A/N: Happy 4th of July!

The nine-tails' attack left the village broken and scarred after its rampage. Many good shinobi died that night and even more were injured because of the demon. One of which being Kushina herself. Her death that night was possibly the leading factor in the fox being freed and the destruction that quickly followed afterward. The only reason anything was left of the village at was because of Minato and the actions that took place later on that evening. Minato was left with very few choices in a very limited amount of time after his wife's death. In the end, the Hokage had decided to seal the demon within his newborn son, Naruto, whom had just entered the world merely hours before the attack. The road for that boy would be rough. Many citizens were enraged by the fox and only saw it when they gazed at the infant. Ryunashi feared not even the baby's father could change the minds of those who had lost loved ones due to the fox's rampage and wondered, if only momentarily, if Minato might feel a little resentful considering the reason for his wife's death was inside his newborn son.

But Ryunashi had more important things to worry about considering the fox was being controlled by a Sharingan. He had to instigate an enormous investigation of the Uchiha clan to find out who the culprit could be. But the oddest thing happened as he gathered results, there are many Uchiha who possess the Sharingan, but few operate it to such an extent that they could control a tailed beast like that. And out of the few that could all of which were fighting it. The Tadashi's investigation hit a brick wall and that wasn't good, especially since others saw the fox's eyes and word was spreading about it. Ryunashi would try and tell a few of the shinobi that were raising questions about what he had found out, but all of them just dismissed it as a Tadashi defending an Uchiha. Assholes, how could people even believe something like this?!

He couldn't even turn to Minato for assistance because the grief stricken widower had a newborn son to take care of and had temporarily step down from his post as Hokage in order to be given some time to heal. The Third had stepped back up in his place, but in all honesty the was not the man he used to be. The Third was now a frail old man, afraid of any sort of conflict and wasn't helping these tensions any.

But the Tadashi didn't have too long to consider all of these factors because on December 21st, the night of the winter solstice, the newest member of his family was born.

"What should we call her?" Izumi cradled her new daughter in her arms, already trying to flatten the brown hair that covered the infant's head. She was born with a head full of hair and Ryunashi could already tell that she was going to have the same hair problems as almost every other Tadashi.

"I don't know." That earned him a scolding look from his wife. "What?! Just go with anything. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Papa, you're going to get into trouble." Kitsune wiggled her finger as she sat by her mother on the hospital bed.

"He already is, Sweety." Izumi scowled. Well dammit! She shouldn't have asked him! She knew fully fucking well he wasn't good with this kind of shit!

"Can I name her?" Kitsune batted her eyes and looked just like her mother in doing so.

"Well, what do you have in mind?" Izumi looked cautiously at her oldest. Little genius of not, she was still five years old and who knows what might pop in her head.

"I like the name Kikyo."

Izumi blinked several times and then gazed down at her new daughter, deciding if the name would fit. "That's a very pretty name. Kikyo," she thought about it. "Like the flower."

"Actually, Kikyo was the name of an ancestor of the clan. She assisted with the founding of the village alongside the First Hokage, Uchiha Madara, and Hyuga Hanako. She was also the last known member of the clan that all four of the sacred swords chose as their owner at the same time."

"That's a very well-thought out choice Kitsune." Ryunashi nodded.

"… Can't we just say because it's the name of a pretty flower?" Izumi had a sweat drop.

"That can work too Mama." Kitsune crawled closer and smiled. "Do you like that name? Kikyo?"

The newborn gazed at her older sister with her blue eyes. "Kikyo?" Her mother echoed. "It has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Tadashi Kikyo." She smiled down and allowed the infant to wrap her tiny hand around her finger. "What a sweet little bellflower. Don't you think Kitsune?"

"Mmhmm!" She nodded her head.

~6 months later~

It was exactly six months after Kikyo's birth that Bakuryuu and Inoue had their own child, a little baby girl named 'Hotaru'. The family of four got ready and made the journey to Konoha Hospital as soon as Bakuryuu had given them a call saying that Inoue was up and able to have visitors.

In the time since her birth Kikyo hadn't really grown all that much, she was pretty petite for her age and this worried her father a bit. But it didn't bother her mother at all, as long as she was healthy Izumi couldn't care less how big she was. Their baby had a head full of dark brown hair and searching blue eyes that seemed to have the sole purpose of finding things she could get into. when they entered the room her little chubby baby cheeks were puffed out as she tried to decide just what would be her first victim. She was dressed in a cute little purple dress that her mother just loved on her but somehow the infant had already tried three different ways to ruin only to have her mother and sister thwart her attempts.

Speaking of her sister, the five year old girl, Kitsune, stood next to her mother. Her hair was long and dark and straight just like Izumi's, and she'd actually let her mother put a bow in her hair. Unlike her little sister who had downright refused as if it were torture. She was dressed in a pretty yellow yukata and a pair of sandals, and wore a great big smile on her face. Very excited to meet her cousin.

"Inoue-oba, Bakuryuu-oji," she greeted politely.

"Uu-ji! Ay-ba!" Kikyo tried to mimic. Ready for her Oji to pick her up and start playing with her like he always did.

"How did everything go?" Izumi asked, walking over toward the new parents.

"Really good!" Bakuryuu exclaimed happily. "Kitsune! Kikyo! You wanna meet your new cousin?" His grin was ridiculously wide as he bounced the little bundle that was leaned against his shoulder, a blanket covering their view of it. He jostled the little thing, eliciting a quiet whine sort of sound before his daughter made a humming-sigh sort of sound. The bundle fidgeted, getting comfortable again. "This is Hotaru!"

Kikyo's brow furrowed as she studied the newborn, curious as to what a 'cousin' was and why she now had a 'new' one. Kitsune cooed at the blanket and its contents, but that didn't make sense to the six month old. She frowned deeply. "Tay-oh," she announced, proud she'd identified what it was.

Bakuryuu laughed while Izumi looked shocked, and Kitsune giggled. "No, Kikyo. Her name is Hotaru. Ho-ta-ru. Come on, you can say it."

She frowned at the man. "Why tay-oh bay-key?"

"Hotaru is in a blanket because she'll get cold if she's not," Bakuryuu explained patiently. He still hadn't grasped the conclusion Kikyo had come to.

"Tay-oh no nee," she announced. "Tay-oh eat." The girl pointed. "Bad tay-oh. Geen." Now Ryunashi's hand was brought up to his mouth as he choked out a cough that hid the bit of a laugh the comment had elicited.

Bakuryuu blinked. Twice. Then he gasped. "Hotaru is not a potato!" he exclaimed, cradling the infant closer. "Hotaru is a baby, Kikyo! And she's not bad! She's a good baby."

"No baby," she told him, shaking her head as she pointed at her cousin. Then she pointed at herself. "I baby."

"Yes, you are," Bakuryuu reasoned. "But Hotaru is a baby too. Not a potato."

Kikyo shook her head. "Dumb-ji," she called him. "Tay-oh." She pointed at the newborn then she pointed at herself "Baby." Then she repeated the process and looked proud of herself.

"No! No tay-oh! Baby!" Oji had began to argue back in baby talk. "Ho-wu baby! Ho-wu good baby!"

Kikyo shook her head. "Doo-peed Ji. I baby. Da' geen tay-oh. Geen tay-oh no nee bay-key."

"Ho-wu need bay-key cause Ho-wu baby an' Ho-wu wiw get cowd!" he agrued back to the infant.

Inoue blinked. "Bakuryuu, I don't know which is worse. You arguing with a six month old in baby talk or the fact you're calling my daughter 'Ho-wu'."

"I'm making a point so she can understand it! And I figured because of limited vocabulary that's what would end up coming out of her mouth." The white haired man thought about it.

"Kikyo, say 'Hotaru'," her father demanded.

The baby scrunched her nose and thought about the word before giving it her best shot. "Ho-wa-wu?" She looked up to her parents for approval.

"At least she knows how many syllables to use." Inoue-oba raised her eyebrows at Oji who gave her an awkward shrug.

"See Sweety." Her mother bent down to her daughter. "This here is Hotaru."

She blinked at the little wrinkly thing, not sure why they would name a vegetable. "Ho-wa-wu tay-oh." Yup, she was going to convince Oji and maybe make him smarter so next time he wouldn't name a potato and put it in a blankey.

"Well, at least she's acknowledged that she has a name now," Ryunashi said.

"No, Kikyo," the girl looked surprised when her mother spoke up this time. "Hotaru is a baby. Babies just look like that when they're first born. You did too."

The infant gasped then shook her head rapidly. "I no tay-oh!"

"Okay, I think Hotaru's been insulted enough," Inoue announced. "Give me my baby, Bakuryuu." Kikyo looked over at her aunt and started to reach toward her, apparently expecting that the woman wanted her. Instead, she took the little bundle Bakuryuu had had in his arms and cradled it in her arms. She tickled the newborn's stomach, making the infant giggle.

"Oh~!" Izumi exclaimed, going over to get a look at the baby now that it was actually playing. Bakuryuu had already crowded over and taken a seat next to his wife, watching the infant blow bubbles as if it were the most incredible thing he'd ever witnessed.

Kikyo was very confused. Potatoes didn't giggle or blow bubbles. And how come Inoue-oba was treating it like that? She wasn't stupid like Oji, she knew what a potato was and that it didn't go in a blankey, right?

"Oh~ she's just too precious~!" Izumi cooed at it.

Seriously, why wasn't anyone telling them that potatoes don't go in blankets?

"Da!" Kikyo exclaimed. She pointed at Hotaru. "Tay-oh no bay-key. 'Es?" She nodded her head like she was sure she was right.

"No, potatoes don't go in blankets," Ryunashi agreed.

"See ji!" she exclaimed proudly at her uncle.

"But Hotaru isn't a potato, Kikyo."

The six month old huffed. "Bad Da!"

Was there no one else here that was smart enough to see it? Did they all need new eyes or something? Kikyo pouted out her lower lip, trying to figure out just what was going on here. When did Papa get stupid like Oji? When did Inoue-oba? When did Mama?

She gasped. Oji was contagious!

"Bad ji!" she exclaimed suddenly at her uncle. She waved her hand to shoo him. "Way!" She pointed at the door.

"Aw~ are you jealous of Hotaru?"

"Cat… cas… ces…" She scrunched up her nose, unhappy that her tongue refused to cooperate.

"Catch?" Kitsune asked.

The baby nodded her head. "'Es, dat ji! Bad!"

"I don't…" Bakuryuu looked lost.

Inoue giggled. "I think she thinks we've all 'caught oji'."

"'Es!"

See! It wasn't too late for Inoue-oba! And she was around him most so it couldn't be too late for Mama and Papa either! "Way ji!" she commanded, pointing at the door.

Bakuryuu slumped, dark cloud forming over his head. The newborn giggled and lifted her hand like she was trying to get him. The dark cloud abruptly vanished and the man practically melted into affectionate goo. It was weird.

Then 'Hotaru' looked at her 'cousin' and smiled. "Aw, she likes you," Izumi declared as she lifted her baby closer so she could see the giggling potato.

"No idea why," Ryunashi muttered. "Must take after Bakuryuu."

Izumi gave him a scathing look.

"What? All she's done is call her a potato! How could the kid like her?"

Izumi huffed and turned her head away causing her husband to sigh. Great, now he was in trouble. All he'd done is tell the truth!

While the husband and wife were occupied with their little disagreement about whether Hotaru should approve of her cousin or not, the newborn reached out toward Kikyo just like she had her father. The six month old shouted and swung her arm again, slapping the baby's wrist hard. "No! Bad!"

Hotaru began to scream bloody murder. "Kikyo!"

"See star!" she accused.

"Hotaru is younger than you! You can't just hit her like that, no matter what she did! She doesn't know any better! Besides, she didn't even do anything wrong."

Kikyo disagreed, very much so. She tried to argue her point only to have it rejected. So she did the only thing a six month old knows to do when it doesn't get its way. She began to scream too.

It would be months before Kikyo accepted that Hotaru was not a potato, even when she started to look more like a little person. Needless to say, this wasn't the last argument Kikyo and Bakuryuu would have on the subject.

~1 year later~

"Tadashi Kikyo!" Izumi exclaimed in frustration at her toddler. She had just been able to finish fixing her hair and had even been able to pull it up in a cute little ponytail in a pretty ribbon on top of her head when the toddler placed both her little hands atop her head and very aggressively yanked out the ribbon and ruffled her hair to where it stuck out in all directions.

"I don't think she likes it Izumi-san." Itachi chuckled from farther down the porch with Sasuke in his lap.

Kitsune strode over and patted down her little sister's hair. "Kikyo, don't you want your hair to look all pretty?" She gave Kikyo a smile.

"No! I don wanna!" She crossed her arms stubbornly and puffed out her cheeks.

"Come on Kikyo." Kitsune batter her lashes. The young girl got off easy when it came to her looks. The girl was an almost spitting image of her mother with pretty, straight brown hair and blue eyes even though they were a dark blue like her father's she resembled her mother greatly and didn't have to worry about her hair sticking up in all directions like many clan members did.

"No!" She ruffled her hands again through her hair stubbornly and her big sister couldn't hold in her giggles. "It huwt, Nee!"

"Kikyo!" Izumi spatted the baby's hand.

Her lip trembled for a second before turning it into a scowl. "I don wanna Mama!" She wrapped her arms over her head protectively.

"Tadashi Kikyo, you will put your arms down this instant and let Mama fix your hair young lady!" Izumi pulled her little arms off of her head, her hair- thanks to her earlier attempt- now stuck up in all directions.

"Mama, it is now clear, Kikyo has inherited the other curse of the Tadashi clan. Eternal bedhead." Kitsune smiled as she waved a toy in front of her baby sister in order to distract her so maybe their mother can finish what she had started and failed to finish.

~Friends~

Kikyo crinkled her nose at the other three four year olds in her yard. There was Uchiha Sasuke who was Itachi-san's little brother, Namikaze Naruto whose papa was Hokage, and her cousin Hotaru who was living with Kikyo and her family for a little while because there was a big fire at Hotaru's house. Just because all their mamas' were friends didn't mean Kikyo wanted them as her friends.

The younger Tadashi examined the little blonde boy in a bored sort of interest when he began looking around as if trying to check whether he was being watched. Then he grinned this mischievous kind of grin and started to try to tip toe away.

He tip-toed right into Hotaru then fell back on his butt like an idiot. The green haired Tadashi had a serious and disapproving look on her face and stood with her arms crossed, scowling at the boy. "Don't even think about it, Naruto!"

"Oh come on, Hotaru! You know this blows! Your cousin's mean and Sasuke's a stupid jerk!"

"That doesn't make running away to paint the monument a good idea! I've told you, Naruto, you can't just do something like that! You'll get caught!"

"I bet I can do it without getting caught," Kikyo announced proudly.

"No you can't, Kikyo!"

"I bet I can!"

"You don't even know what you're agreeing to!" Hotaru whined.

"If Kikyo can do it then so can I!" Sasuke announced.

"No you can't! None of you can!"

"Is that a challenge?!"

"No! It's a statement!"

"See, Hotaru, they think we can do it!" Naruto exclaimed.

"They don't even know what we're talking about!"

"I don't care," Kikyo answered. "I can still do it. Without getting caught."

Hotaru gave her a doubtful look. "Kikyo, you don—"

"Oh blah blah. Quit being a damned wet blanket, Hotaru! You're no fun!"

"Is that so?" the girl asked, her brow twitching a bit. Then her face calmed and she smiled a sneaky sort of smile that made Kikyo a little anxious. "Fine, let's make a bet of it."

"Name your terms."

"You paint the monument without any of you getting caught and I'll… give you my dessert for a week. But if any of get caught, any single one, then I get your desserts for a week. That goes for all of you."

"Fine," Sasuke agreed.

"You got a deal! Dattebayo!" Naruto agreed.

"Make it a month!" Kikyo exclaimed. "Now what monument are we painting?" She smirked, so completely confident in her abilities.

Hotaru's face split into an enormous grin and she turned slightly and pointed.

At the village.

"You think you can just point north and I'll know?" She glanced at Sasuke who was gawking in the direction she was pointing, looking newly doubtful and a little pale. "What?"

"The Hokage Monument, Kikyo."

She blinked once. Twice. "Oh hell no!"

Naruto's eyes grew huge and he gasped, putting a hand over his mouth and pointing at Kikyo. "She said a bad word~!"

"It is not!" she argued back. "Papa uses it all the time!" She crossed her arms, sure her argument was solid.

"That means nothing. It's still bad." Hotaru put her little hands on her hips.

"Like it matters. How could you agree to a bet without even realizing what you were doing?" Sasuke asked as though he were superior.

"You did the exact same thing idiot!" Kikyo's eyebrow twitched.

"I didn't!" Naruto announced smugly.

"You shouldn't be proud of that," the pair informed him in a deadpan.

"And none of you are getting out of it." Hotaru smiled possibly already calculating her next month of desserts.

"No, we're doing this." Kikyo cracked her knuckles and dragged the boys by the scruffs of their necks, dead set on showing up her cousin…

They were caught after barely finishing the first head. Kikyo felt it was Naruto's fault, but he swore it was Sasuke's. And Sasuke, the little jerk, was dead set on blaming Kikyo.

But it was totally Naruto's fault! Loud little brat! He was yelling Dattebayo the entire time and that's why they were caught so soon!

She was going to kill him! Mama even made kuzumochi that night. Kuzumochi! She hoped Hotaru got fat from all their sweets.

~More Hotarus~

"I have news," Hotaru slumped her shoulders and told her friends in a depressed voice.

"What?" Kikyo cocked her head as she held Naruto in a head lock. That should teach him not to yell in her ear.

"I give! I give!" He attempted to tap out and receive mercy only for Kikyo to drop him like a sack of potatoes to the ground. "Thank you!" he gasped from the dirt.

"Three minutes, new record," Sasuke grumbled as he checked the time.

"Will you all please stop for a second?" Hotaru looked severely distressed.

"What happened? Did Oji do something so stupid that Inoue-oba is gonna give him the boot?" Kikyo asked.

"No~" Her lip trembled. "Mommy and Daddy are going to get another baby~"

The other three froze. "Man, sucks to be you." Naruto said bluntly from his sitting position on the

"Naruto!" the other three exclaimed in unison.

"Is this really such a big deal?" Sasuke lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't think it should be," Kikyo agreed. "How bad could it be to have a younger brother or sister?"

"You two are totally biased!" both the only children exclaimed in rage at the other two.

"But it's true."

"Nee-san is very content with being a big sister."

"The same goes for Nii-san… except for him being a brother."

"I don't want a Kikyo or Sasuke~" Hotaru's lip trembled as she squatted to the ground and pulled her face into her knees.

"Poor Hotaru." Naruto patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"Oi!" Kikyo's eyebrow twitched as she slapped her cousin upside the head. "Can I just say something in the future kid's defense?" She gave her teary eyed cousin a scolding look. "It's not so bad having a big sister around to show you the ropes. Nee-san is the smartest, strongest, and best person in the world and though you're in no way, shape or form, Nee-san that kid's going to look up to you." She crossed her arms.

Hotaru seemed to take the speech into consideration and stood back up, wiping her face on her sleeve. "You really think so?"

"Mmhmm… and if they don't we could just find a way to get rid of it." She grinned and the other three face faulted.

"And there's the Kikyo we all know and aren't very fond of." Naruto cringed.

Well, leave it to Oji to mess up getting a baby. On December 15th Hotaru not only got a little brother, whom they called Kenshin because of Papa and Oji's dead Papa, but a sister too! They named that one Suzume. Hotaru was not pleased whenever Oji held them. Kikyo's offer about throwing one of them away still stood. Or hey, both of them!

~Candy shop~

"I'm hungry~" Hotaru whined on their way back from the park, her large fluffy dog, Hanji, trailed after her. Apparently Oji thought getting her a dog after Suzume born would make her less mad at him. He was wrong, but Hotaru got attached to the dog and it followed her everywhere now.

"You're always hungry." Sasuke dug in his ear and tried to ignore her. Well it wasn't a lie. The stupid little pig had some kind of psycho metabolism it turns out and she can eat as much as a grown up and she didn't even look like an Akimichi as a side effect!

"I'm hungry too!" Naruto proclaimed loudly as though he needed to inform the entire street.

"Couldn't the same be said for you too?" Kikyo quirked an eyebrow.

"Nu-uh! Hotaru eats more than me!"

"Hotaru eats more than everyone."

"Hey! I can't help it. Can I Hanji?" she asked the fluffy brown and white St. Bernard.

"Arf!"

"Hanji agrees." She nodded.

"Hanji only agrees because you feed him." Sasuke pointed out.

"Nu-uh!"

"Whatever." Kikyo waved her cousin off and spied a sweets shop. "How about a treat before lunch? I got some money Nee-san gave me for helping her organize raw materials earlier this week." The six year old proudly held out her earnings to show the other three.

"I don't really have much of a sweet tooth," Sasuke reminded them.

"Then you don't have to get anything." Kikyo scoffed.

"Yeah! Let's get some sweets!" Naruto cheered.

"Oooh, I hope they have some chocolate covered cherries!" Hotaru squealed.

"Oh! I want some too!"

"I personally want a caramel apple." Kikyo counted her pocket money. She should have enough and as long as they paid her back – Hotaru was always fine to do so on her own, Itachi-san would make Sasuke, and Naruto always paid back in labor and sparing matches – she was fine lending them a bit. But when the four reached the entrance of candy shop the store owner stood in the doorway, blocking their path. "Excuse you." Kikyo raised an eyebrow at the nervous looking old man.

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but they can't come in." His eyes darted to Hotaru and Naruto. This infuriated Kikyo. How dare he look at them like that?! This would happen every now and again when the children were out on their own, but even when they were with adults Kikyo could see that some other people, especially grown-ups, would give both Naruto and Hotaru dirty looks as though they did something really inappropriate. Sure, Naruto was stupid and Hotaru could be a stick in the mud but that was no reason to be mean to them!

"Why not?" Kikyo crossed her arms as Hotaru and Naruto shied away like they always did when faced with the unfair grown-ups.

The shop owner began to sweat a little. "You are more than welcome to come in young lady, and the other boy, but I'm sorry. I can't allow people like them," His eyes darted to the green haired girl and the blonde. "In my shop… or the dog."

"You already said you wouldn't let Naruto in," Sasuke said.

"Hey!"

"Arf?"

"No Hanji, you shed. Now sit," He continued to stand with his tail wagging. "I said to sit." Still standing. "Oh whatever! Just stand there!" He sat. "Good boy."

Kikyo considered this for the quickest second before sighing and shrugging her shoulders. "Well, if those are the rules. Sorry Naruto, Hotaru. I guess you can't come in." Both their jaws hit the ground. "But don't worry, I'll go get Papa and bring him back so he can come in and get your treats for you." She beamed at them before turning back to the shop owner with a wide grin and a gleam in her eye. Very glad to see him quickly losing color. "Or maybe I should just go get Oji, I think he might be closer." She tapped her chin, thinking about it.

"N-n-n-no-no-no! That's not necessary! Not necessary at all! I was only kidding! Please! Don't take this old fool seriously! All of you are more than welcome inside and please, take as long as you need to decide on what you want!" The man was white and sweating profusely as he ushered them inside. Kikyo smirked, she knew threatening him with Papa and Oji would work, neither of them reacted well when people were mean to Hotaru and Naruto for no reason.

Kikyo held her head high as she waltzed into the shop and Naruto quickly followed cheering about his chocolate cherries.

Hotaru paused at the door and gave the shop keeper a sympathetic look. "I am very sorry." She bowed respectfully. "Daddy isn't even in the village at the moment… but thanks for letting us in!" She stood up and skipped inside.

"You got played~." Sasuke pointed at the man as he walked past him as well, making his jaw hit the ground.

~Tomoe~

Kikyo was walking with her big sister through the training field. She was a little beat up of course but felt that she made some serious progress in her kenjutsu that day. She always felt like that when Kitsune trained her. She looked up to the young teen and envied her. Kitsune's fair skin wasn't sweaty or blemished in the tiniest sense, her kenjutsu uniform was perfectly intact and wasn't dirty at all, and her shiny brown, straight hair was tied back in a perfect ponytail without even a single lock out of place. She didn't even break a sweat during the kenjutsu match!

Kikyo huffed and examined herself in comparison. Her clothes were twisted, covered in mud, and a little bloody, her face was drenched in sweat and dirt from being laid out on her ass so many times, and her messy brown ponytail was sticking out in all directions because she was running and rolling around for so long.

"Nee-san, how did you get so good at kenjutsu?" Kikyo asked.

"Hm?" The older Tadashi looked down at her and gave her a kind smile. "Well, I practiced every day of course and I had a good teacher."

"Didn't Papa teach you? Or Oji?" She cocked her head.

Kitsune laughed. "Yes, of course they did, but someone very special also helped me out and looked after me when they were too busy. I have her to thank with a lot of my early progress."

"So, she looked after you and took care of you and taught you kenjutsu?"

"Yes, I looked up to her, I still do in fact." There was nostalgia in her eyes.

"So you had a big sister too!?" Kikyo exclaimed.

Kitsune paused and thought about it before giggling a little. "I suppose I did."

"I wanna meet her!" Kikyo's eyes sparkled a little. Another Kitsune?! She couldn't wait!

"Okay." Kitsune smiled. "We can stop by her home and see if she's there. I haven't visited Tomoe-san in a while anyway." She took Kikyo by the hand and led the little girl to a small house near a wooded area.

"I thought she said she was a sister Nee-san?" Kikyo cocked her head. "Why isn't she in the compound?"

Kitsune chuckled. "Tomoe-san isn't really my sister Kikyo. I just looked up to her like one. And she doesn't live on the compound because she had an argument with her parents a long time ago and moved into a house away from it."

"Oh." Kikyo looked up at the door as Kitsune knocked on it.

Suddenly there was an angry shriek that made the six year old jump. "IF THIS ISN'T IMPORTANT THEN YOU BETTER NOT DAMN WELL BE THERE WHEN I GET TO THAT DOOR!" a very angry voice roared from somewhere in the house.

"… I think I changed my mind Nee-san."

"But she's in such a good mood today." Kitsune smiled.

…

…

Kikyo wasn't sure how to respond to that, but on the bright side she didn't have to because the door pulled open. In the entry way was a pretty looking woman that looked to be in her early twenties- but that's not too surprising seeing as the lady was Tadashi- with black spiky hair with the ends colored in a bright red to contrast the black and was styled in a short pixie cut that made the spikes in her hair look like they were styled that way. Her eyebrow was twitching as she swung the door open and glared for a second before her expression softened just a teeny tiny bit.

"Tomoe-san," Kitsune gave the grumpy lady a kind smile.

The grouch's gaze went from Kitsune then shot down to Kikyo then back to her sister before lifting an eyebrow. "Kitsune, why did you bring a runt to my house?"

Kikyo was beginning to wonder the same. This nasty lady wasn't anything like Nee-san.

"Tomoe-san, this is my little sister Kikyo. She had been curious as to whom had taught me kenjutsu growing up so I thought we could stop by and say hello. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important," she said with a concerned expression.

"Eh, just settling a bet." She shrugged.

"Oh? So you have company?"

"No, why would I have company?"

"Well, you said you were settling a bet."

"I don't need company to settle a fucking bet." She crossed her arms. Man, and Naruto, Hotaru, and Sasuke thought Kikyo was mean. "I'm actually just waiting on it to cool so I have a minute." She leaned against the door frame.

"Cool?" Kikyo looked up. "Are you cooking something?"

"No Runt, I'm making a sword," she scoffed.

"I'm not a runt you nasty bitch!" Kikyo shook her fist, using Papa's term for mean ladies.

"Kikyo!" Kitsune planted her fist on her sister's skull. "What have I told you about that kind of language?! And what's going through your head?! Disrespecting Tomoe-san like that!"

"Tch, disrespecting? Might as well be my name." She shrugged.

Kikyo scrunched her nose. "She's nothing at all like you said Nee-san."

"Oh? You been talking about me?" Tomoe lifted an eyebrow at Kitsune.

"Kikyo was curious as to how I learned much of my rudimentary kenjutsu and I told her you were the one who taught me." She continued to smile, completely used to the rude lady.

"Oh really?" Tomoe looked back down at the six year old. "Let's see how good of a teacher you are Kitsune." A malicious smirk came over the older woman.

"W-what?" Kitsune paled a little. "Tomoe-san, I'd rather not have my little sister be killed anytime soon."

"You're on!"

"Kikyo!"

"Heh, nice guts." Tomoe cracked her knuckles.

"Like this old shrew could do anything." Kikyo crossed her arms and smirked.

"Oh, you'll see Runt."

"The name's Kikyo, Bitch!" She liked Papa's term better.

"Kikyo!"

"Eh, I don't know if you're worth a name yet brat." Tomoe ushered them through her little house, grabbing a bokken and a real katana.

"You're getting a bokken? What? Afraid to fight me with a real sword?"

"Oh no sweety, the bokken is for me and the katana here is for you." She tossed the heavy sword at the six year old. "That way you might stand a chance without dying." Kikyo was getting more and more tick marks on her head as the seconds passed.

"Tomoe-san, why do you even have a bokken? If you don't mind my asking."

"It comes in handy when smacking unruly guests upside the head." She swung and smacked Kikyo.

"Ow! Shit!"

"Kikyo!"

"You see?" She smirked.

"Oh dear." Kitsune messaged her temples, clearly regretting her decision to visit Tomoe.

The three entered a decently sized back yard and the bitch stood on the other side of the clearing. "Okay! You get first move Runt!" she shouted to Kikyo.

"Why? Afraid to attack?"

"No, this way I can plead self-defense if I accidentally kill you."

Kikyo's eyebrow was twitching once again as she unsheathed the katana. She hadn't gotten to work with a real blade but a few times and only then it was with either Papa or Kitsune because Oji always lost and got hit between the legs…

Hey! Don't judge her! He never guarded there and she was taught to take advantage of openings!

The girl pulled the sword out into position and charged, changing direction and trajectory at the last second and coming from above. This apparently didn't fool Tomoe though because her sword moved almost too fast for Kikyo to see and was able to block it! How the hell could she even do that?! Kikyo's blade was down and aimed straight at her and all she had was a wooden bokken!

With a flick of her wrist the force of Tomoe's swing tossed Kikyo several feet away and sent her rolling on the ground. But she wouldn't let that stop her! The girl jumped back up to her feet and swung her sword at the bitchy grown-up only to have her catch the sword and redirect the blade into the ground.

"Bitch!" Kikyo ducked Tomoe's swing from her bokken and tried to pull her sword only for the wooden sword to come back around, sending Kikyo flying and landing on her back. Before Kikyo could find her feet this time she felt the pressure of a foot on her chest. She looked up to find Tomoe standing over her with the real sword pointed at Kikyo's throat. Somehow she had been able to pull it out one handed because the bokken was still in her other hand.

"Look at that, you aren't worth a name yet."

Kikyo was fuming.

"Tomoe-san, I would appreciate it if you pulled your sword away from my sister." Kitsune gave the other Tadashi a scolding look.

"Don't get your fucking ponytail in a twist. The fucking kid just needed to be knocked down a few levels, that's all." She smirked and twirled her katana. "Not bad for a little runt, but she's gotta watch her back better. I had, like, three or four chances at least to take her down from behind. Her movements are too wide and open, she needs to learn to stay in a smaller field of motion while carrying out techniques."

"I know, we've been working on that." Kitsune smiled at her sister and played with her hair, possibly attempting to clean it up before they got home.

"All in all though, not bad considering what you have to work with." Tomoe smirked a bitchy smirk at Kikyo. "With a damned little runt like that I'm surprised she can even pick up a sword."

"I'll tear you to shreds!" Kikyo tried to wriggle free but her sister held her back.

"Have fun with that, Runt! Meh!" Tomoe pulled her lower lip down and stuck out her tongue.

"Tomoe-san, Kikyo's the six year old here." Kitsune reminded her.

"Blah, blah, blah." She moved her hand as though it were a mouth. "Now, how about a real match?" She eyed Kitsune.

"Tomoe-san, I—"

"No way! I want a rematch!"

"Shush child, the grown-ups are talking now." She held her hand up to hush the child. "What do you say?"

"I suppose it could be fun." Kitsune unrolled a scroll on her back and unsealed it to reveal two nodachis. The larger one was white and had shiny little diamonds embedded in the handle with a feather design within it leading down to the silver guard and the sheath was covered in silver silk-like material, the other was just a bit shorter with a shiny blood red sheath and the handle was pitch black with a vine design wrapping around down it to the golden guard. Kikyo forgot her anger and grinned at the two swords. Tengokusaya and Kyuketsukitou. Two of the clan's four swords had chosen Kitsune when she had her Ken no Keisho when she was eight. "Here you are Tomoe-san." She held out Kyuketsukitou which Tomoe took without hesitation.

"There you are you traitorous bastard!" she growled but held the sword tenderly.

"Hey! How is that even possible?!" Kikyo pointed accusingly.

"Please, who the fuck do you think your sister inherited in from?" Tomoe scoffed.

"Wait, you had the sword before Nee-san?!"

"Yup, had this puppy for years." She unsheathed it to reveal the scarlet blade.

"How long?" Kikyo cocked her head.

"Since I was six." She stood with the blade and Nee-san unsealed another sword she had forged.

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Kikyo was six and she was still years away from her Ken no Keisho! "That's even sooner than yours Nee-san!"

"I know, Sweety." Kitsune chuckled.

"We gonna sit here and pussy foot all day or are we going to spar?" Tomoe tapped her foot impatiently.

Pussy foot? Kikyo would have to use that.

Kitsune apparently could read minds. "Tomoe-san, great, now Kikyo's going to use that now."

"I am so glad I can educate young minds."

"Okasan won't be," Kitsune mumbled as Tomoe lunged with the scarlet blade only for the young brunette to block it with her own sword and it began.

Kikyo tried to watch, she really did. But there were points to where Tomoe and Kitsune looked all blurry and she couldn't even make out their movements or distinguish which techniques they were throwing at each other. But every now and again Kikyo would catch a glimpse of lightning that must have been from her sister or a wave of flames that might have come from Tomoe's side.

If that experience taught Kikyo anything, it would be that she was going to have to work harder to get up to their level.