"I wanted to tell her that I loved her, and not in the complicated way I loved our parents, but in a simple way I never had to think about. I loved her like breathing."~Brenna Yovanoff, The Replacement
.1
From the moment she opened her eyes, with first sight and exposure she knew. Knew that she was doomed. First breath and onwards, from the very beginning, she knew this couldn't end well. How could it? Not when she knew. She shouldn't have even been born in the first place. So why? At the moment she couldn't tell you, the answer was not yet definitive.
Kano Hibiki was an anomaly. She had resigned herself to this fact long ago. Accepted the cold hard truth that she never could have avoided any of this and simply moved on. Hibiki was never going to be like anyone her age, she'd never had the option.
Because she knew, from the very beginning she knew. That she didn't stand a chance, that none of them stood a chance. The cards had been stack against her and had surrounded her by those who would eventually become the parents of a generation who would one day fight gods and win.
If she let it get that far.
She wanted to prevent most of that from happening. All of it she could, because she knew how much suffering those she'd come to love would face and she didn't want that for them. Why else had she been given this second chance at life with all her memories intact? If not to save them.
She was anomaly, one who had lived a life before this. Reincarnation was real, very painfully real. As a reincarnate with all their past lives memories intact, Hibiki could attest to this. Although this could have been some glitch in the matrix, however that was highly unlikely and begrudgingly she accepted it. So she resigned herself to the facts, she was doomed.
No amount of dreaming would change that.
Suddenly she is drawn from her thoughts, there is a hand waving in her face and the girl is confronted with the fact that she'd been caught. Spacing out that is. "Neh are you even listening to me!" No she wasn't, hadn't been for the last five minutes. But she couldn't very well say that. The red headed teen in front of her would be livid.
"I'm sorry Shina, I am a little distracted today." Kushina huffed at the younger girl before plopping down next to her, taking a small brush from her pack. Hibiki moved instinctually to sit in front of the red head.
The calm flow of the bristles running through her long hair calmed her and stilled her thoughts for the moment. Kushina began again with what she had been saying. They sat there together quietly talking amongst themselves for some time, the older girl taking care of the younger. A usual occurrence for the teen and her pre-teen companion.
Uzumaki Kushina loved the orphan girl, she was the first friend she'd made upon her arrival to the village. They had both been wards to the late Uzumaki Mito. She knew the younger girl better than anyone else, she knew that there was more to the dark haired girl than anyone ever realized. A strength to her that not many got to see.
That was mostly due to the younger girls own nature. Hibiki was very withdrawn from the world around them, she kept mostly to herself. Quiet, calm, and calculating were words used often to define the young chunin a complete opposite from how people usually describe the Uzuamaki girl she was almost always with. Kushina will admit, they were indeed an odd pair of friends. But it didn't matter. Too either of them.
"This seems fun." A smile took over Kushina's face as she looked up from where she had been braiding. Uchiha Mikoto was a reluctant friend at first, and if they thought the duo was odd they received even more looks when it became a trio.
The rumored fiancé of the next Uchiha Clan head sat down in the grass across from the other two girls. Setting down a small basket of fruit between them. Despite Kushina's protest Hibiki leaned forward taking an orange from the basket. "Thank you Miko." Mikoto nodded her head before turning her eyes on Kushina.
"I heard a rumor about you and a certain blonde." The Uchiha began, and the red headed teen tensed slightly at her friends coy tone. Hibiki half turned to look curiously at Kushina then.
"A rumor?" Hibiki question, tone curious eyes filled with innocence. Kushina knew she wouldn't be able to deny that girl anything.
"I'm going on a date with Minato-kun." She admitted, her face flushed red as she did so. Hibiki to no surprise simply nodded her head before turning back to face Mikoto so Kushina could finish her hair. Kushina raised a brow at the back of her head.
"That's it, seriously." The sarcastic tone was not lost on the pre-teen. Or the half whine in Kushina's voice.
"Yes." Mikoto stifle a laugh as Kushina groaned in exasperation. She tied off the braid, Hibiki scooted over, her hands made move to feel whatever Kushina had done to her hair. It was satisfactory.
"Thank you." Kushina nodded her head and watched as Hibiki easily tore off the pealing of the fruit in her hand.
"So where are you going?" Mikoto questioned once both of them had settled themselves. She was not about to let the matter go. The red haired teen groaned, albeit dramatically.
"Minato-kun said something about a new ramen stand." A small giggle escaped Hibiki's lips and suddenly she had two pair of eyes on her.
"Care to share with the class?" She simply grinned at Mikoto's question before shaking her head.
"Apparently the way to Kushina's heart is through her stomach." Hibiki muttered dryly after a second thought. She was soon after tackled to the ground by said girl. All three girls were laughing.
The afternoon of joyous laughter came to an end, each girl going their own way. Mikoto to get some training in, Kushina to meet up with the aforementioned blonde and Hibiki she went the long way home.
"Onee-chan!" A bright smile overtook her face at the cheerful childish voice. The child crashed into her legs and she could hear his exasperated grandmother calling out to him. She bent down too ruffle his hair.
"Hi Obi-chan." The boy no older the three smiled up at her. It gave her a bright feeling. She picked him up, standing up straight, letting him sit on her hip. He told her all about his day. About the sweets he helped the old woman make, about the little girl he met at the park, everything. And she listened, with a smile on her face, happy to hear it.
She gave a smile to his grandmother once they'd made it to the front door. The kind old woman returned the look. "Good evening Hibiki-chan. Are you going to be joining us for dinner?" Obito squirmed his way out of her arms to dart inside the house to retrieve something. The only reason she knew that was because he said so as he ran inside.
"Afraid not tonight, there is this pesky mission report I really need to write." The old woman laughed.
"I see, well maybe another night this week. Thank you for bringing Obito to the door." She nodded her head.
"No problem, seeing as I was the reason he'd strayed from the yard." Which was true as soon as he spotted her he had taken off in her direction. As he did every time she took this route home. The woman didn't comment and Obito came out from the house carrying a piece of paper.
"I made this for you." His smile is radiant, infectious. It eats at her from the inside, she can't help but to smile too when he's around her.
He held it up too her, and she took it carefully. Treating what was a clearly the artwork of a child like a treasure. She dipped her head down and laid a soft kiss to his forehead. "Thank you Obi-chan, I'm going to hang it up in my apartment." His face flushed lightly.
"Onee-chan, gross." He tried to wipe her kiss off his forehead. It received a laugh from both the young konouchi and his grandmother.
Even though she didn't stay for dinner, Uchiha Atsuko had given her a very full bento before she went on her way. "To eat while you work." Atsuko had insisted. The woman's kindness knew no bounds. Especially to those who cared for her grandson. Hibiki left the two with a very full heart.
She glanced back once just before the small house would be out of view, Obito was in his grandmother's arms still smiling. Their eyes met and he gave a small wave before he was carried into the house. Hibiki smiled, before facing forward again a sad smile took over her feature. Suddenly her full heart was now very heavy. A single tear ran down the length of her cheek. It was a painful reminder of an unavoidable truth.
The question she'd asked herself that very morning came rushing back to her then.
So why? Why did she try so hard? When asked, because eventually they would. She'd blame it on his eyes. His stupid oblivious eyes. Or maybe his infectious smile. Or a million other things all involving that boy. That naive, cheerful, clumsy little boy.
She gave a sigh. There was no use dwelling on that now. It was far too late for it to matter anyhow. She promised, promised that she'd look after him. That she'd protect him. Even if the whole deck was stack against, even if it hurt. Hibiki would protect him. To the best of her abilities.
Because that's what older sisters did right? Protect their younger sibling, and she was his sister in all but name. She never stood a chance.
Uchiha Obito was going to be her undoing.
XOXOX
Yes I know I'm supposed to be writing for PoC, I know.. But I had this idea and I just had to roll with it. This is going to be lighter than PoC. It's not going to be anywhere near as dark as I've planned for PoC to become/already is. I promise!
So disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I have never owned Naruto, I will never own Naruto.
Now that that is out of they way. Thank you so much for reading this chapter, please let me know what you think!
Sincerely, La'Rae