Chapter 3: A Party & New Friends
Kaa-chan closed work early for the party.
The party was going to be held there, so the staff and tou-chan we're busy working away decorating and sorting out the food as kaa-chan helps me get ready. She had planned a mini spa day experience, which was just her pampering me away. But it was fun and nice; I feel a lot more relaxed to the upcoming party where I'm just being introduced to their friends and family and celebrating turning one. I have to help greet the guest and just look pretty as they talk at me. Tou-chan has already warned me to not talk fluently, break up my sentence and mess up my pronunciation. He doesn't want people to see how smart I am. He said if some of the guest see, they'll want me to be pushed quickly through the Academy and tou-chan really does not want me to be a ninja. He also said I'm meeting a special guest today who'll be my life long friend.
My outfit for the party is a kimono with some thigh high socks that had a big toe pocket and kaa-chan has spent an hour on my hair trying to figure out what to do with it. It's not long enough to go in a fancy bun or even a normal bun. In the end she chose to do to plats from the front and go around my head like a halo, putting in a elegant clip to keep the two plats together. Pulling the plat out slightly to make it look more poofy. I felt her put a brush against my cheeks in a circler motion and slightly dab it on my eyelids. And finally put a little bit a gloss on my lips.
"Kaa-chan? Why are you putting make up on me?" I questioned? I'm only one. That stuff shouldn't touch my face for years!
"Kaa-chan need you to look your best. I'm from an important family from the land of fire and my otou-san and okaa-san are going to be here to meet you. So you need to be on you best behavior and remember your manners. Kaa-chan and tou-chan are going to be heavily watched and judged." She sounded defeated. I wonder what happened between them. I need to change subject.
"Kaa-chan? What colour is my kimono?" I really did want to know .
"Ma, it's base is a rust orange, which is kaa-chan clan colour, it has white blossoms and cranes decorating it the bottom and sleeves, Your obj is a bright black and teal, decorated in gold blossoms with a black tope tied around it. The teal is your tou-chan's clan colour. And your clip is a gold crane holding a branch of white blossoms. A gold bar, one end has a teal tassel with rust blossoms is behind the clip that's keeping the braid together. I've put a bit a pink blush to your cheeks to add a bit of colour to your face and a light orange eyeshadow to your eyes to pull everything in together. You look like a beautiful porcelain doll" the rust must be popping with my dark hair and light skin. "Also your eyes are on full show because they shouldn't be hidden. There is nothing to be ashamed of. I'm sorry if it felt like we were hiding you away, but it's my clan that don't introduce there child until they are one. Tou-chan was excited that day when you first spoke and ran straight to me to show you off. That's why we haven't excepted any of the play dates and also had to tell Nara-sama, Yamanaka-sama and Akimichi-sama to act like this is the first time they have met you. Also you need to say their names with sama no mater how many times they tell you not to. My parents would not be happy with a child not speaking to sateone with the upmost respect. Even though it can be seen rude, not excepting their wishes to not call them sama." Kaa-chans parents sound uptight.
"I'll be on my best behaviour Kaa-chan."
Making are way to the restaurant, I find it quite challenging to walk in the kimono, it just doesn't move, so I have to take these little shuffle steps that I'm sure I look like a baby penguin. Kaa-chan tries to give me instructions on how to walk better, but with the sandals flip-flopping, I just know, I'm going to fall flat on my face.
Finally making our way into the restaurant after the ten minutes disastrous walk. I get hit by the glorious smell of all my favourite foods.
"Mizuki-hime!"tou-chan shouts "you look like a beautiful Princess" he bends down to kiss my forehead. "you better grab some food now before guest arrive because they are going to keep you busy and the foods probable all going to be gone before you are done." I have to listen to people talk for that long… "grab tou-chan hand, I'll lead you to the food table." Grabbing his hand he gently pulls me through the room and around tables to get to the otherside, where the food is. He sits me at a table and starts making a plate up for me.
"Tou-chan, arigatōgozaimashita" I clap my hands before eating. I think that's been the hardest habit to get into, thanking for having food. I just want to eat straight away.
"You have 30 minutes to eat all that up before guest arrive. You need to be standing with us at the front of the door to greet everyone." Kissing my forehead again he runs off to help prepare something.
Kicking my feet I much on my food savoring the taste. But all I want is the dango I can smell. I know it closes behind me and maybe I can sneak some in without anybody noticing me. I push my buzz out gently and it bounces back telling me there's one person about two meters to my left, but facing away. Kaa-chan is still at the door, slightly facing towards me. Tou-chan and two other people are in what I think is the kitchen and the last person is at the bar. Slowly spinning my self to face the table, I push my buzz out again to double-check that I'm clear to go. Jumping softly from my seat, I walk quietly towards the table with my left hand slightly out in front of me. Lightly bumping into the table I slid my hand underneath and walk down using it as a guide until where I smell the dango the strongest. Reaching out to feel for a pointy stick, a sharp jab hits my thumb. Pitching the stick I lift up the dango.
"Mizuki-chan!" someone shouts, "you should of waited for someone to help you" the stranger carries on sounding patronising. "you can't just leave your seat when no one is watching. Something could've happened." They ruffley grab my hand and put me back in to the seat " now what do you have to say for yourself?" who the hell does this person think they are?
"I'm blind. Not incapable of walking and finding my way around." I shot back.
"Anzu-san? What is going on here" ah tou-chan's here.
"Mizuki-chan here, left her seat and went to go help herself to Dango." SKaacomplained.
"And did she find the Dango?" he inquired.
"Yes, when I got over to her, she already had one in her hand." She sounded annoyed. "I only looked away for a small moment and then she was by the dango."
I felt tou-chan's buzz, just buzz a bit faster as I felt him turn towards me. "Mizuki-chan, how did you know where the dango was?" is this a trick question.
"It's dango tou-chan, I could find it in my sleep" I quipped. His buzz went flat. "I followed my nose. I could smell it behind me." He buzzed even harder. It felt excited.
"Wow Mizuki-chan do you know where anything else is?" pushing my buzz out softly sending out a signal, it replied back to me fast that the last two times.
"Kaa-chan is still by the door, she feels nervous and twitchy, there's a man behind the bar, he feels bored. There's two people in the kitchen that you were with earlier; they feel like they are panicking. And the person next to you, was two meters away from me facing away, before I went to go get dango" I recited that bit because she annoyed me and, if she was meant to keep watch she did a bad job, she didn't even introduce herself.
"Anzu-san, did you not introduce yourself to Mizuki-chan?" ah, tou-chan sounds annoyed "I think you can leave for the day. And don't expect to come over to the house tomorrow, you don't have the job." anzu-san spiked in anger.
"You're going to believe you blind daughter, to tell you where I was?" oh don't pull my blindness in you capability to introduce yourself. " and I did introduce myself, she just didn't hear me." Woah, .
"I'm blind. Not death. My hearing over works, there's no way I didn't hear you!" I shot back.
"Shut up! You little brat!" she screamed. Quickly covering my ears from the high pitch note.
"Leave. Goto-san" I felt the frightening feeling roll off tou-chan again. And so did Anzu-san and her buzz froze in fear. "Get out now!" he roared at her. Jumping her buzz back in to action, she quickly made her way out.
"I'm sorry Mizuki-chan we should of interviewed her better" interview? For what? My face must of looked quizzeled as he carried on " she was meant to look after you for the next two weeks" what? " kaa-chan has to work and even though I've been medically retired, your grandparents want me to escort them back home. They're annoyed I didn't escort them hear. So, you'll be on your own, and it only gives me a day to find someone else. You weren't going to be totally alone with her. Your best friend for life was/is going to be with you." That crazy lady was going to look after two kids… it would have ended in murder. "But you won't meet him till the end of the party. Also keep quite that you can use your chakra to find where we are and don't use anymore tonight. Your not even suppose to have access to it yet" oh chakra. I feel like an idiot now, but that does sounds a lot better than buzz. "it'll be our little secret, okay?"
"Okay, tou-chan."
"Come on, princess; the guest should be arriving any minute" grabbing his hand, I jump down from the chair.
Standing at this door bowing and introducing myself got really annoying really quickly. It was the same thing over and over. With Kaa-chans hand under my obi to help with the right heights of bows. I've been her 30 minutes and the grandparents still haven't shown up.
"Uchiha-sama, welcome and thank you for coming" kaa-chan announces, pushing me down into a low now. " I would like you to introduce you to my daughter" nudge, nudge, that's my cue.
"Hajimemashite, watashi no namae Tsuchi Mizuki. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" I finished with another bow. It's so weird saying 'please be nice to me.' Makes me feel needy.
"Oh! She's adorable, Asami- San" the woman gushed " how have you kept her hidden for so long?" All the woman have gushed over me and all the men pretend not to, but I can feel their chakra going 'aww' "boys, why don't you introduce yourself first?" one of the boys felt harder to feel, but I could tell he was shy.
"Hajimemashite, " they said together. " Watashi no namae Uchiha Itachi. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." The Itachi?
"Watashi no namae Uchiha Sasuke. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!." He started of softly but ended loud. "oka-san her eyes are like stars!"
"shh, Sasuke-chan .I'm Mikoto, little hime" hime? Why she calling me hime? "you haven't told her have you Asami-san?" told me what?
"I didn't want her to feel pressured and I wouldn't of told her at all if I could have. It's too much to grown up with. It would have been best finding out at least at a eleven."
"Kaa-chan, what have you not told me" I try to be child polite but I'm freaking out so it came of sounding older than I am.
"Mizuki-chan, the important family kaa chan comes from is very important and can't be said out loud for safety reasons. Only tou-chan, Uchiha- same his wife and the Hokage know. Uchiha-sama here, is helping tonight to keep my otou-san disguiesed. And if I can get away with it. You won't know for a while longer." Scary. I'm I expected to be kidnapped as grow up or somthing. Dam I'm going to have to learn my surrounding a lot sooner than I thought. "Itachi-kun and sasuke-chan can you take Mizkui around to grab a bite to eat please?"
"Hai! Tsuchi-sama." Itachi replied softly reaching out for my hand "is this okay Mizuki-san?" nodding my head "come along otōto" and a smaller hand grabs my free hand.
"Nee, Mizuki-chan do you know everybody here?" there must be a lot of people by the wonder of his tone.
Shaking my head "Ah, no Sasuke-san. This is my first time meeting everyone"
"Oka-san, was saying your family doesn't show there children to people until they are one" so he knew this before me, that's not fair.
"Hai, I only learnt that today. I thought they were trying to hide me away" Itachi squeezed my hand at that.
"Why would they hide you away?" He stopped for a second " Oh! Like a real princess locked in a tower!" okay, little Sasuke is cute. A little excitable. But cute. I could her Itachi chuckle a little bit.
"Um, I'm mōmokuteki…" I felt his chakra halt in confusion.
"Don't you mean buraindo?" I snort, because I remember kaa-chan trying to argue with the medic about the same thing. Refusing to believe I'm blind.
"No, Sasuke she can't see" Itachi explains softly. This kid kills his whole clan. How? He feels to gentle, not a killer.
"Is that why your eyes are so pretty?"
"Do they really stand out that much?" I know most people her have mentioned my eyes but I thought they were just being polite. But a child saying it, is vastly different. If they say your ugly on a first meeting you are probably ugly.
"Hai" Itachi interjects "they really do look like the night sky" that's what tou-chan said, but I thought he was exaggerating a little bit. No one can have eyes like that owl. We make it to the table with no adults from stopping us to talk. I smell that dango is still here. With out thinking I pull the two brothers down the table with me towards the mango. "Mizuki-san?"
"Gomen'nasai" I now towards them " I could still smell some Dango, and tou-chan dango goes quick" as if that was a good enough reason to drag someone. But it was by the spike of delight in Itachi's chakra.
"You found the dango with your nose?" Sasuke sounded absolutely thrilled. "What else can you find with your nose?"
After a while munching on some dango, assume has none and itachi has four. I feel three familiar chakras make their way over, with three little flickers by their sides. Itachi chakra instantly spikes up. I turn towards them bowing.
"Ohayō gozaimasu" I feel four chakra feeling puzzled by how I turned to face the right way and knowing to greet them. Whoops sorry tou-chan, it's hard to act like a little kid.
"Ohayō, Mizuki-chan, Uchiha-san" ohh, that's cold towards a kid.
"Ohayō, Nara-sama, Yamanaka-sama, Akimichi-sama" thank you Itachi, that saves introductions.
"Mizuki-chan, we would like to introduce are children to you, and hopefully set up some play dates" Yamanaka-san says. To my left I feel sasuke, tense up, oh I guess I'm his friend first.
"Hai" I bow again " I would have to ask tou-chan" polite, childish, not committing to anything. Showing tou-chan makes the decisions and leading him to ask there. Not me. Nara-sama spikes up in interest, crap, don't get the super smart dude interested. Turning to the small chakra sparks are and bow. " Watashi no namae Tsuchi Mizuki. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."
"Watashi no namae Ino.
"Watashi no namae Choji"
"…watashi no namae Shikamaru."
"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" the say together. Well that was very rehearsed. But I am finding out ninja kids learn to speak properly fast. This wouldn't be happening in my old world. Though we all do move a little clumpy with the small limbs. Speaking doesn't seem a problem, except for the civi kids, which I guess I'm suppose to be. Shoot, tou-chan should of told me not to speak.
"You have weird eyes!" ouch.
"Ino!"
"Mizuki-chan eyes are pretty!" sasuke came to me defence.
"Nuh uh!" is this really happening?
"Yuh uh!"
"Nuh uh!" I guess it is.
"Yu-"
"I think they are pretty" Choji, interjects shyly. I beam at him, what a cutey. I feel his embarrassment roll of him in waves.
"You just say that Ino, cause she's prettier than you…"
"Shikamaru!" Ino screams.
"Okay… you three, let's gather some food and find a table" Akimichi- San tried to defuce the tension. "Happy Birthday Mizuki-chan!" and with that, they quickly made an exit.
"Ah, let's head back to our parents." Itachi announced, grabbing my hand, Sasuke grabbing my other and then quickly leading the way back.
"Did you three have fun?" Mikoto- San asked.
"Hai!" we spoke in unison. We shall not speak of what just happened.
"Nee, Mizuki-chan?"I turn fully towards Mikoto-san tilting my head " how would you like to spend the two weeks with us? I know you don't know us well but Fugaku is your Godfather and it would be lovely to get to know you more closely" What? How close are they to my parents to name Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha clan my bloody Godfather. "You can think about it, it has be an overload of information for you tonight" nodding my head, she pats my cheek "your grand parents have arrived, they're with your parents in a back room. Fugaku will take you to them. No one else is allowed back. Don't let them get to you" with that Fugaku gently picks me up. Wrapping my arms around his neck, we slowly make are way to the private rooms.
" If you can, make sure you look directly at your grandfather, try not to twitch and don't look at the floor at all. He would be on you in a second. Stand tall and stand proud. Try not to react to his snuffs. He wants you to react. Don't give it to him" he sternly gives me some worrying advise. We stop "You ready?"
"No…"
Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed and i'd like if you could tell me what you think of it?
TThank you again xx