Chapter Text
----
Chapter 5: disappearing act.
----
Shin stared up at the face of one of his clansmen.
"What do you mean I can't see her? Is she alright??"
The man crossed his arms, holding his ground. "Take it up with your grandfather, Shinju. Nobody is allowed to see the container until it recovers."
He motioned for him to leave, and a few minutes later shin was walking down the hallway to his grandfather's room. What did that man mean by container? Didn't he mean Mako? And was she alright-? All he knew was that aunt Sango and uncle Ichigo had been acting strange last night.... Maybe they were sick with something? He hoped mako wasn't sick too. That would be awful, they wouldn't be able to play and spar for a while.
She'd get better though- he knew that. She had promised him that she wouldn't…...
She'd be fine. She had promised him.
He glided down the hallway in his socks, sliding on the old boards in his socks. Mako was always so loud- her have to get her some good quiet socks when she got better. Blue- maybe green.
"Grandpa- is Mako gunna be okay soon-" he had enough confidence to open the door without knocking. Inside, shin's grandfather stood feverently arguing with Mako’s father and several other clanspeople.
"Ryoshi, this is madness-! You can't-" the clansman immediately shut his mouth the moment Shin walked in.
"Is there something wrong? Why are you yelling at grandpa?" Shin asked, immediately rushing over to stand next to him.
"It's fine, Shin, we were simply having a discussion." Grandfather soothed, patting shins head thoughtfully.
"Was it about Mako? Is she okay?" Shin asked, the words leaping from his mouth.
"She'll be fine." Grandfather said stoically. Shin looked up at him, eyes wide- begging him to tell him more.
"She's..... Recovering." He amended, breaking eye contact.
Shin gripped onto his sleeve, forcing grandfather to look at him again. "I want to see her-! I need to see if she's okay!"
"She is." Grandfather said gruffly, pulling his sleeve away.
"Promise me then-" shin urged. "I won't listen to anyone else- if she isn't okay-"
"-You have my word, child." Grandfather said exasperatedly. "Your cousin is in the best care our clan can provide- she's important to us-" he faced the angry gathering of clansmen. "-She's important to all of us now."
"She is?" Shin asked quietly. When had grandfather ever said that about Mako?
"She is." He said again, reassuring himself.
Maybe Grandpa was finally warming up to her. Soon enough hey could all be a real family again.
---
The container of the three tails lay motionless in bed. Only the sound of its soft breathing and the constant flutter of its heart indicated life.
But that wasn't how the container felt- dead, empty… well, actually, the opposite of empty, but not in a good way.
It took so much concentration for the container to remember that it's name was Mako- that they were around four years old, and that they had once been somebody's daughter. The container tried really, really hard to focus on those facts. Between remembering to breathe, and remembering not to swallow her own tongue, mako tried to focus on her life before the sealing.
But God- it was so hard.
Very few words could describe the feeling of the three tails inside of her. Poisonous didn't even scratch the surface of what demonic chakra felt like- even with it gone and sealed inside her, she could still taste the putrid, acidic aftertaste in her mouth. Like battery acid.
The sanbi was under every inch of her skin- every pore, every molecule in her body- and it poked and prodded for a way out. Her skin felt taut and stretched now. Like it was wrapped around the beast, barely enough of it to go all the way around. She felt like she'd burst at the seems- the thing keeping her from doing so was the searing, burning seal on her stomach. The only thing holding her together now.
Mako shivered, the hair on her arms standing up on end. Sanbi quivered beneath her skin, just scratching the surface of its cage.
It never really occurred to her just how alive a tailed beast could be. Living chakra after all- it was in the name. She didn't think too deeply on how alive it could be. Dogs and cats were alive, and they were reasonably intelligent, right?. For an animal.
The sanbi wasn't an animal. It was on a disturbingly human level of intelligence, without being remotely human. It witnessed the ebb and flow of time around it- it saw the rise of man, the fall of villages and communities- it was timeless and ageless.
It spoke to her- she didn't know what it said, but it was language nonetheless- it spoke in growls and long, deep sounds that were sometimes too low for even her to hear. And it was inside her head- inside her chest- reverberating deep down from some hidden depth inside her that even mako didn't know existed.
It was so presently there, under every surface of her being, and yet... So .... Deep down. She didn't have words to describe it. She had enough trouble breathing with the beast inside her, let alone find the words.
She didn't know where she began, and where the creature ended. She could feel the three tails in her lungs, feel it's breath in her throat as she took each shallow gulp of air. She wasn't breathing for two- they were breathing as one now.
There was so much...Wrongness... That came with being a jinchuuriki. A rebellion against her own human nature. She couldn't fight the beast, couldn't flee from it. She was left just... Laying in bed. Breathing. Existing. She couldn't move her arms, or leave her room- every movement felt like horrible searing pain. Like fire in her veins. From the demon chakra fighting in her system.
She lay there for hours. Throughout the night- just laying there. She couldn't sleep with the sanbi awake- she didn't think she ever would. She wondered if she would die from never falling asleep- wouldn't the exhaustion do it? She already felt like she couldn't go on anymore. It could be anytime now.
Dying seemed like a pretty nice thought. Not having to feel the sanbi inside her... It sounded Like a good option now. Just ceasing to exist- not having to feel or think- or- or anything-! God, she just wanted it to stop! She didn't want to hear the growling anymore! She didn't want to feel it under her skin! She wanted her childhood back- she wanted her body back. She didn't want to feel so... Broken... Anymore.
Was this what other jinchuuriki felt like? How many others were there? Could she ever... Meet one? Somebody like her? Or was she the only one. What if all the others killed themselves because they couldn't handle it. What if jinchuuriki died at a young age-? at least then she wouldn't have to be like this for long.
A soft tapping at her door reached her ears. It wasn't the first visitor, after her parents, but the sound still jarred her.
God, she just wanted to disappear. Maybe her visitor was coming to end her suffering finally. If she couldn't beat one night of being a human container, how could she handle for a lifetime?
She didn't turn her head to watch the intruder enter. They padded across the room quietly enough, lighter than dad but heavier than shin. It definitely wasn't mum- unless mako turning into a demon somehow fixed her legs.
(A little voice in the back of her mind whispered that everything would just be better if she was never born. She agreed with it.)
"It has been two days since you ate, child." The intruder said, gently placing a bowl on her nightstand.
Mako blinked, moving her eyes away from the dish. Why eat to prolong the inevitable?
The intruder sighed, and mako felt her bed dip as they sat down next to her. "Your parents are worried about you. Why didn't you talk to them when they visited?"
Mako lowered her eyes, focusing on the pale sheets of her bed. They had a fancy inlay that looked like waves. She filled her mind with bright swirling whitecaps as the visitor reached out to tout his her hand. It was cold- like ice- compared to makos blazing hand. She wanted to jerk away from their touch, but grit her teeth instead.
"Sango has been stress-knitting again... I don't know what we're going to do with it all if she keeps up like this," they laughed, nothing like the airy sound her aunt used to make.
She didn't know if she should feel bitter towards Suiren now. Knowing she was a part in her sealing definitely soured her feelings towards her... She actually believed that getting the three tails was worth her life- that it was worth leaving shin alone forever. Mako couldn't forgive her for that. But... It wasn't like she would see her aunt again.
"It started snowing last night," the intruder said thoughtfully, looking at the curtained window in her room. "Maybe when you start feeling better you and shin could build a snowman... I can ask this afternoon."
Mako rolled her head over to look at her grandmother. "I don't want to see him."
Hinode looked mildly surprised she got a response. "He's been asking about you all day," she frowned. "He's worried something's wrong with you."
"Something is wrong with me." Mako muttered, staring up at the ceiling again. "I'll just end up killing him or something."
Her grandmother was silent for a few moments. "...do you feel as though the seals will break?"
"Constantly." Mako murmured, digging her head deeper into her pillow. It was cool against her blistering skin. "It's... Always trying to break out."
"It'll stop eventually." Hinode reassured, placing her freezing hand on mako's. "You'll adjust after time."
"-stop that." She snapped, jerking her hand away. The muscles in her arm burnt as she moved it, and she gingerly set it back against her side, cringing as she did so.
"I- sorry, dear." She apologized, taking her hand away and scooting back a bit to give her more space. It was appreciated.
Sanbi prodded its cage once more, letting out a deep moan from the depths of its cage.
Mako stiffened, hands digging into the fabric of the bed. The hair on her arms stood on end and she waited for the noise to die down before she even attempted to understand what her grandmother was saying.
"-after so little time has passed," she stopped, seeing mako struggle with her seal. "...can you lift up your shirt for me, my dear?"
With great effort she did as she was told. The fabric felt so delicate in her hands- like she could rip it to sheds at any moment. With so much demon chakra in her... She could rip a lot more things than just cloth...
"Hmm... Not as strong as I would've liked. " Hinode muttered as she observed the seal on mako's stomach. The ink bent and twirled as the sanbi swam about inside her. "May I?" She asked, her hand hovering above the seal.
Mako jerked her head, trying to drown out another moan from the monster inside her.
As Hinode placed her cold hand on her seal, she lit up her palm with chakra- prodding at her work more efficiently than she would've been with a brush or her own fingers. The dark ink lit up a bright blue when disturbed. Mako shuddered again as the three tails rolled in its cage.
"I think I'm going to throw up again-" mako moaned. Was this what it was like to get seasick? Poor shin.
"You can't afford to lose the water- here," Hinode took one of her hands off her stomach and shoved a cup towards mako. "Drink it. You need to eat too- it isn't good to starve yourself like this."
"I don't want to feed it." Mako muttered, looking down into the cup.
Her grandmother sighed, finally leaning back and leaving her seal alone. Mako's stomach quieted down slightly, the sanbi still rolling about in its prison, but less disturbed now.
"Your parents would be very sad if you died," Hinode said carefully. "Shin too, I expect. You are his best friend, after all."
Mako pursed her lips. Wasn't shin... The reason she did all of this in the first place? What if it was him suffering in bed like this, wanting to die?
"After losing both his parents," grandmother murmured, "you, Sango and Ichigo are all he has left."
Mako frowned. "He has you and... Grandpa..."
Hinode shook her head. "The two of us can't fill the space his parents left- your parents might not replace them, but it's a close enough fit." She sighed, smiling slightly. "Besides, you act more like his sister than any cousin I've met."
"Like... A sister?" Mako repeated. When she thought about it, shin was everything she imagined a brother would be like. And this way... It was almost like her family was adopting him. Mako looked down at her water again.
"Drink it," Hinode growled, pushing the cup up to her face. Mako had no choice but to do as she was told.
It wasn't much, but in the end mako was chugging down a second glass and the food her grandmother had brought earlier was long gone. Her grandmother sat triumphant, smiling down at mako in her little victory.
"This doesn't change things." Mako muttered as she shoved her dishes away.
"Perhaps," Hinode allowed. "But it's a start. I'll be back later with your lunch, this afternoon, unless you want a snack sometime?" She asked, clearly wanting her granddaughter to say yes.
Mako frowned. "I'll be fine." She insisted, waiting for the woman to finally leave her alone. Not only had she broken her silence, but she had been tricked and guilted into eating. Pathetic.
Hinode rose from the bed to pad across the room. Mako noticed almost immediately the way her grandmother swayed slightly- and she nearly jumped out of bed to catch her when the elderly woman lurched and caught herself on the wall, her frail arms keeping her from falling to the floor.
"Grandma- what's wrong- are you alright??" She asked quickly- sitting up in her bed.
"I'm... Fine, thank you dear," Hinode grimaced, before pushing off the wall and straining up. Her face was paler- her eyes slightly unfocused. "I'll see you soon, child." She said, giving her a final forced smile before leaving.
Mako stared at the door for a while, trying to make sense of what just happened. Here her grandmother was- strong, unshakeable, experienced- finding to difficult to cross a room without nearly collapsing. Was it something to do with the sealing? Surely Hinode hadn't been this weak beforehand... Had sealing the bijuu in her granddaughter made Hinode sick? Could someone contract sickness from a tailed beast? And did her grandfather have it too?
Not that mako would miss the guy terribly if he died, but her parents probably would mourn his loss. The clan probably would too, since he was their leader or something. Clan head? Titles weren't that important to mako.
Still, if something bad happened to grandmother.... No, it wouldn't. Mako shook the idea out of her head. Their clan was great at sealing and medicine, somebody would figure some thing out. If they couldn't, then Hinode could just sit and knit with mum all day, and they could keep each other company. And maybe then mako could finally get a full-body knitted bodysuit. Man, wouldn't that be cool?
----
The next few days she spent in her room as well, although mako had been itching to go outside and let the cool air breeze over her feverish skin. When she was bedridden, she had barely noticed how her skin had reacted to the heat of the demon chakra- other than how hot it had become. What she now found was that, during the sealing, she had acquired a collection of welts and burns from where the chakra seemed to ooze out...or something. Mako wasn't exactly sure if chakra could ooze at all, but the burns were there and she couldn't quite explain them all. She had marks on her wrists, from where she was held down, and she had similar ones on her ankles as well. On her stomach, where the hands of her grandparents had been, were ten little welts, in the shape of two hands. Five larger and more spread out than the other. From her grandparents, most likely. She wondered if their fingered were similarly scarred. It was horrifying to think that the heat of the demon chakra could melt a person's fingerprints right into someone else's skin- and mako tried really hard not to run her own fingers over the welts. She hoped they would go away soon.
Other burns were harder to explain. Like the ones on the outer sides of her calves and the inner areas of her thighs. Some burns followed where she imagined veins and arteries would be, while others were completely random. Most of them were focused on her hands and feet, and while they didn't hurt her so much when she tried walking or picking things up, they were sore and the skin was always uncomfortably hotter than the rest of her. It lead to some strange sleeping arrangements, since she just couldn't leave her feet exposed in the night (because monsters might get them) and she always wanted to tuck her hands under her pillow for support, which, after a while, resulted in really sweaty hands and a gross pillow.
It wasn't as though she slept at night still- it was much more like she fell into a calm sort of state where her mind fell into a dull buzz with her eyes closed. The sanbi was beginning to show signs of stopping it's prodding at her, but every time it did, it jolted her awake once more. At this point of exhaustion, the sanbi resembled a bad case of hiccups compared to what she felt a few days ago. If she kept awake, maybe the beast would just give up completely and die from boredom.
It was a completely sound plan, and it most definitely would have worked too if her grandmother hadn't noticed and put her to sleep with chakra. Cheating, really. If Hinode wanted mako to do what she wanted, she would have to ask next time- mako had put extra effort into snubbing the elderly lady the next few meetings. It didn't matter if she was sick, using chakra on her without her consent was breaking her trust in the woman, especially since mako had tried really hard not to hate her for having a part in her sealing.
She had only slept for a few hours, but even that was enough to make the three tailed more lively when she was eventually prodded awake. It hadn't been gentle either. She had woken up with a lurch so violent it made her sick, to the point where she was throwing up all over again. It wasn't as bad as when the sealing had finished, but her throat was red and raw once more, and the taste of bile wouldn't go away, no matter how many times she brushed her teeth.
She had seen her parents twice since she started talking. The first time she was quiet and withdrawn, she didn't want to look her parents in the eyes and tell them that she didn't want to exist anymore, for fear of what they might say. They were happy she was talking and recovering, and just so damn supportive of her it made her chest hurt. They almost made her feel like everything was going to be okay in the end, like the sanbi didn't exist and she was still their little girl. It didn't matter though, because the three tailed most definitely was inside her and they couldn't do a thing about it now.
The second time they visited, she all but shoved their well wishes and support in their faces. Who were they to tell her that things will get better in the end? She was a monster- the living container of a sea monster. Nothing they could say would ever make up for the fact that she was doomed to a life of fire and chaos. The only thing that could ever make things right would be her death, killing the sanbi along with her. When she told them this, her mother had all but stormed out, if she could have that is (another cause of mako’s dreadful existence- robbing her mother of her ability to walk, as if Mako didn't remind herself enough of this fact). Father was quiet and held Sango back before the two of them left, mako telling them she didn't want to see them for a while.
It was harder being alone, with nothing to distract herself from the sanbi. She couldn't spend entire days in bed anymore now, since she had so much more energy than before. So, she spent a majority of her time running around in circles in her room. She needed to burn off the energy, and it didn't hurt to get stronger with a giant target painted on her back, right? She even tried doing a few push-ups, and was terribly annoyed that she didn't at least have abs after an hour of intense exercise. The world was a cruel, hard place to live in to say the least.
She even thought about asking her grandparents to teach her how to use chakra, since she probably would need to at some point. She didn't though, because that would mean addressing the fact that she also had... Demon chakra in her, and she really really did not want to use that. Not when she was just recovering from her first big dose of it, right into her soul... Or body.. Or... Whatever.
Really, was the sanbi sealed inside her body, or was it inside her soul? Or was there something even deeper than that? Like.. Her chakra? Was chakra something other than her soul or was it generated from the same thing? Where ghosts just some sort... Of chakra thing??? Did that mean they were real? What about the afterlife- of spirits and death gods? We're they all real and tangible or did she just have to have blind faith that they existed, even if she never saw them? Did she have to choose?
Why... Was she thinking about this...
The thing was, mako was a really curious person by nature, and not knowing important stuff like this was driving her half-crazy. Being stuck in the same room for the past two weeks probably didn't help either, but man, what she wouldn't do to go outside and cool off.
The little glass window in her room was the one thing mako looked at now. It was just so nice and cool against her skin when she pressed her face up against it...
Hold on a second. She was a goddamn jinchuuriki- she could leave whenever she wanted. Least of all her room. What.. Was stopping her from.. Just reaching out and hopping out the window...?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. Maybe someone would get worried she was gone, but really, who could blame her for wanting some fresh air and a change of scenery??
Mako quickly scampered across the floor to the window. She unlaced the little metal clasp, and immediately, she could feel the cool winter air on her face- but a little breeze wasn't enough. She wanted out.
She was on the second floor she discovered, looking at how far down the ground was. Everything was covered in a thick blanket of snow though, so... Would it be safe to jump? It wasn't like... It would hurt her, right? It was just snow. A lot of snow too- shed just land softly, dust herself off, and be on her way. It was a good plan, really. Mako just needed to find some way to get back inside once she did it. No way was she climbing up the side of her house in the middle of the wintertime. That was just crazy. Jumping out of a second story window to play in the snow though, that was a good idea.
She braced herself as she carefully opened the indie farther and stuck both her legs out. Snow fell and began melting on her bare feet, and she wiggled her toes as she watched more powdery snow fall outside. Falling wouldn't hurt that much, right?
She took a final breath, gripping the window with both hands, before she pushed off and began falling down, down, down towards the snow-
She landed harder than she though, and all the air quickly rushed out of her lungs in a great whoosh. The snow had caught her, but she had sunk deeper than she thought- and had ended up with everything up to her shoulders buried in snow.
"This- this is unbelievable." She wheezed as she tried to get her arms unstuck. Having the breath knocked out of her was Not Fun.
It took some work, but she eventually crawled out of her little hole after several minutes of solid digging before she got out. It helped that she was a living furnace for the moment, since the snow seemed to melt away from her.
Once she was up and free of her snowy prison (ironic, since mako was a prison herself) she trudged her way into the forest behind her house. The trees were coated in powder and she almost smiled to herself as she pulled on branches every so often, making little avalanches.
The whole forest was quiet while she walked- completely and utterly asleep while the snow kept coming down. It was twilight- the time when the world quieted down and people went back into their houses to have supper. She wasn't... Hungry herself... Really... But she appreciated the thought of her family sitting down to eat, her cousin probably piling his plate far too high, while Hinode scolded him for trying eat too much. Mother would elbow her and tell her to let him eat while dad would sit calmly, observing everyone even though it looked like he was focused on his own food. Grandfather.... He wasn't a part of mako's happy family thought. He was cold and mean and- she decided- grandfather would be eating outside in the cold. Yes, out in the cold where he felt bad and said he was sorry for being mean to everyone.
Her aunt and uncle were there eating too of course- happy and alive and making sure shin was happy. In a lot of ways, her vision was exactly like what her old life was when she was younger- plus an exiled grandpa.
Her glasses had fogged up during her walk, and she stopped to wipe them off on the hem of her shirt. She was thankful that she didn't end up losing them when she fell, though she had to do some searching to actually find them in the first place. One of the lenses was still cracked down the middle, and she had to be especially careful she didn't pop out the broken pieces and lose them in the snow. There was no way she would ever find them again until the snow melted, and that would take months. Water country was always cold and wet, and wintertime lasted twice as long as most seasons- though, according to mum, there were other countries in the world that were snow all the time, regardless of what time of year it was. Some places in wave even stayed cold all the time, and it blew her mind. Imagine, a winter wonderland all the time? Sure, travelling in the snow was godawful, and being freezing cold was dreadful, now that she had her own heater, it didn't matter as much. She could stay out in the cold all she wanted, and didn't have to worry about freezing!
The three tailed prodded at her once more, and she had to pat her seal to make it quiet down. Yeah, sure, maybe there were good things that came out of being a human container. Maybe. Being warm didn't mean she wanted to be a jinchuuriki forever. She would gladly trade it for a good blanket or a cup of tea. But, unfortunately, that was not how the world worked.
She brushed through the thickest part of the forest to a little clearing. Sitting down in the centre, she decided to make a little snow version of herself. She stacked a few balls of snow together to make something that resembled... A few balls of snow together. Mako frowned, adding eyes and digging up some rocks to make a mouth.
Snow-mako looked up at her with a tortured expression, as if all it wanted was to be kicked over and forgotten as a horrible, horrible mistake against nature.
She made a shin snowman next to it, putting pieces of bark on for eyes. She made a mouth out of the stem of a leaf, and snow-shin looked... Rather repulsed, sitting next to snow-mako.
The two snow copies looked absolutely dreadful sitting next together. So much so that she kicked them both over to spare them from having to exist.
In truth, she really did capture her own contempt for life and shins depression. Maybe she really was an artist after all. She was debating weather or not she should bring them back to life when she heard the sound of sticks snapping somewhere out in the woods.
Should she hide? Was it someone looking for her? Would she get in trouble for being out like this? Should she really... Care now? She had a monster sealed inside her. Nobody with half s brain would dream of hurting her, right?
"Who's there??" She asked defiantly, standing up in the the snow.
She could hear someone crashing through the snow and branches before she saw anyone-
The first person who made it to her was one of grandfather's guards. "Jinchuuriki- you are not permitted to leave the compound-"
She flinched at the words, drawing away from the blonde haired- pink eyed man. "I wanted to go outside, it was-"
He took a sharp step forward, quickly grabbing her arm in a vice-like grip. "Until the clan head allows it, you are to stay in your room until-"
Mako jerked out of his hands, reeling from his touch. Her arm stung, as if she could still feel his fingers. "I don't want to go yet though-! It's been weeks!"
He thinned his lips, his eyes looking right through her. "You resist the will of the clan?" He hissed, taking a step back. "Very well- Ryoshi will be most displeased."
Mako barely had a moment to react before the clansman downed a pill- swallowing it and activating some sort of ability. He ran through several hand seals- far too fast for mako to follow- before raising his hand, and slamming it down into the ground. immediately, something jerked inside mako and she too found herself half buried in the snow.
It didn't matter how much she tried to resist, her arms and legs were too weak to fight whatever power the clansman had over her- the seal on her stomach burned through her shirt, right into the snow, melting it around her. The sanbi rolled and struggled inside its cage- almost suffocating, drowning, as the clansman grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and started dragging her back to the house. Her legs trailed limply behind her, useless.
As they made their way back, several other blonde haired, pink eyed guards found them. "Shun-lee, what's the meaning of this? Is the vessel..?"
Her clansman- the one still dragging her, answered. "It resisted. Tell Ryoshi that we located the host."
"Got it-" one of the men answered, disappearing almost immediately.
"He's going to be so unhappy she got out." Muttered one man, escorting them back. Four others nodded, looking apprehensive.
After a while, mako was slung over someone's shoulders as they walked. It was at a quicker pace, and her head thumped against someone's shoulder blades rhythmically, bruising the side of her head. Her limbs ached again- sore from being useless and in an uncomfortable position, but also from the burns on her arms and legs. Briefly, it was like she was on the sealing table again, with her clansmen holding her down. She almost swore she saw similar burns on some of men escorting her, but it was only for a split second. They started moving faster and she just couldn't keep track of all that movement slung over someone's back.
They got back to the house in less than five minutes, all the lights were on inside and she could see people pacing inside. The group stopped just outside her grandfather's room, and she was (not-so-gently) placed on the ground just as Ryoshi stormed outside.
"Child you have made a dangerous mistake leaving the area." He growled, pink eyes flashing as he did so. "Do you realize how foolish you were? How close you were to handing everything away to the enemy?!"
"I'm sorry- I don't mean to-" Mako quickly felt her eyes water up, ignoring her tears just as she was ignoring the three tails rolling around in its cage. "I just wanted to cool off."
Ryoshi took a sharp step forward, and for a second, she thought he might hit her. He could've- if she didn't have a weapon inside her she could release at a moment's notice. She saw the very same thought run through his head- locking eyes with the old man.
"Frivolity like that will get you and your family killed." He said, cold as ice. "Your status as a jinchuuriki requires you to be more careful- you aren't allowed to simply walk away from your responsibilities, you belong to the clan now." He frowned, narrowing his eyes at her- bright pink as well. "You belong to the clan-" he repeated. "-to serve and protect it will your life. You are nothing without them, you have no future- do you hear me?" He hissed, grabbing her chin and dragging her closer- his fingernails digging into her skin.
"I- I- yes." She hiccuped, hating that he had so much power over her.
His hand moved from her chin to the top of her head, pushing her face down until her forehead was on the ground- bowing before him. "You will never exist outside the clan."
"I will never exist outside the clan-" she repeated, empty and hollow inside. She chanced looking up at him once more- but had her head shoved down again. She could hear Ryoshi pacing in front of her.
"You'll return to your room." He said, still pacing as she pressed her nose into the floorboards. "I'll put this past us-" he said stopping suddenly, "-if you No longer bring shame to the clan. Tomorrow you'll be up before dawn, to train. As you will be for the next day, and the next. You'll be trained to protect the clan and what it stands for- understood??" He said, pulling her up to his face by the roots of her hair.
She had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out as he tore out locks of her hair. "I- yes-! I understand grandfather-"
"You will address as me by my title, vessel. I am not your grandfather anymore." He hissed. Mako could feel his breath wash across her face, and she felt her skin crawl.
"Y-yes, Ryoshi- sir- clan head." She fumbled, wanting to tear herself away from him. Eventually, he dropped her, letting her crumble to the floor. Her legs were numb- utterly useless.
"Bring her to her room." Muttered Ryoshi, instructing two blonde haired clansmen to pick her up and carry her back.
Mako hung limp in their arms as they padded back to her bedroom. They tossed her back onto her bed and promptly left her to herself once more- locking the door behind them once more. Mako's eyes drifted over to the window she had left through, to see it bolted shut, and price of plywood covering up her small window of the outside world.
In bed once more, the container of the three tails curled up in her sheets, and wished she could disappear.