A breeze gently brushed past a tanned girl, ruffling her auburn locks and causing chills to race up her spine. Said girl let out a sigh of contentment, relishing the feel of the cool air against her warm skin. It was moments like this that the girl loved the most; no missions, no worries, just her and the clear blue sky, completely at peace.
Though she would like nothing more than to lie out in the sun until it dips below the horizon, it was a Wednesday. So with a heavy sigh at having to move from her comfortable position laid out upon the smooth stone of Hokage Mountain, she slowly got to her feet. With a small calculation using the position of the sun, it was easy enough for her to estimate the time. Suzume had about twenty minutes to meet her brother for their weekly lunch date, more than enough time.
Yawning, she walked to the edge of the monument and took in the sight of the village below her. The view was one of Suzume's favorites. She truly believed Kohana to be beautiful. She had traveled to other villages, but none held a candle to her own. Looking down at the village from her vantage point, a person can overlook most, if not all, of the village. The knowledge that thousands of people were down there completely oblivious to her; simply living out their own individual lives was a humbling thought.
After doing a few quick stretches, met with the sound of a few joints popping and bones cracking, Suzume did a sequence of hand signs. Small balls of wind formed beneath her feet, elevating her about an inch off of the ground. Without any further delay, the girl simply stepped off the side of the mountain. The first few times Suzume simply dropped off the side of the mountain, she alarmed quite a few civilians. By nw, as soon as people see her, they identify her auburn locks and go about their business.
The freefall down was another reason why Suzume was constantly found atop the mountain. It was exhilarating. Her hair whipped past her face and she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her at the feeling of just...falling. However, the fall was over much too soon for liking. As it always was. The balls of wind beneath her feet lessen the impact of her fall and she dispelled the jutsu, landing lightly on the ground.
"That sure was an entrance." A laid back voice commented lightly. Suzume looked up with a smile, locking eyes with her long time best friend, Asuma Sarutobi.
"Girls gotta know how to keep all eyes on her." Suzume replied cheekily with a playful wink, causing him to chuckle.
"Where are you off to?" He questioned as she fell into step with him, matching his slow, laid-back pace.
"To meet my brother for ramen of course." Their conversation stopped there. One of the reasons the pair was such good friends was that words weren't needed between them; they simply enjoyed each other's company.
"See you later Suzu-chan." Asuma said as the pair reached the small ramen shop, and she gave a lazy wave in response.
"I already ordered for you." Minato said as Suzume ducked beneath the streamers. A steaming bowl of beef ramen awaited the eager girl and she all but devoured it to her brother's amusement. Most people were skeptical when first told the olive-skillen blonde hair blue eyed man was brother to the tan-skinned auburn hair brown eyes girl. The reason for the discrepancy in appearance between them being that, no, they weren't siblings, by blood anyway. No one with any sense dared bring up that trivial fact though, as the siblings didn't take it kindly.
Suzume was aware of the fact of course. She knew her parents weren't really her parents. She knew Minato wasn't really her brother. However, Minato had been there as long as she could remember. Their parents might not have birthed her, but they raised her since she was an infant. Not having the same blood didn't mean a things to them. Suzume was as much as a Namikaze as Minato.
Once her stomach was filled, Ichiraku never failed to hit the spot, a mischievous smile crept on to Suzume's face. Her latest source of amusement had been teasing her newlywed brother, and amusing it certainly was.
"So," She started slyly, feeling Minato tense up at her tone of voice. "When am I going to be an aunt? I'm impatient!"
The reaction was better than she could have hoped. Minato, who was in the middle of a bite of ramen, unceremoniously spit out the food. His face turned the same shade of red as his new bride's hair and Suzume erupted into a boisterous laugh.
"That's none of your business!" He sputtered, face still tinted red in embarrassment. The young girl behind the counter, Ayame, couldn't help but laugh either, albeit she covered her face with her hand.
"Well you're not getting any younger!" The look on Minato's face was priceless. Suzume's muscles tensed in anticipation for what she knew was coming.
"You're going to pay for that comment!" Her brother exclaimed, causing her face to light up in excitement.
Minato reached out to grab Suzume, but it was exactly what she had been expecting. She quickly danced out of reach, having already been tensed to spring. Her brother may have been the fastest ninja in Konoha, perhaps even the world, but Suzume knew him better than she knew herself, which gave her an advantage. Could she outrun him? Not in this lifetime. Could she outmaneuver him? Possibly, probably not. Could she dance out of his reach for an infuriating amount of time. That she was sure of.
"Catch me if ya can!" She teased, sticking out her tongue cheekily before once again dancing out of his grasp and taking off. With a few quick hand signs, Suzume activated her newly developed jutsu. It was nothing extreme by any means, and would definitely be classified as D-rank if official. She concentrated her wind chakra through her body, pointedly her legs and feet, making her steps completely undetectable and giving her a speed boost.
"It's on." A disembodied voice said, followed by a rush of wind as her brother flew past her. Minato appeared a few steps in front of her, arms crossed and a triumphant look on his face. The added chakra in her feet made it easy for her to launch herself over her unsuspecting brother and keep running the second her feet touched the ground.
The tactician part of her brain raced for a way to keep evading her brother. Suzume was no Nara, not by a long shot, but she was a quick thinker. However, she was drawing a blank on any possible plan. A rush of wind flies past her against and she's met with the sight of her brother standing smugly in front of her. She didn't stop running. The idea hit her and she reacted immediately. Her body hit the ground hard, dirt and rocked scraped her exposed arms and she slid between her brother's legs, but it didn't face her. The dumbfounded look on his face as he turned was well worth it.
Of course, the stunt didn't keep him immobilized for long and Suzume felt his chakra signature approaching fast. The villagers hardly spared the duo a second glance as they weaved in between them, careful not to disturb them and if a second glance was spared, well, it was a fond one. Suzume and Minato were well loved throughout the village, and watching the two interact was always a source of heartwarming amusement.
A hand finally clamped down on Suzume's arm, stopping her mad dash, and she laughed as she was pulled to her brother's chest. Minato's deeper laugh joined hers and they stayed like that for a few blissful moments. Once the siblings collected themselves, Suzume swung herself onto her brother's back, wrapping her arms around his neck, legs around his waist, and resting her chin on his shoulder with a happy sigh.
"I'll beat ya one of these days; just wait until I master that Flying Thunder God jutsu of yours." Suzume stated matter-of-factly. Her brother's jutsu was far from easy to learn, her months of practicing hadn't led to much. He was still leagues better than her at it, which was expected. Honestly, if she was being honest with herself, Suzume doubted she could ever truly master the technique.
"I'm sure you will my little bird." Minato replied affectionately, reaching back to pat her on the head.
The rest of the walk to Suzume's apartment was done in relative silence, the siblings merely enjoying each other's company. It wasn't often they got to see each other lately, Minato having his own squad and Suzume being away on missions most of the time.
"I wish you'd come live with me and Kushina. She worries about you." Minato said as offhandedly as possible. Her living arrangement had become quite a sore topic between the siblings. As soon as Minato and Kushina tied the knot, Suzume moved out. It didn't have anything to do with not wanting to live with her brother and his wife, who she had actually become quite close to, she just wanted them to have their privacy. It wasn't as if Suzume was a helpless child, she was more than capable of living independently.
"Live with my newlywed brother and his wife? No thanks." She joked and laughed when Minato's face lit up at her implication. "Besides, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, I think my Jounin rank speaks for itself. I can handle paying rent and buying groceries."
"You may be a Jounin but you're still my little sister, I have a right to worry about you." Minato replied with a sigh before conceding. "But you're right. I know I can't baby you forever, as much as I'd be perfectly content to do so."
"Well if you hurry up and have a kid you can baby it all you'd like." Suzume pointed out and laughed as her brother groaned.
"You're horrible." He muttered dejectedly.
"That's why you love me!" She chirped before resting her head on his shoulder again.