hey, thanks for reading my story. leave a review on the way out if you feel like it, i'd appreciate it a lot. warnings for this chapter: parents, parents arguing
Mom is letting me explore the village today. My dad is tired, so he and Yasumaru are staying inside. The area where I live is crowded. People are loud, and I don't like it.
I head toward a quieter area, mostly just wandering. My dad had only told me that I had to be back by dinner at the latest, so I was going to explore. I would be an adventurer, exploring lands unknown, like in the books Mom and Dad read to me and my brother, Yasumaru.
That thought in mind, I giggle and then run forward, face scrunched up in glee. I love running and jumping around, and I love climbing things, too. My parents don't like me climbing up on the counters - I have to if I want to reach anything - but the village where I live has so many places to climb. The trees nearby are all really tall, though, and none of the branches are close enough to the ground for me to try and climb up, even if I hug the entire tree or try to get a running start.
I've seen ninja run over the rooftops, all so fast I can barely see them, and I've even seen one walk up a wall. That's so cool. I want to be a ninja.
I might start at the Academy soon. My mom was against it, but my dad thought that it was a good idea. They fought because of that. I hate it when they fight, when I have to hide in my room, curled in a ball, hands over my ears, humming in an attempt to block out the sound - it's painful.
I want to learn how to walk up walls like that ninja; if I could walk up walls like that then I could definitely climb places easier. Mom read a book to me once that talked about chakra, and apparently that's what ninja use to do things like conjure fire out of nothing. I want to be able to do that.
I walk around for a bit, looking at the shops - I don't have any money, though - and houses. I want to find somewhere secluded enough for me to practice ninja stuff. I eventually find an abandoned park - probably abandoned because of how gross looking everything is. The slide is rusty and the swings are all missing. There's a tree off to the side, though. I want to see if I can climb it like I saw that ninja walk up a wall. I take a deep breath, scrunching my face up in determination, and think, Climb this tree like a ninja!
I shoot off and then make it up the tree about 5 steps before I forcibly stop, standing sideways for a moment as if my feet have been glued to the tree. Then I fall to the ground, landing on my side with an "oof".
What was that? I was never able to do that before. I scowl and lay back on the grass, arms spread out wide. The morning dew makes my clothes damp but I don't really care; I'm trying to recall what happened.
I'm not really sure what happened, though. I try again.
It doesn't work this time, and so I try again, and again, and again before falling backwards into a roll that ended with me on my back at the end of it. What am I doing wrong? I did something right the first time.
After a while, I feel bruised all over because I've been falling out of this tree for the past 10 minutes, but I decide to continue. I don't have to be back until later, after all, and I don't want to hang out with my brother right now. Ugh.
I think back.
Oh. I said something to myself about "do this like a ninja", didn't I? Well, let's try that again.
I stand up, concentrating intently, brow furrowed, and then think: "climb this tree like a ninja!"
I try to move immediately after I think that, but there's a moment where I'm almost stuck to the ground, and then I topple over, surprised. Rolling over from my side to my back, I ignore the sudden exhaustion that's come over me to think over what happened.
The same thing that happened on the tree happened on the grass. But I was focusing on climbing the tree, not sticking to the grass. Was it a matter of something else, if not a phrase? I forgo the phrase and instead concentrate, thinking about sticking to the grass again. There's an odd sensation of warmth and yet coolness that kind of feels like water on my back, like when my family went swimming a couple of months ago, but more focused, like tree branches laid out across my skin. Swirly, though. Now that I've noticed it, it seems really obvious, like how if I'm doing something I don't notice my heartbeat, but when I'm still I can sometimes feel it or hear it.
I try to roll over, but I can't; the grass kind of tugs at me through my damp clothes.
I did it! I laugh in glee before I suddenly feel extremely tired, like I've stayed up too late. I slump back against the grass. Moving at all is a struggle, as is keeping my eyes open. Just a little nap...
Consciousness returns with the arrival of the cool night air, and I pause, looking at the stars in the night sky, confused. Then I realize that I'm all alone in an abandoned park at night and lying on the cold ground. I shiver and jump up, ignoring the fatigue still shrouding me while trying to not imagine monsters behind the trees or in the darker shadows not illuminated by the moonlight.
I stand frozen for a moment in indecision. I can barely see a thing; I can only imagine demons hiding in the shadows, waiting to pounce the moment I let my guard down. Something makes a high noise, like a bird - but what birds are around at night? - and I shriek a little bit before bolting out of the park, trying to both remember the way home and not start crying. I want Mom or Dad here. It's cold and dark and scary. The streets get less deserted as I move forward, but in the unfamiliar night setting, I'm hopelessly lost. I can't see well enough to get back home.
I feel tears well up in my eyes and I close them tightly, fists clenched at my sides as I stop for a moment in the middle of the street. There's no one really around to bump into me; everyone is inside their houses. When I finally open my eyes, there's someone in front of me, looking down. They have a green vest on with dark clothes underneath. I jump in surprise, and a strange look comes over their face.
"Are you injured?" the man asks, dark, dark eyes looking directly at mine. I look away, unwilling to keep eye contact with anyone, let alone a complete stranger.
I say nothing, mind whirling as I try to think of what to say or what to do. What should I do? Is this man dangerous? He has a forehead protector, so he's not dangerous to me, but I don't know him. Do I say something? Is it too late? Have I been silent too long? If I talk now, won't it just be weird?
The man cuts through my thoughts as he speaks again. "If you aren't injured, are you lost? What's your name?"
"... Matsushita Setsuna," I reply after a moment. "Who are you?"
"Uchiha Hiroshi. Police officer," the man answers, looking stern but at the same time a little awkward. "Are you lost?" he asks again.
I look down, brows furrowing and leaning back and forth on my feet. "Yeah," I admit, and the man nods at me.
"Do you know your address?"
"No," I say.
"What are your parents' names?" he asks.
"Matsushita Kurou and Matsushita Teruko."
He looks at me for a moment and then says: "Come with me. We're going to the Military Police Headquarters so we can look up where your parents live." He doesn't actually wait for me to say anything; instead, he grabs me, and I squawk in surprise.
Wind burns against my cheeks, and my eyes water. We move fast, and the landscape blurs into streaks of bright light (from the village) that contrast against the night sky. It's a weird sensation; my stomach is flopping with some weird light feeling every time he jumps through the air, and I'm really too shocked by all the new sensations to even move.
It takes a few minutes for use to reach the tall building; it's right next to the Fire Shadow's Tower and the Academy, and is adorned with a small red and white fan in the middle of a four-pointed star on the front of the building. He sets me down and we enter the still-lit building.
There's another man working at the desk inside. I look around; there are more fans on the walls and the room is painted a dark blue. Off to the side are my parents. My eyes widen in surprise and I yell out, "Mom! Dad!"
They jolt, turning around, and then I'm running to them, away from the man who helped me.
"Where were you?" My mom asks, sounding stressed. She looks awful. Her face is all red, and her eyes are bloodshot. My dad hasn't been crying, but he looks stressed. He's holding Yasumaru, who's sleeping.
My mom hugs me tightly, and I stiffen for a moment, unused to the contact. Mom doesn't usually hug me.
"What happened?" my dad asks the man from before. "Is she okay? Was she hurt?"
"No. She's physically fine," he says. "I'm not entirely sure what happened. I found her... 15 minutes away from here, by walking."
Mom finally lets go of me, letting me escape the hug, but asks her question again. "What happened, honey? I was so worried..."
I look down, a little upset at worrying her like this. "Sorry... I fell asleep. I was in a park and I got, um, really, really tired after I tried to climb a tree like a ninja," I explained.
"Like a ninja?" Mom asks back, sounding a little confused.
"Yeah!" I say, a grin appearing on my face. I concentrate on that warm-yet-cool feeling and force it to my feet. "Okay, try to push me over!"
"Setsuna..." my mom begins, looking skeptical.
"Just push me a little!" I insist, so she does, but my feet are stuck to the floor. I end up kind of not falling, but leaning back too far to really gain my balance again. My feet unstick themselves, and I fall to the ground fully. Mom is instantly there to help me up.
"Are you okay?" she asks.
"Y-yeah," I say, but the word is interrupted by a large yawn and more of that tiredness. Suddenly, all I want to do is sleep, like before at the park.
"Chakra exhaustion," the man from before says.
"Exhaustion?" my dad asks, looking both a little angry and scared.
The man at the desk looks up. "Seems like she used too much chakra - uh, think of it as your life force - so she got really tired and fell asleep. Normally kids don't have a lot of chakra, so she became more tired than an older ninja would."
"Ninja?" My mom asks, and I blink blearily up at Uchiha Hiroshi. He pauses for a moment before replying.
"Most people who utilize chakra are ninja, yes. Will you be enrolling your daughter at the Academy?"
Mom grimaces, but Dad nods. "She wanted to go," he explains.
"She's already a little precocious, though, isn't she?" the man at the desk wonders. "Using chakra like that at her age... How old is she? Five?"
"Just turned five," I mumble, yawning again, and the man at the desk blinks before smiling at me.
"Most kids at the Academy don't get into chakra moulding exercises until their third year or so. She's advanced for her age, then," he concludes. "Still pretty damn dangerous, though. Chakra exhaustion's pretty terrible, especially for kids."
"Should we take her to the hospital?" my dad asks, voice pinched and stressed. Yasumaru yawns, and he quickly shifts to accommodate him more, trying not to wake him.
"She'll be fine with rest," Uchiha Hiroshi says. "You would have known if she was in any danger. However, don't let her use her chakra unless it's supervised."
I slide down on the floor, not really caring that it's probably dirty, but I'm so tired. My eyes slip down, and I'm suddenly asleep.
I wake slowly, feeling a crinkly dryness in my throat. I'm really thirsty. I open my eyes and realize I'm on the couch, with Mom and Dad and Yasumaru sleeping on the floor. It's dark out, but getting lighter in the way that suggests it's almost morning. I'm feeling a lot better now; still a little tired, but not how I was before.
Going over to where my mom was asleep, I whisper: "Mom," in an effort to not wake anyone else. However, she doesn't react. I repeat myself again, a little louder, and then when that doesn't work, I shake her a little bit.
She blearily opens her eyes, confused before snapping up out from under the futon. "Setsuna, sweetie, are you feeling okay?"
Dad makes a weird noise and turns over, moving the blankets. I nod at her. "I'm hungry," I say.
Mom hugs me tightly and then her expression turns angry. "Setsuna, sweetie. I'm so, so glad you're safe and fine. But you made us worry like that... how could you? I work so hard and your father is so busy taking care of little Yasu. Next time you need to do better."
I swallow but nod, feeling a tight sensation in my chest at her words. "Sorry," I say, and she gets up and begins making breakfast.
Later, when we're all sitting down at the breakfast table, Dad addresses me.
"The next Academy term begins next week. We're going to enroll you, Setsuna," he says seriously.
"Really?" I ask, happy. "But... what about last night?"
Mom purses her lips, looking unhappy. Dad speaks up again, though. "Well, you're a smart child, Setsuna. You're sure to do well. But apparently ninja techniques are dangerous, so you need instruction."
"I'm still not sure of this, Kurou," my mom says.
Yasumaru giggles a little bit and my mom leans over, feeding him some food and wiping his chin after he half-swallows, half-spits it out.
"Teruko, it's not only that. She needs to be able to protect herself, too."
Mom sighs, but nods. "Alright, fine." She turns to me, putting on a smile. "Setsuna, you can go."
I smile wide and make to hug her, stopping once I realize some tamagoyaki is on my hand. I try to wipe it on my pants as discreetly as I can, but my mom levels a glare at me. "Setsuna..."
"Sorry!" I squeak. I look at the napkins with trepidation before deciding to just lick my hand.
"Setsuna!" Dad says sharply. I look up from my hand. "We do not lick our hands. That's what napkins are for."
"Okay..." I say, feeling a little embarrassed.
After breakfast is done and all the dishes are cleaned up, Mom heads out for work at the hospital. Dad gets out some paper and pen, letting Yasumaru roll around on the floor next to him. I try to look over his shoulder to see what he's working on.
"Oh! I know that one. That one's school!" I say, pointing at a character on the paper.
Dad smiles at me. "That's right. Want me to read this to you? It's a little boring, but..."
"No! I wanna know more characters!" I say, crossing my arms. Reading is really hard but it's really fun, too. I love the stories with the ninja and demons and princesses. Some of the stories Mom and Dad read to me are really interesting, but I can't read them, and that's really frustrating.
"Okay, then," he says, and goes over the paper, filling in blanks along the way.
"That's... Seshina?" I ask, a little confused because that's not my name, but I know that Dad just wrote that where my name goes.
"Setsuna," he corrects. "See? Shi is like a face looking to the right, but tsu is like a face looking to the left."
"Ooooh," I say, and leave it at that.
Dad drops me off at the Academy the next week. I have a small bag at my side, holding things like a couple of notebooks, a bag of pencils, and some pens. He's holding Yasumaru, but he still manages to lean down and give me a one-arm hug. "Do your best at school, Setsuna," he says, and I nod, hesitating for a moment after he leaves. I don't want to walk into the wrong area and have everyone look at me.
I see another kid pass through the part of the hall I can see from the windows, and I immediately scurry after them, not wanting to stick out for any longer. An adult - a blob of green and brown clothing and brown hair - waves me over, and I quickly jog over there, feeling nervous and excited all together, like something's coiled in my stomach, making it lighter.
We're seated in a classroom. I sit right up in the front, eager to learn, ignoring everyone else. The classroom is still about half empty, so I take out a notebook and a pencil and start to write a story about a young girl who becomes a ninja as carefully as I can. I don't really know much beyond hiragana and katakana, so I space out my words so I don't get confused later.
I'm just getting to the part where the fearless, blue-haired Akira has begun to fight the evil deserter ninja when the teacher clears her throat and says, "Good morning, everyone."
We all mumble "good morning" back. She pauses for a moment before repeating herself, a little more loudly and firmly, and we get the hint, repeating it in the same loud way. She writes out her name for us in hiragana on the blackboard, the lines crisp and neat. Kuba Momoko, I read after a moment.
"I am Kuba Momoko, your teacher. I will be with you for the next 4 years," she says, light brown eyes looking over at us. I snap my notebook shut as quietly as I can, a little guilty at having spaced out. "Before we get started, I'm going to do rollcall. When I call your name, please say 'here' and an interesting fact about yourself. I will start as an example. I like reading books."
She calls on us starting from the vowel hiragana row and making her way through the vowels before coming back up to the ka row and then the sa row and so on. I hear a lot of different responses, like "My parents own a bakery", and "I have a cute dog named Shiroko", or "My favorite color is red". She eventually makes her way to the ma row.
"Maki Takao," she says.
"Here!" a young boy says, smiling wide. I turn to look at him. He's already lost a tooth, I can see, and I wiggle the loose one in my mouth for a moment (only a little disappointed when it still stays there) before turning back to Miss Momoko. I missed whatever Takao said, though, and then Miss Momoko is calling on me.
"Uh- here!" I say, and then I pause for a moment, thinking back on what happened last week. "Um... I kind of climbed a tree like a real ninja last week!" I say proudly. Mom and Dad hadn't let me try that again, but I was hoping that I could practice that more at the Academy.
Miss Momoko raises an eyebrow. "Like a ninja?" she asks, and I nod.
"Yeah! With chakra. But I fell asleep after and my mom and dad wouldn't let me do it anymore," I say, looking down.
There's a pause, and I look up, wondering why she hasn't moved on to the next person. She continues, though. "Yes, there was a good reason for that, Matsushita. Children usually don't have enough chakra to perform ninja techniques until they're 7 at least," she tells me, and then continues onward with a "Mori Kyou".