So I haven't written a story in a very long time and decided to wipe the slate clean and start again. I've been addicted to the Shika/FemNaru stories for a while, and I ran out of content so i decided to make my own. Please R&R and let me know if It's something you'd like to continue reading. Thanks! RandomAccess

This is the Shortest Chapter in the series. None of the others will be this short.

Thinking ''

Talking ""

Kyuubi

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Calming Cloud Crimson Flower

Chapter 1 (Prologue)

Third person POV:

"Our parents said we shouldn't let a demon like you play with us."

"Yeah, my mom said you should just go and die!" Before a four year old Naruko could even try to talk the three older boys she tried to play with one of them shoved her to the ground and kicked her in the stomach.

"Awe, the little demon is crying! Are you going to go and cry to your mommy and daddy?" She started curling up into a ball trying to protect herself from the other boys that started kicking her.

" Oh that's right, you're just a dirty little orphan girl. Nobody wants you so we won't even get in trouble." The boys started laughing and kicking harder, suddenly they heard yelling and rocks start flying by their heads.

" Stop hurting her you assholes!" the three boys turned around to see two boys and a girl, all three around the same age as the girl, running at them with rocks in hand.

"What are you pipsqueaks going to do about it?"

The platinum blonde girl yelled "I'm going to go get my daddy if you don't stop! He's a really strong ninja and he'll beat you guys up!" One of the boys next to her spoke as well. "What a drag, only a coward kicks a harmless girl already on the ground." One of the older boys scowled at the boy " I'm not a coward, she deserves it." as he kicked her again, this time much harder.

"Ino, go get your dad. We'll try and distract them." The dark haired boy said in a calm monotone voice. As the blond ran away they started throwing rocks at the boys.

"Whatever, let's just go Toma she's not worth it anymore." Another boy told the apparent leader of the trio. "You're lucky these kids came to your rescue DEMON." Toma said with hate as he spit out the last word. "Watch out when your new "friends" call you a demon too." Before he walked off he kicked the whimpering girl one final time directly in the head.

The two boys ran up to her as soon as the bullies had left. " Are you OK? How bad did they hurt you." The dark haired boy went to touch her and frowned when she flinched at the contact. The dark haired boy looked to see the state of the sinking girl. She was incredibly thin like she hadn't eaten in days, with long messy dirt covered blond hair with sticks and leaves intertwined with the strands, with tattered clothes that had holes and cuts throughout the fabric.

She looked up briefly and that's when he saw piercing blue eyes that reminded him of the sky he watched the clouds drift through, puffy from crying tears still flowing. He smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder. Though she flinched he started rubbing it telling her it was ok. She pounced on him, her head in his chest reigniting her tears. "Thank, you, for, helping me." she said between sobs. He started running his hand through her hair "shh shh shh, its ok now. No ones going to hurt you."

"Hey, Shikamaru! Choji!' They turned their heads to see Ino and their parents running towards them. "I brought our dads! Where'd tho's bastards go?" Choji told her and their fathers about the boys and what happened. Inoichi, Shikaku, and Choza looked down at Shikamaru gently rocking the tiny, crying blond back and forth. A proud smile held on their faces that their children helped protect the young girl. A slightly more calm Naruko looked up to the adults with fear on her face and tears in her eyes. She jumped off of Shikamaru and started backing up. " I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, please don't punish them. It's all my fault. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." she begged, their smiles quickly turning into deep frowns as she ran away into the streets. All three of them thought simultaneously ' Oh Minato, what has this village done to your little girl..' All three of their children looked at their respective fathers. "Daddy what did she mean? She didn't do anything wrong did she?" Ino said with a confused face. "No, princess she didn't" he returned.

"Then why did she run away like that."

"I don't know princess, I don't know." he said shamefully hanging his head.

Shikamaru POV:

' She was just calming down too. Troublesome.' I looked at my father curiously and noticed sadness in his eyes, like he had failed somehow. They just had large smiles on their faces and as soon as that girl stood up and started apologizing their faces turned dark. 'What is going on? Why would she run? Who is she? Troublesome.'

With Naruko

She ran as fast as she could ignoring the hateful glares of the villagers and the offhanded insults: Demon, Murderer, Monster. Just what did she do, why does everybody in the village hate her so much, she just wanted friends. It always ends like this, she thought she found a friend, someone that didn't run away or call her a monster. Someone that willingly reached out to her, and she didn't even know his name. It probably didn't matter anyway, she wouldn't see him again. If she did, his parents probably told him to stay away from her too. She finally found a familiar looking alley with a small wooden structure that looked like a small tool shed. Her Home. She remembered why she had to live there, and why she couldn't go back to the orphanage.

****FlashBack****

Last night she returned to the orphanage craving her bed, her time outside was a nightmare as always but when she woke the next morning she wanted to go see a small flower patch on top of the hokage monument. It was her fourth birthday, JiJi or old man hokage said he had a present for her yesterday and she was really excited since it would be her first present. She would play with the lilies, watch the clouds float by, see the honeybees fly from flower to flower. She picked a couple of flowers she thought looked pretty together and sat down on the yondaime's head. The village looked so peaceful and beautiful from up here. Even if the inside hated her she still loved this view, she would imagine what her parents were like. If they were really strong ninja or maybe even royalty. This was her place. Where all of her worries disappeared, as if everything was perfect. She knew she could go back to the orphanage and wait for JiJi or go to the tower and meet him there. She decided it would be less of a walk for him and she wanted to avoid the orphanage today. The mother in charge of it was especially cruel on her birthday. For the other childrens birthdays they got an extra special breakfast. On hers she would get her same meal, water and a single roll. A lot of the time the roll she would get would be stale and already growing mold. At Least she had a bed to sleep in, that was one thing the mother gave her. If she acted up, asked for more food, late for curfew, or even looked at her wrong she would either threaten to take the bed away or threaten to kick her to the streets.

After she left to meet JiJi at the tower she was called the same names as always except this year the villagers started chasing her. They started talking about a "Fox Hunt" They would start throwing brooms or anything they could get their hands on. Some shinobi had joined and were throwing shuriken and kunai when she was hit she would scream in pain but kept running. It didn't last when she was hit in the legs with a kunai and three shuriken. Her legs gave out and slid to stop face down on the ground. They dragged her into an alley where they started beating her relentlessly after a minute of beating she saw black and darkness overtook her. She woke up later in JiJi's office with Hiruzen sitting next to her worried. He kept her there for the rest of the night promising her that he would keep her safe. She didn't want to leave his side anyway. After she stopped crying, he pulled out a box. Her birthday present. She opened it to find the cutest little fox plushie, she hugged and cradled it all night until she had to go back to the orphanage. Jiji told her that she would be safe on her way when a man with a dog mask named Inu was told to get her there safely. Crossing the threshold of the orphanage grounds she said goodbye to Inu and went inside. When she entered the mother was sitting at the door waiting for her to arrive with a sick smile on her face. She yelled at me, told me I no longer had a bed and I no longer had a place at the orphanage. She stole the fox plushie I got from JiJi out of my arms and said that demons don't get toys and that I must have stolen it, So she would return it to it's rightful owner. She opened the door and literally kicked me out of it. Before she slammed the last words I got to say to her were "please not my foxy." Then I didn't have a home, a place to sleep, or anything to my name. My only possessions being the clothes on my back, still muddied and torn from the "Fox Hunt" earlier that day.

****End Flashback****

It's not a long chapter but I had fun writing it like I said at the beginning please R&R

Right now I plan on putting a new chapter up every few days or at least every week. I work constant 10 hour shifts and it's decently hard to sit down and do it. I'm committing to it especially with the pandemic I want to make sure you guys have enough content.

Thank you.- RandomAccess