New fanfiction –Ratio
A car whistled past me, almost spraying mud up my suitcase as I dragged it along the busy sidewalk, running over people's feet and bashing into their legs. Smells of last night's old Chinese, and this morning's fried breakfasts wafted around the crowded high street making my stomach churn. I was too nervous to eat yet, despite my friends urging me to. They followed behind me now, joking and shoving each other as if they were still children without a care in the world. I glanced behind me to check they were still there, sure enough they walked only a few steps behind me, strange – it felt like there were miles between us already. A cigarette hung from Konan's lower lip, and as I watched the bluish smoke curl up into the air the bitter smell reached me. Kisame (still covered in brick dust and paint from work) was only a few steps behind her – protective as always, and behind him stood Pein still harbouring a love for his high school girlfriend. I sighed, would these people ever grow up?
"Hurry up you guys!" I shouted, anxious about the time, but the only reply I received was a two-bit your mum joke from Hidan's foul mouth. I hadn't realized he'd come to see me off as well. I quickened my pace, heading for the large double doors ahead. The sound of people laughing, shouting and talking caused my head to pound, and the noise of trains thundering past on rails only added to my stress- I knew I was late. Sliding through a group of smoking hooded boys I made my way into the station with only a few minutes to spare. Everyone else must have been hot on my heels but I paid them no attention, my soul priority was getting to that train on time. The floor seemed to vibrate as another train whipped by just out of sight, and a gigantic clock high on the wall began to chime the hour. I gripped the handle of my suitcase until my fingers turned white, I had no idea which way to go.
"This way, Zetsu" a deep voice rumbled to me left, and I saw my oldest friend pointing the way, the only one of our group with a bit of sense. I could see him over the crowds as he strode towards the stairs leading down to the platform, being much taller than the rest he was easy to spot, and he had an aura of authority that made people jump out of the way – much like an ambulance with its siren blaring loud. I ran after him, taking two steps to one of his, and heard the noise and screams of our friends catching up behind us.
"Oh god, wait!" I heard Deidara cry out, but I couldn't waste time hanging about. I had to be on that train. A few metres back, the blonde was gasping for breath, he was limping because of his aching feet and was sticky with sweat despite the chilly September morning. A rude retort sprang to the forefront of my mind – something about taking a trip to the gym, but I held it back. That's not how I wanted him to remember me for the next 4 months when I was away.
My thoughts were brought tumbling back to the present as we reached the bare, cold platform and stopped just short of falling onto the gleaming silver rails. My chest heaved and my heart was racing but we'd made it. I looked down the tracks and watched the giant metal wheels of my train slowly ground to a halt with a squeal. The door opened. Now was the time for my goodbyes, the time I'd been dreading for weeks and weeks now. Tentatively I pulled my suitcase and bags on board, then leaned out through a pull-down window, gazing down on my old friends. All six of them stared back at me, Konan with a slight tear in her eye.
"Seeya, guys" I mumbled, afraid to say too much for fear of my own sadness breaking out. I wasn't sad to be leaving my home, wasn't afraid of the new life I'd be leading or the new friends I'd have to make. I was simply disappointed, that I'd been the only one to make it this far. I kept this thought to myself, and satisfied my friends with the little goodbye-have-fun-be-good speech they were all expecting. Within minutes the goodbyes had been said, we'd waved, the girls had cried and the train had left. I sat alone on a seat, cradling my bags and pondering the lives my friends had chosen to lead. Kisame was stating a new building project, which I supposed wasn't so bad, Pein and Kakuzu were expecting promotions - Pein at his factory job and Kakuzu in one of the high rise offices in town. I was glad for them, in the way a best friend should be, but I couldn't help thinking they could have done better. Hidan of course had dropped out of college and completely given up, he said he was going to look for a job but I highly doubted it. I sighed again; I would have liked to take him to University with me.
Distractedly I flicked back through the University prospectus they'd posted to me, reading details of my course over and over again as the train left the city and journeyed north across open countryside. The pages were crisp and new, smelling of expensive ink and smart offices. The title at the top of the sheet read 'pharmacological sciences'. A sudden unexpected laugh burst from me, but real humour was absent. The writing on the page, and the grades written down on the papers lying in my bag seemed preposterous, unreachable, another world compared to the life I'd left behind, the life that might have been mine.
It was exiting, getting out into the real world, but as the steady shake of the train continued, I was lulled into a half sleep. Too nervous to succumb to comforting darkness, but too bored and warm to sit still like the others around me. I watched them quietly as my eyelids slowly drooped, they sat as if there were wooden boards strapped to their backs, and stared forwards unblinkingly. The sight unnerved me, but the onslaught of sleep was relentless, and gradually everything faded out.
5 hours later I'd arrived in the place that was to become my new home. Konoha – home of the best medical teams and colleges in the world. The train braked suddenly and everyone lurched awkwardly out of the door. Many of the people around me were silent, wearing suits, carrying books. I felt out of place in my jeans, and wondered what the standard was here. Grey suits, grey shoes and grey personalities too I shouldn't wonder.
"Um . . . excuse me?" I attempted to get the attention of a security guard nearby, to ask him the way to the university I was headed to but my voice was little more than a whisper. Hours without speaking could do that to you. He was dressed smartly but proved to be utterly useless, stood so straight he couldn't look down to his feet where I stood, lost and alone. Turning away in disgust I pulled out a crumpled map, with a red pen marked on inexpertly by Deidara, following the dodgy directions I headed out through the great glass double doors into the late afternoon glow, in search of the Student Union complex.
The cloud seemed to thicken over my head as I dragged my bag up the gravel drive, twenty minutes later, the smells of the station still catching in my nostrils. I glared at the key to my new apartment, shiny and gold, but boasting a room on the very top floor. I groaned inwardly, ignoring the stares of other scholars nearby as I huffed and pulled my cheap jacket around me tighter. It was becoming cold and I envied the other boys with their lightweight Prada bags, and Gucci animal fur coats. I found myself standing and staring, suspended as if on unbreakable thread in an oasis all my own, while around me the rich men bustled. The long journey from home had taken its toll on me and my eyes were weary, stinging after looking at these beautiful people for so long without blinking. My short green hair blew around in the biting September gales, dust swirled stinging my eyes and whipping my chapped lips. I felt alone, more alone than ever before. Everyone and everything I'd ever known had been left behind in the city I'd spent all day travelling away from. I felt a tiny twinge of doubt in my chest – was this really a good idea?
Ok guys, so I got pissed off with writing the university fan fiction and have come up with a new weird hybrid idea. What are your thoughts so far? If no one replies then this fic is going bye bye and possibly so shall I.
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