Disclaimer: I do not own the series Naruto.
Pronunciation Key:
Kabuske (Caw-boo-Skay)
Mizu (Me-zoo)
Yuki (You-key)
Reiji (Rai-Gee)
Life settled a bit after my parents had their argument. Me and my mother stayed at my first home for a little over a week before she started packing our things. Throughout the following days mother would come and go from the house for short periods of time as she prepared for our move. I was never alone for long as she'd come back soon, albeit a little breathless and fidgety. Her energy would flutter nervously at times like these and it was then that I chose to fuss in order to keep her thoughts and doubts from her. She always seemed more determined after spending the time with me.
*
The day we moved from my first home was the day I felt sunlight on my skin since coming to this new world and regaining my awareness. The outdoors smelled fresh as mother held me against her hip and I wiggled precariously in her arms to be able to use all of my working senses to their fullest extent. I could hear the birds chirping and the noise of people, I could smell the green of grass and trees, and feel the cusp of the wind as it blew past me. My hair tickled around my ears and I smiled widely, today was a nice day and I so wish I could explore. Reaching out to the vast mystery of my surroundings, I leaned away from my mother and I could feel her amusement and worry. I didn't pay attention though as I could sense the excitement of the nearby children as they played mingle with my own excited curiosity for the world.
"I'm sorry Yuki, we have things to do today but we can come out again another day." My mother's voice reassured me. Wiggling rebelliously for a moment I finally settled in her arms. She had said we would go out again and I had no voice to argue with. A part of me wondered why it was she waited so long to take me outside though. Had I really been that badly off? I could vaguely remember trips to the doctor where my mother and sometimes my father would take me for check ups. Those had always been close to evening and the sun never strong enough the bathe me in its blanket of warmth. The streets had been quiet then.
Now the streets were a buzz with activity as we left our previous residential area and the smells and noise pressed against me as my mother held a one sided conversation. "I think you'll like it, Yuki. It's a bit expensive but my friend wanted to move out of his apartment anyways and didn't mind chipping in with the cost." My mother's voice spoke in an excited tone, repeating the things she'd told me throughout the week. This quirk of hers amused me, as I thought she often carried a conversation with me if only to remind herself of the things currently happening and not to seem as if she were talking to herself. I humored her with a small babble. Talking was a bit out of my grasp at the moment as I was unsure if I should talk back at my age or not. It was safer to babble until I knew my age and so I babbled. Her energy seemed unconcerned at my way of communicating and that was all the encouragement I needed. Plus avoiding the embarrassment of mispronouncing words due to toddler lip dexterity was also a good motivator.
When we got to the busier parts of the town the noise and activity quickly became bothersome as my curiosity turned into over stimulation. My senses were bombarded with the sound of customers and vendors talking with each other, sometimes at yelling volumes, and the smell of food and people mixed in an overly rich way. My sixth sense was also overwhelmed as I sensed all who entered my range and the influx of information flooded my head to a near tipping point. Instinctively I pulled my energy sense closely to me and cut off any further connection of it to the outside world.
The now pounding of my head made it hard to think but a part of me noted the new discovery of control I had over it. Tears pricked my eyes as I hid my face into the crook that connected my mother's shoulder to her neck, her hair hiding me as I used my hands to cup my ears and smother the noise. My mother bounced me up and down noticing my discomfort and I was lulled to sleep by the familiar movement and her reassuring voice, "We'll be there soon Yuki."
*
I woke up in my crib and the sluggishness of my limbs made itself quickly apparent as I tried to sit up. My sixth sense must've been overused as I remembered the stress the activity of the town had caused it. Where was my mother and weren't we going to our new home?
"You hired some genin to get the rest of your stuff, right?" A voice I didn't recognized hollered a bit distantly and I froze at its suddenness.
"Yeah, I went ahead and bought a few new things since Yuki is getting bigger. So all I'm really waiting for is my bed and a few boxes." My sixth sense lashed out at the closeness of my mother's voice, I had had no idea she was so near and it bothered me that I was in unfamiliar territory. I grasped at my blankets and realized this was in fact not my crib and had much more room for me to spread my limbs. I reached for the familiar smooth bars and was met with ones that were engraved with a sort of pattern.
Bought new things indeed, mother. I did not approve.
I had realized what moving homes would mean and trusted my mother knew what she was doing but I didn't take into account my dependence of the familiarity of my last home and I felt upset at the loss.
I heard footsteps come into the room and noted that the floors sounded wooden, "Was that you just now?" The mystery voice asked curiously and a bit on edge. I turned my head towards the newcomer and focused my sense on him trying to get a read on them. The voice was male but sounded more boyish than my father's and his energy felt light and open.
"What do you mean?" My mother turned from whatever she was doing (it sounded like shuffling? I wonder what she was arranging) to question the young man.
"That chakra flare just now. It felt like it came from this room." His energy was alert and I payed all of my attention on him. He said chakra just now. What was chakra?
My mother felt confused for a few moments before answering him, "You know I'm no good with that ninja stuff. All of that talent went to my brother."
Mystery voice's energy dampened for a moment before regaining an edge and I could faintly detail the movement of his head as he scanned the room. "Looks like the twerp is up, little thing is staring daggers at me." He said, his gaze settling over me like a weight.
My mother laughed in amusement, "Yeah, she'll do that when she's concentrating on something. I kinda wonder how she learned to glare like her father."
I blinked slowly at this new information and turned my head towards my mother. She didn't feel hurt on the subject of my father, more reminiscent than anything, so I dismissed my concerns and simply pouted. I wanted to be talked to, not about. "She's kinda.. aware isn't she? For being blind, I mean?" The young(?) male asked sounding put off, the edge he had been feeling fading.
"A bit, I've noticed it too. I think she's just catching up from the time she was practically catatonic." Mother replied, her attention turning back to whatever she had been doing.
"Oh yeah, you told me about that. Did you try taking her to a MedicNin?" The mystery voice had now approached me and I could feel him leaning over me. I tried to remember what an unimpressed look was and aimed my best attempt at him. His energy seemed to glow in wary amusement and I got the impression he wasn't too fond of kids.
"No, Reiji didn't want anyone knowing about her so we stayed civilian and under my mother's maiden name." Mother replied now, her energy starting to flutter angrily at the topic of conversation.
"You could've seen a MedicNin still, your family name is still well known among the ranks and no one would've connected that you got down with it with the prude." As he talked over his shoulder to my mother I reached out my hand to where I thought his face was, his energy spiked curiously as he observed my actions and once I knew I found his face I gave him a childish smack. I did not like this man getting in my personal space. "She hit me!"
Mother let out a noise of amusement, "That's what you get for invading her space. Yuki is very smart for her age."
"How old even is the brat?"
"She's two next week." Huh. I was two. Two year olds could talk in small words, couldn't they?
"Two year olds aren't really that smart though, are they? I'm pretty sure I didn't understand personal space till I was like, five." The man responded in a doubtful tone.
I contemplated for maybe a moment before I made my decision, I was gonna wing it. "Who you?" I said in a surprisingly high pitched voice, pointing to where I knew the mystery man was. Both of their energies emitted an astounding amount of surprise and curiosity and I'm pretty sure that was my mother I just heard fall over whatever the heck it was she was doing. Actually, I wanted to know that too. "What doing?" Was my next demand as I pointed at my mother with my other hand, criss crossing my arms one over the other.
"Ah! I'm just going through a box. I can't find a book I wanted to show Kabuske." My mother answered sounding fully flustered at my choice of first words her energy though showed her pleasant surprise.
"You Kabuske?" I asked the man whose energy was a mix of disbelief and humor.
"Yeah, that's me twerp." He answered, his humor showing in his words.
I frowned at him, "You too close. Go away!"
"Yuki!" My mother admonished me, "Kabuske is our housemate! Be nice!"
"Y.. you're not even slightly surprised at her talking just now. Are you?" Kabuske asked in a bit of a deadpan at the unspiraling situation.
"Well, I knew she could mostly understand me whenever I spoke. She acted too receptive to not know. Honestly, it's a relief to know she's so active and smart now." My mother spoke worriedly as she righted herself to a sitting position on the floor. "Reiji thought she'd be too far behind the learning curve."
"Ha, proves that dick wrong." Kabuske sounded a bit too smug about that.
Mother's energy turned reproachful, "Don't use that language around Yuki, she's a sponge at this age."
"Yeah, a sponge!" I backed my mother up.
Kabuske's energy felt akin to a sweat drop.
*
The day was hot and I was left with only Kabuske for company to my horror. Mother had left earlier that day and left me to explore the house while Kabuske made sure I didn't "Get into anything or hurt myself." I enjoyed being out of my crib, the bit of freedom was liberating and the house had enough open space that I didn't run into things too often. I didn't appreciate how Kabuske would laugh everytime I did but contradicting to that feeling though I did like the sound of it. His laugh was very open and hard to ignore. It felt a lot like his energy in its openness and was practically inviting other people to laugh with it.
He had that in common with my father. Both of their energies felt big and strangely.. pointed? I got the impression of a knife but that wasn't right either. Compared to my mother's small and fluttering wind like energy, Kabuske's felt earthy and steady. Trained to a point. A sharpened tool. Yeah, that felt right. Not a knife per say, but a tool to be used all the same. My curiosity piqued I decided to follow his energy to what a presumed to be his room and knocked on his door. He was really a terrible babysitter.
"What, brat?" He yelled from the other side of the door.
I scowled "Let me in, I have a question." Mother "taught" me more words so I didn't have to skip words to sound more my age. She felt happy to have a smart child and I wasn't willing to deprive her of that.
I heard Kabuske get up from his bed, the lazy ass, and stepped a bit away as he grudgingly opened the door. "Well, ask."
I lifted my arms pleadingly, "In first, question second." Kabuske sighed but picked me up all the same, by now he knew I'd keep pestering him otherwise. I was training him well. After plopping me onto his bed, which led to a fit of giggling on my part as it had caused me to bounce up and down, he demanded me for my question again. "Why is your energy so different from mother's?"
"What do you mean? You mean my chakra?" Kabuske asked perplexed and I nodded my head.
"If that's what it's called then yes! Yours is so big and earthy while mother's is small and windy!" I stated all of this like a complaint. It irked me to know that my only way of seeing was something I knew very little of.
"You.. sense chakra?" Kabuske asked slowly as if he couldn't make sense of it.
"Yes!" I said loudly for emphasis.
"You're two!" He said accusingly, "It shouldn't be possible for you to sense chakra at such an early age. Chakra coils normally don't reach the point of developing enough for activation till at least three."
"Smaller words!" I demanded, "I'm two!"
His energy-chakra fumbled a bit in disbelief, "That's my point!" He yelled exasperated. After giving him a few minutes to calm down he finally sighed and answered my question, "It probably feels different since I'm a ninja and she's a civilian."
I cocked my head to the side, "What's a ninja?"
"We're soldiers for our home village, ours is called Konohagakure." His voice took on a weird teaching tone and I had to smother my amusement.
"Are we the best village?"
"We're only the greatest." The smile in his voice made me beam.
Excitement grew in me as an idea surfaced in my head, "Can I be a ninja too!?" That would solve most of my problems, dad would be happy and come back to mom and I could protect her easily and be of some use around the house.
Kabuske however grew quiet at my question and I felt his chakra swirl in what I assumed was contemplation. It felt like time had slowed to a crawl before he answered, not a yes but not a no, "Maybe."
A/N: And that's chapter two. I didn't check as hardcore as I should've for any mistakes so I'm sorry for that. Time for some explanations: Yuki's mother, Mizu, is a young first time mother who is very easy going and doesn't blame Reiji for dissing Yuki, yo. That bit of wisdom will be explored next chapter though as the explanation of why Reiji might not be a complete ass. Kabuske is a terrible name, I agree. He will be important to the plot, bare with him. Yuki right now is a weird mix of adult and toddler. She has all of the intellect ability of an adult but since she can't recall her last life in detail she's only able to act like the kid she truly is. I read a review that said they were hoping Yuki's mother would be a strong noble and powerful and I'm sorry to burst your bubble. Even though she won't be a strong ninja she will be a strong character.
Lastly and most importantly, Updates will be sporadic, my dudes. best case will be twice a week worse will be once every two weeks.