writingrin

Uchiha Reborn

In the past, Yura had never taken any notice of Naruto. She vaguely remembered the kyuubi attack and eventually learned what everyone her age and up knew. She liked kids and was a compassionate person… or else she would not care about Sasuke now, and she did care. But she’d never taken the time to really think about Naruto’s situation. She hadn’t even thought to notice that he didn’t have a guardian and was growing up alone. But he was, wasn’t he? And he was treated very ill, that much was plain.

So no one had taught him to speak properly to strangers and elders, had they? She shouldn’t have been angry at him. Besides, he was just a child. What did she care what he said about her? It was the part of her that had been trained by her parents to be respectful that had gotten angry. Nevertheless, she would have only spoken to the boy sharply, not hurt him. She allowed Sasuke to pull her away from the situation though, ending the awkward situation for the moment. His hand was small and soft. Too soft for a ninja’s. But it was still somehow pleasant… like, sweet. It made her feel protective of him. Was that silly?

When Sasuke stopped and opened up to her, her heart lurched. She waited to respond until he was finished. She couldn’t answer his questions. But she put her free hand on his shoulder.

“If that’s how you feel, maybe you should run back and invite him to lunch with us? I bet he doesn’t have anyone to take care of him, does he? Or to train him not to speak like he does. I shouldn’t have gotten angry. So it’ll be an apology for me to cook for him.” She smiled slightly. “And it’ll be less dreary and quiet, I bet, as long as he’s around. What do you say?”

She held her arm out toward his grocery bag, offering to take it from him so he could go back to Naruto.

Uchiha Reborn

“Hawks, huh?” She would have to remember that. Those were useful birds, even normal ones not belonging to a summoning contract or anything. And at least he didn’t hate cats. That was good. She was going to get another soon. As for who would watch it… well she could think of that when it came to it. She was told that protecting Sasuke was her mission indefinitely. She wasn’t extremely happy about that. But she would have taken an interest him no matter what and she wouldn’t want to leave him too soon. But not knowing whether she would ever be allowed on a mission ever again? Her career was over at the level of a chuunin? That was harsh.

She put it from her mind.

She glanced around the street. Some civilians were still paying attention to them, but not everyone had stopped to gawk or gossip. So it wasn’t that bad but she hated that it was making Sasuke so down. When the people noticed Naruto the mood changed even more. She saw people openly scowl and turn away. Some even left the vicinity. All of the sudden everyone remembered things they had to do and hurried on! It was done so automatically, like it was habit. It gave her a chill.

But this wasn’t the first time she had seen it happen. She hadn’t been away from the village THAT long. Sure at lot had changed in her absence… but of course things hadn’t changed for the dangerous kyuubi boy… why would they? She’d never had anything to do with him so she never paid attention to what his life must be like or anything. But now it struck her how unfair it was. AND how much he might have in common with Sasuke now… Maybe it was just the juxtaposition of the crowd’s reactions to them a moment ago, and the fact that she was outside of things now too. She was seeing with fresher eyes.

Then Naruto came over. She had a brief sense of Sasuke’s flight instinct but he controlled it before she had a chance to put her hand back on his shoulder and stop him. She was a little surprised by how cheerful the blond-haired boy’s greeting was. But pleasantly surprised. She actually smiled.

Then he approached and frowned at her consideringly. She kept smiling, in a friendly way. But it only took him a moment to make a statement that wiped it away.

Yura almost dropped her groceries. ….the hell had a little boy just said about her?!

Uchiha Reborn

Yura set aside her frustration with herself for not anticipating this. That was a useless emotion. And she stifled her anger at the citizens, even the cashier. She kept tabs on Sasuke's emotions. He didn't have to tell her, for her to notice how uncomfortable he was. He had a right to be uncomfortable.

Yura's slender, strong fingers settled on one of his hunched shoulders and squeezed.

"Let's go. It's time for lunch. I can make us some of your favorite food!"

Her hand slid to the back of his neck and gently pushed him toward the exit.

She tried to think of something to distract him.

"Say... Sasuke-kun, do you like animals?"

Yura easily held her bag of food on one hip and let the free arm dangle between them.

"Before I went on my mission I had a cat. I'm thinking about getting another one. What do you think?"

The Night the Moon Crashed {Kilt}

Shinrai was aware of her majestic reputation as a dragon and she hated to make a fool of herself. But EVERYONE knew that if you left the sky islands you could never come back. Soldiers had been sent specifically to test it out and never returned. Others had flown too far down and specifically tried to return but not had the energy. That was known as the "point of no return" and everyone knew where it was, although of course, it varied somewhat from dragon to dragon. Shinrai blasted past that point without a thought, all her attention focused on Hieri and the Orb and getting it back. But she hadn't gotten it BACK. She'd only gotten it away from him! And now she was stuck down HERE!

But then the cat cut in. Her long ears swiveled slightly toward him, listening. She began to control her sobs. She glanced at him over her shoulder, then she folded one sandy sleeve and used the inner side to wipe away her tears. She turned back to the cat and flashed him a watery smile.

"You're right. He somehow got up there so I can too." She put a little steel in her voice. She would search until she found a way!

Then she gave him a quick, geniune smile. "If you forgive me for crying, I'll forgive you for philosophizing."

Uchiha Reborn

Yura relaxed. He hadn't freaked out, that was a relief. As for what she meant by them taking care of each other... well... imagine if SHE was the last Uchiha? Even if the only other one besides her was a little broken boy it was better than being alone. Especially now that her teammates had died. Her heart tightened at that thought. And despite saying she wasn't trying to replace his parents, the two of them could still become a real family. He was a good kid and she wanted them both to be happy. They deserved to be, despite everything.

After finishing the arrows they headed into the village. At first no one noticed them. But Sasuke was a little infamous already as the only survivor and anyone that saw him and didn't know who he was only had to look at the back of his shirt. He wore a clan symbol which clearly identified him. Yura was a little impressed that he still wore it proudly although she wasn't sure how he actually felt about it. In any case, word started to circulate about them pretty quickly. Yura noticed the gossiping and quickly picked a store to go into. It gave them a little time to distract themselves and escape direct scrutiny. But by the time they got to the counter, the checkout person had become interested.

Yura's face tried to discourage comment or questions but the cashier still asked, as casually as she could, "Aren't you the lady who came in here yesterday?"

"Yes... I needed to get a few more things," Yura offered the slight explanation and hardened her face to try to discourage more questions.

The cashier didn't take the hint. She glanced at Sasuke. She smiled politely at him, thinking he was sweet and cute and feeling sorry for him. She reached over the counter and offered him a candy.

"And who is this? A relative of yours?" She resumed checking Yura out.

Yura glanced at Sasuke and then took out her money, ready to give it to the lady the second she was done totalling everything.

"Yes," she said simply.

The woman looked at her curiously. She was DYING to express her surprise and confusion about that fact, since Sasuke was supposed to be the only one left. But she wasn't quite that bold. She accepted Yura's money and gave her back the change.

Yura wanted to leave but Sasuke had a few things of his own to get so she picked up her bags and stepped aside. Then she smiled at him as reassuringly as she could.

Uchiha Reborn

Yura was pleased to know some villagers were trying to look out for him. He needed a lot more than just food but at least that small charity was helping him get by. As for the food going bad... figures. He was just a little boy.

"Ok, we'll have to do something about the food situation, won't we?"

She picked up the last arrow, aside from the one in Sasuke's hand, and glanced at him. She couldn't tell what emotion was behind his question. She tilted her head slightly and began working on the arrow slowly.

"Well, legally speaking, yes. I'm your guardian now." She glanced at him with a slightly worried expression and set down the arrow. Her expression became earnest and focused on him.
"It doesn't mean I'm going to try to take the place of your parents or move in here and change everything. I'll just..." She stopped and motioned back and forth between them. "The two of us will take care of each other, won't we?"

Uchiha Reborn

"You're starting to at least!" her voice was still teasing, although he seemed to have taken her very seriously. "Just wait until you get your headband!" She touched her forehead and then realized she wasn't wearing her own. She frowned and looked at her civilian clothes, holding out her arms briefly. She sighed. Then her face closed off and it was clear she didn't want him to ask, if he'd even noticed. She made a small shooing motion toward his room.

When he came back with the tools, Yura sat at the low table across from him. Her eyes were soft again when he mentioned Itachi. Although there was a flash of pain and anger at the mention of that man. She nodded her understanding and began to show him how to care for his weapons. It would take practice too, of course, but it wasn't so difficult to file the arrow heads evenly on both sides creating a sharp edge or finish off the process. She set aside the first arrow.

"Now it's your turn." She motioned for him to pick up another file. Then she started on a second. It was a calming process, at least for her, being so used to it. After a moment she asked, "Hey, Sasuke-kun. Do you have an allowance from the village or something?"

The Night the Moon Crashed {Kilt}

'Child of Lightening,' Shinrai translated. She had always liked that name; it was common among dragons as well. She couldn't help tensing as he approached but she allowed it. He was cautious enough not to be threatening. She scoffed slightly when he said he didn't want to be involved in her affairs... That was wise of him, she supposed.

Her eyes became haunted when he mentioned the storm and she looked away from him.

"It happens when dragons battle," she whispered.

Then came his warning about her species being hated. She knew it was true. It made sense and she'd already been warned a few days ago... She closed her eyes. It was just, at the time, she hadn't expected to ever end up here. Now that she was she needed to keep the warning in mind.

"Then I thank you for being the one to find me... Raiko-san," voice still a bit raspy. She turned her face back to him and watched as he removed his hat. Suddenly seeing his ears brought a smile to her face, which she quickly tried to hide. Her mouth began to feel even drier as he produced rainwater for her. She eyed it, waiting, and then he set it next to her.

"Sumimasen," she whispered, a brief apology for his trouble and a thank you.

She slowly sat up on one elbow and used the other arm to lift the cup and drink gratefully.

She cut her eyes at him and smiled ever so slightly. Then she finished the cup and set it down. There was a brief pause as she gathered her energy, then she levered herself into a sitting position. But not properly on her knees. She glanced at her dress, finding what a mess it was, and grimaced. Then she shoved all thought of her appearance from her mind. She was not her vain little sister! But she knew she must look horrific and a part of her was twinging with discomfort thinking that was so. She ruthlessly crushed it. Now was not the time.

She eyed the cat hanyou. He didn't want to be involved in her problems, but he couldn't help being curious... Well she couldn't blame him. She knew she probably should be on her way, like he suggested, without spreading knowledge of herself to anyone beyond what could be helped. But it went against her nature to be distrustful for long.

She maneuvered herself so that she could bow to him briefly, as part of her introduction.

Then she said, "It is nice to meet you, Raiko-san. My name is Shinrai. I came here chasing a thief." She paused and tightened her hands again, fighting down a wave of nausea. She looked up at the ceiling and then down again. Suddenly, it was all to much and she had to struggle not to cry. Why did he betray her like that? Was he dead, had she killed him? Where exactly was the orb... inside her? She sucked in a breath, almost a gasp. Her voice was vibrant with pain when she admitted, "I may never be able to get back up there!"

Uchiha Reborn

Yura was relieved to see that he wasn't too clingy and could still handle being by himself. If she could get him interested in training again, perhaps he wouldn't sit on the pier so often moping like when she first met him. Poor kid. He was alright for the moment though so she left off watching and cleaned the dishes. Then she went on to clean the rest of the kitchen. She made a mental list of everything Sasuke's pantry was low on so they could restock. But it began to be eerie after a while. Was she being too intrustive? And she couldn't help forming a mental picture of the previous woman to run this kitchen. You could tell a lot about a person based on how they organized things, or didn't. Sasuke's mother was organized and she kept a mix of medicinal supplies and food stores and cleaning supplies in here. And it was an old style kitchen, so the woman was clearly traditional. Then again perhaps she didn't have a choice as the clan head's wife? There must have been many expectations put on her, even in her private life. Yura sighed at that thought. Anyway, she couldn't help analyzing everything, it was something she was trained to do automatically. But kami it was weird and depressing. Especially when she thought, "this teacup was much loved, you can tell, and now they'll never use it again." Or "she was low on everything, she was probably planning to go shopping... maybe even the day she died and now her kid has been struggling along on his own ever since." Things like that had her finally giving up and closing herself off. She stopped and waited a couple of minutes for the kid to come back in.

When Sasuke returned she poured water for them both, from the tap, to rehydrate. He was sweaty and tired too. But that was alright because, "Now you really look like a ninja!" she said with a grin as she tossed a rag at him to wipe his face.

"Now, where are your sharpening tools?" she asked.

Uchiha Reborn

“Wait.” Yura held up a hand as he moved up to her. She struggled for a moment with how best to handle him. She wanted to be kind and gentle with him but not to coddle him. A moment ago he was willing to keep practicing but after getting worried that she would leave he wasn’t as ready to part from her even briefly. She understood, but that wouldn’t do. Next time she would just slip away and not give him time to think about it, maybe that would be better.

She dropped her hand and smiled reassuringly.

“I’m glad you’ll come with me. But go ahead and finish practicing. I’m just going to clean up the mess I made while you do that. And we’ll sharpen the arrows before we leave, like I said.”

She met his eyes with calm understanding. “Don’t worry, Sasuke. I won’t leave without you,” she promised quietly.

Then, lingering and watching him closely to make sure he was okay, she retreated into the house. But then she went to the kitchen window to watch him and make sure he really was okay. Standing there she thought of his mother doing the same thing and shivered hard.