Summary: Hinode knew nothing of war, of her parents or of her powerful bloodline. She unknowingly threatens her own life, leading to the redemption of a family and the healing of shattered hearts.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own everything else in this story.
A/N: Okay. Since I really really want to go back into writing and restart my pace and this story won't leave my head, I finally decided to make a multichapter version of "Dead Stars". This is also a companion fic to "Turning Point." I hope you will like it too.
Dead Stars
Becoming Hinode
oOo
Stars burst with an intensity that ripples through limitless galaxies. So vast is their power that once they die, their light continues to burn, affecting those that thread in their path. And people keep on living, never knowing that this overflowing presence is no more than an illusion of something that has ended forever…
oOo
Prologue:
You are a ninja of the village of Konoha.
You know of the 5th Great Shinobi War that has gone on for more than decade now. A war that started so abruptly, that no one knew how it came about.
But you love stories, and you find every opportunity to hear good ones from your neighbours, team-mates and friends.
And you kept in your memory tales of the 5th Great Shinobi War.
You heard some adults say that the war has always been there, just played under closed doors. You heard others speak of a cursed family, whose blood would forever bring forth only pain and discord. You heard about foolish bonds that backfired. Of the casualties that claimed the lives of people with so much promise.
You heard of the 7th Hokage's mandate, declaring a state of emergency on the Shinobi village of Konoha. You heard how civilians were taken to an extremely protected area, surrounded by sealed walls. You heard that the place is so protected that the people living there are unaware of the war.
You find yourself curious of this walled location that you start running there almost daily. Everyday, you stroll around the fences, pushing your way through thick brambles and stubborn hedges. You do not care that you go home with scratches at night. All you dream about is finding a way into that forbidden place, and you wake up tired and sleepy but eager to find something new that day.
One day, you are surprised that you are not alone. Far into the thick natural barriers, you see someone sitting on a giant upturned root. You see very determined and caring eyes fixed upon the sealed wall. For some reason, you find yourself afraid to make your presence known. There was something disconcerting about that person, a powerful aura that demands solitude. So you acquiesce to your gut feeling and choose to turn back. But you know that compared to that person, you have a far different reason for being there. That person is not curious about the wall, you conclude. That person has a connection with someone over that wall. A powerful connection as your instinct claims.
The next day, you rush to the place you've been before. You look around, and you sense no presence. You are relieved and you approach the wall.
It is as imposing as it was before. After scanning, you find no weak links. Disappointed you climb to the root you saw that person sat on before. As you climb, you realise that you can somehow see over the wall.
The wall was higher than the houses inside, but beside the wall you see someone, and you lean closer to have a better look.
You see a very young girl facing the wall. You see her bouncing a ball and when you listen carefully, you could hear her humming. But what drew you to her was her strange hair colour.
You wonder how anyone could have pink hair. And then, you remember a tale told so many years ago, about a woman who had so much promise, whose life was chronicled in the series of war tragedies.
That woman had pink hair...
You were wondering if they could be related when the little girl looked up. For a minute, your eyes meet and you become tense. Them you remember that part of the seal's function was to create an illusion so that the people inside would not see the imposing forest that protects them.
She cannot see you at all.
You find yourself entranced by beautiful emerald eyes, but feel unnerved at the hollowness beneath them. She threw the ball high and suddenly kicked it to the fence. There was a loud thump and you can feel a fluctuation of chakra.
And you remember a rumour…you wonder if it is possible…
Suddenly, someone grabbed you from behind. You recognized them as ANBU and protest that you were doing nothing wrong. They do not answer you; instead, they dragged you back to the Hokage's palace.
Once you arrive, you continued to insist you did nothing wrong. Then you see the person you had seen the day before. You start ranting and pointing at that person.
You scream at the injustice. You try appealing at the Hokage.
The person looked back at you blankly. The Hokage turned and told the person that they would speak of this later.
Two ANBU held you down and another knelt before you.
"You have seen something you shouldn't have seen."
He began several hand seals as you struggled, as his palms touched your face, you scream.
You felt like your head was being licked by flames as you struggled to break free.
You feel your arms grow limp, and your body falling forward…
And your sight grows dim…
…
…
…
The next day, you find yourself in your room. The heavy midmorning sunlight did nothing to help your huge headache.
A family member told you that you had an accident in the forbidden forest and you were found by patrolling shinobi. You were told that you are never to come back there and that you were lucky you only hit your head. You were scolded to be more responsible and to imagine the shame of dying because of clumsiness and stupidity instead of glory in defending the village.
You have forgotten about what you saw over the wall.
You have forgotten about the little girl with piercing emerald eyes.
But you can remember another story shared in hushed tones.
The story of an avenger and a healer, of a love lost, found, shared and ended.
You eerily wonder why this story keeps popping in your mind.
You do not know that that story has not ended.
You did not realise that you just glimpsed the continuity of their story.
A/N: Sooo. how is it? I've always wanted to write in 2nd person! I can't believe I just did. :)
If you like it and want me to continue, please review. Reviews inspire me to write, and I get partly depressed when a lot of people read and I have no idea what they thought of it, it makes me think I wrote a monstrosity. A smiley or a hi will be enough.
