The Water Maiden

9

"Ellie!"

"My baby girl!" Mama was the first one to hug me.

"Mama..."

Father, Kazuma, and Mei were even in the room. Surprisingly, my older siblings were concerned. Father, however, held an analytic gaze in my direction. Hiro and his team were there, panting heavily.

"You're finally up. I was so afraid you'd never wake up." Mama was crying, holding my tightly.

"Mama, I can't breathe."

She let go with a smile. "It must have been scary, huh?" I nodded.

"You really saw the nine tails?" Kazuma questioned. His red, short, messy hair still had signs of bedhead.

"I did."

"Why were you there?" Mei asked. She had a similar hairstyle to Kazuma. I wanted to answer, but they wouldn't understand. They'd only ask more questions. Papa smacked the two on their heads.

"Your sister just woke up. Besides, some of this information is secret." The two instantly shut their mouths. Papa stared at me. "Whatever you did there made you a hero. I'll acknowledge your strength and will begin your training as a Kasai." My eyes widened. This was the most he's ever acknowledged me. Even Hiro was surprised. I nodded, not wanting to make a sound. He left with my two siblings.

"Ellie, do you know what this means?" Hiro asked me.

"I'm confused." I confessed quietly.

"That means you'll be able to train with the rest of us. You'll finally have the freedom to go anywhere in the village."

"Really?"

"Now, Ellie, tell me what happened." Mama said in a certain tone. She was using her kekkei genkai.

"I...helped Kushina and Minato seal the nine tails." Their eyes widened.

"You know about seals?!" The three shinobi questioned.

"They didn't have enough strength to do it themselves." I said.

"Kappa." Kyoya said.

I looked at the three. "What?"

"You know about seals?" He asked again.

"Kushina taught me."

"So, are you a seal master now?" Yama asked.

"I'm far from one. I can only do simple things. I only helped them balance their chakra out. I didn't fully complete the seal."

The doctor walked in. "Good morning. I'm glad to see you awake. How is your back?"

"It hurts, but I can deal with it."

"What's wrong with her back?" Mama asked.

"She was partially impaled by the nine tail's claw protecting the fourth's legacy." The doctor walked over and pulled my gown apart from the back. He undressed the wound. Mama was staring. "There's severe burning from the fox's chakra. Your wound shows no sign of healing."

"Water." Mama firmly spoke.

The doctor looked at mama. "Lady Kasai?"

"Put her in water. It'll heal her."

"What? I wasn't aware of this." The doctor said with shock.

"Water speeds up her healing process. Please, put her in some fresh water."