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. . .

At my comment, Rin chuckled.

"Yes, Yūmaru-san," he remarked softly, steepling his fingers together and cupping them against his chin. "I do think we have an idea of what we're training."

I resisted the childish urge to snort, so instead, I rewarded him with a sickly sweet smile, murmuring, "You don't need to repeat what I already said."

"Yūmaru!" Dad berated sharply at my display of blatent disrespect.

Rin however, merely smiled pleasantly, but his smile was like a razor blade: deadly and dangerous. He brushed my comment off with a wave of one of his sickly pale hands.

Honestly, I thought rather sourly. One would think that his skin would look a little tanned since we're living in a desert and all. But no, his skin is paper-white, like Orochimaru!

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, my lips twisted into a scowl, and as soon as I did that, everyone besides Hiroshi stared at me. But I couldn't discern their facial expressions.

Why?

Because Rin and Dad's faces were frozen in that damn stoic mask of theirs.

"Did you know," Rin said suddenly, "That you speak rather well for a child your age, Yūmaru-san?"

"So does Hiroshi," I retorted without missing a beat.

Rin stiffened at my admission, and I had to stifle a smirk.

Rin=0, Yūmaru=1

"Hiroshi is older than you," the man murmured.

I scowled, crossing my arms.

Rin=1, Yūmaru=1

"But I'm older than you think, as well," I demurred. "I'll be four tomorrow," I said with a proud grin.

Rin's eyes widened ever so slightly, and at that, my grin dissolved into nothing, and I spat, "What, did you think I was three?!"

"You still are," Dad muttered, as if trying to remind me that he was still there.

"Two, actually," Rin admitted. "You're tiny for your age. If I had been someone else, than I would have assumed that you were younger."

My non-existent grin twisted into a scowl, and I glared at them with fire in my eyes.

Black fire.

Dad's mouth twitched, my scowl deepened, and finally, finally, his stoic mask cracked and a sincere smile crossed his lips.

"Alright, Musume, I think it's time to leave," he murmured. Then his eyes flickered up to meet Rin's bright blue ones.

"We'll see you tomorrow afternoon, then," Dad said.

"Of course," Rin replied. Then, in a slightly more serious tone of voice, he murmured, "Know that if anything happens to you, that your family are most welcome to stay here."

Dad's eyes hardened, and he muttered, "Let's hope that it never comes to that."

I suddenly clapped my hands, a fake grin forcing itself onto my face, "What's going on, Tou-san?"

When Dad answered, I didn't miss the way that his eyes flickered towards Rin as if they were exchanging some silent message or other. "It's nothing, Yūmaru, let's go."

I shrugged, resolved to ask about it later, and I stood, turning to face Hiroshi.

The little boy sat hunched on his cushion, one hand pressed onto the cool wood of the table, and the other pressed against his stomach, bone-white fingers splayed across the fabric of his shirt.

"Uh, Hiroshi-san...?"

As the last syllable of his name left my lips, his blind gaze shot up so fast that I swore that he actually could see.

"Otou-sama and I will see you tomorrow morning for training," the blind boy murmured, a gentle smile alighting his lips.

A small, shy smile lit up my own lips, but inwardly I was cursing myself for being so shy. Oh well, I guess old habits can never be broken.

Our 'staring' contest was broken when Dad suddenly clasped a hand on my shoulder, and I flinched at the abrupt contact.

"We'll see you tomorrow morning then," Dad said, smiling ever so slightly.

I nodded politely, keeping a tight smile on my face as Rin's blue gaze connected with my pitch black one.

"See you tomorrow," I said feebly.

Rin smirked, "Of course."

That night, I dreamt of Orochimaru.

. . .

I woke up screaming.

The images of freshly killed corpses and the lingering smell of blood wouldn't leave my mind.

So I screamed.

And screamed.

And screamed.

Dimly, I could recognise the sound of my door opening, but I paid no heed and continued to scream, regardless of who I disturbed. I felt the matteress dip as someone took a seat beside me and not a moment later, my shaking form was being gathered into a person's arms.

I sobbed and cried into their chest, not caring who it was, because the blood and suffering and death was still fresh in my mind. Eventually though, my sobs faded to nothing, and when my shaking finally subsided, I tiredly lifted my head from the person's shoulder to see who it was.

My tired eyes met wide green ones, and I knew for a fact that it was Takashi.

I also noticed that he was dressed in all of his Shinobi gear. His hair was tied back and his bangs framed his face, the Sunagakure headband around his forehead emitting a dull glow in the gloom of my room.

"Onii-chan...?" I mumbled tiredly.

My big brother raised an eyebrow, whispering, "What happened just then, Yū-chan?"

I didn't reply, and I felt him frown against my hair.

Even so, he still persisted.

"You were screaming, something happened."

I hesitated, wondering if he would laugh, but as soon as that thought crossed my mind, I instantly dismissed it. Takashi was my big brother, he would never laugh at me.

But I still hesitated.

I must have stayed like that for at least twenty minutes, but though he was garbed in full Shinobi wear, Takashi didn't seem to care.

But I knew that he had something important to get to, so this time around, I graced him with an answer.

"It was jus' a nightmare, Onii-chan," I murmured, burying my face into the crook of his neck.

"About?" He prodded.

I sighed heavily, before quickly whispering, "Orochimaru."

My brother's entire body stiffened, and I knew I had said the wrong thing. Takashi slowly pulled me away from his chest, and I had to admit, that one rejection hurt more than anything that I had felt in this new world.

My eyes began to sting, but I blinked them angrily, determined not to give in to whatever 'this' was.

Takashi then stood up, his bangs shadowing his face, and his entire body loomed over my tiny form. Sadly, my brother had received the tall gene while I received the short one.

"Where did you hear that name?" My big brother murmured, tone devoid of emotion.

The emotionless tone is what scared me: Takashi sounded like a robot with the way that he was masking his emotions, and I didn't like it one bit.

But there was another thing that bugged me: would I sound like that when I became a Shinobi?

I didn't really know, and with the way my brother was looming over me, I decided to push it to the back of my mind.

Right now, I needed to find a way to answer his question without seeming suspicious.

"I, uh, heard Tou-san talk about him," I lied, and it was so blatant, that even a supposed idiot like Takashi could pick it up. But that was the problem: Takashi wasn't an idiot, he was about the smartest person I knew.

And that was exceedingly brilliant.

"That's a lie," he stated in a cold, montonous voice.

I blinked, shocked at the sudden change of the tone of his voice.

This wasn't Takashi...

Since when was he so cold?

Maybe it was the fact that I was a three- four year old with the name of an S-ranked missing-nin on my tongue. Then something occurred to me- Orochimaru hasn't left Konohagakure yet, but I know that Tsunade probably has after the death of her lover and her brother.

And Jiraiya?

Well, I think that Jiraiya could possibly be training the Ame Orphans, though I don't really know. I never really was up to date with the manga, and now I'm starting to regret it.

The only reason that I stopped reading it was because Sasuke Uchiha pissed me off so much.

He's the only reason apart from Madara and Orochimaru.

"Well?" Takashi demanded, his cold tone notching down to downright icy if that was even possible. "Will you tell me? Because frankly, I have a mission I need to go on."

"Then go!" I snarled, too tired to even put up a proper verbal fight.

For a second, I could have sworn that Takashi's eyes softened, but the next time I blinked, that soft look was gone. The teenager sighed, settling a hand on my head and leaning down to my level. He brushed a kiss across my forehead and stood up to leave.

"Forgive me."

And like a whisper on the wind, he was gone.

Forgive me.

His plead played itself over in my head, and now that I think about it, I didn't think that I particularly wanted to forgive him.

Brother or not, I didn't deserve those cold, spat out words.

I sighed, rolling over and burying my face into the fabric of my pillow.

I needed more sleep, and with a tiny smile, my eyes slipped shut...

And what seemed like only seconds later, the covers were pulled from my body. I groaned at the sudden loss of warmth, but I made no move to get up and see who the perpetrator was.

Not a moment later, I was plucked from the bed and set upright. I staggered, losing my balance, and I fell against something warm. I looked up to see my father's strangely cheerful face.

"Time to get up, Yūmaru," he informed me cheerfully. "Today you begin your training."

I groaned at the reminder, and looked back at my rumpled bed. I just wanted to sleep...

"What time is it?" I inquired rather dully.

"A little after seven," my father answered. "Your brother left on a mission about half an hour ago, and I have my own very soon. I trust that you can get dressed and find your way to Rin's house on your own?"

I nodded somewhat blankely- my mind was still asleep, and I would have to take a very hot shower to wake myself up.

Before he could leave though, I whispered, "Be safe, Tou-san."

Dad looked over his shoulder at me, that faint smile of his in place. "Of course, Yūmaru."

When Dad left the room, I sighed, looking down at my body. I was dressed in a simple white shirt and long black pants that just brushed the tips of my toes.

Yeah, I know, my sleep-wear isn't very exciting.

But the question is what I should wear.

I wanted something that wasn't restrictive, and most preferably: something comfortable.

Hmm, now that I think about it, Takashi should have something of his from when he was younger that should fit me.

So after a nice, long shower, I tiptoed past Mum and Dad's room and opened the door to Takashi's room. When I entered, I immediately blanched.

Takashi's room was as if a war zone hit it!

As I made my way into the incredibly messy room, I grimaced as the ball of my toes pressed into something unpleasant. When I looked down, I saw that it was a smelly old shirt.

Probably Takashi's too.

When I finally, finally made it to his closet, I opened it.

That was my first mistake, and soon enough, I was covered head to toe with hundreds, if possible, thousands of crinkled clothes.

I opened my mouth, took a deep breath and dove head first into the mess.

I buried my hands, and began to throw the clothes around Takashi's room, making look worse than it already was. Eventually though, I managed to uncover something substantial.

A few minutes later I was dressed. My outfit wasn't anything fancy either: just a simple sleeveless black shirt with a mesh undershirt that extended to my elbows. My pants were black and fell to my knees, my open toed sandels that I kept were the only thing that belonged to me.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and just as I was about to leave, I heard a surprised voice say: "Yūmaru? What are you doing out of bed at this hour? I thought that you would have wanted to sleep in considering that it's your birthday."

I turned to face the beautiful figure of my mother, the swell of her belly kept hidden by her dressing gown.

I shot her a faint grin, and she looked morbidly surprised by it. I supposed that she would be surprised, we never really were close. I mean, she is my mother, but she's never around.

I don't know why, either.

Mum never really pays Dad that much attention, and I can see the signs: the signs of a crumbling marriage. Unfortunately, in the Shinobi world, divorce is never really practised.

Did my mother have a secret lover? And was she pregnant with their child?

The possibilities were endless, and I felt like such a fool for not noticing it sooner.

The smile on my face felt forced as I realised exactly what was happening in my own home. After all, my mother had been more distant lately, but I just counted that as stress with the new baby.

I sighed, and just as I was about to leave, Mum beat me to it, swiftly ordering me to have breakfast with her.

"Alright, alright," I muttered, holding my hands up as a show of surrender.

By the time I left, my good mood had thoroughly evaporated, leaving me an angry, moody four year old that basked in temper tantrums all day.

It didn't help matters that it was already a little over nine, and the sun was blazing overhead, making me sweat despite the lack of layers that I was wearing.

And it took me a few tries to remember the way to Rin's house, and it was already nine thirty when I arrived.

I knocked on the door rather sullenly, and was quite surprised when it was Rin who opened the door, considering that it had been his son who had before.

His thin, anorexic like appearance hadn't changed from yesterday, but his appearance sure had.

Instead of those flowy robe things from yesterday, Rin was dressed in the standard Jōnin uniform, and his forehead was secured with a Sunagakure head band.

Rin didn't even seem the least bit surprised to see me, and he let me in without complaint. A small smile lit up my otherwise sullen features when I caught Hiroshi kneeling on a cushion in the other room that I had been in yesterday, his bone-white fingers tapping meticulously on the wooden surface of the table.

"Hiroshi-san," I greeted awkwardly.

His gaze snapped to my direction, his sightless eyes staring at my form blankly.

Not that I could see his eyes under all that hair.

"Yūmaru-san," he replied softly, a gentle smile curving his lips.

I felt the air turn ten times awkwarder, and I cleared my throat, looking back at Rin for help.

The man looked amused at my measly attempts at diverting his son's attention. But he said nothing to my pleading expression.

Instead, he murmured, "I have a mission, so I won't be able to oversee your training."

Before I could blow up and scream about how much of a waste of time this was, he held up a pale hand.

"However, Sunako will be the one to train you today."

Sunako? I raised an eyebrow, my eyes practically screaming for an answer.

"Sunako-nii-san will help us?" Hiroshi mumbled.

"Sunako is my nephew," Rin added. "The teenager you met yesterday."

A whispy sort of giggle left my mouth. Sunako was such a girly sounding name for the future Kazekage.

"Yes," Rin murmured.

And not a moment later, the man diasappeared in a puff of smoke.

I gazed at the empty space in awe. "I have got to learn that," I whispered.

"You won't be learning anything until I'm certain that you what you'll be getting into," a new voice interjected.

I looked over Hiroshi's shoulder, my eyes widening.

It was the same teenager from yesterday!

Then that must mean that this teen is the 'famous' Sunako.

"I do know what I'm getting myself into," I retorted smartly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"What's your dream, then?" Sunako challenged.

"To be a smart and cabable Shinobi," I answered calmly.

"A Kunoichi, you mean," he corrected.

I frowned, "I want to be a Shinobi, not a Kunoichi. Shinobi are stronger, and I want to be regarded as one."

"If you say so," Sunako retorted, crossing his own arms. "Anyway, we won't be training together today. I have something that I need to do, so you two can get started with a lap around the village."

"Great, more laps," I said sourly. "And on my birthday, as well."

"It's your birthday, Yūmaru-san?" Hiroshi said faintly.

I nodded, murmuring, "Could you just call me Yūmaru or Yū, please?"

"Of course. You can call me Hiroshi, as well."

I smiled faintly. "I think I'd like that, Hiroshi-kun."

Sunako cleared his throat, gaining our attention. "You can both do your laps now, and I will know if you don't."

With that said, the Iron-sand User disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I really have to learn that jutsu," I muttered in dismay.

I then turned when I felt a tug on my hand. Hiroshi had already gotten up and was tugging me toward the door. I nearly stumbled in my haste to reach him.

I hated the fact that I was so clumsy.

A few minutes later saw Hiroshi and I on the dusty streets of Sunagakure. It was then that I finally noticed what he was wearing: he was wearing a black jacket with dark red trim, black shorts, and open toed sandels.

But the things around his face were the ones I noticed the most.

Tied around his head, obscuring his sightless eyes were bandages.

Hiroshi seemed to notice my silent question (how he knew, I didn't know), and he murmured in an almost shy voice, "I-I don't want anyone knowing that I'm blind. I find it an unseen advantage."

I blinked, offering him an equally shy smile, then remembering that he couldn't see it.

"I think we should start running now," I murmured. "Sunako said that he would know if we didn't."

Hiroshi didn't give any response, merely starting to run instead.

It took us over three hours just to do one lap of the entire village. And by the time we were finished, I was panting for breath and sweating buckets.

Hiroshi looked the same, and there was a healthy pink flush to his skin that made him look less like a ghost.

"A-Ah, Yū-chan," he gasped. "I think I may have overdone it."

"Yeah," I agreed, as out of breath as he was.

"D-Do you think that Sunako-nii-san will make us run another one of those?" The boy asked.

"I-I certainly hope not!" I huffed.

As we walked, well, more like stumbled along the streets, a nearby person made a strange sound at the sight of us.

I chuckled weakly, feeling my sight flicker.

My body felt so heavy...

Hiroshi pitched forward first, his body making a soft thump when it connected with the ground.

I blinked, finding myself on my knees.

Why is it so hot?

The last thing I saw was a flash of red, then guarded eyes gazing down at me with something abject to curiousity.

I was out like a light, and I knew nothing.