"I will fly into the moon and back
If you'll be my baby
Got to take it for a world where we all belong
So would you be my baby"
It was raining outside and she had noticed that, ever since she returned from work today.
She wasn't going to school, as a normal kid of her age would do. She had lost her parents when she was very young and everything bashed her face so hard that even now, she would have moments when she'd look back, with the feeling that someone was watching her.
She was working at a public library, on the night shift. She wanted to waste her nights most of the times, and all she had to do was to waste them in a more "financial" manner.
Every night, after twelve o'clock, her night-shift would begin. She would go and rest among the millions of shelves, dreaming of better days, of better worlds, of better lives.
She could read any book she pleased and she could have arranged them in any order she wished. No one would stop her; no one would say anything to her. It was a perfect world, where she could be anything she wanted to be, where everything was at her command, at her will.
She read thousands of SF books, because those were the ones she loved the most. She used to lie on the tables or on the couches, read and reading and reading, until her eyes would fall off and enter a world of fantasy where every man would want her, where she possessed the most powerful wisdom, the most dangerous weapon, beauty beyond imagination and money as mountains appear.
And at day-time, she would return to herself, to her leaking life, under her small place, in her sweet home, remembering the times when she felt needed, or men loved her or when she had lovable parents. Until then, she would only linger and hopelessly wait for the night to come and she could escape again.
It was a bright, summer's morning. Naruto didn't exactly want to go to school today, but he had probably no choice.
His father scolded him for skipping too many classes, so he had to fix up his problem, before the danger of being kicked out could appear.
He was wearing his usual, sport-like clothes, with his water-glasses on his forehead. They were a present he had received at his 16th birthday, last year. Now, he knew that he might not receive anything, due to the fact that he hasn't exactly been a good boy.
When he got off his motorcycle, he saw a few of the girls in his class standing under an old and tall tree, giggling and laughing about the boys around. In special, there was this young, black-haired guy, who had come to this school for only a few months and he was already popular between the girls. Most of them liked him, and some had a really bad crush on him.
Naruto thought that maybe it wasn't his fault, but then again, it was his fault because he seemed to like it.
Well, at least he was glad that not all the girls in this school liked that new popular guy.
Some of them were just ignoring him, and frankly, that was what Naruto would have done if he were a girl.
He lingered around the school-yard, just to check up the new comers or the ones who weren't to his delight. He hated school not for the fact that he had to learn or write or read. He didn't mind that at all. It was just that there were some people who disliked him and had done many bad things to him so often that he ended up hating school.
He sniffed childishly bored:
'Oh, boy… I'm gonna hate it, you know… ha?' he burst out, when he saw a girl from the other side of the tall, iron-like bars of the massive school-gate. She was holding the bars firmly, watching the school-building with a kind of expression which meant that she would never have to touch that ever again. It was as if she knew that the school was there, but she also knew she would never go to it and make a real person out herself.
Naruto went to her, firstly looking around to verify whether anybody else saw the girl or not.
'Hello!' he burst out joyfully, as he rubbed the back of his head playfully.
She watched him shortly. Afterwards, she let her eyes down and let go of the bars, answering in a very shy and sad manner:
'Hi…'
She backed away and she wanted to leave.
'A-aren't you going to school?' Naruto asked a bit confused.
She denied softly and turning her back against the school, she muttered sadly:
'I'll never go to school…'
Naruto went to the gate to watch her closely. She wasn't very tall, compared to him. It was windy outside, but she didn't seem to notice that, since all she wore was a simple shirt and a long dress, made of black lace and cotton.
She had long, black hair, dancing in the wind and sort of carried a sense of loneliness with her, as if she would be the only one dead living in this world.
She didn't even care about the cars around. She just went ahead, in the middle of the street, wearing her head down and wandering like an exiled.
Naruto lifted his eye-brows curiously:
'I wonder what's up with her. She's weird…'
After that, he turned also to face the school building and still babbling about the incident, he got inside.
When school ended, Naruto went outside the building to go home. He had left his motorcycle somewhere in behind the school, so he had to go outside the school-yard.
The kids around hi were all waiting for busses or parents to come pick them up. He couldn't say that he wasn't happy about skipping that part. He had bought his motorcycle from his own cash, which he raised ever since he was little. The vehicle turned to be a very suitable thing for him, because he didn't have to wait for busses to come, or to argue with his dad because he was late on picking him up.
Suddenly, just when he was about to make a turn, to get his motorcycle, opposite his directions, he heard some weird noises and some deaf moaning. He stopped at hid behind the wall of the building, as he tried to catch a glimpse of what was going on.
He saw a few guys surrounding someone. They were all laughing and crying falsely that the one they had caught should rapidly return home.
'You should do that, bitch. This here place is not for you at all! Get out!'
One of them pushed the person away, who fell on the ground, violently hitting its back of the wall.
Suddenly, Naruto heard a girl screaming shortly.
'Hey!' he burst out angrily from his hiding place. The other boys turned to face him, with confusion.
They backed up to make room for the leader, who was taller, stronger and older than they were. Behind him, Naruto could see a part of a long, black… cotton-with-lace dress…
The person hit of the wall coughed hard and spitted a few drops of blood.
'So, this is your hero, darling?' the tall boy bumped, ironically. 'You could have done better, you know…'
Suddenly, Naruto hit him so strong and so sudden that the boy's body hit the wall as well, making her scream again. The tall one fell unconscious on her.
The other boys watched Naruto frightened. They lifted their arms crying:
'We… We didn't… it was… it was… it was h-his idea!!'
The moment they found a way to escape, they ran away crying frightened, leaving their unconscious friend behind.
Naruto bended over the girl and smiling nicely, he stretched his hands, saying:
'You can get up now… you're ok.'
She lifted her eyes, scared. She saw his childish sincere smile. Still hesitating, she gave him her hands and he lifted her on her feet.
'Are you ok?' he asked.
'Y-yes… th-thank you…'
Naruto smiled rascally, again rubbing his back of the head, playfully:
'Welcome! He, He! That oughtta hold him for some time now' he said, watching the tall boy from the ground.
'You… you didn't kill him, did you?' she asked frightened.
'Nope! Just let him unconscious, that's all. He'll get over it.'
He watched closely now. She smelled nicely, of wild flowers and white roses. Her skin was pale, a sign which told him somehow that she was the type who usually spent her day in the house, rarely coming outside.
Her black hair was now held in a ruffled pony-tail, which wasn't exactly taken cared of, because it didn't make her look attractive at all. Then again, he hadn't seen her face closely either…
He somehow bended over, to try and at least catch a glimpse of it. When she swiftly turned to face him, he was struck by two clear-sand-like eyes. She sort of looked like a wolf. Her features were rigid, that of a woman's who had grown up too fast for her age to catch up. She was attractively rigid. The sort of wolf who had decency, beauty and wisdom without wishing it in particular.
When she did not receive a single word from him, she turned back on looking to the ground, as she bended over and lifted a thick colored book. She stretched it to him:
'You dropped this… from your school-bag…'
She didn't smile. As he watched her, he started to believe that her face wasn't made for smiling. Not because it might make her look ugly. But because a smile might have been the only thing that could take for a beauty-war to start.
She didn't seem much to want to look in people's eyes when she spoke. She did draw a short, but vague smile and turned to leave.
'A, sorry to stop you, but may I ask your name?' Naruto replied fast, when she turned.
She stopped. She didn't look back.
'R-Reikizu…' she whispered shyly.
'Reikizu? That's a beautiful name, Reikizu-chan' he smiled. 'Mine's Naruto. You live around here? You want me to take you home?'
'N-no…' she swiftly turned to him and looking at the ground, she backed up a few steps, like something frightened her.
'F-freak…' the tall boy growled, whispering still unconscious.
Naruto sniffed annoyed, but when he watched the girl, she was trembling. She backed up again scared… she rapidly turned running away from the school-building, as she burst in crying.
Naruto remained to watch her confused:
'Now, why the heck would she run away? Was there something I said? And why is this guy calling her a freak?'
It was night. It was twelve o'clock. She was going for her business, with the dreaming face she used to wear, every time she'd go late at night, preparing herself to ship off another reality. It was a wonderful feeling and it made her completely loose and free.
And thus another night went passing by, without her life ever noticing that. It was as if she was stuck somewhere in time, lost inside.
The next day was Saturday. Naruto promised to take the garbage in the morning, to where usually the garbage was put. His father had mocked him the other day for forgetting to clean up his room, and had preached him a lot about responsibilities, a lesson which Naruto didn't feel like taking.
He yawned pretty healthy and some girls giggled when they saw him. He didn't even notice them. He was just going on the streets rather sleepy, because he had waked up late in the morning, as usual for Naruto.
He reached the garbage cemetery and threw his bag from the distance, aiming the big container pretty well.
He yawned again, but then turned serious when he saw the same girl from yesterday. She was looking at the ground as usual, but seemed to wait for someone.
Looking around, Naruto saw that they were the only ones around. He sniffed insecure, this time watching her with a bit of disapproval.
'I wonder what's up now...'
He again sniffed and approached her.
'Hey, there!' he started joyfully. 'Reikizu-chan!'
She startled and watched him rather taken aback. She breathed easily, as if she had been running up until now:
'You… You remembered my name?'
'Of course I did! I'm sure you remember mine, don't you?'
Naruto grinned childishly. She suddenly turned red in her cheeks and as she blushed, she turned her face away, so her vague laughter wouldn't be seen. She answered shyly:
'Y-yes, I do, too… it's Naruto-kun, isn't it…?'
The boy looked at her a bit thoughtful.
'Say, Reikizu-chan…'
'Y-yes…?'
'What are you doing here? I know this is sort of a public place, but, still… you don't carry any garbage or if you already threw it away, then this is not exactly the kind of ideal place for some fresh air, if you know what I mean' he grinned innocently.
'N-no, it isn't… I … I did carry out the garbage and then I saw you and… I thought I should… I should say "hello"…'
Shy as she was, she didn't look at him once in the eyes. She was just swinging slightly dreaming about something, when she said all those things. Afterwards, she bumped quick and childishly embarrassed:
'Hello!'
Naruto smiled amused:
'Hi, there, Reikizu-chan…'
'A-anything new?' she asked.
'No, not much. I guess this week-end's boring as all the others are' Naruto sniffed tired. He yawned again and after he was done, he said with a soft voice: 'Sorry, I'm a bit sleepy still…'
'Y-you wake up late in the morning?'
'Yeah, I do. Mom mocks me most of the times and it's so stupid when she's…!'
'Y-you have a mother…?'
He looked at her rather stunned, as if what she had asked wasn't at all average.
'Y-yea, sure I do! I've got parents! Don't you?'
Suddenly, she backed up a few steps and Naruto felt that he had done a bad thing asking her that. He quickly tried to excuse himself:
'I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ask you that, sorry… m-my mistake… it's not my business to interfere, sorry… gomen…'
She shortly smiled tired, before she answered softly:
'It's alright… I … I lost my parents… I was 4… th-they were shot…'
Naruto startled unpleasantly surprised:
'Oh, my God, I'm so sorry to hear that, please forgive me!'
'It's ok… I guess…'
She slightly moved her head to the right, as if she'd touch her shoulder with her own cheek. She was still looking in the void.
'S-see you, N-Naruto-kun…' she turned and when she did that, she swiftly wiped the tears from her eyes. She started to walk slowly, but it was as if she was dragging herself.
Naruto rapidly forced his mind to make him say something so he could stop her.
'Reikizu-chan!'
She stopped suddenly, like she had wanted that. She turned with a curious look on her face. Her wolf-like face seemed to be suited on that. It made her look good. Attractive, nevertheless.
'Yes?'
He rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully, until he came back to his joyful smile and his child-like acting:
'Are you doing something special today?'
She startled and afterwards looked down on the ground, as if she remembered that she wasn't supposed to watch people in the eyes.
'N-no… nothing special for today… nothing special for no day…' she muttered, turning her face away. 'But at night, everything changes…'
Naruto watched her confused. When she said that, she lifted her eyes towards the skies and her eyes sparkled with great hope sealed inside them. She looked at him. For the first time, she looked at him. Now, her face was a perfect proof that wolfs are the fairest of the creatures.
It was only for a few minutes. She turned her gaze away from him, watching the void dreaming of something unknown to the outside world.
'Why do you say everything changes when night comes?' Naruto asked.
'Because I go to another world!' she started enthusiastically. 'I go to that place where I can be anything I want! I can have everything I need, I want… I love… everything! Without anybody taking it away from me!'
Naruto watched her confused and worried at the same time.
'And… where is this place?'
'It's where I work… it's the public library…'
Naruto took a deep breath of relief.
'So, she was talking of books…' he muttered to himself. He then returned to his continuing happily smile and added:
'That's great, Reikizu-chan! I bet you can't wait every night to go there and…'
He wanted to make a small joke. But her sparkling eyes continued on dreaming into the skies, and Naruto realized that he was dealing here with a girl who probably never had any drop of happiness and her only consolation always remained the books from the public library, books which she probably couldn't even buy for herself.
He looked rat her serious, frowning his eyebrows with compassion and trying to understand those of her kind. He couldn't possibly imagine a world without parents and people to take care of you. He couldn't imagine a break-fast without his dad reading the local newspaper, or the fights he usually had with his mom when it came to cleaning his room. He couldn't even imagine life without his friends, his school, and his life in a society.
And here she was: the perfect client for someone, who never had, never has and probably never will have such a life like his. Who to help her, when there was no one there to help her? Who to take care of her and tell her that this is the real world and not the reality in some book? Who to hug and kiss her "good night"? Who to protect her? Who to love her when there was no one there to love her?
"She can remember the time when she felt needed
If love was red then she was
Colored blind"
'…men have never loved her much…' she suddenly nodded to herself and her words made him startle.
He wasn't exactly the kind of type who would go down on people's words and turn soft. He was always the optimistic type, aware of his feet on the ground, but always intending to make the people he loved be happy.
'I'm sorry to have bored you…' she muttered sadly and backed up a few steps, shyly.
'N-no, you didn't bore me. It's… it's nice you found something this wonderful' he smiled pleasantly. 'S-so are you doing anything special until tonight?'
She startled again. She watched him puzzled:
'N-no…'
'And then, if you don't do anything for the moment, do you want me to take you out?'
He smiled, grinning merrily and then he put his hands in his pockets.
'O-out?' she asked confused. 'To do what?'
'Oh, I don't know… what a boy and a girl usually does when they go out, I guess' he shrugged his shoulders, playfully. 'I don't know. Sincerely, I never went on a …'
'Wh-why me?' she asked, this time backing up again and starting to feel somewhat frightened.
'Why you?' Naruto repeated the question confused of its relevance. 'W-well, because… because it's Saturday and we're both free for the moment, I guess. If you don't want to, it's no problem, you know' he smiled again, this time pleasantly.
'S-sorry' she stuttered and Naruto watched her.
'You don't want to come?'
'N-no, I mean sorry for asking that question. O-ok, Naruto-kun… I-if you want to take me out, then I accept.'
She smiled shortly, but softly. Naruto grinned enthusiastically:
'Thanks. But first, we have to make a quick stop at my parents! I gotta change!'
'Y-you look fine this way…' she muttered shyly and again started to swing on one leg, leaning the other one against it. She sort of turned red in her cheeks when she said that.
'I do? I don't look funny? Ha! Thanks, Reikizu, you're nice!' Naruto laughed optimistically. 'Ok, then, we're off, right?'
'Y-yes…'
They went down the streets, wandering around, while Naruto didn't seem to mind her silence. He started to talk about what was like in school, because she had asked him to tell her. Her went through different subjects and ended up talking about what he hated and what he liked about his parents. At one point, they reached a street which was wide open and yet, very intimate. Most of the people around them were young couples or elder ones with little children or animals.
It must have been late in the afternoon and she enjoyed the quietness of the street, mixed with the beautiful cherry-trees breeze. It was warm and calm. It was beautiful and even though she looked like dreaming to Naruto, she was actually paying attention to what he had said all along.
'Am I boring you?' he asked all of a sudden.
'N-no, you're not…' she muttered softly, and shyly. 'You have a very interesting life, you know… you just didn't notice it by now…'
'Really? I guess you're right, then' he sniffed rather surprised.
He turned to continue his road and noticed that a small, skinny, pale arm grabbed hi delicately. Next to him, he saw Reikizu, looking down or around, still dreaming of something unknown, while she held his arm intimately. He saw that in mostly every couple, the girl was holding her partner's arm like that. He involuntarily blushed and afterwards turned his look towards her. Her eyes were looking at the ground, as if she felt protected and safe and knew that all she needed was his eyes in this road.
At one point, she put her head to lean against his shoulder and Naruto turned even redder in his cheeks and felt extremely unprepared on how to handle this. He felt good about all of these gestures. Really very good… he just didn't know how to react.
'Naruto-kun…?'
'Y-yeah?'
'Why are you wearing those funny water-glasses?'
'Ha?! Oh, these!' he burst out gladly, as he grabbed them just to make sure they were still on his forehead. 'Oh, well, I got them as a present when I turned 16, last year.'
'You're 17 now?'
'Yeah. What about you? How old are you?'
'15' she muttered shyly, and giggled softly about it, like a child.
'Wow… I thought you were…'
He suddenly stopped, embarrassed, sensing that he was about to offend her on making her feel old.
'You thought I was 20?' she burst out, not at all disappointed.
'Y-yeah…' he answered embarrassed, but when he heard her laughing, he also smiled amused.
'I've got a long way up ahead, until I'm 20…' she muttered afterwards.
'Yeah, you do… actually, we both do. A lot of things might happen in these next years, you know' he smiled, getting back to his optimistic way of being. 'My granddad used to say that the future is so hidden inside life, that it'll be the absolute one thing that will never be discovered. You know, we might find cure for death or the recipe for happiness. But future isn't something to be cured and it doesn't have a recipe, you know… oh, God, here I go with my 2-penny philosophy. And I hate school…' he muttered joyfully and smiled embarrassed, again rubbing the back of his head.
'Well, your grandfather is wise and you are right in what you said about the future. And it's not a 2-penny philosophy…' she said softly, still looking down.
Naruto smiled gently:
'Thanks, Reikizu-chan…'
They continued their way in silence, for the next few minutes.
Suddenly, she dragged her arm from his elbow down to his hand and delicately embraced his palm with both her hands. They were warm and her gesture again made Naruto feel good.
He again turned red in his cheeks and drew her a funnily embarrassed look, when he watched her.
'S-say, Reikizu-chan…'
'Hm?' she muttered softly.
'Is this your place?'
She startled and looked around. She recognized her house. She smiled shyly:
'Oh, yes… thank you for bringing me home, Naruto-kun. That was very nice of you.'
'You're welcome' he smiled kindly to her and then, took her up until the door-frame, where he stopped and they both waited for the other one to say something of good night.
'So, you're going tonight, right?' he asked.
'To work? Yes… it's my night-shift…'
'Aha…'
Rather frustrated, Naruto nodded, then smiled and went down the stairs, to leave.
'OK, then, Reikizu-chan… have a pleasant evening!'
'Thank you, Naruto-kun, and thanks for taking me out…'
'Yeah, sure…'
He opened the small steel gate and was just about to go to his road.
'N-Naruto…' she muttered softly.
He stopped and turned to face her with a curious look.
'Y-yeah, Reikizu-chan?'
He saw that she was looking at the ground sadly. It was as if she didn't want him to leave her there, all alone.
'I…' she started, but swallowed her words.
Naruto made a step forward, watching her a bit worried:
'W-what is it, Reikizu-chan…?'
She didn't say anything else. She felt like something was struggling to come out of her. She turned to face the door. She put her hand on it. The wood was cold and familiar to her for many years of loneliness.
'N-nothing…' she whispered, with her voice trembling.
Naruto waited for a few minutes, during which none of them did anything. Afterwards, he turned to leave:
'Alright then! Good night!'
Her body slowly slipped down the door, with her hand lying still on it, as she felt, this time, the coolness of the asphalt on her stairs.
The tears started to run down her cheeks, as she lied there quiet.
'Lonely…' she whispered gently and looked at her hand, how it tenderly danced with its fingers the way she wanted it to. She laid her forehead against the wooden door and didn't think of anything.
Suddenly, some foreign and strong hands grabbed her body from the back and pulled her towards a warm body.
Naruto held her tight, at his chest:
'You're not crying, are you, Reikizu-chan?'
She denied decisively, but it was a lie, because she was just trying hard to swallow her tears.
After she had calmed down a bit more, Naruto lifted her up, along with him:
'You know… you could skip your night-shift tonight and go at my place. It's ok to sleep there, if you want to, my parents won't mind at all. In fact, my mom's been mocking me about whether I have some problems with girls or not, cause I bring none at home' he laughed shortly.
She lifted her eyes:
'I can… I can really come?'
'Sure! Take my words for granted! Mom's not going to mind, and dad probably won't even notice that I brought you just today! He's gonna think you were there for a long time!'
She looked at him. Naruto was smiling his usual pleasant, optimistic smile.
She blushed and smiled embarrassed and shy:
'N-Naruto-kun…? C-could you…?
'Could I what?'
'Y-you know… p-please?'
Naruto looked at her confused, not being able to understand what she wanted him to do to her. When he saw that she touched his lips with her finger and then she also touched her lips with the same finger, he finally understood what she meant. She came back to being shy.
He also blushed:
'Y-sh, R-Reikizu-c-chan… you want me to…? I … I don't think I can… '
'P-please…?'
He took a deep breath, somewhat reconfirmed. Afterwards, he bended his head slightly to his right and approached the girl's face. She closed her eyes, whispering:
'I've never been kissed before…'
She soon felt hip lips on hers and got attached to them pretty fast, so that now the kiss could be much more profound than she would expect. It was a warm feeling, like someone had set fire inside her body.
Naruto's head turned void. He couldn't hear anything and he certainly couldn't feel the ground on which he was standing. And soon enough, when their lips actually attached, he felt that unconsciously he was pulling her body close to his. Her arms surrounded his neck and fell like in a sleep.
In the end, he parted from her, opening his eyes widely. He suddenly felt refreshed:
'Wow… that was… Ysh! '
She opened her eyes slowly and met his happy face. He grinned childishly to her and she smiled amused of his look.
'Shall we go now?' Naruto asked joyfully.
'Y-yes…'
He got up and dragged her with him. He descended the stairs with her and when they were on the street again, he said:
'Let's go!'
She delicately grabbed his arm again, with both her hands. This time, Naruto didn't feel embarrassed or anything else. He felt good… very good… really very good…