Aurora's View:
Father had another mission the day after my birthday, but he promised to make it up to me. I wasn't upset about that, I just wanted to know why he wouldn't talk to me about Kiri. Dad said he was just trying to make sure he had all the facts first, but I had a feeling he was lying.
Dad also had to go on missions now too, seeing as there wasn't enough ninjas around. I understood their work was really important, but it didn't stop me from feeling alone.
I had escaped from the old lady next door, who was looking after me while my dads were gone. She was strict, mean and her house was full of cats. I liked cats, but these cats were mean. I didn't want to stay there anymore…so I snuck away when she took her afternoon nap.
Now I was on the swing at the park, which was mostly empty today.
"Aren't you Iruka-sensei's kid?" I looked up to see a kid with a blue scarf looking at me. He wore goggles on his head and had a really annoying voice.
"Yea?" I stopped swinging to see him better. "Who are you?"
"I'm Konohamaru!" He reminded me a little of Naruto-kun, but even more annoying. "Why are you here all alone?" I shrugged. "Oh...well, I don't have time to play, but maybe another time!" He was about to run off.
"Where are you going?" I got off the swing to follow him.
"I'm off to train to be the Hokage! I gotta get stronger than Naruto first!" He really was like Naruto-kun, just as loud and talking about being the next Hokage. I was going to ask if I could go with him, but he was gone already.
"Bye…" I still would have rather had him stay to talk to though.
Other kids noticed that I was alone and started teasing me for it. It only got worse when I got angry and nearly froze the swing set. They started calling me a freak and weird again after that. I ran away, pulling my mask up again and not talking to anyone that tried to stop me.
I didn't stop until I reached the edge of the forest. I tried to meditate like dad taught me, but I couldn't focus. So I didn't try anymore and let myself freeze the area around me. I just let myself go, the snow on the ground rising like targets for me to take down. I used my taijutsu against them, not wanting to over do it and leave myself too tired to move.
Iruka's View:
Aurora was worrying me lately. She'd stopped talking to me about things after Kakashi and I got back. I tried to get her to open up, but no matter what I did, it wasn't right. Kakashi couldn't even get her to talk. This had gone on for two days now and I was thinking of taking her in for a psychological evaluation.
She had also apparently snuck away from our neighbor while we were gone. Kakashi got her to fess up that she had gone off to train. That explained her ice being more under control.
"Aurora, you know you can tell us anything, right?" She was sitting in the lap of her bear again, mask pulled up and staring at the wall. She didn't seem to hear me, but as soon as I moved to step into her room, she finally spoke.
"Why do they think I'm weird?" The voice that spoke sounded so broken, I wasn't sure if it was her.
"Who says you're weird?" Sure, kids could be cruel, but I wanted to know what was being said to her.
"The kids at the park...is it because I can freeze things?" She sat up, but still wouldn't look at me. I sat by the leg of the teddy bear, listening to what she told me. "All of the kids run away from me…"
"I...don't know why. But it isn't fair for them to judge you before knowing you." I reasoned with her. "Next time it happens, tell me ok?" Kakashi was at her door, listening but never did come in.
It wasn't until I took her to the park that I saw what she meant. A group of three girls were picking on her near the slide. Two had long brown hair, one in pig tails and the other pulled back from her face with a headband. The third had dirty blonde hair put into two braids. They all looked about her age but were a bunch of brats. The worst of the three was the brunette with pigtails, the other two followed her lead and I watched as they dumped sand on Aurora's head.
"Hey, you three!" I called to them, putting a stop to their torment. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Playing sand monster." The pigtailed one said with a straight face. The two behind her looked spooked to see me.
"I don't think anyone wants to play that. Would you like sand poured on your head?" The girl wasn't even phased, the makings of a true terror.
"That's why she's it." This kid...
"Where are your parents?" I was about to have a firm talk to them about their child. She was lucky she wasn't my student, she would have been punished for this behavior.
This didn't stop Aurora's tormentors, and a few days later they were at it again. Aurora had been asking to play on the swings, only for them to tease her again. Only this time they were saying things I didn't know how to respond to.
"Your dad is the friend killer, why would we be your friend and play with you? You'll kill us then too." The leader of their group said. I don't know how the child knew about that.
"What are you talking about?" Aurora glared, the air around the playground getting colder. I knew about these chakra flare ups, but this wasn't what I expected. Kakashi didn't tell me she could change the weather like that.
"Midori…" The blonde backed away; even one of her friends thought she was going to far.
"Besides, who'd be friends with a freak like you?" At that, Aurora lost control and turned the playground sand into an ice rink. The three girls slipped and fell, along with the rest of the kids playing nearby.
"No. I'm. Not!" Aurora shouted, the sky getting darker as the ice turned a deep red.
"Maa...you're right, you're not a freak." Kakashi's voice came from the rail of the slide. "She's also not a friend killer." He jumped down, turning to the girls. "You shouldn't speak of things you know nothing about…" His voice lowered to a threatening level. This scared the hell out of the three girls and they ran for it...as best they could on the icy sand.
"Father…?" Aurora was scared as well, but knew he wouldn't hurt her.
"Yo." He gave me an eye smile like nothing had happened. "Let's go home."
Kakashi's View:
It wasn't a name I was proud of, the opposite really. I had hoped Aurora would never hear of it, but it seems some people in the village wouldn't let that name die. I had just come to terms on what happened...kind of. I had to answer her question.
"It's in the past…" I told her, taking her hand as we walked back towards home. She was still a little young to know about my past.
Iruka kindly reminded me that I needed to talk to Aurora before my mission to Amegakure. I'd be gone for awhile and it was obvious something was bugging her. The park incident was one of many episodes.
"Aurora?" I knocked on her door frame. As Iruka said, the bear was where she went to when she was upset. "Can we talk?" She looked up at me from a book she was reading.
"Ok." She said, sitting up and allowing me to sit on the opposite side of the bear. Pakkun was right, it was soft.
"About what you saw me do in Kiri. I know Iruka told you it was a last resort, but it is what happens in the ninja world." I knew she was upset to hear this, but she needed to know the truth. "I can't hide that from you anymore."
"Why does it have to be that way?" She had crawled towards me, allowing me to pull her into my lap.
"There will always be bad people in the world. No matter how hard you try, you can't always change their minds." I realized Aurora really didn't like the idea of killing and wondered what her future would hold. "That's what being a ninja means. Protecting your village, and the people you love, no matter the cost."
"So...why did they call you..." I put a finger to her lips, not wanting to hear her call me that. Of course that was confusing to her.
"Friend Killer Kakashi…" I looked away, gathering myself before I answered. Guess I have to tell her now. "A long time ago, the world was a lot different. Over time, everyone of my teammates fell. Obito...was killed on my first mission as a Jonin. Rin..." I paused, regretting hers the most. "She was used against our village and...she stepped in front of my jutsu." I let her fill in the gap. "My Sensei also died while protecting the village in the nine tails attack." I wondered if I had said too much. It wasn't everything, a very cut and dry version of it all really.
She didn't know anything about war, so she had no idea how hard all of these losses were. It took her a few minutes to think it all over, coming to terms that it took a lot of sacrifice to become a ninja.
"I never would hurt a comrade on purpose, Aurora." I reassured her that she was safe with me. "And back to Kiri, do you really want to know about your parents?" Of course she did, that's what she really wanted to know. I swallowed the fear and anxiety I had built up inside and told her what I knew. Mangetsu's story was filtered quite a bit, for now, and I told her her mother's name, but I did not tell her her real name. She might accidentally let that slip.
"So...they...were bad?" She had understood that Mangetsu was a killer. "Does...that mean I'm bad?" The reaction was unexpected.
"No, no you're not bad." I let her lay her head on my chest, holding her closer. "No one is born bad, it's something that happens to the person that makes them bad. Your birth father...he was raised in a hard time in Kiri. He became who he was because of that." Through his eyes, he might have been doing the right thing. He was doing what it took to survive in his village.
"Then...why do people treat me like I am?"
"Do you remember what I told you?" Again she had been young when I told her people are afraid of what they don't understand. I told her this again, but sadly it wouldn't stop kids from picking on her. She hugged me closer, still bothered by something else. "Are you alright, caterpillar?"
"You still love me, right?" I held her tightly, realizing I had made a big mistake in taking so long to tell her. "Even though...the-they were bad?"
"Shhh...it's alright." I soothed her are she cried. I should have told her sooner. "Of course I do. I never stopped. I'm sorry…" I felt incredibly guilty for making her feel this way. I questioned if I really was a good father.
I laid in Aurora's bed with her, teetering on the edge of her little twin bed. After she fell asleep in my arms, I laid her down but couldn't leave her side just now. I can't even protect her from me…I wished Iruka hadn't stayed at his place tonight. I needed someone to talk to, but it was too late to visit him. I also didn't dare leave the house, leaving her alone. Just before I fell into a light sleep, someone knocked on my door.
My prayers for someone to talk to were answered in the form of Gai.
"Rival!" I clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Aurora is asleep…" I hissed at him. I didn't let go until he agreed to keep it down.
"I heard you were back in town for a while! I came to see how you were." At least he was a little quieter.
"Just peachy." Or I would be if he would talk at a normal level.
"You sure? You look a little tired." He looked slightly conserned, but still had that stupid smile of his.
"Yea...just, having a bad night." I shouldn't have said that. I was suddenly pulled into a tight one arm hug, my face pressed tightly into his chest.
"Don't fret Kakashi! I'm here to help you through it."
"Be quiet!" I yelled into his vest, knowing it wasn't enough to awake Aurora.
Gai finally sat down on a chair and listened. I told him what had happened with Aurora and he put his hand in his chin in thought.
"Hmm...so you tried to distance yourself again, eh rivil?" I sighed, just wanting him to get on with it. "Sounds like you need a day together! A day to strengthen you daddy, daughter bond! I know the perfect place!"
"Maa, I can't go anywhere with her right now." I put my hands up, slowing him down before he planned it all out. "I'm leaving in two days on a mission." But maybe when I get back, I can do that for her.
"That still give you some time to spend together!"
I took Gai's words to heart, and did try to make the day before I left somewhat fun. I had paperwork to fill out, but before I went off to do that I got Aurora ice cream to keep her busy. I'd left her in the hallway to get the last of the intel we had on the Amegakure. We still had very little information on what I was walking into. The cover story was that I was going to Amegakure to invite them to the Chunin exams. I was actually going to see if any of the rumors were true.
"I'm sorry, but we need you to leave this afternoon." Tsunade pushed the scroll into my hand. The mission had been moved up because of the need for extra security back home. I was needed back here during the Chunin exam, which pushed the mission up. So much for a good day…
"Alright." I didn't argue, knowing she was under a lot of pressure right now. One wrong word would set her off.
"I thought you didn't have to leave yet." Aurora asked when I had to drop her off at home.
"I'm sorry, but the mission is very important." She understood the need for my skills, but I know she wished we had more time together. "I should be home soon." I kissed her forehead. "Be good."
Aurora's View:
"Come on Aurora, you can do it!" Dad called back to be as we ran around the village. He had the weekend off and promised to spend some time with me. I didn't know it was going to be more training, but at least we were together. I wondered how father ran so fast with his mask on, it was really hard to breath. I refused to give up though, I wanted to be able to help them. If this is what it took, I could do it.
I ended up being able to keep up with him, but was super tired after. I dropped to my knees to catch my breath.
"Aurora, just take the mask off." Dad tipped my head up by poking my forehead. "Why do you want to wear it all the time?"
"I wanna be like father." I saw the hurt on his face. "I mean…"
"No, I get it." He smiled softly at me. "You want to go on missions...you want to explore the world as a ninja." He still looked hurt by it though.
Dad had to work a little while at the school today, making sure that the kids of Konoha were ready to become the next generation of ninjas. I wasn't old enough yet, but I wanted to join the academy. I couldn't stay in the teachers lounge anymore, I was considered a liability and could help students cheat. I have no idea how though, it wasn't like dad showed me any of his tests. I was allowed to train just outside the grounds though, which was stupid.
I found an area behind the school. I also figured out how to form the snow into shapes as they rose from the ground. At first it was just blobs with no real form, but soon I was able to make them look more and more like people. After an hour, I was able to cover the area in these snow people, quickly destroying them in a flurry of kicks.
I jumped a little when I heard someone come up behind me, turning around to see an old man with a bandage wrapped over his eye.
"Such talent...what a shame they won't let you enter the academy just yet." He smiled at me, but there was something I didn't like about him. His chakra felt weird and heavy, like it was going to suffocate me.
"W-who are you?"
"Right now, I'm no one, but one day I hope to be your mentor." The old man made me feel uncomfortable.
"I should go…" I started walking backwards, father telling me to never turn my back on an enemy.
"Now, what's the hurry?" His face darkened, he wasn't going to let me leave. I tried to run, but a masked man in a black cloak appeared behind me. "I only want to talk. Won't you listen to an old man's lessons?" I was scared and could feel the air get cold again. No, not now...deep breath...
"Don't you want to learn to control it?" The old man stepped forward. I tried to run to the left, but a masked man grabbed my arm.
"Let me go!" I yelled, trying to get away. I couldn't control when I could turn into water quite yet, but I really wished it would happen right now.
"Not until you listen." The old man grabbed the upper part of my right arm, pulling me close. I screamed as my arm started to burn. "This seal will allow you to control your powers, but there's a small downside. If you speak a word about what happened, it will kill you by draining your chakra." I felt tears falling down my face. "It works by cutting you chakra in half, allowing you to learn how to control it in small doses. When you finally are able to control it better, come to me and I will remove it."
"Oi! Get away from her!" I turned to see another masked man coming at us. The one behind me let me go, running at the one trying to stop the old man.
"When you're ready, ask for Danzō…" He grinned, poofing away in smoke along with the masked man.
"Aurora!" The other masked man ran to me.
"NO! Stay away!" I yelled at him, feeling my chakra flare, but nothing happened. My arm started to burn, the mark turning red. I remember screaming and the man coming to my side. He put his finger to my forehead and knocked me out.
I woke up in Lady Tsunade's office, the same masked guy that had helped me was leaning over me. I gasped and tried to sit up, but he put a finger to where his mouth would be.
"It's me…" I realized it was the same one who always helped me.
"Tenzō?" He sighed, taking the mask off. "It is you!" I hugged him tightly, happy to see him again. He patted my back, happy to see me too.
"Aurora…" I looked up to see Lady Tsunade standing behind him. "What happened?"
"I'm afraid she can't tell us…" Tenzō shook his head, stepping away to show her my arm. "As I feared, this seal is a binding seal." It was a tiny square with four smaller squares on each corner. "This one is modified and wired into her chakra. If she tells anyone it will paralyse her."
"How do we break it?"
"We can't...I saw what happened. It was Danzō that placed it on her." The wood user looked sadly at me. "I only heard that it would seal away half of her chakra, but we don't know what that could cause.
"Shit…" Tsunade was biting her nails and looking out the window now. "Tenzō...I want you to keep an eye on her. We have to make sure he can't do whatever he is planning to do to her. You'll be posted by Kakashi's home again. Do not inform Iruka of any of this just yet."
Dad wanted to know how I ripped the pink dress Sakura got for me, but I couldn't say anything. Thankfully Tenzō was there, but he was wearing the scary mask again.
"Found her training too far in the woods. Due to the Chunin exams, there's a restriction on children being left alone. You might also notice an increase of ANBU in this area."
"What for?" Dad asked as he pulled me towards him.
"There's been a threat. Nothing to be concerned about, please, have a good night." Tenzō bowed and flashed away.
"What happened?" Dad asked when he got me inside. "Are you alright? Why is an ANBU bring you home?" He had knelt down to my height. I couldn't tell him...I wanted to so badly but if I did I might die.
"I...I can't…" I felt tears in my eyes again. "I want to, but I can't…"
"Hey...don't cry." He holding me close, wiping my tears away with his thumb. "Whatever happened, I'm just glad you're safe."
Iruka's View:
I knew something bad had happened when the ANBU showed up with her, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. I had noticed the bandage around her upper right arm, but neither one of them said anything about her getting hurt. Aurora hadn't wanted me to help her wash tonight either, which was very strange for her. I figured it was just her wanting to be more independent. I noticed though, she forgot her pajamas in her room and took them to her. So much of being completely independent.
"Aurora, you forgot your clothes." I said as I knocked, opening the door a little. I saw her turn around, catching a glimpse of the mark on her arm as she pulled her towel around herself. I pushed the door wide open, taking a gentle hold of her shoulders. She knew she was caught and showed me her arm. She looked terrified that I had found out.
"Sweetheart…" I said softly, cupping her face. "I...I understand why you can't tell me now. Can you tell me who?" She shook her head. "What did they look like?"
"An old man…" I saw the mark turn red and she stopped talking.
"I see, I'm sorry…" I put my forehead against hers. "You're going to be ok." I had to give her some hope. "Let's get you dressed and in to bed, ok? Tomorrow will be better."
I woke up to her pulling on my sleeve. She looked worried.
"What? Are you ok?" I quickly looked her over, but she was fine.
"Why are you sleeping at the coffee table?" I looked around, realizing I had fallen asleep reading over every sealing scroll I owned. I brought all of them over, deciding Kakashi's house was safer for her. I'd seen the traps he had set, he made sure who ever tried would die instantly. The were all chakra sensitive, with Aurora's chakra combined into it so she couldn't set them off; I noticed mine had been added as well.
"I...was trying to find out more about your seal." I hadn't seen one like that before. I did know it was a binding seal from the way she reacted when it activated. "So far I found out as long as you don't talk about it, it won't hurt you."
"Can you take it away?" I looked down at the scroll I had open when I fell asleep. It was about removing a seal, but it wasn't easy. The best way was to kill the person who placed the seal, unless they chose to release it themselves first.
"Nothing yet...but don't worry, we'll find something." I wouldn't stop trying, this person hurt my little girl.