Chapter 1

Hiding

By Melon1205

"They're coming!" shouted her father as he scooped up two-year-old Setsuka and hid her under the table.

"Whatever happens," said her father in a serious voice, "stay hidden and don't come out. Don't make a sound. Just hide okay?"

She nodded her head but said nothing. "They're here," whispered her mother, her voice wavering with fear.

Her father just nodded. his face was a mix of emotions, but as he stood up, they all disappeared. Just a few seconds after he stood up, the door flew open and her mother screamed in fright. "Traitor!" She heard an unfamiliar voice yell.

Setsuka was scared, but under the table, the white tablecloth hid her from view. She peeked out and saw two men in masks, holding her father down. "Seal his chakra," said the man that appeared to be the boss.

Then, he turned to her mother and started speaking to her, "Your husband Yuki Asashi has been charged with treason for betraying us."

Her mother trembled with fear, knowing what came next. "The punishment is execution, effective immediately."

"Please! Have Mercy!" her mother screamed, throwing herself to the floor and kneeling at the man's feet.

Setsuka flinched as the man began to beat her screaming mother. He punched her and kicked her, and slammed her into the wall. It was them, her father broke free and ran forward in an attack, a kunai in his hand. He stabbed the man, but it was no use. With his chakra sealed, he was basically powerless against his opponent.

"It's happening," said one of the people in the mask, "what's he thinking? Attacking an ANBU captain without chakra."

The other snorted in agreement.

Then, it was over in a second. The man in the mask pulled out a sword and slashed Asashi across the chest. Blood splattered everywhere and the snow-white tablecloth turned red with blood.

. . .

Setsuka woke up screaming, her heart pounding out of her chest. She looked around and found herself back in her room, on her futon. Next to her, her mother's futon was neatly cleaned up. Barely any light poured in from the window of their temporary hut. Setsuka could hear her mother chatting with someone else in the 'kitchen.' She decided to eavesdrop.

Barely day's after her father's death, Setsuka, and her mother had taken hardly anything and escaped the Bloody Mist. It should have been impossible, but with the help of Konoha's ANBU, they had done it. They had owed her family anyways. Since his days at the academy, her father had hated Kirigakure. When the opportunity came to be a spy for the Leaf, he took it immediately. The results had been bloody.

Setsuka was now five. Her kekkei genkai from the Yuki Clan had manifested the day they left Kirigakure. She didn't really remember it and hadn't used Ice Release since. For some reason, she couldn't. And, her mother never talked about their time in the Bloody Mist. Now, they spent their days hiding from the Mist and hoping they wouldn't be found. Or, her mother anyways.

As a child, Setsuka was busy. She would wake up and get dressed. She would practice her Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and anything else she could learn about being a shinobi. Once a month, a masked ANBU from Konoha would check on them. She didn't know who he was, but his mask was shaped like a dog. She called him 'Puppy.'

A lot of the books, scrolls, information about the world, and ninja tools came from the masked shinobi that visited them every few months. Her mother said things were fine, but Setsuka could tell that wasn't true. Today, she could hear her mother's worried voice as she talked to 'Puppy' about Asashi, problems in the Land of Water, and…her.

"Things are getting worse," her mother whispered, "some people from Kirigakure visited our area last month, but they didn't find us."

"It will be all right," said 'Puppy,' "We will protect you."

"How's Setsuka? She hasn't had any flashes recently right?"

Setsuka frowned in confusion, 'Flashes? What are those?'

She shrugged and continued to listen, but soon lost interest. They were just talking about politics now. She walked to her futon and neatly cleaned it up. Then, she grabbed a random book that 'Puppy' had given her and began to read. It was titled 'Chakra and How to Use it.'

Five minutes after she had started reading, 'Puppy' had left. Her mom walked into the room, surprised by Setsuka who was sitting there, reading. "How long have you been there?" she asked.

"Kaa-chan, I just woke up." (Kaa-chan is a way to say mom)

"Okay, did you hear our conversation?"

"A little bit," said Setsuka, meekly, "Are we going to be okay?"

"Don't worry my Snow Flower," said her mother, "We're going to be fine. 'Puppy' will protect us okay?"

"Okay."

Please review my first chapter! I'm doing my best! In the next chapter, Tragedy Strikes Again, tragedy will strike Setsuka again. (Duh, it's in the title name) Also, I wonder… who is this strange 'Puppy dude?' Which character could he be? A made-up one? Or an actual part of the original plot? But yeah! Please enjoy! Go ahead and put your guesses in the review if you want. If you get it right, you get bragging rights!