-Chapter 1: New Beginnings-
"Gah!"
11 year old Kakuzu grunted as he was thrown to the ground, his father taking another drink of booze.
"Damn kid..always in m'damn way…" he slurred,lifting his boot for another attack.
"Spendin' my money for food…"
* kick*
"Scarin' my women away…"
*kick*
"god-damned waste of space!"
He grabbed the boy up from the ground by his collar, slapping him clear across the face. Kakuzu grunted and fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, trying to remain as still as possible. The drunk man stood there panting, finally exhausted, his breath reeking of alcohol. The young boy resisted the urge to gag.
His father took one more swig from his bottle before stumbling over to the worn bedroom door.
"That'll..teachya to interrupt me when'm havin' comp'ny…"he muttered. "I don't wanna see or hear a sound from ya until the morn'n, s'clear?" he looked back at the child.
Kakuzu remained silent, eyes clenched shut hoping his father would think he was passed out and leave. The old male simply growled and threw the now empty bottle of booze at the boy. It shattered into a million pieces on the floor inches from Kakuzu's head, causing him to flinch.
"Tch. Just like your mother…" the older man spat. Slamming the door on his way out, he made his way down the hallway of the small rundown house back to his "company". Kakuzu slowly opened his green eyes, listening for any more signs that his father might still be around. A woman's high pitched giggling and muffled voices could be heard from the direction of the living room. Quite sure his father was currently occupied, the small boy peeled himself off the floor and dug around in his pockets. He smiled, pulling out two five-thousand ryo bills and some change. Trying not to wince at the pain, he crawled over to the side of his bed, pulling up a loose floorboard to reveal a small box full of random bills and coins. His smile grew wider as he calculated the total sum of his stash. Sure, tonight's raid of his father's savings had cost him a beating, but it was the last bit he needed to finally that his father had only caught him outside of his room past curfew, he put the money back into the box and began packing for his escape. It would have to be tonight, as he surely knew his father would definitely notice the missing money soon.
He had been planning this for a year now, stealing coins and bills from his father whenever he could. It was clear to him that he would never be anything if he stayed in this hell hole. It had already claimed his mother's life and he was sure as hell not going to let it claim his. The beatings, the neglect. It would only get worse if he stayed.
That was the price, he was sure of it. If he could take away one thing from this sorry excuse of a family, it would be that everything comes at a cost. Food, status,possessions, friendship...love. Nothing was given unless less something was paid in return and no actions came without consequences. It was for the love of his father that Kakuzu's mother ultimately paid for with her life. The love of man too absorbed in his drink and call girls to care about his family, nor about the mental stability of his heartbroken wife. A she could only take so much pain...
Kakuzu frowned at the idea. "Worthless…" he thought. Everything about his father was worthless. He was just another drunk, like all of the other drunks in this god forsaken village. His existence was hardly worth dying for, let alone enduring abuse. No, Kakuzu's life was priceless.
With his few essentials neatly packed into a small satchel, Kakuzu opened the window leading out into what would be his new life, hopping through without any hesitation.
The one thing his mother was never able to do.
"Take that you bastard…" he smirked to himself, making his way from the alley to the main road towards Takigakure.
He would never be like his mother.
-Elsewhere-
A ghostly figure of a woman stood across the lake looking over the hidden waterfall village. Her pale green skin glittering in the rays of moonlight that escaped through the great remarkably wide trunk stood tall in the middle of the small city, and its branches stretched far across the lake covering the area like a huge canopy. The sound of the waterfall could be heard in the distance as the midnight breeze whispered through the leaves, playing with the strands of her snow colored hair. The woman closed her eyes, taking in the beauty of the night, only to be disturbed moments later by a small white fox.
"My lady…" it spoke politely. "It is time." The woman nodded and turned back towards the forest, the long sleeves of her ornate kimono trailing behind her silently. They continued in silence until they reached what looked to be a decaying shrine, a crumbling statue in the image of the woman herself stood at the entrance. The goddess sighed, touching the ragged statue covered in vines with her delicate hands. It had been years since anyone had come to pay their respects and her power was finally running out. At this rate, she would eventually disappear completely, as do all forgotten deities of the the past. However, if it was her destiny to leave this world, she was determined to bestow her rights as the forest goddess to a new heir. She continued to walk through the shrine grounds before stopping at a large tree in the courtyard, a large lotus like flower growing at its base. She had be pouring a bit of her power into this seedling everyday for the past decade, and tonight would be the night of its first bloom.
"Has everything been prepared?" the goddess asked, gently stroking the leaves of the rather large flower at her feet.
"Yes my lady, we wait only for your command" The fox spirit bowed its head in respect.
The goddess bent down, leaning in close to kiss the flower's, pure white petals.
"Awaken." she whispered. The flower began to glow softly. Gently one by one, the petals opened up to reveal a sleeping little girl, no younger than ten years old. Like the goddess, she donned pale green skin and white hair. Her ears were long and pointed with a slight droop, giving her an elvish appearance just like her mother. Gray-green orbs fluttered open as the child sat up to stretch and yawn, her silky locks falling over her bare shoulders. The goddess smiled.
"Hello, my daughter." the older woman caressed the girl's face, who smiled in return.
"Hello mother." she replied sweetly, her voice full of silver. The goddess took her by the hand, helping the child as she stood for the very first time.
"Are you able to walk?" The goddess inquired. The girl wobbled for a moment while she gained her balance. Cautiously, she took a step forward, then another. Giggling she began jumping around courtyard trying out her new legs. The goddess lightly chuckled as the little girl pranced around in the grass. Her fox servant sat down by her side.
"My, isn't she a lively one, my lady?" The goddess nodded and smiled. The little girl continued to dance her way across the shrine grounds, stopping here and there to admire a flower or a small insect. Her gray eyes were filled with a innocent curiosity like no other.
"We shall name her Mai."
A/N: To clarify, deities are only able to retain their immortality through the worship of their followers. Without proper worship, they are no longer immune to death by old age, illness, etc. However, after hitting puberty, deities begin to age more slowly than humans do and can live up to a millennium or two on their own due to their status as celestial beings(which means Mai's mom is just really "old" since she only has a few years left in her). Also, "Mai" means dance in japanese :)
R&R