Chapter 3 - Savior

She sat in the wet grass, her hands trembling like crazy, tears flowing from her eyes. Everything had happened so fast. With a horrified look upon her face she hastily began wiping the blood from her hands onto the grass. Little snippets of what just happened were racing through her head. The blood, the screams, that terrible feeling of rage though all of it. As she continued to fail to get the blood off her hands continued to tremble as she panicked. “No no no!” She curled into a ball on the ground, the heavy rain pouring on her face. Why was all this happening? She wanted to go home. She wanted her mother. The moving grass making the fresh wounds on her back sting, she sat up. Legs extended slightly, leaning over, she folded her arms, setting them, along with her head on her knees.

After some time of crying, she no longer felt the rain on her back. She looked up confused. The rain had not stopped. She peered around, uncertain. Behind her was another girl holding an umbrella forward. She smiled with the umbrella hanging over Pretz. She had long, straight golden hair and golden eyes. The falling rain started turning her light blue shirt dark. She smiled curiously at Pretz, trying not to look at her mangled back.

“Need a hand?”

Pretz said nothing for a moment, then smiled weakly as she whispered a quiet ‘Thank you’. She stood up slowly, walking beside the stranger as she began to walk back the way she came. They walked silently for a time, until the girl finally spoke up.

“So.... Mind if I asked... Where the devil did you come from?”

Pretz looked at the ground for a moment. “K-Konoha....”

She smiled. “I’m Himine. Himine Sechi”

“Pretz.....”

They said nothing more. They walked toward the outskirts of a village and up to a small house. Pretz cautiously stood behind Himine as she rang the bell. Himine smiled.

“Don’t worry so much. This is my house”

An older girl with darker golden hair, almost brown, came to the door.

“Hello- ... Oh It’s just you Himine. You know, being your sister, you should actually listen to me for once and not go out in the rain all the time”

“Pssh. Onee-san, this is Pretz” She said, nudging Pretz in front of her. “Can you take a look at her?”

“What the-? Holy hell, what happened to you?” She said. She started to shush them inside, until Pretz finally fainted from exhaustion. Catching her, Himine’s sister carried her to a nearby table, laying her on her stomach.

“Go bring me my wound ointments and such”

“How much?”

“All of it you dolt” She said, cutting off the tattered remains of Pretz’s shirt back, and slowly peeling it away. The wounds hadn’t started to scab yet because of her sitting in the rain. “What the hell did you get yourself into, kid? Oh, thanks Himine. Wait, where the hell are you going?”

“I’m getting some juice or something”

“No, you stay here in case she wakes up while I’m working on her” She began to run various ointments on Pretz’s wounds, stitching up one of the holes left by a kunai. After some time she looked at Himine with a smile “No, you can’t keep her”

She bandaged up the work she had done on her back and carefully turned her so her face could be worked on. She untied the forehead protector and set it on a desk. “Was this kid a ninja or something? I’ve never seen wounds like the ones on her back before, except for one time. That abuse case with the whips and such”

“I don’t think so. I mean look at her. She’s younger then I am”

“Well, whatever the case may be, she’s very lucky. Though I must say, I’ve never seen hair like this before” She sighed and carried Pretz over to a bed and set her down under the covers. “She sleeps in your bed. Now please, don’t bring home anymore stray animals, or people tonight. I need my rest”

When Pretz awoke she was in too much pain to move. She spent a whole day just staring at the wall the bed was next to. No speaking, no thinking. Simply blank. It wasn’t until the next day she actually moved. Himine had brought her some food. She smiled.

“Oh so you’re awake then, Pretz. Here, I brought you some food, but if you’re feeling up to it we can go get something that tastes better. My sister isn’t always the best cook when she’s in a hurry”

Pretz nodded, keeping her green eye closed all the while. She grabbed her forehead protector off the desk and tied it onto her eye once more. She followed Himine through the streets quietly, occasionally asking a question or two.

“So... where are we?”

“You don’t know? The hidden village of rain. So anyways, how old are you and why the heck were you alone the other night?”

“I’m eight, but I really don’t wanna talk about that right now”

“I’m nine. It’s alright. We’re here anyway”

They stood before something that appeared to be a run down shack. Himine smiled and told Pretz not to worry, and that appearances could be deceiving. As they stepped inside it was a small restaurant, and a nice looking one at that. Himine had Pretz sit and she went to get some food.

“What kind of ramen to you like?”

After a moment of thinking, she answered with a slight smile “Spicy shrimp”

A little bit later Himine returned with a tray. “Okay, so I’ve got pork miso with an egg for me, and spicy shrimp for you. I’ve got two strawberry bubble teas. Don’t ask, just drink it. And the main course, just some simple burgers. With cheese of course”

They both ate, talking lightly with each other. Himine asked Pretz if she wanted to stay here, or what she was going to do. Pretz didn’t know. Half of her wanted to be as for away from Konoha as possible, and another half wanted to go back. But how could she go back? What was there to go back to now?

“Hey, Pretz. Since you dunno what you’re gonna do just yet, why not come to school with me tomorrow? We’re doing survival stuff”

Pretz agreed as they walked home. When they arrived home, there was Himine’s sister, standing at the door.

“Well, good to see you up and moving, but why didn’t you eat what I made you? Hmmmmmm?”

“Cause I can find better food”

“Well since you guys have eaten, I guess we’ll have dinner later. But Pretz, I’m not gonna beat around the bush. How’d you get those slashes on your back?”

Pretz said nothing. She only looked down. Himine sighed. Her sister crouched down beside them with a smile.

“By the way, I’m Saruko. And maybe your minds just blocked it out... Maybe......”

“Maybe...?”

“Maybe a negi would help you remember?” Saruko grinned, holding up a leek.

Pretz leaned toward Himine. “What’s a negi?”

Himine whispered something in Pretz’s ear, which was quickly followed by a look of pure horror.

“ARE YOU CRAZY, WOMAN?!”

Saruko laughed and went inside. The next morning as Himine was leaving for school she stopped Pretz.

“You might wanna take off that headband. It is the rain ninja academy after all. Here, if it’s really a big deal use this”

As she was handed a blue piece of fabric she tied it around her head. They headed off to the academy together. The teacher had no issue letting Pretz stay, as it was basic survival, pretty much taught everywhere. Later in the day Pretz had to leave because they were learning this for rain shinobi only. So she headed back to the house where Saruko was reading a book on the couch.

“Welcome home, munchkin. How was survival whateverness?”

“Alright I guess. I know how to survive in the woods now”

“Sweet. I’ve been here all day looking at this new medical stuff. Being a medic for ninjas ain’t easy. You get some pretty odd patients. Including you I suppose. So... Whaddya gonna do, anyway?”

“I don’t know. I can’t really go back to Konoha. And I can’t really-“

“No, no. I mean in life. C’mon. Eight year olds always know. A fireman, or a ninja, or a teacher are the answers I hear a lot”

“I’m not sure anymore” Pretz said, sitting on the floor by the couch “I used to know...”

She then began to recount little snippets of her life back home. How the kids would mock her. How her mother would try to make it all better. She could remember saying countless times ‘When I’m Hokage, then no one will ever mock me again!’ But it all seemed like a far off fantasy now.

“I see” Saruko sighed “Well, all I can say is follow your heart, not your brain. The brain thinks too much”

Pretz smiled. “Thank you Saruko-sama”

“Call me Onee-san”

That night Pretz and Himine sat on the roof and relaxed. Pretz sighed.

“What would you say if I said I might leave here...?”

“Then I guess I’d have to say... Then I guess I won’t give you the antidote”

“To WHAT?”

“To the poison you just drank!” Himine laughed.

“You really are a prick sometimes” Pretz smiled “Anyway it’d only be for a little while”

“Well, I’ll give you can keep the clothes I lent you then”

Pretz did look a bit different in her new clothes. Rather then her usual green shirt, she now wore a fishnet type shirt (Think Anko).

“Thank you. You think I should leave without your sister knowing? I really don’t want her chasing me with a leek again”

They hugged and walked to the edge of the village together. Pretz left on her way. Off to see whatever was out there. As Himine arrived home, her sister looked puzzled.

“Where’s Pretz?”

“Gone. Why else would her forehead protector be gone?”

“I see. You coulda told me, ya know?”

“I just did, didn’t I? But she’ll be fine”

Before long, ‘only gone a little while’ turned into a year. Nothing had really changed. Pretz still had a big forehead and Himine was still her same old pushy self. Only thing that had really changed was their age, and that Pretz was quite a lot stronger. As she approached the familiar village she smiled. It was like home to her. As she passed a familiar tree and sighed after tripping on the root.

“Did that last time too, sheesh”

But she didn’t have time to think because as soon as she looked up there was a speeding apple heading toward her face. She only just caught it and looked around.

“Alright, Himine, where are you? You’re a pretty crappy ninja”

Out of the bushes crawled Himine, now wearing darker blue shirt.

“Well, I’m not a ninja yet, but I’m more of one then you’ll be at this rate. I thought you said you’d be back soon” She chucked another apple at Pretz’s head, who easily caught it this time.

“I got caught up”

“For a friggin YEAR? You’ve gotten faster”

“That’s what happens when you live in the middle of nowhere. Stuff chases you and you run away really, really fast”

Himine smirked as Pretz stepped forward. A hidden trap closed around her foot, lifting her upside down, hanging from a branch. Pretz crossed her arms.

“Must you? Really?”

“Yes, until you tell me where you’ve been” Himine untied one end and took the hobbling Pretz home on her new leash. Saruko must have seen them coming, because as a joke she ran out of the house holding a leek. Pretz screamed and cut the rope, hiding on the roof.

“Long time no see, munchkin” Saruko laughed, sporting a spiffy new chunin jacket.

“Yeah, and this could be why, sis”

They all went inside and did the usual family-like thing to do: Asked question upon question. Basically what they got wasn’t too interesting. She had been all over the place. But what stuck out the most was the night she was attacked. By, as she described it, this weird wolf-like monster. It was a narichi user. She didn’t remember the fight much at all. Just sharp pains here and there, and the unforgettable feeling of pure rage sweeping over her again. He had slung her against a tree and knocked her out. When she awoke he was gone, but there was a shiriken in her hand. They all agreed it was odd, and went for ramen.

Afterwards Himine was antsy, and really wanted to spar with Pretz. So it began out in the field. Himine charged at Pretz, hands at her side. Pretz put her hands up as Himine hit her, sliding back a good ten feet. She picked up the apple at her feet and threw it at her as a distraction, punching her in the gut, then a good kick to the side, sending Himine to the ground. Pretz backed up a few steps, her eyes flickered a moment to Saruko, who was munching on an apple. But the moments distraction was a mistake, because Himine soon threw what she thought was an apple. The rock hit Pretz in the same place the rock in Konoha had hit her. She toppled to the ground, wincing. What was this feeling? She lifted her forehead protector to a normal position to keep this from happening again. Her eye burned as the pupil began to turn a fiery orange.

Everything seems as if it had slowed down a lot. She could hear everything from Himine’s charging footsteps to Saruko munching on her apple. She quickly ran forward, sliding and tripping Himine, then delivering a kick to her ribs, sending her into the tree’s trunk. Saruko quickly called the match to an end after that, as both girls were out cold. As she carried them back one of her teammates approached her.

“Those your sisters?” He asked.

“Only one. One’s just her friend. Weirdest thing though, I’ve never seen a nine year old move as fast as she does. It’s bizarre” She said, walking back toward the house.

By the time Pretz woke up, Himine had already been up and about for a few minutes.

“Why is it...” Pretz smiled “That every time we meet, I end up bleeding?”

Himine laughed and shrugged. However their laughed was stopped when Saruko came in.

“Hey, hey you’re supposed to be lying down, Himine. You bruised a rib today”

“Bruised a...” Pretz blinked “The hell?”

“I could ask you the same thing” Saruko looked at Pretz as Himine went into the other room “What the hell was that? I’ve seen chunin move much slower then that at their best”

“I don’t know. I don’t remember much of anything after she threw the rock at my head. And if you say the word negi, onee-san, I’m leaving”

Saruko smiled. “I see. Well, I’d get control of that if I were you. Look, I get the feeling you’re not gonna be staying tomorrow, so I’ll leave out some new clothes and a cloak for you. And hey, make sure you come back at least next year. Himine’ll be a ninja then”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world”

“I do wish you would stay though”

“I can’t” Pretz sighed “Even if I became a ninja here, I could never fight Konoha if I had to...”

Saruko gave a smirk “Ooooohhh... is it a boyyyyy?”

Pretz chuckled. “Heh, his name’s Itachi Uchiha”

“I see......” Saruko looked a little grim “He’s a genin now actually, I heard somewhere. Anyway, g’night Pretz”

Pretz left early the next morning. New clothes on, exactly the same she had before, but she now had a black cloak. She had seen a similar one from across a ravine once. But the one she saw had red and white clouds, this one was plain black. She also had a pretty nice sakkat (If you don’t know, its those hats Itachi and Kisame wore during their first anime appearance) Now when it rained, she wouldn’t get totally soaked. She tripped on the tree root once more and stopped. Someone was behind her.

“You’re really leaving again, huh...”

Pretz smiled weakly at Himine “Yeah, I can never seem to stay anyplace too long. Maybe when you finish the academy you can come with me sometime.”

After a long hug Pretz continued on her way with a smile. Saruko’s words echoed in her mind. Itachi was a genin. That meant he was alright, for now anyway.

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