Don't Look Away

Chapter One

A tall and well-built man strode out of the classic Japanese-style home, followed by a young boy with shaggy brown hair. He was rather short and scrawny, even for an eight-year-old boy. The boy's most striking feature was his electrifying violet eyes; a hereditary trait of the Shinobu clan. A trait he shared with the man he followed to their back yard.

The yard was surrounded by lush trees and other plant life, a pond a little off in the distance. The man came to a stop before turning to face the small boy, their matching eyes meeting.

"Happy eighth birthday, Kyo. As you know, you are officially of age to start clan training. From this day on, we will come out here every day to go over your lessons. You will grow into a strong shinobi our clan can be proud of." The man spoke in a confident voice with an air of superiority. He was the head of the Shinobu clan; Daichi Shinobu.

The boy timidly nodded, a hesitant look on his face. "… Yes, father."

Neither of them noticed the small girl who ran out the door and quickly ran to them, brown pigtails flying behind her as she sprinted.

"F-Father! I'm eight too! I also want to start training to be a ninja!" She panted out, coming to a halt beside Kyo. Daichi sent her a harsh glare. They had had this conversation numerous times before…

"How many times must I tell you no, Akemi? Our clan does not produce female ninjas. Women have their place, and men have theirs. Your place will never be on the battle field. Go back inside and help your mother with lunch." He spoke with a cold tone of finality, looking down at his daughter. She was identical to Kyo; the only difference was their gender. Akemi's hair was long and her face had a more girly look to it. Besides that, they were nearly indistinguishable.

Akemi looked down at her feet, playing with her fingers, disappointment evident in her expression. Her twin brother looked at her sadly as she bit her lip and turned around back towards the house, dragging her feet along the way.

"F-Father, Akemi's really strong. I know she'd be a good ninja. You should let her train-"

"No, Kyo. I've told you many times, girls shouldn't be ninja." He said with a glare, making Kyo flinch. Their father was always like this; treating Akemi unfairly and talking down women. Kyo wish he could help his sister, but didn't know what to do.

;

Once the night had fallen and the stars had come out to play, Kyo quietly approached his sister's room. His heart dropped to his stomach when he heard the quiet sobs he knew he should've expected. Without knocking, he entered the room to see Akemi balled up on her bed, her face in her knees.

He strode up to her and hopped on the bed beside her, quickly putting his arm around his twin's shoulders.

"Shh, Akemi, don't cry." He whispered, worry in his eyes. Akemi hiccupped, raising her head.

"B-but, Kyo… Da-Daddy won't let me be a ninja. You know it's all I want. I-I don't want to be a housewife like all the girls in the clan." She blubbered, furiously wiping at her eyes. Kyo sent her a sympathetic look.

"Akemi… It's just how we are. You know Daddy doesn't let girls be ninjas-"

"But it's unfair, Kyo!" Akemi howled, cutting him off. She sent him a blazing look of frustration before speaking again.

"I know I can be a splendid ninja! Even Daddy's friends say so! They said I have lots of chakra, even for a Shinobu! Inoichi-san said it, and so did Mr. Shikaku! All I need is a chance to prove I can be strong too, but Daddy won't even give me that…" She drifted off, looking back towards her toes, now dangling off the side of her bed. Kyo opened his mouth, but no sounds came out, as he couldn't find the words to say.

She sighed, jumping off the bed and shaking Kyo's arm off her.

"Somehow, I'll learn how to be a ninja… then I'll show Daddy and Uncle Daisuke and Sora too. I'll show everyone in this stupid clan that girls can be ninjas too! I'll be as great as the legendary Lady Tsunade!"

She spoke with renewed determination in her voice; a strong contrast to the pitiful tears she was crying just moments ago. Kyo silently sent Akemi a proud smile.

;

Daichi growled at his son, "Focus your chakra, Kyo. You're not putting enough concentration into this!"

Kyo had been trying all day to create a simple clone of himself. It had been several months since his birthday, and after tons of chakra training and lessons about ninja techniques, he was finally allowed to start utilizing his newly learned skills.

The only problem is it didn't seem to be working for him.

The young boy was exhausted; He was panting heavily and struggling to stay standing. Even if he hadn't successfully made a clone yet, just the attempt took a lot of chakra and his body was on the brink of collapsing.

Daichi didn't think this was a reason to stop.

"Come on, boy!" He yelled violently, his eyes flashing.

"We're of the Shinobu clan! Do you know what that means? It means we endure! We're powerhouses of never dying energy and chakra! So don't look so tired; put more effort into it!"

They were both so focused on Kyo's exhaustion that neither of them noticed the small girl hiding up in a tree to watch them. Akemi came here daily to watch Kyo's lessons in secret. She frowned seeing how her father was viciously yelling at Kyo, but remained silent, not wanting to be found out. She flinched as Daichi raised his hand to strike Kyo, but stopped himself just in time as Kyo fell to his knees.

;

The stars were out and the crickets were chirping as Akemi stealthily slid open her window and hopped down to the moist grass below, her slippers making a squelching sound as they hit the nighttime dew. She snuck a wary glance at her open window before speeding off towards to cover of the trees. The young girl slowed to a jog once hidden by the shadows, soon beginning to pant. After five minutes, she reached her destination; a well enclosed clearing in the forest by the edge of the village. She spent a moment catching her breath before moving her hands in front of her to focus her chakra.

She took care to remember everything her father had instructed Kyo to do for this jutsu in the past week. Once she felt confident in her chakra level, a whisper declaring her technique interrupted the melody of the night.

"Clone jutsu..."

To her surprise, a perfect replica of herself appeared beside her, looking every bit bewildered as she herself was.

;

The four members of the Shinobu head family sat down to breakfast. Even four years later at the age of twelve, Kyo and Akemi were identical, save for Akemi's long pigtails which now nearly reached her waist. Diaene, their mother, ate silently beside Daichi who wasn't eating at all, but was looking around at them all with that familiar air of superiority.

"I have an announcement." He spoke finally. Akemi and Kyo looked up at him curiously, while Diaene just stared down at her food. Daichi turned his attention to Kyo.

"Kyo, it's been a few months since your birthday, and over 4 years since you began clan training. While not quite as impressive as Daisuke and I were as kids, you have finally reached a level similar to that expected of an academy graduate. Thus, I have decided the time has finally come for you to finish the mandatory year at the academy to graduate as a genin with others in your age group." At this, the Shinobu twins both dropped their eyes. Akemi dropped them in dejection; she had trained in secret for four years, mastering everything Daichi had taught her brother, but she'd still never be allowed to go to the academy. Kyo dropped them in nervousness; he had never wanted to be a ninja, and he definitely didn't want to attend the academy. He had to put a stop to this ninja business right now.

"Father…" He muttered, too nervous to look his Dad in the eye. Akemi glanced at him curiously.

"Father…" He started louder this time. He slowly moved his glance from his plate, but still couldn't quite meet Daichi in the eye.

"I… I don't want to go to the academy. I d-don't want to be a ninja." He said, his voice shaking. Daichi stopped, looking down at his son coldly.

"What?" He questioned venomously. Kyo shifted uncomfortably, his eyes still wandering around the dining room.

"I… I tried to tell you, but you just… seemed to want to train me so badly s-so I learned, thinking that I might change my mind… b-but… Now I know more than ever I don't want to even be a genin. I hate fighting and violence. I can't be a medical ninja because I squirm at the sight of blood. I don't want to be a teacher at the academy, because I don't want to raise new generations of young ninja for war. I just… can't." He said, timidly meeting his father's intimidating eye.

Daichi scowled, glaring down at his son. "You're going to be a ninja, Kyo. You are going to be the next head of the clan, and you will be a strong one. I will not have you bring the family name down-"

"No father!" Kyo yelled, banging his hand on the table. He glared right back at his father, all the anger he had held for so many years boiling to the surface.

"I will not be a ninja! And out clan is stupid and biased! Why don't you send Akemi to the academy, huh? You know she's the one that actually wants to be a strong ninja! You know she could do it too! I suck at everything ninja-related, but even my crappy sense can pick up on her massive chakra pool! We all have massive chakra pools in this clan, but hers is even greater! It doesn't matter that she's a girl, she's much better suited to being a fighter than I am!" He yelled. Daichi looked taken aback, but highly furious. He rounded on Kyo.

"It doesn't matter if she has a massive chakra pool! She wouldn't be able to do anything with it! I've told you again and again, girls cannot make strong ninja!" He shouted back, growing progressively more violent looking. Kyo glared back at him, his mouth narrow. He knew how much Akemi wished to be a ninja, and he knew she had learned everything she needed to. But, he couldn't tell his Dad that.

Daichi scoffed, getting up and turning on his heel, pausing only to direct some harsh words at both of his children.

"… You are both tremendous disappointments. It's a disgrace to the family. What would the other noble families think of me if they saw you..? A boy who doesn't even want to be a ninja, and a girl who doesn't know her place…" And with that, he exited the room. Kyo lost his harsh, confident glare and sighed, exchanging a sad glance with Akemi who had remained silent the whole time. Ignoring their mother, who was still staring down at her food, they left to go outside.

;

"AUUUUGHHH, I HATE THIS STUPID CLAN." Akemi screamed, smashing her fist against a tree. Kyo looked at her sadly.

"I know, Kemi… I really wish there was a way for you to take my place at the academy." He muttered, looking down at his feet. Akemi froze mid-punch, her mind reeling. Take his place? At the academy?

An idea suddenly hit her. Albeit, a crazy one, but an idea nonetheless. She slowly turned to face him, dropping her fist.

"Hey, Kyo… we're identical, right?" Kyo looked at her incredulously.

"Well, duh." He said lamely.

"And if I had, say, the same haircut as you, people would be nearly unable to tell us apart, right?" Kyo raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Well, I guess you could say that, yes… I mean, you're a little smaller all around and have a more girlish face… Our voices are only slightly different… but, yeah…" He said, eyeing her curiously. Akemi started grinning a little mischievously.

"And you like earning spending money, yes?" She asked, crossing her arms with an air of finality. Kyo looked confused.

"Sis, where ya going with this?" He asked with a sigh. Akemi ignored him, bouncing on her feet and grabbing his arm excitedly, running off through the forest. He gave a yell of surprise as she let out a laugh.

"I have an idea! We're going to go see Veiko right now!"

;

Veiko Ohayashi lived with her father in an apartment above their restaurant; Konoha Sushi. She was also Akemi's closest friend; not that she had many. The girls had become friends over their mutual love for mischief and similar adventurous attitudes.

Akemi was supposed to take a job at the sushi restaurant; Veiko wasn't able to help out much anymore because she was attending the academy, and one of their fulltime workers had recently quit. With Veiko's father, Fumio, growing older, he needed to have consistent help in the restaurant. The only reason Akemi hadn't taken the job yet was because it would mean resigning herself to a boring civilian life and giving up her secret training; something she solidly did not want to do. However, Fumio was kind about it, and said the option was always open for her if she needed it, while still respecting her ambition to be a ninja.

They soon arrived, having cut through the forest surrounding their clan's land and sprinting through the main street. Kyo was panting and still highly confused; Akemi was wearing an excited smile. She finally released Kyo, not even asking if he was okay before running up the stairs alongside the side of the building. As Kyo dragged his feet up the stairs, she banged on the door.

"OI, VEIKO. IT'S ME, OPEN UP." She yelled. A second later, a girl with violent red hair answered the door, looking happy.

"AKEMI. It has been a WHILE." She said, motioning her in. She spotted a disheveled Kyo behind her and smiled, waving him in as well. They all sat down in the living room, looking at Akemi expectantly, who was wearing a confident grin.

"I have a WONDERFUL idea." She started, staring both of them down.

"So. KYO… Doesn't want to be a ninja." She said, nodding at her brother. "YOUR FATHER… Needs help in his restaurant." She added, nodding this time at Veiko.

"And I!... Would like to attend the academy. I'm also identical to Kyo, possess the skills necessary, and would look damn good with a leaf headband on my rather appealing forehead." She said, jabbing a thumb to herself. Before either of them could open their mouths, she continued.

"So, this may sound crazy. BUT… Hey, I'm pretty crazy. And I think we can pull it off. So; Basically, I can take Kyo's place at the academy. If I cut my hair, I'd look exactly like him. No one would notice! Then, during the days I'm at the academy, Kyo can take the job here your Dad offered me. He'll be making money, and our parents won't know the difference." she finished triumphantly, glancing at them both.

Kyo just sat there, staring at her with a look of "you are absolutely mental and I can't believe I share your DNA". Veiko however began laughing her head off.

"OH MAN, that is GOOD. WE HAVE TO DO IT. Can you imagine if we pull it off? Then one day you'll grow boobs and everyone will freak out. It'll be PRICELESS!" Kyo paled, already knowing Akemi and Veiko had their minds set and he had no say whatsoever in the manner. Nonetheless, if they made it work, it was a win-win situation for everyone, so…

"If we do everything right… it could work." He added with a nod. Veiko jumped to her feet, pointing a finger dramatically in the air.

"ALRIGHT, LET'S DO IT! Now, Akemi, the new students are joining our class the day after tomorrow. So, we don't have much time. Let's get started now. First thing… is the hair. "Akemi nodded enthusiastically, getting to her feet behind Veiko. Kyo looked at her concernedly.

"Akemi… you love your hair though." He muttered. Akemi shrugged with a sad smile on her face.

"Yeah, I do. However, this is the only chance I have at being a ninja, which is something I'd shave my head bald for." She admitted. He nodded as Veiko enthusiastically took out a pair of kitchen scissors, gesturing Akemi over.

"Kyo, stand in front of me so I can see your hair. Akemi, don't take those ponytails out." She demanded, as Akemi moved to release her hair. Instead, Veiko took charge, loosening the two hair ties. Kyo watched earnestly as Veiko chopped both of the ponytails off, the ties holding all the hair together. She then carefully lay them aside, a familiar glint in her eye; the same glint she had whenever she was about to prank some unwilling victim.

The next few minutes were spent with Veiko carefully replicating Kyo's hairstyle on Akemi; he had messy, shaggy brown hair with many layers. Akemi's was a shade lighter, but no one would notice it. His bangs were parted in the middle, reaching his cheek bones. Akemi's were longer, tickling her jawline, but she refused to let Veiko cut them; she had looked rather pained since her ponytails were cut out.

Soon, Akemi really did look identical to Kyo. Veiko lined them up next to each other so she could size up Akemi's appearance. There were a few minute details only people close to both of them would notice, but besides that, they were truly identical. Akemi was about an inch shorter, her face a little rounder with a more girlish look to it. Kyo was more broad-shouldered and his eyes didn't have the same confidence and hardness Akemi's had. Besides that, and the difference in bang length, she could barely tell them apart.

She laughed, clapping her hands together.

"This is excellent! Now, Akemi, your hair probably won't fly with your parents. Luckily, I've already thought ahead for that as well."

With that, she disappeared into her room, leaving Kyo and Akemi to sit on the couch and complete the scheme for getting Akemi into the academy without a hitch. Veiko appeared a short while later, the two ponytails attached to two large clips and a wide smile on her face.

"See! They clip right on, and there's so much hair, you can't see the clips. Now your parents and friends will never have a clue!" She said, clipping them on to Akemi's head. Akemi let out a howl of laughter.

"You are a master, Veiko. This is amazing. We should head back home though. Kyo needs to reconcile with our old man and convince him he changed his mind about the academy. Can you explain what we did to your Dad and tell him Kyo will start coming in two days to help with the restaurant?" Veiko nodded enthusiastically, obviously way too happy at the prospect of trying to trick the entire ninja academy and beyond. Quite honestly, Akemi and Kyo were too.

;

The Shinobu twins soon returned home, walking this time. They took their time spending the day outside outlining any possible complications that Akemi could encounter at the academy. The biggest worry was if someone they knew was in her class and recognized her; their father was a well-respected jounin who was connected with many of the other clans in Konoha. They regularly had dinner with other clans throughout a year and had met many others their age who would possibly be in Akemi's class; there was no way to know for sure though.

The other worry they had was the mark on Akemi's face. The kanji number for '6' would prominently show on her left cheekbone whenever she concentrated her chakra to do a jutsu.

The Shinobu clan didn't pick their heads; it was all blood. They were born with a dormant number marked on their left cheek that would appear whenever they did a jutsu. The focused chakra required to do such forces the mark to show. The head of the clan wore the number one, and every other member had a number below that in order of how close they are to leading the clan. While Akemi was sixth in line, Kyo was second. Anyone who knew much about their clan might immediately become suspicious of the son of the clan head having the number six.

Deciding Akemi would just have to deal with any problems as they appeared, the day was soon over and they were seated at the dinner table once more.

The air was tense; Daichi was still glowering and their mother remained silent and looking lost. Akemi waited in quiet anticipation for Kyo to speak up; the whole success of their plan rode on his acting skills.

"Father... I… I've been thinking…" Kyo gave a nervous gulp, his hands balled up in his lap as he started. His father cocked an eyebrow.

"I was, uh, talking to Akemi all day. And I've finally given the whole… ninja thing… a lot of thought. I know our clan has a prominent reputation and I don't… want to be the one to destroy it. Also… Being a ninja is the best thing for me, I think. I… I don't have as much confidence as the main family should. This will help me…" He said, starting to drift off. Diaene looked up with wide eyes while Daichi's jaw dropped slightly, his glare slipping away.

Akemi shot Kyo a smirk while he remained stoic, staring at their father. It took a moment, but Daichi's face broke out into a grin.

"Kyo… That makes me proud. I'll talk with the Hokage tomorrow, and we'll get you signed up before Monday." He said, fierceness in his eyes.

After dinner, when they were all in their rooms, Kyo lay in bed, staring up to the ceiling.

It was going to be a miracle if they pulled this off.

;

The next day passed way too quickly for Kyo's liking. More than once he found his forehead breaking out in a nervous sweat in fear of the coming day. Akemi seemed more lively than usual; Daichi did as well. He spent the day telling what seemed like everyone in the compound about Kyo's upcoming academy attendance. People came to the house to congratulate him and wish him well, and all he could do was nod like a robot with a pained smile on his face while silently cursing the seemingly carefree Akemi.

Akemi had also informed their father of "her" new job at the Sushi restaurant. Daichi seemed pleased that she had given up on the ninja business and encouraged her walking her brother to the academy before working. She agreed.

Before they knew it, Monday morning arrived; the first day "Kyo" was set to go to the academy. Akemi crept into his room while the sun was still coming up, a nervous smile on her face. She was wearing baggy beige shorts and one of his blue t-shirts. Luckily, she was still as flat as a boy when it came to the chest area. Her hair fell just like Kyo's did, and for a minute, Kyo knew this was going to work.

"Come on; we have to get out of here before the 'rents wake up and see all my hair chopped off." She urged. They were soon out of the house, walking alongside each other with breakfast to go in the form of bagels. They munched in silence, Akemi walking Kyo to the restaurant so she wouldn't show up too early. When they arrived outside the restaurant, they stopped, staring into each other's matching eyes. Kyo looked slightly terrified, that confidence in their plan having disappeared quickly; Akemi looked nervous, but was still smiling.

"Kyo… thank you. And don't worry, we're gonna pull this off." She muttered, latching herself onto her twin in a tight hug.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see about that. Let's just get Veiko out here so you can get to the academy on time… Just remember to not make me look bad." He said, hugging back. Akemi laughed softly, while Veiko suddenly appeared out of a window over the restaurant.

"Aww, sibling love! Yes, hug your sister goodbye, 'cause she's gonna die if anyone catches her! And with that bit of encouragement, let's go, female Kyo!" she sang, grabbing Akemi's arm and dragging her away. They both waved over their shoulders before taking off in a run all the way to the academy.

;

Akemi shifted awkwardly outside the door of her new class. Her new teacher, Iruka, had requested she wait for the class to all settle in before she came in so he could introduce her properly. The noise behind the door slowly started dissipating away until she heard Iruka call her in.

"Alright guys, we have a new student joining us today, so I'm going to call him in. Kyo, the door's open!" Akemi cleared her throat, making a mental note to remember to keep her voice a tone lower as she slid open the door.

She saw Veiko wink at her from the back of the class. Her normal confidence rushing up, she strode in front of the class beside Iruka. He gave her a friendly smile before continuing.

"Everyone, this is Kyo Shinobu. He'll be completing the last year of academy work in our class so he can take the genin exam with you all."

Akemi felt all eyes on her at that moment. She raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing its way onto her face. She gave a lazy wave to the class.

"Yo."

;

And THAT… is the very lengthy prologue to this story. I feel the need to explain a lot of it, but I feel like that'd kill it. So instead, I thank everyone for reading and I'd be super happy if you left a review and tell me what you think! I think I'm going to put an eventual pairing in this… I'm just not fully decided, but I'm leaning towards ShikamaruXAkemi. If you'd like a say in it, check out the poll on my profile!

Also, in future chapters, the story will be in Akemi's POV. I just wanted to do third person for all the flashes of what happened to lead up to this point in the story.

The next one to three chapters will cover Akemi's time at the academy! How in the world will she keep her identity a secret? And what happens when someone figures out she's a girl? Stay tuned!

(It's like a commercial in author note form :D)

-Nyx