Prologue
"Jatsu-chan!" Kazue went running to the screen door and peered out at her older sister reading in the backyard. She tried to wave her sister over desperately.
Jatsu looked up from her book to see her yonguer sister. "What is it, Kazue?"
Kazue grinned widely and shoved the piece of paper up to the screen while pointing to it. "I made you a picture!" She giggled.
Jatsu smiled as she set down the book and moved across the yard to open the screen door. She bent down to Kazue's eye level with a soft smile. "Let's see."
Kazue shoved the piece of paper forward with a big grin. She suddenly felt self-conscious about her missing teeth and forced her lips closed.
Jatsu laughed softly and ruffled Kazue's hair as she studied the picture of herself and Kazue walking towards a bright yellow sun. There was a small tree to the side, a bit undersized with the heighth of the two girls. A dark grey "w" flew through the sky, looking like a bird.
Jatsu's smile grew as she looked from the picture to her sister. "It's beautiful, Kazue."
Kazue giggled and quickly ran off with a light blush. "I hoped you'd like it!" She called back.
Jatsu smiled to herself as she walked back over to her abandoned book. She read the first few words before an explosion could be heard just outside the gates of their home. Jatsu dropped her book and bolted into their house.
"Kazue! Mom! Dad!" She screamed out in fear.
Kazue sat at the window in the living room with the blinds pulled back, peering out with confusion. "There are crazy colours out there..." Kazue said. "It's..kinda cool." She laughed quietly.
Jatsu rushed to Kazue and pulled her towards herself. "Don't look outside..." She whispered.
Just then Jatsu saw their parents rush in.
"You girls okay?" Their father asked, wrapping his arms around them.
Kazue's heart began to race, and she grew upset. "What's going on, daddy?"
"No, no sweetie. Don't worry." Their father smiled and ruffled her hair. "I just want you and Jatsu to go to the basement with Mommy, alright?"
The mother crossed the room and peered outside at the black billowing smoke. "Hunny, I think you should go..." She muttered.
Their father nodded and stood up. "Hun, take the girls downstairs." He walked over and kissed her forehead and whispered, "Do not let anyone find them."
She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Whatever it is, be careful." She whispered back and kissed the edge of his mouth before pulling back and racing off with the kids to the basement.
The father watched his family run off before bolting outside.
Downstairs, the three females sat huddled in a corner, Jatsu hugging Kazue tightly. After a minute, Kazue began to grow uncomfortable and she shifted slightly.
"I drew Jatsu-chan a picture today, mommy." Kazue smiled in the dimly lit basement.
"Is that so?" Her mother smiled and held the two tighter.
"Yeah! Oh...Jatsu-chan, where is it? We can show mommy!" Kazue turned to her sister.
Jatsu gave Kazue a small smile. "We will show mommy later, alright? Right now we need to play the quiet game.."
"But what if the picture blew away in the wind?" Kazue tried to escape Jatsu's grasp. "We need to keep it safe!"
Jatsu shook her head and pulled Kazue back into her arms. "Kazue, please. Be quiet. I'm sure the picture will be fine."
Their mother reached over to rubbed Kazue's back. "Don't worry, sweetie, the picture will be safe. We'll find it as soon as we go back upstairs."
Kazue turned to look at her mother with a blank look, but soon her expression grew happy. "Mommy always finds the missing..."
Her mother nodded and smiled. "You got it, cutie." She winked.
Just then the door to the top of the stairs opened. The three girls stared at the light that descended the stairs, but there was no voice. Then there was a thump, and another. Legs could be seen, and eventually the entire body. But it wasn't their father. The mother jumped to her feet and stepped infront of her children. "Get out of here..." She hissed.
The male smirked. "Aren't you a pretty thing? Hiding out in the basement?"
"I said get out of here. You have no business being in my house."
The male laughed. "I do, actually. I'm on a mission..."
"Not here." She hissed. She bent down, keeping her eyes on the male. "I'll take care of this guy, you take Kazue and hide upstairs..." She whispered to Jatsu and stood back up. She lunged at the male and knocked him to the grounds and she fought against him.
While their mother had the male down, Jatsu quickly pulled Kazue upstairs and slammed the door behind. Jatsu searched in painic for a place to hide themselves. She ran upstairs and to their parents bedroom.
"Get under the bed, Kazue, and do not make a sound!"
Kazue rolled under the bed and tried to calm her breathing. She looked over to see Jatsu just scrambling under beside her when two strong hands grabbed her arm and leg and pulled her back out.
"Oh, no you don't!" A deep man's voice came.
"No!" Jatsu screamed. "Let me go!"
"Jatsu-chan!" Kazue screamed while she peered out at a pair of shoes. They quickly stormed out of the room with her sister screaming in his arms.
"Shut it." The man said and slammed the palm of his hand into the side of her head. She fell limp into his arms and he threw her over his shoulder. He met the his partner at the bottom of the stairs.
The other male was cleaning blood from his kunai on a cloth as he smiled. "Got one of the brats I see."
The man smirked and nodded. "The other is under the bed upstairs, but it would've been troublesome to try to get her. We're limited to time."
The male nodded. "We'll just take her. The others will take enough to match what we didn't get. Besides, this brat looks plenty strong enough. The boss will be pleased."
"Indeed."
The two quickly left the house, leaving the front door wide open as they ran quickly for the village's front gates. Another explosion went off.
The father stumbled into his home running downstairs and seeing his wife's bloody body at the bottom. He ran down and pulled her into his arms.
"H-Hunny? Please don't be dead..."
The pain in her chest shot through her body as she was pulled into those all too familiar arms. Her eyes parted slightly and she looked up to see her beloved husband peering down at her, tears forming in his eyes.
"Ah..." She winced at the pain. "I tried..." She breathed. "Where...the girls...?"
He shook his head. "I-I came straight down here..."
Weakly, she reached her hand up to touch his cheek. "I...love you, Sora..." She winced and forced a smile.
Sora lowered his head to touch his lips to hers as a few tears landed on her face. "I-I love you s-so much..." He sobbed.
She let out one slow breath and closed her eyes. Her arm dropped to her side, and her body went limp.
Sora gritted his teeth as he kissed her forehead before stumbling back to his feet and running upstairs. "J-Jatsu! Kazue!" He screamed, searching around the house.
Kazue peered out from under the bed, not knowing what to do. She wasn't sure if she should climb out, or stay; she decided to stay. But she heard her name faintly, and wondered if it was one of her parents.
"K-Kazue! Jatsu!" He yelled again, making his way upstairs. "Please tell me you're here!"
Kazue could see out from under the front of the bed, and through the door. Her father came into sight at the end of the hallway at the top of the stairs, and she scrambled out from under the bed and ran towards her father. "Daddy!" She whimpered.
Sora fell to his knees and held his arms out to embrace his youngest daughter. "Kazue! You're alright..." He gasped. "Wh-Where is Jatsu?" He asked, looking to meet her eyes.
Kazu shrugged. "I...don't know, Daddy. The man took her, but Jatsu didn't like it."
Sora gritted his teeth and pulled Kazue back into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Kazue..." He whispered, tears slipping from his eyes.
Kazue laid her hand against her father's chest and gripped his jounin vest. "Daddy...will she be back?"
Sora shook his head. "W-We may never see her again, sweetie..."
Kazue closed her eyes and tears formed. "But her, mommy and I were going to look for her picture after..."
Sora gritted his teeth again. "K-Kazue... Mommy isn't coming back either... she's up visiting God..."
Kazue let the tears slip from her eyes. "But she has to, Daddy. We need to look for Jatsu's picture that I drew her today. She can't go, not yet! She promised to take me to the park today, and we were going to go shopping for new toys..."
Sora let a few more tears fall as he moved Kazue to look at him as he rested his hands on her arms. "I-I know this is hard to understand, Kazue... b-but your mom wont be coming back... and your sister is missing now... things wont be the same anymore... I will help you find the picture, alright?"
Kazue's lips trembled and she began to sob. "Daddy!" She grabbed his vest tightly and shoved her face into his chest.
