Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ In the Rain ❯ Memories ( Chapter 13 )

Author: Jeez, I was looking back at my last update - November 0_o I really hate school. But most of it is due to NJROTC; we're going to Nationals this Thursday, so I've been practicing four hours a day each school day, and now that it's Spring Break, we have a bunch of practices during the day. But I'm excited, so yeah. Enough about me and more about what's up. I now have 3 fanfictions to be updating, so I'm trying to get some more updates in. I've gotten addicted to DeviantART.com recently, and I've been spending a lot of my time on there…. My account is: http://thevanillapiratenin.deviantart.com so go check it out =P It's an awesome site. Anyhoo, on with the newest chapter….

 

Yeah, I'm skippin' all the regular stuff so yup…..


Note: The present time is 2003. Seeing as the first book was published at the end of 1999, and the time skip was two years, it seems about right. =3




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Chapter 13:
Memories

Saiiya sighed as the morning sun lit up her dark room. `No…wait….that's my light….' She thought as Kakashi smacked her with his pillow. “Get up. We need to leave…” he ordered. Saiiya growled, but eventually got up. Seeing her bloodshot eyes blink and stay open, he left to go make coffee. Saiiya shrugged off her clothes, pulling out her new Jonin gear she'd be using during this mission. “Been a while since I've done an A-ranked mission,” she noted offhandedly, looking over the Jonin uniform.

She pulled on her new vest, zipping it up. The feel of the metal plating in the vest comforted her, knowing that it would be rather difficult for someone to pierce that with any regular kunai or sword. It would hurt like hell, but she wouldn't have to worry about injuring any of her organs. She tied her kunai holster to her left leg, slipping in the kunai. She placed a few necessary scrolls and exploding tags in her chest pockets. She attached her other usual hidden weapons to her person, and added some extras in her bag on top of all her already packed things.

She closed her bag and her brow furrowed at a sudden thought struck her. She turned and glanced at her calendar. `Two more days…' the kunoichi thought, her eyes lowering to the floor. She sighed, rubbing her face before walking to her bookshelf. She knelt down and looked over all the albums and things she had collected over the years. She selected a brown covered photo album and sat down on the bed. She took a breath to steady herself, and then flipped it open.

She went through the pages slowly. There were many pictures of people she had met and known over the years, a good majority of them containing Kayrin and herself. On the fifth page, she stopped, feeling her heart clench. It was a picture that took up the entire of page. It was a girl who was about 17, her light blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail. She was in a dark blue sundress, standing on the shore of a beach. She had a peaceful smile on her face, watching the sunset with her hands clasped in front of her. The wind was blowing her hair and dress softly. Saiiya ran a hand over the slightly faded picture.

She glanced down at the writing at the bottom of the page that had been done by a child's hand. `Airi - November 12, 1981 to January 12, 1996.' “Has it really been that long?” she whispered, her face grim.

 

“Saiiya.” The kunoichi lifted her head, looking towards the sound of her older brother's voice. The white-haired nin watched her close the album and rise, placing the album back on the shelf. “Are you going to tell him?” he asked calmly. Saiiya stared at the album. “How could I explain it to him? `Hey, once a year I-” she was interrupted by a knock from downstairs. She sighed and stood. “Do what you will,” Kakashi stated before turning to head downstairs. Saiiya finished packing and slipped her bag on her shoulder, heading downstairs. She hid a smile as Neji stepped into the kitchen, prepared for the journey.

 

“Good morning, Neji,” she greeted, and he nodded in return. Kakashi slung his bag over his shoulder. “Let me grab a cup of coffee and we'll go,” Saiiya remarked as she poured herself a cup. Neji nodded and settled into a chair at the table. They chatted lightly as Saiiya drained the mug and set it in the sink. “Well, I'm ready if you are,” she said finally, stretching a bit. Kakashi and Neji stood, and they exited the house, strolling towards the entrance of the village. The sun was rising, and it showered the scenery with warm splashes of orange, coral, and a pale yellow.

 

As they reached the gate, Saiiya pulled her hair back into a high ponytail. She glanced between the two men accompanying her. “I suppose we should perform the genjutsu before we reach our first stop,” she suggested, and after receiving nods of approval, the trio disappeared in a flurry of leaves, hopping from tree to tree towards their mission.

 

~*~

The Sun was closing in on the western horizon when the nin landed several miles from the small village they were going to spend the night in. It was about 40 miles from the border of the Fire Country, and Kakashi thought it best they spend one more night in their own soil before moving on to the next location. Neji thought it was odd on how laid back his two temporary teammates weren't rushing to get this mission over with, but decided not to voice his opinion because of the slight tension between the two siblings without his interference, so he quietly obliged.

“Let's go ahead and transform now.” Saiiya's voice was calm and low, even though there was nothing but wilderness around them. They were probably about 200 yards from the main road that cut through the woods, but she was always one to err on the side of caution. The two males nodded and three puffs of smoke appeared as they transformed. When the smoke cleared, they each examined each other. Kakashi now had two dark brown eyes and dark brown hair, and now about an inch shorter than he was. He looked wiry and thin, and wore a simple gray sweater and black slacks.

 

Saiiya had shoulder length hair, the same shade as Kakashi's, and misty blue eyes. She had a black long-sleeved shirt that hugged her body and a pair of jeans. She had a light blue jacket and now stood only two inches shorter than Kakashi. Neji now had short, messy blond hair and hazel eyes. He was the same height as Kakashi, and wore black slacks and a dark red long sleeved turtleneck. “So, what's the cover story?” Saiiya asked, adjusting her pack and hidden weapons. “We're siblings and Neji - or Harou - is our cousin. We're headed to visit his brother and we'll be traveling with him as he moves. You are Midori and I am Kaito.”

 

They absorbed the information, falling into their roles. “Alright, let's begin our walk,” Saiiya responded cheerfully, and they officially began their mission. It only took them half an hour to walk to the village they were staying at. They found a comfortable inn to sleep in and went in. Luckily Kakashi and Saiiya looked enough alike for the innkeeper to believe their story and gave them a room. They thanked him and headed up to the second story to their room. There were two beds in their, so Kakashi opted to share the bed with Saiiya.

 

They set down all of their stuff and headed down to get dinner. The evening was calm with no random ninja attacking them. The trio talked as if they were just family, the conversation light. When they finished half an hour later, they returned to the room. As Neji closed the door, Saiiya went to her bag and began unpacking. She pulled out her pajamas and toiletries, and then sat down on the bed. Kakashi followed suit, grabbing his stuff and disappearing into the bathroom. The two teens watched as the door slowly clicked shut, and there was a silence over the room.

 

The kunoichi locked gazes with her boyfriend, as if asking him what he thought of the situation. He leaned over to grab his bag, and slight disappointment settled on her gaze, but she shook it out of her face and leaned back, falling over flat against the bed, her long auburn hair fluttering out everywhere. She closed her eyes, suppressing a sigh. `That boy,' she thought irritably, but was cut off when she felt a set of lips pressed against hers. Her eyes shot open and there was Neji, still in henge, his fingers brushing against her chin a he leaned back. His kiss was feather light, and his hazel eyes seemed to glow with emotion before he left another kiss on her cheek and went back to whatever he was doing as if nothing happened.

 

Saiiya lay there for a minute, pondering the kiss before a small smile graced her features. She moved back into a sitting position and watched him for a minute before the door opened and Kakashi stepped out, completely oblivious. Saiiya hopped up and strolled to the small room. When she heard the lock click, she grinned. She grinned as she changed, brushed her hair, and teeth. She washed her face and grabbed the towel, drying off her face. She opened her eyes and she looked at herself in the mirror. She did a doubletake when she saw her regular self staring back at her.

 

The nin looked to her left and saw Orochimaru standing beside her. She looked to her side and saw nothing there. She looked back in the mirror and he was there. “Don't forget your agreement with me Saiiya. It is almost time,” he sneered, his eyes piercing through hers. She stumbled back, and the image faded and instead saw her set of dark brown eyes shrouded in fear and a head of long, auburn hair spilling over her shoulders. She let out a long sigh and leaned on the counter, rubbing her face. She could still hear his voice in her mind.

 

Shrugging it off, she relaxed her body and mind and stepped out of the bathroom, gazing at both men. Neither seemed to have heard or sensed anything, or they would look much more concerned. She choked back a laugh as Kakashi flipped another page in his favorite `romance' novel. `Maybe not,' she mused, as Neji brushed past her as he took over the bathroom, his fingers grazing over her hand. She felt a warm sensation crawl up her arm and looked over her shoulder before forcing the smile back and fell onto the bed Kakashi was on.

 

“I guess we'll be sharing a bed?” she questioned as she set the alarm on the nightstand. Kakashi nodded absentmindedly and turned another page. As she set it, she was interrupted by Kakashi's calm voice. “We don't need to up until, say, about 9. What do you think?” Saiiya glanced up at him, a small smile on his face. “Sounds about right.” She changed it to nine and then slipped under the covers, turning on the T.V. As the night went on, she couldn't shake the growing fear that whatever happened in the bathroom was a kind of omen, and she was going to get a lot more trouble than she bargained for. She turned off the T.V., turned off the light, and fell into a light, troubled sleep.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Author: Well, finally there's more of Orochimaru. I intend on bringing him into sharper focus in the next couple of chapters, and this plot can move forward into the plan I have. >=] muahaha. Anyhoo, as for my favorite part, the reviewers….

 

AnimePrincessInuLover: I will! Thanks so much! Hopefully I'll be able to update more seeing as there won't be as much goin' on.

 

Daughter of the Draculea: *dances* Thanks! What a wonderful ego boost. =] I'm glad it is. Hope you keep enjoying it.