Ten
Freaks?
You ever get the feeling whenever someone knocks on your door and you have the urge to just not open it even when that person can tell you're home? That's what I felt when the damning knocks sounded on my door.
It was a good morning before that. Other than the constant itching and the urge to just boil my skin so the itching would stop. Not even the shinobi were acting as bad as they usually were. That included Hidan cursing anyone that moved and interrupted his sleep while also telling him to get the fuck up and get his lazy ass moving. That didn't happen this morning. (Which should have been my first clue that something wasn't going right today).
"Who's that?" Naruto asked as the knocking continued at a panicked rate.
"If the itching I'm feeling is any indication than that person is really gonna be a drag." I muttered getting up slowly. "You should probably get into your little house. Seeing a bunch of tiny doll sized men will probably cause her to freak out."
"Bitch say what now?" Hidan asked.
"Akatsuki, move." Nagato ordered. Hidan grumbled but followed as everyone vanished in small puffs of smoke. Even Naruto followed them. I walked to the door and opened it to see a small girl with mussed red hair, wet green eyes and flawless skin that showed her Fae heritage. She was dressed as a -I assume kids dressed like this nowadays- slightly grunged emo.
"Are you the fr- Phoenix?" She asked. I raised an eyebrow at her little slip before sighing.
"Whoever you are, whatever you want, I want no part of it." I shut the door.
"HEY!" She banged on the door even harder than before before trying the door. I turned as the door flew open and wind came barreling in but the girl was frozen in place. Part of that was because no creature could intrude on another creatures home without permission from the residing creature but I was pretty sure the other half was because I was currently wreathed in flames.
"I really hope you have a good reason for wanting to come into my house. And not just that but actually sending your wind and magic in to help you." I walked over to the trembling girl. "From your scent I'm going to guess your a newbie. Although from the agitation I've been feeling from your presence I'm willing to guess your a Royal too. Which would make killing you a hassle and I'd have to deal with investigations." She whimpered in fear. "Come in." Her body unfroze and she fell to her knees still looking at me in fear. I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen to grab some tea before going into the living room. She was still on the floor when I headed into the living room. I stopped to give her a classic 'Sasori' look. "Do you want to talk or not?"
I placed the tea on the coffee table and turned the TV to TNT, allowing the Fae to regain her bearings and hopefully respond to something at least somewhat normal. Though, Kisame was likely to get depressed when he smelled the tea. He'd really been wanting some before the interruption in routine. I frowned at the thought. Was the shinobi being with me all the time, really a routine now? It had only been a few days of having them around. Was I really so lonely or was I more... friendly than I thought?
Thinking those thoughts gave me a headache. I didn't like feeling confused even though I really, really was. So I pushed those thoughts to the side and watched the drama unfolding before me, keeping an ear out for the Fae. Her shuffling was coming into the doorway of the living room and seeing me watching TV seemed to confuse her for a second before she came stomping into the room and stood in front of me. I flicked my eyes to her admittedly futile attempt to look and feel serious.
"I want you to fix me." She snapped. I snorted.
"Well there's one I haven't heard before. Granted your mother once asked me to fix her but she was talking about her make up and battle wounds at the time and I do believe what you're asking is very different." The girl stopped glaring as I had clearly startled her.
"My mom?" Her face was torn for only a split second before she shook her head. "No. I don't care. I just want to be a normal person." She tore off her jacket. "I just want to be human. I don't want these things!" Her wings were in the chrysalis phase still but judging from the pale green color, they would be ready to mature in two or three days. Her physical aspects had already set in but her reflexes and other senses would no doubt come in slowly over the next week. If she even lived that long.
"Okay. And you're telling me this because...?"
"You can turn me back can't you? Or you can seal my other half away so I can still be a normal human? Or-Or use a spell. I'll endure any pain or torture. Just please, make me a human again." She had tears coming out of her eyes and they were spilling over onto the hardwood floor. I sighed looking her in the eyes.
"You are the dumbest Fae alive. Just so you know that now." I said lightly before taking a sip of tea.
"So you're not going to help me?"
"Why should I?" I asked blankly. "You're nothing but a newly awakened Fae who has no control over her body, emotions, or powers. You are weak. I am a Phoenix who survived a war alongside the most powerful creatures of my time. Not to mention, you didn't offer any incentive or offer a sacrifice." She gaped at me in horror before tears started to leak out of her eyes.
"Please... Please you have to help me." I raised an eyebrow. If it wasn't for the fact that I could see her aura I would have called her a very good actress. Frankly, I was surprised she didn't stomp her feet and try to act like a brat the humans had no doubt trained her to be. "I can't be a freak. My parents would disown me. My friends would run me out of town and call me names. I-I can't be this."
"If your family and friends can't accept you for being a Fae then what good are they?" I asked. "And as for the town? Who cares? You're a Fae now. You'll outlive every human in that town."
"NO!" The girl shouted standing up and getting in my face. "I DON'T WANT TO BE A FAE! I WANT TO BE A HUMAN! A NORMAL REGULAR HUMAN! I AM NOT A FREAK LIKE YOU!" I jumped up in anger feeling my eyes burn in rage.
"Listen up girl!" I hissed. She flinched back. "I don't care what you want. You were born this way. You're a Fae now through and through. What you're asking for cannot be done. You can't hide your heritage any more than you can fight the changes you're going through. Get this through that thick skull of yours. YOU. ARE. NOT. HUMAN. ANYMORE!" I calmed myself after noting her terrified eyes. I didn't mind her being afraid of me, but I did mind my future. It wouldn't exactly work if the princess was scared of me, now would it? "After you were stolen you were placed under a spell that hid your true lineage. When you turned seventeen this morning that seal was broken and this is the result. No matter what magic 'cure' you want, it can't be done. Magic doesn't work on a fully grown Fae. Especially not a Princess of the Royal lineage. I can however help you train your powers."
She sniffed. "What good would that do? I'd just be a freak like you." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
"Yes, yes, yes- but you were born a freak. Although if you'd been raised under the proper guidance than you wouldn't even think of us as freaks." I muttered the last part under my breath. "As for your powers, it would help if you could hide your wings in human society wouldn't it?"
"It wouldn't matter..." She sobbed. "I'm a freak!" I sighed drawing on my admittedly not very deep well of patience. I had a feeling this girl was going to bring me a lot of trouble that I really didn't need or want. I really should work on expanding my patience, it might save this girls life. She had collapsed like a dramatic tulip once again and was sobbing very much like Belle was in Beauty and the Beast. Very melodramatic. Instead of smacking her like I wanted (I'm not one for all the gooey and slow techniques that understanding requires. Odd since you'd think I would have picked it up from somewhere.) I knelt down in front of her.
"Look princess, I can't make you normal again. In fact the only beings who could would be the djinn, but they're hard to find unless they want to be found. The only way you're going to get out of this is probably to kill yourself, but then you'd end up in Hades and Fae get their own passage to their own afterlife. Your only options are to work with me to control your powers so a monster or demon doesn't track you down and kill you, and your family," Might as well throw that in there. "Or, you can walk out of here right now and try to figure this all out on your own. But my guess is, you're dead the instant you walk off my territory." Her green eyes met mine. "What's it gonna be princess?"
~Uriel's POV~
"What's it gonna be princess?"
What's it gonna be princess.
What's it gonna be princess?
WHAT'S IT GONNA BE? I had been expecting so much from when I knocked on the door of this freak. The plummeting feeling of hope and of my dreams was heartbreaking! I wanted to be human! I didn't want to have wings or this unnaturally smooth and flawless skin. Granted it was nice but it was inhuman. I had been raised to fear all this and now when I actually was a-a... Oh god help me! What had I done to deserve this? All I wanted was to be normal and have a normal life! I didn't need or want this craziness!
I started to hyperventilate. The Phoenix- though admittedly she didn't look as scary and freakish like I thought- rolled her golden orange eyes.
"This is gonna be a long explanation kid." She walked out of the room leaving me gasping and panting. My chest started to hurt and... Dizzy... Very dizzy. "Here. Breathe." Something was pressed to my mouth and it crinkled loudly. A paper bag, I distantly noted. "You know, your mom used to have panic attacks too when she was younger. Freaked out our whole garrison at first. We thought she'd been cursed. We found out later that she panicked whenever one of us was in real danger of being turned into a Rakshasa. She was a good warrior, but too emotional." I didn't answer. I didn't want to know about the woman who gave birth to me. I already had a mother, I didn't need or want another one. "Oi, you guys can come out now. I think she's done freaking out." I glanced at the Phoenix in confusion.
"About fucking time!" I jumped in surprise as a tiny man with silver hair and red eyes came hopping out of a doll house I had thought was just for show. My eyes were wide as the man dropped on the table not even sparing me a second glance. "Do you know how shitty it is in that box?"
"No I don't sleep in a box." The phoenix replied dryly sounding, human.
"Quit complaining Hidan, un." A long haired blond... Male? Came out after the first. His face was actually quite delicate unlike the other male who was clearly a male. Another male, a red head who immediately headed for the Phoenix's knee came out and sat on her.
"Tobi does not like the box!" Another male came out, although this one sounded like a child from the sound of his voice. And unlike the others, his face was covered by an orange mask. "Tobi is scared of the box. The box talks to Tobi!"
"Oh shut up un." The blond... male snapped. Who wore their hair that long?
"Brat, enough." The red haired male on the Phoenix's knee snapped.
"The box is uncomfortable." A soft female voice sounded as she and another red haired male came out. A younger blond with broader features than the other came out and hopped over to the Phoenix.
"Who's she?" The blond boy asked looking at me with such bright blue eyes I was almost jealous.
"She's a confused Fae." The Phoenix said before looking at me. "Naruto poses a good question though, what is your name?"
"..." I looked at the many eyes on me that belonged to weirder and smaller individuals. They were small but their colors were very different.
"Oh, would you like to introduce yourselves first?"
"Hidan." The rude silver haired male grunted not even looking away from the TV. "And the fucker behind me is Kakuzu." I raised an eyebrow as the stitched nightmare smacked Hidan's head hard enough for him to turn and glare at the man. "Bitch!"
"Shut up Hidan before I take your head off again."
"Enough you two. Don't scare her." The red haired man snapped before looking at me with his strange purple eyes. "I am Nagato, the leader of these delinquents."
"Hello," The only small female called. I blinked at her bored gaze. "I am Konan."
"I'm Kisame." I had to do a double take at the um, blue man with gills. Was he a fish demon? "This is Itachi." He pointed to a male with long black hair who was studying me with a blank look.
"I'm Deidera," The blond male with long hair said before pointing to the red haired male on the Phoenix's knee. "And that's Danna."
"I am Sasori." The redhead replied shortly.
"Naruto Uzumaki!" The other blond said smiling at me until his eyes disappeared. "I'm not with them."
"Obviously." The rude older man, Kakuzu snorted. "We'd kill you if we were back in our world."
"He likes to talk like that." The Phoenix said. "Though he has yet to Pull through with his threat. I am Fury and you are?"
"...Uriel. Uriel Modi." I blurted out. Fury nodded.
"Well Uriel, now that you've met the gang, what's your answer?"
"I-I... I need air." I let out. "I can't make a decision just like that."
"You can if it means protecting your human family." Fury said. "If you don't know how to hide yourself then you're going to get them killed."
"That's not much of a choice is it?" I snapped. A clear beeping sound and a vibrating feeling had me instinctively reaching for my cell phone. I flipped it open to see a test message from Hannah.
'Dude, where r u? Ur rents r freakin out.'
'Shit. Ill b bak soon. Cover me?'
"I have to go." I stood up. "My parents are flipping out."
"Che, what adult still takes orders from their parents?" Hidan asked rudely.
"People who aren't orphans Hidan." Fury murmured softly staring at me so intensely that I was fidgeting. "If you insist on going out then at least take something to protect you."
"I'm not going to wear a gaudy trinket." I blanched at the thought of it just not being invisible under my clothes. And what if I was in the shower and someone saw? "I'll be careful."
"Yeah, that's enough to count." Fury got up gently moving the red head onto her shoulder while she walked to the bookcase against the wall. I waited until she turned and came back to stand in front of me. "Here." She held up a silver necklace that winked in the dim light. The diamond set in the intricately designed pendant sparkled all on its own. "This was a gift from your mother. It'll keep any demons, creatures, or humans from seeing your changes. You'll see your true self but no one else will, even if they're pressed against your wings they'll think it's your hair."
"Um, I can't-"
"You can and you will." Fury cut me off. "Otherwise I'll tie you to the bed and keep you here until I'm sure you can defend yourself. I want an answer by the end of the week. That's when the magic in the diamond will break and everyone will be able to see you."
"Thank you." I whispered turning and pulling up my hair so she could latch the necklace on.
"I hope you don't forget about the predicament we're in here." Fury said, lightly scolding me. "Oh and since you're a Fae now, you can't lie. So you might want to come up with an excuse of where you've been."
"WHAT?" I screamed turning to face Fury's smug face. She held up her hands.
"Don't look at me. I can't help you with this. But," Fury looked back to where the tiny people were watching us. "If you're not back then I'm sending them after you."
"I understand." I gulped before running to the door. With the threat of the tiny people coming after me and the necklace around my neck that would hide my... freakishness from everyone, I wasn't going to stick around. I may not have gotten my wish to be normal, but at least no one would know for another week.