I do not own any rights to Naruto (story or characters). Just the characters I make up along the way! I have full love and respect for Masashi Kishimoto!
While this isn't my first story it is under my pen name, Aubrei Seraph. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to ask me any questions or offer any suggestions!
Have fun!
UPDATE: It's been awhile. I've had a lot of stuff happen since I originally published this but my heart has never left this story. I am working on editing chapters 2-4 and I've got through chapter 8 written. Please let me know what you think! :)
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Time passes by in a blur, people are born and then they die. For me a lifetime flashes by in an instant. While others grow old and spend out their days with those they love I stand there, never changing, watching as they turn into dust. In the beginning of my life I spent most of my time researching my condition, wondering what made me different from normal humans. I read book after book and trained with the best medics I could find and yet nothing could give me the answers I so desperately sought. It was also during this time that I met Zuri. For the main part of my life I kept to myself, my father drilling into me the importance of staying away from humans; for their safety and my own. Zuri was my first exception.
She was the first friend I ever made. I remember bringing her flowers every morning just to see her smile, those clear blue eyes filled with warmth and happiness. It was the first time I felt normal...human. It was the first time I disobeyed my father and would be the last. I was physically the age of 13 when she died. Watching her wrinkled face look up at me as the life left her was the most painful thing I ever experienced. As she looked at me and I watched the life drain out of her eyes all I could see was the anger and loathing directed up at me along with a question, why her? When she died I was left filled with loathing and sadness. I fell into a deep depression after that. Three months after she left I took a knife to my wrist. The sharp press of the blade against my skin was like a balm on my wounded soul and for once in my life I felt free. As the blood flowed from my veins and pooled on the floor beside me I smiled. Finally I would join those I loved in the afterlife, finally I would be lifted from this painful existence.
As I waited for the darkness to consume nothing happened. When I looked down my skin was once again smooth and unmarred as if the blade never touched me. Shock was my first emotion. Then the anger and rage fit me followed by the horror upon realizing I was forever stuck in this existence. Day after day for over a year I tried any method I could think of to end my life always with the same result. I think as time passed and attempt after attempt failed a part of me died. That human part that Zuri had awoken within me. After awhile the slice of the blade dulled and my body numbed to the pain. Maybe it was my minds way of protecting itself or maybe it was fate trying to kick me while I was down. All I know was I was stuck. Stuck as a doll playing out a role for a cruel master, my destiny moved along with puppeteer strings. Seeing Gaara crying there in the village all by himself the knife at his feet and the look of defeat in his eyes I knew. Deep inside I knew what he was feeling. It was like looking in that mirror.
That small boy so similar to myself and yet so different started me on this path. It woke that part of me that I thought dead, reawakening my sleeping heart. Now here we were me leading that same child, now an adult, through the dark tunnels all in an attempt to save him. My thoughts were in turmoil at the faint echo of pain moments he inflicted in me, not physically but emotionally. It was a pain I never thought I would experience again and I was conflicted. I never let my eyes leave them though and I watched them as the followed behind me, my eyes offering me a perfect 360 view. Another 'gift' bestowed upon me.
The dark tunnel narrowed the further in we went leaving them dunking down at certain points. These tunnels weren't designed for humans and even I had to duck at certain points. The stalactites and stalagmites made this even more impossible and I had to slow down on many occasion to wait on my charges. The painted man was having the most trouble. He had to bend and move around the stone around him almost contorting to make his way through. Had I not been so consumed in my thoughts I would have found it funny.
When the wind picked up the small group shuttered against the cold. While they were dressed for the desert with long sleeves and pants here in the dark damp tunnels the temperature seemed that much colder. The female Shinobi's teeth started chattering, the sound echoing in the silent tunnel and I hesitated for a moment coming out of my thoughts. "Have we left the desert?" Turning I regarded the chunin curiously, his voice calm despite the shivering of his body. It was the painted man that snorted at his comment seeing something funny in what he said. "We haven't been walking that far Chaki." Chaki didn't say anything back but I caught sight of his embarrassed face when the lantern passed by him.
Besides Gaara I didn't recognize any of the people behind me. Then again I didn't really bother keeping track of the Shinobi in the village. Two of them were jounin while the others were chunin. A group this size and of this rank must have been on an important mission. Either that mission was a failure or they were ambushed during the storm. Either way it made me nervous that someone was able to take on the Kazekage so easily. Even the seal, which I found fascinating, was troublesome. There were few people still alive that had strong enough skills to create something of that caliber. Did they find me?
Sliding against the rocks I tried to calm the racing of my heart at the thought of being found. My father told me there was no way they could find me here, that he made sure that they would never know I was still alive. The thought of his sacrifice being in vein angered me. The rock against my hand cracked with the force of my grip crumbling to the floor below. "What was that?" The Puppeteer asked looking at me suspiciously. "A loose rock." Whether he believed me or not I didn't care and continued on my way.
The water running along the stone made it difficult to get traction on the ground. That combined with the chilly air made me wonder about their health. Did I stop? No, it would only prolong their exposure to the steadily dropping temperatures. What they needed was to get in front of a fire or inside where there was no wind. While I was oblivious to the sting of the cold wind it was starting to make movement difficult for those behind me. Once the masked man sneezed one too many times I stopped almost causing them to run into me. "Hey!" Ignoring his exclamation I did a quick assessment of my equipment.
I had two blankets in my pack and the clothing on my back, not enough to offer proper protection against the wind but seeing as our destination was till far away it would have to do. Seeing the exhausted look on the Kazekage's face did me in I cursed my bleeding heart. Turning I pulled off the top layer of my clothing without saying a word and ignored the incredulous looks they were giving me. The poncho was as worn as my other belongings but was warm and had a hood to pull over your head. I opened the pack on my back, now revealed under the layers, pulling out my traveling cloak and blankets tossing them onto the pile along with my jacket, hoping it would be enough. This left me in a loose fitting brown shirt with sleeves reaching past my fingers and my cargo pants. Multiple holes in the shirt allowed part of the bandages covering my arms to be seen but besides that it was still intact. I could survive the cold, they couldn't and it was my priority to see them safely out of the caves.
I could feel their eyes on me as I stood there looking over the pile of clothing at my feet. "Put these on." I commanded pointing to the pile. For people shivering severely in the cold you would think they would be a little more appreciative. Instead I get looks ranging from 'ewww' to 'are you crazy' to 'like hell I'm putting that on'. Normally I wasn't a trusting person either but their lives depended on them keeping warm and I didn't want their deaths on my conscience. "Oh thank god!" The relief in her voice was tangible and I watched in shock as the Kunoichi walked right past her comrades. There was no hesitation in her actions as she grabbed the poncho from the bottom of the pile and threw it on snuggling into the warmth. Apparently seeing their team mates satisfied expression was all the others needed and they practically pounced on the small pile of clothing in their hurry to get warm. Even the puppeteer pulled on my cloak with barely concealed relief as the fabric warmed his frozen body. It was Gaara, surprisingly that seemed reluctant.
"Here Kazekage." I watched on in shock as she approached him, the blanket in her arms. Whoever she was, she was either very brave or a complete idiot. Approaching the Kazekage like that without any decorum was something I hadn't seen with any of the villagers. They either knew each other or she had no regard for her life. Gaara for his part looked at her with an annoyed expression but one bereft of anger. It must have been something he was use to. Even though he tried to step away from her she was faster and in a flourish of color she had the blanket wrapped around him. Pulling the fabric close around his shoulders she tucked it in giving him a stern look before stepping back and admiring her work. It was a patch work quilt that a woman traveling with a caravan gave me. It was well worn but clean and the warmest blanket that I owned. Against his red hair it clashed horrible and I found myself chuckling at the sight. "Thank you." His response was low so that only herself and I could hear it and I found it amusing to see the great Kazekage chastised by a small woman.
I kept a special eye on the woman, impressed with her tenacity and her obvious concern for her comrades. Medics weren't that common in Suna and they had only just recently started training new recruits to be healers. Seeing her glowing green chakra earlier and her skills at healing lead me to believe that she was a lot stronger than she appeared. I wanted to observe her more and that thought alone surprised me. Moving from the back of the line she stepped up next to me as the tunnel widened. There was no talking between us but for some strange reason it felt like we bonded. As stupid as that was to bond over a pile of clothing I found myself drawn to her like I was with Gaara. It was the second sign fate was giving me. Showing me that my destiny was there in Suna and this women women with the large brown eyes and the smile that seemed to warm up even my stone cold heart was going to play a large role in my future. At the time I was unaware of just how large a role that was going to be.