Chrysanthemum used to be my favorite. I remember holding them tenderly, almost as if they were fragile. They were my everything next to my father. To me, they were my joy and were the flowers that would soon bestow a treacherous fate upon me. I'd kill to see one again.
Before I was awakened into this world, I was a foolish high school girl. I was rich, not rich with money, but with love and support from my only father who supported everything that I did.
But I was an idiot. I wrongly used that support and trust he had in me and developed something dangerous that was for me. I did drugs, partied with my friends. I was making a hell-hole for myself, and I couldn't get out. I drank and drank. I was becoming a bad daughter, and I didn't even realize- no, care at that moment.
I wanted to be free. I was getting a scholarship to Harvard, but my friends made me become like this. The scholarship was revoked, I couldn't get it back. I could vividly remember my father's face. Face full of disappointment.
I was falling into a shit-hole called depression. I was sinking inside. I became suicidal. I couldn't keep my grades up anymore. I became lost. I didn't want to live.
I never did.
It's funny how some of the happiest people can become like this. Sometimes, it's best to sacrifice some things.
I looked down the bustling Chicago city.
And I jumped.
I expected to be dead, not to be awake and kicking. I was reincarnated into a 12-year-old's body. A rather young girl, in fact. I grimaced. But not too young or far off from my age.
I didn't think that death would be like... this.
"Oh thank God you're awake!" A girl, who appears to be 2 years my senior in this body sighed softly.
A flood of memories rushed into my brain and I winced at the sudden intrusion. The girl gasps and pushes me down onto the bed. "Please don't strain yourself, Nozomi!"
I just laid there studying the girl's face as she worriedly looked into mine.
The girl wasn't attractive nor horrible looking either. She just looked normal. Her face was full of dirt and you could see cuts and scars that littered all around her body and face. Why did she look so poor?
"I can't get you any food right now, Senju and Uchiha are fighting nearby. It is only luck that we managed to get this far."
I nodded.
"I'll go look for some herbs, I promise I won't go too far to their territory," The girl said, inflicting a pained, yet strained smile.
My hand gripped her retreating hand. "Name?"
She frowns, "Did you forget me, Nozomi?"
I nodded in return. Having this girl's memories, the one I'm residing in, was quite useful.
"It's Rai," said Rai.
"Rai..." I tested out, the word rolling on my tongue.
"You fell and hit your head as we were running away from the Senju, you may have lost your memories because of that," Rai said.
I didn't lose my memory. I forcibly took the girl's memories and made it my own. I drop my eyes and released her hand.
"I'll be back okay?" She smiles kindly at me before walking out the door.
A few minutes passed, then became hours.
She never came back.
I could only sit there dumbly, waiting for the little girl.
I heard noises and shuffling from outside the tiny hut I am in. My breath hitched and I quickly went under the wooden bed. I held in my breath as I waited for them to pass. But to my horrible luck, two men opened the hut's door with a loud slam. I shook in surprise.
I didn't make any noise, for which I am glad. I peer through under the bed and blinked at the two very injured men in the hut.
"Close the door, Izuna!"
The other man, Izuna, closed the door before linking his arms around his brother, also injured like him. I stiffened, just who were they?
"You almost got yourself killed, brother!" Izuna scolded, huffing while he did so.
The brother waved him off nonchalantly and said, "This is war, Izuna, what did you expect? Roses and lilies everywhere?"
Izuna scowled at him.
"Let me allow you to get on the bed," Izuna said, "It doesn't look like much but it's something at least, brother."
He pulled his brother close to him and helped him walk towards the bed I was under of. I silently cursed inside my head and groaned. Am I going to die by their hands? I wanted a quiet death not a very brutal one.
"Who's there?" The long-haired, injured man narrowed his eyes towards the bed.
Well, shit. He heard my groan. My head was throbbing and aching it caused me to have a headache.
I pulled myself out from under the dirty floor.
"A child?" Izuna scoffs in disbelief.
"A Senju?" He took out his knife thingy out.
Izuna facepalmed before muttering, "Brother, she doesn't look like a Senju, she has black hair and hazel eyes."
"She can be one of their shinobi, they have recently recruited other clans, I heard."
Izuna sighed.
"What's your name, little girl?" The man who just pointed me with a dangerous weapon asked.
"Nozomi."
"Last name?"
"I don't have one."
His eyes narrowed before he turned towards his brother and discussed something with him. I didn't want to look at their face, it was just plain scary. And they looked like they could kill me at any time, so it's best to be obedient.
"Where are your parents?"
"Dead, I don't know," I replied back quietly.
"She's probably an orphan, brother," Izuna added.
The guy- I still haven't got his name- eyes flickered to me for a mere moment.
I forced myself to look at the men in front of me. I gulped harshly, the lump in my throat bobbed.
They whispered to each other a bit more.
"Do you know how to use chakra?"
Chakra? What's that?
They seemed to give me an 'I expected this' look just from looking at my confused expression.
"She's harmless then," Izuna muttered.
"Shinobi lie, we can't know that for sure." He whispers to Izuna.
They bit their lips and turn towards me.
"Can you care for us? You see, my brother here, Madara is very, very injured. Can you help him with his injuries?" Izuna asked me in a very sickly sweet way. I shivered.
"I-" I hesitated. Izuna smiled, anticipating an answer.
"Okay." I nodded.
I rather not die today.
"Great!" He clapped his hands and Madara glared at his brother.
"Why did you ask a mere kid to take care of me? I can obviously do it myself." Madara shoots a vicious glare before pushing his brother off of his body.
"Well, your chakra is obviously depleted and there's no way you can stop all that bleeding from your wound. You can die, you know that, right?" Izuna questioned his brother thought of process.
"Well, it's not as if I haven't been through this before." Madara walks over the wooden bed and sat down. He winces a bit, before staring at me.
"Well, what are you doing? Patch me up, little girl." Madara raises a brow.
"I'm Nozomi not "little girl"," I growl at him before stalking towards him.
"Well, Nozomi if you would so kindly patch up this kind, badly hurt man," sarcasm literally dripped down from his voice.
How rude.
"How old are you anyway?" I angrily murmured.
"I'm 16, idiot."
Ah, an immature, little brat. I thought.
"Haha, very funny, I guess I'm an idiot now instead of a little girl."
Madara seemed to like bullying me. And Izuna likes to just watch while it happens. Two completely dangerous strangers near me. I started to sweat a little.
I bandaged Madara's arm with the ripped cloth from my clothes that literally looks like rags. I tied it tightly, squeezing his arm with it as Madara glares at me for doing that. I wanted to stick my tongue out to mock him but decided against it.
"You're too young to be sent out for war," I said.
"Doesn't matter, everyone is sent out for war, except for most of the females in the clan." Izuna shrugged.
He watched me very carefully as I stood up and waited for their next request. Deep inside, I was scared. Scared of these men, and this world. I want Rai to come back, but it seems like it won't happen.
Rai is probably dead.
"Are you going to kill me once you recover your chakra?" I whispered, clenching my hands tightly.
"Well, we're not that cruel. You did help us and was very obedient unless you tried to attempt murder."
I frowned, just how long will I be with them?
I looked towards the door. It looked so far away even though I was so close to it. Deep inside of me, I wanted Rai to come back and save me.