Chapter 4- The Boy and his Father. My First Friend.
And so, training pretty much replaced playing with the clan kids. Thank you fucking Office Lady.
I moved my body slowly as I moved from standing with both hands out to my right arm back and slide my feet further apart. I then moved it downwards, in a semi-circle, before reaching out with the palm of my hand, my left palm followed before my right foot met air.
"Reika." I stopped my Kata before looking over at my father.
"Yes, Otou-san?" I asked, my concentration solely on the task at hand. I kept my foot in the air, arching my back, before taking hold of it in my hands. I felt the stretch and was content to stay in the position, wobbling only to some extent.
"I know you know the Kata by heart." He said. "Speed up your movements."
I scowled looking at him.
"But my technique!" I remarked.
"You do not have any major flaws in your technique, Reika." My father smiled, pride showing in his eyes. "And you practice every morning before your mother is up anyway." I looked at him sheepishly.
"Nothing can be hidden from the Byakugan, my daughter."
I put my foot down before sighing.
"Yes, Otou-san." I said before moving into position. This time I worked twice as fast. The speed definitely sapped away from my coordination.
I ended the sequence with a thrust of my left palm and scowled. My form was messy, my kicks were not nearly as high or powerful as when I took my time. This body needs to be trained more.
Clapping was heard from the porch and I turned around. My mother grinned happily at me.
"Good job Reika-chan!" she said, causing me to blush in embarrassment. My father laughed at the red that painted my face, before going towards my mother.
I don't know what I did to deserve them, but I loved these people, and they were so good to me.
My father kissed her cheek and she looked at him lovingly. I loved the sight. I never had that in my old life. I don't think I can remember the last time that I remember my old parents having any sort of intimate contact. My old parents didn't love each other after I was born. They had even slept in different beds and rooms.
But I got a good family in this life. I was lucky. These people were not shy in showing affection to each other within the household. They truly loved each other.
I actually found it quite surprising considering the Hyuga were definitely a traditional clan, and outward affection would probably considered inappropriate.
But it was hard, I must say, to trust them. To give them the chance to be my parents. To allow them to love me. But the hardest I must say was for my now-mother. This mother will not be like my past-mother. If there is anything I know, it is that there is no two people the same. So it doesn't mean, just because she has the same title in this life, that she will act the same. The same thing goes for my father. So that is why I try. I try to be their daughter.
"When do you have to be at the gates?" My mother asked my father.
He looked up at the sun before doing the calculations in his head.
"In thirty minutes," he sighed before giving her a peck on the lips.
"You will be leaving on a mission?" I asked walking over to the couple. I stood beside them and looked up at his face. It was strangely glowing a bit more them usual.
"Yes, I have a A-rank with a couple of other Jonin." He said, a well-hidden hint of excitement tainted his voice. "I'll be gone for the week."
"Who's leading?" My mother asked catching onto his eagerness. She smiled at him, quite amused. My father's lips twitched.
"Sakumo." I froze looking at my parents in shock.
I knew that name. Sakumo.
White hair and black eyes came to mind.
A knife full of blood, and a depressed teenager
"Sakumo-kun?" My mother asked, she smiled. "We have not seem him in years. I'm sure you will be able to catch up fast."
I cocked my head to the side before tugging on my father's pants.
"Yes, Reika?" he asked.
"Whose Sakumo-san?" I asked.
My father smiled before picking me up and hugging me close.
"Sakumo was one of my Genin teammates." He said. "Although he was already a Chunin when I was assign to the team."
Interesting.
"Why have I not met him?" I asked curiously. My father laughed before kissing my forehead.
"You will, Reika. You will."
And so that day came sooner than I thought.
-.-
"Reika, put everything away, we are going to the park." My head snapped away from the book that laid under me.
"The park?" I groaned. My father smiled down at me and nodded to the door.
"Yes, you need to be social." He told me. "You've been focusing on the book for much too long."
I looked up at the clock and read two in the afternoon. I had been reading since the early morning.
To be honest, I was trying my hardest to start learning to read the language. But as a three year old, that was harder than expected, some characters I could recognize, such as 'person', or 'tree.' I personally liked the symbols for tree, some trees and forest. It was quite repetitive. But for the most part, I was looking at the photos trying to associate the words with the picture, guessing what it was about. In doing this, I was able to figure some out that way.
My parents were quite surprised when I ran to them, asking if it really was the symbol for fire. They thought I was just looking at the symbols. Little did they know I was on my way to learning the language.
I squeaked when my father picked me up, and over his shoulder. Within moments we were out the door.
I quietly pouted in his arms, not wanting to go.
I didn't want to have to go watch and 'play' with the other Hyuga kids. They were mean and stuck up and I was seriously going to get in trouble again.
As I was lost in thought, I didn't realize that the compound was getting further away. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
"Otou-san, Where are we going?" I asked.
"The park." he said.
"But it's that way!" I pointed in the opposite way. He chuckled.
"So you want to go play with the other Clan kids that bad?" he asked. I glared and he smiled at my expression and lack of response.
"We are going to a different park today." I scrunched up my face, more kids, more screaming but from different families. At least the adults wouldn't glare at me.
"Why?"
"Because you will need to know the kids that are going to be in your class starting next year." He said. "They will end up on your Genin team and thus you will have to get along."
"But they are so immature!" I whined. He shook his head as we turned the corner.
"No, Reika, you are just too mature." I shrugging not denying it. I wasn't going to correct him. All Hyuga children are somewhat more mature then regular kids. It comes with our environment. We had to be all business, the child was taken out of us at a young age. But that was fine, the less time I have to be a child, the more time I can spend training, and eventually, messing with the timeline.
The idea of being a 'Genius' will benefit me. I lived in the era of the Third Hokage, When Sakumo was still alive. The Second Ninja War was coming to it's end, and the Third will come soon after. And I still didn't know in which way will I take part in it. But those thoughts are for a different day.
We turned into an open area and I was faced with a playground. Slides, monkey bars, spider webs, and swings… oh how I've missed swings. As I child I used to swing all day, anything to get out of the house. It felt liberating, like I could fly.
"Hiza!"
I looked to the voice to see a man sitting on one of the benches. My father grinned.
Sakumo looked young. He didn't have any wrinkles like he would have in the future. He was dressed in his normal blue uniform with his Chunin vest over it. On his left arm a piece of white material surrounded it. Red triangles surrounded the sleeve with the Uzumaki swirl in the center. He was hunched over on his knees, lazily saluting my father as we came over.
"Sakumo! Nice to see you!" He said putting me down. I was silent, unsure what to make of this man. He seemed nice as he conversed with my father. But I knew that sometime in the future, right after his son would graduate, he would kill himself.
That coward, how dare he abandon his son to deal with his mess.
"Reika?" I was startled out of my thoughts by my father calling me.
"Yes?" I asked innocently. He nodded to Sakumo and my attention drifted back to the older Hatake.
"Hello, my name is Hatake, Sakumo, what is yours?" he asked. He slipped off the bench and came to my level. I studied him for a few seconds before deciding that I might be able to like him. His eyes were black, bright and full of life but the black circles said another story. He must have a hard time sleeping. After all, that's what happens when you're put in the position of survival. Especially when you are a genuinely nice person.
I knew it all too well.
"Nice to meet you, Hatake-san." I bent at the waist, trying to play the part of the obedient Hyuga child. "My name is Hyuga Reika."
He studied me for a few seconds before he blurted out in laughter.
"Hatake-san?!" he wiped at his eyes before grinning. "I feel like you are talking to my father, just call me Sakumo."
Damn…. Thinking back, I think that was probably the moment where my opinion of him started to change.
"Yes, Sakumo-san."
"Very polite child you have there, Hiza." He told my father.
"Yes," he said, ruffling my brown hair. "But only when she wants to."
I glared up at him and flatted it out again.
"I don't think I've ever seen a disobedient Hyuga." Sakumo got up before placing his hands on his hips. "Well, other than you."
"That was mostly because of you had me in trouble all the time." He teased.
"Who's this?"
I looked to the rude kid that suddenly appeared at Sakumo's side and immediately realized who it was. I resisted a the shit-eating grin that wished to break free.
"Why don't you introduce yourself and find out." Sakumo lightly scolded the kid. The kid shrugged but did as his father asked.
"I'm Hatake, Kakashi, and you are?" he asked me. He looked the same age as me, maybe a bit older. He stood upright, and confident with his signature gravity-defying white hair and the same black eyes. His blue mask covered the bottom half of his face with his shuriken scarf wrapped around his neck.
"Hyuga, Reika."
Little did I know, this was the start of a wonderful, but sad relationship.
And with it, began my ripple.
-.-
It was odd.
I stood on a branch watching Kakashi struggle to get up to me and scratched my head.
My chakra network developed very fast. As months flew by, we truly began to notice how large my reserves are. I was three and my chakra reserves were nearing the level of a low Genin.
I had large reserves, so what! Lots of other characters had the same, Sasuke, Uzumaki Mito, The Second Hokage, Naruto, Kisame, Kushina, A, Nagato…
But if large reserves meant poor chakra control, how could I control my chakra so well. I was three and had mastered the tree-climbing exercise within no time.
Was it because I was a 'Genius?' No. that was what the others said. But I knew it was different. Both of my parents had great chakra control, but even they didn't learn as fast as I did.
"I swear I'll be able to get up there within the hour!" Kakashi fumed as he picked himself up off the ground. I stayed silent as I continued to think.
No, it was my rebirth. That must be what caused my control.
I concentrated on the living river that flowed throughout my body and hummed. I lived so long without having chakra and now that I do, it came easy to be able to control.
I jumped down from a branch and looked towards Kakashi as he launched himself back up the tree.
This was no longer this invincible 'Chi' that my teacher in my old life had dragged on about. An energy that flowed throughout your body and nourished your movements. It is not a force that people could deny. This was something I could see. And with my sudden exposure to it, I was able to control the flow and distribution with relative ease.
I took one step onto the tree before testing it with a tug. My foot stayed planted. I took one more step and held myself vertical. It put strain on my core and I flexed my abdominal muscles to keep me straight.
This control was scary. I guess genetics somewhat helped. The Hyuga always had good control. They had to as their techniques relied on the release of chakra from the pores and the maintenance of its shape.
"Very good, Reika!"
My concentration cut off and I smack onto the ground.
"OW!" I ground before I heard Kakashi laugh from the branch I had previously stood on. It took a bit longer but he was definitely up there.
"Oh zip it!" I snapped at him. I could almost see the smile appear from behind his mask.
Sakumo also laughed from beside me.
I blushed and crossed my arms. I wasn't really upset, just embarrassed.
"What do you two say to Dango?" the white-haired man said, my ears perked up and I looked at Kakashi. He caught my eye and I couldn't help but grin.
"Sounds good!" Kakashi jumped down from the branch and hit the ground next to me.
"Then get going." Sakumo said. Kakashi went forward and grabbed his father's hand. It was a cute sight.
I never had that growing up the first time. I had always been quite jealous of being able to hold my parents hand. My mother never wanted to touch me and my father was just too busy.
"Reika!" I shook my away my thoughts and saw the hand that extended towards me. I followed it to Kakashi's face.
With a small grin, I gripped his hand and he helped me up.
His grip didn't let go as we started to walk away, hand in hand. Like train. My heart beat excitedly inside me.
I was happy. So very happy.
I felt as if I finally belonged somewhere. Like I was really alive, and that everything that had happened in my other life was a dream.
But little did I know just how entrenched my other life still was.
-.-
Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone has had a good week. We had crappy weather here in Greece this weekend so I had lots of time to write. The story has finally began to go on its way. With Kakashi and Sakumo's appearance, you can be sure that Reika will become more integrated into the Naruto Plot.
Anyway. Enjoy and thank you for your views, Favorites, follows and Reviews. It means alot and i'm always looking forward to seeing them.
RavenMocker6
Thank you again KatherynthePyro-Bitch for pointing out how the whole branch/main family thing didn't work. I went back and corrected it.
Dark Roe Charm you got your wish. Kakashi has arrived. Obito and Rin will be coming soon, I believe in a few chapters but don't quote me on that.
FireBirdOn, I hope it lives up to your and everyone else's expectations.
Silverlined Phoenix, that is exactly why i put her as a Hyuga. No one would expect it, and it creates so much conflict that i couldn't help it. My option was as Nara, but this one won out. Oh and little hint... The title is perfect for the story, so keep it in mind when you read.
Guest(1), to answer your question, Reika was 25 years old when she died. Like i told Silverlined Phoenix, the theme of Karma is very important in the story. you might only get it later, but keep it in mind. ;)
Guest(2), I'm actually quite surprised that it was the title that hooks people in. usually i'm shit at coming up with them. i guess i was lucky this time around. Reika+Hyuga=Trouble. That's all i'm going to say.