Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

AN: Yo! sorry for taking so long. I was a little uncertain about what direction I should take this in and now I am certain so.. stay tuned ^.^

Chapter 5: Premonition

The inn we are staying at was recommended by Ryu-san. We make ourselves comfortable despite our trepidation at its dilapidated state.

'The Silver Samurai' was a work of art in its prime. Traditional Japanese wooden flooring and vintage tatami mats, the smell of cherry blossoms in the air.. Yes, all the signs pointed to splendour and extravagance.

Unfortunately, what was once a sought after home for travelers was now a creaky, neglected inn. The floors were dusty and hot water was supplied only every second day; thank goodness for the onsen down the street!

The receptionist was apologetic when we walked in too, embarrassed by their fall in honour, no doubt. 'The owner had run out of money during the depression after the last war', she had explained.

It was a little disappointing but kaa-san got this glint in her eye and when I asked why we continued to stay, she said. 'it's falling apart, so it must be cheap.'

And so here I am; lounging in the backyard playing with the shard of grass in my hand again when an explosion sounds in the distance.

I sit up straight, back erect. "Ugh" I groan, I just had to have a bad feeling, didn't I?

Mother is at the stall managing the shop; I have to get to her fast.

There is another loud explosion, this time closer. I purse my lips and raise myself to look above the perimeter made of the local rocks.

Shit!

A jet of water comes hurtling at my face and I fall back on my butt with a grunt.

20 metres, I think.. I race towards the house, as fast as my little legs allow me.

I am gasping for breath as my chubby fingers grabs the handle.

And then the world explodes.

"What.. what.."

I open my eyes cautiously. My head pounds and my ears are still ringing.

What happened?

My vision is still blurred but I can tell there is rubble everywhere; the decrepit and previously renowned inn is in a state of chaos.

I realize I might be a little deaf as well.. I can hear the muffled sound of panicked voices around me. I blink blearily a few times, trying to get my bearings and sit up. I sway.

There is a displacement of wind and an unfamiliar set of feet appear in front of me.

It is quiet and I almost miss it. "Well, well, well.. what have we here.."

I try to look up but I can only see a silhouette against the sun. There are black flecks in the periphery of my vision.

"Who are you?" I rasp.

The black crawls gently and completely to the center. A familiar voice screams my name in the distance, it sounds muted, and I think... I think this may be a dream..

I wake up with a jolt and a gasp and immediately start hacking on my own spit.

"There.. there.." a voice croons rubbing circles on my back and a glass of water is pushed to my lips.

I greedily gulp down as much as I can and let out a haggard thanks.

"Slowly now" the voice chuckles.

I squint through the brightness to look at my saviour.

"Feeling better, sweetheart?" A buxom brunette grins, and any other time I would appreciate her.. ehm. Assets. As it is, I feel extremely disoriented and in dire need of some information.

"Where am I?" I croak. "What happened?"

"I heard you got in between a nasty scuffle, you poor boy.. so they got you home of course!" The woman smirks. She seems amused but her eyes stand out. They are devoid of any emotion.

"And.. where is home… exactly?" I hedge, now very, very uncertain about my predicament. What is happening?!

"Well.. Kiri of course.."

Kiri?! Kiri is not my home!

"Look here miss..-"

"Call me Biwako, little one"

"Yes. Biwako. Lookie here, I think there has been some major confusion, alright.. and-"

"Whoa. Calm down. Start from the beginning. First tell me your name.." Her voice is a soothing balm.

"I am Ruka" I spit out impatiently. "Biwako-san, I am most definitely not from Kiri-"

"What are you talking about?" She laughs.

I am getting impatient with her behaviour now. "I was in Hot Water, you see and-"

"My.. that is a long way from home!"

"Yes. I mean no! Biwako-san, I am not from here, and this is not my home! I was there with my mother and.."

I stop and jerk spastically. "Oh my goodness! Where is my mother?!" I frantically look around expecting her to sprout out from the earth.

"Oh.. I'm so sorry, little one." I look into the lady's brown eyes. "Your mother died."

I choke. "What!"

If I wasn't hyperventilating before, I am definitely doing so now.

"Ruka-kun. Ruka-kun! Calm down… here they gave me medicine for you"

She rummages around the side table and pushes a cup with purple liquid at me.

"Here.. they said... they said this is for your injuries"

I take the cup the cup in horror.

"You've been out for a couple of weeks now" She says.

"What" I whisper.

"Drink up Ruka-kun" She says pityingly and I numbly empty the contents.

"Try to sleep, little one. I'll come back later."

I don't know if I can say much. My mouth feels numb. My body feels numb. I slip into the darkness.

When I wake up again I stare at the ceiling in shock.

They say my mother is dead. I.. now what?

I stare numbly, my head is blank. Eventually, I pass out again.. out of sheer exhaustion.

Biwako came back to explain the extent of my trauma. Apparently, I had a concussion and after a minor surgery to remove the excessive amount of blood from pooling, they began giving me medication for pain. It isn't any flora I recognize, the contents of that medicine seem to be a local recipe.

I sigh and gulp it down in one go.

I do not think my mother's death has registered to me yet for I feel absolute apathy. No, not apathy. Denial.. definitely denial.

What else could it be when I didn't see her fall?

How did I get to Kiri anyway?

My head pounds, and my tummy aches.

I take a deep breath in and the feeling disappears.

Tomorrow I will be sent to an orphanage.. I purse my lips, feeling the extent of my situation sinking in. I realise just how alone I am.

I can't remember much about Kiri, I think somberly and I look outside the window searching for a skyline.

There is none, it is all mist.

What do I work towards now? I think dejectedly. Mother is not around anymore and I do not need to protect her. Do I even need to be a ninja? I am safely ensconced in the pits of the Bloody Mist. I am so far from Kumo and suddenly, the threat of being beaten to pulp doesn't seem so bad. Who is going to find me here?

My head pounds and blood rushes behind my eyes.

Maybe.. maybe I will think more about this when I am feeling better. I think tiredly, and wait for sleep to take me.