A Little Bit of Misery
A/N: A/N: Ok...so we only got one review but hey! We're still grateful to you rdzodiac612! Oh! And thank you for the vote! So, so far we have one vote for the pairing of Yutolio X Haruko...alright! But the pole is going to remain open for new readers and what not...well alrighty then onwards!
Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto. Now, We're going to commit suicide.
Haruko jumped quickly around trying to finalize her plan and tie up loose ends. She sucked in a deep breath and began to make hand signs for her clan's infamous mind reading jutsu. Haruko quickly finished them and sent out a subtle wave to find Yutolio unfortunately for Kalu Haruko was standing close enough to her to read her most direct thoughts. 'When will these dumb asses realize the teamwork! God damn! And they are supposed to be top of their classes! I thought this would be a challenge!' Kalu thought her inner voice strangely not like her happy exciting voice but instead sadistic and almost morbid laced heavily with venom. Haruko quickly blinked her eyes returning to normal as she sped off to find Yutolio.
Yutolio was near the top a tree. Looking out over the Training ground he saw Kalu standing there waiting and he also saw Haruko running towards him. 'I better hurry my plan up.' Yutolio thought to himself. He walked out to the edge of the branch and began making a series of hand signs.
Haruko ran as quickly as she could to make it to him and watched mortified as he walked to the branch and began making hand signs. 'Damn It!' Haruko thought viciously. "Yutolio wait! She's lying! Don't waste your chakra!" Haruko yelled out frantically.
Haruko's voice broke through Yutolio's concentration like a hot knife through butter. "What are you talking about?" Yutolio asked trying to make sense of her words.
Haruko stopped and began panting from the energy it took to get to him. "She...wants us...to work together...she's trying to fool us into working against each other...I...read her thoughts..."Haruko said between breaths. She looked at him her eyes pleading to his soul for some hint of belief.
Yutolio looked her straight in the eye and was able to tell she was telling the truth. "Well then we need a new plan." Yutolio said slowly as he began racking his mind trying to come up with a new plan.
Haruko sighed with relief then began to rack her mind for something that would fit as a plan. "I got nothing...and it doesn't help that we know almost nothing about each other's abilities," Haruko said stating quite the obvious.
Yutolio smiled and said "Yeah that could be a problem, but I think I have an idea."
Haruko perked up at the words and looked up at him her eyes sparkling. "Lead the way oh powerful one," Haruko said smirking with an evil glint in her eye.
"Right, Try to keep up." Yutolio said with a grin as he did a front flip off the branch.
Haruko ran to the end of the branch and did a full layout after him smirking the entire time.
Yutolio pulled out 3 kunai in each hand as he descended.
Haruko looked at him questioningly but did the same obediently.
The second Yutolio hit the ground he launched himself at Kalu and threw the Kunai at her. The Kunai landed around her forming a circle and then the exploded throwing dirt everywhere and covering her in a blanket of smoke. He then quickly made some hand signs and hid himself using earth style.
Haruko looked around not really knowing what she should do and finally decided on sighing and trying to think of something to do to be useful.
The smoke cleared and Kalu stood there unfazed.
Haruko smirked and decided to fool her into thinking they were working apart. She quickly made some hand signs and her eyes glowed once again her body once again covered with her initials. A kunai slipped itself out of her the pouch around her leg and flew straight at her sensei. Kalu dodged while Haruko ran up to her preparing to engage her. She got to her quickly and began to punch and kick at Kalu like there was no tomorrow. Kalu of course dodged and blocked all of them except on roundhouse kick that Haruko managed to land on her and sent her flying backwards towards a tree.
Yutolio quickly shot out of the ground and punched Kalu hard sending her flying back towards Haruko. Kalu looked stunned to say the least. Haruko smirked evilly and sent out her palm slamming her hard in the chest. Kalu was launched quickly back towards the awaiting Yutolio.
Kalu was ready for the blow this time and prepared to counter attack. Yutolio, however had predicted this. He made a few quick hand signs and slammed his hand into the ground. A slab of earth shot out from under Kalu hitting her hard in the back and launching her straight up into the air.
Haruko followed up her eyes glowing a dangerous bright white as the two kunai she used from before came out of the trees and launched straight towards Kalu at different angles. They slammed into her loose shirt pinning her shoulders to a tree.
Yutolio then twisted his hand that was on the ground and the tree that Kalu was pinned to shook and wrapped around her making it impossible for her to move.
Haruko smirked victoriously as Kalu glared down at them finally showing her inner self. Haruko walked casually over to Yutolio and patted him on the back.
"I think you deserve to get the bell," Haruko said to him calmly.
"Thanks but I have a better idea." Yutolio said with a smile
Haruko cocked her head to the side in curiosity. "And that is..." Haruko asked incredulously.
"Follow me." Yutolio said as he walked up to Kalu.
Haruko nodded once and followed after him up to where Kalu was pinned to a tree still glaring at the pair and most likely thinking up curses.
"Well she said whoever gets the bell passes and gets lunch. So if we take the bell at the same time we both have it meaning we both pass and get lunch." Yutolio stated
Haruko nodded nonchalantly. "Very true...now...I'm pretty hungry so let's get the godforsaken bell and eat...anything but a bird," Haruko said as she canceled her genjutsu finally.
"Right. Together now." Yutolio said as he began to reach for the bell.
Haruko nodded and reached forward ready to snag the bell along with Yutolio. Together they took the small bell that had caused so much pain and walked away from Kalu.
Yutolio stopped and looked back. "Maybe we should release her, we already passed. We can't just leave her there."
Haruko looked back at her. "Nah...if you heard the things she was thinking about us you wouldn't want to release her either," Haruko said matter-of-factly.
Yutolio smirked and said "Yeah. She's a Jounin she'll find a way out."
Kalu watched as they retreated. "Hey you little brats get back here and release me dammit! You brats are so inconsiderate! I am your Jounin instructor so I command you to come back and let me go!" Kalu yelled after them fuming with anger.
Yutolio and Haruko approached the clearing where Kalu had left their lunch. Yutolio walked over and picked his up. "Finally I'm so hungry."
Haruko looked over to him and smirked slightly while also reaching down and retrieving hers. "I suppose I am too...but you look a tad bit ravenous," she said while opening her food, breaking apart her chopsticks, and beginning on her food.
"I am. It takes a lot of chakra to sustain those jutsus." Yutolio stated as he broke his chopsticks apart and began to devour his lunch.
Haruko looks slightly perturbed by the event but just rolls her eyes at him and continues to eat her fill of the food presented to her. "So we have a whole day ahead of us...what do you want to do?" Haruko asked when she was finished and lied back onto the grass.
Yutolio finished his food and laid down on the grass next to her, staring at the clouds. "I don't know." He said slowly. "I'm really sure what's here still. It's a big village."
"Hn. True..." Haruko started before she heard a loud outburst coming from the forest. She shot up and looked with wide eyes as Kalu came barging through the trees heading straight towards them seemingly angry. "Oh shit," Haruko muttered underneath her breath.
"Oh Kami. This could be bad." Yutolio said with the same wide eyes as Haruko.
Kalu marched over to them looking completely enraged. She walked over and stood in front of them. The kunoichi looked down at them with fire in her eyes. "Oh boy! You guys really did awesome!" Kalu said in her happy go-lucky voice. Her features also returned to happiness and a sunshine smile was gracing her lips.
"That was unexpected." Yutolio said shocked. "I was sure you were going to kill us."
"Oh Kami no! You are my students that would be very unbecoming of me!" Kalu said while turning her head to look at Yutolio her ever bright smile still lighting the clearing.
"Good I was worried for a minute there." Yutolio confessed "So we get the rest of the day off."
Kalu's face dropped for a moment from the sudden question but her smile almost instantly popped back onto her face. "Hai! You both may have the rest of the day off! Tomorrow you shall meet me at the Hokage's Tower for our first mission!" Kalu said dramatically as she threw her hands into the air.
"Ok. We'll see you tomorrow then." Yutolio said
Haruko nodded a goodbye as Kalu waved furiously and took off running towards the village. "So, again, what do you suggest we do?" Haruko asked curiously while flipping a piece of black hair over her shoulder.
"Well we I know there's a movie theater here. We could go there if you want." Yutolio suggested.
"Hm... not a big fan of the big screen but if that's what you would really like doing I'm game," Haruko said nonchalantly.
"Neither am I but there's not much else to do here." Yutolio said lightly
"Well, then let's take a walk and see if we can meet some people or just enjoy each other's company," Haruko said casually while looking back up at the rolling clouds.
Yutolio shrugged. "Sounds good to me."
"Hn," Haruko said using her new favorite word (or line whatever) and began walking out of the clearing towards the village again relying on him to follow.
Yutolio quickly followed and walked beside her. "So what shall we talk about?"
Haruko stopped dead in her tracks and looked down to the ground for a moment before continuing on again. "Well actually...I think we need to get to know each other better," Haruko said the first part coming out slow and calm while the second was rushed and hard to understand, "I mean...you hardly know me...I think I'm ready to tell you why I was exiled...for real."
Yutolio froze. "What do you mean? Weren't you exiled because you killed your teammate?" Yutolio said slowly as he looked over to her.
Haruko looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Hai...but you don't know why I did it...you know the generals but not the specifics...I mean aren't you a little unnerved by the fact that I've killed two people both unintentionally and intentionally and here you are my teammate the only one I've had since then," Haruko asked quietly.
"Well yeah a little, but I think I'm capable of handling myself." Yutolio stated "If for some reason you attacked me I think I would be able to handle it."
"That's because you see me as I am now...strong...for a kunoichi...but...I even fear myself when something goes wrong...like when Karino died...or before I killed Sounshiro..." Haruko said solemnly.
"I think I know what you mean." Yutolio said solemnly "It was the same for me the last time I fought with my dad… The day I became a runaway Shinobi…"
Haruko concealed her eyes with her bangs before looking up at him. "There was only one other time that I lost control," she said quietly.
Yutolio looked down at her with curiosity "When was that."
"The night my parents were assassinated," Haruko said before switching to a faster more brisk pace.
"I see." Yutolio said as he began walking faster to keep pace with her.
Haruko opened her mouth to say more when she was tackled to the ground by a certain blonde. "Haruko! Our team passed! What about yours! I hope you did good!" Ino said happily.
"Of course we passed." Yutolio said answering for Haruko.
Ino looked at him with wide eyes before blushing. "Uh, arigatou Yutolio-kun for telling me," Ino said while withdrawing herself from Haruko and offering a hand to help her up, "Haruko! You and me are going out right now! I need to get away from the lazy-ass over there and his counterpart in evil!" Ino screamed.
"Well I don't see anything wrong with Shikamaru but Choji scares me." Yutolio said
"Well I have never met either of them so I wouldn't know," Haruko said offhandedly.
"Trust me, Choji is scary. Especially when he's hungry." Yutolio said with a slight shiver.
Ino watched them converse for a moment before she bored of the interaction. "Well if you've never met them then you have to right now so you can agree with me that they are weird," Ino said finally including herself in the conversation.
Haruko only had a moment to contemplate when Ino grabbed her hand and dragged her towards her two teammates that were lightly conversing.
Yutolio followed the two over to where Shikamaru and Choji were standing.
Ino cleared her throat loudly to get the other's attention before putting her hands on her hips in a dominatrix type manner. "Shikamaru, Choji meet Haruko and Yutolio," Ino said pointing to each of them and she said their names.
Yutolio simply waved a greeting.
Haruko raised her left eyebrow at the two before nodding a greeting.
She heard Shikamaru murmur something about troublesome woman before holding up a hand in greeting. Choji just looked at them before saying a small hello.
Ino finally got aggravated with the silence and said goodbye while dragging a helpless looking Haruko away from the three shinobi.
"Bye." Yutolio called out. "So now what?" He asked as he turned back to Choji and Shikamaru.
Haruko was being dragged to Kami-sama knows where. All she could do was look around at all the bustling people of Konoha. She heard light conversations going on here or there but at the moment all her attention was directed at the clouds and their ever-moving silkiness. They glided gracefully across the sky in a way no ballerina could achieve. Lost in her thoughts she didn't notice when her blonde companion had stopped and let go of her wrist until she heard shouts coming from behind her. Haruko flipped around her black hair following shortly afterwards.
"Shut up Ino-pig! No one asked you!" Shouted an enraged looking Sakura with her two teammates also lost in an argument between themselves.
"Ha! Billboard Brow, if you think Sasuke-kun will ever be yours then you really are mentally insane," Ino shot back with an equally menacing look on her face. 'So,' Haruko thought, 'that's what they're fighting about; boys. Better stop them before they get too vicious.'
"Um, excuse me Sakura-san, Ino-chan...but isn't this argument a little ridiculous?" Haruko asked in a small voice that suprisingly they both heard.
"Hell no!" Ino and Sakura shouted at once reminding Haruko a little of Sounshiro (the one she killed) and herself.
Haruko sighed but tried again. "Gomen, but-" Haruko started but was immediately cut off by the high shrill of Sakura's voice.
"You stay out of it you...you...you murderer!" Sakura screeched pointing an accusatory finger at the black haired girl. All at once everything stopped. Sasuke and Naruto looked at Sakura for a moment, shocked until Sakura also joined in and slapped a hand over her mouth seemingly trying to pull her accusing words back to her mouth. Ino also stood looking a bit floored from Haruko's spot behind her but when the blonde turned around all she could see was shock written in varying lines on her friends face. For a moment, Haruko also stood looking at Ino with shock lying on her features until all at once everything started to move again. The signal to start time again was when Haruko's golden eyes turned from wide to narrow in threatening glare.
"How would you know of such things," Haruko said seemingly placid.
"Uh...gomen nasai Haruko-san...we overheard you and Yutolio-kun talking in the forest. Please, I didn't mean what I said!" Sakura blurted out speedily.
The straight line of Haruko's face instantly changed to a scowl. "Don't ever remind me of the past, Sakura-san." the Shirasagi girl said purposely adding the stressed suffix to the pink-haired girls name. Sakura opened her mouth to say something but instantly shut it when she saw Haruko's clenched fists slowly raising into an offensive position. Her seafoam colored eyes instantly shut tight when Haruko brought back her fist while her body made preparations for the hit. She clenched her eyes tight for about ten seconds before she cautiously opened them to see someone behind her enemy grasping her shoulder.
"I believe it would not be very wise to strike someone when there are so many shinobi present, ne?" Said Aburame Shino. Her savior was Aburame Shino.
Haruko flipped her head around only to look into eyes that weren't there; instead she found sunglasses.
"Possibly," was the only word her vocal cords would allow at the moment. Shino only nodded before retracting his hand and walking past the five of them and off to his intended location. Haruko turned her head back only to find four pairs of eye intently staring at her. Sakura was slowly backing up to where she stood behind Sasuke while the Uchiha boy glared at Haruko. Naruto, also glaring, put a reassuring hand on Sakura's shoulder while Ino only stared, all traces of what we call emotions, gone. The only thing her brain could tell her body to do was turn around and run...anywhere but there.
Yutolio sat eyes wide staring at Shikamaru as if he was peering into his mind. Shikamaru sat quietly with sweat on his forehead trying to keep his concentration. All of a sudden he blinked and Choji started to laugh.
"That's 3 to 1 Shikamaru. Maybe you should give up now," Choji said as he opened a new bag of chips.
Shikamaru sighed "Staring contest are such a drag."
Yutolio sweatdropped anime style. "You only say that because you lost," he said trying to bring light to his victory.
Yutolio then looked up to the sky and noticed it was getting dark. "I've been here longer than I thought," He said as he stood up, "I should go now. I'll see you around," He waved as he walked off.
Haruko sat on top of the Hokage Monument with her knees tucked to her chest and her head resting lightly on top of her them. She sighed discontentedly. Why did this always have to happen? Couldn't she be at least a little normal? 'Probably not,' she answered for herself. 'With a past like mine…I should just accept the fact that I'm hated.'
"What do you want?" Haruko asked suddenly out loud with her head rising and falling again with every word she spoke.
"What the hell is wrong with you! You hurt Sakura-chan's feelings!" Said an obnoxious over-loud voice from behind her.
"You wouldn't understand…dobe," Haruko said nonchalantly. She could feel his chakra spike slightly when she added the last part. She smirked slightly before she stood up and began walking away with her eyes seemingly glued to the ground. He didn't follow and she thought she had made it away unscathed when she ran into someone's chest.
She looked up into the dead onyx eyes of one Avenger. "Please, Sasuke-san get out of the way," she said offhandedly.
He sidestepped for her to pass and continued facing the front as she walked away. "You will never be forgiven," she heard his deep smooth voice say from behind her. Haruko stiffened at his words before gulping slightly and continuing on her way. She walked over-cautiously threw the village attempting to reach her destination between all the mass of bodies. Her black hair trailed behind her gracefully as she sidestepped people almost purposely blocking her path. Finally her golden orbs spotted the tall apartment building she called home. The straight line of her mouth turned into what could be called a smile as she passed through the double doors of the complex and began ascending the stairs towards her shared apartment. Her feet halted in front of the door labeled C-7 and she pulled her key out from the bowels of her empty pocket. Opening the door only enough to slip through where she saw her teammate gorging himself on a bowl of ramen and flicking through channels infinitely. Haruko sweatdropped anime style before slowly making her way towards him.
Yutolio's head shot up and he turned to look at her with ramen dripping down his face. "Hey." He managed to say even with his mouth full. He swallowed the ramen and said "Want some?" as he got up to get more.
"I think I'll pass, after watching you gorge yourself I kind of lost my appetite," Haruko said her words lined with pure disgust.
"Ok more for me." He said as he shoved more into his gaping mouth. He then turned around to go sit back down and stopped half way to the couch looking her over. "What happened to you? You look like Hell." Yutolio said as the ramen filling his mouth again began to run down his chin.
"They know," Haruko said as she brought her gaze down to the floor and turned around and walked to her bed and sat down on the not quite feather soft quilt.
Yutolio watched her walk away as he quickly finished his ramen and then wiped his mouth with his arm forgetting he didn't have any sleeves. "Who knows what?" He asked confusedly as he entered her room.
"Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto…know about me being a ruthless, heartless murderer," Haruko said softly.
Yutolio sat down next to her "Oh," was all he was able to say. Haruko only nodded before lying back and staring at the complicated designs on the ceiling.
"There's not much we can do about it now." He said in a small voice. "All we can really do is hope that they don't tell everyone."
"Or we could kill them," Haruko said matter-of-factly still lightly glaring at the ceiling, her golden orbs now trailing along the rough bumps.
"As nice as that sounds it would just end with both of us getting exiled… or worse…" Yutolio said.
"I've dealt with it before…why not again…and even if they did kill me…there's no one around to miss me," she said the words that she had always been afraid to admit.
Yutolio turned around and looked her in the eyes. "I would." He said
Haruko turned her gaze from the ceiling and into his eyes. "Lies will get you no where in this hell in which we walk upon," Haruko said offhandedly.
Yutolio shook his head. "I'm not lying." He said sincerely
"They always say that," Haruko said before she sat up and got to her feet. Walking over to the door and into the living room/kitchen.
Yutolio jumped to his feet and followed her. "Who is they?"
Haruko stopped for moment, turning her head to the side so she could see him. "Karino, Sounshiro, oka-san, otou-san, and my old sensei…they all said they would miss me but they don't dead or alive," she said before continuing her path over to the couch and plopping unceremoniously down onto it.
"How can you be so sure of that?" Yutolio said as he jumped over the back of the couch and landed next to her.
She didn't even bother to look at him. "Because my life is like the winter dead and cold...to miss someone would be to care for someone and no where in the descriptions of my life does either of those things qualify," Haruko said staring blankly at the T.V. in front of her.
Yutolio started at her in bewilderment. "That doesn't make any sense Haruko. What your saying is that you're like winter and YOU can't miss or care about anyone, but this isn't about whether or not you can care about or miss people. It's about whether or not we can miss or care about you."
Haruko rolled her eyes. "But that's just it...no one ever has...Yutolio...I miss them all, you don't seem to gather the fact that they left me and all of it was my fault but no matter how much I caused it I still terribly want them to return," Haruko started tears now gathering slightly at the edges of her eyes, "and yet they still left, leaving me alone...with no one to care about."
Yutolio put one finger under her eye and wiped the tear away "But I'm still here." He said quietly.
"I just met you three days ago...you may be my teammate...but I'm not ready for anything more than a comrade...not even Ino is my friend," Haruko said quietly before standing and going into her room, shutting the door behind her.
Yutolio sighed, looked up to the ceiling, and threw his arms over the back of the couch. "I don't quiet understand you Haruko, indeed we haven't known each other for long but I still care. In time you'll see." He mumbled to himself as he got up and turned the T.V. off before meandering over to his room.
A/N (Lord Assassin's part) Well here's the second chapter hope you enjoyed it. I know this chapter was a lot shorter than the first but oh well. The next chapter should be pretty long though so yah… anyway the poll is still open so for all you people out there reading this you can still vote on who you want the characters to end up with. Thanks again to rdzodiac612 and please review!
A/N: (Starchii's part splee!) Hey hey now! Hope you liked that freaking chapter even though is was uber short
Assassin: Thanks again for reading and please review and be sure to check out the next chapter.
Star: REVIEW OR I WILL DO NOTHING! HAHAHA SUCH A GOOD THREAT, I KNOW!
