She grew up like any other two-year-old girl. Except, she wasn't like everyone else. She had a monster dwelling within her, a creature of great porportions. The girl did not yet know this. Her family was strange and did not have the best of reputation in The Village Hidden in the Grass. Some of her family had a strange skin discoloration, in which parts of the skin would be pure white and others, pure black. Other members had acquired plant-like disformations, some subtle, and some hard to notice. The only two out of seven children that had acquired these genes were the girl and her older brother, Zetsu. While her brother's oddities were easy to see, hers were much more subtle. Her skin was bone white, except a small black spot on her right shoulder blade, where no one would see it. When she was very happy, a red rose would blossom behind her ear, making it appear as though she had tucked a flower in her ebony hair. Other times, it would simply stay hidden behind her hair, nothing but a small bud of a rose. And when she could take no more despair or sorrow, the rose wilted. Because of these oddities, the girl and her brother got along best, understanding one anothers' needs. The other female children in the family did not like girl, the youngest, and therefore was closest with two of her older brothers. Two of her older sisters simply did not like her, while the oldest had no time for her. Her father was scarcely home and her mother struggled to do the best she could. When her father was home, though, everyone was glad. One such night, something happened.
Everyone had gathered in the living room, glad for the return of their father. It was a quiet night, and hardly anyone spoke. The girl sat on the floor, playing with a stuffed panda she had named Pukai.
Her mother spoke up, "Dear, don't you think it's time you should be going to bed? It's getting awfully late." The girl looked up and nodded. Holding tightly to her toy, the girl gave everyone a hug and told them goodnight. She hugged her brother Zetsu last. When he told her goodnight, there was a sweet smell on his breath, something like...Blood, maybe? But she didn't think of that. She walked back to her room and didn't turn the light on. She admired the panda mural on her walls and crawled into bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders and no further. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.
She lay wide awake in her own bed. She didn't know what had woken her up, nor did she want to. Her snow-white skin was snow-cold and goosebumps dotted her arms. Fear swam in murky depths behind her eyes, taunting and teasing her. Her back was towards the door, and she was staring at the black and white of a painted panda.
Something was pressed against her neck, cold in some spots, warm in the other. It smelled sweet, too, exactly like her brother's breath had been. Her dull blue eyes grew wide and a scream threatened to pierce her lips. Her body remained frozen on her bed. The covers had been removed. Hours seemed to pass as the cold-and-warm-thing sat on her neck, ready to go through her skin at any moment.
Then it was gone and she heard footsteps receding out of her room. She sat up when she heard no more footsteps and slid off her bed. Running barefoot, she slipped through the wet warmness that painted the floors of her house. The smell of iron filled her nose, and she realized she was walking through puddles of blood. This did not hinder her, and she continued to run. The front door was open, and she saw none of her family. Stepping cautiously out the door, she stood on the stone steps, unbelieving of her own eyes.
There stood her brother, Zetsu, a bloody blade clutched in his hand. There was blood on his shirt, on his hands. He was covered in blood.
Her feeble voice broke the night air. "Brother, what have you done? Where are Mother and Father?"
"Fittingly, I have simply rid myself of a burden I could not carry." His voice showed no remorse, no care, just hate.
"Why...why would you...?"
He ignored her petty pleas. "You have a gift, a blessing, a monster. Become a ninja, surpass me in many ways. Then you may have the revenge you will so desire." He did a few hands signs and called the name of a jutsu. The girl stood there, her face blank. She did not know who she was, what she was doing there, or anything else. She remembered only two things: Her stuffed panda, and her brother.
She must have stood there for two hours, blank and staring. A kind female voice resounded behind her.
"Hey, kid, are you OK?" She felt two hands on her shoulders and woman in a mask stood in front of her. "What happened? Who are you?"
"I...I'm not...I don't know..." She could only answer that way.
note
I DO NOT OWN/HAVE ANY ASSOCIATION WITH THE CREATOR/PUBLISHER OF NARUTO.