It
was one of those stormy days again in Konohagakure. Yukika watched
the drops of rain run down the window, counting the ones that hit the
sill, as another flash of lightning illuminated the dark sky. She
sighed as the drops started hitting the sill quicker than she could
count. How she hated rain, water in general! She couldn't explain
why, it was just fact.
"Yukika! Come and dry off the
plates!"
Her mother's voice was strained and agitated. The
girl rolled her eyes as she heaved up onto her feet. They were
expecting some "very important" visitors later on in the
day. 2 shinobi of the Nara clan. Her face darkened slightly. Shinobi,
another thing she couldn't stand. They were arrogant, untalented
pricks, who thought themselves worth more than the rest of the people
living in Konoha.
Yukika stepped into the warm kitchen, her mother
pulling out a deliciously smelling cake from the oven.
"You
shouldn't make such a fuss. They're just ninja..." The girl
commented, picking up a plate and rubbing it off with a towel.
"I
know you have no high opinion of these people, but I'm counting on
you being polite at least. Don't speak if you're not asked, but give
answer when they do address you in any way!"
Yukika snorted
softly, grabbing the next plate and rubbing it a bit more ferociously
than the last.
"They need us. It doesn't matter how we treat
them" She muttered under her breath.
It was true, the great
Nara clan needed their little family. Yukika and her mother were the
only people who grew the rare Yuki flower. A beautiful white flower,
that grew only in Yukigakure, where their family originally was from.
It's leaves had extraordinary healing powers and was used frequently
in medicines. It was this flower that Yukika had received her name
from.
Her mother sighed loudly.
"You may be right. But we
depend on them wanting it, so don't mess up!"
Yukika put the
last plate into the shelves and threw the towel down on the work
top.
"Whatever" She said and left her mother to mess
around with the cake.
Yukika stomped up the stairs to her room,
each step showing her rage. For her, being dependant on a shinobi
family was the farthest down they could get.
One
day, I'll make my own medicines and sell them to greater people than
them!
It
was her dream, to get away from all ninja influence one day.
She
dropped down onto her bed and stared up through the ceiling window,
the rain still beating down mercilessly. A flash of lightning
appeared in the sky once more and Yukika felt her heart miss a beat.
A sudden loud knock on the door downstairs made her sit up
quickly. They couldn't be here already!
"Yukika! Get down
here now, quickly!" Her mother yelled.
Yes, they were here
after all.
Her eyes narrowed. The evening of torture had just
begun.
"Mr. Nara!
Please come in!"
"Please, call me Shikaku! We've known
each other long enough"
The man scratched the back of his
head awkwardly, laughing heartily. Yukika took a closer look at the
seemingly friendly man. He wore his hair in a pony tail and a lot of
fishnet covered his body. Something typical for a ninja she knew.
What made her suspicious were the two scars running over one side of
his face. A small goatee didn't make him look any better.
"Oh
may I introduce you to my son! Shikamaru" He grabbed hold of a
boy Yukika's age, who looked as thrilled to be where he was as she
did.
His hair was pulled back as well, a green vest like his
father's resting on his shoulders. He looked very much like his
father all in all. The only thing that was completely different was
the look on his face. Where his father looked almost menacing, this
boy looked like he couldn't hurt a fly. Or better put, was too bored
and lazy to.
"Nice to meet you Shikamaru!" Her mother
chirruped in that annoyingly friendly voice.
The boy glanced at
her, and nodded slowly.
"This is my daughter Yu..."
"Oi,
can't you at least say something you arrogant bastard?"
Yukika
had stepped in front of Shikamaru, glaring up at him. He was a good
head taller than she was. His bored gaze didn't change as his eyes
shifted down to her.
"And you troublesome person are?"
It
was the first he had spoken, his voice slow and deep.
"My
mother's being friendly and all that for you! You could at least say
hello!" Yukika jabbed her finger into his chest. "I've
always said it, you shinobi are too proud to show
politeness..."
Shikamaru smirked slightly at her words.
"I
don't see any politeness from you"
Yukika opened her mouth,
but she found no counter.
"I do apologize for my daughter's
brashness!!" Her mother grabbed her mouth to shut Yukika up
before she could say anymore. "She has learned
differently!"
"Don't worry about it. I should apologize
for my son's apartheid attitude..." Shikaku slapped his son over
the head.
"Ouch" The boy rubbed his head.
"Come
into the kitchen, I'll make you some coffee!" Her mother
suggested quickly. "Yukika, take Shikamaru up to your room and
find something to occupy yourselves with!"
"But Mum,
I..."
"I don't want to hear anything, just do
it!"
Yukika muttered curses under her breath. This was
getting even worse than she'd thought.
Ignoring Shikamaru, she
strutted up the stairs. Footsteps followed her some feet behind.
Once
in her room she slammed the door shut after he'd entered.
"Don't
think I'm doing this because I want to!" She snapped
angrily.
"One thing we think alike on"
Yukika
narrowed her eyes at the indifferent boy.
"How old are you?"
She asked, arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Does that
have any relevance?" He retorted, gaze fixing on hers.
"Curious.
Not many of your kind wear vests like that!"
"My kind?
And what would that be?"
"Shinobi, ninja, whatever one
wants to call you!" She answered snidely, not hiding her
disgust.
Shikamaru's smirk appeared again and he sat down on her
bed.
"17"
Yukika raised a brow. He was a year older,
only a year older.
"And I'm a chuunin, which is not a very
high rank at all. It's what nearly all of "my kind" get to
in their life"
"What else is there?" Yukika asked,
hiding her curiosity as best she could.
"Well, after chuunin,
you can take the exams to become jounin. As a jounin you can become a
sensei and teach genin, which are shinobi in training." He
started to explain.
"I know what a genin is!" She
snapped.
Shikamaru just blinked at her.
"If you're a good
jounin you can either become an Elite jounin or an ANBU. And even in
the ranks of the ANBU, you can become a captain, ANBU Black Op or
ANBU Root." Shikamaru paused, his gaze never leaving
Yukika's.
"Is that all?" She asked, this time showing
her interest.
"You seem very interested in the topic, for all
the hate you showed just a few minutes ago"
The girl looked
away from his quickly.
"It's just fascinating how you people
have to rank yourselves!"
"Mhm"
"Don't say
that! It drives me mad!" She snapped.
"Mhm"
"I
SAID DON'T!!" She screeched.
His eyes widened slightly at her
outburst.
"What?" She snapped. "Scared?"
Shikamaru
narrowed his eyes and got up, walking toward a surprised
Yukika.
"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, and
edge of panic in her voice. "Stay where you are! Don't come any
closer!"
But the shinobi ignored her warnings. He came closer
and closer and she backed away with each one of his steps, until her
back met the door to her room.
Shikamaru stopped in front of her,
only inches away and leaned down suddenly.
Yukika gulped and
closed her eyes tightly.
"I think it's you who's scared of
me" He whispered into her ear, his breath tickling the side of
her neck. "Why do you hate us shinobi so much? Tell me"
She
opened her eyes again, looking over his shoulder. Her eyes softened
as he leaned back again to look at her. She hung her head, a distant
look on her face.
"You possess chakra and in no little
quantities either" He commented.
Yukika hid her eyes in her
bangs. This was the first time since years she was speaking to a
shinobi. It felt strange and woke bad memories.
"I...We used
to live in Yukigakure. My father sent to me the Ninja Academy, and
they took me. I learned all the basics there, until my dad was killed
and we moved here." She started. "I wanted to keep on with
my training as a ninja, so I applied to enter the Academy
here..."
Yukika looked up into his brown eyes, tears stinging
in her own.
"They wouldn't let me continue! They told me I
was too weak and wouldn't be able to keep up Konohan
standards!"
Shikamaru's normally indifferent face changed to
one of sympathy.
"That is why, when I see a shinobi I keep
thinking that that could be me! And I ask myself what makes them so
much better than me..."
Tears started running down her
cheeks, and she pushed her back against the wall for support. She
felt stupid. She never showed weakness, never!
Suddenly a pair of
strong arms wrapped her up in a soft hug, pulling her up against the
chest.
She stood very still, shocked and lost for words.
"We're
not all the way you think. Some of us, like me, don't deserve to be
shinobi, it's true. I always thought it too troublesome to become
one, but here I am. And becoming a shinobi isn't everything you
know..."
Yukika stayed silent. She had just opened to a
complete stranger, just as he had to her, a complete stranger.
"I'm
sure, if they'd have taken you, I'd have failed my exams left, right
and centre!"
Yukika couldn't help but laugh at this
comment.
"So, Shikamaru, tell me. What is the highest rank a
shinobi can obtain?" She asked.
He pulled away from her and
looked into her eyes.
Rest in Results --
"Kage"
Yukika
whipped her tears away and smiled at him for the first time.
"Then
that's what you will become one day!" She said. "And I will
help you!
Shikamaru smiled back at her.
"You're such a
weird and troublesome girl!"