Chapter 2:

Seventh Birthday Hence

The young girl sat, tears rolling down her face, as she stared at the cake sitting in front of her. The invitations had been sent, she had even delivered them door to door. Well, not her, but her mother had. They had made it clear that today was the day that her birthday was. Yet...the room was empty, void except for her. Her mother had had to work in the flower shop, and her father was off on a mission, which usually meant that he was drinking.

"Why didn't anyone come?" She took another glance around the room, staring through the window into the brightness of the day. Getting up, she went over to where she could see out, staring down as children and their families walked by. She sniffed, bringing a hand to her face to wipe a tear away before it fell to far. Turning her head slightly to the right, she hiccupped as she saw a group of children walking down the street, smiling and laughing. She had invited each of them, she remembered. Turning and stifling a snuffle, she went back to sit down where her cake was. It glowed brightly with the seven candles that were inserted into it. She had even lit them herself. She thought that the bright, dancing lights of the flames would help calm her, to brighten her somehow. However, that wasn't the case. Instead, it just reminded her that today was the day that she turned seven, and no one seemed to care. Her parents weren't even there.

She got up, grabbing the note that her parents had left, reading it to herself slowly once more. "Ino. The cake is for your birthday party. Take it out when you feel you are ready to have it. Please be sure that your guests don't break anything. We should be home later on tonight. If you need anything, mom is downstairs in the shop, but try not to bother her, especially when she has customers around. Happy birthday. Love, your parents!" She put it back down, walking back to her chair and sitting with a groan. She propped herself up on her arms, staring forward.

"I...I hate my life." Slowly, she blew the candles out, picking up a large kitchen knife and cutting a small piece off. She took it over to the fireplace, sitting down and eating with her hands. No one was around to care how she ate, so she didn't care either. Each piece went down her throat like a thousand needles, and the last stuck. Each attempt to swallow hurt more and more. It did finally descend into her stomach, but with much exertion. Setting the plate down, she stared into the flames, noting the tops dancing and swaying.

"Why? Why doesn't anyone like me?" The fire seemed to laugh merrily at her, and she frowned. Getting up, she began walking towards the stairs. Since it was her birthday, she could do whatever she wanted. Though, it didn't really need to be her birthday. Most days, her parents were to involved to do much with her. She could wander outside, but that was the one activity that her parents had strictly forbidden. It was, as they put it, because of the fact that she wouldn't be safe outside. She would have to stay indoors. She began walking up the stairs, stopping to look at a family portrait hanging on the wall. She had been four. She had also been quite happy, a large smile on her face. However, it wasn't until that moment that she realized that her parents weren't quite happy. They had smiles on...but they seemed fake in a way. She sniffed again. Not even her own parents liked to have her around. They kept to themselves, and let her do as she wished. They yelled and scolded mostly when she did something wrong, but they never really did anything else. It was almost as if they were afraid to.

Ascending the staircase, she passed by a multitude of pictures, each time the portrait of her getting older and older, until she stopped to look at a picture taken a mere thirteen days ago. She was alone, having had the picture taken when her parents were busy. She had smiled, though she hadn't really wanted to. She felt horrible that day, taking home the picture tucked underneath her arm. People had thrown stares and glances at her, all the way home in fact. A tear fell from her eyes, and she wiped it away. It had always been like that, though. She was never invited to family reunions. Whenever her parents had friends over, she was made to go into her room, lock her door, and sit quietly. She mostly slept, where she would dream. Oh, the dreams she would have.

Climbing to the top of the staircase, she looked around, her eyes darting from wall to wall. Her room was large, encompassing the top floor. Her bed was spacious, and she even had her own little bathroom off to the side. Walking in, she went to the faucet, splashing cold water on her face to cool the heat down. Looking up, her hands strayed to her blond hair on top of her skull. She kept it neat and clean at all times, always straight. It wasn't all that long, but it was beautiful, she had to admit to herself. As her hands wandered over her head, they stopped. Slowly, she began stroking her ears, running her hands up and down the length of them.

Another tear began to fall, splashing onto the counter as her hands reached the tip, pointing up into a smooth, edged curve. She looked at the pair of scissors on the counter and sighed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her ears from growing that soft, dense fur. It seemed to sprout up almost overnight, and no snipping, cutting, or trimming would stop it. Nor could she hide her ears underneath a cap or her hair, as they would become bunched and begin to hurt a considerable bit. They always stuck out above her head, like two small towers. She would conjure jeers and derision as she walked along. People told her that she looked like a dog. She hated being called that.

She took her top off, laying it neatly on the counter, folding it as she had been told to time and time again. Bending over, she took off her loose fitting blue pants, also folding them neatly on the counter. Naked, she stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself. She didn't look horrible, she had to admit. Then, it popped out from behind her, a scar on her lithe form. She glared at the extra appendage, turning her head to scold it. It was the main reason that she couldn't wear any undergarments, because if she did, it would hurt painfully, and she would be uncomfortable. Besides that, it refused to go away. It was heavy when it was wet, as, just like her ears, it was covered in that same soft, velvety fur. She pulled, yanking as hard as she could. She yelped, letting go as new tears sprang into her eyes. It was so sensitive, she couldn't begin to imagine trying to yank it off, but it didn't stop her from trying every now and then.

Getting into the shower, she turned on the hot water, feeling it rush over her like a soothing wave. She stood for a minute or two, allowing the heat to drive the anger and self-loathing from her body. Then, she grabbed her shampoo, applying it sparingly to her head. Rubbing hard, she began to clean her hair for the umpteenth time that day. She had always had a special fascination for her hair, and she always wanted it to look pretty and proper. Then, she began on her ears, rubbing the shampoo in and massaging them gently. After rinsing them off, she turned, sighing. She applied a generous amount of shampoo to her hands, wetting her backside. Then, for a painstaking ten minutes, she rubbed, groomed, and primped the tail that grew from just below her back. It actually felt rather good to rub it, she found. It was soothing, in a way. Perhaps when she was nice to it, it was as calming as it was painful when she tried yanking it off.

She hopped out of the shower, drying her head and shoulders, then her torso and her legs. Twisting once again, she began the process of drying the tail. Slowly, she ran her towel up the length of the extra part of her, a small chill running through her body each time she did. She used more than one towel when drying it, just for the fact that the hair trapped enough water to completely soak through the first one. When she was done, it had taken her an extra thirty minutes, but it was straight, not leaden down with wet hair. She smiled, turning and slipping into her pajamas, also kept neat and tidy on the counter. Yawning, she walked out, flipping the light and making her way to her bed, her tail swishing the air behind her. At least her bed was where she could sleep...and dream. She smiled, pulling the covers off and crawling in underneath the large, soft comforter. Sighing, she withdrew a picture from under her pillow, smiling and giving it a kiss before slipping it back under.

"Goodnight, Naruto. Sweet dreams, ne?" She closed her eyes, and in no time at all, was sound asleep, dreaming of the boy that most girls dreamed about. Naruto Uzumaki, the next Hokage of the village. He was handsome, brave, and strong, everything anyone could ever want in a boyfriend, and in little Ino's dreams, he was all hers. As she dreamed, she smiled, making small noises every once in a while. Her tail swished happily behind her, creating ripples in the bed. Soon, the sun had gone down completely in the West. Her seventh birthday was over. Tomorrow, she would start classes at the Ninja Academy. Tomorrow was the day that she had been dreading for over two years, when she had first learned of it.

However, she would be in the same class order as Naruto. So, she supposed she could handle it. For a while, anyways.