Chapter 1 - Darkness And Light

You are: Opia Taminoto
Age: 15
Looks: Red hair and black eyes, a long thin figure, and a tiny waist
Personality: Shy, kind and forgiving. Fiercely loyal to friends


You're staying with your cousin Tenten over the summer, as your parents finally got married and are on their honeymoon. Right now you've gone out for a walk so you didn't have to help her with “target practise” (i.e. trying to get Neji's attention). You stop by a stream to cool your feet, and end up bathing in the shallow water. Then, suddenly, you hear voices in the woods nearby. You hide, dripping, under the roots of a massive tree, hoping you'll be dry enough to get decent before anyone finds you. A man and a teenage boy step into the clearing.

Man: Ahh...this place will do nicely for a rest point. Kabuto, we'll stop here for lunch
Kabuto: Certainly, Lord Orochimaru. I'll fetch some water to fill our canteens.

The boy turns, and walks downstream a little. You suddenly realise you left your shoes there...now he's bound to find you. How embarrassing! Just as you fear, he stops by your shoes, tensing up, and looking around. Then he spies you, cowering ashamed in the shadow of the tree roots. He smiles, puts a finger to his lips, then carries on as if nothing had happened.

Kabuto: My lord. Allow me to prepare lunch while you bathe. There is a pool a little way upstream from here.

He points away from your shoes, up the brook, where there is, indeed, a pool. You sigh with relief as the man walks out of sight. He gave you goosebumps, and you trust your instincts, even though you can't see why they would mind him. As soon as the man is out of view, the boy, Kabuto, hurries over to you.

Kabuto: I'm terribly sorry. We must have interrupted you bathing...Here, i have a towel.
He reaches into the pack on his back, and you wrap it round you naked body, glad of its slight cover. But the boy has only been friendly, and has not looked at your body any more than is unavoidable. You are grateful to him, despite your shock at being found.

Kabuto: So, who are you? Oh wait, i forgot to introduce myself – i am Kabuto. The man is my master, Lord Orochimaru. I am sure he would not mind you taking lunch with us...would you care to?
You: I'm Opia. I have a little food with me, but it would be great to have some company over lunch. Could i just get...err...decent, first?
Kabuto: Of course! Sorry, i had forgotten...
It was strange – you could not imagine any man being able to ignore your naked body, but this boy...he seemed totally innocent, polite, and kind. You thanked him, and he went into the woods to collect firewood while you dressed.

5 minutes later, he returned with his master.

Orochimaru: Hello my dear. Kabuto here says we walked in on you when we arrived here. I apologise. We should not have placed you in such an awkward situation.

You: My Lord, you need not apologise. Kabuto has already done so twice, and really, you couldn't expect to find anyone here – the forests are usually deserted. It is my fault for being unprepared.

Kabuto looks at you and smiles. You blush a little, wondering why you find his gaze so...attractive. But then he bends down to start the fire, and you are released from your trance. You notice Orochimaru watching you too, blush a little more over being caught staring, then run to collect your shoes. When you return, the fire is blazing, and Kabuto has some meat roasting. You lay out your own food, and after a minute, all sit down to eat. The time passes pleasantly, and at the end, Kabuto offers to walk you home. You agree, a little nervous, and the two of you set off. After only a few hundred yards though, Kabuto stops, and touches your shoulder. You pause and turn, blushing again.

Kabuto: Opia? I-I know this is inappropriate, and that you will probably think it strange. But...
You:But what?
Kabuto: Well...not to sound forward...but i...i.,,I find you...attractive. And since we will probably never meet again...I want you to have this.

He reaches under his top, and hands you a necklace. A plain pendant, twin snakes intertwined in a heart shape. You can feel the warmth from his skin in the metal, as you take it in your hand, and place it round your neck.

Kabuto: Please...wear it. In memory of this day. This me. Never forget who i am.

He leans forward, brushes your lips with his, then turns to walk away.

You: I'll never forget. No matter what.

Then you too turn, and run back to Tenten's.

Two weeks later, the chunin finals take place. You see Orochimaru attack, and cry for the memory of a kind and innocent young man. A man who was determined to be in the light, and to do right, while he still could. The man you loved, who had gone now, never to return.

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