Connection Between Puppets and Plants

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

A faint sound of a ticking noise of the clock was heard in the middle of the classroom. The only sound which was noticeable other than the explanations from the teacher.

Tick, tock, tick, tock

You listened to the sound of it. It grew louder and louder every second, every minute, resulting in deafening your ears. The teacher's voice decreased gradually, until it slowly ceased along with the raised sound of the ticking clock.

Tick, tock, tick, tock

"Haruka..."

Tick, tock, tick, tock

"Haruka..."

Tick, tock, tick, tock

"SHOKUBUTSU NO HARUKA!"

You snapped out of your trance in instance, the ticking noise immediately vanished from your previously deafened ears. Turning your gaze back to the front of the class, your face tensed up when you saw your teacher was glaring daggers down at you.

"Haruka, you should pay attention to the lesson, instead of the clock." He said.

"Gomen ne, Satoshi-sensei..." you murmured quietly, avoiding his gaze.

He exhaled deeply before turning his attention back to the other students. "Well then, can any of you tell me more about the history of your clan?" he asked.

One of the students raised his hand, no, both of his hands high in the air. The teacher looked at the other students, hoping that one of them would raise their hand instead of this hyperactive boy. He shook his head slowly when none of them did, and glanced back at the over-excited boy who sat in the very front row of the class. "Yes... Kimi?"

"KIMI RAIKKICHI!" the boy corrected.

"Hai, hai... Kimi Raikkichi..." the teacher sighed, attempting to regain his composure.

The boy lowered his hand and smiled brightly at the teacher. "Kimi Raikkichi has a plan, how about Haruka-chan tells us more about her clan!" he chattered happily, making the whole class stared at you in a waiting manner.

"..." you opened your mouth to say something, but didn't manage to get anything out from it. After all, you didn't know a single thing about your clan.

You prayed for the bell to ring, so you could escape from the damned room as soon as you can. But you didn't dare to look at the clock, since you knew it was still 30 minutes away until the bell finally rang.

Suddenly, the red-headed puppeteer raised his hand, making all the students and the teacher turned their attention to him

"I believe Satoshi-sensei has chosen you to tell us about your clan, Raikkichi." He stated plainly.

"KIMI RAIKKICHI!!!" the idiotic boy yelled in response.

"Oh, so sorry about that, Raikkichi..." the red-head said, emphasizing the last word tauntingly.

The class burst out laughing, hearing what Sasori just said. Even the teacher chuckled quietly, attempting to hide it with a cough in vain. You swore that Kimi's f- er... Kimi Raikkichi's face was now bright red, caused by the anger that he held inside his empty head.

"Okay, settle down, class." Satoshi sensei ordered. "Let me just tell you more about my clan then." He continued as the class turned silent again.

He began explaining while the whole class listened to him. You turned to Sasori, who sat in the second row next to you, and muttered a small 'thank-you.' He nodded in return, before both of you decided to pay your attentions back to the teacher's interesting story.

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You were sitting under the giant maple tree, which was located in the center of Sunagakure. You didn't know why, but you had always liked hanging around this huge tree since you were little. As you stared up at the sky above you, you couldn't help but to wonder about your clan.

You looked up when you felt a familiar presence next to you, only to see Sasori staring down at you.

"What are you doing here?" you asked in a rather 'rude' tone.

"Is it necessary to talk like that to the person who had saved your back at the class?" the red head smirked.

"Noo... but I think it's necessary to talk like that to the person whom I have known for 9 years-"

"Ten."

You rolled your eyes when he corrected you. "Okay... ten years." You sweat-dropped. "So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be making puppets or something?"

"No, I did that yesterday." He replied as he took a seat next to you. "Besides... I thought I would find you here, goofing around, like always."

"Aw... I didn't know you miss me that much, Saso-kun!" you said, ruffling his red locks with you hand.

He scoffed. "No, I don't miss you. I just don't have anything else to do, and you usually come out with some crazy ideas to end this boredom." He said, pushing your hand away from his head.

You just laughed a little, but then you turned quiet as you stared at the deserted street in front of you. You leaned your head on Sasori's shoulder, slightly resting on it. He didn't seem to mind, after all, you had always been closed to him since you both were little.

"Hey Sasori."

"Hm?"

"Do you happen to know anything about my clan?" you asked, looking up at him.

He stared back down at you. His cheeks turned a bit pink when he noticed how close he was to your face, but quickly looked away before you could notice it. "What if I do?" he asked back.

"Then you should tell me."

"What if I don't want to?"

You pulled away from his shoulder and scowled at him. "I'm serious, Sasori! You've got to tell me! I really want to know about my clan! My family! Everything!" You exclaimed.

"You should ask your grandmother."

"I did! But she always changed the topic every time I asked her about it!"

Sasori sighed and looked away from you. When he spotted a red maple leaf landing on his lap, he picked it up and placed it in your palm. He closed it with his own, and when you opened it, the leaf had already transformed into a small branch.

"You should know what clan are you from by your ability to control plants." Sasori said. "And obviously, by your last name, and also the name that had been craved on this tree."

"Nani?" you stood up and turned around to look at the trunk of the tree where you had previously rested your back on. There was indeed something written on it. You dusted it with your palm to reveal a familiar name craved on it.

Shokubutsu no Haruka

"THAT'S MY NAME!" you screamed in astonishment, making the red-head cringed at your sudden action. "Look, Sasori! Someone has written my name on this tree! Maybe it's my secret admirer..." you said, batting your eyelashes at Sasori as you whispered the last sentence.

Sasori sighed heavily while shaking his head at you. "It's not written by someone, and it's definitely not written by your 'secret-admirer'." he said, making you pouted in response. "It has been there since the first time you made this tree."

You tilted your head at him, feeling more confused than ever. "Since the first time I what?"

The puppeteer sighed as he stood up from the ground. "Just ask Emmi baa-sama. I'm going home." He said, walking away from you.

"Choto matte kudasai, Sasori! I'm not finished yet!!" you yelled after him, but he only ignored you and kept on walking. "Jerk." You muttered to yourself. Taking one last look at the craving on the tree, you finally turned on your heel and decided to walk back home yourself.

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The 65-years-old Emmi was, once again, sitting in the dining room, taking another sip of her warm cup of tea in her hand, and a book about gardening in her other one, when suddenly; a familiar screaming was heard from the front door. It almost made her choke on her drink. Almost.

"EMMI BAA-SAMAAAAA!" you screamed your lungs out as you arrived back in your house.

Sighing, the old woman placed the cup back on the table and waited as her granddaughter stormed inside the dining room, stopping right in front of her face. "What is it now, Haruka?"

You frowned at her and slammed your fists on the table in front of both of you. "Obaa-sama! You've got to tell me about our clan! NOW!" you yelled.

"Oh, I think I left the stove on. Let me turn it off first-"

"Nice try, obaa-sama." You cut her off, blocking her way to the stove. "Quit changing the subject! I need to know, Obaa-sama! Onegai!" you begged, staring at her right in the eyes.

Giving up, your grandmother exhaled deeply before finally taking a sit back on the previous chair. "Sit down, dear."

You complied and took a seat right in front of her. She looked like she was in a deep thought for a while. She finally opened her mouth to speak after what seemed like an eternity (to you, actually -.-;)

"It all started when the Shokubutsu clan was still living in Hayashigakure..."