Mages and ninja - The Story Of Three Legends

Making a friend (14)

The Mage watched as her classmates played with each other from the calm rooftop of the Academy. She watched as they played tag and hide and seek with a shinobi touch to the games . She turned her head back slightly, savoring the cool breeze. Her hair swayed gently with the wind in long ribbons of silver.

A familiar scent drifted towards her and she turned her head to the side slightly as she noted heard the sound of a door opening and closing.She opened her eyes and saw one Uchiha Sasuke standing before her, dark eyes boring into her own purple ones.
"Can I help you, Uchiha-san?" She said politely as she motioned for him to take a seat next to her.Sasuke stared at Zero for a moment longer, face apathetic and free of emotion before moving to sit a little ways from her. She was an enigma and an oddity in the Uchiha's eyes for numerous reasons. She didn't treat him the same way as the other girls, something that he grudgingly appreciated. He hated his fangirls with a passion, hated the way they shirked off their training in order to get 'closer' to him, as if he'd ever be interested in such weaklings. It angered him how they claimed to know him when he never so much as glanced in their direction, hated it when they pitied and threw their false sympathies at him because of the loss of his clan. She never treated him like that. She treated him with the same polite indifference as everyone else. It was one of the reasons that he sat next to the girl and did class assignments with her. They weren't friends, far from it, but they were more like acquaintances. Not to mention, she acted as a buffer between herself and the raving fanatics that wouldn't leave him alone. She had surprised him even more when she showed herself as very capable, both mentally and physically.
When he saw here treatment at the hands of his classmates, he wasn't sure what to think. He himself was an orphan and though the words hadn't been directed at him, it had angered him ─had enraged him because they brought images of his own dead clan but was surprised at her indifference and course of action.He didn't like it that they had stoop so low and resort to such offensive insults and words and it had only served to heighten his dislike of civilians that knew nothing of the shinobi way of life. Shinobi were by no means honorable but even they held some sort of moral code and what they had done had broken it ten times over. She was the only girl that was actually worth the title of kunoichi and Rookie and deserved it more than that painfully shy Hyuuga who limited herself so harshly because of it and she sure as hell deserved it more than Haruno Sakura or even Yamanaka Ino. Ino was a clan heir but she was just as weak as Haruno, a civilian whose only redeeming quality was her intelligence but even that wasn't utilized properly and spent her time obsessing over him instead.They hoped to gain his favor and affections but they were nowhere near close to earning it. She was strong, he could admit that even to himself and the spar that they had held had proved it. Maybe in a different life he could have told himself he didn't have a need to have any sort of relationship, could become strong all in his own and call others weak for them but... the words of his brother echoed in his mind.Itachi had told him to become strong, to go to him when he had the same eyes as he did but there were also whispers in his mind that warned about his dark path and despite his immense hatred of his brother, he was more inclined to listen to those words, if only to spite Itachi.The Uchiha laced his hands together before him, his mind whirlwind of thoughts and calculations. "How─" Sasuke started, turning to stare at the silent girl beside him, "How did you become strong? All of the other girls are weak." He said bluntly but truthfully, "Why aren't you like them?" Zero stayed silent for a moment longer, debating on how to answer the Uchiha. Just answer as truthfully as you can Zero, she told herself.
"I'm strong because I want to be strong." She answered, shaking her head as she saw the slight confusion that the other wore. "I had always planned on being a shinobi but at the same time I had sworn to be strong." She turned her gaze to the sky, "I didn't want to be weak. I couldn't. I made it my mission and I trained for hours on end, day after day with my resolve in mind... And as for the reason that I'm not like the other girls is because you and I have some things in common." She said, giving the other a sad smile.
"Similarities?" Sasuke repeated.
"This might be out of bounds and I may even be wrong to bring this up but... I too lost precious people Uchiha-san."
Sasuke could feel his eyes widen slightly in surprise but then again, he had known that she had been an orphan. The civilians had made sure of that. He thought that perhaps she had no family at all and had never known a true family and therefore could never know the same loss as he did but..."What do you mean?" He said coldly even as there was a faint feeling of regret.
She didn't waver at the tone and she merely gave the other an understanding smile. "My parents are dead but I wasn't alone because I had my uncles and aunts , my cousins , my godfather and godmother and my brothers and sisters. I loved each and every one of them even though they would annoy me everytime they got the change."Her voice was full of emotion and her eyes had a far away look in them . "They're all gone now. I'm never going to see them again, except for the day I die. I figured that you would want to be treated the same way that I wanted , without pity and false sympathies. Figured you would want to be treated normally."
Sasuke could understand the implication quite clearly and his warring with himself. A part of himself scoffed at the idea of needing others but another part could see what Zero meant."Why did you come back?" He asked after a long stretch of silence. "After what happened before, why did you come back?"
"I swore to be strong, Uchiha-san. Do you believe the words that others tell you? Do they mean anything to you?"
The Uchiha answered without a second thought. "Of course not."
"So then why should their words mean anything to me when they fell from the lips of those who know nothing of me?" She said, a glint of anger showing in her eyes, showing the feral gleam of dragon that hid underneath. "The words of some weak insects mean nothing to me." Sasuke smirked despite himself and he nodded, accepting her answer.

"Train with me. Help me get stronger and I'll help you." he more or less demanded.
Zero stared at him for a moment, genuinely surprised but her smile gave Sasuke the answer.
"Meet me at Training Grounds 44, Uchiha-san next Friday at five A.M. Wear training clothes as well."