- 11 - What makes a family -
- 11 - What makes a family -
-Ino-
Normally Ino thought herself to be pretty perceptive. She was quick to understand the things going on around her and could use that knowledge to her own benefit. Even with Choji and Shikamaru, even if she suspected that the latter was simply too lazy to stop her behavior so he just let her be. So, yeah she was pretty confident in her believing that she understood all of her peers and their behaviour.
And then she met Minaru and this view was simply turned upside down. Because… she didn’t act like Ino expected her to. At all. From the very beginning.
Ino’s father brought the small girl home one evening. She was a few months younger than Ino and she asked her father what she was doing in their house right after introductions were done.
“She is my apprentice. She will be living with us ‘till she graduates from the Academy.”, he answered her. Ino noticed that Minaru had pulled her shoulders up a little bit at her words, making herself smaller.
“She is what?!”, Ino screeched. “No, she is definitely not. I will be your first apprentice, not some random girl who just popped up out of nowhere!”
Minaru took a step back from her and seemed to shrink even further. Ino had to suppress a smirk. If the girl was so scared she would never be able to stay her father’s apprentice.
“That’s enough, Ino.” Her father’s voice was stern, something she didn’t know from him, so she looked up in surprise. “You will go up to your room and think over what you just did. No playtime with your Clan-uncles for you today.”
Ino looked at him with her mouth open, sure that he would smile and tell her it had just been a joke. But he just placed a hand on Minaru’s shoulder and pulled her with him to the kitchen to meet her mother.
Fuming, Ino stomped up to her room and threw herself on the bed.
“What does she have that I don’t? She’s younger than me and Tou-san always says I’m too young to be his apprentice.”, she grumbled to herself, hitting her pillow a few times.
Ino was taller than the girl and her hair was longer - even if she had to admit that the golden colour was really beautiful. So why did her father always tell Ino to wait, but he took in this girl to teach her. She just didn’t understand.
She pouted the whole rest of the evening, listening to her parents showing Minaru to the guest room just over the corridor from Ino’s room. Then they went to bed themselves and silence fell over the house.
Or it should have been so. But only minutes after her parents went to bed Ino could hear soft sniffles coming from the room across the corridor. She sighed, rolling over and tried to ignore them. But she couldn’t sleep. So after about half an hour she got out of bed and marched over to the guest room.
Sliding the door open she said: “Are you quite done with your…” She interrupted herself when she saw the state Minaru was in.
She had expected that the girl would be crying over a picture or something like that. But instead she found her sitting in the bed, her upper body - visible because she was wearing a light sleeveless shirt to sleep - was beaten green and blue. She seemed to be inspecting the healing wounds. And going by the whimpers she let out occasionally they hurt quite a bit.
“What in Kami’s name happened to you ?!” Ino coughed, still totally floored by what she was seeing.
Minaru’s head shot up, it seems like she hadn’t heard Ino before. She started to pull up the sheets only to pause, Ino could see her thinking. Then the girl sighed deeply and let her head fall to her chest. “I was attacked a few days ago.”, she whispered.
“Wha… why?!” Ino was flabbergasted. Why would someone attack a small child?! She couldn’t understand it.
Minaru shrugged. “Your father and some others rescued me from a pretty dangerous place. And there are a few people who aren’t happy that I managed to get out of there.”, she simply said.
Ino opened and closed her mouth a few times before marching over to Minaru’s bed and climbing onto it. She closed her arms around the smaller girl and pulled her into a hug. “Tou-san will never ever let someone hurt you again. The whole Clan will protect you now.”, she murmured while petting the girl’s hair. It was incredibly soft. She had expected it to be a bit wiry with how short it was kept. When she saw how stiff Minaru still was she started humming the song her mother always sung when Ino was scared or sad.
After a few minutes Minaru relaxed and she was able to pull the blankets over both of their bodies. She looked over to the still open door only to see her father standing there. “I will explain everything to you tomorrow.”, he mouthed and she nodded. Then she turned her face into Minaru’s hair and breathed in. She could still smell the tears on the girl’s skin. Other than that she smelled of new fabric and medicaments. Her hand tightened around the strand of hair she had between her fingers.
Whoever had dared to hurt her little sister would regret the day they crossed the Yamanaka. Ino might be hard to be around for many - and yes, she knew that, thank you very much - but once someone managed to get into her heart she would do about anything for that person. And as a nice side effect she could use Minaru’s development to study psychological traumas. Win-win.
Ino fell asleep with a content grin on her lips.
The next morning Ino sought out her father while Minaru helped her Kaa-san prepare the meal for their weekly meeting with Shikamaru’s and Choji’s family.
“How much danger is she in?”, she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest while looking up at him.
Her father looked her up and down before answering: “There is always at least one Anbu in her immediate vicinity.”, he answered, leaving Ino spluttering in shock. That meant she was not only in danger but from parties inside the village as well. She clenched her hands to fists and raised her chin defiantly.
“How can I help?”, she asked. No way would she let some wannabe hurt someone under the protection of her Clan. She might be opportunistic most of the time but there was also a carefully hidden side of her that only those she deemed worthy of protection ever saw.
Her father smiled brightly and ruffled her hair. “Be there for her. The time she spent locked up has left its traces. She will need a friend and if she lets you in a sister would be even better. And if you notice anything out of the ordinary you tell me, your mother or Shikaku-san.”
Ino bowed her head. “Yes, Tou-san.” Without another word they turned and joined Kaa-san and Minaru in the kitchen.
Ino went over to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of mixed fruit juice. “Kaa-san, can we take these, too?”, she asked.
Her mother nodded. “Yes, of course. But why?”
Ino shrugged. “It’s healthy. And someone here needs to build up a bit of weight. A healthy diet should help with that.” Grinning, she poked Minaru’s side.
The girl squeaked and looked at her with wide eyes. “I can’t stomach this much yet…”, she said defensively.
Ino sniffed. “Of course not. And we need to move slowly or all effort will be for nothing. But this has nutrients, vitamins and sugar. And it tastes good.”, she said, showing off the bottle like in one of the advertisements she had seen on the TV.
Minaru blinked a few times before she burst out laughing. Ino joined her after putting the bottle back into the basket they had packed for the meal. That was a good start. It would take it’s time to build up the trust she would need from Minaru but she was stubborn.
-Minaru-
“Hanako-san! Inoichi-san! Over here!”
Minaru peered around Hanako-san’s skirt to see an excited looking Kana Akimichi waving to them enthusiastically. Next to her Yoshino Nara had her arms crossed in front of her chest while keeping an eye on Shikamaru and Choji. The boys were lying in the grass under a massive tree, Shikamaru laid there with his eyes closed, Choji was half propped up against the trunk of the tree and munching on… something.
Ino took Minaru’s hand and pulled her forward. “Come on, Mina-chan! I want to introduce you to everyone!”, she said excitedly.
Minaru ducked her head a little. “Not so fast, Ino!”, she begged. She was still trying to calm herself, because she had only been told that they would be meeting with the other two Clan children this morning. Yoshino and Kana mustered her with a raised eyebrow for the Nara and clear curiosity for the Akimichi when Ino pulled her around them to where the boys were. Minaru blushed, looking at the ground.
“Choji swallow what you have in your mouth! Shikamaru, eyes open. I want you to meet someone.” Ino said, pulling Minaru to her side with an arm wrapped around her waist.
Choji looked up, first he was clearly surprised, then a bright grin spread over his face. He got to his feet and took a step towards Minaru, one hand raised. “Hi there. I’m Choji Akimichi. And who are you?”
Out of nowhere Minaru could see the battlefield again. Ino’s mangled body thrown over Choji, where she had tried to protect him from an oncoming barrage of Zetsu Clones. Shikamaru looking up at her, begging her to...
Minaru swallowed heavily and forced a light smile to her lips. ‘Come on, girl, no time to see their dead faces. You can have a breakdown when you are alone.’, she thought to herself. “I’m Minaru. Minaru Kojama. Nice to meet you, Akimichi-kun.”, she said.
Ino boxed her into the side. “Don’t you start with the last names with these two. He’s just Choji.”
Choji smiled at her. “True. Better keep to first names, especially if you are staying with the Yamanakas for a longer time?” he trailed off looking at her and Ino questioningly.
“Tou-san took her in as an apprentice. She will be staying with us at least till we graduate from the Academy, since she doesn’t have any real family within the village.”, Ino explained to him, putting a hand on Minaru’s shoulder and pulling her into a one-armed hug.
Choji grinned so brightly Minaru almost felt blinded and closed his hands around her much smaller one. “Oh, so you guys adopted her as your sister? That’s awesome! I’m very happy to meet you, Minaru-chan.”
She blinked at him a few times. She still was trying to get used to positive first reactions. Naruto’s life definitely had shaped her expectations. Then she smiled - a real one this time. “Likewise, Choji-kun.”
“Geez. Could you guys be quiet for a little bit? I’m trying to sleep down here.”, Shikamaru grumbled from his spot on the grass. Minarus lips twitched, she had to fight pretty hard to hold in the laugh that wanted to bubble up at the comment that was so clearly Shikamaru.
Ino whirled around to the Nara-boy, letting go of Minaru in the process. “You sleep way too much anyway. Up with you, you lazy lot!”, she hissed and poked him with her foot.
-Shikamaru-
Shikamaru cracked open one eye to try and convince Ino to be a little less loud. But instead his gaze immediately locked onto a pair of sapphire blue eyes with golden streaks in them. His breathing halted for a moment when he looked at her.
She was small, looking way too thin as if she hadn’t been fed enough for at least a few years. Her golden hair brushed her shoulders and she looked at him with clearly visible surprise. Minaru, that’s what she had called herself. Her eyes held secrets, riddles that just waited for him to figure them out.
She sagged a little under his searching gaze, making herself smaller in the process. “Hello.”, she said in a small voice. And Shikamaru had to restrain himself from hissing in anger.
Why was she reacting like this, similar to a frightened deer? Who had hurt her? He could feel the Shadow in his mindscape, that every Nara had to learn to control from a very young age, trying to get out to destroy whatever or whoever had caused her harm.
But he pushed the Shadow down, placating it for now that he first had to gain her trust. The Shadow nodded in approval and sunk down into the pool again, while Shikamaru gave a small half smile to the girl. “Hi. I’m Shikamaru Nara.”, he said, trying to sound as non threateningly as possible.
She tilted her head, looking at him. Curiosity was visible in her eyes. “Nara… Are you by any chance related to Shikaku-san?”, she asked him.
Shikamaru nodded. “He’s my father.”
Interesting, he thought to himself. There weren’t many people who were familiar enough with his father for him to allow them to use his name. And he couldn’t imagine that Minaru was the type to do so without first getting permission. Adding to that fact he had never heard of Inoichi-oji taking on someone as an apprentice, least of all someone this young. So there had to be something about her that made her special. But he didn’t see what that could be. Yet.
“Erm… is everything okay?” Minaru’s soft question cut through his thoughts.
“Huh?” He blinked in surprise and noticed that he had stared at her for a few minutes straight. Great job, Shikamaru, he scolded himself, now she was sure to think of him as some kind of idiot.
“Stop dreaming, Shika! You’re staring rudely.” Ino hissed and hit him over the head.
“Ow! What was that about, Ino?!”, he grumbled and rubbed at the sore spot. Why did the Yamanaka-girl have to be so troublesome all the time?!
“That was for staring at her like some sort of creepy pervert! She’s my imouto-chan, you can’t have her.” Ino put her hands in her hips.
Shikamaru was about to answer her, when he heard a soft sound that made him pause. A soft snickering. He turned to see Minaru trying to stifle her laughter.
She held up a hand. “I … I’m sorry. I just… I never saw two people bicker like that.”, she said between giggles. Immediately after she sobered up so suddenly that it left Shikamaru totally confused. “At least not two people who clearly like each other.”, she said, looking at the ground and worrying the hem of her shirt.
Ino hastily moved over to the girl again and pulled her into a hug, surprising both of the boys with this action. “Sh…”, she hushed the girl and stroked her hair. Going by the shaking shoulders Minaru was crying, even if she didn’t let out a single sound. “It’s okay, Mina-chan. You don’t have to go back there, you’re safe here. You can be just a child now.”
When Shikamaru looked over to the adults he saw his father had arrived. Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head at Minaru. His father lifted one finger in response. He would explain later. Satisfied, Shikamaru turned back to the girls and approached them slowly.
He didn’t get far, before a loud voice made him startle. “Hime-chan!” The shout cut through the air and made them turn their heads.
A boy with a bowl cut barreled past Shikamaru and pushed Ino out of the way. He knocked Minaru over but right after that Shikamaru could see him frantically checking Minaru over where she was sitting on the grass. “You’re crying! Who made you cry? Was it you guys?!I will never forgive people who made my hime cry!” He whirled around to the three children, raising his fists but Minaru stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m okay, Lee. Just some memories that keep bothering me.”, she said in a soft voice, shaking her head.
The boy - Lee apparently - turned to her. “You sure?”, he asked, looking at her questioningly.
Minaru smiled - a bright, real smile that made her eyes shine with a mirth that Shikamaru hadn’t noticed in her before. She seemed to know this boy and trust him. At least enough to let down her guard a bit around him. “Absolutely sure. I’m fine.” She hugged the boy for a moment.
Lee then turned back to Shikamaru, Ino and Choji. “Sorry for blaming you guys. It’s just that I can’t help myself when it comes to hime-chan. There aren’t many who understand me and my situation. And I want to try and protect the few friends I have.”, he explained, bowing his head deeply.
“It’s okay.”, Choji said, raising his hands. Ino just glared at the boy, but she would come around. Shikamaru curiously took in the sight before him.
Lee was a pretty small boy with black hair and eyes. He was sitting a little bit in front of Minaru now, who had sunk onto the grass next to the tree again. When Shikamaru reached out with his senses - he had started to work on his chakra-senses with his father a few months ago he could tell that something felt odd about both Lee and Minaru. It was a bit different for both of them, but he couldn’t tell yet, what it was.
Minaru’s head shot up in this moment and she looked over to where the adults were standing. “Hanako-san, what time is it please?”, she asked.
“11:30 AM. Why?” Ino’s mother answered her.
Minaru turned suspicious eyes on Lee. “Lee. Why are you not in class? You told me you would be in the Academy today.”
Lee simply shrugged. “My class is learning the Bunshin-Jutsu right now. I’m freed from these classes as you know.”, he said. Surprised, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. He was freed from attending some classes? Why in the Kami’s name would the teachers do that?
Minaru sighed heavily and reached out a hand to pluck at Lee’s hair. “Didn’t I tell you that you should go nevertheless? So why are you here right now and not in class?” She said with a strict air about her.
Lee threw up his hands. “Why?! I can’t use any Jutsus anyway. So why should I watch the others in my class learn them?”
Minaru took his shoulders and turned him to face her. Then she put a finger under his chin and raised an eyebrow. “You still want to be a ninja after you graduate from the Academy, right?”
He nodded excitedly. “Sure thing!”
“Well, then you will be faced with a lot of different Jutsus from your opponents. And no matter how strong they are when you face them or how strong the Jutsu they use against you is, their Jutsus all have the same basis then the ones your classmates are learning right now. So, how do you plan to counteract these Jutsus?”, she asked.
Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. He was impressed by her deduction. It appeared like her intellect could rival his own. He looked forward to getting to know her better, so that he could find out how far her mind could go.
Lee opened and closed his mouth a few times before sighing. “That’s true.”, he mumbled and slumped down a little bit. “Why the heck do you even think of something like that?”
Minaru let out a low laugh. “Did you forget that I’m in the same situation then yourself? I have to think of things like that if I want to graduate. I talked about most of these things with Inoichi-san.” She said smiling. Shikamaru stared at her. What did she mean she was in the same situation then Lee? Another puzzle piece presented itself and fell onto the board that held all the pieces of information he had gathered on the girl already.
Lee suddenly beamed at her. “So you’re joining the Academy as well?” Shikamaru was floored by how fast the boy’s mood had changed.
Minaru nodded with a smile. “Yes. This summer.”
“Then you will most likely be in our class!” Choji said with a bright grin.
Ino nodded. “Tou-san made sure she would be placed in our class. He thought she could need the support. Or a possibility to just hide for a few minutes.”
Choji looked at Minaru questioningly. “Hide? Why?”, he asked.
Minaru looked at Lee and then over to Ino before turning back to Shikamaru and Choji. “Well, firstly I’m an outsider and an orphan. My father was from a Clan that isn’t seen in the best light here in Konoha. That’s why I was placed under the Yamanakas’ protection even though I have living Clansmen in the village. And to top it all off I now have a persistently damaged chakra-system.”
Shikamaru stared at her, taking in the new information. “Why do you want to be a Ninja if you have all these problems?”
She looked into his eyes and smiled slightly. “My life is quite dangerous because of my recent past. And I made the experience that those who are not trained to fight or defend themselves still can be killed very easily by those who are trained to do so.”, she explained.
Shikamaru nodded. That was more than plausible. But it made him curious why the life of a child of her age was in danger. He was excited to learn more about her. And an excited Nara could be a problem for anyone who posed a threat to the object of their interest.