A bunch of different fanfiction muses/unfinished ideas that I might expand on.
Basically random stories that I start when I'm bored and procrastinating on 'Is this Reality' or any unfinished relevant stories that I've posted.
Feel free to borrow any concepts I create for your own story if you want to, but if you must it'd be nice if you credited me for the inspiration- or not, doesn't really matter much to me.
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
|Chapter 1|
"You needed me Hokage-sama?"
Ayano stood before what people say is the strongest shinobi in all of Konoha. She felt anxious but hid it with a blank stare. Fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, Ayano shifted her gaze over to her mother. Her mother did the talking. The last time they were in his office they were trying to convince him to officially join the village hidden in the sand. She claimed it was for expanding her small business, but Ayano knew the truth. Her mother was deserting her clan, Hamada, she hated them. "You have expressed your wishes, and I have called you here to inform you that Sunagakure has accepted your proposal. You can leave whenever you wish." He smiled warmly at her mother while she expressed her infinite gratitude towards the respected Hokage. Ayano let her mind wander aimlessly, not really caring one way or the other. She was interrupted when her mother dragged her out of the Hokage's office and down into the streets.
"Ayano, mommy has important business to take care of, go play with your friends and I'll pick you up later." She then rushed off to Kami knows where and left her standing in the middle of the road. She blinked and shook her head. She knew she needed to go say goodbye to one of her only friends. She set off with purpose, looking around for the loud blonde. It didn't take her long, he came running towards her, Iruka-sensei following him. She sighed, he just keeps getting himself into trouble. He ran into her, nearly knocking Ayano off her feet, then hid behind her in fear. "Ayano-chan! Help me." He begged and grabbed her shoulders, casting quick fearful looks at the angry sensei in front of her. Iruka-sensei's eyes softened when he looked down at her, then glared at the obnoxious boy cowering behind her.
"Sensei, Naruto says he's very very sorry for whatever he has done. Can you let him off the hook this time?" Ayano asked lacing her fingers together, putting on a sad face. He sighed and crossed his arms, "Ayano, I know you're lying. You never express this much concern." She let her face change back into her normally cool expression. "Worth a try." She said monotonously. The sensei gave up and promised Naruto to take him to Ichiraku's if he cleaned up the paint he spilled all over the classroom. He nodded enthusiastically, getting out from behind Ayano and started following Iruka-sensei. He paused and turned around to give her a cheeky grin. "Come on Ayano-chan!," he grabbed her hand and started leading her there, causing her to crack a small smile. "Alright alright hn", she said smiling, but it vanished a moment later when she remembered that she had to leave the village. Naruto wasn't paying attention, he seemed so happy. She felt awful for having to leave her best friend by himself. Nobody really hung out with him, not like Ayano did. She hated seeing him sad and alone.
"Naruto, I see you brought your friend." Ichiraku smiled warmly as they sat down side by side. "I'd like Raman, please! Oh and for Ayano too." Naruto exclaimed and the old man got to work on the orders. Naruto sat between Ayano and Iruka, clasping his hands together. "Ichiraku's is the best, believe it!" Ayano smiled again, his positivity was contagious. "Naruto… there's something I need to tell you…" Naruto immediately turned his attention on her from her tone of voice, he frowned. "What's wrong Ayano-chan?" He cocked his head to the side. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, then spoke. "I'm leaving Konoha…" She began but Naruto cut her off. "What? But why!" He started and expression quickly turned to a sorrow-filled one. A pit of guilt was forming in her stomach, but she had no choice. "My mother is forcing me to leave with her, we are leaving for Suna tomorrow. Naruto… I," she paused, "I'm sorry." She let her face fall, but refused to cry. Her mother told her never to cry in front of the people precious to her, and to stay strong for them.
She rapidly rubbed her eyes then almost fell off her seat when Naruto hugged her. "Don't worry Ayano-chan! We're best friends. I know we will see each other again, believe it!" Ayano nodded, then hugged back. They stayed like that for a few moments then pulled apart. "Who knows when I'll be able to have Ichiraku's ramen again." She murmured and sighed. "You can have as much Raman as you want Ayano." Iruka cut in grinning. She smiled back and closed her eyes. She was leaving, but she knew she would remain friends with them, even if they lived far apart. Ichiraku set down two steaming bowls in front of them, "Eat up you two. I'm sure we will meet again in the future Ayano, as for you Naruto… You better eat twice as much to make up for her departure!" He laughed heartily. Naruto nodded and gave thanks, then dug in. "Mhmm! Ichiraku's is the greatest." he managed to say while wolfing down his bowl. Ayano ate slower, savoring the flavors and spices of the best ramen in the land of fire. She felt her thoughts wander again. What would the people of Suna be like? She worried that she would be an outcast again. She hated the staring and whispering behind her back.
It wasn't her fault, it was her father's. He was known as 'The Skinner' in all of Konoha, and was responsible for seven accounted deaths. It was an awful tragedy and soiled their family name. The Hamada clan hated her mother for it, and in turn, people hated her as well. Maybe it was because she knew, but was too scared to say anything. The Hokage understood that, but the people didn't seem too. They whisper that she helped him with the people he murdered. Freak, monster, things thrown around. She was snapped out of her thoughts by someone putting a hand on her shoulder. Her bowl was empty, and her mother forced a fake smile on her face. "Come on Ayano, it's time to go." She turned to Naruto and gave him one last hug, then turned and left. She looked back and saw him staring at her, her eyes widened when he grinned, then gave her his thumbs up. She returned the gesture and turned to keep up with her mother.
Sighing deeply she closed her bag, filled with her belongings. Her mother ushered her out the door and all the way to the gate. Two shinobi were there waiting for them. Her mother quickly explained that they would protect them from bandits and animals while they traveled. She just nodded silently, keeping her expression neutral. She didn't outwardly show that she was upset, and knew her mother would scold her if she did. They set off down the road at a leisurely pace. It was late afternoon and the sky was beginning to darken. Birds sang and insects buzzed, unbothered by the group as they continued on their way. Ayano wore a sand-colored shirt with a matching scarf and grey pants that came down to her knees. She had bandages wrapped around her knees that came down a couple of inches, and sandy ninja sandals. The material was a weird texture, it was soft but repelled dirt and sand. Her mother said that it was what they wore in Suna, and had gone through the trouble of buying clothes to blend in. They didn't want to attract attention and have the same thing happen in their new home.
Her mother had been upset when Ayano came home with scrapes on her knees from falling. Despite her best efforts to keep her mother off her back, the woman insisted that she wore bandages so the cuts wouldn't get infected. She wanted to be a ninja, but would have to attend the ninja academy in Sunagakure. She swallowed down her nervousness, and hoped the other kids didn't hate her like they did in the leaf village. She twirled her dark green hair around a finger anxiously, observing her surroundings as they walked by. She gasped, remembering her camera. She pulled it out of her pocket and snapped pictures of the trees, wanting to remember them before they disappear and sand replaces them. Her mother leaned down and ruffled her short hair. Ayano huffed and snapped a picture of her, cracking a small smile for a second. Her mother chuckled and patted her shoulder before taking her hand. She put the camera away, back in its safe spot, then stared ahead with determination. She didn't care if they hated her too, she just needed one good friend. She smiled, yes, one would be enough. With her mind made up, she walked faster, now wanting to get to Suna as soon as possible..
She looked around the city in wonder. It was so different from Konoha. Though excited, Ayano kept her usual aloof persona. She wandered through the streets aimlessly, a couple of people glared when she bumped into them. Eventually, she ran into a girl with yellow hair tied up in a ponytail. She had striking blue eyes, which reminded Ayano of Naruto. Her heart ached. "Sorry," she said emotionlessly to the girl in front of her. She had accidentally stepped on her shoe. She huffed and walked away from her, leaving Ayano just standing there. She shrugged, pushing the blonde out of her mind and continued exploring Suna. She began humming the toon to a song she liked, but stopped when she saw a group of kids playing with a ball. "Should I ask to play with them?" she asked herself quietly, staring as they laughed and kicked the ball around. She sighed and started towards them, getting their leader's attention. "Who are you?" the older kid asked, suspicious of her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but kept a blank expression plastered on her face. "Ayano… can I play with you guys?" she asked, then bit her lip. The older kid seemed to consider this for a moment, then grinned widely. "Sure! Are you new around here?" She nodded, "yeah, I just got here yesterday."
her mother had been worn out by the time they got there, Ayano as well. They had just slept and eaten, so she hadn't really explored Suna the day before. "Oh, My name is Yumi. Maybe I could show you around afterwards." The boy Yumi sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, "Unless of course, you dont wanna, you know." "Sure," and let a small smile slip, "O-ok." Yumi flushed. She didn't consider herself a beautiful girl, and it was quite surprising that someone had taken such an interest, an acquaintance at that. She pretended to not know why he was so flustered, and took the ball from him, 'accidentally' brushing her fingers along his hands.. The boy's face turned beet red and he fanned himself. "This desert sun is getting to me, I need to take a break. You guys can play without me." Yumi told his group of friends, then hurried off Kami knows where. She shrugged and dropped the ball, kicking it into the air. A girl ran after it shouting, "I Got it!" The others trailed behind, along with Ayano.
She was happy she made friends so easily, and scolded herself for worrying so much. Despite how hard she tried to ignore the paranoia creeping into her mind. They played for a while, until late afternoon. Ayano looked up at the sky, she would need to head back soon so her mother wouldn't worry. Her attention was snapped back to reality when the kids started yelling at each other. "How are we gonna get it now?" One asked while another retorted with, "How am I supposed to know." Ayano looked up and saw the ball on top of a wall. It suddenly started floating down to the ground from where the other kids had kicked it. It dropped into a boy's hands and the sand poofed, scattering to the ground. Ayano stared at him in hidden amazement, then smiled. Her smile quickly faded when she saw the other kids screaming and running away from him. Frowning, she made her way through the fleeing children and almost to the boy, when a hand roughly grabbed her backward, sending her sprawling to the ground.
She sat up and coughed turning her head around to see they had already fled a distance away. Now they were staring, silently. Ayano looked up and locked eyes with the redhead, before extending a hand in front of her. His teary expression turned to one of confusion, and she cocked her head to the side. "Can you help me up?" she asked with a small smile, closing her eyes. He was silent and apprehensive about touching her, but eventually grasped her hand, pulling her up. His hand was soft, and she held it for a moment before letting go, allowing hers to fall to her side. A shocked gasp made her glance back at the few who remained. They narrowed their eyes at her in what she could only describe as disgust. She turned her attention to the boy in front of her again, "My name's Ayano… what's yours?" He clutched the ball to his chest, "G-gaara." "Do you wanna play with us?" She asked and his eyes met hers again in shock. He started then lowered his gaze again. "Why aren't you running away?" Gaara mumbled, but Ayano heard him clearly because she was directly in front of him. He felt uncomfortable having her so close, why wasn't she scared? "Why would I be running away," She smirked a little in amusement, but dropped it once she noticed how distraught he was. "Are you ok?" She reached out a hand, resting it on his shoulder. "Everyone else says I'm a monster. They all run away…" her eyes widened and she subconsciously tightened her grip. He was like Naruto. She realized and stared intently in his eyes.
He blinked and met her eyes with the same intensity. "You don't seem like a scary monster," she assured him. "Do you want to play with me?" he suddenly smiled, "Yeah." They stayed like that for a moment, smiling, then she pulled away. She shot another glance behind her, everyone had left, not even asking for the ball back. She shrugged and led Gaara to the open area they had been playing in. "Since it's only us, we could just toss it back and forth or something," she suggested, then paused, pulling out a familiar device. She held it up to her face, "Say cheese" he stood there with a surprised expression while she snapped the photo. It came out and she waved it around in the air for a few seconds before giggling. He looked at it curiously, she showed him it. "It's a keeper." he smiled softly, then nodded, still confused.
She walked through the dark streets with Gaara, hand in hand. Both of them wore smiles on their faces. They finally reached the place Gaara had been leading her. She sat down, and Gaara joined her. She gasped at the view, it showed all of Suna, and the moon. She smiled contently, grasping his hand. "Gaara, I'm so glad your my friend." She smiled and he started. "Friend..?" She nodded, "Best friend." He grinned, one of the few genuinely happy smiles she'd seen on his face. She returned it with her own. It all seemed so perfect, too perfect, Ayano realized. The atmosphere of bliss and safety was suddenly interrupted by kunai flying towards Ayano and Gaara. His sand rose up and blocked them, scattering the weapons to the ground with a clang. It startled both of them and they stood, Ayano got behind him. Her eyes widened and her hands shook as adrenaline coursed through her. She glanced down at her closed fists, her knuckles were turning white.
Ayano reached out and grasped the hem of Gaara's shirt lightly, trying to calm the racing of her heart. His sand rushed at the attacker on command, trapping him. Once it covered most of him, Gaara closed his fist. "Sand coffin." he said darkly, and the sand crushed the man. Gaara apprehensively approached him, reaching out and taking off the cloth covering his face. Gaara's eyes widened and he shook when he saw his uncle's face. Ayano spaced out, she knew that he was talking to Gaara about something, but just couldn't bring herself to pay attention, despite the circumstances. She came back to reality in time to see that Yashamaru reached his hand and opened his jacket, revealing paper bombs. Ayano's eyes widened in realization and turned to run, calling Gaara's name. The paper bombs exploded, the sand rose to protect Gaara, and took most of the force. Ayano screamed in agony when the blast pushed her back and she fell on her leg wrong. She was laying on her stomach, whimpering in pain. Severe burns covered her back, her clothes smoldering. Gaara turned back and gasped, eyes widening in shock at the state of his friend.
He rushed over, wiping the blood dripping into his eye from the fresh kanji on his forehead. She turned her head, looking up at him. Tears started to fall, her cloudy eyed expression made it worse. "G-gaara." She began weakly, "Can you help me up…. D-dummy?" she smiled a little despite her condition, and he leaned down to ease her onto her knees. She hissed in pain, causing him to stop abruptly. "Come… on. We need to find help before I die." She started to chuckle then clenched her teeth in pain. Gaara used his sand to ease her up into a standing position. She grimaced, "I don't think I can walk, we need to go to a hospital." Her voice was raspy and weak, and she kept wincing. Sand rose and cradled her, she lay on her stomach, being carried by a floating platform of soft sand. He went quickly, carrying her as carefully as possible. It seemed like hours until they finally arrived outside of the hospital. They ran into no one on the way, the streets were eerily quiet. Outside the hospital, next to the door, was a nurse smoking. She coughed and threw it down into the sand when she saw them. "P-please help her!" Gaara pleaded setting her down in front of the nurse. She swallowed her fear of being in the presence of Sabaku no Gaara, and looked down at Ayano. She gasped in horror at the state of the young girl and scooped her up, rushing inside. Gaara trailed behind, worrying. She was rushed by other doctors as well into an emergency room, leaving him to wait in the lobby. The doctors wouldn't allow him in the room, making him feel helpless. He sat in silence, letting his thoughts and worries consume him until he went numb.
Gaara turned his head when the front doors opened, and a woman with black, shoulder-length silky hair rushed in. The woman wore a grimace that did not match at all with her pretty face. She looked strikingly similar to Ayano… that's when it clicked. She hurried past him, not even sparing a glance. Her onyx eyes were fixed on the path ahead of her, determined to see her daughter. Gaara stood and trailed behind her silently, wanting to see her condition as much, if not more than her mother. She paid no heed towards the receptionist, who was walking beside her, urging her to wait in the lobby. The receptionist stopped when she shot her a look, making the poor woman back away in fear. Her hand shook at her side, like she was about to punch her. The woman squeaked and ran back to the lobby, not trying her luck with the furious raven-haired mother. She turned a corner, then walked right into a nurse with brown hair tied back in a braid. The nurse dropped a stack of papers, hissing in annoyance. Gaara and the woman walked right by her, the nurse quickly backing away when he passed her. Her mother grabbed the door handle of one of the rooms and yanked it open. A few doctors and nurses were in the room, talking and passing a few papers around. They went silent when they saw her.
Gaara was still in the hallway, out of sight. "Guess my intuition was right." She glowered at them. "Where is my daughter?" She said as more of a demand or statement than a question. The nurse who brought Ayano in spoke up, hands clasped together. "She's in room 103 resting. She was badly burned and had a broken leg, luckily we were able to heal most of her injuries… but those burns aren't going to heal as quickly as her leg. She was barely breathing when… she was brought in." Her mother's face faltered, like she was going to cry. "What happened?" She asked, her voice suddenly soft. She shut the door behind her, leaving the redhead in the hallway. Gaara wasted no time in finding her room. He opened the door quietly, not disturbing the nurse by the bed. The woman looked like she was battling sleep, reading a dusty book. She shook herself awake and looked behind her, meeting his eyes when she heard his footsteps. Her face suddenly fell, replacing relief with fear. When he got close to the bed, she stood, standing in front of him in defiance. "Y-you are not supposed to be here." She said firmly, losing confidence when she stuttered. He looked up at her and glared, she tensed. She had no idea why the monster of Suna was here, going to kill a helpless girl in the hospital. "This poor girl d-didn't do anything leave her alone." She shouted, standing her ground. The door swung open and a very familiar woman stormed in.
"What's with all the shouting-" Ayano's mother paused when she saw her daughter sleeping, then turned a frightening glare on the nurse. "Care to tell me why you're yelling at a small child, and disturbing my daughter's recovery?" She seethed, fist clenched. The nurse fumbled with her words, trying desperately to warn her about the demon, but it was all in vain. Her mother's jaw was set in a grim line, not unlike the look that flashed across Ayano's face for a brief second at the playground. She then turned her gaze towards Gaara for the first time, making him anxious. "What are you doing here boy?" Her voice firm, but softer and less angry. "I was w-worried about Ayano-chan." he said, looking down at his feet. She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, but the sand blocked it, then fell back onto the tiled floor again. She looked surprised, "Ayano made a friend already? That's good news I suppose…" the raven-haired woman trailed off, staring back at her daughter. "You have my permission to stay here and watch over her." she said simply, not at all curious about the sand, turned on her heel and left. She dragged the nurse by the arm out of the room with her, shutting the door. Gaara just stood there for a while, then sat on a chair next to the bed. He looked at her softly, "Please get better soon."
"People cannot show each other their true feelings. Fear, suspicion, and resentment never subside." – Madara Uchiha
"Never give up without even trying. Do what you can, no matter how small the effect it may have!" – Onoki
So this is the only chapter I have of this story, and I wrote this probably at the beginning of this year(School wise, so like, September.) or last year. it was kinda just sitting there in my google docs, so here you go. Will I rewrite this chapter and actually make it a full out story? not a definite no, but it is a very low priority- so only if I had nothing else to do, really.
This was like the first naruto related thing I wrote- or tried to make a full chapter out of.