Chapter 8: The Mistake, Part 3

Narumi Yang Lifen has enough!

Since she was expelled from the orphanage on her last birthday, she was forced to live in the street.

Still! She managed to survive alone.

She found something to eat. Found shelter. And she lived.

The food was relatively easy to find. Restaurants were her main source of food. They're the ones that dumped the most food. So it was a good source for her. When the restaurants closed, she'd rummage through the trash every night.

She wouldn't dare walk into restaurants in broad daylight. The last time she did, she had been pelted by stones. Stones hurt. So, only at night.

Finding a place to live was... A difficult thing. She had to change her location every three days, or the villagers could find her if she lingered in the same spot for too long. The last time they did, she had been pelted by stones.

The stones are really painful.

She tried to live in the forest, but let's say that a forest is a dangerous place.

The animals there become wild as soon as she comes near them, so yes, the forest is a big no-no.

When all was said and done, her life was normal. Well, as normal as a homeless child's life can be, if you just ignored the constant sneers, jeers, taunts, and the occasional pelting she received from everyone in the Imperial City on a daily basis.

Oh, and did she tell you about a gigantic fox with nine tails in her gut? Yeah, there is that too.

"Vixen, kid." The deep, vibrant, feminine voice echoed through her mind.

Vixen, everyone! Not a fox, vixen! Her bad!

So as you can see, her life was relatively simple.

Simple in the most utterly shitty manner, but simple, nevertheless.

So now you may be wondering, what did she have enough of?

Of course, it would be of the sneers, jeers, and taunts.

Nothing bothered her as she had learned to keep a distant gaze on her face. They did bother her.

They disturbed her more than she could put into words. They were harsh words. Very harsh words. They hurt. So much.

But she knew that if she showed weakness before them, they would jump on that weakness, like starving wolves on an injured animal. They would try to inflict more pain on her, whether it be emotionally or physically; it didn't matter to them. As long as she was hurting, they'd be happy.

And she refused to give them any happiness or gratification whatsoever! She refused everything! She was a strong girl. So she refused to show weakness!

But sometimes, even the strong breaks. Everyone had a breaking point. Today was hers.

Months of verbal and physical abuse got to her today.

So she fled the scene. She ran away from everything. Avoiding all the stares. Regardless of any mockery. She ran.

Not looking up. She ran. Bitter tears were stinging in the corner of her eyes, but she fled.

Not acknowledging anything in her way, she ran.

Her stomach was groaning hungry, but she was still running.

She ran, she ran, she raced. Just to get away from everything. To find a safe place for tonight. She ran.

She had never run like this before. Only once, when she was cornered by a group of bullies. But they had not chased her far. They had stopped after some distance as though frightened by something.

She ran until she tripped. A single stone in her way, or perhaps someone had thrown it purposefully in her way; regardless, she tripped.

Closing her eyes, she braced herself for her face to meet the cold, hard asphalt.

Instead, her face didn't collide with the asphalt; it collided with someone's back. Even while falling, dread gripped her heart. This was even worse! She would've preferred the pain, but not this!

There was a high-pitched yelp that distinctively sounded like the voice of a boy of her age before they both fell on the cold, hard ground.

She fell on top of the boy, and the boy fell on the ground face first, more specifically. His nose met the concrete.

"Ouch! What the hell?"

She heard him cry out. She felt his body trembling under her weight. He groaned in agony.

She recalled then that he was gasping for breath.

"Gazei!" Dazed as she was, she scarcely heard the worried feminine shout. It wasn't until the body beneath her started to move that she began to panic.

She jerked away from the body beneath her, skittering back on her butt rapidly.

Pain flared in her knee, and she glanced at her knee with a wince. Her right knee was scraped. Badly. Blood oozed from the wound and dripped to the ground. Glancing at the rock which had tripped her, one look at its bloody surface confirmed how she got such an injury just from falling.

Immediately, she tried to stand, to get away from here as quickly as possible. The pain stopped her dead in her tracks.

In pain, she whined. "Furball, please, heal me. It hurts!"

"Not now, brat. Look around you." The deep feminine voice hissed in her mind.

She looked around. Several pairs of feet were all around. Some turned their faces away; others glared at her. But there was a crowd of them. All staring at her.

And immediately, she understood why her request was denied.

Every set of eyes was fixed on her prone form.

Brimming with hate and scorn.

Some were even smiling at seeing her in pain.

"Trash, the lot of them. That's why I loathe your kind. Every single one is the same. " The Nine-Tails words emerged as an angry growl in her mind.

Narumi didn't care about that, not when the pain flared again when she tried to move her leg. "I don't care about them, furball! Just heal it so I can run!"

"Are you deaf, brat? If I healed this injury instantly, my mana would become visible. You know what that means, don't you? They will think I am getting free, and your life will get even tougher. Do you want that, huh, brat?"

"I-I don't want that."

"Then just stay still and let me heal it, it will take a minute since the injury is deep, but I will heal it without my mana getting visible."

Narumi wiped the tears that were about to fall from her eyes. She gave a gratitude-filled smile through their link. "Thank you, furball."

The titanic demonic beast clicked her tongue in annoyance. Tch. "Disrespectful brat."

"Then give me your name if you want me to show you some respect!" Narumi instantly retorted.

An earthshaking laugh emerged from the strongest being alive on the planet. "Ha! Give you my name? Don't ask absurd things, brat. The majesty of my name will fry that puny brain of yours. You're not fit to hear the name of the majestic nine-tailed vixen!"

"I bet it's pretty lame, and that's why you don't tell me. You're just embarrassed that you got a lame name, furball."

"You puny little shit! Come inside the seal, brat! I will teach you some proper manners!"

"Never! You will smoosh me the moment I come inside. The seal is open; I will never come inside while you're angry!"

"HA! At least this proves you do possess some bit of brain inside you, instead of that area being totally empty!"

"Hey!"

Their back and forth did the work; it distracted her from the pain as the chakra beast inside her worked at her injury.

"Let me help, Gazei! I can heal your nose; your momma showed me how."

You are reading story Infamous: Drakyn at novel35.com

"Great, another excuse for you to touch me again."

Hearing the two voices merely a foot away from her, Narumi focused on the boy she had collided with, momentarily stopping her conversation with her tenant.

With a wince, she noticed that he was bleeding from the nose. He must have banged his nose on the asphalt due to her. Pretty hard, too, from how much he had already bled from his nose. The black colour of the front of his t-shirt had many spots of blood on them.

With jealousy burning brightly in her heart, she noticed how the girl her age, obviously his friend, took care of him. Fussing over him and healing him.

How could she do that? How could she be so considerate and sympathetic towards him?

It was clear she cared for him very much. And doing it so with such a happy face! So why should she feel jealous of this person? Why can't she find a friend like that?

How she longed for someone like what that boy got; she had too. How she wished she could call someone her friend too. How she wanted someone to take care of her and fuss over her. Laugh with and have fun. Be nice to her and won't hate her. Protect her from bullies and the mean adults.

But alas, she knew they would forever remain just that, dreams. Never would anyone love her, nor would anyone care for her. For she was a monster in everyone's eyes. The same monster that destroyed their precious Imperial City six years ago. Nothing more, but everything less.

The moment the boy's friend healed him, he was upon his feet. Rushing towards her…? No, no! Not yet. Please wait. There were other people here. She could see several pairs of eyes glaring at her. With a wail, she scrambled backwards.

"Damn... You got hurt real bad." The boy said.

"Eh? Wha—"

"Don't talk! I'm going to heal you. Not good at Lei-Lei, though"

The young boy stepped forward and knelt down beside Narumi. He reached out to her.

Narumi's eyes widened. Didn't he know who she was? Why was he worried about her? Why was he trying to heal her? What about his friend? What would she say about this?

Hesitantly, she turned her head to look at the boy's friend. She expected a look of loathing or anger at hurting her friend, but… nothing.

The girl was busy squinting her eyes at her as if trying to remember something or searching for something. Finally, she must've found what she was looking for, for her onyx eyes widened.

Narumi knew what was coming next as the woman started walking toward her. The moment the woman kneeled down beside her friend, Narumi squeezed her eyes shut.

This wouldn't be the first time that someone would slap her for just coming in contact with their friend or someone, which she hadn't even initiated to begin with! But here, right now, she had outright hurt someone. She expected a harsh slap or even something worse. Age didn't matter. They all treated her the same!

She waited. And waited. Waited still! But nothing happened. No pain came. Her head wasn't forced to the side by any blow. No, nothing. Anything, for that matter.

In confusion, she opened her eyes just in time to feel the warmth enveloping her knee, and with borderline ridiculous amounts of disbelief, she looked on as this girl helped her friend heal her wound.

What was happening here? Why wasn't she helping her? Why wasn't she calling her a demon, or a monster, or a murderer? Why wasn't she pulling her friend away from her? Why was she WAS showing her friend how to heal her wound? Why? Just why?

In disbelief, she choked out a single word. "Why?"

The duo seemed to ignore her question entirely. Focusing on her wound and then the girl started to speak. "You shouldn't run blindly like that! You could have suffered a more severe injury. So always look up while running, alright? Both of you only suffered a minor injury this time, but it could be serious next time. You are lucky because I know how to heal. After all, Gazei is always so clumsy?" Her friend didn't look happy as she said those words, but he kept healing her without stopping.

Something lurched in her soul at how soft and soothing this girls' voice was. How filled with warmth and care it was. Why was she smiling so softly at her? Why? Why? WHY?

She could understand when someone showed her hate. She could deal with it by just feigning ignorance. But, this? She didn't know what to do. What was she supposed to say? No matter what she might want to say, no voice would've come out of her. There was a lump in her throat. It made her throat dry. It made it impossible for her to speak. And something made her small chest tight.

So tight! So tense! She felt as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

"Yo", She heard the boy speak. "You're crying? Was it hurting so much, Shawty? But it's alright now, isn't it? You will better in a sec. Come on, stand up now," a hand was suddenly in front of her face. "Let's get you cleaned up too. You're very dirty. And you nothing but skin and bones! Damn! " Taking a longer look at her, causing Narumi to blush at his intense stare. "Yup, I'm feeding you!"

Was she crying? She could certainly feel something wet and hot roll down her whiskered cheeks. Why was she crying? She didn't know. Just something was happening to her the longer she stayed with the strange duo.

She stared at the hand as if it was the strangest thing she had seen. Then, her teary violet eyes followed that arm and focused on his face. Even though her vision was blurry due to tears, she saw him as clear as day.

Eyes so golden they shine brighter than the sun in the clear skies, she sometimes watches when feeling sad. Hair long, wild as a jungle and brown as the earth. And again, for the second time in her life, she saw someone smiling at her. And it was the same person as well. His smile was bright. Brighter than anything, like the light at the end of her own dark tunnel. Looked at her expectantly that she would take his hand.

Something in her soul cried to take his hand. Fingers twitched by her side.

Take it. Take it. Take it! Take his hand!

And she did so.

She had finally taken his hand. Took his hand, but then the name-calling started. Making the six-year-old girl cry again and again.

"That was the demon fox, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. That thing was definitely the fox masquerading as a child."

"How could the Fire Emperor even allow that thing to run free like that? He should have killed that thing!"

"The Emperor has even passed down the law. So we can't even do anything to that thing!"

"Does that thing have no shame? Running around like that after murdering so many of us. Honestly, that thing should just die."

"Ok..." Narumi heard the boy speak again, but to the crowd, that was calling her names. "All of you can fuck off right now."

What?!

Narumi looked at Gazei, who was glaring at the group of people and shaking his head. Then the man who had called her a demon also glared angrily at him.

"You dare to speak in our presence? You think you can speak against the Emperor--?"

"I said fuck off" Gazei showed him a middle finger without looking concerned at all to glares thrown his way. "Now be a good adult and leave before ya get hurt!" The boy insulted the grown-ups. GROWN-UPS! These were grown-up! How can he be so brave and confident? How could he insult them without fear? Where did he get so much courage from?

Still holding her hand Gazei took her away from the mean people. When they left, Narumi asked him: "Who are you, people?"

"Your friend..." Gazei answered her so fast and without hesitation that Narumi almost believed she had misheard him. She waited for him to explain further, but he showed no signs of doing so.

"My friend?"

Gazei nodded his head. Pointed his claw toward his orange-haired friend in the pigtails. "

"That is Lei-Lei a Trow. Her animal part is a kangaroo, and she wants to be the world's best female Nen Master, also my childhood friend... Who loves touching, by the way." The boy grumbled the last under his breath.

Narumi laughed at his reply. Such an odd fellow.

"Hi, I'm Lei-Lei. Nice to meet you. Just to let you know... I love Gazei, so don't fall in love with ok? " The orange-haired girl smiled at Narumi and bowed her head.

"Lei-Lei, for the last time, you don't love me! WE are too young for romance!" The boy shouted and banged his hands on his thighs.

Lei-Lei ignored him, continued smiling at Narumi and asked, "Gow are you feeling now?"

Narumi looked down at herself and thought: What am I supposed to answer?

"I'm fine…." She said, lying. As soon as she said it, she felt ashamed of herself. She had been wounded, though not seriously, and yet she lied about it. What was wrong with her?

"Well, time to drag you back to my house and feed you... By the way," The boy looked at her again with those eyes of his. "You are the cutest thing in the whole city."

"OH", Narumi said, her face getting red. "W-well, I don't think I'm that c-cute, I actually don't think I'm cute at all" What was this boy doing!? Why is he saying such nice things to her?

"Whoa, I'm gonna have to stop you right there", The boy countered, then he held Narumi's chin so they could see eye to eye. "Shawty, you are the cutest thing I have ever seen, don't forget that... A name please?"

Narumi's face was red as a tomato at this point; she placed her hand on the hand that was holding her chin. "Narumi Yang Lifen."

Narumi, then. Now we are friends! I'm Gazei." With that, the boy pulled Narumi into himself and dragged her somewhere. "Lei-Lei, let's go!" Gazei shouted at the kangaroo Trow girl.

Lei-Lei smiled at Gazei and said, "Alright, Gazei! Let's go! If we don't hurry now, we'll be late!"

With that, Gazei meets Narumi Yang Lifen. The Rénzhù lì to one of the four great demons in the world. The Rénzhù lì of the Nine-tailed Fox. The living container which contained the monster inside her and kept it at bay. The girl who was technically the princess of the Fire Nation. She was royalty. Daughter of the last absolute ruler of the Fire Nation before he died and his brother went back to the throne. And she was also royalty on her mother's part.

And that one act of kindness just gave Gazei a friend for life. Whether he likes it or not.

---

You can find story with these keywords: Infamous: Drakyn, Read Infamous: Drakyn, Infamous: Drakyn novel, Infamous: Drakyn book, Infamous: Drakyn story, Infamous: Drakyn full, Infamous: Drakyn Latest Chapter