IV

Zero had almost finished exacerbating her passion; there was but a dwelling aftermath of the shock to the conscience that she had killed people- three men- she brought to their death by her own hands. She knew not why, yet it disturbed her greatly. If she could but go back in time...

"Who cares about these meek humans?" she stood up and wiped her tears. "Who cares about what they think of me? They were selfish creatures and they always will!"

At her decry a sudden image penetrated and overtook her memories; she vaguely remembered something, and there she saw herself crying as the smell of dead bodies crawled into her pores. She cried in fear and bewilderment, as she saw that man step forward.

Tip...tap...

She looked into the murderer's face, the face that once she had yearned to see every moment.

Not like this...

"Why did you do this?"

And then it went blank.

"Argh! What the hell is this thing?" Zero clutched her head and yanked its roots. "What the hell is going on?"

"Ah! I've found you at last."

Zero froze. Such a voice sounded almost familiar...curses, she wished things would make sense!

She looked everywhere, and was standing on a mere pile of cold rocks perched arrogantly high above the meadow grounds to seek the master of the voice. And out of nowhere, a man appeared. He had his colourless hair tied in a pony and his pair of spectacles shone in the dim moonlight.

"It took me some time to find you...but things are alright now, I guess."

Zero straightened herself. "I'm sorry, I don't know you."

"But I know you, though we were never properly introduced. Here, why don't we start- my name's Kabuto Yukashi." He held out his hand.

Zero ignored it. "Alright, Yukashi, if you know me, what's my name?"

"I believe your current name is Zero- you had another name back then, but we never used it as much. Haha, don't be so stunned! You might, perchance, ask who are you and why I am here. Well, I'll do my best to explain, so long as you'll lend an ear briefly."

Zero shrugged; "I'll listen. Does this involve something important?"

"It involves everything. I've had a tough time searching for you, you took longer than I thought to awaken."

Zero sneered.

"No fears, young colleague. See, we both serve one master, and I respect you for your enormous powers yet to be discovered." He eyed that evil marking on her neck. The cursed seal...

"Who is your master?" Zero asked.

"Orochimaru."

"I've never heard of him."

"He is my master and it is not my duty to speak casually of him behind my back. To start, you were created, and was supposed to serve Orochimaru for one purpose - to help the evolution of his powers with your indestructible organic body and great powers.

"Yet now it is long since, and master and servant became isolated; he no longer requires you for the purpose that you were made. Before we had planned to awaken you the moment your mind and powers are ripened, and time is able- however, as you can see, your time has passed- you are but an old automaton-like creature, awakened due to nothing but overtime."

"Created for a purpose?" Zero shrugged. "But I'm alive and well, and I can live without serving anyone-great job, master."

"Don't speak so quickly- now you have indeed awakened (and contradicting our predictions) it was my instruction on my master to kill you, to prevent you from interfering with any other plans. Don't draw that grasscutter yet, young colleague. There is one way of avoiding conflict with my master and you may continue to live. You see, I am greatly trusted by my master. And I am very interested in your extraordinary powers carved merely out of ninja hands...and I will choose you to rank amongst my experimental specimen and use you, for my experiments. Yes, I can and will, but the choice is really up to you. Otherwise..."

"Hey, awesome idea man," Zero gave a stifling yawn. "But that doesn't sound any more exciting than dying. I don't like to die. Though what you said ain't my ideal life either."

"But think," Kabuto smiled curtly. "You've seen so much your first day as a breathing human. Would you like to go through that again?"

Zero bit her lip.

"See the sufferings? The unfairness? There are more wicked places in the ninja world, Zero...and there is no one in the ninja world but those who tolerate wickedness and create sin."

"You aren't like that, I think."

"You are wrong. I am gentle only because I wish to thwart whenever I choose. There are those who pretend to be good and chooses to mask his monstrousness. And I am one. There is no hope for the world."

Zero furrowed her brow.

"Come with me, and you will never have to bear a day of misery - shut from the world, living for a purpose- not a great one, but a good one...you pretend you do not care, but you hope for that, too, don't you?"

Zero thought about it quietly.

"When I first came to the world," she whispered in her head, "I was first awakened in the watery cave. Then I came out in the sunshine and air. They all pestered me. But there was something that stirred- something vivid, ready to live- and I was excited for life- I was- I was free."

She turned back to Kabuto. "And I could not live without that."

"Without what?" the latter asked.

"Well, never mind that." Zero replied, and turned around. "Let's just say, I can't live without some life, y'know-" her hand clasped around the hilt of her grasscutter. "I wouldn't make a good experiment, 'cause I like to do whatever I want."

She spun and slashed her sword at Kabuto- but the sword cut air- he was nowhere in sight. At once Zero tried to sense where he vanished to- but she sensed naught. She looked everywhere...

"Well, you really are a pest, aren't you?"

She turned to find Kabuto standing at the exact spot where he was before. "It is not good to disobey orders from the master," he remarked somewhat playfully.

"Well, for your information- I don't give a damn about rules!" At this Zero rushed forward and held her glory blade high over her head and proceeded to strike down the opponent- but he merely reached out his hand and with a dazzled flash, her blade was firmly grasped by a ball of chakra. She struggled to remove it, but in vain.

"You are far too weak if you do not even know how to channel your own energy and control it," Kabuto whispered tauntingly. "There are ways to win the battle without killing the enemy."

"Let- me- go!"

Kabuto shrugged. "I prefer a specimen with a free will. If you like to live so much- then fine. I'll give you three days. Go out and explore the human world. Go and 'live', as you call it. And I'll see you again, crawling back here on your ass wishing you had taken my advice. And now- adieu, Zero."

He released the chakra so suddenly Zero fell back at her own strength, skidded, and struck her head against a rock.

Kabuto left.

V

For two days Zero wandered throughout the land, like a little feather unsure of where to settle. She tried her best to follow the ways of the other villagers; but they had family, employment and some form of devotion to ease the soul, and to liven the heart; Zero did not have something she loved and would return her love; one or another always had some sort of defect. She had no purpose in life.

On the second day it had begun to snow; and Zero shivered in a village corner trying to keep herself warm."Perhaps humans only have enough love and respect for family," she thought. "I was made to serve a master- so I don't have one. Perhaps - perhaps Kabuto was right...perhaps I wasn't meant to live..."

But we must not dwell and devote ourselves entirely to what Zero had seen and heard during the past two days, or we would've transgressed and lengthened the prolixity of this tale.

On a morning (the third day in Zero's case) when frost had quietly visited during the night, a few women with laundry duty witnessed a young woman near the village's freezing river; they remembered her particularly well before that incident, for she had a thin figure and sickly complexion that were almost frightening. She bore a black, tattered kimono of some sort that were not commonly seen in fashions, but this village being tiny, plain, and away from society, it suited her better.

After the sight of this young woman- the reader may guess it was Zero- that incident occurred. Zero had arrived at this village tired and hungry, when she heard the yelp, and she turned only to see that it was an old fellow on the river, whose boat had crashed into tricky rocks that ambushed him when he got too close. As the boat overturned, he swiftly dived into the waters and swam to a close-by island. With some effort, he conducted himself atop the island, soaked and drenched; but the water current was running icily cold, and the shoreline was too far for him to swim across without difficulty; he was hesitating.

A small crowd had gathered around the scene; the people cried for him to swim back; but still his mind spun with doubt. This lasted for almost a minute; he could not stand there all day without catching a serious cold.

Suddenly, he gave a gallop and plunged in the water; the crowd quieted; they waited anxiously. But soon afterwards, he broke through the water surface and started to struggle madly; what was he doing? Was he fighting the currents?

He was pushing against the currents- but it was too fast, even during the last days of autumn...he won't make it...

As the fellow struggled in vain, someone else proclaimed:" Quick! Get a boat!" there was not enough time to hustle a boat down here without the fellow drowning first; but some had gone off in hope that there just might be enough...

Swift as lightning, a man from the crowd had plunged into the water; the crowd gaped as they watched the swimmer battle against the cold current and rushing to another's rescue. They do not know who he was, for his face was obscured from view; yet as he swam further from shore, it became clear either he would complete the rescue or die in the process.

The crowd watched anxiously at the mysterious hero- he had gone halfway- he had reached the fellow, and swung the fellow's arm over his neck- carrying such a burden slowed him; but he fought bravely, and the crowd cheered as they came closer.

Eventually they reached inland, and a few had stepped into the shallow water themselves to grasp the survivors, and as they went ashore, the crowd clapped and cheered, and laughed (in a friendly matter) when some villagers came back with their boats.

The fellow who had lost a boat were taken home at once by his family, who had arrived last-minute and did not speculate the marvelous save. The saver, the young man who had risked his life into the water for another man, quietly went away from the cheering crowd.

Curious, Zero followed him. They were a considerable distance from the river when Zero spoke:

"What the hell was that?"

And he turned around.

"What the hell do you mean?"

"I meant, why did you save that guy?"

"Why not?"

"He's going to die anyways."

"I saved him because he needed someone to save him."

"Yeah, but he won't need someone to save him if you just let him die- I mean, it won't be your fault anyways- you're not his son or anything, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Then why-"

"Look, he needed someone so I just lent a hand- you got a problem with that?"

There was a tense silence; seeing she had no reply, the young man turned and proceeded to go on his way.

"Wait!" Zero came up next to him. "I'm sorry for saying things like that- I'm just curious- I've never seen a guy like you before, and I'm- well, I'm just sorry."

She was afraid he'd get angry; but she saw the corner of his lips twist slightly into a smile.

For some reason, this made her feel happy- she was no longer sad, but happy! Imagine, when her world was but melancholy and brittle during the last two days- WOOOOO-HOOOO! Not sunshine nor air nor anything could bring her down!

"What's your name? I'm Zero, I think."

"I'm Segan."

VI

Poor Zero! She had little to eat between the two lonely days and now she is absolutely famished. She wolved down a rice bowl with loans from Segan- he's just too kind!- without any regards as to how she will be able to repay him. Ever.

To this matter he told her: "You ought to pay me back, but if you really can't, I guess I'll let it off, it's just a rice bowl- what the?"

"I'm crying," Zero replied. "I'm crying, but I'm not feeling sad- in fact, I feel wonderful. Can one shed tears without the sadness? All I'm thinking of is- is how kind you are and- and how-"

She stopped there. Segan awkwardly shrugged: "No, it's really just nothing at all- ha-choo!"

"I could be wrong, but I think you're catching a cold."

"Nonsense! I was only in the freezing waters for ten minutes AT MOST- no way."

"Funny, now I'm laughing too, but I'm crying...I thought you could never laugh while you're crying."

"I must be going bonkers too," thought Segan. "Inviting a strange girl to breakfast and talking with her like old friends-"

But they both secretly admitted they were kind of fascinated by each other. Zero thought Segan was a kind of person too kind to exist, and Segan thought he had never met a girl as naïve but clever-ish like Zero. Besides, he liked making friends, and this sort of thing came naturally to him- before, he constantly made friends with practically people he met on first sight, even those outside the village- but he withdrew his connections and devoted himself to catering for his mother two months ago, and he never saw his friends for some time. He was the type who often judge people on first impressions- and if he found you to his liking in five minutes you might as well have been his friend for ten years.

And he liked Zero.

Segan worked as a delivery man in a restaurant, and everywhere he went, Zero followed; but he didn't mind her otherwise seemingly pestering questions; he didn't mind her following him around almost in a stalker fashion; and Zero had many, many questions.

In a way, she almost worried him; she trusted him too quickly; if she trusted others as quickly as she did him, well...that's not good.

"Segan, do tell, what's that thing you have over there?" Zero asked him during lunch break.

"That? That's a guitar."

"Does it help you make noodles?"

"No it doesn't- it plays music."

"What's music?"

"Are you serious? Man, you're pretty ignorant for - how old are you?"

"Um, I think, I think I might be fourteen or fifteen...I don't know."

"Frick, you don't know your own age? What, did your mom forget your birthday or some- sorry," he hastily added, seeing a strand of unwanted gloom in her brow. "Anyway, what were we- oh, yes, the guitar. You see, I play the guitar- helps me make a living too. So I got this morning job delivering stuff, and in the afternoon I get to play the guitar and if passerby's like it, they give me money."

"Wow, you live a very busy life!"

"Yeah, anyway, after we finish, you can tag along and see me perform."

Zero actually helped a little with the delivery, and she was proud to have carried the delivery box six times during the day. And when afternoon struck, Segan went away with his guitar. He looked so cool, with his guitar strap...

He went to the busiest part of the village he could find, and with his guitar he struck a few chords, and sang a bit- he had such a sincerity of tone and heaven-sent voice, his loose strands of hair running amongst his bang, and Zero initially sat very quietly in the corner at a considerable distance, watching him, transfixed...so this was music...he looked terribly angelic, she really loved him then, and even failed to notice the small gathering of crowds, which was growing by the minute.

"Ah, that's Segan again, I remember."

"He plays so well..."

After a few songs, Segan gestured to her: "C'mon, you can sing with me."

"Oh, but I can't-"

"Hell you can't. Just make it up!"

The crowd clapped in response, and she tried a few pitches, and knew not what they were- it was quite embarrassing, but Segan grasped her shoulder after they finished and they laughed it off. The crowd laughed with them, and she was almost worried that her poor performance would affect his fares, but he collected a fair amount anyways. To thank the audience, Segan began to sing an encore.