A/N- So here's the official first chapter since the last one was the pilot. I have a question though. I'm not sure if, in later chapters when they become ninjas, I should focus more on the things they do when they aren't training or the things they do when they are. Any ideas? Thanks for reading!
Hareta and Toshio returned to their complex with Unmei and Kisame in their arms. Emiko left ahead of time in order to prepare the extra room for Kisame. Unmei slept peacefully in Hareta's arms while Kisame stared at everything around him in Toshio's arms. Hareta had become unusually silent.
"Your head might pop with all the thinking you're doing." Toshio joked dryly, trying to figure out what was going on in his wife's mind.
Hareta smiled at Toshio, but he could see some doubt in her features.
"Should we really adopt our son-in-law? It would be strange if our daughter married our son, never mind that being almost unheard of if it weren't for the twins in the fire country." Hareta said exasperatedly.
"I wonder what happened to them." Toshio said in thought.
"Seriously, To-To, what are we going to do?" Hareta questioned.
"We'll have to see if another family in the compound would be willing, otherwise we could just raise him as part of the family without letting anyone adopt him. Like we would have done with orphans in our family." Toshio replied.
"You're a genius!" Hareta's eyes gleamed. Many a ninja from the Shiryoku clan has left a child from the clan orphaned because of their demanding careers. The clan would then integrate the child into the family by assigning caretakers, but never replacing the parents completely.
Kisame looked at the baby in Hareta's arms, then back at Hareta before smiling at her, tiny shark teeth poking out. Hareta smiled back at Kisame and poked his pink-purple cheek with her free arm. He giggled at her.
Soon they arrived at their home and put Unmei in her crib. The room across from her belonged to her parents whilst the room on her right side temporarily belonged to Kisame. Toshio showed Kisame the plain room and Hareta laid Unmei down to rest. Emiko headed to her own home where she would be informing her husband, Toshio and Hareta's advisor, about both children they brought home with them.
After Kisame and Toshio became accustomed to Kisame's room, the little blue toddler's eyes began drooping. Toshio noticed before offering to tuck him in so that he can nap before going outside to play for a little while. Kisame smiled and nodded at Toshio, still a little shy to speak to the mostly unfamiliar person.
Hareta and Toshio rested until they heard a restless cry from Unmei. Hareta was quick to jump up from her seat and go to her daughter, while Toshio went to make sure Kisame wasn't awake.
When Toshio entered Kisame's room, he noticed that the little boy wasn't present. He went to Unmei's room where he saw Kisame holding Unmei in his arms. Hareta sat on the rocking chair near the crib and smiled at the two of them. She noticed Toshio and smiled at him too.
"He reached her before I did. She stopped crying." Hareta explained shortly.
Toshio smiled at the two kids.
Ever since Kisame picked up Unmei to calm her down, he had become her little safety blanket. She would only ever stop crying if she had gotten food, a new diaper or Kisame. Her parents welcomed the fact that Kisame could calm her down so easily since he was always near her. She was a very difficult baby, but no one minded it. Unless it was 3 in the morning, then Hareta minded. She felt bad for letting Kisame wake up whenever she cried so late so she decided to let Kisame and Unmei share a room, just until Unmei had gotten over her crying phase.
One morning, a few weeks before Kisame's third birthday, he had been playing with a little shark plushie on the floor next to Unmei in the living room. Hareta was busy cooking and Toshio was reading a summoning scroll near Unmei. He was planning on giving Kisame the scroll when the time was right. Unmei looked at Kisame and giggled before waving her hands frantically. Kisame knew that this meant she wanted him to pick her up. Before Kisame could stretch over and lift her onto his lap, a sound made his heart stop.
"Sa-me!" Unmei yelled out at Kisame.
Hareta entered the room, equally shocked.
She thought Unmei's first word would be Mama, Dada or even poop, like her own first word.
She smiled as her daughter giggled at Kisame. Toshio patted Kisame on his head.
"Mommy! Kisame won't let me play with his plushie!" A three year old toddler glared at the five year old next to her.
The five year old still lived in the home with Hareta and Toshio, but he wasn't adopted by them. The elders decided to integrate Kisame into the clan as an orphan as he would be placed into the empty house next to Hareta and Toshio when he becomes a genin. They decided that he would only become a true member when Unmei and Kisame get married. Since their threads link to each other, the elders couldn't refuse Kisame from the compound. Letting him get adopted by another clan also wouldn't benefit them since it meant allowing another clan into their secluded space. The Shiryoku clan liked their privacy and if Unmei wasn't an heir it would be alright for Kisame to be in another clan.
Hareta laughed at Unmei before saying: "If he wants you to play with it too then he will Unmei."
The week after Hareta and Toshio had gotten Kisame, they bought him a little shark plushie. Kisame had been attached to the plushie ever since. On some occasions he'd allow Unmei to play with his plushie too, but today was not one of those occasions.
Kisame stuck out his tongue at Unmei before laughing and running to Toshio. Unmei went to sulk in her room, where a couple of plushies of her own resided, even though she never touched them.
Hareta entered Unmei's room shortly after herself. She sat next to her daughter on her bright blue bed. Kisame and Unmei stopped sharing a room about half a year after Kisame's third birthday. They still liked to go into each other's rooms and play and they often didn't fall asleep in the rooms they should. Kisame and Unmei were mostly inseparable, unless Toshio was involved. Toshio had become an idol for Kisame and he liked to go to Toshio and ask him about all of the ninja things he was doing. Unmei was more interested in playing ninja than hearing about it. She never did like listening to explanations. She'd just jump right into something and ask questions later. Her impulsive actions didn't cause anything negative yet, but that didn't stop Hareta from worrying.
"Mommy?" Unmei started.
"Yes dear?" Hareta answered.
"Why does Same like daddy so much?" Unmei looked curiously at Hareta.
Hareta contemplated the answer. She stared at Unmei. "Maybe it's because daddy's a ninja, Unmei."
"Why does daddy keep fighting?" Unmei wondered.
"For us."Hareta smiled. She knew Unmei hated violence and that a three year old wouldn't understand it.
"One day, Kisame will fight for you too." Hareta finished.
"Then I'll fight too, mommy!" Unmei gleamed. If Kisame would fight for her, then she'll fight just as hard. Even if she hated violence.