Akatsuki's Daughter: Part 2
Chapter One
"Whoa." I breathed as we appeared in a very bright park that had stone white circles arranged in a half moon formation in a concrete courtyard. There was a single walkway that acted as an exit/entrance into the courtyard. Green trees, flowers and bushes lined the walkway and were littered around the park. Shisui walked forward leading us away from the circle to the entrance/exit.
"I wasn't expecting this much brightness." Akira stated as she and I looked around to take it all in. Beyond the green grass and the trees differed. To what I was assuming was the West was a large mountain that looked like we were apart of. To the East in front of us across the street were tall buildings that glimmered under the sun. Wind rustled the trees making it sound as if waves were crashing upon a shore while we took everything in. I focused on the glimmering buildings.
"Are those glass buildings?" I asked in awe. Shisui smiled, turning to look at our faces.
"Yep. Welcome to Reaper Society 13. We're actually one of the outer cities but once we jump on the train we're going to have about an eight hour ride to Reaper Society 1. That's the 'capital' where the Governing Reapers and higher up's live and work."
"It looks so futuristic." I stated watching as another circle near the exit/entrance lit up and three Reapers came through. They didn't linger and started walking down the pathway to the entrance/exit of the park. They were dressed in similar black clothing as Kubo and Shisui wore. In their hands were various ninja weapons that they sheathed before continuing their walk. Behind us a few other circles were lighting up, releasing more Reapers.
"Where are they going?" Akira asked. I looked where she was to another part of the park that was separated by a line of rose bushes and saw Reapers about a hundred feet away standing on the circles and disappearing in another flash of light.
"Those that are arriving have souls to send on their way." Shisui answered "That's where we are." He was walking to the exit away from the other side. "The necklaces they wear hold the souls they've Reaped. The Reapers will take them to be processed for the souls next journey." He pointed to where the other Reapers were going, into a tall glass building with a white line on it. Opposite it, others were going in but this building had a black line on it. "White is for those who are innocents and are going to Paradise. Black is for those going to Hell." He pointed back to where people were flashing away. "That side of the park is for Reapers who have their assignments and are going to the Shinobi Lands."
"It looks like a small village, with huge towers." Akira breathed. From what I could see she was right. There were a few more buildings before they transitioned to smaller two story buildings before stopping entirely. We seemed to be in a mountainous region from what I could see.
"It smells so good out here." I inhaled as another gush of wind came through.
"That's what I love about Society 13. We really should be moving on though. We can't stop in anything today as we have to catch the next train." Shisui pointed at another building as we continued to walk out of the park and across the white stone street. "The blue building is where new Reapers are trained and go through orientation which is where you two will go after we've processed you both. There is a written exam and a physical exam you'll need to complete. Luckily most new reapers are Shinobi so that shouldn't be an issue for you. Now new reapers initially are taken to the Training Center and Orientation to get all of their paperwork settled but you two are special cases so we need to get you two brought up to date with the Commander and your family members."
"So what are the other buildings for?" I asked seeing more than Shisui had mentioned.
"That small hut looking place is where we are heading." He pointed to where a wooden and metal covering seemed to cover steps leading into a well-lit underground. "That's the train station down there. The yellow buildings are administration where you go to file your paperwork once you've seen the souls off. It's also where you will receive your new missions and process your payments."
"Reapers get paid?" Akira asked. I shrugged when she looked at me.
"Not in money per se, it's more like, how many years you need to work off. Every soul you bring in along with the paperwork that you submit count towards your remaining time. Of course every Reaper is different so some you'll notice are more long-term then others." Shisui had started to walk down into the tunnel with Akira and I following him. He continued to talk until we reached the bottom of the stairs where Shisui went to the side of the room where a teller was waiting. "Hey Rin, Reaper ID# 744-784. Three tickets to Society 1 please."
"Sure thing Shisui." The young girl working behind the glass had purple marking on her bottom cheek that disappeared just under her jaw. She was pretty with wide eyes that flowed with kindness as she processed Shisui's request before sliding three blue cards under the glass to Shisui. "New members?" She smiled nicely at us.
"Yeah, they're special cases." She nodded. "Girls this is Rin Nohara. Rin this is Akira and Akana."
"Hello." I nodded, something about her face was just too innocent and kind for me to think she would be a Reaper, but then again, appearances were deceiving.
"Nice to meet you Rin." Akira smiled.
"We had better get going. I don't want to want until the next train. They take forever." Shisui whined. Rin giggled but waved as we left.
"Well I hope you two come back soon! It was nice to meet you!"
"Thank you Rin. Come along girls." He waved us to follow him down another tunnel where Reapers seemed to be coming back from. They moved swiftly and quietly as the ninja they had once been. "So any other questions?"
"Why the ID?" I asked. "I doubt there are that many Reapers."
"You'd be surprised." Shisui commented. "Every Society has at least 3,000 Reapers on hand at any given moment. About 2,500 are in the field while the others are working in administrations, filing, caretakers, the cafeteria or house-keeping. Those who are active like myself are in the field Reaping souls. You get a quota for how many souls to Reap before you have to come back and start on what we call 'your hobby'. Some Reapers are better at cooking, cleaning or gardening while others prefer administration. Others just train until their next mission rotation. Rin is a Reaper also but she helps by working as a Receptionist here or in the Healer Den. She was a Healer in life." We arrived in a brightly lit stone room that held other Reapers looking like they were waiting. The room had a line of darkness in the back that no one seemed to be near. There were two dark cave-like entrances on both ends of the room that I was assuming the train would come through. I couldn't see any tracks though we were too far in the back and Shisui had us wait in one corner of the room that had a private nook where we could talk.
"So you're not expected to do anything, you can do as many missions as you want?" Akira asked. Shisui hummed in thought before answering.
"They ask that you try not to do more than three rotations in a row. Any more and you'll get denied or put on 'grounded' mode."
"Why only three?" I asked.
"Too much time in the field makes you start to think you can rejoin the living as a Reaper. And if you were a shinobi that line of thinking is bad, especially if you start thinking that you'll be invincible as you can't die again." Shisui stated. "For you two you could either train or contribute by doing one of the hobbies here since you won't be able to go on unsupervised Reaping's if I know the Commander. Oh trains coming." I suddenly remembered that we were waiting on a train. I looked around the fairly large room but didn't see anything like train tracks. Other Reapers in the room seemed to hear the train though.
"How do you know?" Akira asked.
"Listen." Shisui whispered, putting his finger to his lips. He gave a squinty smile. I frowned but concentrated my ears. I could hear a faint whistling sound that was growing louder. I could just barely hear it now. Was Shisui's hearing that advanced? The others had heard it also before I did, was it us?
"How did you hear that?" I asked.
"Practice, don't worry, no doubt you'll be hearing those in no time. I doubt with all the Chakra from the Shinobi lands you two were able to properly concentrate. Here we have less Chakra but more spiritual energy. We'll teach you once we get you both started in your courses." By this time the whistling had grown and the room was echoing with the sound enough for Akira to hear it. Nothing more was said between us until the train came forward in a burst of golden light from the darkness beyond the room. It was a golden hunk of metal that gleamed with some otherworldly light. With one more whistle the train came to a stop. Shisui pulled us forward to where the other Reapers were hopping onto the train. "Find an empty compartment." He ordered us.
The train was actually very spacious inside. The interior was a warm red with golden undertones. The halls were tall and wide enough for us to walk by normally. The cars were all separated with glass doors that had twisted metal curlicues forming pictures on them. This same glass was covering the cabins and turned a white frosted color when they were occupied.
"Here!" I called once I found an empty cabin. Shisui and Akira followed me inside and got comfortable.
"You said it takes eight hours to reach Society 1?" Akira asked Shisui. He nodded. "Can you tell us what to expect?"
"It's bigger than the Hidden Villages. In fact it's on an island so instead of spreading out it grew taller with more glass buildings. The glass are all inscribed with sacred spells that prevent any evil spirits to enter and prevent any demons from entering the Societies. The glass is also wired to turn a different color like the doors here if needed for privacy reasons. There are some Reapers who live in the city just like at Society 13 but there's more administration buildings due to just how important they are. They receive a copy of all the paperwork the Reapers file and they file them in your personal file which they keep track of to process your 'payments' or other such things. They also keep track of the souls who have been Reaped by keeping a copy of that person's memories alive in a container while the original soul is in their Paradise or Hell."
"So we Reap a soul and then we take them to their Paradise or Hell. Do we see which they go to?" I asked.
"It'll be in the person's file when you get their info from the Missions Desk along with a summary of their life. Based on the person's good or bad deeds and whether or not they have offed themselves, their final judgement is listed as either Paradise, Hell or New Reaper. If it's a Paradise or Hell person you simply take them to the building with the black or white stripe, mark them down as Reaped and you'll take them to their Paradise once the portal opens."
"What about any questions they may have?" Akira asked. "Like 'what does it mean'? Or any other question like that?"
"You don't have to answer that. Honestly once you take their souls into the standard containers," He pulled out a silver necklace that looked like a locket. "You keep them contained in here until you get to their afterlife. In Paradise someone, usually a family member or a best friend, comes to meet them so all you have to do is make sure they go with that person. For Hell you can hand them over to their designated torturer. In Akana's case, you get to give them to the hell hounds and they'll drag the soul off."
"And a New Reaper?" I asked.
"You'll take them to the New Trainee/Orientation building where they'll be assigned an instructor who will show them the ropes."
"Mm." Akira shot me a look. 'Talk about special cases then.'
'No kidding. Who knew Death was so administrative?' Akira snorted.
'It sounds easy.'
'Until you have to Reap someone you know.'
'Can you?'
"Can you Reap someone you know? Or do you need to do additional paperwork?" I asked. Shisui looked at the ceiling of the car contemplating the answer.
"That's a good question. It's complicated really, I mean you can if it's a mission given to you or if we're in a time of war but Reapers don't normally Reap a soul unless specified. But technically if it's someone you know, you aren't supposed to as that causes conflict especially once you see where that soul is going."
"Has that ever happened?" I asked slowly. Shisui seemed reluctant to answer.
"It would really help to know." Akira stated.
"It… has happened once or twice before. The first time it happened the Reaper was okay with where the soul ended up but the second time, the Reaper tried to fight the judgement but was overturned. The Reaper couldn't accept this and she acted out. She was actually the inspiration for a few Forbidden jutsu in Konoha now that I remember. She did a lot of harm before she was taken into custody. She was taken to the Council and they judged her to be recycled, reborn, and her memories were sealed." We were silent while we absorbed this. I thought of the Akatsuki members. I could say with utter certainty that the Akatsuki were not going to Paradise and while I had no doubt they would make Hell their bitch, the thought of them dying sent a pain through me. Saying goodbye to them still sent a hollow ache through me but at least I knew they were still alive.
"Do Reapers have any natural enemies? Besides spurned Reapers?" I asked changing the subject mentally and figuratively.
"Yes." Shisui straightened up. His serious demeanor caused Akira and I to straighten up and pay attention. "You probably didn't notice it from how fast we walked through the Society, but if you had looked beyond the park to the North, you would have seen a black hole in the distance. That gateway is only used for wraiths, demons or the worst of spirits who really aren't spirits anymore but something far worse. Those are the kind we fight on a daily basis just to Reap a soul. You probably never noticed them before because the Shinobi Lands are in a time of peace and they usually form in clusters during war but while they look human and harmless at first glance, they aren't. They feed on negative energies and the souls of those lost in battle."
"Can they kill us?" Akira asked.
"Yes. In fact, since we're safe now, I can tell you that while we may be dead already 'technically', we can still be killed." He pulled his sword out. "Reaper scythes aren't just scythes, there are a lot of different weapons that reflect your soul but your scythe is actually a part of you. I don't know if you noticed but your own weapons are useless right now." I pulled my katana out only to see that it was dull and rusty. I frowned at the state when I had seen it was whole and beautiful in the Shinobi lands. Akira was also inspecting her kanto sword and kunai.
"Where do we get new weapons?" I asked, sliding my now useless katana back into it's sheath.
"You'll get new weapons once you finish your orientation." Shisui assured. "But back to the question, we may be dead 'technically' but we can still die. Nothing lives forever."
"What happens after we die?" I asked. Shisui shrugged. That wasn't very helpful and he didn't go into any details which irked me but, the uneasiness that was pooling in me was put off thanks to the end of that questioning. Guess, I would have to ask again about that later when I was more sure of myself.
"How many family members do we have?" Akira asked, changing the subject.
"From what I know, after Death there are his sons Shirokage is the eldest, Shirogane is the second eldest son, Hirohito is the third son and Tsukikage was the youngest son. Shirokage works alongside his father Death to keep things working as they should, he primarily works in Society 1 but he also keeps an eye on Society 2 and 3. Shirogane keeps on the 4th- 8th Society and Hirohito keeps an eye on the 9th - 13th society. Tsukikage used to keep an eye on the 10th to 13th Societies but when he passed, his brothers took on more responsibilities. Shirokage has two sons that are his second in command. They help him with his duties and are, if I may say so, very bland. No emotions whatsoever. Shirogane has three children, two sons and a daughter. Last I heard Hirohito had four sons and a baby on the way, I think they were hoping for a daughter. You two are Tsukikage's daughters."
"Wow, big family." I noted.
"Are they close?" Akira asked. She shrugged when I looked at her oddly. "Couldn't hurt to know."
"Death is surprisingly close to his family." Shisui commented. "They are required to meet with each other about once a month if I remember correctly. Of course since I'm not in the family I don't know for sure. I stay away from the politics of death."
"Will they expect us to act or be a certain way?" I asked. "I don't know if they hold the same requirements as the Royals in the land of the living. They're not going to force us to dress or eat a certain way are they?"
"I have absolutely no clue." Shisui snickered. "I've only been to the Palace once before. I didn't get to meet the family though, it was strictly business with another administrative personnel."
"So we don't know what we're walking into." I deadpanned.
"Pretty much." Shisui stated.
"Think we can jump out right now?" Akira asked. I looked out the window seriously only to see black with very bright streaks of light and stars flashing past.
"I wouldn't attempt it."
After eight hours on a train ride I was so glad and happy to get off and stretch. It was probably the longest I'd been still since I'd been reborn a Reaper. I refused to think on the fact that I would have to get back in for the 8 hour ride back to Society 13.
"Ground!" I cried out in joy as I hopped off the train. Seeing firm ground caused such a happy feeling to blossom in me. I wasn't motion sick but doing nothing for hours was boring.
"Hey Akana, get off the ground and look at this." Akira's voice invaded my happiness and made me look up. There were already three story buildings that also looked like they were made of glass in front of the train station, but beyond them I saw the buildings only grew taller and the roads were becoming an incline. But the tower at the top of the island was more impressive with it's white stone walls and golden tops that shone under the sun.
"Whoa." I breathed.
"Yeah that hits everyone like that. Come on, we'd better get moving." Shisui called. Akira and I nodded dumbly just staring at the sizes of these towers. It made me feel small. "You girls coming?!" Shisui was already across the road and going up the incline. I dragged Akana behind me as I ran to catch up.
"Do they know we're coming?" I asked.
"I sent a message to Kubo that I was going to be bringing you girls within the next two weeks, of course that was two weeks ago so hopefully he should be expecting us still."
"You sent a message while waiting for me to come back to life?" I asked, dryly.
"Hey you were dead. What did you expect me to do, wait silently and quietly?" He had a point there I admitted to myself.
"How did you send a message though?" Akira asked. "Weren't you in Ame?"
"I do have my secrets you know."
"He's good at them." I informed Akira. "He kept his name from me for about a week before Itachi identified him."
"You knew Itachi Uchiha?" Akira asked in shock. I smirked at Shisui's betrayed look.
"He's an Uchiha." I ratted out to AKira who frowned.
"He could have just been one Uchiha among many. Just because you're in the same clan doesn't mean you know everyone Akana." Akira chastised.
"Thank you Akira." Shisui stated before blowing his own cover. "But yes I did know Itachi when he was younger before I died." I raised an eyebrow at Akira's shocked look. "We were friends, well more like brothers considering everything that was going on at the time. Pretty sure revealing myself to him also caused him to go into shock."
"Which is natural if someone you thought of as family comes back to life suddenly." Akira sympathized, I frowned.
"But, how did they know I was alive?"
"You're sure no one was around or saw you rise again?" Akira asked.
"No one heard us from what I could tell." Shisui added. I answered Akira's question.
"Just Shisui. I did go back to talk with Leader-sama who apparently had a suspicion that I would come back. Of course after that I grabbed my clothes and left."
"We did threaten someone and caused a scene. Maybe that little lapse in judgement caused them to become suspicious?" Shisui asked.
"You were the one who was creating ice everywhere." I stated. "Speaking of which how did you do that?"
"You summoned the howls of the hell hounds Akana. That was louder than creating ice. And it's actually a nice side effect of being dead, it happens when our emotions get the better of us. It's based on that saying, 'Cold as Death'. Our bodies are colder than what we normally were. So we are able to actually able to cause ice to form if our emotions are strong enough."
"Interesting. So it was both of us." I told Akira who rolled her eyes.
"From what you said if they didn't suspect you were alive after that I'd say they weren't as smart as you claimed them to be." I stuck my tongue out at her.
"How long is this road?" Akira asked five minutes later. "I feel like we've been walking forever." I looked around but with all the towers I couldn't tell if we were any closer to the palace.
"Don't worry we'll be there soon." Shisui stated, waving our concern off.
About ten minutes later we were entering a stone courtyard that had rows of beautiful colorful trees along with flower bushes lining the walkways and a garden to the right with a pond in it. The main pathways led to large wooden double doors that looked very heavy to open. There were some glass walls that allowed natural sunlight to reach inside but I could only see the shiny flooring from here. In front of those doors stood Kubo.
"Wow, this place looks expensive." I commented looking around the garden before looking back at Kubo. "Look it's Kubo" I was less impressed with this part of the city since I'd seen better gardens in my memory. Not to mention the towers were just ridiculous.
"I've seen better." Akira stated not impressed.
"You two are terrible guests." Shisui said. "Come on. He's probably a nervous mess right now." We walked along the pathway to Kubo who, I assumed, was worried. He didn't look that worried.
"Shisui, about time you got here." Kubo frowned.
"Sorry took a lot longer than I thought. We had some complications in Suna." Shisui waved off.
"Hello girls." Kubo smiled slightly.
"Hi." Akira greeted.
"Yo." I simply stated. "So we all gonna get a sunburn out here or we gonna go in?"
"That woman is impossible Shisui." Kubo stated. "I've been trying to talk to her the past few minutes but it's like talking to a wall." He pushed the doors open. Inside was dimmer due to the light out here but the glass walls seemed to be doing a good job of bringing in a lot of heat. There was a stone fountain just beyond a woman who sat at a black desk with a silver metal plate in her hands that seemed to be making clicking sounds. The ceiling above was a lattice of stone that allowed artificial light to stream through. The woman didn't look up as we got closer. I got the feeling she was going to be a snob about what came next.
"Names?" She asked in a bored tone. Looked like my prediction was right.
"Shisui Uchiha Reaper ID 744-784, Kubo Ajal Reaper ID 582-600 and 2 guests. We need an audience with Prince Shirokage."
"Prince Shirogake is currently in a meeting." She didn't even look up.
"Okay, what about a Commander?"
"You should know as well as I the Commanders are busy as always." I exchanged a glance with Akira about this. Looks like Shisui wasn't having much luck with this.
"I know you probably don't care about me and whatever this is about considering you probably have seen anything and everything, but I really need to see Prince Shirokage or a Commander, hell I'll settle for seeing another Prince right now." Shisui leaned in to the woman, getting her attention. I could have sworn I saw a little redness in her face since she did lean back. "This is important. You see, these girls behind me, are Prince Tsukikage's daughters. And I just finished Reaping them." The woman shot Akira and I a searching look before she hesitated.
"I can't let you or them pass but, if you saw these ninja are claiming to be Prince Tsukikage's daughters, I need to call in a Commander."
"Call away." Shisui said leaning away and adopting a bored body stance. The woman got up and went behind the door behind her. "Well that could have gone better." Shisui grumbled.
"Told you." Kubo grumbled.
"Who is the Commander?" Akira asked.
"I don't remember you saying there had been anyone else claiming to be Tsukikage's daughters." I stated. Shisui looked at Kubo who merely raised an eyebrow. Shisui pouted but explained.
"Well Akira, the Commander was a Shinobi who rose through the ranks of the Reapers. And technically the rank of Commander is shared by 13 past Kage, Boss, Pirate, Reaper or those who qualify but I think the Commander she has in mind happens to be a very famous person who ironically enough, came out of Konoha. If I remember the stories, he was eaten by one of the Shinigami Lords when he summoned the Lord into the real world. He's a favorite of Lord Death's. And yes Akana, there have been others who have claimed to be Prince Tsukikage's daughters in the past."
"Do we have to prove who we are?" Akira asked alarmed. "No one said anything about doing a test to prove we're his daughters."
"Don't worry. The Commander will just need to take one look at you both and he'll see." Kubo assured.
"Which reminds me, when he gets here make sure you activate your eyes." Shisui added.
"You mean our Kekkei Genkai?" I asked.
Shisui nodded before he seemed to consider something. "You know, I should tell you now that what you think of as a Kekkei Genkei isn't really a Kekkei Genkai. Your eyes are just apart of your abilities that isn't really connected with chakra, it's just something you can do."
"I don't understand, do you?" I asked Akira who shook her head. Shisui sighed.
"I'll explain that later." The door opened and the woman came back through. Our attention turned to her.
"Have a seat. Commander Namikaze will be along shortly." She pointed to a small waiting area with uncomfortable looking black chairs and what looked like magazines scattered about.
"Do you know what's in store for us?" Akira asked. "If we happen to prove who we are to Commander Namikaze? What happens after?"
"Honestly? I have no clue. But I promise I'll be with you two the entire way." Shisui commented in one of his more serious moments. "I like you girls. You've got spunk."
"Gee, thanks." I drawled. We sat in the waiting area for quite a while. Kubo and Shisui looked like they were having a private conversation in their head if the way they kept flicking their eyes was any indication. Kubo then stood up.
"Shisui, I leave the next few steps to you." He turned to us, the small smile was back. "I'm glad you two have Shisui to help look after you. If you ever need me simply call and I will help." With that he nodded to Shisui before he walked out the doors.
"What was that?" Akira asked. Shisui sighed.
"He was supposed to bring you two in but since I was the one who did, he's giving me full control." Shisui stated. Akira and I shared a look.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Kubo was supposed to bring you two back but he was called away to help with another matter in Society 6. Apparently a mage got too out of control and had to be put down."
"What are the other Societies?" Akira asked. "I don't think I've heard of a mage?"
"That is a very complicated question that also brings in scientific theories that are not yet proven on Earth 1. And the only reason we even go up to 13 is because we haven't been able to make peace with the other versions of Death. But just know, Death is universal, or multi-universal." Shisui smiled. Akira and I blinked before we nodded as one and decided not to go down that path today. I settled back onto the chair as best as I could and waited.
It was calm inside the glass building that much was certain. There was a cool breeze that went by every so often that kept the uncomfortable heat from being too much. The magazines weren't very interesting to me so I just left them.
Finally after an indeterminate amount of time I heard the tapping of shoes on stone. I looked up, following the sound. Behind the fountain in the back there was some stairs that led to an elevated floor. From down the stairs came a man with yellow blond hair in a white cloak. My vision shifted and for a second, I was seeing Naruto. I shook that image away when Shisui stood up. Akira and I followed to stand.
"Hokage-sama." Shisui nodded at him.
"No need to be so formal Shisui. I haven't been Hokage for a while now." Commander Namikaze laughed. He certainly seemed more cheerful kind of like Naruto. His blue eyes turned to Akira and I. That careful assessing glint in his eye was what made me hesitate, this man was powerful certainly and he was also most likely thinking of a few ways to kill us if need be. "These are the young ladies claiming to be Prince Tsukikage's daughters?"
"They aren't claiming anything Commander." Shisui stated firmly. "I brought them here myself after much reluctance on their end."
"Hmm…" Commander Namikaze let out a curious hum. "Well, come on. Let's go answer some questions." He turned leading us to the raised floor.
'He's hot and all but I don't trust him.' Akira whispered in my mind. I nodded.
'Join the club.' We followed behind Shisui at a careful distance. 'I thought for a second there he was Naruto.'
'Your Jinchuuriki friend?'
'Yeah. Same blond hair, blue eyes… same cheerful demeanor.'
'I can kind of see it. Except Commander Namikaze has that look in his eyes.'
'The one that says 'don't try anything, I can kill you in more ways than you know'? Yeah I caught that too.' We were led from the raised floor stairs down another hallway that had doors lining the hall. At the end of the hall the Commander opened a door that revealed a fairly large office. It kind of reminded me of the Hokage's office being that there was a desk a couple feet in front of us before a large desk formed. Papers materialized onto the desk in a bin labeled as In while the Out box was empty.
"Have a seat ladies." Commander Namikaze ordered. Two chairs formed in front of the desk. Shisui nodded at us encouragingly. Akira hesitated while I decided to just screw it and sat down. Akira joined me a second later. Commander Namikaze sat down behind his desk and stapled his fingers together in front of him. "I'm just going to ask a few questions. Answer to the best of your abilities okay?"
"Okay." Akira and I chorused. He smiled disarmingly but I wasn't fooled.
"When were you born?"
"August 9th." Akira answered.
"Where were you born?"
"Higurashi Temple in the Land of Rivers." I answered this.
"What are your parents names?"
"Tsukikage and Himeno Higurashi." Akira stated. It continued on like this, just basic questions that if anyone did any research, anyone would know. Until at least the last five minutes.
"How did you survive the temple massacre?" I answered this. Akira I knew didn't remember anything about that night. Her memory was mysteriously blank.
"I'm not too sure honestly. All I remember from that night was mom waking us up and telling us we needed to play a game. She took us into the garden but deeper than we usually did and told us that no matter what we heard we had to keep running or else the monster would get us." The night had been full of terror for two 3 year old toddlers barely knowing anything about the real world. My mothers smile wasn't as familiar or as clear as I remembered but I knew she had been crying when she told us to run. I didn't know what was going on but I knew it was important. "I grabbed Akira and we ran until we reached the edge of the garden. I found a small opening in the walls and we slipped through there."
"You've been on the run since?" Minato asked.
"No not, not really." Akira admitted. "We stayed in Suna until we were about seven or eight. I had found a friend but Akana didn't want to stay."
"I left Suna and went to Konoha. I didn't like it there so I left. I was living on my own when my," Itachi's face that first time I saw him flashed through my mind. "When Itachi found me."
"Uchiha?" Minato asked. He looked at Shisui who nodded. Minato's eyes seemed to take on a calculated edge as he prompted me to go on.
"I'm guessing you know him too huh?" I felt anger burn through me and my eyes instinctively shifted as I glared at Minato. Commander or no, he had no right to judge my family. "I guess I should make this perfectly clear, I don't care what he's done or who he's hurt. He took me in and cared for me like a father should. He taught me how to fight and how to harness my chakra. He's been by my side no matter what I've gone though or what the others have gone through. If that makes me biased than I am, but if you have any ill will or grudges against him I will defend him because he means that much to me." Minato met my eyes head-on.
'Akana, don't irritate him.' Akira begged. I shoved her back, focusing on Minato who suddenly smiled making his eyes squint.
"That's good to hear." His sudden cheerfulness was scary. "I liked Itachi and from what I remember he was a good brother to Sasuke. It's good to know he's still got some caring and gentleness in him."
"Y-you're not mad?" Akira asked. Minato continued smiling.
"No. Quite the contrary actually, I'm proud. Looks like Shisui made a good decision in bringing you both here."
"We've proved ourselves?" I asked suspiciously. Minato nodded.
"Yep. Your eyes are like mirror images of your grandfather Lord Deaths. That same determination and fire to protect your family is hard to fake."
"So what now?" Akira asked. Minato leaned back.
"Lord Death?" Behind him, the air started to shimmer like a mirage as a being formed. It was like the mirage was melting away to reveal a tall figure in a black cloak. His face was what froze me. His face was half covered in bone that was very white and clean, from his eye sockets his eyes held me, they were a familiar dark shade of blue. It reminded me of dad's eyes when I'd seen him in my death state. White hair was slipping from under his hood to let stray tendrils float in an invisible wind.
'HOW THE FUCK DIDN'T WE NOTICE HIM?' Akira screamed in my head. I flinched at her volume before returning the favor, although I was glaring at her while i screamed back.
'WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME?' I shouted. 'AND WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING AT ME?'
'I'M SORRY IT'S JUST... HE'S GORGEOUS!'
'HE'S OUR GRANDFATHER YOU PERV!'
'NOT IN THAT CONTEXT YOU IDIOT!'
"Hello Lord Death!" Shisui bowed breaking Akira and I from our shouting match. "Good to see you again."
"Hello Shisui. Thank you for bringing my granddaughters home." Lord Death's, our grandfather, voice was actually much deeper than I expected. "It is good to meet you two at last Akira and Akana, daughters of my son Tsukikage."
GM NASAI: How are you lovelies!? I hope everyone is well and doing good mentally and physically. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter because let me tell you, dragging my muse back for this was a struggle, she just wanted to watch scary movies and lounge around. I also hope you all enjoyed the descriptions I put in for the 'afterlife'. If you have any questions or feel I left anything out let me know, it's kind of hard to write about all this when I'm not sure what questions the twins should be asking when to me, it's already in my head and I know the answers. I know I didn't go too much into detail about the places in the Societies, but I hope to change this in the next chapter which I have half written.
Until then everyone! Have a happy and safe Halloween!