Okay people. Thanks for the reviews again.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Duty Over Hell
Chapter Four – The Outcasts.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Naruto took note of how far into the forest he was going as he walked with Shin. After all, if it turned out that he had landed himself into any trouble, then he would at least know of someway to get out of it. Shin gave him a funny look.
"What?" Naruto asked. He wondered if he had something stuck between his teeth.
"I just wondered where you got those weird marks on your face." Shin stated boldly. Naruto glared slightly.
"I dunno I was just born with them." Naruto answered. Shin shrugged. The cheeky grin on her face still remained.
"Don't worry I wasn't trying to mock you. You wanna tell me what your reasons were for leaving your home?" Shin asked.
"Not really. I don't know you well enough yet." Naruto stated. Shin grinned loopily.
"It's OK you can talk to me when you feel ready to." Shin said.
"Can I ask why you wear so much black?" Naruto asked.
"Because I like it. I think it reflects me perfectly. Just like my name." Shin said. Her grin still plastered on her face. They took a couple of more turns deeper into the forest. That was when Naruto saw the camp. Or rather the wooden house/huts that made the outcast homes. Naruto was amazed. The little wooden houses had flat wooden roofs and wooden shutters on the windows. There were also doors that were just plain old planked wood. The huts weren't perfect, they were shabby looking, but they looked sturdy enough to withstand most weather. Naruto counted eight small huts that formed a square. As Naruto walked with Shin into the formation, he saw a bunch of large logs formed into a circle round a foundation that looked ready to make a campfire. Naruto saw a few people come out of the huts. There seemed to be no small children at all. Most of the people were young teenagers like himself. All in all Naruto counted about five teens, including Shin there were six of them. He also saw three younger looking children. They were maybe eight or nine. Altogether that made nine people so far. Naruto took note that two of the huts were larger then the others.
"Hey Shin who's he?" One of the younger children asked.
"His name's Naruto. Where's Rekka, Cho?" Shin asked. The little girl blinked. Her bright violet eyes shone with intelligence as she thought about the answer to her question. Naruto noted that the girl, who couldn't be more then eight years old, but who looked like she was six, had extremely pale skin, like snow, and black hair like onyx, but when she moved her head, you could see streaks of bright violet and bright blue running through it. She had identical pigtails on both sides of her head and her bangs were long and framed her oval shaped face. She wore a violet, long-sleeved top and blue jeans, as well as a pair of white trainers.
"I think she's in the big hut." Cho replied thoughtfully.
"But I'm sure she'll be out in a minute." The little girl added. Shin nodded. She told the group to sit on the logs, and they all seemed to listen to what she had to say. The group stared at Naruto and he was rather nervous of the fact that all eyes were on him. It had never been that way when he had lived in Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves.
At that moment, a young woman came out of one of the larger huts, a small child balanced on her hip. The most it could have possibly been was one year old. But Naruto thought that this child looked much younger. The woman had flame red hair, with streaks of chestnut brown and jet black in it. Her eyes shone two vivid colours, Jade green and deep hazel. She was dressed in black leather pants and a top that reminded Naruto of Tsunade Baa-Chan's top, except it was red, with a black strap holding the wrap around top together. She was also wearing a pair of black leather boots, and a black, long coat, that reached her knees. She looked stern, and she had a katana strapped behind her waist, as well as kunai and shuriken pouches attached to her waist and pant legs.
"Hey Rekka, this is Naruto, it looks like he needs somewhere to go." Shin said. Her voice was bright and cheery. The young woman's eyebrow quirked as she gave a small smirk of amusement.
"Alright, Naruto is it? Come with me." The young woman stated. It was more of an order then a request. Naruto nodded and watched as the woman known as Rekka, handed the small child over to Shin, and walked into the largest hut. Naruto followed wondering what this woman was going to say to him. He also took note of the necklace hanging from her neck. It was a semi-thick gold coin with a phoenix engraved into it, and in the middle of its chest was a large looking flame symbol.
Once Naruto was inside the hut he noticed a large, low table, also made from plank wood, and small, tattered-looking cushions around it for everyone to sit on. There were a few chairs over in one corner, everything looked old and worn. Naruto saw the woman sit in one chair, and then saw her gesture for him to sit in another chair. So he did. He waited for the woman to speak. He didn't want to offend her. There was silence for several moments before the female before him decided to say anything.
"Well Naruto, I'm kind of the speaker for this clan, if you get my meaning." She said quietly, but firmly. Naruto nodded.
"You don't need to be frightened of me, I'm not out to hurt you or anyone else, unless they come here to cause harm. My name, as you probably heard, is Rekka." She said quietly. Naruto nodded.
"Well I left my home for a reason, as did everyone else here. But everyone who came here had to tell me their story before I let them stay here." Rekka stated. Naruto's eyes widened.
"Everyone here knows my story, and I know everyone's story, but they only talk about their stories if they wish to, and it will be the same for you if you choose to stay." Rekka said.
"I don't get why you need to know my story." Naruto stated plainly.
"The reason I ask is because this is an issue of trust. If you can't share your story even with me, then how do you expect to ever overcome it at any point?" Rekka asked.
Naruto nodded.
"I'll tell you if you can swear to me that you won't tell anyone else my story." Naruto quipped.
"I swear to you on the head of my son I will not tell your story to a single soul unless you ask me to, or in dire emergency." Rekka stated.
"You have a son?" Naruto questioned.
"You first kid. Remember?" Rekka answered. Naruto nodded and started with the fact that he had the demon fox sealed within him. Then the hatred of the villagers, the attacks, the bruises, the cruelty. Then he described how things had started to get better, because he had found friends, but then that terrible night, on his thirteenth birthday, when he was raped and left in an alley. He told Rekka how he couldn't face anyone until he got stronger, until he felt whole and himself again.
Rekka nodded.
"You don't have to tell me who it was." Rekka said quietly.
"How do you even know that I know who it was?" Naruto asked.
"I can see it in your face Naruto. Besides I know exactly how you feel." Rekka said quietly.
"How could you possibly know?" Naruto snapped.
"Because I have been through the same things you have Naruto believe it or not. Although I have no idea how it feels to be the container of a creature such as the Demon Fox, Kyuubi." Rekka quipped.
"I don't understand, don't you think I'm a danger?" Naruto asked. He was confused. Someone didn't look at him in disgust when told what he was? Rekka smiled. Naruto would learn that it was a rare smile. The woman's odd, jade/hazel eyes shone with true understanding.
"Well why should you be? If I fill a cup with milk, does the cup also become milk?" Rekka answered. Naruto grinned.
"You said you would tell me your story." Naruto stated. Rekka nodded.
"I promised you and I will keep my word. As a child I was despised in my village. My mother, had apparently been the leader of my village, and when she gave birth to me, she died. So I became the despised killer of my own mother. It wasn't something I could have stopped but no one understood that. I was beaten and abused by the villagers. I hated them and their peace loving hypocrisy, because where I was concerned they were never peaceful. I left my village when I was seven. I was frightened and alone and I didn't want to be beaten anymore. That is when I was found by a rogue ninja. She trained me and I learned that fighting for others was better then running and hiding. So I went from village to village, trying to help others. I'm not saying I'm a hero. I'm far from it, but I felt that what I had should be used for the right reasons." Rekka explained. Naruto was sat listening attentively.
"I was about twelve when I left my teacher's company. As the years went by I met others, who like me, had to leave for one reason or another. They came with me. Some of them learned things from me, and some of them learned things for themselves. That is how this group of 'outcasts' came to exist. I didn't feel I could abandon kids who were like me. If I had been abandoned by my teacher then I would probably be dead now." Rekka stated.
"I bet Shin was the first to join you." Naruto quipped, his curiosity getting the best of him. Rekka nodded.
"She was. When I found Shin she was about nine. It was a couple of months after I left my teacher to do things myself. But her story is hers." Rekka said. Naruto nodded. Rekka waited a few moments before continuing.
"Well one day, about a year and a half ago, I ran into a couple of guys. They were causing trouble for many people. They were part of a group, known as Akatsuki." Rekka stated. Naruto bit his lip, as he remembered seeing Itachi and Kisame, two members of Akatsuki, when he went to look for Tsunade Baa-Chan with Ero-Sennin. It had scared him a little, even though he wouldn't admit it to anyone. Rekka carried on with her story.
"These men were killing innocent people, and causing trouble in the Hidden Mist village. I didn't think that these men could be anymore trouble then anyone else I had ever faced before. So I decided to challenge them. I found out how wrong I was. They were inhumanely strong. At least to me they were. I was still not as strong as I should have been, and I was overpowered. I was only sixteen years old, and I was frightened. There's no shame in admitting fear." Rekka stated plainly.
Naruto looked at her curiously. Rekka bit her lip and looked like she was trying to compose herself a little.
"What happened after they overpowered you? I've seen Akatsuki members before. They don't usually like to leave anyone alive unless they have to." Naruto quipped.
"That's true. One of the two wanted to kill me. But the other one didn't. He said he quite liked my spunk and that maybe keeping me around would be a good idea. I didn't even realise when I was knocked out. The next thing I knew, I was in a dark cell." Rekka bit her lip hard then.
"I didn't lie when I said I understood how you felt Naruto. The helplessness, the fear, the weakness, the confusion, I felt it all and more. I couldn't understand why he picked me to be his toy. I didn't know how to escape and I didn't know what to do about my situation. I was raped repeatedly and I thought about killing myself several times." Rekka stated sombrely.
Naruto looked at her with shock. He hadn't been able to handle being raped once, let alone repeatedly. He didn't know how Rekka survived it.
"If you're wondering how I managed to survive, I have only one person to thank." Rekka said quietly.
"After being held captive for about six months, which is how long I was told I had been gone by Shin, I found that I was pregnant, and I swore that for the sake of my child I would find a way to get out of that cell. I knew if I told my rapist I was pregnant that he would most likely kill me. I knew if I tried to escape using brute force then I'd probably be killed by someone. So I had to outthink them and I managed to escape. I still don't know if they are looking for me, or that if by coming back here, I have put everyone in danger. Although as Shin puts it. If they were looking for me they would have found me a long time ago." Rekka finished. Naruto felt a great respect for his new friend.
"So your son is the little kid outside right?" Naruto questioned. Rekka nodded.
"His name is Taichi but everyone calls him Tai." Rekka said. A smile spread slowly on her face but quickly disappeared.
"You have your reasons to stay here, and you don't need to worry, no one will reveal your location. You only go back if you want to." Rekka said firmly. Naruto nodded and Rekka stood up and walked out of the hut. Naruto followed.
"Alright, everyone this is Naruto, although I'm sure Shin already told you that. He's gonna be staying with us." The group blinked and shrugged. Cho grinned.
"If Rekka likes you then you must be ok." Cho said happily.
"Riiiiiight." Rekka drawled.
"Ok, introduce yourselves, I'm gonna go back to the market, after I unload the cart. We need some meat and extra stuff I forgot about." Rekka stated, as she gave a wave, while she walked off.
Shin grinned.
"Well you know my name and Cho's. Come on you guys stop being so quiet." Shin demanded.
Naruto saw a set of twin boys, next to Cho, they looked about ten. He also saw two male teens and three female teens. The twins, who wore identical, dark blue, long-sleeved tops, and dark blue trousers, with black leather boots, also had the same identical short, messy, golden brown hair and vivid blue eyes.
"I'm Ryuu and this is my twin brother Ryo. We're nine years old." One of the twins stated happily. Cho jumped up and down.
"I forgot to tell you how old I am. I'm seven." Cho yelled. One of the teen boys stepped forwards and put a hand lightly on her head. She stopped jumping straight away. The boy didn't smile or act hyper like Cho at all. He was calm and collected. He had piercing chocolate coloured eyes, and dark violet hair, with black streaks. He wore a simple, baggy, light-grey shirt. It was long sleeved and hooded. He also wore baggy, dark-grey pants, and a pair of black slip on shoes. He reminded Naruto a little of Shikamaru. He seemed to have that whole lazy appearance around him.
"I'm Isamu, and I'm fourteen. Cho is my little sister so if you have any problems with her being hyper come to me." Isamu stated. Then he went quiet. Cho just blinked.
Naruto saw one of the teen girls step forward. She had very dark blue eyes, so dark, that Naruto almost thought they were black. Her hair was tied into braids, one on each side of her head, and then both were made into twin buns, almost like Naruto remembered Ten Ten's hair to be, except this girl had pure white hair, streaked with light blue.
"The same for me and the twins. I'm Yuu, they're my little brothers. I'm fifteen years old." The girl said politely. She was dressed in white, cropped trousers, black ankle-boots and a white vest top. Over that she wore a long, royal-blue, wrap around jacket, with a white sash to keep in place. The sash was tied at the side and hung down next to her right thigh.
Naruto wondered how these people managed to live the way they did. After all it seemed that they had problems getting anything in the village. The other two girls stepped forward. One of them dressed entirely in forest green. She smiled politely.
"I'm Moriko. I'm sixteen years old." She said politely. Her voice was a reminiscent of complete calm. Her forest green clothes consisted of a pair of cloth pumps, gung xi pants and a gung xi top. Her hair, also forest green, was tied in a high ponytail, and the very curly strands hung down like party streamers over her shoulders. Her curly bangs, framed her cream-complexioned, face, and made her forest green eyes shine out more.
The second girl spoke. Her eyes were blood red, and her hair, was long, straight and honey-coloured. It was tied into a bun with two, black, Chinese chopsticks, holding it in place.
"I'm Aiko. I'm fifteen." She said. Her voice was cold as ice. She wore a black, leather mini-skirt, black, knee-high boots, and black kunai holders on each thigh, a white vest top, and a black netted top over it. She also wore black fingerless gloves that she fidgeted with every so often. She walked away after her small sentence to Naruto and that was when the last boy stepped forward.
"I'm Takahiro. I'm sixteen years old." He said. His voice was friendly and Naruto didn't mind him so much. He wore black trousers, a white t-shirt, an open, royal blue shirt over it, and blue ninja sandals like Naruto had owned before. His shoulder length, royal blue hair was tied back with a black strip of cloth.
"Don't worry about it. Aiko is like that with everyone at first. She's still like that with us sometimes. She'll get used to you and once she does, she'll be a little more… friendly?" Takahiro said. Still grinning. His golden eyes shining with mischief.
Rekka came out with the empty hand cart then.
"Takahiro, you better come along with me." Rekka said. Takahiro nodded.
"See ya when I get back kid." He said. He ruffled Naruto's hair and was off with Rekka before Naruto could even say a word. He glared slightly.
"Takahiro is always like that." Shin said. Naruto jumped. He hadn't realised that Shin was still there, holding the baby, Rekka had left her with about an hour ago.
"Look I'll give ya a quick summary since those guys took so long introducing themselves. The big hut you went into with Rekka is where we eat when it's cold and where we usually have our meetings. If it gets really cold we all go in there to sleep. It keeps us warm." Shin stated.
"Does it get that cold here?" Naruto asked.
"It can do some winters." Shin replied.
"The other big hut, is where we store the food, that's why there's no windows. We store everything in there and put in blocks of ice to keep it cold in there. The smaller huts are where everyone lives. In the hut near the food hut, is where Rekka sleeps, with little Tai." Shin said, bouncing the baby in her arms. He looked irritable.
"How old is he?" Naruto asked.
"He's about six months old." Shin replied, then, carried on with her explanation.
"I live in the second hut. I'm by myself at the moment. Isamu lives in the hut across from Rekka's with Cho. Yuu lives in the hut next to mine with the twins. The huts across from me and Yuu are where Aiko and Moriko live. The one next door to Yuu is where Takahiro lives. The one next to Aiko is free at the moment." Shin said.
"Is that where I'm staying then?" Naruto asked. Shin nodded. Tai started fussing greatly. Then he started crying. Naruto and Shin blinked at him.
"Maybe he's bored of me." Shin stated. She then handed the boy to Naruto. His eyes widened.
"What am I supposed to do? I've never looked after a little kid before." Naruto asked. He didn't need an answer. Tai stopped crying a few seconds later.
"Wow, he must really like you. He doesn't take to strangers that quickly usually. I'm the first person he took to after Rekka of course." Shin said. Naruto didn't know why, but when he looked at the six month old boy, whose hair was jet black, he was immediately reminded of Sasuke.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Ok, that chapter is finally done. I apologise for the huge amount of description. I've been trying to work on that, but I still end up with a lot of it. Anyways, I hope you all read and review. See you soon.