Mikansei still wasn’t quite sure what her parents had done to procure the wrath of Tanju; whatever they had done, they hadn’t told her as she grew up; as she trained, having become a jonin a couple of days earlier. Instead she had been sent out all day on missions, training to get stronger, and had come back to find the bodies of dead ninja scattered around, with blood soaking the ground everywhere. Instantly tense, she hadn’t drawn a weapon to begin with, considering her parents were ninjas and had people after them because of the missions they completed, just like she did. True, there obviously had been a battle at some point, but for all she knew it was over and her parents were inside, making sure everything was okay.
But still, she advanced slowly, a child’s sense of fear for their parents rising in her heart, something flaring into life in the back of her mind. No matter how much training she did, there would always be a part of her that was dedicated to the safety of her parents...and it was beginning to act up. Her house had been in a glade of trees, slightly more isolated from the others. But there were always animals; birds, squirrels and all kinds of things making their way through the forest. Now, however, they were all gone. Silence had overtaken everything like a black hole in space. The further inside of the house Mikansei got, the more the feeling of wrongness within her grew, to the point where when she finally reached her father, she froze in fear and shock.
It wasn’t Tanju he was fighting anymore—he had left the room as Mikansei had arrived in watching distance, just about managing to catch a glimpse of his back as he disappeared. But whatever Tanju had done to her father, it had been enough to truly break him; physically and psychologically. He was breathing heavily, taking in ragged breaths that took all of his energy and caused him pain, his ribs obviously broken. Blood was all over his body, but though Mikansei could spot some injuries, she didn’t doubt there were many others. Though this guy clearly knew what they were, as he stepped closer, hitting them instantly as he cried out in pain, doubling up and coughing up blood.
Mikansei had wanted to do something; but her body didn’t seem to be working. He was barely trying to fight back, when she had always known him to deal with everything well; always been strong and enduring through his problems. It scared her and made her uncertain of everything. Things didn’t get any better as she saw a flash of her mother’s face in the doorway, her eyes narrowed in sorrow at what her husband was going through, an uncertainty in the back of her mind as to whether or not Mikansei herself was safe. Tanju saw the pain on her face, no matter how hard she tried to keep it back, and grinning maliciously, he called out,
“Deal with him, Iwao. You know what to do—he no longer matters.”
Though ‘Iwao’ was wearing a mask, the glint that appeared in his eyes was clearly happy at his words, and turning back, he paused only for a moment before lunging in and slamming a thin dagger into her father’s side. Pressure point or just a deep wound, Mikansei didn’t know, but he instantly screamed in pain and continued to do so as Iwao twisted the dagger, tears streaming down his face at the agony he was going through. Repeatedly Iwao used the dagger, and in specific areas, until Mikansei watched as her father’s eyes glazed over, his body going limp as he fell to the floor.
A horrible feeling rose within her as she stood frozen to the spot, her stomach curling up into a tight ball and her heart feeling like stress toy. Her breathing was heavy; she had known that, but it didn’t sound it out loud. She wanted to swallow, but her mouth wouldn’t let her, leaving her with a dry, sticky throat that made Mikansei feel like she was choking. Forcing herself to drag her gaze back to her mother, she began to shake as she saw her burst into tears, her pain so great she couldn’t even make a sound; grief, worry and fear overwhelming her.
Tanju smirked malevolently at it, but merely dragged her into the other room, Mikansei only now noticing her hands were tied. Iwao was dismissed, laughing as he picked up his weapons, glancing one last time in Tanju’s direction before starting to leave. Realising that if she remained where she was she’d get caught, her body jumped into action and she darted into the shadows, curling into a ball. Placing her head on her knees and wrapping her arms tightly around her legs, she clamped her eyes shut and bit her lip till it bled, hoping that something would put things right. That something would make it better. Iwao came and went, not noticing her in the slightest, but she could still hear Tanju and her mother in the other room.
Why it was that she lifted her head up and went to look, she still didn’t understand. But Mikansei found herself almost crawling along to look, her lip bleeding fast from trying to keep quiet as her hands and feet became soaked in her father’s blood. Then finally she reached the doorway, and still concealing herself, it was when she had watched, her mother having not stopped crying, that she witnessed him touching her—her mother shaking in utter fear, worry and despair, her hope all but draining from her body. Mikansei could see she was trying to stop herself from going under; that she Mikansei herself was alright and would be okay...but it was so hard.
Maybe she had understood just what he was doing, or it had finally taken its toll on her psyche, but a strange defiant feeling flared up within Mikansei at this point. Before she had been too scared and upset to do anything to defend her parents; to do anything at all. She had sat there like a coward while her father died and her mother was now, when she could be protecting them. She had become a jonin a couple of days ago; why waste the abilities she had obtained over the years when she could be saving her mother?
So closing her eyes, Mikansei took a deep breath, building it up within her, and then appearing by Tanju’s side instantly. Lashing out with several sharp jabs, Tanju winced at them all and flew backwards, sliding across the floor. Her mother widened her eyes in surprise at your appearance, and instantly cried out,
“No! Mikansei, get out, leav—”
But instead you merely clenched your fists, ready for a battle. Tanju climbed back onto his feet, chuckling darkly to himself while wiping the blood off of his lip, and glancing over at her mother, stated arrogantly,
“I’m impressed, I’ll admit it, that your little girl could land a blow on me. She won’t be able to do much else, but...”
Though Mikansei wasn’t about to waste time on insults and comebacks; instead she concentrated on keeping a clear head and her body physically prepared for whatever he was going to throw at her. Narrowing her eyes in a glare, Mikansei let her eyes cloud over with the kekkai genkai, the chakra tattoos appearing over her skin, to which Tanju paused slightly in admiration. Smirking at what she had done, he lunged forward a second later, and blocking him easily, you waited a few more attacks before doing a handsign; a huge purple cloud appeared, Tanju only just managing to miss it.
Mikansei’s mother sighed in desperation; first her husband, and now this. If only she had just remained hidden...but now Mikansei had caught his attention, and there was no way out. It took a while to get you to come with him, but Tanju had the advantage; your mother. Eventually, you had to give in, not wanting her to get hurt. Something that only made it hurt more when a scream was heard behind Mikansei, and jerking her head round, she saw her mother’s body slumped on the floor, blood pouring everywhere, staining the floor a blood red; a red that imprinted itself in her mind for many a night.
So that’s how it had started. The affect of losing both of her parents had placed her in a catatonic state, and so she couldn’t protest as Tanju led her onwards to his hideout. He was interested in her abilities—after all, she was a true heir to the Doku clan; skilled, intelligent—all Tanju could ever want. But Mikansei needed to be better than that. There could be no failures. So he was going to turn Mikansei into just what he needed. The perfect weapon; no one would suspect her—where’s the threat in a thirteen year old girl? Whatever he asked, she’d do it. Considering she was still a child, the impact of all that had happened never left her, allowing him to train her for years.
And that’s when he began experimenting.
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