Prologue

Rin Nohara wakes to a world of white.

There is an IV drip attached to her arm. A heart monitor is beeping in the background. She can't remember anything, and her entire body aches. She breathes heavily, fumbling with the oxygen mask over her face. A nurse flutters in, beaming when she sees her awake.

"How are you feeling sweetie?" she asks checking her vitals. She hands a cup of water, and Rin drinks gratefully.

"Where-where are my parents?" Rin is wide-eyed and trembling, grasping at her bedsheets. She remembers traveling to Konoha with her family before the cavern roof was ripped off. Ripped off like her mother's head, and her father's dead body. Blood on swords and madmen grinning. The stench of death.

She curls herself into a ball, shaking. The nurse eases over her, and Rin clutches for support. Someone is screaming like an animal. She can't figure out who is screaming. When the nurse tightens her hold, she realizes it is her. She is screaming. She is the one sounding like a dying animal because she watched her parents killed. Her parents are dead. She's scared and everything hurts. Her skin burns and she feels the bandit pulling her hair and she can't stop screaming.

She feels a prick on her goes dark.

When she awakens, a ninja stands in front of her. Brown hair carelessly tousled and matching crinkled brown eyes. The Konoha headband hangs from his neck. His posture is relaxed and non-threatening.

"Hello Rin-chan," he raises his hands like approaching a wounded animal. For intents and purposes, she is a wounded animal.

She blushes and hides behind her bangs, embarrassed with her earlier outburst. He chuckles and sits next to her bed. The ninja begins asking questions, and Rin doesn't understand why he is here until he gets to her Konoha citizenship.

"Rin," his eyes uncharacteristically solemn, "your parents have filed for Konoha citizenship and were accepted. By our paperwork, you are still a Konoha citizen, but we want to know...do you want to stay here?"

Rin doesn't know what she wants. She doesn't want to to go back home because home is where her family was. There is nothing to go back to.

Her eyes begin to tear up again, "I don't know," she asks timidly, "Where can I go? What's going to happen to me?"

The chunnin pats her back soothingly.

"We have a foster-care system for civilians, you're too young to live on your own. If you want," he whispers conspiratorially, "you can even become a shinobi."

"Really," she says in awe, "you'll let me be a shinobi?" Shinobi were cool. Konoha ninja were even cooler. The ninja-Saki-is really nice, and her nurse is really nice too. Konoha must be a good place since they sent ninja to rescue her.

He grins, "Yeah. It's going to be hard work…" He tilts his head to look at her, "but I think you can do it."

She nods, pleased that something is going right.

They go over attending ninja academy. She doesn't have money for schooling and supplies, so Konoha will give her loans. She can pay it off later, Saki waves off the numbers. Ninjas earn a lot of money. She should be able to pay off quickly. Rin doesn't understand half the stuff she is signing, but she is seven and wants to be a ninja. Ninja are grown up.

Akane Yamashita, infiltration specialist, constructed Rin to be cannon fodder for the upcoming war. She is young, idealistic, and naïve. Rin Nohara wants to become a medic-nin to save lives-to defend and heal those unable to protect themselves. She believes in the Will of Fire, chants her nindo under her breath each time before battle. She will be as sweet as saccharine while blending into the scenery. Rin Nohara is the background cheerleader quietly supporting from the sidelines, unobtrusive but not quite useless. She is forgettable.

She is sweet as saccharine when sliding a knife in your ribs.

AN: Oh, Rin/Akane, what a sly one you are.