\A child played on the floor, his toys strewn about in the firelit room. A smiling woman sat on a comfortable chair, watching her little boy with loving eyes. Everything of the room spooke of quiet harmony and peace.
The boy tossed a five-sided dice and it tumbled to the floor, and he studied it with strange curiousity. A gentle laugh, and he heard the soft swishing of garments as the woman stepped to her feet. Kneeling beside her son, she grabbed the dice.
"Ne, do you know how many?" the mother asked, rolling the dice between her hands all the while the child's amber eyes watched as the five symbols flashed back and forth.
A frown, sad and disappointed, came across his face as the boy shook his head. Sighing at her son's harshness, she placed her precious child on her lap.
"One, two, three, four, five," she sang, turning the dice over in her hand. The boy's hand rested upon one of the dice's sides, and cocking his head he considered the symbol painted on it. The woman laughed a little, patting her precious child's long black hair. "Five numbers for five elements," she explained, nimble fingers brushing through dark strands.
"Suiton... Fuuton..." Biting his lip, the child looked up at his mother. "What are the others, Kaa-san?"
"You already knew those?!" the woman asked, blinking in surprise, and her precious child nodded before repeating his question.
"Kaa-san, what are the others?" eyes, inquisitive, innocent, and amber, stared up into her own, "Kaa-san?"
The woman shook her head before wrapping her arms around her little boy. "You needn't worry about that, not just yet," she leaned forward to buried a kiss at the crown of the child's head.
"Hmm..." the boy's head dipped in acknowledgement, unintentionally evading his mother. Leaning back against his mother, he glanced up at her. "Ne, Kaa-san... How does one use the elements?"
The woman paused, studying her child. "The twelve seals of the zodiac – but why?"
"Twelve..." the boy seemed lost in thought for a while, "That's strange, I thought it would be evenly divisible by five, for those elements – Kaa-san, what are the other elements?" he asked, eagerness shining in his eyes.
"Why do want to know these things?" she massaged her precious child's back all the while wondering what had possessed her little boy.
He shrugged. "I don't know," he simply said, "It just seems fun, that's all...."
The firelit flickered and dimmed, and outside the sun had fully set.
"Say, do you want to become a shinobi?" she asked her little boy, her precious child, cautious and worried.
He paused, his curious eyes plunging into his mother's. "Kaa-san," he snuggled against her shoulder, "What's a shinobi?" he asked before slipping into slumber.
The woman sighed, hugging her child close.
What's a shinobi?
A shinobi is someone who uses those elements and those seals, she thought, and sadness welled within her, They use them to kill people... The last thing she wanted was for her little boy to become mixed up in that. The thought of his pale skin stained with blood – dark hair matted with gore – it was enough to plunge her into madness. His innocent eyes tainted by death, death by his hand and death of his friends... She knew, she had been one of those once...
But... But was it fair? To say there was no need for shinobi would be a lie, and her son showed such promise in the field.
It's fun.. Her poor, naiive child. What had started as a game would turn into a nightmare. When her little boy saw the destruction a jutsu would cause, would he still consider so wonderful? When he learned that he would be fighting those with more skill and jutsu than himself, would he still think it fun? Should a jutsu claim a life before his eyes, would he still consider it fun? Would he always see jutsu as a toy, like those strewn on the floor before her?
No. Not her little boy. Instead, her precious child would grow to loathe the day he asked his mother that fateful question. He would weep bitter tears, and be driven into depression. After, hadn't that happened to her? He would rue the day he became a shinobi, and hate her for introducing him to that horrible craft. The thought was unbearable. There was no way her little boy would find any joy or fun once a full-fledged shinobi.
She sighed and nestled closer to her son. He stirred, groaning a little.
"Kaa-san?" his sleepy voice was almost eclipsed by the snapping fire.
"Yes, sweety?" the mother whispered, neck tucked over the child's head.
His small pale hand went up to his mother's cheek, and he squirmed a little as she tickled his arm. "Do these shinobi use the seals and elements...? I want to use those seals and elements!" Excitement and curiousity filled his small stature, she could feel it. Something within the woman fell like lead.
Pressing her little boy still closer, she answered, a ghostly and tentative whisper, "Yes... But -"
"Kaa-san, I've been thinking," he gushed, excitement in his voice, "Isn't there some way I could use those elements to make sure you don't go away like Ta-san and Baa-sama did? I don't want you to go away..."
A kiss brushed against the boy's cheek. "Don't worry... I won't go away, I promise!" This poor, poor child... If only there was more I could do for him...
"But Kaa-san!" he exclaimed, and fear twinkled in his amber eyese. The woman held him closer.
"Shh.... Don't worry, I promise!" she smiled, the boy looking up at her, blinking as he comprehended what she had said.
Shlik! The sound of a kunai plunged into the woman's neck split the boy's ears, and blood rained over gasping child, staining him red and matting his hair with gore.
"K-Kaa.... San...?" the boy asked even as the life dimmed out of her eyes. A masked figure with what appeared to be a broken arrow on a headband scoffed.
"Sorry kid, you 'kaa san' is dead," he turned to leave.
"B-but why? Wha-what are you?" he whined after the figure.
"A shinobi," The man paused, back turned to the boy, "Katon: Hosenka." he turned and fire balls spewed from his mouth, alighting the woman's home. Having done this he left.
"Katon... Kaa-san, there's suiton, fuuton, and katon. Katon. What are the others, Kaa-san... Kaa-san?" he asked his still mother, "You aren't leaving me, are you, Kaa-san?"
The world of red fire and black smoke dimmed in the woman's eyes. She could barely make out her son in front of her. She couldn't hear her son's words, but watched his lips move wordlessly nonetheless.
I'm sorry...
My little boy....
My precious child...
Orochimaru...
Chan...
I am very proud of this. Go ahead and flame it to ashes, I'll still be proud of it. Maybe the writing isn't at its best, maybe I fell short of capturing the eerie mood, but, it. Has. Irony. Therefore, I like. Do you?
3/3 in FF_1909464_1869226775