I was running, trying to get away from dark figures that were chasing me. Who was chasing me? I didn't look back to find out. I was out of breath, but I kept running. The bandits stopped chasing me, so I slowed down. What's that smell? Is that smoke?

I looked towards the sky, spotting smoke floating into the air. That's coming from my house! I ran forward. When I reached my home, my eyes widened in terror. The castle was in flames! My family! Without thinking, I ran inside the burning castle.

"Iri! Okaa-san! Where are you?!" I called as I tried to see through the smoke. I coughed as I inhaled some smoke. I headed into the kitchen, covering my mouth and nose so I wouldn't inhale any more smoke. "Hey, can anyone hear me?!" I called.

There wasn't an answer. Just the sounds of flames flickering and wood falling from the roof. I screamed in horror, spotting Julia and Sharon. They were on the floor, not moving. I took a step forward, but stopped when my foot touched something wet.

In fear, my eyes slowly went to the floor. My eyes widened even more when I saw a pool of blood. The blood came from Julia and Sharon. What happened here? Who did this? "Nue, run away!" I looked up towards the stairs. "Okaa-san!" I called.

I ran up the stairs. I gasped when a piece of wood was about to fall on my head. Thankfully, my wings and tails blocked it. I kept running up the stairs and ran into the master bedroom. "Iri! Okaa-san! Somebody, please answer me!" I said, getting away from multiple fires around me.

I gasped when I found my mother and sister. Both of them were lying on the backs, their eyes wide open as blood ran from the corners of their mouths. "Onee-chan... Okaa-san..." I whispered. I pressed my hand over my mouth to keep myself from throwing up before falling to my knees.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I stared at my family's corpses. My tears dripped into their pool of blood. "Why..?" I whispered as I closed my eyes. I gasped slightly when I felt someone's chakra presence behind me. I slowly turned around.

I couldn't see them clearly due to the smoke. The only thing I could see was their golden eyes. I know I've seen those eyes before, but where? The dark figure chuckles as he took a step forward, causing me to take a small step back.

I couldn't see them clearly due to the smoke. The only thing I could see was their golden eyes. I know I've seen those eyes before, but where? The dark figure chuckles as he took a step forward, causing me to take a small step back.

I gasped. "O... Orochimaru-san?" I said in disbelief. "You're finally mine!" He said with a dark smirk. His hand quickly grabbed my throat, causing me to scream in fear.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I clenched the sheets as I whimpered and thrashed around. My eyes refused to open. "Nue! Nue, wake up!" I heard Kiyoshi shout. I whimpered some more until I finally forced my eyes to open. I jolted up from the bed, panting and sweating.

"Nue, it'ssss all right! Calm down!" Kiyoshi hissed. I continue to pant, then sighed as I tried to calm myself down. I gentle placed my hand over my face with a sigh. "Are you all right?" Kiyoshi asked with concern. I shook my head, no.

"Nue?" Kiyoshi asked. I didn't respond. "It'ssss okay, kid. It wasss jussst a bad dream. That'sss all." Kiyoshi reassured me. "That was the worst nightmare I ever had." I said softly. "Would you like to talk about it?" He asked.

"No, thanks. I'm going to take a shower." I informed, getting out of bed. I went into the bathroom and turned on the shower before stepping inside the tub. I let the hot water run down my face, trying to forget about the disturbing dream.

"Orochimaru-san isn't evil. It was just a dream. Forget about it, Nue." I said to myself. I turned off the shower, getting out. I brushed my teeth and washed my face before putting on my clothes. I put my hair in a braid before going into the kitchen.

"Kiyoshi, breakfast!" I called, setting the plate of lettuce on the floor for him. He slithered into the kitchen and began to eat his breakfast.

I ate my bowl of cereal, then placed it in the sink when I was finished. I'll clean it when I get home from the academy. "Come on, Kiyoshi. We're leaving." I said. I held my arm out to him so he could climb on. He did and rested himself there.

I headed out the door with my black, hooded cloak and began to walk to the academy. I stared at the ground. I couldn't get that dream out of my mind. It was very disturbing. "Nue!" I blinked and bumped into someone. "Sorry." I apologized to the person I bumped into. "I ssssaid, watch out." Kiyoshi hissed with a sigh.

"When did you say that?" I asked.

"Assss you were walking. I ssssaid, watch out before you bump into ssssomeone."

I raised a brow. "I guess I wasn't paying attention." I admitted. "Who are you talking to?" I looked at the person I bumped into. He had black hair with onyx eyes and wore a blue shirt with white shorts. What I couldn't stop staring at was his hair. It looked like a duck's ass.

"Did you hear me?"

I blinked and looked at him. "Huh?" I asked. "I said, who are you talking to?" He repeated. "I was talking to my snake. See?" I answered, holding out my arm so he could see Kiyoshi. "Excuse me, I have to go now." I said, bowing my head apologetically.

I walked past him and he quickly grabbed my arm. "I'm sorry, did you need something?" I asked. "You're that new kid, right?" He asked. "Yes." I answered. I'm guessing "the new kid" is my new nickname in the academy.

"Not to be mean or anything, but why are you interested in me all of a sudden? I mean, I know we don't know each other that well, but it's just awkward." I said. "How is it awkward?" He asked. "Well, I'm about to leave to the academy so I won't be late and you stopped me. Not to mention, you're talking to me when you obviously want to be left alone." I stated.

"SSSSStop wassssting your time with thissss guy, Nue. Let'ssss move before you get yoursssself into trouble." Kiyoshi said. He's right. I'm so distracted from talking to this guy, I almost forgot I had to get to the academy.

"I have to go now and I would also like my arm back please." I said, a little demanding. I yanked my arm out of his grasp before quickly walking to the academy. "Sheesssh, what wasss up with that guy?" Kiyoshi hissed, annoyed. "Beats me." I replied.

"Are all guyssss in thissss village that weird?" He asked. "I don't know. But Naruto and Kiba aren't weird. They're actually kind of nice." I said, smiling. "Whatever." Kiyoshi said. We stayed quiet for the rest of the walk.

When we got to the academy, I sat at my desk and yawned. "SSSStill tired, Nue?" Kiyoshi asked me. "Yeah, just a little." I answered, sleepily.

"Did you take your sssssleeping pillssss like you were sssssupposed to?"

"Yes. I don't think they work anymore."

"Maybe you could asssk your mother for..."

I didn't hear the rest of his sentence because I fell asleep on the desk. I woke up when I felt a tongue licking my face. I opened my eyes and noticed Akamaru in front of my face. "Hi, Akamaru." I said as I petted his head.

"Rise and shine, Princess." I looked at Kiba, seeing he was standing next to me.

"Hey, Kiba. What's up?" I asked. "Nothing much. Just that you need to stay awake for today's lesson." he said. "How long was I out?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders. I sighed a little. "Thanks for waking me up." I said to him.

"Don't thank me. Thank Akamaru here." Kiba said, grinning. I giggled slightly and petted Akamaru's head. "Thank you, Akakamru." I thanked. He barked before jumping into Kiba's hoodie. Kiba walked to his desk and I sat up.

"You could've woken me up, Kiyoshi." I said to him. "I could've. But I decccided not to." He said with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes and focused my attention on Iruka-sensei. He started talking about ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. I already knew this stuff.

Sharon taught me this ever since I was adopted. Because I didn't go to school like other kids, I was homeschooled by Sharon. I fell asleep for the rest of the class. Why am I so tired during the daytime? I guess I don't get enough sleep.

When class was over, I lifted my head off the table. "Ne, Nue-chan. You wanna go to Ichiraku's with me?" Naruto asked. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I kind of have a headache." I told him. "A headache? What happened? Are you okay?" He asked me.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. I think I just need to lie down for a bit." I said to him. "Okay, then." He said. I saw him pouting a little. "Oh, come on. Don't be upset, Naruto. I promise, I'll go with you next time." I said, smiling at him.

"Really?"

"I promise."

I petted his head. "Okay. See you tomorrow, Nue-chan! Feel better soon." Naruto said, heading out the door as I had Kiyoshi slither up my arm. I headed to the door until I felt a hand grab my shoulder from behind. I turned my head so I could see who had hold of my shoulder.

A girl with long pink hair and green eyes was glaring at me while another girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes was with her. "Can I help you with something?" I asked. "Just what business did you have talking to Sasuke-kun this morning." The girl with pink hair demanded.

"Sasuke?" I repeated. Who's that? Are they talking about the boy from this morning? "Well, I accidently bumped to him this morning. I apologized to him and he stopped, asking me if I was the new kid and all. I was almost late because of him." I explained.

"Yeah, right!" The girl with blonde hair said. "Huh?" I asked. Why are they so upset all of a sudden? What did I say that was upsetting? "Just drop the act. We know you like him." Pinky said.

"Say what?"

"Yeah, you're not fooling anybody. Just admit it. You like Sasuke-kun." Blondie said. "No, I don't. I don't even know him." I defended.

"Stop lying!"

"I'm not lying."

"Then, prove it!"

I raised a brow in confusion. "Prove it? How?" I asked. "Cut your hair!" Pink said. Cut my hair? "What does cutting my hair have to do with the situation?" I asked them. "You didn't hear? Sasuke-kun likes girls with long hair." Pinky said.

"Where did they hear that rumor?" Kiyoshi hissed. I shrugged my shoulders. How the hell would I know? "Let'ssss go, Nue. These ssssluts are wassssting our time anyway." Kiyoshi said. "Okay." I said, agreeing with him. I started to leave until Pinky grabbed my shoulder again.

"Where do you think you're going? We're still talking to you." She said. Blondie grabbed my bag and dumped out the whole thing. I frowned and bent down to pick up my stuff. Talk about a bunch of jerks. I was about to pick up my picture of my family, but Pinky snatched it away.

"May I have my photo back please?" I asked, politely. "Who are these people?" Blondie asked. "They're my family. Now, can I have it back?" I repeated. "They look pretty ugly." Pinky said. "Don't insult my family." I warned.

I held out my hand, asking to have my photo back. "Give me back my photo. I'm not going to ask again." I said with a frown. Pinky smirked. "Sure. Here you go." She was about to put in my hands until she snatched it out of my reach again and ripped it in half.

I gasped. Tears filled the brim of my eyes. "Aww. What's the matter, Nue? You gonna cry?" Pinky taunted. "What a baby." Blondie said. I glared at them as tears were already spilling down my cheeks. "GO TO HELL!!!" I screamed at them, angrily.

I ran out of the academy as I pulled my hood over my eyes. How could they? Why would they do that? What did I ever do to them? I accidentally bumped into someone, causing me to take a few steps back. I lifted my head to see who I bumped into.

It was Sasuke. "Are you okay?" He asked me. "Stay the hell away from me! This is all your fault!" I shouted at him. I shoved him out of the way and continued to home.

Once I got there, I slammed the door and cried on the couch as my wings and tails wrapped around me. That was the only picture I had of my family and now it's gone, ripped to pieces. By the time I was done crying, it had gotten dark.

"Feel better?" Kiyoshi asked as he slithered onto my lap. "No." I replied as my head was down. "Don't worry, Nue. Forget about thosssse girlsss. They're jusssst trying to get under your ssskin." He said.

"Well, it worked. I hate it here. I want to go home. Coming here was a mistake." I said. "But you know you can't go home, Nue. Rogue ninjasss will kill you." Kiyoshi reminded me. "Gee, thanks for the update." I said, sarcastically.

I got up from the couch and went into the kitchen, getting out a pen and paper. I was sending a message to my mother:

Okaa-san,

I hate the Leaf. Coming to this hellhole was a mistake. Please let me come home. I don't want to be here anymore. Fuck the Leaf Village and everyone in it.

                                                             Your daughter, Nue

Okay, yeah, some of that was written out of anger. Well, who can blame me? I wasn't in such a good mood because of Blondie and Pinky. I had a messenger bird send the note to the castle. I took a dead rat out of my cloak and gave it to Kiyoshi.

"Here's your dinner." I said to him. He snatched out of my hand with his fangs and began to swallow it whole. As he was eating his dinner, I washed out my dishes from this morning, then took a shower.

After my shower, I had sushi for dinner, then went to my room. "Don't be sssso ssssad, kid. You sssstill got me." Kiyoshi said smiling. I smiled back and petted his head. "Thanks for cheering me up, Kiyoshi." I thanked him. "Anytime, kid."

I took my sleeping pills, then climbed into bed. "SSSSee you in the morning, kid." Kiyoshi said. "I have a name, you know?" I said. "I know, but I like calling you 'kid'." Kiyoshi said before closing his eyes with a smile. I smiled at him before falling asleep.

I woke up the next morning and saw a messenger bird by my window. I jumped out of bed and went over to the window. "That was quick." I murmured. I wasn't expecting a reply so soon. I took the note off the bird's back and thanked it. It gave me a nod, then flew off. I read the note and it said:

Nue,

I'm sorry you're feeling this way. I wish I could come visit you. Unfortunately, we caught a Mist ANBU trying to look for you and they found out about your 'gift' somehow. Mother is sending someone to look after and protect you. I'll try and see what we can do to erase your tracks. In the meantime, good luck and don't go insane, if you know what I mean. Anyway, love you and miss you. P.S. Don't swear! Mother almost flipped when she read your note. Anyway, love you and stay calm.

                                                             Love, Iri

I sweat dropped at the second to last sentence. I wouldn't have to swear so much if she didn't say them right in front me. I sighed. But at least she cares. Hold on. In her note, what did she mean Okaa-san was sending someone to look after me?

Why isn't Julia or Sharon coming by? Oh, well. Maybe they're busy. I shouldn't worry about it now. I headed to my drawer and took out some scissors before going to the bathroom.

"What are you doing with thosssse?" Kiyoshi asked, sleepily. "Relax, Kiyoshi. I'm not going to kill myself if that's what you're thinking. I'm just going to cut my hair." I informed him.

"Why?"

"So I won't have that Sasuke guy like me."

"You don't even know if that rumor isssss true. Maybe he doessssn't like girlssss with long hair."

"But what if he does?"

"Then, I guessss you'll have to deal with it. Are you doing thissss just so you can get those sssluts off your back?"

"No, I'm doing this because I'm in need of a haircut. Have you seen how long my hair has gotten? It could get in the way."

"How ssssso?"

"What if it gets snagged on a branch or something?"

"Okay, I ssssee you have a point there."

I chuckled a bit and began cutting my hair. After about five minutes of cutting, I took all the stray hair and threw them in the trash. Now, I have short hair. "Wow. You look sssstunning." Kiyoshi complimented. I blushed. "Thanks." I said and did my morning routine.

"You know, you're kind of cute when you blussssh." Kiyoshi cooed as I was putting on my bat necklace. "Thanks, my slithering friend. Come on or we'll be late to the academy." I said as I extended my hand to him. He slithered up my arm and rested his head near my elbow.

"You're growing. Pretty soon, I'll have to start wearing you as a belt." I joked as I walked to the academy. "Keep making jokesss like that and I'll eat you." He shot back. "Don't be so sensitive." I said as I walked towards the classroom.

I was now feeling insecure about myself. I mean, I liked my long hair. But now that I've cut it, I fear people will start making fun of me. Well, it's not like I'm trying to impress anyone. It's just hair. I shrugged and walked inside the classroom.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~

Done with this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed! Who did Luna send to watch after Nue? Find out in the next chapter. Sayonara!!!

Kureiji out~