Chapter 10

"Raine?" Suki asked as her younger cousin assisted her with the kimono, "I don't think you liking Kakashi, or anybody for that matter would be such a bad thing," Raine nodded slightly as she tied Suki's obi.

"Suki, listen to me. I've said this before and I'll say it again, don't worry about me," Raine replied sternly while taking a look at her efforts. "You look great; green really is your color.

Suki pouted as she plopped down on the bed, "Raine, when people look at me what do they see? I hate being a pretty little doll! I want to be ugly, or wear a mask like you," Suki was in tears by now. Raine stared at her feet cautious of what to say next. Suki's tantrums and melt downs were delicate.

"Suki, beauty and people making false judgments about you isn't always a bad thing. I mean," she said carefully looking at Suki's facial expressions to see if she was calming down, "you'll give Kakashi hell just like you do me," Suki screamed in her pillow.

"Raine don't you get it? I don't want to get married," Suki hissed her make-up smeared so that she looked like a clown, to Raine it was adorable. "I don't want a firckn' arranged marriage with someone like Kakashi I can't even relate to!"

Raine smiled slightly, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to," she assured her cousin hugging her tightly, "Now, we'll fix this right after I fix your make-up again."

Suki giggled childishly, "I look like a real piece of work don't I?" she asked trying to fix her hair.

Kakashi was caught at the table with Kasandra and Karinna who were doing the whole worried parents interrogating the son-in-law.

"Do you have any STD's?" Kasy asked looking at a notepad with her glasses on. I Liked the awkward silences better Kakashi thought. He shook his head to Kasy's question.

Karinna looked at her chocolate bar and asked, "Do you have any illegitimate children?" Kakashi's eyes grew large children? He shook his head and hands at this point.

Kasy took her glasses off and stared unblinkingly at him as she drew closer to him, "Now don't you try any-"

"Hello!" Suki greeted sashaying in her kimono flapping around no signs of crying except for the slightly red skin that Kakashi noted. Raine wasn't there.

Karinna looked around for a second, "Where's Raine?" she asked her mouth opened and smudged with chocolate.

Suki shrugged, "Don't know. Some planning to do or something. You know how Raine is never eats anyway," the two sisters nodded it off. Kakashi frowned the beloved bodyguard wasn't going to watch him like a hawk anymore?

"So Kakashi, how was your day?" Suki asked with a small smirk as she ate. Did her cousin tell her about practice?

"Oh fine," he remarked," I spent a bit of time with Jiraiya at the hot springs," he answered completely skipping the beginning of his tiresome day. Iruka, his own colleague was a lie.

Suki smiled," Nice to know you've had a good day."

Raine was tired, the weariness of the almost sleepless and burdening nine years of her life were piling up. Her insides were burning painfully and her mind was clouded, and somehow she was able to drift into a dead sleep.

It was pouring rain for several days on end as it usually does in the land of rain. The pitter patter that was heard seemed like an endless soundtrack to the citizens' lives. The Paul household was in disarray.

"I can't have her in this house anymore!" a woman yelled from the house while a crash of some sort of glass object was heard. "That evil child! First, she's a mute that mocks us and now she does it daily with words."

"Calm down," a man warned her, "the neighbors can here you."

"It's not like they don't already know," the woman shrieked, "the cursed reaper child. The whole town knows, to think she is mine, a disgrace!" There was another shatter of glass and a small thin figure exited the house in a blood splattered kimono. Stumbling toward the forgotten path. Raine clutched her chest that was heaving deep gasps of suppressed tears. When she finally reached the well she held onto it tightly for support letting her salty tears fall into the dark abyss. But then suddenly, the crying stopped, the figure looked at the blood that had streamed from her neck to her wrists and feet and then she turned to the formidable well. She sprang up and put her feet at the sides peering in nervously and let go…

"Good morning!" Suki greeted joyfully her red curls bouncing with excitement, "look, I made you breakfast!" she cried dropping a large tray of delicious smelling food (for a powdered brat Suki sure could cook).

"Why?" Raine asked in her usual monotone voice even though her heart was still racing from the memory of her twelfth birthday.

"What do you mean," Suki asked hurt and perplexed, "it's the weekend and you need a treat."

Raine took a piece of toast and Canadian bacon (who cares if it's Japan? Canadian bacon or any bacon for that matter is good) and munched suspiciously. "Plus," Suki gleamed, "today's your birthday!" Suki grabbed Raine almost spilling a bunch of orange juice and hugged her tightly, while Raine almost had a heart attack.