Chapter 2: Rise From The Ashes
A/N: Hey y'all. I'm back. I know, crappy title. But I just like it alright?! By the way, Sai is featured in this chapter. Sorry it's pretty OC centric at first, but read on and you'll laugh for sure!
By the way, a shout out to all my fantastic reviewers, whom without, this chapter would have never been possible: Prescripto13 (OMG, first reviewer!), Kawaii-no-Kitsune (yay! Encouragement!), MaliBiser (more encouragement!), XxDarkSarcasm1010xX (thanks for your awesome review by the way), Sayuri Kurosaki Uchiha Hatake (even MORE encouragement). You guys rock!
Her eyes snapped open. She was lying on the ground. Cold, wet drops of something were sliding down her face, down her body. She shivered slightly. She felt stiff. Very stiff. She was looking up into the sky, drops of water falling into her eyes. It hurt her eyes, and obscured her vision, but she could still see the sky.
She liked what she saw. Her head was throbbing and spinning horribly, but what she saw in the sky helped alleviate that. She thought for a while, trying to recall the name for those gray puffy things. It was hard to think when her head hurt this much.
Storm…clouds.
They were lovely. Gray. The same colour as the sky. She blinked the water out of her eyes.
Rain. That water was rain.
Everything had a name. And she knew those names. What was hers?
She couldn't remember. With a Herculean effort (she was THAT stiff), she turned onto her side. A few joints popped. It was…painful.
And she caught sight of someone else lying there. A woman. And she had a cloak on. She stared for a while, trying to comprehend the situation. It would take a while. Her thought processes were still rather primitive.
The cloaked woman's face was covered by a long curtain of red hair. She furrowed her brow. Why was she just lying there?
And a moment later, the woman burst into bright blue flames (despite the rain), leaving a charred circle on the ground.
She yelped and backed away in shock.
She took deep breaths, trying as far as possible to calm herself.
And it started coming back to her. Slowly, that was.
My name…is Kinade Uchiha.
"Itachi. Why?"
"It has to be done. It is my duty."
She raised her kunai. She honestly didn't want to hurt him. Even though he was threatening her with his Mangekyou Sharingan. Even though he had a katana at her neck.
"I won't…retaliate." And she dropped her kunai.
How could she anyway? Itachi. Itachi Uchiha. She had spent long hours training with him. She'd gone on missions with him. And when he was little, she would always come over to his house and play with him.
It was the only time she had actually seen him…smile. The only time he had truly smiled.
That smile. A child's smile. So pure and so innocent. So beautiful.
"I'm sorry. Kinade-san."
Itachi Uchiha's expression was completely wooden. Even though he was so frozen, Kinade knew. Deep inside, he had a heart.
There was someone very special to him. And she knew exactly who it was.
Yet, his expression betrayed nothing.
Kinade coughed up blood. The katana had pierced her chest. She could literally feel its cold metal blade press against her beating heart.
It was…uncomfortable.
And Itachi was gone. He'd drawn out his katana.
Kinade's knees buckled and she fell, slumped against the wall.
Every part of her was burning. The pain was blinding. She couldn't see any more.
It was said that being stabbed through the chest was so painful that it retarded the nervous system so that you couldn't feel a thing. It was said that one would feel very light and airy, because they were preparing to pass on.
But Kinade felt all of it. It hurt so badly…she could think any more. She could only think of the agony.
And she heard footsteps. But she did not wonder whose they were. She only knew this pain belonged to her.
"Kinade!" the person's voice was strangely distorted.
She felt strong arms lifting her up. But…it hurt very badly when they did this.
"Kinade!" the person called again. She could distinguish that it was a man. And his voice…it was so familiar.
Only then did Kinade wonder who it could be…
She hugged her knees. She was starting to get used to moving around now.
What was this place? Where was she? Wasn't she…dead?
She glanced at the grave marker a few yards away from her and it looked freshly dug up. So she was in a graveyard…the Memorial Park was it?
Gingerly, she crawled closer to it. It was rather hard, for her clothes were rather tight. She hadn't noticed that before, but her chest seemed fuller than she remembered. And her hips were wider. And her kimono was tighter.
Kinade Uchiha
Uchiha Massacre
She sat there for a little while, feeling the rain slide down her face. It was like she was taking a cool shower. And it was temporarily washing away…everything. So Itachi had massacred his own clan…
It was strange, seeing her own grave.
She took some time to arrange the facts in her head.
She had been killed during the Uchiha Massacre at the age of twenty one. She had possessed the Sharingan. She remembered this especially well, because Uchiha woman usually didn't have it.
But she didn't remember anything after she died. Just a flash of darkness…and then nothing. Right now, she felt like she had just awoken from a long slumber.
She had been one of the only four female Uchiha who had the gift. Frankly speaking, she was a freak of nature.
And her parents…parents! That was right. Were they still alive? Had they somehow escaped the massacre?
She clumsily got onto the feet and stumbled around the graveyard. The overcast sky made it hard to read the grave markers.
…And there they were.
Kimiyuki Uchiha
Uchiha Massacre
and
Kakuji Uchiha
Uchiha Massacre
Kinade closed her eyes. There was a very strange feeling stirring in the bottom of her stomach. Her eyes grew hot. But she couldn't cry.
She'd been revived. But why? Why just her? Why didn't the person just revive the entire Uchiha clan, or even just someone else? And did it have something to do with that woman who had burst into flames? Had she revived her? But Kinade was sure she didn't know her. But right now, there was little point thinking about her.
And she remembered…him. She'd been seeing him. She'd been seeing him for a few years. And she loved him.
Now. Now she wanted with all her heart to know if he was still alive. Now, she missed him very much.
The Memorial Stone.
Yes, should he have died, his name would most certainly be carved on it, no matter what.
She took one unsteady step after another, as quickly as she could without falling down.
It was just there.
She began to read, her heart pounding, her fingers tracing brushing every name, her eyes a blur.
She saw: Obito Uchiha
And the sadness renewed itself in her heart. Obito. He died when he was thirteen. When she was thirteen. Obito. Her cousin. Her first and truest friend. He was like her little brother, even though they were the same age.
They went a long way back. From when they were just toddlers. Kinade paused at his name for a long time, reliving the memories, replaying how he said her name over and over again. Obito. Why?
It isn't fair. I would rather you be standing here, alive. Not me.
Obito had died at thirteen. He had never known what it was like to grow up, to fall in love, and to be ecstatically happy.
But she had. And she was content with that. Obito deserved to be able to know those things more than anyone else.
She moved on. A few more names and she saw: Rin
Rin had been her friend. They had met on the day Obito introduced his team mates to her. Kinade had always thought Rin was the nicest person she had ever met. One of the only people who could look past her flaws.
She'd died in the Kyuubi attack. That was all she knew. All he ever told her about her death. He'd blamed himself. She didn't want to see him like that again, so she never brought it up again.
Kinade knew. She wasn't a very easy person to befriend. She knew herself better than anyone else. She spent a lot of time acting tough, when she was actually very fragile inside. It was because of this insecurity, this fragility of heart that she had to keep up that façade.
When Obito died. She'd shattered and the pieces had embedded themselves into her flesh. It hurt like a flesh wound. It almost was. And she'd given that act up totally when he'd died. She had exposed herself.
But Obito and Rin. They'd known better.
And especially…him. He had shielded her from the elements during that trying time. He and Rin. They'd protected her, until she recovered. Until she finally got over Obito. And when Rin died, the wounds had opened again.
And he had closed them once more
She was grateful for that. But yet, she was guilty. Rin loved him, but he didn't love her back. And she had died without ever being ecstatically happy. But Kinade had.
She was too lucky for her own good.
Her finger reached the end of the long list of names. His wasn't there.
Her heart blossomed with joy. He was alive. And she would find him.
But first, she needed to make sense of her surroundings. She needed to talk to the Hokage and explain her situation. She would find out how many years she had been dead. And she would see how much Konoha had changed. How much he'd changed.
A new book huh?
Sai pulled it off the shelf and stared at the cover. He was at his favourite section of the library. The 'How To' section.
He'd practically read every book that ever landed on the 'How To' shelves, even the ones that weren't 'How To' (some people never put books back in the right places).
Those passionate romances were still raging in his head.
But this one was a 'How To' book alright. The cover read 'How To Score With Hot Chicks'. It was written by someone named Jiraiya.
Sai wondered what the cover meant by 'How To Score With Hot Chicks'. Perhaps the foreword would give him a clue. Perhaps it was some kind of slang or innuendo. Being a member of ANBU ROOT, he was unfamiliar with slang and innuendoes. He was more of a secret codes kinds of person.
"Hm. This book is a compilation of all my years of wooing beautiful women and I trust you will find it useful. It provides a step by step guide which will show you the best way to succeed in all your romantic endeavours. I wish you the best of luck! –Jiraiya."
So it was a book about how to woo pretty women. He decided he would try it. After all, he was determined to try out all things non-ninja. "Sounds interesting. I'll borrow it I guess."
So Sai walked up to the librarian who brightened up at once the moment she caught sight of him.
"Hi there Sai-kun!" she trilled. Frankly, Sai thought it was rather irritating, but after his experiences with Sakura, he did not want to mess with another female.
"Oh, hello—um what's your name again?"
"Michido," she fluttered her eyelashes at him for some reason.
"Oh Michido-san. I want to borrow this book. Thank you," Sai handed her How To Score With Hot Chicks.
And then she suddenly screamed. She wasn't being a very quiet librarian, Sai thought privately.
"Oh Sai-kun, I'm flattered that you're borrowing this book! But there's really no need. You just need to say the word and I'll say yes!" she trilled. Some more.
"Huh? Pardon me?"
"Sai-kun! You're so cute when you're clueless. OK, let's do this step by step. I'll ask you this: Who in this room classifies as a hot chick?"
Sai looked around for a bit. Michido nearly choked. Sai thought for a little while before answering, "No one actually."
"W-what?" Michido gasped, "um try looking in front of you."
Sai did. "I don't see any pretty girls in front of me."
"H-huh? B-but S-Sai-kun…" Michido hung her head, "here's your book." She held out the book.
"Thank you er Richido-san!" Sai smiled, taking the book from her. He turned and walked off, already starting to read the book.
Michido jumped to her feet. "He-he almost said my name right…" she was close to tears. She removed her glasses and wiped her eyes.
"Sai-kun almost said my name right! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!" she trilled. Yet again.
"Let's see…chapter one: Ascertain Your Target," read Sai aloud, "before you can do any romancing, you first need a girl! Of course, this book has a one hundred percent success rate so you can just go ahead and pick any pretty girl off the streets."
Sai came to a stop and looked up. Plenty of women, but none of them were attractive. Perhaps he had to be patient with these things. Most things require patience, like drawing and shinobi training so he supposed he had to be patient with this too.
Then he saw this girl, a woman really, walk up the opposite street. She would stop periodically and look around, sometimes just standing there as though she was trying to recall something.
She had long blond hair and her kimono was ragged, but very tight and it clung to her curves. He couldn't exactly see her face but Sai supposed he could consider her attractive.
"Chapter two: Move In For The Kill. Now that you've got your lovely lady, you'll be wondering what to do. In all my years, I have found that helping her with a task she needs completed but doesn't want to do herself, bodes well. If your lucky lady appears to be a damsel in distress, go for it you lucky bastard! First ask her if she needs help and chivalrously offer your aid."
Sai closed the book on his finger to bookmark the page. He went up to the woman.
She didn't seem to have noticed him and seemed to be busy studying the buildings. Sai was busy studying her face.
She was pretty alright. She had nice green eyes, a dainty nose and full pink lips. She was blessed with high cheekbones and a delicate facial structure. And then he moved down to her neck and her body, where he stayed for a long time at her chest.
Then he remembered his purpose.
"Excuse me miss, do you need any help?"
The woman turned to look at him. She smiled slightly and said, "Yes. Can you show me where the Hokage Office is?"
"Aren't you from here?" Sai asked. Someone who didn't know where the Hokage Office was…she probably wasn't here. But how had she gotten past the outlook post? Suspicious. To Sai, a member of ROOT, these kinds of things had been hard-wired into him.
She flinched and looked slightly startled.
"You're a ninja alright. Look, it's none of your business. Just tell me where the office is."
"Very well," Sai smiled. This was his fake smile to lure her into a false sense of security. He wanted to see if she was going to try anything funny. And woo her at the same time.
"Follow me."
He walked ahead of her, aware of her every movement. So far, she wasn't doing anything suspicious. Just looking around, that kind of thing. Sai thought he could lower his guard a little to have a look at the book.
A street full of people. There were probably ninjas hidden in every corner. He could afford to do this.
"Great! So you've successfully talked to her. If she's accepted, good for you. You'll be rewarded handsomely at the end of it all (*wink wink*). Now, if you're done with the job, or you currently have an opening to talk to her, take the opportunity to get to know her better. Ask her questions about herself. From what I know, women love to talk about themselves. You're looking at years of experience here. You could also tell her what you think about her. Make some conversation. Be sure to tell her the truth. Women HATE to be lied to. Believe me."
"Excuse me miss, but may I have your name?"
"Oh. It's Kinade. You?"
"Sai," he smiled again, "I've never seen you before."
"Like I said. It's none of your business."
OK, now I have to tell her what I think AND make conversation.
"Are you running from an illegal prostitution ring?"
Kinade stopped in her tracks and choked, "E-excuse me?!"
Had he said something offensive? But she did look like a hooker, with those clothes. Hm. He wasn't sure this was boding very well. Sai decided to change the subject.
"Can you afford clothes?"
"Kid—Sai was it? You're really asking for it you know."
She was looking very irritated. The way Sakura did before she punched him. And that had hurt. He was definitely on the wrong track. He had to back off now.
He walked a little quicker and consulted the book.
"Oh did you say something that touched a nerve? If you did the smart thing and discontinued with that conversation, you might still have a chance! Try to repair the damage by apologizing and SHOW your sincerity while doing so."
Sai turned to look at Kinade. Sincere. Sincere. Sincere.
"I'm…so sorry…" he said with all the intensity he could muster. He supposed being intense was about the same as being sincere.
"What the hell?!" she raised an eyebrow. She looked absolutely nonplussed.
He glanced at the book again. "Hey kid—are you reading a book?!"
"Did she respond with anger? If not, she's probably forgiven you! Congratulations! You are officially back on track!"
Hmm…being nonplussed isn't being angry. Sai supposed it would be safe to assume that she was no longer angry.
"Sai, you are one freaky kid."
Whoa! Ten pages in Word. I REALLY had fun with this chapter. Especially with the Sai part. I always thought he had a mini-pervert in him somewhere! I hope you like how I portrayed him and his thought process! Thanks for reading! Please review! I love reviews. This way, I'll be able to see if I can review your stories. We can all learn this way :)