2
Orihime almost didn't become a shinobi. It wasn't because she was getting cold feet or wanted to remain a civilian. God, knew she wanted to remain a civilian, but she was more terrified of not having the ability to defend herself at a crucial moment. She only needed a few short years out in the field as a genin to distinguish herself and pass the Chunin Exams and it was back to the Academy to safely teach she would go. Obviously she'd have to avoid those Chunin Exams, but all in all she felt she'd gotten a solid plan together for her life.
Natsu and Minami did not agree.
She'd known her family didn't have any shinobi. She did. She just didn't realize it wasn't just because of personal preference until she'd first mentioned something about it to Minami. No, her family hated shinobi.
Or rather they respected shinobi and believed in the necessity. Outside the family.
The Chigusa, Minami had very proudly informed her, were an ancient family of civilians. First amongst those who'd been brave enough to join the Senjus and Uchihas' "Experiment". As the a member of the First families, along with those like the Sarutobi and Ino-Shika-Cho Clans, they had a certain dignity to maintain. The Chigusa and the other six founding civilian clans were to the civilians as the Noble Four were to the shinobi. Their men were men of industry and intelligence, never shinobi. Their women were delicate and graceful, fully able to support the men from behind. Women were most definitely not shinobi.
That made Orihime realize that joining the Academy would not be quite so easy is it appeared. Sora gave her a similar and much grimmer confirmation of this statement. The nine year old had looked defeated as he spoke, a sharp contrast from his usual appearance of a cheerful, lazy charmer. He told her he'd wanted to be a medic-nin and the subsequent fallout in the family over the ambition. If the family had been utterly horrified at the thought of Sora becoming a medic-nin, then Orihime as the eldest daughter of the eldest daughter and heiress apparent until a boy was born was doomed.
Well, at least Sora was convinced she was.
In her last life Orihime had usually been a bit passive when it came to obstacles. She sometimes found it a bit relieving to give up because the source of her stress was gone. Conflict with actual people not just random situations was even worse. It freaked her out enough that she had literally become ill at the thought of confronting her suitemates about passive-aggressive post-it notes that kept appearing everywhere. But like in every aspect of her life she was a bit of a contradiction in that for all her passiveness when she did find something she couldn't back out of she got shit done. She figured out a way and finished it, even if she was shaking the entire time and had to walk because she didn't have a car. Sure she was little bruised and sore in the feet, but she could revel in the fact she'd done what she'd set out to. Orihime could even confront someone when absolutely necessary, though it usually had to involve someone else. But she could manage it for herself. Sometimes.
Now, she decided after hearing Sora's story, now would be one of those times.
She offered her second parents an out. Orihime tried logic, she tried emotions, and she tried begging. She really did try everything she could think of to convince them to let her join without putting in desperate measures. Orihime was a fan of peace and quiet in the household and did not like disturbing it with disobedience. The most rebellious she'd ever really gotten in her past life was staying up late to finish a book and ignoring the rules about the bathroom light. Her default setting was obedience. But Orihime did recognize there were other ways to get what you wanted.
So, she did something that she'd never done in her last life and was a little embarrassed about, even if it was oddly fun at times, to do in this one.
She acted like a complete and utter brat.
Orihime pitched the awfulest of hissy fits throwing herself on the ground, screaming at her parents, and refusing to obey them even on the simplest thing. she would purposefully do the opposite. She made it a point to act up in public and start bawling loudly timing it to make her parents scoldings look extreme. She talked constantly about how cool shinobi were and how much she wanted to be a shinobi to help protect the village. When Minami snapped one day and told her, screamed really, that no daughter of hers would ever be a shinobi in the middle of the village in front of everyone she'd thought she'd thought she'd failed.
Then came the fallout of it. Apparently in shinobi villages it didn't due to seem like you thought your protectors were beneath your notice. The shops had a significant drop in shinobi patronage and the civilian families of shinobi. One of the business was closely tied in with transporting metal for shinobi weaponsmiths and suddenly those shops were looking elsewhere. Not everyone was jumping ship, but it was enough for the family to begin getting concerned.
The family's reputation and her second parents' sanity was fraying at with her going from obedient and quiet to a ferocious hell spawn.
Truthfully speaking if they'd had any experience with children and hadn't been dealing with several days of little to no sleep thanks to Orihime's campaign to make their lives hell they would have never agreed to Aunt Hanako's proposal. Aunt Hanako was of the opinion that as a usually quiet, docile individual Orihime wouldn't survive the "barbaric training" at the Academy for long and they just needed to give in for now and let her get passed the phase. Apparently Aunt Hanako noticed the passive nature and didn't think Orihime could stick it out. Especially considering the extra requirements she suggested.
Orihime was determined to prove otherwise.
The deal stated that Orihime would join the Academy at eight and could train to become a kunoichi. But the second her scores fell below average in any area she would have to quit. And on top of her Academy education she would be receiving a formal "proper" education from a tutor of Aunt Hanako's choice.
Orihime took the deal and her parents enjoyed peace once more.
Those requirements weren't any more difficult than what she'd had to do to get into her fraternity in her past life. It wouldn't be that bad.
Her tutor was a beautiful woman. She was graceful and always incredibly well put together never wearing anything but full elegant kimonos. She had long silk black hair she wore in high looping styles, large startlingly lovely blue-grey eyes, and her pale skin seemed to glow smooth and unblemished. A very tiny woman, the tutor spoke in a soft tone with a strangely husky voice that was just as attractive as the rest of her. It was deep, but still feminine. Closer to sexy than manly. She moved with careful smooth movements despite the bulk of her formal clothes and looked like a dancer.
Her name was Chigusa Nadeshiko, the wife of Aunt Hanako's brother-in-law, and everyone seemed to regard her and her careless elegance with a breathless awe. As Aunt Hanako's husband was a more distant cousin from a branch of the Chigusa family though that still made Nadeshiko a cousin, though a very distant one to Orihime herself.
When Nadeshiko first introduced herself she was resplendent in one of her more understated kimonos of dark red with patterns of orange and yellow leaves in it a orange under kimono visible at the collar. She followed behind Aunt Hanako who looked uncharacteristically flustered and looked more like a "hime" than Orihime ever did.
Orihime saw the kimono first. It had to be expensive made entirely of silk with skilled embroidery. It was different from prettily patterned cotton ones that was casual wear in her family. Even the nice ones Minami and Aunt Hanako wore on special occasions weren't so extravagant. Then she saw the woman in the kimono, a young one who had to be in her early to mid-twenties, and her mind kind of fizzled out.
She one of the most gorgeous people she'd seen in either life. Orihime had never been very good with beautiful people and couldn't stop staring, no doubt making an ass out of herself. But damn. The stranger who stood patiently behind Aunt Hanako wasn't hot. She was flat out beautiful. More the Girl with a Pearl Earring than the Victoria Secrets Christmas Show.
Orihime was only shocked out of her daze when her aunt cleared her throat giving the now six year old a faux sweet smile that she loathed.
"Now Hime-chan," Aunt Hanako said in a voice that was equally parts pleasant and grating on Orihime. "I know we told you that your tutor wouldn't arrive until your started the Academy."
Aunt Hanako paused for a moment to hide a quick grimace. Her aunt had made it damn clear what she thought of Orihime's "dream" and made sure to express her disdain for it at every opportunity. Usually in subtle but mean spirited barbs about Orihime's chances in the hopes that she would "cease this foolishness already".
Aunt Hanako was kind of an asshole. And not even the sweet/asshole hybrid that Orihime's family had consisted of in her first life.
Aunt Hanako very pointedly brightened. "But Nadeshiko-san has arrived early from the capital and agreed to start teaching you early! Isn't that wonderful Hime-chan?"
Orihime didn't immediately answered looking at the silent figure peacefully waiting for them to finish their conversation. The tiny woman was a good few inches shorter than her aunt and smiled when she made eye contact with Orihime. Nadeshiko didn't look that bad.
Besides, Orihime thought to herself with a bit of wistfulness, I'll get to read again after she teaches me. Reading lessons had been a painful sacrifice during her campaign to get into the Academy. Having been more than a little fond of books in both lives Orihime was eager to have enough of a grasp on the language to read a real book again.
"Okay." Orihime agreed and at Hanako's scolding look, corrected to a more formal response. "Yes, Hanako-Oba-san. Thank you for coming Nadeshiko-san."
"Sensei," a husky voice corrected quietly.
"Nadeshiko-sensei." Orihime allowed reminded of her Japanese teacher from her first life, 'Noriko-sensei' had also been a small beautiful woman. Maybe Nadeshiko would be similarly kind as her?
Both women smiled at that.
Orihime was wrong. She was so very wrong. Not only was nothing like Noriko. Nadeshiko wasn't just bad. She was Satan.
She eased into it too, luring Orihime into a false sense of security. It had begun with simple expected things. Ones that Orihime actually found interesting. Improving her reading, introducing her to formal manners, poetry. The reading she took to easily enough and was more than willing to practice. The poetry, while never being her favorite thing, was something that was at least under her umbrella of interests and some of it she actually found she enjoyed. The manners weren't to big a deal. Her parents had raised her polite in her last life and apparently there were some similarities in "Southern sensibilities" and the Japanese like ones of Naruto. At least in things that weren't fit for public discussion. For the rest of it she considered it interesting from the point of view of cultural comparisons. What can Orihime say she was kind of a nerd about learning and she'd always found other cultures interesting.
These lessons the two of them went through with a relaxed air and the ever present smile of Nadeshiko.
Then things started to get more intense. Nadeshiko started to insist that Orihime sit seiza during their lessons in order to get her used to the position. It wasn't too awful the first few minutes, but then she started to lose circulation and the pins and needles feeling started to come up. Orihime had the bright idea to move into a cross-legged position instead as Nadeshiko was distracted with reciting the new poems Orihime would be learning that week.
Nadeshiko, it turned out was not as distracted as Orihime thought, and stopped speaking the moment Orihime shifted.
"What are you doing Orihime-chan?" the woman questioned lightly, but something about the tone made Orihime wary. That sounded too much like her first mother when she'd asked "Are your chores done?" when it was pretty obvious that she and her siblings had not done them that day and were in fact doing something else instead.
It was a too calm tone that never boded well.
"My legs hurt, Sensei." Orihime offered and received a small smile and nod in return.
"And you decided to move out of seiza to stop the pain?" Nadeshiko asked.
Orihime nodded.
"Without asking?"
Another nod.
"Despite my telling you to remain in the position until I said otherwise?"
Orihime nodded, stiff and ready for punishment. Those type of leading questions meant something was about to happen. No matter how firmly in place Nadeshiko's smile stayed. Orihime's mind went instantly to her childhood and picking out her own switch from outside for a spanking after pushing her little brother. The Naruto-world seemed like the kind to be okay with corporal punishment. Orihime had never been punished for doing something that was reasonable. Her legs and back hurt. It made sense for a six year old not to be used to such formality.
To her surprise nothing happened other than another nod. Nadeshiko continued the lesson as if nothing had happened and Orihime relaxed shifting fully into the cross-legged position she'd wanted. Nadeshiko told her goodbye that evening, polite as ever, but left with a cryptic message about it being time to start something new tomorrow.
Thinking nothing of it, Orihime had gone to bed that night relaxed and confident that the lessons that Aunt Hanako had forced on her weren't that bad.
When she'd arrived in the lesson room the next day it had seemed normal enough. The lesson room was rather traditional looking with sliding doors and tatami mats, one set of the doors lead to the inner courtyard of the house and Nadeshiko often lift it open for the view of the garden Minami was particular proud of.
Today, Nadeshiko was standing in the open doors wearing a mostly white kimono with a river of light blue and silver seeming to literally flow across the silk, colorful orange koi following the stream. The obi was dark blue with a small bit of orange. Her dark blue collar stood out against her fair skin. She looked beautiful of course, but the outfit made her eyes pop into pure silver. There was one interesting addition though. She had what looked to be a folded fan tucked carefully into the obi.
"Nadeshiko-sensei," Orihime greeted, bowing like she'd been instructed.
"Orihime-chan," Nadeshiko returned and gestured to a soft pillow on the floor.
Orihime realized that she was meant to sit seiza yet again. She was touched by the thoughtfulness of the pillow. Though she doubted it would help as yeah her knees hurt, but keeping the position was the worst part of it and the legs going numb as they now doubt would. Settling down, Orihime looked up at Nadeshiko, who was smiling as always, waitin for further instructions.
"Today we will temporarily be sitting aside etiquette and arts. I will helping you with a very important lesson that my Onee-san helped me learn in my younger years."
It was said in the same light tone as everything, but something about the careful way she was observing Orihime, made her unnerved. Especially when Nadeshiko carefully removed her fan, longer than Orihime had expected, from her obi and began to walk around were Orihime set with her casual grace that seemed more predatory than dance like now.
"Will need to work on your posture first." Nadeshiko said ominously from her position behind Orihime. Orihime squirmed uncomfortably not enjoying the woman being out of her sight and tried to turn her head to look at her.
Smack. Her head was met with a sharp strike from the fan for the movement.
"Face front." Nadeshiko ordered fan giving a warning tap against Orihime's cheek until she obeyed.
Stunned Orihime tried to work through the pounding in her head. That had been too hard for a simple wooden fan. It had to have been metal or something. Orihime remembered a mention of iron folding fans used as weapons. She could have had a concussion. The pounding though distracted her from her anger and it made her grit her teeth and slump over a little.
Smack.
"Straighten up." Nadeshiko ordered.
Orihime instantly regretted ever thinking something nice about her.
It continued like that for hours, any shifting or unsteady posture being punished with a shift smack. No more to the head thankfully, instead Nadeshiko focused on the upper arms, thighs, and lower back. Stinging but not life threatening. By the end of it Orihime had tear running down her face from the burning in her muscles, the smacks, and the anger she felt over the harsh lesson. The pain of getting out of it was even worse than getting into it and Nadeshiko watched unsympathetic at the crying.
"We will continue this tomorrow. Goodbye Orihime-chan." Nadeshiko informed her as Minami, not paying any mind to the tears on her daughter's face, forced her to continue the tradition of formal goodbyes.
Minami, who washed off Orihime's tears and checked her bruises, didn't seem all that upset or concerned. Minami declared it was nothing life threatening after carefully poking at her head and sent her to get ready for supper without so much as a hug. Instead she paused to look at Orihime careful and expectant. The implication that she could always give up the Academy and end the lessons was clear.
Instead Orihime straightened and pursed her lips. Minami sighed and waved her off towards her room.
Orihime refused to cry in her lessons after that. They became steadily harder over the next few weeks. The seiza hell lasted about a month until she started to get the hang of it. then she was required to hold the position whenever possible in the lessons, which she did with a spiteful determination. The things they covered quickly began to increase as well. She learned songs, calligraphy, dances, tea ceremony, and three instruments. Every couple of months a new topic was added and inforced with Nadeshiko's iron control. It became more and more clear that her "sensei" required perfection and any imperfections or corrections were swift and draconian. The only lessons she mostly got through without corrections were literature and flower arrangement thanks to her interest in both in her past life.
The more "feminine arts" weren't the only thing Nadeshiko began to introduce though. Along with her posture lessons and tea ceremonies, were discussions on how to charm people and adapt in social situations. things that were useful for a kunoichi. Then her more "book smart" lessons on literature and poetry were combined with lessons on geography, history, and even smatterings of business.
Nadeshiko was a merciless, perfectionist who clearly disliked Orihime. Something that was obvious to her now that she had began to be able to see under the woman's smiling mask. But she was intelligent, well-read, and socially aware in a way that Orihime admired for all her dislike of her.
Orihime had been an awkward duck under the best of circumstances in her lives. She had a love-hate situation with people and social interactions in general. It was always a coin flip on whether or not she'd be the most awkward person in the room or reasonably personable. Nadeshiko though was able to charm and navigate with the same ease as breathing. Orihime was always willing to admit the positive qualities when the presented themselves in people she disliked. They weren't going to stop her from disliking them and being honest about people was a much better way to live in her opinion.
The only concession that ever seemed to be made about her lessons was the sudden disappearance of the fan after about two weeks of bruises and its replacement with a slender willow branch. It was whippy and painful, but she was much less likely to get a head wound then.
Unfortunately she and the switch were rather well acquainted. Orihime discovered that alone as she was now with now distant parents that the fear of disappointing her previous wants that kept her mouth in check in her last life did not hold it back in this one. Especially when it came to Nadeshiko.
Okay, so the occasional slips into sarcasm and snippy comments might be part of what fuelled the woman's dislike. She was particularly sensitive to comments about her appearance. It was something Orihime would normally have overlooked. She was someone who tried her best not to pick at people's buttons despite how interesting it was to uncover them. But Nadeshiko's social training had made them a little more easier to pick out and the woman's behavior made it impossible to resist.
True, her words were met with similarly sharp ones from her sensei, but Orihime was not a child who could be beaten down and she'd fought for her meager self-esteem tooth and nail and she'd be damned if she let it be destroyed. So they settled into an uneven antagonistic relationship that ended in more than a few switchings, Orihime grudgingly learning, and one very memorable occasions that Orihime liked to pick over of Nadeshiko losing her cool and her face in front of the family. The woman had quickly gained it back and it had been dismissed easily as it was Orihime she was dealing with who had become dubbed as the strange "problem child" of the family.
Orihime didn't care though. Minami, Natsu, and Hanako weren't really family after all. The closest who came to that was Sora and he was more like a distant older cousin than immediate family. She couldn't wait to start the Academy and rub her career in all their faces.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I want to firstly thank everyone for reading this and favoriting and following. This chapter was a bit of set up and time skip. these first few chapters are a little fast, but I've decided not to spend chapter after chapter on her childhood and it gives an ides of her family life. Reviews are love!
Sydney Jane Dale:The Bleach reference was actually totally unintentional. I didn't know Orihime's big brother's name. I actually picked the name because of the story of Orihime and Tanabata. Sora came about as a name because my friends were talking about Kingdom of Hearts while I was writing. Thanks for your reviews!