Author's note: thanks to fanofthisfiction for the nice words!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Legend of the Five Rings. No financial gain is made from this. This is for entertainment purposes only.
Hachiro Ikoma was a simple man. As a simple man, he enjoyed the simple things, like a good drink in the company of friends, the mirthful laugh of his daughters or the image of his beautiful wife. As a simple man, he didn't worry as much as his wife and barely ever got carried away by strong feelings like anger or sadness.
That was why he didn't share his wife's concern for the marriage of their daughters. He would usually say 'Sooner or later, they will find a good man'. A man like himself, a simple man.
But for his wife, it was not that 'simple'.
'They have my blood, they are also part of the Hyūga clan. They must find a good man,' she would often say. A man like himself, from a noble or important clan.
Their first daughter, Akemi, was born in the colorful spring, and as such, she was a cheerful child. As soon as she became 12, her mother looked for a suitor in the Hyūga clan, but was negated the proposition. Finally, at age 17 she was engaged to a son of the Kagetsu family, herb sellers known for their wealth. Her mother was satisfied and Hachiro was happy to see their daughter grow beautiful with a good man.
Their second daughter, Chiyo, saw the world for the first time in a rainy autumn day. She soon stood up between her peers for her intelligence and quick wisdom. Once her mother desisted in marrying her into the Hyūga clan, she found a good suitor in the Nara clan. A simple man, so Hachiro was pleased.
Michiko was their third daughter, born in winter. She held the delicacy of such season, and her beauty was praised wherever she went. She was almost married to a Hyūga, but the agreement broke in the end. A young man from the Sarutobi clan spoke of his interest in her and the deal was quickly made. His wife was really overjoyed with the future marriage and he was satisfied.
Their fourth daughter was called Naoko, like his deceased grandmother, and she became soon his favorite. She was graceful and educated – a simple girl. But this simplicity didn't convince the Hyūga clan, and no suitors were proposed for such a child. After long negotiations, her mother agreed to her marriage to the Taketori clan once she grows up.
Their fifth daughter was born under the relentless Sun of the summer and as such, she was active and reckless. They named her Sumi.
"Sumi!" his wife screamed. "Look at this mess! We have guests, help me tidy up!"
Hachiro smiled as his four years old daughter tipped a bag full of marbles in her attempt to tidy up. But his wife was efficient and strict, and half an hour later the house looked flawless and his three daughters, Michiko, Naoko and Sumi stood quietly beside their mother. Sumi was even wearing an expensive yellow dress with a huge ribbon - which would inevitably end up smeared in food by the end of the soiree.
Finally, the door opened, revealing a man and his son.
Hachiro embraced his friend. "Welcome back Sakumo," he exclaimed. "How was that assassination mission?"
The man smiled back. "It went good, or I wouldn't be here."
They laughed. "And who is this young man?" Hachiro asked his friend, who hid behind his big frame a smaller, simpler version of himself.
"That's my son, Kakashi. Say hello, Kakashi." He pushed the little boy from behind his legs and his son bowed politely, mumbling a weak hello.
Father patted his head. He had no sons, although he had always wanted one. But as a simple man, he dealt not much with regret. "Come in, please. This is my wife, Hina, and these are my three youngest daughters, Michiko, Naoko, and the small one pulling her tongue at your son is Sumi. Sumi, don't try now to hide behind your sister," he said, leading them towards the living room area. Although simple, it was spacious and well-lighted, a reminder that they were a well-off family nonetheless.
The men sat around a low table and the women dissapeared, Hina pushing her daughters back in the kitchen area. Father spoke again. His voice was loud, but those who knew him had already grown used to it. "So how old is your son, Sakumo?"
Sakumo looked at the quiet child that had inherited more of himself that he liked to admit. "Turning soon five. They grow fast, don't they?"
"You tell me! My little one is the same age! Where is she, by the way?" Father looked around, realizing now that the usual lively room felt empty without the women of the household. "Sumi!" he belowed.
"Coming!" his wife's voice answered from the kitchen and seconds later the young girl emerged carrying a silver platter too big for her small frame. But the content smile on her face erased the worries of the onlookers. With unsteady steps she reached the small table and placed the food ridden platter. Eleven small dishes containing an asortment of delicacies.
"Mother asked me to bring you this, father's friend. She told me to tell you to enjoy," she explained in all seriousness. She earned a laugh from Sakumo and his son rolled his eyes.
Her father grabbed her and lifted her to his knee. "This is my youngest daughter, Sumi. She is five too."
"I am four, daddy," she corrected him, pointing four chubby fingers at his face.
"Careful, Ikoma, she has the character of a lioness already," Sakumo joked.
Father laughed. With a very different step, this time graceful and trained, the three last women arrived too. The other two daughters carried porcelain cups, which they placed in front of the two men nervously, while their mother carried a luxurious kettle and she served a well infused tea with the art of a master of ceremony. The herbs' smell testified to their quality, but Hachiro didn't think further than that. After all, his older daughter was married to an herb seller.
His daughters left the room, so did his wife, and by the aroma that filled the room some time later, they were preparing dinner.
"So I have been hearing that those Sunagakure ninjas have been giving you hell," Hachiro said.
"Well, I must admit things are not easy lately," Sakumo said, taking a sip from his tea, regretting it was too hot.
"We are at war, after all," Hachiro agreed. "Do you think the conflict will last long? Our forces are suffering a situation we started."
Sakumo paused, then he looked at his son and said, "Kakashi, why don't you go play a bit with Hachiro's daughter?"
The boy begged at his father with his eyes to let him stay. Listening to the adults speak about war was always interesting, but it was something that should not interest a boy his age, his father decided. Despite his son's genious, he was still five years old.
Hachiro understood, for it was a simple problem, and he could help with those. He put his daughter down on her feet and asked her, "Sumi, why don't you show Kakashi your new toys."
Sumi walked to the boy. "We can play marbles," she said.
"A marvelous idea," Sakumo told them and sent them off.
"Come on, I will show you how to play," Sumi said with the mirth in her voice and her step. Her sisters never wanted to play marbles, they preferred to play dolls. Only that the situation would usually degenerate with her being the doll. She was still regrowing her hair from the last game.
However, despite her short age, Sumi understood soon that Kakashi had no interest in the marbles, or in her in general. She pouted for a while, alone in a corner of the room, her favorite marble in her hand, the orange one that looked like a cat's eye. Kakashi had left the living room, taking the door to the inside patio. She had told him not to go, that her mother would be upset. She had been already punished for knocking off one of her mother's flower pots. But he had not listened, as he had not listened to her attempts to find something to play with.
But for a four year old it was hard to hold a grunge for long, specially when you did not have anything better to do, so she ended up following after him. The setting sun casted oranges over the little boy that performed several combat moves in the middle of the patio. His accuracy was already admirable, but to an untrained eye like Sumi's, he just looked funny throwing kicks in the air. Deciding that participating was funnier than watching, she stepped in the patio too, hitched her dress and started to throw her limbs around, in a poor immitation of his moves.
He tried to ignore her, but her wild jumping around was annoying and she almost stumbled over him a few times. "What are you doing?" he ended up asking.
She stopped, panting but smiling. "I am playing like you."
He scoffed. "This is not a game," he said serious, although his pre-pubescent voice did not carry the authority he wished. "I am training."
She sat in the floor. "What is training?"
He rolled his eyes. "Training to be a ninja. Practicing..."
"What is ninja?" she asked.
He wondered how someone living in Konoha could not know yet what a ninja was. He would understand years later that Sumi's life until then had been restricted to her close family, a family of historians and librarians.
"A ninja is... a ninja is someone that protects this village and its villagers..." he trailed off. "You need to be one to understand it."
Sumi pointed at herself. "Can I be a ninja?"
"Well, you would be a kunoichi then," he explained, throwing a temptative kick in the air now that the girl was stitting still.
"A kunoichi?"
"It's how we call girl ninjas." Another perfect punch, he imagined a thousand adversaries coming from all sides. Bam, bam. "But you cannot be one anyways, you need a minimum coordination."
She stood up, little fists at her sides. "I am coordinated!" She kicked the air and failed to fall on her bum. It didn't stop her from resuming her trashing around. "I am going to be a kunoichi!"
"You need to enter the Academy first and they don't let anybody in," he said.
She paused, frowning. He relinquished in the calmness that came with it, but wondered if he had said something wrong.
Finally she smiled. "You seem to know a lot about it. Will you help me to enter the Academy so we can play ninja together?"
He sighed. She had not understood a word he said.
On the other side of the paper walls, Father and Mother did not manage to understand each other neither. Hachiro had gone to fetch a book he wanted to show his old friend, when Hina had intercepted him in the corridor.
"How are things going?" she had asked.
"He is enjoying the evening, darling. You did a great job, thank you," he had answered.
She shook her head. "No, not about that. Do you think he will agree to a marriage?"
Hachiro frowned. He loved his wife dear, but these were the only moments when they would not see things eye-to-eye. "It is too early to talk about that. Why don't we let kids be kids?" he said with a reconciliative smile.
"Sumi does not have the beauty of Michiko, neither the intelligence of Chiyo. She is ungraceful-"
"She is young," Hachiro interrupted her, but she continued.
"She is ungraceful and uninteresting. Finding her a good suitor later, once these things are more... evident, will be hard. Sakumo has made a name for himself. They even compare him to the Sennin. And his son, I have heard he is a genious. This will be a blessing for Sumi and us. We must assure this match now before it is too late," she told him.
Hachiro contemplated his wife, her crimsom full lips, the spotless milky skin, the lucious black hair... She was as beautiful as the first day they met, in his eighteen birthday party, when she offered him a new quill as a present, all shyness and modesty. He thought then she was nothing like the rest of her clan, all haughty and proud. He thought, 'she is a simple girl'. A simple wife.
He kissed her forehead. "I will do what I can," he promised.
She smiled. He lived for those.
Dinner was ready a bit later. The daughters cleaned the long table and served the new plates. Hina had outdone herself. The table was covered in food, enough to feed three times the people gathered around it. Her daughters minus one sat ready and she excused herself to look for the source of her wrinkles.
Sumi had been doing well, meaning she had not yet broken anything in the garden. Of course she was still uncoordinated, but with some explanations, her punches now looked like punches and her kicks did not make her fall. But as the paper door opened to show the face of her mother, barely illuminated by the moon's light, she roundkicked in the wrong direction, and she sent a pot of growing hibiscus flying to the ground, pieces of clay mixing with the delicate flowers. She braced for her mother's outburst; after all, this was a deja vu.
"I'm sorry, mother-" she started to say, hands clasped together, back automatically arching in a semi-bow.
"It's okay," her mother said sweetly. She walked to her and placed a hand in her back guiding her towards the door. "Dinner is ready, kids. Go take your places in the table."
Feeling the discomfort in the other child, Kakashi offered an "I'm sorry" as he walked pass her.
She smiled. "Do not worry. It is only flowers," she said, picking the flowers and burying their roots in another pot. "They can be with the magnolias for now. Maybe they felt lonely."
He did not think further of her words and rejoined the table. He sighed in relief, as he saw that he had been sat next to his father and that Sumi was not by his side. She sat equally next to her father, in front of him.
"Daddy," she called her father, pulling softly at his sleeve. "Daddy," she called again until she had his attention. He looked at her with a gentle smile. "I'm going to be a kunonichi," she said.
"A kunoichi," Kakashi corrected her.
"What he said," she beamed. She could hear her sisters huffing and rolling their eyes, but she had learned to ignore most of their teasing. She had to, if she wanted to survive as the youngest daughter in a family of seven.
Hachiro ruffled her already messy hair. "I see your son has a bit of an influence."
"It was her own idea," Kakashi muttered.
"Well, it does seem like they get along pretty well," Hina pipped in. Sumi hated when her mother spoke as if she was not present.
Sakumo looked uncomfortable for a second and Hina deduced Hachiro must have already spoken to him about her plans. Deciding to play safe her cards, she changed topic, "I heard Kakashi is soon going to graduate from the Academy."
The atmosphere brightened again and the dinner went on. Hachiro enjoyed it mostly, for he knew how to enjoy the simple things in life, like a good drink after a plentiful dinner with a good friend, the mirthful laughter of his daughter as she played 'ninja' with a new friend and the beautiful image of his wife, satisfied with her endless machinations.
He did not share her worry, for he knew that Sumi too, in time, would find a good man, a simple man.