FicWad

/The Next Day.../



/Yuna's POV/



Crimson eyes slowly opened after a good night's sleep from everything that happened, finding that it was now morning and a new day had arrived. Yesterday's events were still clear in my mind, occasionally flashing memories of what took place, but I was much too focused on the present to really pay much attention. Besides, what was in the past was done. Also, I was able to see a beautiful scenery in front of me, the colors of vibrant green grass and the soothing winds brushing against my skin. It was a bit of a light chill, but since it was so sunny I was able to warm up in a matter of seconds. There were a few mountains rising up into the skin near the horizon line, each of them lined with the lush green grass before disappearing behind the aforementioned place to reveal its neighbor. Trees and many species of flowers grew here there as well, giving the scene a more wondrous and ethereal feel to it. It was very peaceful, in my opinion; so much that I wanted to stay here, staring at everything and forgetting about the rest of the world around me. As much as I was enjoying the sight, though, I took notice to something very odd. Eyes narrowing, I came to the realization that the scene was moving; slowly, yes, but it was still moving nonetheless. My brows furrowed. Mountains should not be moving on their own, so what was happening?

Blinking a few times in order to wake myself up again, my scarlet eyes began scanning around to figure out was going on and where I happened to be based off where I was last night. When I observed my surroundings a bit further, I realized that I had ended up in a moving cart; I assumed that it belonged to the caravan that had taken Naruto, the teen and myself in last night after our long fall to the bottom of the cliff. We must have been moving to a different location right right now, since I recalled Kahiko mention something about how they moved very often from place to place; that would have to be my guess, but I could not fully say for sure if that was true. My head was still a bit hazy when it came to remembering things, but I did pick that up somewhere along the lines. I rubbed my eyes a little to wake myself up, seeing as how my blinking was not doing the trick. /Maybe I should go check up on Naruto/, I thought to myself. /He’s probably waiting for me to wake up/. With that in mind, I decided to get up, but I felt something around me in a secure manner. I almost jumped out of my skin once my head shot down to notice an arm around my waist. Oddly, it was one that was very familiar to me, and the voice proved my assumption.

"You finally woke up, Yuna." My head shot up to see that it was the teen; he was lying next to me and looking down at me with kind red eyes.

I blinked before replying timidly, "Yeah. Good morning, I...guess."

"You were asleep for quite some time," he told me. "You must have been tired from everything that happened yesterday."

I shrugged, smiling lightly.

"Yeah, I suppose it was, seeing as how we fell off a cliff and nearly died. It's something that I would rather forget, but can't.” Suddenly, I felt something land on my lap; I looked down to see that it was little Nerugui coming to visit us again. He was looking up at me with those tiny red eyes of his, giving him a sense of innocence. I smiled lightly and pat his head, to which he nuzzled against it. /I thought he was with Kahiko/, I thought.

"I guess he's taken a liking to us," he said. I glanced up at him. "This is the second time he's done this so far."

I shrugged a little and said, “Well, maybe there’s something about us that he liked.” I felt his eyes fall upon me again, but I did not look back just yet. Instead, I decided to change the subject to something I have wanted to know for some time. "I…never caught your name, by the way." I spoke, glancing at him with curious red eyes. "You know mine so well, but I don’t even know yours. I guess I should get to know you while I have the chance."

He looked out at the mountains for a long moment, as if something had caught his interest or he was just thinking deeply, and then looked back at me.

"My name is Temujin," he said.

"Temujin..." I repeated to myself, my eyes narrowing in thought. /His name/, I thought to myself. It sounded very familiar to me, almost as if it rang a bell somewhere in the back of my mind. Despite the familiarity that his name had, I did not recall anyone having that name, not in Konoha, at least. Still, the fact that I felt as though I heard that name somewhere before was very clear, yet I just could not put my finger on it. Instead of trying to think about it any further, I snapped back to reality before speaking once more. "I…don’t think I’ve heard of a name like that.” I told him. Then, I smiled. “But…I like it."

"Thank you," he said as I looked back down at Nerugui and continued to pet his head. Silence took over both of us, but it was not one of those awkward silences that I would have expected, seeing as how he was holding me in a protective manner. Instead, it was quite the opposite, which seemed rather odd for two supposed strangers. It was a much more comfortable and relaxing kind of silence; it was as if all the problems that we may have encountered in the recent times were but a memory floating around in the back of our minds. Everything around us seemed to grow quiet as well - the only sound I could hear came from the moving carts along the dirt road, but that meant little to me as it probably did to Temujin. I thought I heard Naruto’s voice somewhere a few minutes into the silence, but I was much too at peace with the world to really notice. My mind began to wonder off to other things as well, mainly the teenager that was next to me.

I could not shake the feeling that Temujin felt like someone I knew very well despite just meeting him yesterday. Even though I thought long and hard to put his name to a face I recognized, I just could not think of one nor could I figure out how exactly I knew him. I could have sworn that I had seen him somewhere in the past, back before I became a ninja, yet the place was unfamiliar and nameless. My lips pursed as I stole a glance in his direction; fortunately, he was still looking at Nerugui and most likely did not notice me. There was something about his eyes that gave away the familiarity that I was trying to find in him. My brain continued to rack itself for the answers I desired. I did not want to keep searching for them anymore; it was only going to distract me from what was really going on, which in all honesty I was having trouble figuring that out, too. Still, I knew that, deep down, I remembered those eyes somewhere before, and it was not just yesterday. In a way (and as crazy as it sounded), it felt like I had seen them somewhere way before then. The only problem was…where?

After another moment of silence, I soon realized that my head had fallen upon Temujin's shoulder, my eyes falling downcast toward the now sleeping ferret; my hand was slowly grazing over his little head as his body inhaled and exhaled calmly. I did not feel fatigued, really, but doing so was a rather unconscious yet almost natural move. He did not seem to mind my actions, and he accepted them without question. In a way, I felt like I could trust him in some way, despite only meeting him in the oddest of ways – during battle. While laying my head on his shoulder, my eyes slowly trailed upward toward the horizon, which changed from the last time I looked upon it. I felt comfortable where I was, maybe even safe from anything that would do us harm. The world seemed like a distant and foreign place as I continued to lay there, head against his shoulder and taking in his scent. After a few minutes, though, my eyes slowly began to close. Although I did not feel tired, I decided to take a small nap while we traveled to pass the time. However, it did not last very long.

"Yuna... Yuna..." I heard Temujin say softly. Scarlet eyes slowly opened once again and looked up at him. "Don't fall asleep again." He said with a small smile was on his face. I returned it immediately, my face heating up a bit in the process. Then, he glanced over my shoulder at something before his smile disappeared. Curious, I followed his gaze to find Naruto was walking over to us while sitting Indian style on an ostrich.

"Hey. Are you ready to talk yet or what?" He questioned rather impatiently. Temujin said nothing in response; he wore his blank expression just like last night, though it did not last very long. He turned his head towards him a little more, wearing a bit of a surprised look. "How come you attacked us out of nowhere like that, huh?" Naruto pressed. Temujin simply stared at him for a long moment; his mind seemed to be off somewhere. I gave him a confused look, while Naruto seemed to get a little aggravated at the fact that his questions were going unanswered. "Hey. I'm talking to you!" He snapped, bringing Temujin back to reality and return the blank expression again.

"That power you were using...” He started, “What is it?"

"Huh? What power?” Naruto questioned. After a moment, he went on, “You mean my chakra?"

Temujin was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Chakra?" He, then, looked down and placed a hand on his chest. I put on a worried expression.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him. He did not respond; he had an intent look on his face as if he was thinking about something.

"Come on. I want answers here!" Naruto persisted. "Just who the heck are you, pal?"

"I'm here to build a utopia," Temujin said blandly, keeping his eyes downcast.

Naruto gave him a confused look, similar to the one I gave him moments ago before muttering, "U...topia?"

Temujin did not explain as he looked back at him.

"That's a very interesting power you both have." He glanced at me before looking back at Naruto. "You should come with us.”

Huh? I wondered curiously, brows furrowing. Us?

"Eh?" Naruto responded, before getting frustrated. "Look, we don't even understand what you're talking about here!"

"Just think about it," Temujin responded as he looked forward again.

Unable to accept his reply, Naruto became aggravated and he shouted, "When pigs fly, I will! Why would we go anywhere with you?! I’m asking you why you attacked us! Do I have to tie you up to force you to-WHOA!"

I turned my head quickly to see that the ostrich began chasing something that caught its interest, bringing the ninja along with it despite his protests. With a small smile, I sighed and shook my head. I guess Naruto really does have problems with animals. I looked back at Temujin, who was opening and closing his hands.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

He did not respond at first. Instead, he silently looked over at his armor for a moment that lied in a neat pile on the other side of the cart. Then, he looked back at me.

"Come with me,” he said, his red eyes staring intently into mine, “to see Master Haido again.”

I blinked at his words, feeling a little baffled by his offer. The name he spoke of – Master Haido – also seemed to ring a bell, but like Temujin I could not put my finger on who it was.

"Who is…Master Haido?" I questioned.

“He is the man who helped us after the war," he explained, "and is going to start our utopia.” I continued to give him a bewildered expression, attempting to remember who he was talking about, only to come up with nothing. He sighed. "I guess you don't remember him, either." He muttered.

"I...don't know what you're talking about..." I responded honestly. My head lowered in shame. “I’m sorry…”

"It’s alright," he responded as he got up and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder; it was a sign of reassurance. He, then, walked over to his armor and picked it up. He turned back to look at me. "I'll take you with me to see him. Maybe you'll recognize him once you see him again." He explained me as he started to put on his armor.

I blinked once again and asked, "What do you mean?"

"You'll see," he replied, a friendly smile playing on his lips. It did not take long to put the rest of his armor on and secure it. When he was finished, he walked over to me and took my hand lightly, lifting me up off the seat – it was then that I realized Nerugui had disappeared – and we both got out of the cart. Naruto was nowhere in sight, and I assumed he was busy trying to stop his runaway ostrich that took him away in the first place. Once we had gotten out of the cart, he went to the end of it and looked out, observing the surroundings as if trying to sneak his way out of prison. I blinked before squeezing his hand and grabbing his attention.

"What are you doing, Temujin?" I asked him. “You’re looking a little suspicious if you ask me.”

"We're leaving,” he replied, turning his head in my direction. “We're going back to Master Haido, like I said."

My eyes widened a bit, surprised by the words he spoke.

"W-wait, what…?" I responded with a matching tone as he turned around and began walking away with me. “I thought you were talking about later! We can’t leave! What about the people here? What about Naruto? I can’t leave him here wondering why I left.”

“I have to return to him, Yuna,” he explained, looking back at me. “He would want to see that you’re okay after so many years.”

I frowned at those words; something inside me told me that it would be the opposite of what Temujin said. However, instead of trying to convince him of that possible fact, I sighed and simply looked away. I knew that anything he said to him was probably not going to do much good for me in the long run. He seemed very persistent when it came stuff like this; at least, something in my mind told me that much, but I could not really say for sure if it was true. As I looked away from him, my eyes caught sight of a little boy climbing a tree. It seemed dangerous for him to be doing that, and I was wondering where his parents could have been. When I observed the situation further, I saw that he was trying to get a ball that had gotten stuck in said tree. I started to feel worried, not wanting him to get hurt along with way, especially since he was not being watched by any adults – if they were, they probably did not even notice. I continued to watch him for a little bit, contemplating on going over to help him, but suddenly realized my worries became reality.

Scarlet eyes widened with shock and fear as I saw the boy lose his footing and slip right out of the tree, beginning his descent to the ground. Now I knew for sure that he was in trouble. Temujin, hearing the commotion, looked over and noticed the boy as well. Before I could even take a step in the young child's direction and help him before he hit the ground, Temujin was already one step up ahead of me; by the time I started moving in the direction, he was already running passed me about as fast as I would have were it me in his shoes. My eyes widened; I barely even noticed him running past me until he was at least a few meters ahead. He sprinted toward the boy as fast as he could before leaping forward, grabbing the child before hitting the ground and sliding to an abrupt halt. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I quickly ran over to them, hoping that they were left unscathed. When I arrived near the scene, I quickly knelt beside him as a crowd of people came running over to investigate what had just happened, a flock of worried faces surrounding us.

"Are you okay?" I asked as Temujin sat up, allowing the boy to run over to his worried mother; the woman thanked him gratefully for saving her child. He was about to stand up, but he quickly clenched his arm in pain. I was already there, making sure that he was not badly injured from the fall. "You probably got hurt while catching him, but will you be alright?"

He did not say a word to answer my question, but simply nodded to let me know that would be alright. When I was sure that he would be fine to move about freely, I moved away before looking up to spot Naruto standing above us. He had a look on his face that said he was not convinced by the heroic act Temujin had committed mere moments ago; he appeared unimpressed, as if he could probably do better than what just happened. However, that did not change the fact that he saved a young boy’s life, and that was enough to earn a little bit of respect from him. With that in mind, I watched as the ninja lent him a hand nonetheless; of course, he looked away to avoid eye contact for his own reasons. Temujin simply stared at Naruto's hand for a moment, but instead of taking his hand, he got up on his own. I quickly got up right after him, making sure that his arm would not be a problem.

"I'm through here," he said. "My debt to these people has been repaid."

Without another word to anyone including Naruto, Temujin took my hand in his and we both began walking away. Instead of protesting as I probably would have done, I decided to just follow along with him and allowed him to lead the way. No doubt Naruto would try to stop him and keep me there with him, but something told me to just listen to Temujin and follow him. With Naruto in mind, I looked over my shoulder at said blond ninja. He was glaring at Temujin and clenching his fists; he was ready to chase him down in just a few seconds. However, before he could do that, I gave him an apologetic look just as he looked at me. The glare left his eyes almost immediately and changed to one of confusion and bewilderment. Moments later, I silently mouthed the words, "Don't follow.” He understood what I meant, but could not understand the reason why I said it. In all honesty, I really did not have an answer for him because even I was not sure why I was going with Temujin. However, instead of trying to come up with a good enough explanation, I simply nodded once in reassurance to him and looked back ahead.

I did not exactly know where Temujin was going at this point, but I assumed it had something to do with the strange man named Master Haido. Yet, for some reason, there was a weird, heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach, telling me that something bad might happen if I did go see this stranger that was leading the way to utopia, or so said Temujin. Just the sound of his name made me shrink back and shift my eyes nervously, as if remembering the name but not recalling the face. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to stop him from taking me there now. Temujin was going to lead the way with or without my protests, while I was just going to follow him no matter what. Still, even though I had a bad feeling about all of this, there was something that may have been good that would come out of this meeting. Maybe seeing this Master Haido would give me an insight on Temujin's connection with me, maybe help me piece together the reason why I was unable to remember. Judging by how Temujin mentioned how he – Haido – would be glad to see me after so many years, I could tell he knew me just as well as Temujin; well, maybe not that much, but enough to know me well.

I sighed and looked at Temujin, squeezing his hand a little unconsciously and moving closer to him. I knew I was going to find out everything about Master Haido by meeting the man myself; I was going to get the answers I have been trying to get for some time. Then, maybe would I be able to truly understand and remember everything; if there really was anything to remember, anyway.