Twiceborn: A Tale of Two Friends

Chapter Eight: Child Commencement

Yawning, Risa stretched out her arms, blinking rapidly when she was tackled to the ground in a far too enthusiastic hug.

"They're coming!" Tsuki yelled in her ear, and Risa only winced at the sheer volume her voice could reach. "We're gonna be going to the academy – just like you wanted to!" The slightly younger girl couldn't contain her enthusiasm, and Risa could only watch with an odd fondness as she jumped around the room. Floorboards creaked, and Risa winced, knowing the Matron downstairs could probably hear them making a racket.

But it was finally time for them to start at the academy. Tsuki was excited, no doubt thinking about the kunai and shuriken she would soon be learning to throw from scratch. Silently, Risa was grateful to the weird group of highly dangerous shinobi from outside the village who had seemingly taken her under their wing for reasons she still hadn't been able to piece together.

Maybe now she would have a chance?

Swinging her legs back and forth, Risa waited quietly for her dear friend, who was practically family by that point, to stop bouncing around the room like a bunny hopped up on caffeine. Risa dreaded the day the other girl became aware of its existence.

The beginning of the end of Konoha, she had decided it would be known as. "Mhh. Come on Tsuki," she mumbled, feeling terribly tired as she crept towards the door. She was already starting to get the hang of walking quietly – even without chakra to aid her. She had never managed to hear a whisper of sound whenever one of the terrifyingly nice shinobi from outside crept up on her. Though she supposed a downside of attending the academy would be that she was probably expected to report strange happenings to her now-superiors. If she didn't...

Risa sighed. Why did everything have to be so confusing?

"Race you down!" she declared, and Risa felt her own lips curl up into a grin.

"'n here I thought we were meant to be making a good impression on the recruitment drive," Risa murmured, concealing yet another yawn. Stupid idiots keeping her up and out of Konoha so late. The childish need to beat the other girl clicked into place then, and she was soon charging down the rickety stairs, ignoring the sharp yell.

"Walk!" the matron's voice reverberated through the walls, and Risa winced even as she jumped the rest of the way down the stairs.

Together, the two of them charged into the room, and Risa could only smile sheepishly at the matron as she stared at them scoldingly. Any berating she wanted to do, however, was soon put on hold as she gestured to the two shinobi in the room.

"Now that everyone is here"— she said, staring at the pair of them pointedly—"I would like to introduce these two. They're two of the many protectors of Konoha, Ito Ren, and Suzuki Shion," the matron continued, oblivious to Risa's waning attention. It wasn't like any of the 'important' characters would turn up right then and there.

She had only met those terrifying ones because they had a duty to be seen as kind, helpful people by both the civilians and the shinobi under their command. They didn't know she was the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails. Kurama. She wanted it to stay that way, the fear of being discovered, exposed, making the little pot of terror in her stomach boil over. She was trying to be happy – trying to be a sunshine child, but it was a work in progress. She had to be happy. She had to see the brighter side of the world she was stuck in.

Because otherwise the shadows would suck her in. Risa didn't want to be stuck in the darkness. It scared her. Which was why she embraced the light. Why she tried so hard to at the very least...

::

"What's wrong, Risa-chan?" Ringo tilted his head as they mooched about on the engawa of the little house in the woods. "You're looking very..." He poked at her cheek. "Pouty... today..."

Risa folded her arms with a huff then. "'m starting at the academy soon," she mumbled, feeling uncertain as to whether she was supposed to be sharing that information with them.

'It can't hurt?' Inner offered, and Risa took solace in that. Only a little bit though. She was only human, and humans weren't infallible. Part of her really wanted to trust the strange group who had all but swept her off her feet and taken care of her. Part of her wondered if that was their plan. Their scheme. Because shinobi were always supposed to be scheming.

"Huh." Ringo blinked then, onyx eyes glinting in the moonlight, and Risa caught sight of the inky black hair usually hidden by his hood. "That's good," he murmured. "After all, we've been teaching you this stuff for a reason," he said, waving a hand at the target board, and where a lone shuriken had wedged itself at the edge of the wooden board.

"You want me to end up in the academy?" she asked, eyes narrowing then. Was that part of their master plot? She chewed on her lip. What were they hoping for? Dimly, she prayed they weren't about to target the academy, and all the children there. The next generation on Konoha Shinobi. Her thoughts went back to the spiral hitai-ate.

Uzushio.

Risa couldn't help but wonder how they were connected. Something to do with the fall of Uzushio? Wrinkles appeared on her brow, but a poke from the annoyingly bubbly boy beside her soon had her frown replaced by a scowl. "Poking someone's face is rude!" she declared, pushing at his hands.

Ringo only laughed.

"I do hope you're not being cruel to Risa," Ryouto said, and Risa marvelled at the way it only took a few words from the older brother to quiet the younger.

"I'm not!" Ringo cried indignantly. "C'mon... Risa-chan, you tell him!"

She looked away then instead. "Hn."

Ryouto scowled, but instead of rounding on Ringo as expected, he stormed back into the house. "Dammit! Ryuichi, your bad habits are brushing off on her!"

"Hn."

"Don't you start," Ryouto hissed.

Risa giggled, a smile on her face as the slight tension in her stomach unwound. She really hoped they weren't bad people. She prayed they weren't using her either. Otherwise, she had the sinking suspicion she'd wind up getting hurt should they ever unleash themselves against her home.

::

"Do you reckon we can stop in the park on the way home?" Tsuki asked, small hand tucked inside her own as they stood at the gates of the academy, ready to move onto the next chapter in their lives.

"Hmm. Maybe?" Risa offered with a shrug. "Depends on the time..."

"The academy can't go on too long," she said matter-of-factly, and Risa grinned. She had a foot in the door now... and she was torn between nervousness and excitement to see where it took her.