A flower by the flame (Self Insert)

5

He woke up in a strange place. The last thing he remembered was a searing pain in his chest. But this was absolutely not a battlefield. He sits up, wincing from the ache in his joints. The room around him was lit by the orange glow of an oil lamp resting on a dresser and another on the desk. That's when he noticed that he was not alone.

Passed out and hunched over the bed was a girl. The brown hair made him think she was a Senju at first until he noticed the distinct blue streaks in the brunette tresses. Who was she? Her hair was rather messy but that might be her natural waves sticking out. She seemed to be a normal girl but one look at her calloused hands revealed years of work. If he guesses right, she was around the same age as his older brother. Suddenly her eyes open and he felt himself give a sharp intake of breath.

The orbs were so odd that he was left speechless. He has never seen such a gene in any clan before. On impulse, he brought a kunai to her neck. He can't even imagine why she hadn't disarmed him while he slept.

I hadn't expected him to recover so soon. "Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling." The feeling of metal on my skin finally registered and a chuckle arose from my lips. "Well that isn't very nice. Is this the payment I get for saving your life?" I sigh and stare directly into his eyes. Slowly the kunai is removed.

"Why? Why save me?"

What a world if children can't accept kindness without suspicion. That's so depressing. "You are simply far too young to die. So without further ado, I'm going to go out hunting. Breakfast is already made downstairs and I'm pretty sure you can muscle through the fatigue." I wave behind me as I leave the room. "Keep an eye out Kovu." The lion nodded to me and shook his mane, the red feather woven into it standing out against the dark brown. Every cat had some. Kialera had a necklace of red and blue. Yuki and Saigo had inversed earrings of one red and blue feather. Yuki wore hers on the left while Saigo wore it on the right.

It was their way to tell who they belonged to. Kikyo used green and yellow feathers on her familiars according to Kila. I dress into my shinobi attire and head out to get food for dinner. It took some time of waiting in a tree before she spotted a boar. It was a small, easy to kill. A larger boar would have tougher skin. With practiced precision, the kunai goes flying. It pins the pig down by his tail right when I land beside it, slashing its throat in order to end its life quickly. "Sorry young one. Your death will feed our stomachs so I thank you." I mutter the practiced line that Kila taught me before sealing the carcass into a scroll. Making seals that were simple as this was an easy task. It's complex ones that she will have to learn if she decided they would be necessary.

I lick the blood on my hand to test its qualities, nodding when I didn't taste anything out of the ordinary. No dull bitter bite from poison or disease. That was another survival skill I was taught just in case my nose couldn't detect an odor of pestilence or famine. Both of which are unhealthy to eat. I get up and head to the river to wash up and skin the animal.

While I was washing my hands I heard a familiar voice call out. "Hey! Reika-chan." I slowly turn my head to scowl at the boy as he jumped back. "Vampire!"

"That's not nice Sunshine."

He crumbled to the ground instantly. "I'm sorry."

"H-hey, don't get depressed. I wasn't really offended. Sorry." Geez, this kid.

"Why do you have blood on your face then?"

"Dinner." I watched with amusement as he paled. "And no I don't eat it raw. I was only testing the blood of a boar to make sure it's safe to eat." Just then a rock skipped across the river and Hashirama caught it. "Yo, Madara." I raise a hand in greeting.