Night Rain
Chapter Two

People are often scared of the dark, everyone with his own reasons. When I was a kid I hated to sleep in my room - it meant to be alone during the whole night. Looking back, I wasn't scared of monsters under my bed, I was scared of people hiding in the shadows. Excluding my parents' reassurance there were no such things, I alone knew it was nearly impossible that to happen.

In the Narutoverse it was completely normal.

Even so, I found the night and its darkness calming. Only during this dark part of the day I could concentrate and think about my future actions, because I was alone.

The lack of sleep was a problem sometimes. I could pull an all-nighter if I didn't have any particular plans for the next day and could afford a few naps but on regular basis I evaded it.

After the events of today however, I knew I wasn't getting any sleep.

'Do I want to be a ninja?'

If were to answer this question fast and spontaneous, I'd go for a straightforward "yes" followed by laugh. You are asking me if I want to be a badass fighter, who can produce the elements with only his hands, of course I will want.

Other than common sense, the thing stopping me from clinging to the idea was my second chance at life. I had been reborn - life was too precious for me to use it recklessly and to be basically signing my death wish. I wasn't stupid either, as a being from an entirely different world, I was in no way suited for this job, even if I could use chakra.

My eyes watered and I pulled the blanket over my head.

'Why should it be so hard?' I questioned as tears fell down my cheeks.

I couldn't even decide which pair of shoes I wanted let alone make a one of a life-time decision. I needed more time to think, more experience in this world and definitely more courage.

Yes, that was going to be it – I'd wait. I knew the plot; I was pretty much safe for 7 more years.

"So, did you ask your parents?" Dai asked enthusiastically instead of properly greeting me. Upon hearing my answer, however, his excitement died down.

"Not yet," I repeated the stock phrase I came up with last night in my mind. "Before involving our parents we have to improve our abilities so that if they agree we can go straight to the Academy."

Dai looked blankly at me but didn't argue, "Seems logical."

Smiling, I nodded, before he could sink in thought, "Let's train now."

"Fine but no tree walking," he glanced at his bandaged hands and I felt slightly guilty; I could've stopped him earlier.

The years slipped by as Dai and I fell into a routine. The training that had begun as a joke grew into some serious exercise for both our stamina and chakra.

Doing everything on our own, without the help of a superior was hard, having in mind we didn't know how to perform the most techniques. It wasn't that big of a hindrance since everything was written down in the books but it often left us pissed off; we wouldn't seek the fault in ourselves when we couldn't pull of a technique so we imputed it to the lack of a teacher.

The one thing that seriously bothered me about it was how angry I could become at those times. Dai was calm and patient and I was his complete opposite. Moreover, it happened more and more often, with people, not only jutsu, and I was barely able to tame it down.

Today it wasn't a person that had gotten on my nerves. It was the Rope Escape Technique. When I had seen it in one of the books I had instantly remembered Sasuke using it. So I had politely asked Dai to tie me with a rope from excitement to try it. Today, I was this close to untie myself and managed to screw it up thanks to my sloppiness.

As a precaution, I went out of the house and took a walk around the village.

As I still tried to calm myself down, my mind wandered to the last time I had gotten so worked up.

My strange choice in literature mixed with the occasional bruises and cuts I received had led to the inevitable talk with my parents. I had postponed it with years, relying only on sheer luck when it came to Dai asking me about it. (He had probably long ago caught on, judging by his maturity, but kept silent.)

It had begun like every other evening and had transformed into a disaster.

"I knew it'd come to this!"

Father had suddenly raised his voice upon hearing my question. He hadn't even left my mother speak; only shouted at me.

"You are not in any way cut to be a ninja! You are a soon-to-be woman of this village and you are supposed to raise your children and look after your home not recklessly risk your life for any of the Five so-called Great Nations!"

To be honest I hadn't understood him then and couldn't up to this very date. I knew my father as a calm, well-stocked person. That had been the first and so far last time I'd ever seen him shout. But the wounds of what he said that day were still not healed; my dignity as a woman had been irreversibly trampled on.

Mostly it put me down, smashed all the efforts I made and the little confidence I built with years to pieces for a split second. I loved my father but this little moment had changed my perspective of him.

My parents' reaction was somewhat expected yet they could show some more understandment towards their own daughter's wish. It was the first time I felt somehow misjudged in this world; my father comparing me to a housewoman reminded me too much of the problems of the developing countries and I sure as hell didn't want to endure them.

For a moment it crossed my mind I could become a feminist but I quickly dismissed it. It was pointless to get so worked up for something I wasn't even sure in.

Sensing the new rising anger, I concentrated on my surroundings. I passed by the stall of my mom's friend, greeting her with a smile, although my mood was far from happy.

There weren't many people outside at this time of the day and I could freely walk around without being distracted. I didn't have a particular place I wanted to go to but I sincerely felt like running in the woods. I knew it was dangerous and reckless but I didn't care now.

Partly unconsciously and partly intentionally I headed in that direction.

I wasn't even this far away from the border when a familiar girl approached me. I was mildly surprised and didn't bother to hide it.

"Kamiko."

"Hey Aya!" she greeted with forced enthusiasm. "What are you doing all alone?"

"I am just walking around," I hurried to answer, swallowing my irritation from the use of my little name. "And I have to go."

"So fast? Come on, I haven't talked to you in years! It makes me think you don't like me," she took my hand. "Look, I have to talk to you."

I cringed at the sudden contact. Her stone cold hand, despite the sweltering heat, send a wave of seriousness down my spine I couldn't shoo away. She started dragging me and I couldn't find the strength to struggle; not that I wanted to. I sensed something rather mysterious in her.

She led me to the place where we used to play. For 4 years all the kids had outgrown the stupid games, leaving the lawn abandoned. Smaller kids were also nowhere to be seen, which I thought was some strange coincidence.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"It's remote and calm, no one will interrupt us," she pulled this almost sadistic grin. If I didn't believe she was just a brat, I'd thought she was going to commit a ritual murder. "You are different than the others. I can sense it."

"Different? In what way?" I raised a brow to hide my suddenly growing nervousness.

"I can't tell. You have something that the others don't."

If you ever wondered what it looked like to have a terrifyingly serious conversation with an 8-year-old – this was a spot-on example.

"In this line of thinking, you are not quite normal either," I tried to change the topic since having it resolve around me was too nerve-racking. "Why did you come here? What do you want?"

I found myself falling into an improvised fighting stance.

"Nothing," she put on a fake smile once again and looked straight into my eyes. A wave of nausea hit me so bad I had to close them. It dispersed quite fast and I Iooked straight back at her. "I have to go now. Thanks for the chat."

She disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I blinked. My mind was blurry, cutting off my attempts to concentrate with sharp pain. I rubbed my temples but the confusion wouldn't go away. With each passing second the memories of the past minutes were erased until nothing was left from the meeting with Kamiko.

I couldn't really remember when puberty starts but I felt it was coming fast.

Not only was I changing drastically, appearance-wise, but I began looking at Dai a bit differently. Now, maybe that wasn't a thing of mine hormones but his, since he was the one turning into a handsome man. He had lost his bowl cut years ago and now had almost shoulder length hair. It was the typical anime-like spiky but nothing too drastic. His eyes were the same exquisite raspberry color, in which I always found a way to get lost. His features were getting manlier with every day.

Being close to puberty, I noticed that I enjoyed his company a little too much. It wasn't uncontrollable yet. After all I was practically older than him and wouldn't let myself to crush on a boy.

I was changing rather fast as well. My hair was reaching below my breasts, or where they were expected to be, and was still curly and deep black. My eyes got a slightly more ellipse form and my face, well it was still round.

The day started off like every other. The sun was shining, birds were singing, the people were going out to work. It was a beautiful picture.

A beautiful picture that got destroyed in mere seconds.

A grumbling noise came from the ground. Looking around to see what was happening, I didn't have time to react when it came crushing below me.

The last thing I heard was a horrific roar.

A mass of crumbled pieces buried me.

At first, I panicked. Obviously, I had never experienced something like this before. I began to madly move my hands, trying to climb my way up to the surface. This disoriented me and also resulted in some cuts and bruises, which further terrified me.

I choked, gasping for air. Everything was muggy. For the first time in both my lives I was claustrophobic. It felt like the darkness will swallow my whole being, not just my body but my mind as well.

It was hard to breathe - lack of oxygen.

My gaze fixated on one particular spot.

'I didn't live much of a peaceful civilian life after all'.

I opened my eyes to a dark space.

'Was it just a dream?'

I took a deep breath just to inhale dirt.

My eyes widened, I tried to stand up and hit my head in a rock with a bang. The world spun for a second before I felt a cold stream of blood running down my face. My head throbbed in rhythm with my heart. I gulped hardly, feeling a ball stuck in my throat. Panic was once again rushing through my veins.

'Come on, concentrate!'

I had to keep my calm and find my way out. I was definitely not dying like that.

I looked around for any light. I found out that moving led to sharp pain all around my body. Gritting my teeth, I tried pushing random rocks. Most of them were heavy and unmanageable but I succeeded with a few smaller ones.

A ray of sunlight broke in.

I swear I could feel it's warmth on the patch of skin it covered. This somehow gave me the willpower to continue. In these harsh situations every little thing could be beneficial.

I kept attempting to push the rocks but my muscle mass was not at all enough.

'Of course, I will need strength to live. Why not intellect? No, it will be the same.' I silently laughed at my own lame joke.

Why should it be so hard? It didn't look hard when I watched the anime from the couch at home.

At that moment I wished I was Sakura. Having her monstrous strength could have come in handy. But I was not her, I was a normal human being not adjusted for such conditions.

It took me a few more seconds to realize it. I wasn't so normal anymore – I had chakra.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on moving it to my hands. It was easy until I needed to maneuver it down from my shoulder. I began to lose the feel of it, which made it that much harder. At some point, I was frowning so hard the pain in my head intensified.

After finally moving it to the wanted spot and without wasting time I hit the rock above me. Much to my surprise it flew high in the air, some little pieces shedding off it due to the impact.

Blinding light burst into the hole, forcing me to close my eyes.

"AMAYA!" A very familiar voice called for me.

I reopened my eyes to see slightly dirty brown locks and a pair of big raspberry eyes.

"Dai!" I responded, delighted to see him.

He helped me climb back to the surface. After making sure my life wasn't endangered, he gave me the tightest hug possible. One of those thank-God-I-was-scared-to-death hugs. I felt every little bruise protesting against it but stubbornly ignored it.

I had time to look around once we broke the hug.

To my terror, there was no more a village. Everything laid in ruins levelled to the ground. A few other people were out with expressions I will never forget. On their faces had remained a small hint of surprise from the unexpected attack, but the main thing was fear. Fear of having lost their loved ones. Cries of despair echoed in the distance and the air was filled with the smell of death.

When I looked closer, I saw and the other part of the picture.

Bodies. Blood. Children, adults and elders were buried in a coffin of earth mass and concrete. Their eyes were still open; one could still spot the hope of survival in them.

I froze. My breakfast stirred nervously in my stomach, fighting its way out. I chocked but didn't let it out.

Dai put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, "It's alright."

But it wasn't.

I pretty much spent 8 years living with the thought of all the cruel stuff happening in the Narutoverse. I knew it, I had seen it on my screen and yet I wasn't ready for it. What was in front of me was absolutely real. Real people, that I knew, were dead, real families were destroyed. If had Sasuke felt this way during the massacre then I completely understood his motives. A view like this could scar everyone's sanity.

"Mom and dad!" I abruptly moved to free myself from Dai's grip and immediately hissed in pain.

"No-no," he calmed me down. "Take it easy. I heard they sent help from Konoha. Squads should be coming soon."

"I need to find them, they are out there," I was falling in a state of hysteria.

"Okay, we are going to look for them. Together," he emphasized on the last part.

We slowly made our way through the ruins to where my house had been.

I didn't utter a sound during that time. I'm not even sure I was still spiritually in this world or if I was consumed by my thoughts. Dai was trying to make it less awkward or maybe compensate for my silence and didn't close his mouth. I suppose he had gone a bit crazy as well. I didn't pay him attention but I overheard that his parents were currently helping the ones in need. Since their house was situated at the outskirts of the village, it hadn't suffered damage.

After an eternity of walking, we finally reached the left-overs of my house.

"Mom!" I yelled several times with all the voice I could find in me. We started looking around for any sign of life. "Mom!" I kept yelling.

My eyes watered; I couldn't see her anywhere.

"Aya!" The voice was faint, almost sounding as if it was all in my head.

It was Dai who pushed me towards the source. There under one big chunk of concrete, laid my mother. She smiled when she saw I was in one piece but I could see the pain behind it.

"MOM!" Actual tears ran down my cheeks at the sight of her. It were tears of relief that another one of my close people was alright. "Hold a little more, we will get you out of there."

I knew I couldn't move such a massive piece. I didn't have enough chakra nor physical power left.

"How are we doing this?" Dai asked.

"Use your chakra to push it. That's how I got out," he gave me a skeptic look. "Concentrate it in your palm. Trust me."

He stared a bit more before finally deciding it was worth a try. As I watched him grimace in concentration, I knew that he wouldn't fail. I didn't have enough experience to compare but I had a very good guess that he was amazing at chakra control.

The thing looked feather-like when he moved it with ease. I was going to make a smart comment when someone interrupted me.

"This is impressive for a civilian," The voice was distantly familiar, though I couldn't link it anyone.

I turned my head and saw my first ever canon character. A bowl haircut, like Dai's old hair, a green jumpsuit and bushy brows. Ladies and Gentlemen – Maito Gai.

He stood there in his trademark pose. It was kind of ridiculous that he was the first character I saw.

"Here, let me help," he went to my mother and picked her up bridal style. "Come on kiddos, release the power of your youth and let's go to the medics. They are nearby."

"He is weird," Dai whispered to me.

"Nah, I find him cool."

"Shinobi-san, I need to know if my husband is alright."

My father was at work, just as every other normal day. I internally hoped that he was alright and that I would find him here searching for me and mom.

"Working at the workshop I assume?"

"Yes," my mother answered silently.

"Our unit is searching the place right now. I guarantee you will be informed as soon as we know something.

One fascinating thing for any foreigner to this world was the power of medical ninjutsu - chakra-enhanced green light that magically healed deep cuts, wounds and broken bones with precision so good it left no scars. Of course, it depended on how well trained the medical-nins were, on their chakra control and intelligence.

In one book I'd read that medical ninjutsu was one of the hardest techniques to learn, which stood in contrast with the impression I got from the anime, where every second kunoichi could use it. Now that I knew for myself that chakra manipulation wasn't easy I was prone to believe it.

The medics Konoha had sent weren't a lot and I didn't remember seeing them. They were mostly women left in the tent, since the men were out to help and rescue.

I watched as they patched up people I've greeted in the morning from my seat. My gaze was blank, my brain still not fully conscious of the past occurrence. Next to me my mother kept biting her lower lip – a habit I knew she had when worried.

My own heart started beating faster when I saw Gai enter. Upon noticing us, he headed our way.

"Hoshino-san, I have news for your husband," he had a grim expression, which didn't bode anything good. "Unfortunately, there were no found survivors at the workshop."