Eight years ago, age four
Something weird was going on. All the adults were acting jittery. Sasuke really wanted to know what was going on, but as usual, he wasn't allowed to sit in during the meeting. Too young. Always that same excuse. Yet his older brother hadn't been allowed to join either, which was really strange. Itachi was six years older and a Chunin already. Father considered him the pride of the family — with good reason — and told him everything. His friend, Shisui, was inside, so why couldn't Itachi be as well? Then Sasuke realized someone else was missing. Fear gripped his little heart, and he pulled at his brother's shirt.
"B-Big brother, did, um... did something happen to Mother?"
"To Mother?" Itachi raised a brow. "No, of course not. Why would you think that, Sasuke?"
"S-She went to the hospital and isn't back yet. A-and everyone else is here and acting weird. I-Is it because of mother? Is she...?"
Sasuke's words faltered. Luckily, Itachi understood his concern immediately and put his hand on top of his little brother's head. It was different from the usual playful poke against Sasuke's forehead.
"Mother went to help someone," explained Itachi. "My squad found a girl at the border with the Land of Rain when we returned from our mission yesterday. She needed urgent medical help, so we brought her back with us. Mother knows some people from the Land of Rain, so she went to see if perhaps she knew the girl to get her back to her family."
"Oh, I see." Sasuke scrunched his nose a little in thought. "But then, why is everyone so jumpy?"
"I don't know, little brother. I'm curious too."
They both looked at the closed door of the room where the heads of the clan had all gathered in. Sasuke heard some muttering, but nothing he could make sense of. It didn't look like anyone was coming out soon. They just kept talking and talking and talking...
"Hey, I have an idea," said Itachi suddenly. "Why don't we go as well? That girl is your age, and she's probably very scared. Maybe you can try talking to her? Mother will be so grateful for your help."
"Yeah, okay!" exclaimed Sasuke.
Itachi left a note for their father and then took his little brother on his back. Sasuke adored the piggy back rides with Itachi. He made everything so fun.
"Can you go by the Academy, please, big brother? I wanna see it again."
"Sure," said Itachi. "Hold on."
Sasuke grinned widely and hugged his brother from behind. When they arrived at the Academy after a few minutes, his eyes wandered greedily over the enormous building. He was going to start classes soon and was really looking forward to it. He'd already practiced with Itachi's shuriken, determined to become as good as him.
Suddenly, Sasuke heard a soft creaking and glanced at where the sound came from. Under a big tree, just across from the entrance to the Academy, was a boy on a swing. He had blond spikey hair, big blue eyes, and funny whisker-like markings on his face. Sasuke didn't know the boy personally, but he had seen him around the village — Naruto something. People didn't like him. He couldn't understand why. From the looks of him, he was just a regular kid. Maybe it was because he liked to play so many pranks.
Sasuke decided to wait until classes started to see if he could be friends with Naruto. If he was a troublemaker, then better not. But... he did look kind of lonely. Come to think of it, Sasuke had never seen Naruto with anyone. Not a brother, sister, mother, or father. Was he an orphan? If so, maybe he should just be his friend? Everyone needed a friend, especially when they were lonely.
When Itachi and Sasuke arrived at the hospital, they went straight to the children's ward, spotting their mother further down the hall. There were a bunch of doctors with her, and a lady dressed in a long, dark-blue kimono. As soon as Mikoto Uchiha saw her sons, she excused herself and came towards them.
"Boys, what are you doing here by yourselves? Where is your father?"
"Still in a meeting," said Itachi. "I thought we could come to help you."
"Oh, that's sweet of you, but I don't think there's much to do here."
"We can try!" Sasuke jumped off of his brother's back. "Big brother said he found a girl. He said because she's my age, I should talk to her so she won't be scared."
"Did he now? Well, I suppose there's no harm in trying. All right then, Sasuke, come along."
Sasuke took his mother's hand, letting her guide him into one of the patient rooms. Itachi followed them in, but the doctors and the lady in the kimono remained where they stood, silently watching the family.
The little girl Itachi and his team brought back to the village sat up in the near the window, her head averted from the door. Sasuke let go of his mother's hand to run over and say hello. But when the girl turned around at the sound of his footsteps, he froze. She had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. Piercing blue, like the lake his father sometimes took him to.
The girl slowly tilted her head at Sasuke. His knees quivered at her intense gaze. Why was she staring like that? Then Sasuke felt his mother give him a gentle nudge, making him stumble forward. It broke his trance, and the boy remembered what he had meant to do. He walked over to the bed and said, "Hi, I'm Sasuke."
She blinked a few times, but then turned away. Sasuke was stumped at her reaction and glanced over his shoulder. His mother and brother nodded encouragingly. He took a deep breath and climbed on the bed to sit in front of the girl.
"You know it's rude not to say your name back," he scolded, arms crossed over his chest.
"I don't know my name," said the girl.
"Huh? How can you not know your name?"
"I fell... I think... And now I don't remember."
Sasuke didn't know what to say. He dropped his stern attitude and looked the girl over. Her skin was so light, almost like snow, but with tiny sparkles like Mother's ring had. Her black hair was wet, like it had just been washed, but there was still some dust or soot staining the towel around her shoulder. Then Sasuke noticed a locket around her neck. He reached for it, then recalled he hadn't asked if he could. The girl said nothing, though, and just kept looking out the window. Carefully, Sasuke took the locket between his fingers. There was a little hinge at the side, indicating there was supposed to be another part attached to it. Maybe she lost it somewhere? He turned the silver pendant around and saw a name etched on the back.
"Sayuri," he read aloud.
The girl gasped, her head jerking back to him. She looked down at the locket in Sasuke's hand.
"What?" he asked, not sure if he did something wrong. "Is... that it? Is that your name?"
"I think so," she said. "Sayuri... Yes, it is!"
Joy surged within Sasuke. He helped!
"That's a really pretty name," he said, grinning.
"So, um... So is yours."
Sasuke's smile wavered as he felt his cheeks get heated. He realized he was still holding on to the locked and let go, lowering his eyes shyly.
"Where am I?" asked Sayuri.
"The Village Hidden in the Leaves in the Land of Fire."
Sayuri scrunched her nose. Sasuke could tell she was trying her best to remember. He felt sorry for her. Not knowing who you were or where you came from... Oh, she might not even remember her own family! That was horrible! Sasuke wouldn't know what to do if he couldn't remember his parents or Itachi. If he lost them.
"It's gonna be okay," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "You can stay at my house until we find your mother and father."
"I can?"
"Sure! Oh, um," Sasuke glanced at his mother, "she can, can't she, mother? We can't leave her here all alone. I don't mind sharing my room. Honest, I don't."
His mother chuckled. "I don't see why not. If the doctor says it's okay, of course."
Sasuke beamed at his mother. She was the best. It really had been a good idea of his big brother to come to the hospital. Now that they knew the girl's name, they could look for her family. And in the meantime, Sayuri could come live with them so she wouldn't be alone. And Sasuke would have someone new to play and talk, and perhaps even train with. They were going to have so much fun!
***
Seven years ago, age five
"So, this is the new arrival?"
Mameha peered at the reflection of her mirror. She had been waiting for this day. The girl should have been brought to the okiya the instant she was discharged from the hospital a year ago. She was considered an orphan and thus belonged to the okiya. But certain parties just had to interfere. Why did politics and family always have to be so bothersome?
"Did you have any problems, Yuna?"
"None with the parents, Mameha," answered her student. "The boy didn't want to let her go, but his older brother held him back."
Mameha glanced over her shoulder. Yuna's expression was perfectly composed, as she expected it to be. Nothing ever perturbed her. Many of the girls who were sold to the okiya, for whatever reason, cried for days on end. Yuna hadn't shed a single tear. Or if she had, she had done so quietly on her own.
The Ryuchi-clan was one of the most prominent in the Land of Fire. Their Kekkei Genkai — an anomaly in DNA that brought out a unique technique — was counted among the most dangerous in the entire Shinobi World. Even more so than the Uchiha's Sharingan or the Hyuga's Byakugan. Each Ryuchi-child bore a birthmark in the shape of a serpent dragon. At age three, their dragon eyes awoke. At age six, their dragon flame ignited, enabling the wielder to accomplish both amazing and terrifying feats. But Yuna's flame never came to be. And even though it couldn't possibly have been her fault, the clan still blamed the girl. Because surely, only her own actions could have angered the dragon spirit protecting their clan for it to deem her unworthy.
Yuna's mother had fruitlessly attempted to bring out her flame and salvage the marriage contract struck with the Uchiha, but was forced to admit defeat the day of Yuna's seventh birthday. The clan ostracized the girl before they were shamed any further, stripping her of her inheritance and declaring her a bastard.
Yet despite all of that, the Uchiha-boy Yuna had been betrothed to sought her out on his own. They trained together; they fought together, and a most formidable pair of future ANBU and geisha soon came to be. Yet their closeness worried Mameha. The young shinobi-prodigy was already putting everything in motion to ensure Yuna's graduation exam in five years was with him. All to still honor the contract their parents made, regardless of whether they could actually marry.
Mameha would have to nip it in the bud. The village couldn't afford to lose both Itachi Uchiha and Yuna to such a trivial thing as love. Not when they were of such value to the Leaf and the Land of Fire.
"Bring her closer to the light, Yuna."
Her student did as she was told and brought the five-year-old girl forward. Mameha turned around. Having them stand together, she now saw they were not that different.
Yuna's dark chestnut hair was up in a tight bun, similar to her own, and decorated with a cherry blossom comb. The wrap dress she wore was of fine scarlet cloth, yet not as fancy or smooth as the kimono's geisha wore. Her soft cheekbones were a stark contrast to her sharp golden dragon-eyes. Those made Yuna the best archer in the Land of Fire. If she honed those particular skills further, she would never need to come close to the more unfortunate targets. An invisible geisha was even more threatening than one who was right in front of her victim.
Then there was the child. Yuna had already dressed her in the gray clothes all new girls wore in their first three years at the okiya. Her black hair hung loosely over her shoulders, pushed out of her face with a white hair ribbon. She had a slender build, which could give her an advantage in certain classes. Not too tall, but she would undoubtedly still have a growth spurt. Good stature too.
"Such eyes," mumbled Mameha as she walked toward the girl and lifted her chin. "You have water inside you. Water is strong and relentless in its flow. You best not be giving me any trouble."
The girl said nothing and met Mameha's gaze defiantly. An uneasiness washed over the geisha. She had seen similar eyes many years ago. The person who bore them was long gone, but the memories of her still haunted those who knew her — dreadful memories.
Mameha stepped aside, revealing eight objects laid out on the table. "Choose any of these. Whichever you like."
"What if I don't want to choose?" asked the child.
"Naw, the kitten thinks she can get out of this. How adorable."
Mameha groaned silently at the mocking voice of the ten-year-old leaning against the door. Typical of the little minx to enter without knocking. Were it not for Kitiara's outstanding talent and skill, Mameha would have made sure she came to her end in an unfortunate accident. She sincerely hoped her sister geisha would take her on as a maiko. The thought of overseeing the last stage of that horrid girl's training herself was enough to make her skin crawl.
Kitiara went to stand beside Yuna, who merely bobbed her head in greeting. Mameha knew she didn't care for Kitiara either (no one at the okiya did). Though only two years her junior, Kitiara was taller than Yuna. She had dark hair with a blue shine, almond-shaped purple eyes, and full pink lips that fitted perfectly with her oval-shaped face. She would grow into the type of beauty that would even make a demon cautious. But the good looks didn't outweigh her personality flaw. Kitiara was a lethal powder-keg, a far cry from Yuna's serenity and poise. If things didn't go her way, she would blame everyone but herself, bursting out in the most terrible tantrums. Beware all those who were around her then.
"You can stay, Kitiara, but hold your tongue." Mameha heard her scoff, but didn't pay any further attention. Strictly but kindly, she addressed the girl in front of her again. "Please choose an item that appeals to you. It will determine your future role in this house."
The girl sighed and reached for the item furthest away from her without hesitation — the katana-sword. Mameha raised her brow. No one ever picked that. How curious.
"A formidable weapon," she said. "If you want to be worthy of it, you must become the best, understood? You shall begin your training at dawn. Follow your lessons diligently. Work hard. Survive. One day, you will become a geisha."
"I don't want to be a geisha," reacted the girl. "I want to find my family."
"Your family doesn't want you, stupid girl," spat Kitiara. "No one wants you. Not now, never."
"Silence!" Mameha glared furiously at Kitiara. Why was it so difficult for her to follow a simple order? She turned back to the girl and said, "We are your family now. We will feed you when hungry, nurse you when sick, and school you. Listen to your betters, and you shall be treated with kindness. The only thing you must not expect from us is love. We have no room for such sentiment in what we do."
She hated speaking to young girls in such a manner, but it was necessary. Geisha could not afford to love. Geisha could not afford to have this weakness, for that is all love was. It was a lesson Mameha learned the hard way.
"Yuna, take her to her dormitory and explain things further to her. We are done for now."
"What about her name?" inquired Yuna.
Mameha clicked her tongue. Of course, how could she have forgotten?
"My name is Sayuri," said the girl, holding on tightly to a locket around her neck.
"That is your old name," explained Yuna as she lowered herself to the level of the girl's eyes. "The one your old family gave you. A new family and a new life warrant a new name."
"My name is Sayuri!"
Kitiara snickered. "Careful, Mameha, this kitten has claws. Sure you'll be able to control her and her water?"
"If I can control your antics, I can manage her. Now quiet."
Mameha looked Sayuri over. It was a shame she had to strip her of such a lovely name. It suited her well. But it was a matter of security and closure. It had to be done. Especially in this case.
Her dark eyes fell on the sword Sayuri still held in her hand. If she were to actually learn how to use the sword properly... It was as good a name as any.
"Katana. Her name will be Katana."
***
Six years ago, age six
"Hey, leave her alone!"
Naruto jumped out from the bushes. He knew it was a bad idea the moment he did so, but he couldn't let those bullies hurt Hinata anymore. She was one of the few people who was nice to him and didn't deserve this!
"Wha—oh, Naruto." The biggest bully snickered when he saw the spikey blond. "Figures, you'd be stupid enough to interrupt our fun. She your girlfriend?"
He pushed Hinata down with one hand. She grunted and whimpered as her little body smacked against the ground.
"Stop it!" yelled Naruto.
"Or what? What are you gonna do about it, you little freak?" dared the chubbiest of the three boys.
"I'll fight you!"
The bullies looked at each other for a moment and then burst out in laughter. Naruto clenched his fist and jumped at them. Before any of them knew what was happening, the blond tackled Chubby and rolled over the ground with him. He managed to get on top of him and immediately punched him in the nose. Naruto raised his fist to deal a second blow, but unfortunately, the other two boys recovered from their laughing fit and rushed to help their friend. They pulled Naruto off and threw him in the dirt. The boys kicked his stomach, his legs, his back, his arms... Naruto tried to make himself as tiny as possible, rolling into a ball with his arms around his head. His insides were burning, and everything hurt.
"Hey, you idiots!"
The kicking stopped. Naruto dared to lift his head a little. In front of Hinata stood another girl. He didn't recognize her from school, but whoever she was, Naruto was glad for the moment of reprieve.
"Who? Us?" asked Biggy.
"You see any other idiots here?"
"Why, you little..." Biggy's nostrils flared in anger. "You wanna be talkin' to us with a bit more respect, girlie!"
"I will when you earn it. Bullying a girl half your age when she's done nothing wrong and going three against one is something only cowards do."
"Cowards? Boss, you hearin' this?" exclaimed the third member of the gang, a scrawny rat-faced kid.
"Looks like someone else needs a lesson in manners, boys," said Biggy.
"Couldn't agree more," the girl hissed.
Scrawny and Chubby moved to hit the girl together, but she drew back, grabbed their wrists, and then used the force behind their attack to redirect them. The boys hit each other straight on the chin. Chubby staggered back, but Scrawny stayed on his feet and attacked again. As he tried to kick the girl, she grabbed his ankle, spun him around, and pushed him against Chubby, making them both tumble down.
At that moment, Biggy stepped in. But even he wasn't a match for the girl. She danced around him with her hands behind her back until, suddenly; she kicked up a large branch. Biggy slammed right into it. He dropped to his knees, holding his bleeding nose with both hands, crying and whimpering for his mom.
Naruto gaped at the scene, his blue eyes wide in shock. He couldn't believe what he just witnessed. One moment, the bullies were getting ready to knock the living daylight out of the girl, and the next, they were groaning in pain, sprawled on the ground. The girl had used their own attacks against them and each other without ever needing to land a single punch herself. Amazing!
The three boys as they picked themselves up and faced her again. Naruto drew in his breath. Surely they wouldn't be stupid enough to try again, would they? Fortunately, they chose to live another day and ran. The girl scoffed dismissively and then turned to Naruto. He gasped when he met her blue eyes. They were kind of like his, only bluer like... the ocean. Yeah, that was it — ocean-blue eyes.
"Are you okay?"
Naruto stared at her extended hand. Was she... really offering to help him up? No one ever did that. Heck, no one would have saved him from those bullies, either. But she had. The boy with the blond spikey hair skimmed her over one more time, trying to figure her out.
She appeared to be his age, and about his size too, but skinnier — which said something 'cause Naruto didn't exactly keep a steady, healthy diet. Her facial features were perhaps sharper than his. Naruto looked at her shiny, black hair, believing he detected a red shimmer, but it could just be a trick of the sunlight pouring through the leaves overhead. Not a lot of girls his age put their hair in such an intricate side-braid. Then he noticed she had the same gray shirt, pants, and sandals those other girls wore — the ones who lived in the big house on the far side of the village.
He'd gone there once with Shikamaru and Choji, wanting to know more about this supposed school for unwanted girls. They'd stumbled upon a beautiful woman in a dark-blue silk kimono dancing. Fascinated, the boys had dared to come closer. They'd watched her dance and then got the biggest scare of their life as she suddenly produced a sickle-shaped knife from her sleeve to decapitate a cardboard figure springing up from the ground.
"Hello-ow, anyone home?" The girl waved her hand in Naruto's face when he didn't move.
Naruto blinked and scrambled up, giving her a big grin. "Thanks for your help! And yeah, I'm okay. I'm used to getting beat up. It barely hurts anymore."
"What? That's horrible. Why aren't your parents doing something against them?"
Naruto's grin died instantly. He pressed his lips together and averted. The girl gasped as she understood the reason. Great, now came the pity part, and then she was going to walk away because no one wanted to stick around with the pathetic little orphan boy.
"I don't have any either."
Naruto's head jerked back to meet her doleful expression. Of all the things he had expected her to say, that wasn't one of them.
"Are they dead too?" he asked.
"I don't know. I can't remember anything from before I came here."
Sadness and anger edged her voice. He could relate. Not having a family was rough. Not knowing who they were, or who you were even... that sucked. He had asked the Third Hokage so many times who his parents were, but the old man only told Naruto just enough for him to know they were good people. It made it all the more frustrating everyone treated him the way they did. If his parents were good, why was he the bad guy?
"You're sure you're okay, right?"
Naruto nodded at the girl's concern (which he had to admit felt kind of nice). "Yeah, I'm good. But maybe Hina—oh, where'd she go?"
They both looked at the spot where the eldest daughter of the Hyuga-clan had been sitting not two minutes ago. She was gone.
"Well, that's rude," said the girl. "She could've at least said thank you."
"Nah, it's okay," said Naruto. "Hinata doesn't get out much except for school. She's shy."
"If you say so. What's your name, anyway?"
"Oh, I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."
"I'm S—I mean, Katana."
There was a slight twitch in the corner of the girl's mouth, like she didn't like it. It seemed like an odd one to Naruto as well. The only katana he knew was the sword. He'd never heard it as an actual name before. But maybe it wasn't her real name. Hadn't she started out with the letter S?
"Well, I'm glad you're okay, Naruto Uzumaki. I have to go now."
"Wait!" Naruto bit his lip, hesitant to ask. Then he just went for it. "Will you be my friend?"
Katana raised her brow. Naruto sighed. What was he thinking? Of course, she wouldn't...
"Sure!"
Wait, what?
"But only if you're mine." Katana winked at him. "Bye now!"
Naruto gawked as she darted off into the woods. His eyes filled with tears, and his mouth curled up in the biggest smile. He couldn't believe it. He had a friend.