What if they lived?

I asked myself this question, and then my imagination came up with an answer: Write a fanfic about it! So here I am, writing a fic about what would've happened if Black*Star had been brought up by his Clan. Follow and review, guys, we've got a long way to go!

Cronashy-absentia presents to you:

Palette

Chapter 1: It Rained

Water pounded from the heavens, drenching the earth below and announcing the start of the rainy season. A single droplet slipped down a path of leaves until it eventually landed in the small basin of a curved leaf. That one tiny, insignificant drop was what caused the contents of the leaf to spill, pouring down through the tree's branches.

It had been raining for nearly a week by then, and some joked that they wouldn't see the sun again until the end of July. White knew that wasn't true, though. The sun would certainly come; he predicted that the clouds would clear up within the next few days. Rain was no excuse to not do your duty, though.

"But it is!" Green yelled at him. "I'm supposed to snuff out that one guy when he takes his evening walk, right? He's not gonna walk if it's raining!"

White glared at Green, grabbing his scarf and pulling his younger brother up to his face. "So?" He growled. "Get him anyway! Go to his house or something; I don't care! That man's allied with Shibusen and keeps getting closer to finding our camp!"

Green jerked away, glaring back with equal ferocity. "Look, White," He snapped, "I don't care if you're the clan leader, heck, I don't even care that you're my brother. Right now, you're just being a thick-headed dictator. It's cold, it's raining, and I'm tired. Plus, I don't even know where the target lives. I'll get him soon, just when it's not raining," He muttered, turning his back to White.

The clan leader's green eyes bored into the back of Green's head as he pulled a kuni knife from his belt. Disobedient subordinates had to be punished to uphold clan order. If one person ignored the chieftain's commands and escaped unscathed, who was to stop the clan from falling into chaos? People would go their own way, eventually getting themselves killed if they disregarded White's guidance. Of course it wasn't because White liked his position of inherited power over the strongest group of assassins in Japan. Far from it. He did what was best for them.

White raised his knife, preparing to throw it at Green's shoulder. The blow wouldn't be fatal, but it would be enough to keep his brother from objecting to his leader's will again. However, before White could release his weapon, a sound stopped him. He turned his head around when he heard it; the familiar wail of his three-month-old son. Lowering his arm, White moved to face his wife and son, who had just emerged from their tent behind him. The flap that functioned as the doorway to their "room" fluttered slightly in the wind.

"White?" Grey said softly, holding their bundled child close, "He's freezing. Can you start a fire?"

White's eyes flickered over to Green, who was chatting with a few other Clan members in front of his tent. After a minute, the ivory-haired ninja sighed. Taking care of the future heir to Star Clan was more important than punishing a renegade. He'd deal with Green later; right now, he had his son to take care of.

"Get him under the awning," The clan leader murmured. "I'll see if I can find some dry firewood and light a fire under there."

As Grey nodded, carrying their child as she was instructed, Green watched her.

"White's more affectionate with that kid than he ever was to his own wife," He grumbled to the two beside him while White quickly got a fire going. As he sat next to him, White smiled at his son. Green clucked his tongue. "See? He never smiles like that at Grey. Darn kid's gonna grow up spoiled."

White gently brushed his son's blue hair away from his young face. "Warm up, Black," He murmured, "The clan can't have their future star catching a cold."

Black's wide green eyes stared up at his father, unaware of the extreme twist that his fate had taken that day, or how drastically the rain would change his future.

Because it rained, Green didn't leave on his fateful mission, one that would've seen him captured. He would've been interrogated regarding his clan's whereabouts and weaknesses before being executed. Hundreds of troops from the DWMA would've been sent to Japan, resulting in the extermination of the entire Star Clan, all except one, who would've been raised by Sid Barrett rather than his true father. White would've escaped, but then he would end up falling into depression at the loss of his entire clan. He would've resorted to eating souls as his drug, which, in turn, would lead to his kishin transformation and eventual death by Mifune's sword.

But none of that happened.

Because it rained.

When I was sixteen, those events had transpired over fourteen years ago. The name of Star Clan was only uttered in hushed conversations in the dark. My brother talked about them, boasting that he knew someone who had been imprisoned by the Star Clan but had made it out alive. Mother and Father told him to hush whenever he brought up the topic, saying that to speak of that ninja tribe was to summon them to your door. I should've believed them.

After Mother and Father had gone to bed, I asked Masamune to tell me about the clan by candlelight.

"What's their purpose?" I whispered. "They seem like just wild assassins."

Masamune shook his head. "They do assassinate for their own purposes, but it's mostly to get rid of any who object or oppose them. Some seek them out as mercenaries," He explained. Intrigued, I leaned forward. Masamune chuckled at my wide eyes as he continued, "Actually, others say that it's the Star Clan that truly rules Japan. Despite being such a small group, they can do whatever they want."

He would tell me of some of their most infamous assaults, what their leader was like, and of their goals and weapons. These quiet lectures continued for weeks. During this time, I chose to ignore the change that was coming over my brother, until it stared me right in the face; Masamune idolized the Star Clan.

When I confronted him about it one night, he didn't even try to deny it.

"They're so strong, Tsubaki," He told me, "So powerful. If I could be like them, maybe even join them, no one would be able to stand up to me," He said. A manic smile was slowly spreading across his face, causing me to shrink back a little. "I could bring you, and Father and Mother. They'd change your names to a color, but that's not a big deal. I'd be strong. I'd be feared. I wouldn't be looked down on anymore!" He grinned, looking up at me. His pupils had dilated immensely. I gulped.

"Masamune?" I said softly, reaching out and touching his arm. "It's… It's getting late. Maybe we should go to bed?" I suggested, helping him stand. He chuckled a little, but said nothing as I led him out of my room and gently set him down on his mat before pulling the covers up and over him.

My brother was going mad, but it was only the following day when my entire world shattered.

"Tsubaki," Mother began as she dusted the shelves, "Have you put any more thought into enrolling at Shibusen?"

I flinched; she brought up this topic a lot, and the answer as the same every time, yet she still asked.

I shook my head, not meeting her eye while I helped her. "I don't want to go there," I replied. Mother opened her mouth as if to speak, but I continued. "I know what you're going to say. We've been over this," I murmured, "You want me to carry the family name to Shibusen. I'm this generation's Dark Arm; a weapon with multiple forms, and I should be proud of that," I sighed. "But I don't want to fight, Mother. I'm perfectly fine with being safe here at home." I avoided saying that I was scared of what I might encounter as a DWMA student. I would have to move to an entirely new country, meet new people, and fight demons to the death. There was a slim chance that I would find a meister who was strong enough to convince me to overcome my fears, as well. I didn't want to risk stepping out of my comfort zone.

Mother frowned. "Tsubaki, it's a matter of honor-!" She was about to continue, and would've probably convinced me to leave for the Academy, had Father not slammed the sliding door open and interrupted her. His eyes were wide and dry, his breath coming in quick pants as if he had just run a long distance. With gasps of alarm, Mother and I both rushed to him.

"Sanjuro!" Mother cried, wrapping her arms around him, "What happened? What's wrong?!"

I put my arm around Father's shoulders as he struggled to find his words.

"Mas… Masamune…" He rasped, gasping for breath. His next words were uttered very quietly, but they fell like a bomb upon the household.

"Masamune has been murdered."

I was running seconds after he finished. My legs carried me down the path and into town, and my heart pounded in my ears. It couldn't be true. My brother couldn't be dead. He was my source of strength, my courage…

I stopped abruptly. A crowd was gathered in front of an alleyway, blocking me from seeing what was inside. Normally I would've been too shy to even tap on someone's shoulder. This was different though. I barreled through, shoving aside the neighbors to get to the scene in front of me. Police blocked the entrance to the alley, but I caught a glimpse of what was beyond them.

That was definitely his hair, and it was drenched with blood.

I remember letting out an inhuman scream before throwing myself at the policemen to try and shove past them.

"Let me through!" I shrieked, throwing all my weight into trying to overpower them. "That's my brother in there! THAT'S MY BROTHER!"

Although they held me back, I got a view of what was beyond them through my tears. Masamune lay on his back, his face to the ground, with his arms twisted at unnatural angles. His shirt had been ripped off and his hair pulled away from his back, revealing the mark of his murderers. Every other memory of that day slips out of focus when I remember that scar, which still haunts my dreams.

Masamune's murderers had slashed a star across his back.

My brother had been killed by the Star Clan.

Perhaps it was because he knew too much. Maybe someone had commissioned them to kill him because they feared him. Whatever the reason, by elder brother was dead.

My entire body shook as I screamed again. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing more tears out. Mother had come up behind me and wrapped her arms around me, trying to comfort us both, but I didn't want comfort. I wanted to hold my brother. I wanted him to look up at me with those dark eyes of his and promise me that he'd be all right. I wanted him to be alive.

Slowly, I realized that I was beginning to feel an emotion unfamiliar to me. Whatever it was, it was blazing through my soul, filling me with strength that I didn't know I had. Suddenly it dawned on me; I wanted revenge. I wanted to see my brother's murderer put through just as much pain as Masamune felt. I wanted to carve the outline of a Camelia flower into the back of that Star Clan scum so the rest of his clan would see my hatred. No… I wanted them all gone. None of them moved without the okay of their leader, so if White*Star ordered someone to do so, any one of his clan members was capable of something like this. They all deserved to die.

"Mother," I choked out. I felt her head move against my back, and I knew she was listening. "Mother… I'm going to join the DWMA." I heard her gasp, but I continued, "I can train there, and once I'm strong enough," My tear-filled eyes narrowed, "I'll avenge Masamune."

"I will destroy Star Clan."