Incarceration
Chapter One
-Beginning-
Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, was experiencing an unprecedented time of peace. Relations with the other hidden villages were good, missions were plenty, and soon the next generation would be entering the Academy. And because of these peaceful times, parents felt safe allowing their children to run around the village and play during the day and into the early evening. It allowed them to do things at work or around the house that they couldn't normally get done during the day.
As such, Uchiha Kurogané and his twin sister Izumi were not one of the kids running around the village. Instead, they only played in the Uchiha District, with each other, or their cousins, who were many. Their parents were both successful ninja, each part of the Anbu Black Ops, and never took anything for granted. They were believers in the fact that things are always quietest before the storm, and so never allowed their children to run amuck around the village like everyone else. Most people said it was because Uchiha Izayoi, the children's mother, was overbearing and overprotective the same way her mother, Uchiha Natsumi, was. But they never said such things to her face, for fear of suffering her wrath.
And because of these tendencies that the Uchiha female displayed, Kurogané had decided to sneak off and explore the village. He and his cousins had decided to play hide and seek, and the boy saw this as the perfect opportunity to leave. He was tired of the same old hiding places, the same old scenery, and the same old people. The fact that he wasn't much of a socialite had nothing to do with it.
A small smile came to his face as he ran off down the streets, wanting to get as far away from the prefecture as possible. When he stopped running, he realized that he had made it all the way to the village's market. He came here with his mother often enough to know his way around, and so he began to walk through the vendors, looking at their wares. Eventually he found himself nearing the park, and decided that he would take a walk around the place before returning home.
He watched the kids playing with one another, running around and tackling each other to the ground, before switching his attention to the other side of the park, where older kids and adults went. They walked around in pairs, talking and giggling with each other. Some chose to read on a bench or under a tree, and others had picnics. His family had come here for a picnic once, at the request of his younger sister. He thought the whole thing was stupid, of course, but didn't say anything so that his sister's happiness wasn't crushed. He always got in trouble when he crushed Izumi's happiness. If not by Izumi herself then by their parents.
Kurogané let out a sigh and walked across the bridge to the river that ran through the park, heading over to the area that featured practically all of the flowers native to Konoha. As he walked through the blossoms, he inhaled their scents, before picking a couple to take home. He figured if he got into trouble for leaving, he could give one to his mother to try and butter her up. Flowers always made girls smile, after all.
He continued down the path he had chosen, before a strange sight caught his eye. Sitting over by a less frequented area of the lake, was a little girl. She was wearing a black dress, with thick straps, the top cutting straight across. It was fitted to her torso, before a thick black ribbon made of velvet tied around her midsection, the rest of the dress poofing out and going to just below her knees. It matched her ebony hair, which was short in the back, the sides getting longer towards the front. He walked over to her, curious as to why she was sitting there all by herself. His mother had told him once that when a girl is off all alone, something was bothering her, and it was in a boy's best interest to ask her what was wrong. And he always did what his mother told him, well, most of the time.
"Hey…are you okay?" he asked, stopping next to her.
Her gaze shot up to him, their dark green depths filled with more sadness than Kurogané had ever seen. She stood slowly, watching him carefully, though she kept her distance. "No."
Kurogané blinked. "What's wrong? How come you're dressed like that?"
"My dad died." She said with a frown. "His funeral was today."
"Oh…" he looked down, before returning his jade gaze to her. "You want some flowers?" he held out the hand that was holding the few he had picked.
She glanced down at them, though her hands clenched onto the skirt of her dress tightly. "I can't…I might touch you…"
"What's wrong with that?" the Uchiha asked. "Do you not like touching people?"
She shook her head, going a bit wide eyed. "No! I just…bad things happen when I touch people…and things…" she sighed.
"How come?"
"It doesn't matter." She glared. "They just do."
He huffed. "Well I was just asking. There's nothing wrong with asking questions. That's what my mom says." He nodded firmly.
She rolled her eyes, turning away from him and walking off. "Jeez, it's like you don't know when to stop or something." She stopped then, letting out a sigh. "Which probably means you're an Uchiha."
Kurogané blinked, her words confusing him. "…is that a bad thing?" he wondered, since people usually wished that they were lucky enough to be an Uchiha.
"Not entirely." She snickered, looking back at him. "My mom says Uchiha are bossy and never know when to quit. They also think they're better than everyone else."
"Well we can't help it that we're awesome." He smiled, walking back up to her. "I'm Kurogané. My mom is Uchiha Izayoi."
She almost laughed, a hint of a smile coming to her face before she started walking off again. "It was nice to meet you Kurogané."
"Aren't you going to tell me your name?" Kurogané asked, confused.
"Why should I?" she wondered, giggling softly.
"So we can be friends." He declared, a smile coming to his face. "I've never had one before, and I kinda like you."
This made her stop. She turned and faced him fully, seeming surprised. "Really?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
A smile finally came to her face, lighting her entire form. "My name's Viletta."
Kurogané's smile widened, making him look more like his mother. "You look pretty when you smile." He told her.
A small pink blush appeared on her cheeks. "You think so?"
"Uh huh." The ebony haired boy nodded, leaning a bit closer to her. "But you look cute when you blush." He laughed.
"Stop it." she waved her hands in front of her face, turning a darker shade of red.
His laughter increased, and he reached out and poked her sides a bit, tickling her. "I think you're even cuter than my sister!" he declared.
Viletta smiled, batting his hand away. "Don't say that. I don't want to get in trouble." She giggled.
"I'd take the blame Viletta, I promise. As your best friend, and a boy, it is my job to protect you now." He declared. "Even if it's from my family."
"Best friend?" she arched a brow, trying to keep her grin down.
"Yup." He nodded. "I am now your best friend, no matter what. Cause' I said so."
She laughed. "Well…I guess my mom was right. Uchihas are pretty snotty. But I don't really have a choice do I?"
He smirked. "Nope. You're stuck with me now."
The dark haired girl shrugged, though the smile on her face was an obvious indicator of her happiness. "So I'm lucky then?" she said. "Not many outsiders get to be best friends with an Uchiha."
"Viletta, you are the luckiest girl in the whole world now." Kurogané said, reaching out and taking her hand without thinking about it.
Her gaze immediately lowered to their hands and she pulled hers away quickly. "I'm sorry…I just don't want to hurt you…"
His brow furrowed. "But…nothing happened." He said.
"But something could have." She huffed.
"But it didn't." the Uchiha said, a cocky smile coming to his face. "Maybe it's cause' I'm so strong, it just doesn't affect me. I'm immune."
Viletta rolled her eyes. "Or lucky."
"Or awesome." He snickered. "Hey, you want to go get some ice cream?"
She glanced around before giving him a small smile. "It would make me feel better."
"Then let's go." Kurogané said, placing his hand on her back the way he saw his dad do to his mom, since he couldn't grab her hand.
The blush returned to her face as she looked off, embarrassed. "You said you're strong…right?"
"Yup." He nodded. "One of the strongest of my cousins, or so my grandfather said." he shrugged, looking over at her. "How come?"
"Well…I was just thinking…about what you said." she clarified. "And maybe, since you are an Uchiha, it might not affect you."
"You think so?" he wondered, his look turning contemplative. "You want to try?"
She turned a shade darker. "Um…yeah."
Without a word, he stopped her, before moving his hand from her back and carefully taking her hand. He stared at it for a few seconds, before his jade gaze met her green one. "I don't feel anything." He shrugged, tightening his hold. "So I guess I'm not affected." He smiled.
"I am pretty happy right now…so that might be it." she returned his smile, tightening her hold on his hand.
"I'm glad I could make you happy." He said.
They continued forward, until they were stopped by a tall brunette. He was dressed in black clothing that Kurogané would recognize anywhere. It was the attire most of the Black Ops wore when they were on duty, but not on a mission. "Tanaka Viletta." He said, making the two stop, though his gaze went to the boy beside her and their contact. He instantly went into a somewhat defensive stance. "Your mother is looking for you." he announced. "You are to come with me."
Viletta frowned, taking a step back, since she obviously looked nervous. "Um…"
Kurogané looked from the Anbu member to Viletta. "Don't worry Viletta," he smiled, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Anbu members are here to protect us, they're the good guys." He told her.
Her green depths met his and her grip on him tightened. "Okay…" she whispered, giving him a small smile. She released his hand and went over to the Anbu member, who stepped away from her as soon as she was near, and then led her off.
When she left his sights, Kurogané turned around and began to run in the direction of his home. He picked up the pace when his house came into view, rushing up the steps and going inside. "Mom!" he called out, looking around and finding her in the living room. "Mom, you'll never guess what happened to me today." he said, stopping next to her spot on the couch and tugging on her skirt.
The dark hired woman blinked, looking down at her six year old son and smiling. "What is it sweetie? What happened?"
"I met this girl, and she was really cute, and pretty, and nice, and we're best friends now." He smiled happily.
Izayoi blinked, appearing confused. "You met a girl?" she repeated, picking him up and setting him beside her on the couch. "And you have a friend?"
Kurogané nodded excitedly. "Uh huh! Her name is Viletta, and I think she's the same age as me. I saw her in the park and she was by herself and sad, and you always said when a girl is alone she's sad and a guy should fix it, so I did." He beamed.
The elder smiled, hugging her son tightly. "Oh Kuro! I'm so proud of you!" Izayoi laughed until she froze. "Wait a second…" she trailed off and looked down at him with a scolding look. "You left?"
His jade eyes widened slightly and met her mirrored gaze. "But mommy, I made a friend." He defended, before thrusting his flowers up towards her. "And I brought you these flowers. Cause' I love you." He said, appearing as innocent as he could.
Izayoi gave him a small glare. "Kurogané…" she warned, before kissing the top of his head. "Go to your room cutie." She smiled.
Kurogané laughed, leaning up and kissing her cheek. "I love you mommy." He said, leaving the flowers next to her as he hopped off of the couch. He ran off to his room then, closing the door behind him and not minding at all that he was technically in trouble. He knew his mom wasn't going to stay mad at him forever anyways. But what he did know was going to last forever, was his friendship with Viletta. Because they had a bond that was unbreakable.
He just didn't know it was going to be tested by time.
