Prologue
Attending his chores in the family garden at the center of their house, Kyoshi was watering the liles as his mother had requested of him before moving on to the small vegetable garden to the side. There wasn't much on the boy's mind besides the desire to complete his duties, though now and then his mind drifted to tomorrow. It was suppose to be his first day at the Shinobi Academy and to say he felt both excited and nervous as all heck would be an understatement, though he would never be so precocious as to make his thoughts on the matter known. There was no telling what his father would do if Kyoshi admitted to being nervous, though the excitement would more than likely be met with stern approval. Still, if it wasn't for the shift in the air, Kyoshi would have missed the presence behind him and been lost in his thoughts.
Dropping the watering can, Kyoshi turned, raising his fists and assuming a basic defensive stance even as the water began spilling around his feet. No one was there, and Kyoshi let himself breath before moving to pick up the can. Suddenly, from behind a foot came up and hit him in the jaw, sending the small boy flying with a yelp a few feet before he landed in the small koi pond. Now soaked, Kyoshi looked up to see his older sister Ayashi grinning down at him. "Good, you almost caught me there Kyoshi, with some more practice you might not get kicked in the face again." She offered while extending her hand to help him up.
Refusing to cry, Kyoshi violently wiped the budding tears from his eyes while trying to calm down. He hadn't seen his sister in weeks and father told him she wouldn't be here to see him off to his first day at the academy. "Why are you here? Father said you were on a mission." Kyoshi demanded, hugging his sister before realizing that she was still in her shinobi uniform. Usually she remained in civilian clothing rather than wearing what was given to her by the ANBU.
"I was, but since I won't be here to see my otouto off tomorrow, I've brought you some presents. Hold out your hands, palms up and eyes closed." Ayashi grin had widened into a larger smile, as she hid her hands behind her back. It it had been father, Kyoshi would have assumed an incoming assault, but his older sister was never mean to him, even when she had to be rough during a sparring session. Kyoshi remembered what father had done the first time he refused to hit his older sister. A shiver ran down his spine, but his closed his eyes, held out his hands and trusted his older sibling.
He hadn't expected the sensation that came next, opening his eyes slightly, Kyoshi saw his sister wrapping his hands in some sort of bandages. With a quick flick to the forehead, and a reminder to keep his eyes closed, Ayashi finished what she was doing before telling him to open his eyes. "These bandages are made with weighted threads, they will help make your attacks more accurate. Use them well, and when the time comes, I might get you better ones once your out of the academy. Also..." Ayashi began as she held out two pouches Kyoshi recognized as shinobi tools. "I made sure to get you all the supplies you'll need to get you through your time at the academy. Just don't dose yourself with the Lullaby powder, you'd never live that down." Ayashi said with a laugh, reminding Kyoshi how she had accidently poisoned herself when she was younger.
Kyoshi, unable to old his tears back, hugged his sister tightly before letting her go to accept the gifts. "Maybe when your done with your next mission you we can spar again? Please oneesan?" Kyoshi asked quietly, rubbing his hands together and feeling the bandages before forming a fist. The two siblings sat there smiling and laughing, Ayashi began telling Kyoshi stories about her time at the academy and before too long they were running around and playfully sparring here and there.
[lb][/lb]
It was barely dawn when Kyoshi left his house and the Saito compound. He'd seen maps of the village before and had a rough idea of where the Shinobi Academy was, but sure enough he ended up getting lost ten or so minutes into the trip. Luckily for him, Kyoshi had figured something like this might happen, which is why he left so early. Kicking rocks and splashing his way through puddles, Kyoshi managed to find his was around somewhat, stopping to look in to shop windows, say hello to strangers, or see something new. Having never been outside of his clan's compound for any significant amount of time, it was a whole new world to explore, full of people to meet and places to see. Snacking on some of the spiced squash his mother had prepared for him the night before, Kyoshi danced his down the street, turning into a side alley he knew led in the direction of the academy. The sun was shining, and his favorite song came on over his headset, causing the small lad to begin belting out: "Someone told me long ago, hmm-hmm-hmm, I know, shining down like water. I wanna know, have you ever seen Rain! I wanna know, have you ever seen R-" his singing was cut off just before he got to the chorus at the taste of blood and a horrible pain shot through his face, causing his eyes to start watering almost immediately.
Looking up from where he'd been knocked on his backside, the blinding rays of the sun forcing him to shield his tearful eyes as he brought a hand up to his face. The kid that had thrown the rock at him stood laughing amongst some friends. All three of them looked older than him by a few years, but also seemed dressed like academy student. From what Kyoshi could tell, they had been walking to school when the one kid just decided to throw that rock at him. Kyoshi's whole day was crushed in that one moment, tears and blood streaming from his face as the older kids ran off. Eventually, with a split lip and what felt like a chipped tooth, the soon-to-be shinobi picked himself up, grabbed his headset which was still playing, and wiped the blood off his face with his shirt, hoping it faded into the black fabric so no one would notice. It wasn't long before the academy came into view, after all, Kyoshi hadn't actually gotten lost, he had just wanted to see some of the village for a while before making his way to class for roll call.
