~Chapter 2: A New Power~
I do not own Naruto.
-Some Time Later-
Hiroko opens her eyes to a blinding sun. She moves to raise her arm to shield her eyes from the glare of light only to groan softly. Her whole body was aching. Placing her hands in a position one would when they want to sit up, she discovered she was lying on grass near the river she had almost lost her life in.
Who saved me? She wondered. As she slowly pushes herself up into a sitting position, she accidently pricks her hand on what seems to be a needle. Immediately she is wide awake and alert. There is a possibility that a random person who uses needles to attack like her brother saved her or her brother himself saved her. But how? That would be impossible. He would be dead after falling from a height like that. After thinking about it for a while a pang of pain rushes through the hand that was impaled by the needle making her flinch in pain. Oh yeah, the needle. She turns her hand so that her palm is facing her and she grasps the needle with the other hand. I gotta go through with it… Closing her eyes she removes the needle from her skin and flicks it away. She moves to stand up but the pain coursing through her body is too much for her and she falls down.
"Fuck…" At this moment, a thin, barely noticeable cloak of fire covers her encases her body, healing her bruises and broken bones while doing so. What? What's happening? How am I doing this? Without her permission, her arms and legs make her stand up and her legs start walking. What is this?! How am I moving? How can I stop?
Now, Hiroko knew this area very well. Where she was and where her legs are taking her to was information stored in her brain. Which is why she knew automatically that her legs were taking her to her home. Wait…she doesn't even have a home anymore. No, stop it. Don't bring me back! However, her pleas went unheard as she walked onto a clearing with debris of what used to be a home everywhere. Looking down, she sees her mother's necklace which she picks up and takes a minute or two to put on. This necklace was beautiful on mama. She treasured it. I can't just leave it here. Walking around she starts crying once again for she now saw the amount of destruction wreaked upon her home. And in the middle of the destruction were the bodies of the two people she cared for the most. "Mama! Otōsan!" Her mother and father were lying on the ground….lifeless. Hiroko let out a cry of anguish. The thin cloak that she had forgotten about until now became stronger and she immediately felt immense power running through her. There was now a ring of fire around her. She observed how the cloak and ring of fire both consisted of white fire. Unusual but beautiful regardless. Slowly, the ring and cloak disappeared but the power she felt didn't leave her. Having seen enough, Hiroko returned to the place where she had woken up to wash her face clear of the dirt, grime, sweat and tears. She would have gotten up to walk off but something stopped her in her tracks. Something was off with her. Was it with her face? Yes, definitely is. Lips, nose and ears seem the same…but her eyes. Instead of their normal dark green, her eyes were now golden.
Is this the bloodline that Otōsan keeps speaking about? Yamatsu didn't have it but I did? Ughh…I feel so very tired… Hiroko clutched her hair as she tried to stay awake but eventually sleep won the battle. Hiroko felt as her body hit the grass and the world went dark…again.
Hiroko opened her eyes to a blurry world. Blinking away the blurriness, she sat up and stifled the incoming yawn.
"Oh, you're finally up? Man, I thought you were dead. I was actually going to prepare your grave tomorrow." A man in his early twenties looked down at her.
"Hmmm? How long was I out?" Hiroko rubbed her eyes and yawned.
"Two days straight." The man's expression became serious. "Are you…alright?"
"Yeah, I was just really tired." Hiroko looked at the man. He had brown hair and eyes and he was…handsome. He wore a grey T-shirt with a brown vest and brown pants. He also wore navy blue sandals. On his arm, there was a symbol Hiroko realized as the bounty hunter symbol. What is a bounty hunter doing here?
"Oh alright, I was just checking. There is a house that is burnt and in shambles up over there." the man pointed in the direction of what used to be her house. "I'm glad you weren't caught in the blast."
A sob managed to escape from Hiroko's lips as the man rushed over to her. "Oh no, don't cry! Please don't."
"That was my house…" Hiroko whispered as she hugged her knees close to her body.
"What was that?" the man asked leaning closer to her so he could hear her better.
"You're a bounty hunter, aren't you?" Hiroko raised her head so she could look the man squarely in the eye. "What's your name?"
"One question at a time kid. How did you know what my job is?"
He didn't deny it. Damn him and those bounty hunter bitches. "Well, that symbol. It represents bounty hunters."
"How do you know such information?"
Hiroko smiled at the man. "Uh-uh-uh! You answer my question now. What's your name?"
The man narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Kid…" He swiftly took his sword and pointed at the girl's neck. "Answer my question."
"Now that's not fair, mister. I thought we were taking turns. I asked, you answered. You asked, I answered. Now I ask." The man pushed his sword closer to the girl's neck. He really didn't want to do this but this girl knew too much information and won't give him answers-
"If you're going to kill me, do it. I have nothing to lose." The man's eyes widened. The girl that was sitting in front of him was completely serious. Her eyes were dull and empty. He took his sword away from the girl's neck. "My name is Hitiyashi Arugane."
"Oh! Our names both start with an 'H'. My name is Hiroko. To answer your question, my dad was a bounty hunter too."
Author: Oh and cliffhanger! How are you liking it so far? Remember to review! Leave behind what you think and what you believe needs to be changed and so on. What's gonna happen next? I wonder… Here are your translations guys!
"Mama"- "Mom"
"Otōsan"- "Dad"
