Uzumaki Tenhana [Done]

Hana was a very bright child, and liked to express herself and make new friends everywhere she went. There was barely a person who didn’t enjoy being in her company for long hours. She never acted out or fought, but instead would try to make others happier and take away their pain and unhappiness. They lived in a house nearly in the middle of the housing compound. It was always bright and the house always smelled of vanilla and ginger, because her mother loved making things in her spare time. They were gentle and generally loved to joke with each other and help their village. Hana and her older brother were both enrolled early in the academy. This all lasted until about the age of 10 for Hana, and her older brother was 15, and her younger brother only 4 years old.

Their parents were sent on a mission to the border of Konoha, as scouts investigating reports of unidentified ninjas appearing wherever someone ended up murdered. Hana was never told the whole story, but heard her older brother being told of it by a friend of their father’s. Who was in the hospital just 3 days after their team had left to investigate. They said that their mother had gone on ahead when their father was delayed by a suspicious man who had been on their trail for some time. The mother had been found dead, discarded in the bushes, and the father wouldn’t speak of what had gone on. The third member of their team was never found, and there were suspicions that maybe he was conspiring with the attackers.

Hana had been a much liked student before this incident, but afterward everything changed for her and the ones around her. She started to become distant, focusing more on her work than her friends. Her father was different to, and would speak barely a word after their mother’s death. People would say he was punishing himself for letting her die. Or that he was feeling guilty because he played a hand in it. They just told Hana he was sick and needed to be alone. Either way, she saw less and less of him. He didn’t congratulate her when she passed both parts of the exam with flying colors. It was hard for her to smile, even now after all of this and the unanswered questions, but she still did. She still had her brothers, and they needed her smiles.

Graduating at the unusual age of 12, she was praised by many for her early success. This included her older brother, but not her father, who had surprisingly remarried with the reason his children still needed a mother. Her first day as a Genin didn’t fill her with the happiness it should have, and she even missed when they announced teams. Claiming to have been sick, she stayed home with her brothers and stepmother, her father out again as usual. Instead of waiting for her to get better, her new squad came to visit her with her stepmother’s consent. They came with happy smiles and offered their wishes for her to get better. Her sensei was named Hakitsu, and her team mates were Nanika Somoza and Ritsukin Uchiha.

It seemed that all of her team immediately took a liking to her, and for awhile they worked on getting her mind off of her intense training and trying to make her open up. At times, Hana even believed Ritsukin liked her as more than a friend, even though he was very distant at times and barely spoke. He still smiled when he was around her more than when he wasn’t. Even her brother joked about them being ‘lovebirds’. Hakitsu-sensei acted like a father figure for her at times, and he taught her how to smile, not just for other’s sake, but for herself as well. Things were looking up for Hana, and her intense lone training sessions became less and less and were replaced by hanging out with her team or brother, training with them, or going on missions.

Just as before, things didn’t go as well for long. Her father disappeared completely. All of his personal things except for his gear and weapons left behind. She never understood the real reason why he left them alone, but she still blamed herself anyway. As if she could have willed him to stay, but didn’t. Nothing her brother did could make her give up going to the Konoha gate every day and praying for him to return.

Then, a few months before the date of the Chunnin exams, Hana’s older brother went to her and explained he was leaving for awhile on a personal mission. He stated he would bring their father back himself and that he wanted her to continue to rise in strength and train, so that when he brought their father back he would see how much she had grown and be proud of her. It sounded reassuring to her at first, but it didn’t feel the same when she watched him leave through the gates. And never come back.

Not long after this, her stepmother left her and her younger brother alone. Disappearing as they all had done. Not having had much care for the woman, Hana pretended the woman was never there to begin with. It was solely up to her now to watch Ken, her younger brother, now 8 years old.

Hana became more reserved than ever before, and went all the way through to the Chunnin exams without saying much to her team mates. Or even her sensei. The most she did was train with them at times, though she preferred training alone, and under intense conditions. Nanika gave up on her, and Hakitsu respected her wishes and told the others of his team to give her space for awhile. Though Ritsukin never gave up on her, and often came with her when she went to pray at the gate, praying also for her father and brother’s safe return. On the last time they went to pray before the Chunnin exams, she hugged Ritsukin and cried into his shoulder for what seemed like hours. He just comforted her without another word. They all passed the test with flying colors, Hana was 14 and Ritsukin was just turning 15. Her older brother would have been about 20.

After passing the exams, parts of her old self started to show through again. This was all thanks to Ritsu. They started training together for long hour, and even went on dates every now and then to take a break. Ritsu would visit Hana at her home and keep her company. Every day they would both go and pray for her brother’s return, it seemed futile to her by now to pray for her father. Hana could tell that Nanika was getting jealous of getting left out, and thought maybe she had had a crush on Ritsu. Hakitsu noticed also, and would distract Nanika with training or just hanging out to compensate. They were both grateful to him. Everything seemed to have come together perfectly. People smiled at them as they walked down the street, and everyone thought it was certain that they would marry when they got older.

And then one day, the old team was called together for a mission to the Moon country to help transport a supposedly low ranking criminal to a trial. These were the only details given to them, and they set out immediately. On the mission, Ritsu confronted Hana and asked her to take a walk with him after everyone else had gone to bed. After awhile, he stopped her and told her happy birthday. Embarrassed that she had forgotten, she blushed. He laughed and then put a warm stone into her palm. It was a black cross with a white string. He tied it around her neck and then pulled an almost identical one from under his shirt, though it had a black string. Ritsukin then asked her that, when they got older, if he asked her to marry him would she say yes. Hana assured him she would.

The morning after that they arrived in the Moon to discover that the prisoner was actually a higher ranked criminal than originally said. The employers assured them he couldn’t escape the bonds. They said nothing about if he had any friends who’d want to break him out.

On the way to the trial, two ninja with black cloaks confronted them. They demanded the prisoner was released to them. Hakitsu demanded their names and asked what their purpose was. They merely laughed and came closer. Nanika stepped up and told them to stop. They continued to come closer and one drew a long sword. Then both of the men attacked them. Hakitsu and Nanika were on one, Hana and Ritsukin on the other. And before they knew it, Nanika was sent flying and landed motionless across the clearing the were fighting in. Hakitsu turned to go to her but was stopped by the one he was fighting.

Meanwhile, the one Hana and Ritsu were fighting seemed amused by this and turned to watch them. They took this chance to converge on him at once, badly wounding the man before he retreated back. Then they turned to help their old sensei. Ritsu stopped in mid stride and then pushed her back and stood where she was standing moments before. That was when she saw the blade through his shoulder and gasped. That was when Hakitsu was thrown back against a tree. That was when the prisoner escaped his binds and motioned to the other men. That was when Hana’s world started breaking down. She turned on the man and used his own sword against him after she gently took it out of Ritsu’s shoulder. By now the other man had started coming toward them. In a last attempt to protect them, Hakitsu stood and was instantly between the two and yelled for them to go. Hana said she wouldn’t leave him. He ordered her to go back to the village and tell them what happened. And to take Ritsu to get medical attention. Then that, no matter what she hears, to not look back. With tears streaming down her face, she nodded and lifted Ritsu into her arms. And she ran.

She ran and didn’t look back, even when she heard a large explosion from the place she had just left. Even when she grew tired. Even when Ritsu stopped whispering encouragement, and that he was fine. Even when he told her that he loved her, and to not give up hope, then fell unconscious. It wasn’t until she was nearly at the gate to Konoha did she collapse, barely conscious of the voices in the distance that yelled out to her. She just closed her eyes.

Hana woke up in the hospital, a nurse told her to stay in bed and get some rest. When she asked about Ritsu, she just frowned and remained silent. It should have been obvious when she woke up with the all black stone in her hand. The one with the black string. After much fighting with the hospital staff, they allowed her to go to the funerals. She found out that someone had been sent to retrieve the bodies of her other team mates. No one bothered her after that, but just let her be. Even as she sat in the graveyard for hours near Ritsu’s grave. It had all come and gone to fast for her, like water slipping through her fingers.

Something in her died that day, and she never let anyone get close to her heart after that, and although she still went to the gate she didn’t pray. Instead she would stare out down the path she had traveled and then walk to her new home on the edge of the housing compound where her younger brother lived with her. Spending all her time training or caring for him. She was promoted to Jounin a few months after the accident, at the age of 19.

“Ouch! Stop it!”

Tsuki pushed away her brother’s hand and pulled her wrist close to her chest, cradling it gently. Again, she had gotten into trouble, despite her brother’s constant warnings and chidings. She always found a reason to hit someone. The black haired boy frowned down at her as she avoided his gaze, her face contorted in a defiant sneer. Then he smiled to her and bent down on one knee in front of her. She looked at him with curiosity in her dark gold eyes before huffing and looking away again. He laughed softly and spoke low and reassuring, trying to coax some sort of positive response from her.

“It will never get better unless you let me help you, Tsu. I’ve told you a million times to stop fighting, but if you insist on it, then you should at least let me patch you up afterwards.”

She pursed her lips and stared at the pasty white wall behind him, studying the half-open window in its center. Through it she saw a black bird fly by and into a large tree that leaned over they’re house. The house meant for four, but only held two now. Not wanting to give him more trouble, she held her wrist out to him. A long cut from her wrist to almost her elbow glistened blood. He made a sound in the back of his throat and sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples as he thought over hat supplies they had left. Standing up to look down at her, he regained his cheerful smile. His gold eyes glittering as he brushed ebony bangs from her face. Her brother left the room, and then his voice rang out from the next room.

“What was it this time? Why’d you attack Nanika? I thought she was your friend?”

Tsu walked over to the window, pressing her fingers to the sill and her forehead to the top part of the window which remained closed. It was always the same reason. And he knew it well. So why ask something you already knew about even if every time you asked it felt like reopening an old wound and throwing salt in it? The cold breeze ruffled her black hair and drew it over her eyes, hiding the tears shining on her face.

“She-….She asked me why my parents didn’t come back from their mission, and left us alone. W-When she knows why!”

She cried out, only to be rewarded by the bird flying from the tree. It made her angry that the bird left her there to feel this anger alone. Then she felt her brother’s warm embrace and she turned around to hide her face in his black training shirt. He held her for a long time, as if he’d never let her go again. Then he said something so low she barely heard him.

“We’re not alone; we will always have each other.”

She scowled into his shoulder. She had heard that so many times, over and over, that she held it to heart. Although, her mother and father said that to. Maybe not in the same words, but similar ones. Now, where were they? One was dead, the other no where to be found. When he said it it should have soothed her aching heart, but yet this time had failed. What was different about him that made her pull away and stare into his face questioningly? As she did this, he gave her a puzzled look back as he spoke in the same sweet tone.

"Whats the matter?"

Shaking her head, Tsuki looked away for a moment. Should she ask what was wrong with him today? Was it just her own imagination that sensed something wrong?

"There is something different about you, brother."

He looked a bit startled for a moment, staring at her like she'd found something out about him and he was busted. With a sigh, he silently stood and walked away to the window. For a long time he leaned against the pane, gazing out on the village laid out before them with a calm expression, almost peaceful. It scared her a little bit seeing him like this. This was something he did when deep in thought, debating with himself as she could see through his eyes. There was something going on, and he wasn't telling her about it. Finally, what seemed like ages later he looked back to where she was. Giving a soft, almost sad sort of smile as he walked back to her. Placing a hand on her shoulder he knelt before her.

"I'm sorry...but i have to leave the village for awhile."