READ ME, I'M IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's just this one thing bothering me. Why aren't you reviewing? I know that over a hundred of you have read it, some of you even more than once. Is there something with the story that you don't like? You don't have to write much; just one nice word keeps me going. And that takes only like what, a minute?, for you to write. Please, if you don't like the story, then say so.

I'M NOT WORKING ON THIS IF NO ONE IS READING IT!!!!!

CherryBlossomHaiku, you deserve a freaking parade. You're the only one who reviewed, and for that, you'll get love and cookies from me.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own naruto, coz I'm not some freak that claims to own people like SOME people do!

Anyway, here's the chappie, wrapped up nicely for you.

Enjoy. :3

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Chapter two.

'Seen as weed and disposed of'

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Have you ever fallen off a cliff, rolled down over sharp and pointed rocks, land hard on the ground, have your muscles ripped apart and then get run over by a horse?

If you haven't, there's no way you could ever understand how I felt when I began to slowly wake up.

My head were throbbing with pain, and felt ten times heavier than normal I couldn't think, and it felt like someone was slowly cutting my eyes in thin, thin slices, like you do with cheese. I didn't even dare to open them, afraid that I'd only see darkness, that I'd be blind.

However, my ears had no trouble catching the whispered conversation in the room I was in. It had to be a room, for I was lying in a warm, comfortable bed with soft sheets. I would be quite content being where I was, if only it hadn't been for the people talking about me. They weren't exactly saying things I'd like to hear.

"... and she was completely covered in blood! All of it couldn't have been hers either! And she held two swords too! It must have been she who killed that poor woman…" it was a male voice.

I couldn't believe my ears. That poor woman!? Did they even know what she was like!? Why weren't they impressed by my feat of killing her? I had done my best, I had succeeded and was now free. Why couldn't they see things from my point of view?

"Don't be silly, it couldn't have been her, she's only a child…" this time it was a woman who spoke.

"Yeah, sure, but you've got to remember that a kid can be a monster too. We have the living proof for that right here in Konoha."

I felt a stab of pain in my chest, and it wasn't from any of my wounds, but from his words.

'Me..? A monster…? How could he just stand there and say that…'

'I wouldn't be too surprised to hear that if I were you.' Touki pointed out. 'You did kill your own mother.'

'That's not the point!' I exclaimed. 'She was a horrible person! She had it coming.'

'Most people wouldn't enjoy ripping someone apart.'He said cheerfully.

'Why not?'

'…'

'What?'

'I rest my case.'

'… Oh do shut up…'

If Touki said anything else, I didn't hear it, because my attention was once again turned to the whispering voices.

"You've got a point there. You know, part of the reason I couldn't believe it was her was when I checked her blood group. She had lost quite a bit of blood you see, so I had to check her blood group before I did any transfusion." The woman paused to catch her breath.

I didn't really understand what they talked about, but I had a feeling it was important. I held my breath, not wanting to miss a word.

"Anyway, I checked the woman's blood too, and it turned out they had the exact same blood group! I got curious, and took some blood samples from both of them. Later, when our team came back to Konoha, after we had buried the woman and I had taken care of the girl, I checked their DNA."

"And…?" the man asked.

"They matched. They are close relatives, maybe even mother and daughter. And the blood on the swords belonged to the mother, and another person which we couldn't find, probably died in the fire, but that's irrelevant. The important thing is if it was her, she killed her own mother! And that's just not possible!"

I almost snickered a little at this. She must be so much older than me, but was still so naïve…

"But it has to be her! She was the only one around and the job was clumsily done, so it couldn't have been a ninja."

(Here I heard Touki huff. 'Clumsy?! ME?!')

"And the blood was too fresh for someone to have done it and escaped," the man continued. "Because then we would have seen him or her. It must've been her, it must've been!'

'Well, you've got a point there… I didn't sense anyone around either, other than her and our team. You really think it could've been her?'

'I've already told you! YES for crying out loud! She's just as bad as that kyuubi brat, a monster! Why are we even helping her? We should have left her in the snow; the likes of her shouldn't be allowed to live!'

It felt like the man had punched me in the stomach. But I couldn't help but to ask myself the same question. If they hated me so much, why did they take care of me?

"I kind of agree with you, but it is hokage-sama's orders. But as soon as she's healed, she's out of the hospital, I can tell you that much."

Hokage… who was that? Obviously it must be someone important, but in what way? If he or she was the one who wanted me to get better, could it be a kind person? Would that person help me more than once, like Miyako-nee-chan did?

I turned my attention back to the conversation, in hope of finding out more about this hokage person.

"So you're going to kick her out on the streets? I can't blame you, I do understand your train of thought, but I don't think hokage-sama will let you."

"No, I think she's going to the orphanage."

The man let out short laugh. "Yeah, well I wouldn't adopt her. But what if the orphanage won't take her in? It wouldn't be a big surprise, but certainly a problem for us."

"How should I know? I guess the Academy would accept her, I mean, she's capable of killing and no one would miss her, she'd be a perfect kunoichi!" the woman laughed scornfully.

I didn't want to hear more of it, and I decided to let them know that I was awake. My eyes fluttered open, and the sharp light made my already sore eyes hurt even more. I narrowed my eyes against the light, and let my gaze search for the man and woman who had talked about me.

What I found was a small white room. I had never seen so much white at once in my entire life, and I didn't like it one bit. The walls were white, the floor was white, and the ceiling was white, the small mirror on the right wall had a white frame, the bed I was laying in was white, as the chair with my clothes next to it and the screen on the left side of the bed.

But I didn't see anyone in the room. However, I could still hear the whispers. They came from the other side of the screen. My confidence got even lower.

'So, they don't even want to be on the same side of the room as me…'

It seemed like the only thing that wasn't white in the room was my clothes. They were washed and neatly folded, though they were sadly still very torn. I was surprised to find my katanas leaning on the chair, both cleaned and shiny. Considering what they thought of me, I didn't expect them to let me keep my katanas. But I was glad nevertheless; they gave me a feeling of security. At least I wouldn't be completely defenceless if they decided to get rid of me.

My breath hitched in my throat as I realised that one item was missing. The locket. My precious, precious locket, one of Miyako-nee-chan's two last and only gifts to me was not there. It was gone.

Had they stolen it…? It was after all made of silver, and its construction must be quite complex if it fit a music box in there even though it was so small… I suppose it could be worth a lot. Anger started to boil within me. Did they think I wouldn't notice it was gone…!

But then I felt the cool, metallic surface on my skin, oval shaped and smooth. It had been around my neck all the time. Relief washed over me like a wave of warm water after an ice cold shower.

I decided that I didn't want to lie around in bed all day, so I tried to sit up. That turned out to be a mistake that I regretted immediately. It felt like someone stabbed me and pain shot up through my side, making me want to kick my self for being stupid enough to try to sit up. I let out a sharp hiss and doubled over, gasping for air, trying not to scream.

I guess the good thing was that it made the whispering people aware of that I was awake, which made them stop talking about me.

The woman appeared from behind the screen. The smile that was plastered on her face looked more like a grimace and her black eyes were cold as she laid her gaze on me. I saw her shudder when she looked into my eyes, and for a moment, the mask of a smiling woman was replaced by a look of extreme dislike and a hint of fear. The mask was back in place quickly, but I knew I had seen the change of expression.

I supposed it could have been my eyes, some people (the few I had met) thought that they were strange, something I realised when I went to the village together with Miyako-nee-chan. Her friend Sarichi, who helped out in Miyako's flower shop, was staring at me when Miyako introduced me to her. When I asked her why, she just said that she had never seen anyone with pale eyes before. But she also said that they were sort of pretty, in an odd way. I wasn't sure how to react, so I simply thanked her.

I didn't know why she seemed to like to stare at me so much, until nee-chan and I were on the way home. I saw no one with pale grey, almost white eyes in the village. They all had dark brown or black eyes. Some of the old ladies who had seen me had muttered 'mononoke' under their breath and turned their back towards me.

This woman had the same look on her face as the old ladies in the village had. I got irritated at this. What's the big deal? It's just my eyes for bob's sake!

But what did I know; maybe I was just assuming these things because I had heard her talking about me in that way…

"Ah, I see you're awake. How do you feel?" there was no concern in her question, just strictly professional.

I was suddenly aware of how perfectly she melted in with the room; she was dressed in a white dress, white skin, white rimmed glasses, white shoes, and a stethoscope around her neck.

'She must be a nurse or a doctor then.'

Her hair was brown, and went down in two long braids past her shoulders. By her impatient look on her face, I realised that I still hadn't answered her question. She wasn't worried about my wellbeing, but she didn't like being ignored. I decided that I'd be as polite and nice as I could, to prove to her that I wasn't the horrible monster she apparently thought I was.

"Thank you for asking. The wound in my side still hasn't healed yet, but it is getting better. It still hurts when I try to sit up, though. My legs are also better, and I think I'll be able to walk. Um… just wondering… how long was I asleep?"

I kept my voice soft, so I wouldn't seem like some demanding brat. I tried to sound vulnerable and submissive, so she would feel secure around me. But no matter how much I tried, my voice still came out with a malicious undertone, as if I wasn't informing her of my condition, but threatening her.

"I'm glad to hear that you're better." I wondered if she could hear how fake it sounded herself. She almost looked offended that I was better.

"You were asleep for three days." The forced smile she wore was making me shudder. It reminded me to much of someone who also smiled even though she hated me, someone who abused me for almost my entire life up until now, someone who had taken everything away from me, someone I had killed.

"Thank you for taking care of me, miss…?"

'Damn my voice to hell! I sounded sarcastic and evil again!' I thought frantically. 'And I've started to swear too!'

'Awww, I'm rubbing off on you. How sweet, you're taking after your big bro! :3' Touki gushed.

"My name is none of your business." She bit off. The stiff smile she wore was now long gone, replaced by a look of disgust and… fear?

"I only take care of you because it is my job, so don't get any ideas about me liking you or anything." Her eyes were cold, so very cold.

I could feel my heart sink like a rock in a lake. I had hoped that I'd get a new life, a new beginning, but how could I if people I didn't even know hated me? She didn't even know my name, not that I had one, but the point is that she knew nothing about me, only what I had done. But she didn't know me, sohow could she hate me…?

"I see. I'd like to thank you anyway." My voice finally managed to sound soft, submissive, letting her know that she was in charge. But she still looked at me with such distaste.

"Look, I just want to get you healed and out of here, so don't make any fuss." She snapped.

"Hai." I replied quietly.

I flinched as her all but gentle hands gave me numerous injections in various places, she took my blood pressure, and suddenly her hands started to glow a bright green colour. She held her hands over the wound in my side, and I felt a tickling sensation as they slowly began to heal.

"I can't believe I'm wasting my chakra on you." She muttered under her breath.

'Chakra… is this chakra?' I was bewildered. 'But it can't be. Chakra is sharp, dark and is only good for causing pain. This green light is healing me. It can't be chakra. I must've heard wrong…'

'Maybe there are different kinds of chakra, just like there are different kinds of flowers?' Touki suggested.

'I suppose you're right…'

I longed for her to leave me alone. I didn't want her to touch me, and did I want her near me at all either. I just wanted to be alone. The nightmare I had somehow managed to live through was constantly haunting me, reminding me of everything I had lost. In the very start, I had had nothing, I had just been living in the basement of oka-san's house, were she occasionally 'played' with me, aka beating me into a bloody pulp.

I had thought that I'd die there. Hope had appeared as an unlocked door, my own running feet, Miyako and a new home. But I had been ripped away from all that by the very same woman who had made my life a living hell from the start.

I wonder if had been better off dying in the basement. To find a better life just to have it taken away from you, just to return to misery, hurt so much more than knowing nothing else but misery from the start.

'I have no home now, nowhere to go… no one cares about me, no friends, no family… I have no one…

Who will sing me to sleep when I wake up from nightmares…? Who will cheer me up when I wake up screaming in my bed…? Who will act like a complete idiot around me, just to make me smile…? …No one will. From now on, I'll be completely on my own…'

'Yuri, would you shut up?! You're so mean, how the hell can you just forget me like that!? I'm inside you for crying out loud! And I aint moving, I can tell you that much!'

'Ah, gomen nii-chan…'

'I suppose I could sing you to sleep, but I'm warning you, it won't be pretty!'

'Well in that case, don't.'

I let out a heavy sigh. Well, there was always that orphanage the woman mentioned, I suppose I could live there… or the academy, whatever that was.

I suddenly realised that the woman was no longer in the room. I looked around, listened carefully just to make sure. There was no one around. I was finally alone.

I grabbed my locket and lifted it to my eye level. I never got tired of studying the beautiful engraved snowflake, it looked like it was really made of thousands of small, small ice crystals, looking like a real snowflake that had happened to land on the locket, ready to fly away again at the smallest gust of wind.

My eyes fluttered shut and I let my index finger trace the thin, elegant lines, enjoying its smooth surface, as if wasn't actually made of metal, but of the finest silk. My fingers found their way to the small, elegant key and began to wind it up.

Soon the sad yet beautiful tune floated out in the room. I hummed together with it, I had forgotten the words, or had it even been any words? I didn't remember. But the familiar melody was enough, it served its purpose. I felt comforted, as if really had been Miyako-nee-chan humming it for me. And then it just clicked.

She was here. In the melody, she was here, comforting me like she used to do whenever I needed it. She would always be here. As long as I remembered her, she'd be here.

A lump started to form in my throat, and it felt like there was an empty space in my chest, like there was something missing, which was strange considering that there was two minds in my body, so there really shouldn't be an empty space left. If anything, it should be crowded.

But it was there, and it hurt so much, as if someone was carving a hole in my chest. I hugged myself to chase the feeling away, but it wouldn't go. Tears began to well up in my eyes, but they didn't fall.

Was she drying my tears? Was she the one who kept me from breaking apart? Was she still with me…? Was nee-chan the one who kept me strong even though she wasn't alive?

'Don't leave me out!' Touki exclaimed. 'I am the one who kept you alive, remember? And I swear to Bob that if you're telling me you're giving up now, so help me…!'

'You're right. I'll be fine. It'll work out somehow. I'll just have to take it step by step.' I thought with a small smile on my face. 'Let's begin with that walking, ne Touki-nii-chan?'

I swinged my legs over the side of the bed, letting my toes land on the floor first, soon followed by the rest of my feet. I tested my weight on them, with a firm grip on the chair were my clothes were. I slowly and reluctantly let go of the chair, testing my balance, which was practically non-existent. But the good thing was it didn't hurt. The woman must have pretty much healed me completely.

'Well, she did say she wanted you out of here as soon as possible…'I pushed the thought from Touki away the second it appeared. I needed to concentrate on walking, not getting depressed over what random people inside me said to me.

I was incredibly wobbly, and I did my best not to fall on the floor. I was glad that the borrowed night gown I was wearing was very thick (sadly very itchy too) and went down to my ankles, as it was not warm outside the bed. My feet were already freezing.

I put a hand on the wall for support, and made the mirror my goal. If I could walk up to the mirror, stand for a few seconds without support from the wall in front of it, and then walk back, I could go to sleep again. I nodded to myself in determination, and let go of the wall.

It was as if I was newborn child walking for the first time. My legs were not obeying my commands, my balance was horrible, and it felt like I would fall any second. But I didn't, amazingly enough.

I staggered forward, the mirror seemed to be further and further away, but after awhile it got better and I soon found myself in front of the mirror. What I saw made me frozen.

That face couldn't my face… could it?

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, not believing what I saw. I had changed.

Someone who didn't know me, or didn't look close enough wouldn't notice, but I did.

The changes were small, discrete, almost unnoticeable, but they were there.

When I had stepped in front of the mirror, I had expected to see a girl wearing a white nightdress, long black hair with two dark purple streaks, one on each side of my bangs framing my heart shaped pale face, and calm almond shaped eyes looking back at me.

What I found was a girl my age that I knew had to be me, but I just couldn't believe it.

The girl I saw in the mirror had the same clothes, the same skin colour, the face had the same shape, but what had changed were not my facial features. Well, my hair was more bluish-black now, but maybe I hadn't looked close enough earlier in my life. But the big change was my eyes.

On the first glance, my eyes would seem the same, but after looking closer I saw there was something cold in them that had never been there before. They were more narrowed, and my own ice cold gaze gave me chills down my spine. It wasn't me, I wasn't me, it was a stranger staring beck at me… I lowered my gaze, I had to look away.

'Stop being such a sissy! Can't you even look at yourself in a mirror without getting scared?'Touki huffed. 'Stop being such a whimp! You've been through worse, and you can't even look yourself in the mirror? How pathetic are you gonna get?'

'But nii-chan, look at me… Why are my eyes like that?'

He shrugged, well; at least I think he did, because I didn't get any answer from him. But I didn't get the chance to ponder on it too long, because the door was once again opened. This time it was an old lady who reminded me strongly of a bulldog who marched in. She was short, fat and had strong, muscular arms and neck. Her grey hair was tied back in a bun, and her brown and plain dress matched her strict appearance. Her face was far from radiating maternal softness, more like masculine aggressiveness.

It wasn't until I noticed the nurse from earlier, who I knew wouldn't come into my room willingly, that I began to wonder why they had come.

The nurse was the one who spoke first, well, more like clearing her throat first, but hey, a sound is a sound, right?

"Ahem, this is the child I talked to you about, Tsubaki-san" she reported tonelessly to the bulldog-woman. "I'll let you two talk alone for a bit, I have other patients to take care of. I'll be back soon."

"Hn." The bulldog-woman I assumed must be Tsubaki (What a strange name for someone as ungraceful as her!) grunted approvingly, and the nurse left.

I decided that since she had come to my room willingly, she must have something to say, so giving her a good first impression might be a good thing to do. But before I got the chance to open my mouth and introduce myself, Tsubaki spoke.

"I understand that you don't have any relatives, correct?" she barked. Her voice was rough and very unpleasant to listen to. I still found it hard that she was named after a really pretty flower; she really did remind me of an animal in every way she acted; talking, moving and appearance. But then I caught myself; I was judging her so harshly, even though I had merely been in the same room as her for a couple of minutes! I was no better than the nurse! Still, she wasn't exactly being considerate either…

"Are you listening!?" she barked again, a little louder this time. (If that is possible, that is.)

"Ah, gomen! Iie, I don't. As far as I know they're all…" I swallowed. "…gone."

"I see." She said curtly. "And there is no one who can take care of you?" it might have been my imagination, but her bark seemed kinder this time. I perked up a bit at this; so there were kind people in this place! Encouraged by this, I answered.

"No."

"Do you think someone might want to?"

I didn't even have to think before answering that question.

"No, I don't."

"Well, then it's settled. You're coming with me to the orphanage." She barked.

I stared at her dumbfounded. Well, that was certainly not a thorough investigation!

"What? You mean, now?"

"That depends. Can you walk?"

"Well… a little but…" I said hesitantly. I wasn't sure if giving her that information was good.

"Then you're coming!" she interrupted as she yanked me away from the wall that had been my temporary support. I almost fell on her as my close to nonexistent balance went out the window. The bulldog-woman, I mean Tsubaki, didn't seem to mind. Maybe she was used to dragging people around? I wonder…

We reached the bed and I sat down on it gratefully. The muscles in my legs felt really weird from not moving for three days. Tsubaki picked up my kimono. I felt my body tense up immediately. She seemed like a super strict and super tidy person. Would she throw it away? I wouldn't let her throw it away, she wouldn't dare…

But Tsubaki didn't throw it away. Instead, she unfolded it and told me get up from the bed. I obeyed, and to my slight surprise, she began to remove my nightdress. Blushing madly, I slapped her hands away.

"I can get dressed by myself, thank you very much." I said offended.

"Hm!" she grunted sourly.

She turned around so she wouldn't be able to see me change, and after a moment, I began to put on the inner white kimono, which I gladly noticed wasn't ripped that much. It would be able to fix. The outer kimono wasn't that torn either, it had just looked really bad when it was covered in blood. When I had tied the obi, I actually looked half-decent. The most damages had been on my obi, I just had to tie it a little differently and I'd be fine. I finished by pulling my fingers through my hair to make it look at least a little less entangled. It wasn't until then that I realised that there was a slight problem. I didn't have any shoes. My geta sandals had burned in the house.

I wasn't sure how to tackle this problem. I highly doubted that Tsubaki had any shoes in her pockets, and I was pretty sure the hospital didn't have shoes just lying about. On the other hand… I had fought in the snow without shoes. I might as well walk barefooted.

'I'm done. Let's go.'

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A/N: Hello all! Wow, chapter two is already done! Sorry that it wasn't that long, and that it didn't bring the story forward, and finally, I must apologise, but I don't think that any future chapters will be that long either.

Since English isn't my native language, it's kinda hard for me to write like I'd like to. But I don't think many of you guys understand Swedish, so sorry, but this'll have to do.

Hope you don't mind too much.

Oh well, if you did, I will ignore your flames anyway if they don't make any sense to me. Constructive criticism is more than welcome though. 

The story I recommend this time is called:

'Psychologically Imported' by the authoress 'Richochet'.

Five questions about the story will be answered as usual. And if you haven't got any questions, well, that makes me even happier, 'coz then I won't have to answer them. : )

Well then, see you next chapter! ^^

Izuru-sama