The Mist was cold and heavy, weighing down on her constantly. Not an ideal place to be, but it was home, for now.

She'd heard of places in the world that didn't operate on the same principles as Kiri. Greener places. Lighter places. Most places were said to be like that, actually. Even the harder of the great villages, while tough in their methods, could never match Kirigakure in its sheer brutality. There was no place for weakness in the cover of the mist, and there were few options to pick from. You could hide, and hope you hid well, or you could fight. Armed with a stolen tanto and facing down another child, stale food scraps gripped tightly in his hands as he slowly edged away from her, Ameyuri Ringo made her choice.

There was no talk; it was clear what each urchin wanted. The eerie silence of the alleyway was only broken by the soft and methodical taps of bare feet crossing wet earth in the dark. Her opponent's gaze never left her. He was being careful, wary of her. Her weapon was held stiff in her hand, the blade facing away from her as she tried to think.

'If he just gave them over, this would be so much easier.'

Threats were only good if you were willing to follow through. Maybe that option was no more appealing to him than a fight; the boy's ribs were clear against his skin, and his eyes, scared or angry or whatever that look was, were sunken with malnourishment. But she had to eat as well, and she was the one with the weapon, looted from the body of a dying genin, bloody and stuck along the edge of a dank and muddy river. A few voices echoed in from somewhere up the street, but neither expected them to interrupt this. Nobody cared enough to break up a fight between children; not when they were far enough out of the way. She had threatened him for his food. He didn't give it over. She had to follow through.

She stood with that in mind; that she was the one in control, the one with the weapon. That the boy was starving, and though Ringo was hungry, she would live. That he was on the wrong end of the alley. That he was trapped. And that he was trapped with her.

The silence was cracked by splashes as she ran, breaking the still puddles that littered the dirt to reach her target. Her tanto raised above her and slashed down, cutting the boy across the arm as he turned his body to protect the food. A scream of pain erupted from the child as blood spilled from the gash. He ducked, and tried to run past her, but she managed to knock him back against the alley wall with her shoulder. The lines were clear. Attack and run. Predator and prey.

She had nothing to fear. This boy was no threat to her. This was her win to take, and she would take it without hesitation.

The boy's breath caught as his back struck the stone wall, and panic replaced the determined wariness he'd held till now. Ringo brought the blade of her tanto back around as he pushed off the wall in a desperate attempt to get around her, and fall back into the thick cover of the ever encroaching mists. He stumbled over her, and though she caught him in the leg, his sudden move got him to the right side of the alley. He limped a bit now, shambling along, but the threat of death was a strong motivator. He was fleeing for his life, and he had his chance to get away.

A sudden anger swept through her as she gave chase down the alley. Anger that she might let him get away and anger that he wasn't dead yet.

"No!"

Ringo wouldn't let him get away. Not with her food. In Kiri it was win or lose, and she wouldn't let herself lose this. Her steps were fueled by the same consuming rush the boy himself had. She would not die. Not in this village. Not this early. Not from hunger. Not yet.

She leapt and caught across his back, using the force of her jump to drag the boy downward, the two falling against the damp earth they fought on with her on top. Growls and short shouts of rage and fear filled the air as she hooked a hand into his shirt to keep him in place as he kicked at her, raised her sword, and brought it down hard into his stomach, sinking as deep as it could go.

His scream echoed out of the alley. Ringo slid the tanto from his gut, bringing it down again into him with a wet squish. And again. His screams started to quiet, and even quicker his crying turned to a mess of choking as blood seeped up his throat and was coughed out at her, until it stopped altogether.

Ringo sat atop him panting for air, hand gripping the handle of her blade until her knuckles turned white. The back of her hand was wet with blood, and she could only look down at the child's still face, blood flowing from his stomach and chest and slowly escaping his mouth.

Her food, now. She coughed, wiping against her face with her sleeve, leaning over to grab her prize.

Some sort of jerky and a rotten orange.

With a dull burn in her chest, Ameyuri Ringo stood and stepped back into the mist's cover. Having a weapon, while being a large advantage, could still only do so much for her. She couldn't rob other kids her whole life. She had to practice, and for now, meal secured, she had time to do so. The first kill is never the last. Not in Kiri.

Ringo was in no position to stop now.

AN: Because if anyone needs a bit more love, it's Ringo.
Sharp toothed badass swordswoman? Yes.
This is happening.

Buckle up y'all, cause this is gonna be a long one!
Hope you're all looking forward to chapter one, because I'm looking forward to posting.

Big thanks to Luxememoria, who you can find on twitter with the handle luxememoria, and on tumblr with the same name.
Provided some amazing commissioned work that is the cover art for this story, and an incredible artist.

See you all next week!
Enjoy.