Scarlet Justice - ep. 06
"Early Lessons"

I awake and stir on my own. Luna is sleeping in - I made sure to order her to.

A brief shower in my new bathroom...the water chills me to the bone at first and takes far too long to warm up. But I shrug it off easily and finish washing up before getting dressed. Today's outfit is important, and so I decide not to rock the boat too much.

Something modest will work well. A dark blue shirt with sleeves that flare out starting from the elbow, and black pants that are rolled up to my ankles. Simple and honest.

I make myself breakfast, which is easy enough. Midori and Luna took me through a few simple dishes. Today will be eggs and toast, with a glass of milk. Everything is set after I eat and wash my dishware. I slip into my blue shinobi sandals and wiggle my toes a bit. This is comfortable enough, surely. The key on the table is attached to the end of the short chain attached to my belt, which dips into my pocket. I leave the apartment, lock the door quietly, and head down the single flight of stairs to the bottom.

Mid-town of the Hidden Leaf. A relatively wealthy part of the village, as evidenced by the fact that our modest-looking apartment costs quite a bit in comparison to homes further away. It's early and this city-state - nothing else seems to describe it as accurately - is already lively. People are moving quickly along the sides of the streets, with merchants setting up shop. Carts and small vehicles occupy the middle of the roads as they occasionally pass. There are all sorts of characters here...shinobi and civilians blend together as I walk. My feet take me through the growing crowds towards the Shinobi Academy, which isn't very far away. Or, it doesn't seem like it after all of the training from a few weeks ago.

City life seems busy, but not terribly bad. I will definitely get used to this. Before my mother died, we would take occasional trips down to the closest city, and explore for a few hours. Living out on the estate, however...it had definitely spoiled me. Some habits would have to be shaken away properly, and soon.

The Academy building is welcoming from the outside, with neatly cut grass bordering a sensible concrete path that leads up to the front. It seems like a normal school, but the children here are training to become soldiers. Some would take a different career path, most likely, while others would devote themselves to the military full time. I wonder what my fate will be, even as my parents have deemed this a short experiment. It's possible I might be suited for this life above all others.

I head inside with greetings from some of the instructors. It seems that I am still quite early. The cafeteria is open, and I check in to see that they serve light breakfast before classes. Perfect. This will take some more pressure off of Luna...I really want to learn to navigate everything on my own. And this is an opportunity to get some more dairy in my system. I think of Luna and Midori. Yes, a few extra helpings of milk won't hurt.

Before I leave, there is one more important thing.

"Excuse me, ma'am," I say to the cook behind the counter.

"Yes, honey. What did you need?"

"Do you happen to have curly fries on your menu?"

"Every day, kiddo. We serve them for lunch and for late snacks."

I nod, feeling quite pleased.

School looks to be a fantastic place.

Attendance is important. Emi has told me this more than once in the past few weeks.

Her voice rings in my head as I walk to the designated classroom. Early, but not too early. I feel I have the timing down correctly for a neat and proper first appearance.

"..."

Hm. I wonder what my classmates are like.

There's some shuffling around before I decide to slide the door open.

And something drops onto my head.

The object bounces on the floor in front of me before coming to a stop. An...eraser? That's for...a cloud of dust is falling over my face. I cough and wheeze, inadvertently breathing in the dust and making it worse. It enters my nose, it settles on my clothing and is sprinkled all over my feet. There's so much chalk dust...

Through my teary eyes I can see that nobody is coming to help. They're almost all laughing, and as I clear my vision, I can see that a boy in an orange jumpsuit is laughing hardest of all, clutching his stomach. There's one person in front with black hair who isn't laughing, but...the smug, pitying look he gives me is just as awful.

A prank. Just for fun.

They're all making fun of me, the little foreign girl. The one with her fair skin and scarlet hair, the one who kept sticking out like a sore thumb. Painful memories come rushing back. Nothing had changed.

How cruel.

"What's going on here...?"

I turn my head to see someone else enter the classroom. He must be our sensei...his hair is tied back, and he wears a green military vest. There's a headband with a leaf etched into the metal - the village symbol, I remember. He also has a scar going across the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, no. You're...I'm really sorry about this," he says to me. From what I can tell, he's serious about his work and clearly cares about his students.

"Sensei...it's fine." I was used to this, after all. The shaming, the shunning...all of it.

"It's not fine." He sighs. "Sorry again." I feel him carefully help me get some of the chalk out, touching as much as he thinks he reasonably can before backing off. "Let's get you introduced properly. My name is Iruka Umino, and you can just call me Iruka-sensei like everyone else. Welcome to the Hidden Leaf. I really hope you have a better time than this the rest of the semester..."

Iruka-sensei makes sure we've removed as much of the chalk as possible, then leads me to the front of the classroom. I stand at attention, numb to everything as he writes my name on the board.

"Alright, listen up! Get back into your seats and get your eyes up here, on the double!" The class settles down and complies. "Good. Okay, today we have a new student. I'll let her introduce herself." He nods to me.

"..."

I think about what I want to do. I really should be polite. I should follow the rules, the social contract, all of those things that I've been taught.

Right.

These cowardly little brats don't deserve that much. I will deny them the courtesy they expect, and supply my own.

"My name is Lilith Kobayashi," I say tonelessly. "I look forward to working with all of you."

They start to snicker at me, with chalk still in my hair. I slowly let my lips curl upwards.

And without restraint, I smile.

I force malice through it, letting them see my sharp teeth. I thoroughly enjoy watching the fools squirm and shake in their seats. I close my mouth, and they remain frozen in fear as I walk down the middle aisle, towards the empty seat near the back of the classroom. Iruka-sensei seems thrown off by my introduction and is taking time to find himself.

As I reach my desk, I hear unsubtle movements. It seems that I now have plenty of space to myself. Hm.

I suppose I will not be making friends any time soon, but that should be fine. I've managed before.

Something curious. A timid looking girl with pure white eyes is sitting nearby. She's out of place compared to her classmates, because her desk has not moved an inch since I arrived. She looks at me quickly before burying her head in her notes, or trying to with little success. I wonder. Is she too frightened to move, or just too stupid to understand the message I sent earlier?

I suppose I will find out. I sit, and Iruka-sensei gets control of the class again.

Lunch is predictable. Everyone moves away from me and I sit alone with my curly fries.

"Mm."

They're quite good, even without ketchup. I can get used to this.

Class ends after a slow day, and I head home with a few books in hand. Tomorrow I will carry my backpack with the essential items for each of my classes, now that I know what is necessary. Today I have gone through reading, writing, and chakra control. Iruka-sensei says that the other items will come later, but that it looks like I won't have trouble catching up.

I tell Luna about my day. She's very upset after seeing me come home with the chalk in my hair, but I manage to calm her down.

"I don't disapprove of your use of intimidation, especially after what they did...but it'll be hard to make new friends. If you're okay with that, then I understand. You'll always have my support and that of Lady Midoriko." She muses a bit as she herds me into the bathroom. "Your teacher, Master Umino...he seems very nice. I hope there are more teachers like him around."

Luna tells me that she's found some things to occupy her time. She's joined a dance group and an outdoor painting group that meets twice a week. That would be good for her. I don't need her waiting on me hand and foot any longer...I think I need to grow up a bit.

She washes my hair carefully and tenderly as we take a bath together, and I help wash hers in return. We take a soak together and chat about our new lives so far. After getting out, she gets to work cooking me dinner. Grilled salmon and spicy curly fries.

Today will end on a good note as a result.

The weeks pass. I endure being ostracized by the class. Iruka-sensei does his best to help every day, but it doesn't result in progress. He looks after Naruto a whole lot, I notice. He's a child who craves attention, and that was the reason behind the prank he pulled on me.

We pass each other in the halls from time to time, and he seems lost in his own world. Sometimes...he seems different. Like he's drained of energy. I don't know for sure what his home life is like.

Basic ninjutsu comes into my grasp as classes continue, and with great ease. Body substitution, clone arts, body flickering, and water walking are all learned quickly. Iruka-sensei praises me and offers small tips, which I internalize for better results. Within a short period of time, I end up near the top ranks of my year...this bothers the pink haired girl - Sakura Haruno - and her blonde frenemy - Ino Yamanaka. They're vying for a certain boy's attention.

Sasuke Uchiha.

Supposedly, he's important. I remember that he wasn't having fun at my expense on that day, but he seems like the kind of person who cares about his ego more than anything. He was still looking down on me. Pitying me like I was trash.

Naruto is a loudmouth. He's predictably at the bottom of the class, despite declaring himself Sasuke's rival. A buffoon, to be sure.

I investigate and get the name of the timid girl who sits near me without fail. Our desks have been rearranged so that I'm squarely in the back corner, and she is now beside me. Her name is Hinata Hyuuga, I learn from overhearing gossip. She is an elite, a high born girl just like I am. But...she's different. Much different.

I wonder what she's really like.

Iruka-sensei sends me home at the end of the day with more books.

"Lilith, is everything okay?"

"Yes, sensei."

"Are you sure?" He means to put his hand on my shoulder but stops. I sigh and place it there for him.

"I'm sure, sensei. Thank you for watching over me. I'm growing quickly thanks to that."

"Hehe, I think you would have done that much on your own. Listen, if you ever need to talk, it would be between us. No pressure."

"I understand. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Bright and early!" He grins, and...hm. It's so much like Naruto that it seems uncanny.

Perhaps the reason he always puts up with Naruto's antics is...I see. It makes a lot more sense now. He really is kind.

"Sensei, remember to get your rest also. I wouldn't want to see you burn out."

"Right. I promise I'll take care of myself." He lightly pats my shoulder before moving away.

I leave the classroom for home, and wonder on his kindness. Something tells me that someone with that big a heart must be carrying immense pain alongside it. One day, when I'm older...I will find a way to properly comfort him.

He deserves that and much more.