Shina Kimino
She didn't stop looking at the floor as she shuffled out of the little room for the second time. Iruka-sensei was starting to catch on to her. It wasn't that she couldn't do the jutsu, and he was beginning to realize that. With her eyes downcast, she slithered through the crowd to find her little sister, Kei.
"Hey, Big Sis!" She called, hanging from a tree branch. Shina smiled and caught her as Kei jumped down. She slung the little girl up onto her back. "Did you pass?"
"Maybe next year," Shina answered, smiling away her sadness.
"Maybe we'll be in the same class!" She exclaimed.
"Oh, that's right! You're starting soon aren't you?" Shina said. Kei giggled and slapped Shina's shoulder playfully.
"You knew I was starting!" Kei said. Shina laughed and spun around, causing her little sister to scream and clutch her neck tighter. Neither had stopped laughing when Shina fell to the dirt, and Kei tumbled off her shoulders. The older sibling looked up, smiling goofily and caught her sensei's eye. Kei sprung back up and spoke over her shoulder, "Sometimes I think you fail just so we can be in the same class!"
Iruka stared hard at her, gauging her reaction. Shina's smile dropped right off her face for a second before she replaced it with a shaky facsimile.
"You're so full of yourself!" Shina answered. Crap, she thought. Iruka was definitely on to her. She hoisted Kei back up and began to jog back to their house. "And stop messing around. You have piano practice in fifteen minutes, and I still have to go by the store to pick up something to eat." Kei rested her chin in Shina's hair and begun her ritual pout.
It didn't take long to get back to their house. Shina dropped Kei onto the couch to wait while the older girl changed. Her white shirt had gotten dirt all over it, and she was certainly not going out like that. Shina climbed the stairs to her room and rummaged through the drawers to find a new shirt. She found one—a short sleeved dark blue one. It hugged her form tightly and complemented her light brown hair.
Shina shed her dirtied shirt and turned to look at the mirror. She twisted to look at the seal on her back. It was at the base of her neck really. It was a whimsical little tree; its limbs curled upward just as the roots curled downwards. The roots spread down across her back, a sign that she had waited too long.
The seal kept in all of her chakra. Shina was blessed with a genetic disorder. It prevented her body from regulating her chakra levels, but she was never meant to be a ninja. Her body wouldn't accept the chakra—it rejected it. So Shina has to deal with the seal. It stores all of her chakra, and when it runs out of room it simply grows its roots as if it were an actual tree.
Usually, she didn't let the roots get past her shoulder blades, but they had gotten past the middle of her back. She really needed to unload this chakra. It was enough to blow her house to smithereens at any rate.
Shina donned the blue shirt and sighed in relief when her seal was covered. She didn't like it—always felt self-conscious about it. The older sister blundered down the stairs and scooped her little sister back up.
"Piano time!" Shina sang. Kei latched on. It was only a few blocks to the piano teacher's and then it was off to the market to get dinner. After that, Shina rushed off to the forest to get out some of that chakra out.
With no time for ceremony—she still had to get back to the house, make dinner, and pickup Kei before dark—she thrust her hands forward and felt the familiar burning sensation as the chakra rushed out of her spread palms. She shut her eyes tight and flicked her hands up and out and around, expelling her explosive chakra.
Suddenly, she stopped. Shina couldn't take the burning sensation anymore. She shook her head and opened her eyes. The three trees in front of her were no longer trees but burning stumps. Some hiker was going to be very confused. She sighed. At least the groceries were still intact.
Shina picked them up and rushed off, whipping up a quick dinner—something involving chicken, she didn't really recall—and brought home Kei.
"Dinner!" The little girl exclaimed and rushed to the kitchen. She sniffed the air and comically swooned. "Did Dad leave this for us?" She asked, eyes wide. Shina's smile was permanently plastered on her face for all she knew.
"Yep," the older girl lied, popping the 'p'. "He swung by just after I had gotten home from the market. He told me to tell you he loves you and give you a goodnight kiss, although it's a little early for that." She pouted when Shina pressed a kiss to her head anyhow.
"Why can't he ever stay for dinner? The last time I talked with him was when he came down with the flu!" She scowled.
"Buck up, little one," Shina said, setting both of their plates on the table. "You know how hard he works." The little one sat in angry silence like she did every other day whenever the subject of their father came up.
It wasn't too long until Kei was asleep on the couch. Shina smiled and then sighed. She picked up her little sister and carried her up to her room, pulling the covers to her chin. Shina felt a sense of motherly pride. This beautiful, talented creature was a product of her upbringing. But there was always the flipside. It should never have been her responsibility to raise this wild child.
Shina dragged her feet back to her room, the exhaustion finally taking its toll. It was a hectic day; it always was. Take care of herself. Take care of Kei. Take care of the house. Cook. Fake her Genin exams.
She heard the downstairs door open and close and sighed. She forgot one of the most important of her obligations. Take care of Dad. Shina dragged herself downstairs and forced a smile to her face, a spring in her step.
"Good night, father," she said. He looked up at her, face white and haggard.
"Hello, Shina. I trust you didn't kill anyone while I was away?" He said and sat down heavily in his chair.
"I came close, but no, no homicides today." She took his briefcase and put it in the dining room.
"Oh, what would I do without you?" He sighed. Shina went back and sat down across from him.
"Crash and burn," she answered. Dad reached back and pulled his hair out of his ponytail. He was a handsome man. Sometimes Shina wondered why he never remarried after their mother died, but she always figured it had something to do with them.
He had long hair, hence the ponytail, and stunning green eyes. Kei inherited these, along with their grandmother's mesmerizing black hair and fair skin. Shina got their mother's light brown wavy hair with blue eyes and tan skin.
"You had, um, that thing today. How did that go?" He asked, already fighting sleep.
"The ninja exam? I failed again, but I have a good feeling about next year." Dad sighed and shook his head.
"Third time's the charm, eh?"
"Look I know you're disappointed but—"
"I could never be disappointed in you. With all the things you do here, it isn't surprising that it may take you a few years to complete your training. And with your unique chakra, controlling it must be very difficult. I understand," he said.
"Dad, I—thanks. I think you should eat something before you pass out. I left out some dinner for you on the counter." Her father got up and left without another word, and Shina left to go upstairs.
She rummaged through her desk drawer and pulled out the last letter her mother ever sent from the hospital. She like to read it sometimes when the day had been especially difficult to deal with.
My sweet baby,
I don't think I'm very long for
this world, and I want to let you know that I love you. I love your father, and I love your sister. I want you to know that your sister is very special. Her ninja skills will be like nothing you've ever seen before, and people will come and want her for those powers. I want you to look out for her. I just hope that your father can still be there for you. Whatever happens now, I am laying on your shoulders.
Watch out for my perfect little angel, don't talk to strangers, and I love you so very much.
Your Mother
Shina sighed and replaced it, feeling the bonds around her mind repair themselves. This is what she had and was meant to do. Shina accepted that. Then, she collapsed on her bed and didn't remember much else until her internal clock was screaming at her to get up. The blue-eyed girl got out of bed and looked at her seal. The roots had receded far up her back, out of the danger zone. She pulled on her tight navy blue shirt and black pants.
"Shina! Where did you put my case?" Her father called. She made her way downstairs and smiled at her Dad's helplessness.
"It's in the kitchen, like always," she answered.
"I don't— Oh," he said. Shina went to the refrigerator and pulled out her father's lunch. She spun and handed it to him, scowling at his tie.
"When will you ever learn how to tie properly?" She sighed.
"What?" He asked, a piece of toast dangling out of his mouth. Shina straightened his tie and started making breakfast. A bedraggled Kei appeared in the doorway as Dad was rushing out of it. He ruffled her hair and said, "Bye, kiddo."
She mumbled in response and sluggishly made her way to the table to eat. Shina sat her bowl in front of her, having nothing more fancy because the brown-haired girl had gotten up later than usual. She turned and grabbed her sister's lunch and sat it in front of her.
"Hurry up, or you'll be late for your last day of school!" Shina urged. Kei mumbled back, still tired. The older of the two smiled at the thought of having nothing to do for the entire day—a day to relax.
Although she doubted it—there was always more work to be done.