Toss. Pat-pat-pat. Whrrr. Thup. Toss. Pat-pat-pat.
The boy sat on the steps of the house, hunched over and silent. ‘I’m starting school soon.’ He looked at the dirt, then leaned down to press his hand to it. ‘It’s been a week since we moved. It seems so long ago.’ The boy sat up straight, looking at his palm. Small slivers of metal stuck to it, glinting in the sunlight. ‘Dad’s got the smithy going. I can start working in it soon.’ He raised his finger to hover near to slivers, moving slowly. The metal followed. ‘It won’t be the same.’
Whrrrr. The buzz of wings filled the silence of the air as a small bird like thing came zooming towards him. It landed on his knee, one leg held up, a small red bouncy ball in its grasp. The boy let the metal slide of his hand like water and fall to the ground, taking the ball and rolling it over his palm thoughtfully. “Two days.” He said. The bird cocked its head at him, listening. He stayed silent, and tossed the ball. It bounced on the ground a couple times, before the bird swooped and snatched it from the air. Its body glinted in the sunlight. The odd thing about it was that it was made of some sort of metal. Silver? The size of one’s middle finger, it had a short sharp beak, round eyes and long dragonfly like wings that made the whrrr-ing sound when it flew.
The boy sighed when the small bird dropped the ball on the boy again. “Aren’t you tired of this Whim?” he asked.
“He has whims?” an unfamiliar voice asked. The boy looked up to see a boy looking at him from just inside the gate. He had hair that hung loose around his face, reaching down his back, and he was wearing a shirt with the words, “Danger” on it.
“No. His name is Whim.”
“Oh.” The boy smiled at him friendlily. “My name’s Tenten. Nice to meet you!”
“Yeah.” He smiled weakly back, then ducked his head, throwing the ball for Whim.
“And your name is..?” Tenten prompted.
“Kaidan.” He answered, studying the dirt.
Tenten frowned. “You shouldn’t be so quiet. People might think you’re introverted or stuck up or something.”
“…Sorry.” Kaidan said after a moment. “It’s- nothing personal.”
“Yeah, I get it. You’re shy, right? Just informing you.…Got to go.” And with that, and a wave of his hand, he set off down the street.
Kaidan watched him leave, brown head bobbing past the gate. He didn’t need anyone to tell him others might think him stuck up or introverted. He’d already experienced several people jumping to that conclusion. And he wasn’t shy! Just quiet. He wasn’t used to speaking to people.
Whim landed on his shoulder, dropping the ball into his lap. He studied it, running the tips of his finger through the grooves in it. It was new, a parting gift from his best friend. She’d probably kick him if she saw him like this, all gloomy. She’d probably say, “Get up you loser!” and send him on his way. Kaidan sighed again, a wave of homesickness hitting him. Then he stood up and stretched, looking at his new ‘home’.
The first floor was the smithy. A door connected it to the kitchen, and stairs led up to the second floor over the smithy. He could hear his father tidying up inside, and smelt his mother’s cooking. His little sister was probably out with her friends. Despite her oddity, she still managed to make friends faster than him. He’d never figured out why.. In truth, he envied her.
“I’m going out.” He told his dad. A broad, well muscled man, his father looked at him distractedly. “Sure, go ahead.”
Kaidan stepped out onto the street. They weren’t on a busy street. It was little out of the way, but people could find the smithy easy if they had to. If they were on a busy street, the noise of his father, and occasionally, his mother, working would’ve bothered everyone.
“Konoha.” Kaidan told Whim. “What do you think?”
The metal bird cheeped, cocking his head at Kaidan. He seemed to be saying, ‘We’ll give it a try.’
Kaidan smiled at the bird, a small smile, and went on, happy in his quiet. He wasn’t one to speak unnecessarily, just fill the world up with chatter. Words that were drawn from him were like water from a well; hard work but worth it.
Someone yelled, “Hey!” at Kaidan, and he turned to see a whole entourage of kids heading his way. They looked ordinary enough, with some exceptions. One kid had an earring in his nose, and another had spiked his hair into amazing shapes.
Whim chattered, smelling danger, and Kaidan tucked him away in a pocket, hand around his small, warm body.
“Hey kid.” The one in front said, raising his hand lazily. He slouched, his hair long as though he hadn’t bothered cutting it for a while, and he had a hole in one front tooth. “We’ve noticed you around. You new?”
“Yeah.” Kaidan said cautiously.
The boy slung his arm around Kaidan’s shoulders in an overly familiar gesture, weighing him down and saying friendlily, “Why don’t you hang with us for a while, ey? We’ll show you around, get you acquainted with the place.”
Kaidan opened his mouth to refuse politely, when another kid punched him on the shoulder. “He won’t refuse us! He seems like the type of kid we could have a liking to.” He said, as though the punch had been light and friendly. It hadn’t been. Kaidan tried to ignore the ache, knowing there’d probably be a bruise.
‘ I should shake them off.’ He thought. ‘Just - get away.’
A couple other kids joined in, poking friendlily, jabbing, and raising cries of, “Yeah.” “Nice looking kid.” “Wouldn’t refuse us.”
“Well?” the holey-tooth boy asked expectantly.
Kaidan swallowed. “Yeah.” He said, cursing himself even as he said it.
The boy smiled. “Ensane, as in Insane, that’s my nickname. Your name?”
“..Kain.”
“Nice meeting you, Kain.” He grinned, the hole more prominent than ever, smack in the middle of his tooth. It looked odd, like a disability, but it was something he’d done on purpose, or expanded on on purpose. Not like people with real disabilities.
It was nearing sunset. The day had passed with the boys giving him the most trashy tour of Konoha in Konoha history. They showed him graffiti and the slums. They spat, smoked, cursed, and thumped him several times, so hard Kaidan felt the bruises beginning to form then and there. They pushed him around, joked and generally acted like a bunch of delinquents. Like gang members.
They weren’t even close to it. The best person to know that would be Kaidan.
“Last stop!” Ensane announced. A couple of the other boys murmured “Should be here. Usually is.”
Kaidan looked around it. They had arrived at a park. It was empty for as far as he could see, besides a lone boy sitting in one of the swings. “What’s here?” he asked, wondering what nonsense they’d show him now. More graffiti? The place where some of the gang members first formed? Whatever it was, he had a bad feeling about it. The smirks on their faces were much too big for his liking.
“What is it? Where is it?” he asked after a few moments had passed, confused.
“Well, it’s the biggest attraction in Konoha!” one boy laughed. The others laughed too.
Kaidan looked around, feeling more and more puzzled.
“Ey, the kid doesn’t get it.” Ensane said. “The freak show over there in the swing. Biggest attraction there is. Hahaha!”
The others laughed, and Kaidan looked at the boy in the swing. He looked to be about his age, with spiky blond hair and whisker like marks on his face. “Why’s he a ‘freak show’?”
“All the parents tell their kids to stay away from him. He’s an outcast, a loner. A disease, and a blight on the name of Konoha.” A kid explained, spitting after his speech. The others nodded. Kaidan looked at the spittle silently, thinking how very nice that was coming from them.
“Yeah.” Ensane shoved Kaidan a little. “Go on.”
“What?” Kaidan said, puzzled.
“You know.” He grinned.
He still didn’t get it. “Huh?”
“Give him a hard time! You can have the first piece of him.” Ensane punched him slightly, and the other kids joined in. “Yeah.” “Go ahead.” “It’s a treat!”
“You want me to bully him?” Kaidan said,.
“It’s not bullying, dense!” Ensane said, rolling his eyes. “We’re doing Konoha a favor! Go on say it. Freak is a good one.”
Another boy said the rude word for one without a parent, and the others offered their suggestions. “Whiskers.”
“Yeah, and monster.”
Kaidan glanced over at the boy. He was swinging slowly, feet brushing the ground. He looked lost in his own world. Why would they call him a freak? Why would they want him to?
Jerks.
Kaidan frowned, stubbornness creeping across his features. His mother always said he got that from her. “No.” He’d had enough of these punks.
“What’d you say?” Ensane asked in a dangerous tone, his mood changing quickly.
“No way.” Kaidan started to walk away, wondering why he hadn’t done so sooner.
Ensane grabbed him by the shoulders, twisting him around and pushing him to the floor. “Ow!” Kaidan landed heavily in the playground sand. He looked up at Ensane and the other kids. Whim buzzed angrily in his pocket, and Kaidan wrapped his hand around him, stroking his head with his thumb.
“He’s disrespecting us!” Ensane said.
Kaidan remained silent, looking up at them with steady eyes. Ensane snarled, raising his foot to kick at him, when Kaidan released Whim.
Whim was on them in a second, darting and jabbing at Ensane’s foot angrily. “Ah!” Ensane yelped, jerking his foot back. “Something bit me!” Kaidan got to his feet, brushing the sand of his clothes. Whim hovered protectively in front of him.
“That ***’s bird bit me!” Ensane cried. The others, taken by surprise, looked at Whim then at the red spot staining their boss’s pant.
Kaidan began to edge backwards carefully, trying to get something behind his back. #1 rule of fighting. Never turn your back on the enemy.
“Get him!” They dashed forwards, and Kaidan caught a blow on the stomach, the air driven out of his lungs. He leaned over, gasping for air. Another kid kneed him in the nose, and Kaidan fell back. He could feel blood coming from his nose, and a slight ache, but that was it. He rolled to the side and got to his feet, feeling unsteady. Whim was on attack mode, and several boys sported nasty gashes.
“Whim.” Kaidan gasped, and the bird was at his side. Kaidan caught his breath, and slowly straightened, holding his sleeve to his nose to stem the flow of blood.
The bird landed on his shoulder, chirping. The boys began to cirle around to his back, but Kaidan stepped backwards every time they tried. “Whim will blind you if you move.” He said simply. Ensane snorted. “Metal bird wouldn’t be able to get close enough even if he tried.”
Kaidan waved his hand slowly, and Whim was a blur, heading for Ensane. All he saw was a metal blur in front of his eye, looking at him, then a prick of pain right next to his eye.
Ensane stood, blood trickling down his face, frozen. “Man, he got you.” One kid said, studying the wound.
“Shut up!” Ensane said, shoving him.
“Let me leave. That’s all I want.” Kaidan said, wiping blood from his nose.
“Let him leave.” A loud voice said, and Kaidan looked to the side where the yellow haired boy stood. He was grinning at them. “Come on, guys.”
Kaidan looked at him. If this kid helped him out it was two against five. Still no good.
He heard a sigh, and Tenten walked out from behind a bush. Kaidan looked at him, surprised. What was he doing here?
“What’s up?” Tenten said. Kaidan noticed he avoided looking at Naruto.
“Three against five. No big deal.” Ensane said confidently.
Tenten carefully reached into his pocket and removed a Konoha badge, tying it around his head firmly. “I really wish this wouldn’t shafe.” He said, tightening it.
“Shinobi!” Ensane gasped, stepping back. Tenten grinned.”Yep, and I have the license to beat you up.”
“It doesn’t matter, we still outnumber them.” Ensane said confidently. “Let’s take em out!”
The boys muttered among themselves, and he glared at them furiously. “Get a move on then!”
Tenten removed a scroll almost lazily, nicking his thumb and running it over the scroll. “There we go.” He caught the blades that fell out lazily, twirling them in the air.
Ensane took a step back. “We’ll be back!” they called, along with other cliché cries of, “You haven’t heard the last of us,” and “You won’t escape from us!” as they backed away.
“Yeah, we beat them!” the blonde kid yelled.
Kaidan watched them go and felt the ground shift under him. He fell to his knees, and the blond boy knelt next to him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He said. Tenten was nowhere to be seen.
“Cool.” He smiled at Kaidan. “Name’s Naruto Uzumaki. You?”
“Kaidan Fujushima.”
“Are you new? If you haven’t heard of me, you must be.”
“Yeah.” Kaidan said, realizing Naruto must’ve overheard their conversation.
Naruto smiled cheerily. “Welcome to the Leaf Village.”
Kaidan stared at Naruto disbelievingly , then slumped backwards, staring at the sky. “Oh boy.”
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Chapter notes: Hey guys! Three stories at a time is a lot, but i wanted to put this up... This is my first time trying out a story with a boy as the main character, lol, so inform me if i mess up or anything.
There's probably going to be some dark material, angst, fluff( like crushes and stuff- no boyfriend girlfriend) and death throughout the story. Not so much that i put it on the categories, though.
It's different from the main story and my other stories because this time it's in Konoha and with the main characters of Naruto (sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, etc). But this isn't all about Naruto. It's about Kaidan and his family, and his team and the people around him. I don't want to give it away(you all probably know already) but he'll become friends with someone....[Mysterious grin]
Ok, so my rambling has gon on long enough. Read, Review and Enjoy!
chapter 1 SUMMARY
The chapter's about Kaidan Fujushima, a kid who just moved to Konoha, leaving his friends and family and best friend behind. It's hard settling in, but even he doesn't want to make friends with a group of thugs. But when they thug him into it, does he really have a choice? And when they tell him to do something cruel, will he do it?