Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Caught In The Rain ❯ One-Shot

Caught In The Rain
Author: shattered-words

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything, although I wished I owned Sasuke so I could torture the lovely Uchiha daily with my craziness. Also, I own my original characters.

She lifted her hand to shield her eyes as she turned her face to the ever darkening heavens. It was going to rain. A shudder passed through her entire body as she hurried from the Academy school building. The normal summer day had turned quite chilly all of a sudden.

Her brother was not here as she had expected, which is why she was even there to begin with. This was not their home, not their village. She had heard them mention a name and now she tried to remember it. ‘K-K... Kono-something.’ Shaking her head, she instead tried to recall the route she had taken to their room at the Inn.

It had been almost a week that her brother had left for the Chûnin Exam and she had been left to her parents. However, they had been called away on missions and she was left alone on most days. She was lonely when her brother wasn’t around and he had to go train or on missions. Even then, she had known that he wasn’t too far and that he would return later that night. When he had told her about the exam, she realized that he could be gone more than two months, and she didn’t know if she could handle him being away so long.

She had been chastised that she should not behave so childishly since she would soon start her training to be a ninja this coming year. Even then, she couldn’t help it since she had only turned four this past year and when she started the Academy she would have already turned five years old. The thought of training to be strong like her Nii-san had made her happy and she had tried to be less childish for his sake. He had told her that he did not like to see her upset or to cry.

So, when he had left, she had tried to hold in her tears but had shed them by herself after her parents went off on a mission. Then her they had then been called to this village for the exam and she had been ecstatic before immediately starting to pack without being told to do so. When they had arrived at the Inn, she had gone to her brother’s room as her parents had settled into their own. Her disappointment had been huge when she discovered that he wasn’t there. His Jônin instructor had been though, and he had told her where he might be. So, leaving without telling her folks, she had gone to search for him at the training grounds beside the school.

When she had arrived, it was only to discover that he was no where to be seen. Her search had led her to the educational building but its halls had been empty and almost frightening. Now her figure ran along, but knew she was lost and the clouds were getting darker. With a crack of thunder that caused her to yelp in fear, the rain came. First it was only a light shower before it became a downpour.

However, all of this escaped her notice as she gasped when the first drops of water hit her skin. She hadn’t noticed that her flesh had been very hot, but it wasn’t comfortable. And as the rain increased, the slight sting she had felt turned into agony. She stumbled along, trying to find something remotely resembling shelter. So engrossed in the pain and trying to keep from falling, that she didn’t notice the taller figure until she crashed into them.

Another yelp of left her lips as she hit the ground, her face becoming soaked as she wailed in pain. She didn’t pay any attention to the person she had slammed into, since she was curling into herself to lessen the impact of the rain on her. The young girl didn’t know what was happening, and couldn’t even think straight anymore. She might have been lying there for hours screaming before arms moved to lift her as something shielded her from the rain, and then she was being carried off. It felt like the world was passing like the flash of pictures so it was almost unreal, or like a dream.

She was so tired, so very tired. ‘I want to sleep.’ She whimpered softly, curling into the hold that had her against something solid and firm. The arms weren’t soft, but the hold was gentle. ‘I feel so warm.’ Then she felt the darkness dragging her under its suffocating weight, and she knew only silence.

----

The sound of voices reached her ears as she felt the blackness subside slightly. Her body felt sluggish and if she moved too fast, pain shot through her entire being. Where was she? She couldn’t remember anything, the last thing being that she had been looking for her beloved older brother.

A moan left her mouth, so soft that it might have been missed by many but she suddenly felt a presence in the room. Fingers moved to push her messy bangs out of her face, some of the strands stuck to her skin with perspiration. If any had taken the time to notice, they would realize that her sweat was very different than others. For a long time now high temperatures had not caused her to sweat. Only physical movement could cause the sweat, and even then there was no disturbing scent. It reeked of burning embers, almost like a pleasant musk.

As her eyes opened, the ceiling overhead was moving from one angle to the other. It was several seconds before she realized that her eyes were darting from one position to the other, and yet it was as if she could not control it like she could not control her heartbeat. Her eyes rolled back into her head several times, but she didn’t know if she lost consciousness before she opened them again.

The person was pressing a damp cloth to her forehead and she reflectively flinched. She was confused but her head was throbbing incessantly so her thoughts were redirected to the pain. Her mouth opened as she tried to speak and she moaned again when she found that it hurt, feeling the taste of blood at the back of her throat. It was several moments before she realized that the person had left the room, but by that time they had returned.

Her ebony orbs shifted to them when she was able to regain enough clarity and control to her eyes. The room was dark so she only saw a shadowy figure. “Nii-san?” she whispered hoarsely, wincing at the discomfort it caused her to speak.

A soft laugh followed as a cool hand was placed against her enflamed forehead. “No dear, I am not your Nii-san,” a voice replied kindly, and she could tell that it was a woman. She removed her hand and replaced it with another damp cloth, which she realized was a compress. Where was she? “You have a fever, tenshi.” The darkness was lifted slightly as the woman sparked a flint to light a lantern. She was revealed to be a woman in her late twenties, maybe early thirties, with light black hair and matching eyes.

She made a face at the name, causing the woman to laugh again and it was clear and warm. It reminded the young girl of her mother. “Where am I?” she asked quietly, wincing again. It hurt to talk and she wondered why. She couldn’t remember what had happened to her or how she had gotten there.

“You are in my home,” she replied before moving to stand. When the child turned to look where she had been sitting, there was a bowl of water there. For the first time she realized that she was tucked into a futon on the floor of a small room. It was too hard to make out anything in the room and so she figured that perhaps it was nighttime. “My son found you wandering in the rain when you bumped into him.” She hesitated, drawing the girl to look at her. “He said that you were screaming.”

A confused look crossed her features at those words, not understanding or remembering this. When she moved to sit, her sight tilted before she fell back down on the pillow with a whimper. The woman was beside her, lifting her head gently as she felt something press against her lips. Cold water filled it and flowed down her throat. It relieved some of the pain so she sighed when she pulled the glass away. “You should stay in bed until you get better. Where do you live? I’ll send my son to inform your parents.”

She frowned as she remembered that they were in a village that was not their own. “I don’t have a home here,” she muttered, causing the woman to frown slightly. Her head turned to the side, eyes narrowing slightly but not saying anything. The shadows cast by the lantern made her face look almost sinister but the smile returned, and it was comforting.

“Are you an orphan, dear?” the woman asked then. She had felt someone at the door, in the hall but didn’t pay it too much attention when she realized it was her younger son. He must be curious about the girl that his older brother had brought home with him. The girl was so small he had lifted her easily even if he was bigger. He was ten years old now after all.

The girl shook her head and immediately regretted it as she moaned softly. “No, my mommy and daddy are at the…yotel, I think.” It appeared she had trouble pronouncing the word, but the woman knew she meant ‘hotel’. “Nii-san is taking a test,” she said proudly and grinned so brightly it seemed to light up the corners of the room that the lantern could not.

Chuckling softly, the older woman gave a nod as she understood what the girl meant. She was most likely from a foreign village and had a brother taking part in the Chûnin Exam. Though she was confused and worried about what her older boy had told her. Why had the girl been out on her own, in the rain, and screaming like she was in terrible pain? “Do you know what hotel your parents and brother are staying at?”

She saw her smile lessen before she responded sadly. “Iie, I got lost when looking for Nii-san.” A sniffle came from her and the woman offered a sympathetic smile.

“Do not fret, dear,” she reassured her. “We will find them. Now, why don’t you tell me what your name is? It might help in finding them quicker. Do you know the name of your village?”

The smile returned to her face when asked to give her a name before she stopped and gave her what could only be a suspicious look. “Are you a stranger?” she asked innocently, naively. However, she couldn’t blame her and was glad that her parents had instilled the knowledge of never talking to strangers. The little girl was so adorable and there were a lot of sick people in the world. It was especially dangerous here now, since they had all sorts of people from other villages, and some of the shinobi were to be taken as a serious threat.

“No, I am not.” The look did not lessen and she laughed again, amusement leaking into her voice. “If I tell you my name, will you tell me yours?” When the girl nodded enthusiastically she noticed that she did it without groaning. “My name is Uchiha Mikoto. What’s yours?”

She gave another grin and she couldn’t help but return it, yet with less intensity. “Ashikaga Arisa!” she chirped and then she moved to slowly sit up. Mikoto moved to place a hand on her forehead and frowned. Her skin was burning but her eyes were clear.

“Maybe you should lay down dear, you’re burning up.” Her hands moved to gently force her to lie back down as the younger one whined in protest. “You’ll get worse if you try to strain yourself while the fever is still affecting you.”

“But... But I’m bored,” she suddenly said, pouting. “And I wanna find Nii-san.” In this light her eyes were even darker than usual and so one would not see the crimson that tinted the edges and pupil.

“I’m afraid that is not possible at the moment. It’s still raining and it has gotten late.” She picked up the compress where it had fallen on top of her when she had sat up. “Not to worry, though. We’ll check tomorrow morning if anyone has reported your absence.”

Her hands moved to wet the compress, but stopped as she saw the glint of tears appearing in the child’s eyes. Sighing, she laid a calming hand on her forehead. “Don’t cry,” she soothed as she started to regardless of her words. “Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise. You’re safe here.” Slender fingers brushed away her tears as the girl continued to sob softly as she cooed her with comforting words. “Sleep, tenshi.”

She hummed a song to her, hearing as she sniffled and as tears continued to course down her face. After several minutes, Mikoto heard as her breath became even to indicate that she had finally fallen asleep. The sliding door opened behind her and a bit of light flooded the room and reflected off the strands of ebony hair. She could have passed as an Uchiha since most of their clan had dark hair and eyes.

“How is the girl?” she would hear the voice of her husband. Most people regarded the man as a very serious and quiet person, but she knew him better than anyone. He was quiet because he preferred to listen more than speak and he had never been one that could easily express his feelings. She knew that he loved both their boys, even if he never showed it.

Mikoto suppressed a smile as she saw a small head peer around the corner, casting a curious look at the sleeping figure. “Her fever is very high but she was lucid enough,” she responded quietly so as not to wake her. Turning down the lantern until the flame died, she rose gracefully from her seiza position and moved to the door. She ushered both males away before closing the door and plunging the room into darkness once again. “She is asleep now.”

“Of course she has a fever, after traipsing around in the rain at her age,” he would respond as he glared at the door that led into the guest room the girl was currently in. To Mikoto, it was obvious that he was more upset at the girl’s parents than the girl herself. She appeared to be no older than their youngest, maybe younger. “Did she give you a name?”

“I’m afraid I only got hers. She’s from one of the visiting hidden villages, but she became upset before I could get her answer.” She motioned to them to leave the hall. “Sasuke-kun, you should be in bed,” she chastised the boy. He moaned his displeasure but she only pointed toward his room. Sighing in defeat, he complied and headed off to bed. Then the two adults made their way toward the kitchen where Mikoto started to make tea.

Their older son, Itachi had not gotten home yet but they knew that he was training hard. He had applied for the Chûnin Exam this time around, and while she was worried because he was still so young, she knew that he had the skills to become the next prodigy of their clan. Already, some called him a genius but even so, he was still her little boy. She wanted to hold onto that image just a little longer, thinking that he had grown up too fast for her to keep up.

----

She had stumbled out of the futon, becoming slightly frightening since the room was so dark it wanted to swallow her up. Crawling over to the sliding door, since she swayed and became nauseous when she stood, she pushed it open quietly. The house was silent and dark, but the moon cast its pale light comfortingly. Moving on her hands and knees, she peered over the edge of the floor of the hall, which couldn’t really be a hall since it had only one wall, and stared in shock at the luscious garden. Never had she seen such a beautiful sight before, so her lips turned into a smile. Her village did not have anything like this, only sand. Lots and lots of sand.

Arisa moved to find a way to get down but her hand slipped and she toppled over the side with a squeak of fear before she hit the ground hard. A wailed threatened to spill from her lips at the pain that went through her, but she bravely stifled it. She had to be strong, just like her Nii-san had told her to be.

Moving over the grass, she came to stop in front of the small koi pond, seeing the dark forms of fish when she peered into the shallow water. A smile crossed her face before she sat down next to it, hearing the soft clank of a bamboo stick every few seconds. It was a sort of traditional fountain, where one end of the bamboo was sealed off and positioned so that it faced upwards. The water flowed into it and when it came to be too much, the open end fell to spill its contents into the pond below and then fall back with a clank when the watered emptied. Then it happened all over again, in a constant yet strangely soothing loop. Arisa suddenly wished her brother was with her, knowing that he would have enjoyed this garden.

A hand wiped at her now damp cheeks, trying to cease her soft crying. She didn’t want to wake anyone up, knowing that it was most likely late already. Shivering slightly, she realized that today’s rain had created a chill in the air. Pulling her legs against herself, she blinked upon seeing what she was wearing. Before, she had on white shorts and a red tank top shirt with a cat design. Now she had on white pajama bottoms and a shirt to match. They were slightly loose but still fit her and they were now slightly covered in dirt and grass stains, especially on the knees. She had crawled across the garden, still finding it unpleasant to stand up.

The girl had been sitting there a few minutes, her head nodding forward every few seconds as she became drowsy, when a voice startled her. “What are you doing here?” she heard and it sounded so cold, she almost shivered. Turning around, she stared up at an older boy as his figure loomed over her. She hadn’t even heard him approach. He had slightly longer hair than her brother, almost reaching his shoulders and in this light it looked black. His eyes were hidden by his bangs and he wore black clothing with ninja sandals that resembled her brothers but his were blue.

“I-I’m sorry,” she muttered as she peered at her hands in her lap. She had come to shift around so she faced him. “The room was dark.”

“It’s dark out here,” he responded quietly, no emotion in his tone. It was true but the moon gave her illumination, and the walls that surrounded the garden and house made her feel secure. Chancing a look at him, she saw that he was still staring at her, and even if she could not see his eyes, she felt them on her. He was obviously waiting for a response.

“The moon gives light,” she finally responded. He snorted sardonically as if saying that if was obvious and she spoke again. “The garden is not dark like the room because of the moon.” Turning her gaze to the side so her face was lit with the moon’s light now, she smiled softly. “I never been in a garden. It’s pretty.”


Itachi observed the little girl before him, her onyx hair falling in silky waves to her shoulders and reflecting the moon’s pale light. He had the same thought as her mother in that she could pass as an Uchiha, but when she turned her face he saw something in her eyes. The pupils had a blood red soaked into the center and the edges, and which reminded him of his clan’s blood line ability, the Sharingan.

“Okaa-san said you have a fever,” he finally spoke, seeing as she turned so now her face was shadowed again. “You should go back inside before you become worse.” He was normally a very reserved person, often keeping away from social activities, but something about the girl made him almost want to smile. She was so innocent looking and small as he recalled when he had carried her. He briefly wondered why the girl, who looked as young as Sasuke, had been screaming. Itachi had been a ninja long enough to know pain when he heard it.

“Onegai, I do not want to go back to the dark room,” she pleaded but Itachi could see the delirium in her eyes. No doubt the fever was still devastating her health, but her voice tugged on his heart which he didn’t think he had anymore. Sighing, he ran a hand though his slightly longer hair before turning to look at the house, and except for a few lanterns that lit it here and there, it was pretty dark.

“Do you want to get sicker?” he asked her instead, pinning her with what he hoped was a stern look. She lowered her eyes as he heard her sniffle so he almost groaned.

“I’m scared,” she mumbled quietly, wiping at a stray tear. He sighed and she lifted her eyes to him. The taller boy turned and so she got a better view of his features. It was obvious that he was not as old as her brother, but he was definitely older than her. She also saw that he had black eyes, just like the woman. For a moment she wondered if he was the son she had talked about and which had been the one that had carried her here.

Itachi was at a loss and he thought about maybe calling his mother so she could sit up with the girl, but he didn’t want to do that. The thought of forcing her back into the room and leaving her to cry didn’t sit well with him either. So, in the end he decided there was only one thing to do. “If I stay with you until you fall asleep, will you go back?” he asked her, although he wasn’t looking forward to it.

When she didn’t answer, he grew slightly agitated before looking down. He blinked in surprised as he saw her head slumped down. She had fallen asleep while he had been thinking on what to do with her. What a strange, yet riveting little creature.

After a moment, she fell forward and he moved swiftly to catch her before she hit the ground. Lifting her up easily, since she was practically weightless, he turned and carried her back to the room. Her small hands were clutched around his shirt as she buried her face between his chest and shoulder. “Nii-san,” she whimpered. A smile and a slight blush appeared on his cheeks at how cute the child was.

Passing through the still open sliding door, he slipped in quietly and laid her down. When he went to pull away, she moaned sadly and held onto him. He sighed and moved to settle next to her as the girl immediately snuggled against him in her sleep. The thought of who her brother might be came to mind and so he actually smiled, feeling slightly envious. He wished he had a cute little sister like her. Itachi cared about his younger brother but he had actually always wanted a sister.

He had come home later than usual and knew that the house’s occupants were already asleep and had gotten a quick bite to eat before heading off to bed. Imagine his surprise when he saw a small figure sitting in the garden beside the pond. At first he thought it was Sasuke but the hair had been a dead giveaway. Then he had seen the way he head kept lolling down every few seconds before she straightened and knew she was falling asleep, and when she did it was certain that if she didn’t fall back then she’d take a nose dive into the water.

Approaching quietly, he had seen that she was wearing a pair of his Otouto’s pajamas and they fit her slightly too big, a testament of her small size. They were also dirty and covered in grass stains, leading him to believe that she must have fallen making her way over here. Most likely, she had lost her balance because of the fever.

When he had spoken, she had been jerked awake and then turned wide, frightened eyes on him. He knew that his voice had been cold, but at times that’s the way it was. A smile had threatened to cross over his features as she had tilted her head back to look up at him, face set in that innocent, yet naïve look.

He suppressed a sigh as he rested his head on the pillow and stared at the wall before him. After a few moments, he felt his own eyes flitter closed and before he realized it, he had fallen asleep. Waking up just before dawn, he had wiggled away from the smaller body without waking her up and slipped out of the room and into his own. He hadn’t planned on spending the night there, but he really didn’t see any harm. Plopping down on his bed, he closed his eyes and determined that he still had half an hour before his mother came in to wake him up and he felt like being lazy, just this once.

----

“Nii-san!” she cried out quietly. Moments later, she slammed into the taller boy’s legs and hugged them, and he laughed as she almost knocked him over. He ruffled her hair affectionately as he gave a sigh. He had been so worried last night that he hadn’t gotten too much sleep as was evident by the strain in his ebony orbs. Now he felt the tension finally leave his whole body. The dark locks of his hair were tousled and wild, being held back by his hitai-ate which had an hourglass symbol etched into it, and he still wore yesterday’s training clothes.

Lifting his gaze to the woman, he gave her a low bow. “Domo arigato, for taking care of Ari-chan,” he said politely. He would have actually wanted to thank her son, since he had been the one that had found her, but he had been informed that the boy had set off just after dawn to train. After the woman replied that it was no trouble at all and the girl asking her if she could return to visit, they set off toward the Inn and their waiting, worried parents.

The thirteen year old boy lifted the smaller girl into his arms as she squealed happily, locking her arms behind his neck. “Arisa, you know you shouldn’t have gone off without Okaa-san and Oto-san knowing,” he lectured her softly. She pouted and nodded, tightening her hold on him. “We were really worried something had happened to you.”

“Gomen, Eizan-nii-san,” she said, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder where she had rested her head. “I wanted to see you.” Her eyes closed as she sighed happily and glad to finally be with her beloved and only sibling. “I missed you.”

The older boy chuckled softly and shifted her a bit more securely in his arms. “I missed you too, Chibi.” He nuzzled his nose against her cheek, causing her to giggle. “So, how was your stay at Uchiha Mikoto’s house?”

She grinned as she lifted her head and he found himself smiling back. “Mikoto-san was really nice,” she replied, waving her arms around for emphasis, to which the shinobi laughed again. “Oh, I met a boy.” The way she covered her mouth, made it seem as if it were a secret.

Eizan arched a boy as he smirked. “Oh? And who is this boy you met, hmm?” he asked her while poking her side, eliciting another giggle from his little sister.

“Mikoto-san said his name was...Ucyiwa Itasi,” she mispronounced his name, but grinned all the same. “He looks mean, but you know what?” She lowered her voice and leaned closer to his ear.

He also leaned closer as he saw her eyes shift from side to side, as if making sure no one was listening. “What?” he asked, knowing that she was waiting for that response. At times, the girl was so cute and silly. She was certainly energetic.

“I think he’s nice,” she smirked almost smugly. Eizan formed his mouth in the shape of an ‘o’ as if he were surprised. “And cute!”

“Aha, you’re replacing me!” he accused. He promptly started ticking her as she refused the claim between peals of laughter that pierced the silent morning, the ever brightening heavens not showing any sign that it had rained last night.-