Full Summary: Apparently, having previously survived two decades in a world crawling with zombies was a good training experience for his next life as a ninja. Who would've known? Note the sarcasm. [OC Reincarnated as Nohara Rin's twin brother. M/M]
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, obviously ༼ ಥ ‿ ಥ ༽
Ryou sat, back straight, on the sofa in an office with his limbs loose and ready to be used at a moment's notice. The room was simple and hardly decorated, with only a mahogany desk, bookshelves, and a small seating area where Ryou was at. The owner of the room was smart, not showcasing anything dangerous that could be used as an inconspicuous weapon.
The only other occupant in this room with him - who Ryou assumes was the office's owner - was a broad man with black hair and eyes. The man was stone-faced, wearing the high-collared uniform underneath a green vest of some kind, and seated on a leather chair behind the desk. They were both silent, the man ignoring Ryou's existence in favor of writing whatever down on the papers scattered across the desk.
As he was still unaccustomed to this new world (despite Reo's assistance), he was wary of the carnivore who looked strong enough to snap his spine with one pinky, but curious about the writings as well. And this curiosity of his has always been his downfall (he literally died, after all).
Ryou, unlike the majority of the Pre-Alpha generation, had been illiterate. Shame or embarrassment was not felt for admitting that little bit of weakness about him. Resources had been hard to find, and learning how to read was not exactly a priority back then - there was also no motivation for it.
All of his (Liam's) time had been spent on surviving, and nobody cared much about book-smarts to judge him for it.
However, after his reincarnation, Reo has spent a lot of time with him, slowly and patiently teaching him a lot of things about this world (still not enough), and one of them was on how to read those weird symbols he calls hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
Despite Ryou's lack of enthusiasm at first, his young brain was like a sponge, absorbing all that he sees and hears at an alarming rate. It allows for him to understand the basics enough to read a simple book unbothered. Now, after a year of lessons, he liked being able to read. Books were interesting. So he was curious what the stoic-looking man was writing about.
Although he dared not speak about this curiosity of his. The fear of loud noises still haunted his very being, the crippling desire to move as quietly as possible, to never speak louder than a whisper, to not ask questions and avoid social interactions, those things have never actually left his self-persevering innate behavior.
His male caretaker was the only one who understood his desire - always speaking softly and knowing when exactly he needed to be left alone. Hence, Ryou has reluctantly and grudgingly allowed himself to be taught and carried by the man. He knew that his sperm donor would not off him because he was in the 'harmless' category, but he remains cautious whenever he felt that the man acted too kindly.
As for his female caretaker... Heh. She would no doubt seek his death.
In hindsight, he should not have bitten the hand that fed him just yet (stupid fight-or-flight instincts had no off button). Thanks to that tiny mistake of breaking her wrist, Ryou would have to sleep with both his eyes open from now until he was strong enough to ensure his survival in the house. Even an hour of sleep seemed impossible at this rate.
When patterned knocking was heard from the door, Ryou's whole body tensed as he discreetly shifted until he was mostly hidden behind the pillows of the sofa. In his hand, held in a white-knuckle grip and hidden from view, was a crayon; sharpened and ready for use.
He was prepared for whatever was outside; be they zombies or humans (if there were even zombies in the first place). Probably the former, though. No person would be dumb enough to announce their presence and give time for the people inside the room to prepare for a fight.
"Enter," The man called out, which completely baffled Ryou.
Why did the man announce that they were inside?! Was he eager to die? Or was it customary for the people of this place to knock on doors and wait for the occupants inside to give their permission to enter? If that was so, it was... definitely abnormal and fucking dumb.
Ryou felt that his previous life's customs were much safer - you either blow the doors open and shoot everyone inside or find other entrances that would leave you undiscovered by the occupants.
The person who entered made Ryou, who was beyond tensed, unknowingly breath out a sigh of relief. Despite his vigilance, there were no signs that his male caretaker would harm him at this point in time. If there was one person he could give some of his trust, it was this man.
But not too much. Trust, or goodwill in general, made one susceptible to manipulation. Ryou has no desire to become a brain-dead idiot.
"Thank you for looking after Ryou-kun for us, Uchiha-san," Reo bowed.
"He has been well behaved," The man, Uchiha, nodded stiffly, "Have you been briefed?"
"Ah, yes. I have. I am deeply sorry for the trouble my son has unintentionally caused. I have also spoken to my wife and we have both agreed to enroll him to the Academy."
"A wise choice. Yamanaka Keinosuke and Nara Chikao are here to evaluate your son. They are waiting at room I-02."
"I understand. I don't mean to impose on your time further, but..."
"Take your time, Nohara-san," Uchiha's dark eyes flickered over to Ryou and back to Reo, "As much as you need." After he said his piece, Uchiha returned to his papers and ignored the two Noharas.
Ryou didn't know what that meant, but he was instantly twice as on guard as before - if that was even possible. As if picking up on his actions, his male caretaker laughed nervously and nodded to Uchiha before crouching in front of Ryou, body language open and inviting, but still at a distance that was out of Ryou's short reach.
"Hello, Ryou-kun. Tou-san and Kaa-san are sorry for making you wait so long on your own. Were you frighten?" The brown-eyed man's voice was soft, almost an unheard whisper in the wind, and mollifying. It brought back the many memories of how others would speak to feral and infected humans... just before they jump in for the kill.
It comforted him enough for Ryou to shake his head to indicate that no, he was not frightened to be left on his own. In fact, he would rather continue to stay far away from his female caretaker at this point in time - as overly vigilant as it seems to be wary of a single non-survivor.
Fear made people irrational, unpredictable, and dangerous (a cornered zombie was not to be underestimated). And he had seen her eyes (full of emotions that left Ryou cautious) before they parted. She would definitely be treating him differently back at the house. Ryou made a mental note to always remain near his male caretaker whenever they were all in the same room for meals.
[POV Change]
"That's good. You've always been a strong boy, Ryou-kun. Tou-san is very proud of you. If it is alright, do you mind if I come closer?" Reo asked carefully, making sure to sound as soothing and steadily as possible - not wanting to stress his boy further. He knew that Ryou was sensitive to loud noises, therefore he always did his best to speak as softly as possible.
When Reo saw his son pout, eyebrows furrowed at the question, he so badly wanted to squeal at the sheer adorableness of it all. The only reason he refrained from doing so was because he was in public and he knew that this wasn't the time for his goofy antics to appear.
It took longer for the toddler to respond, but when he was given a jerky nod, Reo almost sagged in relief. At least he wasn't shut out from the get-go.
Reo smiled disarmingly as he shifted forward until he was crouching just in front of his precious son, making sure that he wasn't towering over the three-year-old and his hands were in view.
Despite the Uchiha officer's seemingly lack of attention, he knew that the Uchiha had his entire focus on them due to there being a sharpened crayon hidden in his boy's right-hand. This information was made known to him by the guard outside, but he wasn't worried. Reo was confident that Ryou would not attack him without a justifiable cause.
As for how he actually got his small hands on a weaponized crayon... That left Reo baffled. The crayons he gifted his son were blunt like any other. For the little guy to actually sharpen them without Momo or him realizing... Now that was incredible. Little Ryou was definitely a shinobi in-the-making (and Reo was so damn proud!).
His wife and he may be civilians, but he originally hailed from a small clan full of medic-nins, and at the same time, Momo came from a well respected and famous clan. And whilst his gentle wife shied away from any ninja training due to her pacifistic nature, Reo's dream has always been to become a renown author despite his initial training as a medic.
Many other civilians might be appalled at allowing their toddlers to attend the Adacemy, especially during war times, but Reo was brought up in a shinobi household. Hence, he knew that children with an active chakra network were more... mentally developed. If left untrained, they would do more harm than good - unintentionally breaking Momo's wrist was just the start.
So Reo, knowing that his son was by far smarter than most 3-year-olds, conversed as if he was talking to a mini-adult who was still in mid-process of learning the norms of their culture.
"Thank you. How are you feeling, son?" At his scrunched up nose, Reo chuckled, "Yes, it's understandable that you're uncomfortable here. I know that you'd rather be in your room or nests. We can do just that soon, of course, but first, Tou-san wants to take you to another room for a short while. It's to meet two kind men; Yamanaka-san and Nara-san. Can you endure being outside the house for a little while longer, Ryou-kun?"
Ryou sighed tiredly, sounding more like a long-suffering adult than a kid. Reo took that as a sign of agreement and brought up a hand, but not really closing the distance.
"Can Tou-san touch you, Ryou-kun?" When Ryou's shoulder tensed, Reo soothingly continued, "Just for a hug. Tou-san will never willingly hurt you - you're safe with me, Ryou-kun. I promise. Tou-san just wants to ruffle your hair, wrap you in a hug, and give you many, many, many sloppy kisses on your cheeks. Like how I always do before meals-"
Before Reo could continue his embarrassing words, his little boy brought up a hand - the one that was not holding the weaponized crayon - and smacked Reo's lips, his eyebrows furrowed into a petulant scowl. Reo only chuckled, his smile widening into a grin.
"No kiss," Ryou sullenly murmured, his voice hoarse from disuse and almost inaudible. Reo was pleasantly surprised his son even bothered to talk at all. The last time he heard his precious son's voice was about (give or take) two years ago.
"Alright," He ruffled his son's hair and nodded with as much seriousness as he could muster right now (whilst holding back his laughter), "No kisses today. Can Tou-san kiss your adorable face tomorrow?"
His son refused his request by glaring (pouting) at him, his lower lip jutting out into an adorable glower.
"Please?" He pleaded with puppy-dog eyes whilst slowly pulling his son into his arms.
Without a change of expression, the toddler swatted him on the lips again in a show of rejection, albeit half-hearted if the slight softening of his boy's eyes were telling. Reo decided to try once more, and if he was still denied, he would back out for now.
"Aww... But kisses are Tou-san's favorite action to show you that I love you~ Ryou-kun does know that Tou-san loves you, right? I love you so very much~"
Having successfully brought his son close enough, he lifted the toddler onto his hip and walked slowly to the door, all the whilst ignoring the Uchiha's penetrating gaze, more focused on Ryou. The toddler's expression was blank, and it almost made Reo worry that he had made his boy retreat back into that shell of his.
But unexpectedly, red started to bloom on his son's chubby cheeks, the clan markings doing nothing to hide the adorable flush. Reo was rueful that he did not have a camera on hand to take a photo of his boy's first blush. He made do with burning this beautiful moment into his memory.
"... Hn."
"Was that a yes 'hn' I can smother you with my kisses or a no 'hn'?"
When Ryou looked away, the tips of his ears a cute shade of pink, Reo decided that it was the former. It made him laugh joyfully as he reached for the doorknob.
Just before he left, however, he heard the Uchiha's murmur.
"You did well for a civilian, Reo-san. I'm impressed."
Other than bowing one last time to his wife's cousin, he acted as if he had not heard the man's praise. It was expected for a parent to know their child inside and out, after all.
To Ryou's great relief, the meeting with the two omnivores was short. The second his male caretaker had placed him on the ground upon reaching the house, he sped off towards his cupboard under the stairs, climbed inside, and hid within the sanctuary of glorified darkness and the nostalgic smell of mildew.
The sight and smell alleviated Ryou's taut muscles (the only thing missing was the constant howls of zombie animals, the growling of humanoid zombies, and the scent of decaying flesh). They reminded him of very much of his previous life; the dark sky with no stars, the air too heavily polluted to see or breath anything but smog, and the emptiness of life. He was so used to such things that the clear air, the starry night sky, and the noisiness of humans left him feeling uncomfortable.
He preferred being on his own, always prowling at night and keeping well out of anyone's way. Solitude was a beautiful thing he dearly missed.
He didn't know how long he stayed inside his cupboard, but it was enough for his muscles to finally lose all tension as he hugged himself, the abyss feeling so much like home it hurt. Ryou didn't realize his breathing had evened out and he had fallen asleep due to comfort and not exhaustion.
...
An adult male, about twenty-five years old, was sitting idly on a windowsill, humming softly under his breath as he enjoyed the biting breeze of the open window, not at all minding how the heavy air was constricting his lungs and tearing his body from the inside out.
There were puddles of blood, smashed viscera, and decomposing, maggot-filled corpses littering the floor, the soles of his boots covered in filth so thick not even the acid raindrops were able to wash them off. Liam's slender and blood-caked fingers were tapping lightly against the broken glass of the window, enjoying his solitude whilst aimlessly wondering what his next destination should be.
There were three options for him to choose from.
A Fort that was a couple of miles from his exact location, a hospital just a few blocks away, and a junkyard just a mile short from the Fort.
The Fort would be a great place to trade in some of his wares, but the attention he would receive from some of the old fogeys would put a damper on his good mood. As for the hospital, it would be great if he could find some medical supplies to carry on his person. However, the building would undoubtedly be crawling with undead, and that would outweigh the benefits if the building had been stripped clean.
The junkyard it was, he nodded to himself. Liam would definitely be able to find some useful scraps there.
With a relaxed sigh, he jumped from the window and landed on the first floor with a soft thump, a muffled squeal coming from underneath his boots as he grounded the zombie rat's skull with nonchalance.
Liam ignored the crunching sounds of bones breaking with every step he took, his heavy boots giving him adequate protection from their protruding bones and nibbling fangs as he navigates through the infested hallways.
As the wind howled loudly through the many broken windows and doors, his half-lidded eyes remained on the pitch black sky which could be seen through the broken ceilings and rooftop, a bloody katana in one hand and a pungent smelling barbwire bat in the other.
"Aa, how peaceful," he breathed out almost inaudibly as he raised his blade and severed the head of an incoming baby-Z, his lips curling upwards at the tranquillity, not at all minding the cold blood and chunky bits that splattered against his clothed chest.
...
A sharp exhale left his lips as his body went from relaxed to alert within a split second of the cupboard door's opening. At the sight of a person in his 'hostile' category, he gripped his sharpened crayon tighter, his eyes focused on her body language, facial expression, and twitchy hands for any sign of an incoming attack.
Unexpectedly, when her eyes adapted to the dark, they widened as she took a hurried step back, hands in front of her as if she was the one preparing to intercept an attack from him. Ryou tilted his head in bafflement, but other than that, he kept absolutely still.
"R-Ryou-san," She cleared her throat and gave him some sort of smile that had him retreat further into the darkness. When half a minute passed without him giving any sign of responding, she cleared her throat again before speaking, "I need to get something inside. Can you find another place to... do whatever it is you're now doing?"
He kept his silence for a few more moments before he nodded slowly to her words. Wary of her limbs, he moves forward with careful steps, feeling slight relief when she matches him by moving backward, and slipped out of the cupboard before speeding off to the dining area - where he felt his male caretaker's Warmth.
Reo didn't seem to mind when Ryou dived under his chair. The man only placed a picture book on the floor and left Ryou to do whatever he wanted with it, half his attention was on teaching his daughter how to recognize the alphabets whilst the other half made sure to keep track of his easily restless son.
With an inaudible sigh, Ryou hugged the picture book to his chest - not caring that it was half his size - and flipped to the page he had previously left off. Within a quarter of an hour, his body finally deemed it safe enough for his heart rate to slowly return to its normal rhythm and his adrenaline to be flushed out of his system.
It seems he would be able to live to another day unharmed.
"Remember all your lessons, Ryou-kun - and listen to your sensei," His male caretaker fussed (albeit in a hushed whisper) as he caresses Ryou's chestnut brown hair. Ryou stood still and allowed it, not minding the man as he was too busy taking in his surroundings, wincing once in a while when a tiny herbivore screeched too loudly for his taste.
Currently, Reo was standing just outside a building called the 'Academy', wearing an all-black tee, shorts with leggings underneath, and a pair of open-toed sandals (which made him very uncomfortable. He preferred combat boots that would prevent his toes from getting frostbites). He had wanted to take along his Bug Out Bag with him, but Reo had replaced his survival kit with a small backpack filled with notebooks and stationery despite the glares he delivered to the man.
There were a lot of noisy children and flustered adults all around the courtyard, but, for the first time, he temporarily didn't mind being in a crowded location that much. After all, he was finally going to experience this something called school. It was an exciting prospect as much as a nerve-wracking one.
Despite knowing that this new world had not experienced the apocalypse (yet), he had never expected to have to actually go to school. Their trip to the Academy was a tensed one, with Ryou constantly looking over his shoulder, wary of any zombies popping out to eat him whilst he was still a weak child... and then remembering that this was a new world without zombies.
It was a repeated cycle that he couldn't seem to break out of, but Ryou has always been somewhat adaptable. Sooner or later, he would learn to accept his new life sans zombies.
"Tou-san is very proud of you, Ryou-kun. I want to give you something. Will you accept my gift, please?"
At the pitiful look that many of the old fogeys named 'the dreaded puppy dog eyes', Ryou gave a muted nod as he extends his hands forward, eyeing the man warily for any deception. The last time he was given a gift (other than the crayons), he (Liam) was tied up in a warehouse and bleeding from the hole in his stomach.
His female caretaker was behind the man, in her arms was an overly excited little pest that wouldn't stop asking irritating and whiny questions (and drooling). She didn't look at him, not once in their entire journey to the Academy, only focusing on her female spawn (despite being an atheist, he thanked fucking god for that).
When his hands were bundled into a pair of warm, fingerless brown mittens, Ryou blinked stupidly for a couple of seconds, his fingers idly stroking the wooly texture. It felt soothing enough that his muscles uncoiled gradually with every stroke his fingers made.
Before he could react to anything else, big, warm hands covered his pudgy, tiny ones. Ryou stared blankly into his male caretaker's smiling eyes, the brown orbs filled with an unknown emotion that made his heart feel as if it were floating.
"I heard from one of my cousins that this might help you feel more comfortable. If the loudness is too much, you can use them to cover your ears or rub them with your fingers or anything else that you think might help. Will you wear my gift, Ryou-kun? It'll make papa really happy if you accept it."
After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. The mittens weren't restrictive and they didn't feel too hot on his hands. Besides, he was quite used to wearing hand protection against mutated zombies.
Following that, he was carried by his male caretaker to a hall filled with chairs. The matriculation ceremony went with Ryou paying close attention to the speaker's words. Apparently, the Academy was a military school that taught and trained snot-nosed brats into becoming soldiers. A transition from a herbivore to a carnivore.
For one, Ryou was filled with appreciation for his male caretaker. The man had pushed Ryou into a direction that would benefit him greatly, that would make him strong. He disliked the idea of being in a class filled with six-year-olds, but he couldn't be picky with his choice of classmates.
The strong ruled over the weak. And now, currently, Ryou's body was weak. Thus, he would follow the orders of the strong until he himself was strong enough to overrule their commands.
With a carefully crafted expression of blankness, he follows the flock of students to their respective classes, making sure to move as far from them as possible, and sat at the backmost seat near the window. It gave the most vantage point and easily accessible routes of escape. Furthermore, he was left on his own to enjoy what little solitude he has on his lonesome (despite the irritating noise level).
When the military sensei came in, introduced himself, and began the introduction of what was expected of them, as well as the requirements of what has to be met in order to become a shinobi or kunoichi, Ryou listens attentively, his young mind absorbing everything he was freely given.
By the end of the day, however, Ryou came to loathe school, a place which only contained yelling and crying children who lacked focus, forcing their sensei to repeat his lectures over and over again. Especially that one subject called maths. Whoever it was that invented such a torturous thing was definitely a sadist.
A/N: Ohmigewdness! I am absolutely floored by such positive feedback. Thank you guys so much (灬 ω 灬)! It definitely motivated me to write faster.
Just to clarify some things:
1. Ryou doesn't know anything about the anime Naruto. He was too young to even remember his first set of parents, so why would he remember cartoons? ლ(•ω •ლ)
2. The apocalypse happened when he was 5 years old, and he died when he was 25 years old.
3. In my story, I'm making Ryou, Rin, and Obito 2 years older than Kakashi. Normal children during war times will attend the Academy at 6 and graduate at 9. Kakashi attends at 4 and takes 1 year to graduate due to being a prodigy, meaning he'll be genin at 5 years of age.