Sorry for the wait everybody, things have been super busy with school and getting sick and whatnot, and since Microsoft doesn't work on my computer for some reason. Also, I was reminded by a close friend that I forgot to add this: I own nothing but Moriko. The Naruto manga, anime, characters, etc. belong to the brilliant mind that created them. Now that that's out of the way, here's chapter four!
Chapter four: A stroll through memory lane.
Moriko sat on the rooftop of her new apartment, gazing at the moon and the soft, lustrous light it shone on the village. Sometimes, she wished she could be as bright as the moon, as graceful and beautiful as the delicate, shimmering light it shone. She adjusted her mask, tightening it to ensure it didn't fall off. She wasn't ready to take it off. She was sure that she could trust the teacher and the bright bubbly blonde boy, but the village's hokage made her nervous. Obviously, she would never admit it that to anyone but herself, but it was the truth.
He was an intelligent man, but he had a look in his eyes that made her feel as though he could see right through her, into her very soul. The second his eyes landed on her, she felt like a little girl about to get scolded. The feeling unnerved her, but she managed to pull herself together and pass whatever test he was doing. He had even offered her a place to live. She was shocked, but accepted his offer. She was tired of doing freelance work and moving from village to village. Moriko was worried about staying in one place too long, but she reminded herself that it could never be as bad as what she suffered in Iwagakeru, her own birthplace. A shred of a memory nagged at the corner of her mind. Her eyes glazed over with unshed tears as she remembered the one person she had ever cared for.
She reached into one of the hidden pockets in her jacket and pulled out something. If one looked closer at the object in her hand, they would see a clay ballerina figurine. "Dei …" She murmured, allowing herself to shed but a single tear. "I miss you, nii-san." Her fingertips lightly caressed the detailed features of the clay doll as she remembered her companion, and the day she met the one person, the one man, she had ever trusted.
Ten years earlier
A large crowd huddled in the village center, surrounding a small child who wept, lying on her side with her arms covering her head. "Why don't you just die, you freak? You shouldn't have been born to begin with!" The child clenched her teeth, attempting to muffle each cry of pain as blow after blow rained down on her frail body. Her vision began to tunnel. Was this how it all was going to end? At least she wouldn't have to suffer this injustice anymore. Satisfied, the villagers dispersed, each going into their respective home or business while laughing merrily at the misery they had caused. It began to rain and the forgotten child whimpered, unable to move from where she lay. The cold rain began to mercilessly drench her shivering form. Tears burned in her eyes and she pitifully attempted to push her bruised and battered body from the cold concrete. When she managed to push herself to her hands and knees, something soft and warm was dropped onto her, covering her broken body from the cold rain. Looking up, her bleary vision began to clear and she saw a blonde haired boy, with bright blue eyes.
He knelt down and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her to her feet. He was a few years older than her, maybe eleven or twelve years old. He brushed the greasy, wet hair from her face and smiled. "So you're the murderer everyone's been complainin' about. You don't seem that dangerous to me, yeah." She shivered, pulling what she now realized was a cloak closer to her. He smiled and knelt down, looking her in the eyes. "My name is Deidara, what's yours, un?" The child sniffled, attempting a small smile of her own. "M-my name's Moriko." He stood back up and held his hand out to her. "Well Moriko, would you like to be friends, yeah?"
She gently placed the doll back into the hidden pocket and stood, jumping onto the balcony and into her apartment. Closing the door behind her, she drew the blinds closed and sighed. She hadn't shown so much emotion in some time. She would have to fix that. Now that she was part of a village, she couldn't be as anti-social as she was used to. She removed her mask and voice scrambler and placed them on a bedside table. Moriko pulled the blood-covered and significantly damaged jacket from her body and tossed it into a corner. She stretched, popping her back and sighed. She didn't feel like showering, so she kicked her shoes off and crawled into bed.
She wasn't worried about tomorrow, the hokage respected her decision to keep her identity hidden, and wanting to wear the mask and voice scrambler. She wasn't entirely comfortable to reveal herself yet. If this village was the home she wanted, the home she so desperately craved, then eventually, she would toss mask and machine and face the world with a smile on her face. Until then, she would stay in her protective shell. But for now, she had to see just how prepared they were, for a girl like her. And with those thoughts, she fell into slumber.