"Alright, once more! I'll get it this time!" Twisting her weapon around her thin abdomen, she placed her hand over the sharp blade in her usual battle position. Shizi attacked her Sensei once more, aiming for vital nerve points. Her braid flew out behind her as she raced over the dirt toward the old man.
"Come on, Shizi-chan, you've been at this for days now. Why don't you take a break?" Her furry cat-like ears pinned down against the side of her head in anger.
"Not a chance, I won't quit until I beat you!" The old Sensei smiled knowingly and used his own weapon to block hers, inches from piercing his shoulder. She growled deep in her throat and yanked her weapon back before jumping away from his range. They did this for almost an hour until the old Sensei had her pinned by her sleeve to the dust, panting for a breath and sweating.
"I almost had you, Kandahar-Sensei." He chuckled and put his weaponry away, as did she. She smiled and stood before following the old man into the small, two-room house for dinner. They dined on rice balls and sushi before they retired to their rooms for the night.
The smell of smoke forced Shizi to wake up in a fit of coughs. With tears in her eyes, she ran to her Sensei's room and kicked in the door, stepping back when smoke billowed out like a hazy smog. She ran in and shook the blanketed form of her Sensei.
"Sensei! Wake up old man, the place is burning!" She rolled him over and cried out when she saw the true damage done to her Sensei. "Kandahar Sensei!" She shook him harder and tried not to cry. The old Sensei cracked open his eyes and pushed the girl roughly away from him.
"Go! Run! Leave this place!" He sounded frantic. She tried to crawl back to him but he shoved her back again. "Take Jingxiao and flee this place. Now!"
"But where will I go?!" He took a shaky breath, blood streaming from his mouth like a waterfall. Tears ran down her cheeks unhindered.
"Go to the Hidden Leaf in the Land of Fire. Take Jingxiao and the animal and leave or you will suffer this fate. Just promise me one thing, Shizi." She fervently nodded, grabbing her Sensei's favorite weapon as she did.
"Get strong. Be brave. Don't forget me and the things I taught you."
"I promise, Sensei." With one last shove, the old man threw her from the building through a fiery hole as the wooden shack blew into a bright explosion of flames and smoke. "Sensei!" She slammed her hands down on the dust, shattering the ground below her in her anguish. His words rang in her mind, so she forced herself up off the ground and stumbled numbly over to the stables to the horse her Sensei owned.
"Come on, let's go to the Hidden Leaf, like Kandahar-Sensei ordered." Her voice was deadpan and uncaring. The silver horse turned in the correct direction and ran off at full speed, looking back every once in a while to make sure she was still holding on.
The horse ran through the night, Shizi stopping it for breaks and drinks so it could keep up its strength. By early dawn nearly a week later they had reached the village gates and Shizi slid off the tired animal, collapsing to the dust. The two gatekeepers ran forward and checked her over for major injuries. They found none and so they placed her back on the horse and lead them both to the their respective healers: Shizi to the hospital and the horse to Hana, the village veterinarian.
"How is she doing?" Asked one of the men who brought her there.
"She's severely dehydrated but should otherwise be fine. She's lucky, if she had been untreated any longer, she could've died." The two nodded and left to guard the gates once more. It took two days for Shizi to fully heal and wake up. She shot forward and frantically searched for her old master's weapon Jingxiao.
"Where is it!" She shot to her feet and ripped out the tubes. The monitors screamed an alarm as she removed them. Rummaging through the room, she heaved a relieved sigh as her hands wrapped around the cool, dark metal of Jingxiao. Nurses threw open the door and yelled at her to get back in the bed, to which she refused and ordered to see the leader of the village.
A bear masked ANBU Shinobi suddenly appeared inside the room and Shizi pinned back her ears in suspicion. The man bowed lightly and said he'd take her to the Hokage himself. She nodded and stood, weapon in hand.
"Please state your name and reason for being here." She looked warily at the old ruler.
"I'm Shizi Yemao. I was told to come here by my old master."
"Who's your master, child?" Her eyes filled with shiny tears and she gripped harder onto Jingxiao.
"He was called Kandahar."
"And where is he now?" She closed her eyes as tears slid out unwillingly.
"He was murdered. In the Land of Horses." The old man simply nodded and knit his fingers together in thought.
"I would like to house you with someone I trust highly to see to your wellbeing. Also, you will join the Academy if you wish, to learn to be a Shinobi."
"Yes, that was my Master's last wish. Thank you. Who will I be housing with, may I ask?" He handed Shizi a small key and called for the roommate to enter. It was a man with gravity defying, silver hair and an onyx eye, the other one was covered by his headband.
"Yes, Lord Hokage?" His eye slid over to Shizi, who stood holding her weapon tightly in a defensive position. He waved his hand lightly in greetings, to which she hesitantly returned.
"Kakashi, I'd like you to meet Shizi Yemao, student of Kandahar, the Master Reaper." The silver haired Jonin's eye widened at the name. Kandahar, the Kandahar? He looked over at the girl again. She seemed familiar... He walked over to the overly wary girl and stuck out his hand in greeting.
"Hello, I'm Kakashi Hatake. Nice to meet you." She hesitantly grasped his hand and shook it lightly.
"Shizi Yemao."
YOU ARE READING
Beautiful Monsters
Fanfiction"The true measure of a Shinobi is not how he lives, but how he dies..." Shizi Yemao's pretty smile hides her secrets and her pretty eyes have cried too many tears. It's scary what her smile has come to hide, and she has gotten better at hiding the...
