"Hazuki, I am disappointed in your progress as a clan member. What were you thinking? We might live in the Leaf Village, but we are not apart of the Leaf Village. When will you realize that we are not to make friends there? Where was your brain? Did you think that you could bring your little brother to the Village, hang out with a few kids, and come home, like nothing happened? You know that's not permitted, and..."

Father dragged on and on about how much of a "disappointment" I was, and how the heir to this "respectable clan" was not to be out "lollygagging" with a bunch of Village kids as if we had "all the free time in the world to do however we pleased" and blah... blah... blah...

When the lecture finally ended, I apologized like a good daughter and walked out of the hut, pushing the cloth door out of my face and squinted in the sunlight.

"You get in trouble?" my little brother, Omi, asked. He leaned against the wall of the hut, his back on the chipped sand-yellow paint. He stood to the right of me, arms folded with a guilty look on his face.

"Yup," I replied.

He bit his lower lip. "Sucks."

"Yup."

Haru walked through the trees that bordered the hut and over to us. "Omi. Haz. 'Sup?"

I shrugged. "Just got in trouble. I-"

"Haru? Is that you out there?" my father yelled from inside his "Ego Hut", as we called it. The Ego Hut was where he did all of his "Leader of the clan" duty and smoked his pipe with a content look on his face, as if he just had the best sex anyone has ever had.

"Yeah," Haru called in.

"Come here, son. Along with Omi and my daughter."

I didn't like the emphasis he had put on "my daughter". It was as if he was repulsed by me being related to him. I scowled, but my face became suspicious as we walked into the hut.

Father began, "Haru, you are the oldest of this three person squad, are you not?"

"Yes, Sir," he answered respectfully, obeying each rule of how to treat the clan leader.

"Then you will watch over Hazuki, right? You will make sure she does not venture into the Village, understood? I'm not a man to ask something of nothing, so I offer her hand in marriage as your reward." Father added the last part as quickly as possible, hoping I wouldn't hear.

Haru and I answered at the same time, with different responses.

"Dad!"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Haru! Do you want to die?" I glared at him through my aquamarine eyes. As if the pretty color was intimidating!

He fluttered his thick black eyelashes, his midnight blue eyes staring back at me innocently.

My eyes flickered from him to my father. "Daddy, please-"

"A deal's a deal," Father finished. "No need arguing. It'll be fine. It's a long way until marriage."

"I hate you," I muttered and stomped out of the hut, the sun not bothering my eyes this time.

Omi was on my heels, followed by Haru.

"Sucks for you, Haz." Omi rested his arm on my shoulder.

"Twelve and engaged. I hate this. But, Dad can't possibly mean what he said. He wouldn't do this to me." I nodded and turned to my brother, looking for some comfort.

"Dad'll do what he has to to keep you in line." He frowned as he thought.

"So, I just have to be extra good, then. No problem with that."

Haru laughed.

I smacked him across the face. "Nothing would make me happier than your corpse, Haru. I'd shut up if I were you."

Haru rested one hand on his cheek and jammed his other hand in his pocket. He looked at the ground, his jet black hair shining in the cloudless sky.

"S'okay, Sis. Maybe Haru will die before you have to get married." Omi smiled up at me.

"We can pray," I added, staring angrily at Haru.

--

We walked into the Village. This was, of course, Haru's idea. At first, I had been adamant on the whole I'll-Never-Disobey-My-Father-Again-So-I-Won't-Have-To-Marry-Haru" (AKA: Plan A), but after little to no coaxing, Haru had gotten Omi and I into the Village to stir up some trouble.

Marriage was far away. We should have fun now.

--

I sat next to Naruto and Kiba. Omi sat in front of me and Haru sat next to him. We were sipping from juice boxes after a day of harassing the upper level ninja.

I took a deep breath, calming my overworking heart. "That was fun!"

"Pretty much," Omi commented, his juice dripping down his chin and onto his white shirt, staining it purple. "No! Oh, no!"

I threw back my head and laughed, staring up at the orange sky. I took in a deep breath and smiled. It was nice to be young.

--

As we walked home, Omi sighed. "Too bad it can't be like this forever."

I ran my fingers through his white hair. "Time won't go by so fast. Maybe it'll even stop."

My little brother looked up at me with his pure black eyes scared and uncertain.

Five months later

I thought about the day five months prior when I had promised my brother time would stop for us. I frowned, guilty and sad that each moment was bringing our lives further and further down an unknown path.

I sighed, staring at the stars and the large, full moon. The sky was a sheer black except for the dots of silver in the sky and the moon and the silhouettes of the dragons flying back and fourth. I thought back to a day I happened to remember, back before I was a genin.

"Our clan is the pride of defense artists everywhere," Sensei told us, smoothing her white blouse. "When other students in villages everywhere get headbands and a pat on the back, we become dragons. Our leader, Hazuki's father," she looked at me, "blesses us and the soul of a dragon fuses with our own. Every person gets a dragon, whether or not our lives point to the ninja way."

Back then, we were captivated by the stories of dragons that would become us, as if we would be new people. We didn't see how terrifying the outcome would be.

Sensei paused for effect then continued, "Nothing can penetrate the scales of the dragons. You'll never be hurt. Not ever, because your bodies will be tougher than diamonds. And just as shiny. Your old hair and eye color will change. Your hair will be the primary color on your dragon's body; your eyes, the secondary color." Sensei pointed to her hair, which was red, then to her eyes, which were golden. "My dragon is all red, with a golden mane. You will all be beautiful, for beauty is an amazing defense."

Everybody dreamed of their dragons that night. The girls of what colors they would have and the beauty that would overtake them. The boys dreamed of the strength and agility.

"Your tears will hold magic. Anyone who sees you crying will be attached to your soul permanently, unable to escape your will.

People do not know this, but dragons are not offensive creatures. You can only defend. To attack is against our ways. That is also why we have natural healing abilities. To protect what we have. We- yes, Hazuki?"

My had was raised high as I asked the question everyone was thinking, "Why do we hate the other clans around us, and the Leaf Village?"

"That is untrue!" Sensei exclaimed, as if we would believe her. When she saw our unbelieving faces, she sighed. "The Leaf Village refuses to recognize our powers. They instead claim the Uchiha Clan to be number one. And that is why we refuse to be apart of the Village."

"Why do we die so early?" Haru asked. He stared Sensei down. She was in her fourties. She didn't have much time left.

Sensei tried to smile, but her lips trembled. "Our healing powers eat at our hearts, and our tear magic push against our brain. The pressures build and build, until we're in our fifties, if that. I am already considered an elder. With the life of a ninja, your maximum will be in your thirties, early fourties. Our leader was a ninja, but he retired to hold on to the clan as long as possible."

"You mean he's a coward," I shot back.

Sensei coughed nervously. "He was forced into retirement. Your big brother will take over after him, then his children, then theirs. They will all be ninjas into their early twenties, late teens, and then they will take over. That's how it's always been, ever since our forefathers decided to break away from the Village. Haz? Haz! There you are, Haz!"

I blinked. I must have fallen asleep, because the sky was an orange-yellow color.

"Haz!"

I turned to see my brother.

"Great news! Dad's gotten us into the Chuunin Exams! They're today!"

I narrowed my eyes. I didn't trust my father.