Oni
A Naruto AU loosely based on Japanese history.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them but the versions that live in my head. Kishimoto-sensei is a genius in my mind.
- Chapter 2: The Children -
Startled from his sleep, Iruka sat up and looked around half expecting someone to be in the room with him. He was pretty sure he had heard someone land on the flooring by the open window. Holding his breath for a moment, he listened. Nothing. He sighed.
The sky was gradually lightening as morning came. There was no point in going back to sleep. He had a long day of school ahead of him, though he wasn't worried. The whole time was going to be spent on getting to know the children and taking them around the village so they could teach him. It would give them a chance to loosen up and learn that he could be trusted.
Slowly standing, he walked over to the window and looked outside to check on the weather. It looked like it was going to be a nice sunny day if the weather up here didn't change drastically. He paused to look down at his hand when he felt it come in contact with something wet. Did it rain last night? At closer inspection he found it was blood. Just a little, but there was fresh blood on his windowsill.
Curious as always he searched around and on himself for anymore, but found none. It could have been some animal, possibly a bird. Maybe it was the same thing he had heard. He picked off a nearby leaf from one of the small trees growing just outside the window and used it to wipe the blood from the sill. Using his thumb, he rubbed at the spot some. It had already left a bit of a stain in the wood. There was no getting that up now.
He took his time at getting dressed and tying his hair back. There was no rush with how much time he had. Silently he walked down the hall not wanting to wake his host.
"You are up awfully early. Do you always wake at this time?"
Iruka jumped and found Asuma sitting in the main room packing away what looked like bandages. "Good morning, Asuma-san. No, not usually. I guess it's the excitement of the day." He greeted and came over to sit nearby.
"Hn." Asuma finished his task and picked up an old, bloody rag.
The young teacher looked at him a little worried. "Did you hurt yourself during the fight yesterday?" He hoped it wasn't his fault.
Asuma shook his head. "No, I was cleaning my sword and cut myself." He got up and put away the kit. "I am assuming since we are both up that we might as well start the day early." He gave Iruka a smile. "What do you normally have in the morning?"
"Eh? I'm not picky. What ever you're having is fine with me." The young teacher smiled back.
Asuma nodded. "Tea and rice it is then." He left to go make their breakfast.
Iruka looked around the place trying to get a better idea of how these people lived. It was hard to when all his host had in the room was a low table, some cushions to sit on, a single painting that looked like a child had created, the medical kit and some books on a small table against a plain wood outer-wall that held a single window, while the inner walls were your typical traditional rice paper. The man owned very little in Iruka's mind, considering most of the other rooms consisted of just as little if anything at all. His thoughts were cut off when his host came back in the room carrying two wooden bowls of steaming rice complete with chopsticks.
"That was a little fast, were you already cooking?"
"I could not get much sleep." Asuma set one of the bowls in front of Iruka and set the other where he had been sitting. "The tea is almost ready." He left again.
Iruka stared at the bowls of hot rice. For not expecting him up so early, he sure cooked a lot of rice. Did he always cook that much? He continued to try and use every clue to figure out his host when he remembered something. He had said he had cut himself while cleaning his sword. No samurai of any skill wound have a problem of that occurring. And even if he did, where was the cut? He had not seen the wrappings on either of his hands.
Again his train of thought was cut short as Asuma came back in with a tray of tea. "I am sorry that took a moment. The water was still heating." He set down the tray looking, in Iruka's mind, distracted somehow. He sat down and pored some into a small cup before handing it to Iruka. "I hope you do not mind forgoing the whole tea ceremony. I for one do not like my tea getting too cold during such traditions."
Iruka smiled and nodded. "It is fine. I'm not use to such customs anyway." He sipped at the tea, surprised to find it not extremely hot.
"That is right. You were in Hirado before?"
Iruka nodded while looking at his rice hungrily, but trying to keep his manors. "Yes. For the better of five years. My family moved us there while trading with the Portuguese was still aloud."
"Eat, Sensei. My questions can wait till after our meal." Asuma dug into his own bowl but only ate a little of it before setting it down again. "Is there anything else you need?"
The teacher smiled and shook his head. "It is very good. Thank you."
Asuma nodded. "Good. Then if you do not mind, I will be right back." Before waiting for an answer, he stood and took his still nearly full bowl back to the kitchen. Iruka wasn't sure if he'd ever figure the man out.
Time passed and Iruka sat slowly drinking his rapidly cooling tea starting to wonder where his host had gone. He looked up at the sound of feet to see Asuma coming back in with a small scroll and a lit pipe.
"I am sorry that took a while, I needed to find a list I had created for you of the children." The broad man sat down in his seat again, smoking lightly. "Are there any questions you still have?"
"You said there were nine students correct?" Iruka asked as he set his cup down, now with only tea leaves left at the bottom.
Asuma nodded while slowly blowing out some smoke.
"You have only given the names of six of them. Who are the other three?"
"Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke."
"And Sasuke's the soul survivor?"
Another nod.
"Is there anything else that I need to know about them? Or any one in particular? Things they don't like or places they can't go?"
"I do not know where they are not allowed to go. That is up to their parents. As for other things, they each have their quirks. I cannot see them scared of much. They are hard headed brats."
Iruka blinked a little stunned that Asuma would call them as such. "I'm sure they're not that bad."
Asuma smirked in amusement. "Why do you think we had to hire out for a teacher? You will see." He handed over the scroll, listed on it were names and descriptions. "Good luck, Sensei."
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Iruka blinked at the kids standing in front of him. This was definitely something he wasn't expecting. They were an odd group for sure, but he hardly could agree with Asuma's description of them being brats.
A young girl in a light yellow kimono, Hinata if he remembered correctly, shifted a little nervously in the silence. Next to her stood her cousin Neji and little sister Hanabi, both in simple tan kimono's looking ready to go train rather then learn to read or write. Young Sakura and Ino stood out the most with their bright pinks and purples. Shikamaru looked like he was about to fall over asleep, already leaning on the broad Chouji's shoulders. Was that kid full Japanese? And then there was Sasuke, standing away from the others, his dark eyes glaring at nothing. Wait. One was missing.
"Where's Konohamaru-kun?" Iruka counted them again and looked around worried.
"Oh don't worry about him sensei. He's off playing ninja somewhere." Ino provided in an offhand manor.
"Ninja?" Iruka wasn't sure if he should be worried and trying to fine the young grandson of his employer. This would not look good if he already lost a kid on the first day, before ever even meeting him.
"He'll show up. Just late." Sakura added reassuringly.
Iruka looked down at his mostly 10 year old charges. "Does he do this often?"
"Only on, im-important days." Hinata said quietly while moving closer to her silent cousin as if for protection.
Iruka sighed. "Well, I guess we better go find him then."
"That could take hours." Shikamaru finally moved to stand on his own feet. "Can't we just watch the clouds till he shows up?"
"What about the lesson, Sensei?" Chouji asked politely.
Iruka smiled down at the pair. "Actually, what I had planed for today was to allow all of you to create the lesson and teach me things."
Neji looked a little confused. "Teach you what?"
"Well, about yourselves, the village, your hobbies. Just little things." At their still confused looks he moved on to explain. "Like I'm sure Sasuke here could show me his samurai skills." He glanced over at the quiet kid hoping to get him to talk. All he got out of him was an even darker look. "Or something, right Sasuke?"
Sasuke didn't say a word as he turned and left.
Well that didn't go so well. Iruka grimaced as he had just lost another kid on his first day.
Sakura came over and smiled up at their new teacher. "Can I show you my favorite tree, Sensei?"
"And I want to show you mine as well!" Ino quickly came over with an even bigger smile.
Iruka could easily see the rivalry that existed between the two girls as they each continued to look the cutest. "Of course. But we'll have to do it one at a time I'm afraid."
"I want to show him to dango man's house!" Chouji called after as the group fallowed Sakura to her tree.
Shikamaru looked up at the clear sky. Why couldn't they just wait for his clouds to come back? Under the sakura was the best place to view them. He sighed and slowly tagged along not looking forward to running around the village.
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The village was very small in Iruka's standards. But he liked it that way. Located on the side of one of the many mountains in the area, it was a secluded place away from the hassles and changing world that he had come from. Set in more traditional ways, it was peaceful. There was a single road that ran through the middle of the village, the same one that led past the gates and on down the mountainside through fields and then disappearing into the woods. The other end stopped just short of the Hokage's house.
The land constantly sloped down or up which the kids had no problem with. Their teacher on the other hand new he was going to have to get use to it fast, especially since the only flat areas were the fields, inside houses, and the sakura garden located in the center of the village. He was surprised to see there were houses outside of the gates. Sakura had explained that the houses were built after the fence and gate were created, that it had only been fields out there, or so her father says.
It was nice to see Chouji's dango man lived just inside the gates and not far from the schoolhouse, which they checked on as well. The place was perfectly located between the fence and woods beyond and the sakura garden out front. It was easy to locate and not far from everything, Asuma's house being probably the farthest point from it.
They took most of the day continuing to show him around, at the same time trying to find where Konohamaru-kun was hiding out or what had happened to Sasuke-kun.
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"You don't think he would go into the woods, do you?" Ino looked off in the woods from across the field trying to see as far into them as she could.
Sakura shook her head. "The adults always tell us never to go in there. Even if he did, we can't."
Iruka took interest in this. "Why is that?"
"Because the Oni lives in there."
"Oni?" Iruka looked down at Chouji. "What kind of Oni?"
Chouji now wasn't sure if it was a good idea to talk about it. All the other adults always told him to leave it be, and none existed. This was the first time someone older had asked him to explain. "Scary. It's taller then you and all black with blood dripping all over. It wanders around just outside the windows, sniffing and looking in."
"All bloody? Bet it eats children too." Ino laughed somewhat disbelieving in it.
"I know what I saw!" Chouji argued back.
"Really? Sure it wasn't just your brain wanting another onigiri? If anyone here's an Oni, it's you." Ino made a face at the young boy.
Iruka didn't like where the argument was going. "Actually most stories have some basis in truth." He crouched down at their level and smiled at Chouji. "I think your Oni checked in on me this morning."
Chouji looked horrified.
"Sensei, you don't really think an Oni exists around here, do you?" Hinata asked shyly.
"There could. I don't think it will harm us, but being out in the woods, there're probably all sorts of youkai around that we haven't seen." Iruka smiled. "Don't worry. Very few are ever dangerous, and those only fight to protect what is theirs. If we are good and leave them alone, they will leave us alone."
"Sensei, I did hear howling one night." Shikamaru piped up to defend his friend's accusations. "Could that be this Oni?"
"Hn." Neji looked skeptical about the idea of some blood-covered ghost wondering around.
"Ah! I know! How about we all go over to Asuma-san's house and I'll make you some tea." He smiled at them hoping a change on the subject would be good. "Then you can all tell me what things you like to eat and we can plan a picnic for tomorrow.
Most of the girls loved the idea. The boys didn't look too sure.
"It would give you a chance to show me some more of your skills." He added on for the boys who looked at least a little happier now about the idea.
"Sensei, do you know anything about swordsmanship?" Chouji asked.
"I know enough to be able to see a correct move verses a wrong one. But I only really know a few of the basics." Iruka said with a little bit of embarrassment. "My mother didn't like me playing with sharp objects."
Ino giggled at this.
Chouji seemed to be pleased. "I don't know anything either. I don't like fighting."
"You don't have to. There are many different activities-" Iruka was cut off when the kids in front of him stopped. He fallowed their gaze to see a young boy crouching under a tree, gazing back at them. From the looks of his blonde hair and blue eyes, he must have been of some foreign descent. Wasn't that a little rare this far into the country? He smiled at the boy. "Hello. Do you need some help?"
Neji gave the strange boy an accusing look.
Sakura tugged on Iruka's sleeve edge to get him to lean down so she could whisper in his ear. "That's one of the farmer's kids. Daddy said we're not suppose to talk with him." She let go.
Iruka wasn't sure why they weren't suppose to talk with him. He was just a kid, probably about their age.
"Maybe he's the Oni." Ino whispered.
Oni indeed, Iruka thought as he watched the kid run off into the woods having probably heard what she said about him.
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Notes:
All the houses are single storied, traditional homes. The higher-end ones have more wood paneling and Rice paper walls. The less grand are more open and less off the ground.
Dango: Is a Japanese sweet made from rice powder.
Sakura: This is what they call Cherry Trees. So when I say a sakura garden, it's a garden of cherry trees. Very beautiful when in full bloom and after when the trees begin to loose their petals.
Rice paper walls: Traditional walls that were made out of a rice paper material. They let light in but you can't see through them other then silhouettes. Some will have designs on them.
Hirado: This is a port town that was the main trading hub with the Portuguese, Dutch, and English when the country was open. When the country closed to the world, only a select few were still aloud to trade. The city is located on an island to the south west of mainland Japan.
Smiley05 – Thank you for the review. I always enjoy knowing whether people like the story or not. I hope to continue writing this quickly while keeping it interesting.
And thanks to Wolf for always betaing stories for me.