Beautiful Silence

Chapter 5: New Student

"You want to be a ninja?"

Riko nodded in relief. It took her so long to get Kurenai to understand what she wanted to tell her.

"Well, I see no reason why you shouldn't try."

Riko smiled in excitement and gratefulness towards Kurenai.

"Do you want me to enrol you in the Academy? You're around the right age to enter."

Riko started jumping around from excitement. She couldn't believe that she was finally going to be able to attend a ninja school. She won't have to hide anymore.

"Haha, I'm glad you're so happy, Riko. You go get ready for bed, since we'll be waking up early tomorrow to take care of your admission."

Riko nodded and ran off to the room that Kurenai furnished for her the other day.

A few days went by and it was finally Riko's first day. She was feeling extremely nervous about it.

"Alright, Riko, time to go."

She looked at Kurenai with teary eyes.

"Weren't you the one who wanted to go? What's with the sudden change?"

Riko still wanted to go, but she was feeling really insecure about it. She was scared that people might not like her or that she might not be able to keep up. She wanted Kurenai to come with her.

"I understand that it's going to be something completely new for you, but I'm sure you'll like it. I'll bring you there today only. Starting tomorrow, you'll be going on your own, alright?"

Riko made a whining sound.

"Should you just not go at all? I'll make them drop you out of the class if that's what you want."

Kurenai took an authoritative tone. It was the first time Riko heard her speak like that. It made her feel like she couldn't argue with her anymore, and that she should listen to her.

"Good girl. Now, let's go."

At the academy, a chunin welcomed them and took Riko with him. Riko looked back at Kurenai one last time, before she was taken to her classroom. Her heart was beating extremely fast. She was feeling really scared.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Riko-chan, I won't bite. By the way, my name is Iruka. You can call me... Oh, that's right. I'm sorry Riko-chan, Kurenai told me that you can't talk."

Riko looked down at her feet while following Iruka.

"Don't worry about it, being a ninja is about much more than that. I'm sure you'll be a wonderful kunoichi someday."

Riko looked at Iruka and felt that he was a very nice person, just like Kurenai. That relieved her a lot, knowing that he was going to be her sensei from now on. They soon came to a halt in front of a classroom door.

"Are you ready, Riko-chan?"

Riko looked at her sensei with worried eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll introduce you to everyone, and I'll tell you where to sit. After that, all you have to do is follow the lesson, okay?"

Riko slowly nodded. Iruka then opened the sliding door and stepped inside the classroom with Riko right behind him. As soon as Riko walked in, the class began murmuring.

"Hey! It's you!"

Riko looked at where the voice came from and found Naruto pointing at her from his seat. Her face instantly lit up at seeing a familiar face.

"You two know each other?"

Iruka addressed Riko. Riko nodded. He then looked back at Naruto.

"Alright, settle down, Naruto. Everyone, starting today you will have a new classmate. Her name is Riko, and it hasn't been very long since she's been living in Konohagakure. She can't speak, so I ask of you to be nice to her and to be patient in trying to understand her. Now, as for your seat..."

"Come sit here, Riko-chan!"

Naruto loudly shouted.

"Hey moron, there's no place next to you!"

A guy with a dog exclaimed. Riko remembered him from the park.

"Shut up, Kiba!"

"You shut up!"

Iruka sensei then cut them off before they could argue any further.

"Both of you, stop arguing! Now, for your seat, why don't you go sit next to Hinata over there. Can you put your hand up Hinata?"

A girl with white irises and short dark hair put her hand up shyly. Riko then went ahead and sat down next to her.

"Um... N-Nice to meet you..."

Hinata said that in a very soft voice. Riko smiled at her and nodded. This made Hinata blush and smile back.

"Alright, class! We will continue our lesson on the Five Great Nations."

"W-Well, I'll s-see you t-tomorrow, then."

Riko waved at Hinata who left the classroom along with the other students when class ended.

"Hey! Riko-chan!"

Naruto called out to Riko and ran towards her.

"Hehe, I didn't think I'd see you here, dattebayo!"

Riko giggled. She was really glad that Naruto was in her class.

"Let's go play at the park, dattebayo!"

Riko nodded and followed Naruto.

Since it was pretty late in the afternoon, no other kids were at the park. Riko spent some time with Naruto until the sun set.

"I guess we have to go home now..."

Naruto sounded somewhat disappointed, almost sad. Riko patted him on the shoulder. She put her hands together and rested her head on them, closing her eyes.

"Sleep..."

Then she opened her eyes and straightened up.

"Wake up..."

Naruto was trying to guess what she was trying to tell him. She then pointed and him and at herself.

"Me, you... So... When we go to sleep then wake up... Tomorrow, then... Me, you... We will see each other again, right?"

Riko clapped her hands and smiled.

"Hehe, I'm getting pretty good at this, dattebayo!"

After bidding each other farewell, they both went to their respective home, after promising to spend more time with each other the next day.

When Riko got home, Kurenai was not there. She found a note on the table from Kurenai. It said that she had to go to an important mission, and that she left some food for her in the fridge. Riko ate and went to her room, a little sad that Kurenai wasn't there tonight so that she could share with her how her first day went. Riko then took out a notebook that Kurenai gave her a few weeks ago. Kurenai told her that it would help Riko out if she wrote down about the events of her life and her thoughts down into that notebook. Since then, she wrote about every day she spent in Konoha, as well as her thoughts about what happened before that. That day, she wrote about her first day at the academy. She wrote about Iruka, Kiba, Hinata, Naruto...

After she was done, she closed her notebook, put it back in the drawer and lied down on her bed. Her breathing becoming calm and regular, she dozed off slowly, thinking of how fun the next day was going to be.