DISCLAIMER: "Naruto" is not mine; the only thing that
I own of this story is its storyline and the new characters presented.
Hello, this is my first FanFic, so I hope this will be a hit! I may be a little too optimistic but I still wish this will flourish. Hope you like it.
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Rei: Preface
The gentle glow of the moon lay as a blanket atop the land, stars glistening brightly in the sky. The wind blew calmly, a hint of serenity amongst the many smells in the air. Upon the ground, propped up against a small yet beautiful tree, lay a boy, a boy whose hatred had shrouded him in nothingness, the very boy that had ventured down the malicious path of darkness. But the inevitable had happened: this boy had come out from within the darkness, and into the light.
"What am I to do now? My village was raided and my parents were slaughtered," he mumbled, wincing as a shock of pain went through his body.
A sigh escaped the boy's lips as he eased off his loincloth, his eyes directed at the stars hanging in space. He painfully set his haunches into the rich soil of the earth, leaning against the thick trunk of the tree. Outstretched branches extended over his head.
As the night wore on, the air grew more frigid. Sitting under the tree and feeling the cold envelop his body, he curled into a ball, trying to sustain and protect all of his body heat. No longer could the boy feel his toes, or the center of his back. Taking on the responsibilities of survival, he decided the only efficient way to escape the pain of the elements was to fall in an unfathomable sleep. With this decision, his eyelids began to droop, and almost in unison his tense body began to cease its erratic shaking in the ghastly cold.
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The birds sang and chirped their usual song of glee as they announced the morning's arrival. The figure nestled against the trunk of the tree began to awaken, carefully stretching his sore muscles. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes. Inhaling a breath of soothingly fresh air, he opened his mouth in an apparent yawn.
"I still haven't figured out my bloodline, and now there is no way I will obtain that information," he muttered, musing over his previous hardships.
Letting his mind wander into the details of an ultimate destination, he began checking the supplies he had gathered before the ambush of his village. Going through a brief yet meticulously detailed mental list of his weapons and accessories, he found that he had all his stolen equipment.
"I will have to get up some time and it would be helpful to have an early start," he told himself, glaring up at the morning sky.
Struggling, the boy used an outstretched arm to help himself stand erect. Agony surged through him as he absorbed the pain and pushed himself off the ground hurriedly. Grinning in approval, he brought his hands to the legs of his shorts and began to brush them off. The boy began to stride away shakily, his hands in his pockets and his knees quivering beneath his weight. Looking up at the drifting clouds he took in another clean gulp of warm air and smiled. The trees hung like a curtain, blocking him from the sun and shading him with cool shadows.
"What a beautiful day; the very atmosphere has a sense of tranq-" He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes darting around the edge of the forest. Suddenly, a branch snapped, its sound hanging in the air. The boy's ears twitched erratically, trying to locate the origin of the noise.
"Looking for me, kid?" a feminine voice asked sweetly.
"I suppose," he responded dryly, still searching for the person speaking to him. "And my name is Hiroshi." Then he spotted her. She wore a dark uniform that fit rather closely to her body's curves, her black hair swaying in the faint breeze. She had a sword that was positioned on her thigh as it was still in its sheath. Her eyes focused upon him in an intense gaze.
"I was sent here to-"
"-kill me? Yes, I am mindful of the facts," the boy interrupted, his eyes narrowing.
"Then prepare yourself," she crooned maliciously.
"I was born that way."
Hiroshi flitted quickly through the forest, straining to locate his target, pushing off each branch at contact. He glanced to both sides, checking both the left and right, surprised to find the girl nowhere in site. He landed on the ground soundlessly, leaves gliding to the earth around him.
A kunai sliced through the air as the boy leaped away into the trees, the projectile landing soundly on the ground where he had been. He shoved off of a branch, and as soon as he heard a sound in the underbrush, he reached into the pouch on his leg and brought forth two kunai. The weapons flew from his hand, aimed at his target. As they hit their mark, Hiroshi heard a grunt.
He planted his feet on a bough and stood there, squinting, hands threatening to produce yet another kunai.
Banrai Hokosaki no Jutsu.
A blaze of lighting shot towards him, ripping into the vegetation that lay in its path. Hiroshi leapt from the limb, launching into the air and onto the ground. The tree exploded in a cloud of splinters. The smoke from the explosion slowly dissipated. He could barely see through the cloud of dust that had risen, but remained calm nonetheless.
Suddenly, he caught a familiar scent and threw himself to the left just as four kunai ripped past where he had been standing. His vision came into focus and he caught sight of his target. Rolling, he recovered his composure and took out two more kunai. Hiroshi hurdled into the foliage, fixing his feet onto a branch with a grimace. He had been singed from the thunder attack and his ribs had taken a lot of damage, which didn't make matters any better.
The figure dashed forward, drawing her sword and swinging it in a horizontal arc. The blade whizzed above his head as he ducked, slashing a lock of his hair. The girl shifted the position of the sword, bringing the blade down. He brought the kunai over his head to deflect the blow, a burst of sparks erupting when metal met metal. Parrying the attack, Hiroshi rolled behind the girl, bent his knees, and vaulting into the air.
The woman spun around, overwhelmed with astonishment, but saw no one. Her body immediately lost its apprehensive posture, her shoulders sagging, her mind admitting defeat. Hiroshi landed behind her soundlessly, raising his hand into the air.
"Sorry, but I couldn't live with myself if I killed a woman," Hiroshi remarked, his voice smooth and trained. He brought his hand to her back and tapped a pressure point. Her eyes rolled into her head as she fell to the earth, helpless and vulnerable. He bent his knees and knelt beside her body, smiling to himself, and placed a hand beneath her chin, gazing at her face, her relaxed expression personifying her exquisiteness.
"You are very beautiful," he whispered into her ear, before kissing her gently on her soft lips, the warmth of them soothing his soul. 'Why the hell did I just do that?' his mind wondered skeptically, while he settled onto the ground. Letting his thoughts wander freely, hoping to find a solution, he quickly found himself entering the world of dreams.
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Hiroshi rubbed his eyes, yawning. The sun stung his vision; the heat draped as a blanket upon his head, its gentle warmth caressing his face.
Soaking up the moment the boy sighed contentedly, looking around at his environment. Hiroshi's eyes widened when he noticed that the woman's body was gone. He had not predicted that she would awaken so early.
"So, she didn't kill me in my sleep. That's a relief. A noble act indeed. She must have felt like repaying me after I spared her life," he mused, itching the side of his face inquisitively. He simply shrugged off the topic and stood up. "Well, better continue on my journey," he reminded himself, turning to look at the spot where the women once lay. "Until we met again."
It had been at least eight hours since his departure from the scene of his scuffle and he found his thoughts wandering through an endless labyrinth of oblivion. The once-gorgeous day began to grow slowly darker as the yellow sun grew into a deep orange and the sky took the form of a vast ocean churning with brilliant reds, oranges, blues, and yellows.
Leisurely leaning his head back, Hiroshi gazed up at the extraordinary phenomenon that was painted so elegantly above him. He closed his eyes, breathing in, and opened them again as he exhaled the stale air and, along with it, all his negative thoughts and emotions, so he could peacefully enjoy the wonderful event that was taking place.
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Translations:
- Sakura: Cherry Blossom
- Banrai Hokosaki: Thunder Spear
A/N: I re-did this chapter because I saw that most people left this story beause of the first chapter mainly because the readers dropped by about 700 after this chapter. I hope you like my style of writing, though it is still not at its peak. Thank you 'understar' or helping me out with checking the chapter for errors and so on. Reviews!