It was so quiet. So, so quiet. Mitsuki laid still in his bed, his eyes locked onto the snake designed ceiling. Something was wrong. Yeah, something was definitely wrong. Mitsuki pushed himself upward, straightened his back, cracked his neck, and stretched his arms out to wake up his body a little. His eyes darted around the room, first at his desk, his dresser, then..the door. It's golden knob that shined in the candlelight was so tempting, it felt like it was speaking to him, like it was just asking Mitsuki to grab a hold of it and turn it. This feeling gave Mitsuki the need to get out of bed and head towards the door. So he did, but once he was close enough to the door, he stopped. He could hear voices, familiar ones; Perhaps they were coming from down the hall, he thought. As the voices became clearer and louder, Mitsuki pressed his ear against the crack between the door and the wall, curious to hear the conversation.

"Was it just me, or did it look like that guy had the Sharingan?"

"I noticed that too. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take him down. I could barely lay a finger on him, he disappeared as soon as I confronted him. But, right now, we should focus on healing Yamato-kun."

"Yeah, right. I guess his kekkei genkai wasn't enough to stop the intruder. Will he live?"

"He'll live. He's had worse. Besides, I-"

Mitsuki pulled away from the door as soon as he heard one of the two stop talking. Maybe they knew he was eavesdropping.

"Take Yamato to my lab, will you? I'll be right back."

"Roger."

Oh no. He's been caught.

In a panic, Mitsuki jumped onto his bed, pulled the covers over his body, and shut his eyes tight enough to seem like he was sleeping just before the bedroom door opened. Peeking in through the small opening, was none other than his parent; Orochimaru. Stepping further into the room, he closed the door behind him, pulled out the chair from Mitsuki's desk, and sat down, one leg crossed over the other.

"Child, I know you're awake. There's no need to pretend."

He's been caught red-handed. He'll probably get scolded now. If he showed his face, he'll show that he's guilty. But if he tries to remain silent, he'll impose Orochimaru of being a fool, thinking he'll fall for that.

Slowly, and submissively, Mitsuki rose from his bed, his blanket falling off of his head and onto his lap. Right now, he was ready to be punished. Even though he may not have done much wrong, he still felt the need to apologize. So, he bowed his head to his parent, and apologized properly.

"I'm sorry...I heard your conversation with Suigetsu. I'm really sorry….for eavesdropping."

"Raise your head, Mitsuki. I'm not upset."

"You're not?"

"Not at all. I'd like to talk to you about something."

He scooted himself to the edge of the bed so he was closer to Orochimaru.

"How would you like….to undergo some training? You're about eleven right now, I think you may be ready to learn how to fight. How does that sound?"

"That…"

Mitsuki had to think about it for a second.

Training? As in, learning how to become a ninja? It sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime. It's quite an offer, a hard one to turn down. And, since this is his parent asking him this, how could he say refuse?

"I..I'd like that. Yes."
"Really? Then, we'll begin your training tomorrow evening. As soon as I'm done healing Yamato-kun."

Orochimaru stood up from the chair, ready to head back out of the room, but they were stopped by their son's sudden "thank you".

"U-um, thank you! For not..being mad at me. And, thank you, for offering to train me."

They smiled, watching Mitsuki's cheeks flush to a light shade of pink. Orochimaru ruffled their son's curly blue hair with a chuckle. After that, he exited the room.

Mitsuki was going to be trained. This was so exciting for him, he could easily just burst into tears of joy. But instead, he flopped back down onto his bed, hands locked behind his head, and feet crossed.

Epilogue:

"He is no longer a cracked "vessel" made of the earth...But, rather, a brilliant "moon" who illuminates the night sky..that sounds about right."

"You can't pour anything into a chipped cup, after all. And yet..surely, the chipped "moon" in the night sky will one day become…?