Declaimer: Don't own Naruto~
Word Count: 2,903
Woo! Chapter 11~
Omg, got a 99 on my first Japanese test ! :"D LOL ANYWAYS HERE IT IS~~ Please review~
The worst thing you can do for love is deny it; so when you find that special someone, don't let anyone or anything to get in your way."
-Unknown
Chapter Eleven: The Gap between Us
Haruka
The whole process of breaking down the walls Pein built around himself is like watching Naruto down seven bowls of ramen. Wait, no, horrible comparison because that's actually quite entertaining, mostly because we like to slam bowls of ramen on top of each other's heads.
No, the process was more or less like listening to Iruka. Tedious and seemingly never ending.
'Least I'm getting somewhere, I thought, noting how his eyes had softened a considerable amount since we began our little hunt for the six tails. But damn…those ANBU…what would Tsunade think? I practically assisted in the murdering of three ANBU Black Ops and refused to disclose information on the whereabouts of the Akatsuki. Shit, what else was I supposed to do?
I let out a shaky breath as another spark of pain jolted through me.
"I guess I'll start from the time my parents died…" I huffed, leaning heavily against him as we stepped from the cave entrance and out into the cold night air. I suppressed the urge to grunt once I began walking (limping) against Pein, who stared down at me in anticipation.
"Besides, since when are you the one asking the questions?" I muttered, smiling sheepishly as his curious gaze transformed into a glare that seemed softer than his usual.
Weird.
"…Fine, but dammit, we're sitting down for this shit." I grunted as we veered off of the path, managing to discover a small stream with tall grass growing beside of it a little ways away from the cave, which we silently decided to stay in for the night. I sighed, plopping myself down in front of the water, sanitizing the wound the best I could with the limited resources. The grass was actually quite soft.
"So…uh…hmm…" I stuttered, glancing at him and noticing that he'd leaned up against the sakura tree a little ways away from where I was perched by the stream. I scooted from my spot to sit next to him beneath the tree.
"Parents." Pein reminded me emotionlessly, watching the stream with a steady gaze. I nodded and stared up at the sky, which was now completely black, with only a two visible stars twinkling cheerily in the void of darkness. Moonlight from a full moon bathed our little tree and the stream in front of us, turning Pein's eyes a brilliant shade of pale purple and his hair a soft orange.
Damn, he looks fine. That tiny voice has finally resurfaced.
Shut the hell up, I thought, shaking my head in a very feeble attempt to clear that thought away. I glanced at Pein, his skin practically glowing and his piercings shining, and ignored the fact that I had hormones. Very ecstatic hormones.
Dammit, I'm insane. I told myself I wouldn't even think twice about romance after what happened with him. It just doesn't work, and hell, you allow yourself to stray away from believing that you only need yourself, and dammit, yourself is all you need. I've watched too many people walk out of my life, believing that they'd always be there, especially after they'd promised me. But nothing lasts forever, nothing, especially good things. They leave just like that, and whoever you thought was there for you is now gone, and now what do you have? Nothing.
See, if you were a rock none of this would even happen. All they have to do is sit there. There aren't any annoying guy rocks there to distract it. I mean, if there even was, being the lucky rocks they are, they get piled on top of each other, so they're forever having sex.
I was suddenly snapped back into reality when I heard Pein clear his throat. He glanced at me with those brilliant eyes, raising an eyebrow. I stared at him like a tard, but then suddenly remembered what the hell I was supposed to be telling him.
"Oh…right…" I muttered, my gaze travelling to the patch of green grass that separated us. I gulped, suppressing the urge to sigh deeply.
"My parents…they were both ANBU Black Ops," I muttered, my gaze returning to the small stream, watching the water slither down to Kami knows where. "Brilliant ninja, to be exact. My father is most likely who I inherited my water chakra nature from, 'cause my mom had a fire chakra nature."
"I have faint memories of my parents, but my father was always calm and respectful, with a powerful air to him, while my mother was rash and, frankly, didn't give two shits. They both loved me, but they would always have missions to fulfill, so they would leave me in the capable hands of my brother…"
"I was always closest to my brother. I would irritate the hell out of him each and every day of his life…" I paused to laugh reminiscently, Pein smirking. I shot him an indignant glare. "…But he loved me anyway. He understood me more than anyone else…hell, he cared for me more than my own parents. He was always there for me because my parents couldn't be, ya know, ANBU missions and such. My brother had inherited the fire chakra nature, and dammit, we're practically the same person. A part of him will always be with me, no matter where he may be."
"My brother always detested the idea of war, and would always tell me that the ninja world is hell. I didn't believe it, I wanted to be the greatest Shinobi to ever live, but that all changed when my parents died," I laughed darkly, scowling at the ground. "I completely detested the idea of the Shinobi world, but my brother would tell me that I had the power to change it if I kept my grades up in the Academy and shown kindness to those around me. As always, I followed his advice, though I never let him know that he always won our little fiascos."
"Daichi! Daichi! Mom! Dad! Look! I got one of the highest grades in my class for a substitution jutsu!" I screeched, throwing the door to my apartment open, expecting to find that mom and dad had returned from their mission. After all, today was the day when they were expected to return. "I…"
I paused momentarily when I spotted the ANBU Black Ops in a heated discussion with my brother.
"Daichi, it's very unfortunate, but rules are rules," one of the ANBU snapped rudely. "One day you'll grow up and learn to follow them!"
"I'm the one who needs to grow up?! To hell with that mission! It was a blatant trap!" Daichi's eyes shown deep despair, which I couldn't imagine why. I waited patiently by the door of our apartment for their discussion to end so I could show my brilliant test result. "I understand that we are in desperate need of help, but to negotiate with them?! Have you lost your shit infested minds?!"
I'd never seen my brother so angry. I didn't like it.
"…Daichi?" I muttered from my little corner, grabbing his attention. His green eyes focused on me and immediately softened, though the sorrow in his eyes only deepened.
"…Get the hell out of my apartment." Daichi's voice was a low growl as the ANBU nodded solemnly and vaporized with some sort of jutsu.
"Daichi? Has mom and dad returned?" I asked, sprinting over to him and bouncing up and down, my eyes shining. The paper that I held with my Academy test results flopped around gracefully in my grasp.
"…No. Haruka, there's something I need to tell you," Daichi started, pausing to take a deep breath. "Mom and dad…they've…damn…they're in a better place."
Tears.
The sound of paper being torn apart.
"I did as he asked, for two years; I treated people kindly and with respect. It wasn't such a hard task, except for the occasional asshole I'd have to beat the shit out of for making fun of me or my friends. I'd always take my time when returning from the Academy because I wasn't the best student after my parents passed. Annoying the shit out of the teachers was my favorite pass time, plus I was never the brightest when it came to any form of jutsu, from taijutsu to ninjutsu, you name it, I sucked at it. My best was never enough, but my brother never ran out of patience and would help me practice every day…"
"Oof!" I huffed after my brother sent one punch to my face that I hadn't been able to avoid. "Dammit Daichi! You said you wouldn't be so rough…"
"Watch the language Haruka," he sighed, bending his knees so he could be at eye level and putting his hand on my shoulder. "Your movements need to be a bit more agile and light. Seriously, you move like you're carrying an elephant." He laughed lightly, smacking me playfully on the head while I glared daggers at him.
"I don't even see why this matters," I muttered, folding my arms in front of me indignantly and staring at my dirt covered pants. "You'll always be here to protect me, right? I don't want to listen to Iruka ramble anymore! After all, you said the ninja world is a mistake, so why take part in something that's not even supposed to exist?"
"Don't be an idiot Haruka," my brother replied after staring past me at something I couldn't see for a moment before focusing his attention back to me. "You need these skills to change this world that we live in. I know you can do it, and I won't always be here to fight your battles. It won't be easy, but I believe in you. After all, you're the most important person in the world to me, now can it and stop your whining. I promise I'll always be with you, no matter the circumstance…here, demonstrate that punch again…"
"…You promise?"
"I promise."
"He promised he'd always be there for me the day before he was murdered," I muttered, my voice heavy with despair that I had failed to suppress. "That day I found his body…all the ANBU had t-told me was that he was a great S-Shinobi and that they would honor his n-name…" I paused as I felt tears slide down my cheeks. Damn it! Why the shit do I have to start crying in front of him? I scowled at the tears, the ultimate sign of weakness. But I told him I'd tell him about all of it, so I plan on sticking to my word. "…My brother was s-stabbed right through the ch-chest…" I swallowed hard, attempting to break my newly developed stuttering habit. "I was the first to discover his body, which was lying underneath the sakura tree in the clearing we would always practice in…"
"Hey dipshit, I'll be back in about an hour or so. I'm going to train, now don't follow me, or I'll be forced to make you clean the kitchen." Daichi grinned sadistically before smacking me in the back of the head and heading out the door.
I wasn't about to let him win. I raced out of our little apartment after a ten minute distraction from the ice cream in the freezer.
'He's not gonna best me! I'll surprise attack em!' I thought happily, nearing the little clearing in the forest my brother and I train within.
With my sneaking skills (meaning, crashing through the forest, crunching leaves, and tripping over logs) I managed to make it to the clearing unscathed. I hid behind one of the sakura trees that surrounded the clearing and peered around the trunk, aghast at what I saw before my eight year old eyes.
My brother was lying on his side underneath the tallest sakura tree that we used to have rare family picnics beneath, in a pool of his own blood. My heart beat at the speed of light within my chest as I raced over to Daichi's limp body.
"Daichi! Get up!" I shouted, tears streaming down my face as I violently shook his body. I realized that my attempts were feeble as I stared down at his too-pale face. There was a slight smile upon it, which astonished me as my gaze travelled to the left side of his chest, blood still gushing out of the monstrous wound. I shivered, watching my tears fall onto my brother's lifeless face.
'Why is it always me?' I thought, inhaling a deep breath, my heart twisting and then finally, after all of these years of holding itself together, shattered. 'One by one, they all leave. Why…did…he…have…to…die…'
.
.
.
He can't be dead…
"The ANBU told me that the cause of death was a rogue ninja, but how the hell could a rogue ninja manage to get that close to Konoha?" I scowled at the thought of the fake smiles of reassurance, and, worst of all, pity. I clenched my fists so tightly my knuckles felt as if they would shatter. "Shit, sometimes I don't even know what to do anymore…"
I did what any self-respected, insane young eighteen, almost nineteen year old would do. I scooted closer to an S-ranked criminal, closing the gap between us, and allowed my head to rest on his shoulder. Act of comfort, ya know? I felt him tense up before I felt his arm reluctantly snake its way around my waist. I glanced up into those bizarre, yet fascinating eyes, wanting nothing more than to get even closer…
Pein
I am a shell of my former self.
I am a shell of my former self.
I am a shell of my former self.
This phrase played on repeat in my mind while I stared into those warm, dark blue eyes. How could I allow this to happen? How could I allow myself to wrap my arm around the waist of such an imprudent, rash, idiotic, cunning…caring…
No.
This is absolutely wrong. I shot her a weak, but stern glare, but that only seemed to make her small smile widen, which caused the initial reaction of weakening my glare down to nothing but a blank stare.
Dammit, dammit, dammit. What was it Konan said a while back? Show her whose boss? My thoughts became unclear as I found myself lost in that sea of dark blue that gazed warmly up into my cold stare, melting the ice as I found myself smiling, my gaze soft.
How could I, a god, allow this incompetent girl to stray me away from the path I had chosen for myself?
Perhaps it's the fact that her past, though completely different, seems so similar to mine. A frightened, insignificant girl, who hadn't a single person there for her after her brother was killed, just as when my parents were murdered and Konan had not found me yet. Though I did have Chibi…
"So you do have a smile?" Her soft, yet tomboyish voice cut into my thoughts.
"Tch." I responded halfheartedly, my smile never faltering, though I was willing the expression to drop into a frown.
"Right, I told you my shit," she beamed as I realized with slight irritation that she recalled our deal. "Now tell me your name, no, wait, let me guess." I raised an eyebrow and her grin widened, her chin resting on my shoulder as she pretended to ponder over her answer. "…Crotch." After this statement followed hysterical laughter.
"Tch."
"C'mon! We don't have all night~!" she chirped, pulling her chin away from my shoulder and staring up at me quizzically, albeit my slight disappointment at her warmth leaving my shoulder.
All sense of logic was telling me to just disregard her and go to sleep, but I seemed to be lacking intellect lately. I tore my gaze away from hers and glanced up at the few stars dotting the black sky and the moon shining brightly.
My gaze travelled from the moon and back to Haruka, its light making her skin glow and her auburn hair a softer shade. She was simply…beautiful.
"…Nagato." I muttered softly, my gaze locked with hers.
"That…suits you." She answered after a few minutes of silence, smiling softly and burying herself closer into me, her head returning to my shoulder. My grip involuntarily tightened around her waist. She didn't press any further, which relieved me.
Warmth practically radiated from her as we sat pressed against each other in the cold, autumn breeze.
What am I doing? I scowled at my imprudent behavior, but couldn't disregard the nagging emotion that I couldn't quite recognize. I should be focusing on the six tails, yet instead thoughts of this naïve, incompetent girl clouded my mind, successfully leading me astray from the task at hand.
"Nagato?" She inquired, raising her head slightly to look at me sleepily. Though I would never admit it, the way my name rolled off her tongue sounded as if she was created to say my name. Yet again, I found a smile tugging at the corner of my lips.
"What."
My answer was met with silence as our gazes locked yet again, dark blue clashing with light purple. She was beaming yet again, and I felt all the barriers that I had built around myself completely melt momentarily as I lost all sense of better judgment and began to lean forward, closing the gap between us…
OH LORD FLUFF ALERT. WATCH OUT.
Anyways, I can't even remember the last time I updated. Last week maybe? Can't remember. School does this to me.
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SO THERE WAS FLUFF JUST FOR YOU! ...SO NOW YOU MUST REVIEW! LOL I SHOULD MAKE POETRY. LOLNOISHOULDN'TYOUREYESWOULDBLEEED
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