Shiro broke out into a run, her messenger bag bumping against her in protest and sand taking the chance to slip into her shoes. She pushed her way violently through the gathering crowd of students that came to watch the show.

What was she thinking?!

Suzume was clinging to the side of the rounded building and the wind was howling with mirth as it buffeted against her. Her backpack was tied securely onto her and her bento was swinging precariously from its place on the side of the bag. Her eyes were drawn down to the ground where the students were pointing and wishing for her fall.

She gulped at the height. But her eyes returned to the baby bird on the ledge. Setting her resolve, she inched toward the bird, careful to keep her balance. She got close enough to bend down and scoop the baby into her hand. Suzume smiled down at it and stood back up with it clutched tightly to her chest.

She scooted back to the window where she climbed out of to see it closed. Her heart skipped a beat and she struggled to open it but it wouldn't budge. It was locked. She knocked against the glass, calling out to the people inside.

"Oh, how cute," a girl jeered. "It's a mama bird and her kid."

"Hey, don't let the rats with wings in. They might have rabies."

They cackled and waved mockingly at her. Suzume looked around for another way to get to safety and took one step to the side when she felt the plunging feeling she'd sometimes feel when she was about to fall but in a more extreme level. She squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the impact.

It didn't come.

"You...! Absolute...!"

Suzume forced her eyes open and felt herself hanging above the disappointed ground. She gaped down at what should've been her demise.

"Idiot...!" the person finished.

Suzume looked up and saw Shiro's expression of discomfort as she kept Suzume from dying by her grip on her backpack. "Shiro!"

"Don't just dangle there!" the girl shouted. "You're heavier than you look! My arms! They'll tear off!"

However they did it, Suzume managed to make it inside the building safely. She let out a breath of relief and sunk to the floor, resting her head right below the window. Shiro was collapsed on the floor in front of her, glaring at the ceiling.

"All of that for a shitty bird," Shiro hissed. "I hope you're proud of yourself. Do you have something to prove or what?"

Suzume wiped off the sweat on her hairline and carefully opened up her hand to have the bird look up curiously at her. She beamed down at it and tweeted. It tweeted back and Suzume pulled off her backpack to pull out the bag of birdseed and canteen of water. 

Shiro watched her feed the bird and returned her gaze back onto the ceiling. "Weirdo."

"Thank you, Shiro," Suzume told her friend sincerely, and Shiro frowned and sat back up. "You saved my life."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Shiro rustled around in her bag to pull out a towel, water bottle, and makeup kit. "Just get the bird out of here before class starts."

"Here." Shiro tossed an extra towel at Suzume and they took the time to freshen up. "You sure you don't want to try out some makeup? It'll improve your complexion."

"No," Suzume handed back the towel with a 'thank you.' "I don't like it. It's messy."

"That's because you don't do it right." Shiro accepted the towel with a 'no problem.' "Well, I guess with you running around training all the time it'll only be a waste."

Suzume packed up her stuff and chirped at the bird for it to come hopping into her palm.

"Listen, Suzume," Shiro said as she was heading out. "Don't let the others see you doing stuff like that. It'll only give them more kunai to throw."

"Okay," she replied unsurely.

"I'll see you later."

She's right, of course. Suzume thought as she went out into the courtyard searching for the correct nest. But she didn't want to hide herself. Shiro's right, but it didn't feel right.

A little twitter caught her attention and a bird clinging to the side of the building met eyes with her. It flew around the corner and Suzume jogged after it to find the nest nestled in the corner of the building next to the fire escape. She saw the baby bird's family peering curiously over at her and the bird clumsily flew back to its home.

Suzume lowered the hand that once held a bird, and when the bell rang for the beginning of class she inclined her head slightly to bid the mother bird farewell. 

_ _ _

The three older siblings were positive this wasn't the best idea.

Up until now, Suzume took turns sparing with each of them inside the training room, away from the carnivorous heat outside, and when Suzume told them she wanted to practice in the backyard they did it against their better judgment.

She did well during the day without her umbrella now. She could walk and do menial tasks, but sweat breaking, fast-paced hand to hand combat would never be considered menial, especially for her.

Suzume was sparing with Temari today and as expected lasted only five minutes before she fainted from overexertion.

"Should we take the time to get some work done for Project Suzume?" Kankuro suggested, using the term they coined to call their little researching. "While our little sis is out of commission, that is."

"No." Temari went into the kitchen for a glass of water. "We should be here when she wakes up."

They spent the rest of the day finishing up paperwork or planning their next lecture. Suzume didn't wake up until night fell on the village.

Gaara entered the living room where Suzume was resting and the wind rushed through the branches of the tree outside to create the sound of waves crashing on the seashore. The sound of the bells hung in the limbs chimed in a sullen way, almost as if they were crying out for relief.

A sniffle drew the redhead's attention and his eyes slid to the side to see Suzume with her palms pressed against her eyes and her teeth gritted as tears slid down her face.

"It's frustrating...!" Suzume strained out through her sobs. "It's so frustrating!"

And Gaara didn't know the words he needed to say to comfort her.   

_

"Kankuro, wake Suzume up."

Kankuro saluted in answer and made a move to stand up.

"She's already awake," Gaara informed them.

"What?" Kankuro lifted an eyebrow. "No she isn't. She sleeps like a log."

Gaara looked over at him. "Sometimes she doesn't sleep at all."

They peered out the French doors to see Suzume sitting in front of Hisoka's grave, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her hands and forearms were enveloped in blood stained, soiled bandages and her eyes were empty of feeling.

"She sits there like a penance," Gaara said the words as if they were old, close friends and his eyes softened while he watched over Suzume.

Temari and Kankuro stared at each other with heavy gazes.

They couldn't protect either of their little siblings.

_ _ _

Suzume thought her teacher's attitude toward her has changed slightly. At first, it was outright dislike and the Chunin treated her like she wasn't even there, now she treated her like she was an assistant.

Suzume didn't know which was worse.

"You," her teacher addressed her. "Watch the kids. Make sure they don't run off."

"Yes, ma'am," Suzume replied monotonously.

She watched the shinobi walk away to talk to an acquaintance. Being an assistant meant she wasn't a student, which also meant she's been discarded.

Class 1-8 was on a field trip to the village weaponry. They were going to be escorted around, shown the separate storage units, and the rules and procedures taken to shipping the weapons and storing them. Adults sure knew how to keep little kids entertained, didn't they?

The children were already beginning to get restless.

"Ugh, I'm bored," complained one, plopping down onto her bottom.

"Why are we here anyway? We use weapons all the time."

"You're here because they think you're ready," Suzume told them, conquering the problem before it climbed.

A kid's eyes rounded exponentially. "Ready? Ready for what?"

"They think you can handle adult responsibilities. In other words," Suzume grinned forcefully, her mouth twitching, "they think you're mature!"

The class all sucked in a collective breath and began whispering amongst themselves excitedly. Suzume's smile fell like a rock and she turned away from them. She didn't feel comfortable doing that.

Once the teacher came back, the kids were all standing stiffly with their chins held high. Sensei was taken aback while they listened intently to the tour guide's words and followed silently in a straight line.

"What did you do?" she asked once there was a good amount of distance between them and the children.

"I gave them a pep talk," Suzume answered shortly.

"A pep talk..." the teacher repeated suspiciously as she stared down at Suzume.

Suzume averted eye contact. It was Kankuro who taught me how...

"Keep up the good work."

Suzume paused in her step and whirled around to look wide eyed at her teacher. The woman cleared her throat then walked past her without another word.

Suzume felt something bubble up in her stomach and her hands clenched into fists. She bowed her head so her hair could hide the gleeful smile that spread across her lips.

The day went by like a snail and Suzume felt drained. Ever since she stepped into the arsenal her limbs grew weightier and weightier and her head felt lighter and lighter. She didn't know the extent of it until they left the place again only for the dizziness to disperse and the tons on her body to lift. A breath of fresh air cooled her burning lungs.

"You," her teacher called.

"Yes?"

"Yoru isn't here. He must still be inside, can you get him?"

"Uh—"

"Hurry it up. The parents will be expecting us to get back punctually."

Suzume hesitated as she contemplated the building. The sun was stretching the shadows out and the wind blew ominously past, drawing moans and scattering sand.

She took in a great inhale before advancing. She called out the missing boy's name and checked through every room. The corridors elongated dizzyingly and Suzume lost count of how many times she stumbled over her own feet. Why weren't there any shinobi around?

Suzume lifted her scalding eyes to see the last room she hasn't checked. According to the tour guide, it was used to store weapons made by suppliers on an island out at sea. They were good quality and were being saved for future wars.

She reached out and grasped the handle. She really wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible.

"Yoru?"

The door creaked and a draft cooled the sweat drenched on her skin and made her hair stand on end. It was dark and all the onyx glinting metal reflected off of Suzume's obsidian eyes.

"Yoru?" Suzume called louder and took two steps forward.

Screeching waves upon waves attacked her, reverberated through her body and shrieked into her head. Her blood streamed backward and her brain was imploding.

Her knees buckled and her hands clutched at her head like they were trying to keep it from shattering. Bloodshot eyes were popping out of her skull and her screams were drowned out by the symphony wailing around her. Saliva dribbled down her chin as she gasped for any morsel of air that would come.

She was crawling, reaching desperately for the exit that'll free her from the agony.

Shadows surrounded her and they closed around her, whispering slurred words and considering her. They extended out a hand and her eyes closed.

. . .

Suzume couldn't comprehend what happened.

She was sitting in her bed having woken up a minute prior.

A shiver prompted her to lift her hands up to hug her arms and sweat beaded on her forehead. She leaned forward and looked frantically down at the creases in her blanket as they smeared together.

She couldn't breathe.

She was scared.

The oxygen wasn't there, even when her panicked breaths evolved into rasps. Her chest felt like fire.

"Suzume!" The sound of hurried footsteps and a tray clattering onto the bedside table.

Suzume lifted her blurry eyes to see a familiar silhouette. "Te...Temari..."

"Listen to me, Suzume." She held her sister's face in her hands, urging her attention on her. "Follow my voice. Breathe in. Breathe out. In. Out..."

At Temari's instruction, the hyperventilating threat was sent away and Suzume sunk limply into her pillow. A towel dabbed at her perspiring skin and she struggled to look at her sister.

"Temari..."

"Stay quiet," she ordered. "Just relax."

Unexpectedly, Suzume's hand moved faster than she should've been able to and grasped Temari's hand tightly. Suzume scrunched up her face as the tears leaked out.

"I don't want to accept it...!" she wept.

Suzume felt a sneaking presence closing the distance. She ran as fast as she could away from it, but she would stumble, she would fall and it would only gain ground. They were right. She couldn't do this. She couldn't. Not one person has told her she could. The time when she had to let go of this hand was near.

It was getting closer.

Her desperate running faltered.

Closer.

Her feet were dragging now.

Closer.

She's stopped.

Closer.

Suzume's iron grip loosened.

Closer.

Temari's hand let go and just as roughly grasped it in a firmer grip. She pulled Suzume up from the bed by her hold and placed her forehead against hers. Suzume's startled black were staring into Temari's blazing green.

"Don't you dare give up now," Temari snarled. "Don't you dare throw everything away!"

Suzume gawked at her sister and the tears welled up in her eyes again. Temari wrapped her in a tight embrace and Suzume silently sobbed into her shoulder.

The next day, Kankuro found Suzume outside trying to dribble a soccer ball. He sipped on his soda while he watched her kick unnecessarily hard, miss, and end up flat on her back. He chuckled and saw her pop back up, kick the ball out of spite, and it ricocheted off the wall to hit her square on the head.

The puppeteer chugged down the rest of his drink and stepped outside to amble over to his sister.

He did a fancy trick with the ball and Suzume's face lightened and she clapped for him.

Temari joined them moments later followed by Gaara. They spent the next hour teaching Suzume how to kick and angle a shot.

The amount of missing nin rose by twenty-one today.