"I've always been afraid of things like the rain. Maybe it's because that was where someone else's life ended, and mine began."
/
It was raining in the middle of September, and the familiar pitter-patter of the rain against the roof could be heard throughout the village. It was cold, a cold, chilly day, where no one liked to be outside. But there are always a few people who find themselves left out in the cold, where no one likes to be.
They find themselves left out in the rain.
Of course, that was back when everything was fine. Maybe it could have been considered part of the Golden Ages. It had been five years since the attack of the Kyuubi on the Hidden Leaf Village. Five years since many people had given their life to a fragile peace that disintegrates within time. Five years since a man had stood his ground against a monster, and gave his life to save everyone. And the child he left behind remained the gate to chaos, scorned still after five years, and that is all he'd ever known.
But even he was inside on that day. Peering through the windows where frosty drops of water slowly slid down the windows, like cold, bitter teardrops. He had given crying a long time ago, but there was something about that day that seemed sad.
The old, leafy plant next to him was nearly wilted. His gaze flickered back and forth from the window to the plant. Wishing, wishing. What good does wishing do, anyways?
The plant seemed to droop lower, like his mood, and outside, the heavens cried.
/
"Ne, hurry, before you get soaking wet!"
The giggling little girl ran after her parents, dragging her coat over her head to keep the water off of her pink locks. The downpour was heavy, and mud puddles meant mud over your shoes and clothes. But they were still fun, and at the moment, she didn't care what anyone said about her hair or forehead.
When she looked at the sky, peering through the clouds, she thought maybe she saw a flash of silver (because in every cloud there's always a silver lining) but it was always her imagination. But she did believe there was a good thing in every bad thing. Why wouldn't there be?
Like summer. A girl found her, crying because of another comment, another mistake ("You're like a shy little ghost, you know, you cover up your forehead with those bangs.") Gave her a ribbon. A silver lining. Isn't life kinda funny that way?
The rain was making her cold, and she shivered a bit before running off again. Trying to catch up. She was an intelligent girl. She knew she was rather far behind. But she'd try, because she always tried.
She ran even faster, and the rain continued to pour down harder.
/
It was raining again, and he knew his brother was out there. He was supposed to come home today, and he stood on the front steps, waiting until he saw his brother appear out of the rain.
He knew as soon as he ran forward to greet him, he'd be poked mercilessly in the forehead. But it was like a tradition, and he continued to smile as he watched the rain come down.
His little sister was inside at the moment. Nearly two years younger, his parents wouldn't let her out of their sight. For once, he was glad she couldn't follow.
The time seemed to have slipped his mind. He didn't have a clue if it was night or day, because the clouds covered the sky. But he knew this wasn't normal. His brother usually wasn't this late. Maybe they were stopped, or maybe the mission was taking a little longer than usual. Maybe…
But he didn't want to think the worst. His brother was a prodigy. A Chunin at the age of 11. Dying would be almost impossible to him.
The moment of worry passed, and he smiled again. Itachi would be back. And he wondered if this time he'd have a better excuse. Something different than simply, "Sorry, Sasuke."
/
"Its funny how chance weaves through our lives. It's funny how the world keeps spinning, no matter what happens. People die. People are born. People leave. That was a normal rainy day. That was no different than the day before.
And yet, it was different.
It was my beginning."
/
Her eyes slowly opened. The world was very blurry, and a steady tap-tap-tap echoed throughout the place she was.
Where was she, anyways?
The first thing she noticed was that she was wet. Soaked to the bone. Her short brown hair was dripping from the rain. It didn't help that she was lying in a giant mud puddle either.
How did she get there?
She slowly sat up, and rubbed her eyes. When she opened them again, the world was somewhat clearer. Somewhat gray. But perhaps that was the rain anyways, and she stood up. She was alone. She was out in the cold, where no one likes to be.
Why was she here?
She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to remember. But her mind hurt, and she was tired, so tired. She was only five years old. The whole situation was hard to comprehend. She wanted to close her eyes and maybe forget everything. But she had nothing to forget.
A movement to the left. She flinched, but her feet refused to move. She couldn't have forgotten how to walk, could she?
"I thought I saw something."
A voice. She looked over to where it came from. She couldn't do anything but stand there, looking like an idiot. The footsteps were getting closer, and her heart beat faster. Counting the seconds until the end. 3…2…1…
"What the-"
There was a person staring at her. His appearance was rather nondescript, but what caught her eye was the glare of the headband tied across his forehead. A kind of swirly circle with a triangle connected to it. It kind of looked like snail that fell over and couldn't get up.
She shrank back, and took a step backward. Good, her legs could move. But the person just kept staring at her, and he had a knife in his hand.
"Oh, it's just a little girl."
He was smiling now, and dropped the knife to the ground. She eyed it for a moment, wondering if he would pick it back up anytime soon. Certainly, he thought she wasn't a threat- was she?
Apparently not, because he took a step toward her. "What are you doing outside of the village? It's pouring rain."
What was she doing out there? She looked at herself and for the first time was aware of how cold she was. The white t-shirt that she was wearing must have been five sizes too big for her, and completely soaked.
The person's smile changed to one of confusion. "Where your parents?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she stared at the ground, at the place where she had awakened just a few minutes earlier.
"I…I don't know."
The voice, high-pitched and scared, frightened her, before she realized it was her own. And it was the truth. She didn't know…anything. Where she was, why she was there, where she had come from.
Who am I?
The person seemed suspicious now. He raised an eyebrow at the small girl. "You don't know?"
She shook her head, afraid to speak, to hear her own voice, which seemed so cold and unfamiliar to her now. Any possible words stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.
The stranger sighed, and looked at her again. "Well, I suppose I could take you to the village, and we could decide what to do with you there. Is that okay?"
She nodded. What else could she do? Where else could she go? It was pouring rain. This was a small glimmer of hope. Where do I go from here?
The stranger started to walk, and she, having no choice, followed, nearly running to keep up. It was then she realized she was in a forest, and the rain had stopped finally. The sky was blue. The grass was green. The world was clearer now, no longer a shade of gray.
"What is your name?"
A final question. They had reached two giant doors leading to a place she had never seen before. A place that would become her home, soon enough.
And then there was that voice again, that new, unfamiliar voice that was not yet hers, and still no one else's.
"My name is…"
/
"Its funny how chance weaves through our lives. Wrecking. Creating. Erasing.
And yet, life goes on, and this is only the beginning."
/
This was written in about half an hour, so I apologize if it's crappy. You can find the entire summary on my profiles. I may or may not take other OCs. Message me if you have an idea, and I'll get back to you shortly, and my parents are yelling at me to get off the computer, so I gotta go.
I'm not dead (I was grounded for a month) and Beyond the Gates should be updated by Friday. That's all.
Keep reading!
-waffles