Chapter VI

Misled Life

The two of them continued to talk in the basement for hours and hours, sharing experiences they had throughout their lives. Keiko and Akarui soon came to realize just how much in common they had. Their childhoods were both plagued with tragedies, no proper caretakers, near-death experiences, tough training sessions. And yet, they were supposed to be drastically different due to their clans.

Eventually, it got to the point to where Akarui began to yawn frequently, indicating that it was most likely late in the day. Keiko still didn't know exactly how long he was out for, so he decided he would try to ask.

"Hey, uhh, quick question. What day is it now?"

"Oh yeah, it's the 14th. Why?"

This amazed him. Three whole days of being out, then instantly being put under genjutsu when he awoke? These were truly the powers of quite a fearsome ninja, someone that nobody wants to come across in the battlefield. People keep saying these things about himself as well, but he simply can't piece together why.

A door slowly creaked open from above, allowing light to flood into the room. In the doorway stood a tall, broad figure, one that was instantly recognizable to anyone with a little Uchiha knowledge. It was the man that had capture Keiko: Fugaku Uchiha. He wasn't scared anymore, though, so he stood himself up, helped up Akarui, and began walking towards the stairs.

"What do you want with me? Isn't it enough that you've captured me? Just send me to jail or something already, I honestly don't want to fight you."

Fugaku just stood there, looking Keiko in the eyes. He noted that something had drastically changed within him from when he found him in the street, as if meeting Akarui acted as the enzyme for his fiery spirit to return. He smiled, beginning to respond to Keiko.

"Look's like you're doing much better than before. I'm glad to see that. You'll be staying here in this house with Akarui for awhile. Get to know her good, there's an important mission you'll have to do in the near future."

His body suddenly vanished with a puff of white smoke, as if it had never existed in the first place. Keiko turned to look back at Akarui, her expression lit up with joy at the sound of that. She ran and hugged him, taking Keiko off guard and knocking him off his feet.

"Did you hear that?! I'll finally have someone to live with! I'm so excited!" Her voice was filled with glee, which made Keiko smile. Life truly was looking up, even if just for a little bit. Making someone partially related to him happy was one of his dreams, even as a child, and now it had been done. More was to come, though, so he couldn't stop here.

"Well, since I know I'm not dying on sight, I guess we should go to the main part of the house. This is your personal house, I'm assuming?"

"Mhm! I own this house completely. Bought it after saving up money I obtained over time from missions, definitely not stealing, and side jobs I did in the past. It makes me happy to own it, but it's honestly sad without anyone else here. But now you're here, and you clearly have nowhere else to go. So it works out!"

"Damn, you didn't have to put it like that… but hey, that's pretty nice! How many bedrooms are there in here?"

"One!" She exclaimed.

His fiery spirit exposed itself once again.

"WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO SLEEP THEN?!"

"The floor! Easy!"

"So you're telling me that you're happy to have my presence, then have me sleep on the floor? I'm not objected to it, but damn, you must really have no experience with having company…"

"I do not, you're right! But hey, learning experience, right?"

Keiko put his hands to his face. "What have I gotten myself into… always situations like these…"

The two of them eventually settled down, Akarui going to her room and shutting herself in for the night, leaving Keiko to have to figure what he was going to use to sleep for the night. He scavenged around the house for about ten minutes before finding a single pillow and blanket, which was sufficient for him to survive for the night. He pulled out his booked, rolled onto his side, and began to write another entry.

October 14th. It turns out that I managed to sleep for three days, which is honestly a miracle. I don't think I've ever been knocked unconscious like that since my last near-death experience, which is impressive, considering that I'm usually unable to sleep at all at nights. Tonight is a bit different, though. I met someone so nice that I don't think I'll be able to let go when the time comes. I know this can't last forever. Sometime in the future, the curse of my existence is going to become a threat, and I simply cannot allow anyone else to be hurt but myself. If I die, I die. If I live, I live. It's whatever fate has in for me. Anyways, I need to get some sleep, tomorrow is gonna be a big day in life. At least, I hope so. Signed, K.