The hot midday sun beat down on the three children as they walked through the Hidden Leaf Village. Karumi could hear the buzzing of cicadas and the rustling of the trees as she dozed in Shisui's arms, and she felt her eyes slowly closing. The steady bouncing rhythm of Itachi and Shisui's footsteps kept her from fully falling asleep, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try.
Karumi was brought out of her half-asleep daze by a loud knock on what sounded like wood. "We're here for - what's his name?" Shisui's voice had started loud but quickly grew hushed.
"Higo Hyuuga," Itachi told him.
"Delivery for Higo Hyuuga!" the older Uchiha called out, adjusting Karumi in his arms. The doors creaked as they opened and a pair of large footsteps approached the trio.
"We thought you weren't coming," Higo's voice sounded jokingly before he noticed Karumi's lethargic, narrow-eyed facial expression. "Is she okay?"
Shisui nodded. "I don't think she slept well last night, but she insisted on coming."
Karumi felt herself being lifted into a higher, stronger pair of arms, and she reached out towards Itachi and Shisui, letting her hand flop in a pathetic wave goodbye as the gates closed.
"Neji's been asking about you all morning," Higo said as he set her down on the house's surrounding veranda, placing something that felt like a cup in her hand. Karumi only nodded quietly, and Higo chuckled quietly. "Still in the mood to train?"
She nodded again, more enthusiastically this time, but the tea cup that was slowly tipping forward with her loosening grip told the man otherwise.
"Did you sort out your chakra problem yet?" Higo asked, knowing full well she'd passed the medical ninja test. A few members of the clan worked in the medical corps, and they'd come home last night with stories of the youngest Leaf Village resident to ever perform medical ninjutsu.
"Meditation," Karumi murmured, the word almost coming out as a slur.
"Why don't you work on that for now," the man suggested, growing silent when he felt Karumi slump against his arm, asleep. Smiling softly, Higo gently lay her down on the wooden flooring of the veranda and stood up, leaving the girl to rest.
As Higo rounded the corner, the branch family's young heir, Neji Hyuuga, spotted him and left his father's side to run up to the man. "Is Karumi here yet?" the boy asked enthusiastically for the upteenth time.
"She's here," Higo smiled as he crouched down, nearing eye level with the small boy. "She's just sleeping now, so we won't disturb her, okay?"
Neji nodded and covered his mouth, seeming to understand that he needed to keep quiet. As Higo moved to stand up properly, Neji ducked past him, rounding the corner and spotting Karumi curled up on the wooden floor. He'd been so looking forward to her arrival since the other day, being unable to interact with children close to his age very often. After all, there weren't many other children in the branch family's compound anyway, even without Neji's constant attachment to his father.
The young Hyuuga sat down beside her and waited, looking up as his father stood beside him. Although Hizashi Hyuuga, like the rest of his family, wasn't exactly fond of the Uchiha clan, he appreciated Karumi's presence. Not only was she someone for his son to play with, but he knew of the importance of the Hanakawa clan's work, and he'd been intrigued when he'd witnessed the Kekkei Genkai in action. The Hyuuga's Gentle Fist was almost perfect for her.
Deciding that his son was safe just to sit on the veranda by himself, Hizashi returned to his meeting with the other clan members, leaving Neji to bring his knees to his chest as he waited for Karumi to wake up. To a young child such as himself, it felt like hours before Karumi began to stir, and her large white eyes slowly opened.
"You're awake," Neji said cheerfully, making Karumi jump at the unexpected noise. The young boy frowned apologetically as he helped her up, standing out of her way when she regained her balance.
Neji looked up as his father and Higo, one of the other Hyuuga clan members, rounded the corner, and the young boy moved to stand by his father's side.
"Father," he asked quietly. "Can I do my daily training with Karumi today?"
Hizashi glanced at Higo, who shook his head slowly, before patting his son on the head. "Sorry, Neji," he apologised. "Karumi's not quite at a level to keep up with you just yet. Perhaps in a few weeks you can try sparring together."
"Lord Hizashi," Higo said quietly. "While sparring is out of the question for the time being, I see no reason why they can't practise stances and forms in the dojo together."
The branch clan's leader paused, considering the proposal as he looked down at his son again. Neji stared back at him with wide, pleading eyes and squeezed his father's hand. The heart-melting action forced Hizashi to nod, and Neji grinned happily, turning to Karumi and gently taking her hand.
Karumi felt herself being pulled and led to a place she'd never been before. She and Higo had always trained outside in the main courtyard, but now she was inside. The air in the room felt cool, and the voices of the others seemed to echo off the walls. Karumi concluded that this was the empty dojo.
As Neji let go of her hand, Karumi shuffled forward, mentally working out the size of the room by marking how long it took her to reach the other side. Higo called her back after she'd done the same with the other two walls, and Karumi followed his voice, softly bumping the man's arm before stopping.
Higo smiled down at her. "Let's start with the stances, okay?"
XXXXXXX
"How was your training today, Karumi?" Mikoto asked as the family ate dinner together.
Karumi nodded as she finished chewing her mouthful of rice. "They let me train with the clan head's son," she told them, making both Mikoto and Fugaku glance at each other in uncertainty. "They said I'm not ready for sparring yet, but I'm improving."
Mikoto smiled. "Well, that's what matters, isn't it? You're hoping to catch up with Itachi eventually, aren't you?" Karumi felt her face flush as she lowered her head and nodded, hiding her sheepish smile. Her adoptive mother continued. "Speaking of which, Itachi, I received a notice in the mail that the Academy was considering having you graduate by the end of this year."
"Graduate?" Fugaku asked incredulously, reaching over and clapping his son on the shoulder. "That's my boy," he said proudly.
Karumi could hear Sasuke take a deep, excited breath through his nose. "Big brother's so cool, isn't he?" he whispered.
The young girl could only nod, though a sense of disappointment with herself welled in the pit of her stomach. She thought she'd at least come close to being as good as Itachi, but she was beginning to see that that was never going to happen.
"Dear, what about Karumi?" Mikoto said softly, and Fugaku grunted in what sounded like realisation.
"Ah, yes, I didn't see you last night, but I'd heard you passed the medical ninja test," her adoptive father said. "That's impressive for someone so young. I'm proud of you too, Karumi."
Karumi's cheeks turned pink again, and she smiled softly, returning to her food. He was right. It was impressive - just as impressive as graduating the Academy within a year. She was proud of herself; and Itachi.
Sasuke sighed dejectedly beside her, and Karumi moved to place her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "You'll beat that, won't you, Sasuke?"
"Yeah!" Sasuke cried, suddenly enthused. "I'll graduate in - in half a year! Big brother, you have to teach me how to make shadow clones too!"
Itachi smiled. "Maybe later," he said lightly.
A small giggle sounded from Sasuke as he leaned against Karumi's side, thanking his mother for the food before standing up and running off. Karumi quickly finished off her meal as well, thanking Mikoto as well before making her way out of the room to find Sasuke. It was quiet outside, and even though the day had been unbearably hot, the cold night wind nipped at her face as it blew through the courtyard. 'Peaceful' was a word she could use to describe the feeling.
"Sasuke went the other way," Itachi's voice sounded from behind her, making Karumi yelp and whip around to face him.
"Please don't do that," she warned, folding her arms over her chest as another gust of cold wind blew past her.
"I'm sorry," Itachi apologised quietly, and Karumi lowered her head, reaching out to place her hand on his shoulder. The two of them walked together, with Karumi's hand trailing down the young Uchiha's arm before letting her fingers intertwine with his. Both children's cheeks turned slightly pink, but both of them tried to ignore it.
Karumi quickly let go of Itachi's hand. "If you find Sasuke, tell him to come play inside. It's too cold out here."
With that, Karumi ducked inside, not waiting for Itachi's answer. When she was sure she was out of sight, the young girl pressed her cold fingers against her burning cheeks, shaking her head to herself. Choosing to focus on something else instead, Karumi tried to think about the training she would endure tomorrow, now that she was an official medical ninja.