Innocence lost

For Nike, his past few days have been going well, especially his training. Nike was nowhere near at a level where one could call him a master, heck he wasn’t even a registered genin of konoha yet, needless to say he was definitely improving his skill. Despite this his own feeling of incompetence still remained as he would often see the stronger shinobi of his village performing jutsu that at this stage in his life could only dream of doing. On his way home Nike had passed, many a compounds that held many clans of konoha, and wondering himself as to which one his own father had come from. His mother and grandmother both refused to tell him anything for reasons that were unknown to the young boy, but to him, it just added more fuel to this fire which was Nike’s imagination. Either way Nike, was not too fussed about that as of right now, but rather wanted to show his family the two techniques that he had been learning recently.

“Mum! Granny!” Entering the house it did not take long before Nike had begun calling for his family to witness his new found “skills.” With his mother being room next to front door, she called him into the room, where both of his family members were sitting down, reading books and watching tv. “What is it honey? You seemed in a hurry when you came in?” Nike’s mother asked him peeking her eyes over the book she was reading. “Yes child? What is it?” Granny chimed in after her daughter was finished.

Seeing that he had both had their attention for the time being he did not waste any time in showing them what he had learnt. Focusing on the thing that he wanted to transform into, Nike removed his bag and went through the hands signs; Dog, Boar, Ram. In a cloud of smoke their stood a perfect copy of his mother. A fair women with dark blue hair that one could almost call black. Standing there at 5’9” wearing her home attire, which mainly consisted of socks, jogging bottoms and a white jumper, all underneath a navy blue apron which could be assumed that she was inside the kitchen at some point during the day.

Standing there wish Nike’s goofy grin on his face, inside his mother’s body, was a strange thing too look at especially for his Granny as he definitely knew she did not have that type of smile. Just as she was about to say a few words of encouragement and congratulations Temari (Nike’s mother) clapped her hands.

“Okay, let’s get dinner shall we?”

Dispelling the technique and returning back to his own self, the large goofy smile was then replaced more sadden face, and more to the fact that his mother had just shut him down. Nike knew she did this whenever she was upset with him, however why she was upset with him he did not know.

“Ni, put your stuff upstairs and come back for dinner.”

With the sending him Nike going upstairs, Temari quickly explained to her mother that she was in fact proud of him. “Ma…” The words coming out of her mouth were more like one of a mother trying to protect their child, and to be frank that is exactly what Temari is trying to do. “He is still young, I don’t want him not being able to have a childhood.”

Nike’s granny understood where she as coming from, especially as she felt the same way when Temari had started learning jutsu’s inside the academy. “He has had a good childhood, look at the happy smile on his face when he came bounding through the door to show us what he had learnt. It is time to let him grow.”

Just as granny had finished telling this to her daughter Nike had walked into the kitchen, changed into his pyjamas. It was unclear to the two of them whether Nike had heard their discussion but, from the way he was behaving it would not have surprised them if he did. The usually boisterous child was less than a shell of his usual self at this given moment in time, looking down and not even making eye contact with neither his grandmother nor mother around the dining table. To be honest Nike was not even hungry anymore, just playing around with the food in his plate whilst he could hear the cutlery clang against his families’ plates and every now and again on their teeth. Pushing the chair away from the table, whilst still yet to touch a piece of his food, Nike went back to his room, not before saying something.
“I am not hungry, I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

His words were sharp and stung Temari as she knew she was the reason as to why he was like this. Getting up to follow him Granny shook her head advising her to let him be so that he can calm down of his own accord.

Hours after the incident downstairs Nike was lying on his own bed, a few tears tickled down his face, as he was sure that learning these techniques would be good enough for him let his mother be proud of him. But apparently not. Soon the tears of sadness quickly became replaced by anger followed by confusion. Thoughts went through his head about whether or not he should continue down the road of the ninja if it meant that much to his mother. Getting out of his bed and walking towards the stairs he begun to hear voices arguing and a male voice that he hadn’t heard before.
“Why are you here?” Temari’s tone of voice was sharp enough to cut the air.

“To see my flesh and blood” This unknown voice was intriguing enough for Nike to want to get closer to see who it was. A small bit of adrenaline rushed through his blood as it was like he was about to find out something taboo. ‘This man could be my father!’ Nike thought to himself.
“Get out.” Now this was a voice that Nike recognised. This was his lovable granny. “You are not welcome here, not after what you did the last time.”

“Last time?” Nike said aloud to himself as he crept down the stairs closer to the situation within the centre of the living space.
By this time, Nike’s creeping to the room was noticed by his Granny who had skilfully manoeuvred herself out of the room, as to not raise suspicions. “Nike?!? What are you doing?” His granny was more than surprised that he was halfway down the stairs but also had to keep her voice down so that the male did not hear her.  “Granny who is that?” This question was one that even now in her growing age, she couldn’t worm her way out of. “The man in the room, he,” Taking a break between finishing her sentence as she knew the gravity of the words coming out of her mouth would mean to Nike. “He is your father.”

At those words alone, took Nike back, his eyes widened and lit up like and excited child on Christmas. He had so many questions he wanted to ask the man, like that clan was he from, what type of missions did he do? There were too many questions that Nike could ask him but it was definitely not the time for this, but the young boy did not know this. “Go back upstairs and stay within the darkness” Following his granny’s instructions he clambered back up the stairs in a primitive kind of fashion. Reaching the top he turned to look at his granny, however what he saw was not his granny but himself. ‘Granny transformed to me?!’

Confused and astounded Nike kept quiet whilst thinking to himself all the possible reasons as to why she would do that. Regardless he watched as his Granny walked back into the room where she had come from disguised as Nike.

“Mum?” She had even gotten his voice copied perfectly. Seeing what she thought was her son Temari panicked and asked him why he was up at this time and instructed him to go back to bed. Unfortunately that did not work. Nike’s father introduced himself to the disguised granny as his father. Encouraging his child to come closer, he knelt down and opened his arms out for a hug, however Temari knew what he was trying to do and tried to move however she made the mistake of looking into his eyes as running. Getting caught in the sharingan’s genjutsu she was unable to move just watch the inevitable unfold right before her very eyes.

“Please… don’t” Tears running down the side of her face as she knew what was about to happen.

Nike’s father did not answer he only looked away. As the disguised granny walked closer towards her grandson’s father, Temari’s tears only seemed to flow stronger and faster. As the two met in the centre of the room enjoying the embrace of one another for a short period, however it was short lived as Satori (nike’s father) threw the granny who was still disguised as Nike out of the room back into the hallway where Nike could see from his hiding spot. Walking out of the room Satori pick up ‘Nike’ from by his neck and raised him above his head. As the two looked each other in the eyes, Satori could only mouth the words “I am sorry” before shoving a katana straight through the stomach of son. Dropping the body to the floor and pulling the Katana out the body, Satori walked straight out of the door, without even looking back he disappeared into the night sky.
From a top of the stairs Nike was broken out his frozen fear like state, by the faint expiring of the transformation jutsu as well as his granny calling him over. Running down the stairs the boy, almost tripped several times as he tried to get to his grandmother’s side. Tears were running down side the side of his face and the boy did not even know it yet. There were many things going through the young boy’s mind at the time but the one that he wanted to know the most was why?
“Granny why?”

Her faint voice was enough to break him down even more, to the point of attempting to sniffle with the majority of his sinuses blocked. “It is because you have much,” Interrupted by a cough which brought up some blood with it. “Much to live for.” At this given moment in time Nike’s grandmother was clinging to the little bit of life she had left, but it was clear to any trained professional she was not going to make it. The katana had pierce part of her heart and the lung. With blood filling up granny’s lungs it was only a matter of time before she would be drawing her last breath.

Looking to find his mother she saw her, running towards the two of them after breaking out of the genjutsu that Satori had put her through. Kneeling on the opposite side to Nike above her mother, she began to do emergency procedures in order to prevent her mother from dying.

“Child.”

Grabbing her daughters hand Granny stopped her. “It is too late for me now.” With Nikes mother also breaking down into tears she was in denial that this entire thing was happening, telling herself that she will wake up tomorrow and watch tv, amongst all the things that they usually do during the day together.

“Granny… it’s going to be okay.” Nike now trying to reassure his grandmother everything will be okay. With tears in his eyes and his emotions all over the place, the young man did not even know what to do in a situation like this. He watch as his granny coughed up somemore blood and pulling both him and his mother in a sort of last loving hug.

“Just remember… I love you.” With the last exhale, an inhale never occurred straight after indicating that she had just passed away.


WC - 2040
 
Claim: Requesting first tomoe sharingan