"i am going out!" Kaori shouted as she wore her sandals.
"be safe kiddo!" Itsuki Yamanaka yelled back.
"be back by dinner sweetheart!" came the voice of Seiko Nara.
"okay!" and the door slammed shut.
Kaori Yamanaka-Nara was four years old, daughter of two jōnins, one of which was a retired ANBU (Seiko).
the sun shone brightly this particular morning. no clouds could be seen, it was a clear sky. except a few birds that chirped as they flew out of their nests to provide food for their progenies.
the little girl walked alone in a black t-shirt - her favourite colour - and khaki shorts. she was a tall girl for her age. her little feet made their way towards Konoha public library. she carried an olive green sling bag that was more than half her size and somehow that wasn't a cause of problem.
her big baby blue eyes took in everything around her as they always did - the houses, the shops, the people, the items, the kids, the animals and birds.
ebony brown hair looked a shade lighter in the bright sun as a small blue butterfly settled itself on her small bangs.
a grin made it's appearance on her small round shaped face. Kaori giggled. as her four year old hands made their way to catch the butterfly, it took away.
"wait!" she called out as she ran towards the butterfly. running through the market she ran mindlessly with only one goal in mind - to catch the pretty insect. all thoughts about the library now forgotten.
Kaori didn't know how but she was now in an open grass field. the butterfly was nowhere in sight by now. the girl stood alone surrounded by a wide open meadow. green grass, cool breeze and a few trees welcoming her.
*clash*
Kaori's head snapped and very carefully she made her way towards the source of the sound..
a boy and a girl around her age were sparring. nothing extraordinary but it still caught the little Yamanaka-Nara clan kid.
she watched with awe how the girl with two buns on her head sparred with the boy using a sword.
the boy had a real kunai but the girl had a wooden sword. still she was giving the boy a tough time. the bowl cut boy struggled to keep up with her strength and attacks but he looked determined not to give up. he kept on but so did she.
taking a comfortable seat on the soft grass, Kaori settled her cute face on her two small palms. eyes not leaving the duo for even a nano second.
Kaori loved it.
she loved how fierce the girl looked. how she attacked her opponent with different moves each time and the boy had a hard time trying to decipher it before the attack landed on him causing him to get hurt alot of times. but the way the sword danced in her hands - right, left, up, below - was enough to carry the brunette's attention. even though that girl still needed alot of practice and her moments were a bit rough, to Kaori it looked perfect.
a particular attack caused the boy with huge eyebrows to fall backwards as his back collided with the ground and the sword was mere centimetres from his throat. it made Kaori gasp as her eyes widened.
"yield?" the girl's back was to Kaori but she could make out the smugness in her voice.
"yield." the boy nodded and then sat up as the girl backed away.
Kaori expected the boy to be sad or angry because he lost the match but instead he held out a 'thumbs up' and showed his sparkling white teeth. "you did great Tenten! i am so proud of you!"
the girl - Tenten - grinned brightly as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "thanks."
"but that means i need to practice more! i will not give up! i will beat you next time. that's a promise. if i won't i shall-"
"Lee... it's fine. you did great actually. better than last time. you shall do nothing." Tenten put her sword inside the sheath.
"but-"
"excuse me?" it was an extremely adorable voice that made Tenten and Lee stop.
"yes?" Tenten asked.
"if you don't mind, may i hold your sword for a minute?"
Tenten stood dumbfounded. she looked at Lee who gave her a nod.
"sure." she unsheathed her sword.
"what's your name?" Lee asked, though it sounded like he was shouting at her.
"Kaori. Kaori Yamanaka-Nara." she smiled. "yours?"
"Rock Lee."
"Tenten."
"how old are you though?" Tenten asked.
"i am four years old."
"we are five." Tenten pointed to her and Lee. "here." she handed the sword to her.
fitting. it felt fitting. as if someone had handed her the exact thing that was missing in her life. the exact thing that she never knew she needed. it felt as if she had found the missing piece of her puzzle. it felt good in her hand. it felt magical.
the big smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes was enough to tell Tenten that she had found another girl who was just like her.
Kaori remembered reading in one of the hundred books she has read that swords weren't for everybody. sure anybody could learn how to use a sword but not everybody gets the feeling of belongingness and comfort when they hold a weapon, i.e. a sword.
they say swords chose their own master. well that wooden sword was certainly not Kaori's but she sure was one of the people who were made for swords. unless you feel that sense of belongingness you can never master kenjutsu.
"do you like it?" Tenten's voice broke Kaori from her daze.
"huh?"
"do you like holding a sword?"
"yes." the little girl breathed.
"do you know how to fight using one?"
"no."
"do you want to know?" that made her snap her head from the sword to the girl.
"yes." her voice cracked. "yes! i want to!"
Tenten grinned. "then i shall teach you."