Chapter III - Red|Eyes

Sharp noises resounded through the room as Aiko cursed;

"Damn them all!" she yelled furiously as she took a plate from the table and threw it to the wall, the plate impacting against the wall and breaking into small chunks as it fell to the floor. Her eyes were blood red as she breathed hard, piercing her nails against the skin of her hand.

Kunie stood on his crib, trying to make his existence invisible as he stared mournfully at the rests of the plate…it was a gift from Miko. His eyes moved away from the fragments back to Aiko, watching wearily as she lets herself fall on the floor and starts sobbing. He shook his head then hid under his blanket as he curls in a small ball, waiting for her to calm down.

From what he heard, Aiko's work hasn't been going well, and her patience was running short. Each time she goes back to the house he tries to make himself invisible so that her fury doesn't fell on him…the woman was crazy. Peeking from his blanket toward the now whimpering Aiko he sighs, at least until now the woman didn't take her fury on him.

For the moment a small voice said in his head, but he ignored it.

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It was another hot day in Konoha. The heat in the Land of Fire bearing down from a bright, cloudless sky. A light breeze sways the leaves of the magnificent Hashirama trees as a small figure walks through the forest, the pudgy hand moving to his forehead as sweat runs down his face. The birds were singing around him as they played around and he can't be more jealous than he was now.

"Damn…why can't I find anything to eat?" he muttered as he kicks a rock from the floor.

Since that day in the market where the Ninja caught him stealing a red apple, he didn't go back, not daring to steal more food. The man let him go at that time but who knows what would happen if he is caught again. Thankfully a new idea found its way to his brain…the forest.

A forest usually is full of fruits and other goods after all…he just needs to find something nonpoisonous which is easier said than done. The forest was more or less an hour walking from his house with his small legs, maybe less if he runs which is rather hard with his grumbling stomach. His green eyes search around the bushes and trees for any sign of food, but he can't find anything, making him irritated.

"Who the heck took all the food away?" he grumbled then whines as his stomach makes his presence know one more time "Yeah, I know…wait a little more damn it."

Yes…he is saying a lot of big words but if anyone asks, it's Aiko's fault.

Another ten minutes pass before he finally sees a red thing on a tree…it looked a lot like an apple and Kunie started salivating. With hope he approached the tree just for the hope to crash down without pity, it's impossible for him to get on the damned tree.

His lower lip started trembling;

"Be a good apple and fall…" he implored the apple, but naturally, it didn't bulge even a centimeter. He looked around until his eyes fell on a rock and a grin found its way to his face, reaching toward it, he took the stone which was as big as his hand and threw it to the tree. The rock didn't reach even half way before it fell to the floor with a thumb.

Dark lines seemed to appear on his face before he growled and went around searching for a smaller rock, finally finding one under a bush. He threw it toward the apple, this time it didn't fall midway, but the distance between the apple and the rock was rather large.

"…"

Kunie's eyebrow twitched but he was certainly not going to give up, he went toward where the rock fell and took it once again.

This is war.

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Kunie's shirt sticks to him as he runs once more toward the rock, he has been trying for a long time, and he finally got to hit the apple, it wasn't strong enough to make it fall, but he did get to touch it. A proud smile found its way to his face as he ran back to the place where he has been, flicking with his hand the rock toward the apple.

It fell.

His eyes widened before he jumped with a fist in the air;

"YEAH!" he yelled to the top of his lungs.

It was precisely at that moment that a small brown creature peeked its head out a bush, the big black eyes staring fixedly at the shiny red apple before it ran toward it, taking it on his tiny arms and running away. All of this happened under Kunie's eyes who stared blankly before he was snapped out of his shock;

"Y-YOU!" he yelled as he ran after the squirrel "GIVE IT BACK!"

The squirrel didn't give a shit about Kunie's words as it ran faster, disappearing through the bushes. Kunie didn't have the intention of giving up though as he followed, entering the mass of bushes that reached up to his chin.

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"Damn squirrel…" he muttered as he pushed some branches out his way. He didn't see the squirrel again after it went into the bushes, the worst of all of it was that Kunie got lost through this labyrinth. He gritted his teeth as he promised under his breath that if he finds that damned squirrel, he was going to skin it alive.

It was while he tried to find his way back that he heard someone talking;

So full…

His ears perked and he became excited, there was someone…maybe they can help him to go back to the city!

He didn't stop to think as he walked toward where the voice seemed to come fron, brushing a few branches of undergrowth aside, Kunie stepped into the grass of the clearing. Large, round green eyes set above pudgy cheeks are glistening with excitement as he steps out the bushes. What greeted him wasn't what he thought it would be;

"§This rat was so big§," the creature said happily as he was sunbathing on the floor.

The creature was nothing else than a foot long snake with white scales and red eyes; his stomach was bulging with what seemed to be his recently eaten prey, if his words are anything to go by. It was hissing happily as his mouth opened, showing long and deathly fangs. Kunie could just stare stupidly as the scales glistened under the sun.

How…? He thought in confusion; he lost his ability to understand or talk parseltongue when the Horcrux in his scar was destroyed so it should be impossible for him to understand the snake. He tried to step back, but a branch under his feet cracked making those deathly red eyes turn around at him. The snake reacted immediately as it slides toward Kunie, preparing itself to attack.

"§W-WAIT§" screamed out Kunie as he stared wide-eyed at the dripping fangs full of venom. The snake stopped just as it was going to assault him, frozen as those red eyes turned from a predator attacking his prey to confusion.

When Kunie saw the snake stops, he slowly let out a sigh of relief, not taking his eyes out the snake in case it changes of idea.

"§Human Hatchling…?§" the snake studied Kunie in confusion, not understanding how a human hatchling knows the language of snakes. It was heard of snakes learning the language of humans but never before a human learned the snake's tongue, not even that damned summoner could.

The snake studied the hatchling before nodding to himself;

"§You mussst be a hatching disssguised asss an human§," he said as he stared into those green eyes. They were scared not long ago, but now they seemed amused as those pudgy hands moved toward his mouth, a giggling following.

"§I am not a sssnake§" he informed the white snake as he forced his giggling down, the creature was still a danger to him and could kill him at any time…he shouldn't let his guard down. It was strange…those eyes resemble those of Voldemort, but at the same time they are so different, they weren't as crazy as those that man.

"Then explain to me…how do you speak the noble language of snakes?§" he hissed as he approached slowly "§It'ss imposssible for a human!§."

Those eyes seemed to dissect him alive, but it didn't affect Kunie…he has been under the gaze of Snape for a long time, even a snake has a hard time winning against the professor.

"§I can talk the sssnake tongue since I was sssmall§" he wasn't lying…he did in his past life he just didn't know it.

The snake seemed to deadpan which Kunie never thought he would see in a snake, ever…in fact, he didn't know a snake can do that;

"§I wasss right then, you are a sssnake in human ssskin§."

From what the four years old boy could see, the snake wasn't going to accept anything else so he could just stare helplessly as the snake nodded his head to himself naughtily. In the end, he just shrugged, if that means he will not get killed, then it doesn't matter.

"§It wasss nice to know you, but I need to go so…§," he said awkwardly, his hands rubbing against the other before he stepped back without looking away from the snake.

"§Where do you think you are going, Hatchling?§" the snake hissed as it lunged and blocked the way toward where Kunie was going to go.

Kunie opened his mouth, and his stomach growled, a blush rising to his cheek as he saw the snake looking down to his stomach. He coughed;

"§I need to find food§" he muttered and tried to walk in another direction, but the snake was a step ahead of him as he flicked his tail toward Kunie's legs and circled it around Kunie's ankle, pulling.

"E-eh!?"

Kunie yelped as he fell paintfully on his ass, groaning as his butt starts stinging. What with people – or creatures – making him fall on his butt!?

Kunie stared angrily at the snake;

"§Why did you do that!?§" he hissed aggressively, surprising the snake for a second before the snake turned around.

"§You ssstay here§" he ordered as he slides away, disappearing through the brushes.

Kunie just stared blankly as the tail disappeared in the sea of green, hesitating for a second before deciding to wait. He didn't need a snake to go after him because of Kunie not following orders…when did he start to follow snakes orders!?

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Minutes passed, and Kunie was starting to grow impatient, did the snake change of idea?

Before he could think anything more, the snake appeared once again through the sea of green, something on his mouth twitching as it tried to get free. It was a small, brown creature, its eyes looking around frantically as it tried to get away from the painful hold of the snake.

"§A sssquirrel…?§," he asked in confusion, staring at the squirrel as it tried to scratch the snake.

"§Eat§," the snake said as he presented the squirrel at him, his eyes glistening in a predatory way. Kunie's mouth fell before his eyes fixated on the squirrel…he wanted to say no but he was hungry, and this was a world where the stronger kills, the weaker dies.

He already killed humans so why not a squirrel?

His green eyes darkened as he pursed his lips and started looking around for a sharp rock, finally finding some he took the squirrel from the snake's mouth, holding it by the neck as he gritted his teeth and with the pointy end, stabbed. A heart breaking screech resounded through the area making the birds on the trees shut down as they ran away, the area falling into complete silence.

His heart hits hard against his ribcage as he stares at his bloody hand, memories from his past life resurfacing before he forced them back. He wasn't Harry Potter anymore…staying in the past is never good for the mind and soul. He did feel bad for the squirrel but to survive, he will do anything.

He took the rock out the squirrel head as blood poured around the surroundings.

"A fire…" he muttered, getting up and searching around for some wood. He knows how to make them thanks to an excursion from school when he was in primary.

First he builds a tinder nest with leaves and bark, cutting a v-shaped notch into the fire board and make a small depression adjacent to it, next he places a bark that will be used to catch an ember from the friction, and finally, he starts spinning.

Now he just needs to skin the squirrel…which he never learned to do.

Oh, joy.

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Kunie bits on the grilled meat and moans happily as the savor invades his mouth. He never knew that squirrel tastes so good…or maybe it's just that what he ate until now was so bad that even squirrel meat has a good taste.

"So good…" his cheeks bulges as he eats happily. One squirrel wouldn't be enough to make him full, but it was already a lot more than what he had since yesterday, honestly what Aiko cooked wasn't good, and it didn't make his stomach full…if just he was a little taller he would be the one cooking. The snake just stared lazily as he went back to his sunbath.

Kunie blinked then looked back at the snake;

"§T-Thank you very much, Sssnake-san!" he said honestly, and the snake hissed out a laugh and didn't answer. When Kunie saw that the snake wasn't going to say anything, he opened his mouth and question;

"§Umm my name isss Kunie…how are you called?§."

The sharp red eyes of the snake turned to look at him before finally, he answered;

"§My name isss Kira§"