Chapter 12
When Lightning Strikes
-Empty-
"Who do you think you are?"
"My name is Uzumaki Naruko, and one day I'm going to be the Hokage, believe it!"
"It was a rhetorical question, stupid!"
"Wow, she's weird, and dumb."
"No wonder nobody wants to hang out with you."
"Who would? She's just a blonde loser."
"Th-That's not true! Ken hangs out with me!"
"Ken? Never heard of him."
"Hey, bro, I think she means the kid with the green hair."
"Green hair? You mean that freak we're told to stay away from? Hah, I guess freaks stick together, eh?"
"Nice one, bro."
Hah, hah, hah!
"Hey, Ken's not a freak! He's the coolest person there ever is!"
"Ooh, I'm so scared."
"You should be! He'll kick your butts easily!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah! So you better not pick on him, or your face will be more messed up than it is right now."
"Heh? Oh, I'll show you who's face is messed up."
She stood her ground defiantly, but as the boy's shadow enclosed her entire being, a feeling of dread crawled up her back.
"H-Hey!" Their heads turned. "If you kn-know what's good f-f-for ya, then step a-away from her."
"It's the green freak."
"What are you doing here? Wanna act all hero-ie to impress your little girlfriend over here?"
"Hah! What an idiot! Both of them."
"Just p-please, get away f-from her already."
"Oh yeah?" He approached, towering over the scrawny child. "What are you going to do about it, huh?"
His eyes were shadowed, his body quivering nervously.
"Hah, that's what I–"
Swing!
Gasp!
The boy stumbled, but kept himself steady enough. Finger felt lip. Eyes drawled to the fresh blood.
"I-I-I… I'm s-sorry… I didn't m-me–"
Wham!
The green intruder fell to the ground, dazed.
"You freaking jerk! Look what you did to my mouth! Now you'll really pa–"
"You…"
It was faint, but the mumble was heard. They turned their heads to the blonde. A dark red aura surrounded her.
"You bastards." She snarled, but before anything else could happen, their sensei appeared.
"Stop this at once!"
"I-Iruka-sensei!?" The boys stared in surprise.
"I saw what happened. All of you boys are going to be punished, that includes you too, Kenjo."
"W-What?" The girl snapped out of her trance. "B-But Iruka-sensei…"
"I'm sorry, Naruko-chan." He gave her a look. "But he made the first move."
"But he… he was only defending me!"
"That doesn't justify his actions."
The whole conversation was too fuzzy for the fallen boy. His mind was twirling, the blow still in effect. It was then and there, he realized he didn't like their sensei all that much. But more importantly, he was glad she was safe.
After all, he would do anything for his guardian angel.
Anything.
Til the day he dies.
-Empty-
"Class, please be quiet." Umino Iruka stated firmly, the sounds in front of him beginning to die out. "Good. I would like to introduce to you a new student who will be your classmate from here on out."
NANI!?
"Quiet down!" He furrowed, not appreciating the uncomfortable auditory disturbance they were voicing in front of the girl next to him.
"Sir!" A hand rose.
"Save your questions for after she introduces herself."
The hand shrunk.
"Go on, the floor is yours."
"H-Hai!" She bowed in gratitude, staring amongst the many children who would be her classmates. She gulped nervously. So many expecting eyes on her. But she had to pull up her pants though, she wanted this more than anything. "M-My name is Haruno Mimiru, and I'll be honored to be in your care. I hope we'll all get along and become friends!" She bowed furiously, relieved her angled being was hiding her embarrassed expression.
"Very good. Now, you may take a seat next to Sakuri-chan over there."
"Hai!" Soon, her nervous stroll ended on the empty spot next to the aforementioned person.
"Sensei, but isn't it too late in the semester to receive new students?" The same boy rose his hand.
"Yeah," A boy in the front row piped up, "we're nearly at the exams. How would she even catch up?"
"It's impossible."
"Yeah!"
"Stop it, class!" He furrowed at the attitude. "Mimiru-chan's parent knows this, including herself, but they're confident she'll gain the stepping stones before the exams starts, so there's no reason none of you shouldn't believe in her yourselves. That being said, if there's anyone who would like to lend their notes to her after class, I would really appreciate it."
"Hey, you can borrow my book, Mimiru!" A girl called from the middle row.
"I'll give you the recent notes, if you want?" A boy in front of Haruno gave her a friendly smirk.
"I guess it's fine if you borrowed mine, just be sure to hand it back soon, okay?" Another said near her.
Iruka couldn't help but smile with relief. This class really was generous at times. He was grateful he got to teach such a bunch with big hearts. But no one was more relieved than Mimiru. She didn't know what she would have done to catch up. What she could have. She was determined, yes, but being thrown in the Academy so suddenly was a different story. It was just so overwhelming for her, and her peers' friendly nature was even more overwhelming, in a good way that is. She really lucked in, huh?
Mimiru nodded with happiness threatening to leak from her eyes. Soon afterward, during the lesson, she gave a glance toward the quiet girl next to her.
"H-Hi there." The pigtail girl revealed a hand. "My name is Mimiru, but you can call me Mimi. What's yours?"
"Huh?" Sakuri turned her dazed head to address the newest recruit to the Academy. "Oh, Sakuri." She looked back to the sensei, half-listening to whatever he had to say and half-daydreaming of something specific. It had a wonderful trace of a green patch on top with a warm, sweet smile pasting itself below.
Mimiru put her unshaken hand back down, her smile faltering a bit. She decided it would be best to not distract her and cooperate with her studies. Still though, her mind couldn't help think about someone really, really, and I mean really, handsome (supposedly).
A dreamy smile broke on both of their young faces.
-Empty-
"It's you."
"Huh?" Ken gave them a questioning look. "D-Do I know y-you?"
"…No." They said calmly. "And you don't need to where you're going."
"Where's th-that?" He ended up asking, kunai still in hand.
"Hell." They suddenly broke into a sprint, surprising both Genin. But instead of breaking out nervously like last time, Ken held onto the feeling of wariness, doing a backflip after throwing his weapon at the rapidly approaching opponent. They easily avoided it though; spiraling right over the object and nearing even further.
The boy grimaced, taking out another kunai as quickly as he could to defend against the clash of his opponent's kunai. They stayed like that, one side struggling to push forth more than the other. Ken grunted in annoyance at how weak he seemed to be compared to the masked opposition.
Thinking fast, he released and ducked from the oncoming sharp tool, swiftly sliding a leg across their feet. Instead of tipping them over however, the enemy easily sprung over the attempt, using their weapon of choice to slash across the boy's face, thankfully only lightly lacerating his cheek.
He gladly took the chance to roll backward, gaining distance from the person. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to react to a kick to the face, giving his mouth a skimming taste of the awaiting dirt below.
Despite his mind still in a whirl from the strike, the male Genin rolled himself over on his back, just to see a blade ready to pierce his eye. Just then, the enemy instinctively blocked, but was still hurled to the side by a swift kick, disrupting their assault.
It was Naruko, or at least one of the few Narukos who soon huddled up with protectiveness. "You okay, Ken-kun?"
"Y-Yeah." He stood up, the right half of his face dirty and scarred from the hard drift against the soil. His mind was still trying to catch on what just happened.
Was this really happening? Was he really taking on an actual enemy ninja without bursting out with an unnerved emotion? It appeared so, but still, it was surprising how he was still going on despite his legs quivering with angst. Ken felt as if he was going to collapse any second now though. But fortunately, he had a foreign drive rushing through his veins that kept him going.
He almost forgot what he said to himself this morning. Ken's eyes furrowed courageously.
Naruko smiled at his willingness, but soon put her attention back on the matter at hand.
"Strange." They started. "You smell like a Shudame, and yet, you don't seem to fight like how I was told you are expected to."
"Shudame?" Ken questioned confusingly, giving the clone next to him a look. She shrugged.
"No clue."
His eyes went back to the mask. "A-Are they th-the one we're l-looking for?"
"I bet they are." Naruko said, tightening her grip around her kunai. "Probably the one who was harassing Arato as well."
"Why are y-you doing this?" Ken asked through the calmest tone he could muster. Again, it was a wonder how his voice wasn't breaking up out of fright. Or maybe it was. His impediment really had a knack for staying in the same room as his nerves.
"I am not to answer to the demise of this world."
"Wha…?" What kind of a reply was that?
"You heard me, Shudame." They got into a ready position. "Now prepare to die."
-Empty-
Her mind was made up. She was uncertain before, but now she was going to do it.
Ken.
That was what she usually called him. Nothing else. Strange though, since she had nicknames for nearly everyone.
Ojii-san. Ayamenee-chan. Jiji-san.
Well, maybe not Iruka-sensei, since he preferred her to call him formally.
Which was exactly why she was so hesitant to give Ken an honorific, until recently.
Two people had caught her eyes. They were on a date as well. They were playfully giving each other names. They were holding hands while doing so.
She finally got the guts to give him one. It wasn't forced; she already had one for him.
Her mouth opened up, ready to address the boy next to her.
"Hey there, Naruko-chan!"
She closed her mouth, her attention averted toward the approached duo of some of their classmates. She greeted in response, her eyes on theirs, but occasionally moving toward her side, where her quiet friend sat.
The intervening girls' mouths opened and closed, supposedly coherent words being converted incoherently through the blonde's ears. Her attention, despite what her eyes told them, were not on said kids. Although, she nodded and hummed in reply, all the blonde wanted was for it to end so she may resume her alone time with her close friend.
"So," Their voice finally made sense, "wanna hang out later today? I know this great restaurant that makes the best kiyo sushi!"
"Huh?" She blinked, "Oh, n-no thank you. My day's already booked."
"Really? What are you planning to do then?"
"Well, I'm going to have my daily date with my friend over here."
"…Nani?!" Their eyes laid upon the boy next to her, then to her, then one more round. "You can't be serious? He's your boyfriend?!"
"What?" Both of them responded, their eyes showing their closely resembled reaction.
"Your boyfriend. You know, since you said you're dating him."
She didn't know how to respond to that though; she never knew dating meant… 'that'. However, despite this new piece of info, she didn't feel quite offended, or anything detractive toward the prospect, so to speak. The title actually made her flushed if nothing else. Her heart skipped a fluttering beat, her eyes frantically attempted to not look at her friend, despite them not being able to help themselves. A warm sensation 'shunshin'd' it's way inside her stomach.
What's… what's this feeling she was feeling? It's a weird emotion, a strong yet… pleasant one. Was it because of that word she heard… whoever that girl was, used?
Before the blonde could even speak her mind though, her friend spoke up. "N-No, I'm not."
"But she said you guys are dating."
"As f-friends."
"Then it's not considered a date!" She crossed her arms, glaring at the boy, before smiling toward the more 'approachable' person next to him. "Anyway, if you ever want to hang out, give us a holler, k? See ya." She waved with her accompaniment, but gave the male a distasteful look before taking their leave.
"Friends…"
"Hmm?" He looked at the seated girl. "Did you s-s-say something, N-Naru-chan?"
"Huh? Hmm, it's, nothing…"
He gave her an inquisitive look before letting it drop.
The way he said it, it made her think his nose wrinkled in disgust at the idea. Was that… was that true? Did he not want to be with her in that way? Did he not even want to go on their regular dates anymore? It seemed so.
One thing was for certain though.
The thought of ever 'going out with him' was now forgotten under the ground, never to be looked and heard of again. Along with his honorific.
'Kenny' and 'kun' were no more.
-Empty-
"Now prepare to die." Hand signs flew intimidatingly. "Suiton: Aisusurasshu no Jutsu!"
Before they knew it, spiraling icicles appeared out of no where, rapidly shooting itself toward the target, intending to pierce for death.
"Watch out, Ken!" The Narukos jumped in the air and all around for evasiveness. Her male companion tightened his grip on his weapon as he attempted to dodge the uninviting source as much as he could. He knew it was a long shot, the way his abilities lacked the actual ability, so it was no surprise to him that he suddenly got scratch after painful scratch from the jutsu. "Ken!"
The airborne blonde through the necessary hand signs. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The extra clone appeared next to her, immediately grabbing and spinning the original for momentum. Letting go, Naruko was launched toward the masked opponent, their ominous compensator giving her attention with a blank look.
A shuriken was thrown in her direction, but skillfully evading it in midair, Naruko reeled a fist and burst it toward the face of the attacker. It collided with something different however, that is to say, it collided with nothing but nitrogen due to the adversary curling their body back.
Hands on ground, legs bent for mobility, the stunned and still aerial blonde was suddenly dropkicked in her already harmed gut, sending her painfully hurling in a nearby tree. Halfway through the length of the bark, gravity soon accelerated Naruko downward, her dazed consciousness barely twirling away from yet another weaponry attack. But it was merely a distraction, since the masked person was airborne as well, powerfully trapping their feet in Naruko's poor stomach, a snapping nature thankfully sounding from the wall-acting tree behind the Genin instead of her own hurtful bones.
Reacting quickly as always, the enemy sensed an oncoming kunai flying from behind, which she launched away from, using the injured blonde as a vertical platform. The kunai nearly hit the platform-acting girl, catching her fabric instead.
The clone gasped, before chuckling sheepishly. "Whoops."
The original growled, but her eyes averted toward the sudden eruption of a smoke bomb on the ground. The cloud swallowed the falling enemy whole.
Ken smirked satisfyingly, his coordinated smoke bomb was spot on. "N-Naruko!"
"Got it!" The clones zipped to the cloud as fast as they could, attempting to ambush the visionless person. There were whacks and whams being heard, yet the soon landing original and her friend watched impatiently for the smoke to clear.
It did, and the once covered area wasn't pleasant for none of them.
No clones were present, only an unharmed person wearing a white mask.
"Damn i-it!" Ken cursed.
"Don't tell me that's the best you two have got?"
"Shut it, you bastard!" Naruko growled. "You may be smugly now, but soon you'll regret every bit of it!"
"Where has your power gone to, Shudame?" The enemy faced the green boy, their back toward the blonde girl.
"What's this Sh-Shudame you k-keep calling me?"
"That's what you are. Do you not remember?"
"Remember?" His eyes widened. "R-Remember what?"
"What you are." They repeated.
Ken opened his mouth, but closed it due to contemplation. What, not who. He was something, not someone. But, what was he then? That phrase they kept using? What was it again? A Shudame? What a bizarre title, and yet, despite how foreign it might be, it rung something in his head.
A bell of recalling. It felt like he heard that word before. But when, and from where?
"W-What is a Shudame? I-Is it some monster?" Sudden question to ask, he knew, but it had reason behind it. After all, he was considered a monster from so many people. Maybe a Shudame was a fancier way of saying it?
"That's one way of putting it."
So he was right then.
"Hey!" Naruko yelled aggressively. "Ken-kun's not a monster, you hear me?!"
"Ken?" They turned their head to address her. "So you dubbed him a human's name? Fool. He's anything but a human." They looked back at the boy in question. "He's the key to the demise of humanity as a whole."
Ken's eyes widened unexpectedly.
I am not to answer to the demise of this world.
"You're not making any sense as usual, baka." Naruko clenched the kunai from her dispersed clone.
"What…" Ken paused, almost afraid of asking, "…wh-what do you m-mean by being th-the key t-to humanity's d-demise?"
"It's meaning is what it implies." They simply stated. "That is why you and the others must die!"
W-Wait… others?
Before he could reply however, a paper bomb struck the ground before the enemy. They jumped in retreat, but was suddenly knocked back by Kakashi's foot, forcefully embracing the explosion at face value.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruko smirked with relief.
"Save it, Naruko." He said sternly, causing the girl to flinch. Hands moved expertly. "Futon: Daitoppa!"
With a giant gust of wind blasting through the smoke, dispersing the ground-leveled cloud, what met them was nothing in particular.
They escaped.
"Pakkun!"
"Got it." He made to sniff the designated spot, but a suddenly burst of purple gas erupted from said spot, causing everyone to reel back.
"Damn it. Futon: Daitoppa!" With another launch of violent air, the pug carefully resumed his order. After a silent wait, Pakkun shook his head.
"That gas was too strong. It's aroma still lurks and is overlaying their scent. I can't get a read on it."
"Again, their chakra isn't being picked up. Not the inkliest of signs." Kakashi sighed heavily, giving his two students a disappointing glare. "What were you two thinking, going up against a person without assistance!?"
"We had him on the ropes!" Naruko shot back.
"No, you didn't." He stared at her with a hard glint in his eye. "You would've died if we didn't appear when we did."
"No, we wouldn't have!" Naruko gritted her teeth. "We're not kids, Kakashi-sensei! We can take care of ourselves!"
"With your childish defiance and how 'skillfully' you took care of them, you could have certainly fooled me."
"We–"
"Both of you are not capable of taking care of yourselves. Get it through your thick skulls already!" He spat, Naruko flinching in surprise. The anger he had was none she had ever seen being radiated from her sensei before. It was… really unsettling how his strictness seemed to have no boundaries.
Just then, Kurenai's team appeared from the trees, landing soundly. "We heard an explosion. What happened?" She asked concerningly.
"Nothing, just a bunch of kids who think being a ninja is all fun and games." He said, his attention still on the downcasted duo. "Newsflash: it isn't. It's a life and death situation. I've told this multiple times already, and yet, none of you listen. Am I training substituted logs here? If that's the case, I will resign this 'team', and send all of you back to wherever you came from with no regrets. I signed up to be the teacher of a team, not whatever this is. I can't believe you three."
"Hey, what did I do?" Sasuku furrowed, only to take a step back with regret at how Kakashi's dangerously fiery eye pierced her own pair.
"You? The one who left Naruko to retrieve Ken all alone and only when coming to a stop, decided to inform us about their divergence? Nothing, Sasuku, nothing at all."
She simply looked down.
"I always looked at you as a future leader for this team, but even if that's what you truly will become, you are definitely on the wrong damn path leading to it." He gave Naruko a glance. "And you, the one who thinks it's such a good idea to go by yourself like you are a one-man team. You seriously haven't learned a thing since day one. Not a damn thing."
She flinched again, her eyes glued to the ground, fearing to even look at his feet.
"Then there's you, the one who caused all of this in the first place." His eye penetrated Ken's downcasted one. "You know what? I don't even know what to say to you anymore. You have a disability, yes, we all know that. Congratulations on being the first and only ninja to not be able to mold chakra. I have no doubt you'll still make a formidable ninja one day, but with how you are acting, you will only end up dead. Just because you are handicap, doesn't give you a damn reason to put your teammates in danger like that! If you can't keep up, tell us. We'll pace you, as a team. We'll walk with you, as a team. We'll fight alongside you, as a team. If you can't see eye-to-eye with that, then leave, NOW!"
Ken's heart sank.
…
"You don't want to? Then make up your mind. Either you are in Team Seven, or out."
…
The man sighed deeply. "What am I going to do with you three? You know what? Let's just finish this run and return home as soon as possible."
Everyone started walking, silence threatening to slit their throats if interrupted.
"Don't you think you were too harsh on them?" Kurenai's voice snaked it's way in his ears.
"Probably."
"Probably?"
"Look, I know they're just kids, and everyone makes mistakes now and then, but until they honestly realize precious lives were lost for peace to look down upon the world, they'll never understand what is at stake. I just don't want what happened to everyone else to happen to them. I'll be damned before I allow that, and if that means they have to be scowled out like a kid being caught with their hand in the cookie jar, then so be it."
She didn't reply to that, deciding to let it be, for everyone's sake.
-Empty-
Creak.
Small, big eyes peaked through.
He turned.
Squeaking, they retreated.
…
They peaked once more.
He kept staring, then smiled.
Her face slowly popped out, then her whole body.
He kept smiling, then exposed the stuffed animal on his bed.
She gulped, then slowly made her way. Each step led closer to his presence.
First, second step.
His smile seemed reassuring, but she was warned of strangers.
Third, fourth step.
Her stuffed friend was imprisoned. She needed to save her.
Fifth, sixth step.
Just a little more, then she'll be victorious.
Seventh, eighth step.
He raised the toy slightly for emphasis, receiving a nervous yelp.
Seventh, sixth step.
…
Seventh, eighth… ninth, tenth…
Soon, she was at arm's reach.
Hurriedly, she tried swiping her friend.
She missed. The girl landed right in his lap, receiving a painful hiss from the boy.
She stayed still. Oh no. 'Please, don't hurt me!'
…
…Huh?
Her opening eyes turned toward him.
He kept smiling.
He was still… smiling?
"H-Here you go." He placed the puppy in front of her.
Her eyes dotted toward Akamari, then at him, then back and forth and so on.
She finally swiped her, making a break for it.
Once passed the door, she slowed down, and look at the opened entrance.
Small, big eyes peaked through once again.
He raised his hand, but instead of fleeing like last time, she saw him waving.
She hesitated, before closing the door.
-Empty-
Who would have thought the grandfather of their client was Tazuna himself, their first C-Ranked client. It was bizarre actually, having both Watanabe members targeted by outcasts, assuming the damage dealt to Arato was manmade. So bizarre in fact, that coincidence could not be in the line of reasoning. There had to be something going on, but Kakashi didn't get much from family members either.
They were struck with peculiarity as well. Strange, strange indeed.
"They could be deceiving us."
Was Kurenai's lowered comment. Maybe, but he supposed implying such a declaration over the dinner they were relentlessly sanctified with by the family wasn't the best place to mention it.
Squeak.
"Gochi-s-sosama deshi-ta." Ken muttered, thanking the stunned Tsunami, not to mention everyone else, for the meal.
"Ke–" Naruko started, but halted when Ken began to leave, his plate untouched.
"Ken-kun!" Kakashi cried sternly, but the boy was gone.
-Empty-
"Ken!" Naruko cried out, looking left and right for the green haired boy. Man, why was it so difficult to spot a batch of green hair? Was it not one of a kind? Oh well, it didn't matter. She was determined to find her friend no matter what. How he left so urgently; it was obvious to her that there was something bothering him. She had a sneaking suspicion what it might be though.
Finally, her eyes landed on someone resting their behind on the outskirts near the recently built bridge of the Land of Waves. Her pacing slowed down considerably, knowing exactly how he might feel. With a deep breath, she approached warily.
"Ken…?"
She saw his shoulders tensed a bit, but it slouched down afterward. "W-What is it…?"
His voice had a subtle break in it, tensing her emotions toward the situation. "Look," She decided to start, her mind looking for the right words to say despite the strong sense of empathy, her feet finally resting nearby. "Ignore what Kakashi-sensei said, okay? He's just being over-protective." She hoped that was true though. In spite of the considerable time Team Seven spent together, a lot was still not said amongst them. Unfortunately, the only stable relationship they had for each other was professionalism. Well, excluding theirs of course. She didn't know if Kakashi-sensei really was being over-protective or actually angry at their recklessness.
"H-He's right, though."
Her eyebrows raised, but she took a seat next to him regardless. "No he's not. Well, maybe he is, but that shouldn't crumble us. It's meaning by itself was to build us up. And even still, you shouldn't let people's views get to you so negatively."
"Well, they j-just do sometimes, okay?"
Now her eyes bulged this time. His voice was stern, if not a bit stumbling due to his impediment. This was the first time he used such a tone against her. It was surprising, yes, but it was far from having her back out with uncertainty. She would be damned if she ever did.
He was her BFF after all.
"Don't let it–"
"How?" He gave a furrowing look, again, surprising the blonde. "One o-of the only people wh-who finally a-accepted me for who I-I-I am made their p-point pretty clear t-to me." He buried his head in his resting arms. "He w-wants nothing to d-do with me."
…
"Ken–"
"Please, j-just… just leave m-me alone, Naruko."
She scowled with her expression. "No."
"Why? You p-probably hate me too."
Spontaneously, Ken's shoulders were suddenly gripped tightly and was flung sideways, his shocked look observing the dangerous glare Naruko had sowed.
"You think I hate you?" Her voice spoke with disgust, her nose wrinkling with disbelief, "Why would you even think that? How long have we known each other, Ken?"
He didn't reply. His mind was on another level of speechlessness.
"Listen here Ken, cause I'm only going to say this once. I will never, and I mean never think OR feel about you in that way, ever! I care too much about you to hate you."
"…Why?" His eyes settled down a bit. "Wh-Why would you care so m-m-much? I'm nothing s-special. All I a-am is a stuttering b-bastard who c-can't do shit to a-actual ninja, let a-alone be one. You c-could have b-been better off w-with so many o-others. So many invitations re-j-jected, and f-for what?! To h-h-h-have a fucked u-up, half b-baked, unwanted t-teammate smile?"
Her eyes were shadowed darkly, her expression stoned without emotion.
"Was i-it really worth it? Is it r-really worth the trouble?" Ken gritted his teeth sharply. "At least answer me! Or am I-I not worthy of th-that as well? Huh? Am I? Am I!? Am–"
SLAP!
…
Ken's eyes ogled sporadically at the scene next to him. There was nothing interesting there though, only water, but his still dazed mind couldn't decipher that much. Only once it calmed down of it's sudden high, a warm and powerful sting taking charge right after, Ken finally came to.
He turned slowly. Cerulean, intense cerulean eyes stared back. Burning with an undesirable anger.
Unforgettable pain.
Dreadful tears.
They were slowly erupting like an opening faucet.
His hand leisurely came up to his face, fingertips tenderly testing the waters, scared to be scorched. He was too fixated to even suck in air when it collided with a harsh sensation.
"How dare you…" She muttered, shoulders shivering wildly, eyes again shadowed, as if ashamed. "How dare you!" She shouted, tugging aggressively on the gift wrapped around his neck– his green scarf.
"W-Wha…?" Was all he could say.
"How dare you degrade Ken like that! Who gives you the right to degrade my best friend!?"
"I–"
"Whoever you are…" Her eyes exposed their puffy wateriness, "You better fuck off and give my Ken back control over himself!"
"…N-Naruko…"
"It's not Naruko!"
He flinched.
"It's not Naruko… it's not, you hear me? It's… Naru-ko…"
…
They stayed like that, their surroundings not even secondary. Time was frozen, and yet, the birds' endless chirping they heard occasionally were like dented fractures in the dome they were in.
Finally, Naruko spoke, with a downcasted, yet hopeful tone. "Do you remember…"
…
"Do you remember the bracelets we made for each other?" She let go, gradually lifting up her sleeve. A white string met their eyes, it's contents a variety of unconnected, worn out trinkets. It was, to sum it up, a poor excuse of a valuable item, so to speak, despite the different, though bleached colors painting the dented knick knacks.
He stared at the somewhat hideous creation he shaped for her. In hindsight, it was just a poor (literally) child's artifact that could've been better in many, many ways. Ken sub-consciously rolled up his sleeve, the concept the same around his own wrist, courtesy of Naruko. This one at least had some sort of bright glow to it, despite them being in the same boat. The colors were brighter as well, if not smudged with age and dirt.
"We were young back then, but we still ended up doing something out of the box for our age." She chuckled fondly, her eyes and fingers cooingly caressing the bracelet around her. "It was so sudden. The idea just popped up in our heads at the same time, we gave it to each other at the same time, and we even thanked each other at the same time." She giggled cutely, the treasured memory still amusing to her. "It might be coincidental we did those things simultaneously, but I don't believe it was by chance." After all, she believed there had to be a deeper meaning to it all, as if they were connected somehow.
"…Wha…" He bit his lip, realizing his voice hadn't properly left it's base for a while. The last time was with unnecessary anger, right before the red glowing hand imprinted itself on his swollen cheek. "Wh-Wh-What do you m-mean?"
She glanced up at him, her mouth suddenly closing from it's moment of foreseeing work when her eyes fell dead on the bright side of his face. Her eyes widened in shock, as if she wasn't sure where he abruptly got such a mark in the first place. It was probably because Naruko didn't know she had put that much power into her quote on quote gentle wake up call.
She gulped nervously, standing up for a frantic search. "W-Wait here."
-Empty-
Mixing the moisture as quick and efficient as possible, Naruko tenderly dampened some of the natural remedy on the struck spot.
He winched in pain.
"Hold still." He did, or at least, he attempted to. Damn that hurt. The aftermath, and the enforcement. "Sorry."
"It's fine." He gave her a small smile, despite the hurt it inflicted upon him to do so. "It'll be a-a-a reminder for me t-to not get on y-your bad side from n-now on."
She laughed sweetly; that beautiful melody he loved. It made him smile even more, chuckling too, the pain behind him for the meanwhile.
The joke died out, and Naruko went back to soothing his cheek as much as she could.
"Where d-did you learn to make herbal m-medicine like this?"
She raised a brow, chuckling. "I'm surprised you're asking me this only now after I treated you so many times before back at the Academy."
He shrugged with a sheepish smile. "I always th-thought of you as being n-naturally talented at e-everything. Still d-do."
A tint gave off on her cheeks.
"Careful," He chuckled, "I th-think both of your cheeks n-n-need some treatment t-too."
The tint just strengthened after hearing that. "Jerk." She playfully punched his shoulder, both of them laughing once more.
"You know," Naruko soon began, "I only learned myself when I realized you couldn't stop tripping on your own shoelaces. So really, you should be grateful, you dork."
"Hey!" He furrowed. "The ground w-wanted company. So really, th-they're the o-ones who should b-be grateful."
They erupted with joyful laughter for a third time, knowing Ken tripping was never an inability he had in the first place. Well, at least not a frequent inability.
"But honestly," She wiped a tear, "I knew having such a skill would come in handy someday, so I took the initiative and asked Ojii-san and Ayamenee-chan for lessons."
"They kn-know about these kinds o-of s-stuff?"
"More or less." She dipped her finger in the moist cream and continued to apply gently on his violated cheek. "Ojii-san knew a bit. Despite being a Ramen chef, he only knew a handful of healthy greens out there, but he didn't know how to use it in that kind of way. Regardless, he was still helpful. Ayamenee-chan took it a step further though. Being in the fourth grade back then, her knowledge was really impressive. Then again, I don't know jack about noncombatant schools. Still, it was really helpful how much effort she had put in teaching me, and she isn't even a medic ninja! I'm really grateful for her, since I get to treat the wounds of my best friend instead of feeling powerless."
Ken smiled warmly at her, but then the last word counteract everything that happened so far, a sick reminder of how 'helpful' he was to others throughout his life. Naruko could tell what that frown meant, since the origins of them being here was still hindering under the sheets.
"Ken." He looked at her, her eyes intense once again, but this time a caring nature was behind the stern stare they gave him. "Do you know why I became friends with you?"
"…"
"…Ken?"
His eyes had drifted down, but with his name being called out a second time in the recent mood swing, the green Genin again gave her the attention she was expecting. "…Because… because I n-needed one…?"
"Ken." She furrowed.
"I don't know." He looked to his side, unsure. "I don't kn-know anymore, okay? I just… I j-j-just don't know anymore…"
Nothing made sense anymore. It didn't for a while. He just decided to ride the unpredictable wave, not knowing what to expect. Still, the same outcome was apparent.
His emotions died piece by piece, slowly emptying his shell. Slowly reverting himself back to past Ken. The Ken who curled up in a sad little ball, waiting to be adopted. Waiting to be acknowledged without spite.
Waiting for someone to save him before it was too late.
Two digits fitted his chin, turning his head back to the blonde. She gulped. There were tears threatening to fall from his red orbs.
"Let me remind you then." She scooched closer. "Let me remind you why I became your friend."
Her hand ended up on the pale cheek on the left.
"Because you are sweet."
"You're the coolest person I've ever met!"
Her eyes softened, yet the tensed meaning still lingered in them.
"Because you are kind."
"Ha hah! Stop it Ken-kun, my sides are hurting!"
Her face inched closer.
"Because you are strong-willed."
"Why are you frowning, silly. Here, take my hand. Cool people should be standing up proudly, 'ttebayo!"
Inches depleted one by one, until only a fraction of immensely thick atmosphere separated them.
"Because you are special in your own way."
"I will never leave your side, Ken. Never…"
She gently closed her eyes, his eyes bulged in surprise.
They touched.
Metal against metal.
Headband against headband.
"…Because, I like you too much to not be."
"…Because, you are too precious of a person to not be friends with."
She opened her eyes.
Magical cerulean stared back at vulnerable red.
"…Because you're my Kenny-kun, and will always be. Until the end of time."
-Empty-
She took a deep breath, and opened the door.
Eyes connected once more, and as she slowly made her way to him, she couldn't pinpoint the horrifying truth behind that smile of his. The truth everyone told her that had no lie.
Truth and fiction.
The difference had no alignment, and now, she was shuffling awkwardly in front of him.
He stared.
She gulped.
She saw him raise a hand.
He greeted her with the gesture.
She followed with her eyes, then hesitatingly followed with her own hand.
She greeted back.
He smiled warmly.
She cracked a small smile of her own.
Later on, dinner peered through the already opened door, but the woman holding it stopped herself in her tracks when her eyes laid upon the two children laughing with each other.
Her mouth hung a bit, the current scene being the last thing she was expecting.
Steadily, a smile fell upon her lips as well.
Finally…
"…my little Kibira has a friend."
If only she knew what would happen during the awaiting days. She could've prevented this whole thing from ever starting in the first place.
-Empty-
'Man, could time just pass already!' What Sakuri would do to go home right now, to spend time with that special someone. Maybe breaking some rules were in order? I mean, what was the worse that could happen? Being suspended? Well, good riddance to a few days stuck in this hell hole. That just meant more time with her Kennii-sensei, which would just give her more of a reason to take matters into her own hands. Besides, the lessons her sensei was giving her were more efficient than the Academy was teaching her.
'I guess I would take my disruptive leave, if not for my mother.' She shivered uncomfortably at the thought. Gosh, was that woman not to be messed with, unless you wanted to have a reason to practically live in the hospital for the rest of your life. No exaggeration there, folks. Sakuri supposed another few hours were not that bad compared to the foreseeing consequence waiting for her if she did decided to become a 'bad girl'.
Sighing with dissatisfaction, Sakuri continued to sit in the classroom. Recess was amongst the children, but she was inclined to not waste time making her way outside just to return back to class by an unwanted assembly. Too bad she didn't feel the only way, or at least that was what she expected the reasoning the others around her in class had. Thank goodness they were minding their own business, which gave her the cerebrating space she needed for her amazing Kennii-sensei.
"Hey there, Mimiru!" Her eyes ended up drifting with boredom to her right. Some children were approaching a specific girl next to her. Probably the new girl, judging by her appearance. But then again, she didn't give others the acceptable attention needed for acknowledgement. "What are you drawing there?"
"Oh, n-nothing." She giggled nervously, tugging the sheet under her desk.
"C'mon, you can show us. We promise we won't laugh, right girls?"
Despite the chorus of nods, Mimiru was still not sure. Slowly though, she decided to reveal her art, her face furiously blushing with embarrassment.
Sakuri's eyes drifting back to the window, attempting to block the rest of the uninteresting conversation from her person.
"Wow! Cool picture!"
"Y-You really think so?"
"Of course! But who's this though?"
"Well, it's no one special. I-I-I mean, he is special, really special, but I don't think anyone else see him as such."
"Oh, you mean your boyfriend?"
"W-Wah!" Mimiru became beet red. "N-N-No, it's not like that! Well, I mean…"
"Wait, I remember that guy."
"You do?"
"Yeah, that's the green haired boy everyone hates, isn't it?"
Sakuri's eyes bulged, her snapping head startling the girls near her, including Mimiru. Her eyes ogled unprecedentedly at the doodle. It was unprofessional in it's accuracy, but she could make out the green batch of hair on top of a scribbled figure. A figure that could only represent one person in Konoha.
Her eyes moved toward a still startled Mimiru.
"You know Kennii-sensei?"
"Kennii-sensei?" Mimiru's eyes bulged. "You call my hubby sensei?"
"Hubby?" Sakuri and the girls gasped, but the Uchiha soon gave them a threatening look. "What are you guys still doing here?"
They gulped, but left immediately.
"Yes, he is my sensei, but I doubt he is your hubby."
"But he is." Mimiru furrowed, before looking shyly toward her side. "I mean, he will be."
"No, he will not." The Uchiha glared. "And if you think some girl like you will ever have a chance in marrying him, then you are sorely mistaken."
Mimiru flinched at the sudden prod of a finger against her chest, but she sub-consciously put on her own menacing glare. "And what makes you believe in such a fairy tale?"
"He's mine." She simply said, inching closer as if the Uchiha would bite her entire head off any second. "So you better think twice if you're considering getting between us."
Mimiru chuckled, amused. "And since when have you felt this way?"
"Ever since he saved me from myself."
"Gee, your life must have really sucked." Sakuri glared further. "And when was this exactly? Yesterday? A week ago?"
She didn't answer.
"News flash princess: I felt strongly about my hubby ever since I was little, when the only things I felt were dread and despair. The way people spit on him, at least we relate to each other. What reason do a person like you have? Because he saved you?" She tapped the finger away from her, sitting up properly. "Wake up sleepy head, he's just that magnificent of a person to not ignore a spoilt little Uchiha such as yourself who was in desperate need of a bandage for her 'boo-boo'."
"You…" Sakuri was taken aback by the sudden change in attitude, but soon recomposed herself, "You can say whatever you will, it won't change the fact that Kennii-sensei would laugh at your proposal of being together with him."
Mimiru giggled cutely, but to everyone's opened ears, was more sickeningly adorable than anything else. Then, with a demonic echo to her voice, Mimiru glared evilly at the wary Sakuri.
"Wanna bet, bitch?"
All the while, a certain Hyuga clan member looked on with interest.
-Empty-
"Dad."
"Hmm?" Teuchi wiped some sweat from his forehead, the last customer for today finally served and had just left for the revealing night. "What is it, honey?"
"Well, about what happened today at school."
"Yeah?" He casually closed the borders of his store like always.
She bit her lip. Not this again. "You didn't mention it since we left the building."
"Oh." He finally gave her his concerned attention. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. I mean, yes. I mean, isn't it suppose to be compulsory?"
"Compulsory to mention something unproblematic?"
"Dad." She furrowed distastefully.
"What?"
"You're doing it again."
"Doing what again?"
"Ignoring the problem."
"Like I said, it's not a serious matter, honey."
She glared even further. "How can you say that when you were told your daughter is failing class, not to mention the reason being silly and insignificant as a crush."
He frowned. "Why would you berate your love for Ken like that?"
"I'm not. I mean," She grumbled frustratingly, "Normal fathers would scowl at their children for allowing themselves to be vulnerable like that right about now!"
"Normal?"
Her eyes bulged. "I, I didn't mean it like that. I-I just…" She sighed. "I feel like you're taking this too coolly. You're spoiling me too much, dad. Please, just…" She bit her lip, "at least ground me or something. Just give me at least one repercussion already!"
He gave her a stare, but other than that, he was silent to the response.
The silence wasn't helping her one bit. It only extended the time she had without any consequence. It was maddening how her father was going about this predicament as well, not including the past calmness he projected ever since they left that darn 'educational palace'.
Finally, she was granted a reply. "Have I ever told about how your mother and I met?"
…What?
"…No…"
"It was a rainy day." He started cliché-like. "The lightning clouds weren't showing signs of letting go. It kept pouring."
"Dad…"
"She was using some building as shelter. Gosh, was that maiden freezing."
"Dad, why are you telling me this?"
He paused to consider her question, but continued regardless. "Now, I wasn't the perfect gentleman out there, still am not, I usually minded my own business if it was possible or necessary, but your mother, your mother was an exception beyond belief. Now, I won't bore you with a barrage of adjectives, like before, since you were already told she was like a beautiful angel sent from above to help me out of my pit of loneliness once and for all. But back then, she was really fragile, if I were to be honest."
He took a seat, gesturing the spot next to him. Ayame complied.
"She told me she was lost just like I was, waiting for that one moment in her life to finally come around. Her only parent recently past on, leaving her alone. School became hollow for her. Your mother was at her wit's end. But meeting me, she said she finally got what she wanted."
"What was that?"
"Meaning." He smiled fondly. "Meaning to live, honey."
…
"I know it might seem more of a curse than a blessing to have, but what you feel for Ken-kun shouldn't be taken lightly. Love shouldn't be taken lightly at all, sweety. That storm that brought me and your mom together that day is currently washing over you. You just got to reach for the sun again, honey. Reach for what drives you, not what you crave. Craving fantasies with him is okay, but right now, you need to find the drive instead." He placed a palm on her shoulder. "Use your love for Ken-kun as the goal for your life if nothing else, not only for your future alone."
Ayame glanced at the placed hand, then at the confident eyes of her father. A moment of stillness passed by, just to be interrupted by a sudden wide smile from the brunette. She embraced the man tightly, surprising him.
"Thank you, dad. Thank you so much."
He smiled back. "Anything for my little girl."
-Empty-
"Ken." A shadowy person's voice softly reverberated through the enclosed space they were in. They took their white mask off, gripping the cork with their teeth before wearily pulling the tube open. Acidic-like elixir downed itself, the glowing substance being devoured with one weak, yet hungry gulp.
Their body soon reformed the necessary dying cells back in perfect order, the fallen decomposed skin being left behind by a newly, fresh replacement. Damn, did it stink like a dead pig in this fucking grotto. Oh well. "Strange name indeed for something like him. A leaf ninja no less."
A messenger bird soon arrived, the capsulated letter at arm's reach.
They opened it, absorbing themselves in the message. They tossed the letter to the side, it's significance gone. "Whatever."
The ebony haired girl stood up, taking the arisen into consideration.
"I can worry about that later. Right now though, my main objective is to infiltrate Konoha, and kill the Shudame hiding inside it." She stated, her name written in Hiragana on the discarded letter.
Haku.
-Empty-
End of Chapter
Before you correct me, remember that this is an AU you're reading, ladies and gentlemen.
I know I've been saying this after every chapter, but it's the least I can do for the continued support you all are giving me. Thank you so much for the reviews, views, favs and fols. It really, and I mean really, means the world to me.
Until next time.
-Narurific-
