TW: Mentions of abuse
Part One
It is March, and crickets and frogs are chirping, playing a sweet symphony for the summer night. Under the cover of a new moon, the sky was dark and inky, spilling out endlessly across the horizon. The stars shone brightly, flickering and glittering as if to prove that there could be light in the darkness. Her feet ached as they climbed the steps, plagued by fussing blisters and bug bites. Her companion ushered her to the door, and knocked heavily upon its rich oak.
"Jiraiya-sensei? But you weren't scheduled to return from Ame for another month," a man answered.
"I'm afraid I need to ask you a favor, Minato-kun,"
"A favor?"
"Perhaps you can find a use for this child around the village? She's no shinobi, but she's clever and well-spoken,"
"What happened?"
"The same thing that usually happens,"
Wakumi Ito peered from behind the large man's tree-trunk legs, his hair falling in a great white waterfall for her to hide behind. With wide eyes, she looked up to the man that had opened the door. Electric blue eyes met her, intelligent and piercing, and she felt very small. With a tiny fist, she clung to Jiraiya-san's pants and looked up to him for help. He gave her one of his best smiles, ruffling the periwinkle tufts of her hair.
"One of your little birds in need of a nest to stay in, eh?" Namikaze Minato hummed, glancing at his teacher as he squatted down to the child's eye-level.
"Surely Kushina-chan could use an extra pair of hands the next couple of months, hm?" Jiraiya replied, waggling his eyebrows to further convince his former pupil.
"I suppose there is plenty of space in this house for one more," he sighed, looking the girl up and down. She couldn't have been more than ten years old, scrawny and scraggly, with thread-bare clothes hugging the jagged outline of her skeleton. He felt his eyebrows furrow, inhaling deeply as he took in her tattered appearance. "Kami help us, she can't do worse, can she?"
"Don't underestimate her, she's a tough little thing. Spent her past days bookkeeping for an Amegakure weapon's dealer," Jiraiya explained, affectionately patting her on the head as if she was a dog.
"Well, that can't have been much fun," the blond-haired man tutted, a friendly spark igniting in his eyes. Ito shook her head, shuddering at the thought of ever going back to that place. "What's your name, child?"
"Wakumi Ito," she answered him dutifully, though her voice was barely above a whisper and she averted her gaze shyly.
"Nice to meet you, Ito-chan. My name is Namikaze Minato," he bowed to her with a sweeping flourish of his robes, and she felt a laugh bubble in the back of her throat, though she could only manage a weak smile. "Would you like to come inside?"
She nodded hesitantly, trailing after the man uncertainly with Jiraiya's encouragement. Her turquoise eyes lit up with wonder, drinking in the pleasant décor and allowing the warmth to hug her frail body.
"Kushina!" The man called in a sing-song voice, a resulting clatter coming from the kitchen. A woman appeared at the end of the hall, brandishing a ladle as a weapon, with soup splattered across her apron.
"Hey, what's the big idea y'know! Yelling like that at this hour!" She hollered, seemingly unaware that she was yelling herself.
"We have a guest, my love," the man soothed, adoration written all over his face. Jiraiya's booming laugh filled the space, and the woman who was called Kushina tackled him in a hug.
"As much as I appreciate the warm welcome," he chuckled. "There's someone else I would like to introduce to you,"
Ito felt herself being dragged forward, her feet unsure and shaky as she stepped forward to reveal herself. Kushina's tough exterior softened exponentially, her gaze landing on the child.
"And who are you? I'm Uzumaki Kushina y'know!" She introduced, a wide smile dancing across her features. Minato and Jiraiya slipped into the study, shadows passing over their faces as they began discussing business.
"Wakumi Ito," the girl repeated once more, bowing slightly.
"Nice to meetcha!" She beamed brightly. "Are you hungry, Ito-chan?"
The girl nodded, wide-eyed, her anxiety melting away as the sweet aroma from the kitchen filled her awaiting nostrils. Kushina sat her down at the table, humming to herself as she set out four bowls (and two dishes for sake once the boys rejoined them) and served the steaming tonjiro.
"You must have had a very long journey with Jiraiya-sensei," she said sweetly, prodding at the quiet girl gently.
"I am thankful it is over now, Kushina-san," Ito replied politely, keeping her eyes focused on the ground out of respect.
Kushina tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, the child's subdued nature hinting at a difficult past.
"So you're gonna stay with us for awhile, huh?" Kushina continued, dishing out another serving to the girl after she all but inhaled her first bowl.
"It seems that is Jiraiya-san's wish for me,"
"Well, that's good then!" Kushina grinned, the force of it lighting up the entire room like a beacon. "You can help with the baby!"
"The baby?" Ito echoed, eyes shining. For the first time, she noticed the hint of a bump under the red-haired woman's apron.
"I'm about to be a mother, y'know!"
"A mother?" Ito said quietly, blurry memories of the woman that had given birth to her flashing through her mind.
"A mom, y'know!"
"Congratulations, Kushina-san. I will assist you however you need," Ito nodded, accepting her new responsibilities. Next thing she knew, she had been yanked into an all-encompassing embrace. Kushina's strong arms surrounded her with a warmth she had never known before, and the girl froze uncertainly within her grasp.
"I just know you're gonna be great to have around!" She gushed, the girl's nerves easing enough for her to half-heartedly return the hug.
"Careful, Kushina-chan, give the poor thing space to breathe," Jiraiya chortled, the two men smiling as they sat down at the table, their previous worries temporarily falling away.
"This looks wonderful, Kushina. Thank you for the meal," Minato cooed softly, shooting a loving look towards his wife before digging into his food voraciously. Ito watched them with a soft heart, childishly wondering if anyone would ever look at her like that.
"Delicious," Jiraiya agreed, muffled by the gargantuan bite he had taken, soup dribbling down his chin.
The woman's face flushed as scarlet as her hair, insisting that it was nothing really, only something she had quickly whipped up.
"Truly exquisite, Kushina-san," Ito said solemnly, nodding seriously, warranting laughter from the two men. Kushina gave her a small smile, a personal moment shared only between them. Perhaps there was a better life in store for her, after all.
By April, she had adjusted quite well into her new surroundings. She no longer got lost in the twisting halls, claiming the guest bedroom at the end of the hall as her own, putting her next door to the nursery and directly across from the master bedroom. She had her own bathroom, a privilege she would have considered killing for back in Amegakure. Her closet was stuffed; Kushina-san had taken her shopping, tossing outfits into their bag left and right, with Ito only able to dawdle behind her and assure her it was enough. To her great relief, she quickly found that the Village Hidden in the Leaves was much less... hostile than the Hidden Rain. Citizens and shopkeepers were almost overwhelmingly friendly, alerting Ito to the fact that she served under the First Lady of the village. The girl had turned to Kushina with huge eyes and a new reverence, which she had laughed off nervously. However, Ito was more than happy to take advantage of the benefits. She had a feeling that it was only as Lady Kushina's aide, that the people of Konoha were willing to accept a strange-looking, foreign child into their midst.
And she was, indeed, strange looking.
(At least in comparison to the children here, she looked fairly bland by Ame standards)
She was skinny, with disproportionately long legs compared to how short she was. Her shoulders were narrow, her face composed of nothing but angles and sharp lines. Even her ears came to a sharp point, protruding out from the feather-fine light blue hair her master had kept cropped nearly to her scalp. Her skin was pale and clear from a lack of exposure to the sun. Not even her eyes were particularly unique, though she liked them fine, shining in brilliant ocean waves of green-blue. Her lips were thin, a sickly-white scar slashing down at the left corner of her mouth, a reminder of what disobedience would earn her. Other than that, her smile was acceptable, you had to be pretty close to see how crooked they were (and she didn't let anyone get that close).
(And she didn't smile often either, so it was not usually a problem)
Lady Kushina had walked her to the academy one day, discussing her enrollment in the future if she should wish to pursue her studies. It was there that Ito realized how different she looked, and the other children certainly noticed it too. They stared unabashedly, some of the girls making faces of visible disgust while others merely looked curious. Kushina ushered her past their whispers protectively, shooting a powerful glare towards the classroom. Ito caught only one phrase, but it had been enough to make her stomach sit in knots for the rest of the evening.
Yuck, she looks like a fish!
Ito decides then that she doesn't want to enroll in the academy anytime soon.
She bore no interest towards children her age anyways. She was comfortable around adults, fading into the background where she would be free to tune into their conversations. So still, so quiet, so subservient. No one ever knew how carefully she listened. After a few years under her master's thumb, she could learn a man's every weakness and sorrow within one conversation. It was amazing to her what fools reveal in the details they share, unwittingly spilling their deepest secrets. When it came to business, she had learned that ruthlessness paid the bills better than anything else. It was her skill, thinly-veiled underneath her master's easily manipulated face, that brought her to Jiraiya-san's attention.
After uncovering her talent, he asked her if she could repeat back to them the names of the men who had come to see her master. She could, of course, having handled most of the paperwork herself. He came to visit her many times after that, giving her a wink and a coin purse whenever she fed him the information he craved. Over time, she had come to trust him, and even looked forward to his visits. He became a beacon of hope for her; Ito quickly placed the man upon a hero's pedestal and prayed he would rescue her. Despite her scrutiny and effort, her master's business was failing, and his mood was worsening daily. If he had been cruel to her before, life was quickly becoming unbearable. Unsustainable. He only had the money for his own liquor, drinking himself stupid while she slowly starved to death. He was violent when he was drunk, evidence of his anger began to find its way onto her body in purpling bruises and festering cuts. Ito could take the beatings, but when he put his hands on her with the desire to express his frustrations in... another way-
Well, that was simply unacceptable.
She could remember how her heart fluttered in her chest, the bile raising in her throat as she caught a whiff of the alcohol on his breath. His grip was heavy and rough, his eyes were beady and clouded over, but the way he was panting was what scared her the most. With all of her strength, she had kneed him in his groin and dashed away from him. Tears spilling out of her eyes in panic, she could hardly find a weapon to defend herself with. For once, she thanked the kami for her short stature, her size making her far too slippery to catch. In a stroke of miraculous fortune, just like she had always pictured, Jiraiya-san bust through the door in the nick of time. Her master stood no chance against the legendary Sannin, and after Jiraiya told her to close her eyes, it was over in an instant. That night, he had taken her out for ramen, and asked her if she would like to come home with him. Though she did not speak until well over halfway through their journey, she had nodded avidly at him, and they had departed.
That was practically history now, Ito was more than happy to move onto the next chapter of her life. Not only were the people more welcoming in Konoha (even if the Shiranui boy had started calling her Fishbone, and the nickname was gaining popularity at an alarming rate), the weather was far more pleasant as well. Overcast skies were nearly permanent in Ame, to the extent that she could feel the strain on her eyes when she woke up on her third morning in the Hidden Leaf, and the sun was still shining brightly. Though part of her would miss the comfort of the rain (every Sunday, like clockwork), she was developing a fondness for the warmth and light of Konoha's spring.
She spent her time trailing after Lady Kushina, inserting herself into the woman's daily activities. If there was something to be carried, Ito would dutifully take it from her lady's hands. Ito retrieved items for her, cooked for her, ran errands for her, but more than anything- amused her. Kushina had grown fascinated with the child, baffled by her maturity and pensive nature. It took some time to unravel, but she had quite the sense of humor hidden carefully under her façade of meekness. Most ten year-olds are not cynical, but then again, Ito was unlike most children.
Perhaps this was what gave Kushina the idea to pay Mikoto-chan a visit with Ito obediently in tow. Though it had been over a month now, Ito was still struggling to make friends, seemingly to prefer staying by Kushina's side rather than seeking other company. Even in her downtime, she was content to listen to Kushina reminisce and babble about the golden days. Ito was a wonderful listener, she could sit for hours and drink in every word, then respond with intelligence rivaling any adult. She had an old soul, and fortunately, the only other child Kushina had ever seen act like this lived just down the road.
The Uchiha Compound was truly a sight to behold, much more grand and royal than anything she had seen in Amegakure. Ito looked around in wonder, her baby blue bangs flopping awkwardly in her eyes. Her hair fell almost past her cheekbones now, and her time in the sunlight had brought a healthy glow to her face. Kushina's hearty home cooking had put some weight back on her bones, so she didn't look quite as skeletal as she had before. Kushina looked down at her fondly, brushing the girl's hair out of her face and using one of her own barrettes to clip it back. In a few years, her beauty will blossom into the pride of Konoha, she thought to herself with a smile. The police at the gate allowed them to enter with a gracious smile towards Kushina and polite disinterest towards Ito.
"Mikoto-chan!" Kushina gushed upon seeing her friend.
A dark-haired woman's stern face broke into a smile, and she squealed upon seeing Kushina's noticeably bigger baby bump. They were ushered inside a regal mansion, and Ito nervously toddled after the two women as they spoke for a moment.
"Oi! Ito-chan, I'm so sorry, y'know! Mikoto-chan, this is Ito. She's one of Jiraiya-sensei's Amegakure kids, I brought her to see Itachi-kun. She's just like him! So serious, like an adult trapped in a baby's body!" Kushina chatted, gesturing animatedly. Ito was pulled into a room where a steely-faced boy held a cooing infant. Mikoto retrieved baby Sasuke, Kushina's face lighting up at the sight of the child. They disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Ito alone with the other boy. He regarded her impassively, and she held his gaze evenly.
"Uchiha Itachi," he finally said stiffly, a dark lock of hair falling in his face stubbornly.
"Wakumi Ito," she replied, bowing politely. It was clear to her that this family was of noble status, their customs quickly becoming second-nature to her after assisting Lady Kushina in her duties.
"Lady Kushina-sama mentioned that you are 'like me'," he said thoughtfully, eyes narrowed. She regarded him for a moment, they appeared to be close in age, but she wasn't sure what else they had in common.
"Sometimes I think she forgets I can hear her when she speaks," Ito mused. "I do not think I am like an adult in a baby's body,"
The corner of Itachi's mouth quirked for a split-second. "You are from Amegakure?"
"Yes," she answered.
"Jiraiya-sensei brought you to Konoha?"
"Yes,"
"Are you a spy?"
Ito blinked. "I suppose I was,"
"Are you a shinobi?"
"No,"
The boy hummed, considering the information he had been given. "They expect us to entertain ourselves for awhile,"
"I am not particularly interested in being entertained," Ito shrugged. This time, she almost got a smile out of him.
"I need to train," Itachi says.
"For what?" she asks.
"Whatever is next, I suppose,"
"I will come with you,"
They go outside, and Ito watches him spit flaming shuriken from his mouth for hours. Kushina eventually retrieves her and they walk home.
Kushina asks, "Did you have fun with Itachi-kun?"
Ito answers, "Yes, I think I might have,"