Academy Arc – Springtime of Youth

XXXXX

Of all the things Kaeru expected to be doing with his morning, waking up early was not one of them. To be fair, his present parent was equally surprised. Especially for a weekend. The now five year old boy slowly walked into the kitchen at seven in the morning, much to the bewilderment of the unmarried mother. "Kaeru?" his mother spoke cautiously as she watched him sit at the dining room table. "Are you feeling alright, honey?"

"Mm," was the grunted response.

"If you say so," the former Uchiha sighed. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Mm."

"Alright. Would you like an omelet today?"

"Mm."

"With tomatoes?"

"Nn."

"Of course not, how silly of me," the young woman had long since been able to decipher her child's morning grunting ever since he'd started at the academy. It only helped that his father had been the exact same way when they started dating. Nara grunting was a second language to her at this point; both in and out of the bedroom. She pushed a few strands of her long her from her face, before Emiko started to make breakfast for her son. Her pale skin mirrored that of her child, or would it be the other way around? Thankfully, it seemed that he would gain her family's height and regal features, though the sharpness of his chin was more akin to Shatone's.

"So," the mother of Kaeru spoke once more. "What's gotten you up so early, you normally lazy butt? If I remember correctly, you hate not being able to sleep in on weekends."

"Gonna play with Kenkin," Kaeru replied, his voice barely audible over the sound of the eggs cooking in her pan. Kenkin was the friend that Kaeru had made several months ago, Emiko remembered. She was a sweet girl, if a bit passive. She seemed to follow her son around like a lost puppy. It was cute in a way, and Kaeru didn't seem to mind her at all.

"Oh, are you? Where will you be going?"

That made her son pause for a moment, causing her to look back at him. Kaeru was looking at the table, eerily focused. "I dunno," was the response. Emiko frowned slightly. That was a very obvious lie.

"Will anyone be with you?"

"No, we're just gonna go out and play," if she didn't know any better, he sounded almost like a cornered teenager. "Um, maybe go see a movie?" A movie? Those were pretty expensive. The technology to show motion pictures had only come out a few years ago, so seeing a movie was normally reserved for the well off. Something they were not.

"How do you plan to do that?" the mother asked, curious as to his response. She and Shatone had gone out to see a movie once the year before as a special date. They hadn't the money to do it again.

When she asked her question, she noticed that Kaeru flinched. "Kaeru," her voice trailed off dangerously.

"We were gonna sneak in and sit on the ceiling," the boy replied. Of course. They had just learned how to stick to surfaces, and were going to use it to see a movie in secret. Not to mention they'd learned the henge no jutsu a month back, making sneaking in relatively simple. Still, this was surprisingly out of character for her son.

"What gave you that idea, honey?" Kaeru flushed at the question.

"Kenkin said we should," the former Uchiha cocked an eyebrow. Sweet, shy Kenkin had? That was a surprise. Assuming he wasn't lying, of course. Children had a habit of blaming their friends for things they'd done; like the time Emiko had blamed Shatone for stealing a few kunai that she'd borrowed from her older brother. Childishness at its finest.

"Well," Emiko finally spoke up, letting out a sigh in the process. "So long as you aren't caught, I suppose I really can't do anything to stop the two of you. You be home by eight, though, alright?"

"Ok, mama!" her son's voice was much more energetic than it had been. Only a minute later, his food was ready and set on a plate before him. He ate it ravenously. There was a soft knock at the door of their apartment, and Emiko cursed under her breath. There were just too many chores for her around the house. Thankfully Kaeru had been getting groceries after school every day, but sometimes it still wasn't enough.

"I've got it," she told her son, who had started to get off his chair. The boy's mother moved to the door and opened it, revealing little Kenkin outside. She was a cute girl; her hair was now longer than when she'd first been introduced to her, and her body was starting to mature into that of a girl's. The young woman smiled at the girl, briefly lingering on her cleanly rounded and shortened eyebrows. She was the youngest daughter of the Hyuuga patriarch, she supposed, so the noble-esque nature of her eyebrows was fitting. "Hello, Kenkin."

"Good morning, miss Uchi- a-ano, miss Nara," the girl quickly corrected herself, giving the woman a short bow before peering inside, down the hallway that led into the dining room and kitchen. "Is K-Kaeru awake?"

"He is, he's just finishing breakfast," Emiko told her, stepping aside. "Why don't you come in? I'm sure Kaeru would be happy to see you." Kenkin quickly stepped in and took off her sandals.

"Thank you," the girl smiled softly towards her as the woman closed the door. She quickly took off across the hardwood floor into the diningroom. "Kaeru! I'm here!"

"Kenkin," the two of them hugged one another, making Emiko smile. Her son seemed much more energetic with the little girl around, and there was definitely a brightness in his eyes that was missing when she was gone. "You're early."

"I wanted to come see you," the girl spoke softly, but Emiko could still make it out clearly. "I missed you." The young woman couldn't help but smile at the sweetness in Kenkin's voice. She could already imagine raven haired, Byakugan wielding grandchildren. It was so precious! "Will we go, soon? Your mama is being weird." Was she giggling out loud?

"Yeah, she does that sometimes," Kaeru took his plate and brought it to the sink, unceremoniously dropping it into the water with a thankfully small splash. "Mama's weird sometimes. She laughs like that when she's happy and yells really loud when her and papa are fighting at night." Fighting? But her and Shatone hadn't argued at night since Kaeru had been bo- the former Uchiha's face lit up bright as she figured it out.

"I think it's time for you two to go out, now," Emiko insisted, gently pushing both Kaeru and Kenkin towards the door. "Mama has a lot of chores around the house, and you don't wanna spend your time listening to your mama being weird, right?" She held the door open as the two children put on their sandals and pushed them both out, shutting the wooden door behind them. The young mother let out a sigh, her face beet red. She needed to have a talk with her boyfriend.

Kaeru blinked and stared at the door when it shut loudly behind them, his friend doing much the same as he was. "See?" he told her, their eyes meeting. "I told you that she was weird."

"Mm!" Kenkin smiled anyway, and slowly, cautiously reached out with her hand. The boy hesitated a moment before he took it in his own. It had been something commonplace with her, she really seemed to enjoy holding his hand. Part of him wondered if this was the start of a crush, but another shoved that thought aside. She was too young to feel anything like that just yet. "Where are we going today?"

"I was thinking we could go explore a little bit," Kaeru told her, leading her towards the central roads of the village. "I don't really get to go out all that much, and I'd like to spend some time with you." Kenkin smiled at the sentiment. "After that, maybe we could see a movie?"

"Those are really expensive," the girl told him, giving him a curious look. "You have the money for it?" Kaeru flushed this time. "Kaeru..."

"I was thinking we could sneak in and watch from the ceiling," he told her. Kenkin pouted and flicked her free fingers against his forehead. "Agah!"

"That's stealing, you know," the girl berated him, a frown on her face. "It wouldn't be right to abuse chakra like that." Kaeru and Kenkin both locked gazed, each one not backing down from what they wanted. Kaeru really wanted to see a movie, and Kenkin refused to abuse chakra in that type of way. Finally, the boy gave in.

"Fine," he grumbled, trying to ignore the hug that his friend gave him immediately after. "You're really cruel, you know that?"

"Mm, that's mean of you to say," Kenkin teased him, pulling away from the hug and taking her hand in his again. "You should be nicer to me. I'm your best friend after all." Kaeru cocked an eyebrow at the girl.

"Eh? You're acting all high and mighty all of a sudden," he noticed aloud. Kenkin gave him what probably would have been a charming smile if she were older. As a child, it was just cute. "You've gotten really brave ever since school started."

"Maybe I'm just better than you," the girl teased him, giving him a light push. Kaeru nudged her back. "I can even fight with Kakashi, too, and not get beaten easily." Kaeru rolled his eyes, but couldn't deny that Kenkin was one of the few that could compete with Kakashi. She could never beat him, like the rest of the students, but she'd gotten close on several occasions.

"Maybe I should cut you down before your head gets too big," the boy told her, a light smile on his face. He, in fact, was probably the worst fighter in class, right down near Obito's level. The Uchiha was abysmal when it came to combat, and Kaeru was just too cautious ever since school had started. Kenkin had had the best improvement out of all the students, coming from one of the worst to one of the best in fighting. "Your shurikenjutsu is still pathetic, you know."

The Hyuuga immediately deflated. "You're so mean to me," she whined, looking down at the ground. Her hand didn't release his, though. "Maybe I'll become super strong and prove to you I'm better. I don't want to be put with the other weak girls."

"Not all of them are weak," Kaeru tried to defend the others. This was definitely strange for Kenkin. That is, it would be to other people. Kaeru knew better. Kenkin was very open to him, and she apparently had quite the mouth on her. She was stifled by other people most of the time, but Kaeru was just quiet enough that she could speak freely without worry of negative backlash. "I know that Kurenai is pretty good."

"She's ok," the girl replied, but didn't elaborate further. "Not as good as the guys, though." She sent him a small, sidelong smile. "You could beat her, easy."

"Probably," Kaeru decided to stroke his own ego. "But I wouldn't say that to her face."

"I wouldn't either," the girl agreed. Kenkin paused as a very important duo made their way past them. She bowed a bit. "Ah, Lord Orochimaru. Lord Jiraiya." The two stopped to look down at the two children. Jiraiya's eyes immediately zoned in to their connected hands.

"Aha! Now ain't that cute, eh?" his face lit up into a smile. "You lucky little scamp, got a Hyuuga girl's attention like that!" Both Kenkin and Kaeru flushed at the suggestion.

"It isn't like that, Lord Jiraiya," Kaeru began, but he needn't have worried. A sudden huff from the second of the two immediately drew Jiraiya's attention.

"Please, your stupid perverted ways are bad enough on the ones old enough," the Snake Sannin growled. "Don't go spreading it around to children as well." The man glanced over the two kids. "Excuse us. We have a mission and can't afford to become distracted." Kenkin nodded, keeping her eyes to the ground. Kaeru, though, watched as the two moved on, with Jiraiya loudly complaining to his teammate. Kaeru's eyes lingered on the other, however.

Orochimaru... did nothing. He didn't even so much as glance towards them, instead seeming to do his best to ignore his teammate's tirade. That was strange to Kaeru. "Kaeru?" Kenkin spoke up, reaching out with her hand again. "Can we go? I'm a little hungry." The boy nodded slowly, taking her hand and leading the both of them towards the road with a lot of restaurants on it.

The two were silent as they walked through the more crowded streets. Kenkin's robes moved elegantly as she walked, almost looking like a dress. They hid her small figure well, unlike her normal clothing she wore for classes. The robes were just short enough that they didn't touch the ground, but long enough to make it seem almost like she was hovering just above the ground. Well, if you ignored her feet poking out the bottom, that was.

"Do you want anything specific to eat?" Kaeru asked as they looked at the smaller stalls. "Some ramen? Or some fruit?"

"I want dango," the girl told him, pulling the boy towards a close-by dango stall. "Something sweet! Um, please," she added the please as an afterthought when they passed a few adults. The adults smiled and gave them awed expressions, probably enjoying how cute the kids were together. Adults tended to do that in this village, especially civilians. They were soft and weak.

Kaeru quickly drew his mind from those thoughts. He was with his friend, after all. "Why don't you wait out here?" he asked her. "I'll go in and surprise you with something good. Is that ok?"

"Mm!" the girl nodded excitedly, reluctantly letting go of his hand. "Ok. I'll be right here." She rested her hands behind her back, giving the boy an earnest smile. "Now go, bring the most yummy thing they have." Kaeru rolled his eyes at the request, but smiled anyway.

"As you wish, princess," he told her, moving into the small building. There were several people already in line, but it seemed like the staff behind the counter was working quickly. Kaeru waited patiently in line, his hands in his pockets. He had some spare money he'd saved up from chores, so money wasn't too big of an issue with him. When he reached the front, he'd already made his decision. "Two chichi dango, please," he asked the person at the counter, holding up the correct amount of ryo. The young man nodded before getting to work on his order.

Kaeru, again, waited patiently. Once his order was done, he took the bag in his hands and walked back outside to where Kenkin was waiting. Except she wasn't where he'd left her. "Kenkin?" he called out, gripping the bag in his hands a bit tighter. She wouldn't leave without letting him know, right? They'd been planning to spend Saturday together for the last week. "Kenkin, where are you?" No response. The boy started to walk around, searching for his friend.

As more time passed, he moved faster. Something wasn't right. "Kenkin, if you're hiding than this isn't funny!" he called out louder. "Where are you!?" The boy's heart started to race as he looked more frantically, keeping within a radius of the store. Nothing. No sign of the girl or where she could be. "S-Someone help! I can't find my friend!" Despite his pleas, none of the adults around him stopped. "I can't find my best friend! Someone please help me!"

Finally, someone jumped down from the roofs above him. A shinobi. "Hey, what are you yelling about, kid?" a Chuunin spoke to him, wearing the normal flak jacket as well as shinobi gear. He had raven hair, as well as the almost regal features that identified him as an Uchiha. "Well? You gonna waste my time or tell me what's going on?" the young man had a pin on the left side of his jacket, signifying that he was part of the Konoha Police force. He was probably on patrol.

"My friend is missing," Kaeru explained as calmly as he could, but his breathing hitched midway through speaking. "She's a Hyuuga, and we were out playing alone today. I went to get us some dango and when I came back, she was gone!" The Chuunin brought a hand to his chin and hummed.

"Well, I haven't seen a little Hyuuga girl today," he said. "But I'll keep a look out, alright squirt?" Red flags immediately rose in Kaeru's head. The boy's eyes narrowed. Had he actually been a child, the reassurance would have fooled him. The Uchiha was lying.

"Where's my friend?" Kaeru growled, startling the shinobi. "Where did you take her!?"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, brat," while he still attempted to sound friendly, Kaeru recognized the tenseness now present in the Chuunin's voice. "I don't know what you're talking about. I told ya that I'd help find your little friend, didn't I?"

"You're lying!" the Nara's fists clenched. "You know where she is. If you don't tell me, I'll scream for help again and say you're... you're trying to touch me weird!"

"Listen here, you little brat," the Uchiha leaned forward. To a normal child it would have been intimidating, especially with the Uchiha's Sharingan flared up. Four tomoe in total. He had some experience. "You're not gonna say a single fucking word, you got that? Me and my squad just decided to show her around a little bit and show her a-" Kaeru didn't hesitate. He thrust his fist towards the Chuunin, but his fist was caught. "You made a big mistake, you little brat. You wanna see your friend so bad? Fine! I'll show you."

"I'll kill you," Kaeru growled, dropping his entire act. "I'll fucking murder you, you piece of shit." The Uchiha had tossed Kaeru over his shoulder, easily overpowering the child.

"Damn, you've got quite the mouth on you for a brat," the Uchiha laughed, walking to a nearby wooden door. "A shame, too. You were actually really close to her." Inside was dark, but it seemed to be a storage room from the dim lights. Kaeru could hear crying from further inside. Crying from his best friend.

"I'll fucking kill you!" the boy screamed, struggling in the Chuunin's grasp. "You dirty fucking Uchiha bastards! I'll murder each and every one of you!" Kaeru was tossed onto the floor, his wrists and ankles bound by ninja wire. Three other members of the Uchiha's squad were touching the naked little girl.

"K-K-Kaeru!" she screamed, tears flowing down her face. "Let g-go of me!" She tried to struggle, but two hands kept hold of her ankles and wrists. "Please s-stop!"

"Damn, she does have a pretty cute body," the Uchiha that had brough Kaeru muttered. "I knew Hyuuga were good looking under all those robes. Too bad we couldn't grab an older one, huh?"

"She's got some decent muscle mass," the one holding her right side chuckled. "Hey, you guys sure they won't squeal? The brat you brought looks pretty fiesty."

"Nah, we'll kill this one and I'm sure the girl won't tell anyone, right?" the one holding her left side smirked. Kenkin shook her head fearfully. "Right!?" He shook her, making the girl cry even louder.

"I won't! I won't! Please just let us go!" she begged, screaming again as the fourth's pair of hands rubbed her privates. "N-No! Don't t-touch there! Kaeru, p-please don't look!"

"I'm..." Kaeru snarled, grunting as the first Uchiha kicked his side. "You won't get away with this..."

"We already have, brat," the Chuunin told him. "Now shut up and enjoy the- what!?" The man grunted, as did the other three. They were all frozen. "Grk! I can't move! What the fuck is... You little bastard! What did you do to me!?" The light in the room seemed to dwindle even further as the ninja wire around Kaeru's legs and wrists untied themselves.

"You..." he slowly stood, snarling. "You BASTARDS!" The lights vanished, broken by an unseen forces. Kenkin felt herself drop to the ground, and wet herself involuntarily out of fear. The sheer pressure of death surrounded her, and she could hear the other men screaming in pain and terror. The sound of flesh ripping and bones breaking filled the room.

For what seemed like an eternity, the screams continued, before eerie silence. Kenkin felt a pair of small hands touch her, flinching even though she knew only one person could have hands that small in the room. "It's ok," Kaeru's voice was different. It was gentle, like that of a loving father. At least, how she imagined a loving father to be like. "They're gone. Just... keep your eyes closed and we'll get you outside."

"I-I'm naked," the girl heard herself squeak. She felt something, some sort of fabric, rub against her privates before pulling away. She flinched again. Kaeru led her to the door.

"Can you lift up your leg?" She did so, and felt her panties slip up her right leg. "Now your other." With a bit of work, Kaeru dressed her again before the door to the outside world opened. Her face was burning red from fear, tears, and embarrassment. Still, she tried to hold herself strong. Her eyes glanced over to her savior, his expression firm. He looked a lot older than her all of a sudden. "Here, come dry your tears and-" Despite his words, she couldn't help but let loose all of the emotions she'd been holding back for his sake.

Kenkin sobbed into his shoulder, pressing herself against the boy that had rescued her. The boy was stunned, but he held her close regardless. His hand gently rubbed her back, and he closed his eyes. For a moment, he thought he could see her chakra, but the feeling passed as quickly as it had come. All that existed at the moment was himself, her, and the emotions between them. "I hate them," she muttered. Kaeru shifted to look her in the eyes.

"Who do you hate?"

"Uchiha," she spat, speaking the name like a curse. "T-They always bullied me. When y-you aren't looking. They d-d-don't like Hyuuga." Kaeru frowned. "I h-hate Uchiha." This had been the last straw, then. If it had only been bullying, then she probably would have been fine. This, however? There was very little chance of healing from this.

"I won't let anyone touch you if I can help it," the boy told her, hugging her tight. "I promise." Kenkin slowly nodded into his shoulder, her breath shaky.

The two children sat for a while against one of the nearby buildings, resting in the grass. The bag of dango laid spilled on the ground from when the Chuunin had picked Kaeru up. It was already three when they decided to stand up again. At least, Kaeru did. Kenkin had fallen asleep against his shoulder, and the boy hadn't moved her. His mind was completely blank, not wanting to focus on what had happened to his best friend.

The girl woke slowly, clinging to his arm like it was a stuffed animal. "Nnn..." she moaned softly and yawned as she awoke. "Kaeru?"

"Hey Kenkin, how do you feel?" Kaeru asked. A stupid question. She probably felt like shit. The girl blinked and looked around, taking in their surroundings with bleary eyes.

"Mm? How did we get here?" the girl asked. "Did you get me dango?" Kaeru's eyes narrowed for a moment, but he played along. "Ah... you spilled it, you dummy. Fine, I guess I have to forgive you, though." Did she not remember? A repressed memory perhaps. Too traumatic to bring up again.

"Sorry," Kaeru continued along, taking a deep breath. He allowed his older face to slip from his body. He was a kid, and it was best to go along with her repressed memory, he felt. That was, to keep her from relapsing. "I'll go buy some more another time, ok? Do you want something else as a snack, princess?"

"Hm! I want barbeque today," Kenkin announced, not once leaving his side. "I'll pay for it, ok? Since my best friend is such a dummy."

"Hey!"

"Ehehe~" the girl laughed gleefully, a far cry from the fear she'd experienced earlier. "Let's go, lazy butt. U-Um, do you want to go do anything today?"

"Well, we could go train or something. I want to get really strong," Kaeru suggested. He would protect his best friend. Always. The girl seemed to hesitate, but nodded eagerly.

"Ok!" she probably wasn't expecting training when they decided to spend the day together, but she probably only went along with it because of him. He would do whatever she wanted if she asked. "Let's go, ok?" the two of them stood slowly and brushed the dirt off from themselves, before Kaeru took Kenkin's hand and led her to the training grounds at the edge of the village. He missed her look back at the wooden door with grit teeth for a brief moment, before following him eagerly.

XXXXX

The day came and went, and the young duo eventually found themselves at Akamichi Barbeque, known for its abundance of food and large servings. The restaurant had opened fairly recently as a second source of income for the Akamichi family. While many of their clan specialized in shinobi work, the rest were often regaled as head chefs, food critics, and even farmers. It only made sense that they would, in time, open their own specialized restaurant in the village. It was a family friendly place, often booked by large groups of friends, families, parties, or even for a cheap, filling date.

"Oooooh, such young customers!" the large, rotund lady commented as she approached their table. "Are your families here as well, youngsters?"

"They're not," Kaeru answered for them, Kenkin looking down at the table. Her hands rested stiffly on her lap. "We're here alone. Is that ok?" The lady seemed to contemplate it for a moment before giving the boy and girl a large, friendly smile.

"Of course!" she finally decided, "far be it from my family to turn down a hungry mouth. So! My name is Chouharu and I'll take care of you both tonight. What can I get you both to eat?"

"I think we'll both like the pork and beef hotpot," Kaeru's mouth was watering as he suggested it to his friend. The girl nodded and gave him a gentle smile. "With bamboo shoots, sliced potatoes, dumplings, tofu and udon noodles. Oh! And the special sauce you have."

"Ohohoh, what hungry little kids we have, hm?" Chouharu teased them. "I'll bring you both some water to drink, too. I'll be right back!"

"Thank you," both Kenkin and Kaeru echoed one another, getting a smile in return from the Akamichi lady. Not all of the waitstaff were Akamichi, though. They'd only been so lucky. there were civilians, retired shinobi, and even other clan members working in the restaurant. All in all, it was a very open place that accepted anybody within its walls.

"H-Hey," Kenkin spoke up, looking past her friend. "Is t-that Mr. A-A-Aburame-e?" Kaeru looked behind him, past his booth seat, and indeed spotted their academy teacher walking in the door. "It's just w-weird seeing him outs-side of class."

"Yeah, I guess it is," Kaeru responded, looking back across the table to his friend. "Have you ever eaten here before?"

"N-Not at all," the girl replied, giving him a wider smile. "T-The prices seem ok. I can p-pay if that's ok?"

"Are you sure? We could probably split it."

Kenkin shook her head, her smile fading briefly. "I'd like to p-pay for your f-f-food," she told him. "To thank you fo-or a good day, tod-day." Kaeru hid his grimace and nodded. Their food arrived in due time, and Kaeru and Kenkin reminisced their training. While it was nothing special, only some physical exercises and kata (forms), it was still important to uphold the basics of their learning.

Neither of the two noticed a few sets of eyes watching them from separate tables. Two pair looked on with content, glad that their child was finally making a friend, and a possible future girlfriend. Another pair watched with trepidation, untrusting of the boy that his little sister had the misfortune of befriending. Another three pairs watched with dark, vengeful eyes. Neither the boy nor the girl would get away with murdering their kin, even if it was in self defense. It was a matter of clan pride, especially against a Hyuuga and an Uchiha outcast.

A final pair of eyes looked upon the Hyuuga with glee and excitement. After so much work and effort, he'd found he'd wasted all of his time. Yet, the thought itself brought him immense joy.

XXXXX

A relatively short chapter, but still a lot of setup for the things to come. I wanted to expand the bond between Kenkin and Kaeru, and create a bit of a mini-antagonist for this arc of the story. The Uchiha have always rubbed me the wrong way, especially in the early days. While we do have a lot of examples of good Uchiha, the lot of them are emotional, irrational wrecks. Hell, even the posterboy for good Uchiha, Itachi, is kind of a complete bitch in terms of anything regarding his brother, and he's borderline obsessed with the guy even posthumous. Logic and Uchiha do not mix very well.