Always With Me

"Here are the applications your students must turn in to participate in the Chuunin Exam." Hokage announced as an assistant handed the forms to the correct teachers. "Your students will be given exactly one week until the Chuunin Exam begins. They will have this time to decide if they truly wish to participate, or if they believe they are not yet ready." Hokage paused for a brief moment to smoke from his old chipped pipe. "I hope that none of you will try and force your students to take the exam if they do not wish to. Even if you believe they are capable, some might not believe that they are ready for such a task." Smoke billowed from the Hokage's mouth in a slow exhale. "A reminder to all the instructors to the rookie teams: each of your students will be going through a small test to see if they are capable to enter the exams. You are now dismissed." As the team instructors began to file out the door the Hokage immediately noticed one Jounin who was staying behind. The Hokage sighed as he inhaled another take from his pipe, waiting for the silver haired Jounin to step forward. "Hello Kakashi. What brings you here so soon? Is Kanna showing any negative signs after the sealing?" "Asuma hasn't noticed any signs so far." Kakashi announced in his usual carefully bored tone. "I'm here because of Nemuri." "Ah," the Hokage allowed a small frown on his lips. "Am I correct in assuming that you are referring to the scar on her cheek?" Kakashi showed no sign of surprise that the Hokage had checked in on you while you were in the hospital. "Yes. It is a joukyuu scar." The Hokage inhaled from his pipe once more, his eyes turning to gaze out the wide windows at the Hokage Monument. His eyes focused passed the rock to distant struggles and distant sacrifices. "I thought it might be..." --------"Why does Kakashi-sensei call us out then make us wait?!" "Yeah!" "What about the feeling of a young maiden who overslept and couldn't finish blow drying her hair!" You looked over and saw that one strand of Sakura's hair had a curl to it. "I overslept so I didn't wash my face or brush my teeth!" "That's...really nasty, Naruto." 'Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up.' You droned in your head as you slumped against the railing to the red bridge that was your teams' official meeting place. 'Why do people have to talk in the morning? Why can't they just be quiet...' "Morning, everyone," Kakashi suddenly appeared on one of the high beams above the bridge, "today I got lost on the road of life." "Yeah right, liar!" Sakura and Naruto shouted. You groaned and stood up as Kakashi jumped down and stood in front of your group. "Well, anyway...this is sudden, but I've nominated you guys for the Chuunin Selection Exam. Here are your applications." Kakashi pulled out four little papers, each with one of your names on it. You blinked. '...........did I hear him right?' "But...this is just a nomination. It's up to you whether or not to take the exam." Kakashi added after noticing your teams' stunned silence. You took your slip as Kakashi passed them out. You stared down at your name with passive fascination. "Alright!" you heard Naruto shout. You looked up to see Naruto hug Kakashi around his waist. "Kakashi-sensei, I love you!" "Hey, stop! Let go of me!" You smiled before looking down at your paper again, a bubble of excitement expanding in your chest. "Those who wish to take it should sign those applications and take them to room 301 of the school by 3 PM six days from now." Kakashi explained after he managed to pry Naruto off of him. The four of you nodded and tuned to leave but Kakashi suddenly stopped you. "Oh yes, I almost forgot." He looked at the four of you lazily. "One of you will not be permitted to take the exam, no matter if you want to or not." "What?" You asked just as Naruto and Sakura shouted in disbelief. Kakashi held up his hands in front of him. "I'm sorry, but the normal number of ninjas in a squad is three, and as you know we have allowed that rule to slide as of now, but the Chuunin Exam is different. Having an extra member will give you an unfair advantage during some of the tests." "So...one of us is not allowed to participate?" Sakura asked quietly. "That is correct. Instead of choosing one of you to sit out I think I'll let you decide. Think carefully; if you have any doubts at all you should resign. Meet me in front of the school one week from now and I'll ask which one of you will stay behind. That is all." 'One of us won't be able to take it?' You turned to begin walking back to your house. 'That isn't fair! They should have made more teams if--' "Nemuri," You turned quickly, looking back at your sensei with confusion, "Yeah?" 'What if he's going to tell me that I'm the one who can't participate?' You shivered from the sudden chill of dread. "Hokage-sama asked for you to be sent to his office." Kakashi stated simply. "Oh..." You looked down at your feet, trying to think of a reason for why the Hokage wished to see you. 'He hasn't visited me for a very long time...' You realized. After your parent's murder and after learning how they had treated you, the Hokage had visited you often. He had been there in the hospital, where you were given tests to check your health. He visited you at Shikamaru's house, where you stayed for a year, and then at your old house when you were allowed to live by yourself. He didn't visit you much after that. You supposed you forgot about it eventually. You had tried to forget everything, anything, from that part of your life. 'Why would he want to talk to me now?' you wondered as you idly walked in the direction of the Hokage's office. 'Have I done something wrong?' Your hand reached up to lightly trail over your small scar. 'Maybe he wants to know about the Wave Mission. But then he should want to talk to my teammates too...It must be...my kekkei genkai.' It was official now. You would be able to use and develop the Shindouhaji into a great combat weapon. That is what your father had done. 'Maybe he wants to make sure I don't turn out like him...' --------"Um, I was told Hokage-sama wanted to see me." You spoke tentatively to the secretary. She pursed her lips and adjusted her thick glasses against the bridge of her nose. "Do you have an appointment?" "Um, well, no...My sensei told me that---" "Go on in." 'Okay...' You slowly moved to the large door, your left hand tightening around your Chuunin Exam form. You reached up to grab the small handle. "Knock first." Your head snapped back to look at the secretary. She was already ignoring you, her fingers skimming over a long document. 'Bitch...' You knocked anyway; three soft raps. You waited for only a moment. "Come in." Stepping into the Hokage's office was like stepping back in time. You had not been here since the day you had confessed to being the victim of child abuse, and the office really did not look a day older. The room no longer seemed intimidating like it had seemed when you were younger. It felt warmer, safer. Maybe this was because you were no longer as heavily shadowed by the weight of your parents. "Ah, Nemuri," The Hokage smiled from behind his desk. He too looked the same, except for a few extra lines etched in his face. "Please, take a seat." You walked into the room and stared at the chair that was across from the Hokage's desk. 'It's the same...' You lightly touched the warn wood of the arm before sitting down. 'I hardly remember the chair at all, but I definitely know it's the same one...' You glanced to the right, noticing the simple corner of the room near a bookshelf. Five years ago, Kakashi-sensei and Itachi-kun had been standing near that spot. It was the only thing that was different; the absence of two people. You looked back at the Hokage and wondered. Five years ago, did he ever imagine that your parents would betray their village to Konoha's worst enemy? Five years ago, did he ever imagine that Itachi-kun would murder his entire clan, leaving only Sasuke alive, filled with hate and revenge? Five years ago, did the Hokage ever imagine that Kakashi, your father's best friend, would be teaching his daughter, who everyone believed was a traitor-in-training? 'No...he couldn't have,' you thought. 'He couldn't have...' "I won't keep you long, since you may want to start training for the Chuunin Exams." The Hokage picked up his aged pipe from his desk "Kakashi has informed me that you have received your first joukyuu scar." Your hand moved up to your face before you even realized it. 'Kakashi-sensei told him...' You felt anger build under your skin. 'Why...why would he do that?' Because you're a threat."I'm afraid...I don't understand much about your clan's kekkei genkai. Perhaps things would have turned out different if I had shown more interest." The Hokage lit the end of his pipe, the flames shadowing his face and aging him by ten years. Even as the fire flickered out his eyes held a look of aged regret. "Kakashi has told me of the significance. The scars form as you improve your skills with the Shindouhaji, am I correct?" "Yes." It was the first time you spoke and your voice cracked in the stiff air. "If I...hadn't been strong enough, I would never have gotten the joukyuu scar. Some boys never do. It's...hard to explain." You looked down at the wrinkled exam form in your hands. "It's like...joukyuu scars are a sign that you can advance your power. After the first scar, more appear as strength indicators." "Kakashi told me that your father had many scars from his skill." The Hokage spoke quietly, his pipe smoking and resting in his hand. You stared down at your form, your eyes hovering over your teacher's name. "They were on his back."'How...' your hand curled around the warn paper, 'how does he know that?' "Nemuri," You swallowed thickly before looking up. The Hokage sighed. "I want you to understand something, Nemuri." Inhaling one last time, the Hokage reached over and tapped his ashes into a small bowl. "Your clan...has had the misfortune of being condemned by most of the shinobi world. Most of your relatives have been guilty of treason, and as far as I'm aware, you are one of the very few still alive." You didn't want this conversation. You didn't want to remember. You didn't want to face the consequences of your parents' actions. "I know that sometimes you are treated unfairly." You wondered if he knew about the men that glare at you in the streets, the women who won't let you near their children, the doctors and nurses in the hospital that had treated you like dirt. "I realize now, and in the future, that as you grow and learn to master your kekkei genkai, you will continue to be treated unfairly, and though I wish I could promise you I could stop it from happening, I cannot. I'm afraid not even I can persuade the villagers to look passed your parents' mistakes." "You were surrounded by bad people, Nemuri. Your father, Orochimaru, they have caused this village to suffer, but you have not. You are just as much of a victim. I want you to understand this Nemuri. You are not to be blamed for what they have done. I have always believed that." Yes, the Hokage had always believed you. Perhaps, if you thought about it, he has been the only one to ever treat you like you were normal. He didn't look down on you or fear you. He didn't want you gone just because you had a connection with Orochimaru. Even Kakashi-sensei, your teacher, your father's friend, the man who saw the most of you when you were young, did not treat you the simple way that the Hokage did. "Don't feel trapped, Nemuri." The Hokage spoke again. "Do not hate who you are just because of your past. I encourage you to advance your kekkei genkai. I know you will become a wonderful shinobi for Konoha. You were blessed with your bloodline, Nemuri; you should have the freedom to use it." Buried beneath your feelings of relief, happiness and warmth, a coil of secrets and lies stirred within the depths of your childhood, locked away to never be seen. --------(Five Days Later) You sighed as you splashed cool water on your face. You rubbed your face and neck, trying to get some of the sweat and dirt off your skin. Taking your sandals off you lowers your legs into the stream, the very bottom of your pants licked by the water. You had not trained this hard in a very long time. Well, you did have to train during the Wave Mission, but Kakashi had forced you to do that. This whole week you trained for hours everyday with the Shindouhaji, practicing with it and trying to think of some good attacks. You had thought about what the Hokage said, and though you didn't really agree with some of the things he said, you did think it was a good idea to at least train with your bloodline. It had caused you nothing but trouble your entire life, sure, but it was also a great advantage, as long as you could use it properly. Most of all, you realized that you never wanted to repeat what had happened in those ice mirrors. You had been weak and powerless and Sasuke had almost lost his life. You never wanted to feel responsible for something like that again. You felt a chakra signature behind you and quickly spun your head around. You sighed when you noticed it was just Shikamaru. 'I need to practice more on recognizing chakra quickly.' "Hi Shika!" You smiled as you stood up, your wet feet pressing against the cool grass. "I haven't seen you all week. Has your team been practicing a lot for the Chuunin Exams?" "Yeah, Asuma has been hounding us so Kanna can catch up. So troublesome." you laughed at Shikamaru's predictable phrase. Now that you looked at him more closely, you noticed that his clothes had a few smudges, and he had a bruise on his left arm. "Well, at least your team is practicing. Kakashi-sensei just kinda gave us a break. I'd rather spend that time doing missions or something so I at least know we have a chance." You sighed. "I've just been practicing with the Shindouhaji all week. OH!" You quickly put your sandals back on and rushed over to Shikamaru. "I just remembered, can you help me with an attack I've been working on? Well, it's not really an attack, more like a barrier." Shikamaru sighed, as if the thought of doing anything caused him great emotional stress. "Pleeeeease Shika?" you begged. "I've been practicing by myself all week and I want to see if it actually works in battle." "Fine; how troublesome..." Shikamaru mumbled. You grinned. "Thanks!" You moved to the center of the clearing, excited that you could finally try out your new move, and excited that you could show Shikamaru how far you've come with your bloodline. "Um, ok. I guess we'll see if it can actually block an attack. I'll do the technique, and then when I tell you to, you can throw some kunai at me, okay?" You didn't wait for Shikamaru's reply, instead concentrating to control your breathing and to gather up your chakra. 'Okay Nemuri...you can do this...' You told yourself calmly. 'Just expand your chakra...' You sighed as you pushed your chakra out around you, encasing you in a green tinted sphere. 'Okay...' You wiped the small beads of sweat from your forehead. 'Now, the hand signs and...' You did a quick formation of seals before shouting, "Shindouhaji: Shindou Shouheki!" (Vibration Hold: Vibration Barrier) Chakra pulsed over your eyes and the vibrations swirling around the clearing were revealed. Using your chakra as bait, you gathered the vibrations around in the shape of a sphere, surrounding your body from all sides. Taking hold of the vibrations with your chakra, you swirled your arms around your head and the vibrations began to move around you. As the vibrations moved faster and faster dust began to kick up around you, and the vibrations actually became visible to those who couldn't normally see them. To others, it looked as if you were surrounded by a spinning veil of white light. "Okay!" You shouted over the strong wind and steady hiss of the vibrations, making sure to keep your concentration on your chakra so that it kept moving. You watched with batted breathe as Shikamaru took out a couple of kunai from his leg holster. He shot them towards you and your breath caught in your throat. With a dull thud the kunai hit your barrier before falling to the ground. "Yes!" You shouted, thrusting your arms into the air. You stopped focusing on your chakra and soon the vibrations slowed down before breaking away from you completely. "It worked!" You laughed as you wiped your forehead again. Looking over at Shikamaru, an idea suddenly struck you. "Hey..." you spoke slowly, "let's see if your Shadow Imitation can go through my barrier." "Why?" Shikamaru asked. You shrugged. "I dunno. It's a weird attack, you know? I wanna see if you can still trap my shadow with the barrier up." Shikamaru sighed, "All right." You grinned before once again preparing yourself to put up the barrier. After a few minutes the barrier is swirling around you again, and you call to Shikamaru to start his attack. You watched as Shikamaru brought his hands together to do a quick formation of seals. Shikamaru's shadow began to stretch across the ground towards your barrier. As it connected to the barrier you were sure that it had been stopped, but then his shadow shot through the barrier and connected with your shadow. You felt the strange sensation of your body locking up, your muscles becoming stiff and strained as you trained to fight Shikamaru's hold, but you knew it was useless. No one had managed to break from the Shadow Imitation so far. You continued to concentrate on your chakra and found that you could still keep the barrier up despite having no control over your body. You supposed that would be good in case another ninja tried to attack you while you were immobile, but what use was it now that you couldn't move? Sighing, you let your concentration slip away and soon the barrier disappeared. You couldn't move your head, or any part of your body for that matter, and found yourself just staring at Shikamaru. He began to walk forward and you were forced to do the same. "Why do you think the barrier didn't work?" You asked as you stood in front of each other. Shikamaru shrugged. You shrugged as well and Shikamaru smiled in amusement. You pouted and gave him a weak glare. "I'm not sure. Like you said, it's a weird technique. My shadow's not really a physical object you can touch like a kunai, maybe that's how it passed the barrier, since you can't really stop shadows." Now that you thought about it, what Shikamaru said made sense. You tried to nod to show that you understood, but your muscles just tensed. You sighed in frustration. "Do you plan on letting me go anytime soon?" you asked. "Nope," And with that Shikamaru stretched, moving his arms up high over his head. "Shiiiiiiiiiiika," you whined as your arms moved over your head. Your body suddenly relaxed and you stumbled a bit, but quickly regained your balance. "Good job with that technique," Shikamaru complemented. You grinned. "You should continue working on it though. It will probably take more energy depending on how strong the attack on the barrier is. It also takes you awhile to get the barrier up. An opponent could easily attack you while you're gathering your vibrations and chakra." You frowned, realizing that what he said was completely true. 'What good is having a barrier if I get killed before I can even put it up?' You gasped when you were suddenly knocked on the head. You look up at Shikamaru with confusion. "How troublesome..." He hit you lightly in the head again before folding his arms against his chest. "Don't worry about it, okay? Just keep practicing. By the time you really need to use it I'm sure you'll be able to do it quick enough." You allow a shy smile to form on your face. "I guess. Not today though." You groaned when you finally realized how sweaty and dirty you were. "I can only stand so much training." You walked back over to the stream and crouched down. You began to rinse your hands and arms off, washing away the dirt and sweat from your skin. As you began washing your face Shikamaru came up behind you. "Are you doing anything tonight?" You blinked before looking behind you at your friend. "I don't think so...why?" Shikamaru shrugged, his hands finding their way into his pockets. "My mom wanted you to come over for dinner; something to do with celebrating us participating in the Chuunin Exams or something equally troublesome." "Way to spring this up last minute, Shika." You laugh as you stand up. Shikamaru shrugged again. "My mom forced me out of the house to find you, and when I did you distracted me until now. It's your fault as much as mine." You rolled your eyes. 'His mom probably told him about it days ago.' "Yeah, I'll come. What time should I be there?" "Around six; I'll see you then." "Okay. Bye Shika!" You watched as Shikamaru slowly walked out of the clearing, probably off to go cloud watching or something until he was forced to go home. 'I better go home and shower. Sweet...this means I won't have to order food.' You grinned and began to walk home. --------"Shikamaru! Take out the trash!" You laughed as Shikamaru cursed under his breath, his concentration shattered. "How troublesome...women are a pain in the ass." Shikamaru sighed. "Are you listening?" Shikamaru's mother, Yoshino, finally walked into the living room, hands on her hips. "Hurry and take out the trash Shikamaru. You can be so lazy sometimes." "You should do what she says, son." Shikamaru's father, Shikaku, grumbled in a deep voice as he read the paper. "Alright, alright, geez..." Shikamaru slowly got up from the floor, since the two of you were using the living room floor as a table for your game. "I'll be back in a second." "And you Shikaku, didn't I tell you to fix the light bulb in the bathroom an hour ago?" Yoshino rounded on her husband. Shikamaru's father sighed as he folded the paper back up. "Probably. What a drag..." You smothered a laugh by covering your mouth. Shikamaru and his dad were so similar it was comical. "Nemuri sweetie, would you like anymore dessert?" Yoshino smiled, her voice going from shrill and loud to calm and sweet. You smiled as you shook your head no. "No thank you, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." "Oh, you always were a sweet girl, Nemuri." Shikamaru had the misfortune of entering the room at that moment. "You could learn something from her, Shikamaru. I'm afraid one of these days she might just catch some of your laziness." You wondered what Shikamaru's mother would say if she found out that you had been just as lazy as Shikamaru for years now. She probably wouldn't believe you. You couldn't convince Yoshino that you weren't as perfect as she made you out to be. Shikamaru, for his credit, completely ignored his mother and sat back down across from you. His eyes flickered over the shogi board. "Hmm, you didn't try and cheat." You blinked, the thought never crossing your mind even though cheating was the only way you could possibly hope to win. "Did you think I would?" Shikamaru shrugged as he moved a pawn forward. "No, but I would have let you if you did." 'Damn!' It only took another five minutes for Shikamaru to crush you completely for the fifth time that night. "I don't understand how you can stay so good when you play with people like me..." you mumble as you began to put the pieces away. "I play with Dad sometimes," Shikamaru explained as he put his pieces back as well. "Asuma-sensei plays with me sometimes too." "Your teacher?" you asked, surprised. "Yeah, usually after we're done training." 'Wow,' you thought. 'I never even thought of doing anything with Kakashi-sensei after training. He doesn't seem like the type, really...' He was friends with your father, though. Your mind decided to remind you. "Shikamaru, Ino's father told me that Ino was attacked a couple of days ago. Weren't you complaining about something like that yesterday?" Shikaku asked in an almost uncaring tone as he flipped through the paper again. "Yeah, it was troublesome. I could tell it was an illusion pretty quickly, though." "Apparently it happened to all you rookies who were nominated for the exams. Were you attacked, Nemuri?" "Yeah..." It had taken you much longer to notice it was a fake, however. You had never been very good with genjutsu. ~~~~You had been walking down the street at night around 10 o' clock. No one else was out, at least on that street anyway. You were walking back home from training almost all day, tired and sweaty and not very alert. You didn't really notice Sasuke walking towards you until he was just a couple feet away. "Hey Sasuke," you greeted. Sasuke ignored you, slamming his shoulder painful into yours as he pushed passed you. "Hey!" You shouted, turning around to face your teammate. "What's your problem, Sasuke?!" Sasuke stopped and slowly turned to face you. He stared at you in such an unnerving way that you felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. "What's your problem, traitor." You felt like the very air around you froze as dread began to creep over your skin. "W-what?" "I know what your parents did, how they betrayed the whole village," Sasuke hissed. 'No...no...that's impossible.' You thought desperately, unable to find your voice. 'He can't... no one was supposed to tell!' Sasuke was suddenly in front of you, inches from you. "It's convenient that you never told anyone. Don't want people to think you're a traitor?" "I'm not..." you gasped out, backing up into a tree, "I'm not...I haven't done anything!" "Pathetic," Sasuke spat. "You're just like Itachi." Warning bells began to go off in your head and you couldn't understand why. You stared up at Sasuke, a look of disgust and hated on his face. Itachi...he said you were like Itachi... "Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan, and to...kill a certain someone." "Only I can kill that man." "That man...my brother...I told myself...I wouldn't die until I killed him."'Sasuke's never said his name before...' You realized, and something in your mind seemed to click. You looked at Sasuke, and for some unfathomable reason you just knew that this wasn't Sasuke. With a shout you pushed Sasuke away from you with as much force as you could manage. Before you could begin to doubt yourself you reached into your pouch and shot a handful of shuriken at the imposter. Sasuke disappeared in a cloud of smoke and you briefly saw a large figure before they darted out of sight. You collapsed to the ground, gasping for air as you dug your fingers into the asphalt. You blinked as your eyes began to fill up with tears. "It's convenient that you never told anyone. Don't want people to think you're a traitor?""I'm not..." You cried weakly, "I'm not..." ~~~~"Nemuri?" You blinked before looking up at Shikamaru's mother. "What?" "I said you should probably start heading home. You have a big day tomorrow and you should try and get some sleep." "You're right." You slowly stood up and looked at the clock. It was a little passed nine. "Bye Shika, I'll see you tomorrow." "See ya." Shikamaru was leaning against the couch, looking as if he was ready to fall asleep. You walked into the genkan to get your sandals. Yoshino came in to see you off. "Shikamaru, come and walk Nemuri home!" Yoshino shouted. You heard Shikamaru grumble from the living room. "Oh that's okay, I can go by myself." You said quickly. Yoshino frowned before letting it slide. "Alright; you are a ninja after al--" Yoshino paused. You watched as her expression slowly turned grave. "Just a minute Nemuri, I have something for you..." You blinked as you watched Yoshino walk away. 'I wonder what it could be...' You heard a door open and the sound of shifting boxes. Yoshino must be looking through a closet. Soon you heard the door close and shuffling footsteps. Yoshino reappeared, a tired resigned look on her face. You had never seen her like this before; she had always been a strong woman, and as Shikamaru would probably say, a strict woman. "Here Nemuri," she spoke softly, and she presented you with a blank envelope. You tentatively took it from her hands. "It's a letter from your mother." You almost dropped the envelope. "M-my mother?" "Yes," Yoshino continued to speak softly, as if a conversation about your parents could be held in no more than a whisper, "before she died. It isn't uncommon really. No one is ever really certain if they'll complete a mission successfully. She gave it to me one day and told me not to give it to you until you were ready. I didn't think anything of it really..." Your hands shook as you stared down at the blank white envelope. This was from your parents, something you could feel, touch, look at. For so long, all you had were memories, memories that you ignored and locked away, but this made it real. This made them real. "Nemuri," you looked up and found that Yoshino had kneeled in front of you, her hands lightly touching your shoulders. "I...I've always trusted your mother," she admitted. "It's the only reason I haven't given this to the Hokage. Your mother...Hara...she was a good person." She was a good person. "You worthless peace of dirt!""H-how..." you took a deep breath, "how did you know my mother?" "We were an odd pair," Yoshino laughed softly. "I was almost 15 when Hara was born. We lived next door to each other. Her parents were always on missions, so my mother would baby-sit Hara a lot. When she got older we spared and trained together. She was a very determined girl, always wanting to get better and become stronger. It...really didn't surprise me that she ended up marrying Zannon." You had never realized how close your mother and Yoshino had been. Was it possible that your mother had once been a kind, hardworking ninja who never once thought of betraying her village? Was it your father that turned her into a horrible person, someone who could hurt her own daughter? Or maybe she had always been a horrible person, and Yoshino just didn't see it. Kakashi had once been your father's closest friend, and Yoshino had been your mothers. What had they seen in your parents? Did they ever see your parents' true side? How did they feel when they realized it was all a lie? Because you had known all along that your parents were terrible people. --------'Do I even want to read it?' It was all you could think about as you slowly walked back to your house. It was dark out now, the moon full and glowing bright in the night sky above you. 'What could my mother possibly have to say to me?' You thought with a bitter feeling. 'I know she didn't love me...in fact I'm sure she wished that I never existed.' It hurt to admit this to yourself, and you had to fight back the tears that were threatening to appear. "Your mother...Hara...she was a good person."'That's a lie.' You hissed. 'They were never...never...' But as you looked back down at the envelope in your hand, you began to wonder... Could it be possible that the way they acted towards you had been a lie? Was it possible that it had been an act the whole time? 'No...' you realized after some thought. 'They defiantly supported Orochimaru. They betrayed Konoha for him. They were tortured become of him. They died for him...' But this letter...maybe...they felt sorry for you. You sighed, eye drifting off to look up at the night sky. You could vaguely feel Gaara's chakra in the air, but for the first time since you met him, you ignored it. Every night for the past week you had sat with Gaara on the roof of the weaponry shop. Well you didn't really sit together; in fact you sat on opposite ends of the roof and never spoke to one another or gave any sign the other existed. The first night this happened completely by accident, Gaara having suddenly appeared on the rooftop you were relaxing on. Apparently he had deemed it his spot, since he never left despite you being there. Though the two of you never spoke, you noticed that he always seemed to stare up at the moon. But you didn't feel like sitting with him today. You really didn't know why you sat with him in the first place. He probably didn't even like you. Maybe tonight you'd be doing him a favor. You paused after hearing a rustle in the bushes. You felt a small quiver of dread when you felt another foreign chakra near you. Had the chakra always been there, or were you so focused on Gaara's chakra that you didn't notice? After a minute of tense silence you finally decided to speak. "Who's there?" A scream ripped through your throat as you were struck by an invisible force. You were pushed backwards until your back collided painfully with the rough bark of a tree. You gasped for air, your chest feeling as if it was being squeezed. You heard a cold laugh from somewhere in front of you. "It seems I've finally found you, little Nemuri." You grimaced as you looked up to see a figure appear from the darkness of the trees. Streetlamps and moonlight illuminated the body of a boy at least a few years older than you. He was tall, taller than Sasuke, and the smirk he wore as he approached you put Sasuke's to shame. He had shaggy auburn hair and piercing chestnut eyes that bore into you with a look of satisfaction and anger. He wore an unbuttoned white wife beater that covered a purple muscle shirt. His pants consisted of tan cargo pants. "Who are you?!" You managed to growl out. The boy slowly moved towards you, his eyes fixed on your struggling form. "I'm not surprised your father never mentioned me. He never bothered to recognize my existence, even when he was alive." 'My father?' You gasped as something sharp cut your arm. 'How is he attacking me? It doesn't matter; I'll just use the Shindouhaji to get away.' You allowed chakra to swirl to your eyes and the vibrations appeared in your vision. They were swirling wildly around you, hissing and twisting from the intense chakra in the air. You baited the vibrations with your chakra to push away from your chest, but they weren't moving. You couldn't even remove the threads that were constricting around your body. "There's no use struggling, little cousin. I'm far better at controlling the vibrations than you are." You froze and stared at the boy in front of you in horror. It felt as if your blood had turned to ice. 'C-cousin? Can he...' you felt the vibrations slithering further around your body, the slow hiss ringing in your ears. 'No...that's impossible...I thought I was the only one left...he...he has my kekkei genkai.' In a flash the boy pinned you against the tree, knocking what little breath you managed to get right out of you. His narrowed eyes pierced through yours and his scent was sharp against your noise. "Orochimaru-sama has had me on a rather long...tedious task to get rid of any other Shindouhaji users in our clan," your cousin spoke, his voice low but sharp, "but now it's just you and me, and I finally get to kill the one last little pest in my way." "Orochimaru?" you whispered with dread. No, after all these years of trying to forget... "He sent you to kill me?" He managed to bark out a forced laugh. "Of course not, you're Orochimaru-sama's precious little tool. He would never dream of killing you. No, killing you was my little idea, but what Orochimaru-sama doesn't know won't hurt him." "But why?!" you cried out, tears forming in your eyes. "I haven't done anything to you!" You gasped as a slow cut slowly trailed down your arm. "Your very existence bothers me." He hissed, his breath hot against your ear. "You stole everything from me, everything, and you don't even deserve it, you little bitch!" You cried out as you were thrown to the side, your body hitting the pavement of the sidewalk with a loud thud. "I was supposed to be the heir, me, Toko Denkou, but then you were born, and everyone worshiped you, because you were the first girl who could use the Shindouhaji." He was in front of you again, pulling you up by your collar, his eye glowing gold and deadly. "But I know the truth; I know that you would just be a pathetic little servant if it hadn't been for Orochimaru-sama. But I am stronger than you or your dead parents could ever hope to be, and when I kill you, I will finally prove to Orochimaru-sama just how worthless you are!" You closed your eyes from the sharp pain of the vibrations ripping at your body, but almost as soon as it began it stopped and you were suddenly thrown to the floor. You could hear the vibrations screeching around you, along with the rough sound of fighting. You struggled to push yourself up and open your eyes. You looked up to find Denkou surrounded by vibrations, creating a spiraling vortex that swirled skyward around his body. Sand shot at him from all sides, but the vortex blocked the sand and thrust it upward and away. A giant pillar of sand rushed forward, and you watched as Denkou did a quick formation of seals before the vibrations curled around him. The vibrations then exploded outward, wind and sand whipping around the clearing. Denkou was gone. Tears continued to run down your cheeks as you sat on the ground, trying to ignore the sting of dirt and sand in your wounds. After a while you finally focused on the only other person in the clearing. "Gaara..." --------Nemuri, Writing this has been one of the most difficult things I've been forced to do. As I write I remember a far better time, before you were born and before I felt the bitterness of loss. There was once a time, if you can imagine, when you could have been born and I would have embraced you in far warmer arms. You are my daughter, and I will admit this only when necessary. I did not need a daughter, Nemuri, in that year when producing in heir was so critical. We had perfection and it was taken from us, and in that moment of desperation when we could lose everything, you came, and I felt helplessness like I have never known. I will always find room to blame you for failing me in the moment I needed you most. Zenbi had been perfect, my little endless perfection. He was everything we could have wanted, and he is my child in every way you can never be. You, who broke all laws in manipulating the Shindouhaji. You, who I believe Orochimaru-sama admires more than even your father. You, who has been the basis for all of Orochimaru-sama's future plans, who I have sacrificed all these years for, and who I will eventually die for. I would end your existence if only I could have my little Zenbi back, but even Orochimaru-sama can not grant me such a wish. I've prepared you as best I could, but I do not believe it is enough. You still have a soft spot about you, a vulnerability that is your greatest weakness. I can only hope that by the time you are given this, that weakness will be destroyed. Konoha is a terrible place to raise a proper shinobi for battle; it is a far too peaceful village, but it is filled with its own hate and greed for those whom they do not feel belong. I could almost see the villagers killing you after learning of our betrayal, but Orochimaru-sama insists that the Hokage will protect you. I suppose I should tell you what Orochimaru-sama has planned for you, at least the information I feel comfortable relying on paper. Long after our death and the village feels safe once again, Orochimaru-sama will come for you. I don't know when or how, but he will come. If all goes according to plan, you will help Orochimaru-sama destroy the village and obtain what he has always wanted. You are, after all, his most precious weapon. You are, in the most basic sense of the word, his. I am afraid that is all I can tell you. Orochimaru-sama's plans would be ruined if this information managed to reach the wrong hands. Currently, with the seals your father and I have placed on it, this paper can only be read by you and, due to blood rituals, your Godfather. Luckily I have chosen a location that I doubt neither of you would bother to look until it needs to be seen. But one can never be too careful, and I know that everything would be ruined if your Godfather managed to obtain this. Just remember this Nemuri: only Orochimaru-sama can unlock your true potential. I know that you believe you will never be capable of betraying Konoha, but I know the secrets of this village, and you will realize soon that it is not a village worth protecting. Don't let us down. Farewell, Hara P.S. Take care of your father.
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-Crickets chirp- Maybe the fact that this chapter is 11 pages longer than the original will make up for the fact that I disappeared. >_____> rate message=