Twiceborn: A Tale of Two Friends

Chapter Six: Toddler Tribulations

Each day after that one was filled with worry and other muddled thoughts. She could barely sleep, her senses always on edge as she waited and waited for the man to come back. He'd said he'd see her again. He even knew her name. Her. A little backstreet unremarkable orphan, and he'd picked her up out of everyone in the orphanage. Then there was the redhead... the same one whose eyes terrified her. They'd been cold. So cold. It'd felt like they'd pierced right through her. Then there was that same thought that she was going to die. Those two men were unknowns. Risa didn't like unknowns... but then again, practically everything about her new world was unknown to her. Nothing was set in stone.

It had been a week since she'd seen the strange duo. A week since her life had been turned upside-down somewhat, and then instead of being tucked under her covers as she should've been, she was tucked under someone's arm and dragged out into the middle of a forest.

Her heart pounded furiously, fear consuming her as the forest flashed by in front of her eyes. Oh god... what if she was being taken to Orochimaru or somebody else who'd use her as an experiment? What if they were part of a weird cult and wanted to sacrifice her to their strange god? She squirmed, half terrified of being dropped, but far more scared of where she was being taken to. They'd been running for ages and at ninja speed too – and that meant it was doubtful she was still safely inside Konoha. Why were they going so far to drag her out of Konoha? Less witnesses for the murder about to take place. She didn't want to die... she'd only just started her new life. Risa swallowed, feeling oddly giddy, nausea swelling in her gut as she waited for her inevitable demise. She was dead. Her eyes screwed shut. Why couldn't he just get on with it?

"Ringo?" a voice called, echoing through the trees. "What took you so—wait, what are you carrying?"

Risa cracked her eyes open, legs shaking as she was set down on the ground. "Tada," the hooded boy, Ringo, said. "Look who I found..."

Black eyes narrowed, long red hair swishing about in the slight breeze carried to them from who knew where. She had no idea about the world's geography – yet another thing on her list to learn. She shivered, squeaking when he took a step towards her. He could snap her neck in the blink of an eye. His eyes were cold. Freezing. "By which you mean you snuck into Konoha..." He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking utterly exasperated. "ARE YOU A COMPLETE IDIOT?"

"But nii-san—"

"Idiot!" he hissed. "Just because you're good at—"

"Technically, I'm the best at—"

"Do you want to die?" he asked, smiling, and Risa felt her lungs constrict as something radiated out into the air around her. She felt like she was being stared down by a predator... like there was a blade pressed against her throat... like two hands were around her neck, squeezing... Tears leaked from her eyes, her cheeks torn between bone white and bright red as the scent of urine hit her nose and her pants grew uncomfortably warm. She'd wet herself. Her knees gave out, sobs choking from her throat as the sensation vanished as quickly as it'd appeared. Humiliating... couldn't they hurry up and kill her? Her shoulders shook, her face burying itself in her arms to hide the mortification and terror written across her expression.

"You two are both idiots!" a new voice sounded, closely followed by the sounds of fists hitting flesh. "Using killing intent around a little toddler, Ryuichi-nii..."

"Yeah!" Ringo said.

"Oh and don't get me started on you, Rin-chan!" that same voice continued. "Kidnapping a toddler and dragging her out of Konoha... expecting her to be perfectly OK with that... I think you're well overdue for a beating and a half, imbecile!"