Chapter VIII

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Chapter 8: Books and Bullies

Rizuka's P.o.V

"Here." Hatake-san places a small bag-like object on the table. "What is it..?" I noticed it was purple and black before he let go. "It's a wallet. I put some money and the key to this house in it." He says. "Money? For what?" I ask him. "In case you want something. Spend it wisely." He tells me. I nod and go back to reading the book. I sit on the windowsill to get light on the book after dinner.

"Make sure to take a bath, it's been three days hasn't it?" Hatake-san tells me before laying down in his bed

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"Make sure to take a bath, it's been three days hasn't it?" Hatake-san tells me before laying down in his bed. I reluctantly set the book down and enter the bathroom. I sit on the seat and wash my body. I finish up my bath as quickly as I can then I return to reading. I'm unsure how much time has passed, but I know that Hatake-san's asleep. The faint light from the lamppost allows me to continue reading.

~T.S. to morning~

Hatake-san walks into the kitchen with a yawn. "You stayed up again? That's not good for your health." He pours himself a cup of water. "I'm sorry Hatake-san, I couldn't help it." I respond. I honestly didn't realize it was already morning, I just kept reading. "So you finished two books? What are you reading now?" He sits in the chair I usually sit in.

"It's another school book. The first one I finished was a school book, the second one was a novel to reward myself, and this one is another studying one. I have a dictionary right here if I need it." I excitedly explain to him. "I'm happy you've found something you like, but you need to make sure you sleep." He opens up one of the books I got. "Hey, it's time for you to get ready." He tells me.

(Outfit she chooses is at the top)

I hop down from the window and take my outfit out from the wardrobe. Hatake-san was kind enough to get me more clothes. I put on the outfit and return to him. "What do you want for breakfast?" He asks me. I tense up and look at the ground. I don't know what I want. Hatake-san sighs softly and makes something while I watch him. At some point, I was seated on the countertop, completely engrossed in what he was making.

We eat after he's done, and he gets dressed. I take four books with me as we exit the home. "Bye Bye... Hatake-san." I mutter the goodbye with a wave. I walk down towards the school, keeping an eye out for Naruto-kun when I reach the place he bumped into me the previous day. "Ah! Rizuka!" Naruto-kun yells out and approaches me. "Hello Naruto-kun." I greet the eccentric boy.

We walk side by side as Naruto goes on and on about random things. The other people still look at him with hatred in their eyes. 'The kids at school don't look at him that way...' I point out the odd fact to myself. "Rizuka-chan~ Are you listening?" Naruto-kun groans when I drift into my thoughts for even a second. "I am, I am." I reassure him. We arrive at the school quicker than I thought...

It might be because I was getting caught up in Naruto-kun's rambling. "Iruka-Sensei, I've brought back two of the books." I tell him as I set the two books on his desk. He stares at me for a moment. "You- you've already finished these two?" He asks me with wide eyes. "Hm? Yeah. I'm reading this one about... Chaakuura now." I pronounce the foreign word outloud. He nods with a weird expression on his face.

I sit in the same spot next to Naruto-kun. "Ne ne, do you like Sasuke-kun too?" A girl behind me asks with a warm smile. "Sasuke-kun?" I look at her with curious eyes. "Yup! A lot of us girls like him, he's sitting next to you. He's so cute." The girl says to me. 'Do girls my age talk about boys? Mom and Dad said we don't until we're teenagers... are the girls here teenagers? No, they can't be... they look my age. I'm only four, why do they talk about boys then?' My mind spirals into confusion.

I look at the boy, Sasuke-kun, next to me. I admit, he does look kind and happy like Naruto, but he doesn't necessarily look like someone to start liking. I'm too young for that right now. "Say Rizuka, do you want to go somewhere after school?" Naruto-kun gets in my face. "Like where?" I tilt my head. "I don't know! Um, maybe the park?" He fumbles out. "Sure! I can't stay for too long though." I smile at him.

~T.S to afterschool because I'm lazy~

"Rizuka! Hurry up!" Naruto-kun yells at me while running further into the forest. "Naruto-kun..!" I try to catch my breath. I continue to run, my lungs burning, I see the end of the forest and pick up my pace a little. I end up tripping and falling onto some plants. "Ow!" I hear a voice yelp. I look up to see older kids jeering at Naruto. They look scary and big, and they're hurting Naruto-kun! "Stop!" I scream at them, running to protect my new friend. 'Why are they hurting him?! We're all humans? Do humans usually hurt their own kind?!' I hug Naruto-kun and squeeze my eyes shut.

"Oi, who are you?" One of them ask me, but I'm too scared to speak. "Let's run..." Naruto-kun whispers to me. He holds my hand and jumps up, taking off back into the forest. I hear the shouts of the older kids as Naruto-kun relentlessly drags me into the forest without a break. After he deems it safe enough, he slows the pace into a stop. "Sorry." He mumbles, and I look at his back.

-Love Kimi

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