Becoming a Kunoichi

What must have been hours later, Hicca's mind began to come around from the blackness that it had been in. Slowly her body started to regain its functions and her mind started to clear. Opening her eyes felt like the mist difficult physical task in the world. As she tried, her other senses started taking in information. She felt like she was wrapped in something warm. It was eerily silent wherever she was and she assumed that meant she was no longer outside. Finally opening her eyes, she noticed a faint light in the room. Then suddenly a large black mass floated into her field of vision. Startled for a second, she relaxed when she recognized the mass as her companion and friend.

With a small smile she weakly said, "Hey hun'"

Toothless crooned in concern and began to lick her profusely. That finally spurred her body into movement. With yelps of protest she got Toothless to stop licking her and shoved his head away. Wiping her face with her sleeve she raised herself up to a seating position. Looking left and right and to the ceiling she took in the room. The ceiling looked like a cave ceiling. All around her there were white walls with black trimmings. They looked to be made of papers and she couldn't spy a door. Beneath her, the floor seemed to be made of a green material.

"You are awake," came a voice behind her.

With a gasp, Hicca twisted her body so she could look behind her. There she saw a man sitting cross legged on the floor with a low table to his right. The man was definitely advanced in age as there were wrinkles on his face. He had stubble on his face and short black hair. His eyes were peculiar. They were oddly shaped. She realized that the other people she saw also had similar eyes and assumed that it must have been a common trait among these people. The man was wearing some kind of strange looking black robes and he had a cup in his hand.

Nervously she asked, "What happened?"

"You were poisoned by one of Daigo's shuriken. Mayumi managed to give you the antidote in time and she brought you back here," he answered matter of factly.

"Where am I?" she asked, pressing for details.

"You are in our hideout. Do not worry you are safe," he answered calmly.

Swallowing nervously she asked her next question, "Am I a prisoner?"

"No. You are a guest. You may leave anytime you wish," he said before taking a drink from his cup.

She breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't being held captive. That didn't mean she was safe though. One of their people had tried to kill her, and she had seen one of them kill two people. Looking to Toothless, she was surprised to see he was relaxed. He showed no signs that he mistrusted this stranger and Toothless had very good instincts.

"Now that I've answered your questions, will you answer mine?" the man said, causing her to turn around and face him. With a hesitant nod she gave him the go ahead.

"What is a Norseman child doing in these lands?"

She took a breath at the realization that he knew her origins. Her eyes then widened as she finally noticed that he had been speaking her language the entire time. Overcoming her shock she answered, "I'm just traveling with my companion," she said while indicating Toothless. "We stopped in these lands to explore…How come you can speak my language?" she asked curiously.

"I have learned a lot of things in my life. One particular interest of mine has been languages. Looking through your things I found runes indicating that you are of Viking origins," he explained.

She nodded in understanding and remained silent, unsure of how to proceed. Then the man stood up. Looking down at her he stepped forward and offered her a hand. Taking it, he pulled her to her feet gently. "Follow me. I would like to show you around," with that he walked to the front of the room and reached toward the wall. Then he grabbed onto the edge of on the wall and jerked his arm to the left revealing a sliding door. Looking back expectantly he motioned for her to follow.

With a moment of hesitation she slowly stepped forward and after the man with Toothless right behind her. Her natural curiosity getting the better of her, she wanted to know more about this land. On the other side of the door was a long cave that was illuminated by lanterns hanging from the ceiling. She assumed that this structured was carved into the mountain. She proceeded to follow the man as he walked ahead of her through the tunnel. As they went deeper they took twist and turns and passed by other doors that probably led to the quarters of the other residents here. After ten minutes of walking the man led her to a large door. Sliding it open she was surprised by the size of the room on the other side.

The room was full of people dressed in back. They were all over the room and they were divided into groups. Some were sparring in rectangular sections of the cave floor. Other were throwing projectiles at wooden targets lined against the walls. More were taking practice swings with weapons ranging to swords, daggers, spears, and other weapons she hadn't seen before. The people in the room ranged from ages of a few years younger than her to at least their thirties.

Finding her voice she asked, "What is this place?"

"This is the base of our ninja clan," the man said simply.

"Ninja? What are ninja?" Hicca asked completely clueless.

"Ninja are warriors of stealth and shadow. We use our skills for assassination, espionage, and saboteur," the man answered.

"And those men from earlier today?"

"Those were corrupt samurai who had been using their status to commit crimes in the various villages in this province. Our clan was asked by the people to take them out."

"And why am I here?" she asked quietly while turning to look up at the man.

"Ah yes, I should explain," he paused to turn to face her before continuing. "We are the clan of the Kage no Ryu, the Shadow Dragon," he said while looking to Toothless. "I believe, young lady that you coming here and encountering the clan is an omen. A sign of the clan's return to power. You see, the clan has suffered a blow we are still recovering from and we have lost much influence."

"I think you're mistaken sir. It was just coincidence that I witnessed that murder. An accident really," she stammered out.

"There are no accidents in this world young miss. That is something I learned a long time ago," he answered calmly.

"Yeah but…I don't know what you think I can do to help. I'm not a warrior," she said pressing her argument.

"Not yet," the man said with a smile. "I am offering you chance to join the clan. To train with us, to be a ninja, a Kunoichi," he added firmly.

Hicca cast her gaze down in shame, "But I'm not strong. I mess things up. I can't kill people," she muttered quietly. She didn't want to disappoint these people. She was tired of being a disappointment to everyone. Suddenly she looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She was met with the kind eyes of the older man.

"Do not doubt yourself young lady. I sense great potential in you. And besides," he paused to indicate to the people training. "We are ninja. Our style doesn't emphasize brute force. We use precision, speed, and our keen knowledge of the human body to destroy our opponents. You can learn these too in time," he said reassuringly.

Still unsure she fiddled with the end of her tunic. "But I don't know if I could kill someone," she added quietly.

"As I said before, we also serve as spies and saboteurs, you don't necessarily have to kill anyone," he reiterated.

A small flame of excitement bloomed within Hicca. Something about becoming strong really spoke to her. She had always been weak by the standards of her people. But looking around she noticed that she wasn't really all that tiny here. These people weren't huge like her father and the rest of her tribe. What if she could do this? What if she could become strong in her own way? With a last bit of deliberation she turned to her companion. Toothless gave her a smile and a nod in support. He would do whatever she wished.

With passion in her soul she turned to the man to give him her answer, "Ok. I want to give it a shot."

With a nod he smiled to her. Then his face became stern, "Be warned though young lady. This is rigorous training. You will feel like your bones are breaking. We will push your body to its limits. But if you can endure it, you will become truly strong," he said in mild warning.

Steeling herself she held her head high and gave a firm nod. She would become strong in her own way. She would prove to those that called her weak that they were wrong. She would prove it to herself that she could be strong. "I'm Hicca," she said holding out her hand.

With a smile the man reached out to shake her hand, "You may call me sensei Shou."

Hicca nodded. She listened intently as sensei Shou explained to her how she would be taught. She was nervous. But mostly she was excited. She had overcome so much and faced so many challenges. There was a fire in her that made her want to overcome this challenge too. And she swore to herself that she would.

Months after the defeat of the Red Death, the whole island of Berk had completely changed. The people started to live with the dragons. They were becoming a part of their lives. They walked through their streets, perched on their houses, and even sat side by side with the villagers in their homes. All the new changes to Berk were overseen and put into action by none other than Stoick the Vast.

The big man was diligent in changing their tribe's way of killing dragons. Now a dragon wouldn't be killed in less it was absolutely necessary. He also oversaw grievances and helped settle disputed between the dragons and his people as a good chief should. To everyone who didn't know the large man well, you'd swear that he was completely fine and focused on his chiefly duties. And apart of him was. Keeping the peace between two factions that had been enemies for centuries was an arduous task. But nowadays, there was an air of sadness hanging over the big man. The cause was clear to everyone. It was the disappearance of his daughter, his heir, his only child, and the last remnant of his loving wife.

Many had just assumed that Hicca had died in the explosion of the Red Death. But Stoick couldn't accept that. Something in him said that Hicca was alive. Apart of him also thought that maybe it was denial; that he simply couldn't come to terms with her death. He felt a heavy guilt within his heart at the way he treated his daughter all those years. With her gone, he would never be able to make it up to her. Many of the reasons he brought the dragons into the village was as a way to honor her. And should she ever return, show her that he was a changed man.

Shaking himself from his thoughts he resumed his duties as chief. He had to keep the village going, so that if Hicca were to ever return, she would have a home to come back to.

Inside the former kill ring, Ash Hofferson was feeling the same guilt and sorrow that his chief was feeling. Sitting atop a barrel as he waited for the other teens to join him, his thoughts were all about Hicca. He felt shame at the way he treated her all those years. He had never so much as said a kind word to her. He avoided her like the plague and treated her as a nuisance. Now, he would never be able to apologize or make amends.

Additionally his heart was broken at having lost the amazing girl. In the short time he had begun to know the girl and truly see her for who she was, she had stolen his heart. Romantic affection for the girl had begun to bloom within him, and now he would never be able to explore what it could have turned into. He would never be able to tell her how he felt about her. A nudge from behind brought him out of his sad brooding. With a smile he turned around to rub the nose of his Deadly Nadder, Stormfly. The concerned dragon was sensing her rider's sadness and was trying to cheer him up.

"I'm ok girl," he said to reassure his dragon. He appreciated having her around. She would often pull him out of his self-wallowing. But she also reminded him of something he could never thank Hicca for.

"Give it up Fishlegs," came the voice of Snotlout from the academy's entrance. Looking toward the entrance, Ash was met with the sight of the other academy members entering. Snotlout was in the lead followed by the twins and then Fishlegs.

"I'm just saying guys, I think it highly possible," Fishlegs insisted.

"What's possible?" Ash asked slightly curious.

"Fishlegs thinks Hicca is alive," Tuffnut said rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, if she was alive, why wouldn't she come back here?" Ruffnut said crossing her arms and waiting for Fishlegs to retort.

"Come on guys. Don't you think it's weird that we never found a body? If not Hicca's then at least her Night Fury's. I mean, dragons are fireproof. Its body should have at least survived the explosion," he explained.

Ash had considered that as well. Some part of him wanted to believe that Hicca would've survived. But why wouldn't she have come back? She would've have been welcomed back with open arms. She would've have been a hero. And where would she go? This was her home and it's not like she had someone waiting out there in the world for her. Why wouldn't she come back to me? He thought sadly.

Shaking himself from his thoughts he addressed the teens, "It doesn't matter guys. Let's just get started with today's lesson." He noticed Tuffnut raise a hand in question. "Yes Tuffnut."

"Why is the symbol of the academy a Night Fury? Why not a Zippleback?" he asked.

"Or a Nightmare?" Snotlout interjected.

Sighing in frustration he answered, "It's to honor Hicca. That's why this academy was founded. To try to learn all we can about dragons and make them apart of our society. It's what she would've wanted," he said adding the last part with a sad breath.

With that the teens accepted his answered and they got started with the lesson of the day.

Laying on the floor flat on her back, Hicca was panting heavily in exhaustion. It had been two months since she began her ninja training. Sensei Shou hadn't been lying when he said it would be tough. She had been working on her hand to hand combat skills by sparring with another member of the clan. She had been losing badly. Picking herself off the ground slowly she turned around to face her sparring partner. It was a girl around her age named Hinata. She was small girl, even shorter than Hicca with short black hair. She was a very good fighter though. Raising her aching arms slowly, Hicca got into her battle stance and prepared to fight. She was covered in sweat from the activity and her green tunic was soaking wet.

"That's enough for today," said sensei Shou from the sidelines. With that both girls dropped their stances and bowed to each other. Hicca bowed and then turned away to look at her master. Hicca was feeling slightly discouraged at her loss. She had not been able to come close to beating anyone in her age group. Even the younger kids could easily beat her. She was clumsy and uncoordinated and she wasn't sure she would ever improve. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned to face Hinata, who was looking at her with concern.

"Daijōbu Hicca-chan?" she asked shyly.

"Watashi wa genki Desu," Hicca said slowly. She was learning short and simple phrases from her stay. She wasn't always sure on the pronunciation but she seemed to speak it clearly enough.

Hinata giggled lightly at her answer and smiled. With a quick bow she left. Hicca smiled after her, most people were kind to her like Hinata was. But there were some people who harried her for the lack of skill and coordination. Sometimes it made her feel like she was back on Berk. But it was worse because she couldn't hurl a comeback without getting laughed at for the way she spoke.

"Is everything alright Hicca?" came sensei Shou's voice next to her.

Hicca turned to face him. He had obviously noticed her face fall. With a sigh, she explained, "Yes sensei. It's just…I don't seem to be getting better. I can't beat anyone in a spar. Not even the younger kids. Plus my weapons skills suck, I can't throw a shuriken or a kunai to save my life, and my stealth skills are horrible," she hung her head in disappointment.

Sensei Shou chuckled lightly, "You've only been training with us for two months Hicca. Of course you're not going to be as good as the others. Still, you are picking up what we've taught you fairly quickly," he said to reassure her.

Looking up in surprise she asked, "Really?"

"Yes. Don't be so hard on yourself. Your skills will improve with time. Just believe in yourself," he said holding her gaze so she could see the truth in his eyes.

With a smile, she nodded in thanks. Sensei Shou returned the smile and then left the ring to observe the other students and correct their forms. Sensei Shou was a kind man. He always said words to reassure her.

"Yowamushi," Weakling. Came a whisper behind her.

Hicca's face fell and her mood sunk as she recognized the voice behind her. Turning around she came face to face with the malicious sneer of Daigo. Daigo was the young man who had almost killed her with his shuriken. He was constantly harassing her and putting her down. She couldn't understand why he seemed to dislike her so much.

"Haisha," Loser. He said to further put her down.

Hicca's mind flashed back to the constants insults and treatment she received from her peers on Berk. Dropping her gaze to her feet, she fiddled with the end of her tunic as she waited for Daigo to harass her more. Submit and bear with it had always been Hicca's way of handling harassment, and it seemed nothing would change.

As Daigo prepared to hurl another insult at her, a voice cut in. "OY DAIGO!" said the voice behind him. Then a hand gripped his right shoulder firmly before whipping him around. Then a fist firmly buried itself in his stomach forcing him to his knees in pain as he struggled to catch his breath.

Hicca looked up to her savior with a grateful smile, it was Mayumi. Mayumi had been the girl to save Hicca when she had been poisoned. She was a kind girl six years Hicca's senior. She would often reprimand Daigo's behavior and respond with painful consequences.

"Don't listen to him," Mayumi said with a reassuring smile. Then she took Hicca's hand and pulled her along. "Come on, time to eat," she said leading Hicca out of the training room.

Hicca smiled and let the older girl pull her along. Looking back, she was met with the glare of Daigo who was still hunched over on the ground in pain. She knew this wasn't the end of his harassing, but for now she was glad to see a bully get put in his place.

Hicca and Mayumi sat together finishing off their rice balls. They were seated on a cliff overlooking a mass expanse of forest before them. They both sat in silence as they leaned back against Toothless's side. Hicca loved this strange grain they called rice. It was included in almost every meal. Plus it could be made into a whole bunch of wonderful things. Rice balls, apparently some kind of alcohol, and then there was that strange stuff called sushi that tasted delicious. As Hicca ate she looked out of the corner of her eye at Mayumi. She liked Mayumi a lot. One of the reasons was that Mayumi could speak her language, apparently having learned several from sensei Shou. She was also nice to her and would try her best to protect her from harassment by other members of the clan. Mayumi was apparently the best in the clan. She admired her, and hoped that she could at least be half as good as she was. She also wanted to be as confident as she was and hoped the training would help her with that.

Mayumi ate in silence and glanced over to Hicca. Meeting her eyes, she gave her a warm smile. Hicca smile back shyly and averted her gaze. Mayumi had developed a soft spot for the girl. She tried her best to look out for her; but she wanted to see Hicca gain some confidence. Observing Hicca over the last few months, she noticed that Hicca hardly spoke to or spent time with any of the clan members her age. She would pretty much only interact with her dragon, Toothless, unless she was training. That was one of the reasons Mayumi took it upon herself to spend time with her. She assumed that one of the reasons was that Hicca couldn't fully speak their language. But she also sensed something deeper. An innate fear of interacting with people. She decided to just ask her, "Hey Hicca?" When the other girl looked over to her she continued, "How come I never see you talking to the other clan members?"

Hicca swallowed her last bite of the rice ball and looked down at the forest. "Well…it's just…I can barely speak to them. It's hard to have a conversation you know?" she stammered out.

Mayumi raised an eyebrow. She could tell the girl wasn't being completely honest. "Is there another reason?" she pressed.

Hicca started fiddling with her hands as she remembered all the years of rejection she had faced on Berk. "Well…it's just where I'm from…everyone treated me like an outcast," she paused to take a breath before continuing, "My people are huge compared to yours. And me, I'm tiny. I was weaker than everyone else. So they constantly rejected me. I guess that stuff kind of leaves a mark on you," she finished sadly. Sighing she turned to Mayumi, "I'm sorry, listen to me blab about myself. You don't hear my sob story," she said with a fake smile.

Toothless could sense her melancholy mood and turned his head to nudge her face. That got Hicca to really smile. At least she had Toothless. As long as she had him, she could bear anything. She turned her head to smile at him and scratched him under the chin, making him purr.

"Rejection huh, just for looking and being different. I actually know a little about that," she heard Mayumi say. Turning to face her, she cocked her head to the side curiously. Then Mayumi elaborated, "You may have noticed that I look a little different from the others," she said while gesturing to herself.

Hicca had noticed. For one thing, Mayumi was very tall. She was six feet and towered over pretty much everyone in the clan. The other thing she noticed is that her eyes' shape weren't as pronounced as the others were. Her eyes were also blue. She had mostly just assumed she was just a rare case. With a nod she gave Mayumi the go ahead to continue.

"My mother was a Japanese women and my father was a sailor from a faraway land. They met, had a one night fling, my father left, and then my mother gave birth to me," she said with a smile, remembering her mother. "But then my mom got sick and then she died. She had no other family and no one wanted me," she said sadly. "People would say awful things to me. They'd say my blood was dirty, that I was a half breed, or a mongrel. They rejected me just because of the way I looked," she paused to look Hicca in the eyes. "Then the clan found me and took me in. They gave me a purpose and a family, and I couldn't be happier," she said with a fond smile.

Hicca took in Mayumi's story. "Wow Mayumi, I had no idea. I thought I had it rough, but at least I had a father and a home," she said feeling ashamed at complaining about her life while someone had a real reason to complain.

"It's ok Hicca. Our circumstances may not be exactly the same, but it's nice to meet someone who understands," Mayumi said.

Hicca nodded in understanding. It did feel nice to meet someone who understood her. She smiled at Mayumi genuinely and thanked her for telling her about her life. Mayumi nodded in acceptance before both girls turned to face the forest and the setting sun. While they sat there, Mayumi thought about what she could do to help Hicca. The young girl reminded her of herself when she was younger. She remembered being alone and used to rejection so much that she was afraid of people. She wanted Hicca to come out of her shell and bloom into a confident woman.

"You know what you need Hicca?" Mayumi said breaking the silence while tapping her chin in thought.

"What?" Hicca asked curiously.

"You need someone to show you the ropes, to teach you, to encourage you," she said.

"Well, I already have sensei Shou," Hicca offered.

"Yes but someone to work with you more personally. More one on one," she interjected.

"Like a mentor?" Hicca asked.

"Something like that. But someone who will also try to help you grow as a person," Someone who will care for you. Someone who will help you grow. Get you out of your shell. Love you. She added in her head.

Hicca just raised an eyebrow, unsure of where Mayumi was headed with this. Suddenly Mayumi's face lit up as she was struck with inspiration. She turned to beam at Hicca. Hicca didn't like the look in her eyes. She gulped nervously.

Mayumi leapt to her feet, put her hand on her hips, and looked down at Hicca. "What you need is a big sister," she said.

"Uhm…what now?" Hicca said furrowing her brows in confusion.

"Yep. So from now on, you will address me as Mayumi Onee-chan. Or big sister Mayumi," Mayumi said proudly.

Hicca looked at her with a deadpanned look. Was she serious? Rising to her feet slowly and dusting herself off, she turned to face the other girl and politely reject her offer. "Look Mayumi, not that I don't appreciate what you're trying to do, but OW," Hicca's protest was cut off by Mayumi reaching out her hand and pinching her right cheek.

"You do not address your big sister as such," Mayumi said with a stern face.

"Mayumi…OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW," Hicca started squealing as Mayumi pinched harder.

"Say it," Mayumi said not losing her expression.

"Mayumi stop that hurts," Hicca cried in protest. Then she cried out in pain again as Mayumi used her other hand to pinch her other cheek and started pulling them both to the sides. "OWOWOWOWIEOWOUCH. Ok I'm sorry big sister Mayumi," she said relenting. At that, Mayumi released her cheeks and smiled at her. Hicca grimaced as she rubbed her sore, red cheeks.

"Excellent. Now I'm gonna be tough on you. But it's only because I care little sister. I'll make you into a splendid ninja. I promise," Mayumi said with a smile. With that she turned on her heel and began walking back to the hideout.

Hicca watched her go with an incredulous look on her face. Did that really just happen? Was she really going to call her big sister form now on? She looked over at Toothless who was looking at her curiously. "And where were you a few seconds ago?" she said while pointing to her cheeks. The dragon just huffed and yawned indifferently. "Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile," she said glaring at her supposed protector.

"Come along now little sister. We have a lot of work to do staring tomorrow," Mayumi called out.

Hicca looked over to the other girl and saw her genuine, warm smile. She couldn't help but smile back. Maybe this would be a good thing. Mayumi was the best in the clan after all. Receiving one on one training from her could help her improve faster. Plus she could learn how to be more confident, like she was. Plus, it was nice to have someone care for her so much. She couldn't remember the last time someone had shown her so much affection besides Toothless.

Looking to her companion, she was met with a gummy grin. "I'm gonna get stronger hun'" she said with conviction. Toothless growled in agreement and opened his wings slightly. As if to say, I know you will. And I'll get stronger with you. With a smile Hicca followed after her new sister with Toothless in tow.

It was going to be tough, without a doubt. But she was willing to face this challenge. She was going to overcome it.

I will be strong.

Hope you like. The next chapter will take place after a time skip of almost six years. And Hicca WILL BE AWESOME!

As for the Ninjas in this world, I'm borrowing a collection of different ideas. Mostly stuff from ninja assassin that will have almost superhuman like abilities.

Also contest. The antagonist of this story will be named _ the Scarred. Leaving the first name open for suggestions. Best one will be put in the story

Btw Hicca's age in my story = 14

Mayumi = 20