Darkness is everywhere. I'm falling with nothing to catch me. I'm spiraling, desperate to do something to stop the fall. I'm out of chakra and no one is coming to save me. This is it. I stretch my arms up and out to my sides, forcing my body to relax. The despair is thick, weighing on my bones more than gravity ever has. My This is the end. My back slams into the ground and suddenly,
"NO!"
I'm awake.
Greedily gulping down the air, I take in my surroundings. Subpar mattress. Beige walls. The first rays of sunlight shine through the window, casting shadows on the floor. Birds are singing in the distance. Letting out a shaky sigh, I determine I am safe. I haven't had that nightmare in years, not since I first woke up. It must be nerves from being back here. Forcing myself out of bed, I step into the bathroom to get ready. After all, job and house hunting requires you to look presentable. Turning the taps on the shower, I study myself in the mirror while the water warms. My hair is unruly and lifeless, the result of a lack of a proper shower in the last few days. The normally shiny espresso waves are dingy and muddled. There are light circles under my eyes, hidden well by my sun-kissed skin. I've gotten much darker having traveled the Land of Fire over the last few weeks. The recently developed tan makes my normally steel eyes a warm pearlescent grey. There's no doubt about it: I look exhausted.
Sighing, I step under the stream of hot water. The hot water cascades over me. I allow myself to savor it another moment longer before scrubbing my hair and skin of sweat and grime. You just can't get clean enough when traveling between villages. There's only so much you can do with rivers and hot springs are hard to come by not to mention expensive. After a few minutes, I'm feeling more refreshed. Stepping out of the water, I wrap myself in a towel and raise my right arm above my head, willing the water from my hair. I will forever be thankful for picking up that trick on my travels. The time saved on drying my hair is the only reason I don't cut it short.
Sitting on the bed, I empty my bag and sort the contents. Surely I have something acceptable to wear. Pairing a plain black pair of shorts with a fishnet undershirt and loose-fitted grey short sleeved top. Practical, yet alluring. Perfect for a kunoichi. Pulling on my boots, I finish my routine. Tying my mask around my neck, I check myself in the mirror. My weapons pouch is secured to my right leg. Face covered. Protective gloves are on. Hair is pulled back. I'm ready to go.
"Good morning, Shou." I say as I enter the lobby.
"A morning it is" he grumbles. His attention is focused on the paper in front of him.
"You wouldn't happen to know where I can go about finding work, would you?"
He doesn't lift his eyes. "Try the Mission Assignment Desk in the Academy. It's just up the road. They could always use a few extra hands for the lower rank missions."
"What about housing? On my way in I only saw clan districts."
"Oh fine," he grumbles. "I suppose you can have this paper—hey! You said you were a traveler!"
His frustration seems genuine. "I am a traveler—"
"Then why are you dressed like a shinobi today?" he interrupts accusingly.
"I wouldn't really go as far as to describe myself as a shinobi. Remember, I don't belong to a village. I've trained throughout my travels, but primarily for self defense." He doesn't look too convinced. "Look, I need to make money so you can get paid if I stay longer than planned. I might as well use my skills to make some cash." This seems to appease him. He pushes the paper to me.
"You might have some trouble finding work looking like that." I pinch the bridge of my nose, willing the headache forming to go away. "No village affiliation with even just some ninja training will put some red flags on you."
"Great." Having left my bag upstairs, I tuck the paper under my arm, turn and pull the door open. "I'll figure something out." The bell rings.
"Look for Iruka Umino! He might be able to help you out."
Glancing back, I see a sincere smile adorning his face.
"Thank's, Shou."
Stepping outside, I turn toward the city center. The streets are relatively empty, presumably due to the early hour. I guess that makes things easier for me. I glance about me, making note of any worthwhile locations. Ramen shop. Hospital. Library. Lost in my thoughts, I almost didn't hear someone barreling down the alley to my right. Seemingly out of no where, a kid with spiky yellow hair and a gaudy orange jumpsuit jumped out into the street nearly colliding with me. A quick backpedal and a hard shove to his shoulder keeps me upright and lands him on the ground.
"Hey! Who do you think you are push—"
"Watch where you're going, kid." He adjusts his headband. A shinobi. "You nearly took us both to the ground." I reach my hand out to help him up.
"Oh," he resigns, taking my hand. "Sorry about that. I'm trying to get to the Academy first. I want the best mission possible!" He declares, adjusting his headband. His face scrunches in confusion. "Say, who are you anyway? I've never seen you around here before."
"It's customary to give your own name before asking someone else's."
He blushes bashfully, scratching the back of his head. "Right, sorry. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village!"
He certainly seems proud of that. "My name is Mei. I'm actually new in town, just got here last night." This kid doesn't look too old. Maybe he can help me out. "I was actually on my way to the Academy too. The innkeeper told me I should find an Iruka Umino."
"Iruka-sensei! I can help you find him!" Before I know it, he's dragging me along the road toward the Academy. "Come on! I still want to be first!"
The Academy is enormous. I'm thankful my mask covers the lower half of my face, it makes concealing my surprise easier. I'm starting to appreciate running into this Naruto kid. He hasn't stopped talking, but there's no way I would've found this Iruka or the Mission Assignment Desk without issue by myself.
"Hey, you never said where you were from." We've stopped just inside the first hall. "I mean, you're obviously a shinobi, but you don't have a headband. What's with that?"
"I'm not from a village. I'm a traveler."
"Cool!" He resumes walking. "I bet you've learned all kinds of cool jutsu. I learned some really cool jutsu when I was traveling with the Pervy Sage" he boasts. Pervy Sage? Maybe following this kid wasn't the best decision.
"I've learned a lot of different techniques and jutsu." With that he starts prattling on about his own travels. How long until we find this sensei of his? I need to get a move on about work so I can start looking for an apartment. I have some money saved up, but it'll run out quick staying in this hotel.
"It's a lot of work and I still haven't mastered it yet, but—hey!" What's this? "Iruka-sensei!" He runs down the hall. A figure is standing in a doorway on the left. "Over here! I've got someone you need to meet!"
Picking up my pace a little, I analyze the man ahead of me. He's speaking to Naruto with soft features and a relaxed posture. There's a prominent scar across his nose and cheeks. I narrow my eyes. How can he be so comfortable with meeting a stranger? He looks to be about my age. He's obviously at least a chūnin, and assuming Naruto was truthful, his position as a teacher. I'm only a few meters away now.
"Iruka-sensei, this is Mei." Iruka finally looks over at me. "I met her this morning. She's new in town and doesn't have a home—" His eyes widen "—and the innkeeper told her to find you—" This kid really doesn't know when to stop "—and I nearly ran her over this morning so I said I'd help and—"
"Thank you, Naruto." I've had enough.
"Huh? Oh, yeah! No problem." There's no killing this kid's joy. "I'm gonna head over to the mission assignment desk now! Maybe Grandma Tsunade will give me something good for being here early." I don't think I've ever seen someone smile so much. "See ya later, Iruka-sensai, Mei!" he calls as he runs back down the hall.
Iruka breathes a sigh of relief. "Sorry about Naruto. He can be a bit overwhelming sometimes."
"He seems like a good kid." He nods in agreement. "My name is Mei. Shou suggested I find you given my situation."
"Iruka Umino, pleasure to meet you." He holds his hand out for me to shake. I stare, unsure if I should touch him or not. Steeling myself, I take his hand. He smiles. "Why don't you come in and we can talk about your situation."
The classroom is impressive. Large, yet intimately organized in terms of student seating. A large lectern sits at the front of the room, a row of chalkboards covering the wall behind it. There are large windows on the left wall. Iruka leans back against the nearest desk, crossing his arms against his chest. Smart. He can protect himself while still appearing aloof and comfortable around me. I take up a similar stance opposite of him, leaving the paper on the table behind me.
"So, what brings you to the Hidden Leaf Village?" His demeanor has changed. The once soft smile that graced his lips is replaced by a thin line of indifference. His eyes are cold and calculating. This is the look of a shinobi. This is what I was prepared for. I slowly reach up for my mask, eyes locked on his. His body tenses. I'm taking a huge gamble here, but I don't see any other options. I gently tug my mask down, revealing the rest of my face. He does nothing to conceal his shock. So much for the show he just put on.
"I'm a stranger in this village. It appears I need your trust to move forward here and the best way for me to do that is to reveal myself to you." He nods in understanding.
"Tell me why you've come here. I need to know everything in order to determine our next step."
And so I tell him my story. I've never told anyone the entirety of my past, but I need someone on my side. I need to succeed here. I tell him of waking up on the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village four years ago, panicked and with no memories of who I was, save for the letter in my pocket with the name Mei. I tell him how I ran as far as my legs would take me, finding my way to the Land of Grass first. I tell him of all my travels around the continent, of how I've been training along the way, honing my skills as a shinobi from village to village. I explain that initially, I only felt the need to learn to protect myself, but after a while, I began using my skills to protect others. It offered me a way to provide for myself. Eventually I had enough money to see different healers across the continent, but none were successful in retrieving my memories. The longer I spoke, the easier it was to let go.
"This is the last place for me to check, the last puzzle piece to try and find a complete picture." I felt as though a giant weight had been taken off my chest.
"Why did you run away?" His eyebrows are scrunched in puzzlement. "If you had come into the village, someone could have helped you."
"I was alone and terrified. I thought about coming in and looking for help, but it was as if some part of me wasn't ready to find the truth and knew I would if I entered the village." He stares at me contemplatively. "I spent all that time traveling, justifying it to myself as a way of triggering my memories."
A few beats of silence pass. "You appear to be telling the truth. That being said, your lack of allegiance to a nation or shinobi village with your supposed training is problematic." My heart sinks. "However, if you would be willing to allow me to test your abilities and align yourself with the Leaf Village—"
"Say no more. I'll do it," my voice is filled with determination.
He smiles. "Let's take this to the Hokage. I'll need her to sign off before we do anything."
