"Now the trick is to control your chakra so you can walk properly. If you use to much then you can't walk...but too little and...SPLAT!...you're gonna fall. You should join me up here...it's pretty good practice."
Kiku stood in her bedroom doorway and stared open mouthed at the girl hanging upside down from her ceiling.
"Okarina! What are you doing?" she quietly hissed, shutting the door and locking it. She was grateful her mother and sister had both stepped out for the day for a shopping trip with Kana...but she still wasn't sure when they'd be back. Kiku certainly didn't want them to see this.
Everyone figured Okarina had given up on her dreams of being a ninja. Kiku, on the other hand was the only one who really knew what was going on.
In the last 6 months since she'd arrived, Kiku's younger cousin had let her in on her biggest secret...a set of scrolls Okarina had stolen from her brothers, full of explanations and practice exercises for several different jutsu.
Even though she was forbiden to, she refused to stop practicing. Kiku thought it pretty admirable that she had so strong a dream, and offered to help her keep it a secret.
Okarina only practiced when she was away from people, and Kiku typically played the part of her lookout. It was normally quite easy to keep her out of trouble.
Sometimes, however, Okarina was just a little too much for her to handle...like now, running around on their ceiling...with the window wide open.
Kiku ran across the room and pulled the curtains over the window.
"Hey, now it's dark! ...Ah.."
An audible thump could be heard from behind and Kiku turned to see Okarina sitting on the ground.
"Ow..." She grumbled, standing up and rubbing her sore backside before flipping the bedroom lights on. "...made me lose concentration..."
"Remember we can't have anyone see." Kiku reminded her. "If you want to keep practicing, then nobody can know. It's our secret, remember?"
She nodded and the two girls sat on the side of Kiku's bed. It was quiet for a moment before Okarina spoke up.
"Hey Kiku-chan...have you ever thought of actually practicing this stuff too? I can lend you my scrolls and help you practice. It's just... not as fun doing this all by myself." She sighed and leaned back against the mattress, staring at the ceiling.
Kiku shook her head.
"I can't... I'm not allowed. Mother would never let me be a ninja so it's pointless."
Okarina turned to look at Kiku and shoved her gently.
"I'm not allowed either, remember...but I'm still doing it. I mean it never hurts to practice. Maybe one day she'll change her mind." She shrugged. "You might as well be ready when that day comes...besides...since when has doing the things she told you ever worked out?"
Kiku frowned and lay back too. Okarina was right. Mother was the reason Kiku had betrayed Gaara's trust. She's the reason Kiku lost her best friend. She was the reason Kiku almost had to kill him. If she kept doing exactly as her mother said Kiku knew she'd never have a happy life.
Kiku furrowed her brow and bit her lip. Maybe if she just practiced in secret so her mother didn't know...
"I want to do it." Kiku said quietly.
"What did you say?" Okarina rolled over onto her stomach and lifted herself up to look down at Kiku.
"I said I want to practice. You're right... And I want to practice to be a ninja too."
She looked at Kiku, speechless for a moment. Okarina really hadn't expected her to agree.
A sudden squeal of excitement passed her lips and she jumped off the bed to grab her scrolls.
Kiku sat up and Okarina came back to sit beside her so they could read them together and begin their 'lesson'.
"Now the first thing you should learn are the proper hand signs..."
For the rest of the night, until the others returned home, Okarina explained as much as she could, and Kiku readily listened, hoping to remember as much information as possible.
'If I could be a powerful ninja...' Kiku thought. 'Maybe people would respect me enough to listen to my opinion...and I could tell them that Gaara isn't bad. Then maybe he'll trust me again...'
It was a bit of flawed logic, but it gave her a new goal.
Some day, she would be a Kunoichi of Suna...and someday she would rebuild her friendship with Gaara.