I just realized that I broke the 10,000 word mark that I set for myself! Now I just have to set the bar higher and if this story keeps going as I plan for it to…who knows how long it'll be! Hell, I haven't even gotten her to Konoha! Which will be in the next chapter, not this one!
Now you're going to find out about real life and how Fate works her hand. Be ready for her unforgiving nature.
Disclaimer- …(grumble) I REFUSE TO RUB THIS FAILURE IN MY FACE!
Quote- "True beauty shines from the soul and warms the world with its kindness, compassion, and integrity."
Chapter Five
Her Guiding Star
When something goes wrong in our lives, sometimes we scream out that it isn't fair, and then the person next to you automatically points out that life isn't fair. It shall never be. The world wasn't created to make ones life heaven because our idealistic place is different for everyone and we cannot all live in separate dimensions. It just doesn't work that was and it shall never be.
Fate works in mysterious ways and in the breath of a second, another life is crushed beneath her unforgiving heel whether they are guilty or innocent. It does not matter to her as we are all mortal souls. True love can be ripped away and torn apart in an instant without remorse. Family members die, best friends move away, but life goes on. Wars are fought with like pawns on a chessboard and many pieces are sacrificed to reach the ultimate goal, victory. Though are the lost really worth it; the pieces thrown about carelessly and no matter how much time has past, they are still lost? They can never be replaced or brought back the same if they were damaged.
The blame is placed upon others when something goes incredibly wrong because it is never our fault. We are mortals, we live to make mistakes. It is our fault and it shall forever be. That does not mean that the pain from a passed on soul can ever go away. It cannot. The wounds however can be healed though some never have enough time to completely form new skin over the wound. Some remain forever scabbed over, blocked from further injury but always a reminder that the process isn't complete.
However, filling the hole with the hopes of a new beginning, of starting over, can provide the healing needed to continue on with life.
Never give up for miracles are all around us with angels watching our every step on the path of life.
And not all angels are in the forms of ethereal beings with wings, sometimes they can be that one person that catches you when you fall. They are looking out for you.
Never give in for Fate is not written in stone and at every path there is a forked road. Take the one less traveled.
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"I hate you, squirrelly man."
It was silent for a moment before a loud thunk presented itself in the quiet forest.
"Cheer up, Daisy!"
"Stop calling me that!" The girl indignantly interrupted, grumbling while rubbing her now sore shoulder that her sensai had brutally abused. Ever since she attacked him with her Earth jutsu, the man hadn't stopped calling her that "affectionate" nickname. Oh, he knew that it annoyed the hell out of her. He definitely knew from the scowls she sent his way and the many promises of bodily harm that would be inflicted upon him, but he continued anyway. She personally thought that he liked to just see how many times he could say it without her rounding on him and getting in their daily spar.
So far they've had at least five a day. Sometimes, it went up to seven and on those days her fuse was oh so very short with her "mature adult father" and he usually made her end up hanging upside down from a branch.
Two days afterwards, Amaya had mastered tree climbing after getting it into her head that the sapphire sphere that imprisoned her amethyst flames could be broken into and drawn out in small increments. Water walking however needed working on. Of course her first try were on rapids, but there wasn't another source of water anywhere near them at the time and it was the best that they could do at the moment. She had failed miserably. But now she was sure that if the time came, the girl would know how to swim, and if needed be, shoot out of the water like a cannon for an aerial attack. Amaya learned this when she fell in and was swept away by the current. And if you must know, the water was freezing cold!
The both of them had been training every day now for almost every hour that filled the day. The jounin wanted his pupil to be the best that she could be. Amaya's reasoning was that if he banged her on the head enough times, her memory would finally come back and with them came the knowledge on how to kick his ass. Hoshi highly doubted that would ever happen, but to just disprove her theory, he kicked her into the wall of a nearby house. It didn't work and the ninja-in-training had a five second concussion. The only apology she got for her pain was a shrug and a pat on the head…which only made her crouch in pain from the banging inside her skull.
The both of them now had been walking for a few days, maybe a week now, towards her guardian's hometown. Amaya was walking blind. She had no idea where she was going, but at times she couldn't care less about it. Other times, the ninja-in-training often wondered if Hoshi suffered from brain trauma as a child. It would really explain some of the…odd things that he did. Like his forms of punishments included her being tied up to a tree, or hanging upside down from it.
"Anyway," he continued, "I've got a proposition for you…"
Before the jounin could finish however, "Daisy" just had to interrupt, "I am not going to be your distraction again no matter how many promises of new jutsus you give me!"
He sighed, "I wasn't going to-"
Amaya rounded on him, pointing a finger in his face with a growl forming in her throat. "Nope! I'm not going to fall for it this time! When this sort of subject came up before, it included me running around like a chicken with its head cut off just so you could get away without paying for dinner!"
Her teacher just sheepishly grinned, "Well, it seems that I've…misplaced-"
"That was your excuse last time we stopped in a town! Oh, and how is it that I seem to be washing dishes every time you plan out one of your brilliant schemes?"
"Umm, bad luck I guess?" he answered with a hand behind his head and a blush starting to form on his weathered cheeks. His hitai-ate covered his entire head, sometimes drifting into his laughing sea green eyes. The man may be clueless at times, but he did have a big heart. He just had to have one, if just for taking an amnesiac girl into his life.
They continued to fight with one another, father and daughter, although it seemed as if their relationship was entirely different, almost like brother and sister. It seemed that neither had a high maturity level. Amaya's pointed out that was because of her not knowing how to act. Hoshi on the other hand had no excuse. He was just weird, caring but weird all the same.
Their journey to Konoha was not all fun and games…to Amaya. Her Guardian thought that it was hilarious when he pinned her to random trees with his kunai and shuriken. At times he would want to make "snow angels"; however this included a mud hole and the impressions of her body, causing her need to have many fresh clothes. Her favorite outfit for today included baggy navy pants with odd pockets covering them here and there. The girl couldn't believe how many weapons she could hide under her person! Her top included that of one of her sensai's jounin shirt with the red swirls since hers had already gotten torn from shuriken practice.
Not even did Amaya know how to sow, but the man decided to see how many holes he could put in her without drawing blood. Sometimes she could swear that she was not just his student, but his experiments for the book he must be writing, called "101 Ways to Make Student Shish-Kebab".
But of course her genius of a father "misplaced" his money…or he never had any. Anyways it was usually up to her to ask for odd-jobs around the villages that they stayed at to pay for her toiletries.
Fortunately, it was not for nothing. Now she had the skills if she wanted to become a carpenter. Amaya couldn't recall how many shingles on a rood that she had to repair, or the numerous times that she banged her finger with the hammer. Hoshi had told her that ever Genin had to go through this, so he assigned her "missions". Babysitting, cooking, cleaning, walking pets or finding lost ones, and the one she could never forget was the incident with the rat infestation of a shabby apartment. It turned out that her sensai was deathly afraid of mice. The man could jump through a burning building, infiltrate a highly secure base, and assassinate dangerous criminals without a blink of his jade eyes, but he couldn't come within ten feet of a rodent. Both of them knew that the other would never live that down.
So their two week journey became a month's worth of walking and training. There was nothing that she would rather do. Every day the two became closer and after every sparring session, the girl was given a hug and a loving kiss to the top of her head.
There was no explaining how much her heart lifted when that one person gave her a smile that showed he cared. No one else mattered in the world as long as he was there to guide her when she became lost. Maybe she would never know how much she herself changed Hoshi's own world, but maybe someday she would know, but for now, these little things only brought them closer together.
"Well, you're the most unlucky squirrel-man I've ever met."
With her comment, the two began to walk again in silence. The silence part was what worried Amaya. Since when did Hoshi let her get away with her comments? He always had a retort to her sarcasm and insults. Was he alright? Something was up. Her light footsteps on the nonexistent path of the forest crunched intentionally on a nearby stick that echoed throughout. Not even did one bird stir within the confines of the trees. Eyes of the storm casually swept around her, marking every leaf and every branch. Nothing, she could tell was out of place. However, no matter how many times she tried to shrug off the utter creepiness, shivers ran up and down her spine making the hair at the back of her neck stand on end.
Something was wrong.
Her usual nerves of steel began to bend a bit under her weariness. There were enemies about so why didn't they show themselves? Were they looking for the opportune moment? How strong were they, and how many? Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Amaya examined her sensai with a lazy eye. From a common viewpoint, the guy looked completely at ease with his surroundings as if not a care in the world bothered him. However, as her eyes drifted off, an absent scratch to the back of his head put the ninja-in-training on guard. He had signaled with three fingers, thumb, forefinger, and middle, and his pinky was pointing straight up into the canopy.
Stretching her hands up high into the air with fingers outstretched, she yawned and then brought them back down to Earth again. It seemed like a pointless gesture, but when her hands had begun to fall, Amaya had unlatched the straps of her kunai and shuriken holders that were hidden among her body with a simple flick of her wrist. If Hoshi had even bothered to tell her how many enemies were around, then it was something to worry about and the girl wanted to be as prepared as she could be. Now she could see how far she had advanced. However, she thought as her eyes closed to summon her chakra, all battles, no matter their size, were entirely different from training. The enemy was unpredictable and wouldn't stop short of killing to gain a victory.
And neither would she. Hoshi was too important to her for a conscience to grow. If it came to it, the girl vowed, she would kill. Besides, isn't that what ninjas did? It was in their way, their nindo; their code and their way of life. Maybe it was not right to take away life when it was just beginning to live. Survival of the fittest came into play and with it came the rules which meant that the stronger lived to see another day while the weak died. That was how it worked. Amaya had no control over how the world worked, but the one thing that she could do was to change the laws to her favor. She did not have to like it, but to just learn to deal with it.
I'm ready.
As soon as her eyes opened, the horrible truth of war revealed itself. It was an ambush! Everything was in chaos and for a second all the girl could do was stand dumbly with wide eyes at the enemy. Not even did she have time to fully blink before a smirking face came into her line of sight with a kunai coming straight for her. Relying purely on her instincts, her fingers snapped up a pair of her own weapons and blocked the blow by crisscrossing the blades as they had done many times before in her spars. With the deflected blow, Amaya shook her head to be rid of distracting thoughts and entered the fray of battle with a determined look upon her face.
Only sparing a quick glance in her sensai's direction to see him taking on two…ninjas on his own. The symbol that was displayed upon their forehead was one that she had not seen before. It was a single musical note upon a metal background. Sidestepping then ducking under a combination of kicks and punches, her attention was forced back into her match right before a fanged snake came hurling right towards her, poison spitting from its mouth. Absently, Amaya smirked at the oncoming jutsu and flipped her hands into the seal of the horse (Uma) with fingers interlocking within one another, and then instantly into the fearsome tiger (Tora) with fingers pointed underneath her mouth. Drawing a deep breath and swirling her chakra into both her palms and lungs, she unleashed her attack.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" (Flame Type: Powerful Fireball Technique)
Expelling her breath, and instead of air came a great burst of fire that consumed the Snake. Her mouth shut as her chakra immediately depleted from its usage, but it did its job. Maybe a little too well. Around her the forest burned from her incredible attack. Before, she had planned to use it against Hoshi as a surprise attack, but it worked just as well in this match. Actually, Amaya was a little surprised that it worked so well, but she put it off because she figured that since her chakra symbolized a flame, she must specialize in fire.
Unfortunately, her technique came at a sacrifice and because of her streak of overconfidence; the price that she had to pay was much too high. Her inexperience in the real world left her vulnerable. The Snake had been a diversion. A trick into tempting her to block it instead of dodging. It worked only too well. From behind her came the hold of death. A hand clasped around her neck and slammed her into the trunk of an old oak. Her back painfully connected with its bark and a warm river began dripping down her side. Struggling for all that the little ninja was worth, Amaya worked to free herself, using anything that she could think of to be let go. However, the grip around her throat was too strong and was cutting off her air supply which became emptier at each attempt too release herself.
The other hand of her attacker rose up and gripped her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his own. Her hands which were clawing at her prison, stilled at the monster she was looking at and dropped down beside her. The eyes that were a window to the soul. Hoshi's were a portal that brought her into the illusion of a field of grass that stretches on for miles and miles. A picture of innocence but what hides in the field is the predators of his past. What was there chilled her to this very day. These were the eyes from her nightmare. The slit pupils paralyzed her, drawing her into a void of helplessness. Since Amaya had woken up in this strange place, she felt fear. A hiss emitted from her captor's throat and out drew a forked tongue that slithered around her face as if smelling her. The clawed fingers clenched tighter around her windpipe cutting off any possibility of breathing in air.
"I hate spies; they always seem to get in the way. The punishment is death for their interference." The way that his words were spoken caused a chill to race down her spine. She was truly afraid of this…this monster. What was he speaking of, though? Her "missions" had not included his alleged accusation of spying. "However," he hissed with his tongue waving about in the air. "You do not seem familiar. Maybe by giving you a small demonstration of what my ninjas do to spies, you'll never be tempted to do the same."
He blinked and his hypnotic spell released her from its clutches as well as his hand which prevented her from breathing. Instead he pinned her to the tree and moved to the side to begin a new nightmare that will haunt her for many years to come. There was her teacher, her guardian, her father. He was held in the arms of the other two ninjas that he had been fighting almost moments before. His body was sagged over and his breath ragged as if only drawing air into his lungs was a deathly chore. Blood dripped from all over his body. Various weapons were lodged in his body. One of his legs bent at the wrong angle and a hole was punctured into the left side of his chest with fang marks marking the entry wound. His once proudly worn Hitai-ate had been ripped from his head and brown hair that matched the earth spilled from his head in rivulets. He truly was a handsome man. Worthy of a hero's death. Tears filled her storm blue eyes, but nothing else could be done. Her body seemed to shut down on itself at seeing Hoshi like this. A whimper escaped her throat, her mind denying what was right before her.
Shakily, her father's head lifted up form his chest and stared right at her, his beautiful emerald orbs partly glazed over. A smile slowly began to form on his face and a twinkle in his eyes chased away the grayness of death. She knew that he wouldn't live, but she couldn't believe it. She wouldn't accept it. Not even Fate could be that cruel. His mouth opened to speak to her but a cough racked his body and blood ran down his chin and collected in a puddle beneath him. Cruel chuckles filled the clearing and the source was right next to her ear.
"Konoha's ninjas are truly pathetic, are they not? Kill him."
As the arm rose to strike the killing blow, something inside Amaya's body snapped. The blue ring that imprisoned her purple fire shattered once more like on the day of her appearance here. It blazed wildly encompassing her entire being until it manifested itself outside her body. Her storm blue eyes bled into Amethyst and a heart-wrenching scream tore from her throat in a primal roar. How Dare This Monster Take Something Away From Her! HE HAD NO RIGHT! The hand that had held her captive recoiled back from the painful violet flames that surrounded the girl. With lightning fast speed, Amaya tore herself from her prison and shot her arm out and skewered the Sound Ninja, which held her father, through the chest. Let him suffer Hoshi's pain, she thought. The man died instantly with his eyes open in shock before being incinerated by her wildfire. What were left of him were only ashes that blew away into the wind. The other one immediately fled into the trees to escape her lust for revenge.
Forgetting the coward for the moment, her head slowly turned to glare at her own opponent who only watched her with calculating eyes. He was the cause for this. HE made this happen! HE was responsible for her pain!
"Who are you to be surprisingly strong at a young age? I recognize no resemblance to that corpse. And surely that foolish old man would not let a ninja of such power slip under his nose."
The monster silently stepped closer and with each step, his foul presence threatened to swallow her within itself. Her Amethyst flames rose up in anger and warning for him to not come an inch farther. Thankfully, her threat forced him to remain still, but his words were free to poison the air around them.
"I, however, do not plan to make the same mistake. With me, your chakra could reach new heights; surpass any idiot warrior with ease. You only need to join me to gain absolute power. I am Orochimaru, the next leader of this age. What is your answer to my offer?"
"I am the Rain that comforts the helpless. I am the Night that protects the weak. I am Amaya, daughter of Hoshi Nashitaka. And I am the shadow that shall forever be chasing at your heels. I call for your death Orochimaru and not even your snakes can prevent me from crushing you beneath my heel like the slithering coward that you are! That is my answer!"
"Hn. Hn. Hn. Very well, little one."
Without blinking an eye, the monster appeared behind her bringing down his hand upon her neck, ignoring the burns caused by it. Her flames disappeared and she dropped like a stone onto the forest floor.
"We shall meet again and until then, remember these words: Through power we gain victory and the weak are eliminated until only the strong remain."
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Crystal like tears fell one by one onto the mound of earth that covered the body of her dear father. In her hands she clutched the Daisies that were her offering to the dead. A stone slab sat upon the grave with the words 'Here Lies Hoshi Nashitaka, Beloved Husband, and Loving Father.' It wasn't much, but it was all she could think of in her grief. Carefully laying her flowers down one at a time until there was sixteen; Amaya gave her prayers for his safe journey in the afterlife. Beside her were all his possessions that the girl would give to any of his family. Her left hand clenched the symbol of the ninja before tying it wearily on her forehead. She finally stood up from her knees, absently brushing off the dirt that had collected on her pants from the many hours of kneeling.
Picking up Hoshi's Jounin vest and being mindful of the purple bruises that depicted the image of a handprint slipped it on and tearfully zipped it up. She threw both their packs over her shoulders and saying a final goodbye, Amaya made the journey to Konoha, alone. Maybe her body on the mortal plane had no one around her, but in her heart she held the loving memory of her dear guardian, her teacher, and her guiding star. She looked up into the sky and picked out the shining light that would lead her north and absently thought that it was twinkling back at her, like Hoshi's eyes did whenever he looked at her.
She would never forget him and when she reached his hometown, Amaya would make sure that everyone else knew of the hero that was her father.
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OH MY GOD! I cried writing this! I cannot believe that I typed this up! How could I do that! Don't worry, things will get better!
