Relentless (Book 2)

Value- Erika

"Happy birthday, dear Erika, happy birthday to you!"

The small group of people clustered around the bar at Ichiraku's finally finished singing.

 On either side of Erika sat her comrades Tamiko and Hibiki. Kakashi and Katsu were also there, of course, though the both of them looked slightly uncomfortable. As if they just couldn't decide how to interact with each other. As usual, they stood a healthy distance apart.

Erika sighed, noticing this. They had been that way ever since escaping Sasuke's hideout several months prior to the present. Nevertheless, both of Erika's senseis wore smiles as they clapped after singing. The Hokage was there as well, having stopped by to greet the children and wish Erika a happy birthday. The Hokage had been a wonderful host to the children, accepting them into the Leaf Village generously. Many citizens had wanted nothing to do with them, even openly questioning Tsunade because she believed they were of great value; possessing great potential. And she was right.

Erika Raidon, Hibiki Yuri, and Tamiko Mayu were swiftly becoming the top young ninjas in the village, surpassing many others in the Academy. And much of it had to do with who their senseis were.

Next to Tsunade sat Naruto, who was already slurping down his second bowl of ramen.

Erika smiled a small smile and looked down at a little, circular cake Katsu had created for her. Eleven striped green candles stuck crookedly out of thick green and purple frosting, set in place by Kakashi, no doubt.

"Well, what are ya waitin' for?!" Naruto and Hibiki exclaimed in unison. "Make a wish!"

Erika peered at the flickering candles and finally closed her eyes to blow them out, satisfied with her chosen wish.

It was something most children her age would not have chosen. Something only a rare few orphans could identify with. Erika wished to see her mother. Someone she had been separated from well before the age of five. Someone whom she still believed to be imprisoned somewhere dank and terrible. And Erika wished to see her. To free her from the terrible snake that had caused both of them unforgivable heartache. the snake who just happened to be Erika's other parent. The snake who didn't love her at all but instead valued only her capabilities. Her knack for performing rare and dangerous jutsus.

She knew it was a wasted wish. Knew that her mother had probably died long ago. Erika was not ungrateful. She valued more than anything the relationship she shared with her comrades and her senseis. They were like the family she was never fortunate enough to have by blood. But Erika still longed to meet her other parent. She greatly desired to discover that she herself was indeed, nothing like her father and that she had somehow only managed to take on her mother's personality.

Maybe Erika wouldn't think of herself as a monster, much as strangers assumed, if she knew where she came from. As the candles were blown out, the people around Erika clapped, joyous laughing filling the air. Erika's rare smile turned into a grin.

Upon opening presents later that evening, Erika received many new weapons and some art supplies. Kakashi had given her an easel and Katsu had presented her with various paints. Erika had always loved to draw but had been severely deprived of creativity upon her lengthy imprisonment by Orochimaru. Now that she was free, Erika created art in any free time she could find.

The small room Tsunade had granted her upon her arrival was already filled with paintings. All of them depicted people. She drew Tamiko and Hibiki, Naruto, and herself, as well as Katsu, and Kakashi. But she never drew her senseis separately. No, she drew them as she was sure they were meant to be. Together.

She also drew Sakura of the Sand Village. She even had a painting of the Kazekage that she had drawn one evening, unaware of its results at the beginning of its creation. She hadn't intended to draw the mysterious boy. Her hand had just moved of its own accord. His hair was a rich red, his eyes lined in dark black. In some aspects, he seemed even more mysterious than she herself was.

Erika sat down at her new easel and began to paint a new picture. She used white and purple paint. When she had finally finished some time later, she sat back to view her work. The painting was yet another memory. A shattered memory. One she hoped would one day mend itself back together.

That night, Erika dreamed vividly. She stood in darkness, the smell of musty water entering her nostrils. Her eyes could not adjust due to the lack of light. It was as if she were asleep and awake at the same time. Finally, something appeared a fair distance away from her, a white circle in the darkness. A white face. A familiar face.

"Hello again, Daughter," came an eerie voice. A voice that a Snake would have if it could speak.

Erika tried to move. Tried to drop into a fighting stance. Remove a weapon or two, anything. But forces she was not aware of kept her in place. Erika refused to speak, though she had the feeling she wouldn't be able to even if it's what she wanted. Orochimaru sneered, stepping into the single sliver of light that was present in the darkness.

"Confused?" he asked with a dark kind of amusement. "There's no need for that. My aims are fairly simple. Even you could understand them."

Erika raised her eyebrow in question. What could he possibly need that he would come to her in a dream?

"You see, your new Village has something of mine. Several things actually. Katsu Inazuna, the mysterious violet-haired Leaf Shinobi who had been imprisoned here, somehow lucky enough to escape, has stolen something from me. A scroll containing one of my most-desired, forbidden jutsus." His eyes were piercing yellow like a viper's. "I want it back."

Erika tried to respond then but she was still restricted from doing so. What jutsu could he mean? If she knew anything about the man standing before her, the scroll meant nothing but bad news. Katsu had indeed brought back a scroll but Erika had not realized that it was of any particular importance.

"And you, my daughter," Orochimaru continued. "I want you back here as well. Because, as I'm sure you are already very aware by now, you are valuable. You possess power beyond belief from both I and...well. Your mother. A combination nations would kill to use as a weapon. The ultimate  weapon."

Erika glared at him, as much as she could in the dark. At least her mother's name had not been spoken. She knew he didn't have the right nor the nerve for it to pass his lips even if only as a whisper.

He sneered as if somehow reading her thoughts. "Ah, yes," he said arrogantly. "Nozomi," he added resonantly, the dark room echoing its eerie pitch. Erika froze. She hadn't heard that name aloud in years. "You wonder if she is still alive." It was a statement not a question. He chuckled. "She is."

Erika's heart was beating rapidly with every spoken word.

"For now. Locked away in our darkest of prisons. But perhaps, you can free her." His eyes glinted maliciously. "So long as you come to me, that stolen scroll in your possession. I would act swiftly if I were you," he added darkly. "For if not, your mother's days are shortly numbered." With a last dark smile, Orochimaru vanished and Erika's eyes snapped open from where she lay on the floor, as she finally broke free of her dream.

She had kicked off the covers of her bed, falling down, evidently in an attempt to free herself from her false restrictions. She had awoken on impact with the ground, and as Erika stood, her jarred shoulder and hip were the last things on her mind. Her mother was alive? That couldn't be true. Was she really going to believe a message could be relayed to her by dream? That was absurd. But somehow, she knew it wasn't. Orochimaru possessed hundreds of forbidden jutsus. Some of their sequences even more complex than this. And it was so  vivid. Nozomi Raidon was alive, according to Orochimaru. Of course, the man could have easily been lying. But if he wasn't, Erika could never forgive herself. She had to leave. If she didn't, she would never have the opportunity to find out where she really got her traits from. Who she really was. Erika hastily wrote a note and left it on the ledge of her art easel. Someone would find it eventually. She wished she could say goodbye in person but she knew that if she did, they would never let her go. But little did they know- she would be gone by morning.

Image: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcbo10JZVJ1rdodr8o4_250.png

Hey guys! I hope you like the first chapter of book 2! Please vote and let me know what you think! :) Thanks!