Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Some people are such treasures that you just want to bury them.
.
Idiosyncratic.
She has always been different. A little girl from the clan who was more interested in playing shogi rather than training.
It infuriated him. He who trained more. Who bled more. Who exerted much effort. Who dedicated majority of his time.
She was just a nobody. Not even a pure blood like him. She'd rather sit with one of the honourable clan elders and play that blasted board game but would still win their spars. It's so unfair and it's grating on his nerves. More than he'd like to admit.
Is she a prodigy? No. Impossible. A half-blood wench like her would never amount to anything. Not, if there's anything he can do about it. Okay, even if she was slightly better than him, he will surpass her. He will make her acknowledge him.
"Kikyo."
"Yes, Madara-kun?" her face belied any emotion. As always. This is one of the things he hated about her. She was so calm in his presence. Like as if he's not a threat. Not that he would deliberately harm a clan member…
"…"
"How may I be of assistance?" She prodded and gave a smile that never reached her eyes. Come to think of it, all her smiles never does. Okay, maybe it does, but whenever it's directed at him, it's never sincere. Like as if she's only doing it because she has to. She has always been like this. The only girl in the compound his age that doesn't seem to fawn him. Well, nobody really "fawns" over him. It's just… she never acknowledged him.
He fidgeted. Uchiha Madara FIDGETED. "… Can we spar?" He slowly breathed out.
A pregnant pause. "Why?" She returned her attention to the game and moved her knight. "Is Izuna-kun not available?"
He frowned and threw a glance at the older man she was playing against. "… Ha- Hanten-ojii-sama," he pursed his lips. "Can I borrow her for… ah… a spar?"
"Oh? Ohoho…" The older man, who looked like any other Uchiha, except older, covered his face his with his fan and chuckled. "What do you think Kikyo-chan?" The man moved his lance to counter the threat that the previously moved knight posed. The two were currently sitting in a bench facing each other with the shogi board in between under the largest camphor tree in the compound.
"He has not answered my query." The girl quipped and moved her bishop to support the knight.
The older man smiled in amusement. "No purposeless move, eh, Kikyo-chan?" he then turned to the pre-teen, "What say you, young master?"
"Well…"
"Izuna-kun would be a much suitable match for you rather than I." Kikyo interrupted.
The nerve of this girl. Should one visit the confines of the compound, she'll stand out in the sense that she wore a Naginata Keikogi. A white kusode with blood red sakura flowers on the edge of the sleeves partnered with a black hakama. "I beg to disagree…" Madara blurted out. "I have yet to best you in combat after all." He smirked, satisfied with his reasoning. "I can beat otōto anytime! I need a better opponent! Uh… To see my limits."
The rook was moved.
Countered by Hanten's gold general. "So you're limiting your challenges to those who are close in skill?" the man turned his gaze to the boy, "It surely will allow you to grow in skill, young master. A fitting character for the clan's future leader. I am impressed." Said boy blushed but refused to be flustered by the praise. He knew they may just be kissing up to him since he will be future clan head.
Kikyo supported the rook with her own silver general. She bit her lower lip. This was a gamble. A bait. "We do not limit our challenges, Madara-kun. We challenge our limits." She clutched her hakama when Hanten moved his pawn to prevent the furthering of the rook. Damn…
"My point exactly!" The boy nodded sagely.
The girl was a little shorter than him with flawless alabaster white skin, rich black hair that fell past her slim waist, which was often tied into a loose ponytail with a ribbon and had big, brown eyes. Same girl has a deadpanned expression looked at him. "That was not what I meant." Well, she wanted to insult him for picking on her. She's not really stronger than him. Not at all. It's just that when he works hard, she works smart. She expected him to rise to the bait and challenge much stronger clan members. "I have lessons from Suzekai-Sensei later."
Ah yes. She's the ONLY apprentice of the clan medic. No need to really call that old woman the head medic as she's the only medic, and now, Kikyo. "b-b-ut…" The boy scowled, "you need to spar with me!"
"No, I don't." She moved her lance.
A crisp leathery chuckle interrupted "Ohoho… It seems I have been defeated." Hanten gave her a meaningful look. A look saying, cater to the young master, NOW. "Go on, Kikyo-chan. Even a medic needs to train."
A frown marred her features. Her eyes covered with her hime bangs. Everyone seems to cater to this… boy's request.
"Very well." She said. "Someday, Madara-kun, you'll go far." He beamed. "…and I hope you stay there." She began to stand and collect the shogi pieces.
"-ah, Kikyo-chan, let me." Hanten warmly smiled at her. And motioned his head to tell her to go.
She nodded and bowed. "Thank you for the game, Hanten-ojii-sama. Shall I see you again tomorrow?"
"We'll see, Kikyo-chan. Now go, the young master awaits."
She bowed once more and faced the boy the beaming, waiting for her. She huffed. "Un poco loco." (you're somewhat crazy) She muttered.
"huh?" He paused and squinted his eyes in an inquiring manner toward her. "What was that?"
"Nothing your IQ can handle."
He continued jogging towards the training grounds. "Last one there's a rotten egg!"
She said nothing.
.
"Where have you been?!" his face was red. He was so gleeful with the prospect of a spar with the girl and somehow when he arrived in the training ground, the little wench was not even following him. Not rising to his challenge he could understand, but to actually ditch him when she had agreed to spar?! Unacceptable! He huffed. He was the best fighter amongst his generation. Okay, so maybe he never beat the girl, but still! He was sure she's cheating somehow.
"Oh?" Suzekai-sensei raised her slender eyebrow. "I did not know you have an appointment with the young master, Kikyo."
"No I don't." The girl replied, continuing with whatever she was doing.
Madara wanted to pull his hair out. He scoured the entire compound, the looked at every nook and cranny looking for this- this… girl! "You said we'll spar!" he accused.
She scoffed. "I apologize young master, for the misunderstanding. You see, I never agreed." She placed all her scrolls in a table near the work station of her teacher and began to tidy her own workstation. They may be medics, but Suzekai-sensei has managed to convince the clan head to provide them with an acceptable clinic with furniture and workstations and all that jazz. "I agreed to Hanten-ojii-sama that a medic needs to train and thus I went to my shisho."
"Wha—what?!" He was furious. The gall of this… this girl! Ever since they learned how to walk, they were trained for combat. Taijutsu, genjustsu, ninjutsu, you name it. For a clan heir, the training was ten times intense. He will, after all, be the reflection of his clan. He should have been deemed capable of handling his brothers' training and be finally freed from Kibishī sensei.
He remembered it clearly. Otō-sama has promised him that he will no longer be under the tutelage of Kibishī sensei once he passes his test and will be endorsed to his father's general, Mujihina. The man he admired so much outside of his father. He was very much confident he'd pass the test. He has been exemplary in almost everything.
He failed.
He was matched against a very tiny… scrawny… fragile looking girl and he underestimated her. He thought Kibishī sensei was going easy on him pitting him against his own younger sister. It wasn't even clan practice to train little girls! Okay, maybe it was, but they were never really that much of a big deal in the battle field. They are usually for undercover, seduction missions and anything usually beneath him. He thought he could just breeze through the goddamn test he was facing and grew overconfident. Maybe that was his downfall. As the little doll demolished him with an armour-sleeved single hit.
One punch.
That's all it took to knock him out.
His father was very disappointed. His younger brothers laughed at him. He hated her. When he awoke he immediately confronted the little bitch and demanded for a rematch despite being amidst the clan gathering. He saw his father's disapproving glance, but he didn't care. All he needed that day was to redeem himself. NOBODY will stop him. The girl gave him a dismissing look and apologized that she cheated to defeat him. His rebuttal with her statement was met with another argument stating that ninjas steal and cheat. Strength wise he would have won and that's the primary reason the girl refuses for a rematch. She was outmatched.
That was 6 months ago. He threw himself to a gruelling regiment to make sure that the upcoming test with Kibishī sensei will not deface him as much as the previous one did. He challenged her constantly and she constantly found excuses not to. Which leads us all back to the situation at hand.
"Well, I don't care! This time, I, Uchiha Madara, challenge you to a spar!" he declared.
"I am busy." She responded.
"Again, I don't care." He glared at her.
"hn."
Un-freakin-believable. He was very angry. Very much so. The tension coming off of him is palpable. He wanted to wring her pretty little neck just for this.
"Ehem." The aged lady in the room cleared her throat, "it seems we are done for today, Kikyo-chan. Please follow the young master to the training grounds."
"I refuse." She answered.
"No further medical training until after you have sparred with him." Suzekai-sensei firmly stated. She will not face the bias of the clan head because of this boy's temper. "Please understand. This concerns the clan. If you assist the future clan head to become stronger, the clan overall, would definitely be stronger." The older woman hummed, "…come to think of it. Once he 'surpasses' you, I doubt he'd come challenge you again." Let him win and get over it.
She bit her lower lip and nodded. "Las libertades que estás tomando" (the liberties you're taking) She muttered. As she made her way out. He begrudgingly led her outside the clinic while the head medic leaned in the doorway seeing them off.
"What did you say?" He asked. She always seemed to be muttering something unintelligible in a very strange accent. He didn't like it. She might have tried to hide it but his hearing was impeccable.
She shrugged, "Nanya."
"W-whaaat?!" 2 more kilometres until the training ground. What language is that?
"None 'ya business." She shrugged.
Oh yes. He will pummel her to the ground for this.
.
He blinked. Was the sky always this blue?
"Are we done?" A voice interrupted his thoughts. He was familiar with that voice. KIKYO! He was suddenly up and about eyes wildly looking for the offender of the now growing bruise in his face.
She was sitting in the root of the tree near the entrance of the training facility. He huffed. "What happened?!" He demanded.
"I punched you."
What. The. Hell. "How can you…" he stammered, he hated being weak. He promised his okaa-sama that he will protect his brothers. He will lead his clan to greatness. How? He can't even best a little girl. "How can you be so strong?" he gulped. He hated sounding naïve.
She sighed. "I am tired."
He was baffled.
"Me siento raro. Como si estuviera realmente cansado." (I feel as if I am really tired). She looked solemn. Even if he did not understand whatever it was she was saying, he felt the…sadness in it. As if someone died. How the hell can she speak a different language anyway?!
He was sure it was a different language complete with the accent of how she says it. There couldn't have been anyone in the compound who could possibly teach her. If anyone invents a new language they could use it in the clan as their own…code. Or something of the ilk.
"I don't…" He walked towards her "…understand."
"Nunca seras" (You never will) She replied as she patted the root beside her. Motioning him to sit beside her. He blushed, but sat beside her nonetheless. This is the closest he had been to her proximity-wise. He curiously stared at her. "I…" she began speaking after a few moments. "…have been using… Chark- uhm, Chakra. To enhance my punch. That is why you were immensely hurt and knocked out, even."
His eyes widened. That's why she said she was cheating! Wait… "Huh? But we're all doing that! We add chakra to our muscles so we could become stronger! Run faster! Jump higher! How can you say that it's what's making you beat me?!" Does she take him for a fool? He himself knew how to use chakra to enhance his body. To make it more durable.
"idiota" (idiot). She rolled her eyes. "I am enhancing it in a manner only medics can. You enhance your muscles… I enhance my hand. Do you see the difference?" Impatience. Another cause for a fall aside from pride. "I have been… working on this technique ever since. Kibishī sensei found out when I punch a tree and decided to see how you would fare… that's why he pitied me against you." She sighed again. "I am not stronger than you. You just think that."
"I…" he didn't know what to say. He still kind of did not understand what the hell the difference is. "Know you are strong. That's why I keep challenging you."
"I did not say I am weak… I just… dislike fighting-"
"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"
"-up front."
"Oh." He said.
"I prefer to just…" she held back a chuckle, "be a… support." Not a tank, not a jungler or APC (ability power carry) or ADC (attack damage carry). She'd always wanted to be either a marksman or a support.
He didn't understand what was amusing with her statement, thus, his brows creased in confusion.
She had that faraway look she always has when she's not doing anything. Not that he was stalking her or something. Just observing what may be her common training styles to get strong. Yeah. Definitely. She hummed. "for example, you are fighting someone upfront with taijutsu-"
"I'd probably pummel them." He interrupted.
"What if they are much proficient than you?" She challenged.
"…" Not possible. He's the best there is, isn't he?
"So, let's go back to my example. You are fighting someone –I don't care whether that person is your equal or if your opponent is much stronger- just imagine yourself, absorbed in the battle. Whether you enjoy the fight or not… it's not the point. You need to win and the more time you spend with a battle of attrition is the more time you lose in completing the actual mission."
He nodded. That kind…of made…sense.
"Now, on the other hand, what if… somebody else… that person with an arrow while you were fighting?" She has a mischievous gleam in her eye.
His face brightened in understanding. "Then… then… Not only will I win, but will save so much time!" a moment passed and his face fell… "but that only means… I'm not stronger than my… enemy. Isn't it?"
"It doesn't matter." She snapped. "What matters is that the enemy is dead and you-or any of our clan members is alive."
"So… like a team?" he was still frowning. A sign of being thoroughly not convinced. "One fighting in the front and the other… watching his back?"
"YES!"
He contemplated for a while. The reason why Kikyo wears her outfit is because of her hobby in archery. Based on her example, a pair with frontline fighter… or a heavy hitter plus someone who can fight long range would be the ideal team. He can be the fighter. He just knew he was born for it. But who can be… he turned his head to the girl beside… What?! Where did she go?!
He scowled. He really hated that girl.
But now, he has a better strategy. Even better, should he get injured, the long range fighter is an actual healer. Will that be a question to his strength? Nobody needs to know someone is supporting him, right?
He smirked.
.
A/N. Yes. Kikyo looks exactly like the one in Inuyasha. Except for the color of her outfit. This is a pre-konoha, MadaraxOC fic. I was wondering if I can make it an SI-OC.
Don't like don't read. Flames will be ignored.
Reviews are deeply appreciated.
que tengas un buen día!