"Stupid trolls and their- their- their troll-ness!" Cho Amamiya muttered under her breath. She wasn't sure how it had happened but she had somehow managed to get knocked out and had woken up only to discover that she was being held hostage by trolls of all creatures!
She wasn't sure if it was to do with the concussion but she was struggling to recall exactly what had happened. She groaned as she rubbed the back of her head, wincing slightly at the pain the action induced. She didn't know where she was but she assumed that she was in some kind of prison.
It was dark and the floor along with the walls were made up of hardened dirt. Steel bars lined the front of her cell but didn't help much with the lack of light. It also didn't help her visualise where she was because the view she had of the world outside her prison wasn't much of a view. All she could see was a wall that was made up of the same material that made up the majority of her cell. The only source of light she had was a powder blue-coloured crystal that was embedded in the hardened dirt wall outside her cage, above the iron bars.
The low rumble of voices alerted her to two approaching presences. She narrowed her ruby eyes as the two figures stopped in front of the bars of her cell. Her nose scrunched up at the stench that wafted over to her.
"Heh, what do we 'ave 'ere?" The short, pudgy one said, letting out a low laugh.
"Looks like a human to me." The taller, thinner one chimed in.
"A human ey? Ha! How puny!"
"Tch." Cho scowled at the two. "If you trolls are only here to mock me then you might as well leave, you're smelling up my cell."
"Oh? What's this? The pathetic human can talk? Kaede, are ya hearin' this?" The short one looked up at the troll next to him.
"Who would have thought! I always thought that humans' minds were too tiny to be able to comprehend words!"
"If anyone here is dumb it's you guys, I mean, who would reveal their ally's name in front of an enemy?" Cho looked off to the side, bored. "Guess trolls really are as empty-headed as people say. How disappointing.."
She could tell that her words were getting to them for the short one had curled his hands into fists, puffing out his cheeks angrily as his eyebrows furrowed, his silver eyes glaring heatedly at her.
"Oh yeah? Well, who's the one locked up in a cage then huh?" The pudgy one yelled, spit flying from his mouth.
Cho rolled her red eyes, leaning back against the back wall of her cell.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just leave so I can get some sleep, you're giving me a headache." She closed her eyes, listening out for their footsteps.
Her cage was incredibly uncomfortable and her neck hurt from the odd position it had been in when she was unconscious. She wasn't even sure how long she had been unconscious for but she guessed it had been at least a few hours.
'Being in such a dark place is really messing with my internal clock.' Her memory loss was also not helping and the female reminded herself that the only reason she had memory loss was because of the concussion she had suffered.
When no footsteps met her ears she opened a red eye and stared in boredom at the short, stubby troll. The creature was shaking in what she presumed was anger and Cho felt like laughing when she realised the armour the troll was wearing was trembling too. It really did make quite the comedic sight.
"I'm givin' you a headache? You're givin' me a headache with that shrill voice of yours!"
The green-haired woman snorted, her gaze turning amused. Who would have thought that trolls were so easy to instigate? She rather enjoyed winding them up.
"H-hey. .Kaede, I think we should get going. We'll get in trouble if we're caught talking to the human."
Cho frowned slightly, 'Kaede? But isn't that his name? Why's he calling the shorter one Kaede when that's his name?' She growled. 'Trolls are so odd.'
The short one turned to the other troll and from the way the taller one flinched back Cho could safely guess that he was afraid of the shorter Kaede.
"Do-" Before the plump troll could finish his sentence Cho felt another presence approach them and both of the trolls in front of her cell froze.
"Oh?" The voice was cold and stern, alluring and intimidating. "What are two lowly guards doing all the way up here?"
Cho could tell that the owner of the voice was a female and with how the two guards had immediately stiffened she guessed that this mystery female was of a higher rank than the two trolls who had mocked her.
"A-asuga!" The two stuttered, clumsily standing to attention.
"Don't you 'Asuga' me! Answer me, what are you two dunderheads doing up here?"
The taller of the two managed to round up his courage and answered the female.
"W-we were just curious about the human!"
Cho muttered darkly under her breath, she despised being referred to as 'the human'. It only reminded her about her current predicament, constantly making her aware of the fact that she was surrounded by trolls. It was bad enough that her head was so full of pain she was struggling to comprehend what was happening around her, she didn't want to have to put up with being in the presence of trolls of all beings too!
"Oh? You wanted to see the human did you?" The guards nodded hastily. "Well now you've seen it, so scram! You were meant to be at your post half a chime ago!"
Cho frowned as the two hurriedly scrambled away, out of her view. Footsteps warned her of the approaching female and she studied her form that was dimly lit up under the soft light the gem above her cell emanated. The female troll had light grey skin and long red hair that was kept mostly out of her face, only a few strands falling in front of her eyes and brushing against her cheeks. She had a scar that ran down the left side of her face and had freckles running across her cheeks. She had two teal eyes and long, dark lashes. A piece of armour covered her chest, leaving her stomach bare. She donned dark, baggy leggings and had a pouch attached to either thigh; one a moss green and the other a dark grey. Her shoes were the same green as her pouch and she had leaf green bandages wrapped around her hands. Her ears were rounder than the trolls who had previously visited her but they were still pointy. In her right ear she had a piercing and wore a silver hoop. She had black, stubby horns that protruded out of her head and the female kunoichi could clearly tell that she was a trained fighter.
The redhead was lean with developed muscles, she didn't have any visible weapons on her but Cho was sure that she had many hiding in her clothes and mostly likely had several tucked away in her pouches.
"Oi, what are you looking at human?" The female troll glared coldly at her, the dim lighting making her hard stare all the more intimidating.
"Someone who obviously doesn't have the brain capacity to know when someone's looking at them." It wasn't the best insult but Cho was honestly too tired to care.
She closed her eyes and tried to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. She heard the red-haired troll scoff and did her best to ignore her.
"Don't get too comfy human, you'll have a visitor soon."
The sound of footsteps met her ears and Cho waited for them to fade before letting out a sigh. She wasn't sure who would be visiting her later but as her head pounded she decided to focus on getting some rest.
~{*.*}~
Their Sensei suddenly appeared, causing Harumi to let out a surprised shriek. Her face turned an interesting shade of red and she yelled at the man, attempting to hide her embarrassment under an angry visage.
"Ahh Harumi! Your voice may be sweet but yelling in my ear won't prevent me from going deaf." The red-haired man said, smiling calmly down at his students.
The green-haired female huffed, turning away from her Sensei with her arms crossed.
"I don't think anything can stop you from going deaf." Takumi deadpanned.
"Who knows, technology is evolving quickly!"
"You don't understand what we're getting at do you?" The Uchiha, who was still sitting on the ground said, catching his teacher's attention.
A noise of confusion erupted from the man as the three shared a glance. The man's silver eyes darted between them, trying to understand the silent conversation they were having. Finally having enough, he clapped his hands, gaining his students' attention.
"Right." He said. "Enough chit-chat, let's get started."
~{*.*}~
A steady tune of loneliness echoed through the area and Cho groaned as she sat up. Her rest hadn't been as energising as she had originally hoped and her neck and back needed a good stretch but she felt restless and was beginning to feel slightly claustrophobic.
She once again cursed the existence of trolls before stretching her neck, wincing as it ached. She then moved towards the bars of her cage and tried her best to look around at the world that existed outside her prison. Unfortunately, like before there wasn't much to admire and the female sat back with a grumble.
Just as she was beginning to be whisked away into the land of her thoughts, a face popped out from over the top of the 'window' of her cell.
"Hiya there!" A wide grin decorated the face and Cho hated to imagine the expression she was making.
"Don't pop out so suddenly.. and please don't be so loud.. you're not allowed here.." A quieter, more depressed voice sounded. Cho couldn't see who had spoken since they weren't in the limited view she had of the space outside her prison. All she knew was that they sounded like the complete opposite of the owner of the head peeking out from the top of the steel bars.
Said head turned to look back, presumably at the owner of the other voice.
"Come on Moody, lighten up a bit! Didn't you say you were curious about the human too?"
"I didn't say that..." The quiet voice of the other only just made it to the kunoichi.
The happier, seemingly more friendly presence, turned back to the kunoichi who wore a small scowl on her face. Cho knew that the two were most likely not humans since as far as she was aware, she was imprisoned in a land that was overrun with trolls. They had also referred to the ninja as 'the human' which on its own was enough proof (other than the small peek of one of their unnatural-looking heads) to confirm her suspicions.
"He's shy." The more jolly of the two whispered not so quietly.
The other could be heard sputtering indignantly somewhere in the background. It was only then that face at the top of the bars of her cage disappeared and a figure jumped down.
"Anyway! Allow me to introduce myself." They performed an elegant bow. "My name is Emica, meaning Charming or blessed and beautiful."
The troll's flawless laurel green skin shone in the dim light emitting from the crystal that was embedded into the wall above the bars of her prison. Her long, moss-coloured hair was fluffy and well-kept, a flower clip keeping a few locks out of her face. The hair at the front of her head, framing the left side of her face was white and two brown horns sprouted from her head revealing themselves as they grew through her hair. The female troll had eyes that were a mix of light and dark browns, green pupils in their centre. She donned a brown and moss-green dress with brown boots and torn green socks, the right one being a moss green like the majority of her appearance and the left being a darker shade.
She disappeared off to the side of Cho's cage and reappeared moments later, pulling another troll with her. The kunoichi guessed that he was the owner of the more depressed voice, his gloomy expression telling her all she needed. This troll was not a happy one.
"This is my good buddy Fuyuki! His name means snowy winter which is pretty ironic since all this messy-haired guy can do is create a puddle of water!"
Fuyuki groaned, pulling his arm away from Emica's in hopes of getting rid of the grip she had on his wrist. Unfortunately, she remained oblivious to his wishes and he appeared to lack the energy needed to remove her from him.
The female troll happily chatted away, not seeming to notice that Cho's attention was now on her friend. The shinobi was assessing his appearance as she tended to do. As an Anbu, it was important to evaluate the enemy and not underestimate them. Studying their appearance can help one understand more about their opponent. It may give a clue as to where their strengths lie or possibly even give a hint as to what their weakness might be.
As her eyes examined the male's form, it became clear to Cho that he was definitely timid and that his sorrowful appearance was not an act. His skin was blue and his droopy eyes that refused to move from the ground shared a similar shade that had just a hint more purple in them. They held a level of misery so depressing that the ninja found concern bubbling up inside her. His bushy hair was unruly, its colour a dull navy that, towards its ends faded into a slightly lighter colour. He also had two lighter streaks, running through the front of his messy head of hair. Buried in his locks, he wore an accessory that was shaped like a snowflake, somehow, the kunoichi found that it suited him quite well. Fuyuki had a waterfall of tears pouring down each cheek, his lips a constant tight line. A brown cloak covered the top half of his body, including his arms. Dark blue baggy leggings covered his legs and on his feet, he wore large brown boots.
"Anyway, how are you today human?" It seemed that the female troll had finally finished her rant, her brown eyes glimmering with barely-contained energy.
"Oh, I'm doing great! The dim lighting really relaxes my eyes and the hard ground underneath me makes for a great mattress!" Cho smiled, her words heavy with sarcasm.
The troll didn't seem to pick up on the scorn in her tone and continued to chat happily.
"That's so good! If you want, we can put some of the other prisoners in the cells next to yours, they snore really loud so you won't feel too alone anymore!"
Cho's expression froze, as she stared at the moss-haired troll with droopy red eyes. Having neighbours who she was almost certain would be trolls would put her even more on edge than she was already.
'Does this troll not realise that their snores would most likely deprive me of sleep?' She realised a split second later that that was most likely exactly what she wanted and that the female troll was probably hiding a fierce contempt for her behind a cheerful facade.
"Don't say that!" Fuyuki hissed, his periwinkle eyes darting around and his pale lips trembling slightly. "You don't have the status to make such promises.."
Emica waved a hand around in the air, rolling her eyes. It was clear that the male was somewhat paranoid and the female troll didn't take him seriously but the kunoichi didn't blame the male, it was a wonder that anyone wasn't paranoid in the world they lived in where wars raged and blood was spilt over the smallest of disagreements.
"Don't be so anxious Fuyuki, It'll be fine! Besides, it's not every day you get to see a real human!"
Cho frowned, exhaling through her nose as she looked off to the side. When she got out of the cell she was in, because she would get out, she was going to rage havoc on the creatures who were holding her captive. She despised them with every fibre of her being, her anger and hatred bubbling up inside her, ready to erupt.
"But you held up the whole expedition we did just to watch the humans go about their normal day.." If not for her Anbu training, Cho would have been unable to have picked up on the male's words.
"That, my dear friend, is irrelevant!" The female then smiled at Cho, showcasing her sharp canines. "I think we need to get going now human, we can't hang around here too long after all. I'll come visit you later though, promise!"
With a wave, she grabbed Fuyuki by the hand and skipped off. Cho sighed, moving her head back to stare at the dark roof of her prison. Her head was killing her and she wanted nothing more than to escape her shackles (though she had none on) and run back to her village.
She closed her ruby eyes and tried to focus on the feeling of her chakra only to open them again not a second later as she let out a groan. That was another thing that had been bothering her. Since she woke up in her cell, she had been unable to access her chakra. No matter how hard she tried to feel the energy, she found that she was unable to. Her life force was nowhere to be found, something rendering her unable to access it.
'It can't have disappeared since I would be dead if I was without it..' She worried her bottom lip, eyebrows furrowing in deep thought. 'There must be something prohibiting me from using it.'
She was without the chakra-concealing seals that they used back where she was from and her wrists were bare, no cuffs restraining her movement. She was locked away behind bars with no access to her chakra and no way of escaping. It was possible that the trolls had developed something that was able to lock away her chakra, hiding it even from herself.
'Stupid trolls..' She hissed in her mind.
If not for the absence of her chakra, Cho would have been able to escape, obviously, that was the reason why they had done whatever they did but she still found her already sour mood plummeting. Trolls were bad, they were evil. They had no empathy, not caring for anyone or anything but themselves, they didn't care what consequences their actions had, they were selfish creatures.
She let out a frustrated breath, moving to lean against the back wall of her prison. Although she couldn't hide her hate for the species she preferred to not waste time filling her mind with thoughts about them, doing so would only resurface bad memories. The red-eyed female leaned her head back against the surface behind her, the pounding pain attacking her skull causing her to close her eyes as she decided to try and sleep off the torment.
~{*.*}~
"Have you heard? Apparently, the trolls stole a human!" A voice exclaimed.
"I heard they broke into a file room, right under the Hokage's nose too." Another hissed.
"You, praising someone? That's pretty rare." A third voice chimed in.
Their gossiping came to an end when a tall figure with narrowed copper eyes walked past them, his aura causing the three to gulp and shrink as their eyes followed his form. They waited until he was out of their sight and his thundering footsteps fell silent before they cautiously started up their chatter again.
"Did you see that?" One whispered, not so quietly.
"How could I not? That was Zargo-sama, the Fire Dragon Exemplar!"
"Could you two quieten down? All Exemplars have heightened senses, even more so than our own. With your guys' loud voices, I doubt those in the Water Sector aren't able to hear you." The harsh remark caused the other two to go silent until the shortest of the three, who was also the more excitable, couldn't hold it in any longer.
"But I wonder why Zargo-sama is out of his volcano? Ya think it has something to do with the trolls and humans?" Her not-so-quiet words caught the attention of others who all perked up at the thought.
"Us, ethereal and all-powerful beings getting involved in a petty feud between two lower species?" A female exclaimed, redirecting all attention onto her. "We are dragons. Allmighty entities who rule over land, sky and ocean, can your tiny mind really be dumb enough not to realise that we are much too important to concern ourselves with beings lower than us?"
The one on the receiving end of her loud speech shrunk backwards. Though the one speaking wasn't very big, she was still much smaller and as the orange and black dragon took a step towards the smaller female, two bigger dragons stepped in front of the smallest.
"Hey, back off!" The male dragon narrowed his brown-grey eyes as he snarled.
"It is frankly foolish to get so worked up over a few words that were simply an unconfirmed theory." The other dragon standing in front of the smaller one hissed, a snake-like tongue revealing itself.
"It's not my fault someone seems to need to learn a thing or two about their own kin!" The tiger-like dragon spat, two other dragons behind her.
"What is going on here?"
Everyone in the area turned, eyes widening as they looked at the new presence. White scales that gleamed in the sun were paired with a belly of cream, two curled horns framed a handsome face, one white and the other purple. Round dark eyes held green pupils, shaped like leaves and a light grey nose stood at the end of the dragon's snout. Fluffy ears stuck out from his head, below his horns, the insides purple. He had a tail that resembled a leaf, the top of said appendage was a green which blended into a purple that matched that of some of his other features. Protruding from his back were fairy-like wings and his overall form was light and somewhat small (for his species anyway).
"Well?" His amused eyes crinkled slightly, the corners of his mouth, of which seemed to always be curled upwards, parting to reveal sharp white teeth. "Isn't anyone going to enlighten me?"
The small dragon who had been the target of the orange and black dragon's harsh words brightened, her previously tense form relaxing as her expression brightened.
"Hiryur-sama!" She exclaimed; her friends who still stood in front of her turning to look at her with confused expressions.
The male's gaze turned to her and a smile grew on his face.
"Ah! Hello Asuka, care to explain to me what is going on?"
The female trotted up to the male, white eyes shining in admiration. Behind her, her friends looked at each other, a silent conversation going on between them. The orange dragon with black markings took a few steps back, her ears flattening against her head.
"Of course, I'd love to!" Asuka grinned, flashing her bright teeth. "I was talking with my friends about what was going on, y'know, with the humans and the trolls and stuff? Anyway, Zargo-sama came walking through and it then sparked the question of what he was doing out of his volcano in my mind, you know how he's always so reluctant to leave his territory? Well, I voiced this question and the others overheard our conversation and Kana over there decided to come at me all of a sudden!"
Hiryur somehow managed to keep up with her rapid fire of words, effortlessly nodding as he listened patiently to her tale.
"I see. Thank you for catching me up to speed Asuka." He sent the small dragon a smile before turning to the crowd. "Can Kana please step forward?"
The dragons making up the crowd looked at each other until one stepped forth. Her orange fur had black streaks running through it and a few longer strands that were located on the left side of her head were tied together in a small plait. She had tiger ears and a tail, dark orange wings lined with black that stuck out of her form. Two small horns stood in front of her ears, matching her tiger-like appearance, one being black and the other a dark orange not unlike the colour of her wings.
Her head was down, orange eyes downcast as her long, sharp claws brushed the grass underneath her. Two ears were back against her head and she donned a frown as she walked forwards. She came to a stop next to Hiryur, her ears moving up as her gaze remained on the ground.
"Thank you. Now, can you please tell me your side of the story?"
She raised her head, her expression relaxing. Her orange eyes darted to the crowd of dragons whose gazes she was all too aware of. Her hues then moved to the smaller dragon who was still staring up at the male, stars in her white eyes. She then looked at the male, finding his dark eyes directed at her. Kana took a deep breath in, returning her gaze to the floor as she began to explain.
"I was just minding my own business, talking to Tsuyoshi and Tsutomu. Everyone was just hanging with their mates so I don't see the problem with it." She turned her head away from Hiryur, stubbornly refusing to tell him the full story from her point of view.
The sound of those in the crowd talking quietly amongst themselves, most likely about the clear disrespect that she was showing the male, met her fluffy ears and she exhaled through her dark nose.
"Don't turn away from Hiryur-sama!" Her orange eyes snapped to Asuka whose teeth were bared.
"Now, now, Asuka." The male smiled. "Kana, I don't believe you finished."
The orange dragon gulped. Although concealed, she could clearly hear the change in tone. Hiryur was warning her and she hated to think of what punishment she would suffer if she were to go against him.
"I.. Zargo-sama came walking through, as Asuka said and I overheard her gossiping about us.. sticking our noses in the business of trolls and humans."
"And what's wrong with that?" Her orange hues shot up to his dark ones and before she could stop herself she let out exactly what was swirling around in her mind.
"They're below us!" She exclaimed. "Why should we concern ourselves with those who don't level to our brilliance? We can fly, can manipulate the elements to our will and are so much bigger and stronger than those puny little creatures who dare share our world!"
She stood up, her wings spreading as her tail swung back and forth behind her, one of her front legs stepping forward as she made her passionate speech.
Hiryur narrowed his dark eyes, a strong gust of wind passing through the area.
"And who might be the fool who ingrained this into your mind?"
Silence followed his words and Kana swallowed. His presence was powerful enough, his words more than intimidating, paired with his abilities, the dragon who stood before her was a menacing being. She knew the destruction he was capable of; was aware of the demolition that would follow the swish of his tail. She had seen it with her own two eyes, she had watched the chaos the Exemplars could cause; the memory still haunted her.
'Damn you Wind Dragon Exemplar!' She growled internally.
The voice of the male dragon in front of her redirected her attention and her ears that had pulled back against the base of her skull twitched as she listened, struggling to keep her inner emotions concealed.
"State what Sector you are under." His narrowed dark eyes stared down at her.
She swallowed, her throat feeling dry all of a sudden.
"I fall under the Fire Sector but I am half Earth."
Hiryur hummed and Kana grit her teeth. "So you're a half-breed.."
"And?" The tiger-like dragon growled.
"Oh, nothing!" The male smiled. "I hope you know I will be having a word with Zargo about this matter and I will also ask the Earth Dragon Exemplar to tell you a little story about what occurred a matter of decades ago."
It was bewildering that such a sentence could spark such annoyance in her. This guy thought he could boss her around just because he was an Exemplar? Well, she would love to show him just how much that title meant to her! A dark aura surrounded her as she stormed off, her extended claws digging into the mud under her as her fur stood on end. Her two friends looked at each other before hesitantly following after the female.
Hiryur turned his head to look down at Asuka who, feeling his eyes on her, met his gaze.
"As for you, I hope you don't expect to be going home scot-free, you were, after all, gossiping, I expect you know it's not tolerated here, especially not when it causes a disturbance. Not to mention that keeping me here due to the.. spectacle is making me late for a certain meeting I was called to. Now say farewell to your friends and rush home, I will talk to you more later about your punishment."
The small dragon blinked before letting out a groan.
"Oh come on Hiryur-sama, you know I can't help it!"
"Well then, you need to learn some self-control. Get on your way now, I'm already late enough!"
The small dragon let out a defeated sigh, her gloomy figure wandering off, her concerned friends' gazes on her back. Hiryur turned his attention to the mob of dragons who had been playing the role of spectators during the kerfuffle. He sent them a closed-eyed smile a white fang peaking out from his closed mouth.
"Alright, I understand that such an event is quite exciting but I do think it is high time you all continue with your day."
With that he strutted away, his leaf-like tail waving around behind him. The second the Wind Dragon Exemplar was out of sight, chatter erupted as those in the area had a new topic of gossip, they just had to be careful so as to not get caught.
A/N: Hello! Sorry that this is late.. it was getting really long so I eventually had to make the decision of turning this side story into three parts rather than two. I really don't want this to go on for much longer but I loved reading some comments on the last part of this. I also may or may not have a few future story ideas for this world and its characters but only time will tell if I publish them or not.
Sorry that this chapter didn't have much of the Genin squad, there will be more of them in the next part but I had a lot going on already in this one and I have a basic idea of what's going to happen next so I only managed to fit them into a small section.
We got our first glance at both the trolls and the dragons in this chapter, which side are you guys liking more so far? (You can choose the humans too) I personally like all sides but I have a lot more information than you guys and I spent hours designing the characters and mapping out the world so yeah..
Do you guys have a favourite character yet? Comment if you do and I'll see if I can sneak in a bit more of them!
I have become oddly invested in this world and have a whole timeline in my mind with some major events, there are even some clues littered throughout the story, let me know if you caught on to any of them!
I just realised how long this Author's Note is getting..
Sorry for any mistakes!
Hope you enjoyed!