I don't own the picture, or Naruto. Only my multiple OCs. I don't own the music.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It didn't take long before Anki became like an aunt to me. She took care of me more than my adoptive guardians did. Whenever I got hurt, she would bandage me up and take care of me.

It also didn't take long before I became mischievous. I started to skip classes, or be rude to the teachers and kids. Sometimes I hit the kids.

My guardians always became super mad, and slapped me. It hurt, but I loved it. I loved to see them mad. Mad enough to hit me. I didn't want them to cuddle me, or take care of me like parents would. I didn't want them to be my parents. 'Because mommy and daddy will come back for me!'

I was so stupid. It embarrasses me to even recall that.

But either way, I was basically having an early rebellious stage.

Anki walked into my room, as my parents had just sent me here to, "think about what I've done." Ha! Like it'll work any better than it did last time!

Anki walked up to me, and picked me up. I just closed my eyes, and let myself be carried. Instead of Anki, I imagined her as my mom. I let a smile slip onto my face at the thought.

I was placed down, and I opened my eyes to see that she had laid me down in my bed. Anki keeled beside my bed, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Ya know, you can't ignore them forever... well, how about tonight I tell you a story?" I looked at Anki with curious eyes, and nodded. "Ok then! It's basically like a real life fairy tale!"

Anki walked over to the lamp, and turned it on, only to turn out the ceiling light, and close the curtains that were exposing the window.

"Maemi, I'm here to protect you. But you're not the first person I've protected. You know what ninja are, right? Throwing stars, big swords, awesome reflexes?" I nodded at her words.

Anki walked over to my bed, and sat on the edge. "Yeah Anki! They're so cool, and the ninja show thingy I watched was really awesome! He did this flippy thing, and was like- blam! Pow! Kachank! And then the enemy was all like- aahh!! Save me!! Himo totally kicked his butt!"

Anki giggled at my childish antics. "It was Hino, not Himo. But yes, they kick total butt! Am I right, Maemi? But the thing is- I'm a ninja too! Wachaaa!!" At the time she was making funny banter, doing stereotypical posses, and making funny noises. I couldn't stop laughing, and I most likely looked line a moron. That didn't stop her from continuing on what she started.

She walked back over, and sat down. "But ya know... I'm not joking, kid. I really did used to be somthin' special. I trust you. Not only because you're a child, but because you have potential... I don't know if it's just me, but you're a lot like an old buddy of mine.

"He was never staying still. And when sensei- I mean my teacher, told him not to do something, he would almost always do it. (A/N this hurts to write, I can't use any big words because Maemi is still a little kid!)" Anki finished up, with a fond look on her face.

I looked up at Anki with a look of admiration. "Really aunt Anki? I have po- potena- potonial..."- "potential?"- "yeah! Potential! Whatever that means..."

I'm gonna take a second to not be modest- I was an adorable kid. Albeit a naive one, but an adorable naive one.

That night, I fell asleep with Anki by my side.

**********************
The next day I went to school with a big smile on my face. I skipped into class, and sat down take my desk with bright eyes. Pulling out my books and paper, I began to draw.

I drew many things that made me happy. On one piece of paper I drew me and Anki killing a raccoon together. She had never killed an animal with me at that point, but in my eyes it was the same thing as a little girl drawing a picture of her and her mom having a tea party.

It was quite a crude drawing, nothing looking like what it's supposed to be, but expecting any more from a first grader is preposterous.

My art teacher walked in, and set up her things. It was quite ironic, because our lesson for the day was to draw things that made us happy. What a coincidence, huh?

I immediately began drawing, as my child self drew a tea set with a girly background. Inside the tea cups was that weird "red liquid" I didn't know the name off.

The drawing looked more odd, but you could tell what it was.

A boy peeked over my shoulder. His name was Jack.

"Dude, what's with the girly picture? That's not cool!"

I gave him a questioning look. "Well, I'm a girl. I like girly things." He looked at me with wide eyes.

"Wait, you're a girl? Wow, you look stupid for a girl." Tears welled a bit in my eyes.

"Don't say that! It's a bad word! And I don't look 'you know what'!"
I already didn't like guys. This made it even worse.

"Well if you want to look like a boy, stop being girly! Girly girl!" Now I was really offended.

"Fine! Just don't tell anyone I'm a girl, yeah? I will act like you if you don't tell the others  I'm a girl. You said it was weird, right?" He nodded his head.

"I don't want to look... stupid... so don't tell them! Pinky?" I put my small pinky up. He wrapped his pinky around mine.

"Okay! I pwomise not to tewl anyone." I feel like yelling at myself now in time.

I dint want to look stupid. It wasn't 'cool'. Being a kid, I didn't understand that that stuff didn't matter.

I went through the day thinking nothing bad would happen, yet- as I was skipping out of school, Jack walked up to me.

"Hey Maemi! Before you go home, can I show you something." Curiosity killed the cat.

"Ok, Jack!" I followed this boy blindly, as he led me to the school garden. Two other guys stood there.

"Huah? Who are they Jack?" One of them was a second grader, the other was a first grader like I was.

"So, you're a girl? Really?!" I froze. That sentence seemed to echo in my mind, as I stood with wide eyes. I turned around to look at Jack with unbelieving eyes.

His face adorned a smug smirk. His eyes were challenging, as if daring me to retort untruthfully. I took the dare.

"N-no! I'm not a girl! Girls are... are... girls are st-! Stupid..." I didn't want to say that. I loved being female. I just hated how the boys treated us.

"Wow, calling yourself stupid? What a lie! You know you're a girl, just dressed horribly! You look dumb!", yelled the second grader.

The other first grader pushed me, and I stumbled back then hit the ground. My hands pressed down, and I felt them get cut by the rough bark that littered the ground.

Jack squatted down to my height. "Wow! You really are a weak little girl! Even I doubted it at first, but this proves it! You're a weak little girl! What's wrong? Oh is she gonna cry? She's gonna cry guys, oh no! Should we have a tea party to make it up to her?"

Little me looked down and grit her teeth. I grabbed a long piece of bark.

"Oh? What is it, little girl?!", taunted the second grader. I gripped the bark tighter.

The other first grader kicked my leg. "Heh! She's so weak, she won't even say anything."

Jack walked up. "You never trust someone so much better than you!" That was it!!!

I swing the bark upwards, hitting Jack and I jumped up. I raised it over my head, and thrust it into the second graders stomach area.

It broke skin.

He let out a pained cry and his shirt went red a bit. I threw the bark to the ground, and punched the first grader in the face!

Jack was backing up.

Not willing to let him escape, I grabbed his ankle and pulled so he fell. I sat on his stomach, and started to punch him.

I hit his face, his shoulders, his chest... I was angry.

I felt myself be grabbed from behind. I was held down, and tilted my head back to see the second grader. I tried to kick back, but then I heard, "I've got her!"

The smaller first grader was holding my legs down. Jack walked up to me with a visibly bruised face, and he wobbled a bit.

"Heh, how tough are you now? That was a big mistake! Gah!" Pain erupted in my face as his tiny fists hit.

He kicked me, and punched me. All of them did, in fact. It was hell.

Is this what happens when you defend yourself?

I just laid there, and took the hits. After awhile I felt numb. Then- I heard something. The boys heard it to cause they stopped hitting me.

"MAEMI!!! IT'S ANKI, WHERE ARE YOU!!!!???" My eyes snapped open from my place on the ground.

"ANKI!!! ANKI, HELP!!!!" I gained a mischievous smirk on my face. Now they're gonna get it!

Anki suddenly appeared from around the corner despite her voice sounding far away.

How did she get here so fast?

I sat on the ground, with blood oozing from my face. I figured out later that I had a black eye, and plenty of bruises to go along with it. Scrapes streaked down my face.

The three were running away, but Anki was in front of them in an instant. "What the hell do you think you're doing???"

We all gasped at her curse. We were still little, so it was unfamiliar to us.

"Be happy that I'm letting you off the hook... but if this happens again... you're gonna pay heavily!"

The squealed and ran away, as Anki walked over to pick me up. She hoisted me up with her arms, and held me like a baby.

"Come on Maemi. You didn't just let them hurt you, did you?"

I gave her a toothy smile, despite one of my teeth that fell out a few days ago being missing. "Nuh uh! I hit them too! They started it, but I finished it! Hmf!"

Despite my happy behavior, I was breaking inside. Boys started to scare me...

Horrified me almost.

When we got home, Anki pulled me into the bathroom to wash off. She put a stool bellow to sink and told me to wash my hands and face. The water stung my cuts slightly.

She came back a few minutes later with some new clothing, and set me down on the ground. Turning off the water, she got the first aid kit from bellow the sink.

"Now, this is gonna sting a bit!" I put a brave face on, my lips pulled in. She pushed the cotton down on the scrapes on my hands, and I squeaked.

"Owie! Owie owie owiiiieeee!!!!"

She finished up quickly, and began to put bandages over my cuts and bruises. But she did something different to my eye...

"Maemi, can you close your eye for me? The one that's bruised."

I closed my eye, and she then put her hand over it. In the peripheral vision of my open eye, I saw a slight green glow, and my bruised eye felt warm.

The pain started going down, and in a few more seconds I could barely feel it!

"You can open it now!" I could open my eye fully, and I climbed up onto the sink to look into the mirror.

There was just a slight purple color now, and I could open and close my eye easily!

"Wow Aunt Anki! That's awesome!" I forgot about how pissed I was in this moment. Instead of the anger and sadness I was feeling, my eyes shone with wonder.

I turned back, and gave Anki a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Anki!"

Our moment of happiness was interrupted.

My child self heard my mother call. "MAEMI!!! GET DOWN HERE NOW!!!"

I jumped down from the sink with the help of Anki. She started to follow me, but I looked back. "She didn't call for you. If you go with me, she will be mad."

I wanted Anki to go with me, to protect me. But if she came too, she might be fired. I didn't want her to leave. She was my one and only friend here, and I wanted it to stay that way. I didn't ever want her to have to leave.

I walked down the stairs with my tiny legs, and I bit the inside of my cheek.

The miss was waiting for me downstairs.

"Why on this earth, did I get a call saying you beat up Jack Thompson?!?! And what it the world is with all those bandages on you?!?" I cowered a bit.

"Jack was making fun of me, and he kicked me! So I hit him... but he hurt me first! He started it! See, the bandages are because of my boo boos!"

She didn't look convinced. "Well, tomorrow you can apologize to the boy! I'm sure it wasn't his fault anyways..."

My face was now red. "IT WAS COMPLETELY HIS FAULT!!!! I WILL NOT EVER SAY SORRY TO HIM!!! HE'S STUPID!!!!"

Now my face was red for a different reason. It was red, and stinging.

"Don't talk to your mother that way! Hold your tongue! I am your mother, so you must treat me with respect!" I growled.

"You. Are. Not. My. Mother!!!"

I fell to the ground, and my cheek hurt even more than before. She had slapped me so hard, I fell. And her ring had cut my cheek.

I reached my hand up, and felt the blood flow down.

I stood up, my eyes tearing. Then, I ran off.

Little me ran outside, and kept running till I reached the forest. As I was running, I reached down for a stick, a rock, any thing! I ended up picking up an old metal rod that looked as is it were used for some kind of sport. Cricket maybe?

I ran with it, until I reached the creek. My eyes were red and tears were falling. My usual determination sparkling eyes were now dull, and void almost.

I looked over when a sound reached my ear. There, on the other side of the stream was a large racoon.

An... odd smile reached my face.

Anki pov (wow, our first pov change! Now we know something's gonna happen!)

"Maemi! Maemi, where are you?!"

Flashback

"Where did Maemi go?"

The miss looked at me. "The brat ran outside. Go find her, or him, whatever it wants to be called."

End

"Maemi wh- GAH! MAEMI, ARE YOU HURT!?!?!"

I ran up to Maemi. She was covered in blood, drenched in it! And...

There was a smile on her face?

"Maemi, what happened?" She looked down.

"I was angry... so I did what I always do when I'm angry." My eyes widened at her innocent smile. It was so innocent, yet... It felt like there was a tiger almost, stalking its pray, waiting for the right moment to sink it's teeth in, and spill its red blood. You never notice it's waiting, until it's far too late...

I was hesitant.

"Can you show me?" I ask the question that has been nagging me.

A big grin lights up her face. "Ok Anki! C'mon!"

I followed this innocent child. This innocent child. This innocent child. This innocent child. This innocent child. This innocent child. This innocent child. This innocent child. This innocent child. This innocent child.
This not so innocent child.