Beta: Pfft, what beta?
"Sometimes, wishes don't always come true. However, that also means that some do come true."
She was three by the time her parent's finally decided that the twin's were old enough to exercise and practice taijutsu. Kaida thought that it would consist of the basic push ups, stretching, and general running. She should have known better.
"Keep your center of gravity low" Haruki barked, throwing blunted kunai at the twins, who were frantically dodging them.
The kunai may not have been able to cut skin, but it still stung like a bitch, as the twins have experienced, with bright red marks on their skin to prove it.
"Tell us again why you're throwing kunai at us... tou-san?" Kaida wheezed, as she scrambled away from yet another volley of those damn projectiles.
"Pain will help you learn" Haruki replied, a certain glint in his eyes. He liked to call it encouragement. The twins called it sadism. Karin started to whine in protest, but was quickly halted by her father.
"Before you learn how to attack, you first have to know how to dodge and defend." He instructed, "The most powerful jutsu mean nothing if you can't dodge a kunai to the throat first." He fixed the children a hard stare, a complete turnabout from his usual goofy self. "The skills you learn will one day save your lives. When two people of equal strength face off, even the slightest edge will determine whether or not you live."
He watched as each of the twin's eyes were slowly filled with resolve, and he mentally smiled at the sight that his precious children were learning. He didn't give any outward signs of his thoughts though, as that would ruin the "stern, yet cool" image that he had been cultivating. No, it wouldn't do at all to reveal his thoughts.
"Does anyone have any objections?" When no one said anything, he nodded once and readied his kunai again.
"Then prepare your stances, Rin-chan, Kai-chan." A chorus of determined replies echoed around the training field behind their house.
"Hai!"
Months passed, with the grueling physical training(from a three year old's perspective) only being broken up by monthly excursions to the wilderness that surrounded their home. These trips generally lasted a week long, with Haruki teaching the twins on how to survive on their own, eventually ending each lesson with fishing for an hour. The fishing part had sounded positively boring to the twins when Haruki first announced it.
The sounds of trickling water gradually filled their ears as they followed their father, dragging their feet after hours of trekking through the forest and memorizing several names of edible plants. When they questioned Haruki about it, he replied that they were ending the day with some fishing.
"Aww, fishing is booring! Let's just go home already." The twins immediately whined upon hearing the news.
"Now now, how can it be boring when you haven't even tried it?" Haruki chided. "Besides, we could always work on your dodging if you insist.."
He chuckled at the resounding denial as he turned away to walk towards a bubbling creek that was in front of them, "Fishing is a vital skill to learn, as we live in the Land of Water, where the oceans surround us." He turned around, with a mischievous smile, "this is where we will learn how to fish."
"Where are the fishing poles?" Kaida asked, frowning around in confusion.
"Ah, this is where it gets a little fun," Haruki's smile widened,"We will not be using fishing poles."
"How are we gonna fish then?"
His smile increasing to impossible lengths, he replied with "By spear, of course."
The rest of the day was spent learning how to use the spear effectively and how to crouch to position their shadow in such a way as to not scare the fish. Eventually, Kaida had grown fond of the session.
The memory ended with Kaida noticing that Haruki had stopped quizzing them on the various uses of cattails. She glanced up quizzically at him, head tilted in a silent question.
"Let's call it a day and skip the fishing trip." The words causing the twin's eyes to widen in shock. Their father, the training fanatic, was actually ending the day early? Both pair of eyes narrowed in suspicion, slowly backing away as they cautiously asked, "Who are you? Where's our real tou-san?"
Haruki frowned and rolled his eyes in exasperation, "oh stop it you two, honestly, I'm not that uptight," muttering under his breath.
Ah, there's the daddy dearest that they knew of.
There was a sigh or relief as they questioned him on the reason on the change of heart, but he refused to answer, instead heading towards their small home. The only words he gave was a vague "You'll see."
When they arrived home, Haruki subtly slowed down, so that he was walking behind the twins.
Opening the front door, they called out "We're home Kaa-san!", frowning confusedly at the darkened room. None of them noticed the wide grin that Haruki sported.
"Surprise!" The announcement resounded in the room, startling the girls when the lights flickered on, revealing their mother. Who happened to be holding a small birthday cake with four candles sitting proudly atop it, all the while singing Happy Birthday along with Haruki, both with wide grins on their faces.
The twins both squeeled in delight, their birthday having never crossed their minds.
"Happy Birthday to Kaida and Kariiin." Haruki's off pitch singing causing the entire family to giggle, while Amaya placed the cake on the table where everyone gathered.
"Happy Birthday to you," they finished softly, before Amaya prompted the gleeful twins to "Make a wish, both of you."
Quickly squeezing their eyes shut they both held their breaths for a few moments, before simultaneously opening them and blowing out the candles.
"I've made your favorite dishes. Okonomiyaki for Karin and gyoza for Kaida." The words causing their faces to brighten, they cheered as they scrambled to the table where the food was set down before them with a flourish by Haruki.
Karin gave a brief look at disgust at the gyoza, before turning her attention to the okonomiyaki on her plate, happily crying out "itadakimasu!" and proceded to scarf down her helping. Kaida did the same with her gyoza, both ravenous from the rigorous training.
Kaida had never tried much japanese cuisine in her past life, so she had been a bit hesitant in trying gyoza for the first time. However, a couple bites later, she was now a die hard fan of it's savory filling and thin, crispy skin. Her eyes were closed in bliss as she munched on the little dumplings. The twins were brought out of their happiness when their mother spoke.
"Your tou-san and I got you two little presents too." The words causing their eyes to widen in surprise. They weren't the wealthiest family, as their rather sparsely furnished home suggested, so they hadn't been expecting much. They gaped at Amaya as she first brought out two necklaces with a pendent hanging from it, gleaming silver in the light. As it revolved around, Kaida could see the Uzumaki clan emblem engraved in it, etched with pride.
"This," Amaya said softly, "is our Uzumaki clan symbol." She gently placed the necklace around each of their heads, reminding Kaida of a crowning ceremony. "Wear it with pride, as all Uzumaki are family. No matter what, you will never be alone, because your family will always have your back." The words causing them to look at their necklace with a mixture of pride and reverence, lips parted in awe.
"My turn, my turn to sound cool!" Haruki blurted, grinning as he unintentionally broke the moment. Amaya rolled her eyes at her husband's childishness, quietly muttering, "Looks like I'm the only adult in this household."
The girls giggled as they eagerly awaited their next present. Watching with rapt interest, Karin gasped excitedly as Haruki brought out several small vials of perfume. She had developed a hobby of collecting them ever since she found out that her name meant "sweet fragrence." Squeeling in delight, she thanked her father before rubbing them to her cheek.
"Your turn, Kaida-chan"
She breathed in a sharp intake of air as her eyes were glued to the object that Haruki placed in front of her. Haruki's next words barely regestaring as she continued to examine every inch of her present.
"I thought, that, given your aptitude with the spear, you might as well have your own."
And oh, it was beautiful. The design was simple, a short cylindrical shape that, with a twist, extended with a long spear that gleamed with a dull finish. The handle was made from a lightweight dark grey metal, while the spearhead itself was finely sharpened to a point. All in all, it was the best birthday present that she could ever want. A spear was perfect for her small form, as it had a long reach, and, when wielded correctly, was a deadly weapon.
"The spear is not only a useful tool for fishing, but it can also be a powerful weapon." Haruki's words echoed once again throughout the training field.
"Don't hold it by the end like some common sword, hold it with your hands spaced widely apart at the center. Feel the gracefulness of it, for it is not just a weapon, but merely an extension of your will."
Karin struggled with it, the spear tumbling out of her hands every so often. She growled in frustration as she experimentally swung, the awkward move nearly causing her to fall.
Kaida, on the other hand, had better success with it. Her hands instinctively moved toward the correct position, as the world fell away in her vision. There was nothing but herself and the spear. Both her breathing and heartbeat slowed as she fell into a trance, with everything becoming more focused. She slowly swung the weapon, the move a little foreign due to it's unfamiliarness, but it was slowly improving. She was surprised to find out that she was better at Karin at this one subject. Karin usually bested her at chakra control, sensing range, and overall taijutsu. This, of course, sparked her usually hidden competitive streak, causing Kaida to strive to become the best.
The world snapped back into focus when Haruki cleared his throat, a slight glimmer of an unknown emotion flickering in his eyes as he assessed them.
"Well, looks like Kaida has some talent with the spear, just as I figured."
"I love you guys so much!" Kaida cried out as she leapt out at her parents, (it was still a bit strange that she had already accepted them as such) tackling their pleased forms, everyone laughing at the reaction.
"I promise to use this to best protect my family." She solemnly swore, staring into their eyes as she clutched the weapon to her chest. They were a bit taken aback by the declaration, but pride quickly filled their eyes as they ruffled her hair.
"Now, isn't it the parent's role to protect you guys?" Haruki teased.
"Nuh uh! We're gonna protect you guys too. Family protect each other, right?" Karin declared.
"Ah, so you do pay attention to our speeches," Amaya taunted, eyes dancing with mirth.
Karin just stuck her tongue out, which caused the household erupted into laughter again,before Haruki asked the twins what they wished for.
"Not telling, it might jinx it." Karin replied to their mock pouting faces.
"Fine, fine,now off to bed, the both of you. You've had a long day." Amaya shooed them to their bedrooms, having observed Karin's barely concealed yawn. She ignored the ensuing whining protests of "we're not tired," and "aww, already?".
Once they were tucked in bed and Amaya had left the room, Karin shifted around to Kaida, whispering "Happy birthday!"
Kaida smiled, repeating the words to her sister before closing her eyes, already drifting off to sleep. Her wish quietly echoing in her mind, slowly lulling her to sleep.
"I wish that everyday was like this, with everyone safe and happy."
"Whoo, that was eventful." Haruki sighed as he cleaned up the table, wincing as he picked up something that was unidentifiable. He shivered a little before tossing it away.
"Yes, the kids were excited about the surprise," Amaya commented, softly humming as she washed the dishes.
"My purse feels lighter after their presents, that's for sure." He joked.
"We did agree to making as many good memories as possible with them" So they can outweigh the bad ones that's sure to follow, the unsaid words were heard.
"If Kiri would stop the purges."
"One can only hope."
Author's Note
Whew, two finals down, six to go. So yeah, Kaida is gonna have a spear as her weapon, apart from the usual kunai/shuriken/ninja wire stuff. This is because she needs a weapon that can extend her short range, and a katana/ sword is just much too heavy. Plus, I didn't want her to be like the other OCs who always use a sword. Seriously, that's not the only weapon available. Plus, Balsa from Seirei no Moribito, anyone?
Someone asked if Kaida and Karin are going to to move to Grass in the future. The answer to that is shown in little hints throughout the previous chapters. If you squint and tilt your head, then you can piece them together. Or that's just me.
Great thanks to all those who reviewed last chapter, Llyrica, kani-leek-lover, Sparksofrandomness, native-x, Poodles in Purses, and Maya I. Hendricks. I've said this many times, but I really, really appreciate those reviews.
To check the writing progress on the next chapter, check my profile.
Reviews will be welcomed with open arms, as it will help me improve my writing.