It had been two days since I had left that dreary compound. Two days since my feet stepped out of that dreary country that never stopped crying. The journey through Kusagakure had taken much longer than I had expected, and I was completely exhausted and in need of a hot meal that hadn't burnt over a campfire. I had spent both nights sleeping in the shadows of tall, strange trees with giant mushrooms protruding like branches from the trunk. They provided a surprisingly good shelter from the light showers. Despite the cold and the hard floor – oh and how could I forget the giant venomous spiders – I actually really enjoyed the trip. It was all so new to me since I had never left the compound, let alone cross the border to another country. I discovered that the colour of the sky was blue, and clouds could in fact be white instead of grey. The heavens after twilight had passed were probably the highlight of it all. The first night I camped out just over the border of the nameless country, in an empty, grassy field, and stared up at the cloudless sky with its thousands of twinkling stars and constellations that I had read of, but never seen with my own eyes. It hadn't taken me as long as I expected to cross the border, probably because I just couldn't wait to leave my weeping village, but I did take at least half a day longer than planned in the village hidden in the grass. Quite frankly, I was just so caught up in the colours. You never see any colour in Amegakure; it was never anything more than a monotonous wasteland away from the main village, and even then it's sparse. The variety of hues; blues, greens, reds, browns, even yellows, were just so astonishing. Colours I had only imagined in my wildest daydreaming were in full-bloom every single day. I didn't even know where I was most of the time. Not like I needed to know – the tug dragged me along; all I had to do was lift my feet. But as I walked further and further towards my apparent 'destiny', I felt this strange sensation. It was building up with every step I took, and made me feel as though my blood was boiling. I couldn't figure it out, but besides the scenery I was so absorbed in, I kept on thinking of hateful things that I would do to this person once I met him. It was startling, but I would actually find myself trembling with rage at the smallest things. For instance, I had been gathering edible berries for a snack on my first night, and left them in a small pile on a leaf by my bag pack to collect water from the stream. When I returned, a small rabbit was nibbling on the last one. Seeing all my hard work gone to waste, something snapped inside me, and all I remember after that is waking up on the ground some hours later in a burnt, dead place where all the trees, flowers and grass had been incinerated, colours gone. I was utterly terrified. It was beginning again – the blackouts, I mean. I used to get them a lot as a child; I would get into fits of rage and then wake up shortly, sometimes surrounded by debris or under a fallen ceiling, even covered in the blood of others. I thought I had learnt to keep my power in check and not let it rule me, but now the feeling was intensifying, struggling to break its way through my barrier and envelop me in constant nothingness.
It was all I could think about after that. Actually that wasn't true. I thought of my last night at the compound and it would even further my anger. Seeing the room that my awful father resided in caused me to have nightmares of the current slaves on the walls of that pitch black dungeon, clothed of course because I couldn't picture them any other way, little Chiyaki dying in front of my eyes, wrapped in chains and looking as though she had been virtually beaten to death. The very worst, the most unbearable and terrorizing part of these nightmares haunted me even when my eyes were open. I would be in the dark room, surrounded by moaning and whimpering feminine voices, and then from the far side of the room, a low chuckle would resonate throughout the room. I would yell and scream at the laughing figure to stop, to let the innocent go, but they would only respond by snapping their fingers, creating a small flame just like my father did that night. The person sitting in my father's golden throne had this slightly insane look in his featureless eyes, and his grin was sadistically cruel, like that of a psychopathic murderer. The person was me; a deranged, vindictive version of myself. It was a good thing I hid in secluded areas, because I woke up screaming both nights and sweating feverishly. I would shake my head, trying to rid the images from my mind, but it would just cause me to feel rage and hatred. The scene in that room was eternally imprinted into my mind, and the pure evil that radiated from it made me shiver. My father had covered their chakra and life force from my Byakugan with his dark genjutsu. He was definitely worthy of his title.
After one too many restless nights I found myself in a small town in the Land of Fire called Tanzaku. It was infamous for its women and gambling opportunities, but those were of no attraction to me. I went to the first shop I saw, a small tea shop with long chairs with white tablecloths outside under the oriental style awning. It had a sign displaying dumplings and other hot food. My mouth watered, and I set my bag down at a table in the corner, pulling my hood off and shaking out my messy red hair. A girl a few years younger than me came up, giggling and blushing frantically. I ignored her stuttering attempt at conversation and ordered two plates of dumplings with some hot tea. A woman who sat at the table opposite me had been staring since I entered the tea shop, and it made me slightly uncomfortable. She was probably a year or two older than I, blonde and slim, and she wore the symbol of a Sand shinobi on her forehead protector. On her back she carried what appeared to be folded fans. I pretended to not notice and as soon as my food arrived, I dug in, completely forgetting her scrutinizing gaze.
"Temari-san!" A female voice called out loudly, apparently addressing her, as she glanced up at the mention of her name. I watched as a pink haired girl, a blonde boy wearing an orange tracksuit, both about the same age as me, and an older man with naturally silver hair and wearing typical shinobi attire, rushed into the tea shop, straight up to the woman. She was obviously surprised to see them but greeted them with a wave of her dumpling stick. They were not so carefree, and looked at each other warily. They turned their backs to me, crowding in a tight circle around the Sand ninja. I ignored them and continued with my meal. It was delicious, even more so because I hadn't eaten anything but nasty canned soup for a few days. I picked up my cup and was just about to take a big gulp when I froze, cup in midair as images flashed through my head of a woman's face. I stared at the backs of the boy in orange and the flak jacket of the older man, my mind spinning. That symbol... the red swirl. Snippets of memories lost to me resurfaced – a woman wearing a long white robe, with that symbol on the back. But the robe was soaked in blood, and someone was screaming in the background. It was a hazy vision, as though I were underwater and drowning in the screams around me.
The sound of shattering glass brought me back to reality. I glanced up and saw that my cup had slipped from my grasp, and broken all over the floor. Stares bore into the back of my head as I bent down to grab the larger pieces, before the giggling waitress came with a small dustpan and broom, insisting that I sit down and let her clean it up. Uncomfortably, I returned to my seat and sat facing the wall to avoid spectator's intense gaze, intending to return to my meal to recover from the embarrassment. I pulled up my hood and ate with less enthusiasm than before, my mind racing with questions. I hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but I heard the word Akatsuki and my interest peeked.
"... -taken Kazekage Gaara," the silver-haired man said slowly. "It is thought that he somehow infiltrated the village. One fought with Gaara, and he used exploding clay. They were last seen carrying him in a giant white clay bird's talons. So far, nobody has seen of them since they left the village with Gaara."
The woman was stunned to silence. She reached for her cup, and when she did it cracked. She shook her head clear.
"G-Gaara?!" her concerned tone made it seem like the name meant a lot to her, and the person who it belonged to was precious to her. Hearing this sparked my interest. I had heard rumours about the young Kazekage of the Sand. He was said to be the Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi. It was none of my business, but my brother had been in contact with Akatsuki recently. For what reason were unknown to me – I even know if it had anything to do with the Sand's situation – but I had overheard my older brother talking with clan members about the tailed beasts, powerful animal-like demons with incredible chakra. I had a feeling it wouldn't end with the One-Tail.
The three shinobi wore Hidden Leaf Village forehead protectors. The blonde boy... he gave me a peculiar sensation. He was about the same height as me, maybe a little bit shorter, with spiky bright blonde hair and blue eyes. He had three thin whisker-like marks on his face, giving him a slightly feral look. When I was around very strong chakra sources, my energy drew out chakra from that person more than anything else. It rarely happened to me, except in the presence of my father, but I knew when I was experiencing it because I would feel the pull of energy increase to draw in more chakra, before releasing it back into the atmosphere. But this feeling was different – stronger than any other pull I had experienced. But that wasn't what concerned me – the vibes I was getting from this boy made the hairs on my neck stand on end. Not in fear, but in what seemed like... anticipation? It felt as though my body were anxiously waiting for something to transpire. I frowned at him, my eyebrows pulling together in frustration.
He suddenly turned and looked directly at me, my white eyes meeting his blue ones, and for a second I could swear they flashed red. Mortified that I had been caught staring; I hastily grabbed my bag and stood up to leave, throwing down a few notes and some change as a tip for the girl. As I walked past the group of shinobi, they discreetly watched me out of the corner of their eyes. The blonde boy didn't even hide his gaze, and gawked at me with wide eyes.
I knew what they were probably wondering, and cursed myself for not being more careful about it. No one knew about my clan, we had tried to remain a shadow throughout history, guiding other clans to dark means. Occasionally members of the clan would be born with the Byakugan. Those who had the misfortune, were deemed trash and thrown into the river as soon as they opened their infant eyes, so I heard. Now, it was very uncommon for a child to be born into my clan with the Byakugan, and hadn't occurred during my father's reign. I was the exception and because of my fate, it was ruled out as tolerable and even 'useful', nonetheless I was still ostracized because of it. None of the other boys would even come near me, let alone talk to me, and their father's told them that without my future, I would be nothing, and they grew to fear me or be jealous of my inexplicable, uncontrollable power. I was isolated, and struggled to make it through the days without having loneliness devour my conscious. At my worst, I would wake up and everything would be fully reduced to ashes around me, while my father stood watch, grinning with glee. To compromise my identity would be to expose my clan, and as much as I loathed their way of life and merciless ways, they were still the people who raised me. They were all I had whether I liked it or not, and though they only saw me as an important pawn in their greater plan, the same blood ran through our veins, and I could not bring myself to slaughter my own flesh intentionally. I couldn't hurt anyone with the intention to kill. Our secrets must remain hidden. My clan was evil, there was no doubt about that, and had sought the destruction of the world many times, allying with those who also shared those aspirations. Children were taught by the elders of the clan that our main purpose in life, the single reason we lived, was to live out the will of our ancestors, and do whatever means necessary to accomplish that. It had been drilled into their heads by the time they reached maturity. It was the driving force behind my clan, which allowed us to live in seclusion and follow our destiny when the time was right. But my destiny was confusing to say the least. I didn't understand why our ancestors would matter today, and I detested the fact that my clan never changed their ideals because of their endearing devotion to tradition, to bringing about change through annihilation. Others had chosen another course of action of course, abandoned their duties and tried to follow the peaceful path, the righteous one. The path where you have a true family. But few had been successful – our clan was not forgiving to those who betrayed and opposed their ideals. Even I was begrudgingly left alone by other clan members who wanted me dead because I didn't agree with their sick and twisted view on how life should be lived. Of course, that didn't apply to my father and brother. They would beat me within an inch of my life and call it 'training' just so they could show me that despite my prophesized future, I was still nothing compared to them. They made sure I knew my place.
I paused for a second at the gates of the town, completely oblivious to my surroundings. Once again, the pull in my gut urged me to go on, to continue my hateful raging. My hands were shaking terribly, and my head felt slightly dizzy. I inhaled slowly, and then exhaled, attempting to reign in my anger to no prevail. I sat on a bench by the gates and dumped my bag on the ground. I heard a light clang, and glanced up. My mother's forehead protector lay face up on the ground. I gingerly picked it up and turned it over in my hands, feeling the cool, smooth engraving under my fingertips. The single swirl in the shape of a circle glinted under the rays of the sun. Is it said that my mother's home, her country and village, had been destroyed by clan's who feared they're great fūinjutsu during the Shinobi wars. I knew, however, that this was not true. It was not the work of many clans', but one that sought their demise. I learnt of my mother's origins from an old housemaid who lived in the kitchen. She had served under my father personally while he was away on travels for many years, and had been there to tend to my mother, and she cared for her as though she were her own flesh. It was my father's clan who had wiped out the Land of Whirlpools and almost everyone in it, thirty two years ago. What their motive was that day is unknown to me, but my mother was seized, captured as a sort of trophy and forced to marry my father.
She had to abandon her family, to follow my father. I don't remember much about my mother – I was still so young when she was taken away from me, but the housemaid had told me that my mother had lost almost everyone in the invasion; her mother, her father, brothers and cousins. Her land destroyed, her people eradicated, and those who survived fled aimlessly. She was only nine at the time and had struggled against the initial wave, but her family fought and fell, leaving only her and her five year old sister behind. At that moment they were truly alone, probably the only souls still in Uzushiogakure, days after the attack. This was when my young father, newly renowned head of his clan and leader of this vendetta, found the pair hiding out in their home, almost starved to death, but breathing nonetheless. My father had sensed very strong chakra and sniffed it out, which is how he found my mother and her sister. My mother agreed to go willingly with my father as long as he sent her sister to safety and she saw that. According to the housemaid, her younger sister was sent to a camp set up by the Third Hokage of Konoha, and was found and taken in by a widow from her clan who lived there. The young girl was put under a strong, enduring genjutsu to believe that all of her family had died in the war, but to feel no pain because of it, and live on believing that she had no idea who her family were. The genjutsu would only strengthen over time, and eventually she would forget all recollection of her land lost to the sea. My mother was added to the countless number of slaves he had acquired from his victory, but she was always his prize and he was determined to have her. When she was of ripe age, he snatched her up and she became his wife. One day, when she was twenty four she received news that she was pregnant. It was her third pregnancy, but the first were girls and much to her horror they were thrown into the river by her husband's, my father's command. Despite her failures, he still kept her around instead of killing her, which led to much speculation, since my father wasn't exactly the . She feared for her unborn child's life, though upon finding it was a boy my father was overjoyed.
When the old woman told me this I laughed: "Why would he be happy about my birth? He hates me, he always has!" I yelled, thinking it was cruel of her to lead on my feelings like that. The servant just stared at me intensely, the skin around her wrinkly eyes pulling back to eye me. It was as though she were trying to see into my soul, and now that I thought about it she probably was, implanting thoughts and beliefs about my mother that I never got to hear for myself with those wise eyes. She simply turned away from me, saying that my mother always loved me more than enough for the both of them. It was a sufficient answer for me, and I never doubted it. In the past I had trouble keeping my emotions under control, especially after... everything but I moved past that and trained hard, focusing on my chakra control and trying to find ways to calm myself. But sometimes – actually a lot of the time – when I felt this energy threatening to escape and envelop everything in its path in utter nothingness, I would think of my mother, and what I my mind imagined her to be like. Beautiful, happy, kind and loving. I dreamed of what our life would be like together if she wasn't taken away from me; we would live in a small wooden shack off the secluded coast of the Fire Country, by the ocean closest to her destroyed home. I had never seen the ocean, but I could just envision us sailing on a warm summer's day in a little yacht, the sea gently lapping against the sides, salty breeze carrying us along. We would visit the ruins known as Uzushiogakure to pay our respects, and then leave a bunch of white lilies that mother had grown in her garden. And one day mother would reunite with her sister, and aunty would be just as beautiful as mother. I would find my mother's missing clan and create another village around our home. My mother, aunty and I would all live together in our hut, a happy family – a proper family. Like all my dreams, they were merely that, and would never come true while I lived under my father's house and rule. And unless I fulfilled my duty, my fate they all talked about, my destiny they forced me to accept, I would never earn my freedom and rid myself of this bloody clan. I would never, ever know what it would be like to see the ocean, to have that real family. I didn't want to hurt people, or cause a reign of darkness, I knew that deep in my heart. It really wasn't a hard choice. Hell, I didn't even like living in a place where it's always dark, I'd much rather live in a place with warm weather and good food. But my father... he scared me for reasons I could not fathom. I loathed him but I could never go against him. I was too weak. I thought about how he had easily manipulated me with those disturbing images, how I had practically begged for him to release me from his genjutsu. To oppose him would mean death for me, either by his hand or by Takeshi's. I don't know who would be more eager at the opportunity to kill me once I became useless – my father or my brother. Both are probably just waiting for the day that I fail so they have an excuse.
My hands trembled violently as this thought came to mind, and suddenly I couldn't breathe. I tried to open my mouth, but it was as though it were sewn shut. My father flashed before my eyes, smiling that all-too familiar menacing smile. He chuckled pitilessly as I clawed at my throat, desperate to seek air. Even when the images stopped, his chuckle boomed all through my body, while I sought air with the desperation of a madman.
"You okay there?"
It was as though I had been snapped back to the real world, and all of the realistic sensations I had been suffering under lifted, and I realised I was still sitting on the bench, grasping my mother's forehead protector. A stranger cast a shadow over me, and I didn't dare glance up, instead just nodding.
"I'm fine, thank you." But even as I said it I heard the deception in my shaky voice. I reached for my bag, but before I could put my mother's forehead protector in my knapsack, the person cleared their voice.
"Hey, I know that symbol!" The person loudly proclaimed enthusiastically.
I glanced up to get a glimpse of the somehow familiar stranger. I could tell from the feeling his chakra gave me; it felt as though I were being replenished, my energy increased even though I had just been put under what felt like a horrifying genjutsu. It was the boy from the teashop; the yellow headed one that gave me a strange feeling – or at least a shadow clone of him. I stood up and turned away from him, putting away my mother's forehead protector then pulling my bag over my shoulder and walking out the gates of the town. The clone followed me. I didn't want to discuss anything with this stranger – not the symbol or the fact that I possessed one of his village's most precious kekkei genkai.
"I know the symbol's origins." I lied, "I have no business with you, so please leave and let me be on my way."
My strides became longer, so the boy had to jog to keep up with my pace. My form flickered as I leapt into the tall trees surrounding the path, trying to escape my pursuer. I had no idea where I was going, so it seemed the boy would probably have the advantage as it was his home turf and he must have known this land off by heart, but as I propelled myself from tree to tree, my feet moved on their own accord, and the wrenching feeling in my stomach pulled me in the direction I needed to go.
"Hey! Where ya going? You seemed pretty spooked back there on the bench. I'm not here to hurt you or anything; I'm just wondering why you have a forehead protector with that symbol!" he was very noisy and persistent I had to admit. He chased me for a good hour before I grew tired of the chase and suddenly stopped in my tracks in a meadow with a deep stream running through the green grass. I turned to face him just as he appeared on the other side of the river.
"Finally you stopped!" he beamed, barely phased.
"What do you want? Just leave me alone. I'm just a traveller." I said abruptly, ignoring him. He was beginning to frustrate me, and the angry pit in my centre was building up to a point where I wouldn't be able to control my actions. I can owe that to the genjutsu I'm sure I was just put under. Not only that, but my rage tugged at all the energy around me, increasing my body's gravity-like pull.
He put his hands up defensively, and then said hesitantly, "I just wanted to know why you have that forehead protector. That's all."
I raised my eyebrows at him. Why did it matter to this stranger so much? I weighed up the pro's and con's of telling this boy the truth, and when I decided there wouldn't be any harm in telling this boy the truth, I dropped my bag on the ground in the shade of a tree and leaned against the trunk, my arms resting on my knees bent in front of me. I pulled out the forehead protector with my clan's symbol on it, smoothing my fingers over the etched symbol. The boy sat opposite me, his expression uncertain. I glanced up at him, and tilted my head to the side, taking in his appearance. I could tell it was a shadow clone; I didn't even have to activate my Byakugan. The feeling I had gotten before had lessened, halved in fact.
"Before I tell you anything, tell me why you sent a shadow clone after me and not your real self? It's impolite when introductions are made." I snorted, staring at the blowing leaves in the trees. It was beautiful to watch, and in all honesty I found the tranquillity of the forest in the Fire Country helped keep my anger at bay. I was just sad it would only be for a short time before I had to return to the compound, to my dreary land.
"Oh, sorry I had to send a shadow clone; I'm on a top secret mission to rescue my friend!" he looked sad, but determined when he spoke of this friend who I suspected was the Kazekage.
"Friend?" I repeated the word but it came out more like a question. I hadn't heard the word in years; it was a foreign term to me now. I don't even remember what it feels like to have one, since I was perpetually alone at the compound, secluded in my solitary sanctuary. I'm sure my face may have given this away, because the boy stared at me questioningly, as though he were appalled at my puzzled expression.
"Yeah, a friend, someone you care about who you want to protect. You have friends don't you?"
I paused, thinking about the boys my age in the clan's Academy who sneered from a distance at me because they couldn't stand to be around me. I thought about the maids, who were now after so many years, still afraid of me and would only talk to me when they had to. I cared about little Chiyaki, but I could not protect her. I thought about my brother, who only put up with me for his sake, and my father, who I could probably say the same about. Then another person popped into my mind, whose memory I had tried to suppress for many years.
"I had a friend once. Many years ago, when I was about ten."
"You had a friend?" He replied, emphasizing my use of past tense. I ignored his speculating tone and continued.
"Well, she was actually my younger sister, she was five."
His jaw dropped. "I-I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. "
I smiled at him as waves of buried memories resurfaced. I went on to explain to distract myself from the emotions currently overwhelming me.
"It's fine, it was such a long time ago I don't really think about it much." I lied. I wasn't really that keen on revealing a dark secret of mine to complete stranger, but his eyes... they didn't look at me with pity – the common responses to death or loneliness, I've read – but with what looked like concern and empathy, but also it seemed to spark a reaction from the boy, and he glanced down at the ground as if his past memories had emerged as well. Seeing this, I decided to be bold.
"Actually, to tell you the truth I try very hard to forget. My younger sister, Kaminari was the only person who I could say I really believed to be my family, even if we only shared a father."
I stared off into the distance, remembering our childhood together. Thinking about it still gave me that distinct warm feeling, like it was another one of my dreams that I dreamed up during the endless days at the compound. It could have been, but the pain reminded me it was true; I was living in reality now.
"I had loved her from the day she was born, though my father had no interest in her. Her mother was captured during the raid of a temple, and had been impregnated by my father. Sadly, she died very shortly after giving birth to Kaminari. I was only a child, but I had stayed by her side and helped one of the young slaves bring my younger sister to this world, and I was the first one to hold her in my arms. Her mother made me swear on her deathbed that I would protect Kaminari from my father and I promised I would keep her safe from the adamant harm that the very small population of young girls who are born into our clan suffer from."
I knew how infant girls were treated in our clan; while most slaves who gave birth to boys were allowed to nurse their children, and stay at their side until the age of three – the age when they were officially conducted into the clan with this awful bloody ritual, and by the age of four were in the Academy training. After their child's third birthday the woman would either be killed or sold to a slave dealer. Then again, it wasn't much difference to my father – he killed every single one of his wives after the 'maternal period', so we would never remember our mother's and only know the will of the clan, the hatred of our ancestors.
I hesitated, asking myself if I should really be revealing clan secrets, to this strange, loud boy. I decided to ignore protocol and follow my instincts that were begging me to continue.
"The women who gave birth to girl's were killed mercilessly as soon as they gave birth, and then tossed into the river along with their newborn."
His face probably mirrored my own when I was told this. "Why? Why would your clan do something like that?!"
"It's been that way for generations. I don't know when they adopted the tradition but it's just something they've always known I guess. Not everyone wants this, but the will of the clan is unchangeable."
It was horrible – I still remembered my father's reaction when he entered the room, arms crossed behind his rigid back and head held high, after the slave had given birth to Kaminari and found that it was a girl. He turned away in disgust and made a sound that was halfway between a grunt and a snort, then spat at the ground, because he was so repulsed by the sight.
"When he came into the room shortly after the woman gave birth and saw it was a girl, he waved his hand, and immediately two masked men moved towards them slowly, like they were easy prey. I gave my newborn sister to the girl. Kaminari was so amazingly loud, it was beautiful. She cried – her infant voice surprisingly noisy for her tiny size – unaware of the danger around her. I knew I had to protect her – I had just promised her mother that I would – and for once, I actually felt like I had a purpose in life. I was her older brother, her only hope. I was weak, but I would fight as much as I could for her, even if I had to die for her to live. I loved her. So I put myself in between the attackers and my baby sister, and told them that they weren't going to touch either of their targets. My father heard this and stopped. Now, if you ever get the misfortune, and I really hope you don't, of meeting my father you'll know exactly why I'm absolutely... shit-scared of him. He turned to look at me, opposing his orders, and just laughed. He said, 'if you can defeat the attackers on your own, then I will let that brat live as a slave', and then he ordered the shinobi to not hold back against me. I was terrified; I didn't actually think my father would consider such a request that went against his traditions. I was only five, and although I had been at the Academy for a year, I was very slow to learn things. I tried to remember all of my training, and I would fight against them as hard as I could but I wasn't very big and I didn't have much skill in taijutsu or genjutsu, and the ninjutsu I knew were mostly destructive ninjutsu that would bring the whole room down. I was only outnumbered by one, though it felt like my chances might as well have been one in a hundred. I... I remembered a special jutsu though, that were written on the secret scrolls my father had somehow gotten his hands on and he forced me to read. It was under the scarce dōjutsu section of my father's collection of techniques. I held my index finger up and closed my eyes, and it was like my body could feel the air surrounding it.
I opened my eyes and it was as though I could see everything around me. I could see through the two shinobi's masks and recognized them as boys a few years older than me, who had been in my classes at the Academy. I could see within their bodies at the flow of their chakra, and at the way their organs pumped chakra into their chakra coils as they pulled out a blade and fed their combined physical and spiritual energy into it through the tiny pinprick holes along the surface of the skin. It was strange, but it felt... natural. I saw their exact movements; I could counter every strike and actually make my punches connect for once. I actually managed to strike them both with another technique I read in the scroll that was supposed to temporarily paralyze its victim. That's what was supposed to happen. But when I turned around to check that Kaminari was safe, I felt a presence behind me, and before I knew it, a kunai was driven through my body, only just missing my lung. I don't remember much after that, but when I came to, I had..."
The image flashed in my mind; I blinked my eyes fiercely to adjust to the scene before me. I could hear screams and Kaminari shrieking, but they were muffled. I glanced around with my hazy vision, and found a figure standing directly in front of me. My senses returned to me, and my mouth dropped, my whole body shaking as my frightened eyes, back to their normal form, took in the horrible memory. I was in a striking stance, one hand thrusting out before me.
"I had put my hand, that felt as though it were burning, through his chest, and I remember looking into his eyes and seeing the light leave them. My father approved so much of the ending that he even let Kaminari stay with me, and not become a slave. He even praised me for finally activating my Byakugan and was glad I had stolen his scrolls. He said things like my destiny was going to begin from that day on, and I was going to lead the clan into a new era one day. For months and years after that I still couldn't forgive myself and I was scared about what I don't even remember doing."
I took a glimpse up at the boy, my neck sore from prolonged staring at the gently blowing grass. He was gripping his stomach with his hand, staring at the ground with fierce intensity, his teeth clenched together.
"I... I know what you mean about hurting someone accidentally. My teacher tried to help me control my power and I almost killed him. I don't remember doing it either, all I remember was this rage taking over me. But you did it to save your sister. You were only five, and you were made to protect your sister, and you did that. It must have been a natural instinct, or something, because you saved her life even though you were injured."
I tilted my head sideways when he said this, and actually smiled genuinely. His last comment made me look at what I did differently in a new light. A natural instinct? That was a definitely a first. He understood what it was like to not be in control of yourself, of your actions. He knew what it was like to hurt someone important to you because of your own capabilities, maybe not to the extent that I did, but still enough for him to feel guilty about it. We had that common ground – that was also a first for me.
"I can tell that you know what its like, don't you? To be alone, to be feared and hated because of what is inside of you. I can feel it, you know; you and I are the same. But there's something different... you... you have much more hope than I can ever dream of. Just by looking at you and those people with you, and the way you enthusiastically go after your friend even though you presumably have no idea of his whereabouts tells me that you have found a place for you, a place filled with people who care about you, and people you would give your life to protect."
The boy was completely shocked, and it looked as though I had hit the nail on the head. "How would you know that?"
I smiled. "I was like you once, happy and confident in myself and my decisions, ready to fight for my friendship. But when my sister died, I couldn't handle it anymore, and I just gave up. My life in the compound went back to normal – as though those five years were just nothing – and I went back to being alone."
"Did they kill your sister? If they did, why would you stick around?! Why wouldn't you just leave or try to fight your way out?! That's not right to just give up like that!"
"No. They had a part in it, yes, but they weren't to blame."
"Well, who did then?!"
"I did. I killed my sister."
Hey, sorry for the long wait! Originally this was the first half of one chapter, but then I saw it was pushing 14,000 and decided that maybe it would be a good idea to leave it there. It will progress soon! Hopefully! Reviews would help :)