Author's notes: Ah, after months of mulling over this idea in my head, I finally decided to write it down. I'm open to suggestions, and hope for a lot of feedback. So...enjoy! I don't have much else to say at this point, haha.

Disclaimer: All characters except Miya, the Naritas and Taiki are copyright of Kishimoto. The rest are of my own creation.

CHAPTER 1

The intense scream shook her from head to toe, and startled her out of sleep. The night air was heavy around her. Another scream closer to her room pierced the night, but was cut short with dead silence pervading. Terrified and wide awake, she fumbled in the darkness through her room, searching for a garment to pull over her bedclothes. She listened hard: nothing. Her heart beat madly in her chest, and with shaking fingers, she slid open the screen door slowly. A putrid stench filled her nostrils at the first draft of outside air, and she gasped in horror at the dead woman lying before her.

The blood was just beginning to sink into the floorboards. Her voice caught in her throat. She felt someone watching her and she looked up only to catch a blur of movement pass in front of her eyes. A form settled on the other side of the slain body. It had a familiar shape and size, and when it stepped into moonlight, she recognized it instantly.

An ache weighed heavy in her stomach and on her heart as she stared at a pair of glowing red eyes. What demon is this, she thought. There was a lust in them: an unsatisfied hunger, but just as much, a hesitation.

"…Go."

What?

"…Go!"

She shook her head slowly, standing to her feet, but couldn't move an inch further. Tears began to burn in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.

"You will not be spared unless you leave now. This is your last warning."

His words were spoken in a dark voice. He isn't himself, she thought. He couldn't…. A silver sliver shined beneath the moonlight before slashing across her chest. A searing pain wrenched her body, and the words "go" rung in her ears as she turned and ran. Her path was dark, the wound burning as the wind beat against it.

Miya opened her eyes, the hue of early dawn illuminating her small room. She laid there a minute or two before sitting up, her tangled hair falling over her shoulders. She looked over at the window and smiled a little. The sky was clear today.

Pulling her bed coverings off her legs, she neatly folded her sleeping mat and sheets and set them in a corner, beginning to dress in her work clothes. She braided back her hair and left her room to enter the common room where Mrs. Narita began preparing breakfast.

"Ah, good morning, Miya, dear," said Mrs. Narita cheerfully. The girl nodded with a smile and bent over the toolbox near the door, sifting around for a weeding knife. The woman watched Miya for a while, her small, squinty eyes glinting with careless happiness. Her chubby face was already flushed from leaning over a cooking fire.

"You're not going to help me again?" said Mrs. Narita, as she turned around to continue preparing breakfast. "I don't know why you insist on doing such hard labor when you could help me cook and clean inside."

"I like it," Miya said. "It's a fair price for the trouble I cause."

"Oh stop with all this trouble nonsense!" replied Mrs. Narita, chopping a little louder with her knife. "Why, I remember when my husband first brought you here." She paused, looking up towards the ceiling. "Poor thing, you were all bloody and pale. Thin as a twig! I don't think you'd have survived another night if Shuichi hadn't taken a walk that night..."

Miya pulled the knife out of the box, and eyeing the blade carefully, excused herself from the room. She wasn't fond of reminiscing, hardly remembering her life before arriving to the small farm. She had strange dreams often, though: an older woman yelling at her, a half written formal address sitting by candle light, a boy with piercing eyes. She saw him almost every night.

Taiki was already hacking away at weeds on the far end of the field. Mr. Narita was standing near him, ever watchful of his helping hand. Narita had very leathery skin, due to years working out in the sun. His eyes were unsettling to watch, very beady and partially hidden beneath the wrinkles around his sockets. Miya walked out towards the southern corner and began to cut at the weeds overgrowing the crops.

"What are you doing?" Mr. Narita demanded, surprising her with how quickly he'd arrived to her side.

"Weeding," Miya responded simply. Precise, quick answers were the only ways to speak to Mr. Narita. He was an easily irritated man, especially with her.

"Be done by the afternoon," he said sternly, walking away from her. Miya sighed, looking over the expanse of her quarter then leaned over and went back to work.

------

Miya exhaled, standing to her feet after pulling the last weed her sore fingers could hold. She wiped the sweat from her brow and glanced over as the village boy did the same, arching his back. Taiki gave her a goofy grin, noticing her look, a tooth or two visibly missing.

"You're getting a lot better!" he chirped. Miya formed a small smile and turned away quickly. He is not doing this again, she thought.

"You, um…" Taiki started awkwardly. "You doing anything…? I mean, later?" She glanced back at him. His eyes were focused on the ground and his hand was nervously rubbing at his arm.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Miya asked.

"What? Oh!" Taiki crossed his arms then, looking embarrassed. He doesn't have to be so nervous, Miya thought. Silence fell between them. He was handsome, but he was a year younger than her and his mind wasn't at the same level as his body.

"So," Taiki resumed, having found the courage to look at her. "If, you're, uh, not busy…"

"No," said Miya calmly. "I don't think I'll have the time today." She saw disappointment cross his face.

"W-well, ya know, if it turns out you don't have anything, don't forget to come find me," Taiki said, putting on his bright grin for her before a disgruntled Mr. Narita called for him on the opposite end of the field, and he left.

Miya watched him leave, then sat down on the earth between the crop rows and pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin between them. There was something she longed for that Taiki couldn't give her: an empty place where only a feeling of a memory remained. She closed her eyes. There was darkness for a long while before a boy appeared, his back facing her. It was the same boy she had seen so often in her dreams. Dark clothes, dark hair, but in the middle of his back, there was a symbol. She furrowed her brow a moment, a name emerging just as the image was fading. She wanted to hold on to both, but the image was gone. Opening her eyes, she let the name fall from her lips. "Uchiha."

The wind rustled lightly through the trees that evening, warm air circulating inside the house. Mrs. Narita had just set down the last dish for dinner when Mr. Narita stepped into the door. Miya looked up as he entered, distracted from sewing a patch on an old pair of pants for a second.

"Oh, welcome home dear!" cried Mrs. Narita. " Is all well?"

"First, let me eat," he grunted at her, sitting down at the table and eyeing the food. His constant scowl made it hard to distinguish his displeasure or pleasure with anything, but his twisted face unwound itself a bit as he breathed in the smell of his meal. "Mmm, what is this…?"

"Just enjoy it," Mrs. Narita replied, keeping her back turned to him. There was a long pause of silence and Miya looked up again, wondering why. Looking at the meal on the table, she understood. There was an especially rich choice of meats set before them, as well as a special recipe Mrs. Narita only saved for special occasions, and when they had budgeted for it. Mr. Narita eyed his wife then took a second look at the meal.

"Rie, how much did you spend on this," he asked sternly.

"It's a special night! Miya has been with us for 4 years now! You know we always celebrate," she said in defense.

"Woman, how much did you spend!" he demanded, standing up. Miya watched, holding her breath. They celebrated her rescue every year, but there was always some argument about money that followed.

"It…it was just 6,000 yen, dear, please" Mrs. Narita started.

"Six thousand!" Mr. Narita looked incredulous. "We don't have that kind of money to spend on one meal! "

"Dear, it's a special—"

"What will we eat for the next month?" Mr. Narita demanded, his face red with anger. Miya looked down, starting to sew the patch again. She hated when they argued. The Naritas had no children of their own, and Mrs. Narita had taken a quick liking to her, treating her as her own daughter. Mr. Narita was not as fond of her.

A sharp clack of the screen door ended the argument. He would be too upset that night to eat. Mrs. Narita stood with her gaze low, wearing the kind of expression little kids have when they've been harshly scolded for what seemed just in their eyes. Miya rose from her place and sat by the table. Giving thanks for the meal, she sat quietly again, looking over at Mrs. Narita. The plump woman gave her a small smile and joined her side, both beginning to eat.

Stay tuned for Chapter 2...

Also, I'll be using this section to respond to comments, so please leave some. Thank you!