Chapter 6: Busy morning

'inner thoughts'

Old language/Ethereal being


Uchiha compound-Konohagakure

The raven haired woman stood on the veranda and looked towards the direction of the forest waiting… She's been doing this for the past couple of days. Waiting for a soft knock on the door, small stutters, or even the sound the chicken clucking or running around. She walked towards her garden and looked around and behind the shrubs and small trees hoping to find her hiding or popping out from behind to surprise her she sighed disappointed when she found nothing.

"She's probably with her family." The brown haired man called out throwing little pieces of lettuce into the small koi pond her focus didn't leave the forest as she nodded knowing that wasn't the case.

'If anything happens to her then I…' Moving from where she stood she went back to the veranda sitting down and looking back at the clothes before her. Being mostly alone at the large house, due to her husband's work and her sons being out almost all day, she busied herself with chores until the day she came across her in the woods. She came around like clockwork almost every other day, but she was never gone this long, she enjoyed having someone to talk to about what vegetables grow at what time of year, to teach how to cook and to talk about meaningless everyday things with. As the two of them spend more time together she sometimes caught herself wondering that this is how it must be like to have a daughter, knowing this she realized that she has grown to become quite fond of the of the young girl and was considering her as one of her own. However, she knew that wouldn't be possible she had to follow the rules, the girl would leave her in less than two years to start her training and she could do nothing about it and when she does she'll be even lonelier the older her two sons became.

"Kaa-san!" A voice broke through her thoughts. She turned to the small boy running to her. "The chicken is sick."

"Kaa-san I'll take the hen to the Inuzuka's." the voice belonged to the older son who was holding the chicken in his arms as he walked to her. "I wanna go to." His little brother said.

"It's not sick it's just misses someone." Her husband spoke out coming their way.

"Are you lonely?" she heard the little boy whisper asking the chicken.

"You two haven't met her. Have you." She spoke grabbing the chicken and placing it in the ground to roam.

"Who are you talking about Kaa-san?" The older asked. He didn't know anyone who the hen would miss the only ones he knew that came by the house were his father's subordinates but they never interacted with it.

"She's around Sasuke's age." Her husband said before leaving the garden to go back inside.

"I'm sure she will enjoy meeting you two. It's just that at the moment she's been gone for a while."

"What's her name Kaa-san?" The eldest asked.


Sunagakure- Yukino's POV:

Waking up I crawled from underneath the bed along with the pillow and stretched out, focusing on my chakra to see the room, I dragged the blanket off the bed I shook it a couple of times and threw it back on the bed fixing it to the way it was before I came in. Happy with my work I sat down on the floor, dispeling my sight, and waited for the man.

'It's morning right?' Thinking of ways why he wouldn't arrive after waiting for a long time. 'What if I've been asleep for days?!' Now panicking 'Should I go out? No. I don't know this place.' Shaking my head I came to a conclusion. 'I should study while I wait. Shakko-kun would want that.' Nodding with my newfound goal I started reciting words I knew.

"Shinobi: a person hired and used for jobs such as spying and killing. Jutsu: what shinobi use in battle. Uhmm…Sand:the fuzzy thing I see." Thinking of things to study I was lost as to what to focus on. 'Shakko-kun always tells me what to study. But he's not here…' Sighing I dropped my head on my knees. Snapping my head up a thought ran into my head 'A topic. But which one… ah… hmm… I know! What I learned so far... No too easy what I learned so far but in the old language.'

"I live in Konohagakure. I am in Sunagakure, the Kazekage is in charge, so the Hokage must be in charge where I live." Thinking over what I said carefully I nodded 'I think I said it right.' "Shakko-kun is afraid of something here. There is a guy like Mikoto-san here. I also met a guy who left me in the desert." Thinking once more what I said I slapped my forehead 'Oh… a guy not aguy…' Continuing this I repeated what I learned losing track of time.

Hearing footsteps approaching I stopped talking and stood up focusing on the area around me once again. *knock, knock* I stood there seeing the man on the other side with a tray on his hand. Hearing the door creak open I heard his voice come through "Are you awake?"

"Yes. I mean yes." Accidentally responding in the old language. The door opened wider as he came in setting the tray on the table where my other stuff where put.

"I brought you some food. I hope you like it." He said turning to me.

"When are we going to see the Houki family?" I asked.

"After you eat." He said smiling. I opened my mouth to say that I wasn't hungry but that smile… bearing such resemblance to Mikoto-san's I just gave up and went to the tray. "I'll come back in half an hour."

"Thank you." I said out loud before he left. Going to the tray I looked at the soup and put my hands together "Itadakimasu." and blew on it and started eating.


Finishing the soup I went to the bathroom and washed my face and dried up again. Hearing another knock I returned to the room and opened the door. "Are you ready?" I nodded but remembered the items. Running quickly to the bedside table I grabbed the items, and returned to his side, nodding once more. He walked past me and grabbed the tray "It was tasty, thank you." I thanked him as he headed back to the door, I'm glad he said in return.

Leaving the room we walked back down to the entrance. "Can you wait here for a while? I'm going to leave this in the kitchen." He said motioning to the tray in hand. Leaving me there I waited not even a minute and I heard his voice say out loud within the house call out worriedly "Don't run Kankuro-sama, and don't punch your otouto Temari-sama." I jumped at the sound of a crash. "Kankuro-sama!" I heard his voice say with worry mixed with a bit of fear. Nervous I started shifting my weight between my feet 'Should I go and see what's happening?' Hearing footsteps approaching I perked up. "I'm sorry for making you wait." I looked at him and he seemed fine he still had the same smile on his face.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"You heard all that?" I nodded. "Forgive me for the noise. But I'm fine, thank you for asking." He said softly.


'Hey, did you know that red hair is a sign of you being smart?' The man's words came back out of nowhere, looking at the man in front of me I chose to ask if it was true. "Yashamaru-san right?"

The man turned to me. "Yes? Is something wrong?" He asked.

Shaking my head I asked what the man in the dessert told me. "Um… Is having red hair a sign of being smart?"

He laughed lightly before responding. "No. It's just a color like your hair is blond and so is mine." 'So that man lied.' I thought in response clutching the items in my hands. "Why don't you put your items in your pockets." he asked.

"What's that?" I asked confused as to what that was.

"The little openings in the side of your dress." He motioned to where my arms were. Feeling where he motioned, my hands roamed my sides until my thumb was snagged in a hole. 'I broke it?!' I thought worried. Putting my hand it the hole I realized that it was bigger than expected. Putting the comb in I took my hand out and took couple of steps forward. Slipping my hand back into the hole I sighed relieved that it was still in there. I searched my other side and found a hole just like it. I put the scroll and the paper in that one while putting the little rocks where the comb was. 'Mental note: Pockets can hold stuff.' "We're close to the manor let's keep going."


Arriving to another big building Yashamaru knocked on the big double doors. Both doors opened to reveal a woman in the center, her eyelids and lips where in a different shade of grey than that of the rest of her skin. "Our family head will see you shortly, follow me." Looking at Yashamaru-san he nodded as he started following the woman with me right behind him. Hearing the doors close I stopped and turned and looked to see two women who share the same discoloration like her in their faces, close it and stand beside it. I looked back at Yashamaru-san but he was ahead of me, walking quickly to catch up I almost bumped into him when the woman stopped by a door and motioned for him to enter.

As we entered the room I noticed a woman with black hair in a decorative bun with some sort of flower shaped pins in her hair sitting elegantly on the couch with her hands placed gently above her lap she lips were a dark shade of grey while her eyelids where lighter shade of grey than the lips with a light black line above her lashes. I turned to look at Yashamaru-san as he motioned to sit in the couch across from of her. I obliged but he stood standing by the door "Excuse us Houki-dono but the messenger of the Uchiha has arrived with something for you." He said motioning to me. Taking out the scroll from my pocket I placed it on the table between us. She nodded as I saw him turn and leave the room closing the door behind, him holding my breath I watched as she reached out and grab the scroll. She unrolled it and stared at it silently for some time before rolling it up again in her hands.

"Coming here was a waste of time. I will not sign this." My eyes widened 'But Fugaku-san wants it to be signed. If it isn't then he will be upset, and if he's upset then Mikoto-san would be upset.'

Taking a big breath I opened my mouth. "T-then I will wait until you do." I said nervously.

"Just go home. Do not waste your time here any longer." She placed the scroll back on the table.

"NO! I will wait here." I said loudly while hopping of the sofa.

*Creak*

Turning to the door I saw a little figure with black hair like the woman's standing behind it only showing half of her body. "Okaa-sama I'm done with my lesson." The little figure said quietly while holding tightly onto the door.

"Go and wait with your guards, Hakuto." The little girl nodded and left closing the door behind her. Turning her attention back to me as I stared at her.

"I won't leave until you sign it." I exclaimed grabbing the scroll and showing it to her.

"You will leave without it signed so let's see how long you last." She said the corner of her lip curving up. "That's all the time I have to offer." She said before waving me away. The door opened once more and the same woman guided us back to the entrance. I stuffed the scroll back in my pocket as I followed.

Once outside I started walking back and forth thinking of ways to convince her while Yashamaru-san stood there watching me. 'Maybe I can give her something. Like a cloth. I hear it's valuable among people if done right. But I don't have the weaving machine… Gah!' Unable to think of any other way I clutched my head with both hands thinking.

"How did it go?" snapping out of my thoughts I turned to him.

"Um… I'll be here for a while." 'I can always think later.'

"I'll take you back to the manor then." I nodded and followed him remembering the turns and steps I took to reach the Houki manor.

Remembering their faces inquired about it. "Yashamaru-san? Why were their faces like that?"

"That's make-up, the women of the Houki Family is known for wearing it in front of men they are not married to. But regular woman use it as well, and some men also use it at times."

"Why? Mikoto-san doesn't wear any?"

He stopped and turned to me humming slightly in thought. "Maybe… the women of the Houki family only want to show their true beauty to those they love."

"What's love?"

"It's an emotion, a strong one that you have towards someone." I looked at him quizzically not understanding. "Hmm how do I explain it… when you love someone you want to see them be happy, you don't want to see them get hurt, when they are in pain you also feel it. In other words you really care about them"

'That's what Mikoto-san feels when ever Fugaku-san leaves for days.' I guessed "I think I get it…." I replied as he continued walking.


Disclaimer Naruto does not belong to me it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Yukino belongs to me as well as other Oc characters I'll create later on.

If possible give me feedback I would really appreciate it. Thanks.