Kitsune Legends
Maybe I should have separated the last chapter into 2...? . Ah well. It doesn't really matter now but if you don't want it so long I can separate it at a reviewers request.
Key:
"People talking"
'People thinking'
"Demons talking/Demon language"
'Demons talking telepathically to their vessels'
'Demons thinking to themselves'
/Ghosts talking while not in solid forms/Mikiko talking to them telepathically/
/Ghosts thinking to themselves/
-twitches at long list- Wow. I never noticed until now. 0.
Anyways, from now on I will not be replying reviews directly because I just remembered that it's against the guidelines. Meh. So I guess you can just review your question and I'll just explain it for all to see while keeping your questions anonymous (though if they really wanted to, they can go look themselves, ).
Hehe, anyways, on with the story!
Secrets
Mikiko stared blankly at Riku.
She couldn't believe it. Just one day after getting caught peeking, he did it again-- and at the same hot springs! Resting on the girl's head, the phoenix clucked her beak at him.
/It serves him right. Peeking on innocent females! And some of them were just hatchlings too/ Nukumi shook her feathery head in disappointment (her ghostly guardians were still only visible to her and other ghosts).
When Mikiko had gotten back from the meeting, she found Riku tied up with wire, sleeping (was it a jutsu?), with red skin, in front of her door. She couldn't tell if it was from being in the bath waters for too long or all the slaps and or beatings he had gotten. Although, she suspected it was the latter.
Retsu snickered behind a massive paw. /Ouch. It looks like it hurt. Should we heal him/ He grinned, showing off his fangs.
Inside the seal, Yurei was snickering as well. 'As much as I hate to say this, if we don't heal him, our trip back to Kiri will be delayed. Wake him up and get one of those Anbu to heal him.'
Sighing, Mikiko dragged him inside the hotel room onto her bed and untied her team mate. She crouched beside him and poked his cheek. He groaned and attempted to swat away the offending finger.
"Mmm...five mo 'mints, okaa..." Mikiko blinked before poking him harder. He scrunched up his eyes and rolled over to get away from Mikiko-- right off of the bed. The half demon smiled. That should wake him up. Retsu and Yurei were now laughing their heads off.
One of the Anbu rushed into the room after hearing the rather loud thud. He looked from the red skinned moaning Riku on the floor towards the smiling girl crouching on the edge of the bed. He tilted his head.
"Is...anything the matter?" His voice was muffled slightly behind the crane mask. He noted the blood under Riku's nose and almost regretted asking.
"Nothing...I was just waking Riku up. Can you heal him?" Sighing, he reluctantly agreed, making some hand seals. Approaching the younger ninja, he ordered him to stay still and stop whining before healing all his bruises. He scratched the back of his head. He'd rather not ask what happened.
"Unless you have anything else to do in the village we're leaving in 15 minutes. Pack."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Naruto and Sakura were at the Eastern Gate to see off the Mist-nin. Sakura, being the medic-nin she is, noticed the multiple healing bruises that Riku was sporting. After a tired sigh from Mikiko, she figured out why, and frowned at the boy. He laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck.
The blond Hokage had his trademark grin on. "Next time you're near here and have free time, you better stop by to visit okay?"
Mikiko gave him a small smile and nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama." He frowned. "Just Naruto-sama, okay? Geeze, 'Hokage-sama' makes me feel old!"
Sakura gave them both a lop sided smile. Naruto had the same opinion as her. Was Mikiko always this polite?
"Hai, Naruto-sama. I'll visit next time I'm around." If it was possible, Naruto's grin grew bigger.
"Anyways...I wanted to ask you about your sister." The younger twin tilted her head but otherwise didn't object to the question. "What's she like?"
She frowned in thought. "Nee-chan is..."
How should she describe Tsuki? Energetic? Happy? Cheerful? She's never been asked this question before. People usually asked Tsuki about her.
"Different," suggested Riku. Mikiko pondered on the description before nodding in agreement.
"Hai, she is different."
Naruto pouted lightly. "Well, that doesn't help. Can't you give me another clue?"
Both Riku and Mikiko looked surprised at this, but for different reasons. Riku because he couldn't believe that a kage was acting like a child. Mikiko because...it seemed, almost familiar.
"She is...," she smiled at her fellow jinchuuriki, "like you, Naruto-sama."
Naruto raised an eye brow before smiling deviously. "Like me, huh?"
The two Sannin suddenly imagined vivid images of a very peppy and loud Mikiko look-alike slurping up ramen faster than the eye can see. Little did they know, they hit the nail on the head.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Deep in the village of Kiri, Tsuki sneezed mid-sentence while reciting her excitement for her training to a very weary Katsu. Shrugging, she continued her very loud and long speech.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The two Leaf-nin waved good-bye as the group made its way out of the gates in the same formation as before.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The female ANBU with the tiger mask took the lead and made them run at a faster pace than before. Jumping from tree to tree, she informed them why.
"War will be coming soon. When we made the alliance with Konoha, Kumo and Iwa got a little...upset. Better to be safe than sorry."
Floating beside Mikiko at the same pace was Retsu. His hackles raised at the thought of another war. Makai always had civil wars. It was rare to be completely at peace. It was also the reason that he had died in the first place. Nukumi let out a soothing cry.
/Don't worry Retsu-kun. We have two cute little jinchuuriki and the two of us to stop them/
Retsu chuckled. /Cute little jinchuuriki/ Nukumi 'hmmph'ed.
/That's right! How can you resist petting them with those furry little ears and tails/ The jackal just responded with a bark like laugh.
/HA! I don't see you petting me/ He put on a mask of mock hurt. /Am I not 'cute' enough/
/Well they're still fledglings! You, mister, are an adult. If I pet you, you'd try to bite my talons off/
He shrugged. /True enough./
Mikiko ignored this pointless conversation (as interesting as it is to see whether or not her guardians thought she and her sister were 'cute', it wasn't not on her to-do list). She had better things to think about. Like how to learn to combat a dog demon that uses the wood element to fight. Water is certainly not effective against wood.
She snuck a side glance at the phoenix spirit flying on her right. Fire and wind. She glanced to the left at Retsu. Ice and shadow. They haven't used their powers yet, so she couldn't tell how strong they were.
/Retsu-san. Nukumi-san./ Both stopped their bickering and looked at their young charge jumping through the trees strangely.
/That's Kumi-nee-chan to you, Miko-chan/ 'Kumi' let out what sounded like laughter.
Retsu snorted. /Just Retsu. I hate formalities./
/Hai. When we get back, can you teach me some basic techniques for each of your elements/
The kind bird just 'hmm'ed. /Maaaaybe. It depends./ She giggled. /We'll see when we get home/
Mikiko glanced up at the horizon. Circulating chakra in her eyes, they focused in on the ocean, where a boat lay waiting. She cut off the chakra and looked back at her human companions. The group was quiet, and looked like they weren't suspicious to her 'conversation' with her guardians, thinking she was always quiet like this. When she turned her head back towards the front, the Anbu looked back at Mikiko. He made a mental note about her behavior.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
4 hours later, they arrived back at the small island they had camped at before. Once again, upon setting up their camp, the Anbu disappeared. Flipping open a small orange book, Riku curled up inside his sleeping bag and read by the light of the fire. Before getting in, she spared a glance at the book. 'Iccha Iccha Tactics'. She shook her head wearily.
Mikiko sighed as she saw at least a dozen ghosts get attracted by the signs of life. Most were ninja who died here in the war between Leaf and Rock. The Iwa-nin had apparently used this island as a base, but were infiltrated and killed before doing anything.
Right before she nodded off, she saw Retsu get impatient with the fighting ghosts and snarl at them to 'buzz off you idiotic bastards'.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Deep inside Mikiko's mindscape, Mikiko was sitting before the demoness. In between them was a shoji board, and Yurei was winning. After some thought, the girl moved one of her pieces with a tail.
"In the battle against Gobi…will you show your true strength?" The demon frowned as she was beginning to lose her advantage. She countered.
"Hn. Only if necessary." She moved another piece.
The wolf suddenly grinned. She moved a piece, securing her victory. "Hehe, I win."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
3 days later, the group finally arrived back in Kiri at noon.
"MIKO-CHAAAAAN!"
Riku and Mikiko (the Anbu had teleported directly to the office to give their report immediately after hearing the shriek of delight) turned their heads to the source of the yell just in time for Mikiko to be tackled into a hug by her hyperactive sister. With a squeal from Tsuki, both went rolling into the dirt.
Several foreigners stared in shock before looking around to see the villagers ignoring them like it was an everyday thing.
Tsuki squealed again before getting off her sister. After dusting them both off, the young Hakumei heir waved both arms frantically at Riku, who had an amused smirk, especially since he was only 4 feet away from her.
"Ohayo, Riku-kuuun! How was your mission? Did you guys get me anything? It was so lonely with just me and Katsu-sensei! How was the ramen over there? Was Naruto-sama nice? How was the trip?" Tsuki had managed to say all of this in one breath while dragging them towards the Mizukage Tower.
Oddly enough, Mikiko was relieved to be hearing the chatter of her sister again after being away from her for so long. And Riku was just glad for some talk after the quiet trip. Team 11 walked leisurely towards the Tower, talking about what they did over the last week or so.
Apparently, Tsuki got some more chakra control exercises from Katsu-sensei and they got to spend 'quality time' together.
When they reached the tower, Katsu was there waiting for them, leaning against the wall. He tossed a stern look to Tsuki.
"We're leaving tomorrow at dawn in front of the western village gate. I'm carrying the scroll."
Tsuki saluted. "HAI, KATSU-SENSEI!" The other members of Team 11 sweat dropped.
"Err, anyways, Mikiko-chan, report to Mizukage-sama, since the Anbu said you did more than the mission required. The rest of us will be at training area 34, 'kay?"
Tsuki and Riku shuddered upon remembering the first time they went to that training area for their real Genin test. Before they could retort, Katsu had grabbed their shoulders, and they were gone in a poof of smoke.
Mikiko spared one last glance towards the spot where her team was just standing before walking into the tower. Immediately upon entering, she felt the glares and/or fearful looks she received from the ninja and civilians inside the building. She inwardly sighed at their behavior. It wasn't as if she wasn't used to it, it just gets tiring after a while.
An hour after Tsuki and Mikiko were born, Byakko and Yurei arrived, explained who they were, and promptly sealed themselves inside the twins. Ever since that day, Tsuki had been praised as the vessel for one of the legendary four, and Mikiko was scorned as the keeper of the ghost wolf.
'Hey! It's not my fault that the ninja here are hypocrites! 'Look underneath the underneath'…pheh! Idiotic ningen don't even bother to listen to their own sayings…' muttered the wolf. Mikiko didn't bother to respond as she scaled the stairs and arrived outside the Mizukage's door, guarded by two Anbu. Right before she was about to knock, her wrist was grabbed by the horse masked Anbu on the left.
"Hold it, gaki. What the hell do you want with Mizukage-sama?" The grip on her wrist tightened. The Hakumei responded by bowing slightly.
"Gomen, I have to give Mizukage-sama a report from the mission I just returned from."
The other Anbu (this one had an owl mask) sighed in exasperation and was about to scold her partner when the door suddenly opened, revealing an dragon masked Anbu with a white cloak. An Anbu Captain. And not just any Anbu Captain, it was the Mist's Anbu Commander.
"Uma-kun. Just let the girl go already."
Disgruntled, the horse Anbu let go. Mikiko bowed again towards the two Anbu before following the Commander inside. He closed the door behind her before she sat in the chair in front of the Mizukage. The Anbu stood beside him a few seconds later, holding a folder.
"Mikiko. The Anbu said you did something other than what the mission requested. Please tell me."
She nodded and gave a brief review of what she did, purposely leaving out her 'favor' and the 'reviving' of the two Hokages. All while doing so, keeping an emotionless façade on. Satomaru nodded after she finished. He looked towards the Anbu Commander.
"I believe you've been wondering why Ryu-kun is here?" She gave a brief nod. Satomaru waved towards 'Ryu' to talk. He opened up the folder and read out it's contents.
"Hakumei Mikiko, 12 years old. Jinchuuriki no Yurei no Ookami. Secondary heir to the Hakumei clan. 4 years ago she showed signs of surpassing her elders as a child prodigy. Trained with her family until age 8. Trained by herself until age 10."
This must have been her profile from the village records. Why would they need that now?
"On June 10th 2 years ago she murdered over 100 Hakumei clan members and several villagers for unknown reasons. Sentenced to die on June 12th. Just before dying, a ghost appeared and made a deal with us in order to keep said girl alive. Quote.
"You let Mikiko live as long as she swears to become an eternal guard for the Hakumei Clan for as long as she lives. She can also become one of the village's hunter-nin if you wish; to repent for her crimes. Surely you do not wish a weapon such as this girl to go to waste?"
Phoenix ghost
Un-quote."
This came as news to the girl. A phoenix ghost? Come to think of it, where were her two guardians now? Phoenix ghost? Could it be Nukumi? Mikiko's thoughts ended as 'Ryu' continued.
"After 48 hours of time, the village council accepted. Mikiko was to live in her own little "house" just behind the border between the village and Hakumei lands. She was to be a hunter-nin and whenever she was in the village, she would wear a collar made of seals that would knock her unconscious if the Mizukage or her "surveillance Anbu" felt that she was getting out of control."
At the mention of her 'collar', Mikiko unconsciously touched her neck, where the seals only appeared when they were activated. The seals could only be activated inside the borders of the village.
"Once a month she would be sent out on a mission to hunt down missing-nin (usually D-C class ninja at first, then gradually hunting stronger ninja) and them back, dead or alive (while being surveyed afar by another Anbu unit). The ghost agreed to the deal as long as Hakumei Mikiko was allowed to become a Genin by going to the Academy and be on a team. We accepted."
He still hasn't gotten to the reason why he was here. All three people in the room already knew all of this.
"All throughout her Academy years, Mikiko has gotten scores in the high sixties, barely passing. She was put on Team 11. Jounin-sensei: Hoshigaki Katsu. Team mates: Takamoto Riku, Hakumei Tsuki. By this time Hakumei Mikiko was hunting C-B Class nuke-nin with her squad. Has shown absolute minimum skill during these missions, but always finishes them. Estimated skill: Mid-chuunin to Rookie-jounin level. Full capabilities unknown. Two months ago, Hakumei Mikiko and Hakumei Tsuki went through a ritual that fused them with their demons, turning them into hanyou."
He closed the folder and put it on the desk. The room was quiet for a minute after hearing all of this information again. Satomaru rested his chin on his hand and remembered his thoughts from a few days ago.
The Mizukage was starting to get frustrated.
Now that Mikiko was hunting more powerful ninja, they still didn't know how strong she was. Chuunin? Rookie jounin? Then, a devious idea formed in his head. Why not put her in the field as an actual Anbu, but not as a hunter-nin? Anbu usually start as talented chuunin level ninja or jounin ninja and work their way up. Since Anbu are assigned missions directly from him, he can give her missions that will force her to show her true strength! She wouldn't die, especially since she was 'under the protection of the assistants of the Shinigami'.
"Mikiko. Because of your success as a hunter-nin and the praising comments made by your squad, we decided to make you a real Anbu. ((AN: Hunter-nin are in a special branch of the Anbu.)) Since you were a hunter-nin, you will be assigned to a team that needs a tracker. You will only be an Anbu part-time, like before."
If Mikiko was surprised, she didn't show it. 2 years of nerve-racking hunting and training in the Anbu had done that for her. Showing emotions in the Black Ops was fatal. The Commander seemed to notice this, and nodded in slight praise. He seemed to be nice.
Yurei was suspicious. Why would they change the deal? She ran over the job details of a full-fledged Anbu in her head. She grinned. 'Sneaky little bastards. Trying to find out how strong Mikiko-chan is? I'm afraid they'll be disappointed…'
Mikiko had come to the same conclusion as Yurei.
Satomaru bent down, picked a paper bag up, and handed it to Mikiko, who peeked into it and saw an Anbu uniform; just her size. She idly thought that it must have been specially made for her, since she must have been smaller and younger than most, if not all of the other Anbu. She then noticed that the mask wasn't in there. She looked up to find Satomaru smiling at something in his hands under the desk. He brought it up and gave it to her.
It was her mask.
It was a dog mask, with the kanji for death right in the middle of the forehead. It had a smile with two of its fangs sticking out, along with black paint around the eye holes that made the dog look like it was glaring at you. Black wavy tendrils grew from the sides of the mask, going in a circular motion that seemed to point at the kanji.
All in all, it looked pretty evil, like it wanted to kill you. Yurei suddenly imagined her vessel wearing it on a stormy night, stalking her prey. She snickered inwardly. She can't wait to see them piss their pants in fright!
"Katsu-kun said that a dog mask with black markings suited you, since the jounin instructor of new recruits get to choose the mask for them. He said that because you were the guard for the Hakumei (and dogs usually protect something) and have a ghost wolf inside you, he figured your mask should portray a black dog, the omen of death." Stated the Commander.
Ah. Now she knew why The Mizukage was smiling. It fit her situation perfectly.
"Therefore," he began, "Your codename will be Shikyo ((AN: Death. ;.)). You will meet your team tomorrow at training area 6 at 11 am. You're on Anbu Squad 5. Captain: Usagi (rabbit). Team mates: Uma (horse) and Fukurou (owl). This is the team that takes turns being my personal guards, so you'll have to do that every once in a while also, and you don't have to worry about not going on missions with them."
After he was done, the Commander spoke up.
"Get your tattoo at HQ before you meet your team."
"Hai."
He nodded and left the room in a poof of ninja smoke. Satomaru raised an eyebrow.
"Mikiko, why are you still here?"
She frowned at the thought of what she was going to be telling her leader. Yurei sent a few waves of comfort through her 'pup's body.
"Having Yurei no Ookami's genes has given me the ability to have visions. I had one during the trip to Konoha."
His eyes widened. He gestured for her to continue.
"Gobi no Hoko's jinchuuriki will attack our village with an army from Kumo in exactly one month. In my vision I saw a meeting that took place today. The jinchuuriki had red hair and blue eyes. He looked to be a couple years older than me."
Satomaru scowled and inwardly cursed. He took out a scroll and scribbled a message on it. He sealed it with his blood and his personal seal before putting it on his desk to give to Katsu later, to deliver it to the Hokage. Standing up, he waved Mikiko out of the room.
"Dismissed. I have things to do."
She nodded before forming the seals for Kiri-Shunshin no Jutsu (Mist Body Flicker Technique) and disappearing in a swirl of mist.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The hanyou reappeared outside of her house (which was furnished from the money she got for hunting down the nuke-nin and other missions) on the Hakumei grounds. Sighing, she went inside dropped off the bag with her uniform on her bed.
Her house was about the size of a large apartment. The kitchen was connected to the living room which led to a hallway with the doors to her bathroom and her bedroom. The kitchen and living room had a peach colored theme, with some furniture to compliment it. The bathroom was a pale blue with white tiles.
Her bedroom was forest green; with a soft shaggy carpet (the rest of the house had a wooden floor). Her queen sized bed was tucked into the corner beside a window. Opposite her bed was a bookshelf that also had slots for scrolls, along with a dresser and closet.
The wall surrounding the door was covered in seals, which protected the house from intruders (she had finally been forced to do this after nearly being murdered in her sleep by an older distant cousin), being put on fire, being broken from the outside, and the like. And in case of graffiti, there was also a seal that automatically cleans the outside of the house whenever she pumps chakra into it.
Having a Sealing Master inside of you had its perks.
Frowning once again at the visage of her mask, she put it in the bag and took it towards the painting of a moonlit forest next to her bedside table. With a wave of her hand, it disappeared, and another door took its place.
She opened it to reveal a comfy looking room with 2 walls full of holes that contained scrolls, notebooks, and other various valuables that she'd rather not show to people. In the corner was a small mountain of pillows, where she sat to read, study, and write. In the middle of the room was a low table with cushions surrounding it and a kotatsu ((AN: Meh, I can't really explain it. Look it up))
Mikiko walked over to one of the empty slots above the hole where her hunter-nin mask was (it looks exactly like Haku's), took out her uniform, folded it, and put it in the slot with her mask in another slot.
'Pup, your team's waiting for you.'
'Ah.'
Making sure that the door was locked (and the seals were activated and had enough chakra/blood), she formed the seals for the shunshin again and teleported towards her team's training area with a head full of heavy thoughts.
End Chapter
So, now we know Mikiko's a mass murderer eh? Why did she kill them? How is she that strong? Why did she keep it a secret?
The pasts of my other OCs will be revealed in due time. It was just that Mikiko's past being revealed was kinda required for the plot to go on, -sweat drops-.
A Mary Sue is the perfect girl, right? Well I guess you can tell that Mikiko is not perfect. She just so happens to be an emotionless child prodigy that is oblivious to things like 'affections' (Example: When Riku says "You really do care!" She goes "Of course, you're my team mate.") Tsuki is trying to fix that though.