Prologue
Mizuka glared furiously up at her' older brother. "What do you mean, we're moving?!" She screeched.
Haiko gave her' an exasperated look. "Exactly what I said. We're moving."
"Why?" Mizuka asked. "Why on earth would you want to leave here?"
He shrugged. "This place is nothing to me. Nothing ever happens her. In Konoha I'll be able to do what I want. I'll find adventure."
Mizuka couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Mother and Father were buried here less than a month ago and you're telling me that this place means nothing to you?" She yelled. "Well this place may not mean anything to you, but it means everything to me! And I don't want to leave." She said firmly.
"Well that's just to bad because you're coming with me whether you like it or not!" He retorted.
"You can't make me!" She said.
"Oh yeah?" Haiko stepped forward and grasped her by the wrist. "Just try me!" He hissed.
Mizuka was shocked. She had never been very close to her' older brother, (of course the fact that he was six years older than she might have something to do with that) But she couldn't believe that he would be so heartless as to force her to leave their' home follow him to some village that she had never been to in her' life just so that he could have a little adventure.
Haiko, at nineteen, had decided when their' parents died that he was fully in charge of Mizuka and that (without ever asking her' preference) he would make all decisions concerning her. He enjoyed being in charge and took every opportunity to boss Mizuka around.
Unfortunately Misuka and her' brother's personalities were miles apart. They disagreed about nearly everything.
Mizuka struggled to free her' self of her' brother's grasp. But it was useless. Haiko was much stronger than she was, and the more she struggled the tighter he held her.
"Look!" He growled. "Mother and Father are dead, which means I'm in charge, which means you have to do what I tell you." He smiled cruelly down at her. "Which means, little sis, that you have to came with me to Konoha whether you like it or not."
He let go of her' wrist and roughly flung her out of his' way. He strode to the door where he paused and turned back to her. "We'll be leaving tomorrow so I'd get your' packing done and your' goodbyes said if I were you." He gave a harsh laugh and left the house.
Mizuka stared after him as he disappeared into the darkness. She lay still where she had landed, not moving, for a full ten minutes.
When she finally recovered from shock, she got to her feet and brushed her' self off. He's going to force me to go with him regardless of what I want. She thought. I don't have a choice. I'll have to go with him.
She turned and walked down the hall to her' bedroom. Once inside she opened her' closet and began to pull out her' clothes.
It was two hours before she was through packing. I'll say my' goodbyes tomorrow. She decided.
After placing her' luggage beside her' bed, Mizuka decided to visit her' parents.
She grabbed her' cloak and, tying it around her' shoulders, she headed in the direction of the woods.
The woods were one of Mizuka's favorite places because they were quiet and peaceful and at the same time so full of life. Mizuka remembered how her' parents had loved the forest too; especially her' father, Ikachi Koshai. Everyone had always said that Mizuka was a lot like her' father. They had loved the same things, talked the same way, had much the same personality, and Mizuka certainly resembled her' father. With her jet-black hair, frosty, light green eyes and extremely fair skin, everyone could see that she was Koshai's daughter.
Mizuka reached the graveyard and stopped. Her' pulse raced as it always did when she saw the dreary, gray headstones and the mounds of earth that covered her' parent's bodies.
But now both her' father and her' mother were gone. She could no longer hear them laugh and talk. No longer could she go to them with her' problems. No more could she hear their' even breathing during the night and know that she was safe. They were gone, never to return, or so Haiko had told her.
Mizuka knelt and fingered the inscription engraved on the head stone.
"Forgive me father." She pleaded tearfully. "I tried to change Haiko's mind. But he's determined to go to Konoha, and I'll have to go with him."
She rose and turned to leave when she heard a sound behind her. Mizuka whirled about and peered into the underbrush. There it was again she had not imagined it. Mizuka was unsure as to what she should do. On one hand she knew that the smart idea would be to get out of there; but on the other hand, the adventuress part of her wanted to investigate and find out what was making that noise. She was still hesitating, when suddenly, out from the trees leapt a dog. Or at least she thought it was a dog, but as it approached it she thought is looked more like a cat (a very large cat). Suddenly the creature stepped into the clearing and the moonlight revealed the form of a leopard!
Mizuka gasped and took a step backwards. The leopard took a step forward. Mizuka backed up two more steps. The leopard followed. Mizuka backed up and tripped over a tree root. She braced her' self for the leopard's attack, but it never came. She opened eyes and found herself' staring up into the shining, yellow eyes of the leopard.
Mizuka froze as the leopard lowered its' head. But instead of biting her, it licked her' face.
Mizuka laughed in relief. She didn't understand it but some how the leopard seemed to want to play rather than attack. Perhaps it is a sign that my' parents are not angry with me. She thought. Perhaps this is their' way of telling me everything will be alright. It made sense, considering her' father's love of nature.
She reached up hesitantly and stroked the leopard's head. He made an odd, humming sort of noise and nuzzled her. She scratched between ears and he made the sound again. He's purring! Mizuka realized. She burst out laughing. "He's purring!"
"What is that?!" Haiko exclaimed, his' eyes wide.
Mizuka looked up at him innocently. "Huh?"
Haiko pointed to the leopard that stood behind her, pawing the ground.
"Oh that." she shrugged. "Just a stray cat that followed me home."
"That's no cat, that's a leopard!"
Mizuka rolled her' eyes. "A leopard is a cat bucket brain."
Haiko glared at her. "You know what I mean."
Mizuka didn't answer.
The leopard took a step towards Haiko.
He turned white and backed up. "Keep that thing away from me!" he shouted at her.
Mizuka smirked. "Kunai! Here boy." She called. The leopard turned and walked back to her' side. She patted him on the head and smiled triumphantly at her' brother's shocked look.
"What's wrong Haiko?" she asked.
Haiko recovered himself and quickly changed the subject. "Kunai?" He asked in a disdainful voice. "Why would you call him that?"
She shrugged "I don't know. It just seemed to fit."
He rolled his' eyes in disgust. "Only you would think up a stupid name like that."
Mizuka ignored his' arrogant attitude. "What time will we be leaving tomorrow?" she asked.
"Ten o'clock sharp." Haiko replied as he stepped into his room. "And I expect you to be ready."
"We'll be ready."
Haiko paused and cast her a puzzled look over his' shoulder. "We?"
"Kunai and I." She explained.
Haiko rolled his' eyes and slammed the door.
Mizuka sighed and glanced down at Kunai. "Well," she said, "at least I'll have one friend in Konoha."