Child of the Leaf
Side Story One
"Shinachiku and the Secret Meeting Spot"
by operadeglace
(These side stories do not drive the main storyline, but enhance it with more info! They're the extra bits I didn't fit into the main story, so... here they are...)
A few days before Shinachiku's arrival in Konoha…
Shinachiku immediately ran as fast as he could to his team's secret meeting spot that they used before and after missions to prepare or regroup.
He stopped in front of a sharp wall of rocks jutting out of the sand that looked seemingly impenetrable.
His hands felt along the warm rock face for the small opening that couldn't be seen from the front, hidden by the angle in which the rock behind it was fractured, making it a perfect hiding place for a secret entrance.
Shina's fingers hook onto the inner face, and he squeezes himself into the orifice until he popped through into a small, cool cavern.
After lighting a few candles that were strewn along the perimeter of the cave, the young ninja pulls out a travelling pack that contained all the provisions necessary for him to make his journey to Konoha. He looked momentarily at the other two packs beside his, patting Ayaka's affectionately.
"Heehee… she's totally my girl, now." He points mockingly towards Magire's pack, talking to it as if it were his stoic team mate.
He was personally surprised at his bravery in suddenly confessing to the girl he had loved since childhood. Shina guessed that his newfound courage came from the item that he grasped and pulled out of his pocket…
It was the hitai ate that he had received from his adoptive father. The teen turns it over in his hands to try to deduce what kind of person the birth parent who wore it was.
"This style of band is very manly… so it must be my real father's."
It was a silly reason, but, from the first time Shina laid eyes on the konoha hitai ate, he just knew it was his real dad's…
His fingers traced the symbol of the leaf on the metal face, then to the deep scratches and etchings that seemed unintentional.
"He's probably a great ninja."
With eyes closed, he excitedly drew a picture of his father in his mind.
Blonde, green eyed, very muscular and popular with the ladies…
Shina shook his head.
'No, no. The only lady in his life should be my mother…'
He stood high on a mountain overlooking the village with the sound of leaves rustling all around him.
'He's so cool…'
Then, sad thoughts crept into his day dream like an unwanted cockroach.
'If he's so cool… why didn't he want me?'
Shinachiku shook his head once more, even more vigorously than before, keeping his spirits up.
'Maybe, he was trying to keep me safe! Yeah, that's it! He loves me so much, he probably needed to protect me from something!'
The cave was suddenly filled with the sound of the wind howling outside, jogging him from his seated position.
"Better run before that storm gets worse."
Shinachiku straps his pack onto his back and walks toward the narrow cave entrance.
Before he slips through the cleaving rock, he looks briefly at the hitai ate still grasped in his hand.
With deft fingers he ties his father's forehead protector onto his head, feeling that confidence surge within him once more as he moves swiftly into the shifting sands.
-End of Side Story.
— Story by ODG
check out my tumblr blog for illustrated character profiles!
