DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto and it's characters, nor the canon plot! Enjoy the story and let me know what you think!
Living in the ninja world… Well, let's just say that it isn't easy. It's a job that is definitely appealing in hindsight, with the thought of potentially saving someone's life, fighting off the bad guys to protect someone important to you. Though they sound wonderful, these thoughts are the epitome of naivety. The work of a real ninja is infinitely more complicated than any civilian could ever have thought. It's a job that weighs on your heart and mind. It's a job that not only exercises your muscles to make you stronger, but your brain as well and how it reacts to different situations. It changes you more mentally than it does physically. Much, much more. Ninjas have to face the most difficult of decisions in their line of work. Sacrificing themselves for the good of the mission or the well-being of their teammates is only one example. I had no desire to become a ninja, but that's another lesson that ninjas know all too well: people don't always get what they want.
Growing up in Tsukigakure, the Village Hidden under the Moon, I was a fairly laidback child. I led a normal civilian life, with a normal family that was not especially significant, and normal friends. It was easy to get used to, and this didn't bother me in the least. I was born into the Tsukino family by Manami Tsukino, my mother, and Kenko Tsukino, my father. I carried the trademark silver hair and purple eyes of my family, being born without these trademarks was seen as an omen among the Tsukino. They named me Misaki after my grandmother who had recently passed away, and got to work with raising me. My parents had yet another child when I turned three, Ikuto, who also carried our family's trademarks, and I was gifted with a baby brother. "Gifted" is a word that I use lightly, however. The child gave me hell, and I was jealous of the attention that my parents showered upon their young son. Being the blunt child that I was, when I vocalized this to my father, the only thing I received in response was a hearty laugh, and a gentle kiss upon my forehead.
When my fourth birthday came around, I was delighted at the fact that I was growing ever older. On this day I was introduced to Miki, a cat that my parents had gifted to me. She was a small thing, barely fitting into the palm of my hand when they gave her to me. She had fur of solid grey, and eyes of deep blue, and around her neck she wore a bow symbolizing her as my birthday gift. I was delighted, to say the absolute least, and I amused my parents greatly as I let out a loud shriek in delight, scaring the small kitten under our burgundy couch in the living room. I childishly pouted throughout the two days that she stayed hidden from me out of fear.
The next year went smoothly, nothing notable happened other than the fact that I knew I would be starting school soon. The concept unnerved me. I had friends that would be attending the same civilian school since most of them weren't fit to become ninja, so I had no idea what had me so chilled. It must have been the idea of change, which was always something that I had always shunned. I wanted everything to stay the same, easy and all, as long as I lived.
It was a fool's wish.
"Miki, c'mon! It's almost time for dinner! Mommy and Daddy are gonna be mad if we're late!" The small kitten had grown into a full-grown cat, but still retained its big, owlish blue eyes. I glared up at the curious cat from the bottom of the large tree, my arms angrily crossed across my chest. "Miki, don't make me come up there for you!" Miki seemed to upturn her head at me as she climbed further up the bulky tree. "Alright, that's it!" I uncrossed my arms and sprang into action as I grabbed the trunk of the tree and slowly started to work my way up. "You're gonna be sorry, Miki!" I started to lose my annoyed expression to a look of exasperated playfulness as I climbed the tree ever slowly to catch the feline.
Labored in breathing, I looked up through the leafy branches to spot Miki, but she wasn't where she was before. "Hmm," I hummed in curiosity before I climbed a bit further up the trunk to get a better look at the top of the tree.
I got no warning as I heard a cat's screech and something heavily landing on my head. My feet started to slip, and I had no choice but to release my grip on the tree. "AHHHH!" My yells were synchronized with the screeching coming from Miki as we both tumbled towards the grassy earth. Hitting the hard ground knocked the breath out of me sharply, and my back ached from the impact. Groaning, I looked around for the pest that caused this accident. Sitting up from my laid-back position, I saw that she sat by the base of the tree, licking her paw, seemingly innocent in nature.
I glared at the beast, and rubbed my throbbing back as I slowly came to a standing position. "Enjoy the ride? Brat." She gave a short mocking meow in my direction as I groaned in exasperation. I stretched the ache out of my back until it was just a dull pain before I beckoned Miki in my direction.
"Let's go home, Miki. We're late, thanks to you." My comment was followed by a short meow.
Approaching my small family house with Miki upon my shoulder, I realized that everything was eerily quiet. There was no sounds of chatter between my parents, or the annoyed exclamations from my mom about me being late for dinner again. I heard nothing. I figured that maybe they had had a long day, and took an early night. I shrugged my shoulders and stepped towards the front door of the quiet house. It was only when I saw the door slightly open that I began to have suspicions.
I looked to Miki and held a finger to my lips, gesturing her to be quiet, as I slowly opened the door all the way, allowing me to slip inside. I smelled the faint scent of dinner, and sighed in relief as I started towards the kitchen. Mom was cooking, everything was okay. Miki swiftly jumped from my shoulder onto the floor with a silent thump, and I started at a brisk pace towards the kitchen. I turned into the kitchen doorway, a cheerful smile gracing my face.
"I smell Ramen! I can't wait to –," My words died on my lips as I opened my eyes to see my mother lying on the floor of the kitchen. The ramen on the stove boiled over the edge of the pot, and began to make a small puddle on the around the pot. I took a few steps towards my mother, but when I didn't see her move, I ran quickly to her side. "Mommy?!"
I cradled her face, and brushed her long silver hair out of her eyes. Her lavender eyes stared into mine, but they were unmoving. "Mom!" I shook her softly, trying to wake her. I stopped the shaking when I felt a wetness begin to wash over my pant legs. Glancing down, I widened my eyes when I saw that a large pool of blood was flooding from my mother's torso. I began to cry, the tears falling freely from my eyes onto the body before me.
My noisy cries were hushed when I heard a banging noise coming from inside my father's office room. In a panic, I scooted back against the wall of the kitchen to peek through the doorway into the hallway. It is at this moment that Miki joined me, hopping onto my shoulder, with a mourning look in her large blue eyes. I sharply jumped when I heard another unmistakable bang come from inside the office, before I heard the voices of two men.
"I can't find it, damn it! Where would they be hiding it?"
"Why are you asking me? Just keep looking! We should have tried to get answers out of them before we killed them both."
I gasped, before covering my mouth in shock. I let more tears fall before I realized what the second man had said. He had mentioned that he killed "both." If so, either my father or little brother was still alive. I quivered in panic as I heard the door to the office open, and scrambled onto all fours to quickly crawl into the living room, Miki following closely behind. It didn't seem to be fast enough, though.
"Well, well, well… What do we have here?" I let out a strangled yell as the back of my sleeveless top was seized in a tight grip and I was lifted off of the ground. Miki angrily hissed at the man who held me captive, and his attention switched to the small beast under my feet. "Shut up, beast." The man lifted his foot and angrily kicked Miki, sending her across the room. She hit the wall, and fell to the floor, painful groaning resonating from her mouth.
"Miki! No!" I squirmed within the man's grasp, and cried harder when I could barely move. The first man watched the events unfold from the sidelines. The man who was holding me let out a dark laugh and turned me to face him, switching his grip to the front of my shirt.
"Stop moving, you little brat." I promptly quit squirming, in fear that he would kill me had I not followed his orders. The tears still fell swiftly from my eyes, not just out of fear, but sadness too. "There you go. Now, tell me. Where does the Tsukino family keep their inheritance, little girl? If you tell me, maybe I won't kill you like I did your parents." So that confirmed it. They were both dead. It didn't seem like it was possible, but the tears fell even harder.
"It's all behind the picture in my father's office. All of it! Take it! Just leave me alone and don't kill me, please!" I wailed loudly and shook in fear as the man sent me a greedy smile.
The first man promptly disappeared into the hallway, presumably to go and collect my family's inheritance. The smile on the second man's face never left, as he stared me in my wide and fearful eyes. "Thanks for the information, girl. If the money isn't there, be sure that I'll come back to finish the job." The man let a short laugh pass through his lips following his threat, as he quickly threw me at the wall. The world became blurry as I slid to the floor, and eventually, it disappeared into black.
A/N: The next chapter will be out soon! Review and let me know what you think, or if you have any tips for me. :)