A Dash of Chili Powder

11

[That's okie!  mine took forever too. v.v]

The short girl blinked, her ears twitching only slightly at the...vague look of surprise on Rage's face. He seemed more of a steely, intelligent brute than anything else, but Amaya sensed a more...deeply rooted respect for the ones around him.

She frowned, feeling an unfamiliar and very uncomfortable bump in her chest. Her thin brows furrowed as she came to realize he was similar to her in a few ways, what with the silence. Another uncomfortable thump in her chest had her cringe, but barely, and her mind went in too many directions.

A long time ago, back when she was much smaller than she is now, only about six or seven, a tall man with sickeningly white skin and long black hair approached her. He bore a wicked and reproachful grin, much like a pedophile would wear when he was out phishing, and he had been clad in a strange olive green flak jacket an black pants. He stretched his long arm out to her, his fingers gently brushing away a stray purple lock.

He seemed to take glee in her childish and blank scrutiny. "Come with me," he said. "I'll make you a great and powerful ninja with skills above all." Much to his disapproval, she frowned at his offer.

"You'd have to come up with a better deal than that, sir," Amaya told him, shifting her weight. She was, so far, unimpressed. Being a ninja was not on her list of priorities, certainly not something she really wanted to do, and definitely not something she was willing to put herself through. She was a child. Ahem. A child. Even she could see and understand that.

The man chuckled musically, almost proud of her poor negotiating, and rethought his offer. "Come with me, Chiyoye, and I will give the abilities necessary to keep them from harm." He spoke in a seemingly cruel way, obviously speaking of the three people she held close; Yuki, Yasuo, and a redhead little boy with raccoon eyes...

Reluctantly, she agreed with a small nod of her head.

"Good," the man said, placing his thin white hand on her shoulder. His cheery demeanor just seemed like an overtone, a candy-coat, for who he really was. Deep down, Amaya knew he was not a kind man.

And she had been right.

It was years now that she had been in Orochimaru's company, giving and receiving his orders and accumulating followers of her own. He 'raised' her to be a very skilled shinobi, as he had promised, but never did he let her leave his maze of a hideout. He locked her up in a room  full of books and scrolls that ranged in size, density, and material. And he kept her there the entirety of the time she was there. 

He did, indeed, check on her, bringing her well-prepared meals and assistants of sorts. On somedays, however, she would receive beatings of the worst kind, each one much harder than the last. There was no room for kindness. These beatings were tests- tests to see how long her body could last, how high her stamina was. 

Slowly, very slowly, she learned silence and she closed herself off completely. Then he gave her that mark, in spite of her already demon-inhabited body...

There was a simple yet off-putting stir in Amaya's belly. Her small hand shot up to her fishnet-covered stomach to her invisible seal and that curse mark, clutching at the fabric. She would be damned if any of that escaped her small frame

And then the familiar sound of Scythe's voice tore through the air, causing her to glance up at the peachy-eyed Rage, a look of wild panic flashing through her. Scythe spoke of Yuki and her condition... 

Without another moments hesitation, she raced past the already moving Rage, not allowing herself to faulter.

Kakashi smiled down at his daughter, chuckling at her condition. Not to spite her, no. Never. He was actually surprised she came back alive and the black markings that stained her skin were just rediculous. 

"Kakashi-tousan... Where's that boy that looks like you? He saved me and I wanted to thank him for it..." Yuki said simply, her voice a light rasp. He immediately shushed her.

"Don't speak, kid. You're still a bit worse for wear," he scolded her softly, affectionate almost and turned, a little taken aback by what she told him. Without another word, he left her in that white hospital bed, disappearing.

A sigh left Yuki's hurting lungs and she rested against her fluffed white pillows. She just got back an he was already proofing away... 'Stupid dad...' she thought with a hint of irritation.

Gracie

Rage was impressed. For someone so tiny, this girl had nearly beaten him to the hospital. 

Of course, she traversed through the trees, which gave her a faster momentum. Rage wasn't too fond of traveling that way. It's not that he was afraid of heights, it's just that he didn't like not having solid ground beneath his feet. So, tree-climbing, boats, and bridges were things he always avoided.

Still, it was a surprise. Now they bolted into the hospital together, Rage instinctively grabbing the door for the girl first.

Vell couldn't believe his bad luck today. Just couldn't believe it. But there it was, running into him in his swift escape, jarring both his body and mind. The bad luck froze with him, one eye meeting the other. Awaji skidded to a halt behind him as Scythe rounded the corner.

Kakashi blinked at Vell. "Tekai..."

"Wrong brother," Vell blurted, wide eye on the ground and trying to walk past. Kakashi saw his intention and blocked it purposely. Vell swallowed hard. "Out of the way, old man," he muttered, failing at apathy.

"Tekai-- Vell," Kakashi corrected himself, "Yuki said that you saved her. She wants to thank you."

The silver haired teen shook his head. "I just carried her around, that's all," he muttered, turning to backtrack out some other exit. Kakashi clamped a hand on Vell's shoulder, making the younger Hatake freeze unconsciously.

The flinch Kakashi felt made his own heart lurch and he let Vell go. Vell didn't leave, nor did he turn to face him. An almost awkward silence settled over the siblings.

"You didn't even tell me you had her," Vell finally murmured. The hurt in his voice was involuntarily transparent. Scythe stared at his younger friend with a quiet empathy.

Kakashi, meanwhile, had his eye on the floor. "...I figured one shock at a time would've been better."

"Don't tell me there's more."

"Yes. I've turned our house into a dog shelter for strays."

"YOU FUCKING BASTA--" Vell whirled around to bellow his incredulous rage, but stopped when he saw Kakashi's face. Even after years of being apart, Vell could recognize that hidden smile beneath his brother's mask.

"It really is good to see you again, Vell."

Red tinted Vell's whole face and he turned his back on the pleased Kakashi. "You're such a dick!" he snapped.

Kakashi chuckled. "I'll take that as an 'It's good to see you too'," he surmised fondly.

"...So did she really wanna thank me, or was that a trick, too?"