"This Changes Everything" - by Ichigo-chan
Chapter Ten: A Lack of Understanding
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Ichigo: That's right! We didn't die! We didn't drop off the face of the earth, we ARE here and we ARE posting!
Sakura-kun: YAY HAPPY FUN TIMES!
Ichigo: Wow, this chapter feels REALLY long compared to the, uber-short, last one.
Sakura-kun: got that right. But it's SOON! Gota like a soon post!
Ichigo: true! And a lot happens this time.
Sakura-kun: lots of important things! THAT YOU TRIED TO TAKE OUT! OO
Ichigo: hehehe, sorry, yeah - I know.
Sakura-kun: you should all thank me - she tries to edit her plots WAY too much. This is valuable story we'd all be missing out on!!!
Ichigo: yes yes... thanx Sakura-kun. Now anyway - ON WITH THE PLOT!
Plot Summery (it's just never goin' away) - The relationship between Sasuke and Naruto has changed a lot over the years, especially now that they both seem to have come to the same realizations. However, Sasuke finds himself unable too runaway from links to his past - especially those in the form of a strange, tragic, second generation, missing-nin. To find out more about himself, his brother, and to save a life, Sasuke has to decide just how far he's willing to go - as well as what, and who, he is willing to leave behind.
Now, about this TENTH chapter - There was an original for this chapter that was scrapped a long time ago, but, I ended up writing back in some of the parts that got removed. There was a need for conflict that I had left out in the revisions. After all, the biggest conflict of all is yet to come, so, the rising action of the plot needs to be carried on. I'm still feeling like there are some contradictions in Hoshiko's personality but, I think I like them . Oh well, such is the way of OC's. Hope you're all glad this is back on! Hehehe!
Chapter Summery - Naruto takes a, horribly-reluctant, Hoshiko out to see the sites of Konoha, but her anti-social nature makes things a little difficult. Sasuke is informed of Hoshiko's "condition" and is sent to inform Naruto before anything bad can happen - hopefully.
Warnings - yet more nothing! OO I swear! There'll be some soon! Just hold in ther!
(Once again, this is my disclaimer: "not mine")
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"Was there nothing you could do for her?" Tasunde enquired solemnly, as Sakura stood before her that evening.
"No. Nothing I tried seemed to have any effect. She wanted to keep on going but I sent her home. She was getting too weak from losing so much blood. It was all rather disturbing." Sakura shivered, bloody images of Hoshiko filling her head.
"I understand." Hokage-sama sighed, a little disheartened, "I suppose we'll just have to try something else then."
"Hokage-same?"
"Yes?"
"Why is it that-" she began, but stopped herself.
"Why am I trying to help her?"
"Yes."
"Her mother," the young-old woman sighed, turning her gaze out the window and off into the dark sky, "was a good friend."
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For Hoshiko, "home" was a wooded area just outside the Forest of Death. She wouldn't have any of that "living in a proper house", that Hokage-sama had tried to force upon her.
High in tree tops, surrounded by the familiar shapes, sounds, and smells of rustling leaves and rough bark she quite easily made herself at home, or as best she could, considering how much she was longing to be anywhere but trapped within the walls of Konoha.
Sitting alone in the darkness Hoshiko stared out over the city. It shone like a field swarming with tiny glow-bugs - beautiful but eerie. Drawing her knees up tightly to her chest, she did her best to stifle the tears welling up in her eyes.
Many times she had visited this place, even if she would deny it now. So many times had she sat atop the high walls, looking down over the city and wishing, that somewhere in that web of streets and lights, was somewhere where she belonged. For, all her hatred and loathing she bore towards the Leaf, was nothing compared to the loneliness she'd felt for so long.
Despite her best efforts, the tears found her, and one by one fell silently from her bright green eyes - rolling down her, all but, emotionless, face.
"Itachi-sama." she whispered quietly, clutching her knees still tighter.
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"OY! OY! HELLLLLOOOOOOO!"
A raving voice from far bellow reached her ears, as she blinked at the harsh light of the day, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"OHAYO!" she heard the voice call again, and looking down through the foliage she could make out the waving figure of a familiar, beaming, blond haired, to-happy-for-the-morning type, boy.
"Are you gonna come down or are you gonna make me come up?" Naruto yelled up at her from the ground.
"What do you want!?" Hoshiko yelled back down at him irritably.
"I'm being forced to play babysitter! Now get your cute, angry, butt down here!"
"Just who do you think you're talking to!??!" Hoshiko scowled at him, as she pulled her tight, spandex top, unabashedly on over top of her, well bandaged, chest.
Skirt in hand she jumped down from branch to branch and came to rest on the soft, dewy, ground at Naruto's feet.
"What do you want, Aura-boy?" Hoshiko queried him, as she tied her skirt on tightly over her shorts.
"The Higher-up's say I have to play guard dog." Naruto sighed, pretending to be far more interested in a string on his shirt then in her.
"Well, no need, I'm going back."
"Back where?"
"Home." she huffed, walking off without him.
"Hey! Wait! You can't just waltz out of the city you know." Naruto scoffed at her.
"Then I'll just MAKE her let me out."
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Naruto laughed, "You're just one girl. The old hags got a whole team of ANBU and hunter-nin on her side. I'd say the odds are a little stacked."
Stopping short, so he nearly ran into her, Hoshiko turned abruptly to face him.
"Then what do you propose I do, huh?" she glared at him.
"Well, ummm-" he faltered, thrown off by her close proximity to himself, as she leaned forward on her tip toes to stare him in the eyes.
Hoshiko sighed, and slouched down, folding her arms across her chest.
"Look, why don't we just go do something? There's no point in you just sitting around sulking, and fighting isn't going to get you anywhere." Naruto pointed out, trying to sound encouraging.
"I, guess, maybe." she muttered hesitantly, staring at the ground.
"Great!" Naruto perked up, enthused by his minor victory, "Guess you haven't had anything to eat yet, huh?"
"Actually, I haven't eaten in a while." Hoshiko shook her head, trying to think back on the last time she actually ate anything.
"Well great! I know the BEST place!"
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Hoshiko had a white knuckle, death grip, on Naruto's arm as he led her through the back streets of Konoha. He'd figured out the hard way that she wasn't so good with crowds and tight spaces when she nearly had a breakdown in the middle of the road as he tried to force her to fallow him into town. So they slowly ambled there way down the side streets, passing the occasional person along the way, and Hoshiko, every time, pressing herself as close to him as she could get, as if she could somehow become invisible and avoid them all together. They'd been walking nearly twenty minutes now, and she was actually considerably calmer then before - at least now she was breathing.
"You ok?" Naruto smiled at her, as she shied away from a passing girl and her dog. "Your skin feels really warm. You're not sick are you?"
"I'm fine!" Hoshiko scowled, trying to act as if she were behaving perfectly normal, and at the same time trying her best to remain calm and repress her volatile chakara tendencies.
"You, haven't really been around many people have you?" he began to try to strike up a conversation with her.
"No. Of course not!" she said bitterly.
"They're not going to bite you!" Naruto laughed, as Hoshiko was startled by several children who ran into the road from an alley way.
"Yes well, say that again when they kill YOUR family."
"That hardly looks threatening." Naruto pointed out, motioning to a pair of little girls singing exuberantly, and playing clapping games outside of a near by shop.
"I'm not afraid of them." she muttered.
"Then quit acting like such a big scaredy-cat!"
"BAKA! What would you know about it!" Hoshiko shouted at him, letting go of his arm and stopping.
"Fine," he shrugged with a smile, "suit yourself!" and he walked off ahead, leaving her standing in the road. She looked around herself nervously, as she watched him disappear around a corner.
"W- WAIT! Naruto-san!"
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It wasn't long before the pair arrived at Ichiraku's, Naruto's destination of choice for all things food related. Directing her to sit next to him at the counter he emphatically ordered them both huge bowls of ramen, his idea of the breakfast-of-champions.
"What is it?" Hoshiko inquired, sitting back from her bowl when it arrived and eyeing it suspiciously.
Naruto, who was already mid face-full, stopped dead, staring at her wide eyed, as if she were some sort of inhuman monster.
"You've NEVER had Ramen before??????" he gasped, looking positively mortified.
"No I haven't, BAKA! You live in a tree for eighteen years and see what YOU eat!"
"There is not food on earth BETTER then Ramen! You'll love it! Trust me!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear, tapping his chop sticks on the side of his bowl.
She watched him for a moment, skillfully stuffing his face with his chopsticks, before picking up one of her own in either hand and sighing hopelessly.
"Don't tell me you can't use chopsticks either!?" Naruto snorted.
"No! No I can't!"
"Look, it's not that hard!" he laughed, demonstrating with his own. She tired in vain to mimic him, but it wasn't something you just pick up on instantaneously.
"Oh this is ridiculous!" she finally snapped, throwing the pointed wooden sticks at the wall, where they embedded quite nicely.
"It's ok, you don't have to-"
She was looking particularly upset now, and Naruto wasn't quite sure what to say.
"Ummm -"
"It's not just that. It's everything! Why do I even have to be here! Don't you get it! I-do-not-be-long-here!" she spelled out forcefully, her eyes beginning to well up with tears of pure aggravation. She could feel the slightest tingle welling up inside her body, and she tried her best to hold it back.
"Whoa, whoa! It's ok! Calm down!" he shushed her, noticing the way everyone was stareing.
"Shut up!" she snapped.
"Come on, lets just get out of here." he suggested quickly, getting to his feet and grabbing her by the arm.
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"Hey, Sasuke, can you do me a favor?"
"Hmm? Sure, what is it sensei?" Kakashi had stopped Sasuke outside of the Hokage's that morning.
"I sent Naruto too look after Hoshiko today."
"So?" he muttered, almost bitterly.
"I need you to take him a message if you wouldn't mind."
"Sure - what is it?" he said, while in actuality, he was really not so inclined to see Naruto just then.
"If he could - just try not to kill her." he smiled.
"What?!" his flat tone caught Sasuke off guard. "Why the hell would he kill her?!"
"Well - he wouldn't on purpose -" Kakashi went on calmly, as Sasuke looked up at him with the oddest expression on his face.
"Uhhh -?"
"Well, you see, she's got a stigmata of sorts. On her stomach." he told Sasuke plainly, "If he gets her to upset or nervous, he'll probably set her off - and I'm pretty sure it could kill her. It shouldn't be a problem, but, you know Naruto." Kakashi smiled, as though it were no big deal.
"What!?" Sasuke sounded completely shocked, "Why the hell didn't we know that?"
"You should. You've done it to her."
"You mean -" Sasuke's mind clicked back to when they'd first fought one another - and the wound he couldn't remember inflicting on her.
"Yeah. So, if you wouldn't mind just making him aware of it that would be -" But before he could even finish his sentence, Sasuke had already gone.
"Tanagers." Kakashi sighed, shaking his head and shrugging.
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Traveling via the roof tops Naruto led Hoshiko back out of town and up to the top of the Hokage monument to get some space and clear her head.
"Are you ok now?" he asked, as she sat down in the shade of a large rock, a sulky expression on her face. She just sighed, drawing her knees up to her chest, looking bitter as ever.
"Why are then doing this to me -" she muttered angrily.
"I'm sorry about this." Naruto sighed too, taking a seat beside her, "It's not like it was my idea."
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I was acting like a total child."
"Yeah, well, you've got the right I suppose." he pointed out.
"I just don't understand anything about this place, or you people." she shook her head, the tears welling up in her bright green eyes again.
"It's ok, you'll learn."
"But I don't want to learn! I just want to go home! Why is that so much to ask for!?" Hoshiko began to sob. "I feel like such a whinny, sniveling, little girl! I haven't cried this much since-" she just stopped, taking a deep breath and forcing back her emotions. Hoshiko wasn't about to let herself turn into a blubbering wimp - she was too strong for that.
"Since?" Naruto asked, wanting her to go on.
"Um, well - since Itachi-sama left me." she admitted.
"So you DO know Sasuke's brother then? I heard you did."
"Yeah, I did." she sniffled, whipping away the last of her tears with her bandaged hand.
"Didn't he try to hurt you?"
"What?" she looked up at him oddly, "Why would he do that?"
"Because, he did to everyone else of course."
"What, are you talking about?" she asked through uneasy breaths, as she began to regain her composure.
"Itachi, was a missing-nin."
"Yeah, I know that, but so were my mother and father." she pointed out.
"But you don't know why he was?"
"No, why does it matter?"
"Hoshiko, he-"
"NARUTO!"
Naruto was cut short, but not by Hoshiko. Turning his head Naruto saw Ino, Shikamaru, and Tenten and Sakura coming their way. Sakura was waving happily at them as they hurried over. Hoshiko grabbed on to Naruto's arm quickly, pulling him in front of her.
"Heheh! They're just my friends! Don't worry!" Naruto laughed at her jumpy, nervous, reactions to people.
"Hi Naruto, Hoshiko-kun!" Sakura smiled in an especially friendly matter.
"Well! You seem chipper today Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned at her, as Hoshiko continued to hide behind him.
"That's cuz Hokage was all impressed with her reports." Shikamaru explained, shaking his head.
"Hishiko-kun?" Ino interrupted them, observing aloud, "Hishiko- k, OH MY GAWD! You're the missing-nin girl!?!" Ino's loud exclamation only jarred Hoshiko further, as she clung to Naruto, not wanting to make eye-contact with the over-excited blond.
"Really?! Wow! You're nothing like what I expected!" Tenten, added, with equal enthusiasm. "It's great to finally meet you!"
"Hehehe, come on Hoshiko. Say hi why don't you?" Naruto laughed at her, trying to pry her from his arm.
"Naruto -" she muttered, trying to back off.
"You really have to tell me EVERYTHING about what's happened to you! I'm SO curious!" Ino went on rambling at her.
"It's all really quite exciting isn't it, Hoshiko kun?" Sakura smiled at her.
"I was hoping maybe you could teach me a thing or two - I hear you're an excellent fighter!" Tenten added eagerly.
Hoshiko, couldn't so much as say a word as the girls went on gabbing at her. Nervously, she shook her head, increasing her grip on Naruto, as he began to feel hot and dizzy.
"Please - no." she whispered, her anxiety towards the strangers only heightening her uneasiness.
"Hoshiko, you're gonna cut off my circulation!" Naruto went on laughing - but Hoshiko was certainly not amused.
"Mmm? You alright Hoshiko-kun?" Sakura asked, suddenly noticing how badly the girl was trembling. She was looking paler then usual, shaking her head - her teeth clenched as she held her stomach tightly.
"Oh? Something wrong with you?" Ino asked, sounding almost rude.
"Hoshiko?" Naruto turned around, grabbing her by her shoulders as her knees began to buckle.
"Get - away from me."
"Hoshiko?" they only closed in on her more, unsure of what was wrong with her.
"Is this?" Sakura backed off suddenly, as she began to feel the chakara building off of the dark haired girl.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
They all jumped, startled, and Naruto was pushed away, stumbling and falling to the ground.
"Sasuke-kun!" Ino exclaimed, when she finally broke out of her surprised daze.
"Bastard! What are you doing!" Naruto yelled at him, jumping back to his feet.
Sasuke gathered Hoshiko up in his arms, as the blood from her stomach began running down her sides like water. She seethed in pain and Sasuke shot Naruto a deadly-angry look - the likes of which he hadn't seen in a long time - and they all just stood there, in shock, as Sasuke disappeared with her without so much as a word.
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To be continued -
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Ichigo: So?
Sakura-kun: YAY!
Ichigo: I have no comments really.
Sakura-kun: I like what's coming up next.
Ichigo: don't say that - they don't know yet.
Sakura-kun: Oo; sorry...
Ichigo: Well, just hold up, to see what happens!
Like I said before, some of this was never even gonna come out, but, I just makes the coming parts that much better! I can't say anything other then, read on!
What to expect in later chapters - Sasuke is less then impressed with Naruto, and his over-concern for Hoshiko begins creating a huge rift in their newly re-formed relationship. Her words however, will only cause things to shake the two up even more. For better or worse? Just have to wait and see!