Gone [Naruto fanfic]

#35

The somewhat full backpack sat in a corner of the bedroom, ready for the trip to the village.

The first lights of dawn began to shine through the window, signaling the start of the day. Stretching as I slowly sat up, a giant yawn escaped my mouth.

-I hope Kyoko and Daiki won't mind a surprise visit!

*Oh please! The way they reacted when they found your pathetic self on the ground when we first got here should tell you enough wimp.

-AND THE ZOMBIE SPEAKS!!!

*I've never had a reason to speak with an ignorant teenager as of late, wimp.

-Glad to see you didn't die and not tell me about it.

*Hmph! As if you would add that to your now growing list of 'problems'....

-Oooh! I see now! You're feeling left out since I haven't given you any attention lately! I never knew Bijuu could be so sensitive.

*CALL ME THAT AGAIN OR I'LL-

-You'll what? Keep screaming inside my head and throw a temper tantrum like a two year old? *smirk*

*......

-That's what I thought. Now tell me something, do you have any memory of being sealed inside of me?

*If I did, don't you think I would have said so? So we can resolve this whole mess, wimp?

-Well you don't exactly seem the helpful type, so of course I had to ask. 

*You underestimate me far too much you pathetic human!

-Glad to know the feeling is mutual!

Slipping into my clothes, I got ready for the day. I double-checked the contents of my pack, ate some breakfast, and headed out.

I didn't immediately go to the gate though, I figured that since Kyoko had probably given birth recently, I would get her a present. Looking around the marketplace for a little while, I stumbled upon a ball of thick, sapphire-blue yarn, which had immediately caught my eye. I bought it, along with a pair of knitting needles. Since the yarn was so thick, I could easily finish making a baby blanket while I walked to the village, assuming that I still remembered how to knit.

Approaching the gate, I saw several figures standing by it. Upon closer inspection, they revealed themselves to be Naruto, Sakura, Yamato, and someone else.

Naruto did not look happy.

"Hey Amira!" Sakura called me over.

Everyone turned to look at me.

When Sakura saw my backpack, and slightly more casual attire, a confused look crossed her face.

"I thought you were still supposed to be recovering, are you coming with us?"

"Better her than this jerk..." Naruto grumbled, glaring at the other guy with his arms crossed.

He was roughly Naruto's height, had incredibly pale skin (which was noticeably lighter than mine), and wore a black crop top with his ninja pants.

I recognized him to be Sai. I didn't know much about him other than that he specialized in art ninjutsu and was a complete weirdo.

"You must be Amira." Sai said with a smile.

"Yes, I am. And you must be Sai." I replied politely.

I turned to Sakura, "No Sakura, I'm not coming with you. There are some people who I would like to visit, and I wouldn't be much help since I'm not fully recovered."

Turning to Naruto, I said, "I understand that this is very personal for both of you. Sasuke is your teammate and friend, which means that you'll fight all the harder to get him back. I however, don't feel the way about Sasuke that you two do, so even if I were to go with you, I might not give a hundred percent. Not only that, but you and Sakura have far more experience than I do, so however way you look at it, I would only get in the way of things."

Starting to walk through the gate, I turned back to Sakura, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Make sure they don't do anything stupid, okay?" I said jokingly, flashing her a light-hearted smile.

Sakura glanced at the two adolescents, then looked at me with a 'You're kidding me, right?' look on her face. I gave Sakura a quick, comforting hug, then stepped back.

"I hope you all will be successful in bringing Sasuke back. Good luck!"

Turning, I headed down the road, leaving Konohagakure behind.

     *********

After walking for a little while, another road crossed the one I was on. This had been the same path I had traveled on with Kyoko and Daiki when I came to the Leaf village for the first time. I turned right onto the road. Daiki had described his village enough that I knew where I was going, which made things easy.

I had been walking for roughly an hour while knitting the blanket, and by now the road was crossing an open field. The whole trip had been pretty uneventful (save for a little acorn battle between squirrels that had run across the path). Cresting a small hill, I looked down in front of me. A small cluster of buildings surrounded by a small wall was nestled in the rolling fields, looking peaceful.
A flutter of excitement bubbled inside of me as I headed down toward them.

A couple minutes later, I had reached the gate. A man stood by the half-opened door, seemingly asleep. He didn't notice me until I was almost in front of him.

"Hello!" I called to him cheerily.

He snapped up to attention, looking frazzled.

"You don't really get that many visitors here, do you?" I joked light-heartedly.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, clearly embarrassed for having been caught sleeping on the job.

"No, not really....What have you come here for?" He inquired, his voice deep, but still a little sleepy.

"I came to visit some friends of mine. Is Daiki still here?"

"Daiki? Oh, yes! He's here! Do you want me to find him for you?"

"Umm, no thanks, I think I can manage in my own. Where's his house?"

The man turned, and pointed down the road that went through the village.

"Go four houses down, take a left and it should be the third one in your left."

I thanked him, then walked in to the village. Children played, dogs barked, and cats wandered throughout the village. While I was walking, a ball crossed my path. I stopped it with my foot, then expertly chipped it up onto my knees, juggling it before I kicked it back to some awed little kids. I flashed them a quick smile before I resumed my walk.

Turning where I was instructed to, I reached what I hoped was Daiki's house. I knocked lightly, then waited. Footsteps sounded from inside, approaching the door. The knob turned, and the door opened slightly. There was a short gasp, then Kyoko swung the door open all the way with her free hand, holding her newborn baby in the other.
"Amira!" She exclaimed happily.

"It's good to see you too Kyoko!"  I gave her a quick, one armed hug, careful not to squish the baby.

"And you have a baby now!" I exclaimed, peeking at the adorable little bundle in her arms. The baby was asleep, so I couldn't see its eyes, but fluffy, sky-blue hair stuck out from it's head.

She laughed lightly, then gestured.

"Please, come in!"

===============================================Sorry guys, it will probably be a while before I can update again. The next half of my semester is going to be busy, but I'll do my best to try putting up a couple more chapters.

While you're waiting, please leave a comment! I genuinely want to know if you are enjoying this; and I need some feedback on my writing. ;^^

See you guys soon! ;)