{Rant: I do not own: Naruto, tragic pasts (just the ones I wrote), or explosions of epic proportion. I do own my list of characters on my page, the plot, the Hikawa clan and apology cupcakes (because I made them up!)
NOW LET'S START THE CHAPTER!}
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By now everyone, even Pein, was seated somewhere within the cramped kitchen and munching on an apology cupcake or discussing their personalized message with another member.
In one corner Kenjii and Yumiko sat arguing over who would have the privilege of devouring one of Kisame's ranch dressing flavored cupcakes. Meanwhile the blue skinned sword wielder stared at them as if they were insane to even wantto be within a kilometer of the putrid smelling cupcake. Ranch dressing was good and cupcakes were good; but not in the same recipe, at least not according to Kisame.
To their left Tobi sat trying to scrape bright green frosting off of his mask without removing it while Hana feudally tried to help. From the crowded table Deidara snickered. Tobi's vortex-like mask made for a perfect bulls-eye.
But what had consumed the most attention was the spectacle commencing at the chipped white kitchen table where Kakuzu had flatly refused to eat his second cupcake. Not that anyone could blame him, the evil looking confection was a rotten shade of murky purple with the joyous message, 'I'm really sorry this is prune flavored.'
"Just pitch the damn thing Kakuzu, it looks like its fucking poisoned!" exclaimed Taree as the ivy haired ten year old tried to yank the putrid pastry from the missing-nin's tight grasp.
Kakuzu replied hostilely, "That would be a waste of previsions; you should have remembered that when you made these edible horrors."
Maralui interrupted the arguing ninja, "If I make use of the cupcake may I receive it?"
Both glared at the scarlet haired child, but reluctantly handed her the evil-looking confection.
The six year old gave them a quick nod of thanks then placed the murky purple pastry on the table top in front of her and began to stare at it intently.
Kenjii looked up from the corner with a raised eyebrow as he observed the scenario then realized what was about to happen.
He rapidly dropped to the floor and crouched under the table while shouting at the top of his lungs, "Duck and cover! This is not a drill, 'ey; I repeat this is not a drill!"
The other children quickly took heed and crowded under the table as Kalori began to count down.
"Ten…nine…eight…-"
The elder Akatsukis were now gazing at Maralui trying to hypothesize what was about to happen.
"-Six…five…-"
Her black pupils seemed to widen and an odd peacefully smile appeared on her young face.
"-Three…two…-"
Now Zetsu and Itachi, who were seated nearest to the scarlet haired child could see her hands begin to atomize.
"-One…-"
"Zero", whispered Maralui.
For a second everything was completely silent.
Then the detonation occurred.
The disgusting prune flavored cupcake exploded with the intensity of an atomic bomb hurling large chunks of the charred table top at the walls and ceiling. The Akatsukis still seated at the table were thrown from the chairs into the walls as if hit by an invisible wall of air. The air was filled with a thin grey smoke as the blast ended.
Everyone slowly looked up from the wreckage at the destruction had wrecked in the kitchen.
There were very large black pieces of the table now sticking out of the walls like unhammered nails and several cabinets looked beyond repair, but most obvious was the formerly white wooden table.
Nearly the entire top of the wooden piece of furniture had been removed leaving behind only jagged blackened timber. Where the cupcake had been was now a vast smoking crater that almost went through the table complete with glowing embers of what was now firewood.
Tobi mumbled shakily, "S-She k-k-killed the t-table!"
"-And the rest of the kitchen", hissed Kakuzu seething with rage.
The scarlet haired six year old gave a satisfied smirk as she collapsed onto what was left of the burned table top.
Yumiko hastily stood up and took her comrade's pulse.
"Maralui-chan you lied about your blood counts to me didn't you?!" she shouted in unrepressed rage, which was completely uncharacteristic of the pale azure haired child.
Without moving the former Sunagakure ninja replied quietly, "I'll resolve the predicament."
Her form then became pixilated before completely dissolving into the air.
"What happened?" murmured Kisame in a low voice as he and the other Akatsukis and children got up from the rubble.
"Do you mean to the cupcake or to Maralui?" inquired Indigo.
"Both."
Indigo gave an annoyed sigh as he began the explanation.
"Maralui's kekkei genkai allows her to take apart, reassemble or alter an object's atomic structure including her own cells. What she just did to that cupcake was the complete disassembly of all of its atoms at once, but there is a consequence.-"
Deidara interrupted, "Like what, un?"
"Circulatory damage", clarified the dark haired pyromaniac. "By taking apart her own cells so frequently, Maralui puts enormous pressure on her blood flow network."
"Huh?" questioned Hidan.
This time it was Yumiko who answered.
"Her abilities cause internal bleeding", she whispered angrily, "She needs frequent blood transfusions or she'll bleed to death. The quandary is that none of the hospitals in Sunagakure or any of its allied nations will treat her."
Tobi interjected, "Why not?"
The nine children went silent except for Luna's blank voice.
"Sasori no Danna knows."
But before any of the elder Akatsukis could ask anymore questions the children had already left in a flurry of yells.
"Come on! We better go find her before she kills someone!"
"Where'd you put the shovel Kalori?!"
"It's not important; the soil here is too wet to bury corpses anyway."
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{A Maralui centered chapter is coming up!
*randomly happy dances that school is out*
If you are unsure what to write about in a review, consider the following:
'What do you think Sasori knows about Maralui's clan?'
'How would a prune flavored cupcake taste?'
'Did any of the Akatsuki have a video camera present at the gigantic explosion?'
'If you had to compare Maralui to another character from 'Naruto' who would it be?
Notes: Here's a quickish recap of the children for Mirror Kunoichi and anyone else who's slightly confused (plus a few spoilers). (Their physical descriptions and other info are in chapter two and pictures are posted on my deviantART account [links on my page!])
Indigo Akiyama: [9 years old] - A pyromaniac who is the sole survivor and one responsible for the annihilation of his clan (due to his kekkei genkai, the Hiyurigan activating). The other Akatsukis frequently call him 'Pyro' for his love of arson.
Kenjii Fukui: [10 years old] - Seen as a disappointment by his clan and Kumogakure, Kenjii has unique chakra properties which allows him to channel his chakra into natural disasters and forms of destruction. Kisame dislikes him due to his insistent chatter and short attention span. His hobbies are graffiti and pulling pranks on high ranking government officials.
Hana Koizumi: [7 years old] - A jashinist, Hana has extremely low stamina due to her kekkei genkai, light release. This has caused her older brother, Akio, to become especially overprotective of her. Her hobbies include water color painting and praying.
Akio Koizumi: [8 years old] - Like his sister Akio is also a dedicated jashinist and is a master of their clan's kekkei genkai. However, unlike Hana, Akio controls shadows instead of light causing him to earn the nicknames 'Akio of Shadows' and 'The Shadow'. He is far more serious than his sibling and enjoys prayer and reading horror novels.
Kalori Hyuga: [10 years old] - Although her talent with kunai and shuriken knives is unmatched, due to her blindness and mutation in her Byakugan, Kalori is seen as a great failure to her clan. She is often quite sarcastic.
Maralui Hikawa: [6 years old] – Maralui is the only survivor of her clan's massacre at the hands of the *bleeps out spoiler* and is known throughout Sunagakure as 'the prodigy of murder' due to *bleeps out spoiler*. Many of the elder Akatsuki members say her emotionless attitude is 'utterly creepy'. She enjoys playing chess and practicing her clan's unorthodox ability to destroy and reassemble the atomic bonds within things.
Yumiko Kawaguchi: [7 years old] – A renowned medic-nin of Kirigakure, Yumiko is known for ever joyful demeanor despite her painful past. She has a natural aptitude for creating new jutsu and her explosive ice sculptures, which she believes is art. [Her past is fully explained in 'Permafrost'!]
Taree Hayashi: [10 years old] – An outcast among her clan, Taree is easily identified by: her unique plant based abilities, frequent swearing, and overall bad attitude. Her hobbies include pissing people off, studying botany, and beating Hidan at trivia games. [Her past is fully explained in 'Walls of Ivy']
Taru Wakahisa: [12 years old] – Taru is extreme quiet individual with a mysterious past. He is a naturally talented composer and frequently plays his guitar or any other instrument he can find. [His past is fully explained in 'Rhapsody']
Luna: [7 years old] – Easily identified by her white hair, blood red eyes, and unusual empathic ability; Luna has been a listed S-class missing-nin since the age of four due to *Bleeps out MEGA spoiler*. She has a quiet blank manner and often practices her ability to move objects with her mind (a side effect of her empathic gift).
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