1.Her new home
Waiting outside the Hokage’s office located in the heart of Konoha, I took my time to look around. The place was entirely foreign to me and judging by the looks that the passing by shinobies gave me I could tell that the people here didn’t trusted strangers.
Filling stiff I forced myself to relax and made sure my face showed none of the anxiety I was feeling. There was no point in losing my cool now.
I Hirai Marri once belonged to the powerful Hirai clan from the Land of Lightning. The Hirai members are very easily distinguished due to their uncommon features. They all have fair skin, blue eyes, and wavy auburn hair. Both man and woman kept their hair long as it was considered a sign of power. I myself have inherited all those typical features with the exception that my wavy auburn hair that normally roamed freely down my back now was tightly secured in a single braid in attempt to blend in at least a little bit. Seeing the tan skinned and muscular build locals, however, made me realize that my efforts had been in vain. There is nothing I could have possibly done that could have helped me fit because I looked like a foreigner from miles away.
But I couldn’t back away, I hadn’t come this far just to give up!
As I stood there my mind brought back the events that led me here.
The Hirais lived in happiness and prosperity once, but 5 years ago led by envy the other clans united and slaughtered them. I was the lone survivor of that fateful night. Severely wounded I had managed to escape using every last bit of my energy. When I couldn’t continue anymore, I had passed out. As my world went black my last thoughts had been that I will probably never open them again. I had given up all hope for survival but then I met HIM.
Uchiha Itachi - my savior and protector. Ever since that day he became my whole world. The infamous S-class criminal known by everyone for his cruelty and ruthlessness had shown me nothing but tenderness and kindness. He gave me a home and helped me become stronger. Under his care and protection, I gradually let myself feel again. I had been living my life in helplessness and darkness where the sun didn’t shine on me and he showed me the daylight.
As I grown up, however, I could no longer ignore how merciless and cold Itachi was toward everyone else. Where I felt security, all others trembled with fear. Even his partner Kisame was aware that if he is not careful, he may lose his life by the hand of the shinobi at any given moment. He tried to shield me from that part of his life but little by little the darkness that lived in him became known to me and it horrified me. Soon my love for him was not enough to disregard all the innocent lives he was destroying. I knew I should leave him but the very thought that I might never see his face and hear his voice again was unbearable. Finally, one day, I gathered all my willpower and ran without looking back. I knew it will break my heart but nothing could have prepared me for the emptiness and the pain the overwhelmed me. They spread through my veins like a venom and burned me from inside.
Heartbroken and alone I realized I had nowhere to go. I wandered aimlessly from one village to another before deciding to head to Konoha - the village that was once his home, hoping that this will ease the pain from missing him. And that’s how I ended up here - in front the Hokage’s office. I told her about the night my clan had been killed and asked to become a member of the Leaf village, of course, I left out the fact that for the last 5 years I had lived and trained with one of the deadliest criminals from their village. And that the very same infamous S-class criminal possesses my heart and constantly occupies my mind. Once Itachi had been entirely loyal to Konoha. That loyalty had even driven him to kill his whole clan, leaving only his little brother alive. So in hopes to pacifies my heartache, I decided to settle in the village that had once held a special place in his heart.
My mind went back to the people in the room. The Fifth Hokage also known as lady Tsunade together with her advisers among whom was the copycat of Konoha Kakashi had gathered to determine whether or not they trust her enough to accept me as a member of their village.
I was still deep in my thoughts when the door opened. From there came out a young lady which I remembered from our previous introduction as the Hokages apprentice - Shizune.
“Please, come inside Marri-san “she said in a polite voice.
I felt my insides twisting but on the outside, I was perfectly calm and composed as I quietly followеd her into the room.
That was the moment. The moment that will determent my future.
