It is strange to think that many of our world do not recognize one another as we do each other. We, criticized as monsters or gods, loved and feared, but never accepted, have learned to feel others of our ilk instantaneously. Even monsters are lonely - perhaps it is this reason that we have been able to seek out others of our kind.
I knew that I was different, special, ever since I was a young child. I sometimes wish I had never been created as I am, never been given the burden sealed within me, the beast I have grown to love. We are ninja. We are weapons, and tools. We are feared and shunned, adored and hated, given the weight of a nation to bear without complaint. We are jinchuuriki. And I watched my family die to keep me alive, even as I fought to save them.
I was free, once. As a child, my clan did not belong to a village, leaving us free to travel and pursue our purpose - to heal all that we could of the war-torn land. Some offered payment, others placement, and still others attempted to force assimilation to one of the Hidden villages, but we persevered. It was during the last attempt that I was given a Tailed Beast, a "gift" from one of our patients as she lay dying on our matts.
"Child, come here." She was old, so frail, and had been dragged from her home, abandoned by her village. Mother had left me to watch her and obey her last wishes as she searched for my father on the field. At three, I understood what was requested, and wished only to please my mother. So I knelt next to the dying woman, holding one of her hands. "Child, I wish to give you something. It has been my burden to bear, but I sense that it will serve you well in your life. Will you aid me, young one, in passing from this life with no regrets?" She held out her last hand, still dyed red with the blood she had shed in the struggle. With little hesitation, I nodded and took her bloodied hand in mine. She closed her eyes.
"A part of me despairs at giving you this gift, child. It is not yours, nor mine, to bear, but we must pass it on anyway. Should one of our kind die, the beast will awaken in due time, to further destroy our world." A tear slipped down her face even as a strange blue glow connected our hands, the strange flames racing up my arms. An odd weight pressed against my stomach, and I tried to tug my hands out from hers.
"I'm sorry, child. I truly am. I had hoped to disappear before they found me again, but it was not to be. If you ever wish for one to blame, you may curse Yugito Nii, for I will take that weight for you." As our dying charge concentrated on our bond, I saw my vision crack. She looked split - one piece was old, the other young. But both versions, old and new, had sadness etched into their faces.
The pressure built to the point of pain, a stone inside my stomach, and blue flames crackling around both of us, mine growing stronger as hers flickered out. As the balance between us finally tipped, a terrible sound ripped through the air. It was a scream - a thin, high sound of abject despair and pain. Had I been screaming, and not known? I forced my eyes open through the agony within my body, and saw Yugito's face contorted in misery. Her mouth was open, and short bursts of sound forced their way past her bloodied lips. Teeth marks were etched in the flesh, and it clicked together. I was not the only one in pain.
Reaching out as best I could, I leaned forward, pressing my weight against her shoulder, the only one untouched by blood. Yugito trembled once, twice, before shaking with quiet sobs. Her fire flickered and went out, and mine danced for a moment before extinguishing. "It is over, child… I shall soon pass on to the next life. I pray for peaceful times when I open my eyes again." Her eyes drooped shut, then snapped back open. "Child… what is your name? I will ask the gods to watch over you on my way back."
I blinked, exhaustion creeping into my vision like black smoke. "Sakura… my name is Sakura."