Chapter 02 — Life had Gone On

The day would come when the wife of the newly established clan head, Tajima Uchiha, would bear his first-born, Madara Uchiha, who would bear the title as heir to the Uchiha clan. It was a nice way of saying the kid would grow up with the sentiment that the Uchiha clan was his birthright. An arrogant sentiment that would give him power and confidence that he would need to lead this stubborn clan.

And also allow him to believe that it was his to destroy if he so felt like it. Like a toy he possessed. It mattered not that this toy had life of its own and autonomy because in this world life was…expendable. Lives were like currency, and leading a large scale mission was like gambling if one lacked the proper traits to lead. If they did not, it was like investing in the stock market. You invest x number of shinobi, sacrifice y number of shinobi and receive z sum. The pay off had to be worth it, but it wasn't always.

Madara picked this up from an early age, probably due to the influence of his mildly sociopathic brother Izuna, and she just watched it happen. That was her given role, to watch, oversee, protect, and really it was babysitting that would evolve into something greater only when the heirs grew older.

All because she'd picked a dirty rag.

She huffed and blew at her bangs in attempt to keep them out of her face. Sure, one could make the case for her Kimura and therefore medical heritage but despite her maturity she was only one year older than the eldest of her charges. Kaiya remembers how her aunt Hitomi had wandered out the room once she'd chosen the oversized handkerchief only to return later that evening whispering to her parents. Her current position, overseeing the two brothers' lessons and injuries on a near constant basis was the result of pure superstition.

Kaiya doesn't understand, when she listens to the adults around her bringing news of the outside world, how she could possibly be promised security by the Sage himself. But when she listens to herself, she does. Parts of her whisper that peace is coming. Peace will, ironically, have to be fought for to come and even more so to stay but it was coming. She wonders briefly if this is the feeling of security she's been supposedly blessed with — the unwittingly unnatural confidence in peace.

As a Kimura by blood she is privy to a secret the Uchiha are not though — she has a changeling.

Her mother told her so when she was old enough to understand. Where they are from, her mother began, there are children who are loved by the forest and cared by it. These children, she continued, are gifted fairies to accompany them on their earthly endeavours.

So always heed your heart.

Always listen to your intuition.

Kaiya gripped the single earring on her right ear lobe — it is a simple gold hoop from which an amber stone, encasing the wings of a dragonfly, dangled from. Her mother wears the left part of the pair, and its been so long that the hole in Lady Sachiko's right lobe has long healed. It allows her, to some degree, to connect with the nearby nature chakra and scan for nearby chakra signatures.

Their father is fast approaching the training grounds.

"Young masters, I humbly advise that you put your best effort into these last moments of sparring," she called out.

The boys ignore her and she sighs. They had steadily lost respect for the, dare she call herself, kunoichi since their combative training exceeded her own three years ago. They too had labelled her a glorified babysitter they no longer needed. But to leave the two most prized clan children without supervision was a stupid thought no one bothered to entertain, not even Kaiya herself. At times, she could see they were fond of her presence and that was enough.

She bared through the humiliation for the good of the clan, and ultimately her own.

Lord Tajima made his way towards the boys, putting a stop to the spar and swiftly dismissing her for the time being.

Fourteen years old and like most girls she stayed mostly on the Uchiha grounds, taking on supportive duties rather than active. But when she'd passed the Uchiha Rite alongside her dear friend Rin, she'd thought she'd be an exception too. There'd been many exceptions back then. Many active shinobi having been lost in an attempt to war off the bone wielding clan. Even the clan head had suffered a loss with his third son, and Rin was one of the many females and young children to have been put into active duty after.

She'd been envious of Rin in the beginning, Kaiya had learned to glorify the on duty shinobi, and even more so in the incident of their death, early on when her father, Soma Uchiha, had passed in action. They never recovered his body but had assured her that his eyes had been destroyed. It was sick comfort. Sick hero worship. And she'd only learned better when Rin returned from her first mission gone askance. The torture in her friend's red pinwheel eyes at the ripe age of ten was almost too much to bear.

In that moment, Kaiya knew, the inside jokes, eye smiles, and unyielding trust held between her active fellows that she'd admired and been jealous of came at a cost few would willingly pay. So, she surmised, life could be worse and with that thought she stood still, her hand frigidly gripping the sliding door frame.

Her sharingan eyes were playing tricks on her because in that moment she'd seen her tall, lithe figured mother with beautiful posture and cascading hair writingalwayswrting in the same position she'd always found her in day, after day, until one day Kaiya hadn't found her sitting there or anywhere.

It wasn't bad now. It used to be better. It could get worse yet, but it could also be just as good as it used to be when her mother had still been here to fill in these lonely gaps of time. Instead, Kaiya settled into her mother's preferred position.

But she would be reading instead of writing these eleven thick volumes of medical knowledge. It was a sad lesson in comparison to her many hours spent by her mother's side in her clinical hours. Kaiya picked medicinal herbs, dried and jarred them. Kaiya always listened to Lady Sachiko's lectures, apprenticed all her salve preparations and even treated small wounds on her own.

Kaiya always listened. Kaiya always paid attention to her mother. Kaiya always knew her mother was restless. Knew she would leave the Uchiha clan one day. But Kaiya had thought not so soon. Not so soon would her mother leave her willingly. She'd cried and cried and been comforted by all who could. She'd cried so much she hadn't even been able to see through swollen, watery eyes to whom she was dispensing her sorrows. If only, she'd cried, if only I'd listened to my heart.

Then I would have braced myself, I would have hugged her more often and lingered longer by her side when I still could.

She heard an intention step at the door and soon the shadow behind the sliding screen revealed her caretaker, the clan head himself. As he made his way towards the small table, she reached for another cup and poured the tea as close to the brim as she could. Company was scarce these days and if she could persuade him with this small gesture to linger awhile she was delighted to try. After polite conversation concerning her days and the boys' progress ended, silence dawned the table save for the sparse sips in between. He began once more,

"I am concerned for Madara. You say he hasn't been any different in the past few days but Izuna thinks otherwise. In the comfort of my ailing wife's presence, Izuna says he finds his brother disappearing, only to say he'd been with you. Sometimes, this is true, and others Izuna knows it isn't,"

She'd known, of course, that Madara regularly left the compound for the south cusp of the forest, near the river. Initially, Kaiya had been greatly concerned, only comforted by her knowledge of his whereabouts but before she could confront Madara or quietly inform her Lord the younger brother had asked her in Madara's presence where she'd been that morning. Flustered, and knowing that Madara had made an outing earlier she'd answered confused that she'd been picking herbs among other medical activities. And then she lied. She told him Madara had joined her and if Izuna wished he too could learn whatever she'd impart on a chosen day. Madara had casually nodded at the time, but been needlessly tense in her presence in the following days until she'd handed to him a notebook written in her own hand of her morning activities for his next scheduled visits to the river.

She'd unwittingly become an accomplice.

"My trust lies in Madara. He has, genuinely, taken interest in how I pass my mornings in the medical adobe entrusted to my mother and I it seems. But I am encouraged to investigate by a father's concern. I will continue to report my findings on the matter with prudence, my Lord," she meets his gaze all the while and bows her head in acknowledgement of the kindly worded order.

"This father thanks you Kaiya. Perhaps I am growing sentimental with my wife's condition but I wish for her remaining days to be free of this worry as I am sure your mother was when she took leave. Please, continue to impart the courage and independence you have displayed to my sons."

She was shocked still in her bow, "Lord Tajima…it is my greatest wish to do as the Uchiha clan wishes. Please accept my humblest gratitude in the face of such praise."

She dared not raise her head. She is not relieved of her position but as her Lord made way to exit she grew increasingly nervous. She nears panic when he finally quells her worries with one swell phrase only her clan leader could bestow,

"I accept your will, raise your head child of the Uchiha,"

When she finally does so he is gone and her heart fears how fulfilled it feels. The cup, she notices, is empty.

In her rediscovered silence Kaiya thinks on her traitorous heart.

How could she lie to her leader? Even for his son? Where did her loyalties lie? Why does her heart fear praise, or rather why cannot she allow herself to completely appreciate the praise? Did she feel herself unworthy, or was the praise unworthy? How could she even dare to think of latter as a possibility?

Her own tea is cool and the fifth volume open on the ninety-sixth page just as she'd left it. She cannot read a word. Compute nothing but her rising distress.

Her heart hints that there are greater sentiments in play that reveal the truth.

"Miss Kaiya!"

Her namesake reminds her nothing cannot be forgiven.

Closing the volume and spilling the remaining tea onto the grass outside she hurries over to the oppositely situated door, gingerly opening it and meeting the voice calling her name. It is Rin,

"Rin, you're back!" Kaiya exclaims happily,

"Miss Kaiya, Lady Hitomi is in labour!"

She's three weeks too early, "Miss Rin, the baby is three weeks too early,"

They are both running down the halls as fast as their feet can carry them. Kaiya continues,

"I checked three days ago! The baby's head wasn't in position for birth, this isn't right!"

"Her water broke, what more can I say?"

"If the babies in breech then its chances for birth defects and trauma increases. The umbilical cord, Miss Rin, it could be caught and the baby will die without air," she paused, "Rin…I…I've never done this before, this is the riskiest birth I've ever handled, and the last one died in the first month due to organ complications. Why am I the midwife?"

"Kai, handle it,"

The screen opened and she saw her aunt struggling in vain to smile, her husband nowhere to be found. Kaiya's question went unvoiced and instead she muttered to herself, "This is unprofessional,"

and then, "Lady Hitomi, can you let me know on a scale of one to ten, while I move you from your position to the low-risen bed there, how much in pain are you?"

Shuffling, a pause, "Four,"

She checked the labouring woman's vitals.

Several questions and later upon the expecting mother's condition, "Is this comfortable?" at the nod Kaiya continued, "Good, now, I'm going to assess the baby's condition,"

The baby was still in breech position, oh goodness, "Lady Hitomi, your baby is in breech position still, okay? Do you remember what that means?"

Hitomi nodded, "I did all the exercises and I rested in the right positions, I swear," she cried slightly, clearly concerned.

"Of course, of course. Our baby here is just a little stubborn, aren't they? Now, I need you to remember —"

Her aunt muffled a moan and Kaiya brushed her hair away from her face.

"— I need you to remember that we discussed you giving birth vaginally,"

"But, the head!"

"Please, Aunt Hitomi, take a nice, deep breathe and listen to me: your baby is in either complete or frank breech position currently, but because the pelvis is roughly the size of the head and because you've birthed two children before we're not too concerned, do you understand me? Nod if yes," a nod, "Your baby is not showing any signs of distress and at the rate of your contractions the birthing process will be through in the next four hours, okay?" another nod, "You have three other lovely children who you cannot risk leaving behind due to infection, okay?" a third nod.

Now it was Kaiya's turn to take a deep breathe.

Her bedside manner was better than her skills in medicine, she'd always known and she'd always been in anguish over this piece of knowledge. Why better with people than medicine? Had it been otherwise would her mother still be here, with her? Kaiya lacked confidence but she learned daily, and tended to the injured as most as she could — it was never enough.

She just didn't have the talent. Her heart had to agree. It just had to. But it didn't and Kaiya didn't understand why. What now? What else?

Her heart told her she lacked confidence, resolve, dedication to the art of medicine.

Kaiya felt anger, each evening she studied for hours over her mother's medical volumes. Each morning, she reviewed her mothers journals of case studies, practicing her diagnostics, healing method, and critical thinking and analysis. Every free noon she tended to the wounded. She kept the herbs, and salves dated and organized in her shed and prepared whatever the other medical attendants required.

Short of going into the field, she'd done everything!

And it was exactly that, that her heart desired her do Kaiya understood when it stilled.

This was a revelation best left for another time to ponder, for hours later — now, in fact, her aunt's cervix was dilated enough for the birth to finish in the hour.

"Deep breathes, and on my count push Hitomi," the midwife, Kaiya, gently asks.

Kaiya prays that her decision in proceeding with the vaginal birth is right. The baby might have changed positions by now.

When she sees a baby bottom she knows nothing has changed and proceeds as normal, timing her labouring aunt's attempts to push with the contractions. Once the baby is in her hands,

He is breathing, but slow and irregular. One.

Heart rate. One.

Muscle tone. One.

All to be expected in a premature baby but all the more not good, she pinches him, and he cries loudly.

At least there is that. Two.

The baby boy lain in front of her is pink but his hands, feet, and ears are blue. One. But normal even in abnormally healthy babies.

For a total of six, Kaiya knows the next assessment in four minutes will be even more crucial in understand how the baby will adjust to life outside his mother's womb.

And it is in that brief span she looks at the child, really, actually, truly, looks.

A boy.

A beautiful baby boy named Kagami. Her new baby cousin.

She is endeared by his raisin like appearance as she has been with every child before and remembers exactly where her loyalties lie: the future of the clan.

And she is staring right at it.

"Aunt Hitomi, congratulations on your son, Kagami Uchiha,"

Kagami is born! And it seems Madara and Hashirama are already meeting. Kaiya is still very young, at age fourteen. She handles being parentless very well, I think, and it's certainly helpful that she has a clan to rely on.

I don't really know how getting a beta reader works on this site, but I'd love to have someone help me proofread. The universe only knows how much I need it. Hopefully, I'll get that sorted shortly.

Please, let me know what your thoughts are so far :)

Best,

Myrelle