Chapter 26

An Invitation

Everything seemed so…good. Everyone was happy and laughing and talking as if everything was perfectly normal and, I liked it…

We had been talking a lot about how I knew everyone here. It turned out that they really hadn't told each other much about their encounters with me, so it was a bit of a surprise to them when they learned that I wasn't really a secret.

Sakura started it and every once in a while Neji would throw in his perspective on things. Gaara simply said that we were child hood friends, but Naruto told it in detail. The fight, me hiding them, taking them to safety, ect. But at one point, he paused. My story. He looked at me questioningly and I understood. I turned my eyes away from him and let them slip from person to person until they landed on Gaara, and then to the floor. I silently grabbed a pin from my shirt and pulled it to my bangs as I had done for Naruto and lifted my head to face everyone.

No one said a thing…not one thing. All there was, was silent stares. I then began to unwrap all of the bandaging around my body with one quick movement and there lay my curse marks. I stood up from the ground and faced them baring myself. Everyone just stared as if not comprehending. As if it wasn't computing in their minds what I was. Faces so confused and yet so troubled. Even Naruto looked surprised. He was staring at my marks, as if he hadn't thought anyone could possibly have that many and live. He looked at me with sad eyes, but I didn't meet with them. Instead, I took consolation in Gaara's unmoving eyes as he stared back into mine.

"As two of you already know," I said quietly. "My past has been less than perfect, and this is why." I smiled to myself slightly and looked towards them. "I'm a created weapon."

"What-what are those?" Sakura said looking down. She sounded unsure, but I knew that she had a pretty good idea of what they were.

"…Curse Marks." I said steadily, but softly.

"They..." she looked at them petrified in horror. "There are so many. How can you..You…he couldn't with…one…and.." she stuttered, incapable of sentences.

I pulled out a little green notebook from my satchel and held it up. "It's hard, Sakura. But this is how I've learned to control them. Meer's last gift to me." I sighed and put it down as I said, "I have over a hundred curses riddled along my body…and inside, I have the Seven Tails." I said with quiet, but sustained pride, but with this sentence, it seemed as if everyone flinched as one. I looked over at Sakura and simply said, "Now you know." She clenched her jaw stiffly and looked into my eyes when suddenly tears formed on her eyes and she silently let them fall. I looked away and glanced at the others. The fear and confusion and pity that mingled their faces. Everything was just humorous to me, but something had bothered me.

He, she mentioned a he.

Yea so? My demon replied very bored.

…Sasuke… Haha that's why she is so horrified. He had a curse mark I bet and somehow that hurt her. She always did talk about him, but never actually said anything meaningful.

I looked over at Sakura's face and felt anger quickly rise. That pitying look that people always gave me. Why did they always pity me? I was standing here, stronger than any and all of them and they looked at me as if I was weak. I didn't understand why they always did that.

I turned my back on her and looked to the window. I heard her get up and walk over to me and stop.

"Stay with us."

Korin is feeling hate and dislike towards others thinking of her as weak, this is a big part of her character fyi and should be thought of in the future, because it's pretty apparent that she is pretty easy going but that is the one thing that can actually get on her nerves.