A/N Helloooo everybody! So sorry about the wait I had been doing a lot and my computer has been acting so horrible! So to make up for it I'm going to schedule when chapters will be released. I will update every sunday and Wednesday and maybe on Saturdays as well. To compensate I shall write until my fingers bleed... okay maybe not that much but you guys get the point. I am also just a tad worried that when the deadline comes I will be drained of ideas with the cursed writer's block so in the reviews vote whether a chapter is better as a quicker update but short or longer but a bit more time for the wait. Either way let's begin the chapter 8 shall we?!
Disclaimer: Author - Now for the disclaimer please! Itachi - ... Author - Seriously? Itachi - ...Hn Author - How about a compromise? Do the disclaimer and this picture of your little brother and the nine tails making out won't be taped all over the Akatsuki hideout! Itachi - ...Wait what?! Author - Just do the disclaimer please or should I get the much better looking Sasori to do it? Itachi - *sigh* Hn... Fine. This author does not, will not, and never has owned Naruto and/or Naruto Shippuden and/or its characters. Those rights go to Viz Media, TV Tokyo, Shonen Jump, Misashi Kishimoto, and whoever else owns the copyrights. She also does not own any song/band/album or movie she makes references to. She only own her OCs and changes to the plot. There, I'm done. I'm leaving now. Author - Touchy! Anyways please enjoy and remember this is my first fanfiction so please bear with me!
Alyson slowly started to notice the now very dark sky. Yumi also looked up as well as her eyes widened. "O-oh no! I s-should go and make s-sure my parents are okay. A-Aly I'll see you again o-okay?", Yumi stuttered as she quickly scrambled to her feet. Alyson nodded as she felt a strong breeze on the grounds. Looking around Alyson started to feel uneasy by the endless shadows stretching towards them. 'Something's... off. It feels like... someone's watching me. It would probably be best to walk Yumi home since she doesn't exactly look best at defending herself', Alyson thought looking back towards Yumi.
"Hey Yumi, how about I walk you home? It looks pretty dark out and two is usually better than one right?", Alyson said with a grin. Yumi looked at her shyly and smiled in appreciation. "Y-you don't have t-to do that Aly b-but thankyou.", Yumi said quietly. "Come on, let's get going before it gets darker. Plus we can even get to listen to a song or two on the way", Alyson said as she gathered her things and her Ipod. Alyson and Yumi began walking as Yumi led the way to her home. Hoping to calm the tense atmosphere Alyson put on the song, She's so lovely by Scouting for Girls. As Alyson sang along to the lyrics Yumi listened intently while smiling cheerfully. However that smile soon vanished as a thud was heard behind them.
Alyson's ears perked up as she grabbed a kunai from her bag and spun around to see who was behind them. Upon turning around and straining her eyes to see in the dark she saw nothing but garbage bins. Breathing in a sigh of relief though still on guard Alyson gripped Yumi's arm to tow her away from whatever had made the noise. Soon another thud was heard as they walked a few feet. Alyson turned again and saw one of the garbage bins had been knocked over. Yumi whimpered in fear as there was no one around in the dark streets of Suna. Alyson placed a comforting hand on Yumi's shoulder and put a finger to her lips while straining her ears. Alyson clutched the kunai until her knuckles were white as she watched cautiously towards the garbage bins. She motioned for Yumi to stay put as she walked forward.
Alyson felt her blood pounding in her ears as her heart raced in fear. 'Normally I'd just run the hell away but something like this is just making my curiosity scream in anticipations', Alyson thought hoping her choice would not lead her to the same fate as ignorant teens she had seen in horror movies. Her feet had a mind of their own as her brain felt too frozen to argue. Getting closer she spotted a small shadow growing from behind the bin. Moving around it something jumped out from inside of the bin shocking Alyson. Alyson soon saw it was only a small ferret as she sighed in relief and almost laughed at her paranoia. 'Maybe hanging around Slendy isn't exactly making me immune to being paranoid', Alyson though as he chuckled quietly. She bent down to get a closer look at the 'menacing' ferret.
Looking closer she noticed the ferret was a light tan like the sand on the ground near it. There were also dark brown markings on its back twisting in intricate designs. She had even noticed that one of its eyes was a misty white while the other was a dark brown. 'Poor thing is blind in one eye', Alyson thought as she moved her hand forward to allow the animal to sniff it and know she was a friend instead of a foe. The ferret sniffed and squealed in delight as it quickly climbed up Alyson's arm to rest on her shoulders. "No worries, Yumi. It's just a cute little ferret. Poor thing is blind in one eye though so that really sucks", Alyson called out without turning to see Yumi.
Before a reply could be heard from Yumi, Alyson heard the ferret on her shoulder hiss at something behind her as its fur raised in a cautious way. "Yumi?", Alyson called out confused as she turned and gasped in shock. Yumi was being held by a strong-looking figure in the shadows. The figure then walked towards Alyson with Yumi still held tightly. Alyson was barely able to make out a male in an anbu uniform and mask as he kept Yumi's mouth covered. Though the mask hid his face Alyson was still able to see his eyes. Alyson stumbled back slightly as the figure stepped forward again. "Dammit, who the hell are you!? What the hell do you want from us?!", Alyson yelled as she tried to devise a plan to get Yumi away from the dangerous looking man.
The man only stared at Alyson ignoring her comment. He soon reached into his holster and pulled out a very sharp-looking kunai. He studied Alyson carefully as her eyes widened in shock before narrowing her eyes and gritting her teeth. "Let her go now!", Alyson shouted as she felt adrenaline kick in. 'Damn, I sound like Naruto now', Alyson thought as she tightly gripped her kunai in front of her. The man studied Alyson intently as he put the kunai closer to Yumi until it was directly at her throat. Feeling her rage flare Alyson moved quickly to the man to try to disarm him and hopefully free Yumi unscathed. The man simply shook his head and used the hilt of the kunai to hit Yumi in the back of her skull knocking her unconscious instantly. The man carefully lowered Yumi's body to the ground before moving closer towards Alyson.
Alyson was shocked at the man's actions but did not falter in her sprint. She aimed a punch at the man but he easily dodged her hit. She moved her leg to try to trip him quickly enough but he was an obviously experienced opponent. 'With this skill there's no way I can beat this guy! I have to find a way to retreat with Yumi or something quick!', Alyson thought as she looked around the area while pleading for a tactic from her brain. The man lunged at her with inhuman speed. She barely moved fast enough to evade the kunai that grazed her cheek. Feeling warm liquid flow down her face she tried to stay as calm as possible. The man lunged even quicker and was able to throw Alyson into the hard wall of a building. As she shakily got up onto her feet she noticed the man was not fazed at all.
'Crap, what now!? What do I do!? If only there was someone here to help... No! I can protect myself! I have to be able to defend myself like Slendy said! I can't rely on others now! I have to save Yumi! But how?', Alyson thought as she felt her determination growing. She noticed the man's eyes widen slightly. She looked down at herself confused as she noticed the blue energy glowing from her skin. Her eyes widened at the amount of chakra she was producing but she did not back down. Instead she focused more than she ever had in her life on the energy inside of her.
The ferret on Alyson's shoulder did not move but Alyson soon felt the creature transferring its chakra into her. She looked towards the ferret in shock but nodded in appreciation. She could feel the sweat bead on her forehead but simply ignored it as she prepared to attack the mysterious stranger. Focusing chakra into her feet she moved faster than she had ever thought was possible. As she moved behind the masked man she was practically a blur though the fight would definitely be a fierce battle.
The man moved his arm to block but was not quick enough to see Alyson had actually faked her punch and launched her leg to kick him in the side. She was able to knock him a fair distance away but he seemed unharmed. She noticed the man was studying her with interest but ignored it as she saw him throwing many kunai into the air. She rolled in time to dodge the kunai and halted in front of the man shocking him. She smirked before focusing a heavy amount of chakra into her fist before striking upwards into his jaw.
The man flew a few feet into the air but flipped backwards to land safely onto the ground. Alyson gave a satisfied smirk as she saw him rub his jaw in what looked like amazement. "Impressive. Very impressive... he will be pleased with this information", the masked man spoke quietly in a voice Alyson had thought seemed familiar though she was too concerned with the reason of his attacking. "What information and who's going to be pleased by this information? Why did you attack me and Yumi?", Alyson asked hoping her friend was alright as the ferret on her shoulder jumped down and ran past the man towards the unconscious girl. The man did not spare the ferret a glance as he continued to study Alyson.
"That information is not important now but my service to my leader is. But what I can tell you is... your friend was not my target", the man spoke menacingly as Alyson felt a shudder run down her spine. She felt her eyes widen as her breath caught in her throat. "W-what!? What doe that mean? Why am I... a target?", Alyson said trying to keep her voice under as much control as she could muster. The man simply kept an impassive face as he watched her panic. "This has gone on long enough. My research is also complete. There is only one more test", the man said before he vanished into thin air.
Alyson looked around fervently trying to keep her mind off of the millions of questions that floated in her brain. A strong chakra infused kick from behind made Alyson fly back several meters. She groaned as she landed on her back onto a puddle in the street. The water soaked into Alyson's clothes but all she could think of was what the man had meant when had mentioned a test. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the man unsheathed a long and dangerous looking dagger. As the man walked closer she noticed the blade had an odd shine to it as if it had been poisoned. 'Poison! Oh great, how can this get any worse?", Alyson thought as she tried to sit up from her spot in the puddle. However when she tried to move her muscles would not listen. 'Damn, used too much chakra!', Alyson thought in fear.
Her brain raced in panic as she could not move any parts of her body except for her arms. As she tried to drag herself farther away from the man she felt her arms were too weak to even support her. The man only continued to get closer as Alyson shrank into the puddle wishing she could sink into it. The man's footsteps seemed to echo in Alyson's mind as she wondered if it would be the very last thing she would ever hear. Time seemed to slow as the man raised the poisoned blade as Alyson could barely raise her arms in front of her in a vain attempt to defend herself.
Alyson closed her eyes feeling the cooling smoothness of the water underneath her. She allowed herself to relax into the puddle almost cursing herself for what she couldn't do. 'I'm so sorry Yumi. I couldn't protect you like a friend should. I'm sorry Temari. I'm sorry Jess. I'm sorry Kankuro... I'm so sorry... Gaara. I guess I just couldn't keep my promise', Alyson thought feeling regret. The feeling of regret soon led to anger as Alyson felt disappointed in herself. She clenched her fists until her nails dug into her skin causing warm liquid to leak from the small wound. She was able to hear a small plop as the blood dripped onto the water of the puddle.
She ignored it though as she felt the same energy from before wrap around her body. Hearing the man stop near her she knew it was too late. She braced herself as her adrenaline rose in anticipation of the blade. 'I guess... that's it', Alyson thought waiting for the pain of the blade. However the pain never came and neither did the blade. She only heard a gasp of shock from someone near her. Opening her eyes very carefully she saw something that completely shocked her. The blade was right in front of her eyes but was blocked by what seemed to be a shield of water. The water held streaks of glowing blue and dark red and was wrapped around the blade.
Confused beyond belief she tried to focus on the situation as the man stopped trying to free the blade and stepped back from her. The man's eyes were amazed yet unsurprised. "So it's true. A water user. He will be most pleased...", the man mumbled before he disappeared again into the shadows. As Alyson's eyes flew from shadow to shadow she knew he was not returning... at least not now. Alyson laid her head back and let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding. Her head felt dizzy and light but she was able to move slightly more than before. She turned her attention onto the shield still floating in front of her with the blade inside of it.
"I... did this? Wow", Alyson whispered as she concentrated on the water shield in front of her moving it away so it could disperse without soaking her. With most of her remaining energy she moved the shield away and released it hearing the blade fall with a clatter. As curiosity got the best of her she moved her arm slightly to grab the blade and bring it closer to her eyes. Upon looking closer she noticed the symbol for wind on the blade and shuddered. Hearing movement near her she tensed until she saw the ferret crawl slowly towards her while dragging something in its mouth.
As the ferret got closer Alyson was able to see that the ferret was dragging the strap of her satchel in its mouth towards her. She smiled as she struggled to sit up. Though wincing a few times she was successfully able to sit up. The ferret climbed her arm cautiously and pressed its nose to her ear in silent worry. She scratched the ferret's head as a way to let it know she would be fine. Collecting her bag she heard more shuffling coming from one of the shadows. Tensing she noticed Yumi was beginning to stir and awaken. Hoping to avoid having to explain anything that would frighten Yumi, Alyson hid the blade inside of her bag.
Alyson watched as Yumi slowly sat up and rubbed the back of her head wincing in pain. Yumi looked around in confusion until her eyes landed on Alyson. Her eyes widened as she quickly scrambled towards Alyson. She looked over Alyson carefully trying not to hurt her. "Y-you're wounded badly Aly, especially your shoulder b-bone. I c-can't fix this here but I can t-take you to a h-hospital", Yumi offered as Alyson's eyes widened. Alyson feverishly shook her head already hating the idea of going to a hospital. "No way! I don't exactly like hospitals", Alyson said hoping she did not offend Yumi. Yumi only smiled shyly and spoke, "W-well if you want I c-can heal you at my h-house. T-there are better s-supplies there if want t-to."
Alyson smiled appreciatively at Yumi and nodded in acceptance. As Alyson started picking up her satchel Yumi noticed the smal ferret on the back of Alyson's shoulder. Curiously Yumi outstretched a hesitant hand towards the creature. The ferret sniffed Yumi's hand and soon climbed Yumi's arm towards her shoulders. At first Yumi was afraid and trembling but after the ferret affectionately head butted Yumi she began to giggle in joy. "Aww how cute. Where'd you get him", Yumi asked petting the ferret. Alyson looked at Yumi in confusion. "You don't remember... anything that happened?", Alyson asked cautiously.
"No, not really. I only remember us hearing noises behind us and then it's just a big blank", Yumi explained confused. Alyson sighed quietly to herself though Yumi did not notice. "Don't worry about it. This little guy was making the noises but you got so surprised you tripped on the curve of the street and hit your head pretty hard. I guess I panicked and tried to go get help but I slipped in a puddle and my shoulder broke my fall", Alyson said as she laughed nervously. Fortunately for Alyson, Yumi was too distracted by the ferret which Alyson couldn't tell if it had distracted her on purpose or not.
"Well, let's get to your place but if it's an inconvenience I understand", Alyson said just hoping to get indoors or somewhere safer than the dark streets. Yumi smiled and nodded, "Of course it's ok. We're friends and that's what friends do." After hearing this Alyson felt a small pang in her heart though she quickly brushed it off. After following Yumi through many turns and streets they finally got to an average looking home. Yumi led Ayson directly to her room though Alyson did not ask about Yumi's parents whereabouts in favor of the comfort of both.
Alyson was surprised by how similar Yumi's room was to hers... except without the mess. Yumi's room was neat and tidy and full of light peaceful colors. Alyson noticed a small bed and a couch on the side of the room. Yumi walked towards a cupboard and removed a case of ointments and remedies. After opening the case and equipping a small tube she placed a small amount on her finger. Moving closer to Alyson she carefully placed some of the ointment on Alyson's collar and shoulder bone instantly relieving Alyson.
"This helps in case a bone is possibly broken", Yumi said looking into Alyson's eyes though she did not press the subject for which Alyson mentally thanked her for it. Alyson yawned loudly remembering her overuse of chakra earlier. Yumi noticed and smiled shyly at her friend, "I-if you'd like y-you can sleep here. I know you p-probably trained really hard t-today." Alyson smiled but shook her head. She did not want to trouble the girl after what she had put her through even if she did not remember it. "I wouldn't want to trouble you after you've already helped me", Alyson said smiling but Yumi did not waver.
"Aly... you've b-been a really nice friend t-to me and to b-be honest I don't... I d-don't exactly have many of t-those. I j-just wanted to s-say... thank you", Yumi said as a small smile formed. "That's... that's what friends do", Alyson said forcing a smile. For the third time that day Alyson felt disappointed in herself.
Throughout the night Alyson found it hard to sleep so settled for watching the moon while sitting on Yumi's windowsill. She found herself unable to stop thinking about the blade inside of her satchel. 'I need to find out the real intentions of that masked man and why he was so interested in my powers and soon. I have a feeling I might not have much time left to do that.'
A/N Sorry for the wait but maybe there'll be another chapter tomorrow to compensate! By the way thank you so much essenceofpink for the drawing it looks so cute and usually I don't say that often. Thank you for the amazing reviews but I'll update only when there are 3 reviews for this chapter! Even just saying 'i like cake' makes my day haha. Also how about a poll!
O What should the ferret's name be?
Comment and it might even get picked!
