{Hatake} .: Flawed Design :. {Kakashi} .: Prologue :.
By: Halogirl3000
~A Couple Miles West of Konoha~
The night was young.
The pitch black sky draped over the horizons in its proud glory. Stars twinkled and winked down upon the earth with their calming glow. They stretched far and wide, creating the spectacle of a milky twilight. Dark blues and purples blended into the sable backgrounds, bringing out the beauty of the heavens for anyone who cared to see.
Shadows consumed the land below the tree tops. Darkness entrapped those who walked upon the ground in their depths, shading the dirt land in its presence. The night was dark, especially this far out, away from the touch of any human made light source. It was completely natural. The way the moon shined down in its radiance, lighting the world in a luminous glow that seemed almost divine. The celestial orb lit the night realm. Casting it's pale, milky rays down upon the unsuspecting world it watched over.
The night was cool.
Leaves rustled in their perches from the multiple tree's that made up the outer ring of the forest. The wind blew across the air, clinging to every surface as it made its way across the sky. It chilled to the bone, regarding the world with cold indifference as its icy caress met little resistance. No one would be caught unaware in this cold night, all finding shelter in the warm embraces of their beds. All except for one.
A shadow made its way across this landscape, ignoring the biting chill of the wind, and the fear of being lost in the shadows. Neither were cause for worry, as it had been through worse conditions multiple times. There had been colder nights it had endured, and it thrived in the shadows. After all, concealment was part of its job.
It blurred in and out of existence as it made its way across the forest and through the thick branches that stood in its way. Dodging the oncoming limbs as if it were child's play, the speed at which it was going doing little to hinder its natural ability.
It had traveled far, beyond the borders of the Villages in the Sand to reach its destination. Traveling through the large country, and the few smaller ones that stood in between in less then two days. The pace it set was unmatchable except for perhaps an ANBU operative. Which it most certainly was not. Few would be able to make this journey in the amount of time it had allowed itself, and even fewer could accomplish this feat without being winded. As it was not.
The cause for this journey caused it great worry. The pride it had held in being untraceable had been shattered with the delivery of a simple letter. Calling it into conference, in a far away village that had been abandoned years earlier.
~Flashback~
A scarlet letter sat on an ordinary wooden table. The dark red pigment of the envelope jumped out from the surroundings, brightly calling attention to itself, being the only thing of color in this cabin of an in-between residence.
The individual was suspicious. The letter had not been there before it had left to see to a few thing in the tiny little village that was a few miles away. The doors were left locked, and had been as such when the occupant of the shack had returned. The windows seemed untouched, the dust that had clung to the panels was still in place, as were most of the traps and seals that it used to protect the place while it resided in the house. Only one was broken.
One of the seals on the upstairs windows was broken when it had returned and inspected all the accessible spots the place held. A seal that was rigged to electrify any who touched it, was skillfully broken from the outside.
Crumpling the useless seal in its hand, the being returned to the letter at the table. Drawing a kunai from what seemed like no where, they allowed the blade to run across the secured flap on the back of the envelop, easily slitting the flimsy paper from the rest of it.
With little care, the being pulled the letter from the confines of its prison. Letting the scarlet envelop fall to the ground with near little thought, it unfolded the paper, and started to read.
The Konohagakure symbol was etched in green lettering at the top of the page. The swirled leaf character brought a frown to the lips of the being, instantly causing it to be on guard.. The page was filled with words and letters. Surrounded by complex, yet simple designs that spanned the edges of the page. An intricate and slightly messy cursive writing spanned from one side to the other, it's words drawing attention, as the beings eyes scanned over every monogram that the note held.
'To the last remaining member of the noble Fujiwara clan,
I apologize that I must send this letter, rather then talk face to face, but the matter could not be put off for that amount of time. You are being called back to Konoha. The reasons why could not be disclosed in this letter, for fear of it falling into enemy hands(the being scoffed at this point). All that can be said is that any intention of defying this request will be grounds for treachery, and ANBU Black Op's will be called to retrieve you. I strongly suggest you comply. When you arrive, you are to meet the guards posted at the gate's entrance. You will be escorted to the Hokage's office, and the purpose of your return will be uncovered upon that time. I neither want, not like the idea of sending ANBU after you, so do not force me to. That, is your only warning.
Sincerely,
The Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves'
After being read, the letter found itself in between clenched fists, shaking slightly from the strain of repressing the red hot fury that tore through the beings body.
~End Flashback~
And thus, the being found itself traveling the span of many nations in very little time. After all, who in their right minds would keep a Hokage waiting.
~*~
~The Hokage's Office, Konoha~
The consistent drumming sound echoed through the silent room, and Tsunade found her self-control waver, if only for a moment.
It was to damn late for this.
Tsunade's usual cocky and grinning face was stretched thin. Her lips drew together in serious anticipation. Her eyes narrowed dangerously at the door that remained unmoving across the room. Her long blonde hair was pulled together in their usual fashion, forming pig tails at the base of her head. She leaned her forehead in to her hand that was perched on the table at the elbow. Rubbing it slowly, trying to ease the headache that as slowly taking form behind her temples. Maybe she should have held off on the sake.
'Tch, yeah right! I'll need it after this is over. It's just going to be one thing after another. Where's Jirayai when I need him. He could've handled this. God knows he deserves the headache that this person can dish out.' Tsunade's thoughts reflected her annoyance at the current predicament. It was going to be a long night. Regardless of whether the guest arrived or not.
Tsunade sat in a council room, the table being pulled out and formed in half a circle. Every few feet or so a man or woman sat, just as serious as the Slug Princess herself. All in this room were ninja, as was to be expected in this ninja village. They knew who they were waiting for, and felt just an nervous about what was to come as the next person, except for Tsunade. She just wanted to get this over with the least amount of casualties possible.
"How long are we going to wait?" One of the ninja asked. Other nodded their heads in agreement, already having waited a good three hours in the room with nothing to do.
"Patience," Tsunade said, hardly turning her head towards the ninja who spoke out. "We'll wait as long as we have to."
"But isn't it a bit early to be waiting her for the Fujiwara? I mean, the Black Op who delivered the message only returned earlier today from dropping the letter off. Shouldn't we allow a few more traveling days before we assemble?" Another shinobi questioned. Tsunade nodded, and could not reprimand this person for the question. It was a logical one, after all.
"You don't know this Fujiwara. This is the last day that they would arrive, if they decided to come at all." A third person commented. Bored black eyes scanned the inhabitants of the room, assessing them all with slight irritation. Brown hair fell below the Konoha headband that was draped backwards upon his head, bandana style. He wore the mandatory chunin vest, on top of the dark blue turtle neck sweater and matching pants. A senbon needle stuck out between his lips, which were pulled together in an overused frown, regardless of the man's good humor.
"Genma's right. This is the last day we'll allow for them to come. If they miss it, ANBU will be issued out to track them down and get them back." Tsunade said, straitening herself in her chair, and staring down her subordinates with a keen eyes. "However, hopefully it won't come to that."
"So their skills are really that good? I've heard rumors about the one we're waiting for, but I just assumed-" The only other female in the room trailed off, looking at the window that paneled the wall behind them. Others turned to look, curious as to what had caught the shinobi's attention.
A pitch black cat was wedging itself in between the panels that lined the outer wall. One of the windows had been left open, if only to let some air into that god forsaken room. Somehow, the feline had been able to jump a good three stories and managed to open the window enough to let itself in.
The group of feared warriors watched in amusement as the cat practically slid itself down from the window, letting its front paws guide it down from the high ledge, and land gracefully on the carpeted flooring.
Once the cat deemed the floor safe, it looked up at the other inhabitants of the room. Piercing golden eyes looked about itself in curiosity, almost as if it were taking every thing into memory. A loud 'meow' followed after, as the cat started walking forward, and with one strong leap, landed on the table.
"Well would you look at that! The little thing found its way in. Isn't it cute!" Genma's sarcastic tone drew out a few laughs from the group, each finding the cat a bit comical. Grinning down at the cat, Genma let his hand travel towards it, about to grab the clump of extra flesh at the base of the neck.
With surprisingly quick movement, the cat struck first. Its mouth opened to reveal sharp, white fangs, and it soon found a use for them, plunging them into the exposed skin of Genma's hand. Pulling back jerkily, Genma glared down at the small assailant. The cat hissed darkly back at him, giving warning to Genma's actions, and daring him to try them again.
"Oh what's wrong Genma? Did the little cat hurt you?" One person jibbed from a few seats down. This received a chuckle from almost everyone, and caused Genma to send a glare down at the speaker.
"That's not funny. That thing is the devil! He almost bit me!" Genma cried back, desperately trying to salvage the remaining pieces of his pride. The female shinobi scoffed at him.
"Serves you right. You shouldn't have messed with it. It's most likely a stray, so just leave it alone." Genma proceeded to send the woman a glare, which she readily returned.
Tsunade sighed as she watched two of her respected ninja continue their pointless banter. It was pathetic really. Two fearsome warriors were reduced to bickering about something as unimportant as a cat. She felt her headache pound once more as they continued to increase in volume, drawing others into the verbal brawl as well. Soon, the entire room was in an uproar.
"This is ridiculous!" Tsunade sighed to herself, letting her irritation roll off her body in strong waves. But the other ninja seemed to ignore it, continuing on with their betty conflict. Tsunade sat in her chair, contemplating what types of punishments she was legally allowed to induce upon her subordinates. A small movement caught her attention before her thoughts had reached spending time with Ibiki.
Letting her gaze slip to the side, Tsunade saw the cat had made its way to her end of the table. With small steps, it drew closer, inspecting the cup of sake Tsunade had close by. Tsunade felt her lips twitch in an almost grin, distracted from the chaos in the room by this small feline.
The cat allowed itself to sit in front of the cup, leaning towards it with an open curiosity. Tsunade allowed the cat to sniff the contents of the cup, letting her gaze study the cat with an intense concentration. Something about the cat put her on edge. It wasn't enough for her to deem it a threat, but there was an odd sense of familiarity that threw Tsunade off.
It seemed like a nice cat. It's pitch black fur was nice and soft. It gleamed with a healthy shine that shouldn't be possible for a stray that stayed out in the streets all day and night. It was lean as well. Worked muscles were seen through the skin, not enough to be overly apparent, but upon a close inspection they were obvious and strongly defined.
The most unnerving thing about the cat however, were the eyes. Startling golden eyes gleamed with intelligence and what seemed to be a mischievous tint. They were extremely unique, Tsunade had only met a handful of individuals, animal or otherwise, that had gold eyes, but this hue surpassed all others. There was striking ness that affiliated itself with the bright eyes. Power was radiating off the gaze in what seemed like ease. It cut through all it looked upon, an artic and frosty indifference piercing across between the individual who was foolish enough to draw its attention. And yet, at the same time there was sense of self-control and undeniable will within the gaze. Both dignified and disciplined, and stood out with poise in the face of adversities.
Tsunade shook her head, riding those deep thought from her mind. It was a cat, nothing more an nothing else.
Said cat was currently finding the drink even more appealing then first glance suggested. It was hunched forward, as if about to pounce on the drink, should it put up a fight in retaliation from its oncoming onslaught. Drawing it's face close to the cup, it allowed its furry, whiskered lips to part, and let its rough, pink tongue touch the cooling substance of Tsuade's alcohol.
With a cry of dismay, Tsunade tried to push the cat away from her beloved drink. Sending a small curse out towards Jiraiya(after all, everything was his fault), she practically vaulted from her chair, and started 'shooing' the cat away. For all the trouble, the cat only pulled its head away, and sent Tsunade a look that could be interpreted as 'You do know you look like a fool, right?'
Tsunade growled slightly, recognizing the look, and not appreciating getting it from a lowly cat. She glared down at the ball of fur, and met its eyes in a war that most people would call childish. With a cattish grin, the cat leaped backwards away from the enraged sannin-turned-hokage. Performing a back flip in midair, the cat landed gracefully on it's padded paws. Its eyes looking up into Tsunade's with a sense of victory and troublesome achievement, on Tsunade's part at least.
The action caught the attention of the quarreling ninja's as well. All looked upon the cat with confusion. Animals could hardly be expected to perform such feats. At least, no common stray animals. Ninja animals, were another matter however.
"Touchy. You haven't changed a bit, have you Tsunade?" The voice drifted through the room. It was undoubtedly smug, and traveled the span of the room with power. The voice was a woman's, and flowed from the throat of the cat in smooth tones. The cat sat back on its hunches, as if the ninja that surrounded her were nothing to be concerned about, and paid no attention to them.
Tsunade's eyes widened as she heard the cat talk. The voice was familiar, it was undeniable. The being that was the cat was who Tsunade had been waiting for. The shock that accompanied that development was apparent.
The shinobi that were in the room reacted hostilely, as was expected. This individual was dangerous, the records could account for that, and a few of them had met her personally. No one would make the mistake of underestimating her. The consequences often were deadly.
Sensing that her subordinates would not stay still for long, Tsunade held up a hand, pausing them as they were all about to lung forward at attack the seemingly oblivious animal.
'Cocky pain in the ass. She knows that these guys are ready to skewer her, and she hasn't batted an eyes. She hasn't changed in all these years, as unbelievable as that seems.' Tsunade glared down the cat, who was currently licking her paw, and rubbing it against her face in a bored fashion.
"So, you really came." Tsunade's voice called the cat's attention. The cat looked up at her, golden eyes flashing in both curiosity, and warning. She would not hold back if an attack was made, and broken bones would be the results.
"Welcome back to Konoha, Fujiwara Zakuro."
~*~
Ramblings of an Author: Well, that was the prologue. I don't have much to say for this entry, since it is only the first of many, but I'd just like to say that messages would be appreciated, and the senders will be given cookies for their troubles! ^-^ . . . Well, actually no. I ate them all. Sorry! But message anyway because it make you feel good!