Forgotten
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto (Shippuden). This is a story inspired by the original made up for entertainment purposes only. - Krystal
Chapter 2: Day 1
He knew she was special, but he did not expect her to be such a natural talent. She was now four. She was now able to surpass some of the most of the experienced genins. She was agile, smart and resourceful. She mastered 3 of the 5 nature elements. She was able to combine them at will. Even more than that, she had certain techniques that are, otherwise, inexistent in any other ninjas. He no longer had much to teach her. He never really had to teach her. He began to notice that she got bored. He tried to get her to join the Academy. She didn't adapt well. She used a replacement jutsu more than half the time and stayed out in the hills where she always found comfort. He let her graduate early. She was never placed in a team. She was told to work by herself. She preferred that anyway. She stayed in the outskirts of the village. She was a genius that was unknown to most. She disliked commitment. Every time she thought of it, she reminded herself of her guardian, the Third, how he never had any time, how he couldn't freely go in and out of the village. She wanted to travel, but she didn't even know what it meant. She compared it to the migration of the birds. One year at the time, they came and left. Nobody knows who they are, but they always expect them to come back.
"Grandfather, I want to be like a bird."
He was surprised by her statement that evening. He looked away from the tons of papers that was on his desk.
"I always thought you liked bunnies, Yuki."
"I do, but they are just out there. They run around, but are never able to move too far away from their nest. Birds, on the other hand, see so much more. When they are of age, they travel far from their nest…"
"Yuki, are you… do you want to leave this village? Has this village became an insignificant place to you?"
"No. A bird never forgets where it came from. It leaves, but will always come back eventually. It is home afterall."
The old man chuckled. Home, eh?
"If you really want to see the world, you could… but, please, always remember where home is."
Yuki's eyes lightened up. She smiled. She stopped twirling her hair and walked toward the old man she always called grandfather:
"Home will be where you are, grandfather."
"Home," he began, "is where your heart is. One day, I will no longer be here, but my heart and soul will rest in this village. This village is my home. Yuki, if you are to leave, I want you to look around the village one more time. I want you to look at it differently than you ever did before. Look at its beauty. Look at its people. Talk to them. Listen to them. Then come back and tell me: do you love this village and all of its aspect? Will this place be where you heart lies? Take it as your first mission for the village as a full-fledged ninja."
He tapped her forehead protector lightly. She raised her right eyebrow. She sighed. This was a difficult mission for her. Not that she didn't love this village, but this village, other than the Third, has brought her nothing less of a stab in the heart sometimes. She didn't know what there was to love. She nodded after a while. As much as it is troublesome to her, if this is what will grant her the freedom to explore the world, she had to do this.
"Come back after a week. I want to hear what you have to say." Said the old man as he looked down once again to his mountain of papers.
Day 1: She felt uncomfortable going into the streets of the village. She thought it would be better to take one step at the time after all. She came closer to the lively village, but stayed where it would be quieter. The sky was especially blue on that day. Only a few clouds were floating around. They seemed freer than ever to Yuki. She wandered around without looking at anyone. She had to establish communication, but she wasn't ready for it. She kept her eyes locked on the clouds. Soon enough, she found herself jumping from rooftop to rooftop before finally landing on a roof that gave her the clearest view of all. The wind blew gently as well. She smiled. The view of the sky in the village was more beautiful then she remembered it being.
"Hey, if you want to watch the clouds, come sit next to me. You are blocking my view when you are standing there."
Yuki looked behind her. A young boy, about her age, was sitting on a bench staring at the clouds. He looked troubled by her presence. But no, he offered her a seat. She apologetically moved from her spot onto the bench.
"You don't mind?" she asked.
"The sky doesn't belong to anyone." He replied monotonously.
"No, I meant… Never mind."
"You know, it's very troublesome when people don't finish their thoughts' process."
"I'm sorry."
"It's also troublesome when somebody apologizes for no reason. It makes me feel bad."
"I'm…"
He chuckled. She looked at him, perplexed. He seemed like a monotone person who disliked her presence, but his laugh was warm and full of life.
"The sky is quite enjoyable today. I'm glad I found someone who likes looking at the clouds like me. My parents always think that I am weird and act like an old man. I'm glad somebody else is just as elderly for her age as me."
Yuki smiled and looked at the sky as she murmured: "I'm also glad I met you…" Before she could say anymore, she heard a woman's voice call out:
"Shikamaru. Get down here! It's almost dinner time and you are still sitting there!"
Yuki heard that boy sigh.
"I guess that is it for today. I'll see you around."
He hopped off the bench and took his time heading to the staircase as he took one last glance at the sky that was slowly turning to an orange tone as the sun began to set. She nodded as she waved goodbye. She was surprised at how easy it was, somehow, to talk to that boy. He seemed to complain a lot, but he was kind and seemed to understand without the need for words. She looked down from the roof and saw him walking ahead of the woman that earlier called for him. She gently patted his head. Yuki could hear him complain in an endearing way, calling that woman mom. As he walked further away, Yuki began to wonder if she really would be seeing him around. She was about to leave after all. Was she really ever coming back? As her head filled itself with different thoughts, the night had settled in. The sky was dark with very few stars to be seen. It was not like when she was out in the hills and the stars shone brightly. At that moment, she thought of how the sky in the hills might be more beautiful after all. She hopped off the bench and began heading down. In her drop down to the ground, she saw multiple lights shining throughout the village. They shone as brightly as the stars she could spot in the sky outside the village.
Pretty. She thought at that moment. It was the first time she actually witnessed the village's nightlife. It was indeed quite pretty. Amber, golden, green, blue, red lights were shining all over the place. People's laughter could be heard. Sweet smell of food spread throughout the streets. She was attracted by those scents and those bright lights. Before she knew it, she was wandered right in the middle of the streets.
Her stomach suddenly growled. She blushed out of embarrassment even though, probably, nobody heard. She hugged her stomach quickly as she was about to run off to a dark alley.
"I heard that. Hahaha." Said a little voice filled with mischievousness.
Yuki's face turned even redder as she turned around to see who was talking to her. A boy with blonde spikey hair and the brightest blue eyes she has ever seen was standing there with a big grin on his smile. Yondaime's son… She thought. She looked at him with eyes filled with curiosity. She has only heard negative rumors about him from others, but the Third always called him an interesting child.
"You look at me… differently." He said as he looked away.
"How so?" asked Yuki surprised by his sudden response to her stare.
"You are not cursing me."
"Why would…" she began before she was reminded of the Nine-tailed beast.
He chuckled and asked: "Are you hungry? Do you want to grab some ramen?"
She nodded and walked with him down the streets. As they made their way to the ramen place, she noticed people looked at him with evil eyes… as if they were, indeed, cursing him. Yuki, herself, was always on her own, but she had someone who loved her and she was never considered a curse. She looked at him with kind eyes. He must have suffered. She thought.
"Don't pity me. I'm not sad. I've gotten used to those looks. They don't affect me anymore. I know I'm a great kid. I just know."
"I'm sure you are."
He grinned widely and asked:
"Since I'm so awesome, it's your treat today for ramen!"
"Eh? Oh, sure…"
He is an interesting human being indeed.
End of Chapter 2
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.
xoxox
Krystal