Summary: There was a reason why the only bird summons seen were Uchiha Itachi's crows and Madara's falcons, and there was a reason why there aren't passed down to their clan. With the symbol of a mirroring, sharp kanji for human tilted ever so slightly beside each reflection, and a small, empty diamond in the middle, the Torijima Clan remains unseen from the rest aside from a few appearances that nobody is sure if it's real or not. Until a certain Senju comes, of course.

Warnings: AU, Oc-Inserts, General Ninja World Violence, Slash, Het, Hashirama's Shenanigans, Bird Habits, Canine Habits, The Curse of Hatred (and why it's called as such), Izuna (because he deserves a label of his own), Clan Politics, War Shit, Language, etc.

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, the founders would end up with each other, Izuna wouldn't die, Kurama and Mito would become BFFs (because, come on, Mito's a BAMF kunoichi for pete's sake!), The Uchiha's wouldn't Die, they would actually Talk, More Background Story for the Other Clans (like the Hyuuga, Sarutobi, Kurama), and the Second Ninja War wouldn't happen.

The cover image is mine, though.

Torijima Hinako was five when she became an older sister, and she was five when she fell in love with her little brother.

(Kaa-san and Tou-san can laugh all they want. At least Ake-nii and Gure-nii understand. Even if they looked a bit teary-eyed like kaa-san and tou-san were when her otouto was born.

Adults were weird.)

Torijima Yoru was a mere fledgeling when he came to the world one February night, which was why tou-san found it fitting to name him Yoru.

(Hinako thinks he's being silly again, but kaa-san confirms the fact that Ake-nii was born at dawn, while Gure-nii was born at dusk, and she was born in the day.

Then she asked if her and tou-san were born on the sun and the moon, to which kaa-san laughed at, much to her confusion.

What? It was a perfectly reasonable question!)

Yoru was tiny, and pink and always cried. But he becomes quieter in the night, when kaa-san would feed him her milk and tou-san came home from another bout of hunting, with Ake-nii and Gure-nii not too far away.

Tou-san would always nuzzle kaa-san's neck first, before preening her pretty light yellow hair (Gure-nii said it's called white-blonde or platinum blonde, but Hinako didn't care. Kaa-san's hair was still pretty). Then he'd kiss hers and Yoru's foreheads, and her older brothers would do the same to them while she tried to convince Ake-nii to pretty please, let her play with his wings?

(Ake-nii always complies, and Gure-nii calls him a 'pushover'.

Then Ake-nii pushes him off the Nest and gets the last laugh)

Ake-nii's wings are broad and brown, almost bronze with a smattering of white and light brown. One of his wings is easily two feet taller than Hinako's four feet of height, and is wider than the hole that gives entrance to their Nest. Hinako likes Ake-nii's wings, because he lets her ride on his back as he flies around when the other flightless humans go to sleep, his golden eyes letting him see even in the dark.

Gure-nii would then huff and obligingly sit down in front of her, back bared and wings unfurled. Hinako would always tut and scold Gure-nii from not taking care of his wings like Ake-nii tries to (emphasis on tries), and start combing through the mess of chocolate brown, dark brown, and some white. Gure-nii's wings are large, too. But not as large as Ake-nii's. But that's because Ake-nii is three winters older than him and flies more than Gure-nii.

Gure-nii likes building things whenever he has free time. He'd visit the nearest village and buy or trade some fruits or feathers or meat and bones for whatever he needs to make his things. His green eyes are sharp for those kind of supplies.

Never Nests, though. Gure-nii's not yet ready for making a Nest with his mate.

But Hinako's not worried, not even when Ake-nii is already dancing in the air for a girl in the Flightless Clan (somebody called Midori, but Hinako doesn't care about that. She'll meet her soon enough), or when tou-san is already planning to give the position of Clan Head to him or Ake-nii. Because Gure-nii knows what he's doing, and Gure-nii is smart like that.

(If Hinako follows him one day to the neighboring village and sees him hand a boy about three years younger than him a dreamcatcher with his feather on it, well. Who's she to tattle about the prospective mate he's claimed?)

Yoru is still so small, and his wings aren't showing up yet. Hinako's a bit worried, but kaa-san tells hers that it depends on his wings when it will come out, and Hinako can't help but wait.

(She remembers what it feels like to spread one's wings for the first time, remembers the pure unadulterated glee that sang through her veins as wings of white carried her body along the winds with kaa-san by her side, pride gleaming in her green eyes)

When Yoru first shows his wings, he's four years-old and their brothers have left for a test.

— § —

Unlike other flightless clans, the heir and head would be decided in a series of tests.

They would have to undergo a faux mission to prove their speed, lead a flock back to the Clan's territory to prove their leadership, fight mid-air against one of their greatest warriors to prove their prowess, and spend a week near a flightless settlement to prove their ability to blend in and communicate with those not their kinsmen.

All in all, it was a rather daunting two weeks.

Ake-nii and Gure-nii had easily completed the first three tasks on the first week, but when it was time for the week-long stay in the Outside, Hinako felt fear grip her heart.

It was an absurd emotion. Had she not seen her brothers train everyday ever since she could distinguish faces and colors?

But the dread still coiled around her stomach, and she could only hope that her fears are unfounded.

(When a falcon comes home instead of her Ake-nii, Hinako cries in vain for the brother she had lost.

Yoru's wails showed that he had felt the missing link in their Brood as well)

— § —

Torijima Yoake didn't care if he became Clan Head or Heir.

And he knew that his twin—Yugure—felt the same as well.

Blowing away a strand of his chestnut brown hair, Yoake sent his temporary neighbor a smile as he greeted them good morning and fixed the straw hat atop his head.

Farming was a tedious job, but was gratifying in the end. Crouching in front of wet fields reaching his ankles underneath the beating sun, Yoake had to fight the urge to use his wings as a shield from the heat more than once, and it was humbling to learn that the flightless—other people did this hard task every month or two.

His cover was a young man in his twenties, being the lone breadwinner for a family back in the far East, and have come to the small village of Momiji to find work.

The people were immediately taken by his earnestness (that was in no way faked) and looks that he was given a job almost on the spot, the only thing stopping them was the fact that he had no place to stay.

A few had slyly offered their own homes with a coy smile, but one mention of his ma—fiancee was enough to bat away any advances. Much to the other men's amusement.

(He wonders how Midori was doing, and if she was settling in their Nest well without him)

They taught him how to use a hoe to plow on the fields, then they taught him how to ride a carabao so that they could plow the fields.

(He guesses that it was something of a rite of passage for newbie farmers. That, or they had a really twisted sense of humor. Which, if it were the latter, was not appreciated. At all)

He met all of the people of Momiji (the village was small enough to be possible), mingled with the merchants that passed by (and put Yugure's teachings into good use), drank with some of the older farmers (sake tasted… weird. But in a good way. No way was he bringing any home, though. He was lucky enough that everybody was too tired to see him fly around drunk), gossiped with the elderly ladies (who loved to pinch his cheeks and shower him with treats), and generally had a fulfilling week with them. Even if he did want to stretch his wings every now and then.

He was on the last day of his quota, and was such packing his belongings (which have grown from the many farewell gifts they have given him), when a cry of pure terror reached his ears and he ran out of his hut to see—

A complete set of armor on the man's person as he cut down a person, blood staining his katana before moving on to the next victim.

(Himuro-san was a nice old man waiting for his daughter to come love with him as soon as Summer comes.

Now he's lying in the pool of his own blood because he's deadeadeadead—)

—chaos.

Yoake knew that he should leave, leave and never turn back. But then he sees little Yomi-chan crying over the fallen body of Daichi-san (she always gave him flowers from one of her walks, and Daichi-san would often tease him about his courting his daughter—), sees Emiko-san wail as she tries to staunch the wound on her beloved's stomach (they reminded him of the couples back at Home, sweet and fiercely loyal), sees Jin-kun struggle against a flightless two times his size and—

(Jin-kun who reminds him strongly of his Yo-kun, with his random spurts of energy and wide, toothy grins.

Jin-kun who had his arm cut off and filled with redredredreDredrEd—)

He's gotten attached. Woefully so.

And with eyes blazing an unforgiving shade of hold, Yoake lets out a piercing cry that reached the heavens as he tore off the vermin's throat off with his claws.

— § —

A few hours later sees Yoake kneeling in the middle of a massacre, a macabre scene with intestines and lungs and kidneys ripped around him.

The other villagers have already fled when he shouted them to, though a few stubborn ones had to be knocked unconscious because they were stupid and reckless and—

("There's no way we'd leave you to die here!")

—they've gotten attached. Just like he has to them.

Wings finally out from his skin, the tips of his feathers looked almost black from the bloodbloodblood of his prey that have fought till their end.

(Useless, really. He was a falcon, after all. One trained by a proud eagle and raised by the fastest pigeon in her own right)

He was victorious. Of course, he was. But the gaping hole on his stomach was too much, and he, too, fell on the remnants of his enemies.

Looking at the mockingly clear sky, he idly thought that it was the perfect weather for flying, and that Hinako-chan would've love to join him—

Oh.

His family.

How could he forget?

"Fuck," escaped him, throat bruised from a lucky punch one of the bastards managed to land.

His mind whirls in the few (too few) options he has to send word about his coming demise, and was at his wit's end when he feels someone approach.

The chakra (a strange variation of the energy his kind could feel all around them) was a fiery flame, one that was roaring in disbeliefhorrorgrimresignation.

It was also, so very, very small.

Footsteps sounded against the earth, and Yoake tilts his head to see who the newcomer was.

He didn't expect it to be a child. One that didn't look older than his own imouto by a few years.

"Hey," he greets, like he wasn't dying and covered in blood from head to toe. The look he receives (surprisewarinessfearanticipation) is enough of a sign that he looked awful, and he can't help the chuckle that bubbled out from his chest.

"I know, I look hideous, don't I?" No response, but that was because the boy's eyes were trained to the wings laid flat on his sides for the whole world to see. It was somewhat nice to see such an awe-filled expression on a child soldier's (a child! What were these flightless warriors thinking!?) face, but he was running out of time and he needed his assistance.

"Don't mind the wings, gaki," he says, and receives an almost instantaneous glare for his insult. It looked adorable on his face, war-stricken as it was. "I need you to do something, yeah? Just a little task for a dying man."

The boy's face turns somber then, before steeling into one of indifference if it weren't for the slight tug on the corners of his lips.

Yoake smiled (how old was he? To be able to need to hide his emotions?)

"Do you see the satchel near me?" A nod. "Take out the red scroll there, and place a bit of my blood on the seal to make it open."

There was a movement outside of his vision, and the telltale sound of a seal breaking entered Yoake's sensitive ears as an air of life washed over him.

"You see my name there?"

A moment of silence, and then, "Torijima Yoake?"

"Yeah, write your name down there with your blood. No need to show me."

Another instance of quietness, and the boy grunted to signify he was done.

Yoake closed his eyes.

"Now, I'm going to repeat a set of handseals, and when you have it down, mould your chakra with each handseal and slam your palm on the ground after, okay?"

"Wha—"

"Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram. You got it?"

"Yes, but—"

"Can you do it for me now? Because I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to see black spots in the sky."

He could feel more than hear the boy curse, as he followed his instructions and placed his palm on the ground, sending his chakra down and—

A cloud of smoke, and suddenly Yoake was standing face-to-face to the boy with wide, black eyes and a mane of messy, dark hair.

"You—Where?—What—"

Yoake pecked him on the forehead, trilling in amusement as he squawked in indignation.

It was strange, becoming a pure falcon. But he couldn't feel his injury now, and it was a needed sacrifice if he wanted to say goodbye to his family.

"May I have my summoner's name?"

The boy—his master startled, no doubt shocked by the voice in his head, before answering more by reflex than understanding his question,

"Madara."

Yoake nodded. "Well then, Madara. Congratulations, you are now the first summoner of the falcon summoning contract. And while I would love to explain to you what your newest title entails, I would like to visit my family first, if you'd please."

Madara dumbly nodded, and Yoake let out a chirp of gratitude before spreading his wings and went off.

(When Yoake comes back, tired and weary but with a lighter heart after exchanging farewells to his kin, he sees Madara talking to his father, and stays perched on a branch just outside the open window, cleaning his feathers while he listened.

When Uchiha Tajima—Clan Head?—leaves, he moves his perch on Madara's head instead, and relishes the surprise yelp that followed his action.

"There you are! I was worried about you, and chichi-ue was asking about your presence a while ago!"

Yoake huffed. "Well, if he was a decent hunter, he would've felt me outside fifteen minutes ago."

Madara protested, saying how it was natural for somebody to not take a falcon into account, while Yoake brushed off his attempts of defending his father.

"So?" Yoake started. "What's this war against the 'Senjus' that I am hearing about?"

Madara tenses, and he grits his teeth. "Our clans have been in war for as long as I can remember, and they have killed as many as we have. Perhaps even more."

Yoake hums, adjusting his hold on the 'nest' Madara's hair served as. "Have either called a truce yet?"

"Truce?" Madara snorts in disbelief. "What truce? Why would we even agree to something as stupid as that—Aaack!"

"A truce is something needed during a war," Yoake scolds, releasing his summoner's nose. "Something that needs to be made if you were to wish peace."

"How can there be any peace? They've killed our young. They've killed my brothers."

"And your kind has killed theirs," he refuted. "Tell me, has your leader even tried?"

The silence was telling, and Yoake couldn't help but sigh.

He wouldn't become Clan Head, but he would have to play Advisor to this Heir, isn't he?)

A/N: I'm on a rolll! Hehehe…

The Torijima Clan is in no way Canon to any of the Naruto Franchise, and I own those little chicks so no touchy. Unless you ask permission and I give it, then we're cool.

I have another Naruto fanfic (To Hell And Back), but I'm going to publish all of the plotbunnies in my head first before updating any of them. So it's gonna be taking a looong while. And I have exams tomorrow, too… OTL

Tori – bird

Jima – island

Hinako – sun/day (Hi), green (Na), child (ko)

Yoru – night

Yoake – dawn

Yugure – dusk

Momiji – maple