Snow had been falling heavily at the outskirts of Konoha, blanketing the ground and covering the world in a coat of white. The village was sound asleep as the moon hung at its peak, and all that could be heard was the rustling of leaves from the trees around.
Through the falling snow, a lone hooded figure emerged from the forest, holding a warm bundle up to her chest as she walked. Her steps were uneven as puffs of hot air cooled from her seemingly winded breath.
The figure reached the door of a lone building that seemed like an orphanage, a single light flickering off and on, casting a shadow over her slim frame.
The figure looked down to the bundle she was carrying, peeking into the face of a baby fast asleep, seemingly unaware of what had just happened. The baby opened its small eyes, hazily peeking at the figure while still half asleep.
"I'm so sorry baby" she whispered as she looked lovingly into the baby boy's eyes, voice cracking from fatigue and guilt. "You will be safer here, love."
She lowered the baby to the front of the orphanage doors. A small red threaded amulet slid from her palms onto his chest. Hanging from it was a tiny bead made from jade, and a swirl carved into it no larger than a fingernail, unnoticeable unless someone was looking for it.
Her hands continued to fix the bundle, making sure the baby was warm. Stepping back from the front of the door, she gave it a knock, making sure to knock loudly enough someone would notice.
*Step step step*
Sounds of footsteps were heard after a while
She hurriedly ran to hide behind a tree as tears slipped down her cheeks, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The moonlight caught it as she moved. Dark red, almost wine-colored. A shade rarely seen which contrasted against the white snow.
But as she ran, she didn't notice the strand that tore free when she lifted her head. The wind plucked it gently, carrying it away.
"Who is it?" a female voice came from inside. followed by the wobbling glow of a lantern. The door creaked open, and someone who seemed to be the matron stepped out, bundled in thick layers of old clothes.
She looked around, trying to find the person that knocked. Looking down, she noticed the bundle on the floor.
she picked it up, feeling a warmth coming from inside.
She opened the bundle, and gasped softly.
"Oh dear, what happened? How could someone leave you here in the cold"
He wasn't crying. Just watching her with wide, strangely calm eyes, as if he understood far more than he should. She lifted him carefully, brushing melting snowflakes from his round cheeks.
A soft clink drew her attention.
At the bottom of the blanket, partially buried in snow, lay the amulet. She picked it up, turning the jade bead in her fingers. The etched swirl caught the lantern light for an instant before her thumb moved over it, covering the symbol entirely.
"Is this from your family, little one?" she murmured. "Don't worry, I'll keep it safe for you."
She tucked it back into the blanket without noticing the symbol. Without realizing that its swirl belonged to a clan long scattered, nearly erased.
With gentle hands, she carried him inside, as a gentle breeze carried a voice with it.
"Please… keep Eijiro safe for me." The matron turned back, seeing no one there.
"Don't worry, I'll keep little Eijiro safe." she replied quietly, closing the door against the cold as another gust of wind swept away the last trace of red hair and the figure flickered away, unnoticed by anyone.
Within the orphanage walls, the matron placed him beside the hearth, coaxing a gentle flame to life. As she murmured soft reassurances and rubbed his frail hands, the growing warmth of the fire began to wrap around him.
His eyes started to flutter close as drowsiness came over little Eijiro.
Darkness closed around him.
But deep beneath that darkness, and beneath memories, something stirred.
EARTH 20xx
Long before the winter night and the orphanage, there had been another world entirely, one with buzzing fluorescent lights and the hum of old air-conditioning units throughout the day.
Ethan, now known as Eijiro, remembered that world as a collage of moments, overlapping and disjointed like a half-forgotten dream.
He remembered being twenty two, standing at a graduation ceremony with far too much hope in his chest. He remembered thinking adulthood was a straight path paved by effort: work hard, succeed, make your parents proud, live happily.
His parents had always kept things simple.
"As long as you're happy and healthy," they said, "that's enough for us."
He believed them. But he also believed in the promise of opportunity and progress.
Then life happened.
And he started to realize how naive he had been, how the world changed him day by day slowly and steadily grinding down the edges of his optimism.
His first job seemed fine at first. A normal corporate job most would get right after college, decent starting salary, seemingly polite coworkers, and a manager who said things like "We're all family!" and "We value passion!"
It didn't take long to realize "family" meant unpaid overtime and "valuing passion" meant squeezing every last drop out of inexperienced employees.
He didn't hate the work. He hated what it turned him into, someone who rushed meals to answer emails, someone who apologized for asking questions, someone who smiled politely while being ordered to redo a week's worth of tasks overnight because "the higher-ups changed direction."
Dreams he once held with both hands gradually slipped through his fingers, replaced by spreadsheets, deadlines, and the quiet dread of repeating the same day for possibly the next forty years.
His life wasn't tragic. But it also wasn't anything special.
He was just another young man learning the world didn't care how hard he worked.
One December night, late into the next day, voices stirred inside the office.
"Yeah, sorry mom, I can't make it to christmas this year, I have to finish a project coming up. My boss has been hounding me for the data ever since last month" Ethan said over the phone.
"Oh… are you alright honey? Need me to send you a few things? This is the second year you are going to miss Christmas, and you just graduated a few years ago. Everyone misses you dear, your sister has been lonely at home ever since you moved out even if she doesn't say it." His mom sounded a bit sad.
"I'm fine mom, I promise I'll make it home for next year's christmas, I just need to finish this project, maybe they'll promote me after this one hahaha" he said sounding a bit unsure, both trying to convince his mom and himself.
"...Okay honey, don't work too hard, take a break sometimes, take care of yourself, we don't care if you are rich or not, or even become someone powerful at your job, we just want you, Ethan." His mom said honestly.
"You just don't understand mom, it's not that easy. You think I don't want to take care of myself? The world is not as easy as it was at your time mom, you could probably work for a year and buy a house, nowadays I'd need to work my ass off just to make sure I can pay my mortgage if I can get one later" He said frustratedly and even a little defensive.
"...Ethan, all we want is that you live happily and healthily. We don't need you to buy a fancy house anytime soon" His mom said, sounding more gentle and understanding.
"Yeah, sorry mom. Just don't want to disappoint you guys after all you've done for me."
"You'll never disappoint us Ethan, we'll always love you, especially your sister, she'd rather have her brother home playing with her than buying her fancy stuff. Well most of the time at least" She joked.
He smirked a little "Yeah, knowing Kathy, she'd be upset if I didn't bring her a souvenir" he joked back.
"Hahaha… I love you sweety."
"Love you too mom, bye"
*beep*
The phone clicked off, leaving Ethan in the oppressive silence of the empty office floor. He stared at his reflection in the darkened monitor. Tired eyes, shoulders hunched, a white collar and lanyard that felt less like professional attire and more like a leash. The guilt from the call settled heavily in his stomach, souring the taste of the cold mushy instant noodles he'd barely touched.
He sighed, pushing the half-empty cup aside.
'Back to it I guess.'
The next few hours blurred into a monotonous cycle of clicking, typing, and staring at rows of numbers that seemed to never end. The heating unit had long been turned off after hours. Outside, the city was asleep, but here, the artificial light of the office kept a small, miserable corner of the world awake.
At some point, he felt a strange, dull pressure behind his eyes, the kind that promised a nasty migraine. He rubbed his temples, stood up to stretch, and immediately felt dizzy. He gripped the edge of his desk until the room stopped tilting.
"Probably just dehydrated, and tired. God, I'm so tired." He complained out loud.
He sat back down, trying to focus on the pivot table filled with massive amounts of data. His mind kept drifting: back to his mom's gentle voice, to the image of his sister Kathy laughing, to his dad reading the newspaper, to the scent of pine needles and gingerbread his house smelled like every Christmas. He was missing it all.
He was just about to save the spreadsheet when a sharp, blinding pain shot through his chest, spreading rapidly through his whole body. It wasn't the slow ache of muscle fatigue. It was immediate, paralyzing, and utterly terrifying.
He gasped, a sound swallowed by the quiet office, his hand flying to his chest, gripping it so hard. He tried to yell, to stand, to reach for the phone, but his body wouldn't obey. The office lights seemed to flicker, the hum of the computer growing impossibly loud.
He slid from the chair, hitting the carpeted floor with a muffled thud. His vision tunneled. The last thing he saw was the harsh, cold glare of the fluorescent lights above him, struggling to stay alive, much like he had been.
'I couldn't even do the only thing they asked me to do, heh… I am such a lousy son.' He thought sarcastically as flashes of memories flickered through his mind.
(To Be Continued)
A/N
If you want to read ahead, you can follow my journey while supporting me at;
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