Just one more before I leave yall hanging? Heh... you won't kill me for this, right?... Right?... Oh noes... *hides*
Emiko stared sadly down the darkened hallway of her home, noticing the old and new red stains, and just barely catching the sounds of whimpering and screaming.
Sniffing, and hastily rubbing already wet eyes, she tried once more. "Mommy!" She called down the hallway. The only thing that changed was the whimpering which had morphed into screams, the voice distinctly masculine. "You promised…" she whispered out. "For my birthday…"
Just as silently as she had opened the door, she closed it, tears now clearly falling from her downcast eyes, book bag still on her back, and headed for the Police Force Headquarters of Konoha.
Fugaku Uchiha stared at the small child who had just entered the building, wondering what would bring her in here. She bore no wounds, but she was deathly pale. The little girl wore a grey sleeveless sundress and black shorts beneath it. She wore the ninja-standard shoes on her feet, which told him that she was in the academy, but her appearance put her age around that of Sasuke's, six or seven, so she would have just entered the had academy. Her hair was black, short and messy, and looked like a child who demanded some more independence than she was ready for.
When he noticed the little girl stop and rub furiously at her eyes, he walked over to her. Bending down to her level, he spoke softly to the girl. "What's wrong? Can't you find your mother?" Some would say it was uncharacteristic, but those who knew the stoic Uchiha well knew that with children, he was softer.
Her only reply was a shake of her head in the negative. When he was about to speak again, a soft whispered voice stopped him in his tracks. "I think my Mommy is doing something wrong."
Sighing a little, thinking it was just another child not understanding the way things were in the world, he stood. "What if we go ask your Mommy? Then we'll get this all cleared up."
He wasn't expecting the little girl to look up at him with striking yellow eyes widened in fear. "No! No, no, no! She'll hurt you too!" She wailed out, attracting the attention of several others.
Now the small child had the full attention of the Uchiha. It was an odd reaction from a kid, and her words, 'she'll hurt you too' were alarming.
"Alright, alright, it's okay." He cooed and picked her up to settle her in one of the chairs in a nearby office as she burst into full out sobs. Giving her a few tissues and sending a glance at the two other members of the police force had joined him and were staring at the girl in curiosity. "Okay, first things first, what's your name?"
After a few jerky breaths she responded. "Emiko Jorogumo." The three officers stared at the small child.
"Wait," one of the watching officers began, "Jorogumo? So you're Ayame Jorogumo's kid."
All he got was a nod. Fugaku picked up a pad of paper, no longer entertaining the notion that a small child believed her mother was doing something wrong. Ayame Jorogumo was a suspect in the believed kidnapping of several people from around the village.
"What's your Mommy doing?" Fugaku asked the little Jorogumo.
Sniffing, and now making eye contact while tears rolled down her face, she spoke. "I don't know really. But every once in a while I come home and I can't find Mama, but I hear screaming and crying but it's always some man." She wrinkled her nose. "I do know things." This drug several reluctant chuckles from the men around her. "After the screaming had stopped for a while Mommy showed up, but she was always weird."
"Weird how?" Was the immediate interjection from Fugaku.
Emiko blinked away some more tears. "She walked around like she was sleepy, and the less sleepy she got the angrier she got, till she started to tear up her room and the living room. I got scared and hid in my room under the bed all night, so I was really tired during orientation." Fugaku nodded. He could remember a small black head behind Sasuke nodding to and fro. "It happened more and more till Mommy came home one night with this guy. He was bloody and crying and Mommy was bloody too, but she wasn't crying, she was laughing. She told me to go upstairs and wait for dinner, but she didn't call me and I fell asleep with some music up reaaallllly high so I wouldn't hear the screaming. But I woke up because I was hungry and went downstairs but…" Her eyes gained a fearful light, and tears flowed more freely down her cheeks. "There was blood everywhere and," she hiccupped, "I saw pieces of the man everywhere and mama was in the kitchen cooking something. She was covered in more blood than before."
Emiko stopped and bawled out the last bit. "I couldn't move, so I saw Mama stop cooking and pour something that looked like soup in a bowl, but…" Horror was the only thing any of the older men could see in the little girls' eyes, and the only thing they felt beyond a great sense of pity for the little girl. "I saw her pick the man's little finger out of the bowl and eat it till nothing was left of the bone."
She buried her head in her hands. "I think I passed out cause when I woke up Mommy told me she was sorry but that she couldn't stop just yet. That she'd stop on my birthday but, but she didn't cause today's my birthday and Mommy had somebody dead on the floor in the living room, and, and I could still hear somebody else screaming and," She looked at them with broken eyes. "I'm sorry. Sorry. Please, make her stop." She hiccupped and became hysterical, they couldn't get much more other than "Sorry" from the small girl.
Fugaku was immediately all business. "Kaoru, Tsune, get two others and send someone to tell the Hokage of the situation. Request some more Jonin." As his coworkers nodded and move to do so, he called one of the few female members of the Police force, Tsune's twin sister Tsuka, to the room. He pointed to the still crying Emiko. "Keep her here. Try and calm her."
Before Tsuka's 'Yes, sir!' had escaped her mouth, Fugaku was at the door and heading a platoon to capture Ayame Jorogumo.
Emiko had finally calmed down, and was drinking some hot chocolate when a representative from the Hokage had come to get her. After gathering her things, she followed him quickly, jogging to keep up with his pace. By the time they reached the Hokage's office, Emiko was winded.
Knocking twice and swiftly moving inside at the assent to enter, Emiko clopped into the room only to freeze and stare at the struggling shape in the corner. Her mother, whose beauty, despite her recent mania had maintained, was being harshly held down by two of the Police Officers whom she had talked to earlier.
Her mother was too preoccupied with attempting to escape to notice that her daughter was in the room, but her jailors weren't. They stared at her with sympathetic eyes, having seen firsthand the bloody mess the older Jorogumo had created.
Taking a deep breath and focusing on the few memories she had of her beloved father, she ripped her eyes from her mother's form and looked to the Hokage who was giving her a small sad smile. "Emiko, thank you." Sarutobi's brown eyes saw the pain and question in the little girl's yellow eyes. "Because of you we've been able to keep more people from being killed and gave many other families closure."
Ayame, who had stilled at the sound of her daughter's name, gave a feral screech, startling those in the room. "WHAT?! You deceiving little BRAT! You promised Mommy! You promised me! I told you I'd get better at your birthday! I have time! I HAVE TIME!" Ayame jerked harshly and was able to get one arm loose in which she immediately shot for the jugular of her other assailant, chakra covering each of he fingers individually and she ripped out his wind pipe, killing him instantly. Immediately she was set upon by two Anbu, but they all had seen what she had set her eyes on next.
Her daughter, Emiko.
Emiko, having froze at the sound of her mother's voice, was now shivering and unable to break eye contact with her mother, who had continued to snarl obscenities at her only living flesh and blood.
She was unaware of the tears that steadily or the fact that she couldn't seem to breathe normally, and stared until a hand, wrinkled with age and wearing a ring, covered her eyes. Her hands came up to grip the hand held to her eyes and pressed the hand closer, trying to get some of the warm. She hadn't noticed how cold she had felt.
The Hokage stared coldly at the women who once held his respect. One hand covering little Emiko's eyes and the other pressed reassuringly to her shoulder, he frowned absent-mindedly at her body temperature. Giving a look to the Chunin he had sent to gather Emiko, he finally spoke to the woman struggling to reach her daughter, though not for any acceptable reasons. "Ayame Jorogumo." Emiko flinched. "You are a disgrace to the Jorogumo clan name, your daughter, Konoha, and your late husband, Yoite." That made her stop struggling to reach Emiko, who had regained herself enough to attach herself to the ends of his robes, though she could still not look at her mother and if anything her body temperature had dropped even further. "As such, you no longer hold any rank, and will be confined to the cells beneath the Hokage tower until your official hearing.
Her husbands name had apparently been the key to her sanity, because now she didn't thrash but watched every male near her with a hunter's eyes. And just as the woman was about to leave the room, Hiruzen called out to her, the last statement to temporarily break the spell insanity had cast on the once noble women. "And you aren't even aware enough to wish your daughter happy birthday."
The Anbu watching her, Fugaku Uchiha, and the Chunin reappearing in the doorway with a blanket for Emiko watch a incredible change be wrought on Ayame's face. Immediately her face and eyes went blank, and for a few moments it stayed that way until heart-wrenching pain rippled across the woman's countenance. But it was only that way for an instance, because as soon as realization had appeared insanity ate away at her clarity, and before the door closed mania was the only thing visible in her eyes.
Lord 3rd Hokage sighed as he surveyed the room. Emiko was seated on the floor, swathed in blankets, with only her hands and head sticking out, so she could drink her hot chocolate. Fugaku Uchiha stood nearby the child, face a mask of professional indifference, though dismay and pity shone is his cold onyx eyes. The Chunin from before, now known as Kotetsu by the small child, stood at the doorway awaiting further orders. "Emiko," He called softly to the little girl, and waited until she brought shell-shocked yellow eyes to his brown ones to continue. "For the next few months, you'll have to stay here." The little girl blinked. "We have to go through your house and get everything we can so we can get your Mommy the help she needs." Emiko nodded. "Everything you'll need you'll have until we can let you back into your house, if you still want to go?"
A single nod was the only response.
He sighed lightly, recognizing that the little girl would need time to cope, and was about to ask Kotetsu to take her to her room, when the little girl looked at him with sad, hopeless eyes and opened her mouth to say something no one expected.
"Lord Hokage, am I bad?"
He blinked, shocked. As was every other person in the room. "Of course not child, why would you say that?"
Emiko sniffled and rubbed at watery eyes. "My Mommy..." Tears fell despite her best efforts. "I still love my Mommy, even though she did all those bad things and was such a bad person." She covered her face with her hands.
The Hokage immediately understood. "Now, now child." He cooed at her gently, rising once more from his seat to kneel next to the little girl. "It does not make you a bad person." He told her firmly.
She looked up at him with pleading yellow eyes. "...I'm not?" She hiccuped.
"No, Little Emiko, you aren't. It means you have a big heart, one that can heal another." He gazed down at her with warm brown eyes, happy to see the Will of fire already so bright in this one. "But, until then, it's time for you to sleep. Kotetsu," He picked up little Emiko, blankets and all, making the little girl squeak before yawning widely, bringing even a smile, albeit small, the Fugaku's face. "Please take Emiko to her room."
Kotetsu grinned. "Of course, Lord Hokage."
And off they went, Kotetsu chatting animatedly to the small girl who could only give half-hearted answers.
The Hokage and the Uchiha both stared at the door for a few moments, before Sarutobi finally drew his thoughts away from the girl. "Thank you, Fugaku, for your hard work. If not for you, Little Emiko might not be here."
All the Uchiha did was grunt and nod in the affirmative. The Hokage sighed, as he was well aware of the silent hostility the Uchiha thought he was hiding. "How is Sasuke?"
The abrupt question surprised Fugaku enough for him to loose his aggressive stance. He regained himself quickly, but the Hokage noticed, and artfully hid his smile by walking back to his desk. "Sasuke is doing fine, he's excited to finally have joined the Academy."
The Hokage nodded with a genial smile. "Maybe he and little Emiko will become friends. They are in the same class."
This drew a smile, though small, from Fugaku. "I doubt it. Sasuke has deemed the girls of his class scary and crazy and refuses to work with them. It's affected his teamwork grades."
After a amused chuckle from the Hokage, but soon it fell into a tense silence. "Thank you again, Fugaku."
This time the brown-haired Uchiha nodded and bowed ever-so-slightly at the waist. "Of course, Lord Hokage." And he left swiftly, leaving Hiruzen to stare at his former place with a sad expression on his face.
It had been 3 months, and despite best efforts Emiko's smiles and innocence died. She smiled around the Hokage, she smiled around little Konohamaru, who had been brought a few weeks earlier due to his parents, the Hokage's son and daughter-in-law dying in battle , but the Hokage watched sadly as guilt and pain filled her yellow eyes. As she slowly stopped socializing as much with the girls her age, stopped smiling. And as children are wont to do at that age, they shrugged and moved on, not really caring that their friend had stopped playing.
Now she sat in front of the Hokage again, a small smile on her lips as she played with Konohamaru. "Little Emiko." The Hokage sighed out, immediately catching the attention of Emiko. "You'll have to go back to your house soon, I'm sorr-."
"It's okay Grandpa Hokage. I know. I want to go." She interrupted him, not allowing the man who had come to be her pillar of support to apologize. She had matured in her small time she had been in Hokage tower, now understanding that the household she had been living in was never really healthy after her Papa had died.
Hiruzen blinked at the little girl. "You want to go?" His voice was not confused, but intrigued.
She nodded resolutely, and the Hokage caught a glimpse of the strong Konoichi she would one day become. "I need to get stronger. I need to go there. I won't let me being scared and bad memories keep me from my home."
The proud grin that decorated Hiruzen's face only made her happier that she had made the decision. Besides, she reasoned with herself, I can't stay here forever. I won't be protected forever.
A week later, Emiko left the academy and followed the still familiar path to her home. When she entered, she saw that not much had changed. The rooms appeared ransacked, but that was easy to deal with. Her issue was the fact that they had spread blood all around the house.
"To work it is, then" She muttered to herself, and without further ado, went to get the mop and bucket to scrub the blood from the floors.
A year had passed; Emiko had turned seven but a few days ago. Konohamaru had turned three and was happily clinging to his "Mwiko-nee" which was usual whenever she visited. She stood in the center of the Hokage's office, and was fidgeting slightly, while still managing to entertain Konohamaru, which amazed the adults in the room.
Hiruzen smiled warmly at the girl who had become another grandchild to him. "Yes, Little Emiko?"
She glanced at him bashfully, and let Konohamaru play with her hands as she stared off into space trying to find the right way to put her request. Her brow was furrowed, feral-yellow eyes she had inherited from her mother glazed. She had long traded her sundress for a tank top that ended mid-thigh, though she still wore her shorts. Her forearms and her legs from the knee down were bandaged, a silent symbol of the harsh training she put herself through to learn her family's techniques. Her ninja sandals were the same, if not larger. Toes completely covered in bandages poked from beneath the rim.
"Grandpa Hokage… I want to know exactly what's wrong with Mama." Yellow eyes stared at him determined, and Hiruzen was once again struck by her resemblance to both her mother and her father. While she had her mother's looks, she had her father's presence. It could even be seen now, ever so slightly, in the light way she held herself in a way she was completely unaware of: the stillness of a hunter. He regarded her quietly, and Emiko spoke again. "I know there are a lot of things I don't know about what my mother did. There are probably plenty of things I've blocked out. Even now, when I think of Mama, I see her before, when she wasn't sick."
Hiruzen huffed out a sigh and absent-mindedly wondered where Konohamaru had hid his pipe. Giving her a sharp look, he summoned a familiar Chunin. "Kotetsu, please retrieve the Ayame Jorogumo case file."
Bowing Kotetsu voiced his assent, but when he turned he gave a wink at Emiko, which had her grinning and Konohamaru shrieking in laughter. "Emiko." He immediately had the attention of the little Jorogumo. She knew that whenever he used her name and not the nickname that had somehow become popular among some of the workers around the tower, she knew he was serious. "I will let you read some of the file." A smile was immediately plastered on her face, until she heard the dreaded word. "BUT if I think that what you have already read is too much for you, I will forbid you from reading the rest until I believe you to be of proper age. Understood?"
Emiko smiled sweetly at her pseudo-grandfather. "Yes!"
She picked up Konohamaru and danced around the room, making him squeal and cry out in joy "Fwaster, Mwiko-nee! Wheeeeeeeee!"
So when Kotetsu came back into the room to find a dizzy Emiko and Konohamaru and a laughing Hokage, it wasn't so unusual that he was confused.
Years passed, three to be exact, and Iruka, who often visited the Hokage, observed a drastic change in one of his best pupils. Around town, and in the classroom, Emiko Jorogumo was a generally apathetic person, who snapped and beat anyone who pressed the wrong buttons. In Hokage tower, and definitely around Konohamaru saw a kind girl who enjoyed doting on her "little brother" who constantly called her "Miko-nee" and was generally quiet, but happy. She could often be found just lounging around the Hokage's office as he worked, playing with Konohamaru and helping him grasp the basics of being a ninja, and talking with Kotetsu, her self-proclaimed "big brother:"
He was shocked. The amount of times he had to give her extra work because she refused to work with some people or hurt someone who had insulted her were numerous. And this was a side that, if seen by some of her classmates, would gather her the type of fan base Sasuke Uchiha had.
Of course, she still kept her ruthless temper, so Iruka wisely only shared this with Lord Hokage, who laughed heartily about it for weeks.
Two more years passed, and Emiko while not changing much personality-wise, had changed her outfit. She now wore a grey vest, styled much like the vest of a formal suit, that cut off a few inches above her waistline. Her grey shorts became grey and red hamaraki pants, bound with a black sash and a thin silver wire that wrapped around her several times over. The bottoms were tucked into bandages that began just below her knees and she wore bandages from the elbow down to her fingers about 3 centimeters thick on both arms, though only one - her right - bore a red fingerless glove.
Her once messy haphazardly cut hair had grown into a flowing black mane that reached her shoulder blades. That isn't to say however that whenever it got in her face too much for her patience she didn't grab the nearest kunai and cut it out of her way, so most strands were uneven. Her hair was bound by more silver wire in a low ponytail that obviously had no thought placed into it.
Her features had matured greatly, though she still had some baby fat in her cheeks and was still flat as a board, it was obvious that she had the beginnings of dangerous curves. Her once over-large yellow eyes now seemed to fit perfectly in her face, and with her usually apathetic expression she was given an aura of mystery… if she wasn't angry, of course.
So, "Little Emiko" grew. And in but a few days, her life would expand in a way that could be considered phenomenal, with the assigning of her new team.
Sooooooooo what cha think? Still gonna kill me? Please don't.
Ah, and just so you know, her family name, Jorogumo, is actually the name of a type of spider demoness and plays a pivitol part in this story. Hence the name "Spider's Loving Kiss" . I dids reeeeeesearch!
Please give me your opinions! REVIEWWWWW!