Firstly, I don't own Naruto or anything affiliated with it. In my stories, I don't censor anything. That includes violence, profanity and the like, so I apologize in advance if it offends anyone. This is a Gaara fanfic I've head in my head for a very long time but just never got around to writing it. So here it is. I apologize if it seems my character is over powered but I assure you, she has weaknesses and will be addressed in later chapters. I had to get her background over with or the story wouldn't make much sense. I'm sorry if this first chapter is dry but I hope to make it more exciting later. This story will be more on comfort, friendship and fluff. I'm not that great at action scenes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and comments are always appreciated.
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Sigyn's grandfather, Ragnar Berg, was abused as a child and his ninjutsu exploited for monetary gain. As a teenager, he managed to escape those who held him hostage. When they realized he was gone, they searched endlessly for him. During the confrontation, Ragnar refused to be recaptured, tortured and humiliated once more. He was severely outnumbered but he had a very special technique hidden away. As an Earth ninjutsu user, he could wield the forbidden technique 'Earthquake.' This outlawed move was taboo among the Earth users for its devastating effects.
Regardless, Ragnar refused to be imprisoned and used said jutsu on his enemies, killing all but one, who managed to escape the carnage. Since then, Sigyn's grandfather had been on the run, for the one who escaped, reported what happened to the local authorities. Ragnar was labeled a serial killer and extremely dangerous. He was to be apprehended and hanged immediately. Leaders from all neighboring villages including Konoha, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure, all had bounties on Ragnar's head. They sent ANBU, bounty hunters and very skilled ninja to find him but they all came up empty.
As the years passed and Ragnar became more skilled in his jutsu, he made a comfortable living with the diamonds he was able to produce, thanks to his special kekkei genkai. Eventually, he married a beautiful young woman from Kumogakure, the village hidden in the clouds. She was no ninja, no special talents and she didn't come from a wealthy family. Her name was Erika. She was a loving and devoted wife to Ragnar and for a time, they were very happy. Together, they had a child. A little girl named Misa.
Around when little Misa was 10 years old, Ragnar, now a wealthy business man in the diamond and precious jewels trade, had acquired many enemies. People who were still perusing him for the murders of those men many years ago and other jealous business men who could not fathom how he was able to quire such wealth so quickly. Fearing the worst for his family, Ragnar, using his special Earth jutsu and kekkie genkai, created an underground city. The village hidden within the Earth.
Safe from outsiders, Ragnar personally invited people, whom he thought worthy, to live in his city. It was made up mostly from people of a poor background. People down on their luck or who wanted a fresh start. Slowly, it grew and grew into a large, thriving community. However, every single person who was invited or born in the city had to swear an oath of secrecy. No one was to know of the village hidden within the Earth. People could come and go from the outside as they pleased but had to make sure they were not followed, lest the village be discovered.
Greed and darkness is present in every human heart. Ragnar knew and understood this. He was not immune to such emotions but tried to understand them. It was greed that overtook the heart of one of his villagers. The man in question was promised a life of luxury if he would show the exact location of Ragnar's underground village. It was one of the wealthy business men, named Jiro, looking to kill and take over everything Ragnar had. Unfortunately he succeeded. Sending waves of ANBU and skilled ninja, they raided the underground village and murdered everyone in sight. Once they found Ragnar, they murdered his wife in front of him. He put up a good fight but refused to use his most powerful attack that had saved his life so long ago. He thought his people were still alive and did not want to cause their death by using 'Earthquake.' If he did, he would be burying everyone alive and he refused to murder innocent people. He died at the hands of an ANBU taking orders from Jiro, who paid for Ragnar's murder. Ragnar was beheaded.
Ragnar's daughter Misa, was about 32 when this happened. She had a six year old daughter named Sigyn with a wealthy man. The man, once he found out Misa was pregnant, left her for another wealthy woman and Misa was devastated. Hating the child within her, Misa begged her mother and father to be able to get rid of the child. Ragnar forbid it and he kept an ever watchful eye on his daughter to make sure she didn't harm the baby. Much to Misa's displeasure, she did go full term and gave birth to a little girl whom Ragnar named Sigyn, after his mother, since Misa refused to even look at the child.
Unfortunately for little Sigyn, Misa was not the loving mother Ragnar had hoped her to be. Often neglectful to the little girl, Misa was more concerned about flaunting her wealth and status than spend time with the baby. Misa had not acquired her father's kekei genkai nor did she have a desire to become a ninja. She was more interested in the rich parties and material possessions she could gather with her father's wealth.
While she was out partying, Sigyn would spend time with her grandfather. For it was she who inherited not only Ragnar's keke genkai but his natural Earth ninjutsu ability. The keke genkai being of unlimited chakra. She could, like her grandfather, absorb chakra from any living thing, including but not limited to, trees, earth, people, animals, etc.. This allowed them both to create extreme pressure and heat needed for the creation of gemstones, among other things. At such an early age the girl could do many of the jutsu's Ragnar had only begun to learn as a teen. She caught on quickly to his teachings and was determined to prove herself worthy to her grandfather. Needless to say, she was not close to her mother and had no idea of who her father was, nor did she really care. It was Ragnar and his wife Erika who Sigyn truly cared for.
When Ragnar's murder took place, Misa had begged for her life to Jiro but he laughed and ordered the ANBU to murder her as well. As a last bargaining chip, Misa used her daughter Sigyn. She told Jiro of the little girl's abilities. Sigyn could create diamonds and other precious jewels using her kekei genkai and earth jutsu combined. However, Jiro forced Misa to sign over all of Ragnar's wealth, as his only living relative other than Sigyn, it all was passed down to her. Misa agreed, thinking her life would be spared but Jiro killed her once all documents were signed. Sigyn was now in custody of Jiro as his adoptive daughter.
Jiro noticed Sigyn had exceptional talent when it came to Earth jutsu and just as Misa had said, the girl could generate diamonds and other jewles. This, he realized, was how Ragnar accumulated all his wealth. With the creating and selling of precious stones. Jiro was now one of the worlds most wealthy men. He would force Sigyn to produce gemstone after gemstone daily and if the girl would refuse or not meet her quota, she would be beaten and abused just as her grandfather, Ragnar, had been. He sparsely mentioned once to the little girl of the abuse he endured as a child. Meant as a warning to her about revealing her special talents, Sigyn was angered at her beloved grandfather's mistreatment. As a result, the girl gained a natural hatred of humans and preferred to be alone.
The three years that followed, Jiro converted the once peaceful underground village, into a thriving community for criminals and shady business dealers. It was still a place hidden from the general public but instead of the honest, hardworking people trying to forge a new life for themselves, it became a haven for black markets and unlawful commerce. There was even sex trafficking and drug dealing.
Jiro refused to let her leave the confines of her bedroom, which was more a prison cell than anything else. She was surrounded by steel and therefore could not escape. Sigyn had problems dealing with refined earth like steel and metal, she could not bend them to her will so easily, if she did try, it would require a tremendous amount of chakra. Something Jiro had deprived her of. He would only supply the girl with small amounts of certain minerals and rocks for the sole purpose of Sigyn creating gemstones for him.
He had starved her and forbade her to see the light of day. As a result, her naturally tanned skin had become pallid and sickly. Her dark hair and eyes had lost their luster. Due to the lack of hygiene, Sigyn wasn't going to pretend that she didn't smell bad. Her unkempt hair was so long it reached just below her butt. Though she kept it in a long braid. She had lost quite a bit of weight and appeared emaciated. Her attire consisted of a large baggy black T-shirt and matching pants. Made of very thin material, the girl had a hard time keeping warmth within her. Sleep was difficult, as she had no bed, resting on the hard, cold, dingy floor caused her to toss and turn all night, which resulted in dark circles around her eyes.
Sigyn was able to keep her sanity by creating 'friends' of sorts. She hid and gathered little bits and pieces of rock that were left over after creating jewels for Jiro. With those and using her earth jutsu, she could summon miniature golems. Her only form of company. Though they could not speak, they offered the girl something valuable. A sort of friendship and temporary cure to her loneliness.
In this depressing darkness, as the years passed, Sigyn learned a special ability all on her own. She could see in the darkness. Though she could not practice her earth ninjutsu, she ripped off a piece of her shirt and used it as a blindfold. When her bare skin, preferably hands and feet, touched the cold floor, she would put the blindfold on and allowed her other senses to take over. She would scan the surrounding area using her chakra like a radar, or a bat using sonar. Sigyn could pin point where objects, including people, were at any present time. There was little to nothing that restricted her. If it emitted chakra, the girl could see the object like infrared. No one knew of this but her and she had no intention of letting anyone find out. This ability, she figured, might one day help her escape this hell.
Eventually however, all the abuse, beatings, amid other intimidation tactics, had broken her down. She had come to the conclusion that she had no reason to live. Nothing to give her a willingness to keep breathing and looking forward to another day. Thinking of herself as the lowest possible thing to exist, she thought this was her fate. This was her life. Her mother didn't want her, no one tried to help her and the few people she would have contact with, treated her with hatred and disgust. How she dearly missed her grandfather. Watching his head bounce off the floor and roll down to land at her feet, was etched into her brain.
Her thoughts of escape didn't come back until recently. She overheard two of Jiro's henchmen talking about their children and how they wanted to become ninja. The chunin exams would be held in three years time and the kids were excited to participate. They spoke of the pride and joy they felt with their kids. Jealousy surged within the girl. Rage bubbled and uncontrollably erupted. Today was the day she would escape.
Sigyn concentrated and was able to absorb the mens' chakra, causing them to fall to their knees in a weakened state. Using her newly gained chakra, she concentrated it around her hands and effortlessly pried apart the bars of her cell creating an opening. Only her confines were made of steel, for Sigyn needed to have physical contact with the earth in order to control it. Now that she was out and surrounded by earth, nothing could stop her.
"Iron maiden." She whispered and created quick hand signs. Two human shaped earth containers, resembling coffins, formed from the surrounding earth. Once fully structured, their doors swung open. Within were hardened spikes made of earth, long enough to pierce a human but not cause immediate death, rather, to let the victim die of blood loss. The men tried to crawl to get away from her but two large hands made of earth shot up from beneath them and held onto them like rag dolls.
She stared into the fearful eyes of the two men screaming for help. With one swift motion of her right hand, she sent them flying into the coffins and the doors slammed shut. All that was heard were muffled screams and a moment later, silence. Sigyn calmed her breathing and regained her composure. She needed a clear head to escape.
With her bare feet hitting the cold ground and a quick sprint, she silently made her way down hallways and stairs. Every now and then she encountered some of Jiro's henchmen. The girl would absorb all their chakra causing them to faint or become weakened. She then opened a hole in the floor and they fell in, hitting the ground below with a loud 'thump' noise. She needed to store up as much chakra as she could for her final attack on Jiro and his cursed city. He took everything from her, family, love and dignity. She would repay the favor.
Finally arriving at her destination, the girl stood before the large double doors leading into Jiro's conference room. Taking a deep breath and gathering as much courage as she could muster, the girl kicked in the door. They fell, unhinged and creating a thunderous noise. Jiro was in the middle of a business meeting with some men Sigyn deemed to be shady entrepreneurs.
"What the hell?!" Jiro turned to face her. Leering at her he continued, "Who let you out of your cage, worm?" Sigyn said nothing and only glared with hatred and rage.
"What kind of game are you playing Jiro?!" One of the men, clearly irritated, asked.
"I don't know what kind of show she's trying to put but it ends now." Jiro motioned to some henchmen behind him and pointed to the girl. "Get her the hell out of here and fix those doors!"
In a split second Sigyn slammed her thin, bony, right hand down to the floor and whispered, "Earth release, Golem!" Medium sized golems materialized from the floor and quickly captured every person in the room. With a sort of bear hug-type hold, the golems were keeping everyone in place.
"My grandfather always told me to be a good girl. To always be kind to others. Sympathy and understanding are key to living an honest life." Jiro looked at the girl in horror and anger but was not allowed to speak, thanks to his golem placing a rock hand over his mouth. "He said that no matter what happens, no matter how bad things may become, never give into evil. Never give into the demon that lurks within the human heart." Sigyn formed a few hand signs and stared Jiro straight into his eyes. "Look at me." She took a step closer to the man. "LOOK UPON THE DEMON YOU CREATED!" She screamed and Jiro flinched. "You took everything from me. Locked me up and tortured me. Now you will die at the hands of your monster. Earth release, earthquake magnitude five." She snapped her fingers and the earth began to shake.
Almost immediately, the ground beneath their feet started to rumble and vibrate. Jiro's muffled screams were drowned out by the roar of falling boulders and crumbling city walls. People down in the city started to flee for safety but Sigyn had scanned the whole area with her chakra and sealed off the exits with boulders and rubble. She would have them all suffer as she did. Giving into her darkest desires, she would murder every man, woman and child without empathy. No one cared about her, why should she spare them?
The girl commanded one of the golems to force Jiro down to the floor. She walked up to him and whispered in his ear,"Your city will die with you." Then, placing a hand on a nearby wall, she melded within the earth. Sigyn could easily climb out onto the surface using a tunnel system. This was nothing for her. Ragnar and Sigyn would play hide-n-seek this way. He would create elaborate underground passages for the girl to follow him through and find him. Getting out and avoiding the devastation of the city would be no problem.
Easily tunneling her way out to the surface, Sigyn could feel the vibrations of the underground earthquake. She had yet to be able to master the technique and knew if she didn't reach the outside soon, the earth would swallow her too. Finally breaking through the last bit of rock, the girl poked her head out like a groundhog. She was immediately welcomed with rain pouring down on her head. The girl quickly climbed out onto the solid surface and turned around to see what was left of her once home and prison.
An incredibly large sinkhole had formed, at least a sixty mile radius, possible more. Sigyn had just made it out of the impact area. The rain, it seemed, would last a while. Hopefully, it would rain long enough to fill the sinkhole, that resembled a meteor impact, and transform it into a lake. Her transgression could then be hidden from the world and only she would know of its existence.
A sense of relief had washed over her. Now soaking wet to the bone, the girl began to shiver. A light breeze had brought her back from her deep thoughts and now fully realized she was out. She was no longer a prisoner in that underground hell. The girl could smell the wet earth and feel the water making her skin slick and creating goosebumps. Looking down at her bare, dirty feet, she could see the dark green grass tickling her skin as it swayed back and forth in the wind. It was dark out, the moon shining brilliantly and casting soft light all around her but Sigyn had no idea what time it was. Locked up for so long, unable to see the light of day, she soon lost track of all sense of time. She was fully awake, whether it was the adrenaline coursing through her veins, or her sleep schedule messed up, the girl was by no means sleepy.
She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. That technique took a lot, if not all, her chakra and she was out of breath. Feeling tired, a headache started to form and weak from her malnutrition, panic now started to set in. Looking in all directions, all she saw were trees, boulders and grass. No signs of people. The girl could have used her chakra to double check for any signs of life but wanted to conserve what little energy she had left.
Sigyn knew if she didn't find shelter soon, she would freeze. This isn't how she wanted to die. In all honesty, she hadn't thought of a clear plan. Perhaps subconsciously she didn't think she would make it this far. 'I need warmth,' She thought. It was then that she heard some rustling a few feet in front of her. Startled, Sigyn took a defensive stance. Inwardly she prayed she didn't have to fight, for she didn't have the energy to do so. Sigyn had hoped the commotion from the earthquake had not attracted on lookers but it seemed it had.
Out from behind a tree came a tall man. She couldn't see very well in the darkness but could tell he had dark hair and dark eyes. He wore a strange headband that covered the sides of his face and the girl could make out he was from Konoha. Thankfully, Ragnar had taught the girl about the neighboring villages so she recognized the leaf symbol. He wore, what she thought to be, standard ninja attire. To her, he didn't look menacing but one could never be too careful. The man stared at her for a moment before taking a step closer.
"Don't move!" Sigyn called out to him. "Don't move any closer or I'll kill you!" She threatened. The girl knew she wouldn't stand a chance if he attacked. However, she thought if she seemed scary enough, maybe he would leave her alone. Her scary, yeah right, still, at least she tried. He didn't say anything though he stopped moving. Tilting his head slightly to the right, he stared at her, eyes unblinking. A solemn expression evident on his handsome features.
Without warning, the girl felt a wave of lightheadedness hit. Her defensive stance wavered. She tried regaining her posture but failed. Before she knew it, everything went dark and she fell. The last thing she remembered was the sound of footsteps nearing and stopping beside her. The rain hitting her face violently trying to drown her and then someone lifting her up gently.