Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!
This new story I've tried very hard to make different from my other stories, and it's a fair bit longer than my others in the Naruto category! I hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed writing it!
Concrete Angel - Naruto
"That damn girl shouldn't have existed, why was she even born?"
"Dear, why did you have to do this?"
"Look at her! The ugliest thing in the world! She looks nothing like you!"
"We'd better go bury her, before anyone gets suspicious."
Kaoru felt herself floating as she sighed, not sure where she was.
"The purest of hearts must be given a second chance…now fall to the new world you will live in…"
Her eyes opened to see she was free-falling, her arms and legs spread to slow her fall somewhat. Her wide jade eyes stared down at what she could only describe as a large town or a small city. She smiled as she relished in the feeling of falling, her short burnt orange hair clashing with her eyes. She felt her descent slow even further as something from her back billowed out. At first she thought it was her jacket, but then she saw something she'd never thought she'd see from her shoulders, fluttering some to stabilize her fall into a graceful hover.
White wings…how… Am I an angel?
She landed lightly on her feet amidst a street full of people, who were staring at her as if she were a ghost, all the faces around her white in shock. She felt her wings fold against her back, but she wanted to hide from how much attention she was getting. She wasn't sure what she should do, so she just stood there, lost. In her casual clothing (jacket, t-shirt, cargo pants and tennis shoes) she was sure it was definitely her wings that made her stand apart.
This is weird, I thought I was dead, and now I'm in a strange place with no clue as to what's happening. Have these people never seen a winged teenager in their whole life? Seriously, it's like I'm really a ghost. Come on everyone, quit staring at me!
Suddenly, a man wearing the oddest outfit with a mask over the lower half of his face and one eye covered with some sort of metal plate on a headband tied around his head landed in front of her. His silver hair seemed to defy gravity, as it moved with the force of his leap. He tilted his head and raised a hand.
"Hey Kid. Did you just fall from the sky like a meteor?"
What do I do? I'm a mute because I was a heavy smoker and they removed my voice box… I don't know sign language because my parents thought I wasn't worth it! This is clearly gonna be an awkward situation! Since her brain couldn't figure out what to do, she just nodded.
"I see. Come with me, we'll go see the Hokage."
He placed a hand on her shoulder and led her through the street for a quite a ways until they reached a tall, rounded building. She had little time to stare at much, so she just looked ahead of her as the man knocked on a door. There was a reply, but she hadn't been listening, so she walked in with the man.
"Hokage-sama, if you haven't heard, this kid all of a sudden fell from the sky."
An old man looked up from some papers on a desk and took a pipe out of his mouth. He stood up and hummed. "This is quite the interesting phenomenon. Child, are you an angel from above?"
Kaoru shrugged, not sure of anything. Whatever I am, I'm a winged freak. I didn't have them in my last life.
"You fell from the sky and you aren't sure that you're an angel? This is quite odd. Do you have amnesia?"
The young teen shook her head. Amnesia is something I absolutely don't have. I remember everything, well, there were a couple blanks there, but I remember the rest. Let's see…how to approach this…I can't!
"Well then, what's your name?"
Now things are gonna get difficult. How do I ask for a pen and paper?
She saw a paper and pen on the desk behind the Hokage and gestured to them, Kakashi actually seeing what she was pointing to and requested, "She seems to want a piece of paper and a pen, Hokage-sama."
"Certainly."
When she was given the items she wanted, she wrote down her name, Kaoru Sakurai.
"Sakurai Kaoru? That's a very good name. Do you think you'll be staying here?"
'I don't know. Am I welcome?'
"Of course. Now, do you have any connections at all in this world?"
She shook her head.
"I see. How old are you?"
'Fourteen.'
"What's your birth date?"
'August eighth.'
"Kakashi, since you don't have any students right now; would you give Kaoru-kun a tour of some of the need-to-know locations around the village?"
Kaoru-kun? I'm not a boy! How could he make that mistake?
"Of course."
"Also help him find a place to stay and a guide for any place he needs to go during his stay here. Who would you choose?"
"At this point in time, I'd have to say…Hyuga Neji. He'd probably like to have some time off from that crazy teacher of his."
"Well, I'll summon him here presently and you can have him come with you on your tour."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
They waited for about twenty minutes before a knock sounded on the door. The Hokage answered, "Come in."
A boy about her age with long hair, pupil-less lavender eyes and a stern expression on his face, entered. He wore a white high-collared shirt and black shorts, along with one of those strange metal plates tied to his forehead. He bowed to the Hokage and asked, "You called for me, Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, Neji-san. You will be a personal guide and bodyguard for our newest arrival, Sakurai Kaoru, until further notice. Kakashi will be helping him find an apartment to stay in, then you will show him around until the civilians get used to him. He caused quite a disturbance when he appeared just a half-hour ago."
"Will be I required to do twenty-four hour guard?"
"I doubt he'll need protection at night, unless he says otherwise. Kaoru-kun?"
Kaoru placed a finger to her cheek as she thought, I don't think that I would need someone watching my every move once I settle down for the night. Hyuga-san is merely a babysitter, even if he's younger than I am. Plus, he'd probably insist on coming into the apartment with me to guard me more closely and that would be embarrassing, especially if it's a one-room apartment. She wrote on the paper: 'Only daytime hours are fine. I should be fine staying inside my apartment at night.'
"Very well, Kaoru-kun. Kakashi, you may start."
Kakashi led the way with Kaoru in the middle and Neji bringing up the rear. They went down the main street of the village and Kakashi began speaking.
"This village is called Konohagakure no Sato, in Hi no Kuni. Our Hokage's name is Sarutobi Hiruzen. I am Hatake Kakashi, elite Jonin and Hyuga Neji is a new Genin. Didn't you become one about six months ago?"
"Yes," Neji answered.
"You're probably wondering what I'm talking about with 'Jonin' and 'Genin'. Our system has ranks: Genin, Chunin, Jonin, ANBU and Hokage. This is one of many ninja hidden villages."
I was wondering why this place was called "The Village Hidden in the Leaves". I guess people don't really know its location since it's a hidden village. There sure are a lot of civilians for this to be a "ninja" village.
They passed by a place that caught Kaoru's eye, and she paused, turning to look at it. Kakashi noticed her halt and what she was looking at.
"This is the village's most popular ramen shop: Ichiraku Ramen. Would you like a look inside?"
She nodded and stepped in, pushing the curtain out of the way to see it was a real ramen shop, not just one of those ones that sold ramen in a package. Wow, I would so order a works ramen, but that's five hundred yen down the drain, and I'm not hungry right now.
A middle-aged man saw them and greeted, "Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen! This is a new face! Are you here to sample our popular ramen?"
Kaoru shook her head, Kakashi placing a hand on her shoulder. "Teuchi-san, we're just passing through. This is Sakurai Kaoru, the village phenomenon. Can you tell why?"
Teuchi looked at Kaoru and then her wings. "Wow, are those real wings? You must be an angel then!"
Kaoru nodded and smiled.
"That's quite the thing, for us to have an angel in our midst, eh Kakashi-san?"
"Indeed. We have to go. Perhaps Kaoru-kun will come by himself sometime. See you some other time, Teuchi-san."
"Goodbye!"
Kaoru was then led to an apartment complex and given a key to one of the rooms, the Hokage footing the bill so she could stay there without charge. She blinked and shrugged as Kakashi left, Neji left behind with her. The Hyuga boy stood there as she decided what to do, but since there was nothing to do in her apartment, she looked to him and gestured for him to lead the way.
"Is there any particular spot you want to visit?"
Kaoru shrugged, not caring. I just want a leisurely stroll around the village, even though it looks like a city to me from what I saw when I fell. I doubt there's anything that interesting, unless there's a park I could just sit and sleep under a tree around here.
"If you don't have any preferences, I'll lead you wherever my feet lead me."
She nodded and waited for him to do so, letting him wander around, so much that she heard him sigh after a while. She took out the pad of paper she'd been given and wrote down a question. 'Are you bored, Hyuga-san?'
He read it and snorted. "Of course I am, this is one of the easiest missions I've ever been on, and since I know this village like the back of my hand, there's nothing that I haven't seen before. That is why I asked if there was anywhere in particular you'd like to go, so I wouldn't have to walk around everywhere until you decided."
She looked around and spotted a park nearby, pointing. He noticed where she'd picked and began to walk over there. She moved to go sit under a tree when she spotted a boy sitting on a swing, watching as the other children played. She tilted her head and nudged Neji, pointing at the boy.
"Him? That's Uzumaki Naruto. Don't mind him, he's always that way."
Yet she didn't heed what he said. That boy's like me…lonely and neglected. No friends at all, and no one seems to want to befriend him. I…can't just leave him alone.
She walked over and stood in front of him. Neji stood back, arms crossed and eyes disdainful. Naruto looked up when she'd stopped and blinked. "I've never seen you around here before, Kid. Who are you?"
She held out a hand to him, inviting him to come with her, a bright smile on her face. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why would you want me to play with you? No one wants to play with me."
This kid has been alone for far too long.He needs a friend. She grabbed his hand and pulled him from the swing, tapping him on the shoulder. Let's see if he gets this game.
Thankfully, once she started running, he ran after her. He caught her and cried, "Tag, now you're it!"
She grinned and ran after him in turn. I think this is what he needed all this time. I want to be his friend, when no one was there for me.
I really want you guys who read this to tell me what you think! If overall it's hated, I won't post anything further, but if there's love for it, I'll continue! I hate silence when it comes to people not reading it!
Please review!