Chapter One: Awakening – Oto no Yosomono
Sights, noises, smells and feelings were surrounding her, none of them clear enough for her to understand. She was in the middle of all of this, trying to grab to something, to see it, hear it, smell it and feel it clearly. But all her efforts were in vain. The world was spinning around her, showing her incomprehensible peaces of the memories she once used to have. She could swear that between the many images she could see a blurry shadow of a person. She reached her hand. A little more and she could touch that shadow. But suddenly the world around her started cracking and than burst into peaces like a broken mirror. Blinding darkness and deafening silence surrounded her. There was only one thing that followed. A loud female voice cut through the nothing of her surroundings..
"AKAI, RUN!"
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Red eyes snapped open. A young woman in her early twenties was lying in a bed in the middle of a small room. There were no windows, and everything was dark, but she knew it was morning.
She stayed like that for a minute or two, wondering about the dream she had just had. For yet another time. The same dream repeated night after night. What was all that about? She had a feeling she knew. Those were her memories, moments of her past, which she had sometime before treasured, now coming back to her, after they were absent for fourteen years. Her memory went back to this nights dream, thinking through the last voice. That last moment of the dream was sometimes different.
A few days ago she had seen an image in the place of that voice. It looked like an old photo. There were four people on it. On the left was a woman with long curly blond hair and red yes, who was smiling towards the camera. She was holding a little baby in her arms, wrapped in red blankets. On her right was a man, a little taller than her, who had put his right hand over her shoulders. He had silver hair, and black eyes. He also was smiling. His left hand was on top of a boy's head. The boy had the same hear and eyes like his. He didn't look like he was more than six, or seven years old. Both the man and the boy wore forehead protectors with the Leaf of Konoha on them.
The girl didn't know what all of this meant. Was it really memories? Her memories? Could it possibly be so that those people had been close to her? She recalled another picture that she had seen in one of those dreams.
This time the people were five. On the left there was a boy, maybe around thirteen years old sitting on the ground, with spiky black hair and orange goggles on his face. He was sticking his tongue out at the camera. Next to him a girl was sitting on her knees. She was about as old as him, with brown shoulder length hair and the same eyes. She was holding her hand in front of her mouth, probably laughing at the boy. Behind them was standing a young man. He had spiky blond hair. He was laughing at something with his eyes curved. His head was turned a little to the side, as he was facing a girl that was on his back. The girl was not more than seven years old with red hair tied in a plait and the same eyes. She was also laughing, showing two lines of white teeth to the camera. A little to the right, away from the group was a boy about thirteen years old with silver hear and black eyes. His face was covered by a mask. There was a serious look in his eyes and he was standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He looked annoyed to say the least.
There had been that one time, when the girl remembered hearing a different voice in her dream. It was a young male voice, and it had said, "Those ninjas who don't follow the rules and regulations are called trash! That's how it is!"
All in all those were all the things she knew about herself. About the life she had had before she reached seven years and her memories were erased. It had beer fourteen years since then and she had never known the truth about her past. That was the reason she clenched so hard on the images and sounds she saw and heard in those dreams. For she believed with all her heart that someday she would remember again, someday she would have a past, and maybe, who knows, even family and friends. Someday she would get out of this place, knowing exactly where to go… Or maybe not…
She sighed and rolled out of the bed. Using her Chakura she created a little flame and lightened the candles in the room. There was no electricity there, but the faith light that was coming from the candles was enough for her. She stood up. She was tall and slim with long red messy hair and the same eyes – Oto no Yosomono (Stranger of the Sound) the girl that had no past and no name. She had a strange mark under her left eye – the kanji for "memories". A mark, she had found out, that had appeared when the memory erasing Jutsu had been put on her. On the back of her neck, there was another mark – like a black tattoo, three comma-like shapes stood there, revealing the famous Cursed Seal.
The room was small and almost empty. There was a bed in one corner and a little desk with a few candles in it. A wardrobe was standing against a wall and next to it there was a door. She sat down on the bed and took her gaze down towards her left palm. She concentrated just a little Chakura and another seal appeared there - the kanji for six, surrounded by six little lines. The Roku Icchuu Gokuin that had been on her hand for all of her life. Well, at least that part she remembered. She then closed her eyes for a moment.
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In a second she was in a completely different place. It was a spacious room with blank walls and on the floor there was the same seal that was on her hand –In one corner of the room a dark figure was sitting. It was a woman with eagle wings on her back, brown hair and claws on her hands. She was sitting cross-legged with closed eyes.
'You listening, Rokubi' asked the red haired girl.
'What do you want, brat?' came the annoyed response as the Demon opened her brown eyes and sent a glare to the one standing before her. She hadn't locked herself from the other humans only to be bothered by this particular one.
'I know you can undo that stupid Jutsu. Just tell me how to do it and I'll leave you alone,' continued Yosomono. Those talks were getting more and more annoying even to her with every day.
'We've had this conversation at least a hundred times in the last seven days and my answer stays the same: your memories are none of my business! If you want them back, find out a way yourself, you week human! Go bug that overgrown snake or something like that! LEAVE ME ALONE!' the Demon yelled at her and closed her eyes again. This was all too annoying; she was seriously starting to doubt that locking herself in here was such a good idea.
'YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE, DAMN YOU!' the girl yelled and clenched her fists. How was it that the Rokubi managed to make her so angry every single time!?
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Yosomono opened her eyes again and narrowed them with annoyance. What was the use of that stupid Demon, when she refused to do the only thing the woman had ever asked her?
She sighed and got up from the bed. She went to the wardrobe and pulled her clothes out. She took out a red T-shirt and a long skirt in the same color with splits on both sides and a pare of red shorts. Quickly she put them on and tied her hair in a ponytail. Ignoring all her efforts one tuft of hair refused to stay in the ponytail and she finally tucked it behind her ear. With that done the girl went out in the gloomy hall.
It was a little brighter than her room, actually. Except for the fires burning in little caves in the walls there were a few 'windows' – holes in the roof that let a little bit of the day light to come in. The young woman quickly found her way to the bathroom and did her morning rituals. After that she went to the main room. It was big with a few tables and many chairs. Usually everyone came here to eat, and also to get their missions for the day. At that time the room was almost empty. Safe for Yosomono there was only one person there.
"Good morning, Yosomono-chan" greeted the young man. He was as tall as her with silver hair tied in a ponytail and round glasses. He was sitting on one of the tables with some food on it. "You're early this morning. Is there a reason or something?"
"Well, I don't know, Kabuto-kun. Is my first mission out of this Hell reasoning enough?" she smiled at the medic and sat on the table he was on.
"You really shouldn't talk like this. 'This Hell' is the only place you've ever had for a home, you know," said the spy in a calm voice.
"If I had another I'd be long gone, believe me, but that teme (Bastard) won't let me go out of here," replied the red haired girl, glaring for a second at the sealing.
"I wonder if I will still be alive the day you show some kind of respect towards Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto pushed his glasses still looking at her.
"Nope. That day will never come," said Yosomono with a joking voice.
"Well, you should keep in mind that he is the person that made you what you are," the young medic didn't give up on his little argument.
"Yeah, prisoners in this 'Hell-for a home'," she muttered and then added, "Why are you here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be in Konoha or something like that?" asked the woman, dropping the subject.
"I'm here to escort you on the way there. By the way, here's your mission," he gave her a slip of paper and an envelope.
Yosomono quickly read what was on the paper and opened the envelope. There were five reports. She looked at the information on the first one.
"Utatane Koharu!? Is this granny the one I'm supposed to kill? You must be kidding me! This isn't an A-rank mission; it's a D-rank! Every Sound Gennin can kill an old lady without problems!" the girl protested aloud, glaring at the paper and the information written on it. "This is absurd! And I'm supposed to be one of his best fighters! This is-"
"This is a highly ranked mission, which can become not only A-ranked, but S-ranked as well," interrupted her Kabuto, "As I see you don't have enough patience to read her whole information, so let me tell you that Utatane Koharu is a member of Konoha's Elders. She had also been a part of the Sandaime's old team, but that's not why the mission is so high ranked. Orochimaru-sama is fully aware that she will have guards and there's the tricky part. He does not have enough information on how many and who her guards are, but as an Elder she should be provided with good defense. So we are to believe that some of Konoha's strongest ninja might be in your way, and you should be sure not to underestimate… Are you even listening to me?"
The woman had frozen as she was staring at the second report. She looked strange – a little paler than usual and her eyes were focused on nothing else but the picture. A man with silver hair and a mask on his face was staring back at her from the paper. His forehead protector was on his proper place, revealing both of his eyes – right one black and left one red. The red eye had three coma-like black shapes in the iris. A bad scar had found its way right through his left eye, down towards the check.
"Those ninjas who don't follow the rules and regulations are called trash! That's how it is!" The voice echoed in her head. She closed her eyes and shook her head, getting rid of those thoughts, pushing them to the back of her mind. The day was not the time to think about her past. The nights were just about enough for her.
"What's wrong?" asked Kabuto.
Yosomono looked at him and forced a smile.
"Who's that?" she asked as she brought her eyes back to the paper 'Hatake Kakashi…?'
"That's one of Konoha's elites – Hatake Kakashi, also known as the Copy Ninja," Kabuto began, after a quick look at the photo.' "He's used the Sharingan in his left eye-"
"-to copy over a thousand Jutsus. I can read. I'm asking if you know something more that is not written in this report," the woman snapped. She was sure acting strange.
"I am afraid all I know is in there," was Kabuto's calm reply.
The girl took a quick look at the pages of the report, but unfortunately what she wanted wasn't there. 'Hatake… Kakashi…' she thought as she got an apple for a quick breakfast while she read the reports, 'Who are you?'
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She had soon given enough attention to every report before her – the one of the person she had to kill and those on her assumptive guards. Safe for the Copy Ninja there was information about a Taijutsu master named Maito Gai, otherwise known as 'Konoha's Prideful Green Beast'; a Kinoichi – Genjutsu master by the name of Yuhi Kurenai; and a Shinobi, known for his use of Chakura knives, Sarutobi Asuma, the known son of the Sandaime Hokage.
After the examination of her potential enemies Yosomono went back to her room to get her weapons. It had become noisy at the mane room, but here everything was quiet. She knew she was supposed to just grab the katana and the kunai holster and get back, but she needed a few minutes to get her thoughts straight, so she sat on the edge of her bed. What had happened back there? Why had she had the feeling she had seen him somewhere... this Hatake Kakashi.
She remembered clearly the moment she had heard that voice for the first time. Once again it had been the last moment of one of those dreams in which images, sounds, smells and feelings were spinning around her. She had awakened right after the sound of the voice. And, although the same images and sounds often repeated in the end of those dreams, this one had appeared only then. And yet just minutes ago the voice had sounded in her mind as clear as though she was standing in front of the one saying it.
'Could it be…' she thought, but then shook her head. 'No! I must be going crazy! From all the background I read about him, he doesn't sound like a person who would say such a thing… Anyway, there are more important things to worry about now.' She forced herself out of these thoughts, pushing the images and voices from her dreams behind. 'Now I have to get ready for the mission.'
With that though she got up from the bed and opened her wardrobe. A katana was hanging on one of the doors. She took it and put it on her back, its handle above her right shoulder. After that she took her kunai holster and put it on her right leg. She quickly went through the weapons inside and got a few more shuriken. Then she exited the room and almost bumped in Kabuto who was just walking past the door.
"What took you so long?" he asked eyeing her from head to toe. "I was just about to check if you're in this or not."
"I
had to take care of something. Besides, you know I'd take every
opportunity to get out of this Hell," she answered. "So, are we
going or not?"
"Why did you get so eager all of the sudden?"
he smirked and than leaded the way towards the exit. Yosomono
followed him quietly thinking about her first mission out of here.
She never knew why Orochimaru didn't want her to go anywhere, but orders were orders and as much as she hated them, she was stuck doing simple missions inside this damn place. They were usually stupid tasks that got to her nerves but there had been a few assault orders, for there were times Orochimaru found out about traitors in his group and it was her job to take care of them. And so she did. Quickly and quietly, not leaving a clue behind. She had experience in killing and even more in fighting and never hesitated in a battle. For, she knew that if you do that, you'll be death for sure. And death didn't sound so tempting to her.
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It was night and the village was quiet. No lights were on in this late hour, safe for those of the Hokage tower. There had been a meeting, because of the death of one of the proctors for the Chuunin Exam - Gekko Hayate, who had been killed the previous day. Everything around the Exam was getting very complicated after Orochimaru had appeared, and there had even been rumors that he might attack Konoha during the Third Exam which was even more bothering. The Elders had requested a meeting with the Sandaime to talk about the situation and try to find a way out of it.
For more than an hour Yosomono was sitting on one branch a little out of the streets of the village, looking at the tower. Even from this distance he could see what was going on thanks to Rokubi's Chakura which she had concentrated in her eyes. It was almost like a habit of hers to do it – either the eyes or years, depending on whether she wanted to see something in the distance or to hear a quiet noise. For the time being she was just staring at the shadows she could see at the window.
Than three of them disappeared, leaving the fourth person alone. The woman got up and put one hand on the trunk of the tree and concentrated on the place in front of the front gate of the tower. Not long after three people exited and separated, each on his own way. It was the time to strike.
'The hunting's over. Let's kill the prey!' the Demon's voice sounded in the back of her head.
She could almost see the sadistic smile on Rokubi's face in front of her eyes. She knew that one of the things the Demon enjoyed was killing. There was no real reason - it was just her nature to be twisted like that. Or so Yosomono thought.
She jumped from the branch, pushing Chakura in her feet and started running towards the unsuspecting victim. The elderly woman had gotten some room between the tower and herself, and was now crossing a small lane. It was in that lane that the red haired woman was thinking of killing her – a quiet and dark place where no one would get in the way. She speeded over the roofs and started getting nearer and nearer. She didn't make a sound – the unsuspecting victim is the easiest one to kill.
She was now really close, as she jumped on the last roof, taking hold of the hilt of her katana. In less than a second she landed on the ground, still moving, and taking her katana out with great speed, she swung in one time…
To Be Continued…
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Chapter Two: Silver and Gold – The Crash of Two Hatakes
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The woman dodged a few more Shuriken. What the Hell was wrong with her!? She couldn't even concentrate! This battle was going from bad to worse and she had to think of something fast! She formed the familiar seals and yelled, "Katon: Kaji Bunshin no Jutsu (Fire Clone Technique)"…
