Yup; giving more story time to mama Tachibana. I thought she would be a neat little plot device. IDK, let me know what you think!
Orochimaru watched Kirika with a look of disapproval. It was her birthday. Today she was four years old. She crouched, head in hands; weeping. She had been weeping for some time now.
He had no patience for tears. A shame how she reacted, and Kirika had been so well with the test subjects too. She rarely regarded them as more than pieces in tests and equations she had yet to understand; but which he would see to that she would understand when she grew older. Annoying as it was, it was important to instill in her early on the knowledge of how worthless things like human life and friendship are. Such things fester into weakness. He glared in irritation and ordered her to look at it.
She was reluctant and hugged herself for a second, but dared not disobey and raised her head and looked from the corner of her eyes at the thing on the table. She flinched at the sight of it. it. No longer a her. No longer the little girl from the village that Kirika had befriended. Looking at it made her cry harder. They played together. She was the first other child Kirika had ever played with. She was Kirika's first friend. It was a grotesque, marred thing. A bloody specimen that had once been a living person. Once. The thing finally died, but in Kirika's eyes it was never alive. It only stopped twitching and making that wretched gurgling.
Kirika looked up at her father. She said nothing, but her eyes were pleading. Why?
"That's right... I sent you into that village to make a friend. Do you understand, child? This is what loosing someone is. This is what death is like."
The only response she gave him was sobs.
"Kirika."
She rubbed her eyes, though the tears did not stop. Her face was puffy and red.
Orochimaru frowned at her, his eyes remorseless and glaring. "Your tears will do nothing."
Your tears will do nothing. Nothing. Wide eyed, her tears stopped. Perhaps it was less the words and more the way Orochimaru had said them. Void of all emotion but irritation. His eyes were cruel; but it was the truth. This girl was no better than the test subjects in her fathers laboratories; she was no better than Kirika either. Now she was dead. For no other reason than her father's whim.
Kirika looked up at Orochimaru. He must have noticed that something clicked. He took her hand in his and wiped a tear from her cheek. "She doesn't matter, child. None of them matter. You and I, Kirika, we matter. They are little more than tools for us to further ourselves in our goals. Do you understand?"
Kirika stared into his piercing eyes. She nodded.
Your tears will do nothing.
It was the truth. Kirika wiped away the tears, she sniffled, her face still puffy and red, but her anguish was gone, shocked out of her. She did understand.
She came to think of that important lesson as a birthday present.
And she had not cried since that day.
Kirika wondered briefly what that girl's name was.
'You're tears will do nothing.'
Grant it, she hadn't cried... she hadn't really thought of Haku at all. But the sluggishness and sinking feeling in her gut hadn't gone away.
"Kirika?" Hideko's soft voice called from the other side of her bedroom door. Kirika lay curled up in a muddle in her futon, blanket pulled over her. She cuddled a long green snake with her in her bed. She was too hot but made no move to readjust herself or to answer her mother. "I'm coming in." When Kirika had returned from the Land of Waves two days ago she'd mumbled her hellos to Hideko before confining herself in her room.
She knelt down by the futon. Her gentle hand stroked Kirika's back through the blankets.
Kirika closed her eyes, one hand clutched the futon and the other stroked the snakes head and buried her face in the mattress.
"It's almost noon."
Kirika said nothing.
"You had a mission two hours ago. Your team was there, I came home to get you."
"You didn't have to do that."
"Of course I did. I'm your mom." Hideko sighed, she drew the blinds. "It's noon. You never sleep in."
"The Hokage said we could take a few days off after an A rank mission like the Land of Waves, then he slaps us with more missions. I'm taking the down time."
"Is that really it?"
"Yes... That's really it."
"You must be boiling." She pulled the covers off, reeled back and shrieked when she saw the snake.
Kirika sat up and gathered up the snake and shoved it to the side. "Off you go." She looked back at her mother. "Sorry..."
"Kirika, I've told you I don't want snakes in the house!"
Kirika looked sheepishly to the side. "I forgot..."
Hideko wrapped her arms around Kirika and rocked her back and forth. She let out a deep breath. "Kakashi said you sulked the whole trip back from the Land of Waves. Aren't you getting stir crazy?"
"Not really."
"Naruto's come to check on you a few times. So did your sensei. They're worried for you."
Kirika suspected Kakashi's reasons for dropping by were less sincere but she didn't mull over it. Instead she gripped Hideko's dress and buried her face in her chest.
"You've called in sick for your missions. You can't keep this up forever."
Kirika snickered. "If I have to go on one more D rank mission I really will be sick."
Hideko rolled her eyes. "Kirika..."
Kirika smiled and pulled away. "Yeah. I know." She breathed and ran a hand through her hair. "I'll go out today."
She looked surprised at Kirika and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I'm not telling you to bury your feelings, you know."
"I'm not."
Hideko sighed. "Of all the boys in the Land of Waves and Konoha you pick a rogue ninja. I only hope you didn't inherit my taste in men..."
"Don't say that."
They were quiet for a while.
It had been two weeks since her mother had coaxed Kirika out of her room. She hadn't though of Haku so much after that. In fact, she bearly remembered why she'd felt so strongly to begin with. It was a bit embarrassing... irrational. After their return from the Land of Waves squad seven continued with their D ranked missions.
"Where'd you get the title?" Sakura threw a bundle of weeds into the garbage bin.
"Hmm?" Kirika didn't look up. Being them Naruto was making a ruckus with the woman who hired them to weed.
"The Viper? Where'd you get it?"
Sasuke glanced back at them, but kept to himself.
"Where do you think? I poisoned someone."
"Poison?"
"Mm-hmm."
"I thought it was because of your speed."
"Nope."
"Oh... I've never seen you use poison."
"I just haven't had the opportunity."
"And that's it? You just slipped someone poison?" Sakura quirked an eyebrow.
Kirika's eyes flickered to Sakura and back to her work. She doesn't take hints. "More or less."
"Well... where'd you learn it?"
"It was well accommodating to my interests."
"Yeah? What interests are those?"
"Biology. Organic chemistry."
"Oh! Right, because you read all those magazines."
"...Yes. That's where."
"Did you learn about poison when you learned about healing?" Sakura asked.
Naruto shouted being them. He chose the biggest dog to walk, and was being dragged around like a plow.
Kirika chuckled. "Sakura, the funniest thing in the world is watching someone try to master poison without learning medicine first.""Uh... why's that?"
Kirika had a puzzled look for just a moment, but quickly shook her head, smiling a bit. "Why don't you give it a whirl and find out?"
Naruto shouted behind them, something about his dog. A boom went off behind them.
"How'd you learn so many Jutsu?" Sakura plucked a can from the river with her tongs.
"How'd you learn to read kanji? Practice."
"You use snakes a lot... did the poison come with that? And the speed... is that why your title is a snake?"
"Pretty much." As they went on, Sakura's questions has reached that point where they less annoying and more amusing to her. Kirika glanced over, Kakashi was right on the bank, reading his book.
"C'mon." Natuto chimed in. "You're my best friend and I didn't know you were famous enough for a cool title! Tell us! How'd you get it!?"
"Well, I had a life outside the Village." Kirika picked up another piece of trash.
"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Naruto asked.
"My father."
"Ooh! So he really was a rogue ninja!"
"The world's full of them."
"And the title?" Naruto prompted.
Kirika looked at Naruto thoughtfully. "Those snakes that raised me."
"Yeah right!" Naruto laughed and gave her a shove.
Kirika snickered and whipped her garbage stick through the water to splash him.
"Don't dodge the questions!" Sakura's eyes were blazing with determination.
"I poisoned someone. What are you, deaf?"
"Don't waste your breath, Sakura. Nothing she says is true." Sasuke huffed. "She'll just make something up."
Naruto's antics continued. As did Sasuke's indifference, though he watched Kirika now with more suspicion; the same could be said for Sakura, who kept her emotional distance as per Kirika's request. The power struggle between Kakashi and Kirika was still going strong.
However, despite how easy the missions were, at the end of the day Sakura and Kirika always had a beaten up Naruto slung over their shoulders.
"Look at you, you're hopeless Naruto." Sakura scolded
"You really are just one big problem." Sasuke mocked
Naruto broke away from Sakura and Kirika. He growled and lunged "SASUKE!"
Kirika grabbed his jacket before he could get far. "Down boy!"
Kakashi sighed "Guess were not making a lot of progress with the teamwork thing, huh?"
"That's right! Our teamwork's all messed up and it's all because of you, Sasuke! You think you're better than everyone else!" Naruto shouted
Sasuke, who was walking away, stopped. "Not everyone. I'm better and stronger then you are. It's a fact. Unless you have what it takes to prove me wrong." Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other.
"Alright guys." Kakashi sighed "Let's call it a day. You can beat each other to a pulp some other time. I have to file my report on this mission."
Sasuke strode away. "Whatever, I'm out of here."
"Wait Sasuke! I'll go with you!" Sakura called
Naruto sighed.
Kakashi disappeared.
"How about you? Training or something?" Sakura looked at Kirika unhopefully.
"I have to go home, too. You know, to tell my mother that I'm not dead yet." Kirika waved. "She's been cracking down on my pets. I've been hiding them in my closet... I think she's catching onto me..."
"You could just... ya know... not keep snakes in your house." Naruto offered weakly.
"That is out of the question."
"Okay... whatever! good luck!" Naruto grinned, giving her the thumbs up.
Kirika walked away and caught up to Sasuke. "Hey! Kirika! Why are you- I mean, with Sasuke!" Sakura called.
Kirika looked back. "We live across from each other."
Sasuke glared.
Sasuke and Kirika had been walking for a few minutes. "have you thought about my offer?"
"Don't talk to me. I don't need you."
Kirika laughed lightly and stopped. She pivoted to the direction she'd come from.
Sasuke sighed. "Where are you going?"
"Don't you sense it?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
A smile spread on Kirika's lips as she walked. She licked her lips. "Fresh blood." People from outside the village. Was it that time of year already?
When she returned to where Naruto and Sakura were, she found three academy students with them. Along with the ninja she sensed, Suna shinobi. A boy and a girl: the girl had four blond pigtails and a rectangular weapon on her back, she looked nervous and annoyed; the boy was dressed all in black and had purple face paint, he had what looked like a mummy on his back. He held one of the academy students up by his shirt, ready to punch him.
The boy's eyes widened, the blade of a katana pressed against his throat. Kirika draped herself over his shoulder. Mocking eyes. Her head next to his. "Well hello, Sand ninja."
"Kirika!" Sakura beamed
The boy glared "Who the hell are you?"
Kirika laughed, she flisked her wrist.
"Back off Kirika!" Sasuke shouted.
The boy's eyes widened once more, but now he was in a cold sweat. Her katana was perched to slice deeper at his jugular. A wet spot formed at the neck of his head dress, where Kirika's blade drew blood. She would have slit his throat...
Sasuke regarded the ninja with indifference. "These idiots aren't worth it."
Kirika's eyes held laughter. She looked at Sasuke with amusement, like she might a dog who preformed a trick. "All right. But only because you're so cute." She stepped back.
Sasuke glared at her before his eyes flickered back at the sand ninja. The boy rubbed his neck. Sasuke tossed up a pebble in his hand and squeezed it, grinding it to dust. "Get lost."
Sakura and Moegi gawked over him.
"How come you're not cool like that!?" Konohamaru accused Naruto
"What do you mean? I could have taken that guy out in two seconds flat!" Naruto claimed
"You..." The sand ninja glared. "You're the kind of runt I hate the most, all talk and no fight." He pulled the mummy off of his back.
"What!?" The sand girl was startled. "Are you gonna use the Crow for this!?"
"Oh! What might that be!?" Kirika eyes were wild with mad excitement.
"So you want some first, little girl?" He mocked. "You got the drop on me... but now I'll cut you down!"
"Oh, do try!" Kirika crouched, poising her katana.
"Kankuro. Back off." A red haired ninja carrying a gourd on his back commanded. He stood upside down on a tree limb. "You're an embarrassment to our village."
"Oh, uh, hey Gaara." The boy, Kankuro, said nervously.
Kirika licked her lips. "Ah, so you're the third ninja."
"This person." Gaara nodded to Kirika. "You were about to do battle with her. Couldn't you tell who she is?"
"I- well- she challenged me. See, here's what happened-"
"Shut up. Or I'll kill you." Gaara glared.
Kirika crossed her arms. She muttered under her breath. "Oh, when he does it it's fine. But I threaten one person and I'm a traitor..."
"Uh, right. I was totally out of line, I..." Kankuro scratched the back of his head.
"She's Kirika the Viper. She could have killed you easily." Gaara glared.
Kankuro's eyes widened, he bowed slightly. "I'm so sorry! It won't happen again... ma'am."
Gaara nodded. "I'm sorry for any trouble he caused." He disappeared into sand and reappeared next to his teammates. "Let's go. We didn't come here to play games." He commanded.
"Hold on!" Sakura shouted
"What?" The girl said
"I can tell from your headbands that you come from the Village Hidden in the Sand. Of course the land of fire and the land of wind are allies, but no shinobi can enter another village without permission. So state you're purpose, and it better be good!" Sakura ordered
"Really? Have you guys all been living under a rock or what? You don't know what's going on, do you? We have permission." The sand girl held up her ID and passport. "Were hear to take the chunin exams."
"The chunin exams? What's that?" Naruto asked "So what is it? I've never heard of any chunin exams, believe it."
"I believe it alright, that you're totally clueless." The girl said
"It's where genin become chunin." Kirika said.
"Oh! Well why didn't you say so!? I am so there!" Naruto said excitedly. The three sand ninja began to leave.
"You need you're mentors' recommendation for that. Whether or not we can take the exams is for Kakashi to decide." Kirika said
Sasuke stepped forward. "Hey you! identify yourself!" Sasuke ordered
The girl turned around, a small blush in her face. "Hmm? you mean me?"
"No. Him. the guy with the gourd on his back."
Gaara stopped and turned around. "My name is Gaara of the desert. I'm curious about you too. Who are you?"
"I am Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke said. Tention hung in the air like mist.
"Hi there! Bet you're dieing to know my name, too, huh!?" Naruto asked with excitement, breaking the tension.
"I couldn't care less." Gaara said.
"Bye-bye." Kirika waving, smiling to the sand ninja. "They seem nice."
"Hey, Konahamaru, do I seem uncool or something?" Naruto asked
"Well compared to Sasuke, yeah, you're pretty lame."
Kirika's eyes opened and flickered up to the tree. Sound ninja. Well, well. Kirika licked her lips. Now she had to attend. Oh, this would be fun.
"So the chunin exams are rolling around again?" Hideko set down the tray. She passed a cup of tea to Kakashi, which he accepted with a 'thank you'. She sat and blew on her own cup, smiling. "How exciting!"
"Yeah." Kakashi looked around Hideko's living room. "So? What do you think? Is Kirika ready?"
Hideko raised an eyebrow. "Of course she is. You're her sensei, aren't you? You should know better than me. I'm no ninja."
"But you are her mother. I just want to make sure I have your... blessing."
"Really?" Hideko let out a deep breath, she frowned. "Kakashi, I've been through this before. What do you really want?"
The cup in his hand was warm. Hideko spoke with a solemn curiosity. That and perhaps worry. Her tone was neither mean, accusing, nor demanding. Kakashi though, she was too gentle and docile to be any of those things. He sighed. Why couldn't Kirika be more like her mother? "I left Kirika with the others. Will she be back soon?"
"She might. I'm not sure."
Kakashi nodded. "I'd rather she didn't know I was here."
"I understand."
"Thanks."
"So...? Why are you here, Kakashi?"
He sighed; might as well tell her. "I'd rather not let Kirika into the exam."
"Why no-" Hideko, raised her elbow and coughed a few times, before looking back at Kakashi. "Pardon me. Why not?"
He stayed quiet.
Hideko frowned and let out a deep sigh, she squeezed her cup, her eyes glistened as she looked into her tea. "What do you want me to do?"
The way she was so quick to admit defeat gave Kakashi a bitter, guilty feeling. Hers were the eyes of someone who was used to being kept in the dark; someone who was used to having their questions ignored. Hideko Tachibana's eyes were gentle, consistent... sad; the very opposite of Kirika's. "What's... Kirika like? With you?"
Hideko looked up, surprised by his question. "She's a wonderful daughter. A sweet, good mannered girl."
"She listens to you?"
"Always... well, the only thing is she likes to keep snakes in the house. I'm scared of them." The way she whispered it made Kakashi want to laugh. Hideko cupped her mouth while she spoke with a comedic tone. "I think she keeps them in her closet, but I'm afraid to check..." She leaned back with the trace of a smile. "Why do you ask?"
"Can I be honest with you?"
Hideko nodded.
"She's difficult. Kirika is a manipulator. I can't get a read on her. One minute she reaches out to me and the next she's a pot stirrer... I'm at a constant power struggle with her."
"Kakashi." Hideko looked at him seriously. She nodded. her face immediately became gentle again, with the trace of a small smile. "Kirika is my daughter. I know exactly what she is."
"She doesn't like me."
"Well... I don't think it's you she doesn't like." Hideko sipped her tea. "I think all Leaf jonin are one in the same to her. She may not show it, but I think adjusting to village life has been difficult for her. I think she feels cornered. You know how people get when they feel cornered. You only have to be careful how you handle her." She smiled. "Kirika may not obey you, but she's always listening."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound easy." That thought had crossed his mind, but he had his suspicions that Kirika put on a good girl act around her mother. It was something Kirika herself hinted, back in the Land of Waves. "I can't issue entrance forms to the Chunin exams only to Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto. But I don't want Kirika in the Chunin Exams. If she were to become chunin I'd lose what little control I have on her."
"You want me to forbid her from entering?"
"Yeah."
Hideko smiled tenderly at him. "No Kakashi." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, let her enter. It's no guarantee that she'll pass, that's for Lord Hokage to decide, and I trust his judgment. I trust your judgment, too. But I don't think you quite understand Kirika like I do." She coughed once more into her elbow, longer.
"You alright?"
Hideko nodded and swallowed some tea. "Yes, thank you. But anyway. Do you know what these D rank missions do to Kirika?"
"What?"
"They bore her. And if Kirika's out of entertainment she'll create her own."
Now there was a thought.
"That boy, Kakashi. The one she fell infatuated with in the Land of Waves..."
Kakashi looked at Hideko.
"She hasn't mentioned him once in the past two weeks. She hasn't thought of him. She hasn't paused or gone quiet. It's like it never happened."
That did surprise him. "Was it even real love?"
"I doubt it was all insincere. But still..."
"I see what you mean." Kakashi touched his chin thoughtfully. "We can't allow Kirika to become a chunin yet, but if she enters the exam, it would be a good distraction for her... maybe even a chance to see some of the justu she's been keeping hidden."
Hideko beamed at him, like she'd won a great victory, but it was an innocent smile. Kakashi guessed she rarely won descussions.
"Thank you for coming to me, Kakashi."
Kakashi put up a hand. "Hey, don't mention it. You're her mother."
She smiled sadly. "It's the first time anyone's told me anything right away."
Kakashi looked closely at Hideko. She was kind. A kind, broken woman.
Hideko raised her elbow to cough. Much harsher than before, and much longer. Her free hand clutched the table to balance her. Her tea was knocked to the ground. Hideko's face turned red and blotchy as she kept coughing. Kakashi stood up.
"Are you-?"
"My medicine-!" she coughed, she tried to finish, but kept coughing, and pointed to a cabinet.
Kakashi stepped to it quickly. "Are there pills in here?" He searched the drawers, but when he found the pill bottle it was empty.
"Hey! they're empty! Do you have-" As he turned to her, she was doubled over, covering her mouth with her hands. Red was oozing through her fingers. Kakashi draped one of her arms around his shoulders to support her. "Hang on. I'm gonna get you to a doctor."
Hideko nodded, still hacking with one hand over her mouth. He practically dragged her out the door.
"Go away."
Kakashi scratched the back of his head. In his hand was the application form for the Chunin exams. "What's wrong with her?"
"It's a terminal lung problem." Kirika squeezed her mother's hand, she looked back at him, her eyes dangerous. "Go away."
"Kirika... don't be mean." Hideko said. Her voice was not weak, but shaky.
Kirika frowned, but did not rebuttal.
Hideko put a hand on Kirika's head and smiled. Her right hand. The left, which Kirika was holding lay flat beside to her body, had an IV needle in the elbow. Hideko had passed out by the time Kakashi dragged her into the hospital yesterday. Kirika had arrived almost as soon as he did. She'd glared at Kakashi with such contempt. 'She just started hacking up blood... I've got no clue why.' 'I know you don't. Leave.' He left almost immediately... Kirika was visibly frayed and he didn't want to be in the lime light of any accusations. To her credit, she'd made none, even now. He came back the next day, Hideko was now conscious and fairing better, so Kirika was a bit less hostile.
"He should leave."
"It's fine." Hideko assured her, not unkindly. She smiled at Kakashi. "Thank you for coming to see me. Anko was here a little while ago, too." Hideko smiled; a tired smile. "She wanted to stay longer, but she's a proctor in the chunin exams, so she had to go." She laughed lightly. Weakly. "If I didn't have Kirika to look after me, I'm sure Anko would have dropped the job."
Kakashi nodded. "Does this happen a lot?"
Hideko looked at the ceiling. "This is the fourth time."
"The fourth? In?"
"Two years."
Kakashi gave her a troubled expression.
"I'm fifty. Health starts to deteriorate at my age, and I've never been strong..."
Kirika swept a piece of hair out of Hideko's face. "Don't say that."
"Don't worry honey. I'm fine. Kakashi. You wanted to talk to her, right?"
"Er... right. Kirika-"
"I'm not interested."
Kakashi sighed. "I haven't asked you anything yet."
"I don't want to take the chunin exams." She gave him a look. "I can see the form in your hand."
"Sharp as ever, I see."
"Kirika," Her mother stroked her hair. "I'm fine. The doctor gave me stronger pills. You should take the exam."
Kirika opened her mouth, but said nothing. She was still frowning.
"I'm fine, love, the doctor said I can go home today." Hideko smiled and gave Kirika's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I can't believe you don't want to enter the exams. What will your team do without you?" Hideko cupped Kirika's face and stroked her cheek with her thumb. "In the final rounds I'll be in the stadium cheering for you, just like I did for your father."
Kirika eyes shined. She squeezed her hand in response and nodded.
Hideko beamed at Kakashi. Oh she was good... How did Hideko learn how to work Kirika...?