom and Grampa back in his life was enough to make him want to stay. Not too long ago he was given another offer to return home however to return, it would come at a price. He was given a riddle which took my dad a while to figure out and to his dismay, the price was heavy. 'Give back what was given to you; take back what was taken away.'" Karasu said, tears forming again in her eyes.
"You mother, your grandfather, they were the riddle, but if they were what was lost to your father, what was taken from him?" the agent asked.
"The love of another woman. His old squad-mate. A lady named Sachiko. In my dad's reality, they were in love and had a relationship going. In his dream world, she was dead, or that's what we all thought." she replied.
"What do you mean?" the agent asked.
"She was the bitch that crashed my birthday party not too long ago and was responsible for all the chaos that ensued. She planted those bombs around the village causing everyone to panic. Dad fought her and defeated her. She told us that on the mission they thought she died on, she merely drifted with the current, was recovered by some farm boy, and suffered from amnesia for years. When she finally recovered, she tried to return to the village to be with dad, but was too late, my dad was already with my mom. She snapped and devised a plan to kill everyone my dad loved, including me, to get back at him." Karasu said clinching her fists with anger. "So the last piece to the riddle was fixing things with her. When he did that, a portal opened up and allowed my dad passage. He did everything he needed to do to return home."
The anbu agent smirked and stood up from his chair, "That's quite an interesting story. One would almost think either it was a well rehearsed story or that you are just insane."
"What?! It's the truth, I swear! I know it's hard to believe but it's all true!" Karasu screamed.
"We're going to have to take you into custody for the time being while we investigate this matter. If we don't find any evidence that you were actually involved with the murders, then we'll let you go, if we do, well, then you'll just be executed." the agent said.
"I thought you said you believed me!" Karasu cried.
The agent wagged his finger. "I said no such thing, I only agreed that there incredible jutsu existed in this world." he walked around to Karasu and handcuffed her. "I'll show you to your cell now."
Karasu struggled as she was being led off "No, stop, please! I have nothing to do with my father's crime! Let me go!"
When they arrived at her cell, she was violently tossed in, and skidded across the floor. She didn't move, she just cried. Hours passed and Karasu could see the moon up in the sky. She remembered her father had given her a letter to read when she had gotten home. Given the situation and the stress she was under, the curiosity of what her father's letter would contain calmed her a bit. She reached into her pocket and opening the letter, held it to the moonlight to see what was written.
Dear Karasu,
By now, you should be home reading this and I am back in my own world. I will never be able tell you how sorry I am for the way things ended. I can't tell you how much despite all that I've done that I still love you with all my heart and soul. I can only pray that one day the storm will subside and you will find the strength and compassion to forgive me. I know full and well things are about to become much tougher on you because from here on out, you are on your own. I know this may not mean much given the circumstances, but for what it is worth, you don't have to worry about any financial instability. Your mother and I have a significant amount of money set aside in the event one or both of us were no longer in your life. I trust you will spend it wisely. All the information you will need is also included in this envelope.
For now, please take care and always remember the teaching your mother and I passed down to you. You are an incredible young woman, Karasu, and I have faith in you to keep moving forward and grow stronger with each step you take. I will never forget the years I spent in this world nor the time I spend with you and your mother. Above all else, thank you for being a part of my life. It'll be a painful change to not have you in my life anymore and to watch you continue to grow. I love you, Karasu, never forget that.
Love,
Dad
Karasu's face was filled with tears once more. She was truly on her own now. She muddled through the envelope to find the other paperwork her dad mentioned in the letter. It was a list of bank accounts, their locations, but oddly enough, there was a record of another house. This was a house that Karasu had never heard either of her parents mention ever before. The house was located in Amegakure, the village where her mother originated from. Scanning the other documents more thoroughly, she saw that some of the bank accounts were also located in Amegakure. She came to the conclusion that there would be no way the anbu agents would find her innocent. If they didn't kill her, she would be locked away for the rest of her life in an insane asylum. There was only one thing she could do now.
Karasu placed the envelope back in her pocket. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, her body melted into the shadows of her room. She traveled through the shadows of the cell's window to the outside. She didn't reappear until she made it to the outside of the village. There was no use in going home since it was now in the hands of the anbu.
She headed down the western road in the dead of night, she turned back on last time to look at her old home. She knew she would never be able to come back. Her life was now to start anew.
After many days of travel, she finally arrived in Amegakure. The rain poured down on the village as it always did, and the towering skyscrapers cast a shadow over everything. She wandered around aimlessly looking for a bank to access her money. She saw an older woman approaching her, she had blonde hair and green eyes, donning some official looking clothing. She looked like to be the best person to speak with.
"Excuse me, ma'am." Karasu called out.
The woman stopped to give her attention to Karasu. "Yes my dear, what is it?"
"I'm a bit lost, I was wondering if you could point me to where the bank is?" Karasu asked.
The woman smiled kindly, "Of course, the bank in the central part of our village. To get there from here, all you'll need to do is continue following this street for five blocks then turn left and keep going until you reach the village square. It'll be hard to miss."
Karasu smiled softly and bowed, "Thank you ma'am." she then went in the direction that the woman told her to.
"That young lady, she looks familiar somehow, but from where?" the woman thought to herself as she continued on her way.
It wasn't long before Karasu reached the bank where her accounts were located. The bank was small and dimly lit. She was the only person in the building besides the teller.
"May I help you?" the teller called out to her.
Karasu approached the teller and handed her the slip of paper with her account number on it. "I'd like to make a withdraw from this account, please."
The teller took the slip of paper and grabbed a pen, "Your name and date of birth?" she asked.
"Karasu and it's April twentyeigth." Karasu replied.
The teller wrote her name down on the slip of paper with her account number on it. The teller walked to the back room and began to search through some files until she found the one she was looking for. She nodded her head as if to be confirming information. She walked back to Karasu and handed her the slip of paper with her account number, "How much are you looking to withdraw today Ms. Karasu?"
"Give me fifty credits. Just enough to buy me a few groceries to last the next couple of days." Karasu replied.
"As you wish." the teller said. Filling out a withdraw slip, she stamped it and then handed Karasu her money. "Would you like a receipt from this transaction?"
"Yes, please." Karasu replied and was given a receipt. She placed the cash in her pocket and read over the receipt. Her eyes widened when she saw the remaining balance. She had no idea such a large amount of money had been set aside for her all these years.
Karasu set aside her bank account numbers and pulled out the papers which had an address on it. Attached was a map to show exactly where the home was in the village. She followed the map until she finally arrived at the house. The map also stated where the key was, once retrieved, she entered the house. It was a moderate sized house, a two bedroom, two bath house. It had a large kitchen and medium sized living room. All the furniture was in place, but were covered in sheets to protect from dust and dirt.
She explored the house to become more familiar with it. After a long day of traveling, she decided to prepare the master bedroom for herself. She set up everything minimally in order for her to just have a bed to sleep on. She planned to clean the house the next day.
Morning soon arrived and Karasu awoke to the rays of sunshine peering at her though the window. She stretched and yawned. Making her bed she slowly walked through the house planning how she was going to clean the house. She figured the best place to start would be to remove all the sheets and start cleaning the floor. She opened the doors and windows to let fresh air circulate through the house. Fortunately enough, it wasn't raining today so cleaning the dust and dirt out the house was much easier.
As Karasu was in the back of the house cleaning out one of the bedrooms, she heard a voice call out to her. "Hello, is anyone home?"
Karasu wiped her forehead and proceeded to the front of the house where she saw the same lady who directed her toward the bank the day before.
"Hello again my dear. Quite the surprise to see you here. Might I ask what you are doing here?" the woman asked. She was a middle aged woman with dirty blonde hair and green eyes. She donned a casual dress with the rain village insignia on it.
Karasu smiled, "This is my house. I just moved in. I'm just trying to clean everything and settle in."
"You're Konan's child aren't you?" the woman asked.
Karasu looked at her puzzled, "How do you know my mother?"
"Your mother and I go way back; you know she was running this village before I was. She stepped down many years ago to be with her lover who lived in a far away village. Some years later, she came back to purchase this house and told me this would be for her child in the event of an emergency." the woman replied. "Is everything alright, dear?"
Karasu was silent for a few moments and spoke up, "My parents are both dead..."
The woman looked down in sadness, "I didn't think this day would come. I should have known who you were the second I saw you in this house. You are the spitting image of your mother after all. I'm very sorry for your loss."
Karasu didn't know how to respond to this, but she only smiled stuck out her hand, "We haven't been formally introduced, my name is Karasu."
The woman shook her hand, smiling, she replied, "My name is Hamako Tukiyo, and I'm the current leader of this village. It is a pleasure to formally be acquainted with the child of a good friend and to welcome you to our humble village."
"Thank you Ms. Tukiyo for your warming welcome." Karasu said, bowing to her.
Their interaction was interrupted when a knock came from the door; it was a postal man holding a package in his hand. "Excuse me, are you Ms. Karasu?" the man asked.
Karasu and Hamako looked over, "Yes, I am." she replied walking over to him.
"Will you please sign here for this package?" he asked holding out a pen and paper.
"Sure, I guess. I wonder what it could be, I just moved here." she thought to herself and she signed the paper and took the package. When she looked down she saw the name of the sender, it was her father. "Just when I thought dad didn't have anymore surprises up his sleeve he gives me this." she said disgruntled.
"What did you get, Karasu?" Hamako asked.
"I know know but there's one way to find out." she said using her wood style jutsu to produce a letter opener to tear open the package to reveal a framed family photo of her, Konan, and Don. Tears formed in her eyes when she saw it. Hamako's eyes widened when she saw the jutsu Karasu used to open the package. That was the day of her previous birthday. The memories swelled in her mind and pierced into her heart.
"What is it?" Hamako asked.
Karasu handed her the picture frame and walked off to sit on her front porch. Hamako looked contently at the picture of Karasu and her parents. The sight of Konan and her daughter made her smile, but when she looked over at Don, her eyes grew wide with awe. "I don't believe it, it all makes sense now..." she said to herself. She placed the picture frame on the mantle piece which sat above the fireplace in the living room and joined Karasu outside, sitting next to her.
"Karasu, I know things are hard for you right now. I just want to let you know that if you ever need anything or need anyone to talk with, I'll be here for you." she said wrapping her arms around Karasu as she was sobbing.
"Thank you Ms. Tukiyo." Karasu said, sniffling.
"Please, call me Hamako." Hamako replied. "Karasu, I just realized something..."
Karasu looked up, "What is it?" she asked.
"I didn't know you were also Don's daughter as well." she replied with slight anxiety in her voice.
"What do you mean, how do you know my dad?" she asked.
"Because I'm his mother." Hamako replied.