Chapter 21 Do You Know
Naruto just stood there looking at his sister, she was a head shorter then he was but she was still young and could grow. She was wearing a tan top, with a black shorts with black stockings. She had a ninja vest over it all, her vest matched any normal Leaf village vest only it lacked the small Leaf symbol sewn onto the right side. Instead, she had the Namikaze clan symbol on her arm. The symbol of a silver circle with red and orange flames dancing around the bottom made him remember that she was a Namikaze.
"Wait, I am a Namikaze as well," thought Naruto as he put his hand behind his head.
"I don't really know where to start," admitted Naruto as Meiko smiled a bit.
"You know Dad does the same thing, put his hand behind his head when he doesn't know what to say." explained Meiko "You do look a lot like him, maybe a little taller but not much."
"He was my hero growing up." Admitted Naruto as he tried how to talk to his sister, he decided to go to something he remembered her bringing up. "You said you have Kakashi-sensie teammate as your sensie?"
"Yes, Rin Nohara." confirmed Meiko as she reached into her pack and pulled out a pad of paper. At first Naruto feared it was a book of sealing paper which could be used to be summon something but his mind quickly realized that the paper was regular paper not the thicker sealing paper. She opened up the book and quickly flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. "Here."
Naruto's eyes widened, he had expected to see a photo of the woman but instead his sister was showing a nearly photo like black and white pencil drawing of a woman with a smiling face and warm eyes. It took him a moment to remember that he had seen that women before, Meiko flipped the page to show another photo like drawing of sunrise over a bay full of different ships.
"Hold on a second, let me find it," said Meiko as she began to flip through the different pages, each image was a photo realist drawing. Some were in black and white pencil still others where in color.
"So you like to draw?" asked Naruto with a small chuckle as he guided his sister to the couch, they both sat down.
"Yes." admitted Meiko "I am not that good but I am getting better."
"I'll disagree with you there. You should talk to my teammate Sai, he likes to draw too but his is not as detailed." said Naruto with a chuckle as he held out his hand. "Can I see?"
"Sure." said Meiko as Naruto took the drawing book from his sister. He flipped through the book. It was mostly images of scenery; a few of them had demons in them but they were in such places as a market. He saw some images which surprised him, drawings of a woman with bright red hair which he knew was his mother, his father sitting in mentation. He noticed that the cross-legged mentation stance which Jiriyia had taught him.
"Did you use photos to draw this?" inquired Naruto
"No, I drew them all from memory," explained Meiko as Naruto flipped the page to show a drawing of school. It looked like any normal school but the children playing on the playground where all different demons instead of humans. It was strange to see the monsters that where destroying humanity doing something so humans.
"Where are your friends?" inquired Naruto as Meiko looked away for a moment.
"Ah…I haven't drawn them yet," said Meiko as she changed the subject. "Do you have any hobbies?"
"I pulled pranks but I haven't done that in a long time, I have either been training to deal with the Akatsuki or with the red flu." explained Naruto with a slight shake of his head. "I used to paint the Hokage's faces a joke."
Meiko laughed a bit before shaking her head.
"I can't wait to see that mountain in real life, I have only seen it in photos." explained Meiko as Naruto turned the page of drawing book only to see himself looking back at him. He was standing by a rock as if waiting for something, his black ninja headband blowing in the wind. "The council gave us a few photos of you growing up."
"I see." Said Naruto not sure how to feel about being spied on like that. He flipped the page again and saw his face once again. Only this time he was not alone, the scene was set up like a photo of one of the families he had always wanted. Minato and Kushina were standing in front of a house with Meiko and himself flanking on either side of the parents. The artwork was only half finish with a void in the corner from Naruto's waste down.
"I couldn't bring myself to finish that one," explained Meiko as she looked at her brother, his eyes is what jumped out to her. They were so much like her father's so strong but she could see the warmth that was so common in her mother's. Yet there was something else, an internal conflict of some kind. "The reason why I couldn't finish it was that our parents saw me drawing that and mom burst into tears. I could not finish it not until our family is together. Tell me something, I want you to be honest why do you hate our parents?"
For what seemed like forever Naruto didn't say anything he just looked at his sister. Finally he took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he did.
"That is a long and complex story but to put it simply, I don't." admitted Naruto as Meiko eyes widened and a smile crossed her face. "I don't hate them personally, but I hate what they are trying to make me do, what they are trying to make me accept."
"Accept a family?" asked Meiko
"Accept a demon family." countered Naruto with a shake of his head. "I would run into their arms if they were still human, but to become a demon would only confirm all those things damn villagers ever said about me."
Meiko watched as her brother tighten his fist and for a moment his whisker marks darkened and his eyes became silted again.
"Sorry that is something you don't need to know about," said Naruto as he calmed down.
"Let me guess the villagers treated you like crap because you had a demon inside of you?" inquired Meiko as Naruto turned and looked at her. "I had a similar experience, I was a human living among demons."
"What do you mean?" asked Naruto
"You asked where was my drawing of friends, well the simple truth is I…I don't have any." explained Meiko as she looked down at the dirty wood floor. "Not many kids my own age want to be friends with a human, not when their parents tell stories about the deadly human under the bed or when the teacher tells stories about massacres the humans did in the past. To make it worse I was from the Leaf and two of the greatest mass murders in history, not a lot of kids want to be seen talking to me yet alone be friends with me because of that."
"I never thought of that." admitted Naruto outload.
"But you had parents to help you, while I was alone." Thought Naruto but he did not say it outload.
"I was kind of hoping that you would introduce me to some of your friends, maybe they have brothers or sisters my age?" asked Meiko as Naruto looked into his sister's eyes.
"She grew up friendless like I did until I became a genin." Thought Naruto
"I think Hinata Hyuga has a younger sister about your age but I don't talk to her that much so I don't know for sure." explained Naruto as he thought about. "Kiba has an older sister but other than that, I don't think any of my friends have siblings. Well Gaara does but both of them are older as well."
"Oh…" said Meiko as she lowered her head.
"I do know some people about your age Konohamaru and his team I can introduce you all to him." offered Naruto as his sister's eyes smiled at that idea. Then an idea passed Naruto's mind and his mood took a turn. "That is if they are alive."
While the two Namikaze's where talking Sakura walked into the kitchen. The kitchen was small but well laid out with a small island in the center. What she found when she entered was Fu sitting on top of the island with her feet outstretched so they rested on the main counter. The distance seemed a little long to be conferrable but Fu clearly had long legs and was totally at home. In fact she was too much at home, she was dressed in only a white sweet stained sports bra and white shorts.
"Bleaching my cloths," explained Fu as she pointed toward the sink where her stained white cloths sat in a pool of water. "The woman had some bleach and I thought I would use it. Kind of hard to find bleach anymore, remember when the virus first hit and people thought bleach could kill the damn bug so they used it on everything."
"I do, but you didn't have anything else to change into?" inquired Sakura as she looked at the half-naked woman in front of her.
"Do you have anything beside the cloths you have on now?" countered Fu as Sakura thought about what she actually had which wasn't weapons, field supplies or medical equipment. She came up with a blank, the only personal items she had was a few small photos she had kept in her wallet along with her ninja ID card. She did not even have a sleeping bag or sewing tools to repair rips in cloths.
"Damn her." Cursed Inner Sakura as she was about to change the subject then accept that the other woman was right.
"So is Naruto still being a jerk?" inquired Fu "I heard you guys fighting."
"How could you?" asked Sakura as she looked back to where Naruto and his sister where talking.
"You are not as quiet as you think you are." answered Fu as she studied for feet for some reason. "Personally I don't know how he stands it."
"What are you talking about?" inquired Sakura
"Listen I went through what Naruto went through about ten days ago and I was a total bitch until I finally gave in." answered Fu as she reached into her pack and pulled out some toenail polish. She looked at the two colors she had before going with a mint color the same shade as her hair. "Think about it, both Naruto and I had demons sealed within us ok."
"I know and their chakra joined with you." Confirmed Sakura as her eyes widened. "You are saying the Kyuubi changed his personally?"
"Maybe a little." admitted Fu "My demon and I where so much like that it is hard to tell but personally I say no, but a demon is a living creature with all the normal wants and need. Those got transferred to us when they died, including decades worth of pent up sexual energy."
"What?" asked Sakura
"Basically he wants to sleep with someone and the fact that he is still hasn't jumped you is kind of amazing." explained Fu as she put some polish on her toes. "Either that or he is waiting for someone else."
"Oh hell no." screamed Inner Sakura in her mind.
"I don't quiet follow," stated Sakura as she tried to wrap her mind around what Fu was saying. "You are saying Naruto is angry because he hasn't had sex?"
"Maybe, it was that way for me at least but my demon was male until he merged with me. Maybe since the Kyuubi is also a male like Naruto he is used to it. Or maybe my demon was more horny then others, I don't know." offered Fu with a shrug "I know until I broke down and did it with this nice looking guy in the woods I was pissed as hell."
"I see." Said Sakura
"His girlfriend was also very opened minded, she was fun too." laughed Fu as Sakura blinked at the woman, she had no comeback to that. Luckily Fu didn't give her time to ask any questions. "The world is ending so people are a little less restraint. I am sure you have seen the massive sex parties people had when they believed that the end was near."
"I never saw them but I heard about them," explained Sakura "I was in the hospital doing research trying to find a cure."
"Makes sense," admitted Fu as she looked back at the polish, "I am beginning to think the other color would have been a better choice."
"You take this whole thing easy," offered Sakura
"I like everyone else has seen a lot, maybe since you where shuttled a bit in the hospital or maybe because I had a demon in me I can deal with a lot." explained Fu before rethinking it. "No, I think I was right first about the color. Maybe when we go to Nysa we will find something in one of the shops."
"How did you know we are going to Nysa?" asked Sakura
"From everything our ANBU core knew about Orochimaru was that he liked to put bases near cities and the only city of any importance nearby is Nysa." explained Fu "It doesn't make much to put two and two together."
"Do you know anything about the situation in Nysa, your nation was closer to it?" inquired Sakura as Fu looked up and thought about it.
"It was hit hard like every place else, I believe it was evacuated but I don't know for sure. Everything was falling apart as stories ran wild about different towns dying overnight and people curing themselves with the craziest things," explained Fu as she pulled the cloths out of the bleach water. The cloths were dripping wet but it was clean compared to what it had been.
In the other room Naruto and Meiko where still trying to figure out how to talk to each other.
"Naruto, why do you blame our parents for what demon council did?" asked Meiko "There was nothing they could have done to stop this."
"They could have tried." countered Naruto "The 4th Hokage is a legend, the best ninja in the history of the Leaf. I refuse to believe that he could have been beaten so easily."
"He had no choice, he was a prisoner like all the humans they had. If one of us tried to escape then the seals they had on our arms would kill us." explained Meiko with force behind her voice. "Even if one of them did escape they had demons in the Leaf that would kill you."
"My life nor anyone else matter compared to all the millions who have died because of the flu, the world could have been warned." snapped Naruto "What is a few lives compared to that."
"Could you do it, could you sacrifice your friends?" inquired Meiko "Could you sacrifice them for some nameless person?"
Naruto lowered his head a bit as he tried to imagine could he sacrifice his friends who was his family for the villagers who had hated him for so long. Could he scarified the people he loved for the people who had shunned him, who had kicked him out of their stores and who had terrorized him. His mind told him he could but his heart wasn't so sure.
"I don't know." admitted Naruto
"And could you sacrifice your own children?" inquired Meiko with a slight hope that she was getting to her brother.
"I am not their son, I am a stranger to them and they are strangers to me." stated Naruto as Meiko rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.
"Bull shit." cursed Meiko as she got to her feet and pointed at Naruto. "You have no idea what our parents have gone through."
"And you have no idea what I have gone through." snapped Naruto as he jumped to his feet, his eyes turning silted as he looked at his sister. "You have no idea what it is like to grow up alone, you had parents a family!"
"And you have no idea what is like to grow up with a missing brother!" snapped Meiko back her own eyes slitted as she glared at her brother with tears in her eyes. "I sat across the table from a photo of you at the dinner table, every year mom baked you birthday cakes and put gifts in your room before she would then cry herself to sleep. Dad would try to be strong for her but he wanted to cry too, also he wouldn't teach me some of his Justus because it was only fair that you learn them first because you're the heir to the clan. I had to grow up in the shadow of you. I could see it in their eyes, whenever I had a first in my life. My first day of school, the first time I tied my shoes, the first time I hit the bull eye on a target with a kunai and the first time I formed a Rasengan I could see it. They where proud of me but deep down they wondered what you would have done. They wanted their family to be whole and so do I, I wanted a big brother to protect me from the bullies and you are just a jerk."
"Meiko." said Naruto with force in his voice, a tone which made Meiko think their father had somehow found them. "Our father was my hero, every day I would look out of my bedroom window at his stone face. He was the hero of the village, loved by everyone while I was hated by everyone. When I was younger I went hungry, I was beaten, I was called named and thrown out of places. I could have turned into the jerk you think I am, I could have become a cold heartless monster, I know someone who did. One of the reasons I didn't was because every day I could look up and see our father's face looking down on a dirty boy with worn out cloths and shoes. I knew that he stood for everything great about the Leaf, about the will of fire and what it meant to be a leaf ninja. The demons took all that away, they made me do things that make me into a real monster and you and our parents expect me to just accept that and fall in line. No, I will go down fighting just like our father did when he sealed the Kyuubi in me."
"Naruto there is…" started Meiko only to stop as both she and Narutoturned toward the door, there was something in the wind he sniffed the air again.
"Someone is here." Thought Naruto before his brain wondered how he knew that. "How did I know that, I couldn't smell people's scents before."
Before he could do anything the door opened as figures rushed in, Naruto made a move for his weapon pouch but he never made it. A hand grabbed his own, he stopped and looked into the eyes of his one of his teammates.
"Sai, how are you doing?" asked Naruto as he looked past the kunai in his hand toward where Hinata and Kiba had weapons on his sister.
"Are you still human?" inquired Sai, Karin sensed two more demons in here.
"Well one is me." Said Fu as she and Sakura walked in with Shikamaru, Neji and Tenten. Both Tenten and Neji had their weapons on Fu "And I can explain why I have demon chakra, I was a Jinchiniki like Naruto here."
"And you where you a jinchiniki?" asked Hinata as she looked at Meiko.
"No, I was turned," answered Meiko as Hinata and Kiba both pushed their kunai closer. "Wait, I am Naruto's sister."
"What?" asked Hinata as she looked at Naruto.
"She is my little sister." answered Naruto
Sasuke turned off the water in the shower and stood in the tube watching the bright red blood with some white puss mix in go down the drain. He turned the water back on again to make sure every trace of the evidence had gone down the drain. He stepped out of the shower making sure he did not hurt himself; the air was full of hot steam from the shower as he walked toward the sink. He brushed the condestation aside and forced himself to look at his face. His once smooth face was covered with countless small white puss filled boils grew out of his face; one located just under his right eye was on the edge of bursting.
"I will have to burst that or risk not being able to see." said Sasuke to himself as he coughed a little, his hand came back covered in blood. As he groaned as he looked at the much larger puss and blood filled boils on his chest and a truly massive one at the base of his neck. He reached for his ninja pack and pulled out a kunai, quickly he sterilized it as best he could using medical grade disinfections. Then with a wince of pain he stabbed the kunai into the boil. The smell reeked of death as the boil drained.
"Damn it, Karin where the hell are you." cursed Sasuke as he prepared to reactive the hedge which hid his true state from the world. He was about to form the hand sign when he heard movement from outside the small bathroom window. He turned his head just in time to see Karin's hand opening the window.
"Did you ask for me, Sasuke-kun." Said Karin with a smile before she saw the state her love was in. Quickly she rolled up her sleeve to show that countless bite marks running up and down her arm. "Hurry, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke did not need to be told again as he bite down on her arm, he closed his eyes and let healing chakra do its job. The boils shrunk down and the spread of the red flu was pushed back as Karin ran her hand through his black hair.
"Yes, my love I will always be here for you." Said Karin before leaning forward, she did this for two reasons. One was to whisper into Sasuke's ear, the second was to give him a view down her shirt. "And tonight you can repay me for this."
Well I hope you liked this chapter, I wanted to focus on the Naruto and Meiko. Also Sasuke has the flu, so he is deing and I have more surprises planned later on. Now until next time please keep reading. Thanks Wilkins75