Important AN!: I'll probably update a few more times until I get the story established, and then I'll probably update a couple times a week, depending on my schedule. Adult life sucks haha. Anyway, I'm pretty into this idea, so hopefully it goes somewhere. Just wanna establish the fact that yes, Shion is young, but she has a very good memory. Especially with enduring so much trauma, she'll remember a lot. She's a lot like Itachi, except she has her mother's mostly passive/extremely aggressive temperament.
If there are any mistakes or typos, feel free to let me know! Any critique is helpful and much appreciated.
When she opened her eyes, the room she was in was dimly lit, the only windows covered by white curtains shut tight. Shion sat up, rubbing her eyes, trying to adjust to the poor lighting. Her room was plain and white, like a hospital room but without all of the monitors and the sterile smell. It smelled sweet, like a flower she couldn't name. It reminded her of an old woman.
Shion slid out of her bed, wincing and looking down at her arm, just now realizing she was wearing a cast. She'd never needed one before, so she stared at it, turning her arm in any angle she could without causing herself unnecessary pain. It was heavy, though she felt weak, so it didn't surprise her. Without another thought, she close the distance between her and the window, peeking through the curtain only to see just about the entire village.
She stared out the window in amazement, glancing down at the occasional passersby, probably on their way to work or running some of their errands early. It looked so mundane, but she loved it. Shion looked around the window, searching for the latch, but couldn't find one. She pouted, pressing her palm against the glass, wishing it wasn't there separating her from the fresh air. The smell of her room was making her claustrophobic.
"You're awake… I'm glad. If I wasn't the one to fix you up, I would've been afraid you wouldn't. We have a lot of questions for you."
Shion jumped, whirling around, her stance switching from relaxed to defensive in less than a second. The woman standing in the doorway only smiled, watching Shion with curious eyes. She stepped further into the small room and took a seat on Shion's bed, patting the space beside her.
"You must be very hungry after sleeping for three days straight. Food is being brought up as we speak." She said, glancing at the door. "It should be here any minute. In the meantime, it's nice to meet you, Uchiha Shion. I'm Senju Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage."
Shion moved cautiously to stand beside the bed, but didn't sit down. "Are you the woman who saved me?"
Tsunade shook her head. "No. Am I similar?"
"Your eyes." Shion observed. "They're the same color, and they're just as kind."
"Well then you know that as long as I'm here, you won't be harmed. I know you have to be worried about that, but I would like to start off by saying that being the child of a criminal doesn't make you a criminal. Once we have all of our answers, you'll be released. You'll be provided with the option to change your name and a caretaker who will take care of the rest of your needs. You can think of them as your parents… for all intents and purposes." Tsunade cleared her throat. "If you cooperate."
"I will." Shion said, sitting down on the foot of her bed. "What do you want to know?"
"Did you know your father? Do you remember anything about him?"
Shion shrugged. "I'd recognize him if I saw him, but I don't remember anything specific. He was never there. I remember my mother best."
"Who is your mother?"
Shion looked away, staring out the window at the gray, blue, and pink sky. She didn't want to talk about her mother. But the world beyond that glass was begging her to. She had a choice.
"Her name was Makoto…" Shion said quietly, looking down at her hands. "I was two… maybe three when they attacked the small village we were living in. We were hiding. We had to. It seemed like everywhere we went, someone learned who I was and we were in danger again. I remember a lot." She paused and looked at Tsunade, who was listening attentively, her expression unreadable.
"It started with fires. Mama woke me up, pulling me from my bed and running outside. People were screaming and running. I remember feeling something hit my face, but we ignored it as Mama ran. There were men chasing us, howling and laughing. I remember sounds the best. We fell. They threw something or she tripped, I don't know, but they caught us. They held me up and forced me to watch them torture and kill her." Shion's voice broke, and her eyes shone with angry tears. "I couldn't recognize her when they were done."
"So Itachi left the two of you alone, knowing you would be in danger?"
Shion shrugged again. "I don't know what he was thinking. Mama didn't talk about him. I never asked, and it never came up. I knew I had a father, but after all of the running, I assumed he didn't want me. He didn't want Mama. We were his burden. His mistake."
"You don't sound like a seven year old, Shion." Tsunade remarked. "You're very mature."
"I'm seven?" Shion began counting on her fingers, her tears dissolving as her mind focused on something else. "My birthday isn't until next month."
Tsunade smiled. "As busy as I get, I may not get the chance to celebrate it with you. So I took the liberty of getting you a little cake. Of course I had no idea when your birthday was supposed to be, but I could guess your age."
The door opened just then, and a man walked in carrying a tray of food. A small cake with a single lit candle on top was the first thing Shion saw, and it set her mouth to watering. She reached for the tray as it was set before her, taking bites of everything except the cake before she could finish chewing anything.
"I think we're done for now. You've told us enough for the time being. Just eat and relax, and someone will return to help get you cleaned up. You'll be sent to your new home in a few hours. I just have a few more things to finish up." Tsunade stood and was about to leave before she was reminded of something. "Oh, right. You're name. Would you like to change it? Being an Uchiha will bring you a lot of attention. Are you prepared for that?"
Shion hesitated. "Can I keep my name?"
"Of course. It belongs to you, after all. I can't take it from you." She smiled. "I'll see you soon, Shion. Get some more rest. Today is a big day."