Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Not All as It Seems ❯ Prologue ( Chapter 1 )

Goodness, I haven't written in ages, have I? (the last time I did was when I decided to start working on a novel I wish to eventually have published - I was an emotional-wreck that day, as I'd been sexually-harassed, and I poured every single bit of those emotions into the prologue)
Anyway, this is an idea I had YEARS back, and I've written and re-written it countless times; this'll hopefully be the last time I re-write it.

 

Before we get started, I shall admit this is a self-insert (I really don't see what the problem is if one doesn't go overboard - they're extremely fun to write; and it is NOT one of those girl falls into the anime world where nearly all the male characters fall in love with her in 2 seconds stories, that's just no fun)
Plus, how many fics will one find where there are some mentionings of a wee island that is Gozo (plenty of info to find about it on the net), my home-island?

 

Title: Not All as It Seems
Warnings: Comedy, lots and lots of the comedy!
Pairings: Mostly indecisive, if one has suggestions/requests, don't hesitate to ask! The 100% sure ones are Gaara/Young (she's the character I created for the novel I'm writing, and is very special to me) and Shikamaru/Temari (I just love it)
For the rest, I guess we'll see how the story starts flowing and take it from there (along with your suggestions and requests - please, bear in mind I have a right to say no if it's a pairing I don't like, and Sasuke is NOT going to be in this story; I just can't stand him, and I don't want to use any character-bashing whatsoever - I want this story to be as family-friendly as possible)

 

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own the series Naruto and its many characters. If I did, not only would I be super-duper rich, I'd give Gaara the screen-time he truly deserves and make sure he ends up with Sari-chan! giggle

 

Prologue

(quick note - you don't have to read this mini-chapter; it's just an introduction with some extra comedy thrown in. If you decide to skip on to chappie 1 -where familiar faces abound- feel free to do so, but if you do enjoy the extra comedy, might as well read on)

 

2nd December, 2002 (Monday)

 

This was the day which I'd been looking forward to since the nightmare that is school started this year; the start of the Christmas holidays! Not only that, but this was the day I'd been promised I could go pick up my own copy of Final Fantasy IX from my local video-game store. Let me tell you, buying a game here in Gozo is no easy feat; they take much longer to make it into Malta than most countries, some of which don't even make it at all, and they're expensive to boot.
Oh, I forgot to introduce myself properly. I'll start by saying my name is Claire (I hate that name!) Piscopo; I get teased a lot about my last name in school. I am 14 years old and very much average in height, going no more than a mere 5'1”. My hair is pretty long, reaching just about my middle back and is dark brown in color, and extremely messy (I get plenty of scoldings about that from my parents). My eyes are green in color with shades of blue and gray in them. I hate to say it, but I'm pretty pale-skinned compared to the rest of my family.
Now, I shall add I have two brothers; one way-spoiled 5-year-old brother (if I hear of one more `cute' thing he did, I swear I'll run away!) and a much older brother, who actually lives and works in Malta, but comes to Gozo from time to time (we've never been able to see eye-to-eye). To clear the rumor that middle children always get the short end of the stick, it's NOT an old wives' tale!
I'm not like most girls in Gozo, constantly fretting about the latest fashion (I could really care less), the latest hairstyle, when Britney Spears' next album is coming out, goggling about boys bla bla bla… (well, I must admit I have a bit of a crush, too) My greatest pleasures come in the form of 4 things: chocolate (num!), music (Nobuo Uematsu is my hero), The Golden Girls (the best show ever created in the universe) and RPGs, which brings me to why I was so looking forward to this very day.
Like I said, I was to pick my copy of Final Fantasy IX today, and since we had no school for the rest of the year, I could play it to my heart's content once I had it in my possession at last.

 

§

 

`I can't sleep,' I thought out loud, constantly tossing and turning in my bed. I was too excited, knowing that in a few hours, I'd own the latest installment to the most wonderful RPG series of all time.
I took a peek at my clock, and was annoyed to find it was still 1 in the morning. Punching the pillow a few times, I plopped my head back on the bed and tried as hard as I could to get back to sleep…
No such luck…
Slipping out of bed, I put on my slippers and made my way to the sitting-room. Having made sure the bedroom doors to both my parents' and brother's rooms were closed, I plugged in my trusty PSOne, put in my copy of Final Fantasy VII and decided that I'd play until I felt sleepy again.
The moment I heard the clock chime 6 times, I realized I'd better turn my game off. Holidays or not, I wasn't supposed to be playing at these hours. Since I knew this game like the back of my hand, I easily found a “Save Point”, quickly turned the console back off and grabbed the nearest book I could find just as the master bedroom was opening. (phew! What the, why am I holding a Pokémon book?!)
Quickly tossing the book away as though I'd been burned, I picked up the remote. It was 6 o' clock, and that to me meant I could catch up on The Golden Girls!
“How come you're so up so early?” came my dad's greeting. (my dad is a pretty reasonable and all-around nice guy with a great sense of humor; he rarely gets mad, but when he does, RUN AWAY!)

“I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd watch The Golden Girls,” I replied. Thankfully, it was the truth. I'm a terrible liar, and every time I attempt it, I can't look at anyone in the eye, so they'd know I was lying anyway.
Nodding at me as though saying, `what's new?' he proceeded into the kitchen to make breakfast; Dad was always an early-riser, and with good reason. Running one of the few music stores in Malta meant he had to take the early ferry there everyday (he sold tons of musical equipment and kits, specializing in top-brand speakers and pianos).
Just as my show was starting, I made a quick trip to my little secret corner in the kitchen to get myself a bottle of orange soda - no sodas of any shape, size, form or color were allowed in this house, no matter what, so I kept a little secret stash for myself with my allowance. Hiding the bottle behind my back, and trying to look as innocent and casual as possible, I sidled back to the couch to watch some real classic comedy.

 

§

 

Before I forget, I live in the capital city of Gozo, Victoria. I was born and raised there, but admittedly, thanks to my incredibly bad sense of direction, there are still plenty of places I get lost in this pretty small city.
However, getting to my local gaming-store is plenty straightforward and I can get to it from my house in just fifteen minutes on foot.
It was at last 8 in the morning, when most stores around here start to open for the day.
My dad had already gone for work, and Mom said she had to go somewhere, but wouldn't really give me any information as to where (this has been happening a lot lately, but with my beloved game firmly in my mind, I found myself not pondering much about it). Thankfully, she took my brat of a brother with her. There's no way he's going to ruin the greatest day of my life with his `I'm so cute' act.
Dressed and ready, I piled a mountain of waffles onto a plate, covered them in as much maple syrup as was humanly possible, and proceeded to eat my breakfast at record-speed.
Putting on my jacket and grabbing my little blue backpack, in which I carried all my essentials (wallet, Gameboy Advance, cellphone, iPod, headphones, reading glasses and a couple of games), I got out of the house, made sure the door was locked and speed-walked to Arkadia (the only decent shopping mall in Gozo, and the only one that sells video-games).
30 minutes later (I got a little side-tracked, and bought some Coke Candy on the way), I was practically pressing my face on the glass where the `Top 10' games were being shown. I whooped when I saw Final Fantasy IX was in the first slot, earning me some funny looks from passers-by (definitely not fellow-gamers). I opened the door and before I could open my mouth to say which game I wanted, the nice girl that works there was handing me Final Fantasy IX (I guess I was dropping in a bit more often than I thought to check if the game was available).

“Would you like to try it here? You can for as long as you want,” she told me with a smile, apparently reading the look on my face that was clearly stating, `I wanna play it now!'
“Oh boy, would I!” I said in absolute delight.
Urgently ripping off the plastic from the box, I inserted the first disc into the ancient PSX in which us gamers could sample the games for sale, and for as long as we wanted (as long as there weren't many to try out some games, of course).
It was noon by the time I bothered to look at my watch. Sheez, I can't believe she actually allowed me to play for all this time.
Speedily putting the disc back in its box, I paid her for the game, carefully put it in my backpack, and with my deepest thanks, I went back outside of the game-store.
Suddenly, my stomach began to growl really loudly. Placing my left hand on my chin, I decided to have lunch right here. We had a McDonald's in Arkadia, so I cheerfully made my way there… I shoulda known my great morning would lead to an annoying afternoon…

 

§

 

Thinking about what meal I was going to have, my smile turned into a complete frown when I realized that at the counter was this horrible girl from my school by the name of Marie-Georgette (snoot!), whose goal in life it seemed was to humiliate me at every chance she got, which was way too often if you ask me. As usual, she was with her two moron cronies, a brunette girl who looked like a broomstick with a big nose, and a blonde girl who more resembled a gorilla than anything else.
Said gorilla-girl nudged my sworn enemy on the arm, and right on cue, they looked at me with the sneers they reserved just for me (how touching).
“Well, if it isn't Claire Piscopo,” she jeered in a tone that made it look like she was talking to either a 1-year-old or a loony. (she also has this irritating habit of always calling me Claire Piscopo, making me want to punch her square in the face every time)
Rolling my eyes at her, I ignored her and stood as further away from the three amoebas as was possible. That didn't stop them, of course. They marched their way to me, and Ms. Broomstick actually pinched me hard on the arm… Oh, that does it!
Asking the bloke behind me, who looked like he might have been a tourist, to hold my bag, I pounced on that cow, and pulled her hair as hard as my arms could tug.
She screamed, apparently not expecting me to do this. These three only caught me in school, and I never risked getting myself into severe trouble because of them, so I would simply turn around and go to some other part of the school, gritting my teeth all the way. Today's reaction was from all these years of humiliation finally being let out.
“Try and pinch me again, you stupid clown!” I yelled, “Touch me again, and you'll be missing some fingers!”
Ignoring the massive temptation to slap her, I got back up, took my backpack and stormed out. Turning my head for a second, I saw the trio glaring at me, promising revenge. Rolling my eyes, I made my way back home.

 

§

 

So much for lunch…
I was at home now, and had calmed down drastically (heck, I was quite pleased with myself for successfully fending for myself from those three).
Mom still wasn't home, and there was nothing I could find that appealed to me. I'd already eaten the candy I'd bought, so I had nothing to munch on.
Sighing, I put the kettle on. Some hot chocolate was the ticket.
While I waited for the kettle to boil, I turned on the TV and channel-surfed. Yay! Courage the Cowardly Dog is on! Completely forgetting the incident at McDonald's, I happily recited the intro along with the TV. After that, I poured the chocolate powder and hot water into a mug and lied down on the couch. Nothing like good cartoons and hot chocolate to clear away your nerves.
Just as the commercials came on, the phone rang. Jumping in surprise, I grumbled and went to pick it up.
“Hello?” I said, keeping my eyes glued to the TV in case Courage was back on. Ooh, Fruit Loops! (I wish they were still sold in Malta…)
“What are you up to?”
Ah, it was my mom. Maybe I could ask her to get me some take-out.
“Watching some cartoons. Say…”
Before I could ask, I was interrupted with, “Be sure to stay home! Your dad and I have very important news! Bye, dear!”
Before I had a chance to respond, I heard a clicking noise signifying the end of the conversation. Well, that was unusual to say the least. She'd said everything in what sounded like an excited rush, not letting me say a word. I wonder what in the world she was talking about…
Important news… Oh, man! I'm not going to have another baby brother, am I?!
Taking a sip of hot chocolate, I soon forgot about important announcements and baby brothers and was chortling loudly at Courage's attempts to warn Muriel and Eustace about the newest monster attacking Nowhere.

 

§

 

Some minutes ago both my parents called again to make sure I was still at home. They were on the way home now, and were quite anxious to tell me… whatever it was they wanted to tell me. Hands tucked behind my back, pondering what on Earth this so-called big news was, I was pacing back and forth in front of the front door.
`Maybe we're going on some big fancy vacation,' I mused out loud. `But then again, that would fall under exciting news.'
`Or maybe THEY'RE going on some big fancy vacation, leaving me to take care of Simon, and they finally decided now was the right time to spring it on me!' (if that was the case, I'd definitely run away!)
Just as I was thinking of the possibility that maybe I was adopted and they knew the day to tell me had to come eventually, the door burst open causing me to jump a mile in the air.
“What's this big news? Tell me before I explode!” I demanded once my feet met the floor again.
“Hello to you to,” came the amused reply from my mom.
My brother was already on the couch, flipping the TV on to Pokémon… Argh!
“Let's discuss this in the bedroom,” Dad suggested, noting the annoyed look on my face.
“Yeah, let's!” I agreed, already racing my way along the corridor to their room… Wait, did he say `discuss'?

 

§

 

“Moving?! Are ya serious?!” I managed a gasp after having finally been told the truly big news.
They both nodded, looking quite pleased indeed.
“Where to? If it's in Malta, could I just stay with Nanna and Nannu instead? I don't wanna live in Malta!” (most people were just so posh in Malta… I cannot stand the idea of leaving Gozo to be with people that are hard to talk to)
“Actually, you will like where we're going,” said Mom in a knowing voice.
“We're moving to China?!”
My parents looked at each other as though quietly asking if I was truly this clueless. Well, she's the one that said I will like where we're going, and I like China.
“You might also like San Francisco.”
You know how sometimes in sitcoms, when something really good happens, you hear a choir going, “Hallelujah!” I could have sworn I was hearing said choir at that very moment. I was stunned speechless, and pinched myself hard on the wrist to make sure I wasn't dreaming… Owie! Okay, not dreaming…
It's amazing, really. For years I'd been fantasizing of seeing this great city, and now out of the blue I'm being told we're going to live there! Speaking of which…
“How'd this happen? This is too random, even for me!”
With that came a huge explanation of how'd they'd been working on this for at least 3 years, something about the business getting bigger… to be honest, most of it completely washed over me, so tremendous was my excitement that my biggest dream of living in the States was to be made a reality at long last.
“When…?”
“We start packing immediately. We'll be leaving next weekend,” replied my dad.
“Next weekend?! Isn't that sorta fast? Did we already find a place? What about school?” Huh, what am I doing?! I shouldn't be asking them THAT!
“Everything's been sorted at last. All those years of working and preparations are now going to pay off.”
Well, since they put it that way…

 

End Prologue

 

Boy, this was most fun to write.
Now, for some Author Notes. A lot of what I wrote about me here is true, with the exception that my older brother is only actually around a year older than me, but I needed to make this change to make the story work (he IS preparing to live in Malta, though). Those three nasty girls I mentioned were my nightmare in school. I absolutely despise them!
Also, Gozo is a part of the Maltese Archipelago consisting of Malta, Gozo and Comino, and in fact the country itself is known as Malta.
We'll see familiar faces in the next chapter, I didn't want to rush this first one to make them appear immediately. Where's the fun in rushing and making the plot inferior to what it should be?