Hiiii... I'm not dead? . I've been sitting on this chapter for a while. I don't like it. But in order to further the story along, I've no choice but to post it. Not my best, but that's just life.

I'll respond to a few reviews that helped me finish this chapter at the end.

Chapter 9: A New Life

Dewy grass caressed the contours of her feet, tickling the delicate skin between the juncture of her toes. It was softer than any other grass she had ever felt before. Vibrant and healthy as it swayed in a breeze that didn't exist. The large pond a few inches from the tips of her toes lay calm and stagnant.

Akira ran her fingers along the blades under her, caressing it gently.

In the center of the pond was a small, barren island with nothing more than the sapling of a tree she couldn't put a name to. There were no leaves on its tiny branches, leaving it as nothing more than a skeleton.

This part of her mindscape was like something from a wonderful dream. The kind of dream you would wake up from and long to go back. It would have been calming if not for the endless roaring.

She sank her hand deeper into the softness of the grass and ripped it from the ground with a scream. She went on, at the top of her lungs, until there was no air left and her throat ached. Strange how even in her mind she ran out of breath.

When she finally stopped, all was quiet. Blissful silence.

Akira turned around to the menacing cage behind her with fire in her eyes. "That's how fucking annoying you are. All you do is roar and roar and roar. Do you do anything else? Or is your tiny animalistic brain too stupid to come up with anything else?" she sneered.

There was a pregnant pause before- "You insignificant cur! I'll grind your bones between my teeth and-"

"-and spit my foul blood onto the pile of corpses of everyone I love, yeah, yeah. Been there heard that."

"The moment I tear through this cage you'll be nothing more than a mangled little red smear on the earth!"

Akira pulled her legs to her chest, resting her cheek on her knee. "You'll be nothing more than a mangled red smear on the earth." She mocked in an exaggerated voice.

"Do not forget little."

"I am not little."

"Ah you are correct for once in your meaningless life. You're tiny."

She turned back to Kurama once more, face red in anger. "And you're an over-sized ugly humanoid demon fox with anger issues, ya'know!"

The orange demon threw himself against the bars of his cage with a resounding clang. "I may be nothing more than a beast to your kind, but who is the real demon? Your kind hunts and destroys anything they don't understand all in an endless plight of power."

"I have not destroyed anything. Don't lump me with a populace I have nothing to do with."

"You haven't... yet. But you will. You mortals are all the same. Rotten on the inside with no trace of humanity you so desperately preach of having. Only to turn around and wage wars that put the lands around you in ruins."

"You're right. There are always some bad cookies in a batch. But where evil exists, there is always good." Her eyes hardened. "Like my parents. They were good."

"Ha! One was my jailer and the other imprisoned me into tiny brats. There is no good when it comes to your kind."

"He did it to save my life and the lives of everyone in the village that was only in danger because of you. Sorry, Kurama, but you are the only evil that exists in this story. What's the point of having a voice when all you do is destroy without question?"

There was no answer.

…

Her reunion with the living world was a mixture of terror, pain and unfathomable rage. She awoke screaming, clawing at anything that came near her and baring her teeth like a wild animal. To her cloudy mind everyone was an enemy.

Movement to the left-the sight of her mother's violet eyes that so closely mirrored her own dimming into nothingness.

Echoed shouts of pain and fear reverberated in her eardrums. Blurry figures coupled with malicious intent pulsed around her like a whipping hurricane. The smell of burning flesh and iron fell heavy in the air.

Searing pain across her back. Her fathers' arms wrapped around her-those very arms chilling over in death, dripping blood on to the hungry soil.

Colors spiraled. Her head throbbed.

Red eyes filled with resentment and hate-she wasn't alone anymore and the thought isn't comforting.

It was strange. This hungry and unfathomable power coursing through her veins. It was excruciating yet euphoric. The voice in the back of her mind wanted to release it. To let it loose and laugh at the chaos it unleashed-

A deep voice beckoned the others. Akira saw a flash of green and white before her stomach felt as if it were boiling. The screams reached a fever pitch.

With the sting of a needle puncturing her neck she was back under once again. This time her only company was that of her nightmares.

When she came to a second time, her violence was contained by the restraints strapped onto her wrists and legs. She wasn't sure how she felt about how they put a muzzle on her, so she tried not to think too hard on it.

She lay there for what felt like hours. Alone long enough to overthink the fate of her parents. Of herself. Of her newborn brother. Of how dry her mouth was and the difficulty she had with breathing. What she would give to go back in time and change more. To make the scales tip in her favor for once in this hell-like world.

She could hear as footsteps neared the room, which was strange, drawing her attention. In walked a medic-nin, nose deep in a clipboard. Female, mid twenties with brown hair tied in a low bun and warm honey eyes.

Akira spoke her first and only word with the voice of a 60-year-old smoker, "Naruto."

The trained nin jumped in shock at the croaky words and noticed for the first time her ward was awake. The brunette screamed at the top of her lungs and ran out of the room, dropping the clipboard in her hasty retreat. She could smell a foreign scent in the air as her ears rang from the onslaught of a scream lessening in the distance.

Well… that was different.

Soon after the nurse fled, someone came in who Akira could only guess was her doctor. He was an oaf of a man with bandages on his arms and a thick scar across his neck. The way he made his way into the room screamed wariness, and he was careful not to get too close unless examining her.

He too gave off the pungent scent as the last nin. If she focused enough, she swore she could even hear his fast-paced heartbeat.

The unnamed nin asked her questions that she refused to answer aloud.

How did she feel? Dead.

Where did she hurt? Everywhere.

What did she remember? Too much. Always too much.

When he finally retreated from the room, without even disclosing his name, she let out a breath that stung her lungs and rattled her chest. Who knew hell would have four white walls and horrible bedside manners?

With nothing left to do Akira took to glaring at the glass of water on her bedside table she'd never be able to reach with bound hands. They hadn't even thought of giving her something to drink, never mind eat. Bastards.

She was unaware of how many days had passed. It was irritating, this lack of information. The leather muzzle on her face was chafing her skin. When they finally gave her water, she actually cried of happiness. It scared the nurse and put a name to the strange smell that surrounded everyone that came into contact with her.

Fear.

Apparently, all of her senses were heightened-to a painful degree. The scent of the burnt toast and mystery meat they gave her made her recoil in disgust. She let them feed it to her anyway on a shaking spoon. Being spoon-fed by others was humiliating for her and everyone else involved.

When the next person to walk through the threshold of her prison was a familiar one, she felt a small spark of hope. All up until they locked eyes and he froze like a deer in the headlights. The moment lasted for only a second before he lumbered into the too-small space, but it was enough to show her even more how different things were.

Her eyes followed him like a hawk as he made his way to the chair next to her bed. His usual jovial walk was gone, replaced with bowed shoulders looking as if the world took residence upon them.

The freedom of his movements annoyed her to no end.

Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose with enough force to stain his skin white when his hand fell to his lap. There were bags under his red-rimmed eyes. Guess the sandman hadn't visited him much, either.

A few awkward moments passed, looking as if he would speak, mouth opening only to fall back into a grim line. He shifted once more before meeting her eyes.

"This… through years of war and murder, of all the awful things my eyes have seen and all I've been through-this is by far the hardest for me to do." he sagged in his seat, running a wary hand down his face.

"Your father died soon after sealing the other half of the Kyuubi in your brother. And your mother… she's in a coma from her injuries and extreme chakra exhaustion. They don't believe she will ever wake up. I'm sorry."

Though her body was dehydrated, Akira felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. Her Papa… Minato…He was gone. Dead. And Kushina was as good as dead. How was she supposed to react to news like this?

She took a deep breath, then released it. Steely violet eyes lifted. There would be time later to allow herself to drown in her grief. Right now, she was more concerned with the living.

"Where…" another painful attempt at swallowing spit that wasn't there, "...is Naruto."

"He's safe, but I cannot disclose the location as of yet." he stood up, making his way towards the door. "The Hokage is allowing me to stay in Konoha until you are back on your feet and put into housing. I'll be back in a few days."

And then he left, just like that. Leaving her with a heavy heart and too many questions left unanswered. Finally alone, she allowed herself to cry.

Days passed by in the hospital slowly. After three passed with no struggle from her side they reluctantly took the restraints off. Another ten went by before she was moved to a room with a window. The weather shone bright and mocking as more days passed in isolation.

They told her it would be a few months before they released her. Later she was told how the Kyuubi almost broke out of her seal the first time she woke up. It put three nurses in the hospital and left five more injured. Of course it was more so spit at her by the friend of one of the guys she hospitalized. The knowledge wasn't comforting. Just the thought she was able to take down eight grown-ups left a bad taste in her mouth. Not too long ago she couldn't even put up a fight against a gang of children.

In those days she put up no fight. It took a lot of self control no to lash out at the medic-nins who wanted nothing more than for her to suffer. What good would it do to give the people that loathed her more ammunition to attack her without being reprimanded? None. So she just sat there, listening to idle chatter from outside the walls of her room. Her enhanced senses still hurt, but she was slowly getting used to them.

Every muttered curse toward her was heard. All of the gossip around the Uchiha being behind the attack was spreading around like the plague. It was all everyone wanted to talk about and it made her fill slowly with rage.

Sure, in a way it was linked to one of the clans own, not that they knew, but it didn't give them the right to blame an entire people on the acts of one person. It was like her conversation with Kurama all over again.

Yet even with all of the backlash they were facing, the Uchiha helped the most with the village's clean-up. They took care of most of the rubble from the areas that were attacked, coming across the rotting bodies that were bloated from the sun's heat and barely recognizable.

Hell, they even began rebuilding houses to make sure there were fewer sleeping on the streets.

All in all, the once loud and lively people of Konoha were consumed by loss and grief that turned them bitter. They still had it in them to take time to mourn the loss of their Fourth Hokage. A place Akira was almost banned from going, the bastards.

No one wanted anything to do with her. The Third Hokage made her out to be some kind of glorified war hero, but the populace had other ideas. They treated her like a leper-and how could she blame them?

So many had lost their homes, businesses and loved ones. Their lives uprooted by a maniac who went unnamed that held the terrifying power to control a tailed beast. They needed someone to pour their hatred on, even if the cup was just a child who also lost everything.

Too many knew the truth of what she had sealed inside of her, and they treated her as such.

So there Akira stood for her father's funeral, aided by a cane to keep her upright. The village heads wouldn't let her see Naruto or Kushina (Kushina, not mother-that made things too hard). Her eyes stared off into nothingness, dull and lifeless.

Here she was, losing everything she knew once again. Burdened with an uncertain future that would no doubt be filled with even more pain and suffering. All of the effort she went into saving them was in vain; nothing could have saved her parents.

It was already written.

"We are here today not in mourning, but to celebrate the lives that were taken too soon. To lay our dead to rest and remember them as they were before the tragedy. Many were lost during the attack, including our beloved Fourth Hokage; Namikaze Minato and his wife Uzumaki Kushina. They gave their lives to protect us all, leaving their only child, Uzumaki-Namikaze Akira…"

Said child tuned out the voice of Lord Third, instead listening to the cries of those around her. She hoped her pseudo-parents were at least somewhere nice and at peace. In the muffled sobs of those around her, she allowed herself wonder if she was even allowed to mourn for them.

Did she have the right? They weren't even her real parents. The girl who was once Jemma stole their eldest child being none the wiser. Yet the time Akira did spend with them were some of her happiest memories. The lessons she would never forget and the bond she would never be able to shake.

No, they may not have been her parents in the traditional way but it fucking hurt all the same. She thought back to her time as Jemma, thinking of all of these people being planted into the ground.

Fuck, she hated funerals.

Akira wanted to escape. She didn't want to deal with the ramifications of Kushina being in a coma, or talk about going back to a home that was now filled with ghosts. Didn't want to feel the pressure of this man's hatred for her as he tried in vain to be professional.

Yet there she was. Sitting in a stuffy office with a man she didn't care to remember the name of. The chair she sat in was dingy and smelt faintly of must and stale farts. Enhanced senses sucked.

"Your mother is legally brain dead so being first of kin, you are the only one with the ability to take her off of life support, regardless of your age. With no living parents, the house and everything inside that is not yours will be condemned until you become an adult." The old man droned in a bored voice, glasses perched on the edge of his nose as he read through the stack of documents strewn across the table in orderly chaos.

"So when I become a ninja?" It wasn't much of a question. Being the shiny new weapon in their arsenal meant she had no choice but to be sharpened to her masters content. Or in layman's terms: the newest jinjuriki needs to be deadly enough to be used effectively.

What was the point of having a powerful tool if you weren't able to utilize it to its fullest potential? Being a ninja was no longer a choice. It was her duty.

The man coughed into his hand. "Precisely. Now, if you could sign these papers saying you understand everything we went over, you will be free to leave. On this form is your new address." he pushed the papers toward in front of her. "Your things were already packed and put into the apartment. Sign here and here."

He sounded more than happy to get her out of his office and she was more than willing to leave. She took the pen he handed to her between cubby fingers and scrawled a signature on the parchment. All of that practice didn't go to waste; the signature was beautiful.

Without another word Akira stood from the chair, taking a moment to bow to the old man, and walked out. There was a slight limp to her step but the doctors said the damage to her spine had mostly healed. She'd be left with a gnarly scar but on the inside everything was as good as it would get.

The door shut with a finalizing click as she wondered where she would go to next.

Itachi was playing an amazing game of "keeping away" so visiting him was shot down as soon as it popped into her head. Maybe he was busy spending time with his cousin Shisui to bother being around her?

Couldn't visit Naruto since no one was allowed to know that he was her brother. It would put him in too much danger, and for once; she agreed. He was an infant, so there was no way for him to protect himself. Keeping his anonymity was what was best for him right now, even if it killed her.

They did tell her she would eventually be able to visit him, saying he was her distant cousin from her mother's side. So it wasn't like the Hokage was trying to keep him from her, just thinking realistically in their war-torn world.

In this universe, no one but a select few knew Naruto held part of the Kyuubi inside of him. That was her burden to be left with and for that she was thankful. To know he would be taken care of properly instead of neglected and hated kept her going most days.

Akira let out a long sigh, rubbing a hand down her whiskered face. Her life was a mess and she had no idea where to start on how to fix it. It looked as if she didn't have a choice on where she went as she made her way toward her new home.

Walking through the village wasn't much different than when she was Jemma as a ghost. Sure, people would glare at her and purposefully shove her around when given the chance but other than that they acted as if she wasn't there at all.

When a familiar scent wafted through the air to meet her nose she paused in the middle of the street. There stood the bakery she visited almost daily from the day of her first time going to Itachi's by herself. The day ended badly, but their dango and sweet buns were to die for.

She didn't have money on her, but visiting old man Kaoru would be nice. He was always kind and willing to chat with her, no matter her age. He had a daughter who was a ninja and not much older than herself that he loved talking about to everyone and anyone.

Minato even visited with her a few times after he became Hokage, something that almost made the ex-ninja have a heart attack.

Akira smiled fondly as she walked into the door, the bell jingling above her head. No one was behind the counter but there were a few people in the shop. One person scoffed and angrily walked past her out the door. She ignored the pang of sadness and walked in further, hands coming together nervously. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea?

Before she could even think of escaping Kaoru came from the back with boxes in his hands. "One order of sticky buns and two dango." no one answered him. He looked up and made eye contact with her and visibly shrank. She eyed him with hope, but was let down when he came from behind the counter looking constipated.

"Hi mister Kaoru how is-" She was cut off when he grabbed her by the shoulder, heavy and slightly painful when he clamped down. She was confused as he began to shove her forcefully back out of the door.

"You can't be here. Leave." With that final word she was pushed completely out of the door.

Akria stood there in shock, hand massaging the place where his hand once was. "I- I don't understand." she stated, voice cracking.

The responding glare made her freeze. The same glare she received by everyone else in the village. A scent she knew to be hate slipped past the heavenly scent of baked goods. "My daughter and wife were killed in the attack. You may be the late Hokage's daughter but I know what you really are. Stay the hell away from me and my business, you little monster."

He slammed the door on her.

Akira stood there for Gods knows how long, feeling a swarm of emotions. Betrayal. Sadness. (Anger that boiled in her stomach and made her teeth grind together.)

She ignored the collecting tears and spit on the ground in front of her. No one deserved even that much of a reaction. Akira turned to glare at the small group of people leering at her. With a growl she stormed off.

See if she cared! The people in this village should be thanking her! The Nine Tails was sealed away thanks to her father's sacrifice! She didn't even have a fucking choice.

"Fuck them." she grumbled to herself. She'd go search for her new apartment. The Hokage told her before she would be going back to the academy starting tomorrow so maybe she would see her real friend there… Her friend that hadn't even come around to visit her.

Kurama was right. Humans were shit.

Akira's new home was small and leaning toward the scale of being a complete dump. The entrance had the usual area where you take off your shoes to put on house slippers. There were boxes stacked in what she guessed what was supposed to be the living room that would no doubt be a bitch to unpack. To the right the open room leads to a small kitchenette with light brown cabinets.

Along the back wall were two white doors. Upon further inspection the left door led to a bathroom. There were two parts to it: an entrance room with a sink and toilet and the actual bathing area that consisted of a stall to rinse off in and a small tub.

She walked out and made her way to her room, which was basically the size of a walk-in closet. Akira sighed, already missing her family home.

With nothing left to do she got to unpacking. What a drag.

When Akira arrived at the academy, she practically ran to her classroom. All of the parents outside were whispering to their children to keep their distance from her.

Not even the breeze could disperse the thick and suffocating aroma of hatred.

Unsurprisingly Itachi was in the class when she walked in, punctual as always, but the seat she used to have next to him was occupied by someone else. He refused to meet her eyes.

Akira fought with herself for a moment to stop the tears that wanted to fall, making her way to one of the empty chairs in the back of the room.

Their class was small before, but an orphanage was completely wiped off the map, leaving more empty seats than before.

Their teacher, Kaname-sensei, walked in and promptly began their lesson. Every time she raised her hand to answer a question, she received pointed nasty looks. Only after the sixth time of purposefully not being called on did she stop. Instead she poured her emotions into taking notes.

Lunch was horrible as she dutifully ignored the kids surrounding her desk spitting horrible words at her. A boy she used to play kick the can with called her disgusting. A girl who used to braid her hair made a seething comment about her teeth-which confused her. Sure, she hadn't looked in the mirror since before the attack, but she was under the impression her looks went unchanged.

"Hey, freak, we asked you a question!" one boy said, throwing the rice she had made for lunch on the floor. She stared at the slightly burnt rice scattered across the ground with distaste. It took her most of the morning to make that. Baking was her thing, not cooking.

Chilled liquid splashed onto the crown of her head and into her eyes. The smell of closely expiring milk attacked her senses. Akira stood up abruptly from her chair, making all of the kids take a large step back. "Sensei, I'm going to the bathroom." she didn't wait for an answer, just walked down the steps and out of the door ignoring the eyes that followed.

When outside she ran to the bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it behind her. Her breaths came out in short pants as she made her way up to the sink, tears blurring her sight. She turned on the faucet and did her best to rinse most of the milk out of her hair, refusing to look in the mirror.

It was difficult but she managed. Hair dripping, she put her hands on either side of the sink and tried calming herself. Tears fell down her cheeks, concealed by the moisture dripping from her hair.

Hell. This was pure hell. Akira clenched her jaw to keep from screaming.

This was her first day back. Would it get worse? It always got worse.

Jariya was gone. She couldn't see Naruto. Everyone hated her for no reason. The only option was to graduate early to get away from all of this shit.

Why. Why. WHY!?

The door handle moved, causing her to look up, only to get frozen as she made eye contact with herself. Akira stared in horror. The whisker marks on her cheeks were darker. And that girl was right. With her teeth clenched as they were, she could see her canines were sharper, both on the top and bottom.

For the first time she saw herself clearly. "A monster." she whispered, voice laced with pain. Ugly. Disgusting. She growled at her reflection and screamed, punching the reflective glass with all of her might.

It instantly shattered, pieces exploding outward. "Fuck!" she yelled, hands rising to shield her face as some of the sharp fragments sliced her face. The rest fell into the porcelain sink and floor with a clatter. Akira hadn't even realized her chakra had gone to her hands.

She didn't even look up when the door opened, too enthralled with how the cuts on her chakra coated hands sizzled, pushing some of the mirror out and healing in wisps of smoke. "What…?"

Someone cleared their throat, making her jump, hand going behind her back so the person wouldn't see.

Itachi stood in the doorway, awkwardly shifting on his feet. "Sensei is wondering where you are. If you're late he said you will be written up so I came to get you..."

"Get out." she croaked. He looked up, eyes wide and pained.

"Kira-"

"You ignore me for months," She hissed, "Allowed me to get humiliated and you think you can come barging into the girls bathroom to try and save me from getting a stupid write-up?"

"It's not-"

"You were supposed to be there for me!" she was screaming now. "I lost everything! I watched my parents get killed and you- you didn't even stand by me at their funeral. You were supposed to be there. You were my best friend!"

He took a step toward her, "I am your best friend!"

"Funny way of showing it." she scoffed, rubbing her face with her sleeve. It came back bloody. "Dammit."

"Language."

He looked away when she glared at him, clearing his throat. "The clan is being blamed. Father said it would be best to keep my distance from you until things blow over." he looked up, tears in his eyes, "I tried visiting you in the hospital but they said you didn't want to see me. They called you a monster. I thought you blamed us too…"

They stood there for a while, Akira crying and Itachi looking at the broken mirror. It was believable. The people at the hospital already didn't like her for harming a lot of their staff and they definitely knew how to hold a grudge. There were days where no one came into her room to feed her.

Could they have purposefully kept them from each other out of spite towards both of them?

Looking at the young heir she thought of herself in his shoes. Her clan being publicly shunned by the village for unleashing a once fabled monster. She had already heard the gossip in the hospital. Nasty words being exchanged about how the Uchiha were the evil masterminds behind the attack.

She wondered if he had been through similar things as herself. Targeted by angry villagers for no reason. Had he really thought she would listen to a bunch of civilians blabbering their nonsense?

"Idiot." he looked at her with so much hope it hurt. "Uchiha are stuck up assholes but they didn't unleash the Nine Tails. I don't blame anyone but the man who did it."

Itachi looked stunned. "So you… Don't hate me?"

"I mean I'm pissed you did nothing when someone poured milk on me…" she wrinkled her nose.

He lunged forward, hugging her. Akira was taken aback by the show of affection but quickly hugged him back. It was the first time someone had done so in so long. She felt choked up and relieved. Like a burden lifted from her shoulders.

Maybe she didn't lose everyone.

"I'm sorry." he whispered. "I won't leave you ever again. I promise."

"Better not." She sniffled, wiping snot on his shoulder (he deserved it). "Or I'll hunt you down and kick your ass."

Itachi snorted but didn't reprimand her for cussing. Maybe she was slowly infecting him with her debauchery.

"Let's go back to class. I was serious when I said Kaname-sensei would write you up."

"Okay." She nodded into his shoulder.

As they took a step from each other, Itachi grabbed her hand in his own. "Together?" He asked.

"Together" she answered.

Even with the promises of sticking together, she rarely saw Itachi outside of school. It broke her heart that he was drifting further and further away from her, but she understood. As the heir, he had a lot of training he needed to do and not a long time to do it.

His time was taken up with his cousin Shisui. There was no way Akira could compare to him, friend wise. They both came from the same clan and had a lot in common.

In two short weeks, it wouldn't matter, though. Because once word got out that the Fourth Hokage's Uzumaki child was orphaned, it was only a matter of time before she was abducted.

End

Lets talk:

topsyturvy: Thank you so much for your kind words! I'll give you a hint that the endgame pairing is one that you mentioned in your review ;)

bonitalito: Sorry about that, I try to keep the story going in a nice straight line, but its pretty hard with so many ideas jumping around my mind.

Cat Beats: Thank you for reviewing 3 i love seeing your imput on the chapters

SarahFanaFanta: Obito's a little shit. AND YOU'RE TOO KIND TO ME

Thank you all of your encouragement, it really helped me get back into writing.

~Siren