Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Love Long Forgotten (KakashixOC) ❯ A New Beginning ( Chapter 4 )

RECAP…

 

(Chiori's Point of View)

 

I suddenly felt a chill run through my body.

 

Am I dead…?

No… I feel hear someone's voice…

 

My body ached all over as it took almost all of my strength to flutter one eye open.

Slowly, my blurry vision began to clear as my stinging eyes focused on a young man's face, probably only a year or two older than I was.

 

Where am I…Who am I…? bah, I'm too tired to think…

 

His bare chest heaved up and down as his drenched brown hair fell over his dark blue eyes.

“Hey! You're awake! Are you alright?” his face full of concern for a total stranger.

 

I stared at him with half opened eyes for about 10 seconds, before I groaned and felt everything go black around me as I passed out…

 

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Chapter 4: A New Beginning

 

(Name Unknown's Point of View)

 

“Hey! Wake up!” I said loudly to the girl lying on my lap as her eyes fluttered opened for a bit and closed again.

 

She must have blacked out…

 

“… Now what am I supposed to do with her?” I thought, ruffling my wet hair in frustration.

 

`Damn, it's pretty cold in this cave… but it's the only temporary shelter I could find from the rain storm. And plus, I got bigger problems at hand…' I thought as I looked down at the drenched girl I was cradling in my arms.

 

She looked young… probably in her early teens. She was so pale… almost bluish from the cold…

 

Hmm… I should try to warm her up… but I don't think I can get a fire started fast enough to keep her warm for the time being…

 

I had to think fast as I anxiously looked at her ghostly complexion… but I was trying to think of another method to keep her from getting pneumonia than the one I had in mind.

 

After living in my hometown, the Snow Country, for most of my life, I was used to this cold, wet weather… But I knew this girl did not have the same tolerance as I did.

I had learned from a survival class when in the Snow Country Ninja Academy how to warm yourself, or another person, when in a state of hypothermia…but I can't do that… not now… not with a girl…

 

But I guess I had no choice…

 

*FLASHBACK*

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“Ahem… listen up!” my teacher said aloud to the survival tactics students, as they shifted around in their seats to face the teacher.

 

“Today's lesson will be on hypothermia and what to do when you or your fellow shinobi is in danger of falling into that state… and maturity is strictly recommended in today's lesson…” he said, with one suspicious eyebrow raised, eyeing the students.

 

The class hushed, with grins on their faces, knowing it was going to be interesting if “maturity” was involved.

 

“Hypothermia, first of all, is a state in which the body undergoes a rapid decrease in body temperature to an abnormal degree that could result in pneumonia, a coma, or even death if not cared for. It can result from either remaining in freezing water, snow, or simply freezing weather for long periods of time, which is why everyone should be LISTENING… since we DO live in the Snow Country!” snapped the teacher as he smacked my slowly drooping head.

 

“Itaii…” I whined, rubbing the back of my neck.

 

What the hell was his problem…? I was listening!… sorta… I just, can't seem to keep my head up and eyes open…

 

“Sensei!! I WAS listening you know… you didn't have to do that. I was paying attention to every word you said! I just… found something interesting on the floor so… I thought I would check it out. I wasn't sleeping though!”

 

The class roared with laughter at my sheepish excuse, as I crinkled my nose in annoyance.

 

“Oh~? Okay then, Loki.” The teacher continued, clearing his throat.

 

“Why don't you give me some suggestions as to what you would have to do in order to keep you and your teammate from falling into a state of hypothermia? And, suppose you do not have wood, flint, or matches at your convenience to start a fire.” he smirked, expecting me not to have the correct answer.

 

The class seemed to hush up, immediately.

 

“Well…” I searched my brain frantically, thinking of other ways in which heat could be transferred without the use of man-made fire.

 

Come on Loki…you know this. How else do we generate heat? Come on… there's electrical heat, thermal heat, radiation heat, chakral heat-… wait… CHAKRA! That's it!

 

“Well… do you have an answer for us Loki?” said my teacher with doubt in his voice, until he saw the smirk on my face.

 

“Hai.”

 

“… well… then why don't you explain to us your method.”

 

I took a deep breath as I gathered my thoughts.

 

“Well, at first I realized the difficulty and conflict of the situation at hand with my partner and I being in a potential state of hypothermia. The obvious objective would be to warm ourselves, but with what? Without the aid of wood, flint, stone, matches or any other material used to spark fire and heat, one would have to contemplate alternative methods in which to generate heat without such materials. Thus, considering the types of heat we've studied in physics, the only heat that could be generated in this situation would be Chakral heat, being the body heat generated from equal concentration of chakra towards the surface areas of our bodies. Thus, in order to achieve anti-hypothermia, my partner and I would have to keep a maximum body space radius of at least 1-2 inches between us, resulting in heat exchange through direct or indirect epidermal contact.”

 

I looked around as I let out a satisfied sigh, only to see the bewildered look on my classmate's faces.

 

“…….. NANI?!?!!” they cried flashing frustrated and annoyed looks my way.

I glanced at my teacher, however, who stared at me with a surprised look in his eyes.

 

Heh… at least he knows what I'm talking about. Probably thought I couldn't do it… that bastard. *inner smirk* x]

 

“… it just means that you gotta get down to your underwear and hold eachother for a while like that while focusing chakra out through your skin. That way, you create body heat with your chakra…”

 

*cricket chirp*

 

The class froze in their positions, wide eyed and stiff.

“NANII?!?!?!!?!!!”

 

I fell off my chair… laughing my ass off as I stole a look at my teacher, whom I saw marking an A on his grading sheet.

 

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*END FLASHBACK*

 

I grinned as I thought back to that day…

 

“Heh… I guess I sure showed him…” I said softly, as I pulled out the one blanket I had in my bag and wrapped it around my shoulders to warm it up.

 

I paused as I reached over to remove the girl's apparel, until I saw the Konoha forehead protector tied to the edge of the belt on her black skirt.

 

“…she's… a ninja?”

 

Then I realized all of the scars on her face and arms.

 

There was a deep cut by her brow and left cheek, as well as bruises on her wrists. The corners of her lips were also cut and bloody.

 

Sure is mysterious… this girl. Where had she fallen from? Why did she have so many injuries? She couldn't have gotten them from falling into the water… what went on in her past?

 

I shook my head, forcing myself to deal with warming her up first, as I carefully removed her drenched, outer clothing and laid them in a pile by the wet bundle of wood I had gathered earlier.

 

“…”

She had a slim, fit figure… long legs, perfectly curved waist and thin, toned arms.

 

I felt a blush creep through my face as I quickly looked away.

 

I removed the blanket from my shoulders, now warm from my body heat, and wrapped it around the dark-haired girl.

 

Uhmm… I guess I have to hold her for a while, to warm her up a bit…I thought, as I awkwardly laid down beside her and held her blanket covered body close to my bare chest.

 

“…kire” I said softly to myself, as I focused on her face next to mine, adjusting my eyes to the dark.

Although I couldn't really tell in the darkness of the cave, I noticed that she was quite beautiful.

 

“I wonder who you are…” I thought, as I held her close to stop her shivering.

After a few minutes, her shivering body finally started to relax and as her breath began to steady.

 

“Yokkata… (Thank goodness)” I sighed, as I continued to hold her tightly, slowly drifting off to sleep at the soft rhythm of her breathing.

 

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(Chiori's Point of View)

 

*dream*

“I should have done this a long time ago… She took everything, so now I'm going to take away her one pride and joy…”

 

I looked at her with blurry eyes. I could barely stand up from the heavy weight of the rain on my body.

 

“…you.” She finished her sentence with a smirk, as I felt her kick my rib and fling me from the cliff…

*dream*

 

“N-no… no… NO!!” I screamed as I jerked myself awake.

 

Cold sweat ran down my forehead even though I felt hot and fevered.

 

“Itaii…”

 

Every inch of my body seemed to ache, as I tried to stand up straight, only to feel something heavy around my shoulder… an arm.

 

Slowly turning my aching neck to my left, I came face to face with a sleeping boy with dark brown hair falling over his eyes.

 

“…AAAHHH!!!!!!!” I shrieked as I desperately tried to pry his arm from me and crawl away, being that my legs were totally useless for the time being.

 

Who the hell was he?! What the hell am I doing here?! WHERE AM I?!

 

Questions rapidly ran through my head as I finally pried myself from his arm and crawled to a corner of the cave I was in.

 

Awakening from the noise, the boy practically jumped off the floor with a loud yelp, with a confused and frantic look in his face.

I saw him then look in my direction and calm down, as he ruffled his already messy hair.

“Oh, it was you. You're awake! I thought you were a going to be unconscious for about another day or so… Didn't expect you to wake up so soon.” He smiled.

 

I gave him a frightened and confused look. Realizing I was only in my under garments, I frantically pulled the blanket around me tighter.

 

“Oh, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Loki Kishimoto, yoroshiku onegaishimasu~ … Ano, you're probably wondering why you're here, ne?”

 

I was too shocked to even answer.

 

“Well, I found you floating in the ocean after I heard a large splash while I was trying to find shelter from the rain… and I saved you. Good thing I got there right after you fell, and you fell quite a long way, judging from the cliff near the ocean. Ano, are you from this village? I saw your forehead protector while I was… uh… o yea! And your clothes are over there! … Oh! Don't worry I didn't do anything weird! I promise! I was trying to prevent you from getting pneumonia, but I couldn't get you warmed up with all of your soaking wet clothes so… uhmm… you don't talk much… uhh… well, I guess…hmm… Good morning…?” said Loki, with a sheepish grin on his face, obviously embarrassed.

 

“…” I stared in amazement at the babbling boy across from me.

 

“Hmm… well, can you at least tell me about yourself? Your name? Age? Where you're from? Why you ended up in the middle of the ocean?... anything…?” Loki asked, desperate to start conversation.

 

I paused a bit, trying to process everything that he had just said to me, since I obviously wasn't understanding any of it. Why didn't I know the answer to any of his questions?

 

Why don't I know my name? Where I'm from?

What the hell is going on… who am I?

 

“Uhm… I don't know. I don't know anything. I mean, I don't remember… anything about … anything. I don't remember how I got here, why I ended up in the ocean or where I'm from. I can't even seem to remember my name…” I sighed, feeling worried and frustrated. Confusion settled in permanently into my mind.

 

“Nothing at all?”

 

“Nothing…”

 

Suddenly, I recalled my dream as bits and pieces flashed in my mind for brief seconds.

 

“Wait… I think I do remember a bit. I woke up from a nightmare that seemed, well, strangely realistic. I don't recall clearly, but I think someone, a woman, was angry with me. I couldn't really see her face. All I know is that a woman was angry with me, and she kicked me and flung me off a steep cliff… She was saying something about how she should have done `this' a long time ago… I don't know, everything's blurry.” I said as I rubbed the bridge of my nose, feeling a shooting pain run through my head.

 

He probably thinks I'm stupid… I thought, frustrated at not being able to recognize anything from my past life.

 

Suddenly, I saw his face change from a look of confusion to understanding. He gave me a comfortable smile, as if he had known me for years, and replied,

 

“Hey, don't worry about it. Don't stress yourself about it. From the looks of it, you seem to be going through a state of temporary amnesia. For now, just worry about getting some more rest!

You've only been unconscious for about 2 hours… and it's still probably around 1 A.M. midnight. Just lie down and I'll start a fire for you, as well as get some medicine to heal your wounds.

I studied as a medical ninja at the Snow Country, so you can trust me on this stuff, ne?”

 

“Yea…” I nodded, surprised and yet appreciative of his help for me, even though I still was a bit scared to go near him.

 

How old is this guy…? He looks only a few years older than me and he's treating me like I'm a child.

 

“Uhm… how old are you?” I asked, wondering if he was experienced enough to be a medical ninja.

 

“Me? Oh, I'm 16. And you...? Oh! Gomenasai! I forgot… I didn't mean to offend you or anything… uhmm… geez am I dumb…” sighed Loki, uncomfortably, ruffling his light brown hair into a mess.

 

Suddenly, I felt a giggle come up my throat as I found his embarrassment a bit comedic.

 

“Iie… that's fine. I'm just grateful for being able to stumble across a young medical ninja while I'm in this… state. Arigato!” I said cheerfully, slowly beginning to feel a bit more comfortable around Loki.

 

“No problem. You should try lying down, though. I'll call you when I finish preparing some food and medicine for you. But for now, just try not to move your body too much.”

Loki said kindly, as he walked out the cave into the starry, moonlit sky.

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(Chiori's Point of View)

 

I was sleeping like a baby as I tugged comfortably at the blanket around my shoulders, until I felt someone gently shake me awake.

“Hey, wake up~ It's almost morning and I made some breakfast.” Loki said, before walking out of the cave now flooded with sunlight.

 

I groaned as I was still sore from the night before, as I struggled to pull myself up to my feet.

 

Suddenly, as I was pushing my fingers through my hair, I felt the cuts I had on my face had a bit of medicine on them. I could feel it had already started to heal.

 

Smiling, I immediately thought of Loki.

 

I'm glad to have the first person, actually the only person, I know be so considerate and kind…I thought.

 

Realizing I was still in my undergarments, I looked around for my clothes, spotting them on a pile of firewood.

 

“So this is what I wore everyday in the life I can't remember… pretty strange seeing it as if it were my first time…” I said aloud, placing my hand gently on top of the neatly folded clothes.

 

After I was dressed, I took my first step out of the cave into the sunlight to start a whole new life; a new beginning. I knew it would be quite a while before I was going to be remembering anything from my past, and I was going to start it out right.

 

I don't know what happened, and what kind of person I was, but I know it must've been a harsh life, judging from the dream I had. I don't really think I want to go back…I don't think I really want to know…I thought, as I glanced at the bright sky.

 

“Oi! Have some breakfast-… uh… what should I call you? I don't know your name.”

Loki said, with a contemplative look on his face.

 

“Hey! I got it. Since I found you in the rain, I'll name you Raine. How about it? Sound good?” he said with and excited tone of voice.

 

He was just like a kid, looking for adventure. I could tell I was going to be good friends with this boy, Loki.

 

“Yea, sounds good to me. Raine it is!” I replied with a smile.

 

“Great! …Oh yea, almost forgot… I need to be heading back to my home town at the Snow Country, and I was hoping you would come with me… since you don't seem to have anyone else to take care of you at the time… and since I wouldn't mind some company on the way there…?” Loki suddenly asked, shyly.

“Uhmm.. yea I guess. I probably don't have anyone waiting for me anyway. Sure, I'll come with you! It could be pretty fun!” I said, feeling like I belonged somewhere for the first time since I lost my memory.

 

Maybe things were getting better… maybe my life will be better than the last one I had.

It's not like I had anyone waiting for me… did I? …No, probably not. Why would I have been thrown off of a cliff if someone was waiting for me? I guess I was alone…I guess no one really cared for me much, I thought to myself. I was abandoned after all…

 

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(Chiori's Point of View)

 

“Hey! Let's get going before it gets dark, Raine! I want to make good time in getting back home~ You'll love it at the Snow Country, I know you will. It's always beautiful scenery when everything is covered in snow! You'll see,” said Loki excitedly, motioning me to catch up.

 

“Hai, hai! Hold on for a second and I'll be right behind you!” I replied, trying to get a good grip on Loki's bag full of supplies.

 

I guess this is goodbye old life…I thought with a strange feeling beginning to erupt in my chest, as I started to walk out into the forest, out of this village I knew not of. As I turned my back towards the cave, and the village, I felt something tug at my chest as if I was missing something important… someone important…

 

Don't look back, Raine. This is who you are now… you have to let go and realize that you weren't wanted here…now walk, I ordered myself mentally, as I caught up to Loki and walked out of my past and into a new beginning…

 

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Hellooo~ mannn did I have writer's block for this chapter… haha I think im gonna be cutting down on the one day updates for a while~ this is too much for me x]

As for the story, I hope nobody's tooo angry that Kakashi is kinda out of the picture for NOW… but he'll be backkk!! DON'T WORRY!

Well, hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and leave reviews or comments or anything you like! Thanks for reading, means a lot!