Yuzuki Uchiha Gaiden ~Book 1~

Chapter 8: Demon Discipline

It was early on a weekend morning. Yuzuki stood on a rock in the middle of the sand zen garden raking the sand into circle patterns. She did this every weekend to keep it tidy and maintained. She enjoyed the peace it brought in the morning.

It wasn't until she heard a deep grumbling voice say, "You feel that chakra approaching, don't you?" the voice of Jurun spoke. It sounded like he was sitting on her shoulder and whispering in her ear. "Can you sense it? Do you recognise it?"

Yuzuki looked over her shoulder to make sure that he really wasn't there. He was just inside her head speaking to her. It sent shivers down her spine.

Yuzuki's peace was soon destroyed by an orange headed girl who came barrelling through the sliding doors of her home and launching herself from the deck. "Oi, Yuzuki!" she shouted and birds flew from the weeping cheery tree.

"Can you be any louder?" Yuzuki scolded quietly. "My father is asleep and so is everyone else! He'll kill you if he wakes up."

"Sorry." Katsuko chuckled rubbing the back of her neck. "Why are you up so early?" she admired the patterns in the sand.

"You're the one that's up early, idiot."

"True." Katsuko knelt by the edge of the sand pit. "My dad wants to start training early, so he sent me to get you. He said it's important to start before, you know, something bad happens." she then proceeded to plant her hand in the sand ruining the perfect curves of the lines drawn in the sand.

Yuzuki smacked Katsuko's hand with the rake and she yelped in pain. "I spent all morning fixing that!" she yelled frustrated her work was ruined.

Jurun spoke again. "Yes, keep going, something bad will happen if you keep getting angry." he chuckled deeply within her mind.

Katsuko hugged her throbbing hand. "You didn't need to hit me."

Yuzuki raised the rake again threatening to swat Katsuko and she leaped back in fear. "Okay, I'm sorry!"

"You're banned from coming near the garden." Yuzuki began to fix Katsuko's mess from the rock she stood on. "Forever."

"Forever? That's a long time."

"Forever." she repeated sternly.

Jurun laughed again. "Forever is a mighty long time, one young."

Yuzuki's head began to throb with each word he spoke. "Shut up." she grumbled under her breath rubbing her temples.

"I didn't say anything." replied Katsuko.

"Not you."

"Then who?"

Yuzuki became silent trying to concentrate on fixing the sand. Katsuko then realised, "Jurun's speaking to you, isn't he?" and still Yuzuki refused to answer.

"So the little brat is smart. Go on, tell her about how I'm going to feast on her body once I break free."

Yuzuki sighed heavily. "He said he's going to feast on you." she retailed Jurun's words to Katsuko. She bursted out laughing.

"Okay, sure, whatever. I'd like to see him try." she mocked.

The sliding doors came open and an irritable Daichi appeared on the porch in his kimono robe. He struggled to limp on his left leg this early in the morning. "What's with all the yelling?" he spoke with a grouchy voice. His narrow eyes landed on the Hibiki girl in his yard. "Why are you here this time of the morning, Katsuko? Where is your father?"

"Um, actually, my father wanted to start training... like, now."

"Then why are you still here?" he turned his gaze to Yuzuki attending to the sand. "If Hiko requests you, then go."