Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Through the Darkness ❯ Curse of a Bloodline Limit ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own the Manga or Anime Naruto, or the characters contained within it. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. However, the character Teitoku Kanako and the other made-up characters contained within this story belong to me.

 

Through the Darkness

 

 

 

Chapter 2 - Curse of a Bloodline Limit

 

“What..? Akira?”Craning your neck backwards, you caught a glimpse of your younger sibling's tearful eyes.

 

With teeth tightly clenched together he attempted to hold back the salty liquid, which would have otherwise cascaded down his alabaster cheeks in a somber rain.“I don't want you to leave us like Sayo did...”He murmured, tightly clutching at the back of your shirt.

 

Your gaze wandered absentmindedly over to your mother where she met you with an equally curious expression. For a moment, the both of you observed each other, as if waiting for the other to make a move to stop Akira.

 

“If you're going to leave home forever , then I'm going to come with you!”Your sibling's voice interrupted as he gave a gentle tug on your blouse to gain your attention once more.“Don't leave me like Sayo left you, nechan...”His words carried through the wind like a whisper of the past, piercing your heart directly with memories.

 

Now the two shinobi, and kunoichi, had their eyes aimed in your direction. Each one watched in silence, waiting for a reaction. Perhaps they were curious about the situation, impatient due to the fact they weren't able to proceed with this setback, or maybe even indifferent to the situation all together.

 

You lowered your head, giving his words a bit of thought. Something stirred in the pit of your stomach, like the monster of memories rekindling the memories you'd suppressed for so long. A gentle throbbing sensation encompassed your heart as you thought about the woman you looked up to, the one who....

 

`Deserted me.'

 

“Let me go.”Your trembling lips managed.

 

The boy paused, inclining his head,“I know why you have to go... But, nechan.. I also know these shinobi can't protect you by themselves...”

 

Upon raising your head, your gaze was met directly by the same two black orbs you'd compared to Sayo's a moment ago. It was then that you found the strength to push your younger sibling away. To save him the grief of missing you.

 

“Let me c—”

 

Your palm collide with his chest as you quickly shoved him back without even turning in his direction while your other hand clutched the picture frame resting against your chest. With a soft thud he landed on his rear-end, too flabbergasted to attempt to beg you to allow him to come as you took a reluctant step forward.“Lets... Lets go.”Your muttered.

 

Without a word the three shinobi turned forward and advanced down the beaten path that had been traversed by your feet a few times before. With slight reluctance, you joined them, leaving your brother on the ground to suffer.

 

A guiltiness settled over your heart like a plague. Despite the fact you felt horrible for leaving your brother behind, you carried on with a monotone expression, observing the scenery to keep your mind from wandering aimlessly to your sister, or to him.

 

In the distance you could see a fork in the path, one direction heading straight while the other turned left. Protruding from the ground was a wooden pole in which directions were engraved, signaling the road straight ahead as the path to town while the other motioned to the left where the nearby forest lay; the forest of memories.

 

It's name indicated that bodies of loved ones had been buried there, seeing as there was no graveyards in existence. The forest was supposedly known to be haunted, as many ghost stories were pasted around concerning it. You were a bit skeptical considering that `ghosts' were simply not real, and the stories were created for scaring the local children into staying away. After all, a burial ground wasn't meant to be desecrated, and that's what the children did.

 

The sky gave a distorted rumble as gray clouds gathered, impending above the forest and the road which led into it. This would be unfortunate considering it would be the exact path you and the genin would be traversing.

 

At the sign of nasty weather the wind decided that, it too, would have to join in. As the wind speed increased, buffeting the three of you with a frigid gust, you regretted not having some form of a jacket that would cover your upper body.

 

Your fingers constricted around the edge of the picture frame as goose bumps raised across the expanse of your exposed skin. Looking ahead, you noticed the shinobi didn't even seem fazed by the cold, despite their summery attire. It was almost disturbing that they each continued on nonchalantly while you stumbled behind freezing your buns off!

 

Searching for something else to occupy yourself with, to distract you from thinking about how awfully cold you were, you turned to the frame cradled in the nook of your arms.

 

You rested your gaze upon the sight of your father. He had a wiry build, being a lumberjack in his younger days, which added to the attractiveness of his appearance. Yet despite his naturally stoical features he was smiling. A genuine smile, with the entirety of his crystal-white teeth exposed, his eyes half-crinkled shut. Ivory tendrils fell across his average-sized forehead, hanging in front of two darkly colored eyes which held a mellow kindness. His muscular arms were wrapped around two children.

 

One of these was Sayo, her smile slightly less pleasurable than your father's, showing none of her teeth, but kind nonetheless. Her hair, matching your father's, was unruly and cut at a boyish length. Strands jutted in different directions, rather sloppily, as not even a tress of hair extended past her ears.

 

Your reverie was interrupted as a small blanket was draped over your shoulders, hanging over your arms and serving to protect them from the crisp breeze. No longer subject to the cold wind, the goose bumps faded away from your pale flesh.

 

Instinctively you yanked the picture frame against your chest, shielding from whomever's view.

 

“Gomen,”A female voice apologized,“I thought you might be cold.”

You turned your head, recognizing a benign smile directed at you from the rosy lips of the kunoichi, Haruno Sakura.“Oh... Arigatoo, Haruno-sama. I... I'm sorry, I was just a bit startled.”

 

She gave a vague nod in response, about to return to her place ahead without a moment more of conversation.

 

“I, uh... Haruno-sama...”You stuttered, wondering whether or not to ask her to stay and converse for a short time.

 

Her intense emerald eyes awaited you to continue your sentence. It was almost as if they could see right through you, and apparently, she wasn't too fond of what she saw, seeing as how she wasn't being friendly, but merely polite.

 

Despite this, you felt a need to discontinue pushing people away. After all, she was from Konoha, and this would be where you were creating a new life.“Haruno-sama, would you mind walking with me..?”

 

A smile tugged at her lips once more and she nodded.“Hai.”There was a pause before she began pursuing conversation, many questions pent up in her mind.“Kana-san, I wondered... Why are they hunting you?”

 

“Wh-what?”You asked, a bit caught off-guard by her question, your eyes shooting wide open.“How do you..?”

 

“The Hokage told us.”She replied with a half-hearted smile.

 

`Told her... What....?'

 

“Why are they?”

 

Shifting uncomfortably beneath the blanket as you proceeded in moving forward, you wondered how to answer her question.“I, uh... Haruno-sama, how much did your Hokage tell you?”

 

“She told us who was hunting you.”

 

`I don't know what my mother told the Hokage... So what do I tell Haruno-sama?'

 

“I-I... I suppose they... Um...”You nervously ravaged through your thoughts, trying to find a good lie that would convince the kunoichi.“Uh, well... I think... They, um... Want... Money..?”

 

Thunder ricocheted through the clouds impending above, sending a noisy rumble throughout the sky as it forced crystalline liquid from the gray substance tainting the sky. The rain scattered about the ground, shattering against your head and the blanket. A light sprinkle transformed into a heavy rain and the four of you were forced to make a run for the forced, where you might be able to find refuge.

 

Sakura stayed close to you, obviously toning down her speed to keep up with your delaying pace. She still had every intention of questioning you once you got out of the rain.

 

Once under the safety of the greenery protruding from the trees which sheltered the forest floor from the majority of the droplets, you were able to slow your pace. Despite the fact you were safe from the frigid droplets, you were still soaked the bone. The blanket had suffered the brunt of the rain, but you were still dripping.

 

Naruto and the other boy didn't look that bad, however, as they had increased their pace with the assistance of chakra, and suffered little to none of the rain's wrath. Sakura, on the other hand, was a little worse for wear. You would compare her to a cat trapped in a downpour. Her expression resembled that of a perturbed pussycat, anyways.

 

“Sakura-chan, you're wet.”Naruto remarked, narrowing his eyes and observing his female companion.

 

Her eye twitched and she snapped,“I know!”

 

You noticed the other boy with his arms folded over his chest, head cocked to the side and a bored expression dominating his features. When he caught your glance, he returned it, though not as curious as you.

 

It took a moment before he looked away,“We should start camp now.”

 

The pink-haired kunoichi lowered her fist from it's risen state near Naruto's face and gave a slight nod.“Okay, Sasuke-kun!”

 

The sound the cracking fire seemed like a luxury, despite the fact that spirals of smoke billowed upward into the air, filling the darkened sky above, alerting anyone close by that someone occupied this spot in the forest. Your eyes watched intently as the embers devoured the bark of the twigs you'd assisted Sakura in gathering.

 

With her arms folded over her chest she watched you closely, but the kunoichi never spoke a word. She obviously had more questions on her mind, but she hadn't made an inquiry, yet.

 

You glanced back uneasily, offering her a slight smile. Her seemingly genial mood she had before had died down a bit and she seemed more disdainful. Maybe it was something you'd said, done?

 

`I can't make any friends.... Even if I try.... Why did I think that coming to Konoha would change anything..'

 

Tossing another of the gathered twigs into the rustling fire, you sighed heavily.

 

Naruto and the one apparently named `Sasuke' had gone to do... Well, it's not just females that go to the bathroom in pairs, you know. Either way, it hadn't been long since they left, and yet it still felt like they had been gone awhile.

 

You half-enjoyed Naruto's cheesy, upbeat attitude. He at least added a bit of life to the sour female who was towering over you, glaring daggers into your back with narrowed eyes. The other one, `Sasuke', you assumed since Sakura called him that, was an extremely odd person, yet intriguing.

 

`Like Sayo... Quiet... Cold-hearted... He doesn't have much emotion.'

 

Conversation hadn't sparked between you and Sakura the entire time you were alone, and she didn't seem interested now anyways. At least she finally turned her head away, searching the greenery with her keen sight for the two shinobi companions of hers.

 

“H-Haruno-sama..?”

 

Her head jerked around, eyes lifted in a questioning manner,“Hai?”

 

You swallowed hard, finding it hard to meet her gaze without withdrawing and reserving yourself to the silence once more. It was hard for you to even think up a lively conversation you might be able to have with her.“I, um... Wondered... Are those two really.. Good friends of yours..?”

 

She seemed a bit suspicious now, due to the odd question. This was the exact reason you didn't enjoy trying to converse with people, let alone shinobi who seemed to suspect every word that fell past your parted lips.

 

“Naruto and Sasuke-kun are my best friends.”She replied finally, with a smile as she took a seat beside you, still glancing over at the secluded area where the two males had headed.

 

“I... I've never really... Had friends...”You confided quietly, half-hoping that maybe she was hard of hearing and wouldn't catch it.

 

Unfortunately, she did, and her head turned to your direction where her emerald eyes clashed with your own. There were words in her eyes, cruel ones that would snap at you, but her lips never spoke a one of them.“Why not?”

 

You almost anticipated something along the lines of,“Maybe it's how you treat people, considering you just pushed your brother away. If you act like that, of course you won't have any friends.”But maybe Sakura wasn't quite so judgmental as to assume you treated everyone like that.

 

“People in Konoha are friendly. You'll fit in there.”With a smile perched upon her lips, she assured you ten times more than you could've assured yourself.

 

“Arigatoo, Haruno-sama.”You bowed your head gratefully.

 

The moment was interrupted as the two males traipsed out of the greenery. Each had their gaze directed toward each other, sparks flying between the two. If looks could kill, the both of them would've fallen over lifeless. At least they weren't arguing, but the one named Sasuke seemed to have a condescending expression.

 

“Baka!”Naruto bellowed, raising a fist to his face.

 

“Naruto!”Sakura bounced to her feet from her previous sitting position, her eyebrows furrowed as she scolded her comrade.“Don't treat Sasuke-kun like that!”

 

“S-Sakura-chan...”He muttered in apology, his face turning sour.

 

“Lets eat,”She ordered in a motherly tone, directing the two to sit around the fire with their own backpacks while she rummaged through her own for some edible substance for dinner.

 

The other two had packed their own food as well. The blonde-haired shinobi eating something that almost looked like living fungus, though you couldn't quite distinguish it anyways. Sasuke seemed to only have a few rice balls for himself.

 

Sakura's meal looked the most delicious. Perhaps she was a brilliant cook, or perhaps her mother had prepared her all of her meals for the trip. Either way, whatever the morsel was, it looked absolutely delectable.

 

You found it hard not to drool, and resigned yourself to drooping your head. Of course you had no food, you hadn't thought to pack anything. Besides, your mother probably wouldn't have allowed you to.

 

“Kana-san.. Don't you... Have anything?”Sakura inquired in between bites, managing to talk while eating with perfect manners.

 

Shaking your head slightly, you replied,“I.. I'm sorry... I don't.”

 

Her face dropped a bit, and you could tell she felt sorry for you. Despite that, she obviously wasn't willing to give up her dinner so that your stomach could be filled. Yet, Sakura obviously felt guilty.

 

“Oh, it's okay,”You assured with a smile,“I ate before we left. I'm not the least bit hun—”Your sentence was interrupted by a loud roar that your stomach emitted, signaling that your words were only a lie of reassurance.

 

“Here.”

 

A rice ball was shoved into your face, a pale hand cradling it in their palm, shadows falling across the supple alabaster flesh, creating by the dancing flames of the fire.“Wh-what..? But—”

 

“I'm not hungry.”

 

You noticed he had turned his head turned away, his gaze directed in the opposite direction so as not to make eye contact. Despite his sincere offer, it was obvious that he didn't really `care' that you were hungry. Being as you were his charge, he most likely just wanted you to survive until the mission was over.

 

“A-arigatoo..”Hoisting your hands in the air, you outstretched your fingers to take the rice ball within your hand. However, something else happened, exactly what you prayed would not happen on this trip...

 

A bright emerald glow encircled your hands, capturing the attention of all three shinobi, who immediately watched intently. Even Sasuke jerked his head around to find the source of the strange light. Your hands faded to a translucent color, jade light still encasing them as they disappeared through the rice ball and melted into Sasuke's hands.

 

You jerked your hands away the moment you were able, interrupting the glowing green that had consumed them.

 

“Wh... What was that?!”Sakura demanded, worry hidden with her voice.

 

`What do I do now..? They know, they saw... I can't hide it... Even Sakura seems upset about it... I bet they're all upset... None of them would understand what it's like... I have to run!'

 

Standing to your feet in a shaky manner, your legs trembling, you took a quick glance at all of them. The roseate-haired kunoichi had discarded her bowl to the ground, a soupy substance splattered across the dirt while she rested on her knees, about to jump up at any moment to take action. Naruto had already taken to his feet, his teeth clenched as if he were about to lunge an attack. Meanwhile, Sasuke was frozen, staring at his hand which your appendages had just passed through.

 

“I.. I..”Without being able to speak a word, you turned away from them and propelled yourself forward, using all the power in your legs. Of course, even if you could muster up every ounce of strength your body had it still wouldn't be enough to escape the shinobi who could use chakra to fuel their speed.

 

`I still have to try... Run, run...'

 

Crystalline drops fell from the ducts of your eyes as you hurried, feeling utterly miserable and heartbroken. You'd almost made friends with Sakura, and then that strange show... It must've seemed horribly odd to them. Even for shinobi, a bloodline limit must be a horrible thing.

 

There was no sound of pursuit just yet, but you imagined they wouldn't loiter long before chasing after. Shinobi weren't ones to simply give up. You were sure they'd want answers, but you had none to give.

 

You hated the fact you were `special'. It was the reason that everybody hated you...

 

~~~

 

“Look, it's that kid with the glowing hands that kill people!”One of the burly boys called out, pointing an accusing finger in your direction.

 

You shook your head vigorously,“No, don't say that!”

 

“Your father is the one who runs that clinic, right?”Another child asked, this one a female in tomboyish attire.“The one that kills people who go to it. No one survives. Even if they manage the first time, they're handicapped for life.”

 

“That's not true!”You argued, waving your arms about to catch their attention and interrupt them from accusing your family, and your father's clinic.“My father cures people, and he hasn't killed anyone! Everyone lives after going to my dad's clinic. And they're always all better!”

 

“Liar!”

 

In a moment you were bombarded by rocks, pebbles, anything that the children could lay their hands upon, they threw. Each piece damaged your porcelain skin, marring it and scarring it.

 

Trying to shield yourself, you curled onto the ground, curling into a fetal position in hopes the children would relent. However, they didn't, not once. They continued until the adults called their assault off. By that time, however, your entire body was sore from the bruises it had accumulated.

 

`Why... Why me...? Why our family..?'

 

~~~

 

Your legs were beginning to lose their strength, the boost of speed you had kept this long had begun fading away. This didn't bode well for you, considering the shinobi were most likely `on your tail'.

 

`Still... I haven't heard any noises of pursuit.... Maybe they gave up on me?'

 

This wasn't likely, but you were beginning to feel a bit suspicious. Perhaps they'd set traps, or maybe they figured you'd come back to them when the time was right. After all, how many other choices did you have? You couldn't go back home now. It was too late to turn back.

 

Your feet were starting to drag against the ground, and your lungs couldn't supply enough oxygen to your body. The side of your torso ached tremendously, almost unbearably painful.

 

`I should—'

 

The thought was interrupted as you tripped over something, a large stone perhaps, and landed with a loud crash.

 

CRACK!

 

Gritting your teeth, you glanced back, noticing your ankle positioned at an odd angle upon the ground. You assumed the loud crack originated from it. It bloody well hurt like a broken ankle, anyhow.

 

`Wonderful... Now, if they don't come find me, I'm as good as dead...'

 

You thought despairingly, attempting to slump up into a sitting position while cradling the broken appendage in your hand. Tears had already formed in your eyes and trickled down your cheeks to the point of your chin, falling upon the dirt.

 

Oddly enough, though, it didn't look like dirt.

 

`Is that... Stone..? A stone tablet..?'

 

Brushing away the brown substance from the surface of the object, you traced words with your finger, leaning down to blow away more of the dirt particles nestled in the engravings.

 

Leaning up, you noticed that it was no simply `tablet' you'd stumbled upon.

 

`This is a grave.'

 

Peering around, you affirmed your suspicions. This place was the burial ground you'd heard rumors about before. No one ever came here, though. It may have been the Forest of Memories where the dead were kept, loved ones even, but.... The scenery only added to the opinion that the place was haunted.

 

An odd chill had drifted across your skin, prompting goose bumps. The only thing the spooky graveyard was missing was a few zombies, maybe a skeleton or two and you'd been in a horror film. (Despite the fact that no such thing exists.)

 

Your stomach growled, attracting your attention, and distracting your thoughts.

 

`I never ate.... Oh, I'm starving... I doubt there's any food around here, either...'

 

Sighing, you glanced back, hoping that one of the shinobi had followed you. To your disappointment, however, not a soul was in sight. You were, in fact, all by yourself without anything to—

 

`Where's... Where's my picture?!'

 

It was just then that you realized you had left your backpack behind as well. A smart move, indeed, the shinobi were most likely rummaging through it for evidence or some sort of clue as to what had happened. Then they would track you down and make inquiries.

 

`As if things couldn't get any worse...'

 

It started to rain again, and the type of trees around this region of the forest were none too kind. Instead of blocking the liquid droplets, they openly allowed the crystalline rain to bombard you.

 

If any such thing as an `inner voice' existed for you, it would probably be saying...

 

“You're screwed. Tough luck. You messed up.”

 

Yes, that's exactly what it would be saying, but due to the fact no such thing existed, you were forced to hope that, now that you had sunk to the lowest low, you could beginning rising up once more.

 

Glancing about, you searched for some sort of object that would serve to protect you from the nasty weather. There was nothing, however, and you were forced to crawl forward and pursue search for some sort of refuge.

 

`I have to get out of this rain if I'm going to live. Whether the shinobi find me or not.'

 

After a few minutes of searching, you found what appeared to be cave-like. It seemed deserted, anyways, and you had little other option. If some human-devouring creature lived inside, it would be able to put you out of your misery at the very least.

 

Once inside, you found yourself protected from the breeze and the rain, but lost in the darkness. There was no source of light, and you were tempted to crawl a short distance farther in. It almost seemed as if there was a warmth, the deeper in you went, but you refrained. Your body ached too much to move as it was.

 

Resting your back against the rocky, unsmooth surface of the wall, you closed your eyes, adjusting the position of your ankle with your hand in hopes it would be a bit more comfortable. Though, a broken appendage can't truly be comfortable when it's been shattered to pieces.

 

Sleep was attempting to lull you into it's grasp, promising an escape from reality and the pain, which was very tempting considering your current situation. In a moment, you obliged, letting yourself be carted off into unconsciousness.

 

~~~

 

The wind whipped at a Cherry Blossom tree, lashing petals that wandered aimlessly until falling upon the solid surface of the small pond. It was apparent that this day would be another meaningless day in which insignificant memories were erected, at least, one mind thought so.

 

“Ne-chan?”Your voice chirped, as you wandered through the rice paper doors, carrying a naive disposition.“Kasan says that the Clinic is closed for today. Would you mind—”

 

“Kana.”Your elder sister interrupted, tilting her head to gaze back into the hazel eyes of her counterpart. So naive, innocent, a face that would soon be stained with tears forever.“What do you want?”

 

Seeing that your sibling was in a sullen mood, the words you had intended on speaking retreated, and instead of burdening the moment with them, you seated yourself beside your sister. Staring into the water's translucent surface, your eyes caught the reflection of the both you, and her.

 

With the exact same white hair that stood out, the elder sibling's cut in a short manner, with two identical locks of silvery-white dangling around her face and touching down to her shoulder. The younger one assumed a straight, simple look with the tresses cascading down to her hips.

 

“There is more potential in you than there will ever be in myself,”Sayo stated absentmindedly,“It will just take a shove in the right direction.”

 

You lowered her head, shying away from the conversation about potential and power, a rather uneasy subject for your pacifistic nature.

 

Silence pervaded the air, and like a heavy weight, dropped down on the shoulders of both you and your sister. It seemed tension had arisen from the comment.

 

“Hm...”Lifting a hand that had been previously supporting her, Sayo patted your head,“I think some day you'll realize what I'm talking about, Kana. Some day, you'll see what true power is.”

 

Once again, the air lost the conversation as Sayo replaced the supporting hand and disregarded your presence. She knew that something was working in your mind, and soon the silence would explode into questions and statements.

 

“Nechan...”

 

Without looking over, Sayo gave a grunt of acknowledgment.

 

“Does everybody have a heart? I mean... Can everyone be capable of emotion? Kasan always says that there are people out there who are cold-hearted and so numbed they can't feel even the warmest of things... Like love.”

 

There was a scoff,“You really believe that?”

 

Scarlet tainted your cheeks as you turned your head away.“G-gomen...”

 

“Baka,”Sayo chuckled, watching her your reaction,“Everyone has the power to feel. I don't care who they are.”

 

“But—”

 

“They do,.”She interrupted, solemnly, tearing her gaze away from the water and resting it on your timid seven-year-old face instead.

 

“That's not always true, though, is it, nechan? Some people don't love other people, they love power....”You countered, your voice unconfident as if you were afraid to argue the point, which you were.

 

Sayo grinned,“Everyone has a weakness though.”

 

`A weakness? Everyone does?'

 

You eyed the white-haired woman with curiosity.

 

“Everyone loves someone, or, something. However, to counter this weakness, they do one of two things.”She explained,“Either they destroy the weakness, therefore any possibility of someone using it against them, or... They protect the person, or thing that the love with their very life. The latter is more noble, and honorable, of course.”

 

“Ne-chan, what is your weakness?”You found yourself inquiring involuntarily.

 

Smirking, Sayo stared deep within the watery black depths of your eyes.“I am my own weakness, Kana.”She continued,“There will come a day when I will no longer be what I am now. I can promise you, this, Kana.... I won't always be the person I am now.”

 

Looking back into her abyss orbs, you found yourself locked into an emotion that terrified you. You weren't sure what to make of your sister's promise, but either way, you were glad to know that at least everyone could feel, and have weaknesses.