A/N: Alrighty loves! We have over 200 followers now and over 100 reviews! Thank you, all of you, so much. This has reached a status far beyond what I had ever expected, so thank you everyone! And Talkingbirdguy you totally made my night. This was halfway done when I got your reviews, so I pumped it out for you. And SilverNeira, because I adore you and your reviews. Longest chapter yet!
Koka stared at the paper before her intently. Finally she grimaced and tore it up before wading the pieces up and throwing it away. Today was one of the rare times that the blue eyed girl had time to herself for a while. Itachi and Shisui were away on a short mission, haven been temporarily teamed up with another genin team. Heiwa was helping some clients and Kaede was working on her own studies.
So Koka was using the time to gain some progress on her own studies. So far the results had been less than pleasing. Her visions took up a majority of her normal sight when they occurred. It occurred to her that she must overcome the vulnerability and so she had begun practicing while no one was around. Her recent attempts at writing during them had improved, but the writing still looked like a child's scrawls. It was both embarrassing and frustrating for the eight year old.
No matter how old she had been in her previous life, Koka was limited by her current physical age. She had not had the training that Itachi and Shisui received to get to their current level, nor did she have access to such training. The two Uchiha boys only received their training because they were shinobi, something that was out of the question for Koka. The training she received as a shrine maiden, while far above what an average person would get, lacked that extra bit that made shinobi so successful.
Koka did work on her chakra, thanks to Itachi, but that training was limited, as she and Kaede could only practice when none of the others were around. Both girls struggled with it. Koka's chakra, for some reason, was hard to sense, even for her. The blue eyed girl suspected it had something to do with her previous life, but was forced to keep the idea to herself. Meanwhile, Kaede had little trouble locating it. Her issue was with hiding it. The more the girls worked on their chakra, the more it became noticeable. If others were to notice the rise in the shrine maidens' chakra, it would raise all sorts of questions and suspicions. Koka decided it would be best to avoid that.
Neither of the girls wanted to be shinobi, but they knew they would need the strength a shinobi had. A shrine maiden was taught how to fight, but it was mostly self-defense. Such a thing could only go so far against an enemy. Itachi and Shisui were very much against the idea of the girls holding a weapon, let alone fighting, so, despite how much it bothered Kaede, the two girls had begun to practice sparing in secret.
Koka knew Kaede was too kind hearted to not be bothered by it. Keeping secrets from the boys had always bothered her. But the smaller girl was grateful that Kaede agreed to her plan.
When a vision came onto Koka, she placed her quill down with a frown. People continued to place wrenches in her plans and speed things up. The small girl stood up and walked to her closet, putting on her shoes and over robe. It was warm outside, but not overbearingly so, and Koka figured she may want the extra padding the robe provided her. Plus it added a dramatic flair, something that would add to her impression.
The blue eyed girl left a note where Kaede was sure to see it and left the shrine. It was time to begin setting her plans in motion. She just hoped all the pieces fell correctly.
Unerringly, Koka hurried down the streets of Konoha. She had had the vision of what was about to happen so often lately that Koka knew the route by heart. A positive effect of her gift. No time was wasted, knowing exactly where she was going and what she was looking for.
When she came across the group she was looking for, Koka felt herself hesitate for the briefest moment. If things did not go the way she wanted, this would end very badly. But she could not bring herself to stop, not when there was so much at stake. The blue eyed girl shoved away her fear and pushed forward, to whatever end it may be.
Pulling out her fan, Koka made her move swatting at one of the men with its metal guard. She stood before the battered child they had been attacking defensively.
"I will not allow you to harm this child anymore."
Naruto looked up in awe at the older girl in front of him. She looked fierce, standing straight and proud with her fan. Naruto was also struck by how pretty she was. The girl with her long, black hair and bright blue eyes looked like a princess to the three year old. Her clothing certainly had a noble look to them.
Apparently the men were thinking the same thing because they hesitated in attacking her. But they were drunk and one did not hesitate long. They were drunk though, unsteady on their feet and only civilians. They had not counted on the girl, small and delicate looking, being capable of fighting back.
She did not send them flying with extreme hits like Naruto thought a warrior would. But rather, she tripped the first drunk and shoved him into his companions, knocking them all down. Then she turned, and Naruto yelped as she suddenly picked him up and they were running away. He could hear the curses of the drunk men as they struggled to their feet before clumsily taking chase.
Koka panted as she ran. She knew she would be no match for the men, she was not trained yet for truly fighting. Naruto, as small and malnourished as he was, was still becoming heavy in her arms, Koka's own form being small for her age. The blue eyed girl could only hope that the pieces in her plan came together, and soon.
When she began, Koka had known there would be one of three outcomes. Either she would arrive and the men would leave, which clearly had not happened, resulting in no harm, or, she arrived, managed to buy time to get Naruto out of there, the two of them relatively unharmed, until she got him back to the shrine or help arrived. The third outcome would be that the both of them suffered an even worse beating that would undoubtedly end with a very long hospital visit or death for Koka. The third outcome was looking more and more likely, and it terrified the young girl in a way she had not felt in a long time. But she could not leave Naruto.
"You can't carry me, they'll get you too." Koka looked into Naruto's eyes. So scared and hurt.
"I will not leave you." Koka hardened her resolve. No matter what, she had to protect him.
But in the end, Koka's body was that of a small eight year old. Her legs were small, and though she had been training hard, she was not trained like a shinobi. Within time the drunken men caught up to the children.
Koka let out a shriek of fright and pain when one of them caught her by the hair, yanking her to a painful stop. Naruto let out a whimper of fear, solidifying Koka's urge to fight back as she clutched Naruto close to her body. Through the pain the small girl struggled, kicking at the men.
Koka landed a particularly solid hit to the man holding her and he released her hair only to hit her across the face. Koka fall to the ground, only just barely able to twist her body so she did not land on top of Naruto. The small boy was crying now as he clung to the girl trying to protect him.
"You gotta run away!" He cried, tears streaming down his face. The one time someone tries to help him, they get hurt, and it hurts Naruto deep in his chest. But Koka refused. He cried harder when her hand rubs his head as they lay on the ground, the men advancing.
"It'll be okay. I'm not leaving." Naruto looked up to her face to see a small smile, one so kind that it breaks his heart. But then he is pulled back against her tightly as she shields him with her own body.
Number three it is. Koka thought resignedly. Pain exploded in her back as a foot connected with her small body. Naruto cried harder as he felt the impact on her body. A second kick sent the two children skidding across the hard ground. Koka coughed, something coppery filling her mouth.
Blood. That's my blood. I'm going to die. Fear made its way into her heart, but she was unable to do anything except to protect Naruto with her body. She braced for the next hit, but it never came, forcing her to look.
The blue eyed girl only registered a brush of air before she realized Itachi and Shisui were there. Their sharingan was blazing and the two boys were beyond pissed. Koka thought they really might kill the drunkards.
The men were thrown harshly into the wall where they slumped to the ground, save for one. The man, not realizing what he had unleashed, made a move to hit the two boys, only for Itachi to grab his arm, causing an audible crack and the Uchiha heir broke it. A swift blow to the head from Shisui, cut off his shrieking as he fell into unconsciousness.
"Tie them up and alert the police on what happened." Shisui nodded as Itachi gave out instructions, the older Uchiha creating a clone to fetch the police as he began tying them up. Koka hardly registered the exchange. Everything hurt and her eyes felt heavy.
"Onee-san? Onee-san!" Naruto had scrambled out of Koka's hold and was leaning over her, getting no response from the girl. In a flash Itachi was by her side.
"Koka? Can you hear me?" The blue eyed girl opened her eyes, meeting Itachi's own red ones. She decided she did not like the look on his face. Fear was not something that belonged there. She lifted an aching arm up to cup Itachi's face with her hand. Her fingers left a bloody smudge on his cheek and the vision hit her.
A bloody streak across Itachi's cheek as tears fell from his eyes. The young man clutching a dark haired woman to his chest in the middle of a blood stained forest.
"Not dying yet." Her voice was strained, prompting her to cough. Itachi lifted the small girl up, unheeding of the blood that began to soak his shirt. Koka's hand weakly clutched his shirt.
"Naruto, I have to stay with him." The look in her eyes, despite the pain and exhaustion in them, brought back the memories of their conversation on her birthday. Itachi's eyes flickered to Naruto, the blond sported a fair share of bruises and there were still tears in his eyes, before looking at Shisui. His elder cousin had finished tying up the drunks.
"Shisui can you carry him?"
"Yeah." Itachi looked back at Naruto.
"Is that alright?" The blond nodded and he was scooped up by Shisui. The two shinobi took off towards the shrine.
Naruto was silent as they traveled, and Itachi felt icy fear in his heart as Koka became more and more unresponsive. Due to her visions, they could not take her to a hospital. Itachi could only prey that Heiwa had returned and would be able to help Koka.
Feeling the bleeding girl in his arms and seeing her so still gave him nightmares.