Lost and Found
Lost and Found
Previously: Despite five, long years, she still didn't have a place to permantly live. The now thirteen-year-old teen began to believe that she'll remain a traveler for the rest of her life. Anna didn't know how wrong she was to believe such a thing.
Chapter 1: A New Home
Water is splashing at her feet soaking the bottom of her baggy jeans. Somewhere in her run for safety she lost her shoes altogether and is now barefoot not caring about the dirt clawing at her feet. She's bleeding everywhere and has seen better days then this. She sees large, wooden gates and dashes through them hoping not to be stopped. She's scared and frantic as someone grabs her. Kicking and fighting with all her might, she manages to get away from the person only to run into someone else. Not knowing what else to do, she clings on tightly crying her soul out tears becoming mixed with the rain. Something warm wraps around her and she falls asleep not knowing that she was saved.
November 10- Somewhere past midnight and before one in the morning
Waking up to bright lights, I blink a few times before attempting to sit up; a bad mistake. Wincing as I dropped slowly to the bed I take in all of my surroundings. Everything in the room was white except for a wardrobe closet located a little ways from the right of the bed and a plastic chair. I hear footsteps outside the door and swiftly close my eyes, pretending to be asleep.
"Poor, kid, I hope she's not in coma or anything," Someone said. Thinking about where I was I decided that it's either a doctor or a nurse; maybe both.
"She's probably still tired. I mean she looked dead on her feet when she came in. I'm surprised she didn't die from blood loss. It's a good thing we found her before it was too late." Another person said their voice a tad softer then the other one.
"I know, maybe we should stay here until she wakes up? If I woke up in some strange room in a place I didn't know and I was by myself, I would scream my head off." The first voice said. Once I heard them sit down I decided it was time for me to look at my surroundings once more. Opening my eyes, I blinked a few times before opening them completely.
"Hey, how you're feeling?" The second voice I heard from earlier asked and I tilt my head to the side not trusting myself with words. He had chocolate brown hair that fell over his right eye and chocolate brown eyes accomping them.
"I'm glad you're awake. I was thinking you died on us." The first voice said belonging to a guy with black hair that fell all over place and bandahes running across his nose. Even though I already knew where I was, I decided to play dumb and try saying something.
"Where am I and who are you?" I asked wincing at the fact that my voice was scratchy and I just realized how raw my throat was.
"I'm Izumo, he's Kotetsu and you're in the hospital. What's your name?" I looked over at the guy with hair over his right eye and over to the guy with hair all over the place, then I just stared at the ceiling.
"Saito Anna, Goddess of Peace and War." I said saying the first name that came to mind. They both had looks of confusion and I stared back at the ceiling. "I don't understand why I have that name either. My home village killed my mother and father when I was only eight-years-old. After they killed my parents, they were planning on killing me and I ran away. Ever since then I traveled from place to place. I have no goals, dreams, or purpose. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever find a place to permantly live." My voice was empty and had no emotion in it. Somewhere between running away from my village and living on my own I guess I lost my emotions and forgot what it meant to smile.
"Gomen, but that doesn't explain why you were covered in blood and dirt." Kotetsu, I think, said. I look over at him and my eyes held no emotion in them.
"I guess it was my destiny to be killed by my village and for my parents to die, huh? I don't know what happened last night. All I can remember is running for my life and crying on something before I fell asleep." I said looking out the window at the darkening skies. "It looks like it will rain. That's how my whole life has been. Dark, cold, empty… no one cared about me so I didn't care about them. Everywhere I go it always rains and never shines. I guess that's why I have no reason or purpose on the earth. I still ask myself, why do I feel the need to keep living even though I have no purpose in life?" I continued in my monotonic voice. There's no point in using emotion when all it does is cause you pain I believe.
"What happened to you? Why do you say things like that? Everyone has a purpose; you just have to find it." I look over to the guy that calls himself Izumo and search through his eyes.
"If you never find your purpose… then that means you have none. If you have no purpose, then there's no point in finding it. For those people who have a purpose, they live in peace and die once it's fulfilled. People like me who don't have such things… live in darkness and die when we least expect it. I don't know why I am this way, it's just how I've always been." I say again and fall into a light sleep.
"Let's leave her alone. We'll come back tomorrow, I guess. I hope there's a way we can help her. I never knew such things ran that deep." Kotetsu said as he got up from the chair and walked over to the door Izumo in tow.
November 11- 7: 50am to 8:00am
I wake up to discover that the gloomy skies receede and turn into bright, beautiful skies. So, this is my second day in a hospital? I figured I'd heal faster then that knowing how quick I usually recover. I guess it has something to do with how curious I am about this place. I may not be a medic of any type, but I do know a bit about medical jutsu.
Looking to my left I see bright colors in a simple, yet complex, structure. Flowers... I guess those guys that were here yesterday stopped by, ne? I ask to no one but myself and simply stare out the window until I hear the door open. Not even removing my eyes from the window I greet them.
"Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san... who's the other person?" There's really no point in turning around when their reflections' are through the glass.
"Tsunade-sama, the Hokage of our village." Kotetsu said sporting a wary look in my direction. Hokage, huh? Isn't that like some type of elite ninja of the village?
"I've heard something interesting from Izumo and Kotetsu here." She said pointing to each in turn. I ignore her and continue to stare at the clouds through the window.
"They're beautiful, aren't they, Hokage-sama? Clouds... they blow freely in the wind... I wish I was cloud, wouldn't that be interesting?" I ask not really wanting to know what they said about me. I'm not changing the subject, I'm only making conversation.
"Hm, I guess so, but that's not the point. The point is that you said something to Izumo and Kotetsu who worried about what you said." I look over in their direction my gaze from the window to the Hokage herself.
"What was it that I said? All of what I said is the truth. Isn't that what they wanted, the truth?" I ask in slight confusion. I really don't get people. First they ask for the truth, then they turn around and say, 'We want more,' or something like that.
"The fact that you said you would rather die then live." Izumo said in a relatively calm voice. I never said such a thing, did I or was that how he interpreted what I said? if that's so then that's the wrong meaning of what I said.
"Look, that's not what I meant. I simply meant that not everyone has a purpose in life. I just so happen to be one of the ones that don't." I said a... smile, perhaps, forming on my face?
"What's your name anyway, kid?" Tsunade-sama asked me and I only tilt my head in question. "You're name, dear, what's your name?" Dear, no one ever called me 'Dear' before? What's this women getting at?
"Anna. Saito Anna; Goddess of Peace and War." I said dishing out the first name that came to mind again.
"Anna... where have I heard of that name before?" She asked placing a finger on her chin and dropped her head down a little in thought. "Aha, you're that kid that your village wants dead because of your parents refusal to sacrifice you! Now I remember your name. Your parents came into the Leaf Village a few years ago asking for residence, right?" I look at her in confusion then shock.
"You knew my... parents?" I asked unsure of what was going on.
"Of course I know them. I'm sorry for your loss, but once you're out of the hospital, I want you to come to my office. Izumo and Kotetsu here will show you the way." I contiue to stare at her in awe then back out the window before finally falling asleep.
November 12- 3:00pm
I sign off on the release form and wait outside, in the clothes the hospital handed to me, for Kotetsu and Izumo. A loose tee shirt in blue with some loose-fitting jeans and a pair of white sneakers. Not my choice of clothing, but it'll do for now at least. Finally they show and lead me to the Hokage's office in silence; something I'm glad for because I don't think I can talk right now.
Reaching her office Izumo-san knocks on the door and hears, "Come in," from outside the oak doors. Shortly after, they walk in and I follow behind them unsure of what she wanted to see me for. Another women is seen at her side with a soft smile upon seeing me.
"Anna, I'm glad to see that you're finally out of the hospital. There's something you should know about your past, but I'll let you know that later. Right now we need to focus on finding you a home and talk about your probation. Probation... I guess that means she wants me to become a citizen of the village? "You will have one month of probation. I don't want to see you wondering around on your own in this village and an escourt must be with you at all times. During the day you'll stay around Iruka and help out at the academy and after the academy lets out you'll report promptly Asuma's team. At the end of the day I want you to head to Izumo's and Kotetsu's place. Do you agree to this?" She finally asked and I hesitated for a monent weighing my options before finally answering with a firm 'Yes'. "Good, now scram for I have other things to attend to."
Following in tow of Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san I look around at the village taking in the site. For as many villages that I've been to, I never saw one this big before.
"Enjoy site-seeing, by chance?" The voice startled me and I jump looking down to the ground. "What, what's wrong Anna?" I stiffen as I hear the name. It was my name, but I really didn't feel like it was my true name.
"Don't call me that. I hate that name... I hate it." I say with a hint of anger in my voice. I could feel the two confused looks focused on me and I only look up to the sky.
"Gomen... then what do perfer we call you?" I look ahead of me before returning my gaze to the clouds. After a few moments of silence I finally answer the question.
"Amber. Takahashi Amber." Somehow the name sounded right, but why do I get the feeling that that's not it either? How hard is it to remember your name!?
"Um... alright, Amber. What was wrong with Anna, why do you hate that name so much?" Still watching the clouds, I wait a few moments before answering with a simple shrug. The rest of the walk was left in silence. That was only until I ran into someone.
"Troublesome... who are you?" We ask in ursion shocking us both.
"Amber. Takahashi Amber; you?" I say/ask and he places his hands in his pockets.
"Shikamaru. Nara Shikamaru; why are you hear in the village?" He looks back at me and I look back at him making eye contact.
"I just wandered in here by mistake. Why do you care to know?" I ask and we drop the eye contact at the same time.
"...Troublesome." He says and walks off making me aggitated. My eyes followed him and he turns around obviously sensing me.
"What, why are you looking at me like that?" My eyes glint from jade green to hazle and back to hazle-green. He raises one eyebrow at me and I look back at him with the same, or close to the same, curiousity.
"It's nothing, Shikamaru, was it?" Receiving a 'tsch' from him, I guess that was a yes. I turn around and he turns around at the same and after a few moments of walking, we both launge a kunai at each other; in my case a pocket knife. The clash of metal met and before long we both sent glares at each other.
"What the hell was that about?" We both ask each other at the same. I hesitate for a moment searching his face for a readable expression, which there was none.
"Nothing and as for you?" I ask the glare lifting a tad.
"Tsch, nothing, what about you?" He asked in return.
"I just said, 'nothing', didn't I?" We both turned around and walk off from each other.
November 12- 4:45pm
Reaching what I assumed was their house, I replayed the early afternoon events over in my head.
Flashback
"Troublesome... who are you?"
"Amber. Takahashi Amber; you?"
"Shikamaru. Nara Shikamaru; why are you here in this village?"
"I just wandered in here by mistake. Why do you care to know?"
"...Troublesome."
"What, why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing, Shikamaru, was it?"
"What the hell was that about?"
"Nothing and as for you?"
"Tsch, nothing, what about you?"
"I just said, 'nothing', didn't I?"
End of Flashback
I shake those thoughts away, for now, and tone into what Izumo was saying.
"...do you like it or not?" I looked at him and tilt my head in confusion.
"Like what?"
"The village, Kotetsu's and my apartment, the hospital?" He asked giving me a skeptical look. I shrug my shoulders and start looking around the apartment my eyes jumping from thing to thing.
"I guess we can go ahead and get you settled in before dinner. What do you like to eat?" Izumo asked me and again I shrug my shoulders.
"I really don't know. I guess things that are spicy or sweet." I finally say after a few awkward moments of silence. This time both of them look at me expectantly. Maybe they expected me to be specific or something I don't know.
Hm... it looks like 'Anna' finally has a place to stay, but what about in the morning? What will happen on her first day of probation? Will she actually stay with Kotetsu and Izumo or will she decide to leave and ditch the village? Alright, looks like the first chapter is completed. Yaaay!! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and reveiws are nice, but messages are even better!
Kotetsu: Anna/ Amber's a tad weird. I mean, there's something more to her then meet the eyes.
Izumo: Wait, she's planning on leaving? What about her probation? Would she actually leave the village after finding a home?
Me: How the hell should I know? It's not like I'm the author.
Anna/ Amber: You are the author. You should at least know something about the story.
Me: Riiiight... um... I didn't really plan this, I'm just making it up as I go. Anyway, review, but flames are NOT welcome. Perhaps constructive criticism is.