Chapter 1:
'Ugh Where am I' I thought with a shudder. 'Last thing I remember is…a…sword…darkness…pure evil' I reflected. It was about all I could think of at that moment.
"Here, let me help you," a gentle voice called out, "Let me help you please."
Well this is new, no shouting of kill the demon brat, no threats to my well being at first glance? This is really odd but for some reason I felt that if I were to listen to that voice that flowed like a gentle spring rain, all would be well.
"There you go" said that beautiful voice.
"Is there anything that I can get you?" she asked.
I didn't know if my voice would work or not so I just pointed at my throat to ask for a drink hoping that this lady would know what I meant. Thankfully she did understand and must have anticipated my needs, because within seconds I tasted the freshest and most pure water that I had ever tasted.
Once I felt that my voice would work I managed to get out "where am I." What happened to make me so pitiful?
That thought left as soon as I heard her response. It was something that gave me the first hint of true hope that I had had in…well I guess in my whole life.
All she said was "a sanctuary."
After she had uttered those two words that I had pretty much been searching for most of my life, I was able to see my rescuer.
She had the most beautiful, thick dark hair that had a hint of blue in it. Her smile was one that showed warmth and concern, but neither of those were anything compared to her eyes. They were white with a tinge of lavender and no pupils. Even though there were no pupils, I knew she wasn't blind and her eyes seemed to read me as if they had known me my whole life.
"My name is Hinata, Hinata Strife, what is your name?"
"Naruto Uzumaki," was my reply. Yep, you guessed it, it is everyone's favorite knuckleheaded ninja who also happens to house one giant of a headache known as the Kyuubi no Kitsune, hence my shock at not being yelled at or scorned for no reason. Ok, now that I have gotten that out of my system let me get on with my tale.
"I know you said that this was a sanctuary but, where are we?"
"We are in the church that my mom helps care for in the sector 6 slums" was her reply.
Ok, now I am confused.
"How far is that from Konoha or Suna?" I asked cautiously.
"I've never heard of those places before, this is Midgar, the only major location for hundreds of miles," was her response.
My face must have shown every conflicting emotion that I was feeling at the time because she looked at me as if I had lost my mind when I said I know nothing about Midgar.
Hinata calmly looked at me as she said, "I believe that my mom and dad can help you with your situation."
With that Hinata gently helped me up and led me to where I assume her parents lived.
As we walked through this 'Sector 6', I quickly realized why it was called the slums. It was pretty much looking just like my apartment on any given day, just on a grander scale. As we walked I was suddenly hit with memories of Wave and what Gato had done to them before we arrived. At least here though people seemed to make a decent living amongst the crap.
We moved past all of the shops to the first area that had any hint of green since the church that Hinata found me at. I am going to venture a guess that this is her parent's house. Funny thing is that it seemed not quite as grand as those of Konoha yet still had a feeling of warmth and comfort that outshined anything I had seen before.
As we entered, Hinata called out "Mom, Dad, I'm home and I have a friend that needs help."
Why is it that whenever a female feels the need to yell or call out it is right next to my ear, Sakura and Ino were constantly at it back home, how I can even hear is a miracle.
Seconds after Hinata called out, two people walked down the stairs.
One was a man a little taller than I am with hair that seemed to be a combination of mine and Jaraiya's, only no ponytail. He wore a black sleeveless turtle neck and military style cargo pants with combat boots. He wasn't ripped but one look spoke of a warrior with plenty of experience.
The other was a beautiful woman with insanely long hair the color of honey. Within her hair was a pink bow a small white jewel. She wore a pink dress with a little brown jacket. She had a look of complete serenity and peace that would carry over to anyone near her.
"Who is this Hinata" the woman asked.
"Mom this is Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, this is my mom Aerith and My dad Cloud Strife."
"Hinata, what happened and where did you find him?" Cloud asked.
Hinata replied with, "I found him in the church unconscious. When he came to, he had no clue as to where he was but was asking about some places called Konoha and Suna, claiming to know nothing about Midgar."
Aerith looked at me and said, "Would you mind if I look over you to make sure you are ok."
"How are you going to do that?" I inquired desperately pleading that they wouldn't find out about the Kyuubi.
"It is a technique I have that allows me to check for and heal all injuries," was her gentle reply.
I honestly saw no reason for her to exam and heal me because thanks to the giant fur ball that I affectionately refer to as fluffy, I heal automatically.
"That won't be necessary; because I have a special ability as well that heals any physical problem quickly." I told the kind lady.
"Well, if you insist okay, but you may have a concussion which could affect your healing," Aerith gently informed me.
I don't know how, nor do I bet that any man will ever know, but whenever a woman talks or acts a certain way, especially in this family, I have no choice but to listen. Apparently Cloud knew what I was thinking because his face said to go along with it. It also didn't hurt that I could not in good conscious reject one of the few acts of kindness in my life.
"Okay" was my reply before I experienced my second system shock of the day.
