Chapter 2

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"Who are you?"

The shock was still gripping me and I was getting lost in those blue eyes…until my instinct gave me a swift kick in the ass.

I pushed against him, "No time to explain, there's some strange beast out in the woods! You have to get out of here!"

He allowed me to get on my feet. "Where is it? Did you see it? Are you sure?" He stepped beside me, taking a protective stance.

"I don't know, no, and yes." I unwrap my forehead protector from around my wrist. "I…heard it. It's hard to explain." I glance at his face while I tie the forehead protector on my head. He looks at me like he thinks I've lost my mind.

"No way, I've been in these parts all morning. I haven't even seen a trace of anything even remotely out of place." He crosses his arms arguing, "You must be mistaken."

I scowl and ignore him, "Well you can stay if you want, but I have no intentions of getting mauled by some mystery beast today." I crouch to spring away when I feel a hand gripping my arm.

"No way! You owe me an explanation. Follow me, since you're so scared of your so-called monster, I know a safe place."

I look him up and down skeptically. "I can't trust you."

He shrugs, "You can come with me willingly, or I can drag you there. The choice is totally up to you, Sweetie."

Who is this strange ninja boy? Why is he so trusting of me, a total stranger who literally just fell out of the sky? Is it because I'm a female and he thinks that I would be no danger to him? Or is it something else. I quickly contemplate while he stands in a relaxed pose, watching me with a hint of a challenge in his mocking smile. It's that smile that does me in.

I stand and match his relaxed pose, "Lead the way, Oh Fearless One."

"I'll know if you stop following me, or try and ditch me," he warns holding up a finger to shake at me. "Ready?"

Before I can even open my mouth to reply he's off into the treetops above. Only a ghost of his laughter can be heard.

I cannot resist such a challenge, I leap after him, hot on his heels.

Truly, he is fast but I can still follow his path closely. I keep his bright blonde bobbing head in my sights as I give chase. Despite the adrenaline rush, I don't lower my guard an inch. My ears are my radar, scanning every inch of my surroundings, ready to alert me if this strange boy leads me into a trap.

Suddenly, he drops from a tree branch. I can hear is soft thump as he lands. I stop on his abandoned branch, peering down.

The sight of him grinning up at me, laughing freely is what greets me. He has landed in a clearing surrounded thickly by trees. In fact it is completely hidden by the trees. It is big enough for a tent and a campfire, if that.

I drop down beside him. A true smile on my face. "Slow poke." He smirks the greeting at me.

Before I reply or get too comfortable, I am once again carefully examining everything around me. When I am sure it is a safe, "Who are you?" I repeat his question at him.

"Naruto Uzumaki! I'm going to be a Hokage someday soon." He puffs his chest out in pride. "Really though, you should have identified yourself before demanding me to do so. Don't you know anything?"

"Akako Kita." I reply easily, ignoring his teasing.

"Akako huh," he grins "where did you get such crazy hair?"

My hand flies up to touch my long hair. It is orangey-red, a strange hue in these parts I'll admit. I remember how he used to keep it cut short because such an odd colour offended him. I know wear it long and loose, a direct defiance against him.

"Like you can talk, with that hair and orange jumpsuit any one half blind can see coming from a million miles away." I sit on the ground.

He enjoys the fact that I am finally teasing him back. "Well if I'm so obvious then how come your pretend monster didn't spot me and eat me?" He watches me remove my forehead protector and wrap it back around my wrist. "Village of Sound? What are you doing in these parts? What are you, a spy?"

I studiously ignore the insult carefully crossing my legs, "I claim no village, especially not a dump like that place." I sigh and look up at the sky, "I guess you could say I move around a lot."

"So…you're a runaway?"

Why is he trying so hard to figure me out? I ignore him again, still concentrating on the blue sky.

"So if you're from that village, how come you made such a mistake about hearing that beast? I thought sound would kinda be your thing."

"I didn't make a mistake," I fidget, "I have a strange Bloodline Limit. It's part of the reason why I ran away. It's also the reason why I can hear and sense things you cannot."

He is truly interested now, he sits down beside me. "What do you mean?"

Now it is my turn to smirk at him. "I can hear minds."

He doesn't seem alarmed or scared, "You mean, you can hear me, right now?"

"No, it takes a lot of concentration. Especially to hear someone for the first time." I explain enjoying the fact he seems interested, and not scared. Most people at this point would run away, labelling me a dangerous freak. "It also takes some complicated hand seals. The more I hear one person the easier it gets to hear them, if I hear them enough times I won't even need to use the seals, just focus on them. But of course, the easier it is for me to hear somebody, the easier it is for them to sense me listening in. If I can identify a specific sound to a person, like a heartbeat, I can concentrate on that and eventually their mind will become clearer and I can hear. Lately, I discovered if I concentrate hard enough I can even plant a suggestion for a basic command, like to say something; or to stand or sit." I look him in the eyes and grin, "It's still a work in progress, but it's pretty creepy, huh?"

I realise that I have said more than I meant to ever tell him. It's just a relief to have someone listen who isn't scared, or doesn't run away, or doesn't try and control me…

Naruto pops to his feet, "Okay Red," he calls me, "I need proof! Read my mind."

He's grinning at me, he doesn't believe a word I said.

I smile back at him, I haven't felt this free in….forever. Why not show off a little? "Alright, I will but you better not be picturing me naked." I warn him. He laughs loudly at that.

I close my eyes and once again rapidly complete the needed hand seals. I take care to do them too quickly for Naruto to follow them I know he is watching closely. I feel my hearing stretch out, searching. I grin, finding Naruto's heartbeat is only too easy, it's the closest one to me. I focus in on the sound of him, feeling his mind slowly open up for me.

!

His thoughts have the strange animal feel to them. In fact, this is the same mind I heard in the woods. My eyes flash open with a shocked gasp and in an instant I'm on my feet in a fighting stance, a throwing star in each hand.

A trap! I knew it! How could I have been so stupid! He is the beast! With a shriek I let my stars fly. Each of them land with a sickening thunk into his body. One between his eyes, and one in his chest.

As his body falls, I fall with it to my knees…sobbing.