THE GIRL OF THE SOUND
Chapter 4 – Walk Around Town
Before anything else, Kin looked for Kakashi's bathroom and took a good shower. Though the medic nin had probably cleaned her up some, she wasn't exactly smelling like flowers. Stepping out of the shower, she grabbed the only towel she saw and began to dry herself. Kin put on the beige shorts and pink shirt she had woken up with and returned to the bedroom, feeling very refreshed.
Kin walked over to the closet and opened it, looking over the clothes that Kakashi had acquired for her. They all looked to be about her size. Still, she decided the ones she had on were good enough for now. Taking a step back, her stomach let out a loud growl. Frowning, she patted it, thinking: 'I know, I know, just shut up. I'll eat soon enough.'
She went over to the drawer that Kakashi had pointed to earlier and opened it, seeing money, a piece of paper, and a key inside. Kin took what she thought would be more than enough for a meal and stuffed it in her pocket, also taking the piece of paper in her hand and examining it briefly before stuffing it into her other pocket. Kin noticed when she took the key that it had a small label on it reading, simply, 'door'.
The girl picked up the Konoha forehead protector and looked down at it as she walked back to the living room. She stopped, placing it on an oval table for now, deciding she would think about it later. She was determined to try to adapt, but she wanted to take things slowly, little by little. She turned and headed for the door, wrapping her hand around the knob but not opening it, doubt suddenly striking her.
'What if they hate me?' she thought grimly, imagining possible stares she might get from the people of Konoha. Would they point at her, ridicule her? Would they attack her, even?
Kin shook her head. 'No! That won't happen. I didn't do anything.' She closed her eyes and tightened her grip around the knob. She willed herself to turn it, and soon the living room of Kakashi's house was bathed in warm, morning sunlight. Without giving herself the time to change her mind, she stepped outside and closed the door behind her, locking it.
She slowly opened her eyes, finding herself looking at a normal street. There were people walking this way and that, some stopping to chat with an acquaintance, others hurrying to some obligation they might be late to, others simply taking a walk and enjoying the beautiful day. All of them were minding their own business.
Her earlier thoughts seemed absurd as she started walking down the streets of Konoha. She looked in all directions, examining the face of each individual that walked past her, and was delighted to find that no one paid any attention to her. Some even bowed their heads slightly and greeted her politely as they passed. It was only natural, after all. No one here knew her!
A great wave of relief washed over her, as if a great weight was lifted from her shoulders. Something that had been at least nagging at the back of her mind up until now was the fear of rejection. She had believed, for some reason, that she wouldn't be accepted. But now she saw that she had been basically given a clean slate.
She smiled. The idea of living here now seemed much more possible. As she imagined the possibilities of her new life, warmth filled her heart. Though maybe that was just hunger, she thought, as her stomach growled loudly once more.
Kin retrieved the piece of paper that was in her pocket and looked at it. Kakashi had scribbled the location of several different places, but for now she was interested in eating. She quickly chose one, a ramen stand, and smiled, delighted to be able to make such a choice. Back at the Sound they just ate what they were given, which usually didn't have much quantity or quality. 'It's been a while since I've eaten ramen.' she thought to herself.
Having no clue as to where the street actually was and wanting to eat as fast as possible, Kin concluded she would have to ask someone. She turned to a random person walking past her.
"Excuse me," she called.
A middle-aged woman carrying a bag of groceries turned around and looked at her, smiling. "Yes?"
"Um, can you tell me where this is?" Kin hesitantly showed the woman the paper and pointed where the ramen stand's address was scribbled. The woman followed her finger and replied a moment later, giving her a few simple directions.
"Thanks a lot," Kin said, bowing to the woman, who replied "You're welcome," and was on her way again.
Kin turned and started heading to the ramen stand, chuckling at her earlier fears. 'Heh, I guess I was being too paranoid. And I actually thought I'd be attacked!' She snickered.
Kin turned a corner and started to walk down another street, one that had less people on it. Now that she was less concerned about the people, she took some time to examine the village. The damage from the attack was still visible in most areas, which made her feel a ping of guilt, even though she knew it wasn't her doing. Most areas, she noted, were still in need of repair.
One such place was a house she saw at the end of the street. It looked like the roof had taken a particularly nasty hit; part of it was dangling dangerously over, rocking up and down slightly as if it would fall at any moment. She made a mental note to steer clear of that.
Then she heard the giggles of a small child. It didn't take long to locate the origin: a little boy, probably just a few years old, kicking a ball. Kin's eyes followed the boy. He was probably mostly oblivious to the attack that had happened. That's an age where there is no such thing as good or bad, no worries, no responsibilities...
Kin looked back to where the boy had come. He seemed to be alone. She wondered where his parents were. Nobody around seemed to be paying him much attention. She turned back to the boy, feeling her heart skip a beat at what she saw.
He was kicking his ball straight towards the dangling roof. Kin looked left and right, but nobody else seemed to be seeing this. She frowned. Where the hell were his parents? Looking up at the roof that was almost over him now, she saw it was leaning dangerously over. It looked like it would fall any moment.
As no one else seemed to have noticed, Kin picked up her pace, walking in the direction of the child. But another look at the roof of the house made her walk into a full-fledged run. She heard a shriek from behind her at the same time as a loud snap, both of which got everyone on the street's attention. The loose piece of the roof had finally given out and begun its descent upon the innocent little boy below.
Luckily, Kin had already been close when it happened. Running at full speed, she scooped up the boy in her arms and leaped forward as hard as she could, trying to get out from under the falling object. The debris smashed down on the spot she had occupied moments before, sending up a cloud of dust. Kin hit the ground and rolled for several seconds, finally coming to a stop meters away. She sat up, looking the boy in her arms over for any injuries, but he seemed to be unharmed. Having gotten that out of the way, she proceeded to say what was on her mind.
"What the hell do you think you're doing playing in a dangerous place like that, you stupid brat?" Immediately after she blurted that out, Kin was surprised at her own outburst. Though it was true he had gotten them both in danger, Kin had saved him of her own accord, and he probably didn't know any better, anyway. Still, the boy seemed to ignore it. He looked back towards the fallen debris, now still on the ground, then turned around and tightly hugged her.
"Thank you, nee-chan!" he exclaimed. Kin gasped; she had been expecting one of several possible reactions, but that wasn't one of them.
Now Kin noticed a woman running towards them, with tears in her eyes. She crouched down and peeled the boy off Kin, hugging him very tightly. "Oh, I was so worried about you!" Kin looked up at her, thinking she was probably the kid's mom, and the one that had shrieked before. She slowly stood up, dusting herself off. She began to turn around to be on her way when she noticed that most of the street was looking at her. Instinctively, she assumed they had somehow discovered that she was from the Sound, but once again she would be proven she was ridiculously wrong.
"I looked away for just a second and - and he was gone!" The mother, now with her child safely in her arms, turned to Kin, with a look of pure joy and gratitude. "Oh, thank you, thank you! You saved my son!"
For a moment, Kin wanted to tell the kid's mom that she was irresponsible for letting him run off on her like that, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it now, looking at them.
Kin chuckled nervously, blushing. She scratched the back of her head, looking at her feet. "Um, it was nothing."
It took a half dozen more praises before the mother finally took off, and everyone went back to doing what they had been. Kin looked after the mother for a bit longer as she headed back down the street. The little boy, his head perched on his mom's shoulder, waved back at Kin, smiling. She felt a little silly, but couldn't help but smile and wave back.
She had to admit, she had liked those few moments of attention, especially since they once again showed her that she was being too paranoid. Nobody here knew her. She could live happily, like a new person. She could forget her regretful past and nobody would bother her about it.
The girl turned around, planning to continue towards the ramen stand, and her eyes crossed with the eyes of another girl. One who made her realize that there were a few exceptions to notion that 'nobody here knew her'.
Not too far away from her, with an icy glare fixed upon her, stood none other than Haruno Sakura.