Naruto Fan Fiction!
Adventure! SI-OC!
(Title)
"A Song for Them"
A/N: Woo! 300k word milestone! Wow, I'm good at procrastinating. We're only just getting to the prelims and I've wasted so much time on other stuff. I honestly had no idea it would take this long to get to this point. I crammed a 24 plus hours session to finish writing this long-ass chapter, so! I may or may not have had three-to-six cups of coffee by the time of this posting. Is that healthy? Probably not. Did it taste like sweet, sweet, love? Yes, yes it did. IT'S NOT A PROBLEM, I CAN STOP ANYTIME I WANT TO!
…ahem. Enjoy guys!
EDIT, 8/16/2018: It was mentioned that the last segment of the chapter felt like it came out of nowhere so I adjusted some things around to make it feel better.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the cannon characters! If I did then they all would be having mental breakdowns.
WARNING! RATED M! For angst and serious FEELS! Language? Yeah, one bit of foulness.
Dark Forest Arc,
Chapter Thirty-Five: "Who Needs Sleep"
"Loving and trusting another person is a reckless thing. Even insane." -Kaori Ekuni
Perspective:
空 (Sky)
"'If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the field and seek strength. If you open both Heaven and Earth scrolls, dangerous paths turn into safe ones. This is the secret of...' and then there's a missing sentence before it finishes with; 'It shall lead you on your way.'"
"..."
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked loudly. At least he seemed pretty loud in this big, empty room. Besides the couple of chuunin stationed around the tower, the place was pretty barren. Even when we approached Kamizuki-san for help with Karin, he'd just told us that someone inside would take care of it, effectively shrugging us off.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the banner before taking a step towards Naruto. "Naruto, give me one of the scrolls. I'm pretty sure this is telling us to open them now."
Naruto squinted suspiciously but complied, handing him the Earth scroll before he readied to open the Heaven. They both looked at each other and with a nod, opened them at the same time. With Karin still holding onto my hand I leaned over to see what exactly was written on the inside. I'd had a couple guesses that revolved around a picture of the lady proctor's laughing face with the words; 'SUCKER'S!' written in bug characters but figure that the Village might go with something a bit more professional than that. Peering over Duckie's shoulder I was surprised to see a six-segmented, two layered formula with a-OH! Wait, that's a-
-Sasuke reacted first, taking a step away and rearing his arm back, "Naruto, toss it!" In unison both the boys threw their scrolls out, the vellum rolled out across the floor and a plume of smoke appeared from the ink. After a few seconds the smoke began to disperse and I sensed a new figure was in the room with us. It was Iruka-sensei who was standing there now.
Huh.
"Hey! Long time no see." He smiled at us, no doubt enjoying the looks on our faces. "You guys look like you had some trouble on the way." His eyes landed on Karin, our joined hands more specifically, then raised to her very not Konoha standard headband. He had a question in his eyes as he kept smile friendly and calming, probably noticing how Karin shifted to stand behind me again once she saw she had his attention. To her relief, Naruto drew the spotlight back to himself.
"Wait! Wait! I don't understand! Why was Iruka-sensei summoned?" he asked, scratching his head.
The chuunin smile turned a hint proud, "At the end of the second test it's set up so we chuunins meet up with the exam takers and I was allowed to be the one to greet you. You guys even made it with a day to spare. The second test... all three of you pass, congratulations." Cue collapsing into an exhausted heap on the ground. Karin squeaked as she went down with me and Duckie had done it with infinitely more grace than I did, injured and all. "...now to celebrate your successful completion of the second test I'd like to buy you a round of ramen but-" Here, Naruto leapt on the poor man.
"WE DID IT!" the blonde cheered, wrapping his arms around the chuunin and was completely oblivious to the fact the man hadn't finished speaking yet. His further protests went unnoticed. "We did it~ We did it~ We-" and he continued like that for the next two minutes while Duckie and I just watched in annoyance and amusement, respectively of course.
A thought occurred to me as I watched the chuunin strangled with a hug. Has he been on standby for the last four days? Just... waiting for us to show up? What if he'd been in the middle of teaching a class? Well, probably not for that exact reason. He most likely took the last few days off just for this. But seriously, what if he'd been using the bathroom or something? What if he'd lost his anchor to the formula? Ugh. That's why the Time/Space School is the most frustrating to interact with. Too many variables to try and account for.
Hm.
…maybe they just let him know when we showed up?
Iruka-sensei sighed, finally managing to untangle himself from the blonde. "You sure haven't changed in your inability to relax, huh?"
Naruto's response was just to grin unrepentantly.
Duckie gave a little huff from the side, looking like he just figured something out. "If we had opened the scrolls during the test, what were you going to do, Iruka-sensei?"
The ponytailed chuunin smirked as he bent down to pick up one of the scrolls from under him. "As always, you are sharp, Sasuke-kun." he then began to explain that if someone were to open it before having arrived at the tower without both scrolls and all three team members present, then an assigned chuunin was ordered to knock them unconscious for the rest of the exam's duration.
"Ha! I didn't even think about opening it!" the blonde proudly proclaimed, which I'm pretty sure wasn't entirely true. I saw him eyeing it before. But then he caught my eye and then it boiled into an awkward silence that only ended up aggravating Sasuke of all people.
Iruka grinned at him, happy but still skeptical. "I'm glad to hear that, Naruto. You did good not to."
"Uhm, excuse me..." Karin mumbled from her seated position beside me. All eyes turned on her and she shrunk slightly at the attention, lowing her head again and seemingly regretting speaking up.
Iruka-sensei, being the good teacher he was, noticed her shyness and coaxed her gently. "Yes?" he prodded.
Her voice was small when she decided to speak up again, raising a finger to point at the banner, "I was just wondering... but, the missing sentence..." she took a breath, gathering her thoughts. Eventually she looked up with a bit more confidence in her rosy eyes when no one tried to interrupt her. "The banner was the clue to open the scrolls but it's incomplete. Why?"
Iruka nodded, "Ah, yes. I'm also here to explain that. This motto is the motto of the Konoha chunnin, written by Hokage-sama himself."
Before he went on. I raised my hand.
He tilted his head at me, amused. Probably by the nostalgia of the situation. "Yes, Sora-kun?"
I was quick to whip out my pad and write, "Wasn't it the Shodaime Hokage that wrote this?"
He beamed, pleased with my answer. "Yes! Very good, Sora-kun! I'm relieved to know that you didn't sleep through all of my classes."
I flushed, embarrassed as I rubbed the back of my neck with a sheepish smile. He's going to hold that over me forever, isn't he? From the look on his face, the answer was; yes. Pooh.
"...teacher's pet." Sasuke mumbled under his breath. My head whipped around to gape at the spikey-haired boy who looked the complete picture of 'innocence'.
I narrowed my eyes at the side of his head. Did he just sass me?
Tch. Uchiha.
…I smiled. Just a little.
Iruka-sensei only spared the two of us an odd look before he went on to explain the meaning behind the saying, 'Heaven' meaning the mind and 'Earth' meaning the body, using us, his dear former students as examples. I was bit miffed when he used me as the 'lacking in earth' example, but I guess in comparison to the boys I was still behind on the physical aspects. But I've been working on it!
Karin listened to all of this with rapt attention oddly enough, a quiet enthusiasm that Iruka-sensei didn't fail to notice or appreciate. When I think about it, the three of us were probably his most neglectful students. Duckie was the highest ranked, yes, we all know that. But he hardly ever paid any heed to our ponytailed teacher's instruction in our later years, instead opting to learn through textbook or school of hard knocks. Sakura was the model student. Naruto was one for the most obvious reasons -he was doing something else that required Iruka's attention- and I... I mostly read up on anything I didn't know -history, geography and such- and only paid any real attention to the ninja stuff. I attempted to sleep, wrote stories and practiced Fuinjustu all the other time.
Ahh, I feel kinda bad now.
He finished explaining exactly what was expected in a potential chuunin candidate and his expression was completely serious as he addressed the three of us. "I want you guys to challenge the next step with this chuunin motto in mind. That is all I have to pass on to you."
Naruto stood at his full height, raising his hand in a salute. "ROGER!"
Iruka stared at him for a moment until his smile fell away as worry clouded his expression, "But this third and final test... don't push yourselves too hard. Especially you Naruto, I worry about you the-"
To my surprise, Naruto interrupted Iruka point blank. "From the moment I graduated and received this headband I was no longer a student of the Academy. You don't need to worry anymore!" he raised a hand and grabbed his hitai-ate, frustration flooding his emotions, "This is the symbol that I'm all grown up, right!? The part about me never relaxing may not've changed, but I'm not a little kid anymore dattebayo!"
He wasn't looking at me, but he wasn't talking to Iruka anymore either.
"I don't need to be protected. I'm a ninja!"
I'm Sure That Wasn't Directed At Us At All. it rasped from the depths of my mind.
'Oh, so you can do sarcasm too, huh? That's great. Just friggin' great.' I sighed, that all-too familiar feeling of an oncoming headache rearing it's ugly head.
…dammit, Hero. Jeez, that boy sure knows where it hurts.
Guilt and pride mixed with relief in Iruka-sensei's chakra, he smiled sadly. "I see... I'm sorry Naruto."
And like flipping a switch the Hero was smiling again, folding his hands behind his head. Karin shifted nervously next to me and I was reminded of why she was here. I slowly got to my feet again, ignoring how the skin on my arm started burning again and pulled the red-haired girl along with me. As I explained her situation to the chuunin his expression slowly became grim, a bit of worry flaring when I explained in what condition we found her teammates in.
When I finished the man sighed heavily, nodding his head, "I see... Alright then, I'll get you an escort to take you back to the Village and to you're within the next hour or so, um... I'm sorry, I didn't learn your name." she blinked in surprise and Iruka smiled warmly again and chuckled sheepishly, successfully distracting the girl from the subject of her dead teammates. "And I didn't even introduce myself either, did I? How odd of me, I suppose I've just been so distracted until now, heheh! My name is Umino Iruka, I teach at the Shinobi Academy in the Village."
She hesitated a moment, rosy eyes darting to Naruto briefly before returning to meet Iruka-sensei's. "My name is Karin, sir. I-It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Karin-san." And there it was, Iruka's 'Big Brother' smile. The one that contrasts with his usual stern expression and his love of long lectures but never fails to make you feel fuzzy inside. Out of all of us, Naruto was usually the one to receive that smile the most. Which I was totally fine with, Naruto had Iruka and I had a Neko after all.
…I wonder what he's doing right about now? Probably not taking care of himself as well as he should. Typical.
"Well! You guys are probably exhausted, right? Good news is there's a common room on the second floor where you can rest and maybe even meet with the other teams that have already passed. There are also some quarters provided where you can sleep if you need it." he began walking towards the large hallway on the left side of the room and gestured us to follow. We did, albeit slowly. "Bad news is that I think they've already served lunch for today."
Naruto groaned in despair.
Iruka-sensei chucked and waved towards the hall, "Just head down here until you reach the first set of stairs, head up and it's the second door on the right. Ah, Sora-kun, could you wait a moment. I'd like to speak with you about something."
Huh?
Exchanging questioning looks with the boys, I nodded. Briefly, Karin's hold on my hand tightened, my eyes met hers and I squeezed back reassuringly before letting go. I turned back towards Iruka and Naruto and Sasuke continued going without me, Karin trailing right behind them and shooting glances back at me as she went. Once they turned a corner out of sight, Iruka-sensei produced a folded paper -a map I realized after a moment- and spoke with a grim and tentative expression.
"Sora-kun, you were... the one who found her teammates, right?" he asked hesitantly. I nodded, he made a face. "I hate you ask you this, but, could you point out the location on the map. It's best if we have the... ah, bodies when we inform their jonin representative."
It was my turn to make a face. How... professional. I cleared my expression the moment concern flared up in my old sensei's mild chakra. I nodded the affirmative. My finger traced my path up from the bend the river, up, inward about two miles, that's about where I found Karin. Then we picked up the trail and headed north-west for about... that long, so that means it'd probably be about there. I tapped at an area on the map and circled it with my finger, giving an approximate search radius for him.
Hm. I believe I learned how to do this in a class-wide treasure hunt when I was nine? Naruto had adored looking for all the items on the list while I made sure to mark the locations we found them in on a map, just as we'd been instructed to for the promise of a special reward. I felt a sardonic smile grow at the memory. I hadn't even realized it for what it was at the time.
"All right, thank you." Iruka marked the area with a pen and folded the map back up, pausing as I turned to follow after my team. He glanced at me with a concerned look in his eye and looked like he wanted to say something more but stopped himself short, settling on a earnest; "Good luck, Sora-kun."
I smiled for him, feeling like I'll need all the luck I can get.
Stepping into what was supposed to be the common room, I was met with the curious sight of two teenage boys wrestling on the floor, I watched in confusion as Naruto tried to put Kiba in a headlock. Failing, but was giving it his best try anyway.
I was gone not even five minutes. What could've possibly caused this? I slipped in to stand next to Hinata who looked absolutely beside herself, torn between being worried over one or the other or both at once. Sasuke and Shino were watching this little display, unamused, while little Karin looked completely lost. I shared the same sentiment with Duckie and Shino, myself. I was just too tired for this nonsense.
Naruto yelped, flailing. "OUCH! DAMN DOG-BOY BIT ME!" I rolled my eyes, ignoring Kiba's vicious laugher and turned towards Hinata, reaching a bandaged hand out to brush her shoulder. Pearly hues glanced towards me and her eyes crinkled in a relieved smile.
"Sora-chan... I'm glad to see you're alright." she said softly, drawing the attention of everyone not engaged in a grappling match. Karin was oddly quick to come back to my side, grabbing my hand in her slightly smaller one again. Hinata blinked at the movement, but her eyes softened at the obviously nervous girl and she gave a tentative smile back, easing the tension that sprung up as Karin's hold loosened a bit.
My Mouse is the best.
With a nod I gestured towards the boys on the floor, raising one hand to sign in Standard, 'Sit-rep' Hinata's smile fell and she worriedly glanced back at the brawl, beginning to fiddle with her fingers in that bad habit of hers.
"Uhm, i-it wasn't really Naruto-kun's fault," she murmured, "Kiba-kun just became a bit too... eager. He's been getting a bit stir crazy these last few days..."
Shino and Sasuke came to stand over by us, -the two on the ground had started rolling- and the Aburame explained a bit further. "What Hinata means is that, when Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun and Karin-san arrived in the common room, Kiba had become suspicious when you were not directly present and began asking Karin-san questions about her reason for being with Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun. That is because he had detected your scent quite heavily on her." Beside me, Karin's chakra began to burn with embarrassment with a good helping of mortification. Odd. I didn't smell bad. I think so at least.
Shino pushed his glasses further up his nose, "Karin-san had become flustered by his questioning and Naruto-kun and intervened at that point. This was the result of that."
So... Kiba was harassing Karin by being pushy and interrogating her and then Naruto butt in to get him to back off. Them being them, -brash hotheads- they set each other off and it ended up like this. I nodded. Sounds about right. We all looked back at the mess. Naruto was pinned but he had a solid hold on Kiba's hair. Akamaru had been sitting on the side, letting his partner let loose some of his steam but faithfully waiting to step in if he needed to.
"Morons." Sasuke grumbled, looking annoyed as he rotated his shoulder. Right. His stitches probably need to be redone. I need to check that as soon as possible. But I can't do that until...
I lightly shook Karin's hold and stepped towards the brawl. IN one swift movement I reached down and grabbed the wild-haired boy by his ear, he released the blonde immediately. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Oi, Pomegranate-what the hell are you doing!?"
Naruto popped up with a mocking laugh, "Ha-Ha! You-" I grabbed his ear too. "Owowowowow! Sora-chaaaaan!" They began whining and cursing as I applied pressure and I was very unamused with the both of them. Also running low on patience. It's been a long couple days and I didn't want to have to deal with that scary lady proctor coming in and busting heads because these to dolts were causing a scene. I just couldn't deal with that right now. So I used my superior height -I was still a good five, six inches on Kiba, more so on Naruto- and narrowed my eyes, glaring darkly at them. Willing them to submit with my gaze alone.
You will not cause a headache. You will obey me. You will be good boys.
Not thinking about chakra influencing very much right now. Keeping a damn tight hold on all my chakra, passive or not. Duckie grabbed my bare arm and I had his hand in mine. It was okay. I was okay. We were okay.
Unfortunately, I've lost my touch since our Academy days it seemed, they both just met my glare with one of their own. I sighed and just settled for taking a page out of Sakura's book and released their ears to smack them upside the head none too gently. They both grabbed their heads with a grunt of pain. There was a snort of laughter, we all looked towards the source. Little Karin's head was down again to hide her face.
I waved to grab the boys' fleeting attention spans and they both were quick to look back at me with a glare. Kiba then snapped at me, "The hell is your problem Pomegranate! Don't treat me like I'm some damn kid!"
Another one? It's not just Naruto but Kiba now too? I scowled darkly and his expression was quick to change as his glare dropped. Growing up together I rarely ever became truly upset with one of the group, but the times when they actually did wear down my patience... it was never pretty. Naruto's glare didn't drop.
I signed, to both of them. 'If you want to be treated like an adult then start acting like one. We may have passed the second test but the exam isn't over yet, we are still being watched.'
Shame was the first response. Kiba's attitude deflated greatly as he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Naruto wasn't as overt as he just pressed his lips together and continued to look at me challengingly. I met his gaze evenly and the tension in the room spiked up as everyone else became aware that we were in a fight. Akamaru came up and gave a little yip, sounding distressed, causing me to be the one to look away first.
Kiba grimaced as his brows knitted together. There was a pronounced sniff and I was left feeling self conscious all of a sudden. We didn't stink that bad, did we? Then again, maybe we did. He pressed his lips together tightly before his sharp eyes began scanning each of up closely. I shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. It was a long minute until he spoke up, "You guys... ran into some trouble out there, huh?"
My smile slipped off as I literally felt the color drain from my face, my chest tightening in what surprisingly felt like panic.
He can still smell the blood.
The look on my face must've said it all because Hinata's eyes widened as she swiftly started scanning our forms, starting with my very obviously bandaged arms, Kiba sent us a sympathetic look as Akamaru whined and I heard a faint buzzing start up in the background. I took a deep breath. Steadying myself. Their reactions soothed me more than words ever could've. No matter how many times I remember it, I always am surprised by how it feels.
It's nice to be cared about.
So in thanks, I mustered up a genuine -however small- smile and tried to waive their worries. 'Nothing some rest and many, many tubs of Mochi ice cream can't fix.' Mouse looked very much like she disagreed but thankfully didn't push it any further, instead opting to gently nag me into getting that rest as soon as possible. Even going so far as to physically usher us out of the room to everyone's surprise, briefly mentioning dinner was going to be served in the cafeteria this place apparently had somewhere was going to be held in a couple hours where we could catch up more then. Did we really look that bad off that she needed to do this?
We were all four shuffled down the hallway and all the way to an empty room with a couple bunks, presumably one of the ones Iruka had mentioned. With a shy wave, Hinata shut the door behind us with the promise of waking us up for dinner. I narrowed my eyes at the door as the boys tried to make the world right again.
…maybe I've been a bad influence on her? Hm. I don't remember her being so... pushy. Maybe it's both me and Kiba's influence, that might explain her sudden burst of boldness? As I pondered this I walked over to Sasuke and began tugging on his shirt, his response was as close to a squawk as I've ever heard come from his mouth as he tried to pull his shirt away from my grabby hands. My response was to smack his hands away with a warning look. If he thought I was in any mood to deal with his sudden modesty when I could see the blood seeping from his shirt then he had another thing coming. To my pleasant surprise he actually backed down after that, huffing at my face and taking a seat on the edge of a bunk, not giving much resistance as I carefully pulled him out of that ruined blue shirt. I counted at least twelve of the forty-seven stitches had came apart during that last fight. Stupid Duckie. He went overboard taking out his frustrations on those dense Ame-nin. Good news is that the area wasn't red or swelling, that was good. I unsealed the first-aid kit and set to work.
I became focused on my hands, sending a grateful smile towards Karin when she came and began helping by disposing the used bandage and cleaning the cloth I used to wipe away the congealed and crusty blood on Sasuke's back. All while pretending not to notice how Naruto refused to look at me and when he did it was with those sad eyes. It really didn't help that Sasuke kept looking back at me like I was going to fall apart at any moment.
Focus.
Time flew and I was finally done, washing my hands in the basin of water one last time before dumping it in the bathroom in the hallway. When I came back I took notice of how Naruto and Sasuke passed out as soon as their heads hit the bunks, the after effects of those soldier pills finally taking their tolls. Karin had tried to wait for me, I think. She was sitting on my chosen bed with her head propped up on her hand as she slept soundly. Feeling an amused smile I carefully maneuvered one of the cardboard-like pillows under her head. She sighed contentedly before starting to snore. My smile grew as I settled myself to sit at the head of the bed to make plenty room for the girl curling up at the end, sparing a glance towards the boys.
I was worried. I just hope they'll be in fighting shape by the Exams' deadline. Naruto was going to be fine. I was mostly sure, his royal fluffiness was going to help with that but it was Duckie's state that had me a biting my lip. His back was scabbing nicely but it'll hard for him to move as usual until a actual Iryo-nin can get a look at it, not even mentioning his arm or the gash on his calf.
I sighed, feeling tired to the bone.
I needed to rest but I knew sleep would be anything other than restful. So, crossing my legs underneath me I settled into a comfortable position with my back to a solid wall and facing the only entrance. Listening to the rhythmic sounds of Naruto and Sasuke's deep and even breaths, even Karin's occasional snuffle.
I closed my eyes and cleared my mind.
There was only the warmth of my core.
The low fire humming under my skin.
Deep, even breaths.
Feel the chakra, around me, inside me,
It's everywhere.
In...
…and out.
When she opened her eyes again, she was standing on a sprawling white beach.
He inspected the red trees closely using what little 'daylight' was left, sparing only an idle thought for what the darkening space signified. For mental constructions they were quite aptly detailed, ignoring their odd coloring he could even accurately recognize which species it was though he was uncertain of how the young kunoichi had come to know it so intimately. He was positive that this type of Fagaceae did not grow outside the arid climate of North-Eastern Lightning country. He just added it to the growing list of oddities concerning Ikari's daughter. Soon he turned and his eyes fell upon the threshold beyond the trees.
"Careful." A young voice called out, "That way madness lies."
He turned and regarded the small mental avatar with a polite smile, folding his hands into the sleeves of the yukata. "Sora… I'm glad you could find the time to speak with me. I have many questions if you'd be willing to indulge my curiosity?"
The Girl looked at the Sannin impassively, then she shrugged her small shoulders. "Ask away, I'm only here to rest my body anyway. And it's more than likely that I'm not going to get another chance to speak with you under such amicable terms."
He stared at the child evenly.
"You're planning on sealing my chakra."
She gave him thin smile, "You are hailed as a genius for good reason. Yes. Yes, I am. As soon as I can actually, this mark of yours is quite annoying. My abilities have been suffering for it. But I am wondering if you'll retain your consciousness even after the sealing. If you'll continue to be a witness."
He hummed under his breath, golden eyes sharpening. "Witness to what, I wonder? During my... stay here, it's become quite obvious that there is much more to you than a young kunoichi with a disability and a penchant for Fuinjutsu."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment. Merely an observation."
"You said I'm interesting. Both a compliment and a threat coming from you."
A corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. "About the sealing, can I be told which it is and if you intend on doing it yourself? Or is your skill level not quite there yet? As you should know, Ikari had a number of seals applied to her skin. She had been young and reckless." he shook his head with a sigh, a faint feeling of regret springing forth. "She suffered for months after the initial inking. It had been during one of my deployments for the Village that she had gotten a 'brilliant idea'."
Her voice was calm as she answered, very much ignoring the rolling sickness in her stomach at the thought this man had actual feelings. Pretending that she didn't doubt her every sense at his display. She could not so that to herself. "My sensei will do it, the Evil Sealing Method, I believe."
He nodded slightly, a smirk still present on his face. "Ahh, Kakashi-kun. To think he's grown so much to be capable of a sealing jutsu… that's one of the higher caliber ones. Hard to preform for an novice in the Schools."
"He will be fine."
"You're certain? Then why has he not sealed the Mark already?"
She shrugged uncaringly, "Preparation, rules of the Exam, could be a number of things. I only know that after the preliminary matches tomorrow, this space will have one less influence on it."
He arched a brow, "Preliminaries? Only three teams have passed and it is already the fourth day. Another three teams would have to arrive successfully to qualify."
"I'm sure at least that many will pass. Asuma's Team Ten will be late but they have the skill to make it. Then there is Team Gai who I, frankly speaking, already expected to be here. I'm no longer entirely certain about your team from Sound as they encountered more difficulty than they were expecting when they showed up to attack Sasuke. Lastly is your spy's team, they have already finished and are just waiting in the shadow of the Tower for Yakushi to return. I had briefly sensed their poorly hidden chakra before we entered earlier." the Girl explained all of this in a dull, bored tone as if she were reading off a grocery list.
The Sannin threw his head back and let out a sudden round of laughter, startling the Girl and deeply unsettling the Woman from the other side of the mindscape. There was a wicked grin on his face as he looked back at the Girl, golden eyes alight. "Oh, I must find out your secret dear Sora. The depth of your impossible knowledge is fascinating."
The Girl opened her mouth and-
"I'm... too sexy for my love, too sexy, for my love. Love's going to leave me~"
An upbeat tempo began to blare within the mindscape, alerting every inhabitant to the Woman's current mood. The Girl's face began to burn and she idly noticed the sound of churning water before an irritated roar broke out from it, quickly receding towards the direction of the beach where the Woman's shriek of terror was soon heard.
"I'LL KILL YOU, BITCH!"
"SORAAAAA!"
The Girl sighed heavily.
"Tell me, Sannin-san..." she murmured, "is it possible to die of embarrassment?"
He considered it for a moment.
"No." was his decisive answer. Otherwise that fool Jiraiya would've been responsible for his death ages ago.
The Girl tilted her head curiously, continuing to ignore the Woman's cries for help. Terra had brought it on herself after all. "...you think about them often if you don't have something else to occupy your attention. I wonder why that is?"
His voice was positively detached as he replied, "A majority of my experiences had one if not both of them intruding upon the moment. If I could have removed their presence from my life earlier, than I would have done so gleefully."
The Girl merely hummed, giving nothing away except for how strange it was to hear him say 'gleefully'.
"Remember, we're having ramen before you leave." I reminded her firmly.
She nodded, head jerking up and down quickly. "Y-Yes, Sora-san. I remember. With Naruto-kun and... yourself."
"What Inn are you staying at? I'll visit you after our lunch and before you have to leave for Kusa." her eyes widened and she felt a burst of reluctance, I quickly jotted down, "Unless you'd rather I not? That's fine too."
"No!" she shouted suddenly, cringing at the volume of her own voice. Four pairs of eyes landed on her and her face went as red as her hair. "No, I-I'd... I'd actually really like that, Sora-san. I'm staying at the Red Plum traveler's inn and bath, do you know it?" I nodded. That was curiously near the Red-Light District, cheap but not the nicest part of the Village. Interesting that the Village allowed them there, unless it was their pick? Hm. That's also on the opposite side of the Village where the Sand Siblings were staying.
…something to ponder later.
I continued nagging, "And be careful on your way back. Iruka-sensei will get you back in one piece as long as you don't stray from his side."
Karin glanced back nervously at Iruka-sensei who had not stopped staring oddly at Karin ever since he came by our room. Both the boys had been sleeping deeply when the chuunin had come by to collect Karin as he promised, not twenty minutes after I finished rebandaging Sasuke's wounds so I thought it would be better for them to get some more rest instead of climbing downstairs to see Karin off, she had agreed with me too and it wasn't like this was goodbye, we'd see her again for ramen the day after the next or so. So here I was, nagging the red-haired girl into taking care of herself like the hypocrite I was.
She nodded a bit more tentatively this time, "Yes, Sora-san..."
My eyes softened at her darting, nervous eyes and I lifted my hand and dropped it on her head, ruffling her thick, messy hair. Poor bunny. She squeaked in surprise as she tucked her chin in to her chest, face turning red once more.
I waved her off with a smile as Iruka led her and three other chuunin down the corridor and around the corner until I couldn't see her rosy eyes looking back at me anymore. I stood there for a while longer, feeling relieved that Karin was in good hands now and dreading heading back up to the room, knowing I'd be getting no rest. The meditation had helped a little but not enough to make any real difference. I hung my head down and reached out my senses, feeling the ambient chakra of the old building wrap around me in a strange way. I couldn't quite place my finger on why it felt so familiar, only that it did.
It was a nice feeling to be wrapped in.
With a deep breath I raised my head again and started for the stairs. I didn't have to go to sleep but it had to be getting near dinner time, right? I'll just go wake the boys up. Tired or not, they needed to eat dinner. The social interactions with Team Eight will be good for each of us as well. Right. That's a solid plan. I continued to think along this track as I trudged up the stairs and down the hall, nearly oblivious to my surroundings until I froze dead in my steps as I recognized three chakra signatures passing at the other end of the hall.
It was the team from Sound. They'd made it.
Time slowed before my eyes as I took in their haggard appearances, they hadn't noticed me as they continued to walk past. Kin looked nearly fine if not filthy and bruised, hands close to her weapons pouches. Dosu's arm was in a sling and was still bending not quite right with that dented metal instrument still equipped. Zaku was the worst off of all of them. Dark bags under eyes that never stayed in one place long enough, continuously darting to every corner and shadow of the room. He was constantly mumbling under his breath, body taut and looked ready to bolt at a moments notice, fingers twitching at his sides.
I swallowed thickly.
I had done that.
His panicked eyes met mine for a moment and he recoiled.
I quickly turned into the nearest room and began the process of trying not to hyperventilate. Slow breaths. That was-I-there was a fist in my shirt now. Why was there a fist in my shirt now? My eyes went up and I saw a very hard expression on Naruto's face as he glared angrily at me. Huh. I made it back to our room. And the boys were awake.
"What the hell is wrong with you 'ttebayo!?"
…eh?
He bared his teeth, really angry with me for some reason. What happened? Was this because I didn't wake him up to see off Karin? We were going to see her again. He knew that. So- "Sasuke told me everything."
I stared. Not entirely sure I'd heard that correctly. My eyes snapped to the Uchiha in the corner of the room who looked very much like he hadn't been expecting to be here at this point. He grimaced and shot the back of Naruto's head a dark look of his own. That traitor. But seriously, I really hadn't expected him to rat me out to Naruto. I thought he was more discrete than that.
I raised my hands to-"No!" he snapped at me, I startled back in surprise, "You aren't going to make any more lame excuses! I shouldn't have to hear from SASUKE that you were CRYING ALL BY YOURSELF!"
So he doesn't know why I was crying, okay. Sasuke didn't tell him everything, I'll be sure to keep that in mind when I'm enacting my revenge on the Uchiha boy. Later. Right now I have to deal with an irate blonde.
"And we're not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong with you! Got it!?"
Great.
I balled my fists to forcibly stop them from shaking. Naruto's confrontation couldn't be at a worse time right now. I was still not okay after seeing Zaku. I needed time to process. I couldn't deal with Naruto right now. But later, I'll make it up to him later. After the exams are over and the invasion and all the danger is passed, then I'll be ready to do it. I'll come clean then.
The Danger Will Never Pass. it's voice echoed much calmer than I felt.
'Shut. Up.' I snapped, 'I don't need anything from YOU right now.'
I'm Not The One Currently Losing Her Shit. Oh, God. I just need quiet.
Terra decided to put in her two cents at that moment and I very much wanted to yell at someone, desperately. Sky-girl maybe you really do need to talk about this. You... you really aren't doing too good.
All I needed was just some peace and quiet but no one seemed to give a damn about what I wanted because Naruto just kept going.
"It's... it's about when you were poisoned, right?! You were okay until that happened! Until you," he paused, swallowing thickly. Please don't say it, please, please, Naruto. "Until you killed those guys."
My body shuddered violently and without my permission. The twitching in my fingers wouldn't stop. I could still feel the warmth running down them. I could still hear the Song ringing in my ears. No. Stop.
It wasn't Naruto's fault, it wasn't him I was angry at.
He frowned, his eyes searching my face for clues. Desperately trying to find the problem. Please stop. Please. "Okay, it is that. But... I still don't understand. They were bad guys! They were there to hurt you and they hurt Sasuke! You shouldn't feel guilty, Sora-chan. It's o-"
It wasn't 'okay'.
Nothing was 'okay'.
I slammed fist into the stone wall, startling him into silence. My knuckles stung with the impact but they stopped fucking shaking.
I was so angry.
I was angry with myself.
'I don't feel guilty at all.'
That was the problem. That is what was wrong with me. I don't feel guilty at all. I took the lives of two human beings and I feel nothing! I know that I should feel even the slightest bit of regret for what I did, but I don't!
I clenched my fists at my sides, nails digging into my palms.
The problem is... it was too easy. It had been all too easy. There was no complicated planning or sleepless nights racking my brain for the best possible outcome for everyone involved. It had been so simple! There were a dozen other paths I could've took, Neji and Tenten had arrived and they were already pretty beaten, I probably didn't even need to do anything but put Naruto, Sasuke and Lee in a barrier and let them handle things. So many other things I could've done instead. But I had wanted those men gone, and then they were. I did. Not Her, it, whatever, but me. I killed them because I could. And I'm afraid that I'd do it again.
'It' was very much me, just as much as 'Terra' or 'Sora'.
And that is what scares me.
'I don't feel guilty at all.' I told him, not looking into his wide eyes. 'I don't feel anything. What kind of person feels nothing after taking a life?'
He was quiet.
When did I stop caring?
I'd been poking and prodding at the dead bodies of Karin's teammates and I hadn't even blinked. I remember a time when I would've been the one bent at the waist heaving my guts. After taking two lives I don't even feel numb or hollow, like it was nothing to me! What does that say about me? I had more trouble deciding what to wear than I did decided how to maim a man! I only reacted the way I did because I didn't know I'd been capable of that... that gore. I'd been shock from what the Snake told me about Kaa-chan, about what I was, about my damn eyes that shouldn't be bleeding! It was all wrong and I was so confused. All I felt now was anger because I knew I should feel something when I didn't.
Killing is wrong.
…right?
"You're not a monster."
My eyes snapped up to Naruto's. He had that stubborn look in his eyes again as he read me like a book. I shook my head. It's not that easy. He can't say something like that so easily, this wasn't some game. I raised my hands to sign-
-"NO! You listen to me now!" he snapped. I just blinked stupidly at him as he stepped forward, into my personal space. I'm not used to him snapping at me like this. "I know what a monster is and you are not one-there's nothing that you can ever do that'll make me think that! Y'hear me!?"
I couldn't look at him in the eyes..
It wasn't his fault he didn't understand.
How could he possibly understand?
I was angry.
I was scared.
Maybe I was a monster. I certainly didn't know what I was anymore. I stumbled in my steps, backing away. Who even was I, Sora? Terra? A damn science project to be cut into? I don't even remember my own name. Not His or Hers either. Naruto reached a hand out and I turned away from him. I could feel his emotions, it felt like he was about to burst. I was hurting him so much. So much more than if he was alone. It would be better if I wasn't here.
Maybe then I could stop hurting him.
I stepped towards the door.
"Sora-"
My hand wrapped around the handle and-
-a hand on my shoulder, pulling-
-There was a resounding 'Smack!' that rang through the silent room. My head was facing the wall now. I blinked numbly as the blood began to rise to the surface, making my skin hot. There was a hand digging into the skin of my arm. Naruto's hand.
My cheek stung.
It took longer than it should have for me to figure out that Naruto had just... slapped me.
"STOP IT!" he shouted at me. "Stop doing this! Just-" he let out an angry breath, "-tell me and I promise, Sora-chan, I swear I can help! All you have to do is tell me why you're hurting and I can help."
He... promised?
Naruto never goes back on his promises.
I met his eyes again, he looked like he was only barely stopping himself from crying. I felt so very, very cold I raised my hands to sign. 'You... promise?' I asked, 'You never go back on your word. Right?'
He didn't even hesitate.
"I swear."
I was a terrible person for this, I know. For relying on a twelve year-old to fix me. For trying to bring him down with me by having him promise impossible things, knowing very well what would happen to him when he figured out I couldn't be fixed. That I could never be fixed again.
I hated myself, I really did.
'There's another voice.'
A beat of silence. His grip on my shoulders loosened. It felt like the room got colder. I felt so cold.
"Like... like Terra?" he asked softly.
Not like Terra. Not like Terra at all.
I shook my head.
'You blamed it on the poison. There was no poison.' his eyes widened and mine darted to the floor. I didn't want to see what I was so afraid of seeing. I didn't want to see that fear in his eyes again. 'I chose to do those things. It was me.'
The longer the silence stretched the more I wanted to bolt out that door again. I don't even know what I was expecting him to say. I don't know what I was waiting for, this wasn't some book where everything turns out okay in the end, not even the Hero of this story can make this better. I wanted to move but my feet were rooted in place as Naruto still hadn't let go of his hold on my shoulders.
I just was so tired.
'I can't control it.' I confessed, feeling all the strength leave my legs, I slowly sunk to the floor on my knees. Naruto let me go. 'She's going to get out again and I can't stop it from happening. I'm going to kill people and I won't even care.' I closed my eyes, feeling how they began to get hot. 'I don't want to be the person that doesn't care. That can kill without feeling anything.'
…what if I don't come back the next time she takes control? If she doesn't let me. I'm so scared.
I was scared I was already gone.
'I don't want to lose myself.'
Naruto's grip was around me again, tighter than before and it almost hurt as his nails dug into the skin of my arms. He began shouting at me, "You won't! You're NOT! Look at you, you care! You do care Sora-chan! And I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, okay? If that other Terra shows up then I'll just kick her ass back in where she came from dattebayo!" he said as if it was the most possible thing in the world. I wanted to laugh as I couldn't help feel like crying, I settled on a bitter smile that I'm sure looked as painful as it felt. It was so easy for him to say all this but be couldn't understand what I was going though. How could anyone understand? No one has lived my life. No one else has the same problems as I do, no one knows the things I know. Don't have to make decisions and plan for every little outcome so that it doesn't result in the end of the goddamned world.
But then again... I didn't really care about the world, did I?
I'd rather see it burn before it took his light. I'd light the match myself if they tried to take my sun away from me.
When did I stop caring?
I felt cool metal pressed against my forehead. I opened my eyes again and I couldn't stop the frown as violet met cerulean. Naruto had leaned forward so that our noses were almost brushing. His voice was soft and he sounded so sure.
"Listen, I know that I'm not the smartest or the best at listening and stuff but you gotta trust me when I say that you're not a monster." I felt my body shudder again. How could he be certain? His voice continued to raise until he was practically screaming in my face. "Monsters don't care who they hurt! They don't care who they hurt or-or who they kill! Monsters do whatever they want and don't care about anybody else! MONSTERS TEAR APART WHOLE GODDAMNED VILLAGES AND DESTROY LIVES!"
My eyes widened in horror.
I only just realized it.
His blue eyes were hard, so full of defiance and unbending resolve as his grip on me became painful.
"You are not a monster." he repeated.
Something finally snapped inside. A gasp escaped my lips and my vision blurred as I finally let the tears fall down.
I was such an idiot.
How could I have possibly been so stupid? Of course he understood. Naruto understood me better than anyone else. He knew about the fear. He understood having a monster of hate and pain inside him better than anyone in the whole damn world! A life he hadn't chosen with a burden he didn't deserve to have.
I am such an idiot.
'Sorry.' I told him with my shaking fingers, tears running down my face without care any more. 'Sorry.'
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry that I rely on you so much, I'm sorry that you have to keep picking up my pieces when I fall apart, I'm sorry I don't have this all figured out when I really should at this point. I'm sorry I'm not a better person. I'm sorry that I'm not stronger for you.
In the next second he wrapped his arms around my back and tucked my head under his chin, pressing me into his warm chest and holding onto me like I was going to fall to pieces if he dared let go. Too late for that. I buried my face in his neck and sobbed. "Stupid..." he said with much too much affection. Without fully letting me go, he reached down and hooked his fingers around mine. I snorted with a watery laugh at the seal he made with our joined hands.
It was the seal of reconciliation.
I let my head rest against his and smiled through my tears. A calmness settling in my heart even as I cried about the fear and the pain and everything that was wrong and would still be wrong tomorrow. And it would be... okay. It'd be okay because I still had my Hero.
We stayed like that awhile until Naruto's stomach made itself known, loudly and abruptly. He flushed pink and chuckled, embarrassed at a time like this with my snot coating the front of his jacket. He lifted a hand to wipe at his eyes that may or may not has been watering up and sniffed, looking over his shoulder and freezing.
"Ah... you're still here, bastard?"
…eh?
I lifted my face from where it was buried in my Hero's neck to see Sasuke was standing at the threshold of the door, the expression on his face looked constipated. I didn't notice him leave or come back so did that mean he'd been present for that whole breakdown? Bah. I was too tired to be bothered with how uncomfortable he is right now, that seems very much like a 'later' problem to me.
I spent another second squeezing Naruto and basking in his affection before I straightened up and scrubbed my face on these convenient bandages on my arm. I stood up and mustered a wobbly smile as I looked at my boys.
'I'm hungry.'
After arriving in the little cafeteria-looking place, Hinata had taken one look at me and swiftly began fussing over my still-swelling cheek and puffy, blood-shot eyes. I was highly amused when she shot Duckie a reproachful glare, more so when said Duck actually looked surprised at the silent accusation. Ah, I love my little Mouse.
The cafeteria itself was a fairly spacious room comfortably serving under a dozen-and-a-half chuunin dining on a... foodstuff that I dared not classify. Really, I've eaten some strange things in this Village but this really takes the cake. Meeting up with the rest of Team Eight, we all took our foodstuff and seated at a table out of the way of the chuunin. Hinata had taken the seat on my left while Naruto secured my right, Sasuke sitting on the other side of him while Shino sat across from Hinata with Kiba beside him. I had tried my best to act normally but I really just didn't feel up to it, as a result I didn't engage in dinner conversation much to everyone's notice and it became blatantly obvious that I was out of it. My mind was just too unfocused to follow along with any jokes or talk about who would win in a fight; Kakashi-sensei or Kurenai-sensei. -Kakashi, hands down- I couldn't stop thinking about what Naruto had told me, how I've been so blinded by my self-loathing I actually forgot the most critical part of what makes Naruto the Hero.
His boundless empathy.
He is such a better person than me. I can't even touch that damn ribbon without feeling like I took a kunai to the chest, and I can say that now because I know what that actually feels like. I tied my hair up with damned ninja wire this morning and stuffed that red reminder in the pages of my storage book. Unconsciously, I lifted the hand that wasn't pushing around rice with chopsticks up to my ear, running my fingers over the metal loops that somehow felt dirty now. I was angry with Kaa-chan, I felt betrayed because she had actually loved a real-deal villain. That had to have made her like his minion, right? I just couldn't understand it. It didn't matter when she was with him because that BASTARD had Tenzō, my Tenzō in a damned tank when he was a child, that's over twenty years ago Orochimaru had already been kidnapping children. If she only left him when she'd been pregnant with me... it didn't matter because she had been with him in the first place. I was angry with a woman who couldn't defend her actions, and I didn't know if I'd ever forgive her for it.
That hurt.
"Okay, I call bullshit!" Kiba announced around a mouthful of rice as he rudely pointed his chopsticks at Naruto's face, Shino shot him a look that went completely unnoticed/ignored. I was pulled from my depressing thoughts for a moment by the abruptness of the comment. "You guys did NOT liberate a country on your first C-Rank!"
"Yeah we did!" the Hero countered, mouth equally as full, "Tell'im, Sora-chan!"
I stopped playing with my food long enough for a smile to pull at the corners of my mouth as I signed, just a bit smugly because, brag rights. It felt normal. 'It was a small country,' I allowed. Kiba's eyes narrowed at me, 'They named the bridge after him and everything.'
Everyone stared.
"The... they what?" Naruto asked with wide eyes.
My smile grew. 'I was planning on getting you a map for your birthday and showing you then.' I confessed. I'd found out about the bridge name after I'd sent a couple letters to Tsunami-san in Wave just to check in on our hard work, making sure that the place hadn't gone to hell since the sudden vacuum of power we left behind. Also to subtly check in on Haku and Peaches, who were doing fine the last time Tazuna had seen them. After the whole fit of doubt and 'destiny' I felt after encountering the Sand siblings on the street I'd sent a letter to be delivered to the newly rebranded 'Dai-Nana-Umi Shipping Company', in hopes of it reaching Haku or something to find out from the source if they were doing all right.
I couldn't help it if I tried, I was a natural worrywart.
…I've yet to receive any kind of response back.
Duckie groaned from his seat as the Hero began to bounce ecstatically, shooting me a glare from around the blonde. "Why did you tell him that?" he grouched, actually kicking Naruto from under the table by the sounds of the yelp. I sympathized with the Duck, I really did. The Hero was going to be insufferable until it stops being awesome, which, it never will. Ever.
"You can't be serious!" the Inuzuka boy demanded, Akamaru barked in agreement with his partner. The incredulous expression on the boy's face made my smile widen just a bit more. Chatter resumed and I was a bit more lively until a voice called out from across the room.
"Sora-san!" I glanced up at the sound of my name and saw a grinning Rock Lee waving at me from where he and his team just entered. I froze in my place, chopsticks mid-air as my mind jumped back to the other day. Lee had been there, he came to help and got knocked unconscious because of it but he must of heard about what I did from his team. The unexpectedly hard look Neji was giving me told me he certainly hasn't forgotten. So what was he doing greeting me so cheerfully?
"Sora-san, I wish to-Grrrk!" Lee choked as he was suddenly jerked back by the collar of his jumpsuit. Tenten's grip was strong as the boy flailed in surprise, the brown-haired girl's other hand found a grip on Neji's sleeve and I watched as she hurriedly pulled her teammates back around the corner, ignoring how her Hyuuga teammate hissed at her for manhandling him.
We all stared blankly at the door, a number of the chuunin eating only gave our table a glance before ignoring what just happened like it never even existed in the first place. I think... that Tenten is terrified of me. That... makes me feel unexpectedly sad. A bitter smile pulled on the corners of my lips as I pushed my rice around my bowl idly.
I was afraid of me, too.
A shoulder leaned into my side and I glanced at Naruto giving me a questioning look in his blue eyes.
You okay?
The corner of my mouth quirked up before I gave the slightest nod in response.
I will be.
…I hope.
"What the hell was that about?" Kiba asked with another mouthful, Shino made a disapproving sound.
To my surprise it was Sasuke who answered, "Maybe they didn't like the look of the food." he said, also peering suspiciously at the... octopus-like substance -I'm hesitant to call it 'food'- at the end of his chopsticks. I was half-convinced by now that it was part of a caterpillar. Everyone turned back to their food with a grimace. Then reached for the rice in unison. The subject changed to Kiba grumbling about the food so naturally, you'd almost think the awkward encounter a moment ago never even happened. Like it just slipped everyone's mind. They definitely hadn't forgotten, they were just waiting for an opportunity to investigate now.
Shino was cool. I think. He might do information gathering of his own but I don't really see why he would if not to sate his own curiosity, we aren't really close enough to cause him to worry like Hinata. But he wasn't like Kiba or Ino either, he'd let it go if it even if we weren't close. We were comrades, and that was enough. Thus, Shino is cool. Kiba'll probably bark at each of us until he finds an acceptable explanation, and barring that he'll probably go confront Team Gai himself for the information should the opportunity show itself... if too much time hasn't passed and he isn't distracted with something else. I knew from the glances Hinata kept shooting, she was going to subtly inquire at some point. But, thankfully Hinata will immediately see how uncomfortable I am and completely dismiss it after that. That is why she is a love.
"Sora-chan..." said pale-eyed princess murmured, frowning delicately, "you haven't touched your rice in the last ten minutes."
I blinked.
Huh.
I immediately scooped up a mouthful and began eating my tasteless rice. Not brave enough to try anything else, though I will admit to being thoroughly amused when Kiba had dared Naruto to eat the meat-substitute.
The Hero had taken that dare with a grin.
It ended exactly as one would expect, with Naruto complaining about his stomach and Kiba complaining as well when he ended up getting the same dare from Naruto. Team Eight and Team Seven separated in the hall and we settled into our rooms. We prepared to go to bed for the day and then I did something I'd never thought I'd do.
I told Naruto and Sasuke about my Kaa-chan.
Don't ask me why because I still have no idea why I did it. Maybe it was because of everything else that had happened recently left me a special sort of vulnerable? Maybe I just... wanted to clean that out as well. Naruto had helped with the other stuff so... I was taking a leap? A big, scary, leap off a ledge that might end me up in Wonderland or pancaked at the bottom of a ravine?
Well, that's a cheerful thought.
But if I'm being completely honest with myself, I probably just wanted a reason to tell them about who Orochimaru actually was besides some psycho that terrorized us for fun. Wanted to explained a bit about what a 'Sannin' was. So, I told them everything I knew about mu Kaa-chan, about my time with her, about our house. About what I've recently learned from Orochimaru, her connection to him.
I told them about my life before coming Konoha.
Naruto sat right next to me the entire time, reaching for my hand every time I had to stop and collect myself when things got to be too much. I didn't cry though, I stop crying over what happened that night a long time ago. Their reactions were to be expected, Naruto showed turns of eagerness, sadness, anger, horror then back to sadness while Sasuke was completely stone-faced throughout the entire sordid tale. There was a heavy silence that followed after I told them about... That Night. About how I lost my voice. Naruto felt the pressure and tried to break the stifling air by saying something but I stopped him, holding his hand tightly intertwined with mine. There was nothing he could say to that. The past was the past and even he couldn't make it any better.
I didn't stop him from squeezing the air from my lungs when he hugged me afterwards though.
I... I wasn't okay, not by any means. I still felt like something was wrong inside, but... I took my first step to getting there. With Naruto helping me, not just being there but helping me, I'll take another step towards getting to that place. Provided there aren't too many pitfalls on the way, of course.
Baby steps, right?
Maybe one day I actually get there.
Hope. Hope is a nice feeling.
Dark Forest Arc,
Chapter Thirty-Five: "Who Needs Sleep"
END
A/N: Jeez, I got seriously emotional when writing this. Who knew it'd be so full of... yeah. That. Well, at least Sora isn't on that precarious edge anymore so yay! Next chapter is the prelims! So excited! So much happened in this chapter I don't even know how to cover it. All I know is that I didn't wan to keep dragging this on, we need some fights! Also, this is the beginning of a new Arc as we have to deal with the events of the preliminaries and the results of them! I hope you're excited for the match-ups!
Confession: I have a semi-weird habit of having some scene have a sort of soundtrack, a song that basically describes the feeling. Like just now with Sora and Naruto I kept listening to 'Glowing In The Dark' by Loving Caliber and 'Safe And Sound' preformed by... well, anyone. I do that for a lot of these scenes. The fight with Orochimaru was 'Welcome to the Jungle' by Guns N' Roses, lots of stuff like that.
I would love, love, love to find more things to say but... I am dead tired. Too tired to even check for editing mistakes. I'mma just post this and finally get some sleep. Maybe some Mac'n'cheese. You guys are sooooo worth the effort though, love 'ya.
Author Question!
"Okay semi-weird question, what is your favorite scent? Seriously. Any scent, a food, a flower, someone's cologne. Share, don't share, it's fine. I'll still love you."
My favorite scent would have to be the smell of water on hot cement. Weird huh? Well, growing up in California I learned that it was always hot and it never rained, so, when it actually did rain, everywhere smelt like that and there would FINALLY be a reprieve from the blistering heat. After years I still associate that smell with relief, a calm felling, if you will.
Mmm, 'till next time! Wuv yew all!
-Nanami