Ouroboros: The family of Outcasts.
Some days you just knew couldn't become bad. From the very moment you woke up you knew with all your heart that the hours that lay ahead would be great. For Namikaze Kimiko, today was such a day. Having woken up early, Kimiko now flew between her large wardrobe and the full-body mirror beside it. She was giddy with eagerness. Jumping into her usual bicycle shorts and red-and-orange vest with matching arm and leg-warmers she fixed her hair into two pigtails.
She took a glance at the clock, thinking that noon couldn't come fast enough. When she was done she shot down the stairs to the kitchen, finding that breakfast was already on the table. She came down the stairs like a shooting star, heading for the breakfast table but ending up instead tripping, crashing down the stairs. She landed in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the long flight, her parents both throwing but a quick glance at her. They were that used to this and Kimiko was up in half a second this time as well. She landed in her chair and grabbed the chop-sticks instantly. With a speed that was amazing even for her, Kimiko wolfed the breakfast down. She didn't feel the taste, only being concerned with filling up her stomach so she could get away faster.
Her mom said something about taking it easy but Kimiko was too eager to pay her any heed. She put down the empty bowl after only a few a seconds and got up from the table, yelling a quick "thank you" before she shot towards the door. She came to a screeching halt as mom grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and forced her to stop.
"Mom!" she yelled in protest but mom was relentless.
"Sit down again," she told her daughter with a smile. "I know you're eager but I need to fix this. Kimiko started to struggle however, not interested at all in this any of this.
"I can't sit down!" she yelled, trying to get out of her mother's grip. "They'll be here soon!"
"Sit down!" mom told her again, this time with authority. It wasn't that much force but it was mom-authority, a kind of authority more potent than sage-chakra was amongst chakras. Kimiko went limp now and sat down with a petulant look on her face. She folded her arms and allowed her mother to start fixing her hair. She fidgeted a bit, earning a slap over her head by her mother at this.
"You know what Kimiko-chan..." her mother said after a while, "I think you've got potential for another hairstyle nowadays... let me try something."
"Mom!" Kimiko yelled, panicking. She tried to get away but a quick nerve-pinch from her mother made her limp.
"Don't fuss around Kimiko-chan," mom told her. "It won't take that long." Kimiko wasn't convinced though, she remembered last time when mom had started this, they had been keeping at it for an hour. As she slowly got her ability to move back she started thinking of an escape plan, her thoughts being rattled about by the fact that her hair was being pulled at. About thirty seconds later she had enough movement however to desperately throw herself off the chair, rolling in under the table and crawling in behind dad's legs.
"I don't have the time!" she shrieked, her dad choking on the soup he was drinking. As Kimiko got off the floor to hide behind dad she noticed something in the mirror out in the hallway, she could see it from where she stood. Her mom had untied her pigtails, giving her a curtain of hair down her neck but she still had two smaller pigtails. Blinking at the sight, she thought to herself that it didn't actually look that bad. Then she remembered what she had been doing.
"Looks great thank you goodbye!" She yelled as she was already halfway out of the door, heading for the Konoha main gate. If there was one area where Kimiko had always excelled it was psychical activities. Therefore she could dash through the village as fast as she did now. She flew through the village, the buildings around her turning into a blur from the speed. She just couldn't get there fast enough! The only part of her mind that wasn't focused on getting there as fast as possible remembered to stick to the rooftops. Dad had said that she shouldn't run that fast down on the streets and she stuck to that rule at least. Still, it wasn't like it went any slower for that and after only a few minutes she had gotten all the way to the main gate.
Flying through the air, she landed right in front of the gate with a heavy thud that kicked up a small cloud. The two ninjas manning the entry building startled as the girl landed and looked around with an eager face. Not caring that the two older shinobi stared at her like she was crazy, Kimiko tried to see if she could see anything. The eager girl looked down the road that led into the village, hoping to see something as soon as possible.
Five seconds later, in a display of the complete lack of patience that was her signum, she leaped up into the air, managing to get a grip on the lowest of the hinges to one of the massive gates to Konoha. Pushing away from there, she started a series of leaps, vaults and moves that got her higher and higher up the giant gate. After enough jumps she was high enough that she could reach the arc going over the gates and climbed up on it. From here she could see miles in every direction, however the only thing that still drew her attention was the road. Pacing back and forth, she tried to endure the wait. She knew that they'd be here early, usually they stopped for the night about three hours from Konoha, returning the journey at first light. That meant that they had to be here at any second! Why couldn't time speed up?
Kimiko was half a mind to jump down again and start running down the road to meet up with the people that soon would come. As she looked into the distance she was twitching with eagerness, like an anxious racing horse. But then, far in the distance she could see something moving on the road. Taking a gasp of giddy eagerness, she clenched her fists and looked intently at the shapes, almost giggling with delight. Please let it be them...
She kept her eyes at them, watching them like a hawk from her position on top of the gate. Soon they'd be here... soon...
If there was one thing that he hated it was these trips to Konoha. While they did get a warm welcome and most times were seen as family (hell, last time the bloody Hokage had greeted them like distant family members and let them stay over at his place) he still couldn't deal with the whole concept. They were not Konoha nins and everyone knew that, he felt like equal parts a stray puppy and a traitor when being there. The fact that he now and then could find himself actually enjoying being there made it all even worse.
Yet, if there was any doubt in his mind about things as they were they didn't have time to manifest physically. They had been running for three hours straight, starting at dawn and now rapidly approaching Konoha. Normally a trip like this took weeks but they had been moving with "mission-speed" all the time, leaping through the trees at top velocity for a bloody stay of courtesy!
He sure as hell wasn't going to complain though, the person that had set this speed wasn't gonna accept bitching. The boy guessed beast called to beast, the Jinchuuriki were always eager about these trips. And on yet another side, could he blame them for doing that? It was a strange family but to these poor sods it was still family, as much as anything else. Was he jealous? Heck knew.
As they could see the first outline of the gate the group sped up yet a little more. They were dashing at top speed now, the eagerness of the jinchuuriki in the group evident even if it couldn't be told from the face or posture. Thankfully, as they neared the gate, they slowed down. It wasn't a good idea to come dashing through the gate, that could raise all sorts of hell. Still, he was panting and felt almost like he wanted to throw up, running on a full stomach sucked in all sorts of ways.
As they approached the gate he looked around, still a bit fascinated by all the vegetation. Where they came from there wasn't nearly as much plants and wildlife, in fact it was utterly barren. Yeah woods creeped him out, sue him why didn't you. Approaching the gate, he looked forwards to getting in from the wilds and somewhere civilized.
When they were only a few dozen meters from the gate he felt something though. From above, something was watching them! Looking up instinctively, his eyes became fixed on something watching them from above. Standing on the top of the arc going above the gates into Konoha, a distant, hunched down figure could be seen. His heart skipped a beat at the sight, feeling like a mouse in front of a bird of prey.
As if to capitalize on this analogy, the figure hurled itself off the arc and dove from them, a shriek coming from it as it headed for them. He took a step back, reaching for the item on his back, when the person in front of him acted. Said person didn't move, instead only using the powers of the beast inside to make the sand he carried on his back in a gourd move, shooting out and wrapping itself around the attacker before it reached him. The move was quick, without hesitation and decisive. Hovering a few meters above ground, the figure first now could be identified.
Being as short as the average nine year old, in possession of a mass of red hair, a baby-cute face with what looked like whisker marks and vibrantly green eyes, the jinchuuriki of Konoha was easy to identify to say the least. Loud, hyperactive and childish, the person who had frightened him that badly was Namikaze Kimiko.
"Hey Gaara!" the girl said to the person who currently was suspending her in the air.
"Foolish," the Jinchuuriki of Suna, Gaara, said as he looked up at the girl. "You could have died," he said as his sand still kept her in the air. He didn't show it but it was easy to both his companions to tell that he was happy. Kimiko grinned at him at this, his remark seemingly not fazing her.
"Nah, I knew you'd have caught me," she told him as Gaara put her down. Without saying anything more, she jumped Gaara again, this time reaching him and hugging him. This was one of the most creepy things about it all to the boy behind Gaara. Normally the stoic boy's powers shielded him from any touch, the sand moving to intercept and hurt whomever tried to touch him. Yet with Kimiko that was no problem. Apparently the Ichibi feared Kyuubi enough that it didn't dare to oppose it's host when she tried to hug Gaara. This was the reason why this seemingly cheerful and loving hug creeped him out so badly. Yet; Gaara returned the embrace. It was a bit stiff sure but still, there was more emotion in that than what he had shown during the eleven months since last time they were here.
It took several seconds for them to stop hugging, enough to make him feel a bit embarrassed about it all and in the end he coughed subtly. Kimiko seemed to realize there were others there as well now and got off Gaara, grinning at the two others.
"Hi Temari, hi Kankuro!" she greeted them. "Are you staying this time as well?"
"That's the deal kiddo," Kankuro answered neutrally. Normally he couldn't stand kids or even people that acted like little kids. To him Kimiko fell neatly into both categories. Yet Gaara loved her, seemingly more than he even loved his blood siblings, and Kankuro didn't want to take that risk. Gaara was currently having one hand on Kimiko's hair, fiddling with it.
"You've changed your hairstyle," he stated, face as impassive as always. Kimiko giggled though and squirmed away from him. The entire scene was so sickeningly sweet that Kankuro got holes in all his teeth.
"Yeah mom did it," she said, rolling her eyes. "Can you believe that?" she said with an offended voice, "I was going here to greet you and she just like drags me back and tells me to sit down. I mean it's like..." Oh no, here she went off on a tangent. Kankuro mentally plugged his ears and thought about something else, something that didn't involve a diminutive chatterbox... Like hamburger steaks... damn he could go for one now... with lots of spicy dressing and fried potatoes, potatoes with molten cheese on top. He remained thinking about that for a while, feeling how his mouth watered. A large plate of it all, with some good soft drink to go with it. Kankuro remained standing by the gate, dreaming of that wonderful food. When he got out of the daze he realized something however. He was alone! Gaara, Temari and Kimiko had already entered the town, none of them sparing him a second glance. Kankuro now stood alone outside the gates of Konoha like some kind of idiot.
"Hey what the..." he shouted as he hurried after them, "Wait for me damn it!" Shouting and flailing, he hurried after the trio.
"Yo, yo, yo, yo," the obnoxious musclehead beside her kept going as they leapt through the trees. "leapin' onwards, yeah, leapin' onwards. We're dashin' through the trees like a kunai thrown, we're serving the big K on his bigass throne, we're shadows in the night, we're a hurricane, leapin' through the sky and unleashin' steel rain."
The woman was more and more beginning to reach the point where she wanted to strangle someone, preferably him. Thus far she had endured it in silence, thinking that if she let him keep at it he'd give up in the end. For that she had gotten to endure hours on end with endless rhyming, often paused here and there to start experimenting with new verses. Enough was enough though, now she exploded at last.
"For the love of everything that is sacred can't you shut up for five minutes!" she snarled, glaring back at her companion, who instantly fell silent. A look of surprise spread over his face, the musclehead finding it incomprehensible that anyone could disapprove of his rhymes.
"Damn sister, what's with all the the hiss," he said after a second, "You sure you okay 'bout all this?"
"I'm damn well okay with it all if you just can stop yapping for at least a few minutes, you're driving me crazy!" she told him, still gritting her teeth.
"Yeah yeah, cool. Ain't no need to bite my head off here..." her companion backed and kept silent now. For about a minute none of them said anything and the woman savoured the silence. It was almost deafening and she couldn't help but feeling deeply, deeply content at least for a short while. Then however, she was forced to remember that even though the man now leaping in silence behind her was her senior in age he was still such a child. Glancing at him, she could tell he was sulking. Whatever she thought about his rhyming, she still didn't have any right to be that much of a jerk to him did she? He loved it after all, she could have been much more polite about the whole thing.
"Okay, look here," she said now, stopping on the next branch. Her companion stopped as well, folding his arms and looking at her with a sour expression. She sighed at the sight, knowing that he had been hurt by her attack on his favourite pastime. "I don't hate your songs, they're not bad. But I just like to take this time to mentally prepare for the upcoming month. We're entering something that still is hostile territory in many ways, we'll be here for a month. I need to focus. So sing all you want, but can you please wait with that until we're done with the trip? Please?" she gave him a slight smile and held her hands up together now, hoping he'd accept it.
He looked at her for a few seconds now, the sunglasses hiding his eyes so she couldn't see what he was thinking. Yet, after a short while he grinned at her, raising his fist and holding it out against her. It was a bit silly but she accepted it, bumping her fist against his. As petulant as he was, he didn't hold grudges for long.
"Respect sister," he said now, "Let's keep a-movin' an' imma gonna wait with the groovin'"
"Hey, watch it!" she told him, holding up a warning finger in front of him. All she got for that was a wide grin though.
"Hey I'll be doin' the stoppin' when we've continued the hoppin'."
"Ugh." She gritted her teeth and leaped away to the next branch. A smug chuckle could be heard from behind her but really, she couldn't deny he won that one. Best to not give him any attention though, just like a hyper child that was what he wanted. The duo continued the trip in silence from now on, neither endless verses nor bad mood filling the air now. She felt how her mood steadily improved and when they could see the opening in the trees ahead she was already feeling like the following month might not be that bad after all. Admittedly, there was at least one thing she looked forwards to at the end of this trip.
Coming out of the trees near the gates of Konoha, she and her companion looked around themselves. These walls were impressive, there was no denying that. It would probably take a giant summon to crash through them. The gates that towered high above them, reinforced with both steel and charms, were as impressive. Barring S-class shinobi, you didn't get into Konoha other than by going via the gate, which was guarded, or over the walls, in which case you'd be discovered at once by the security personnel.
Any further thoughts about the security of the place was interrupted when something came flying at her. Hurling itself through the air, she had only just enough time to react before it hit her. Or... it and it, it was a person, a she. The small, hyperactive person that jumped her now and hugged her tightly was Konoha's jinchuuriki, a beautiful little child named Namikaze Kimiko.
"Yugito-neesama!" the girl squealed as Yugito returned the hug and wrapped her arms around the tiny kid that had latched herself onto her. Yugito did have to take a step back from the sheer force in Kimiko's attack but it didn't bother her. She smiled widely, happy to once again be where this wonderful little kid was, the closest thing to a little sister she ever would have.
"Hey ain't I gettin' no hug here?" her companion asked now, folding his arms. Kimiko's head popped up over Yugito's shoulders.
"I dunno Bee-jii," she said with a straight face. "You're too big, I can't reach around you." Speaking with her very own complete honesty, the girl informed Killer Bee about the facts. Yugito found herself having to grit her teeth not to laugh. Take that you musclehead! "No wait I got it!" Kimiko said now, leaping off Yugito and before anyone could react she had jumped up on Killer Bee's shoulders, wrapping her arms and legs around his head and neck.
"Hey watch the glasses midget!" Killer Bee shouted now, starting to flail in an attempt to avoid his glasses being damaged by the girl's hugs. Now Kimiko got something angry in her eyes. She hated being called on her short stature and didn't hesitate to take revenge in whatever ways she could. And now, being only centimetres from Killer Bee's head, she chose the easiest route.
She bit him in the head.
Killer Bee started flailing even worse now, stumbling back and forth in an attempt to get rid of the head-biting little girl. Yugito watched the sight with exasperation, disbelief and amusement in equal measures. She could hear how laughs came from the booth by the gates and glanced at it, seeing two Konoha shinobi she recognized. One of them, a man about her age with a bandana on his head and who was absently chewing on a senbon needle, met her gaze.
"After just one minute in Konoha," he said to her with a wink. "Sure you're not regretting anything beautiful?" Oh ancestors, there it came. The man was already starting to rattle off those cheesy phrases he used on her every time she came here. The worst part about it all was that she wasn't quite sure if he was sincere or parodying it. Beneath all that cheesiness there were signs of something much more subtle. Was he baiting her?
However it was with that though: Yugito wasn't here for that. Walking up to the still flailing Killer Bee, she raised one hand and poked Kimiko in the side. The girl was launched off Killer Bee, flying into the air with a loud squeal. Yep, still ticklish. When Kimiko came falling from the sky Yugito caught her with one hand, holding the girl up to face her.
"Come on hopscotch," she told the little girl with a smile. Kimiko didn't return it, instead she frowned angrily at Yugito with all the petulance only children could show. "We need to unpack." And then, just because she could, she made sure to ruffle the girl's hair despite her whined protests. After all cats were evil weren't they?
He moved silently through the forests, feeling more anxious than he ever had before. On one hand he shouldn't be really. The sealed document in his pocket would get him in without any trouble yet despite that he was nervous, anxious and indeed even terrified. Why? This wasn't a dangerous mission. It wasn't a mission at all come to think of it. Yet still he found himself with a vague feeling of just wanting to run away and not take the risk.
So stupid in a way. Why was he even bothering. This meeting wasn't a place he was welcome to, he just knew it. They already had their small family, why was he going to come and interfere with it? He, the... shut up brain, they were as much "things" as him after all and from what he had heard it hadn't stopped them. Leaping out of the forest and landing on the road there, he looked towards the left and saw the gates far in the distance. With a deep breath, he begun towards it, remembering the things that had led up to him doing this.
"Indeed, once a year the jinchuuriki of Kumo and Suna comes to visit Konoha so they can play family together." That single line, delivered with a voice as dry as could be an indeed even a derisive smugness had nevertheless awoken a longing in him. A family was something he never had thought he'd be able to claim for himself. The fact that he was a jinchuuriki remained as a big, fat barrier between him and anyone else. Oh sure, there were girls whose interest were sparked by the prospect of being with a jinchuuriki but he had long ago realized that all they wanted was a thrill. They expected a monster in human skin, a beast whose hunger they would get to enjoy... he just found that creepy. It wasn't at all what he wanted.
His longing for what he had gotten hinted might be found here had gone so far that in the end, when the his Kage had summoned him for a mission, he had done something crazy. He had refused, saying that he had a condition to make. The woman had only looked at him with that mysterious smirk and he had gotten to sweat for it .She had run rings around him for a long while and in the end he had made an absurd ultimatum. Either she let him go or he just as well died because he had little reason to live. Still, it had worked and now he carried a permission from her inside his vest. Whatever the later fallout it was totally worth it... he hoped.
The gates only came closer and closer and he found himself swallowing. What if they didn't want him there after all? What if this was some kind of misunderstanding? What if... shut up brain. This wasn't helping! Damn it... He straightened his posture, deciding that if nothing else he'd at least make a good impression. For master's sake he'd come across as a great shinobi to these people no matter what.
The gates were so massive. They reminded him of the fortress back home in a way in how they stood so imposing and proud. Konoha really was a powerful village. As he had understood it the man from here who had come to Kiri was only one of the legends in the making from here. It was humbling in a way and he swallowed again. By the gate a small group of people were standing going on about something. He didn't pay it too much of a mind and instead walked up to the small booth where two Konoha shinobi were sitting. They had already seen him and their gazes were wary if not hostile at least. It was kinda sad that that was an upgrade compared to home.
"You're a long way from home kid," one of them said, a bandana-wearing man with a senbon dangling from the corner of his mouth. He didn't say anything but merely handed them the letter which the other man accepted. Folding it open, the scarred man raised an eyebrow before he looked up and yelled.
"Hey you!" the man yelled, making the newcomer startle and look around. The small group further away now looked back at them. Three of them all in all they were, one tall, blonde woman who currently was carrying a small red-haired pipsqueak by the scruff of her neck. The third man was massive brute with arms almost like tree-trunks. "Talk about timing," the scarface yelled, "you've got another one here!"
Now he was on the verge of panic. What? Were those three... he realized that the blonde and the giant man both were wearing Kumo forehead protectors. It had to be them! Other jinchuuriki! What the heck, he wasn't ready yet! Could it really go that fast? What was he going to do now? The decision, it turned out, was made for him when the redhead untangled herself from the blonde's hand and came up to him with a dash that really kicked up more smoke than it should have.
"Are you a jinchuuriki too?" the girl asked eagerly, "What's your name? Where are you from? What does that symbol on your forehead protector mean? What bijuu do you have in you? Mine is the kyuubi!" He found himself blinking at the girl's eager tidal wave of questions. He literally had no idea what to do at all and just stood there. In the end the woman came up and knocked the girl on the shoulder.
"Calm down," she said, "you're overwhelming him." The girl stopped now, looking back at the woman who gave her a dry look before turning back to him with an awkward grin.
"Sorry," she said with some embarrassment. "I'm Namikaze Kimiko, it's nice to meet you." He realized that this was it. Taking a breath, he returned the bow.
"My name is Utakata of Kirigakure, jinchuuriki of the Rokubi." He spoke carefully, feeling like everyting would fall apart if he said one word wrong. "I... was told there would be a meet for jinchuuriki in Konoha at this time."
"Oh sweet!" the girl exclaimed, "you're from where oniisan is?" without any further ado the girl grabbed him by the arm and with a surprising strength begun to drag him into the village. Come on! I'll get you introduced to dad! He's gonna be super-happy another came!" Utakata found himself stumbling now as the girl begun to drag him into Konoha and he looked around in confusion at first.
Yet then after a while something changed. He didn't know what it was but this sense of relief just flooded him. He couldn't misinterpret this really. There was just no way. He had been afraid he was going to be turned away yet here the opposite seemed to have happened. With a sudden smile creeping up on his face, Utakata begun to move more smoothly.
As he had hoped before he now knew. This would be worth whatever fallout would come. Today he was for the first time in he didn't know how long utterly overjoyed, caught in such happiness that he didn't know what to do. He felt like he had come home.
