I do not own Naruto.
The estate of the Kirinketsu Clan was in unrest. Attendants ran about notifying the family elders of the news, Kirinketsu Ayaka was in labor. The estate had a room specifically for the situation. The Kirinketsu clan was a clan of traditions, and no one of the dragon's blood had ever been born outside of the estate. Although, tradition could only be blamed partly for this, every child of the Kirinketsu clan born off of the estate grounds was cursed in some way and all of them ended in suicide.
It was to protect the blood as much as it was to follow traditions.
The room was decorated with large silks of white and yellow and green. A few tubs made of silver filled with boiling water were placed around the center of the room. At the center, the silks were arranged thickly, so that the people within them could not be seen. An attendant entered the center, pulling back the curtains revealing a beautiful woman screaming in agony, her belly swollen with child.
Sweat poured down her face as she screamed, her chestnut hair was a mess around her face and uniquely hued eyes. They were not just one color in the irises; they reflected the chestnut of her hair and the green of the dragon she represented. She was squeezing the hand of a similarly beautiful man, Kirinketsu Fusao, hair the same color as hers but with eyes of a different pedigree. His eyes were a pale gray with no strange illusion about them. The woman screamed in agony again.
An old frail looking woman entered the room; she carried a pack that she gently placed down alongside the silks surrounding the pair. From the pack she drew a sort of stand carved as a dragon, made of gold with all manner of precious gems and stones encrusted around it, forming a crystal-like rainbow. She placed it in front of her and then drew a crystal ball from the pack as well, placing it on the dragon stand. She began chanting over it, and a light glow began to shine from the center of it.
A doctor entered the silks while the woman chanted, and soon the woman started screaming louder than before. It was exactly noon when the woman's screams began to die down and the screaming of a baby picked up instead. The doctor exited the silks with the baby in her arms and the woman still screaming, though not as much.
"There will be a second child, although it won't be for several hours," said the crone as she nodded at one of the attendants, who came and took the now bathed baby from the doctor, and then passed the child off to the old woman. The woman held the child gingerly; a thin hand gently went over the baby's face and head. Her eyes were auburn, like her hair. She held the babe over the faintly glowing crystal ball and suddenly the light grew, brighter and brighter. The woman saw the projected images of the sun and a bright yellow dragon surrounding it. A flash came across the room and when she looked at the baby's eyes again, there was yellow there as well.
"Kirinketsu Taiyoko, a solar dragon's blood runs through her veins," the old woman slowly croaked out. The crystal's light began to fade back to the simple tiny light from before.
An attendant came and took the baby from her, while another wrote down her words. The woman began chanting over the ball again.
Almost twelve hours had passed since the first child had been born. Kirinketsu Ayaka had begun screaming in the terrible way she had when Taiyoko was born. The doctor entered the silks again and shortly after, the woman's screams stopped and a baby's cry could be heard. The doctor exited the silks, baby in hand with the father close behind her. He looked so drawn of energy, but he knew he had a duty. He took a seat across from the old woman who continued chanting up until the point that the second baby was born. She ran her hand over the baby's face and bright eyes, as white as snow with hair to match. She held the babe over the crystal ball and this time she saw images of the moon with a deep purple dragon surrounding it. Again there was a flash across the room and when it was gone, the baby's eyes were purple as well.
"Kirinketsu Tsukiko, a lunar dragon's blood runs through her veins," The baby was taken from her and she packed her things. As she was leaving, there was a flash of light only she could see and when it was gone, a troubled look was on her face.
"Fusao-san," she called to the tired man still within the room, "come with me." She walked off not waiting for an answer. Fusao quickly got up to follow her.
"Yes Kirinketsu-sama?"
The Kirinketsu seer was quiet as they walked. She guided him through the garden until they stood at a koi fish pond.
"You do realize these are the first twins born in many a generation."
"Yes, I am aware of this. I feel privileged knowing I am partly responsible." He beamed with pride.
"Kirinketsu Tsukiko will be like her elder sister Mihari, and Taiyoko will be like her mother in ways unimaginable," she sighed sadly "If you do not get the younger child away from here, the elder will see her killed. That child though born with the sun has an evil soul. She will one day leave Garyuugakure and seek out power for no reason other than her greed for she will already be a very powerful girl."
Her words were met with silence.
"If you make the right choices, at the right moments, you will live long enough to one day see your children again. But cowardice will not help you. Steel your resolve and your life will be spared."
It had only been a few months since the twins' birth and already the sightseer's words proved themselves to be true. Taiyoko, though just a babe still on her belly, had a cruelness about her that worried Fusao constantly. She pulled at her sister's hair, hit her with anything she could find and even bit her with toothless gums. Poor Tsukiko had such a gentle nature but the constant crying from being bullied by her sister made Ayaka angrier by the day.
"How can any child of mine be that much of a crybaby," she sneered at her snow-white haired child and walked away after picking up the elder twin. "Take care of that noise," she instructed the nearest serving girl. "And where is my husband?!" her foot stamped down on the floor as she started searching for him.
"FUSAO!"
"Aya? What's wrong?" Fusao came from around the corner having already started heading in that direction to see if Tsukiko was crying because of Taiyoko again.
"That baby, Fusao. For as long as I was in labor has not been worth it so far!" She fumed as they walked, carrying Taiyoko.
Poor Tsukiko, tormented constantly by her sister but Ayaka wouldn't understand. She's just say-
"She's weak Fusao. Weak and worthless." Ayaka interrupted and finished his thought simultaneously. "I'm of a mind to send her to school early so she can be taken care of in one of the early tests."
She can't really be serious? What kind of mother sends their child to a slaughterhouse…
"It would be the most effective and least suspicious way to handle her, certainly." He felt sick to his stomach, having to agree with her like this. But what other choice did he have? Defy the Matriarch? Tell the head of one of the most ruthless ninja clans she's wrong? No, he'd do as the seer told him. He was going to get Tsukiko out of there and soon. And he had just the reason to do it.
"How soon do you think we should enroll her darling?" the Matriarch said casually while playing Taiyoko.
"Ahh I'm sure you'll know when it's time. But I've just remembered I'm supposed to check up on our border outposts this coming week. You should know I'll be gone for a while."
"Oh I hate it when you go," she rested her head on his shoulder.
"It's only for a little while and I always come back." It was true, even when there had been some close calls, he always survived. He was an experienced nin himself. Maybe it was time one of those close calls finally finished him off…
A sudden clattering down the hall drew their attention. A young servant girl had tripped with a serving tray of hot tea and tea cups. The teapot was smashed and only one of the cups had survived the fall. Ayaka walked towards her and knelt beside her inspecting the teapot.
"Now what's this?" Holding Taiyoko in one arm, she poked her finger into a hot pool of tea and tasted it. "White plum berry? You've just wasted my favourite tea." She sighed.
"I'm so soory mistress! It won't ever happen ever again, I promise you. It's just the floor was just washed and I was in a hurry-" Ayaka took the girl by the hair.
"You think I want to hear your excuses?" her face was contorted with rage. Then a moment later that rage was gone. She smiled at the girl "Yuka was your name right?" The girl nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "Well Yuka, I need you to retrieve something for me. If you go into the basement and go all the way to the back room there's a door there. Knock twice and tell them 'the dragon has called'." She stood and made to rejoin Fusao.
"W-what am I looking for m'lady?" Yuka asked, picking up the broken pieces of teapot and teacups. Her face was white with fear; those words were only ever spoken in hushed whispered tones. Servants who were given these instructions by Ayaka were usually never heard from again
"Don't worry; you'll know what it is when you get there."
Fusao looked at the young girl with deep sympathy.
If only she wasn't already in a terrible mood from Tsukiko's crying, you might've lived to see another day
He looked away hiding his sadness from his cruel wife.
That's it. Tsukiko and I will escape this place. Tonight.
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Author's Note: Thanks so much to the few of you following! It's been almost two weeks since the first chapter and this one is notably longer by 300ish words. If the chapters are too long, please let me know, I'll divide them up a bit more. Otherwise they'll probably stay around this length as one I start writing and I'm on a roll it kind of just flows from there, heh. I hope the jump to the past wasn't too much. It might've been better to publish this chapter first but.. I think I prefer it in this order. Chapter 3 is already started so I think it should be a week or so for it to come out, I want to make sure it's polished and all.. Ahh okay, now I'm just talking far too much. Take care all!
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