I don't own anything except my OC, Naomi.
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
"Ser?" I asked Hawk when we got to his office.
"What's the verdict with them? Are they up to your expectations? Or are they less?" Hawk asked me. Hawk has known me since I was six years of age. He taught me half of what I know now. And know half from what I have learned. For me my tests mean everything. The make it or break it deal. Depends if you can take care of yourself in a fight.
"Their scores are impressive. They have high expectations for themselves. They still are cocky but most soldiers are like that." I said and started biting my lip. Hawk looked over the scores. Both were different but excelled well in what they worked with. Duke was mostly for ground fight but Ripcord, however, was meant for the sky. He was even jet qualified. Nicely done.
'Stop biting your lip. You'll chew a hole in your lip." Hawk said without looking up from the scores. I stopped and gave a grunt.
"How did you know?" I asked him.
"When you get nervous you start to bite your lip. Then you lean on one leg and cross your arms. But you get worried when you do that and you space out." He said.
"I'm sorry what?" I said snapping out of space. Hawk laughed.
"Like I said, you're worried about something. What's wrong?" Hawk said putting down the files to look at me.
"I don't like this Clayton. Something is going to happen and I haven't seen all the details yet. McCullen…there's something about him that is off. And what's worse is that they have begun to appear again. Their back and I can no longer sleep. Every time I do I feel like I'm being pulled back again…I don't want to go back." I said sitting in one of the chairs in his office. I buried my face in my hands. Hawk was sclient for a few moments before he spoke again.
"I don't like this either. As for the flashes let them happen. Maybe you forgot something and they want you to know what. As for your feeling…..well….what ever happened you have to let it happen. You know you can't solve every problem. Sometimes you got to let things happen. Now off with you. I'll come by the wreck room to give the boys the good news." Hawk said and got up from his seat. When we're together we don't use protocols. Clayton has been a father to me ever since that day. And he never lets me forget where I am.
"Alright. I'll stop by the doc's office for some pills that can help me sleep." I said and gave Clayton a hug. He gladly returned it and shooed my out of the room.
On my way to the wreck room I stopped by the med-bay. I had asked for something to help me sleep. He handed me a bottle full of pills.
"Take only one when you need to Naomi. Anymore and you may not wake up. Understood?" I nodded and placed the bottle in my pocket.
"Take care doc." I said and headed for the wreck room.
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
When I walked into the room I saw Heavy Duty working with the punching bag, Breaker playing chess, Scarlet on the treadmill, and Snake Eyes balancing on his swords. Soon as I arrived Duke and Ripcord arrived. They waved and walked over to the bench press. As for me I sat next to Breaker to watch Snake Eyes.
"Queen to Knight 4." I said and Breaker moved the white piece. Then he moved his black piece, "Knight to Rook 5." Breaker moved and when his turn, "Rook to King 2." Breakers eyes widened, "Checkmate." I said. Breaker slapped himself in the forehead and mumbled something.
"Congrats. No one was able to beat him at chess. Impressive." Scarlet called.
"Thanks. Oh and Rip incoming." I said. She turned to look and sure enough Rip was making his way over to her. She quickly opened a book nearby to look like she was occupied in her reading.
"Into the valley of death rode the 600." Breaker mumbled. I smirked. I turned to see Snake Eyes staring at me. I cocked my head to the side which made him realize that I was looking at him. Snake went back to what he was doing before. I gave a giggle at his embarrassment.
"See, I'm attracted to you. And you, you're attracted to me. And him, the damn Zen master, he creeps me out." Rip called. I got up and walked over to Snake Eyes who was balancing on one blade now. I circled him like a vulture looking for prey. Sexy prey if I don't mind saying so.
"Zen master alright….." said so that only Snake could hear. His blades began to shake. Perfect. I took my pointer finger and lightly jabbed it in his hip, which made him shudder. I did it again but harder this time. His body shook again, "my! You are ticklish aren't you Snake Eyes?" I purred in his ear. His blade shook a little more till he lost his grip and fell to the floor. Everyone stopped to see what happened. Scarlet gave a silent giggle while the boys burst into a laughing fit. As for me, I bent over Snake to see if he was alright, which I knew he was, "you ok snaky?" I asked in a childish voice.
"Snaky? You called him Snaky?" Ripcord said when he caught his breath.
"When we were little I used to call him that to get him flustered." I said and stretched out a hand to help him up. Snake accepted it but didn't release my hand. Instead he threw me over his shoulder upside down.
"Hey put me down!" I squealed. Everyone began to laugh again. That was until Heavy Duty yelled.
"Attention! General on deck!" he shouted. Snake quickly put me down so he could stand at attention and so did I.
"At ease. Duke." The general began. I walked over to stand over on his other side, "you scored in the top half percent of all the people we've ever tested. Rip, if we average your scores with Duke, you pass, too. Welcome aboard." Hawk said. I was grinning from ear to ear.
"Thank you ser." They both said.
"Don't thank me. Thank Naomi. She's the one that trained you and got you this far. Now if you excuse me I have more paper work to do." Hawk said with a smile and left. Duke and Rip both came over and gave me a huge hug and thanks.
"It was nothing. Excuse me, I need to get some sleep." I said and turned to leave the same way the general left. Everyone said night but Snake. Somehow he wasn't there…strange.
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
As I walked to my room I felt a hand creep around my waist and hug me close to a very warm body. I looked up to see Snake Eyes. I smiled and released him from my waist. Before I could say anything Snake held up an orange bottle that held pill.
"How…..." I reached for my back pocket to see…oh great!
"I took them when you were over my shoulder. What are you doing with these?" he asked. I shook my head.
"There to help me sleep Snake. It's hard to sleep now that I'm here. Before I rarely got sleep." I said and went to snatch them but he pulled back.
"Why didn't you tell me? I could've made that tea you always like, to help you sleep. You don't need these." He said and put them in a pouch he had on his belt. I sighed.
"Snake, please, give them back. I'm tired and would like to get some sleep." I said. Snake shook his head and grabbed my hand to pull me away from my room, "hey? Where are we going?" Snake again shook his head and his hand gripped mine tighter. Snake wasn't always this straightforward unless he was worried about something or someone, but in my case…me.
x X x
(Flashback)
I waited quietly as my master talked to the other monks. Clayton Abernathy waited with me on the bench. I was only six years of age when my life came to a stop before my eyes. My friends and family were murdered because some of us kids held special properties. Right now I was about to meet my mom's old friend that is a monk in Japan.
"Naomi you can come in now. Master Hiroshi would like to talk to you now." Said one of the younger monks. I looked back at Clayton. He smiled and gave me a gentle shove. I nodded and went with the monk. He took a hold of my hand and gave me a smile my older brothers would gave me when I was nervous. He led me through a door and pass a garden area. I had only met the monk only a few times when I was but a baby.
"Master Hiroshi is very eager to see you Naomi." Said the monk. I gave a nod and returned my gaze to the garden. My older twin sister had one just like it but bigger. Ari and Jen were their names. Age 16 and very bright at that age. They never left each other's side, "I see you like the gardens. We have many more a over the temple. If you decide to stay with us you can have full access to them." He said. I nodded again. I could go here to think and do stuff by myself if I wanted.
While I was thinking I didn't realize that we had stopped at two decorative doors. The monk lightly knocked and slid the door open. Inside were four more monks. One monk was a bit heavy with a beard. Next came to one that was skinny. Too skinny for my taste. The third one had a scar running down his eye. And the fourth one was a bit younger than the rest. He had a black pony tail on the back of his head while the rest was shaved. They all stared at me like I was supposed to do something.
"Elders this is Naomi." He said and gave me a little shove towards them. I staggered forward and gave an awkward bow.
"She certainly looks like Anya. But her eyes aren't that sky blue? She has her father's eyes. That mixture of both of them. How wonderful!' said the skinny monk.
"She is Anya's child alright. From what I heard of the accident she fought for everyone and was brave too. Weren't you?" asked the third monk. I nodded nervously. The fourth one gave a light laugh.
"You do not need to be afraid. We are here to help you." He said. I gave a small smile.
"Naomi…Clayton Abernathy has told us what happened at your village. It was a loss for us as well." Said the third.
"We lost one of our sisters…our only sister…" said the second.
"But she did ask us that if anything happened to her or her family….," the fourth began.
"We would take care of those that survived." Said the first. He stood and walked over to me, "and that means you Naomi." He said and placed a hand on my shoulder.
For awhile I sat outside of the room while Clayton talked to the four. Clayton was kind of like a father to me almost. He didn't leave my side until I had somewhere to go, like I did with the others. Each child that survived, I gave them a home. A place where they would be safe. At first I wanted everyone to stay together but I learned that we must let go, one way or the other. As I looked out at the garden, I couldn't help but feel safe. It reminded me of home. Almost that is.
"I have had it with you two for the last time!" shouted a voice. I looked to see an older monk dragging two boys by the ears. He came and ordered them to sit while he talks with the Elders. I giggled. Their ears were all read and yet they had cuts over their faces and arms. Were they fighting? One of the boys with brown hair turned to me. "He must've figured that I was staring!" I quickly turned away. Unfortunately I could feel my cheeks heat up.
"Uh…hi." He said. I slowly turned and smiled at him, "I'm Snake Eyes. What's your name." he asked. Before I could answer the boy with black hair spoke up.
"No one wanted to know you're….oh….." I said and turned towards me. He stopped when he realized that he was talking to me, "oh….uh…..sorry. The name's Storm Shadow. Don't pay attention to the half wit sitting next to me." he pointed to Snake Eyes. Snake gave him a glare that made me giggle. They both stopped and turned towards me and smiled shyly.
"So what's your name?" Snake asked again.
"Naomi." I answered.
"That's a pretty name. It means pleasant or beautiful right?" Snake said. Storm Shadow slapped him up against the head. "He knows what my name means!...wow"
"That's right. But how did you know?" Snake turned to me with a shocked expression and I slight blush on his cheeks.
"Well…I….." Snake began but was interrupted.
"Naomi." I turned to see the first monk that I had met. They boys gasped and got up to bow.
"Master Hiroshi." They said. I cocked my head to the said, "Naomi, the Elders have agreed to allow you to stay with us. Here you will continue to train like your mother your mother would've wanted you too. And for being the only girl here, you will be given your room." Master Hiroshi said with a smile. I smiled back and gave him a hug. At first he stiffened but he loosened and gave me the hug back.
"Thank you Master Hiroshi." I said.
"Now we just need someone to show you around." He mumbled to himself.
"I'll do it!" Snake Eyes jumped in.
"Really Snake Eyes? But you're in trouble." He said trying to hide a smile.
"Think of this as a punishment." He said and looked at me.
"Mmmm….alright. Show her around then bring her to dinner's meal." Master Hiroshi said.
"But master! What about me? I should be the one to do it! I've been here longer!' Storm Shadow said.
"Ah…..but wasn't you, who started the fight?' he said. Storm Shadow shot Snake a look and stormed off, leaving me and Snake Eyes.
For the next hour or so Snake showed me around. He also told me of how he came here. Well, fighting with Strom Shadow is one way to get in here. As we walked we also talked about this and that. We found out that we had a lot in common too.
"So how did you end up living here?" Snake asked me. I stopped and looked down at the dirt, "what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just a bad memory, that's all." I said giving him a fake smile. But I guess he figured that out because he brought me into a hug I couldn't get away from.
"You don't have to hold it in. If you do, it's going to eat you up. If you want to talk I'm here." He said into my ear. I wrapped my arms around him and cried…..I didn't know how long but Snake just stood there holding me while I cried. I could feel my legs start to feel like jelly and my breath became into hiccups. Snake pulled away and led me to a bench that was under a sakura tree and told me to wait here.
"Don't go!" I called. Snake gave me a smile.
"I won't. But I need to get something first." He said and ran to the boys rooms. I sat there looking at the entrance waiting for him. I didn't know what I was feeling inside. Master Hiroshi felt like a father to me now. And Snake like…..like….I don't know. I felt safe with him. I tore my gaze away from the hallway and looked around. We were in some type of garden. Sakura trees balanced the area while flowers grew in patterns of color and shape.
"Here" Said a voice. I looked to see Snake holding an apple out for me. I gladly took it and took a bite out of it. It was sweet and cool when I bit into it. Snake too had one and started to eat it, "feel better?"
I nodded, "yah. A bit."
"That's good. In about half hour is supper. Do you want to sit with me and Storm Shadow?" Snake asked me.
I smiled, "Sure!" I said. Snake smiled and we continued to eat our apples till the supper bell.
x X x
(End of Flashback)
I snapped out of my thoughts when Snake released my hand. We were in the mess. No one was there. Not even the cooks. I glanced over at the clock on the wall and it read 11:23. No wonder, no one's here. I watched as Snake went into the small kitchen.
"Sit." He said. I planted myself down at one of the tables and waited for Snake to come back into the room. It was about 10 minutes before he came back out and he brought two cups along with him.
"Let me guess. Your famous tea that always calms me down or relaxes me?" I asked him when he handed the cup to me. Snake nodded and sat next to me with the same up in his hand, "will I ever get my pills back?"
"Nope. From now on, when you need to sleep I will make you this tea." He said. I took a sip of the tea and allowed it to go down my throat slowly to enjoy the feel.
"Will you please take that thing off? It's just me. When I first saw you wearing it, I wanted to take it off myself." I said and took another sip. Snake sighed and looked around before bringing his hands to the back of his mask. When he took it off I caught my breath. His features were chiseled down to the last detail that I had seen years ago. His eyes were the color of vibrant amber, gleaming with years of experience. His hair was a light brown color but it had bit of a darker color in it. It was short but not too short and it looked a bit like he just woke up form sleep.
"Don't look at me like that. You look like your checking out a new sword." He said and took a sip of his tea. I grinned from ear to ear. Oh, I'm checking out a new sword out alright. I thought.
"No I am not!" I protested even though he was true. But not the sword part thought. It had been years since I last saw him. We were young and left on unhappy terms.
"Naomi. You had the nightmares about what happened, didn't you? It's not your fault you know." Snake asked. My smile turned into a frown.
"Thanks for the tea Snake. I really need to get some sleep. Night." I said and got up to leave.
"Naomi. Wait!" he got up and grabbed my wrist but I shrugged him off, "Naomi please look at me." I refused to meet his eyes and tried to run but Snake wrapped his arms around me. I turned to push him away but no words came. I felt like I was back at the temple again. The one moment where I let my guard down…..I cried. Snake held me tight against him as I cried into his chest. He pulled away from me and forced me to look at him, "You can't hold it in. And neither can I." he said and he kissed me. His lips were soft against mine as I kissed him back. Oh, how much I missed this. His grip got tighter as the kiss drove deeper. I never wanted this feeling to end…..
"BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!" went the alarms. We pulled away from each other.
"Clayton." I whispered. I let go of Snake and ran towards Hawks office. I knew….I knew …and everyone was going to pay for it too…
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Sorry to cut things short but I won't be able to write for the next week. I will make it up to my viewers and make the next chapter longer. Also click the yellow thought bubble to review plz!