Look! Another chapter! Maybe I'm getting back into the swing of things.
Just a little tidbit about Rin and how she started her great adventure to become the sword master that she is.
Sunlight shined through gauzy flower printed curtains, making the light that drifted over the walls a happy shade of pink that usually delighted the six year old that was sitting on the floor, smiling dolls surrounding her as proof of her attempts to pass the time playing as she always did on her days off from the academy. But she had long ago given up pretending that she was having any fun, bored in a way that she would have sworn to be agonizing if anyone had asked.
With a sigh Rin pushed up from the floor, shuffling across the carpeted floor to her bed so that she could flop down on it, her face buried in the soft comforter. There was absolutely nothing to do. She had tried playing with her dolls in the pretty little doll house but there was only so much she could do with little plastic people before it got terribly redundant, and she had colored for a little bit but it was always so much better when her mom colored with her and done funny things like color the sky orange or make someone's skin green.
She had gone to ask the babysitter to play with her since both of her parents were gone, but the elderly Hyuuga woman had fallen asleep on the couch while knitting what Rin could only guess would be a sweater or maybe a warped hat. Tea parties weren't nearly as fun without real cookies, and the cookie jar had been placed on top of the fridge and she hadn't been able to reach it.
So really, there was just nothing to do.
With another weary sigh Rin rolled over onto her back, her wide white eyes staring up at the ceiling boredly as she tried to think of something to do to pass the time until her parents got back or the babysitter woke up.
Reaching out a hand she grabbed onto one of the numerous stuffed animals and dolls that littered her bed, setting the funny looking dragon on her stomach as she idly played with one of its felt scales. She stared into its goofily grinning face for a moment before smiling and giggling lightly, the funny expression with the tongue hanging out of it's mouth amusing her as it always did.
Suddenly thinking of something she could do Rin sat up, wrapping her arms around the toy as she thought over her forming plan.
There was one room in the house that was almost completely unexplored by the girl, a room that her mother and father had forbidden her to go in unless they were with her. She had never really wanted to go in the room until now, but her boredom had caused her to become almost desperate for some kind of entertainment. Maybe there would be something in that room for her to do.
"They wouldn't know, right Bo?" She asked her new co-conspirator, nodding as if the little plush had answered her. "Yeah, and they won't be back until later, so lets go!" She said, happily hopping off of the bed, her dragon companion still in her arms.
Slowly and silently opening the door she peeked her head out, looking left and right before tip-toeing out of the room, creeping down the hall as silently as possible, giggling to herself as she thought about how she was being a ninja just like her parents. Like an ANBU.
Her eyes lighting up in delight Rin quickly turned around and ran back into her room, hurrying over to her dress-up chest and pushing aside her ballerina tu-tus and princess dresses until she found the mask she had gotten at the last festival. It was white -just like the ANBU- with sparkly pink and purple butterfly wings sprouting out from the eye-slits. Slipping it on Rin grinned proudly before looking down at Bo, setting him down on the floor and leaving him there since she only had one mask and this was going to be an ANBU mission.
She crept across the house and to the closed and forbidden door, holding her breath as she eased it open and sneaked inside. Once inside she looked around expecting something -anything really- but all there was was a room full of her mother's weapon collection.
Rin supposed that there was something a bit different about the sharp blades that littered the tables and walls, but really they didn't look that much different than dinner knifes to her. The spiky balls with the chain looked sort of neat, and there were these short scythe things that looked cool, but none of it really caught her attention.
But that was until she turned her head and saw it.
It sat in a wooden stand above everything else and it looked beautiful in a way that nothing else could- an elegant curve and a graceful shine setting it apart from everything else in the room.
She pushed aside her mask, not noticing when it dropped to the floor with a dull thunk, stepping forward to lightly touch the cool metal that looked as if it should have been on fire, a fingertip lightly tracing the smooth side before she touched the edge of the blade, jerking her hand back to watch as a drop of scarlet blood bloomed from from the small wound.
"Ow." She whimpered, bringing the finger to her mouth to suck the blood away as her eyes prickled from the slight and stinging pain.
"That's what you get."
Rin whipped around to stare wide eyed at the woman leaning in the doorway, her face flushing from the shame and embarrassment of being caught.
"Hi Mama." She said after she got over the shock, smiling at the woman sweetly in the hope that she could somehow be let off without any punishment for breaking the rules.
"Hello." She said, the smirk on her face obviously saying that she wasn't falling for the sweet little angel routine. "And what exactly are you doing in here, Little miss?"
"Ah..." Rin looked down at the floor, tracing circles on the wood with her toe, "I was exploring."
Tenten nodded and walked over, crouching down to pick up the discarded mask and looking down at it in amusement. "I see. And what did you find?"
The little girl shrugged and started to play with the skirt of her dress, biting her lip nervously. "Nothing."
"Nothing except my weapons room, right?"
"Yeah." She muttered, trying her hardest not to meet her mother's eyes.
"Rin, we told you not to come in here without us. What if you had cut more than just your finger?"
"Sorry Mama." Rin sighed, looking back at the blade behind her. "It's just... so pretty."
Tenten's eyebrow raised as she wondered if her daughter had inherited her love of weapons, though from the way she was only focused on the one it seemed that it was only for the kantana. With a sigh Tenten gave into the almost reverent light her daughter's eyes held as she watched the blade and reached past the girl, gently lifting the sword from its holder.
"Hold it like this," Tenten instructed, showing the small girl before handing it over to her, watching as the delicate hands wrapped around the fearsome weapon, her arms sinking slightly from the sudden weight.
Tenten watched the small girl as she adjusted herself to the feeling of the weapon, watched her face as she studied the delicate and dangerous curve of the blade, the glint of the metal in the shining light. And in the small and awestruck child she saw an approaching future that she wasn't sure she was all that comfortable with.
"If you'd like," Tenten said quietly, "I can start training you if you want to try it." If Rin became serious about it she'd have to get someone more familiar with the weapon, but she could easily teach her the basics.
Rin's eyes widened and she gaped at her mother, nodding quickly as if she was afraid that she would take the offer back. "Really? Will you?"
Tenten grinned and nodded, taking the weapon back to set it back into its place before turning to lightly push the girl out of the room.
"Of course I will, but only after you're un-grounded for disobeying the rules." Rin pouted as she watched her mother close up the room, crossing her arms over her chest.
"How long?" She asked, her eyes begging her mother to be easy on her.
"Two weeks with good behavior. And get that frown off of your face, it isn't like I'm going to torture you with pointy sticks. You just can't have any desert or go out anywhere to play."
Rin sighed again, understanding that she was in for two very long and boring weeks.
Well then, there it is!
I never planned for Rin to be this spoiled little princess, but I guess that that is what this whole Kathy thing is about. I want to do something one way and Kathy shoots me in the foot and does it her own way.
Oh, and guess who has over 20000 views? Go on, guess.
That's right, this girl here.
And a big thank you to a darling little dear who helped me by pointing out that one of my chapters had been posted over another by accident. And so, damnyank09, thank you you sweet little darling you!
See you around, my posse.