-- Six Years Ago --
Voices littered the ramen stand. He, Naruto Uzumaki, slurped from his bowl of ramen.
''If you don't slow down you'll choke.''
Gulping down the last remains of ramen down his throat. ''I won't! Y'know that I've eaten ramen way faster before!''
''That's the spirit!'' An older man, Teuchi, urged him on, a permanent smile glued to his lips.
After he swiped against his messy mouth his stomach roared. Stuffing his hands inside of his pockets, swiftly picking them out, unfortunately, they were still empty. ''If only the old man gave me some more money.'' He mumbled arms crossed tightly.
''May I order one more bowl for the boy?''
As he eyed her one thought came to mind, pretty, she was very pretty. With hair that resembled snow, tumbling down to her back in a single braid. Clothes that Naruto thought costed more than his whole apartment.
His eyes, scarlet, that many called unnatural, blinked up at her. ''Really?!''
She showed a smile, one that was so small he hardly caught it. ''Of course. You are Hungry, yes?''
His smile stretched so far that his cheeks gave off a dull ache. ''Thank you, lady!''
A steaming bowl swept in front of him. ''Make sure to not eat it so fast this time, Naruto.''
''Yeah yeah,'' He replied… not sounding like he was paying a slither of attention. He then began devouring the bowl of ramen, at least as fast as previously.
A rumble came from the pretty lady. ''Would you like some…'' Teuchi glanced at the lady, her clothing which Naruto thought had to be made out of gold — to be more specific. ''Ramen?''
''Not at the moment, thank you.''
Teuchi and Ayame went back to their other customers, but before they did Ayame gave the lady an odd look.
Something warm flickered in his chest as the final straw of ramen vanished. The pretty lady seemed to be staring at him. ''Thanks for the ramen again, lady!''
''It's no problem.''
Even as the minutes walked by, the lady still hadn't ordered a single thing. ''You aren't gonna eat some ramen?''
''No, I won't be eating. At least not yet.''
He shrugged his shoulders. As footsteps, light as a needle drop came — he tore his gaze to the side.
It was her, the lady, she was walking away. That wasn't the reason why he got up though. ''You dropped something!''
And as if his words passed through her, she gave no response.
He neared the object that had just dropped from her pocket. It was a cube, he almost took it for a Rubix cube. Dropping onto one knee and clutching upon it. But, when he pulled himself off the floor he sighed.
As if she were a bat, the lady had always flown off into the broad crowd.
Sweeping through the crowd, putting the hateful glares into the back of his mind, at least he tried to. Yet the lady, who looked as if she were a princess from a storybook, was nowhere to be found.
His straw-like fingers scratched his scalp. She really was a ghost. Maybe she was, he had heard a lot of things about Ghosts, maybe that was why she was so pale.
Glancing at the cube for the second time. Should he keep it? Maybe. He could sell the cube… he certainly didn't have much money left.
He stuffed the cube into his pocket, which made his pocket bulge.
His hand covered his mouth as a heavy yawn slipped out.
Before he could make his way home he had frozen in his tracks. At first, he thought he heard a growl, but it was far too soft to be one. Calling it a whimper would be far more adequate.
Then something, something tiny, crawled from the shadows. It wasn't just tiny, but skinny, to such a degree that he spotted a few bones poking through the Kittens' fur.
A frown spilled onto his face. People were walking by, yet no one, not a single soul seemed to notice the malnourished kitten.
He stepped towards the black kitten. His arms swept apart. The Kitten blinked at him, slowly inching near him. ''Come on, Kitty, come on, Kitty.'' At long last, it leapt into his arms.
The Kitten was light as a feather. He had never held a Kitten before… but it seemed a little too light.
The kitten began licking his face, causing him to giggle. ''Stop it…. that tickles!''
After a minute or so, the licking ceased. ''What are you doing out here, Kitty? Don't you have a home to go to?
It meowed at him, it almost sounded sad. ''You don't have a home?''
The Kitten meowed at him again.
His shoulders sank. ''Don't worry about it! Everyone… grownups are stupid!''
The Kitten tumbled from his arms, trailing away. ''Wait… wait up! Kitty! Stop!'' Running after the zooming Kitten. Almost crashing into people. ''Watch it!'' A stuck-up grown-up shouts.
''Sorry, not sorry!'' He shouted back. ''Where are we going?''
Eventually, the Kitty's rooted its claws into the ground. ''Why'd you run off like that?''
The Kitten merely stared off into the opposite direction, meowing.
The thing that the Kitten was staring at, a stand. He cocked his head to the side. ''You know, I really wish you could talk.''
''A mere 100 Yen for a set of Kunai!'' The man who was tucked behind the stand shouted. He looked creepy…maybe it had to do with the smile that was practically hammered onto his lips with nails.
He almost reminded him of a Clown.
The Kitten was fixated with the stand, the tin of cat food to be specific.
The kitten's boney frame stepped into the forefront of his mind. Of course, how could have he been so stupid?
He patted his pocket, but it wasn't what he desired. It was the cube, he remembered disappointedly.
The Kitten focused on him with something that almost seemed like hope. ''I don't have anything on me… sorry.'' He bit out.
The hope seemed to die from the Kitten's beady eyes. A blade sliced his heart into tiny fragments, it at least felt that way.
Venturing to the stand. ''Can I get some cat food?''
The man may have still been smiling, but his eyes were now filtered with a pool of disgust. ''That will be 1000 yen.''
His heels dug into the grubby floor. ''Do you have money?''
''Well….. no.'' If only the old man gave him a bigger allowance.
''If you don't have any money.'' The stupid grownup wagged his finger just above his shoulder. ''Then get out!''
''Come on, it's just some stupid cat food!'' He shouted back, not bothering to keep his voice at ground level any longer.
''And I said no! I will not give anyone, especially someone like you, my stock for free!''
His teeth bashed into each other. ''Someone like me? What is that supposed to mean?''
Steam flooded his insides. He'd teach the old bastard a lesson! But before he could, a new voice arose. ''What's going on here?'' It was booming, like a bolt of lightning.
His scarlet eyes grazed across the figure's headband. ''He's not giving me the cat Food!''
''Pay up and I will, you little Demon!''
Maybe if he glared at him for long enough he would cower and drop dead.
''Son, if you just pay up you can get cat Cat food, and be on your merry way.''
That sounded nice, it really did, but alas, there was one slight problem barricading his way. ''I don't have any money!'' His voice came out far more snappish than he wished.
The Shinobi looked at him in a way that he didn't like. ''Come on, it's just some stupid cat food''
''Well, I'm sorry to say, son, but things just don't work like that.''
His glance neared the cat food.
The Shinobi's stare now contained some suspicion.
Circling around the Shinobi's frame with great haste. His arm snaked ahead, but before he could grasp anything a vice grip wrapped itself around his arm.
''We don't steal in Konoha.'' The Shinobi said, his voice tighter this time around.
His lips skept into a mischievous smile.
''Do you think this is funny? Do you know how much trouble you've found yourself in?
His legs swung, almost like a seesaw. ''I know.'' His leg rammed in between the Shinobi's legs like a battering ram. Right as a groan came the grip slid from his arm as if he were made out of water.
Slithering past the falling Shinobi, like a serpent. Plucking the cat food into his palm.
''Get him! Someone get him!'' The Shopkeeper screamed.
''Come on!'' He called out, causing the Kitten to follow his lead.
The cool air sunk through the opened window. Naruto was laying across his bed, not seeming to pay a drop of attention towards the black kitten who was eating from its bowl.
The cats chomping strolled to a stop. Creeping onto his bed, but unlike before the cat did jump on his chest, instead, it licked the odd cube.
His hands folded around the cube. A question, as if it were a disease, plagued him — what the hell was this cube?
He pushed himself up into a sitting position, legs gliding off the bed.
''Do you know what it is?''
The cats responded with a blinking stare.
No, of course not, you dummy.
Fiddling with the cube, as that failed to do a thing, he then twisted it, prompting a quiet tick to arrive. His lips arched upwards.
Flying from the now opened cube, gas, it engulfed the room, like a blanket.
It seeped into his throat, it burnt and ached, as if a fire had been lit. His chest rose and fell, all the while he breathed rapidly.
But that wasn't all, the gas forced itself into his eyes, making them so very damp.
His wide eyes fastened shut. The burning, slowly but surely, vanished into thin air. And the last thing he would remember was a dull ache hitting his forehead.
Something wet and slobbery swiped against his arm. ''Stop… it's early still.'' He groaned, even so, the slobbery sensation persisted. ''Fine.'' He huffed.
Forcing himself up to his feet. His eyes became bloated as the memories poured in. A burning stench flooded his nostrils, compelling his nose to twitch.
His gaze twirled in every possible direction, a feeling so horrible that puke rose in his throat made itself known. Outside of the window, blood was splattered on the floor, houses were burnt to a crisp.
''What?'' His lips and tongue became dry. ''No…. this can't.''
''The Hokage has been dealt with.''
He tripped over his feet, his face crashing into the concrete below.
It was her! The woman from Ichirakus.
'' Of course, you did! No human could ever hope of being a challenge to you…. is something wrong, my lady?''
He stayed on the floor — like some plant deeply rooted into the Earth.
''We have room for one more, yes?''
His pounding heart felt like it was planning to explode any moment now.
''There you are.'' She said, only this time around she sounded close, too close.
The cat seemed to growl, but he doubted even a toddler would find it very threatening.
Slowly, he lifted his head up, while his chin still laid on the floor.
His mouth widened, but his mind resembled a void.
The cat bared its tiny teeth, yet she seemed to pay it no mind.
''You will follow me, if you don't then I will kill you. Do we understand each other?''
A lump entered his throat, but no matter how hard he tried, no matter how he tried to gulp it down, it never left.
The cat growled some more, its teeth sinking directly into the woman's leg. She didn't seem to notice, her face didn't give off even a slight twitch.
''Stop! No, stop! Get off!'' He called out to it, scrambling to his feet.
The woman picked the cat from her leg, escalating it just in front of her fave. Even so, the cat's growling didn't cease.
Her fingers looped around its neck.
''No! Stop! I'll come with you! I'll come with you!''
Her fingers twisted.
It swooped from her pale hands as if it were nothing, a piece of trash. That filled his chest with fire.
He just stared at it. His mind just stopped, as if a rope was constraining any thought from popping out.
''You.'' He spat through gritted teeth. Red sparks zooming around him.
She crooked a pale brow. ''So, I was right.'' She whispered, delight sprinkled into her scarlet eyes.
She flashed in front of him, her hands locking around his neck. ''Let me go!'' He garbled, his nails scratching against her arm.
''Sleep well, little Devil. You'll need it.''
His skull thrashed against the floor, bouncing like a tennis ball. That would be the last thing he remembered once he woke up.
Author Notes
Holy fuck, it's been like three months since I've updated this fic. I didn't mean for it to take so long... but I've just kinda been a lazy cunt with this fic.