She's My Cousin

The Stone House in Willow Forest

I made my way through the Hidden Willows alleyways and backroads with ease, and never once was I seen by any of the villagers. Even though this was the long way around, I didn't want anyone to see me or recognize me, nor did I want to walk past the Nobles compound, my former Masters residence.

I also enjoyed seeing the Purple Willows.

I walked into Willow Forest, taking notice of the Willow Trees as I remembered why their leaves are purple.

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"Mama, why are some of the Willow Trees purple?" I asked as I reached for one of the chakra filled leaves.

"Because of the chakra that runs through them. You see sweetheart, when a good soul moves on into the afterlife, their chakra's transferred to a dead Willow Tree in this forest. The purple you see is the trees tears mixing with the chakra," she placed her hand on the tree and continued, "It weeps for their soul, for all eternity."

She looked down at me, a sad look in her eyes. "But only those with a clean soul, can see them weeping." I stared at her for a moment longer before I turned back to the tree. "Can Daddy see them crying?"

"No. Not yet. But he will one day."

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I stared at the Purple Trees for a moment before I continued walking. It took a while, but some time later, I saw a small, abandoned stone house come into view.

Wild vines had grown up the sides, the flower bed full of weeds, and there was a large part of the ground where grass refused to grow, a large square hole in the center. I stared at it as a woman's screams and the smell of burning flesh filled my head.

I shook my head, refusing to be taken back into the past, and walked up the steps of the old, creaking porch, the white paint slowly peeling away. Before I walked through the front door, which was wide open, I stared at the broken widow, remembering when the rock came crashing through it.

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I was sitting in the middle of the living room floor, trying to bring a dead mouse back to life, while Mama was trying to fix the broken Tiger necklace Daddy gave her. I could hear the rain outside bet against the porch as I tried to concentrate.

I took a deep breath and focused my chakra into my hands, and they started glowing a pale green color as I concentrated. My eyes got big when the mouse suddenly started moving, then ran off and under the couch. 'I did it... I did it!'

"Mama, I did it, I-" I stopped when a rock crashed through the window and barely missed my head by an inch. I looked out of the window and saw the whole village standing outside in our front yard, many of them holding torches. Some had angry looks while others had an evil, sinister looking smile on there face.

"Mama!"

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I closed my eyes and took a beep breath. 'I will not think of the past, I will not think of the past,' I repeated those words over and over again in my head, trying to calm myself down so I can get what I came for, visit Mama, and then head to the Leaf. I opened my eyes and walked inside.

The inside of the house was layered with three years of dust and debris from outside. I could barely see the rug, or the bright red color of the couch, I couldn't even see the people in the pictures that was hung on the wall. The cabinet that was across the room looked like it was just a hair short of falling over, there was stagnated water and black mold on the floor under the broken window, as well as broken pieces of glass. The only things that looked alright, was the coffee table and the coats and jackets hung on the wall, which were only covered in dust.

Then I noticed the picture frame on the coffee table. I took a step closer just as the mouse I saved that day ran out from under it and to the couch. I watched it go before I continued walking and picked up the picture, whipping away the dust.

It was a woman sitting up in a hospital bed, her wild teal green hair a bit messy and her bangs stuck to her tanned forehead with sweat. Her lavender eyes sparkled as she smiled down at the pink bundle in her hands. At a closer look, you could see whips of silver hair and a baby sleeping soundly. The woman and the baby were identical except for their hair.

They both looked like angels.

In the bottom right hand corner, Mama wrote in cursive, Ginko Hatake June 17. I removed my bag and placed the picture inside. There wasn't much in there, only a small bag of food pills and some money. I left my bag unzipped as I carried it to me and Mamas old bedroom. When I opened the door, I saw the bed me and Mama shared with an old trunk at the end of it across the room, and Mamas dresser beside the door. I walked in and looked at the wall on my left, seeing the painting of the Leaf village Mama made for me when I was little.

I smiled as I looked around the small, almost empty room. I dropped my bag on the floor and opened the top drawer of Mamas dresser. Inside was her paint supplies, a red sketch book with a pencil inside the spiral, pictures, and the tiger necklace Dad gave her on her birthday. I put on Mamas necklace and grabbed the pictures and sketch book. I set them beside my bag and went to the closet.

Hanging up on hangers were the clothes I use to wear and on the floor was a box labeled Ninja. I squat down and opened the box, reveling all the clothed Mama wore when she was in the academy, as well as her forehead protector. I changed into the smallest outfit, which was a black T-shirt with the Uzumaki symbol in the middle, and a pair of navy blue shorts. It was still a little to big, since I'm shorter than the average eight year old, but its better than my red and black slave uniform, but I kept the aqua green ribbon Gaara gave me tied around my neck and left my hair in the braids.

I put the rest of Mamas clothes by my bag and threw my uniform in the trash before I went back to the closet. I ran my hand over the floor boards, looking and feeling for the craving in the wood. When I felt the kanjis Tiger, Wolf, and Owl. I lifted the board and pulled out two scrolls and a small box. I crawled to my bag and opened the scroll with the Wolf kanji. when I reached the last spot for a seal, I opened Mamas sketch book to the last page and, using the pencil in the spiral, I wrote Dad a letter telling him I'll be in living the Leaf with cousin Naruto and that I'll be using Mamas name until he claims me as his daughter. I closed the sketch book and then sealed it in his scroll before placing it back and replacing the board.

I went back to my bag and began to pack the clothes, pictures, and scroll, but stopped when all that was left was the small box. I opened the box and found my mothers engagement ring and wedding ring on a silver chain.

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A.N. - The picture on the side is Ginko in her uniform.