'I can't believe that I dropped it!' a voice grumbled a short distance 'I'm sure that it has to be around here somewhere. It's where I was yesterday.'
Renita realised that she had her arm exposed still, and stopped panting so she could listen to how close the voice was, and to hide until she had wrapped herself up again and to find out if it was a friend or foe that was approaching. She rolled over onto her knees and stood up, and scurried quickly away to a large rock to her right and hid behind it. Fossicking around in her vest for her bandages, she found them and commencing wrapping her arm up swiftly and neatly. Peering around the rock, she looked for the source of the rustling.
It was the blonde haired kid from the other day that she saw with the girl. Renita wondered what he was doing searching the forest down to the smallest detail for.
'Oh man, Sakura's going to kill me if I can't find it!' his voiced whined, with a tone of frantic panic underlying in it.
Renita sighed, but it was a lot louder than she had hoped and the kid had heard it, and swiftly threw a kunai in her direction. Just as quickly, Renita threw a needle shuriken at the impending tool, which knocked it off its trajectory. This then put the boy in a defensive state, and he began to slowly walk towards Renita, armed at the ready with another kunai. He was getting closer, but Renita kept her cool, and brought her hands together, with her index and middle fingers stretched upwards and the rest curled into her palms, situating her left hand lower than her right so that they fit comfortably.
'Tōton Jutsu' she whispered.
Her body began to lose its volume as she blended into the surface of the rock and the dirt on the ground she was sitting on. Footsteps came closer until the messy, long blonde hair of the young ninja was visible over the sandy, rough surface of the rock Renita was behind. A piercing blue pair of eyes scoped the area, but then relaxed somewhat as he couldn't see any immediate danger. He shook his head and sighed then walked away, oblivious to the fact that he was an inch away from Renita's nose and danger which could have arisen at any second.
'Ahh, I must be seeing things' he mumbled to himself 'I really need to find that bracelet though'
'Bracelet?' Renita thought, as she held her right hand over the area of her vest where the bracelet she had found lay concealed. 'I should give it to him then'. She stood up and began to tail the young boy, while he continued to fossick. She placed a hand on his shoulder and the kid whipped around immediately, after letting out a yelp of fright. His face drained of any colour and his blue eyes widened to the size of saucers. From his point of view, there was no one there, so what he felt must have been a phantom. Realising that she was still transparent, Renita released the jutsu and she began to reappear infront of the heavily spooked ninja.
He let out a blood-curling shriek and made an attempt to run back towards the village, but tripped over a branch of a bush that he had thrown while he was searching the area. Renita walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders.
'Wait' she said calmly, and sweetly 'I'm not here to hurt you. I think I have what you are looking for.'
She pulled the delicate item of jewellery from her pocket and placed it into his hands. Still with wide eyes, he inspected the bracelet in his hands, and his eyes slowly began to return to normal and a wide smile grew on his face.
'Oh wow!' he exclaimed 'I can't believe you found it! I've been looking for it everywhere! (Renita giggled at this moment) Wait, who are you? You're a leaf ninja but I've never seen you before.'
'I'm new to the village, but my name is Renita Takahashi' Renita chuckled, helping the boy up. 'And who might you be?'
'Oh. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to be the next Hokage!'
Renita laughed, her voice melodic as silver bells.
'Well, you've certainly got a long way to go if you keep tripping over obvious things lying around.' She indicated the discarded branch.
'Aha, well you see' Naruto said, scratching the side of his head with his right index finger 'You kinda scared me with the whole invisibility thing and all…' he trailed off, looking somewhat sheepish, but then smiled again.
'So what's with the headband anyway? Are you some kind of Kakashi wannabe?
'Hmm?'
'Y'know, the way you've got it tipped over your face. Trust me, he's the only person in the village who wears his like that.'
'Wait, so 'Kakashi' is the name of another ninja?'
'Well obviously. Everybody knows Kakashi-sensei. You'd be insane not to know him.'
'You're forgetting that I said I'm new, remember?'
Naruto looked sheepish again at that comment, but brightened up again and started to go into a detailed description of his other sensei.
'-and he has the stupidest hair I've ever seen. It's like, it's messy, but it's not and it moves off to the side.'
This description instantly made her remember the other ninja that was staring at her earlier today.
'So' Renita thought 'that's his name…It also explains the comment that the Hokage said'. So in reply to this, she chuckled again to alleviate the tension the she seemed to have made rise as her gaze went vague, in which Naruto looked at her quizzically, tilting his head to the side like a puppy.
'I'm still learning names and meeting people' she said.
'Well, you met me now and I can show you around the village! Have you tried Ichiraku ramen yet? That stuff is the best!'
'I've got time now if you want something to eat?'
'Seriously? Oh boy, I'm always up for ramen!'
'Well, I'll treat you to some then, and you can tell me what was going on with the bracelet'
'Geez, lady, you're the greatest! Hey, what did you say your name was again?'
'Renita'
'I'm just gonna call you call you 'Ren', because it's easier'
Renita laughed again. 'Sure, why not? Come on Naruto, let's go have this ramen if it's as good as you say it is'
Naruto and Renita sat at the ramen shop, while two steaming bowls of enticing food filled their nostrils, and both eagerly grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the holders infront of them. Naruto immediately began to gulp down his noodles and giggled cheekily. Renita smiled and shook her head slightly, and took a mouthful of noodles. An explosion of flavours and spices seemed to dance on her tastebuds and now her stomach began to growl slightly. Naruto was right, this was amazing ramen. So, she tuckered into her food and happily ate with Naruto.
'See, I told you that Ichiraku ramen is the best!' Naruto said, after finishing his bowl quickly and sighing with content. 'though, one bowl doesn't fill me up. I should buy another…'
'Haha, one more bowl of ramen please. Extra pork in this one' Renita said, still on her first bowl.
'Woah, I sure lucked out meeting you' Naruto exclaimed, a smile spreading across his lit up face.
'Well, you never did explain to me about the situation with the bracelet.'
'Oh right. Well, my friend Sakura gave me it to look after, because she was working with dead stuff and she didn't want to get it messy'
'Dead stuff?' Renita asked, a shadow of worry crossing her face.
'Oh, she's a medical ninja.'
'Ah. Continue'
'So yeah, she gave it to me to hold and it was a gift for her mum or something, and told me to hold it dearly. I was training and I guess that it slipped out of my pocket.'
'It's a good thing I came along then. It's beautiful.'
'Yeah, I guess, if you're into that sort of thing' Naruto said, distracted by the new bowl of ramen which just appeared infront of him, courtesy of Teuchi the cook.
'Just don't drop it again or I don't think that you'll get away with just a yelling at this time' Renita said, finishing her bowl of ramen, extremely satisfied.
'I won't! I'll guard it with my life! Speaking of talking, you didn't tell me what's up with your headband'
'Mmm?'
'What have you got to hide underneath there, or have you been taking tips from Kakashi-sensei?'
'Did I hear someone talking about me?'
A voice from behind the two ninjas seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was quite deep, the kind of voice that would soothe any ounce of nerves if ones where to possess any. His voice was smooth like honey, and it sent a small chill of excitement down Renita's spine. She heard Naruto sigh a little between mouthfuls of ramen, and then he stopped eating to turn around, and Renita followed his lead.
Standing in the open of the store was a tall, lanky man, leaning against the side of the store. He had a relaxed demeanour and a fairly bored look in his eye (since majority of his face was covered by his mask/forehead protector ensemble, his eye said a lot).
'Oh, hi Kakashi-sensei' Naruto said, a small tone of boredom in his voice 'I was just asking Ren about her headband. I think she's copying you, y'know.' He went back to eating his ramen, slurping noodles quite vigorously.
Renita studied Kakashi closely, but did so without drawing too much attention to the fact she was doing it.
'So' Kakashi began, slouching a little more against the wall ''Ren'. That's an unusual name'
'It's Renita actually. Naruto here just made it shorter because it was easier to say' she chuckled slightly.
'Good old Naruto, finding the easy way to do things' Kakashi said, pulling himself off the wall and taking the seat next to Renita. He picked up her unused napkin and began twiddling with it.
'I've never seen you around the village before, but I'm pretty certain that you would be sick of hearing that.'
'I'm getting used to it, but it won't stay around forever.'
'That's a wise way to see it. So tell me, how did you end up with my young student dragging you to here?'
'I found something of his, and he was pretty wrapt, and wanted to show me around the village. So far we've made it to…here.'
Kakashi laughed, still playing with the smooth white napkin.
'Naruto has a good heart, but he is ruled by his stomach'
'He seems alright' Renita said, smiling.
'Guys, I'm still here' Naruto whined slightly, now finishing his bowl of ramen and stacking the empty bowls all together in a neat pile to be collected.
'Naruto'' Kakashi said, briefly stopping his fiddling and looking at the young ninja 'Why don't you go home? It's getting darker and I think you've taken enough of Ren's time.'
'But-but' he protested, weakly.
'Naruto' Kakashi's voice grew stern and his eye hardened into a gaze.
'Ehh…alright, fine' Naruto grumbled 'Thanks for everything Ren!' He ran out of the store, leaving the bracelet sparkling on the counter. Renita waved at him and smiled.
'Sweet kid' she thought to herself and turned to Kakashi again, who was once again playing with the napkin, twisting it this way and that. The difference was that he now looked a little down, and a small portion of his eye seemed to be swallowed up by a remaining, troublesome thought that was locked deep in the recesses of his mind, and it made the deep navy/black of his eye almost glow.
'Can I ask you something, Renita?' Kakashi asked, lowering his voice.
'Sure, I suppose' she replied, wondering what he was going to ask that would make this dramatic change in mood.
'I won't lie to you. You're quite striking, but what do you hide under your headband, or is there a deeper reason why you wear it the same as I do?'
He was quite forward with his curiosity, but it didn't seem like he would use it for manipulative purposes.
'I…uhh…' she stammered 'I'm not ready to divulge that just yet' she finished, feeling guilty for not sharing more about herself. There was this air of mystery that surrounded Kakashi, and she so desperately wanted to know more. She wanted to crack the super-cool shell of this being and peer at the inner feelings that he possessed. In fact, she was now overwhelmed with a sudden, hungry desire to know everything about this ninja.
Kakashi acknowledged the deflected question and didn't press any more on the matter. He wanted to, but if he wanted to know the situation with this girl, he couldn't come on so strong and scare her off, or he'll never get anything out of her.
'Understandable' Kakashi replied 'I wouldn't want to share everything of myself to a stranger'
'Considering that we both live in the same village, you're bound to find out eventually.'
'I like the sound of that. Well, I better get going. Naruto left this bracelet behind, so I better find him before Sakura rips out a lung of his.'
Kakashi stood up and picked the bracelet up in his right hand and kept his left hand leaning on the counter. His eye turned up into a crescent as he smiled and waved goodbye to Renita with his right hand, gripping the bracelet gently. He walked out the store, while collecting his book from his vest and walking off, fixated on his reading as he casually walked away, a sort of slouch accompanying his walk somehow.
Renita collected the bill from Ayame, the pretty daughter of Teuchi who worked in the ramen store and thanked her for the wonderful food. Something caught Renita's eye and as she looked at it, her heart felt like it melted slightly, and a shock of lightning coursed through her entire being added with a tickling feeling.
Sitting next to her where his hand had been was the napkin.
It was a water lily…
Renita woke up early, and the sun was just roughly a centimetre above the horizon. This was the perfect time for a run, so she stumbled out of bed and gathered her vest and pants and dressed in a groggy manner. The brisk air would freshen her up definitely, so she didn't complain about waking up so early. It was peaceful as she strolled through the streets and then out the gates of the village. Beginning with a trot and then a canter, she then broke into a fierce run, jumping into the branches of the trees and leaping from bough to bough. They were far enough apart to have to think about the distance between each and extended the muscles in the legs, right down to the bottom of the calves. It was a good morning stretch, and she reckoned that she would definitely feel more limber after it.
The sun was rising quicker than she thought, and she didn't want to miss the perfect moment to view it, so she started to kick into a faster pace, the wind lashing at her face now and giving her apple cheek. She twisted this way and that between the trees, winding her way deeper into the forest and steadily making her way up a hill. If she got to the top, she could watch the sunrise in a perfect spot, high above the village and open to feel all of the sun's morning warmth. What Renita didn't realise was that there was another person with the same intentions, except that they were coming the other way to head to a same place.
Before it was too late, the two bodies collided in mid-air and in a mixture of grunts and a clunking of heads, they both hit the ground heavily.
'Arrggh…..urrhmmm….' Renita groaned, feeling an extra weight from her chest and below. She tried to get up, but the weight on top of her was too much in her sudden state. She opened her eyes and saw on top of her, another shinobi from the leaf village. He had brown hair wrapped up in a tight pony tail, and wore the same vest/navy ensemble as she did.
The body on top of her groaned as well and lifted his head up to see what he had fallen on, and his eyes widened in a horrified expression.
He was lying on top of another shinobi, and if someone were to come across them at this very time, they would think that there was a suggestive and private moment going on by the way he was positioned on top of her. Their eyes met and in an instant, a deep red had flushed their cheeks and they scrambled away from each other. Renita had to admit, this shinobi was certainly a handsome one, including the scar that ran along from his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. She gulped, and felt even more embarrassed for making such a stupid move.
It was the other ninja that spoke first.
'Oh, I'm so sorry about that!' he exclaimed, crawling over to Renita, still blushing madly. His voice was quite mature even though he seemed to be relatively young. 'I haven't seen you around her before, but you're dressed in leaf shinobi gear. Can I ask your name?
'Oh….right' Renita stammered 'Ah, my name is Renita Takahashi….I'm new to the village'
"I see' the other shinobi said 'Well, I can help you if you need. My name is Iruka Umino. Let me help you up' he offered, extending his hand. He was smiling a very cute smile, almost like a young boy would give, and it made Renita feel a little squirmy on the inside.
'What an adorable name' Renita thought as she reached out to accept Iruka's offer of help. The minute that her hand was in his, they both unknowingly felt the same stroke of lightning run through their insides and fill them with a small tickling sensation…
*Liked it? Tell me what you think. What can I improve, change, what would you like to see? Didn't like it? That's ok. Tell me what you didn't like. I'm not shy for reviews*