Chapter One:
A Leaf in the Breeze
"Rurousha*!" an excited voice called out through the crowed of busy workers, seeming to dwarf the clamor pounding of hammers and yells of grown men. Piercing green eyes looked up curiously from the wooden plank that he's meticulously sanding down. Naruto sighed in mock annoyance but gave a warm smile at the young girl rushing haphazardly towards him. At this rate he'd never get his quota finished before dusk…
"Rurousha! Rurosha! Look!" she ducked recklessly under two workers straining to carry a heavy load of timber and skidded to a halt in front of Naruto's work area. He had set up on the eastern edge of the camp, on the outer edge of the main construction zone, both to get away from the noisier building areas and keep from the surlier members of the crew.Well that and the view of the beach was simply spectacular. The pair of workers stumbled slightly at the unexpected interruption, but caught their balance with a practiced ease. They shook their heads ruefully as if this was a normal, everyday occurrence and went about their way barely breaking stride. Naruto smiled apologetically at them.
A wrapped bento was suddenly shoved inches from his nose. "I brought you lunch, see?" She was mess of hair and dust. A pair of beautiful blue eyes peeked mischievously though the bangs of her mussed, waist length hair and the bright pink yukuta she wore was slightly skewed and filthy, yet her simple, childish exuberance shone through the grime like a brilliant gem amongst plain gravel. It still amazed him at how she was able to retain her innocence around such crass company as a construction crew.
"Thank you, Kishi-chan," he managed, eyes crossing as he regarded the unexpected, but not unwelcomed, gift. He carelessly tossed his planer down on top of his unfinished workload and wiped his hands on his work pants before taking the lunchbox. "I was getting hungry and didn't have time to stop. Was afraid I wouldn't get to eat today…again." He smiled sheepishly.
She gave an irritated glance up at him before grasping one of his arms and bodily pulled his much larger frame behind hers towards one of the stone benches that were scattered about facing the ocean. A none-to-gentle shove had the young man sitting before he knew it. She joined him moments later, sitting beside him with a scant half inch between them and an angry frown marring her features.
"Stupid boy," she grunted. "You have to eat! Papa will get angry if one of his best workers isn't performing at one-hundred percent!" She leaned back on her heels, fists perched on her hips, the very image of indignation. "Besides, I will not have the only man worthy of my affections sick because he's too lazy to eat. Stupid."
Hell hath no fury like an infatuated twelve year-old. Naruto / Rurousha sighed wearily. He wondered where he got his infinite patience from and, not for the first time, wondered if he had any kids of his own. Now there was a truly disturbing thought.
"Kishi-chan, have you ever thought about picking a boy a bit closer to your age? Some of the other workers are beginning to talk…" he mumbled.
A finger appeared millimeters from his face. "Don't even think about it buster! Don't you even begin to finish that sentence! Which ones are talking about me? Which ones?! Just point them out to me…" The offending finger was removed as she spun around and redirected her ire to the workers that were absolutely focused on their jobs and not paying the young couple one bit of attention. Nope, not one bit of attention at all.
"Which of you sorry sacks of excrement has been talking about me and Rurousha-kun?! Speak up you cowards! I'll take you straight to Papa and h…mmph!"
Naruto's hand clamped gently over the young firecracker and pulled her bodily onto the bench beside him once again. Why, oh why did he have to mention anything?
"Eat young one, before all your effort goes cold."
She tossed one final icy glare over her shoulders towards the workers before turning back to Naruto all dimples and smiles before sitting demurely again at his side. She was the very image of a proper princess.
A small twitch developed at the corner of Naruto's eye. 'She's…bi-polar. That has to be it. It would explain so much…'
They sat for nearly an hour simply eating and enjoying the sunshine and warm, salty breeze. Small talk was the order of business and his time was up before he even realized it.
Kishi pouted as she slowly packed up her things, taking her time on purpose just to spend longer with much reluctant beau. His reluctance was a never-ending source of frustration for the young heiress. As the daughter of one of the wealthiest, most sought after construction conglomerates she was not used to being denied what she wanted. That wasn't to say she was spoiled, far from it actually, for in reality she desired very little. However, his obvious discomfort with her genuine affections irked her and she refused to be spurned. She'd known him for all of six months but even at twelve going on thirteen, she knew not to let someone like him go. Unfortunately for Naruto, this entailed her keeping him within arms length at all times.
He had literally stumbled upon her late one night as he made his way across the shoreline. After spending several nights underneath the stars, wandering aimlessly looking for civilization, he had happened upon the young girl standing in the midst of a pack of bandits. Sitting for several minutes, he had watched the exchange with a growing sense of indignation as the thugs had harassed and belittled the young girl. He briefly debated about ignoring the whole situation and moving on. After all, it wasn't his problem, now was it? All he was after was a warm bed and a bit of food for his empty stomach. This wasn't his problem. He was just a normal man striving to survive in a world he didn't have any memory of.
Fate, as usual, decided at that point it was time to give Naruto a swift kick in the ass.
Things swiftly took a turn for the worst when one of the bandits threw the young girl to the ground. Naruto couldn't remember most of what happened after that for events got kind of fuzzy somewhere between hearing the words 'ransom' and 'virgin.' He remembered the leader of the troupe laughing as several of his men rushed forward grabbing the girl before pinning her roughly to the sand. Faster than the human eye could blink he was standing in the middle of them, the frightened girl slung like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder and a deep, burning hatred smoldering within his stomach…
*****
Rage.
Anger.
Fury.
These…maggots dared to harm an innocent. Hate, unbelievable hate, welled from somewhere deep within him, bubbling to the surface of his skin setting it almost aglow with its intensity. Strength coursed through his veins banishing any lingering hunger and weakness. What they wanted to do, what they were going to do to a pure, young woman was inexcusable.
They would be punished.
Green eyes flickered momentarily with a menacing reddish hue…
He fought valiantly against these alien feelings. Struggled valiantly against them, but they were like chains binding his heart and dark clouds shrouding his mind. It was difficult to even think when he was so angry. He didn't even have time to ponder why he was so indignant on behalf of someone he'd never met before. After a few moments he had himself almost under control. He looked over his shoulder and was pulled into a pair of wide, frightened eyes of the deepest shade of blue.
Waves of relief brought tears to her eyes as she muttered a heartfelt 'thank you…'
Things would have been fine if the bandit leader hadn't chosen that moment to speak
It had taken them a few moments, but eventually they shook off their surprise at having a stranger magically appear and snatch their cash cow right from under them. Of course, shock was predictably replaced by an unpleasant sneer.
"Who the hell are you and what do you think you're doing with our cute, little fucktoy?" He paused before grinning. "A better question would be: how do you plan on making it out of here still breathing?" To emphasize the point, the filthy, foul smelling man pulled a wicked looking dagger from a sheath at his forearm. Taking his cue, the remaining seven did likewise and produced various sharp edged, ragged weapons.
The…not-quite-man…before them looked to have been put through quite the ordeal. His clothes were torn and shredded, faint scars could be seen through the holes in the travel stained fabric. His gaze though…with his cryptic tattoos and bright, piercing stare, it brought to mind the look a wild animal gave you before it tore your throat out.
Naruto placed the young girl gently on the ground.
"Get behind me, neesan," he instructed quietly and she hurried to comply. The crooks began inching their way around the lone, wannabe hero, eying him warily. Naruto, for his part, kept his gaze stonily locked on the obvious leader, his eyes unflinching. This group obviously was your average run-of-the-mill criminals, having little to no training except for what the streets could teach you. He bared his teeth menacingly.
Without warning a small, mouse of a man rushed him from the side, blade poised to slip into Naruto's unprotected ribs. Stepping back, he let the knife and arm slip between his arm and body before clamping down on the thief's arm. A second bandit came from the opposite side, his rusted katana raised high for a killing blow.
Naruto twisted at the hips, breaking the first, smaller bandit's elbow while swinging his left forearm up to catch the second bandit against his wrist, halting the katana midair. A snap kick to the man's ankle, a flourish of the wrist and suddenly Naruto had a slightly used katana.
A third dashed forward right as Naruto flung the first man into the sand. The third man barely had time to gasp in surprise as he was tripped up by his comrade's body, his knees scarcely touching the ground before his head was removed cleanly from his neck.
Only seven seconds had elapsed. They were three guys down and their opponent didn't have so much as a scratch. As tough and dumb as they were, by then they had figured out it was time to reevaluate the situation. The blood steadily dripping of the blade helped them make their decision. Naruto's flat, emotionless stare reinforced it.
"Leave," he ordered flatly.
"Fine, but don't think this is over, gaki!" the leader called out.
They turned tail and ran, scampering away like frightened pups. Naruto snorted in contempt before turning back towards the girl. He squatted down and asked in a gentle voice, "Are you okay?"
She nodded hesitantly, but was quickly reassured by the kind look he gave her. Soon though, her situation finally came crashing down on her as realization set in. The tears followed soon after.
A feeling of dread welled up from inside him at the sight of the tears and he nervously took a step back, unsure how to deal with the situation. Crying females, it would appear, was well outside his normal expertise.
Not knowing who you are is a strange feeling. Wandering aimlessly for four nights gives one a lot of time for thinking and introspection. Despite this, he absolutely drew a blank when it came to anything personal about himself. It was odd moments like this where he first began to draw conclusions about his person. Somehow he knew, deep down, that upset girls was something he had never nor would ever understand in the slightest.
He inched back nervously before finding himself unable to move back further. Looking down, he found that a slender hand had reached out and tightly caught his sleeve. An instant later, his arms were full of crying girl.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…" Her words were muffled by both tears and the fabric of his shirt but the emotion carried through undiminished.
He blinked once, ever the clueless guy, before wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder. "You're fine now," he murmured.
Perhaps he wasn't so clueless after all.
*****
"Rurousha-kun?"
The inquiring voice jarred him back to the present. He looked down at the hand tugging on his sleeve and, for the first time in recent memory, had a sense of déjà-vu. He looked up at the girl with an apologetic look on his face.
"Sorry, I was off in my own little world."
"Ugh! You didn't listen to a single word I was saying, did you?" Oh hell, her hands were back on her hips. That was the beginning of Sure Sign Number Six that she was beginning to get impatient.
He grinned widely at her, before lightly knocking himself on the head with his fist. "I'm an idiot. Sorry."
She sniffed as if greatly affronted. "Well…at least try and act like you really mean it."
"Gomen," he shrugged helplessly.
Rolling her eyes, Kishi gathered the bento boxes up and began making her way back over to the main thoroughfare where her father had set up his administration building to oversee construction. The temporary building was sandwiched in between their hotel and several small market stalls that led in towards the town square.
"You're hopeless," Kishi called over her shoulder. "If it wasn't for me, you would probably be still wandering out in the wilderness like some animal." She paused. "Speaking of which, go take a bath before you come home tonight. You stink." With a small wave she skipped daintily off, carefree and content. At least for the moment.
Naruto's shoulders sagged. Whether it was from relief or despair he couldn't tell.
Six months. It had been six long months since he had first awoke on that deserted beach with no memories of himself nor any clues to his past. Finding Kishi had been an extraordinary stroke of good luck on his part. She'd led him an hour further down the shoreline to Coral, an up-and-coming shipping / fishing town on the edge of Water country that was undergoing some major reconstruction.
Our nameless hero had casually remarked about the sheer volume of construction going on and, as luck would have it, Kishi had happened to be the daughter of the man in charge. Her father, Daisuke Ichirou, had been hired by the Hansou Corporation, which had been restructured from the old, corrupted Gato Corporation, to build a new transportation hub. Several warehouses along with a huge docking platform for ships to unload their goods and a spattering of administration buildings were being built with no expenses spared. The town was already experiencing a massive boom in its economy. High spirits was the order of the day.
With such a massive amount of work that needed to be done, Daisuke-san had been more than willing to take on an extra pair of hands. Much to his delight, his daughter's rescuer had turned out to be a very capable worker. What the lad lacked in experience, he more than made up for with sheer determination and drive. The fact that the young man could not remember his own name had no bearing on the issue. He had rescued his daughter and that was, in his mind, the end of that.
Really, it had been a good bit of business for both parties. Daisuke had gotten a good employee, while Naruto had gotten free boarding and a good bit of spending cash. All it all, there were worse ways to begin a new life.
His musing was interrupted as a small commotion broke out across the square. Construction halted as workers stopped to stare at a small group of four oddly dressed individuals moved purposely to the main building. Nervous murmurs followed in their wake. Three small…not children really, nor were they adults, lead the way as an older, taller man followed behind at a much more leisurely pace.
They each wore an odd assortment of pouches and armor, seemingly tailor made to their personal style and tastes, with an even odder assortment of weaponry. They way they moved, however, was the same. They moved with precision and grace that spoke of years of hard training and deadly efficiency. Each was lean, with sinewy muscle rippling beneath their skin. Even the young girl sandwiched between her teammates looked remarkably fit.
The older sensei's eyes lazily looked around, taking in every detail at a casual glance. His gaze momentarily swept and locked on Naruto's own green eyes and for a moment he couldn't breathe. Naruto's instincts screamed unintelligibly at him, though why he couldn't fathom. The moment passed, and the man continued on with nary a pause, seemingly oblivious to everything but whatever task he was set on.
Muscles unclenched on their own violation, and Naruto was startled that he was tense in the first place. Startled and confused by his own reaction to the…other's presence. He had a feeling that he needed to go get a shower now and get home in order to find out from Daisuke-san who those people were.
He could not get the image of the four dark lines gleaming brightly from the man's forehead protector out of his mind.
Somewhere, something deep within him chuckled darkly.
*Omake*
Naruto placed the young girl gently on the ground.
"Get behind me, neesan," he instructed quietly and she hurried to comply. The crooks began inching their way around the lone, wannabe hero, eying him warily. Naruto, for his part, kept his gaze stonily locked on the obvious leader, his eyes unflinching. This group obviously was your average run-of-the-mill criminals, having little to no training except for what the streets could teach you. He bared his teeth menacingly.
Without warning a small, mouse of a man rushed him from the side, blade poised to slip into Naruto's unprotected ribs. Stepping back, he let the knife and arm slip between his arm and body before clamping down on the thief's arm. A second bandit came from the opposite side, his rusted katana raised high for a killing blow.
Naruto twisted at the hips, breaking the first, smaller bandit's elbow while swinging his left forearm up to catch the second bandit against his wrist, halting the katana midair. A snap kick to the man's ankle, a flourish of the wrist and suddenly Naruto had a slightly used katana.
A third dashed forward right as Naruto flung the first man into the sand. The third man leapt nimbly over his fallen comrade's body, as he bodily slammed into Naruto.
Being knocked down surprised the would-be rescuer so much that he lost the grip on his newly acquired katana and it went tumbling out of reach. Panicking slightly he grabbed the first thing that came to hand…something rock like bashed into the thugs face, nearly ripping the eye completely from its socket. A second follow up blow finished him off.
Naruto tossed his makeshift weapon to the sand then jumped back as it shuffled away, the ruffian's eyeball clenched firmly in its claws.
"What's that?" Naruto managed to gasp in surprise. "A cave demon?!"
"A Kenyan Maingrove crab," came the succinct response.
"…a what?"
The young girl sighed. "It's a Kenyan Maing…"
"Oh my Kami-sama! It's…it's looking right at me!"
"Uhm, are you feeling alright?"
Naruto paused as he pulled out his triangle-shaped knife and held it defensively in front of himself. Somehow, he knew instinctively that he would not win this battle. Wisely he put away the knife and retreated.
"I'm fine. Let's…let's just get you out of here."
"Good idea," she responded, rolling her eyes.