Renegado

On the walk Haruki reminisces on old times.

'"Baby, wake up" a woman's voice said. A woman maybe 23, with dark blue shoulder length locs, brown skin, golden eyes, and a mole right under right eye.

A groan emitted from the pile of blankets she shook.

It was still dark out. Maybe around 1 in the morning. The woman knew this bit and didn't care. She made a promise.

"Nooooooo" A young voice said from the pile. Inside the pile is a 4 year old, a carbon copy of his mother. Dark blue hair, golden eyes, and the mole.

"Cmon, we gotta go see a friend." The lady,also known as Ito Keiko, said in a harsher tone as she ripped the blankets off the young child.

"Mooooooom" The 4 year old boy or Haruki whined.

"Cmon Haru-chan, you got places to go and places to be"

"But mom,it's still dark outside"

"An early morning wake up won't hurt you Haruki now get up and get ready" Keiko snapped at Haruki a little.

Haruki got ready in the clothes she sat out, a simple white shirt and blue shorts. When he walked out the room his hand was quickly grabbed and he was hoisted up and carried out of the house. He comes to realize the person was his mother.

"What about breakfast?"

"No time Haru-chan, you shouldn't have taken so long"

Keiko continued to carry Haruki as she quickly walked down the empty road taking twists and turns. As Haruki stayed in his mother's arms, he kept smelling this pungent smell of smoke and alcohol. Looking around he tried to see if it was coming from a house or a store but he didn't find it. Instead, when he turned his head and smelled his mother's shoulder, it was like a smack in the face. She reeked of cigarettes and alcohol. Like someone just dumped a bottle of patron and an ashtray on her and kicked her out. Before Haruki could say or ask about it he was put down.

Looking away from his mom he sees that there is an old lady with a painted white face, toxic red lips, black hair pinned up, and wearing a orange kimono with a floral pattern and a beige almost white belt.

"So you have him I see, take him to Ren-san, she'll get him ready"

'What? Who's she? Why am I here? What's going on? I wanna go home, this is scary' Haruki thought to himself as he was ushered towards a younger looking lady by his mother. The lady known as Ren had her hair pinned up along with an exorbitant amount of hair pins some dangling down while other built up, she could be seen wearing multiple layers of kimonos the first a white one with red flowers peeking out from behind the second one a simple cherry red that was partially covered the gigantic belt she wore. Black with a depiction of a bird flying inward along with some floral pattern.

Ren sat with a guy as he smoked and went on about himself from what Haruki can pick up. When he and Keiko got there she took a deep bow. Before saying, " I hope this will will pay my debts"

She let go of the hand she held onto Haruki and practically shoved him towards the table Ren sat at. Ren took hold of his cheek and rotated it. Haruki grew scared as his mother watched with a stoic face as her son was analyzed and scrutinized for a debt he did not make.

As Ren looked at his face she began to making a ‘tsk’ sound before saying, "Not what I or anyone can properly fix but I can work with it. He'll do fine, Kei-chan"

Ren got up and excused her from the guy she was listening to and took Haruki's wrist in a tight grasp as he saw his mother crack a small smile as her face and body grew smaller. Haruki grew more panicked as he took more steps and started going up a flight of stairs. He got to a point where he couldn't see his mother and looked forward. Ren was leading him past rooms. Men were being led into rooms by women, some leaving zipping and buttoning articles of clothing up.

Finally after a few turns of the halls Ren stopped with Haruki in front of a door. She opened the door and pulled Haruki in. She told Haruki to stay still as she worked. She started by taking his clothes off, leaving him in nothing but underwear. She went to a chest that was full of clothes and took out a simple lilac kimono and started to dress him. It was a little bigger than him but it was apparent that that was not hers. She then had him sit in a chair. She started to pin his hair into place in a way that can be considered a bun at the bottom of his head. She the put a few hair pieces in his hair.

"I won't be able to paint you white but I can make you beautiful" Ren said as she took a red paste used as lipstick and applied it to Haruki's lips.

"I need you to remember this little one, your name is now Kiko" Ren Saud as she seriously looked into Harukis eyes.

Haruki only simply nodded as he started to shrink into himself. Ren left the room but not long after a man walked in. Red hair, dark black eyes, pale skin, thin lips, tall, lanky, and white under the nose.

Haruki moved away from him and across the room. The man stumbled in closing the sliding door. He started to take his shirt off. Haruki watched and became all the more uncomfortable and afraid.

The man stalked closer to Haruku as he tried to find a way to escape.

“Why don't you come over here Baby?” The older man slurred out stumbling over his own feet. Haruki shook his head and before he knew it his back hit the wall. The drunken older man saw this and lunged at young Haruki. Haruki got caught.

-(I am not going wite but happened but you can guess what happened) Time skip-

The man zipped up his pants and started buttoning up buttons on his clothes.
“Hey, Kiko-chan next time try not to kick or scratch too much, you could hurt someone” The man said as he grabbed Harukis face before dropping it.

Haruki’s head hit the ground as he laid there crying. Tears streamed down his face as his muscles felt sore and he felt blood dripping down his leg.

"Why" Haruki sobbed out as he curled into a ball.

Two more guys came in and took advantage. Neither caring how old or how much blood he bled. By the third guy that came in Haruki could no longer take the pain and passed out.

When Haruki came to he was at hus house but that didn't mean it was a dream. Not only did all of his lower half hurt so did his head like someone was constantly pulling along with his wrists.

-time skip 1 year-

"Haru-kun… why do you always win" A young girl with yellow pigtails asks a young boy with dark colored eyes, dark blue curly hair along with darker skin that others despised, and a mole under his right eye that was considered an imperfection to most but to a certain few saw as perfection.... Just like his mother.

Naruko and Haruko at age 6 sat on a picnic table playing checkers.

"Because you don't look at all your pieces" said as he gave her back her men and started setting up his side.

"Well , I don't wanna play anymore if you keep winning," Naruko said in a stubborn tone.

"Sore loser, what do you want to do then" Haruki said, now packing away the game.

"Well we could train y'know we have one year before entering the academy" Naruko said with hopeful eyes.

"I guess, I just have to drop this off and maybe get a few shuriken and kunai off dad" Haruki said, taking the packed checkers to the table.

"OK, I'll come with, Believe it," Naruko said with a grin.

Young Naruko and Haruki walk to an apartment he calls home.

"Wait here" Haruki says as he walks inside leaving Naruko outside.

Haruki upon entering the house is greeted with the sight of a baby Ai being rocked to sleep by their dad.

Ai, 3 years old, dark brown hair, curly hair, hazel eyes. Like her father. Young and lively when not sleeping. No understanding of anything, but dad is around more often.

Daiki, a 25 year old male retired after the nine tails incident with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, curly coily hair, and dark skin. He should be at his peak of looks but is not. He had a daunting look on his face, big dark eye bags under his eyes. Face set to a forlorn frown. His eyes no longer hold the look it once held. The look of joy.

Now he mostly either smelled like cigar smoke or alcohol. Gone were the days of smelling pine. Gone were the days of his father telling him stories.

And gone was the day of his mother. Daiki says she left on a mission. It had been 3 months at that point. 'it takes a long time to finish a mission, right' Haruki drops off the checkers set and walks farther into the apartment. Under his father's bed is a treasure box of sorts that holds all his and his wife's old tools and weapons that didn't get lost.

Haruki tries to sneak there but is stopped by a voice.

"What are you doing Haruki?" Daiki says.
"Well I was hoping to get a few kunai or shuriken to train before I go to the academy," Haruki says, truthfully.

A beat of silence. Daiki is trying to assess the situation.

"Okay, just let me choose them," Daiki said, going to his room.

A few seconds later Daiki emerges with 4 sharpened kunais and a sleeping Ai.

"I will give you them if only you promise to be careful and not use them against no one. Understand" Daiki said, squatting down to Harukis height and holding Ai in one hand and the kunais in another.

"I promise," Haruki said eagerly, reaching out for the kunais, but having them raised out of his reach when he tried to reach for them.

" Swear, cross your heart," Daiki said sternly.

"I swear," Haruki said with a serious look while crossing his heart.

Daiki hands Haruki the kunais and says okay before standing up and ruffling Harukis head.
Haruki happily starts to run to the door before he hears.

"NO RUNNING IN THIS HOUSE WITH KUNAIS" Daiki yells from Ai's room as he puts her down.

"WAAAAAAA" A baby's cry can be heard from the room and quite "Dammit"

Haruki walks out the door and finds Naruko sitting on the railing. She looks up and grins as Haruki holds up the kunais. She hops off the railing and they start heading towards a direction.

"We need to go to my house so we can get some shurikens, believe it," Naruko said as they walked in that direction.

When they got there Naruko told him to wait and he did. While waiting he is able to admire what the sky looked like. More clouds than he can count colored the sky and the sun shone brightly from behind them. He had read more about how clouds and the sun worked more than anything. He wanted to work with something that dealt with staying outside more than anything. To just work somewhere where he could admire the sky without worry. Watch when it rains or snow or just look at it, especially at night when the stars are out he could name almost every constellation that would be in the sky at night. Nights were his favorite because there was no one to tell you to stop looking at the sky, it was just him and his thoughts. That was until he met Naruko where she convinced him that ninja look at clouds more than anyone else because they fight outside most of the time.

" Alright now we can go. I know this place dad took me one time, believe it" Naruko said as she exited her house.

"Okay" Haruki said, ripping his gaze from the sky.

Naruko starts walking in the direction of a training ground known as training ground 7.

-Time skip.. 1 year after orientation-

Haruki, now 7, grows the courage to confess how he feels about Naruko to her. He may or may not have a pre school crush on her. And she may or may not be a little oblivious.

"Hey, um, I'm Sasuke, do you want to maybe play a game of checkers" a boy the same age as him with raven hair, onyx eyes and pale skin. Top of the class so far.

"Yea, I'm Haruki, Golden boy" Haruki says with a smile. A blush grows on Sasuke's cheek and he nods before walking to a set up checker board.

A few moves into the game and Sasuke is stuck and he thinks he can't safely move one of his men without having them taken.

Haruki looks up at the clouds and sees one shaped like a bird. He is about to point it out before seeing Sasuke with a concentrated look and points at one of his men he hasn't moved yet in a corner. Sasuke blushes more but moves the piece.

"There is a cloud that looks like a bird over there," Haruki says, pointing in the direction of the cloud behind Sasuke. He moves a piece in front of Sasuke's man to have his man jump and his other man jump Sasuke's. A legal move.

"You cheated, '' Sasuke accuses when he hears Haruki place his piece and he turns around.

"No I didn't, I just moved my piece." Haruki said, gesturing to the board.

Sasuke believes him but doesn't see the piece he moves so he doesn't jump Haruki's man.
Haruki sees Sasuke's man never jumped, so he takes it and takes a different move.

"You can't do that," Sasuke said, making an objection.

"Yes I can, you have to take your jumps."Haruki says.

"I don't wanna play anymore if you're gonna keep doing that" Sasuke said with a grumble and a blush.

"You can still win if you make the right moves," Haruki said with a chuckle.

"Fine." Is the last thing Sasuke said before they play the rest of the game.
A few minutes later

Needless to say, Haruki won. While having all of Sasuke's pieces. Sasuke only had three.

Sasuke grumbles and determinedly says,"again"

They start a new game. Midway through the game a head of blonde and blue eyes pop up. Haruki grows a little blush along with a fast heartbeat.

"You won't win by yourself, you should let me help you, believe it." Naruko said with a grin.

"No, I will continue to play til I win without cheating."Sasuke said not want someone to be around him and Haruki.

"Well let me help you, it is not cheating," Naruko said, wanting to play and not wanting to be denied.

"No, I can do it by myself," Sasuke said glaring at her.
"No you cant"Naruko said glaring back at him as small blush form.

They start to yell at each other and Haruki has had enough so he gets up and says " well Naruko can take my place and I can watch",

A resounding no and yes come out at the same time.

"Well it is settled."Haruki says while scooting over for Naruko.

Sauke grumbles but is a little happy that Haruki stayed around but Haruki won't be paying attention to anything he is doing.

Naruko is happy that she got to sit in front of the boy who denied her and her best friend.

Haruki is happy that he got to hang around a new friend and his crush.

Sasuke won, but it was sunset and they had to return home. Waving Sasuke ran home, leaving Naruko and Haruki alone.

Getting up, Haruki says,"I can walk you home."

"Believe it"

They walk to her house and at her doorstep he tells her something.

"Hey Naru-chan... um.... I really like hanging out with you" Haruki said with a dark blush rising to his cheeks.

"I like hanging out with you too, believe it" Naruko said thinking he was talking about being friends.

Haruki knowing she means friend grows a bigger blush and says, "I really like you, Naruko"

Naruko stops smiling and realizes what he means and says, "Sorry..... I don't feel like that... I'm sorry Haru-kun"

She enters her home leaving Haruki sitting there blushing and heartbroken. Haruki turns around and walks home on the way he finds himself having a tear roll down his face and then he runs the rest of the way.

Haruki gets home and finds his dad passed out drunk, at least he wouldn't have to hear his father berate Haruki about getting home late saying that he was worthless just like his mother like last time. Going down the hall he checks his sister and makes sure she is asleep before getting ready for bed and going to sleep.

Next day

After leaving the academy he finds that Sasuke is not there and Naruko avoids him like the plague. It turns out the day they met was the Uchiha massacre and Naruko had a crush on Sasuke. She would go to the academy then immediately go to the hospital to meet him.

Sasuke didn't appreciate it that much. He didn't want anyone seeing him weak.

Haruki grew older and his feelings dulled. Sasuke intensified along with Naruko.

Naruko is no longer associated with Haruki.

Sasuke no longer smiled or tried to befriend people.

Haruki no longer played checkers or let people in his life.'

'Funny how that works out' Haruki thought to himself as he walked to the academy