Disclaimer: I do not own the series Naruto.
I do own whatever characters are added to this fanfiction.
Note to the reader: This character is just something I've been whipping up since a few years ago, I am not sure how long the story will go on or if it'll be finished. It's just something for me to do when bored, really. But nevertheless, hope you enjoy it. Please review and maybe I'll keep going with this.
Forgive the errors, I'm sure there are some -- I'm only human.
Evanescent Reverie
Chapter Two: Unfamiliar
It was the same with every night, I sat at my window staring at the yellow and white wisps that glided throughout the community. The full moon the night before was magnificent, casting the light down on the houses. Things made of glass glittered and chimes made beautiful notes sing in the air. But tonight the moon was sleeping, and in the morning, I'd know what team I'd be placed on.
That morning, I was already awake as the sun was rising. Looking into my long mirror, I made sure everything was in place on my body.
My mother had prepared a new outfit for me, for my days beginning as a kunoichi. She complained that the black, short kimono I always wore never suited me. In truth, I knew she wanted to break me out of my tight shell.
The clothes...they were amazing and fit me perfectly. It was like I was wearing a kimono, but cut for me to move freely. Kimono slash gi.
The silk matched my hair, a lavender blue or periwinkle. My teal eye I rimmed with black liner, the kind my mother wore and lasted for long periods of time. My mother had insisted, luckily I avoided the light gloss she wanted to apply to my lips.
My pale skin was enhanced with the periwinkle color of my hair and silk. The design of the garment was great.
No sleeves so my arms could move freely, the edges of the collar where it crossed over my chest were made of a shiny material but was the same color, standard for things such as this. It still reminded me of a gi, though. The chest area made my growing feminine traits stand out a tad, and would reveal the dip of my breasts if not for the black no-sleeve turtleneck underneath, the black had been faded.
I now wore faded black arm guards that stopped a ways from my shoulders and ended a ways from my elbows, not close to my wrist. Mother supplied faded black fingerless gloves that stopped at the wrist, thank goodness for not having metal plates on the top.
The bow that was around my waist and slimmed me was plain and a faded black as well, I guess mom didn't want to thrust me out into the world in a hot pink kimono, I sweat dropped at the idea, but she wanted to make me comfortable. Plus, I would have to hide sometimes as a ninja.
The skirt had slits up the sides so I could kick to the side if needed, the skirt stopped a few inches below my backside. Black faded leggings started at my waist under the clothes and down my whole leg to my ankle, covering any skin that would have shown otherwise and disappearing underneath the strong black color of the sandals that reached a few inches below my shins. I wiggled my black-nailed toes in the sandals, making sure even my fingernails weren't covered with chipped polish.
The bow in the back was actually lined inside as a pouch. I knew the needles, herbs, sprays, and bandages as well as other things that were securely inside.
"Deception," my mother explained when I gestured to the missing pouch. "You'll be able to fit more medical equipment in this rather than a normal pouch, too." Heh.
I secured the pouch holding weapons on my right leg, making sure it was tight. In my clan, we prefer to use senbon. Kunai and shuriken as well as a few scrolls were also in there, a proper amount, but I had packed as much senbon as possible. I had even stashed some in the bow, as well as...a few other things. Heh. Wouldn't want to be unprepared.
My mother had dyed the headband, making it a deep black like my sandals. Thing was where to wear it, I decided to let it loosely hang from around my neck.
While staring at my teal eye, I took a brush and ran it through my hair, making sure my bangs on the right side of my face covered what was my eye, forehead, and cheek. My hair was long and fell to the middle of my back, I had always kept it loose.
Putting the brush down, I slightly moved the hair away from my face to see it, one of my many secrets.
When I was younger, something happened. There were rumors that it had been staged by Yukio. Someone had taken my right eye. One day a blade had cut right down the side of my face, forever destroying my right eye.
Surgeries were performed, my clan is mostly made of surgeons which I found amusing given the circumstances of the clan. It had caused me to miss months of the ninja academy, and even though I studied, the hokage had thought it best to keep me a year behind. I was a thirteen year old student in a twelve year old class, the oldest on there and learning the same lessons from the previous year.
Michio graduated and was ahead of me now, Yukio took pleasure in that.
But even so, the vision in my right eye had not returned. The surgeons thought it best to sew my eye shut, to pray that it may heal. A scar ran down from above my eyebrow and down my cheek, totally through my eye. It hurt to even to tear, it made me suppress my emotions. I was right-handed, and I had lost the sight of my right, dominant eye. I was at a major disadvantage, even if my sense of smell and hearing had grown to make up for it. I could even feel the shifting of movement under my feet and the change in temperature on my skin.
It's funny, as a child I had always considered myself hideous. And then when I first saw the scar that could never disappear running down my face, I knew now that I was hideous. Before the damage, I had been pretty. I could never be the same.
I let my bangs fall back into place as my mother walked in, her hand flying to her throat as she looked me over.
"Kasumi," she sighed, smiling and so happy. "You look beautiful."
She always said that, but I could never believe her.
Walking towards the academy, I had decided to bring my notebook and pencil that day. Might as well write what I see today to keep busy, I thought.
Hisa had complimented me on my clothing, wishing me luck. Ani had seen me off but had decided to go off with some animal friends of hers.
I felt a something rumbling beneath my feet, and heard the stomps of...two people. Sighing, I backed away from the road, off to the side as two girls shouting at each other rushed towards the academy. Sakura and Ino. I sighed to myself, those two were always at it. They were just getting into the age of puberty and were already purring towards the "class hunk" who was Sasuke Uchiha.
It was a normal class with different personalties and raging hormones, I doubt anyone noticed me sitting in the back corner of the room. At least, I hoped they didn't.
Following the path that the two girls had taken, I quickened my pace a little, hoping to get my usual seat.
When I got to the room, Sakura and Ino were at it still. They tried to beat the other, squeezing into the room. Staring at them, I stood behind them and waited for them to move.
"I'm first!" They both shouted, spreading their arms out and pushing against each other's cheek. Their bodies finally caught up with them as they slumped their shoulders, out of breath.
"I won again, Sakura," Ino declared.
"Give it up," Sakura retorted. "I had to look back to see you, my toe was at least a tenth of an inch ahead!"
"Have you always been this delusional?" Ino asked.
Closing my eye, I walked around their little contest and towards my usual seat – in the corner. No one had glanced my way.
Well, except Naruto but who was looking at Sakura with a blush on his cheeks. He didn't seem to notice me.
Sitting down, I saw Sakura knock Naruto to the ground after yelling at him to move from his seat, he had tried to talk to her. My eye twitched at the ridiculousness.
"Good morning, Sasuke," Sakura gushed.
I looked at the Uchiha, staring at his back. He seemed to be in his usual position, his elbows braced on the desk in front of him. The boy might have been good-looking, but such things were pushed from my mind immediately.
Seeing him turn, I could only know what expression was on his face. The normal "cool" one.
"Mind if I sit next to you?" Sakura asked.
If I was an outgoing person, I knew I'd reply to that: Naruto is sitting there, you should be polite. But I was not and would rather stay in the shadows.
"Back off, Forehead!" Ino grabbed Sakura's arm. "I'm sitting next to Sasuke!"
"I was here first," Sakura growled.
"I walked into the classroom before you did, everybody saw it!" Ino said rather loudly.
"Dream on," Sakura said just as loudly.
Then, other girls decided to claim the chair which...did not belong to them. How utterly rude.
"Actually, I got here before either of you!"
"So did I! I'm sitting next to Sasuke!"
"No, I am!"
I sighed, stupid hormones.
Hearing feet move and the weight of a body on wood, I looked to see Naruto glaring at Sasuke, literally in his face, crouching on the desk. Tilting my head, I got out my notebook and quickly wrote a few lines, suddenly inspired.
'And so he gazed upon her intently, the fire of passion in his eyes. The threads of hate or love that crossed his countenance was something she could not decipher.'
"Naruto! Hey, stop glaring at Sasuke!" Sakura shouted.
Quickly, I looked back up at scene, tapping the end of my pencil on the desk while waiting for maybe more inspiration.
Naruto still was on the desk while an angry horde of girls glared daggers at the orange-clad ninja.
Naruto's head raised, and I could see his face turned to Sakura's shouts. He went back to glaring at Sasuke, just the top of his blond hair visible from where I sat. Bored a little, I played with the eraser of my pencil as the girls started shouting for Sasuke to beat up Naruto.
Funny, maybe I should throw something at them. They were loud and giving me a real headache, I hated the noise in the ninja academy.
"Whoa!" Someone laughed from behind Naruto. "This is great!" Naruto's head moved forward, Sasuke's body jolted back in response.
"Sorry, did I bump ya?" the excited student apologized, looking back at the two boys.
Putting my pencil to the paper, I wrote again. Inspired by Sasuke's and Naruto's unfortunate-for-them lip-lock while the girls gazed in shock at the site, mumbling things I ignored.
'Love: not easily able to be separated from hate.'
Sakura screamed, making me cover my ears and drop my notebook and pencil. Stupid hormonal girl!
I could hear Sasuke and Naruto gagging, cussing, and coughing -- finally having separated. My ears rung from Sakura's yowl. I massaged my temples, trying to calm down and briefly thinking of throwing a senbon to make her pass out.
"They are vicious!" the excited student's voice spoke, I regained my bearings and looked up.
Naruto paused with one word, "Danger."
Yep, I could smell and feel it, too. The girls had veins on their foreheads.
Sakura seemed to lead them, Naruto look frightened. "Naruto, you are so dead."
"Hey, whoa! It was an accident!" Naruto held up his hands in negotiation.
Sakura cracked her knuckles, a dark expression on her face. "You're finished!"
...Great.
Naruto grew even more scared. "Hold on..."
Bending down, I swooped up my notebook and pencil from the floor and pulled myself towards the desk, sliding my chair in as the girls unleashed their fury. I had wanted to jump in but...then again, it really wasn't my place to. I found the whole thing funny and it also helped fuel my writing.
Maybe I should change the 'she' to a 'he', I wondered.
When Iruka showed up, everything had settled down...except for Naruto's steaming bruises. I was about to give him a hand with that but decided against it.
"As of today, you are all ninjas," Iruki said with a smile. I half wondered how he could do that. "To get here, you faced difficult trials and hardships." Yeah, right. Stop being mendacious. "But that's nothing, what comes next will be far more difficult. Now you are only genin, first-level ninjas. All the genin will be grouped into three man squads save for one. Each squad will be lead by a jounin, an elite ninja."
Everyone seemed surprised while I was not. Of course, hormones took over Ino. "Well someones gotta be in Sasuke's group, I wonder who?"
"I don't know," Sakura replied. I could see the expression she wore, angry despite her calm words, her face turned towards Ino.
"We want each squad to have a balance of strength and abilities," Iruka continued. "So that's how we set them up." He held up some papers, no doubt holding my name and what team I'd be placed on. He held them closer so he could read them. "I will now announce the squads."
I tuned most of the names and groups out, knowing not many could actually be able to go on missions and such. Squads would be eliminated even today, right at the starting point.
When Team Seven was announced, I found the reactions amusing. I wasn't, however, prepared when Iruka called my name.
"Kasumi," he called.
"Huh? Kasumi?" Naruto asked, looking around the room. "Who's that?"
Iruka looked up at me. "Kasumi, could you stand, please?"
Sighing in my head, I silently stood up. My back burned as the gazes of curious students locked onto my form, no doubt not realizing I existed before this moment. That must have been why mom took such care in my attire, to give an impression when Iruka would no doubt have to point me out.
Clever woman.
I met the gazes of my new teammates: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha.
"She new?" Naruto blinked at me as I sat down. "And what the heck is her last name?" His arms slightly flailed around.
Iruka looked at him, already expecting this. "She's been here the whole time." He ignored the question of family name.
After that was through, I heard all the hisses and whispers of the students. Even Ino and Shikamaru discussing how Ino could like Sasuke, that he was "nothing special".
I kinda agreed, Sasuke was a good student, intelligent. He kept to himself, just like me. Though he didn't try to stay in the shadows like I, and if he did, he failed miserably.
When Iruka finished the listing of the squads, Naruto stood up and pointed at Uchiha. Sakura looked ticked.
"Iruka-sensei! Why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same group with a slug like Sasuke!"
Iruka closed his eyes, kinda of frustrated. I knew he must have been a tad tired. "Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating students. Naruto, you had the worst scores."
Low blow, the classmates laughed. Except for me, of course. I found that unnecessary.
"To create a balanced group, we put the best student with the worst student," Iruka finished.
"What about that girl Kasumi?" Sakura stood up and pointed towards my direction, slightly annoyed at there being an extra girl. The hormones were in, I was competition for getting attention from Sasuke.
"Kasumi and you are bright students, Sakura. The other teachers believe, however, that the two of you can balance each other in terms of skill."
Sakura still didn't look pacified, even after the explanation.
"Just make sure you don't get in my way," Sasuke spoke then, not looking at Naruto but most definitely directing it at him. "Loser."
"Hey, what'd you say?!"
"Hard of hearing?" Sasuke replied.
"Knock it off, Naruto!" Sakura reprimanded the blond. "Sit down!"
Iruka cleared his throat. "After lunch, you'll meet your new jounin teachers. Until then, class dismissed."
Annoyed at the loud giggles, I stood quickly up in my chair. The legs scraped the floor, making noise and catching the attention of every student and the single teacher in the room. I held my book and pencil against my side.
With light steps, I walked from my seat around the back and down the stairs towards Naruto's seat. Everyone was silent, studying me. Some people just darted out of the room, excitement being too much for them to bear.
"Looks like someone copied my bangs," Ino muttered slyly as I passed her table. I stopped when I heard that, my left eye looking in her direction. I said nothing, it was childish to fight over such things, especially if the one who copied would have been her if that were the case.
Turning my gaze back to my original path, I kept walking, I heard Shikamaru whisper to Ino, "I think she heard you."
Standing next to Naruto's desk, I looked down into his blue eyes that seemed so lively and bright. My cat-like shaped eye took in every detail of him, from the whiskered cheeks to the swirls on the arms of his jacket, committing it to memory. He looked sort of weirded out while I studied him.
I did the same to Sakura, who looked like she wanted to say something smart to me but didn't.
When I reached Sasuke, I narrowed my eye at him, clearly showing that I had a problem with him in some way. He kept his gaze steady, his expression never betraying whether he was freaked out or anything, he kept his cool slash bored expression.
I looked back at the sensei, bowed apologetically, and turned away as the other students ignored and rushed around me to leave the classroom.
Noticing that Sasuke was strolling casually towards the door, I stared, he paused to give me a once-over. He looked annoyed, like always -- at least once a day, I just stared apathetically after him until he left the room.
Iruka came up to me with a smile when he noticed I had not left, I always stayed behind.
"Kasumi," he said. "Congratulations, I'm sorry I didn't get to say it sooner."
With a light smile, I replied, "It's quite all right, Sensei. I understand your busy schedule."
He looked embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head, I could hear the nails scraping against his scalp.
"How's your wound," I asked politely, casually concerned.
"It's healing beautifully, your mother works wonders!" He smiled, stopping the scratching.
I smiled once again at him. "Yes, she does."
"She must be very proud of you," he said. "After everything you've been through, you have started the path of becoming a great shinobi."
"Sensei," I said, looking down at the ground. He was silent, listening. "Unlike the majority of the students, I understand what the path is. It's colored with blood and sweat, the air filled with fear and sorrow, and the leaves of the trees and blades of grass lining the path are kunai and senbon." I looked up at him then. "Forgive me, but I'm not sure a congratulations is in order when one takes a path such as that."
Iruka was silent, staring down at me with an unreadable expression. His heart rate picked up a bit. " You're right, Kasumi. But it depends on something else."
"What?"
"It depends on the heart, Kasumi, and what the heart wants: to protect or destroy. That is a choice that every ninja must make for him or herself."
I finally left the room, thinking about Iruka's words. When I turned the corner, I heard groaning from down the hall.
"Am I gonna spend my whole life on the pot?!" A voice screamed. I flinched at the noise that made my ears ring, it was Naruto.
Following the sound, I turned down another hallway. My nose scrunched, I could smell the disgusting stench of feces. I ignored the smell as best as I could, even as the scent grew stronger with my sensitive nose.
Hesitantly, I knocked on the door.
"What," Naruto shouted from the other side.
"It's Kasumi," I answered softly. "You're sick," I simply stated.
Naruto groaned loudly, it would have been the answer if what I said was a question.
"What are the symptoms," I asked after a moment.
"Ugh! My stomach hurts really bad and I can't stop...!" He stopped there, no doubt knowing what to say.
"You can't stop defecating diarrhea," I filled in the blank for us both.
"What," he asked, either not hearing or not knowing what the word meant. Poor thing.
"Listen," I said, ignoring the question. "Have you eaten anything today?"
He didn't answer, only groaning. I heard something drop in the toilet water, along with gas passing out of his system. I couldn't ignore the smell or sounds, but I tried my best. He was probably embarrassed enough as it is.
"You have to tell me, Naruto, maybe I can get you something to make you well."
"Um," he started, pausing to think probably. "I had ramen and milk this morning." He groaned loudly, probably feeling sicker at the thought of food.
"Do you get sick when you usually eat ramen? Maybe there was something in it that didn't work well?" I blinked.
"I always eat ramen! It couldn't have made me sick! I was eating one of my favorites!"
"All right, all right," I soothed. "Maybe it wasn't the ramen then."
He shouted out, it sounded painful as something else dropped in the toilet water.
"Did the milk taste strange?"
"Well...kinda."
I sweat dropped, sighing. It was the milk, it had probably expired. "Naruto, I'm going to run home for a minute and I'll be back with something. Don't move from the bowl."
"Just hurry up!"
Rushing from the room by jumping out the window, I sprinted home, jumping onto the roofs of houses and the pillars of various buildings.
Keeping my breath steady, I ran passed the kitchen, dropping my book and pencil on the table, darting into another room. Mom wasn't home, most likely at the hospital or making a home visit.
I opened the wood cabinets, getting a few crushed herbs into a bowl. Hasilty, I crushed them and put together a few others things so it wouldn't taste so bad, mixing it with water.
Letting it sit for a minute, I rushed and small bottle so he could drink it. Then, I picked up a few tablets. Pouring the concoction into the tiny plastic thing, I shut it tightly and wrapped it in something so it would not spill while I ran back.
I knocked on the door once I arrived, no doubt that Naruto hadn't move from the same spot.
"What took you so long," he groaned at me.
"I only took about five minutes," I explained. "I'm sorry, though." I looked at the door. "I'm going to have to come in, Naruto."
"What? No! It reeks in here and I'm on the toilet!" Naruto quickly shouted at me.
"Naruto, keep your voice down!" I raised my voice. "My hearing is sensitive!"
"Oh...sorry."
"It's all right, just stay calm." I rubbed my temples. "You're going to have to open the door and I'll hand it to you. You have to drink the whole thing and take the tablets."
"Sure," he said, slightly whimpering.
The door slid open a crack, I put my arm holding the bag inside and waited until he grabbed it. When he did, I pulled my arm back and the door slid shut.
I heard the rustling of the plastic and the lid of the bottle opening. "This looks weird," Naruto complained.
"Just drink it all." I tapped my nails on the wall beside the door, waiting.
Hearing the sound of Naruto gulping down the stuff, I heard the liquid and tablets slide down his throat.
"Good," I said, nodding to myself. "It'll take a few minutes to work maybe."
We were both silent, and then Naruto said, "Hey! The stuff really works! It didn't taste so bad either..."
Smiling, I explained. "I made the drink, the tablets helped calm the pain and nausea you must have started to feel. But when you get home, make sure you get some sleep and drink water so whatever bad food you ate will go out of your system."
I heard the toilet flush and the stench faded a little, the water from the sink was splashing. "I will! Thanks...er...what's your name again?"
"Kasumi."
"'Kay! Thanks, Kasumi!"
The door slid open and Naruto walked out when I backed away, I kept him from closing the door all the way so the smell could fade because of the air coming from the windows. The wind would carry the stench outside.
"Where'd you get the medicine," Naruto asked. "I mean, the ingredients."
"At my house, of course." We started to walk out of the academy building.
"Why are you helping me, anyway?" He blinked at me, stopping his legs from moving once we made it outside. "Why are you being so nice?"
I stared at him blankly. "We're going to be teammates, Uzumaki. Teamwork is necessary in this line of work." I turned away from him, staring at the swing across from us. "Plus, you were sick."
A few moments of silence passed between us as we stood there.
Naruto broke the glass of silence. "You're kinda weird."
I looked at him and smiled. "I know."
"You never spoke before in class, I thought you were mute."
How I wished I was sometimes. "I have to stop at home."
"Where do you live," he questioned, tilting his head curiously.
"The Chiyomu Community Houses," I replied.
When Naruto didn't say anything, I looked back and saw lines of fear crossing over his brow. "You...live...there?"
I nodded.
"That place gives me the creeps..."
Giggling again, I nodded once more. "You're not the only one." I bowed respectfully to him and turned around, facing the path leading to the roads. Looking back with my good eye, I smiled lightly. "Remember we're meeting our sensei later today. See you around, Mr. Uzumaki." And with that, I started to walk home.
"See ya later, Ghost Girl!"