Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Hey, this is my first fanfiction so hopefully it goes well! This story is going to be an AU so some characters might be a tad different from the manga. I also haven't read the manga in years so if you notice any huge gaping flaws in plot or times or whatever, just assume they are intentional and go with it!
This story is going to be about a group of Mist shinobi who I really enjoyed in the series and thought would make a great story. Haku, Suigetsu, and Kimimaro make for a pretty interesting group, and who better to lead them than Zabuza!
I don't know what I'm really doing for pairings in this story yet. It's NOT a yaoi fic so don't even think about it. I'm sure I will have pairings in the story later, I will update when I have a better idea where I'm going.
Prologue
Restless Souls
The darkness was all that Kimimaro knew. Days and nights cramped up in a small cell for as long as he could remember. The air was always cold and dank, a single candle was given to him on occasion and he was given a book to study through the space between the bars of his cage. The books were all about killing. At first he didn't know many of the words but his mind was as sharp as a razor and he had trained himself and expanded his lexicon with them. His entire vocabulary was built upon the optimization of murder.
He had flashes of memories; they appeared for a moment then dissipated like the smoke from his candle. Memories of times before the darkness and the cage, of running through a field of grass while smiling, then collapsing into a field of flowers.
He remembered his mother, the only soul that had ever shown him kindness. He remembered the day that he had felt a deep stirring in his body and he pushed a small razor sharp blade from his forearm. That was the first day his father paid any attention to him.
Kimimaro was excited at the time, the clan had shunned him upon his birth and he had never given him any real attention. He didn't understand why his mother spent that day in tears and yelling at his father. The next day he was sent to train with the rest of the Kaguya shinobi.
He discovered his bones reacted to threats before he even recognized them himself, a near perfect defense from taijutsu attacks and the knives the shinobi threw at him were either evaded or simply bounced off the areas where his bone had formed like armor under his skin. His father met with the other village leaders and declared him "a weapon worthy of the great Kaguya clan."
The next day he was taken away from his home and thrown into the cell that had been his living place for the past 4 years. That all seemed so long ago and since then he had learned to live in his solitary cage with only the company of the clan members who brought him meals and books. They praised him like he was a tool to be used, not as a human child alone in the dark.
Kimimaro lifted his head as he heard the latches on the door creak open.
"Kimimaro, it's time for your dinner! I even managed to sneak in a new book about your Shikotsumyaku. Aren't you lucky?"
Kimimaro lifted his eyes to the clan member who walked in. He didn't recognize him, he had a feeling that they were switching his guards regularly to ensure no one became too attached to him. It was smart, that's what he would do too in their place.
The food was deposited in his cell along with the book and a new candle. The clan member stared at Kimimaro for a moment, a look of pride on his face.
"You are going to show the rest of the world that the Kaguya are still to be feared and respected one day," said Kimimaro's unknown relative. He then turned and left without another word.
Kimimaro took his plate and moved to sit against the wall. He picked up a fork and knife he had made from the bones in his arm and slowly began cutting and eating his food. When he had first been placed in the cell he had cried every time someone brought him food or books. When they left he would throw himself upon the food and eat like an animal. That was so long ago as well. Now he ate and read calmly and quietly. He had determined after the first few months in isolation that despite being locked in a cage, he would never act like a simple beast.
After finishing his meal he picked up the new book. He held it reverently as he did all the others; they were his only real possessions. The book was a chronicle of the Kaguya clan's achievements for at least two centuries. It was a tale of violence and atrocities, and about their recent decline in status amongst other shinobi clans. There was an entire section of the book devoted to the Shikotsumyaku. Kimimaro didn't know the word, but the illustrations and the context led him to the realization that Shikotsumyaku was the name for his ability.
The book depicted different applications of the kekkai genkai. One illustration showed a shinobi firing the bones from the end of his fingers at high speed and killing multiple people. He would have to try that out. One section was devoted to an illness that was common amongst those who possess Shikotsumyaku. It chronicled all the symptoms, life expectancies, and attempted treatments for the illness.
The book indicated that many Kaguya shinobi with the art didn't live to see twenty. Kimimaro felt that this might be rather skewed since most Kaguya shinobi don't live very long anyway due to their violent nature. This should have probably scared him, but the thought of dying had lost most of its bite in the last few years. He figured it would mostly be like falling asleep and then never waking up from that darkness.
Darkness didn't scare him anymore.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Haku didn't know how long he had been alone. He had been wandering the streets of a city, the name of which he didn't know for at least two winters. Winters in the Land of Water were cold and the snow covered the streets where he would dig through garbage and occasionally beg. The cold never bothered him though, he didn't even have shoes. This was a plus for begging, especially tourists who come to see the countryside in the snow. Everyone pitied the boy without shoes during the winter, but he knew when spring came he would be back to mostly fending for himself.
He still had a hard time looking at the icicles that hung from the buildings. He didn't remember the actual event where he killed his father and the men who were trying to hurt him, he did remember seeing their bodies impaled above him, suspended by the ice that had formed through their bodies. The red blood steaming off the blue ice was constantly locked in his mind.
He hadn't used his ability to control water since that day. Not intentionally anyway. He had fallen from the roof of a building while trying to escape some kids and the snow had seemed to lift up to catch him. He didn't mean for it to happen, it just did.
Haku sat outside a small restaurant, the smells of the food cooking inside made his stomach ache. He couldn't remember the last time he had a cooked meal. The last time he came upon some money he had bought a homeless woman and her sick daughter some medicine. The little girl needed it more and he could always find food in the trash.
A couple walked down the street in their warm kimonos. As they passed, Haku made eye contact with the woman and immediately looked back toward the ground. They were an older couple, probably in their forties. The woman was still lovely and the man was a bit round with a grey mustache and kind eyes. The woman whispered to her companion and the man walked over to Haku and waited for him to make eye contact.
"Hey there my young friend, why don't you get yourself a pair of shoes and a hot meal with this," said the man. As he did so he produced some money from his kimono and attempted to hand it to Haku.
Haku's eyes began to tear up as he nodded then fell into what he believed was a respectful bow.
"Thank you so much for your kindness, sir," was all Haku could say. The man smiled at Haku and laid a hand upon his shoulder.
"Don't worry about it, son, my wife would kick my ass if I didn't help you out so you are doing me a favor by accepting it," the man said with a smile.
"Do you have a name, son?" the man asked. Haku was startled for a moment; he hadn't used his name in a long time. "My name is Haku, sir."
"Well then Haku, how would you like to stay the evening with my wife and myself? We have a son who moved out years ago, but some of his clothing might just fit you. He was always thin himself," the man said. The mustache obscured his mouth but it was clear from the wrinkles around his mouth and eyes that he was smiling.
Haku wanted to say yes so badly, not just for the warm bed and home but to just be around people who were kind to him for an evening, but he remembered what had happened to his parents and he could not bring himself to accept the man's offer. There was something wrong with Haku, something so bad that his father had killed his mother and Haku had been forced to take the lives of his father and several men.
"I appreciate your offer, sir, but I'm afraid I can't go with you. But please tell me your names so that I can find you and repay your kindness one day."
The man seemed taken aback by this but only for a moment. Finally he smiled and extended his hand to Haku.
"My name is Shingen, and my wife is Kaede. We live on the outskirts on the village here. The offer to stay is an open one, son. If you ever need somewhere to go just come to our farm and let us know. Us old folks have nothing better to do than dote on a respectful young man like yourself, and we could always use some help with the farm."
Haku was now openly crying at the kindness this couple had shown him.
"Thank you very much Shingen, Kaede, I will do my best to repay you for your help and kindness!" he said while he fell to his knees in a bow.
Shingen patted him on his shoulder and left some words of encouragement before continuing down the street with his wife. Haku stayed in his bowed position for a few moments reflecting on the charity and kindness the likes of which he had never known. After a time he realized his tears had frozen to his cheeks, he wondered how cold it had actually gotten.
He took the money that Shingen had given him and approached a small ramen stand on the street. He looked at the chef behind the counter who stared back at him with a scowl.
"Money up front, or get the hell off my stool, kid."
Haku laid down 10 ryo on the table and ordered a bowl of pork ramen. When the food was placed in front of him the cook snatched the money off the table and proceeded to mumble under his breath, something about damn street urchins and their capacity to keep customers away. Haku apologized for his current state then began eating the ramen one giant bite after another. He had never tasted anything to delicious, at least nothing he could remember.
As he left the ramen stand he began making his way down the street toward the river where he slept. He found his sleeping mat, comprised of hay and a torn blanket and sat down to think before going to sleep. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept on a full stomach, it almost made him guilty.
Finally he laid down to rest. He fell asleep quickly with a new hope in his chest from the kindness that had been shown to him that day.
As he slept in a dreamless sleep, the snow near his mat moved in waves to cover him up from the cold night.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Suigetsu wandered the streets of Kirigakure with no real destination in mind. He had left his clan compound behind hours ago. The Hozuki house was in an uproar due to recent events and no one had noticed him slip out.
"Goddamit Mangetsu," he said under his breath. "What the fuck am I supposed to do now?"
Earlier that day a representative from the Mizukage had appeared in the compound to inform that Mangetsu Hozuki, first heir to the clan, one of the seven swordsmen of the mist and Suigetsu's older brother, had died in combat with an unknown group of missing nin. There wasn't a body of course, Suigetsu's father always liked to say that a Hozuki doesn't return to the earth, they return to the sea.
"What about our plans you big idiot?" Suigetsu said as he crossed a bridge leading him out of the gates of Kirigakure. He stopped over the river and looked at the cold winter water rushing underneath him. He wouldn't cry, Hozuki don't waste water, and crying was the biggest waste of water there was. Instead he stepped up on to the railing of the bridge and looked down in the dark water. With a long sigh he fell forward into the current, releasing his hydrification form.
He was everywhere in the river, he was the river itself and the cold cleared his mind and made him feel alive. He finally gave into the feelings that had been haunting him all day. When he had heard that his brother had died it felt as though the water in his body had turned to ice, he hadn't even been himself enough to mock a couple that had been passionately kissing on the grass near the compound. He relinquished his emotions in the water of the river; no one would ever know he had been crying.
He finally reformed himself near the bank of the river. As he stepped out of the current he sat down on a rock and thought about what the future had in store for him without his brother. Was he going to be made the next heir?
"Fuck that, I'm not cut out for that political shit."
Suigetsu had planned on living his life and being as free as his favorite element. He and his brother would be strong enough to kill anyone they wanted, he would eventually join the seven swordsmen of the mist and become the greatest swordsman ever known. Now his brother was dead, his sword was gone, and the only conciliation for the Hozuki was a mountain of corpses and limbs found next to a puddle of mud that had been his brother.
"I guess I need to think about this then. I don't give a shit what my old man says, I'm not becoming the next lord of the Hozuki. Looks like I'm gonna have to leave Kirigakure then to get out of that mess. I'm definitely going to find that fucker who has my brother's sword, I think I will keep him alive for a few weeks just so he makes sure he knows how serious I am."
Suigetsu began making a checklist in his head of all the things he had to do and when they needed to happen. He mentally dubbed it his "shit-to-do list" and getting out of Kirigakure was on the top. Finding his brother's sword was second, torturing the person who had those swords was three, four, and five on the list. He felt like he needed something more dramatic on the list but he couldn't really think of anything.
He looked long and hard at the river as he thought to himself. His dreams of being one of the infamous swordsmen from Kirigakure were pretty much dashed since most of the swords were out of Kirigakure's hands.
"Fuck it, might as well find all those swords, pick my favorite, and then reform the seven swordsmen! How's that for dramatic?"
Suigetsu left the river feeling much better than when he had arrived. His thoughts had turned from his brother to planning exactly what was going to happen to the current wielder of the sword Hiramekarei. He laughed to himself when he thought about what rough shape he had been in when he jumped in the river.
No one would ever know he had spent 4 hours in that water mourning the loss of his brother…
And there we have it! I really hope you enjoyed it and it was at least readable. I wanted to prologue to highlight the type of people in the story, though I left out one major person.
If you liked it leave me a review and let me know what's good and what could use some work.
If you hated then let me know why.
