UPDATE! WOO!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! I only own the following characters:

Tsukuyomi Clan

Mitsuru

Haruke

Miwa and Manabu

Nakusu

Shisui

Kaoru

A/N: Begins with Kaoru's POV!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Two: Everyone Fears Something! Never Useless!

Mitsuru was the one who made dinner that evening. I never would have suspected that he would be a good cook, but I guess I was wrong. The meal was pretty quiet, except for Haruke and Miwa occasionally shouting at each other randomly. They obviously had it out for each other. I think I favored Manabu most of all. He was shy and quiet, but he smiled and had no judgmental stares. Not to mention he looked like a little doll.

In fact, both he and Miwa looked like dolls. Their matching grayish blue hair, Miwa's longer and held back with a spotted headband while Manabu's was short and sort of stuck up in the back. They both had deep, orchid purple eyes, but Miwa's right eye was paler and Mitsuru mentioned she was blind in that one, but it didn't stop her from being all over the place.

Miwa dressed in a pale kimono top with a white trim and white shorts. Manabu wore a navy blue turtleneck with no sleeves, the shoulders cut open slightly, and pale blue shorts that touched his knees.

"Where are your parents?" I asked at last after a rare silence. Mitsuru shrugged, glancing up at me.

"On a mission. They should be back maybe tomorrow afternoon or the day after at the latest." He replied.

"They can trust you to take care of your siblings?" I questioned, my eyes drifting over a gaping hole in the wall. Miwa went pink and Manabu coughed. Haruke snickered. Mitsuru twitched, but tried to stay calm.

"I can take care of them just fine. They just have the tendency to be difficult." He answered and that broke out a bit of controversy.

"I'M difficult? Screw you, Mitsuru!" Haruke snapped.

"I'm not diff… Diff… I'm not bad! I'm gooder than Haruke!" Miwa stated confidently, folding her arms over her chest.

"I don't even do anything." Manabu protested quietly. Mitsuru sweat dropped, slammed his bowl down and pressed a palm to his forehead before looking up at me with a look that said 'see what I mean?' I sighed and averted my eyes as Mitsuru smacked his hand down.

"All of you be quiet! This is exactly what I mean. Jeez, you're embarrassing. No wonder mom and dad don't take you with us to festivals." Mitsuru muttered.

"Jerk!" Haruke accused.

"Meanie." Miwa muttered. Manabu obediently stayed silent, sucking on the spoon in his mouth before wincing when Miwa pinched him, glaring at him to agree. Manabu just quickly nodded and looked down at his lap. Mitsuru rolled his eyes, then glanced at the clock with a frown.

"Shisui's either taking his time or he forgot…"

"Shisui's coming over?" Miwa asked excitedly and spilled her bowl by clapping too much, causing it to spill down the table. I frowned and Mitsuru smacked his forehead, before throwing up his hands.

"I give up. Run wild." He sighed, exasperated. Miwa did just that and leapt to her feet, hopping over the table and into the hallway.

"SHISUI'S COMIN'! SHISUI'S COMIN'!" She chanted happily. Haruke got to his feet, rolling his eyes.

"Just what we need. That creepy jerk coming around… Is Nakusu coming?" He asked after a pause. Mitsuru gave a nod and Haruke sighed with relief.

"I'll get my game then." He left the room and Manabu eventually scurried out as Miwa called out his name. I frowned and looked at Mitsuru, who rose to his feet and started to clean up the mess made.

"I don't know how you can deal with those brats." I muttered. Mitsuru shrugged, frowning toward the doorway as Miwa ran by with a roll of toilet paper.

"Sometimes I just wanna smash their faces into the floor, but they're my siblings. I have to take care of them since I'm the oldest." He told me, heading into the kitchen. I paused for a second, then got up and went after him.

"Sounds like too much of a hassle. I'm glad I don't have any siblings… At least, not any that I know of." I added under my breath, watching Mitsuru dump the dishes into the sink. Mitsuru glanced at me.

"Not that you know of?" He asked, confused. I shrugged.

"My mom was a prostitute." I answered with a frown of disgust. The very thought of it was gross. Why would anyone sell themselves for money? Even for the reason she did it.

Mitsuru blinked, then looked away. He didn't seem to have anything to say, but that was even better than insulting her. I rather not have people comment on it. I didn't know quite what to say when my dad told me either. I went to ask about his mother, seeing as she was my target, but a pair of arms suddenly grabbed me from behind around the neck in a suffocating hug, shocking me right into silence.

"Kaoruuu!" Shisui sang in my ear, hugging on me tightly. I winced and twitched, flashing him a glare, but he easily ignored it, looking at Mitsuru as if ready to attack him with a hug too, but Mitsuru was conveniently washing a knife and holding it toward him.

"HELL NO!" Mitsuru stated, his expression showing comical annoyance. Shisui pouted and held up a finger matter-of-factly, his other hand on his hip.

"Don't be so mean. I just love hugging and kissing on you. I mean, who wouldn't? You're the pinnacle of adorable, my little Mitsuru!" He teased with a wink, touching his finger to his lip and blowing a little kiss at Mitsuru, who flinched and flailed his hand, knife and all, as if an attempt to wave the kiss away.

"Ugh! Just go find something to do so I can wash the dishes real quick. Kaoru, you can go upstairs and sleep if you want. It'd probably be nice to sleep in a bed." Mitsuru added, glancing at me. I nodded and brushed by Shisui, who started to babble about unnecessary things. Walking out into the hallway, I noticed Miwa and Manabu had settled down to watch TV in the living room, just past the stairs. I saw Haruke and Nakusu playing some board game, but I didn't know which one. I rarely played them myself because I didn't have the patience. I glanced up toward the stairs, frowning before I headed back up to the second floor.

I drifted down the hallway back toward the master bedroom, peering back down the hall, listening. I walked into the room and to the closet, opening it and staring at the jewelry case with the box inside. I frowned, but still didn't make a move before I lifted my hand toward it. I flexed my fingers and the dark purple marks slid forward, stretching and pulling before they extended outwards.

They shot toward the case, poking right through the plastic without a sound before they ripped open a good sized hole. I kept my eyes on the bedroom door the entire time, listening to the gentle rustling that the threads made as they took out the box. I looked back as the threads tore the book back into my hand like taunt rubber bands. I grasped the leather bound diary in my hand.

"Shadows of Heroes, hm?" I murmured at the title printed on the front of the book. I turned it over in my hands, tilting my head. I flipped through the pages, seeing nice black calligraphy flutter by before I came to the black ribbon that was holding the place. The rest of the book was blank. It was pretty thick, but it seemed whoever was writing this diary didn't finish their story. I opened to the first page, frowning as I read the first sentence: Things were racing too fast.

That was a good hook line. I wanted to read more, but I heard the sound of someone coming up the stairs. I jerked my head up and shoved the diary into my coat, moving quickly out the door and standing just outside it as soon as someone got to the top of the stairs.

"Kaoru." Nakusu said first, looking down at me, his head cocked a bit curiously. I stared at him before averting my eyes, walking toward him, but not that close. He seemed uneasy being too close to someone, so I respected that by staying a good four feet from him.

"Hey. I saw you playing a board game with Haruke."

"Yes. Shogi. Were you investigating the house?" Nakusu asked, sounding more casual than suspicious, but I just stared at him flatly.

"Yea. Just looking around. It's a lot bigger than a lot of the other houses that I've been in…"

"You said your dad moved your family around a lot."

"Yea, but we don't all live in one house… Well, not exactly. Some leave for days on end, others stay behind. It's not really a family. More like… A moving job."

"Merchants?" Nakusu pressed calmly. I shrugged.

"I guess you could say that… We go around, collecting the rarest and best items that we can get our hands on." I answered.

"That is interesting… Do you have many friends or no?" Nakusu asked. I smiled, almost without noticing it as I shifted on my feet.

"No. Nobody wants to be friends with me."

"And I thought I was the only one." Nakusu mused, more to himself as he looked the other way. I blinked, then averted my eyes.

"I don't see why no one would hate you." I admitted with a light shrug. Nakusu smirked, folding his arms over his chest.

"I am too smart. We have only just met and you have not seen that I can be rather rude… Of course, I do not mean to be. It is just the way I am." He added with a sigh, reaching up to push his headband onto his forehead so he could rub his eye, letting the headband fall back into place.

"That's stupid," I stated with a frown, "Why wouldn't someone want to be friends with a smart person? Just because you're smart doesn't mean people should hate you." Nakusu glanced at me out the corner of his eye.

"Try telling everyone else that." He replied. I rolled my eyes.

"Everyone else is stupid. Forget them. So what if you're a little mean? From what I've seen, Mitsuru has a little temper, but he's still got some friends, at least, that's how it seems. Some people wouldn't mind being friends with someone like you."

"You should take your own advice." Nakusu answered. I frowned, raising an eyebrow at him and he pointed at me, my face. I blinked and automatically clutched the right side of my face, frowning again.

"That's different."

"It is not. Whether you are mean or you believe that looks matter, that advice applies." Nakusu replied. I rolled my eyes and dropped my hand.

"Yea, but with parents it's different."

"You said your mother was dead."

"But my dad's not."

"… Your father judges you by appearance?" Nakusu asked distastefully, crinkling up his nose as if the very thought annoyed him. I smirked.

"Why not? He seems to do the same with everyone else. My mom too. The older we get, the more this world thinks appearances matter."

"I do not think that way." Nakusu stated. I looked at him, mildly surprised and at the same time, feeling a little depressed. Surprised because I didn't expect him to say that and depressed because he wasn't my friend.

"That's good." I said at last. Nakusu frowned at me, then hesitantly held out a hand, averting his visible eye.

"As much as I really do not like human contact… I want to be your first friend." He mumbled. I blinked and looked at his hand. It was shaking a little, but it was honest and I really didn't know what to do. Shake his hand and accept?

I guess you can make some friends with your cousins while you're there.

He had said that… Whether he was serious or not doesn't matter. He said it, so technically it gave me permission and if I mentioned it in the report… No, why even mention it? I shouldn't hassle him with my internal issues… It's not like he would care anyway or maybe not even believe me. I reached out and shook Nakusu's hand.

"Sounds good." I stated. Nakusu seemed to smile faintly, then pulled his hand away with a sigh, holding it close to his chest. Either because touching someone freaked him out or something.

"Why don't you like touching anyone?" I decided to ask. Nakusu blinked, glanced down at his hand and dropped it to his side with a sigh.

"It just unnerves me… Humans are so warm and… I do not know if it's just that or if maybe it is the feeling that they might lash out. It is just been a fear of mine since I was little. And you? I know the reason that you did not want to go near the hot spring was not because you are frightened of water or else you would have leapt away from the table when Miwa spilt her soup." He explained. I stared at him, then smirked.

"You are smart. That's cool… I don't like my reflection. It's why I've been avoiding eye contact with you. Your headband is reflective." I pointed. Nakusu touched his headband, then smiled lightly at me.

"Everyone is frightened of something. If they say they are not, they are lying."

"Very true." I agreed and tried not to smile too much. This guy was pretty interesting. I was getting way too sucked into the conversation and I found myself talking to him for the rest of the evening. Mostly small things, like morals and religion, you know, things that you might talk with around your friends. They were touchy subjects, but we agreed on most things. He gave me some fun facts about life. I wasn't about to tell him he was my cousin, though.

Nor that my father was in charge of the biggest criminal organization since Kuromura Kotaro's, if you really want to count that as an organization and not a huge mass murdering army.

I guess they were staying the night as Mitsuru allowed them to sleep downstairs in the living room since I had the guest room. I offered, but Nakusu refused to let me offer, so I sat up on my bed. I tossed my jacket and scarf at the end of the bed, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the breeze on my back.

I set the diary down on the bed, staring at it again with a frown. It was definitely a rough draft for a story, but it was in diary form. There was a few slips of paper that I found tucked into a couple pages, making notes about publishers and grammar errors. I opened to the first page and pressed my thumb to my lips, nibbling as I let my eyes drift over the sentences, reading each one carefully.

It was first person and so far, I could tell who had written this diary, soon to be book.

Tsukuyomi Ruriko.

Later (Uchiha Haruke)

I wasn't letting that guy get away with calling me useless. I wasn't useless. I had more use than he did and it was pretty obvious. That guy was obviously a stupid coward, hiding in those clothes and trying to stay calm, but I could see right through him.

Just like the hole Miwa made in the wall, which also reminded me that I needed to get her back for getting me in trouble. Mitsuru too for using that jutsu on me. I'd easily tell mom and dad about that, but I couldn't tell them about the guy who had come home with Mitsuru. Nakusu and Shisui already knew him too, which bugged me even more for some reason.

That guy was getting an even special-er treatment from me.

I sat on my bed, glancing across the room at Mitsuru, who was fast asleep on his bed, his blankets pulled over his head. He had locked the door, just in case Shisui snuck in to bug him, but I had a feeling he also did it to keep me in the room, but I was going to get out easily.

I pulled the needle up near my face, watching the thread jerk the side of the neck closed and I tilted my head to study my work. A clean doll without any features, hair, or clothes. I hadn't even written the vital points on it yet. I was also missing two key ingredients to this…

A strand of hair and a drop of blood, but that was going to be easy. I could just sneak into that guy's room and take what I wanted.

I frowned when I noticed a drop of blood hit the sheets and it took me a moment to realize that I had jabbed myself in the thumb. I rolled my eyes and stuck my thumb in my mouth as I tied a knot with my free hand in the thread, biting it loose. I reached under my bed and grabbed up some of the extra materials I had.

I liked making the clothes the best. It was fun to cut out the felt and sew it with other bits of clothe, making nice jackets or vests or anything else. I had made a doll of Mitsuru, but I didn't put his hair or blood in it. I didn't want to kill him if I accidentally sat on the doll in the bed or anything funny like that.

I clamped a hand over my mouth and tried to hide my laugh at the thought of it before I got to work, cutting out some gray felt. It's not like I was going to kill that guy, Kaoru, or whatever. I just wanted to show him that I wasn't useless.

He's stupid. Just like the other shinobi of this village. Stupid, stupid idiots. Telling mom and dad that I wasn't fit to be a shinobi. Oh, I'll show them. I was going to show all those stupid Jounin, those stupid Chuunin, and those stupid Genin. The dumbass Hokage too and those medic ninja. Just watch me. I wasn't useless. I wasn't useless at all!

In another hour, I finished making the clothing. I tied the little scarf tightly around the doll and smiled. The clothes turned out perfect without any wrinkles or stains from my thumb, which got poked again while I was making the boots out of the leather material my dad had bought me. You'd think he'd stop buying me materials if he knew what I was always doing.

No, I wasn't that mean. I didn't make the voodoo dolls with my jutsu all the time. Sometimes I just made them because there was nothing else to do. Mitsuru was off on missions, the twins at the academy, mom and dad at work. My cousins off on their missions while their dad screwed around at work.

I grabbed the buttons and began to sew them on, sewing on a little crooked frown. He never seemed to smile, so I wasn't going to give him a cute smile or pout. I studied him a bit more before I carefully sewed on the hair. That was the hardest part because the silky strands kept flying about. I was surprised I could even sew the little wig set on him, not only because of that, but the color I had never seen before.

By the time I finished, it was three in the morning, so I sighed quietly and held onto the doll, climbing out of the bed. I glanced at Mitsuru and went to the door, silently unlocking it before slipping out and shutting the door behind me.

Some ninja. He couldn't even tell when his own brother was sneaking out.

I walked down the hallway, pausing in front of the guest room to see the light shining underneath. I frowned and bent down, peering under, but nothing was moving, so I dared to push the door open.

Kaoru was curled up under the blankets, his hair falling over his face as he lay with a weird, leather book under his arm. I ignored it. So long as he was asleep, what did I care what he read?

I walked up to the bed, tilting to the left to peer at him. He seemed pretty fast asleep and that's when I noticed something that altered my plans a bit. Dark purple marks. They looked like vines or something, creeping across his face and his hands, his arms. I stared, amazed.

It was cool in a creepy kind of way and I couldn't wait to draw them on the doll, but I had to draw them first or else the doll would be all messed up. I glanced around the room and got into the wardrobe. I found a bunch of markers, but only black and blue. I frowned a little, then went back to the side of Kaoru's bed.

Guess I'd have to wait… For the drop of blood, that is. I reached out and plucked a strand of hair, easily tying it in with the silk hair of the doll. I smiled down at it, but I was still a little disappointed at not finding a purple marker or something nearby. I exited the room and went back to mine, grabbing up a marker from under my bed and drawing the marks all over the doll, save for the side of his face where the marks had refrained from crawling.

Looks like I'd have to wait until morning to get the blood, but I already had a good plan in mind. I crawled under the blankets and held the doll as I slept.

Morning

I woke up right away, as soon as I heard Mitsuru get up. I did the usual thing, make fun of him, brush my teeth and elbow him in the jaw, making him smack me, got dressed in a black t-shirt and khaki shorts. I grabbed a ribbon from the material case under my bed and tied the Kaoru doll to the inside of the pocket of my shorts before I ran downstairs to beat Miwa to the table.

I don't know why we did that. I guess because Miwa was a selfish pig and a stupid girl. Her appetite was as bad as Mitsuru's and she stuffed her face non-stop, and yet, she could stay as skinny as a pole.

I plopped down at my usual seat at the table, listening to Miwa's feet pitter patter on the floor above me, making me smirk. She raced into the room and glared at me, Manabu trailing after sleepily.

"CHEATER!" She accused automatically. Oh, whatever. She's such a brat.

"How the hell did I cheat?" I demanded.

"Cuz you just did!"

"You're just saying that because you lost!"

"Shut up, Haruke! MITSURU!"

"Guys, not in the morning…" Mitsuru groaned, dragging himself into the kitchen across the dining room. I rolled my eyes, then stuck my tongue out at Miwa, but she picked up a plate to throw at me. I waited for the glass to hit my forehead, but Shisui came up behind her, taking her wrist, 'tsking'.

"Miwa, don't do that. Ignore him." Shisui scolded, but smiled anyway. Nakusu came in next, yawning sleepily and taking a seat. He was such a lazy ass, just like Mitsuru. Being up this early is no problem. I've pulled all-nighters without my parents knowing so I could make my voodoo dolls.

"Good luck with that." I told Shisui with a grin, but he just rolled his eyes and took a seat where dad always sat. Nakusu sat beside him, rubbing his eye sleepily. Kaoru came in last, looking a bit uncomfortable, dressed in that heavy coat and scarf. My hand unconsciously went to my pocket to squeeze the little doll in there before I smiled to myself and looked up to see Mitsuru bringing in leftovers from last night's dinner.

"Why don't you make fresh food?" I asked, annoyed. I hated leftovers. So icky. Mitsuru glared, blushing lightly.

"Shut up." He muttered. Shisui grinned at him.

"You'd make a great wife, Mitsuru~" He teased. Mitsuru rolled his eyes.

"What- I AM NOT A WIFE!" He snapped, just catching Shisui's words. Haha, yea right. Mitsuru was more of a wife than our mother was. Mitsuru knew how to cook and clean and act like a mom. Our mom didn't know how to cook at all and her idea of cleaning is to shove everything in boxes and the closet. I liked her method better, though. A lot easier and saved time.

As we ate, I decided to put my plan into action. It wasn't that dramatic, though. Just a drop of blood… I could easily draw more than a drop of blood, but it included me being the smart ass that I knew I was.

"So when is he leaving?" I asked Mitsuru, jabbing a thumb at Kaoru, who glared at me in aggravation.

"Haruke, be quiet. He'll leave when he wants to." Mitsuru commanded, frowning at me for being disrespectful, but I was on a roll and not about to stop.

"He better leave soon. I don't want him around. He's a pain."

"I haven't bothered you, brat." Kaoru said, his grip visibly tightening on his chopsticks.

"Ignore him." Mitsuru warned.

"Haruke's just a big mouth." Shisui huffed. I scowled at him.

"Shut up, Shisui. At least I have a big brain to go with my mouth while you have nothing," I answered, watching Shisui glare at me and tighten his grip on the table, denting it inwards slightly before I turned to Kaoru again with a smirk, "Stand up for yourself, unless you're too much of a scaredy cat, freak."

"If you don't shut up, I swear to the gods…" Kaoru began, but Mitsuru jumped in again.

"Please, don't, Kaoru. I know he's obnoxious, but just ignore him. Haruke has a disa-"

"Shut up!" I yelled at him, glaring. I hated it when he told everyone about my 'disability'. It wasn't a disability! I was just fine not being able to feel anything. I could pick on everyone as much as I wanted, get beat up as many times, but it wouldn't make me stop. I could train as long as I wanted without getting tired. I could jab my fingers with needles and they wouldn't hurt one bit. I didn't get cold or hot or anything stupid like normal stupid people got. He was practically saying the same thing Kaoru did!

I wasn't useless! It was like everyone thought that and it just made me even madder!

"I don't care what's wrong with him," Kaoru snapped, "You can't let him do what he wants. Ignoring him won't shut him up. It's like telling me to ignore the thorn in my palm." I stared at him. I was a little happy about being agreed with, but at the same time, he was pretty stupid, thinking hitting me would make me shut up. Mitsuru just frowned, but didn't make a move.

"Well, maybe you're not that stupid." I stated. Kaoru threw his chopsticks at me, one bouncing off my cheek and the other smacking into my chest and plopping in my soup, making me laugh.

"You suck." I proclaimed proudly and didn't make a flinch or yelp when he grabbed me up by the front of my shirt.

"Kaoru!" Almost everyone yelped in shock when Kaoru threw me back to the floor, making another grab for me. I lashed out quickly and my nails caught the skin between his thumb and index finger, ripping off a bit. Blood dripped free under my nail and I scrambled back to avoid another attack, but I think he punched me in the head. Hard to tell.

I jerked the doll out of my pocket and dropped the blood hanging off my fingernail into the doll's chest.

"HA!" I shouted triumphantly, holding the doll out. Kaoru stopped, frowning at me, confused. Mitsuru leapt to his feet.

"HARUKE! Don't you dare! If you do, I'll tell mom and dad!" He threatened. I rolled my eyes, holding the doll in both hands now.

"Oh, whatever. Mom and dad aren't here and can't do a thing about it. I could do whatever I wanted." I replied, tilting the doll and smirking at Kaoru.

"Aren't you a little old to be playing with dolls?" Kaoru muttered, folding his arms over his chest, but he flinched at the sight of the doll. He should be happy. I worked really hard on the doll and I think it looked awesome.

"Oh, shut up," I muttered, annoyed with that same damn line, "It's not just a doll."

"It is a voodoo doll," Nakusu jumped in with a frown, gesturing to the doll a bit more appreciatively than the others, "Haruke's dolls need a strand of hair and a drop of blood from the victim before the doll is activated. It also needs to look exactly like the victim, well, more or less. It's more dangerous than you think."

"I thought he wasn't a shinobi." Kaoru said. I twitched and glared at him.

"I don't have to be a stupid ninja to have better powers than you!" I snapped angrily, tightening my grip on the doll visibly. Kaoru winced and grasped his hands over his chest, my fingers having squeezed the lungs. I smirked. Mitsuru glared at me.

"Haruke, I don't know what you have against Kaoru, but it's not worth wasting your jutsu on. Come on, get rid of the jutsu already before mom and dad come home and you're grounded again." He warned. I rolled my eyes, loosening my grip so Kaoru could gasp for air.

"What's it matter? I'm practically grounded anyway. It's not fair. You guys can be ninja and I can't! Nakusu doesn't like getting close to people and you're a crybaby, Mitsuru! And Miwa is blind in one eye! Those are disabilities and you guys can still be shinobi!"

"That's not the same-"

"Is to!" I protested. I didn't see what the difference was! I couldn't feel pain, how is that disability different than being blind in one eye? They just knew I was too strong, that's why they didn't want me to be a shinobi. It was stupid!

"Stupid." I muttered aloud and held the doll out toward Kaoru, who glared at me as I pressed my finger down on its stomach. He winced, grabbing his stomach. See? People who could feel pain were a lot weaker. If someone had done that to me, I wouldn't be able to feel it and easily attack them, taking the doll and getting rid of the hair or drop of blood. I dug my nail down into the doll's stomach and I could easily make out a deep red mark on Kaoru's stomach before I released.

I beamed and brought the doll's arm to my mouth and bit down.

"OW! You brat!" Kaoru barked at me and swung out his hand at me. I waited and got ready to rip the doll's arm off, as much as I really rather not, but something stopped me, Kaoru too. They froze first as they noticed it first, but I didn't notice it because I didn't feel the breeze, but I saw it flutter my hair over my eyes and I winced.

Now? Of all times?

(Tsukuyomi Ruriko)

"Uchiha Haruke, you put that doll down RIGHT now." I commanded, glaring down at my son. Haruke twitched, but he obeyed, dropping the doll to the floor. The boy that the doll was made for gasped in relief, dropping to his knees and holding his stomach. Haruke turned halfway around to face me with a little stubborn pout, but I wasn't buying that puppy dog look this time. Oh no.

"Cancel the jutsu. Right now." I ordered. Haruke frowned, but bent down and took a strand of hair off the doll's head, dropping it to the floor where it fell into a puddle of spilled soup. Haruke stood up, holding the doll to his chest, like the small child he was.

Even so, he was smart and obviously a bit dangerous. It worried me. He acted like he was going to run away sometimes and I was always afraid I'd show up to dinner to find him missing. I frowned at last.

"Haruke… Go to your room." I murmured. Haruke just nodded, muttering under his breath about stupid people before he left. I looked at the strange boy, who immediately looked away from me. Something was awfully familiar about the structure of his face, about the odd glow in his eyes.

"Mitsuru, I thought I said no parties." I muttered. Mitsuru twitched and seemed to be trying to come up with an excuse, but Shisui jumped in.

"Hahaha! Sorry, Aunt Ruriko! Really we are! Kaoru here is a new friend of ours, but he had no where to stay and there was no way he could stay at our house, so we let him stay here. I hope that's okay, cuz, I mean, he's totally nice and cute! You can't deny that!" He pointed out, making the boy wince. I smiled faintly.

Shisui was such a blabber mouth, but knew just how to put me in a good mood. I was a sucker for kids.

"It's fine," I said at last with a nod, walking up to Kaoru and helping him to his feet, "Sorry about Haruke. He can be mean sometimes. I'm Ruriko. I'm glad my son and my nephews had heart to let you come into our home." Kaoru blinked up at me, looking a bit confused, probably at the hospitality.

After cleaning up the dining room, I got everyone calmed down and back together. We sat around the table, without Haruke or Itachi. Haruke was in his room still and Itachi was with Sasuke, filling the Hokage in on our mission… Oh, the mission. I frowned, glancing sideways toward Kaoru, who was sitting awkwardly across from Mitsuru.

The mission was to investigate the dead bodies of some Jounin found just outside the village. The bodies were in a terrible state. It was like someone had shredded them with a freaking cheese-grader or something and hacked them up. It was gross, but I had to be there and I had to take a bite… Yea, but it helped the case, really!

The flavor was odd. It was hard to tell the cause of death, but we could only guess that they were wounds from a shower of senbon or daggers. The reason why the Hokage had suspected the Akatsuki was because nearby folk had mentioned seeing a black cloak with red clouds, other claimed it was just a kid… In fact, Kaoru's description as I looked closely seemed to fit, but I found myself unable to pin the blame on him. He seemed much too innocent… But at the same time…

"So, mom, how was your mission?" Mitsuru asked eagerly, staring at me. I blinked and smiled at him.

"Great. Well, for us. Unfortunately, not for the bodies we examined." I replied, but said nothing more no matter how much Mitsuru or Shisui pried. I was told not to inform anyone and if they knew, they could be put at risk. I glanced at Kaoru, but he seemed to be keeping this tired expression the entire time.

After breakfast, Mitsuru walked Miwa and Manabu to the academy, taking his cousins and Kaoru with him. Meanwhile, I went upstairs to talk to Haruke. He must have been really mad at Kaoru to have attacked him, but why? Whatever the reason, I was on a mission to find out. I peered into his bedroom to find him holding the doll with a frown, digging his fingers into the doll's neck.

"Haruke?" I asked before coming in. Haruke jumped, then glared at me.

"What?" He demanded. I sighed and closed the door behind me, walking over to the bed and sat down beside him quietly. He shifted away with a frown, looking the other way and holding his doll close to him. He was always so protective of those things, even if they no longer worked. I glanced toward his closet. You'd think it was full of clothes, but it was full of dolls he'd made, based on everyone he's met in his decade of life.

It was a lot of dolls, though. I was proud that he could make so many, impressed by it since he was so young. I looked at Haruke and smiled lightly, reaching out and pulling him into a hug. He blinked and looked up at me past his hair, frowning.

"I'm sorry, Haruke," I apologized, "But you shouldn't do that, unless someone or something precious to you is in danger. That jutsu is too strong to use on people like that."

"But he said I was useless." Haruke muttered, relaxing in my hug. I frowned.

"You're not useless, Haruke."

"Duh, I know that," He huffed, making me smile, then looked away, "But he won't know that unless I show him. I can't show him a headband or anything because I'm not a ninja." He squeezed his doll, glaring at it as if the thought angered him beyond belief. It probably did and it saddened me too. I really would love for Haruke to be a shinobi, grow up and be strong, but it was just too dangerous.

"You don't need a headband to show that you're strong. You need to have control, confidence, and passion. If you have those things, you're stronger than anyone. Control over your powers and your temper will show how calm you are, that you can take on anything thrown at you. Confidence is great to have, but not too much or people will mistake it for cockiness and nobody needs that. You need to have passion for what you believe in. Don't let anyone change your mind."

"I guess," Haruke mumbled, then frowned, "But I hate everyone with a passion. That counts."

"Haruke."

"It's true! Mitsuru's a jerk. Miwa's a brat. Manabu's too quiet. Kaoru's stupid. Nakusu is cocky and Shisui's a big mouth. I can come up with something for everyone, even you, mom."

"I rather you not. Look, just think about what I said. Let it sink in and let it stick with you. I don't care what you do. Your father and I will always love you and always be proud of you." I explained quietly and kissed him on the cheek. Haruke's eyes flickered and he looked sad for a split second before nodding and looking down at his doll. I sighed and got up, heading out and closing the door behind me.

I walked into my room, heading to the closet. I had to get this all down. I swear, my hand was getting cramped. It's too bad I'm not ambidextrous or something or else this would be so much easier… I would love for Itachi to help, but I didn't want to show him anything until it was all finished… Well, what I had written so far. Diaries didn't end until the author died.

I flinched at the thought, shaking my head. That was a long time from now. I mean, come on. I was only twenty-eight. I had a while to go. I walked into the closet, flipping on the light and my eyes flashed, widening.

The jewelry case was broken open, the box inside, the box holding my diary, holding my story was gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: This one was a bit shorter as I decided this was the best place to end. I have yet to add the OCs because I still need more information about them, including the relationships and the teams. Three man squads still, all sensei currently available, but only two slots for Kakashi's team and Lee's team. If your sensei is a Jounin sensei, please inform me of that and their team. You may choose their teams. And don't worry! I still haven't chosen Mitsuru's team yet. lol. So if you want to put some OCs on a team with him, sensei or peers, that would be great! Well, I think that's about it for now… Thank you so very much for reading, hope the characters are in character, and your reviews are loved very, very much!

ALSO NOTE: If I do not get enough OCs before the Chuunin Exams, I will provide back up OCs. I have no trouble creating new ones for teammates. :)