Still Waters Are Deep 4
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the respective legal owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Summary: Follow the life of Senju Rurimi, daughter of the late Second Hokage. Read as the shy, reserved girl transforms into a quiet, self-assured leader on the battlefields of the Second Shinobi World War. However, behind the pretty facade, the Senju princess hides an incredible secret. Reincarnation!MOD
Warnings: major character death, language, mentions of character death, canon-typical violence, fem!Harry, gore, dark themes, major plot holes
~ Chapter Four ~
(6 years later)
Rurimi grinned at her best friend as the two teens relaxed in the hot springs. Both had just returned from incredibly tiresome missions, so chose to reward themselves for not collapsing. Besides, it was always nice to meet up again, after having been out of the village for some time.
"So, how does it feel to be a new Jōnin?" Miné-chan teased gently.
Rurimi sighed. "Stressful, to be honest. I've had to step up my training again, sparring with Tsunade-nee until she deems me ready for the field. It's quite humiliating..."
Her purple-haired friend laughed heartily. "I'd love to see you two go at it. I bet so would most of the male population, at that," the other kunoichi's voice trailed off suggestively.
As expected, Rurimi's face burned a deep crimson. "Miné!" she hissed. "You can't say that in public!"
The purplette just laughed her off. "Honestly, loosen up, Rimi-chan. You're such a prude!"
However, the younger kunoichi glared at her best friend. "I'm not a prude!"
Miné-chan sighed. "So what are you afraid of? Even Tsunade-hime is dating."
For a long moment, the white-haired teen remained silent. "I don't know," she admitted while chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Boys are stupid and behave like horny dogs most of the time. I don't need that."
Miné-chan shook her head sadly. "Oh, dear. You realize they behave that way around you cause they think you're gorgeous, don't you?"
Rurimi frowned. "They do? Why hasn't anyone ever asked me out then?"
This time, several women in hearing range laughed.
"Senju-sama, I believe that may be because of your teammates," one of the kunoichi in their age-bracket contributed cheerfully.
Confused, the white-haired teen repeated: "What do you mean - my teammates?"
Again, laughter filled their side of the hot springs.
"Rimi-chan, they are quite intimidating, especially after Jiro-kun's latest growth spurt. Your suitors piss themselves whenever they attempt to face them," Miné-chan informed her happily.
The frown only deepened. "Why the hell would they do that? I can defend myself perfectly fine...!"
Nervously, the purplette attempted to salvage the situation. "Girl, they don't want you to bother with such useless morons. I mean, you spent most of your time around your little bro and those orphans, why pull you away from them if they can solve the problem before it annoys you?"
Rurimi sighed, still a little annoyed. "Good answer," she complimented anyway.
Everyone in their near vicinity breathed a sigh of relief.
After dressing again, casually this time, the two kunoichi walked to the dango-stand Miné-chan favored. After ordering enough to feed an army, the two young women settled on a free park bench.
Passing the time in a companionable silence, the two females shared their stash of sweets. Meanwhile, they also watched various children playing happily on the grass and nearby playground.
It really was a beautiful, peaceful day.
Rurimi mused about the new information she had been given. For a long time now, the young woman had thought the male population didn't appreciate her as much as the other female members of the Shinobi Corps.
While she had witnessed several propositions of kunoichi her age, the emerald-eyed Senju had never been approached herself. (Not that she would have accepted most of those admirers anyway. She was just questioning her pride as a nearly fully-grown woman.)
"Do you ever think about having a family?" Rurimi blurted out quietly, quite some time later.
Miné-chan glanced back at her, startled, but then actually seriously considered the question. "Not really, no. At least not yet. But you know as well as I what will most likely await us soon enough, so I'm not sure if I'll ever get the chance," the purplette admitted honestly.
Rurimi nodded thoughtfully. "I've always wanted a family of my own. Don't misunderstand me, Kin-oba-chan and Uncle Akamaru have always treated me like their blood-children. But ultimately I want to have the kind of bond my parents had..."
Miné-chan smiled softly at her friend. "You'd deserve it too," she declared quietly.
Their mellow conversation was abruptly interrupted by some wild shinobi who grabbed Rurimi in a desperate attempt to press for his freedom.
A masked, white-haired male, followed by his team of ANBU, appeared at the edge of their vision.
"Stop! Don't come a step closer or I'll cut her throat!" The rogue threatened desperately.
A moment later, he found himself on his back.
Rurimi had knocked him out cold. She just sighed at his unconscious form, trying to repress the urge to shake her head.
"Are you alright?" the white-haired ANBU inquired politely.
In response, the teen nodded, glancing up from her would-be attacker. "Yes, thank you for your concern. He should stay down for a couple of hours."
The other ANBU secured their captive, silently disappearing with him in tow from the park.
"Thank you...?"
She gave him a short bow. "Senju Rurimi. This is my friend Yamamoto Miné. In case you have follow-up questions."
He nodded gratefully before vanishing from their sight as well.
"Only you," muttered Miné-chan, regretfully staring at the dango-skewer that had been lost to the dirt during the short scuffle between the rogue nin and her best friend.
Rurimi sometimes seriously believed her purple-haired childhood friend loved those sweets more than anyone or anything else. She would definitely not be overly surprised if Miné-chan somehow managed to name any potential future children after dango-flavors. It would be fitting.
Especially if they also inherited her obsession with the sticky sweet.
As soon as she crossed the threshold, Rurimi found herself encased in a pair of arms. Mito-obaa-sama embraced her tightly.
"Are you hurt, dear child?" she asked worriedly, eyes tracing her body for any signs of an injury.
Feeling the same warmth her heart conjured whenever her extended family showed their unconditional love towards her, Rurimi smiled softly, but shook her head. "No, not even a scratch. We only had one casualty - a stick of mitarashi-dango that Miné mourned more than my potential demise," the young woman joked in an attempt to reassure her adopted grandmother.
At this, the wise ex-kunoichi rolled her eyes - in a dignified manner, of course - and patted Rurimi's cheek affectionally. "Of course."
The two females gathered in the library, exchanging smalltalk about the recent happenings. They had not gotten the chance to enjoy some grandma-granddaughter bonding time for a while now.
Soon enough the two heard the slamming of the door, followed by a boyish shout for his younger sister.
Rurimi sighed as he tried to squeeze the life out of her. "There was nothing at all that could have gotten wrong," she assured her little brother.
Nevertheless, half the clan came by to check on Tobirama-sama's Legacy for themselves.
Despite the annoyance Rurimi felt welling up inside of her at the constant interruptions to her daily routine, she still relished in the warmth of being home, in the arms of her family.
The Other whole-heartedly agreed.
A few days later, life went on as normal. Rurimi trained with her old teammates, as they usually did about once a month - if their schedules allowed it.
After taking a refreshing bath and changing into her casual clothes, she contently ambled down the dirt road to the Nara compound, simply enjoying the rare peace and quiet. The Senju managed to ponder her thoughts nearly exclusively, while also walking down the path to the Nara compound.
Only her exceptional situational awareness saved her from walking straight into another person.
"Oh, my apologies. I was lost in thought," she stammered, feeling quite embarrassed by her lapse in concentration.
A deep, distinctly male, chuckle tore her out of her thoughts. "It's alright, Senju-sama. I was trying to walk my pack of dogs."
She blushed a shade darker, but accepted his words. Then, she noticed all of the curious dogs milling around the stranger. All of them were light in color, from white to silver.
"Where are you headed? We may as well accompany you if you wish to think," he offered a little awkwardly.
Honestly, Rurimi thought his awkward attempts to make up for nearly running her over quite adorable. And flattering.
"That is not necessary. I'm sure you have better things to do than saving me from assaulting some other poor passerby," she replied quietly, unwilling to impose.
He chuckled again. "Oh, then I must insist, as I have sworn to protect the citizen of this village from all possible dangers."
Sighing, the white-haired Senju gave in. He was perhaps as stubborn as herself. "I was on my way to visit my former sensei at the Nara compound."
He nodded, offering her an arm. Blushing, the young woman accepted (it would have been very impolite and improper to refuse), allowing him to lead her.
"My name is Hatake Sakumo," the handsome stranger informed the kunoichi belatedly.
Rurimi dipped her head in acknowledgement. She had heard awed whispers of this man before. According to the rumors, he was well on his way to becoming a legend, alongside her sister's team.
They allowed the peaceful chirping of the birds, softly whooshing winds, and distant sounds of village life to permeate the air, rather than continue their previous, awkward conversation.
Rurimi loved the warm sunshine on her pale skin, itching to close her eyes and simply relish in the feeling. On the other hand, she also was hyper-aware of the muscular arm her fingers rested on. Never before had a male been this close to her, unless it was a relative or one of her genin teammates. (Although they nearly fell under the same category these days anyway.)
The kunoichi smiled involuntarily as one of the more excitable puppies, a sand-colored pug, playfully ran around her feet, nipping at the seam of her red yukata.
"That'd be Pakka," Hatake-san muttered, sending his puppy a stern look.
Rurimi knelt down, patiently allowing the young nin-ken to sniff her fingers to her satisfaction. Afterward, the pug nudged her hands with her head, wanting to be petted. The kunoichi glanced up at her companion, wondering if he would allow it.
(Considering that the two pairs of large, pleading eyes begged him for permission, Sakumo couldn't help but melt right where he stood and agree recklessly to some pampering for Pakka.)
So, began a beautiful partnership between one pug and a certain kunoichi.
Fifteen minutes later, the eclectic group arrived at the Nara compound's entrance. A guard looked questioningly from the male to Rurimi, but when she simply shrugged, nothing was said.
Hatake-san bowed to her in farewell, then he and his dogs moved onwards.
Rurimi smirked as Pakka scrambled to keep up, whimpering pathetically at her master in order for him to carry her. She succeeded astoundingly fast.
The gate guard chuckled in amusement. "Never boring around you, ne?"
In response, Rurimi sighed, withholding a comment, and walked to her former sensei's home.
Almost there, she honed in on a certain napping, lazy boy. He would begin his education soon enough at the Academy.
She seated herself next to the child, ruffling his hair gently to wake him from pleasant dreams. As soon as he recognized her, Shikaku-kun lethargically yawned a "troublesome," but hugged his sister-/aunt-figure.
"You smell like dog," the six-year-old complained, nose wrinkled in protest.
Rurimi just laughed in reply. "I almost ran into someone walking their dogs today. He decided it was his duty to make sure I wouldn't harass any other citizens," she explained, still quite amused by that line.
Another male voice joined their laughter. "Of course he did. Who was it, Rurimi-chan?"
Sighing, the kunoichi blushed in embarrassment. "Hatake Sakumo-san. He was very awkward, but polite," Rurimi mumbled blushingly, hoping her sensei wouldn't embarrass her, either now, or later, in front of the new acquaintance.
Shikata-sama sighed resignedly. "Troublesome girl. What have you gotten yourself into now?"
Mock-insulted, the emerald-eyed Senju pouted. "I can't come over, just to spend time with my adorable little Shikaku-kun?"
Both males laughed.
"Now, Rurimi-chan," the Nara clan head ordered, unimpressed.
Uncertainly, the white-haired kunoichi bit her bottom lip. Then, she admitted softly: "I found out that Jiro-kun and Hayato-kun have been scaring away all of my 'admirers'."
Shikata-sensei sighed again, adding another "troublesome" under his breath for good measure, before replying: "They see you as their little sister and wish to preserve your innocence, Rurimi-chan. As long as possible. Besides, they still admire you - from a healthy distance. From what I hear, you've managed to gather quite the fan club..."
Shikaku-kun scrunched his nose in disgust. "No! Nee-chan!"
Rurimi giggled helplessly about the boy's horrified reaction, hugging him back tightly. "Alright. But if I choose someone to go out with, I expect them to leave off of him."
Shikata-sensei nodded. "Alright. I'll pass the message along. Now, come inside. Hanako has missed you almost as much as Shika-kun."
The trio grinned happily at each other, while Rurimi inwardly braced herself for the motherly scolding and bear hug of her sensei's wife.