"Homeward bound, Home where my thought's escaping, Home where my music's playing, Home where my love lies waiting, Silently for me." -Simon and Garfunkel, Homeward Bound
"Welcome to Konoha, Darcy." With that said, the girl used her vectors to jump up high in the sky. She was yelling words of victory while fist bumping the air.
"I finally belong somewhere!" They heard her yell out. All of them chuckled at her sudden child-like behaviour. Then she landed on the ground on her feet, crying tears of joy. She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the tears that were already running down her face.
Kiba once again felt uneasy at the crying girl, so he hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. He asked her to stop crying and just smile. Darcy sniffed and did as he told: Smile.
Tsunade shook her head and told everyone to head back to the Hokage's office to do some arrangements. Shizune followed her lead, Tonton in her hands.
Kiba and Sakura gave Darcy compliments on how she did. They were astounded by her performance and she just gave a sheepish smile in response. The two Konoha shinobi instantly became her friends since they both trusted Darcy and vice versa. They both knew not to mess with her, or else she'll put an end to you.
Upon arriving in the office, they planned to discuss on what team she'll be on and where she is to live. Since Darcy is too old for the Academy, she is to be placed on a team as said by Tsunade. "Team 7 is already with Sasuke and Sai, and Team 10 is out on a mission. You, Darcy, are going to be placed on Team 8." Tsunade saw the troubled look on the newcomer's face. "Don't worry. Kiba is on the same team as you." Darcy and Kiba exchanged grins, then turned their attention back to the Hokage. "As for the sleeping arrangements, you are to live with Sakura. I have confirmed it a while ago, so no need to worry about being a nuisance."
Darcy gave a respectful bow to Tsunade. The blonde lady handed her a black forehead protector with Konoha's symbol on it and some money so that she could buy some weapons. Tsunade also told her she is still a Genin and needs to take the Chuunin exams in the future. She thanked the Hokage for her kindness and then they were dismissed. The three exited with a bow having smiles on their faces.
Sakura thought of something to welcome Darcy to Konoha. She told Kiba to gather all of Rookie 9 and Team Gai in a barbeque place so that they could give the younger pinkette a warm welcome. With a nod, he ran off with Akamaru to look for the people.
While doing so, Sakura directed Darcy to her apartment, telling her to treat it as her home too. She told the younger one to take a shower since she was still bloodied. With a sheepish smile, she entered the bathroom with a towel that Sakura had given her. The Haruno told Darcy to give her the dirty clothes so that she could wash off the dried blood, but the younger girl made sure that she kept the picture of her and Lucy secret.
After taking a shower, Sakura handed her a set of clothes that had been set ahead of time. Darcy was wearing a light purple loose sleeveless belly shirt with fishnets and bandages under, a matching skirt that reached above mid-thigh with a black spandex underneath, and black ninja shoes that matches Sakura's. Sakura then gave Darcy some fishnets for her upper arms and fingerless fishnet gloves. The younger pinkette thought that Sakura had so much fishnets. The Haruno asked the Diclonius where she wanted her hitaite to be placed. Darcy made it hang loosely around her neck, comfortable with the feeling.
Now that Darcy was prepared, the two headed out to the barbeque place where Rookie 9 and Team Gai were at.
Once they were outside, Darcy was nervous. Sakura asked why, and Darcy answered, "What if they won't accept me?" The Haruno waved it off, telling her that she needn't worry. Darcy sighed and entered the barbeque place with her hands behind her.
"Konnichiwa, Sakura-chan!" A sun-kissed blonde neared the two pinkettes with a grin, and Darcy instantly stood behind Sakura while clutching the back of her shirt. "Ne, Sakura-chan. Who's that, dattebayo?"
Sakura took hold of Darcy's shoulders, placing her in front of Naruto. The older pinkette told Darcy to introduce herself. The girl looked up at him while shaking. "I-I'm Darcy." She said.
Naruto pinched her cheeks, instantly making her vectors position on top of his head as an instinct. "Kawaii~" Darcy sensed no danger on the boy, so she retracted her vectors. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of Konohagakure, dattebayo!"
Darcy knew that being Hokage was hard work when she looked at Tsunade's face. She gave him a small thumbs up, tilting her head and giving a small smile. "I wish you the best, Naruto!" She said.
The teen had anime tears falling down from his eyes. He hugged the girl, squeezing the life out of her. "A-Arigato, Darcy-chan! I shall instantly look at you as my imouto, dattebayo!" He exclaimed. Darcy smiled once he said 'imouto', so she hugged back with a sound of agreement. He let go and lead her to the table where people were staring at her. The stares made her uncomfortable then she spotted Kiba, who was smiling to reassure her that they will not harm her.
She gave a bow, surprising all of them. "Konnichiwa. I'm Darcy." She introduced, standing up straight.
"Let's introduce ourselves, shall we?" Sakura said as she stood beside Darcy.
The first that was to be introduced was Team 7. Since Darcy already knew Sakura and Naruto, Sasuke was up next. He walked in front of Darcy and held out a hand for a handshake. "Uchiha Sasuke." He said. Sakura also said that he's her boyfriend, making the Uchiha smirk and return to his seat.
Sai went up to her and shook her hand. "I'm Sai." He said, giving a fake smile. He almost nicknamed her as Idiot, but good thing Sakura bonked her fist on his head, so he resorted to calling her Pretty and Darcy didn't have a single reaction. He sat back down on his seat to let the others introduce himself.
Next team to be introduced was Team 8, where she was also placed. Kiba neared her and told Sakura that he'll take care of her from there, with that, the older pinkette sat beside Sasuke who was munching on a tomato. Shino stood in front of her and shook her hand as well. "Aburame Shino. I was informed that you are an additional teammate. Correct?" Darcy gave a sound of affirmation. "As long as you don't hate bugs, we have no problem." He said, receiving a nod from her. Shino nodded too and returned to his seat.
Next from their team was Hinata. She shakily shook Darcy's hand, a shy smile on her face. "I-I'm Hyūga Hinata. Nice to m-meet you, Darcy." The said girl returned her words. Suddenly, Naruto shouted that Hinata is his girlfriend, making the shy heiress blush excessive shades of red. Hinata gave one last smile, which Darcy gladly returned, and retreated to her seat.
Next was Team 10, who had made it back from a mission just now. Shikamaru came near her and gave a nod of his head. Kiba told him to introduce himself properly, earning a 'troublesome' from the lazy genius. "Nara Shikamaru." Then he returned to his seat.
Chouji was next to introduce himself to Darcy. "I'm Akimichi Chouji. Don't call me fat and we're good." He stated with a grin while shaking the girl's hand.
Ino grinned and ran up to Darcy, shaking her hand instantly. "I'm Yamanaka Ino! Your name is so cute!" She complimented, earning a smile from the girl. "What does it mean?" Ino asked. Darcy replied that her name meant 'Dark'. She received another compliment from the platinum blonde, she then returned to her seat next to Shikamaru.
The next team to be introduced to the Diclonius was Team Gai. Of course, Lee was there to greet her first among his teammates. "Yosh! I am Rock Lee, the most youthful shinobi of all!" He then gave her a thumbs up, saying that she too looks youthful. She thanked him as he returned to his seat after shaking hands.
Neji was next from their team, and he gave a firm handshake. "Hyūga Neji." He simply stated, earning a nod from Darcy.
Tenten bounced to her excitedly, shaking her hand. "I'm Tenten!" She said. "I like your attitude! Let's train some time, 'kay?" She asked, earning an enthusiastic nod from Darcy.
After all the introductions were made, they began to eat. Darcy sat next in between Kiba and Chouji who was devouring the food in an instant.
There were so many food to choose from! All these years of eating bland food from the facility, she was excited to try new things. She fiddled with her chopsticks since she wasn't used to them for she wasn't allowed to use them back in the facility. Kiba noticed this and chuckled. Shortly after, he taught her how to use them. She thanked him for his deed and began to quickly get various food using her chopsticks. Once she took a bite, she let out a squeal of excitement. Everyone looked at her in amusement and she looked at them sheepishly, telling them she hasn't tasted anything that good. Some chuckled and some smirked at her, then they continued eating.
After eating, they decided to go to a karaoke bar. On the way there, the girls talked to Darcy on the way, asking her questions about fashion, boys, and more. The girl wasn't too familiar with fashion, making the girls tell her to go shopping with them soon which she gladly agreed to. It was nice to be surrounded by people who don't think you're a monster, Darcy thought. If only Lucy were here with her, they would have been enjoying the company of these people.
They finally arrived to their destination. They all spent half of the day together, and Darcy was enjoying their company.
The pinkette yawned sleepily, gaining the attention of Kiba who was beside her on the couch. He asked if she was feeling groggy, and she replied with a nod. The Inuzuka asked Sakura for the keys of her apartment so that Darcy could rest since she had a long day. The Haruno gave the keys to Darcy, telling her to leave the door unlocked. The three, including Akamaru, exited the karaoke bar, but not before bidding everyone good bye.
Kiba and Darcy walked in a comfortable silence, the former having his hands behind his head while looking up at the star-filled sky and the latter humming a small tune she heard when she was a small child with her hands behind her back, skipping along the way. Akamaru walked between them, making the girl pet his head thrice.
"Do you want a tour of the village tomorrow?" Kiba asked, breaking the silence between them. The girl mumbled a sound of approval and continued skipping on the road. The girl then used her vectors to look like she was floating. "I still don't know how you do that." Kiba stated, grinning amusedly.
"It's a secret that I may tell you in the future." Darcy beamed back, as she 'floated' just about a foot from the ground.
After several minutes of walking, they arrived to the two pinkette's apartment. Darcy unlocked the door, turned on the lights, and beckoned Kiba and Akamaru to come in. The girl asked if he wanted water, so he accepted. She also gave some water to Akamaru, earning a friendly lick to the face. Darcy chuckled and ruffled the dog's fur, enjoying the company of the white dog.
Kiba told Darcy to be prepared by ten o'clock in order to give a tour of the village and so that they could have lunch. The Inuzuka then bid a good bye to the Diclonius together with Akamaru.
Once they left, Darcy changed into a sleeping attire that Sakura had placed in the room where she was staying at. She turned off the lights and took out the picture of her and Lucy when they were children, laying on the bed.
A lone tear escaped her eye as she thought about her. She wished that they weren't tormenting her sister with the experiments in that damned facility. She tried communicating with Lucy again, but it was no use because she was in another dimension. Darcy cursed under her breath and closed her eyes for a brief moment, thinking about the events that had happened so far.
Killing more than a dozen people, jumping into the portal, meeting Kiba and Akamaru, testing of her abilities, being accepted into a village, and making new friends. Darcy smiled and thought that if her sister was here, they would've been enjoying what she has now. She turned to her side and fell asleep, thanking her new friends for today.