The Descendant of Akata (Naruto fanfiction)

6 ● Meeting ●

The moment I step out of the building I hear the scurry of feet stomping the ground and see small kids running. So the school ended...

I watch as few kids walk away calmly, while others run like they just escaped a prison. Especially a tuft of blond hair attracts my attention. He had that same wide grin on his face like always and without a fail, it made me smile just as much.

It falters when I see a foot come to his way and trip him to the ground with some mocking shouts. No one offers to help him up. They don't even spare him a glance. They just continue their walk towards their homes like nothjng happened and that makes me mad.

I head towards the small boy, my intensions of finding the bears all forgotten, they will probably find me more easily than I could find them.

He hasn't gotten up yet, instead, he glares at the ground and his scratched up hands. He doesn't even notice me when I stop in front of him, or he just ignores me. However, he does turn to look at me when I crouch in front of him.

We say nothing, just look at each other. I know he isn't a person who judges people by their looks, but I feel a bit self conscious when he stares at my white hair and red eyes with his wide blue eyes. I clear my throat, taking his attention from my appearance and reach my hand towards him.

He looks at it like it's some weird object, something he has never seen in his life of nine years. He looks at me into my eyes again, looking for the coldness and bad intentions behind my gesture, but in vain.

I smile.

He looks at my smile for a while, knowing what it was, but still finding it so foreign. His expressions are extremely easy to read, but he has always been and always will be, like an open book. That is part of his charm, but that charm is still unseen by so many people.

Finally, he carefully reached for my hand. I was surprised at how carefully he did that and when his fingers crazed my palm, he nearly retracted his hand, but before he could do that, I took a tight yet gentle hold of it, not wanting to scare him.

He tries to read me, but finds nothing but my gentle smile. Finally he too takes a tight grip of my hand and grins widely, to which I resbond happily. We get up and start walking. I don't know where, but he seems to know the way and doesn't let go of my hand.

I actually like it. It's been quite a while that someone has held my hand, the last time was so many years ago and the hand had been so different from this small, young hand. It had been big, so big that my hand was swallowed by it, and that hand had seen life, the hardened skin and scars had told that. This hand has few scratches, but it hasn't hardened in the face of the earth yet and and with his personality, it probably never will.

I start happily conversing with him after a while and he gives me the introduction I've heard so many times, but this time it's so much different, because it's given to me. I introduce myself in a similar way, telling my life goal with my name. My goal surprises him so much that he needs to stop walking. He asks if I'm serious and I nod. He has difficulties to believe it, but his personality soon takes over and our walk has become a run because of the rush of happiness he is probably experiencing.

On our way, I see a flash of silver on the roof of one building, but it disappears before I can see anything more.

I am confused when he leads me to the stairs that takes us on top of the Hokage Mountain, but I soon understand why he brought me there. I had never seen it in the series, but the forest was also something I have never seen in my whole life.

The sun was shining and illuminated the ground with thousands of colors. The trees were clear and looked like stone, at closer inspection I would say they were made of diamonds, but I wonder how this is possible. The rays of light goes through the trunk of these trees which bend it and create the several lights to the ground. It's breathtakingly beautiful.

"You like it?" He asks even if he already sees the wonder in my eyes.

"I love it! How are they like that?" One tree alone would be suprising, but I can see large part of the forest is like a crystallized wonder. He shrugs his shoulders at my question. "It's always been like this, believe it."

I smirk. "I believe it."

Without a warning, he starts a play of tag. I'm quite surprised by his actions, but I quickly run after him to the crystal woods. Maybe I can experience a bit of that childhood that was stolen from me all those years ago.

I run for a long time, but even if I know he isn't the fastest of the Academy kids, he is still faster than me. My hungered form is too weak to actually work like normal child's and I'm tired before I can even come at touching range of his white shirt and even that happened only because he slowed down for me.

When I slump against one of the trees he is quickly on my side, worried. I laugh tiredly at his worry and when he asks the reason behind my exhaustion I answer truthfully. He seems to get a bit angry at me when I hadn't told about the poisoning earlier, but when I say that I wanted to play, he shut up.

He came to sit next to me and we talked about nothing in particular. Few stories of our lives are exchanged, but we don't let them to depress us. We keep the atmosphere light and relaxed. I swear I fell asleep at some point, because the next time I came to, I was huddled against his side and he was snoring loudly.

The sun was setting, the sky colored with different shades of orange and red. I raise my hand and watch the rainbows that were cast to my pale skin. These trees didn't give the shadow normal trees gave, but I don't complain. I found them surprisingly comforting, but I had always loved colors, maybe that was the reason behind it.

Movement caught my eye and I turn to see Luca there. He tells we are going to leave to the Lumen Mountain already because Taru needs to tend some herbs at the mountain. I poke at the sleep bubble Naruto has protruding from his nose. It explodes with a big bang and he is startled awake with a loud scream.

I can't help but laugh at his expression and he tries to sulk at me, but fails and starts grinning. He ruffles his hair when I tell him I have to leave. He seems a bit disappointed we aren't going to see each other for three years, but when I promise we will come to these trees again he grins widely, making me promise.

"I promise, believe it."

○•○

I find myself too tired to walk, so Taru offers to carry me, but to my surprise, Hugo takes me. His large back is big enough to be my bed and his soft fur to be my pillow and in no time, the sway of his walk lulls me into sleep.

I am startled awake at the noise of wood burning. I find myself at the futon near the fireplace on the livingroom. We had come back without me waking up even once.

I feel entranced by the dance of the fire as I think of the dream I just had. Or it was more like flashes. There were people that seemed so familiar, yet foreign, but the scenes changed so quickly I could never actually see anyone's face. Only hear a whisper of voice here and there. A bunch of hair or pale skin or eyes, but never could I see the full picture.

I sigh. And glance at the book that has somehow founded it's way next to the futon. Maybe I could start reading it. I was curious and it was no wonder. In a way, Hiruzen had given me a lot of information of this clan of mine, yet he had given me nothing. And the best source I have now, is this book that is only built on rumors and folklore.

I take the book and open it. The first word I see is the name of the first chapter of the book: Kuma.

Before I continue reading, I take a glance of the other chapter names. Hiruzen had spoken the truth. Most of this book seemed to talk about the Kuma clan.

I return to the first page and start from the first sentence.

They appeared out of nothingess.