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Ninja Daily: AIC 18

"So, this is what you've been doing for the last month?" Raidou rubbed the back of his neck. "Gotta admit, I was expecting more thumbscrews. And less…" He squinted at the compass Yamato was using to change a detail on his plans- they were adding lateral braces to increase the likelihood of the building making it through a tsunami intact. "Less whatever that is."

Yamato's brow furrowed. "Me too," he admitted, drawing the addition carefully and scratching out a bit of math to figure out what that would do to the load-bearing wall adjacent. He glanced at Terumi, who was probably close enough to hear. "I think that was on the schedule, but there was a change of strategy. Welcome to your indefinite working vacation. Today we're making the first foundation. Are you helping me? I've not been assigned a lot of assistance for some reason. Almost like they don't trust their genin around me."

"That would be hurtful. You're a very trustworthy guy." The older man shook his head. "So, our working vacation, huh?" Raidou's mouth twisted. "That sounds familiar. You spoke to the…." He glanced at their Kiri escort and clearly decided against whatever he had wanted to call Uzumaki-san. "The Godaime Mizukage?"

If Yamato had to venture a guess, he'd say that Raidou had been leaning more towards 'the slightly crazy person' than the term of respect. Or maybe he was projecting. Maybe Raidou had had a perfectly reasonable interaction and she hadn't done anything creepy or abruptly nonsensical in the time they'd spent together. He did notice that the Kiri ninja didn't seem to know Raidou's name yet, so probably not.

"Yes," he answered belatedly. "That's the one. You know, she's been bringing me books." He paused. "From a library in Grass. I'm not sure what to think about that. I didn't know they had an architectural college, to be honest. That seems like a thing that I would know. I'm a little embarrassed that she knew and I didn't."

Raidou paused, probably wondering the same things. How was this person apparently all over the continent? Could that woman actually be the Mizukage, kami, who would have voted for a person like that to rule their country? When had that happened, anyway? Why had she chosen to fight the Yondaime Mizukage in her city and cause so much damage? Why was she pretending to be in Konoha?

Or… the other way around, maybe the one in Kirigakure was the body double or whatever was going on?

He didn't see her frequently enough to say definitively. And one would think that long-term visitors to Konoha would enjoy at least half the scrutiny that long-term visitors to Kirigakure did. Someone should have noticed whatever was going on if it wasn't more convincing in Konoha.

"When I was enjoying the city," Raidou said, dryly side-stepping around the espionage-y truth that all of them knew, "I did hear rumors that the new Mizukage defeated the fourth in battle and sealed away the Sanbi. It all sounded rather heroic. She's pretty directly credited with saving a lot of lives. People get a bit poetic about it."

Well. Actually, that was a pretty good reason to approve of someone's nomination to kage.

But was it true or just propaganda? Terumi's posture didn't change at all, making it impossible to gather any information from a reaction.

"Sealed the Sanbi?" Yamato wondered. "I hadn't heard that bit. You would think that we would know about a seal master of that caliber."

'Jiraiya-sama would, for certain. That could be very useful information. If I can get it out. If they don't kill me once I've outlived my use.'

If she was a seal master, that was probably how she was doing… whatever it was she was doing that allowed her to practically be in two places at once. Was it some type of clone sustained through seals that allowed her to continually feed chakra to it? Or.. Well. The only other explanation he could think of would be some kind of transportation technique. He wasn't an expert, but it was difficult to see how sealing could work to overpower a shunshin or anything like that safely. How had the fourth Hokage's transportation technique worked? There must be some way to do it if he'd done it, but…

Yamato had a horrible, sinking feeling.

It was just… The Uzumaki were supposed to be legendary seal masters, right? And if both the Nidaime and Yondaime Hokage could come up with hiraishin, then maybe it wasn't so crazy to think that a determined Uzumaki could be inspired by them and replicate it, or come up with something similar.

It wasn't- it didn't seem likely, but none of the options he could think of did. If she truly did have an instantaneous travel technique, that would account for the few and odd hours that she seemed to keep in Kirigakure, as well as the surprising amount of autonomy that Terumi seemed to have.

Working with that theory, the most compelling question was why she wanted to be in Konoha so badly that she would delegate reconstruction that she was obviously invested in. That… couldn't possibly be good.

"That's enough gossip." Terumi's voice was hard, but she wasn't looking at them. Was that- was that Kirigakure's rogue jinchuuriki approaching?

Yamato blinked hard, but the well-coiffed man really did appear to match up with his memories.

"Terumi-san," Utakata said, voice cold. "Good morning."

The smile she gave him was equally icy. "You must be very pleased that Mizukage-sama has decided you are fit to assist with something that matters." She indicated Raidou. "Try not to lose track of him, or banish him to the borders while he is in your care."

'That is incredibly unfortunate.' Yamato kept his expression blank throughout the sniping. 'If I'd been the one assigned to Utakata, I would have been out of here weeks ago, and Raidou wouldn't have had to stay and get captured himself. Bad luck.'

The blue-haired young man at Utakata's shoulder shifted uncomfortably, not looking directly at Terumi. Yamato could sympathize a bit. He wouldn't like standing between, say, Kakashi-senpai and Nara Shikaku, if they were acting like this.

Why was Utakata even here? He wasn't a recent deserter- he appeared to have left for personal reasons, not Kirigakure's political maneuverings. So there was no reason that the death of the Fourth would have brought him back into the fold, as far as Yamato could tell.

'Which means that there's something I don't know.'

Well. That was nothing new. Glumly, he watched Raidou leave with the jinchuuriki. They hadn't gone very far before Raidou obviously tried to strike up a conversation, body language friendly and open. He was rebuffed.

'Maybe he'll be able to get something out of Utakata.' Yamato turned his attention back to his work, making sure everything was in order before he would begin actually working with his jutsu. He didn't like the idea of using it for Kirigakure, but they couldn't seal away his chakra if they wanted him to use it. 'Terumi is far too clever for me to learn anything useful from her. But Utakata is younger, and seems less experienced.'

To be honest, one of the most intimidating things about the Godaime Mizukage was the fact that Terumi Mei seemed to take orders from her. He'd never seen Uzumaki-san in a fight, but he knew enough about Terumi to be very, very nervous. What that implied about the holes in his knowledge was concerning.

Really, in this line of work, it was what you didn't know that would make you miserable down the line. For example, what the Kirigakure shinobi didn't seem to know. He hadn't dared ask Raidou what had happened to their third, but he could guess. A guy like that would be halfway to Konoha by now, since the mission had ended with both of the senior members captured.

He couldn't be too smug, or relieved that things would work out. The thing that Yamato didn't know, sadly, was whether their junior member would be reporting to the Sandaime or to Danzo.

XXX

Gai stopped with the chopsticks halfway to his mouth, caught in a rare moment of open calculation. Kakashi glanced over to see what had caught his interest when food was on the line.

Oh.

He leaned over and stole some of Gai's soba on principle. Genma was staring shamelessly through the windows, and it was starting to become incredibly unsubtle. Didn't matter. She wouldn't be able to see in, anyway.

"Oh look, it's your incredibly shifty friend," Asuma said, noting what they were looking at. "The children-hating one."

Kakashi considered expressing his derision for that. "Whose friend?" he asked, legs tense under the table. "She seems to respect Gai a lot more than Genma."

Genma's nose crinkled, but he didn't actually disagree.

Gai practically beamed. "I am pleased to hear of the assessment you overheard! It was quite flattering." But he went back to polishing off his food, giving only a momentary frown when he noticed that he was missing noodles.

"It was suspiciously flattering," He ignored the wounded look Gai shot him. That wasn't what he meant, and Gai knew it.

"It's not exactly a secret that Gai's exceptional with taijutsu, but it's a little odd that some random Kiri-nin would know it off hand," Asuma agreed. His eyes were narrowed in dislike, even though Uzumaki had disappeared into the crowd. "They're isolationists. I know she could have investigated him after her initial confrontation, but the way she acted that first time is… concerning."

"By her behavior, it would not surprise me if she had heard of me before," Gai agreed. His brows were drawn low. "It was done so casually that I did not think to be suspicious when she redirected me from a fight to a race. In retrospect, this does fit very well with her recent admission that she would not like to fight me. It was cleverly done. She reminds me of my very excellent Eternal Rival, in fact."

Kakashi felt his back stiffen.

Asuma choked. Genma threw his head back and actually laughed.

"What."

"It's true," Gai protested, enjoying it just a little. "She is not as Cool and Hip-"

Asuma started laughing too.

"but she took similar postures, and she certainly feels the fire of a competitive spirit!"

"I can see it." Kurenai sat down, back from the restroom. "She does act like Kakashi-san on the clock. Maybe more when he was a little younger- a bit cocky, on edge. Before he mellowed a bit with age."

None of that was at all flattering. He glowered, feeling his shoulders creep upwards.

Kurenai was entirely unaffected. "She uses similar misdirection in conversation, although I think her general attitude may actually be worse than Kakashi-san's."

Asuma stopped laughing long enough to posit, "So, she's the female version of Hatake. Only she threatens her genin a lot instead of ignoring them to read when they irritate her."

Genma made a speculative face. "I really wouldn't be surprised if she was into Icha Icha. She just seems like the type, you know?"

That set Asuma off again.

Kakashi kicked him under the table. When Asuma made a wounded sound and looked over, he was already hiding his face behind a book. "Fascinating," he said, in his least interested tone.

"Do you think it's time to try again?" Genma fiddled with his senbon, picking at his teeth. "For Gai, I mean."

"I don't think there's any reason to wait longer. Our window isn't unlimited." Kurenai casually reached over Asuma and took his tea. "If Genma can't convince her to stay in Konoha, we should gather as much information as possible while we have her in the city. She is a figure of some concern. We should know about anyone who could compete with Gai or Kakashi."

"So, don't challenge her to a spar," Asuma said sensibly, taking Kurenai's cake in retribution. "She'll turn that down. But if you try smaller things- things that she thinks are harmless- you might be able to work her towards something more telling. And you could still learn about her personality and problem-solving to construct a profile."

"I had been thinking the very same thing," Gai said gravely. "I will try in the afternoon, once she has eaten with her team. Is it not noble that she spends so much time with them? It is inspiring."

"Is that what it is?" Kurenai asked under her breath. She didn't exactly approve of pushing your genin into a river. It had appeared to be completely unprovoked.

In Uzumaki's defense, Kakashi had contemplated the same thing many times. And the kid was fine, anyway. His teammates had laughed themselves nearly to hysterics when Uzumaki leaned over the bridge railing and made a rude gesture. It had seemed to help the team dynamic, actually. He was leaving town with Sasuke tonight for concentrated training, but perhaps once they were all together again he could give that a try.

The only hard part would be deciding which genin to dunk. Water might improve any one of them.

"She's got quite the routine planned for them," Asuma pointed out fairly. "She's clearly thought towards advancing their skillsets in a complementary way that plays to each of their strengths. I know she doesn't seem like she's been their sensei for a long time, but-"

"She's an experienced teacher," Kakashi agreed absently, drawn from considering the benefits of pushing each genin in a river. Maybe he'd just soak all three of them. It'd be satisfying. But would it serve the same purpose? Probably not.

Kurenai nodded, conceding the point. "And she's invested, in a way she wasn't just two weeks ago when she came here. That speaks to responsibility, doesn't it?"

"Like she's so used to being in charge that she couldn't help it." Genma leaned back, tipping his chair off the floor. "Maybe I've been trying the wrong tactic by trying to romance her."

"She does seem more interested when you're not acting invested," Asuma agreed. "Casual."

Genma shook his head. "No, not that. I meant that if she's really the type of person who accumulates responsibility wherever she goes, she's gotta be incredibly stressed. She doesn't confide in people- at least, no one here. So what she's been doing with me was just letting pressure out of that toxicity when she's about to boil over. That's why she wasn't interested in the dinner- romance isn't in the cards." He grinned, like a shark. "What she needs is a friend. A controlled release of that stress, by someone close enough to sense when she's weak and prod it out."

"Kami wept," Kurenai said under her breath. She might have rolled her eyes, if she was a less controlled person. "I never want to hear you talk about making friends in that tone again. You sound very strange, Genma-san."

He shrugged. "I think I'm right," he said. "I made romantic gestures, and I tried implying that I could help her by feeding her students and empathizing with them. She doesn't want or need a partner in that, or a love interest. She won't want my help. I think I'd be better off trying something that distracts from all that instead of convincing her that she'd have a support system in Konoha. Or if I let her think that I would take orders from her, but I don't think I'm that good of an actor. It's hard to imagine that she gave up independent work for a village- she's controlling. I'm not sure what Kirigakure offered her, but I hope we can match it."

Kurenai sighed. "I'm choosing to believe that you are not quite this calculating about your interactions with that lovely chuunin in Intelligence. Michiko?"

Genma made a noncommittal sound.

This wasn't a productive area of discussion, so Kakashi laid his chopsticks down. "Come on, Gai." He dug in his back pocket for enough to pay the bill and began meandering to the counter. "Try challenging her again, while I can watch. I've got to leave soon."

"YES!" Gai shot to his feet, and then actually jumped over the table to beat Kakashi to the counter. "That is an excellent suggestion. Surely this time she will accept."

Asuma reached for a smoke, shaking his head. "I know you're not going to let her see you, but that might be interesting," he said amiably. "She was twitchy about your team, and she deliberately spent that time with you in Wave. She wants something from you."

Kakashi gave him a bored look. "Surely you're not implying there's some reason that no woman would spend time with me without an ulterior motive. That would hurt my delicate feelings."

"I'm straight-out saying that," Asuma agreed. "I imply nothing." Then he winced, which was probably Kurenai digging her heel into his foot.

She gave the two leaving a polite smile, resting her chin on her palm. "Good luck."

Kakashi let Gai go ahead once again, being the flashy one drawing attention while he came in a moment later from another direction. Uzumaki had made it back to her training area and was sprawled on the grass. She was clearly in the process of picking up papers to keep them out of view, her attention focused on Gai as if she'd predicted his arrival.

'Is she a sensor? Or did she just react quickly enough that it looked like she knew ahead of time that he was approaching?'

Kakashi tuned out Gai's bellowing in favor of watching the Kiri-nin. The genin were watching Gai with more interest and less incredulity than before, so they weren't entirely hopeless. The pointy-faced one was actually looking a bit unfriendly.

It was Uzumaki's body language that was odd. She seemed comfortable enough around Gai. If he hadn't heard her admit that she was wary of him, he wouldn't know that she considered him anything other than a mildly pleasant acquaintance.

'She didn't categorically deny that she was stronger than Gai when her genin claimed that,' he considered, thinking over what that might mean. 'She just said that he was better than she was at taijutsu and that she doesn't want to fight him. That doesn't mean she thinks she would lose in a fight with Gai. Was she boasting? Or downplaying her abilities to teach her students the lesson about underestimating enemies?'

To be fair to everyone involved, her taijutsu was sharp. He'd not been at his best when they'd fought, but it was still clear to him that she was formidable in that regard. She considered herself a taijutsu specialist- but did that mean it was her only advanced skillset?

"an invigorating test of strength and perseverance!" Gai finished bellowing.

There was a moment of shocked silence, as the genin worked to process the fullness of Gai's enthusiasm. Uzumaki's face was calm, professional, distant.

Until it wasn't. She broke out into an incredulous smile, though her body language didn't warm. "Konoha-san. Do these look like the arms of someone who does more than a hundred push-ups for any reason other than direst necessity?" She pushed up her loose sleeves, revealing the outline of a muscled but slim bicep. Kakashi had seen less muscle on shinobi before- genjutsu and ninjutsu specialists, mostly.

But she absolutely did not look like she could perform exceptional feats of upper body strength.

"I would not presume strength by such a thing!" Gai put his hands on his hips. "I am well aware that the most graceful form can conceal strength. You need not think further than the emitable Tsunade-sama, or indeed, many of my lither coworkers and peers!"

Uzumaki's eyebrows moved up as she made a little pout, seeming to concede that he had a fair point. "Still, I prefer not to."

Gai hummed, which was the first time that Kakashi realized that he had suggested that competition fully expecting it to be rejected. "Then let us do glorious battle with cartwheels! I can do them with perfect form, until-"

"No, thank you," she interrupted, almost sounding bored.

"Jumping jacks! Tic-tac-toe! Janken! Or perhaps we will race-"

Her mouth opened-

"in the trees," Gai finished mischievously, which was a competition hilariously biased towards a Konoha nin. He was hoping she'd pick one of the games, then, and begin to relax.

Uzumaki made a considering sound and tilted her head. "Can't touch the ground, three times 'round?" she asked casually. "I think that the full village circuit would be an enjoyable run. And I've been sitting a lot today."

Kakashi frowned. Was she truly so cocky about her speed that she would agree to a race in an environment where her opponent had such a large advantage? Did she think she could win?

Gai was similarly surprised that she took him up on it, taking a minute to nod in furious agreement. "As you say!" He began stretching. "From the gates."

"Why don't we add a friendly wager," Uzumaki said genially. "Loser brings the others' team lunch tomorrow. I think it's fitting, since you're interrupting mine."

Gai actually flushed, because it was entirely possible that he had failed to notice that Uzumaki was in the middle of eating. He rallied quickly. "Acceptable!"

"We eat a lot," Uzumaki said, and for the first time, Kakashi realized that, actually, she was not being pleasant. This was her retributive streak."And I think that we'd like steak."

Her genin had developed concerning shark-like grins with the crudely sharpened teeth you could expect from Kiri-nin.

She was intending to wreak revenge for being interrupted, possibly because she was well-aware that Gai would continue to return unless she truly put him off.

'She absolutely believes that she will win,' Kakashi realized. His jaw clenched. 'That's… is it arrogant?'

It was not. It was not arrogant, because he knew she would win by the second lap. He wasn't sure how she did it, because he couldn't expend the chakra necessary to keep up in the race without being noticed. But she definitely did something.

He saw it once- she was running neck and neck with Gai, teeth gritted and limbs flying. Then she was simply ahead- no handsign, no chakra rising. She was keeping pace with him and then she was four inches ahead. Gai roared, gained speed, and gradually began to gain ground again, feet pounding.

It wasn't that it was an effortless victory- she was clearly working hard, and he would have said she was exceptionally fast even without…. whatever she was doing.

'And when he catches up, she'll do it again. She's doing that again and again to rub it in. Or maybe so that he can't say she cheated by leaving the route. She'd lose without it, but not by much. I think Gai's setting a personal best right now.'

He waited by the gate, leaning in clear sight with his book up as if he was waiting for Sasuke already. So he was in good position to see the finish. Uzumaki went a good ten meters past the finish line before dropping out of the trees and swinging in a slightly wavered walk towards the city line. Her fingers were trembling, a bit, when she lifted the hem of her shirt to mop at her face. He looked away so she didn't catch him staring.

Gai had barreled a good forty meters past the line in his failed charge to regain the lead, so it took him a moment to make it to the gate.

"Gai-san?" She cut him off before he could begin a speech about the nature of defeat and how he would learn from this experience. "I'm not changing my mind about the steak, but I want ice cream tomorrow, too."

"Are you certain you wouldn't like bath salts instead?" Kotetsu said under his breath inside the gatehouse.

His partner huffed. "Or a hospital stay," he muttered back.

"Those would be good too," Uzumaki allowed. She was too busy trembling and trying to breathe to notice them startle at the fact that they had been overheard at that distance.

Kakashi felt his mouth curve into a humorless smile. That was an interesting piece of information. They'd learned a lot from this.

'And it lends credence to what Genma said earlier- that it seemed like she could hear us on his headset. That means that we can't trust her reactions were as real as they seemed. She could have been feeding us information. And she's almost certainly realized she's under surveillance.'

"Hatake?"

She'd noticed him, and her expression was calculating enough that she'd probably guessed it wasn't a coincidence he was there.

He rallied by waving his book at her. "Afternoon," Kakashi said lazily. "Waiting on a student. So lazy. Late. Very inconsiderate to his poor sensei." Then he went back to his book as if he didn't care in the slightest.

There was a slightly hysterical giggle from one of the gate chuunin.

XXXX

She felt like hell. That was the best run she'd ever had, and she apologized to Hoseki in her mind for even thinking it. But it was true, she'd never ran that hard in her life. By the time she'd started to need that kind of speed, she'd been able to compensate with hiraishin. And she'd done that just a bit today, but only just a little. Just enough to be sure that she'd win.

Aiko stretched again, putting her forehead directly on the cool grass between her spread feet, arms sprawled over head. She pretended not to hear Yuusaku asking Keisuke if they should find a doctor.

Oh, wait. That required a response.

"I'm fine." She turned her head just enough to make the words clear. "I'm going to be recovering for the next two days, but I'm fine. Go back to work. You should be inspired. That's the kind of speed I want you to aim for."

"I would die," Yuusaku said matter-of-factly. "I would rather die. People aren't supposed to do that."

"Work, child."

They went back to working. Or at least they stopped chatting, which, whatever.

"I think I bought us a few days without Gai-san," Aiko said to the grass. "He's only a human, too." That wasn't said with quite as much confidence as she'd like. "He'll take some time to reevaluate and think of a new challenge. If he comes back. Maybe he's done."

She paused.

"Or maybe he'll propose a new challenge when he brings lunch tomorrow," she allowed. It was hard to tell with him. "Anyway, be proud of sensei. I got you a great lunch, I bet. A Konoha nin would know the best places to go, and he seems like he'd be generous in defeat."

She considered getting up. Briefly, she considered dying instead, because it would take less effort. But somehow she managed to pry herself to a sitting position, and then to standing. Aiko surveyed her team. "How is that jutsu coming, Yuusaku?"

"I think I'm going to get it today."

Aiko nodded weary approval. "Good, good." Before he could get too proud, she continued, "That's the first part of the technique I want to teach you. The easy part. The part that when I learned it, I spent about an hour on. I'm a little concerned," she said, words spilling out easily. "Once you're done, I want you to practice your control. I was thinking that running in the trees would be good practice for all of you, actually. It's a good control exercise, and faster travel in this environs. Plus, when else will you get the chance to practice it? If you need to fight a Konoha nin in the trees, you're not in a good place to stop and ask for tips."

"Oh my god," Keisuke said quietly. But no one actually argued, so she considered it good enough.

"Do that after I leave." She somehow picked up her knapsack. Her back was aching. "Until six. Once you all finish your current exercises. I'm going to go shower."

"And collapse?" Ryuusei asked.

Aiko nodded. "That too."

She didn't really remember the walk back to her hotel. It was a little embarrassing, but she was actually tired enough that she couldn't sense her observers. She was definitely not going to finish reading the last of those reports before five. Some of them were just going to have to wait.

A shower helped, a bit. She might have fallen asleep standing there if someone hadn't knocked at the door.

"No," Aiko said mournfully.

The knock came again, a cheery little tap-tapa-tap.

She sighed and turned off the water. She wrung her hair out, and wrapped herself in a towel without actually toweling off. When she opened the door, she immediately realized that she should have expected this.

"Heard you raced Gai." Genma seemed spectacularly amused. "Thought you could use some painkillers, dinner." He held up a brown box, spinning lazily from twine. "Maybe company."

Aiko considered it.

"That's…really thoughtful," she said slowly. It was suspiciously thoughtful. She knew perfectly well that he had ulterior motives for spending time with her, but it was still… too nice. She didn't trust it.

His face started to lighten, tension she hadn't noticed lifting.

She reached out, snatched the box, and slammed the door shut. Just to see what he'd do.

Genma coughed. "That's how it is?"

She narrowed her eyes. He sounded like he wasn't really that phased.

His sigh was heavy, but resigned through the door as she opened the box to see if it had what he said it did. By the heft and smell, it was probably dinner- for two people. "You know, I'm really not sure I deserve this kind of disregard. If you don't want me around, say so."

"I don't want you around," Aiko said absently, leaning back and beginning to untie the twine. "You're spying on me."

"Am not." Genma actually managed to sound indignant, though he kept his voice low. "My job is to convince you to stay in Konoha, not to report on your activities. I certainly haven't said anything about all that paperwork you're getting from nowhere, or the fact that you weren't in your hotel room when I tried last night. The ANBU probably think we had sex last night, by the way. It would have been pretty suspicious if I'd left instantly."

Was he telling the truth? Aiko felt her jaw grit and she set the box aside without getting the flaps open. "That's ridiculous."

"Which part of it?"

"All of it," she lied, but she opened the door and gestured for him to enter. "I think that someone would know if I was leaving my hotel room. Unless Konoha shinobi don't watch all the exits. Or you think I've dug a tunnel out underneath the bed?"

"I don't think that," Genma agreed genially. He reached into a pocket as he stepped in, bringing out a little bottle of pills with a clatter. "I don't know what I think, other than that you'd spook and my mission would be a bust if I came clean to Konoha about what I think I know."

She felt her lips twist into a smile that lacked humor. "You're terribly candid."

"I think it's been proven that you're a valuable resource," Genma corrected. He tapped the bottle against his palm twice, letting it rattle. "Too valuable for me to alienate over standard chuunin-exam espionage. You said you were a free agent just months ago." He raised an eyebrow. "And here you are, wearing a Kirigakure uniform. I think you're flexible."

"I'm wearing a towel," Aiko pointed out, but it was obvious that she was on the defensive.

"That's a pretty weird way of answering the door," Genma acknowledged, tone light. "Would you like to take a moment to get dressed?"

She considered it. Honestly… she was so sore that the thought of dressing was miserable. And it wasn't that she felt threatened by Genma. If she needed to fight him, weaponless, in a towel- well. She'd come out on top, or at least be able to leave.

Besides, he'd seen more. So had half of Kirigakure. Whatever.

"Too much effort," Aiko said bluntly. "I was hoping that nudity would make whoever was at the door uncomfortable enough to leave."

"Plus you're sore as hell?" he asked bluntly.

She didn't want to admit weakness. But yes, obviously.

Genma made a tsk sound. "I'd offer a massage, but I imagine that you're not in the habit of letting near strangers sit on your back and do things you can't see."

Her expression must have been answer enough.

"Why Kirigakure?" Genma opened. He leaned against the wall. "Any of the five great nations would provide more security than a smaller one, or none at all. But Kirigakure- they're isolationists, they're in political turmoil, and they're not friendly to bloodlines. Not very friendly at all."

"I'm not worried about that." Aiko took a few steps away, considering doing something about her dripping hair.

He smiled. "And that's interesting, because it really wasn't that long ago that Kirigakure came to Uzushiogakure and killed nearly all your clan." There wasn't anything kind about the way he said that unfortunate truth. "Even if you're not holding a grudge, they can't possibly trust you."

Aiko remained silent. No, they didn't trust her, exactly. But they were in too desperate straits to protest against semi-competent leadership. If she was going to have problems with dissidence and sabotage, it would come after the worst had settled down.

"Konoha is traditional allies with the Uzumaki." He tapped the pills again. "And you'd know that we weren't just hoping to stick a bijuu in you- we've only got one of those. And as I'm sure you're guessed, it's nicely sealed away in an incredibly appropriate host." Genma raised his eyebrows. "A host who you're interested in. You have family in Konoha. Do you have family in Kirigakure?"

No. Aiko felt her lips thin, because that was a low blow. "It's pretty of you to say that Konoha is preferable based on old treaties with a country I'm obviously too young to have lived in," she parried. "Tell me again of what good friendship with Konoha did for Uzumaki in the last hundred years?"

He looked uncomfortable enough at the hostility that she had a thrill of victory. He'd made it personal, but he hadn't been ready for her to take it personally?

"Poor Kushina-san met a sticky end in Konoha," Aiko said, knowing she was going too far even as she did. But this was an old bitterness, something she'd been choking on since her cradle. "She made a sacrifice purely for Konoha's benefit, and what did that loyalty get her? Had she stopped breathing yet when someone made the decision to put that bijuu in her infant? Kushina-san consented to a terrible burden, but that child never did. He was just convenient, a subhuman vessel for Konoha's burdens and bitterness. Why would any Uzumaki want to live here, seeing how that boy is treated? I knew he was malnourished and unloved the moment I saw him. Do you ever wonder what Kushina-san would say?"

Genma was pale.

It felt like she should be shaking with fury, but her tone was low and cold and perfectly steady. "Keep that forked tongue behind your teeth, Konoha. Don't talk to me about how Konoha loves the Uzumaki."

'He looks like he's never considered that an Uzumaki might be bitter about the jinchuuriki business,' Aiko thought incredulously. 'Like he's never empathized with Naruto long enough to realize how monstrous it is to make that decision for an infant.'

And that, more than anything, was the final straw.

"None of you deserve to wear that." She nodded at the shoulder spiral standard to the Jounin uniform of Konoha, Uzushio's mark proudly displayed on people who callously used her family. "Get out."

His jaw clenched. She could hear the metal senbon click against his teeth. Slowly, Genma set the pills down on her bedside table and put his hands in his pockets. "Alright, then. I'll leave. I'm sorry that I took the conversation there."

She watched him, dislike heavy in her chest.

He waited a moment or two for a response. When he didn't get one, he gave her an awkward little nod and let himself out.

Aiko stood, simmering for a time. She could feel the Sanbi paying attention, rising to the upper limits of her consciousness in a way that he hadn't deigned to for weeks. He was angry too, he was the tempest and the fury and he was darkly satisfied just as she was to have lashed out at someone representing the hellhole where her kind had first been imprisoned, bound to this path by the actions of someone who hadn't the right to make that decision for so many, no right to set that precedent.

She blinked. She took a moment to sort through that feeling, not entirely certain if it was hers or if it was the Sanbi's. It…

'It applies to both of us,' Sanbi said definitively.

Aiko couldn't disagree.

In that moment, with fury giving her energy, it was clear that she couldn't sit around for the rest of the day. She considered her options. It wasn't terribly difficult as a choice- she got dressed in a cold, precise anger. She put on full makeup, she put her hair up, she pulled on the dress uniform and took a moment to check the full effect. Professional, polished, impressive enough for what she needed to do today. It ought to strike the right first impression.

There was actually very little chance that Konoha would think she had any energy to go sneaking out today. Not with the way she— she didn't hurt, actually. She didn't hurt at all.

Aiko paused, straightening her back just a bit.

'Don't get too used to it.' Sanbi wasn't friendly, exactly, but the old hostility wasn't there. 'It costs me nothing to help you heal. This doesn't mean I'll be giving you my blood and bones for your jutsu.'

Slowly, she nodded. "Thank you." Her voice struck the still air more loudly than it really should be.

He made a low sound that might have been a grumble, a deflection of the generosity he'd displayed. 'Don't you have a village to visit?'

"I do," Aiko said under her breath. "I think it'd be politer to deliver this letter in person, don't you?"

Fuck Konoha. They were slow, and she couldn't afford to wait on them and choke on their hypocrisy. Kirigakure was going to be leaner and meaner and they were going to get that way with or without Konoha's help.

XXX

When they got into the office, Sandaime already looked tired.

Genma slightly regretted that.

"Is she gone again?" the Sandaime asked, sounding like he expected very little.

He nodded. "Probably. And no, we don't know how yet," he added deprecatingly, before that could be asked. "We did, however, get an outpouring of information."

"Oh?" The old man was giving his full attention, eyes brighter. "What kind of information?"

"Our first emotional response," Hatake butted in. He looked and sounded about a hundred times calmer than he must be, because that was how he reacted to stress.

Genma didn't sigh, but it was close. "I got her angry," he admitted. "That wasn't my intention, but it was a significant break from the public face she's been presenting. I believe it was legitimate. I also believe that we now know why she went to Kirigakure, and that it was largely that it was the first opportunity she had to ally with a village she had no grudge against."

The caveat there was obvious. The Sandaime's gaze flicked to Kakashi, who had encountered Uzumaki before she'd joined Kirigakure.

Hatake shoved his hands in his pockets, apparent disregard rising in proportion with how uncomfortable the topic made him. "Uzumaki-san has comments about how we might improve our treatment of Uzumaki in general and Naruto in specific."

Lines slowly deepened on the Hokage's face.

"She was rather familiar and well-informed," Genma added. "Referred to Kushina-san by first name. She appears to have strong opinions about the relative morality of an adult choosing to become a jinchuuriki and an adult making that choice for an infant." His lips twisted, remembering the tongue-lashing. "Her feeling about the latter is 'no'."

"With a side of 'fuck Konoha,'" Hatake mused. "Her strong feelings cannot be emphasized enough."

"But she knew enough about the situation that I can only conclude she investigated." Genma steered the conversation back on track. "She was interested in Konoha. What she found made her angry and disillusioned, but she wants to be here." He paused, because this bit was risky. "If only for Naruto. She only lost her temper once I brought up the fact that she has no family in Kirigakure. She's very aware of that. I think that she could be convinced to tie herself to Konoha, if we allay her fears."

Her discomfittingly accurate fears, unfortunately. The track record between Konoha and Uzumaki that she rattled off had been well-considered.

Hatake sighed. "Well, I'd better be off."

The Sandaime eyed him incredulously, and Genma felt himself doing the same. Dismissing yourself from a meeting with the Hokage was rather impudent.

"Oh, it's nothing important." Hatake fluffed up his hair. "Sasuke-kun can wait a little longer if you prefer. He's a the gates, waiting to leave for training." He paused. "Probably. It's only been an hour."

XXX

It took some doing to get herself into a meeting with Nadeshiko's leader. They were small, and didn't have the large administration or -apparently- an especially busy day.

It was still, however, rather ballsy on her part to even hope to meet with the country's leader on the first day that she made contact. So Aiko was entirely blasé about being asked to wait four hours, shuffled from building to building and taken on one flustered tour of a historical landmark just to kill time.

She didn't have anything better to do in Konoha. And so what if they dared open the door and discovered she wasn't in there- were they going to accuse her of something? What grounds did they have?

'When we attempted to invade the privacy of a foreign delegation that we allowed in under strict treaty conditions, we couldn't locate them or any proof that they were engaged in any activities counter to our interests. We cannot speculate about how they escaped our notice, but we can't outright disagree if they say we must just have not noticed them walking out the door.'

Mm. That's the kind of statement every country wants to issue. Everyone else who caught wind of that would laugh themselves sick. The only thing that would accomplish would be making Konoha's security look weak.

The thought that the ANBU might have dared check in by now and that Konoha would be running the same calculations she had kept Aiko in a fairly good mood.

The meeting went well.

"I would not call you a liar, but I would need some assurance." Shizuka was hiding her nervousness, but not quite well enough. "It is… rather fantastical to think that Kirigakure's administration has changed so much in such a period of time. One of the great nations has never had a female leader. Among the smaller nations, Nadeshiko still stands alone. Have the times changed so much?"

Aiko didn't let her irritation show, because the other woman was being perfectly reasonable in thinking she was possibly an opportunist. "I understand your caution," she said. "I'm afraid that for a variety of reasons, we are not yet ready to publicly announce the change in leadership."

Shizuka eyed Aiko in a way that implied she could think of a reason or two that might be true. She probably didn't know that Aiko was pretending to be a jounin in Konohagakure in hopes of taking advantage of the chaos Orochimaru's invasion would cause. So she probably was not thinking of the correct reason. Still, she could think what she liked.

"We could, however," Aiko shifted on her zabuton, "make public that the Yondaime Mizukage has perished and that the Godaime has been decided. Would that be enough reassurance?"

The other woman took a moment to think it over, swallowing.

Nadeshiko wanted an alliance with one of the great nations. She was wavering. But she was suspicious of Kirigakure's motivations and honesty. It would not be the first time that a great nation used and discarded a smaller country.

"You are suspicious," Aiko said, ignoring the polite deflection that came. "That is reasonable. Without transparency in our agreement, you lack the protection of the international community's awareness of Kirigakure's proposed responsibility to Nadeshiko." She smiled, and it was a pleasant one, because she actually wanted a respectful, mutually beneficial relationship. "I propose a bonder. The nation of Iron is honorable, powerful, and removed from shinobi politics. Together, you and I, or our representatives, will deliver a copy of our agreement to the great samurai lord of Iron. He will keep it in trust, and know if Kirigakure is remiss in our duty."

Shizuka was still, calculations flickering behind her eyes. "Iron." She flexed her fingers slightly. "Iron is acceptable. I understand that this is a matter of some haste? We could draft up a preliminary agreement today and begin the exchange of humanitarian relief as soon as Mifune-sama has the papers."

"We can do that tomorrow, if the draft is made satisfactory in time," Aiko said, because keeping hiraishin a secret was not worth the human cost that would be lost by delivering the communication by foot. "I possess some small skill at crossing great distances quickly."

From the look on her face, Shizuka might not believe it. But she would when it was demonstrated. And she would see the benefit of tying herself to Kirigakure even more.

#vapors #uzumaki aiko #electrasev5n #ninja daily #fanfiction #naruto fanfiction #clarity #AIC #Aiko in Canon

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graceverse · 3 years

Text

Here Be That EniKao Fic I Told You All About

Please note that this is post "The Final" movie. This happened around 2 months after Kenshin and Enishi's fight. AND OH MY GOD, this is my first RK fic since what? 2017?! It has happened and I would like to thank Mackenyu for making this possible. LOL.

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An Unexpected Invitation

Winter and spring had passed quietly without much excitement. Which was exactly what the occupants of the Kamiya Dojo, and indeed the residents of Tokyo, needed. After much turmoil from the previous year, the quiet restful months have allowed everyone to heal from their wounds.

Physical injuries were all but gone now. No one was wearing any bandages, no one was limping around, clutching a broken shoulder or needing a change of bloody bindings.

Megumi has finally been able to get a decent enough stock of bandages and ointment for the actual patients of the Ouguni Clinic. A feat she didn't think was possible especially since everyone seemed to have been incapacitated in the aftermath of Yukishiro's Jinchuu.

"You're all a troublesome bunch." She told them when she'd given everyone a clean bill of health. She haughtily tossed her hair, looking imperiously down at them. "Next time, you're replacing everything that you'll use up in the clinic."

"Just let Sano take you out for dinner as payment." Yahiko suggested. Boldy too, since he had never really tried teasing Megumi before.

Megumi didn't seem to mind as she actually winked at him before turning to give Sano a look. "Dinner, eh? Sagara Sanosuke can afford dinner?" If she had any eyebrows, it would have disappeared up into her bangs. But the curl of her lips was enough to let Sano know that she was merely teasing him.

"Jou-chan would lend me money, right Jou-chan?" He sidled up to her, elbowing her and making faces that Kaoru supposed was meant to make him look like an adorable puppy, but failing miserably with the still darkened bruises on his face. His spiked-up hair did nothing to help his cause.

"I will most certainly not!" Kaoru indignantly crossed her arms, sending both Sano and Megumi a glare.

"I'd rather that Kenshin take me to dinner, ne Ken-san?" Cool hands snaked around his arms and Kenshin was quick to jump away from Megumi's clutches.

"Why you-"

"Maa, maa -" Kenshin said, raising his hands, trying to prevent unnecessary bloodshed.

As usual, they all ignored him; insults and intimidations of violence were quickly tossed around which ended when Kaoru actually promised Sanosuke that she will give him the money he needed just to shut Megumi up and make her stop acting so inappropriately towards Kenshin.

To which Megumi had answered with a laugh, sultry enough to make both Kaoru and Sano blush. Chaos ensued and Kenshin reveled in the happiness that stirred inside of him as he watched his friends chase each other, threatening murder and all sorts of physical pain.

It was good to be back.

-----------

All traces of the violence and destruction from last winter was gone. It was as if it that night of chaos and fire, explosions and screams piercing through the night, the ghostly air balloons silently stalking the sky had become more like a nightmare that had faded away.

It was now the height of summer, the humidity so unbearable that even when Kaoru had changed the schedule of her classes to the hour of the hare, ("too damn early, busu!" Yahiko had complained), by the mid-morning everyone was drenched with sweat, limp and tired.

Classes were dismissed by noon which gave her ample time to take a long, cooling bath and sit at the engawa eating watermelons while watching Kenshin do the laundry or the gardening or whatever household chore he fancied for the day.

Today however had been hotter than usual and Kaoru briefly wished that she was alone at the dojo so she could changed into something more lightweight, like a yukata.

A slightly opened yukata.

She missed those days when she could just lie down, arms and legs thrown around and not have a care in the world about propriety. It was a constant learning process and test of patience living with two grown men and a young boy on the verge of manhood.

She could not understand how her father had dealt with so many hotheaded, pigheaded, sweaty, untidy – well, except for Kenshin – scoundrels.

Ugh!

Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes, leaning her head against one of the columns of the engawa, her socked feet listlessly swinging at the edge. If only there was tiny little breeze to alleviate this heat. She wanted very much to loosen the summer kimono that she was wearing.

She'd been planning on going to The Akabeko later. It was the only reason why she had dressed up today. Tae-san had promised her that she'd prepare anmitsu and Kaoru could already taste the sweet red bean paste inside her mouth, but as the day progressed it had become too hot that she could barely move from her spot.

Even Kenshin had decided not to do any outdoor activity, quietly sitting beside her instead. Apparently feeling the same kind of stupor that had descended upon them.

It was the kind of heat that robbed you of thought and speech and Kaoru had been imagining dipping into a tub filled with ice cold water when the sound of bells and sirens blasted through the tepid air.

Another fire.

There have been small conflagrations around the city, what with the heat and people being addled by it, someone was always bound to fall asleep with a lit cigarette or mothers too distracted by the heatwave would leave matches lying around for bored children to play with. Easily put out without much fuss but when she'd look up, startled by the sound, she could see dark plumes in the sky, getting bigger by the second.

"It looks like that's from the docks." Kaoru murmured, sitting up straight.

"That it does, Kaoru-dono." There's an almost sleepy quality in Kenshin's voice, low and raw from not having spoken for a quite a while, but she sensed his alertness as he stood up, grimly looking at the cloud of smoke that had impossibly become larger at such a short amount of time. Before Kaoru could say anything, Kenshin had stepped off the engawa, already sliding his zori on.

"Kenshin-" she had started to stand up as well, but Kenshin had placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, stilling her.

"Please stay here, Kaoru-dono. It is too hot, that it is. Yahiko and I will go check if we could be of any help." His eyes are narrowed, an unpleasant thought obviously occurring to him but Kaoru didn't think that a fire, a safe distance from their home, should be of any concern.

"Don't over exert yourself Kenshin." She told him, the warning tone in her voice softened his eyes, the corners crinkling as he very visibly tried not to smile.

"I mean it, Kenshin." She added a little more firmly, fighting the urge to grab on to the ends of Kenshin's hair and pull on it just to show him how serious she was. "Absolutely no running inside burning buildings. None of that foolishness. I forbid it, Kenshin."

Kenshin's eyes gleamed at her. "Aa, Kaoru-dono, this one promise to stay behind the police line, that I do."

A blatant lie. The insufferable jerk. But Kaoru was too tired to argue and she only gave him her mightiest glare, one that was enough to make Sano squirm.

It apparently does not work on Kenshin as he merely reached out to briefly pat the top of her hand, his fingers lingering for just a few second more and Kaoru suddenly felt all hot inside. Like she had swallowed a whole taiyaki fresh from the oven and now it was idly swimming inside her stomach. She felt her whole face heating up and was rewarded with a genuinely amused smile from Kenshin who had leaned forward, just a fraction of an inch, head bowed down that she couldn't even see his eyes.

She felt herself freeze, her heart stuttering inside her chest. Kenshin seemed to have sensed this as he slowly, almost languidly, pulled back, the same amused smile still on his face before murmuring a quick goodbye.

She reluctantly let him go, trying not to worry so much as she watched as Kenshin waiting for Yahiko by the gate, ready to provide some much-needed assistance to the Tokyo Police.

Once they have closed the gate behind them, Kaoru sent a quick prayer to Kami-sama that no one was hurt from the fire and that her boys would come back unharmed.

She let her lids drop, trying to recapture that emotion she had felt when Kenshin had nearly invaded her private space. He'd never done that before…she wondered if it was brought upon the heatwave or something that he had seen in her face – when she had been imagining tugging at his hair…

Kaoru took a deep breath her eyes suddenly snapping open as she realized that she was finally alone. She let out a lazy smile as she pulled on the collar of her kimono, loosening it a bit. She let herself lay down, sprawled on the engawa, enjoying the little comfort it gave her.

--------

A shadow loomed over her.

It took her a second to realize that she had fallen asleep and the presence of someone looking down made her sit up, grabbing the nearest object she could reach to use as weapon: it was an emptied tea cup, utterly useless but she threw it with all of her might, hoping that in her still half-asleep state, her aim would be good enough.

It wasn't.

A hand caught it with ease and then a glint of light caught her eyes as she stared up into the face of Yukishiro Enishi, casually staring down at her as he pushed the bridge of his eyeglasses up to his nose, his other hand crushing the tea cup in his fist.

Kaoru let out a small gasp, realizing that that was her favorite and most expensive cup. Kenshin always took great care when handling it and now it has been turned into dust.

The indignant scream of rage that had wanted to escape her throat was swallowed down as Enishi wordlessly tossed something at her feet, it made a soft sound as it hit the wooden floor. Scrambling to sit up she glared at the object only to find out that it was Tomoe-san's diary.

She frowned and then slowly turned to look up at Kenshin's possibly deranged brother-in-law, now apparently escaped from prison, fugitive brother-in-law.

This could not be happening to her.

"I'm dreaming." She muttered darkly, more to herself, ignoring the man standing before her. She reached out to touch the diary, but pulled her hand at the last minute, her fingers curling in mid air before digging into the plump flesh of her palms. "I just need to wake up and everything will be fine." She closed her eyes, wondering rather inanely, if closing one's eyes would work when trying to wake up, wasn't she supposed to be doing the opposite? But -

Enishi was not cooperating. "I've read it." He told her, breaking the silence and forcing her to once again open her eyes, back to the dream. He was looking at her as though they were having some conversation that she had missed entirely because, what?!

"What?" She asked, equal parts perplexed and irritated at her inability to wake herself up.

"Nee-san's diary. I read it like you told me to." Enishi's voice held the same quality as Kenshin's earlier. A low rumble that sounded too unused and raw. Like those were the first words he had uttered since the last time she had seen him at his ruined garden, clutching at his stomach, sobbing Tomoe's name. He looked strangely normal all things considered. He was wearing an unusually bright orange Chinese robe that made Kaoru squint.

Kami-sama. She brought her hand to the side of her head, pressing hard, feeling suddenly lightheaded.

And then completely out of nowhere, in an almost toneless, disinterested voice, Yukishiro Enishi asked her: "Are you married now?"

Again, "What?!"

Enishi frowned at her. "Am I not making myself clear, Kamiya-san?" Now he was impatient, the tone of his voice changing into something that sounded suspiciously patronizing.

Kaoru absolutely hated being treated like she was a child. "Shut-up." She hissed at him. "What are you doing here?"

Enishi made a displeased sound at the back of his throat, "Why is your kimono open, Kamiya-san?"

Why is my -?

Kaoru felt her left eye violently twitching before letting out a shrieked loud enough to disturb their neighbors, it was a wonder no one came rushing in to check if she was alright. Kaoru had the presence of mind to clutch at her kimono, closing the tiniest of gaps that Enishi deemed improper. The stupid jerk. He couldn't have seen anything.

She took a deep breath, both hands clenching into tight fists as she gathered all of the swearwords Sanosuke had taught her and was about to let Enishi have them when something inside her head clicked.

She blinked up at her former captor who looked almost friendly, if it weren't for the stoic expression on his face that might actually surpass the permanently emotionless face of Shinamori-san. "The fire, that was you?!"

Enishi merely shrugged, untroubled by her accusation. "It was an old, hideous building. Abandoned." He added when Kaoru opened her mouth to protest, "I did Tokyo a favor."

A favor?! Kaoru wondered how exactly Enishi's head worked. How was deliberately burning a building –

"It was the green one with the stupid yellow door." He explained further, seeing the balled-up fists that Kaoru was shaking at him.

Kaoru saw the building inside her head and winced. It was incredibly ugly and she had complained about it to Tae-san about how much of an eye sore it was and she wished someone would just burn it to the ground but hadn't meant it literally!

She suddenly jumped up when she noticed Enishi stepping into the engawa.

Going into her Chūdan-no-kamae stance, her left foot just a few inches behind her right foot, her left heel elevated, hip thrust forward. Her shoulder was too tense though and she had to concentrate, trying to relax her shoulders.

She took deep breaths, readying herself for any attack. She didn't have her bokken with her, dammit, but she wasn't going to be taken without a fight. Not again. Never again. If she had to claw out Enishi's eyes or shove his glasses to his eyeballs, she'd do it.

"Stay back." Kaoru hissed at Enishi as he took another step towards her. "I will not let you take me again."

Enishi frowned at her. "Take you? Why would you think I'd want to take you?" He asked in a tone that suggested something entirely different to Kaoru, she just didn't know what, which further annoyed her. This was too weird to be a dream.

Yukishiro Enishi was really here. Again. In her dojo. And he made damn certain that no one was with her but he didn't want to take her.

Why couldn't Kenshin's brother-in-law be Yahiko's age?! She'd have a better way of dealing with that instead of this brown eyed, six feet, bulging muscles of insanity - Kaoru shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "What do you want then, you creep?"

Enishi merely raised his eyebrows, a dark severe line, in complete contrast to his disheveled white hair. "Is this how you normally react when asked if you're already married?"

Kaoru's jaw dropped. A hummingbird can probably fly inside and make a nest inside her mouth. She quickly clamped it shut before, letting out a battle cry: "You jerk! That's not of your business!" She lunged at Enishi, who smoothly slid out of her way and she tried another attack, swiping her feet from underneath him, which he also dodged by jumping away from her. He backed into the dojo and Kaoru followed, grabbing a bokken. Finally, a weapon she could use. She grinned in triumph and prepared to attack once again.

The bastard didn't even break a sweat as he effortless avoided her blows – and if he hadn't, she would've cracked his head. The whistling sound her bokken made every time she swung it towards Enishi filled the air.

Still, he sidestepped, graceful and damn it, oh so elegantly. It was almost as if he was dancing, his feet light and silent.

"Kuso, stay still!" Kaoru ordered, completely losing her patience, panting like a wild boar.

And the stupid fucking Yukishiro smirked at her.

Smirked! She was going to wipe that off of his beautiful face.

Wait.

WHAT?!

"I take it you aren't married yet." Enishi finally said, stepping into the line of her attack.

Gotcha!

But of course, like before, his hands clamped around her bokken, snatching it from her with restrained viciousness and throwing it somewhere against the wall where it noisily clattered.

Completely unperturbed by the events, Enishi then very casually asked her, "Do you want to go to Shanghai with me, Kamiya-san?"

And Kaoru thought, not for the first time in her life, that she was cursed to deal with incorrigible men that she would very much like to whack with her bokken.

Mou!

------------

Author's Note:

And that is what I have so far. I don't know what to do with it. Anyway, tell me what you think. This fic is borne out of the sheer frustration of The Final and how Jinchuu Arc, which I am now calling the Cursed Arc for obvious reasons– had been - watered down seems too kind, ne?

But I'll rant some more if I can manage to have a second chapter up. Maybe.

Lastly, I typed this all up really fast while pretending to work so, if there are any typos, annoying grammatical errors, I promise I'll come back and try to fix them. I hope.

Translations and notes:

The hour of the hare: 6:00 a.m.

Anmitsu is a traditional Japanese dessert, traced back to the Meiji era (1868 to 1912). It consists of cubes of agar jelly, which are made using water and/or different fruit juices. Typically served in a bowl, with toppings like slices of fruit and sweet red bean paste. The dessert is also served with a sweet black syrup, kuromitsu,(the -mitsu in anmitsu) that's poured over the treat just before you enjoy it.

Taiyaki - Fish shaped cakes filled with anko (red bean paste)

Chūdan-no-kamae is the middle posture used in kenjutsu. The most basic stance, it allows for a balance between attacking and defense. When performed correctly, the practitioner's trunk and right wrist are protected

#enikao #enishi x kaoru #kenkao #kenshin x kaoru x enishi love triangle of death #kidding #sort of #take this The Final #hahaha #no really #rurouni kenshin fanfic #rurouni kenshin #i'm done

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skynights2 · 4 years

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Kokkuri real name is Inari!? hinting to be female or Genderless god!

It’s mention kokkuri was god and over the years their real name been forgotten and now people call them kokkuri-san, but some say they are messenger to a fox god. Though when he transform. We get a hint which God they worked for or if they are the god they are based off!?

It’s shown their form is white nine tailed fox. looking up fox gods with white fox messengers, I found match with Inari Okami! Though it stated she is mixed up with being god to foxes/kitsune, but it’s actually she recruits the fox to help her.

Inari Okami (稲荷大神) also known as O-Inari Sama, is the Japanese Kami/kamui (God/spirit) of industriousness, grains, the harvest, agriculture and is generally viewed as a fertility Kami. O-Inari is a genderless Kami in that Inari has been sometimes seen as appearing as a beautiful woman and at other times as a handsome man. O-Inari Sama is not the Kami of foxes and Kitsune as often stated however Inari does have foxes as attendants and messengers. You will see them guarding shrines with their bright red bibs (symbolizing the blood of life)

This is interesting as it states Inari can appear as beautiful women or man! Which kokkuri does do. Though the Name Inari point to female name. As the name Inari means Successful One!

Also Kokkuri is white fox, and Inari recruits white fox messengers as her helpers. They are shown to wear red color, mix of red/white, red symbolizing blood of life and also bells around their neck.

It is confirmed that kokkuri dyes their fur yellow to appear cuter, plus their real form shows reveals they are all white, showing they are white fox! and the comment about them being messenger, either ties in with messenger white fox, or Inari who was mistaken as a Kami to the foxes. As kokkuri did say their where a god, but people forgot their real name.

We seen kokkuri wear red/white and also the rope/bell collar kohina puts around their neck is white/red.

I know the tree near the shrine have rope design similar to kokkuri collar design, as some fox statues in Inari shrine, have bells/red bib around their neck. which match kokkuri design/origin inspiration.

Though curious when comes to their real gender, or just genderless spirit?? Similar to Inugami who can change gender, depending how the spirit is born as it’s not settled on which gender it wants.

It’s pointed out through out the story, even though kokkuri goes around in male form, their behavior and personality matches a female behavior in everything they do. As everyone views Kokkuri as a mother figure through out the story/manga.

Even the words on their back clothes spell Mother in law!?? it appears in one scene. Why wear those words on their back if they choose male form more, over female!? As their long hair hides the words on their back coat. wouldn’t it say father in law if they really meant the male form they stay in!?

They also end the discussion/change topic when someone brings it up they want to see their female form. As it looks more like Kokkuri avoid that form because they kept getting harassed by other males and treated like object because of their beauty/or where they hurt by someone in the past!? So now they chose the male form to hide in for safety!?

Plus they have Kohina who they see as their human daughter, and kokkuri always find her each reincarnation because kokkuri promised her in kohina past life they would be her friend/family and she won’t have to be alone and sad anymore! Showing they prioritize Kohina well being over anyone else!

As kokkuri always find their daughter Kohina each time she reincarnates.. Showing kokkuri come to view her as daughter because they always find kohina as a child for some reason each reincarnation with no parents.

In the manga it’s hinted current kohina we know, her parents would fight while she was young, eventually something happen to them and she alone with no parent guardian. Until kokkuri shows up and take the parent/mother figure role to her!

And the reason we see Kokkuri see grown up kohina version from memory, is because they state they can’t leave her until she grows up and marries in the ending of the story! Showing a parent concern of not wanting to leave their child until she grows up and marries, being able to take care of herself with out kokkuri to raise her.

Which is sad, because this cycle repeats each time, Kokkuri finds her as a child and has to watch/raise her until she older and then only to see her die eventually each time, each life. (And Kohina forgets her past life/memory with their unknown parent)

Though i wonder if change will happen to break this cycle and kohina will eventually be reborn with long life(being reborn spirit like kokkuri) So kokkuri will have their daughter live a long life,and never die. One of their wishes that was hinted at the shrine they went to pray at. Kokkuri wishing this moment would last forever with their daughter!

I check author twitter, it seemed they hinted more story though unsure. As the last spin off ended recently with Shigaraki and kokkuri. Though they hinted new work with the story continuation maybe.

#gugure! kokkuri san #GUGURE! KOKKURI-SAN #gugure kokkuri san #kohina ichimatsu #gugure kokkuri san theory #kokkuri san theory #theory

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argumentl · 3 years

Text

The Freedom of Expression Ep 31 - All members of this band caught Covid-19.

K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru, with this week's episode of The Freedom of Expression.

Joe san, Tasai san, welcome. So, today, we have a guest. Please introduce yourself.

Y: Nice to meet you, Im YG, the bassist of Jack Caper.

J: Wow, thats an impressive...

K: He stands out, right? I think everyone took notice as soon as he appeared on screen.

J: Right, he looks different from anyone else.

K: Yeh, like 'Eh?!'. Well to begin with, the headcount is different .

J: Yeh, its different. The extra one is this head.

T: *To Y* Have you always had this haircut?

Y: Yeh, well, since summer started. I decided on it this summer.

J: Why that hairstyle again?

Y: Well, I wanted it to feel cool (*as in breezy*)

Kami: It does look cool, right?

J: Hahaha.

K: He said it does look cool, haha.

J: It got a reaction from Kami. He said it looks cool.

Kami: Ah, Im Kami-sama. Pleased to meet you.

Y: Pleased to meet you Kami-sama.

J: He's not a very impressive god.

K: Yeh, exactly. haha.

J: He's one of the lower ones.

Kami: Im really not such an impressive god. I really can't do anything.

J: He gets ��1000 p/h

K: Ok, so as to why he is joining us today, his whole band caught coronavirus. So, I thought we could talk about what it was like.

J: This will be a valuable testimony.

Kami: Its a world first, right?

Y: Yeah, its the first case in the world of the whole band catching it.

J: Unbelievable, its not like you could apply to Guiness, but...

K: Yeah, this won't be a Guiness record, haha.

Y: I'll be happy if its recoded as ???*1

J: So how did you all catch it?

Y: Well, its not exactly clear, but it started with our vocalist, and we think that was probably from within a live venue somewhere. And after the vocalist, the other members were tested one after the other, and we were all positive. So we all recieved treatment.

T: Was this in August?

Y: Yeh, August, the vocalist first displayed symptoms on the 13th. And one by one the other members did after that. I was the last, I got symptoms on the 16th.

J: I also know some people who have been infected.

K: I was shocked, right? haha

J: No, not me! A few people I know...but I've forgotten what they said about it, so, could you tell us what happens after you test positive?

Y: So, you get a positive result, and then in my case, I was hospitalised.

J: Oh, hospitalisation?

Y: Yeh. Well, its probably different depending on the district..districts with free hospital space, or districts with free hotel space. I think there are even districts with no hospital or hotel space free. But I was just straightforwardly hospitalised, within the same day.

T: So, did you have a fever or a cough or anything?

Y: In my case, I had a cough first, and I developed a fever of 38.3℃ on the same day I was tested, just after i did the test. I got the positive test results two days later, and was hospitalised with those symptoms.

J: In what way was it different from a regular cold? What was hard about it?

Y: Well, it was mainly like influenza...high fever, cough, weariness...Also, its often said that you experience loss of taste. I didn't have that, but the other members did.

T: Like loss of smell or taste?

Y: Yeh

K: But you get that a bit anyway when you catch a regular cold, right?

J: Well, yeah, you do. And if you get a fever, you can't move around much anyway, but.. all the members had this?

Y: Yeah.

J: What was it like in hospital?

Y: Well, in my case, I was in a room with one other patient. We weren't allowed to leave the room, except for shower and toilet.

T: Did you speak much to the other patient?

Y: We didn't speak at all!

J: Was it another corona patient?

Y: Yeh, his symptoms appeared so.

J: Ehh, no conversation?

T: Wasn't it tough?

Y: Well, honestly, I was only thinking about how I wanted to go home. That was pretty tough...the stress..

Kami: How many of you were hospitalised?'

Y: My symptoms were kinda moderate..

Kami: No, no, how many of you?

Y: Out of us five, only I was hospitalised.

J: Only you in hospital?

Y: Yeah.

J: Were the other members in hotels?

Y: Um, two were in hotels and two were at home.

J: So, how did you end up getting discharged?

Y: As for the flow, I had a PCR test every two days in hospital, and after I got two negative results in a row, I left hospital.

J: So its like, if the tests are fine, they say, 'Ok you are free to go'? You didn't have to do anything after that?

Y: Not really, no. They just requested me not to be in close contact with people for two weeks.

J: Just 'requested'?

Y: Yeah, nothing stricter than that from the hospital.

Kami: Eh? After leaving hospital?

Y: Yeh, after being discharged.

Kami: Eh? Even after two negative tests you were told not to have close contact with people?

Y: Yeah, just in case. But as for work, I could restart as long as I kept to this advice.

Kami: You could restart work? As soon as you were discharged?

Y: Yeh, they said that was ok.

Kami: But they asked you not to come into contact with people?

Y: Yeah, they said to limit direct contact with people.

Kami: That seems pretty difficult.

J: Yeh, it does. It would have been easier if they just told you don't meet people.

Kami: After getting a negative test result, and being told you can restart work, you can't be in close contact with people? It seems pretty difficult to understand.

Y: I think they meant like normal situations, like this...like, don't stand near people to talk to them and stuff. Or, refrain from going out to eat with peope, and stuff.

T: How long were you hospitalised for?

Y: 14 days in total.

K: Ahh, two weeks, thats tough.

T: How did you feel when you were given the all clear to leave?

Y: It sounds funny to say, but it was like coming out of jail. Like, 'Back to reality!'

K: Were you charged hospitalization fees?

Y: Not for the first ten days after symptoms appear, but I had to pay after that.

J: So out of 14 days, you had to pay for 4 days yourself?

Y: Well, I was hospitalised a few days after my symptoms began, so I paid for the last 7 days.

J: It seems kind of a unsatisfactory, if you are forced into hospitalization.

K: Well, isn't it the same with any illness?

J: Well, yeah.

K: Like, it can't be helped.

J: Well, yeh, if you are hospitalized with a cold you'd have to pay. Have you had any lingering symptoms?

Y: Out of all five, there is still one of us with no sense of smell.

T: Even after a month?

Y: Yeah, still one with no smell.

K: Thats pretty scary.

Y: I asked just now on Line, and he said he still couldn't smell.

J: Not at all?

Y: Like, recently we all tried smelling our drinks, and he was the only one who couldn't.

J: Are there any parts of it that you were dissatisfied with, or any parts that you thought were handled really well?

Y: Like, inside the hospital?

J: Yeh. Its probably ok for you to summarize what its like in Tokyo, right? Which area were you in?

Y: Arakawa ward.

J: Is there anything you thought they could have done better?

Y: I was grateful that the process leading up to hospitalization was so smooth. They sent a car to my house and stuff. They were really prioritizing me staying away from other people. And even in the hospital, the nurses and doctors really looked after me.

J: Conversely, was there anything troubling about it?

Y: Yeh, some people were being discharged before they had two negative test results. The government covers the fees for the first ten days as I said, and you have to stay in hospital for at least that time, but after that staying is optional. I stayed and paid for it, even though it was optional. I think it would be better if the state paid for it until a negative test result happens.

J: So there was quite a lot of people leaving before they had a negative test result, for financial reasons, right?

Y: Yeah, for financial reasons.

J: So, that might end up being a reason why the virus spreads more.

Y: It might be, yeh.

J: That kinda leaves a bad taste...

Kami: How much did you pay in fees?

Y: For me it was ¥30,000 per day.

J, T: Eh!?

Y: Thats with insurance.

T, J: ¥30,000 with insurance?

Kami: So, how much did you actually pay?

Y: After that, I got the bill, and it was less than that, so I was relieved.

T: Ah, you paid for seven days?

Y: Yeh. So in total...at first they said it would be ¥30,000 per day, but I got the bill afterwards, and it was about ¥155000.

J: Oh, not bad, right?

Y: Yeah, its not bad.

Kami: So you paid ¥150,000? Im struggling to understand, could you explain again?

J: He likes talking about money, haha.

Kami: How much did you pay?

Y: I paid ¥150,000, actually ¥155,000.

J: Thats with insurance, right?

Kami: Out of pocket?

Y: With insurance, yeh.

Kami: And how many days was that for?

Y: Umm, seven days.

Kami: I though it was only from after ten days?

K: Ten days from the start of symptoms. After that it costs you.

Kami: Oh, is that it? So you paid for seven days.

Y: Yes, I paid for the optional longer stay.

K: This was already explained earlier.

J, T: Hahaha.

K: It was, right?

Kami: Eeehhh?

T: There should be some way to get it back in taxes, it may be a good idea to check.

Y: Thats what I'll have to sort out from now.

J: I think this is a problem. It sounds strange to say it, but in terms of income, low earners have a higher chance of being infected than higher earners. Naturally, rich people won't be getting on packed trains everyday, they will be going to crowded places far less, it some how ends up like that. But if you pass that ten days, and have to pay out of pocket, there will be people who can't. Its like, how is this gonna go? There will be people who don't have the money, and just decide to go home.

K: Yeah, there will be.

T: When corona first started it had this image that it was life threatening, right? But once people actually catch it, their impression might change to it not being that bad. What did you think?

Y: Yeah, when I caught it, I thought it wasn't as bad as I expected.

※On screen note: Symptoms differ depending on the person※

Y: It was like influenza.

J: What kind of reactions did you get from people around you? Were they worried about you? Or were they trying to stigmatize you?

Y: There were both. I had some messages from people in my home town who I barely spoke to before asking me if I was ok, and some derogatory messages from people I don't know.

K: Well, the way the media has dealt with this issue from the start, had been to blame people going out drinking, or enjoying entertainment, thats the image. Its not the case all of the time. But you think you picked it up from a live event or something?

Y: Yeah.

K: So live shows have that kind of image too. But we don't really know where its originally coming from.

J: Well, as long as infections keep rising, we won't be able to trace it in real detail. Have you had any detailed explanation about that?

Y: I just had a phone call after our vocalist tested positive. The members were then recommended to get tested, and arrangments were made for that.

J: Were you asked about your recent activity?

Y: Yeh, what I did on which day etc. And my temperature at the time.

J: I see. So, at the moment they are saying you will have anti-bodies if you've caught it once, but there have also been reports that the anti-bodies might not last very long. What do you think about that? Have you had an anti-body test?

Y: About a month after all of us got symptoms and when we were all close to total recovery, we had the opportunity to do a broadcast, and we all did an antibody test at that time.

J: And the results?

Y: The results were that one of us didn't have a lot of antibodies, but the other four did. That was about August 16th *2

J: So its been about three weeks since then. Are you gonna continue to have antibody tests from time to time?

Y: Well, I don't have plans to at the moment, but its a good idea.

T: What kind of talks have you had about how to contine band activity?

Y: Well, forward looking, focusing on putting out material. We've already re-started live shows, so we'll be putting our energy into that.

K: Oh, you've started lives?

Y: Yeah.

K: Well, if your band has antibodies, its easier to move.

Y: Yeah, its safer.

J: Now is the safest time.

K: Right.

J: In relation to corona, its the safest time.

K: People who have antibodies could all do a live?

Y: Ah, us too. Thats interesting.

K: ???? *3

J: But infection numbers are culminating in Japan, so if you think about it, its kinda of the reverse idea.

K: Hm, but if you really think about it, the numbers are still small.

J: How about that? As a band, do you wanna try it?

Y: Yeah, I do. If it was a success, it might help return the music scene to normal.

K: Well, we have to keep moving, little by little, otherwise nothing will start.

J: Yeh, thats it.

K: If we don't try, we too will be always waiting. If there's any chance to get moving, I want to take it. So if these guys can get moving even a little, I can kinda begin to see the light. So, do your best.

T: It puts out a good message, right?

K: Yeah. Ok, well, lets end here. Thank you very much for today.

Y: Thank you.

K: Please subscribe.

T: And check out Jack Caper!

*2 Dates right??

*1, 3 Couldn't catch

#dir en grey #the freedom of expression #tfoe #kaoru #薫

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raendown · 4 years

Link

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 4879 Soulmate au: The one where every pair of soulmates finds each other in different ways or through different soulmate tropes

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Chapter 221

Watching the client who had come begging them for assistance with a typically ridiculous problem, Tobirama wondered what it would be like to have such an obvious connection to his soulmate as this man did. His already short sleeves were tied back even further as though to purposefully display as much as possible of the golden words flowing down the back of one arm, a greeting that must have been the first words his other half spoke to him. To have such easy proof of one’s connection, to know from the earliest ages that there was someone out there and how to find them, Tobirama could only wonder at the security this man must have felt in his bond from the moment he understood that it was waiting for him. It must have been nice.

It was also quite the pity for whoever had been the one to speak those words.

Privately Tobirama could admit that a small bit of the attitude he could feel bubbling to the surface was motivated by jealousy, petty retribution against someone who had something he wanted for himself. Out loud, of course, he wouldn’t be caught dead even hinting at such an admission.

“This is all very fascinating, Kirimoto-san, but I can’t help noting you have yet to explain what any of it has to do with Konohagakure. Were you perchance hoping to commission someone to record your story? Contracting a scribe would only be a D-rank mission, not the A-rank you proposed.” Lifting one eyebrow in judgement was probably going a little too far. If only he could bring himself to care.

“I was only just getting to that, Senju-sama,” their client spluttered. Anger flashed across his face but luckily for his continued health he was smart enough not to say anything. “The mission I came to contract your shinobi for is of vital importance! My son is a diamond among chaff; he deserves only the best! If the woman pressing suit upon him is truly so weak-hearted as to look at other men then she must be chased away!”

Tobirama blinked slowly. “And you wish us to…?”

“Why, to bring proof of her infidelity of course! I will pay the full price of an A-rank mission for two of your finest shinobi to approach her in disguise and seduce her away from my son! If her heart is as impure as I think it is then she will no doubt fall for such base tricks.”

He puffed himself up with the same false importance bred in to every idiot that had ever been born in the capital city, entirely ignorant of how little effect that would have on the one he was speaking to. When Tobirama got ahold of his brother he was going to throttle the man for taking today of all days off and leaving his duties to the next in command. Technically Madara would have been the next in command if he weren’t currently at home recovering from pushing himself too hard during training. No doubt that was exactly why Hashirama had taken the day off. Tobirama hoped the two idiots drowned in a teapot for making him deal with this particular client.

Despite his petty irritation he didn’t actually want to offend the man. Or at least not badly enough for the idiot to file a complaint that would bring another lecture down on his head about playing nice with their patrons. Several slow deep breaths helped bolster his patience until he could be certain none of the contempt he felt for this utter waste of time might show on his face; only then did he speak again.

“If you wish to pay for an A-rank mission then we will gladly accept your commission. Do you have any other information that might help us choose the two best people to accept this task?”

“You! I want one of them to be you!” For some reason Kirimoto-san felt the need to rise from his chair and point like there could be any mistaking who he was speaking to. They were, after all, the only people in the room. “I’ve heard all the rumors! Women from here to the capitol cry themselves to sleep every night over the hearts you break!”

Tobirama could feel one of his eyes twitching. He’d heard a lot of rumors about himself before but this one was new. Him? A country-wide heartbreaker? That went beyond laughable in to the territory of utterly absurd. If anything most rumors called him uptight and cold. Which, in all honesty, was certainly more true than the opposite. The last heart he broke was probably well back in his adolescence when one of his clanmates had taken some unnatural interest in him and refused to be turned aside with any gentler tactics than a flat out shredding of her ego.

Clinging hard to his temper, Tobirama bit down savagely on his own tongue before asking, “I don’t suppose I could change your mind on that? My duties here are many and rumors are easily blown out of proportion. Seduction is… not one of my strengths, shall we say.”

“Do...I want to know?” Hashirama’s voice asked in the same moment the door swung open. Their illustrious Hokage recoiled almost as soon as he stepped in to the room, eyes wide and confused upon being met with Tobirama’s acidic glare. Behind him trundled Madraa who looked a hell of a lot more put together than he had when Tobirama bullied him in to going home the night before with instructions to recuperate before he passed out over his own paperwork.

“Ah Hokage-sama!” their client bowed hastily.

“Hello! Um, honeypot mission?” The cringe in Hashirama’s voice was as obvious as the pain it caused him to think of his sibling in any sort of intimate context.

Unfortunately Kirimoto-san managed to speak first. “Senju-sama here has agreed to assist me in the matter I wrote to you about! All we need is one mo- ah! Perfect! You’re perfect! Pray tell, what is your name, miss?”

If nothing else. Tobirama decided while he was busily choking on his own tongue, that right there was worth the shame of having to take part in this ridiculous farce. Madara, to no one’s surprise, didn’t seem inclined to agree. His expression was particularly thunderous when he crossed his arms and leveled their client with a deadly stare.

“Uchiha Madara,” he growled. To Kirimoto-san’s credit he didn’t so much as flinch before breaking in to a massive grin.

“Even more perfect! A man! And here I thought I would have to pay extra for you to dress as one. Most excellent. It absolutely must be the two of you!”

Madara sneered. “I don’t think s-”

“Well now!” Hashirama spoke over him. “I’m sure you understand, my dear sir, that these two are my most valuable shinobi both administratively and in battle prowess. To allow both of them to be deployed on the same mission would be a serious detriment to our productivity - not to mention our security in the event of an attack.”

“But I must have them! Only them!”

“It simply doesn’t seem feasible. To fill the large spaces they would leave empty would mean keeping several extra people on active duty and I’m afraid the cost…” With a face of carefully constructed regret Hashirama sighed and Tobirama took a moment to reluctantly admire his brother’s ingenuity. People could say what they wanted about his overly active emotions. Very few ever realized how easily he manipulated them entirely because of that same buffoonery veiling their eyes to the wily genius underneath.

Kami forbid the idiot ever realize Tobirama admired that quality in him, though.

“Can I not convince you?” Kirimoto-san begged. “If it is a matter of cost I can of course make it worth your while to send them with me! Name your price, Hokage-sama, and I will pay it! Anything to ensure that my precious son lives his life only with a woman who will never betray him!”

The poor sod didn’t even seem to realize the mistake he’d just made as Hashirama turned to him with a beatific smile on his face and dollar signs in his eyes.

When he finally managed to leave the office Kirimoto-san’s face was as pained as his poor wallet was empty. Tobirama couldn’t find it in himself to even pity the man. Not when his own fate had been sealed with more than twenty thousand ryō above the typical asking price of an A-ranked mission. Regrettably, he hadn’t actually been lying when he said that seduction was not one of his strengths but apparently he would have to at least make an effort. It was hard to choose whether he regretted more that it would be a woman several years after he had finally accepted his preferences in the opposite direction or that, of all people, Madara would be there to watch him make such an utter fool out of himself.

“How exactly”-he demanded the moment their client was far enough down the hall not to overhear them-”do you propose I disguise myself? At the risk of showing my own ego, I’ll remind you that I do have rather distinctive looks.”

“You’re not the only one,” Madara growled with both hands going almost protectively to his extraordinary mane of hair.

Hashirama boomed a laugh that lacked even a shred of sympathy. “Oh I’m sure you two will figure something out! You could always wear a henge!”

“And if she’s chakra-sensitive? I notice you failed to even ask about that!” Madara reached out to smack his best friend across the back of the head for such an oversight. Familial bonds dictated that Tobirama should defend his sibling but, as he rather wished he was close enough to do that himself, he opted to pretend he’d seen nothing.

“Sorry! Sorry! I’m sure we can work out something that will hide your hair. Like a big scarf or a hood or something you could tuck it in to!” Hashirama drooped and clasped both hands under his chin. “Please don’t be mad at me!”

“That still leaves me,” Tobirama pointed out.

Both of the squabbling friends turned to him in consideration for several long heartbeats. Hashirama spoke up first with a bright smile. “I know! We can cover your tattoos with makeup! Geisha use white makeup all the time, I’m sure we can procure you some in a discreet manner!”

“Covering my face won’t do much good if my hair is just going to stick out like a fox in a henhouse. The only bloodlines left that produce hair this color are all shinobi clans and as much as I would consider it a complement to be mistaken for a Hatake, that wouldn’t exactly help me fly under the radar now would it?” he didn’t bother to list all of the other shinobi clans he would likely take insult at being mistaken for but his brother, thankfully, had enough tact to skirt that entirely.

Instead he went even deeper in to stupid territory because of course he did.

“You could dye your hair!” he crowed as if with the triumph of a great idea.

“I hate you,” Tobirama told him.

Without another word he swept out of the office, calling over his brother’s whining protests that since he was here anyway he might as well finish his own duties for the day. More than anything he was angered that Hashirama’s suggestion had actually been a logical solution and in the depths of his private heart he admitted that his irritation stemmed entirely from self-image. He didn’t want to dye his hair. He liked his hair. Call him an egomaniac but he rather enjoyed standing out from the masses.

Sending a clone to go pick out some dye from the infiltration core’s private storage room felt somehow less painful than doing it himself. At least when he received the memories of it the deed would already be done. Tobirama completed the handful of duties left unfinished at the tower and then left to wait at home for his clone to return. The first thing he did upon dispelling his copy was sit in his living room to study the instructions on the back of the dreaded box in excruciating detail. The only thing worse than going through with this idiocy would be somehow doing it wrong; this was already going to end in mockery one way or another, he didn’t need to give anyone more ammo than necessary. After making sure he understood exactly how to use the stuff Tobirama spun the box around again to study the color.

Maybe he wouldn’t look entirely terrible with red hair. If the stars aligned in just the right way he might be able to convince himself he looked a bit like his sister in law. The Uzumaki, now there was a clan he would feel no shame for having a connection to and it would certainly be a logical assumption. They did have a rather sizable civilian population.

Turning the box side to side in an effort to determine whether he thought the color looked like a natural one, he couldn’t help but let his eyes be drawn to the golden letters embossed near the very top, an elegant curling script that greatly resembled the letters Kirimoto-san bore along one arm. What would he do, Tobirama wondered, if at last he managed to discover his own soulmate and he wasn’t able to reach out because of this? He’d never been all that fond of undercover missions for just this reason. To meet his soulmate while he didn’t even look like himself, to risk that they might fall in love with a falsity. A deep sigh escaped him and Tobirama spun the box around so he wouldn’t have to look at the letters anymore. Everything about this mission was stupid - including the emotions he was letting it drag out of him. Best to just get this over with before he got too maudlin about things so far out of his control.

All told, including the time he took to pause and investigate the chemical compounds, the dying process took just over an hour and Tobirama refused to look at himself in the mirror until he had thoroughly rinsed the mixture out of his hair and let the whole thing dry completely. Only then did he finally approach the bathroom vanity with trepidation and lift his eyes to take in the horror of what he’d done. He had just enough time to cringe in distaste before the front door of his home slammed open with a bang that ricocheted down the hall.

“Tobi?” Hashirama’s voice called out to him in an oddly strangled tone. “You here?”

“Unfortunately.” At his reply footsteps hurried closer.

“We may have to apply a slight change of plaaaa-....ns...oh my.”

“Anija I swear if you finish that sentence after I only just finished this nonsense”-Tobirama jerked an angry thumb at his own mangled hair-“I will make you regret ever being born.”

His brother stared at him. Stared some more. Blinked several times and then continued to stare, all while Tobirama’s ire grew closer and closer to the boiling point. Finally he drew in a breath that rattled ominously.

“Come with me,” he murmured shortly before spinning on one heel and marching back towards the front door.

“Now hold on! Anija, what the hell?”

Annoyingly, Hashirama did not stop. His only concession was to pause long enough for Tobirama to tear an old jacket out of his front closet and pull the hood up tightly. Just because lots of other strangers were going to see him in this state didn’t mean he had to let all of Konoha in on his shame. Vanity, apparently, would need to be added on to the list of character flaws he hadn’t even known afflicted him until this thrice blasted village was built.

Where the hell they were going he couldn’t tell since the hood of his jacket was pulled so tight around his head that it obscured most of the world around him. On sense alone he guessed they were bound in a general southern direction but for the life of him he couldn’t imagine what existed to the south that had to do with his disguise or suddenly needed to be attended to the moment his brother saw him. Tobirama did try to ask, of course, but for once in his life Hashirama seemed to have lost his capacity for words. If only he could be like that more often. Well, if only he could be like that any other time but for now when Tobirama needed answers that none of his increasingly irritated questions were getting him. He did recognize right away when they entered the Uchiha district. Walking past the uchiwa-embossed gates always felt much like stepping in from the cold to a place with a thousand warm fires all around him. It was, he hated to admit, a very comforting place to be for a sensor like him.

It was also a great relief at the moment; Hashirama might profess to love the whole world but there were very few people he was actually close with and only one of them lived within the Uchiha compound. Tobirama frowned at the inside of his hood. It would make sense for them to go see Madara right now, he was the other half of this utterly ridiculous undercover mission, but it made no sense at all for Hashirama to be in this much of a tither over his best friend unless something had gone terribly wrong in the past hour since they had all been together.

How much trouble could one man get in to within the confines of their own village?

Despite how close the two of them were it was still a mild surprise when Hashirama let them both in to Madara’s house without so much as knocking. Tobirama wracked his brain trying to remember whether Izuna still lived with his brother while the two of them made their way down the hall. Since they were inside now, safe from the judging eyes of the general public, Tobirama allowed his fingers to loosen their hold on the material of his hood until he had enough vision to take in the home of the Uchiha clan head. Much more spartan than he had expected. If he were taking this first look a handful of years ago he would have expected bloodied weapons to line the walls and plaques bearing the heads of notable kills. He’d long grown past such childish assumptions but if he were honest he still would have expected this place to be a little more plush, a little more befitting the head of such a large and lucrative clan.

“Mads? Mads I’m back. Are you...okay if we come in?” Hashirama paused at the beginning of the hallway to gently wrap his knuckles against a plain shoji screen.

“End me now,” Madara’s miserable voice drifted out. “If a single person in my clan sees this I will never hear the end of it.”

“We’re coming in, okay?”

Hashirama waited just a moment longer to give his friend time for yelling if he was truly so opposed to them entering. When no protests came he nodded once and then opened the door, pulling Tobirama behind him as he walked forward in to the room.

Strange as it was to find himself in Uchiha Madara’s bedroom of all places Tobirama didn’t have time to even look around to see if the decor here was as barren as the rest of the house. He didn’t even have the time to ruminate on the odd places life had taken him just today. The moment he stepped inside the room all of his attention was riveted to the figure huddled on the bed with face in hands. Logic told him that was Madara. It sounded like him. Felt like him. His eyes, however, must have been playing tricks on him.

“The...hell...is going on?” Tobirama pulled his free arm away from Hashirama’s grasp to poke at him with confusion. “I thought you said he was going with the scarf idea? How the hell did you get a dye that color to saturate this much hair in such a short time? And for that matter, why on earth did you give him the same color as me?”

“Oh I didn’t do this,” Hashirama said.

“So he did it to himself?”

“No, I think you did it.”

Tobirama blinked slowly, one eyebrow rising. “I most certainly did not. You saw me when you came to get me, you know exactly what I’ve been doing since I left the tower.”

In his indignation at being accused he missed the sharp movement of Madara’s head snapping up to look at him for the first time since he entered the home. Busy as he was jamming a finger in to his brother’s side, he didn’t see those eyes zero in on him like a kunai finding its target but he sure did feel the weight of them. At first he ignored it - this was hardly the first time he’d been stared at - but when Hashirama managed to bat his finger away and pointedly indicated the man whose house they had just invaded he finally looked over.

“Can I help you?” he muttered, instinctively defensive under that much scrutiny.

“What do you mean the same color as you?”

His first reflex was to pull the hood tighter around his head. Then he realized how stupid that was. If the two of them were going on the same mission then obviously Madara would have to see him in this state at some point - and if anyone was going to understand the pain of having to dye his hair such a wildly unsuitable shade it would be the man whose head currently matched his own. A heavy sigh of defeat escaped him before, with great effort, he finally allowed his fingers to unclench so the hood of his jacket could fall back to reveal that his hair indeed was a perfect match for the ridiculous color of Madara’s. He expected the man to stare, of course. What he didn’t expect was for his jaw to drop and one hand to reach out blindly for Hashirama.

“You,” Madara croaked. “Go away. Now. I...I need to talk to...just go away!”

“Okay.” In a move possibly more surprising than anything else that had happened so far, Hashirama turned to leave the room as easily as that, not a word of protest. Tobirama watched him go with both eyes wide and blinking.

“I...how did you do that? I’ve never seen him leave so easily in my life. How did you make him do that!?”

Bed springs creaked and groaned like a symphony to announce Madara’s rise from the bed, eyes still locked on to Tobirama with all the intensity of the hawks he so enjoyed flying. He looked just as silly with the wrong hair color as Tobirama felt he himself did but something told him that mockery would not go over very well just now no matter that Madara was one of the few who could give as good as he got. The arguments they got in to were usually some of the highest points of Tobirama’s week.

“You dyed your hair.” Unfortunately his intelligence didn’t always shine through quite as obviously, such as moments like now when he felt compelled to state the very obvious.

“So did you,” Tobirama said with one eyebrow raised in judgment.

“No I didn’t.”

After a pause Tobirama canted his head to one side and lifted the other brow. “Well then I suppose I’ll need to get my eyes checked very soon.”

“No! Shut up, you don’t get it! I didn’t do this!”

“You’re claiming...what? Some kind of hair dye bandit snuck in and colored your hair when you weren’t looking?”

“I think it means we’re soulmates, you absolute fuck!”

“Oh.”

There were dozens of responses he could pretend he’d been expecting and that one would not have been even close to getting on the list. Tobirama opened his mouth only to close it, thoughts racing over each other in a jumbled heap because he knew exactly what Madara was getting at. Of course he did.

And of course the universe would be so petty as to give them a way to find each other only through humiliating themselves. Sometimes he really did hate other people for how easily they discovered their bonds. Not him, though, oh no. He couldn’t have a red string tied to his pinkie, he couldn’t have been born with the first words his soulmate would say to him imprinted on his skin, he couldn’t even have the moment of unquestionable knowing when he heard his partner’s voice for the first time. Because it was him and because it was Madara they just had to do things the hard way, waiting until one of them dyed their hair so the change of color could be reflected on their other half.

“That color looks awful on you,” was all he could think to say; perhaps a little too honest but from the very start of peace the two of them had silently agreed to never pull their punches with each other. Madara stared at him in disbelief for a half dozen heartbeats until without warning he burst in to raucous laughter.

“Seriously?” he demanded. “That’s all you have to say?”

Tobirama threw both of his hands in the air. “Well what do you want me to say? It’s not like I have some big speech prepared just in case I find out the other half of my soul has been riding around in you this whole time!”

“No? That’s almost surprising. You’re usually prepared for pretty much anything.” The smile on Madara’s face gentled his words from insults to fond teasing and Tobirama wondered how long the possibilities of this had been hiding right under his nose.

“I didn’t really want to go on this mission in the first place,” he mused. “Now I really don’t want to.”

“Because we match and it’s incredibly obvious that we shouldn’t?”

“No, dumb ass, because I just discovered my soulmate and I’d rather like some time to process that.” Tobirama rolled his eyes but there was a very telling hint of a smile on his own face as well. How could there not be?

Madara hummed and shifted his weight, coincidentally ending up just a little bit closer when he settled, though Tobirama chose not to point that out. “How much do you think it would take to convince your brother not to send us out?”

“Oh probably about a thousand yen more than whatever Kirimoto-san paid him.”

“Hn. I’d have to dip in to the clan coffers. And then I’d have to listen to the elders bitch about squandering clan funds. Ugh.” Madara’s nose wrinkled. Tobirama mirrored him if for no other reason than annoyance that he’d never really noticed how adorable that was. If he looked back on all the past interactions they’d had he would probably be able to drum up a thousand different clues that they were meant to be together.

Good thing he wasn’t the type to look back. Self reflection was so boring.

The problem of his brother forcing them to go through with this mission still was just something they would have to figure out later. Probably a very quick later since they were still expected to leave some time later that same day but still, certainly a problem Tobirama was willing to put off solving until he absolutely had to. If Hashirama was really so dead set on making them do this when he very clearly understood what situation was happening then he could come get them himself.

“Spot of tea?” Tobirama looked around as though he might spot a kitchen through the bedroom walls.

“Ah, yeah, I guess it would be polite of me to get you some, huh?”

Madara rocked back on to his heels and looked towards the door as well, the perfect opportunity for Tobirama to really look at him and take in all the little details he normally wouldn’t in another person, the shape of his jawline and the tiny amounts of baby fat that had never fully left his cheeks.

“It isn’t like you to be concerned about being polite,” he pointed out.

When his soulmate turned back to reveal an openly amused grin he thought maybe the universe did know what it was doing - but he was still a little annoyed that it had made things so difficult for him. Also quite annoyed that they were likely going to have to see this ridiculous mission through. What an absolute shame that he finally discovered his soulmate only for the poor man to bear witness to his complete lack of seduction skills all in the same day. He hoped Hashirama had already started running because he was going to murder his own brother for this.

#rae writes #soulmate collection #madatobi #tobirama #madara #hashirama #fanfiction

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nihongomoji · 4 years

Text

Inuyasha Japanese Words and Phrases

Higurashi Jinja

The "Higurashi Shrine." The name of the shrine Kagome and her family live at.

Hone Kui no Ido

The name of the "bone-eaters well" that is the portal between Kagome's and Inuyasha's worlds. It is part of the Higurashi Jinja.

Sengoku Jidai

The name of Inuyasha's world. "The Warring Period" or "Fudal Japan"

Shikon no Tama

The name of the jewel that Kikyo protected. It gives youkai more power, and can destroy them at the same time.

Shikon no Kakera

The pieces of the Shikon no Tama that Kagome and Inuyasha are searching for. If a youkai gets ahold of one piece, their powers increase.

Youkai

A "monster/demon". Sengoku Jidai is filled with them. Inuyasha's father was a demon, and Fluffy is one.

Hanyou

A half demon. Inuyasha is a hanyou.

Youryoku

Demon strength. Sometimes this is the reason humans go after the Shikon no Tama/Kakera

Shingetsu

The new moon, when Inuyasha turns into a human.

Tessaiga

The name of Inuyasha's sword. It belonged to his father, and usually changes from a rusty, old sword to a powerful one. Though sometimes it fails, like when Inuyasha is in human form. But in English it is known Tetsusaiga.

Hijinkessou

The name of Inuyasha's attack where he uses his own blood. (Blades of Blood)

Sankontessou

A name of one of Inuyasha's attacks. (Iron Revert Soul Shater)

Kitsunebi

The name of Shippou's attack. (Fox Fire)

Kazaana

An "empty hole", the name of the "black hole" like object in Miroku's hand.

Hiraikotsu

The name of Sango's attack, using her boomerang-like weapon.

Shinidamachuu

Name of the serpent like creatures that take and carry souls of the living to Kikyou.

Saimyoushou

Name of the poisonous flying insects of Naraku's. If they enter Miroku's Kazaana, they'll poison him.

Kaze no Kizu

Name of Inuyasha's attack where he "finds" the scent of the wind, and uses the Tetsusaiga to do some powerful damage.

Tenseiga

Name of Sesshoumaru's Sword, which can only be used to save others. Osuwari

This is all Kagome has to say to make Inu-Yasha's head ran into the ground. This happens because of the Prayer-Beads around his neck.

Sankontessou

ai - love

ai shiteru - I love you

anata - you (commonly used)

ano - well... (Kagome uses this a lot)

are - (ah-reh) Huh?

arigato - thank you

arigatougouzaimasu - thank you very much (much more polite)

atashi - me (female version)

baka - idiot/stupid/moron (who doesn't know this word?)

bishoujo - pretty girl (for instance, Sango)

bishounen - pretty boy (for instance, Sesshoumaru)

boku - me/I (used by males and pretty informal)

chibi - little, small

chikuso - dammit

chotto - a little

chuu-gakkou - middle school

daijoubu - in question form it means, "Are you ok". Just said out as a statement means "I'm fine."

dame - bad, no good

demo - but

fuku - uniform. Like Kagome's school clothes.

gakkou - school

gakkousei - student

genki - energy, healthy, happy, entergetic

gomen - I'm sorry. Gomen nasai means I'm very sorry.

hai - yeah, yes, ok

Hanyou - (Han-yoh) Han = half, You = demon. So, half-demon. In this case, Inuyasha is a hanyou because his father was a youkai and his mother was a human.

hentai - pervert

hime - princess

hokora - small shrine. Such as the one that the Bone Gobbling well is concealed in.

houshi - monk. Miroku's a houshi, though a perverted one at that.

iie - no

inu - dog

Inuyasha - Inu = dog, Yasha = Demon, so "Dog-demon". The kanji breakdown of his name translate to "Dog Night Wars/Gang" according to a Japanese woman who I had the pleasure of talking to in Tsukuba City, Japan. (Of course I had to ask her about Inuyasha. ^_^)

itai - owch

ja ne - or just plain out 'ja' mean 'see you later'

jigoku - hell

Kagome - A song for children that many Japanese people know. Besides being the heroine's name, there was some meaning behind it, actually.

Kami - God. Kami-Sama would be talking about god, or some very high ranking person, such as an emperor.

kappa - water demon

katana - Japanese samurai styled sword

kawaii - cute

kaze - wind

ki - spirit, energy

kimi - you (male form to close friends or children)

kisama - you (very insulting) Inuyasha uses this a lot when talking to enemies or just in general since he is a potty mouth.

kitsune - fox. Shippou is a kitsune youkai or fox demon.

Kokoro - Spirit, love, heart, soul. Various meanings, but all have to do with spirit.

konnichi wa - hello

kunoichi - female ninja

mamouru - to protect

mamotte ageru - I'll protect you.

matte - Stop! (male)

miko - priestess (What Kikyou is)

minna - everyone

mou - sign of exasperation, like sighing

nani - what?

Ningen - Human

ohayo - good morning

oi! - hey! (male) Inuyasha uses this a lot

oji - prince

ojo - princess

onegai - please?

Oni - Devil

onna - woman

ore - me (rude)

oswari - sit! (dog style, go figure) This is used to subdue Inuyasha by Kagome.

otoko - male, guy, man

otoko no ko - boy (Kagome first calls Inuyasha this when she first discovers him)

otou-san - father

owari - the end

sake - wine

Sengoku Jidai - age of warring states. Era where Inuyasha lives

senpai - upperclassmen

Shikon no Tama - Jewel of Four Souls or the Four Souled Jewel. In this story, the jewel contains four spirits of the world and was created by a priestess named Midoriko who lived long before even Inuyasha's time. This is a powerful jewel that can grant anyone strength.

shin-e - die

Shouki - evil aura given off by youkai

Shoujo - General word for girl

Shounen - General word for boy

sora - sky

sugoi - cool! awesome!

sumimasen - I'm sorry, please excuse me.

Tai - As in taiyoukai. Tai means ultimate, surpreme, or great. So, taiyoukai would mean "Great Demon" which is what Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's father was.

tamashi - life

tetsusaiga - Inuyasha's sword that was left behind for him from his father. It transforms into a large fang when it is held by someone who wishes to protect Humans and can only work with Inuyasha. When it's not transformed, it appears as a rusty old katana.

ursai - shut up (Inuyasha says this to Kagome a lot)

uso - a lie

wakaru - I understand.

watashi - I (polite)

watashi wa - I am

yamero - stop it!

yarou - bastard (used towards males)

Youkai - Means "demon" in this sense. The word "you" translates to demon, but the real meaning behind 'youkai' is 'bewitching apparition' which include demons, monsters, goblins, and ghouls. Obake and bakemono mean the same thing as youkai and are other words frequently used for spirits.

yume - dream

zettai - never

*Name Suffixes*

-chan - Used between friends or with someone younger than you. Generally a very friendly suffix such as "Shippou-chan" as Kagome calls Shippou. Used between boyfriends and girlfriends.

-kun - Generally used for males, but can be used for females too. Someone who's close to you as a friend. Kagome calls Kouga "Kouga-kun" to show how she's friendly with him.

-san - Polite and formal. Used for someone at the same position as you or higher. You would use this with strangers if you didn't know them well. It basically means "Ms, Miss, Mr., or Mrs." Miroku calls Kagome "Kagome-san" out of respect.

-dono - Not frequently used in this anime, but in others, like Rurouni Kenshin. Indicates respect and is very polite.

-sama - Very high respect. Used when speaking about gods or someone like an emperor or king. In this case, Kikyou is called "Kikyou-sama" by the villagers that she lived with.

-sensei - Originally means "born earlier than me". Usually used towards your master, teacher, or someone wise in the literature and art. You would call your school teacher by this suffix.

onee-chan/san/sama - what you would call your sister. Souta calls Kagome "Kagome onee-chan". Kaede calls Kikyou "Kikyou onee-sama".

onii-chan/san/sama - what you would call your brother. Souta calls Inuyasha Inu-no-oniichan or the "Dog-eared brother".

jii-chan/san/sama - grandfather. Kagome calls her grandfather "Jii-chan"

#confuzzered.tripod #inuyasha #word #phrases

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chiibinomonodamon · 4 years

Text

Doujinshi Translation

This is an AU where Gray takes Rachel in as a Sister to his church and she meets Zack in a different way!

*There is nothing sexual in the book.

*Trigger warnings: Off-screen animal cruelty :(

'Kami-sama Ga Shinda Hi Umareta Hi'

The Day God Died, God is Born by Tokiko Nao

Translation by Chiibi. Please do not repost and do not make scanlations without crediting me. (I am not sure about every single line but I’d like to see someone else do it better :D hahaha:p)

Kami-sama Ga Shinda Hi, Umareta Hi Page 01 Ray: Oh Lord... God...please...somehow... Page 02 [door creaks] Gray: Rachel Ray: Oh, Father. Good morning. Gray: Good morning. [shuts door] Gray: Have you finished your morning duty? Ray: Yes. Gray: You have much enthusiasm. This is very good. Ray: Not at all. (Note: She isn't disagreeing; the polite thing to do in Japan when someone gives you a compliment is to be humble instead of saying 'thank you') Ray: It is only natural for one who serves the Lord. Gray: Is that so. I've prepared breakfast for you. Please eat before it gets cold. Ray: Yes. Thank you very much. Child: FATHER! Page 03 Gray: My, what is wrong? You are all in such a rush... Child: Father, please help us! This little guy collapsed near the church. He's not moving and he's hurt... [sniff sniffle] At this rate, he'll die... Ray: It's okay. His wound is not serious... If we treat him and give him something to eat and keep him warm while he sleeps... he will get better in no time. So do not worry. [fluf] The church will look after him.

Page 04 Kids: Thank you, Onee-chan! We won't have to worry with Father here, right!? Gray: Well then, I shall leave him to you. Do let me know if you need anything. Kids: I know! Let's give him a name! Ray: Right. >: How about 'Max'? >: Whaaaaaat, that's so plain! Ray: You'll be all right now. Page 05 Ray thinking: He's later than usual... For the evening sermon... A person...? He's asleep. Who could it be at this hour... Oh well...this is a public place after all... Another day comes to an end. And yet... Lord God...

Page 06 Has not come to meet me today either... Zack: That's a boring prayer. Is this really that fun for ya, little miss? [yawn]

Page 07 Ray: Who...are you? What are you doing here... Could you be a thief? >: Zack Gray: So you've come here after all. I thought you would. Would you like to eat supper? I am preparing it now but... Zack: Don't need it. Just came here to take a break. [slams door] Ray: Father...who is that man...? Gray: Oh...he comes to visit this place now and then. To him, this is just a shelter that he doesn't have to pay for. Don't worry about him. Ray: Does he also... Gray: No, he is not a follower of God but... He was chosen by God As an 'angel'. Page 09 Ray thinking: Angel...? But that person... Had the scent of blood on him.

>: You've gotten a lot better, haven't you! Shall we go for a little walk? >: Wuf! >: Ah...you shouldn't run like tha... Page 10 >: Wuf! [spaced out] Ray: You're the... one from before... Zack: And yer... who now? Ray: [POUT]

Page 11 Ray: [still pouting] We met in the church before... Zack: Ah, yer the little miss saying the boring prayers, huh. Ya had a borin' face so I forgot. Ray: My name is Rachel Gardner. [hmph] And you are...Mr...Zack? Was it? (she is using "-san" here) [shudder] Zack: DON'T CALL MY NAME IN THAT CREEPY-ASS WAY! I'LL KILL YA DEAD!! Ray: [twitches] That would be a problem...then what should I call you...? Zack: 'Zack' is fine... Call me that... That's what the shitty priest calls me too... Ray: Zack... Page 12 Ray [sits] Zack, why are you here? Zack: AH!? Ray: I mean, why do you come here sometimes? Zack: whatcha sittin' down for No reason...I guess it's a good place to hide. Ray: From who? Zack: AHHHHHH!? YER SURE ASK A LOTTA QUESTIONS!! SO WHY THE HELL'RE YOU HERE!? Ray: Me? Well, truthfully... My parents died...no. I came here to sacrifice myself to the Lord. I am waiting for that time. Zack: Oh I see. Ray: [pout] Why did you ask if you don't care? Zack: Keh. I just asked ya back since ya asked me. Page 13 Ray: I see. You're an odd person. Zack: HAAAAAAAAAAH!? I DON'T WANNA HEAR THAT FROM YOU!! Ray: Owwwww [pinch] Zack: YA DON'T SMILE OR ANYTHIN!! ARE THE MUSCLES IN YER FACE DEAD OR SOMETHIN!? [sting] Ray narrates: After that Zack appeared at the church quite frequently. [looking around] >: Max, here's your food! Page 14 >: He would come for several days on end but also not show up for several weeks... >: Maybe he's in the garden... Zack: HEY. >: WUF! [wag wag] Zack: [panting] Keep a good grip on him, will ya! Ray: He was really quite a strange... strange person. So he was playing with you, Zack, huh? That's good. >: Wuf! Zack: NEXT TIME YA GUYS INTERRUPT MY AFTERNOON NAP, I'LL KILL YA DEAD! Ray: But of course he was in the back yard where others can't enter. And he showed up during the night. Max has really bonded with Zack too... Zack: Guess I'll go back to sleep again. Page 15 Ray: I wonder what Zack does outside of this place...? Zack: So? [staaaaaaaaaaaaaare] Whatcha up to, today? Ray: Working in the garden. Are you hiding again? I'm planting new flowers. Zack: Like I care. Killin' time. Ray: I see... Zack: Ya don't have that book today. Even though yer always hangin' onto it. Ray: You mean my Bible? It should be expected that I wouldn't carry it while I'm working in the garden. Are you interested in the Bible? Zack: Keh. Nope...can't even read it anyway. Page 16 Ray: Okay, all done. [pat pat] Zack: That dog ain't here, huh? Ray: Did you come to see him? Zack: IDIOT! NO, I FREAKIN' DIDN'T!! Ray: I thought you'd come to see him quite a lot lately. I see... Zack: LISTEN TO ME, YA LITTLE SHIT!! Child : WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?

Page 17 >: Max is gone!? Whyyy!? Ray: Yes. Someone came to take him in. Child: Darn. We wanted to play with him some more. Child: But at least he went to a fun home, right? That's good! Ray: I know you came here to see him... I am sorry. [door creaks] Gray: Rachel... I'd like to talk with you. Please come with me. Page 18 Gray: I picked this up from the back yard. This is a bad habit of yours. And I've overlooked it many times. But now...why did you kill THIS one? Ray: That puppy really got attached to Zack. I didn't want Zack to take him from me... Page 19 Thus I made him "mine". Gray: Goodness. I am quite disgusted with you. We do not selfishly act to obtain our own desires. [sigh] I knew you were not a vessel for an angel. Ray: Angel...? No...I... That is not what I wish for... Father, in order to sacrifice myself for God, I... Gray: Rachel Page 20 [badum] The God you desire is does not exist here. No matter how much you pray There is no "God" that can meet your conditions. Besides that, you who cannot even be loved by others... think God would actually love you? Ray: No... [tremble] Stop...it. Gray: You are so pitiful. Ray: STOP IT!! Page 21 [dash] [monologue] There is no God for me? That has to be a lie!! Ahh Lord... I... I shouldn't be alive, should I... Lord God... Somehow please...! Because of that? Page 22 Is that why He will not come for me? [panting] Because my God doesn't exist? I won't accept that. Because if I do... I don't want to die while I'm still unsightly!! Will someone kill me? I thought if it was God... The unsightly me would still be accepted. I thought He could kill me and make me beautiful. [rustle] Page 23 "He is an angel". Ray: I might be no good. Do you have a God who accepts you? Zack... >: He always smells of blood. Why... Zack who cannot even read the Bible How can this be...? What's the difference between him and me...? If I make Zack mine... can God make me His own too...? Page 24 Zack: I SAID if ya interrupt my nap, I'd kill ya DEAD, didn't I? [wham] Killin' that dog didn't satisfy ya enough, huh? Little miss. [cough] Ray: Then kill me too! [glare] Serial Killer Issac Foster! Zack: Hah Impressive ya figured it out... Page 25 Ray: Anyone could if they did a little research... You always came to this place right after an incident happened in town... You're hiding from the police, aren't you? And thanks to our priest hiding you here... The most faithful and trusted person in the whole city... Nobody would ever suspect him of harboring a serial killer. [pant pant] Zack: Whatsa matter? Yer chattier than usual today, ain'tcha... [Ray stuggles for breath] Wh...y... 26

Ray: What's the difference between you and me...? [drip drip] : Why does God... Zack: God...? Yer talking about that stuff again? Ray: I... Zack: You pretend to pray... Ray: I was just waiting... Zack: Is that big heavy bible really that important to ya? Ray: For the Lord God to come for me... Zack: Ya got some nerve. Ya intend to only make yourself clean? [grip] Even now ya reek of blood and flesh. 27 Just try it on me. Neither you or I would change! Isn't that right, Ray? Ray: Me...and you...? Zack: Well, I don't rely on God though. All right. I'm outta here. Their search for me is gettin' more serious so I can't visit this place anymore. [wave] See ya. Ray: Tell me, Zack Page 28 If I beg you to kill me will you listen...? Zack: Huh...? I ain't interested in killin' someone with such a borin' face. And I got no intention of bein' used by you. Ray: Then take me with you. I've lost my reason to be here... [drip drip] If I hadn't followed you, I'd just be left behind but If you need, you can use me as a decoy. I'm sure I can be of use to you. So it's okay with me to be killed by you. [flutter] When that time comes Page 29 Kill me, please. Ray thinking: That's right. The one who kills me Page 30 Can be Him. (she is using the kanji for Lord God here) Zack: Hah. This time yer going depend on me instead of God, huh. Ray: But I need someone to rely on ...I guess Plus you might be better than God... Zack: I'm not into the gross habit of purposely killin' someone who wants to die. If ya want me to kill ya, ya gotta work with me first. Help me escape this town. If ya make a better face for me after we've left here That's when... Page 31 I'll kill ya. "Serial killer Issac Foster now suspected of kidnapping" "Is still on the run" "Fearful nights continue"... Ray: That's what it says. Zack: Damn it all! It's YER fault they suspect me of kidnapping now, ain't it! Ray: Kidnapping on top of everything else doesn't really change anything though... It looks like they found out you went to the church. The Father must have stirred up the search for you, somehow. Leaving the town was the right action. Zack: Geeze, whatta pain in the ass. Page 32 Ray: If I'm a burden to you, you can kill me and go on alone? Zack: Yer all I got, ya know!? They would trace ya all the way to here, wouldn't they? Ray: Well spotted. [sigh] [ARGH!!] Zack: STOP ASKING ME STUPID BORING CRAP!! THINK ABOUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS SHIT GOIN' ON NOW!! IT'S BAD!! [lol sirens] Ray: This is because you act without thinking about where you are, Zack... But I'll do my best. So you will kill me.

#satsuriku no tenshi #doujinshi #my translations #angels of death #angels of slaughter #issac foster #rachel gardner #abraham gray

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namekkin · 4 years

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I made sure to wait for when Piccolo was in the distant Shell Region training novice warriors and Sulug was on watch at Grand Elder Moori's. That way I'd have the most freedom and least resistance to get through to the stubborn elder.

Moori chose to live here in the flagship village instead of in an isolated tower. He liked to hear gossip firsthand if possible and keep an eye on what was going on for himself. Not least for that reason, Piccolo would have much preferred to live further out in the wastelands.

'How things have changed,' I marvelled, remembering how it was an Earthling like me came to be so entangled in the affairs of a distant alien race of mystical slug warriors.

~~~

Approximately four earth years earlier, at Dende's Lookout

Piccolo stood at the edge of the Lookout, gazing impatiently towards the cloud cover below the temple.

"You know they won't fly up from down there." Coming up from behind Piccolo, Dende's amused comment managed to startle the taller Namek, who turned to face the young Guardian with a perturbed expression.

"They're late." Piccolo replied without a hint of sarcasm or humor.

Dende was used to staying positive in the face of Piccolo's pessimism. "When have you known Goku to be on time? And it's not like we're depending on him." Dende knew that Piccolo's relationship to the previous Kami-sama had been fraught before their fusion, so he chose his words carefully. The young Kami's first impression of the prickly Earth-born Namek was of insecurity and rage, but time had mellowed both the former self-proclaimed Demon King and view. "It's Goha-"

As soon as he heard Gohan's name, Piccolo's posture stiffened and he turned around again - looking not at the Guardian addressing him, but a few feet past where he stood - just in time for a loud pop to sound and the bespoke Saiyan father and son to appear in a cloud of instant transmission-induced smoke.

"Hey guys!" Goku greeted the two Namekians with a salute.

"Goku. Gohan." Piccolo bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"Piccolo-san, good to see you," Gohan advanced to his beloved mentor for a side hug, which Piccolo accepted. "What's going on?"

Piccolo looked accusingly at Goku. "You didn't tell him, did you?"

Dende sweat dropped while Goku laughed nervously and Gohan took on a concerned expression.

"I knew you could explain it better, Piccolo."

Piccolo ignored Goku. "It's New Namek. Nobody attacked, the planet's fine -" Piccolo clarified, in response to Gohan's look of alarm - "but there's some kind of 'social problem'." Piccolo scowled.

Dende spoke up. "What Piccolo-san says is true. We don't know for sure what is going on, but we know that Grand Elder Moori has requested that Piccolo return immediately to New Namek to assist." The native-born Namek's expression faltered, and for a split second a look of worry creased his forehead. He recovered quickly however, and continued. "Moori spoke of Namekian social life and practices that were not familiar to me. He said I missed out on learning about them because I left New Namek when I was so young."

Both Gohan and Goku blinked in surprise.

"A social problem on New Namek and they want Piccolo-san?" exclaimed the Saiyan hybrid. "Not you, Dende?" Gohan looked between the two Nameks, inviting either to reply.

Piccolo snorted and crossed his arms. "Don't ask me. I didn't believe it either until I heard it from the old man himself."

"He did want us both to go," the young Guardian added hastily. "But when I explained I cannot abandon my duties as Earth's Guardian, he suggested Piccolo-san go and bring along a trustworthy assistant of his choice." Dende smiled warmly at Gohan.

Gohan grinned and pumped his fist, beaming at his lifelong friend. "Look at that! Adventure on Namek just like old times!"

Before Piccolo could dampen Gohan's enthusiasm, Dende interjected. "And just like in the past, you'll need a ship and a full crew." Dende looked at Goku. "Do you think we could ask Ms. Bulma if she'd like another trip to Namek?"

Goku sweatdropped. Gohan furrowed his brow for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "I know! One of my students has been pestering me for extra credit work recently." He looked thoughtful."Smart kid, very hard worker. Curious. A memory that rivals yours, Piccolo-san."

"Trustworthy?" Piccolo raised a brow ridge.

"Absolutely. A little awkward sometimes, but a very pure ki signature for a human." Gohan held Piccolo's gaze to emphasize his confidence.

Piccolo remained silent.

After a few agonizing moments, Dende spoke. "Then it's final. Gohan, please arrange to bring your student here as quickly as possible. Leave the travel arrangements to me." The Earth's Guardian beamed, reassured that his perpetually-targeted family would flourish and blossom with the help of his beloved friends. Just like the ancient Namekians from the stories Moori used to tell him and Cargo when they were younglings on Old Namek. Flourish and blossom just like the bountiful Ajissa on New Namek.

~~~

Present time, Moori's village

‘Now that I think of it, did I ever get that letter of recommendation from Professor Son?’

Read the rest of the Mending Namekku-sei series here

#life on namek #dbz fanfiction #piccolo #namekian #dende #son goku #son gohan #kami #planet namek #my au #ao3 fanfic #ao3fic #fanfic

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evil-overlord-scriptology · 4 years

Text

But I Don’t Want to be a Sensei! Pt. 6 (ARCHIVED)

Chapters 18 & 19

Chapter 18: Prank Wars, Revenge of the Siblings!

vvv 3rd POV~ Sasuke vvv

A girly shriek resounded all throughout the Compound, followed by Obito yelling for Yanagi. On Itachi's other side, Shisui barked a laugh, “How much you want to bet Yagi-chan shoved a beetle down Obito-senpai's shirt again?” Sasuke gave his brother's best friend an annoyed look. It had been one of the few times that Itachi was willing to spend time with him, and Shisui came and ruined it!

Itachi-nii had told him once that Shisui used to be close to Yanagi and Obito. It bothered Sasuke even more not knowing why his cousins and Shisui drifted apart. He suspected it had something to do with Yanagi-sensei. Both Shisui and Obito-itoko weren't the kind of people to drop a friend, but Yanagi definitely was.

Itachi shrugged at his best friend's question, “It's that or chili pepper again.” Naruto had told Sasuke about that one. Somehow Naruto had ended up at Yanagi's house for dinner yesterday and she had dumped an entire container of chili powder in Obito's food as the first prank of the war. The next day Obito approached Sasuke and Naruto with a proposition for helping him in a prank, which they agreed to, stupidly.

Had Itachi-nii not intervened, Sasuke hadn't a doubt that Yanagi might actually have broken his arm the way she flung him around. Though she earned a harsh reprimand from the Hokage and Sasuke's father, Yanagi was back the next day throwing a bee hive at Obito's face.

It went on from there for the next several days. Pranks ranged from exploding flour bombs, which irritated Aunt Uruchi to no end since they had stolen her best flour, to elaborate pranks involving squirrels, super glue, and a healthy amount of some type of itching salve flinched from Obito's female teammate. There was even a rumor flying around that Yanagi had bodily thrown an Academy student at her brother.

Prank Wars between Yanagi and Obito were a serious business as well as an entertaining one. Someone, Sasuke suspected one of Obito's friends, had started a betting pool on who would win this war. Had Kaa-chan not explicitly told her sons to not bet a single yen, or else, Sasuke would have placed his money on Yanagi-sensei.

He already knew how ruthless his sensei could be.

vvv Normal POV vvv

Obito: 28 Yanagi: 27

“Would you be quiet?!” I hissed to the two quarreling genin behind me as Obito came into view. Naruto and Sasuke blanched and finally shut their traps, they had already learned earlier this week that I was very irritable and quite violent if my pranks messed up because they couldn't shut their damn mouths.

Obito-nii passed Checkpoint One and didn't notice a thing. Giggling under my breath, my fingers slowly tightened on the ninja wire I held. the feel of it's sharp metal biting into the pads of my fingers was wonderful and made me almost giddy with the near accomplishment of my newest prank.

...Checkpoint Two…

...Three…

The thin beige covering on the pothole I had Naruto prepare last night gave under Nii-san's foot. I saw my brother pause and look down confused when seemingly solid ground collapsed. “Now!” I roared and yanked on the ninja wire, releasing the chakra-reinforced bamboo cage that Kakashi-nii had prepared for me.

Obito yelped when the cage landed, it's sharpened poles digging into the ground so it would be hard to get out. I knew it wouldn't hold him long, my brother was called the Uchiha Phantom for a reason, but it would hold long enough for the prank.

The one eyed Uchiha snapped around to glare at me when I stood up in triumph. “You think this can hold me?” He growled. Oh Kami, it was like Nii-san had jumped out of some cheesy festival play that Mikoto-oba was addicted to. I still remember being subjected to those horrors all throughout my childhood. Obito, Itachi and I all avoided festivals with a passion because of those dreaded plays Mikoto-oba dragged us to every year when we were young.

Sasuke, the lucky bastard, never had to face the horror of cheesy plots and drama.

I decided to play along with it, “May you rot in eternity, Nii-san, for your crimes against the public!” I said with flair and a poker face that made the ANBU masks full of expression.

Obito's flat 'you are so dead to me' look was beyond priceless.

Kakashi-nii landed beside me before I could disturb my poor brother even further, “We have a schedule, Yanagi, stick to it.” The masked jounin reminded me.

I waved a hand, “Alright alright.” I grumbled then raised my voice, “First wave! Forward!”

Out of no where, known victims of Obito's past pranks appeared, holding balloons filled with paint, glue, water, and oil. Kakashi and I grinned at the now terrified Obito; well I think Kakashi-nii grinned, it was hard to tell with that mask of his. This was what Nii-san got for tripping me, and Kakashi who had been walking beside me, into the Naka river yesterday. It had been an accident, but Obito made the foolish choice to claim it was a prank to break the tie we had been in for the past four days. In retaliation, Kakashi changed loyalties and together we planned the Ultimate (Flowering Lotus) Prank to End All (Youthful) Pranks as Gai had put it.

Kakashi-nii was ever so helpful to grab me and shunshin the both of us to a rooftop out of firing range. “Fire!” I screamed and as one, colorful balloons soared towards the poor little bamboo cage and the well deserving victim trapped inside. I watched gleefully as my brother slowly turning into a multicolored, gooey blob.

“Second wave! Approach!” I called out once the first wave was out of ammunition. This time it was Obito's friends, and their students, who showed up, sporting large bags made of burlap. These were filled with sand, glitter, flour, and chicken feathers. Genma joined Kakashi and I on the roof, a clipboard in hand, as Kakashi waved the second wave to start their attack. Obito's growling threats of recompense was music to my ears; sadly I had to ignore it in favor of Genma.

Several years ago, when the first Prank War started, Genma asked for neutrality from all our pranks in return that he be the Record Keeper; that way there was no dispute on who won the war. Over the years Genma's job slowly evolved into not only keeping up with the record, but also judging the pranks and awarding points based on creativity, ruthlessness, and complexity. He also kept up with the loyalties of Kakashi– which changed often enough that even Kakashi couldn't keep up with it– the irritability of superiors, namely Fugaku and the Hokage, and controlled the betting pool that always cropped up when Prank Wars started.

The senbon wielder looked at the scene below us, then at the two of us. “Kakashi is on your side now?” Genma asked. I let Kakashi answer that one and watched him with my sharingan activated. During the fifth Prank War, Kakashi had played the dirty double agent to sabotage my pranks. Since then I never really trusted him again, at least when it came to pranks. Luckily for Kakashi, I could tell he wasn't lying, otherwise he would join Nii-san in the cage and become target practice for genin.

Genma studied the scene below him with the intensity of a building inspector, “Hm… I'll give you three points, the ruthlessness of the prank is somewhat lacking. As is the creativity, I've seen you do better than that Yanagi-chan. But I have to give you credit for the complexity.” Genma eyed me, “What did you do to get everyone to go along with this?”

I smirked, “Secret.” I quipped. I would never give out my pranking methods any more than I would give away blackmail unless I got something out of it.

There was a small beep and Genma and I turned around to see Kakashi looking at a timer. He turned his single eye on me, “Time's up.”

“For what?”

Instead of answering, the sneaky little bastard gave me his famous eye smile and jumped into the fray to release Obito. There was a stillness on the battlefield and my brother slowly climbed out of the cage, wiping off large globs of stickiness and flinging it at anyone close by. Then Obito slowly turned to glare at me. His single eye was glowing red with the sharingan.

Shit.

“Damn you, Kakashiiiii!” I shrieked as I hightailed it out of there. Nii-san was close on my heels and hands outstretched and fingers hooked, ready to catch me or strangle me I didn't care to find out.

vvv

Obito: 49 Yanagi: 52

I yawned as the Hokage went on and on about representing the shinobi population to the citizens of Konoha and how it was our duty to uphold and respect the citizenry of the village we protected… or something like that. I was just happy that the prank went as well as it did. There had been a fifty percent chance that the prank could have ended worse than it did. Honestly, what I had predicted as the best outcome turned out to be far worse than what actually happened.

Wasn't my fault that the oldest restaurant in the village, which was said to have been built by the Shodaime himself with the first Mokuton houses when Konoha was founded, went up in flames.

I got good points from Genma for the impromptu firework show though.

“…silly feud will stop now! I've indulged you long enough, but now that you are endangering the lives of this village it will stop, do you understand me?” The Hokage ranted as he paced back and forth in front of my brother and I.

“Yes sir!” Obito responded immediately, his single eye forward and hardened with formality. Hiruzen-sama was the person whom Obito respected the most, after the Yondaime. Like Naruto, Obito seemed to think of the old man as a grandfather figure. However unlike Naruto, Nii-san knew that Hiruzen would first and foremost be our Hokage before he was a grandfather type and treated the old man with a little more respect than my blonde student.

“…Yes sir.” I answered a beat after Obito, slightly rebellious and with very little respect. Mostly because I now owed money to Anko in a personal bet of who would end the War: Fugaku or the Hokage. The one time I was expecting the Uchiha clan leader to end something, and the old codger didn't even lift a damn finger.

I hate my uncle.

vvv

“Okay, two D-rank missions today.” I said as way of greeting once all three of my brats showed up. After the Hokage had chewed Obito and I out yesterday for the pranks, he practically threw the two missions at me, saying that they were special requests for Team 7.

Not only did Naruto groan, but so did Sasuke. “D-rank? We completed an A-rank mission, shouldn't we get better missions now?” I was mildly surprised that it was Sasuke who complained. But then, he was a cocky little shit and probably thought that since we survived an A-rank mission, we didn't need puny D-ranks anymore.

I pegged Sasuke with one of the scrolls, “Stop complaining! Team 7 was extremely lucky to survive that mission and neither the Hokage or I are willing to put untested genin back into that situation so soon.” I didn't tell them that, because of the Wave mission, every C-rank mission was closed to all genin teams until they were verified on their true mission rank. Fifteen missions had already been changed to a higher standard and the clients fined huge sums because of their dishonesty.

Sasuke glared at me as he rubbed the side of his head where the scroll had hit him, but he said nothing. Naruto, however, wasn't so keen on keeping his mouth shut, “Yeah, but if they give us a proper C-rank then we shouldn't have a problem, right?!”

Boy was his logic flawed.

My last scroll hit home, right down Naruto's face. There was a second of stillness as his body teetered for balance, before the blonde idiot toppled over. Not a moment later, Dumbass sat up with a very amusing red mark dividing his face in half, “Hey!”

I gave him a distasteful look, “Team 7 is cursed with bad luck. Whatever C-rank we get is bound to go wrong. Hell, you can't even complete half of the D-ranks without messing something up.”

“Doesn't mean you can throw things at your students!”

“It's practice.”

“For who?!”

“For you to dodge. That could have been an enemy kunai and you would be dead, congratulations. Now give me the scroll back. You too, Duckass.” I countered dryly. Both came flying end of end towards me at a rabid pace, Sasuke's a smidgen faster than Naruto's scroll. I grabbed Sasuke's out of the air before it could strike me in the chest and let Naruto's fly over my shoulder to hit a random tree behind me. “Work on your aim too, Dumbass.” I commented as I walked to retrieve the scroll he had thrown.

Hinata seemed to be tired of our antics when I returned to stand in front of them, “Y-you said we have t-two missions, S-sensei?” She prompted.

Mentally I ticked off a check mark. Getting Hinata to initiate a conversation: Done!

“Yes, and we're in luck!” My sarcasm was almost tangible, “The Hokage gave us two special request missions.” Special request missions rarely involved D-ranks, and they were normally babysitting missions for teams that had a special handle for kids. I knew for damn sure that whatever the missions were, they couldn't be a babysitting mission. No sane parent would trust the Kyuubi brat to babysit their spawn, let alone two anti-social Uchiha. While it might be bragging rights to say that the Hyuuga heiress had babysat your unholy imp it wasn't worth it to have the two walking disasters and their violent sensei under the same roof.

Sasuke scrunched his nose up in displeasure, “If it's the Capture Tora mission again...” At that all three of my genin shuddered while I laughed. There was nothing quite amusing as seeing an Uchiha scared of a cat. In fact, as far as I knew only Itachi had never been afraid of Tora. Even I had been when I was still a genin.

“No, but there will be cats on a mission. Nekobaa wants us to-”

Naruto cut me off, “No. Way! I'm not going to clean that weird lady's house again!”

“…Wants us to-”

“Not doing it! Go tell the Hokage that I refuse to go there again!”

“Dumbass, if you interrupt me again, I'll personally lock you in a room with Nekomata-sama and say you are a dog lover!” I snapped impatiently. Only Sasuke really got the levity of my threat, but Hinata at least got an inkling of what it entailed when she saw Sasuke staring at me in horror.

Naruto just shrugged, “Eh, so what? It's not like this Nekomata guy can do anything to me.”

“Lord Nekomata happens to be the Boss summon of the Uchiha clan. And do you know what summon the Uchiha clan uses?” I didn't wait for any of them to try and answer, “Cats.”

Now Naruto was understanding what exactly I was getting at. He gulped and laughed nervously, trying to play my threat off as a joke. I simply stared at him through narrowed eyes until he finally shut up.

“Now, as I was saying. Nekobaa wants us to come pick up the newest order and transport it to the Clan Compound. We'll be going to Sora-ku to Nekobaa's shop tomorrow and will be gone all day. That means that you have the rest of today to complete your other mission.” I tossed the other scroll at Hinata, who scrambled to catch it.

“Wait, what about you?” Sasuke asked me.

I waved a dismissive hand, “I've got other things to do. By the way, if you screw this mission up, I'm signing all of you up for a very special training regimen.” I smiled in such a way that Team 7 knew whatever 'special training' I had in mind would be torture for them.

After tossing training ideas around with Asuma and Kurenai, I learned that the best motivator to get the job done right was to threaten my brats with Gai.

It's how Asuma got his lazyass genius to do things.

Mock saluting my trio of brats I disappeared with a puff of smoke as I shunshined the hell out of there. Rin had announced that she would pay for any jounin kunoichi who showed up at one of the local hot springs. The fun part was she didn't tell us which one, only that if we didn't arrive by noon then she wouldn't pay for us.

Sometimes Nii-san influenced Rin too much, but I was fine with that.

vvv 3rd POV vvv

Team 7 all sighed when Yanagi-sensei disappeared. Sometimes it felt like she was only babysitting them and not actually trying to teach them to be true ninjas. In fact the only time she even bothered to teach the genin something, it was during the Wave mission. For the weeks afterwards, Yanagi was too busy with her pranks to even bother paying attention to her students and her negligence was starting to show.

“D-rank M-mission,” Hinata read off the scroll Yanagi-sensei had given her, “B-babysitting.” At that Naruto groaned. Hinata gave her crush a side glance, blushing, before continuing, “B-babysitting H-h-ho-hokage-sama's g-grand-s-son, K-Konohamaru.”

Naruto stopped his dramatics and perked up, “Konohamaru? Really? Yes!” He cheered. This was a mission he could stand! Nothing like getting to hang out with his kohai and getting paid for it!

Sasuke bit back a sigh. He could already tell that this was going to be a disaster.

vvv

“Hey! Hey boss! I'm appointing you the leader of the Konohamaru Corps! And your first mission is to find the red four-leaf clover!” Konohamaru shouted the second he saw Naruto.

Naruto blinked at him for a moment, then exchanged a confused glance with Sasuke, who only shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Sasuke did not pretend to understand younger kids. Most Uchiha children were treated more like adults than kids, and as a result they often had a more mature mentality than the rest of their age mates.

“What's this Konohamaru Corp?” Naruto finally asked, feeling like it was the safest question he could ask his little kohai. Even Naruto understood that there were somethings you were better off not knowing, especially when it came to Konohamaru.

The kid puffed out his chest and planted his fists on his hips, “It's a newly established renovation corps of Konohagakure!”

Naruto seemed to like that answer, he grinned hugely, “Oh? And how many members do we have so far?”

The scarf-wearing little boy touched his index finger to his chin as he pretended to think, then pointed up at Naruto, “Well there's you, the leader, and me, the lieutenant general...”

Naruto posed, “And and?”

“And that's it for now!” Konohamaru ended joyously. Naruto deflated like a balloon.

“What?! You should have told me it was just a game, dattebayo!” The blonde shouted.

Konohamaru continued as if he hadn't heard his senpai. Instead he was staring at the rest of Team 7 standing awkwardly in the doorway, “I guess they could join too.”

Naruto squinted at the two genin standing behind him, “Ne ne, I don't mind Hinata-chan, but Sasuke-teme can't be in the Konohamaru Corps!”

Sasuke scoffed, “Like I want to… loser.”

Konohamaru interrupted before a fight could break out, “Now, as I said we have a very important and dangerous mission! We must find the red four-leaf clover!”

“K-Konohamaru-kun… we c-can't do d-dan-dangerous missions. W-we have to baby-babysit you.” Hinata interjected but Konohamaru waved her off.

“Don't worry! There isn't anything that can defeat Naruto-nii-san! We'll be fine!” If Sasuke was a laughing person, he would have lost it just then. Naruto? Unbeatable? Maybe against a fly, but then again maybe not.

Before Naruto could puff up at the lies, Sasuke did a very 'Yanagi-like' thing and bopped him upside the head. “We're supposed to babysit you, Konohamaru, not go off on a wild goose chase for some dumb plant.”

The young Uchiha regretted it instantly when Konohamaru turned large watery puppy eyes on him, “Please, you don't understand!” Konohamaru bowed his head and looked at his hands, “There's this girl in the Academy. Her name is Yoshino Kaede and she's very cute...”

“So what's the problem?” Sasuke asked rudely. He couldn't stand little idiots with their ridiculous crushes, be they boy or girl.

Konohamaru sniffled, “She's leaving tomorrow...” He said dejectedly. “That's why I wanna get the red four-leaf clover. Because Kaede's friends said that if she got it, her wish to stay can come true and she can stay in the village.”

“Alright then!” Hinata and Konohamaru jumped at the sudden outburst from Naruto, “Well go get that red clover and you can give it to the girl you love!”

At that Konohamaru went completely red. He never said he loved Kaede-chan, just that he thought she was cute! With her teal colored hair and eyes and kind smile… a lot of the boys in the Academy thought she was the cutest girl in their class! And the nicest. And the smartest. And the one who brought the best sweets because her mother was a fantastic cook!

“Hold on! We're here to babysit him, not to go off on a stupid quest. Do you even know where this clover is?” Sasuke protested, trying to be the voice of reason. Unfortunately, Naruto was already sold to Konohamaru's plea and Hinata wouldn't take sides because she wasn't one to raise unnecessary conflict.

“In Akagahara…”

Sasuke deadpanned at the ten year old. “Akagahara? Really? You're going to risk your life for some stupid clover for a girl you'll never see again?”

Naruto gave his teammate the stink eye, “You know you're really starting to sound like Frizzy-sensei...” He commented before giving his best grin to the downtrodden Konohamaru, “Don't worry about the bastard, we'll get your clover, dattebayo! Teme can stay here if he's such a wuss.”

A shiver ran up Sasuke's spine. He was not a wuss! He just didn't want Yanagi-itoko after his head for not stopping the Honorable Grandson from being killed!

“Besides,” Naruto continued, “Konohamaru will go after the clover whether we do something or not, so isn't better if we go along and make sure he doesn't get hurt? To babysit Konohamaru, we have to be with him right?” Since when did Naruto become so manipulative?

Sasuke swore the dead last was hanging around Yanagi too much if he was starting to act like her. The young Uchiha opened his mouth, ready to protest the stupidity of their plan, when Hinata suddenly spoke, “N-Naruto-kun is right, S-S-Sasuke-san.”

Now Sasuke knew he had lost the battle. He threw up his hands and glowered at the wall, “Fine. But I'm blaming Naruto when Yanagi comes after us.” Naruto and Konohamaru waved away his threat, not even caring. They had gotten the sourpuss to agree to go! And that was all that mattered.

vvv

“Man… patrol here is always so boring. It's not like someone is ever going to get in...” Denryoku remarked as he thumped his sore shoulder with a fist. That new captain of theirs was a true slave driver. Not even Yanagi-taichō had been so brutal when it came to training, though she hadn't put Squad 18 through training since Ibo first joined it.

Ibo said nothing as he continued scanning the road for anyone coming close to the entrance into Akagahara. Denryoku felt sorry for his silent friend. Ibo probably was having the worst time adjusting to the new captain. Hyuuga Tokuma didn't treat Denryoku and Ibo like unique individuals the way Yanagi had, he treated them like soldiers that had no personality and he expected them to do whatever he asked. Yanagi had been Ibo's first captain, Squad 18 was the white haired Uchiha's first assignment and he had it extremely easy with the hot-tempered but understanding spitfire. Now poor Ibo was having to deal with an uptight Hyuuga who didn't take into consideration that Ibo avoided talking at all costs.

In Denryoku's opinion, Tokuma was more uptight than Fugaku-sama. Which was saying a lot.

Denryoku bumped his shoulder against his best friend's, “Hey, remember that time when Yanagi clobbered Shisui-san with the Spring/Summer Criminal Records Book of 37 A.K.E.?” The dark haired flirt chuckled at the memory. Oh it had been frightening at the time, because if was one of the rare instances that Shisui had actually lost his temper, but now all the Uchiha officers thought back on the incident with amusement.

Ibo huffed a little and signed with a single hand, 'Stop trying to cheer me up.'

The other Uchiha pretended to be offended, “Me? Cheer you up?! Why would I do such a thing?”

This time, Ibo finally gave his quiet laugh. Denryoku could never understand how Ibo did everything so quietly. He was almost like a ghost sometimes, especially with that ashen hair of his. If Obito-san didn't already have the nickname as 'Phantom Uchiha', Denryoku was sure that Ibo would have been tagged with it. As it was, many of the officers called Ibo the 'Wraith' behind the young man's back. Even Yanagi often called Ibo 'Silent Spook' to his face, but then Yanagi had an awful habit of assigning demeaning nicknames to everyone.

Everyone blamed Obito for his sister's rude habit.

They also blamed him for her blackmail collection.

And her general surliness.

Really, it was always Obito's fault when it came to something Yanagi did.

“Anything to report?” Tokuma asked as he suddenly popped up out of no where. Denryoku silently cursed his captain's 'pop goes the weasel' trick.

“Nope. All clear, as it always is.” Denryoku responded, his voice a little cutting. He had been in service for eight years, and had had three captains not including the Hyuuga, but this stuck up prick treated him as if he were the newbie. Even Ibo, who was only on his fourth year and only had Yanagi as his captain, was still more of a veteran than the Hyuuga.

Tokuma's captaincy had practically been handed to him on a silver platter. The Hyuuga was on record for having the quickest promotion in history of the Konoha MP, and that wasn't a good thing. He had been an officer for a year before Fugaku handed him a promotion in response to the accusations of Uchiha promoting only their own. Which was a load of bullshit. Code of Conduct clearly states that an officer must have at least five years before being considered for a captain promotion. Konoha MP hadn't even allowed non-Uchiha to join for four years before people started complaining about the 'lack' of non-Uchiha captains.

And Fugaku handed the first non-Uchiha promotion to a wet-behind-the-ears Hyuuga because 'it brought the two powerhouse clans closer together'. What a load of bull.

The captain narrowed his pearly white eyes at Denryoku. For three weeks he had tried to win over the two Uchiha, but they were dead set on comparing him to their last captain, who had quite the reputation at headquarters. Ibo hadn't been as bad as his teammate, less expressive definitely, but Tokuma could still feel cold enmity from the silent Uchiha. Now he didn't care and just treated the two stubborn men like he would anyone else who treated him with hostility.

“Did you check the south end?” Tokuma prompted further.

The dark haired Uchiha rolled his eyes, “Yes. And Ibo kept watch on the road. We know how to patrol, you kn-” Whatever Denryoku was about to say was cut off when a dull explosion caused the fence of Akagahara to rattle. All three police officers whirled around to stare at the plume of smoke raising from inside the fence perimeter. All traps within the restricted area were motion-sensitive and there was no wildlife stupid enough to scratch out a living in a booby-trap invested forest. That only meant that someone had somehow gotten in and were now causing a ruckus.

Great.

Chapter 19: A Little Tough Love

“Fifty more laps.” I grouched when Hinata finally finished the third set of the day. Naruto took off like someone had just told him that there was a free all you can eat ramen buffet in Kumo, with his Uzumaki lineage and the Kyuubi reserves the boy wasn't even sweating. Sasuke gave me the darkest glare he could muster as he stumbled into a run behind the blonde, still going at a relatively good pace, but Hinata was barely walking.

Rolling my eyes I grabbed the hood of the Hyuuga's jacket and pulled her back. “You meditate.” I told her and tried to make Hinata sit down, but she only shook off my hold.

“N-no… I can… do-do i-i-i-it.” She said between whooping breaths. I narrowed my eyes at her. I wasn't used to this new Hinata, this was the second time she defied me. But I wasn't going to stop her, anything was better than the stuttering mess I had started with.

“Fine, but I'm not saving your ass when you faint.”

Hinata took off without another word, she was only going as a shuffling jog, but she was still trying and that had to count for something I guess. I turned to my next task and glared hotly at the Honorable Grandson, who cowered in my shadow. “P-please don't kill me...” He stuttered.

I rolled my eyes, like I would kill the Honorable Grandson of the Hokage.

Too much of a hassle to hide from the authorities.

“You, pest, are going to write a formal apology to the Konoha Police Patrol that found you and my team then write a report to the Hokage detailing what happened. And don't think about doing anything stupid, I'll read over everything before you hand the report to your grandfather personally.” To prove my point, I handed him two sheets of paper and a pen, “You only get one chance for each, otherwise you join my Team in their exercises for the rest of the week.”

Konohamaru seemed confused by that, “B-but...” He started.

“But what?”

“Bu-but Naruto-nii-san said that you couldn't do anything if we were caught. My grandfather will hear of this! Then you'll be sorry!” Apparently this brat wanted to die.

I leaned down until my face was inches from his own, “If you're stupid enough to believe that dumbass then you're more gullible than a sack of worms. And about as ugly and useless too. I don't give a damn if you're the Honorable Grandson, be glad I'm only making you write the apologies because I'm very tempted to kick your ass like I will my team's once they're good and warmed up. You want to be a ninja? Because I'll give you your first lesson for free if you want.”

Konohamaru was quick to shake his head no and sit down to begin his apology and report. I gave him a pretty poor attempt at a smile, it was more of baring my teeth, “Make sure you don't get a thing wrong. Or you'll get your free shinobi lesson anyway.” I threatened. The brat paled under his tan.

Good, about time he learned some respect.

I was probably going to get it for traumatizing the pest, but it was worth it.

Shithead.

I didn't even care that they broke the rules and entered the forbidden area, if they wanted to get killed on their own time then fine. It was the fact that they did it while on a mission babysitting the Honorable Grandson. Akagahara was one of the number one places enemy shinobi tried to infiltrate, hence why it was forbidden. Any person caught in the gated area was immediately executed without question. Team 7 and Konohamaru were extremely lucky that Denryoku had recognized Konohamaru or else they would all be dead and Patrol 18 would have been brought up on charges of killing the Hyuuga heiress, the second son of the Uchiha clan head, the Kyuubi jinchūriki and the grandson of the Third Hokage.

It was a political nightmare just to sort out fill out the paperwork on the incident. I was pissed because I had been dragged into it since I was the sensei and now was under scrutiny for 'abandoning my team' on a mission. Even though D-rank missions didn't require the presence of the sensei, since they were considered 'baby missions' no matter what the chūnin at the mission desk said. But that small little detail was conveniently forgotten when it came to the issue at hand.

I was going to strangle that prick Hyuuga for bringing me up on charges.

Even worse, the whole Uchiha clan had been brought into the mess as well as the Hyuuga and both were now up in arms over accusations against each other. For what, I really didn't care. All I knew was that months of work bringing the Uchiha clan back under the Konoha banner was ruined and we were almost back where we started when the genin graduated.

And everyone was blaming me for not keep a better eye on the trio of brats. And Team 7 had been put on probation for three weeks. No missions at all; which meant Nekobaa was not pleased because only Uchiha were allowed to handle Uchiha merchandise and the idiots that had been sent in Team 7's place lost half of the shipment. That didn't really go over well with Fugaku-sama.

I didn't mind the 'no missions' as much as everything else since I was turning that into my advantage as a way to take my ire out on them the whole team through harsh training. I was also stuck with Konohamaru, though I didn't know why. Probably so he could share in the punishment.

Well, that's what I was taking from it.

Once all three genin stopped in front of me, I immediately pointed to the ground, “Twenty push-ups, forty crunches, and thirty leg lunges. Go!” This time all genin groaned and literally dropped to the ground. I kicked dirt at them, “DO IT!” I roared and ignored their hisses of pain when the dirt got in their eyes.

I did not give a shit what they felt. If they were stupid enough to think 'forbidden' didn't apply to them, then they can suffer a little grit in the face.

Arrogant assholes.

“Konohamaru, join them!” I shouted, turning to the startled boy. He stared at me for a good minute before I pointed at the paper, “That character is written wrong. Twenty push-ups, forty crunches and thirty leg lunges, now.”

“What?! But-”

“NOW! Do not ever question your superior officer. Now put your head down and start!” I snapped harshly, snatching the papers from his hands. I began walking away, crumbling the paper into a ball, when I heard a quiet sob from the boy. I whirled around, “Oh, are you going to cry? Did I upset you? If you're too much of a crybaby then maybe you should just forget about being a ninja, let alone Hokage.” I mocked with a harsh sneer. Large tears were flowing down Konohamaru's eyes now. He was truly crying like the brat he was.

I grabbed him by his ridiculous scarf and shoved him to the ground, “Stop whining, you pathetic little rat.”

“Hey! Leave him alone.”

My head snapped around to glare at Naruto. Sasuke and Hinata had paused in their push-ups and were watching me, but only Naruto was standing and glaring at me. “Did I say stop? Start over–thirty push-ups, fifty crunches, and forty leg lunges.”

Naruto's bright eyes glittered, “What do you want? Are you so cruel that you need to make little kids cry so you feel better? Why, you're nothing but a bully!”

“A bully, huh?” I mused, pulling my fury behind the Uchiha clan's standard emotionless 'I-don't-give-a-shit' mask. “Everyone stand up.” Konohamaru jumped up quickly, rubbing an arm across his messy face, and latched onto Naruto like a leech. Sasuke and Hinata stood up more slowly, but they were giving me glares that were almost on par with Naruto's.

I stared down at them for a long time, taking in each of the child's face. Team 7 were scowling back at me, they were used to me enough that they felt they could get away with it. Konohamaru was sobbing quietly into Naruto's side while Naruto had an arm around him like he was protecting him from me. These four were only kids; kids who broke the rules and almost got killed for it. They needed to know that some rules weren't even allowed to bend without dire consequences.

But…

Somewhere deep down I knew that my harsh treatment was wrong, completely and utterly wrong. I was at a loss of what to do. The only way I could make them truly understand that what they did was not okay was to push them until they broke.

No that wasn't right.

I was taking my anger out on them, I wasn't even trying to teach them. For all they knew they were only suffering through my harsh torture because I felt like it. Because I had finally gone off the deep end.

“Do you know why I'm making you do all this?” I asked, more calmly now that I had time to ponder over my actions.

Naruto, however, hadn't calmed down one bit, “Because you hate us and you get a sick joy outta watching us suffer, `ttebayo!”

I glanced at Sasuke and Hinata to see if they agreed, the sad thing was that they did. Even quiet Hinata was turning rebellious, though after the hell I put her through I wasn't very surprised.

“And if I did, what would you do about it?” I prompted, folding my hands behind my back and waited for them to answer. For the longest time all of them were stumped. Even Konohamaru stopped his crying to peek at Team 7. I think they expected me to defend myself and say I didn't hate them at all, but it was all for their own good.

Or some gooey shit like that.

I didn't let them answer, “Some shinobi are batshit insane, and they might possibly be one of the most loyal ninjas you'd find in the village. There are nuke-nin that are mild mannered; but they betrayed your village's trust, so you still are expected capture them or kill them if you can't. I thought you already realized that no one can be defined as just being good and bad.” Naruto and Sasuke winced, most likely thinking of Haku.

Hinata was still warming up to her new found backbone, “That doesn't give you the right to push around like you do.” She stated in a calm clear voice one would expect from a Hyuuga.

Tilting my head I studied the heiress. Two months had passed under my tutelage and already she was more outspoken than probably ever. She wasn't even stuttering at the moment.

“No it doesn't, but again, what can you do? Go whine to your father or the Hokage? You're stuck with me, Hyuuga, like it or not.”

“It isn't right!” That was Naruto.

“You're right.” I think I just broke all four of their puny brains when I agreed so readily with the dumbass. I scoffed a little, “But then, when is anything we do right? I thought we discussed this, Naruto, back in Wave. It's all a matter of perspective.”

“Since when is beating little kids a matter of perspective?!” Sasuke snapped. Inwardly I laughed at the way Team 7 was ganging up on their sensei.

“Did I touch any of you with the intent to hurt?”

“Don't play your stupid mind games, Yanagi, you know what I meant.”

My eyes narrowed at the blatant sign of disrespect. Defending a child, I could understand. Standing up for oneself, sure go for it. That was always amusing. Disrespect in any form, even during an argument?

You've got five seconds to get the hell out of dodge before I tear you a new one.

“I'm not playing games. It's an honest question. Did I hurt any of you, physically?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice calm now. One more word out of my cousin's mouth and he would suddenly have proof that I was beating little kids like he claimed.

“You hurt-”

I cut Sasuke off before he could continue, “I didn't touch Konohamaru, I grabbed his scarf. Try again.” Any ninja worth their salt knew how to hurt someone without ever touching them.

Before any of them could say another word I tossed four blank scrolls on the ground at their feet, “Training is done. I want all of you to write a full length formal apology to the Patrol that caught you in Akagahara. No copying from anyone else. Go.” I started to walk away, having my own work to fill out.

“Why?”

I didn't care who said it, but it stopped me in my tracks. Why? WHY?! Did they really not understand exactly what could of happened? Slowly I turned back around, my expression not angry as they clearly expected but concern, “Do any of you know why Akagahara is a forbidden area?” I asked slowly.

Four 'no's.

I facepalmed. I couldn't help it, in all my life I never met a group more dense than these idiots. Not even Obito could compete with one of them! “Okay sit down, you're getting another lesson.”

They all remained standing, which was fine by me. “Akagahara is on the border of Konoha, it abuts Training Grounds 44 and 45, which are the furthest training grounds from Konoha. It's also the easier area to navigate through. Guess what that means?”

Sasuke looked like he knew the answer, if his frequent paling was anything to go by. But of course that could be the fatigue catching up with him too. It was a 50/50 chance of being either.

“That means that Akagahara, during the war, was the most common way for intruders to enter into Konoha's surrounding forest. Once enemies got past Akagahara it was a cakewalk to Konohagakure.” Now the rest of the team were turning white. Konohamaru still didn't get it, dammit.

I focused my gaze on the littlest brat, “Akagahara is still the used by enemies to get into our village.” I explained slowly so his childish mind could grasp the concept.

“So? Naruto-nii-san and his friend could take them.” Boy, talk about blind hero worship. My eyebrow twitched, this kid really wasn't getting it. I don't think any of the brats really got the grave circumstance they were in, truly.

I sighed, “Look, because Konoha knows that Akagahara is the easiest way to get in, we put a fence up and made it forbidden, as well as stationed a permanent patrol for the police force. That patrol has orders to kill anything that moves in Akagahara.” I said flatly. There was no sense in sugar-coating it for an idiot as dense as the Hokage's grandson.

Now Konohamaru was joining his 'friends' in utter horror. And that wasn't even the best part.

“The reason why I'm making you write the apology to Patrol 18 is because if Uchiha Denryoku didn't recognize the Honorable Grandson, all of you would be dead. You four are some of the most politically sensitive brats in Konoha; can you imagine what Patrol 18 would be facing if they had killed you? The Hyuuga and Uchiha clans would be calling for blood, it might even boil into a clan war between the two. The Hokage wouldn't be any help as he would be biased over losing Konohamaru and Naruto. Many of the jounin, and even the Council of Elders, would be up in arms over Naruto's death as well.” For all the wrong reasons, but I wasn't about to tell an emotionally neglected child that, “Hell, in a worst case scenario the whole village would probably melt down into total chaos, which would then prompt another Hidden Village to attack and might start another Shinobi War.”

Silence reigned down on the brats as I let the new information sink in, they were finally understanding what exactly could have happened.

Hinata bent down and picked up one of the blank scrolls. She stared at it for a good minute before tucking it in her weapons pouch and turned to look at me, “I'll give my apology to you in the morning, Yanagi-sensei.” She said calmly before leaving. If it wasn't for that ridiculous boyish haircut, I'd say that another Hyuuga was impersonating her; but Hinata was the only Hyuuga with that styled hair so it was impossible.

No one was desperate enough to act like Hinata to actually cut their hair like that.

Sasuke was the next one to pick up the scroll. He glared at the innocent roll of paper then at me and walked away without saying a word.

Naruto picked up both his and Konohamaru's, “Is that true? What you said about the jounin and stuff?” He almost sounded scared, as if I would say no just to laugh at him.

Dammit I was hoping he wouldn't ask that, “Yes.” Let him come to his own false conclusion that they actually cared for him as a person and not the ultimate weapon of the village. I wasn't going to be the one to break his heart. I was an unpleasant woman, hell even I'd readily admit to being a bitch; but I wasn't inhuman.

I left without another word.

vvv

“Thought I'd find you here.” Someone said behind me. I grunted and poured myself another helping of Awamori. If I remembered correctly the person talking was normally more cheerful and I wasn't supposed to talk to him.

Well screw it, I talk to who I want.

Shisui sat down beside me and pulled the bottle of Awamori towards him to read the label, “Thirty-eight percent alcohol? Wow you must be depressed this time.” I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

“Shu'up.” I slurred angrily and tried to yank the bottle out of his grasp, but only succeeded in nearly toppling off the bar stool. If Shisui hadn't reached out with his free hand and grabbed my elbow I'd be on the floor.

“I think you've had enough tonight. Time to go home.” He said and gently pried the alcohol dish from my fingers before setting it down. As Shisui stood, I just continued to stare at the remaining liquid in the glass. It looked so graceful, swirling slowly in the shallow dish as the light directly above reflected off of it.

“`M a 'orrible sen'ei, ain't I?” I whispered.

Shisui didn't immediately answer as he slowly eased me up on his back. I took his silence to be a 'yes'. I was the worst sensei on earth, that scum that Nii-san always talked about. I could blame my team and Konohamaru all I wanted, but in reality I was the only person to blame. If I was a better teacher I would have warned the kids why that place was avoided, and I sure as hell wouldn't traumatize them when I was told about it.

Shisui tsked and readjusted his grip on my legs as he walked out of the seedy bar he had found me in. Apparently I had been thinking out loud, “You're not the best sensei out there, but I wouldn't write you off as scum yet, Yanagi-chan. And how were you to know those kids were foolish enough to go to Akagahara?” Damn man. Why was he always so cheerful and optimistic?!

Stupid Shisui and his stupid reasoning. I pressed my cheek into the back of his shirt and pouted. Why was it stupid Shisui that found me? Why couldn't it be some other officer that I didn't know who wouldn't try to give me a stupid pep talk as he brought me home?

“You smell.” I mumbled after a pregnant pause.

This time Shisui laughed softly. I couldn't help but smile a little at his chuckle. That's just how it was; whenever Shisui laughed people couldn't help but smile or laugh with him. It was almost like his laughter was a spell for happiness. “You're one to talk, Yagi.” He returned.

I pouted again, “…Di'nt say it was bad.” Shisui always smelled like freshly turned earth and crushed grass with only the faintest undertone of metal. The scent brought up memories of long past summers spent sprawling on the ground after hours of sparring together. If I closed my eyes I could almost imagine us being silly teenagers again, and Shisui was carrying me home because I was tired from a day of endless spars and not because I was intoxicated.

But that was before the drama of the Uchiha coup, and when I opened my eyes that perfect rosy scene faded back into harsh reality. My already depressed mood sunk even lower and I almost felt like crying.

Shisui seemed to pick up on my mood, “Is Yagi-chan complimenting me?! The world must be ending!” He said in a dramatic flair. It was a desperate attempt to take my mind off of other things. Sadly it didn't work.

“Shaddap, Eyelashes.” I said in all seriousness, though I did appreciate that he was trying to cheer me up.

“I haven't heard that nickname in forever. You must really be drunk.” The only other curly haired Uchiha commented.

I didn't respond immediately. I was thinking the circumstances over and I wasn't liking the conclusion I was coming to, “How much trouble am I in?” I finally asked, resigning myself to my fate. I knew from the second I first forced Team 7 into that harsh training that there would be repercussions. Really bad ones at that.

Shisui turned serious, only further proving that I was in deep shit. If Shisui was serious then I was definitely in trouble, otherwise he would try to reassure me that everything was alright and I was just being ridiculous.

“Not all that good. Fugaku-sama and Hyuuga-sama are definitely not pleased, and neither is the Hokage.” Shisui relayed calmly. I simply laid my forehead against his shoulder. I saw that one coming by a mile. But oh did it get worse, “What with you having not been with your team when they were caught in Akagahara and now this… Hyuuga-sama is calling for your permanent resignation from the shinobi forces.”

That managed to get through my foggy brain. I jerked my head back in surprise and immediately regretted it when the pounding headache cropped up in retaliation. “Wha-?! He can't do that!” I snapped, my words clear and forceful. Only the Hokage or my clan leader could force my resignation.

Shisui hefted me up further on his back and gave me a look over his shoulder for nearly waking up the neighborhood, “That's what Fugaku-sama said and the Hokage agreed; which is why you have an appointment with Yamanaka Asao tomorrow morning at ten.”

I groaned and dropped my head back onto Shisui's shoulder. Yamanaka Asao, or as I called him Ass-ao, was the Uchiha clan's personal therapist. Every clan had their own Yamanaka therapist who was informed of almost every clan secret to avoid having said secrets accidentally leaking out during a session.

Our Yamanaka had a standing appointment with any Uchiha that activated their sharingan; so he could make sure that the stupid Curse of Hatred didn't crop up. Only Itachi and Shisui were exempt because of they were exceptions to every single Uchiha cliché known, the lucky bastards. Hell, even Kakashi had to visit Asao because of his borrowed sharingan.

Asao, on top of his normal duties as a therapist, was also the clan's standard medic because Uchiha's were utterly hopeless when it came to medical ninjutsu; I was considered the best in the clan at medical ninjutsu and to any other medic I was considered utterly hopeless. Most clansmen found their own medic though.

Because Yamanaka Ass-ao also happened to be one vindictive little shit.

“If Asao-san diagnosis you as mentally unstable than Fugaku-sama will demote you to being a secretary in the police force and the Hokage will assign another jounin to your team.” Shisui added, almost sounding regretful. I didn't blame him, I could handle losing my team, maybe, but secretary?!

I'd rather walk into Kumo and offer to be their Sharingan breeding cow.

“Jus kill me now.” I grumbled into Shisui's shirt. Like I said, Asao was a vindictive asshole and he found fault in every Uchiha. When asked if the Nidaime or Ass-ao was more spiteful towards the Uchiha clan, Asao would win hand down every time. I wouldn't put it past that worm to say I was mentally ill just so there would be 'one less Uchiha on active duty'.

Shisui gave an exasperated sigh, “Asao wouldn't do that.”

I must have been talking out loud again. Stupid drunkenness. “Like you know. You don' `isit Asao, you don' know what he like.”

My escort home, if you could call him that, stayed silent for a good while before asking in a resigned voice, “Want me to come with you tomorrow?” Why'd he have to sound so reluctant? I wasn't that bad, was I? Maybe to my team but I just normally ignored Shisui, wasn't like he ever minded or nothing.

“Naw, I won' like ya to'arrow.”

“Oh, but you like me now?”

“…Shu'up and ge' me home.” I said, blatantly avoiding the question. Shisui was my friend tonight. Tomorrow, he would be that goofy idiot that I ignored. Shisui laughed and laughed at my response though, and that made me feel just a bit better.

vvv

Nii-san was pounding on the bathroom door, “Yanagi! Get your ass in gear, your appointment is in ten minutes!” Hypocrite. It was perfectly fine for him to be late five hours, but kami forbid that I be late by a second.

“Like that ass Asao would fail me if I was a minute late.” I snapped back as I tried to pull my rebellious hair up in it's standard high ponytail. Unfortunately I had made the mistake of going to bed with it still wet from my shower last night–forced by Nii-san because he 'wasn't going to have the house reek of alcohol'–and that meant my hair was ten times as unruly than normal. Baring my teeth at my reflection in frustration I dropped my arms and let the dark brown coils fall loosely down my back. It wasn't like I was going to be doing anything today that required my hair being up. The meeting with the Yamanaka would take up most of the day and then there was nothing until the evening; Mikoto-oba had invited Obito and I to have dinner and she had strongly suggested that we be there.

When Mikoto suggested anything, you had better do it or you'd discover the reason why she had been called the Terror of Genyo Pass in the Third War.

Giving up on my hair I stormed out of the bathroom, past my brother, and grabbed my sunglasses. “See you tonight, and you better not be late this time. I'm not making any excuse, you can just try to explain it to our aunt yourself.” I threatened as I headed for the door. Obito followed behind me, absently reassuring me as he flopped down on the living room couch with his daily dose of porn in hand.

Disgusting.

Even with the sunglasses on, my eyes still watered at the brightness of the outside world. I wasn't as hungover as I thought I'd be, but it was still enough to feel the symptoms. Luckily, as a kunoichi, being hungover wasn't as bad as to what a civilian might feel. With the amount of alcohol I had consumed last night, a civilian might be in the hospital with alcohol poisoning. Instead, due to chakra boosting a ninja's metabolism to a much higher rate than average, I was only mildly hungover. It was both a blessing and a curse. Shinobi had no problem sliding back into the swing of things the next day, even if they had passed out the night before; however it took them much longer to get inebriated.

As soon as my eyesight cleared I turned straight around and stalked back into the house, “Nii-san! What is that… thing doing out there?!” I yelled at my brother.

Shisui poked his head in the doorway, “Thing? I'm hurt, Yagi-chan.” I glowered at him. If the door didn't swing outward I would have tried to slam it closed on his head.

My brother chortled quite evilly, “My kohai offered to escort you. He said you expressed to being worried about Asao last night when he brought you home. Just have her at the Main House by six, Shisui-kun.”

“Can do, senpai!” Shisui chirped, giving my treacherous older brother a two fingered salute.

“Wha-?!” I squawked, but didn't get to finish as Shisui grabbed me by the waist and physically dragged me out of my own home. The last thing I heard was Obito yelling at me to let go of the door frame before I broke it.

I nearly fell over, disoriented and confused at the sudden change in footing. A hand reached out to steady me but I swatted it away with a vengeance and took a step back to find my balance. I gave the very smug looking Shisui my best stink eye for that stunt he had just pulled. Stupid shunshin master, I hadn't even felt him build up chakra! That was just being too good at your favorite jutsu if you asked me.

Shisui's smug smile turned into a pout, “I thought we were over all this, Yagi-chan.” He said and turned those damn puppy eyes of his on me. I glared back; being a master of that look myself I was immune to it. And when the hell did he get that notion anyway? I was flat out drunk last night, and drunk people do stupid things they normally wouldn't do.

Like talking to someone whom you've sworn never to speak to again for the rest of eternity.

Instead of answering, I turned on my heel and stormed away. I only got maybe three feet before Shisui caught up to me with his longer stride, “Oi oi oi, ya know the word 'escort' normally means that they're walking with you, right?” I simply gave him the universal one finger sign of 'go away'.

Like always, Shisui didn't react, he only shrugged it off with a grin. There had only been three instances when I had truly pissed Shisui off. Once was when I confronted him about the reason for which I now ignore him, another was when I bashed a criminal records book over his head, and the third was only last year when I had tossed one of Nekobaa's cats at his face.

Shisui is allergic to cats.

Thankfully Shisui seemed to understand that we were back to Square One in which I ignored him no matter what he said or did. For several minutes we walked causally in blissful silence. Well, I stalked down the streets, with a look on my face that made bystanders scramble to get out of my way; and he just strolled in the wake I left.

“I like your hair down like that.”

Damn it.

vvv 3rd Person~ Sasuke vvv

“Hey where's Frizzy-sensei?” Naruto asked, sitting up from where he had been lounging on the ground.

Sasuke gave his dumbest teammate a look, “She hasn't arrived yet.” Mentally the Uchiha hoped she never arrived. Hopefully the meeting that Tou-san had gone to late last night was so that Yanagi was removed from being their sensei.

“But, it's been four hours since she told us to meet here, and Sensei is never late.” Naruto knew that for a fact. He had once staked out their training grounds for the night, determined to beat Yanagi at the internal, unspoken 'get there before Sensei does' game Team 7 seemed to have. Somehow she must have realized what he was doing, because she had stayed there that night just so Naruto couldn't show her up.

Stupid Yanagi-sensei and her overzealous competitiveness.

“So what?”

“So… don't you think it's weird that the Time Machine Jounin is late?” Sasuke honestly didn't know how Naruto came up with the variety of nicknames he had for their sensei. And Sasuke definitely didn't want to know about the nicknames the dobe had for him.

“She probably got demoted and taken off the team. Tou-san had a late night meeting with the Hokage after I told him what happened yesterday.”

“T-t-that's right… M-m-my O-Otou-sama did the s-s-same.” Hinata added. Both males glanced at their stuttering teammate, each with their own levels of concern. Ever since the Wave mission they had noticed that Hinata's stutter had decreased, almost to the point that she didn't stutter at all unless talking to Naruto– though only Sasuke noticed that part. After yesterday's torture lesson, Hinata likely had regressed back into her old habits.

Naruto turned back to the matter at hand, “Yeah, and where is Konohamaru anyway? He's supposed to be with us.” The blonde's blue eyes widened in fear and he leaned in, “You don't think… she killed him, do you?”

Sasuke sighed in exasperation and hung his head. If Naruto kept his stupid rumor mongering, every child in Konoha would think his cousin was some kind of monster that hid under the bed and ate little kids for dessert. Konohamaru's classmates already thought that Yanagi was some kind of vampire; Sasuke had heard his younger relatives talking about how to 'excise' her.

Before Sasuke could find the patience to answer his lummox of a teammate, someone else did. “While I wouldn't put it past her, Yanagi-chan has more finesse than that. You'd never be able to pin it on her, at the very least.”

All of Team 7 looked high up in Yanagi's favorite tree, past her normal branch, where a grey haired masked man lounged, his nose in a small orange book that both Sasuke and Hinata recognized and dreaded immensely. Sasuke recognized him as one of Obito's teammates.

“Eh?! Who are you?!” Naruto shouted and rudely pointed up at the older man.

The stranger turned to look at the three genin and his only visible eye tilted in an odd way so that it gave the impression that he was smiling, “I'm your sensei for the day, while Yanagi is out… sick.”

“Well you're late! Frizzy-sensei said never to be late!”

“Maa… a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way around.”

vvv Normal POV vvv

Asao hummed as he pretended to scribbled some shitty notes down. I had a suspicion that he was just doodling. He didn't stop 'writing' even when I had stopped talking for several minutes. I already knew that the little worm wasn't listening to me. For almost ten minutes I had called him every insult under the moon and he didn't so much as twitch.

Being a relatively regular patient of his, I knew that Asao was not that thick-skinned.

“And how would you say that makes you feel?” He questioned in that stupid condescending 'I'm the doctor here and you're the nutty patient' voice he always used. Even when he wasn't on duty. I had the misfortune of running into the asshole when I was taking a message to Yamanaka Inoichi, that was just his default tone.

It was so nauseating I wanted to throw up.

“Like I wanna strangle something.” I said dryly and looked out the ridiculously small window, which also happened to be barred. Nothing like having to talk about your repressed feelings in a room that felt like it was a refurbished prison cell.

And honestly, they could have just left the cell like it was, since the 'redesign' sucked.

Ass-ao's sandy head whipped up from his notepad and he pinned me with a look, “Are you feeling violent now, Uchiha-san?”

Oh please, that he heard?! Now I was sure he was just waiting for me to say some shit like that so he could write me off as mentally unstable.

Like I said: vindictive asshole.

“No. I'm feeling oddly calm, like I've just had a spiritual purge of all the negative energy within my system. Please, O Great Guru of the Mystic Beings, continue your instructions so that I may become one with the universe like you.” Finally I got a twitch from the pompous bastard.

“Sarcasm doesn't become you.”

“Oi! I'm the queen of sarcasm, don't insult me!”

“I thought you were the Blackmail Queen.”

“Well a queen can have two titles, dipshit.”

“Do you see yourself as a queen? Do you have feelings of superiority over others?”

I threw my head back with a great groan. Trust a Yamanaka to turn a simple sentence into some insight on a damn nonexistent mental disorder. I'd hate to be a Yamanaka, it would get very old very quickly if I felt the need to psychoanalysis every word said to me.

“I'm a damn Uchiha, of course I have a superiority complex; because it sure as hell isn't an inferiority complex.” I snapped back. It seemed that every Uchiha suffered through one of the two mental states to some degree. They either felt like they were a gift from Kami or that they were worthless trash that no one cared about. Unless you were balanced people like Itachi and Shisui.

“Do you feel superior to me?”

“Do you really want me to answer that question?”

There was a moment of silence then: “…No. Let's move on.”

Thought so, jackass.

vvv 3rd Person vvv

“Man, this new sensei sucks! He just gave us some stupid missions and followed us around all day reading! He didn't even try to teach us anything!” Naruto complained as Team 7 left the Missions Desk Office at the end of their day.

“You'd rather run around a training field all day with our psychotic old sensei trying to emotionally break us every second?” Sasuke asked sarcastically. He didn't like the new sensei either, Kakashi he had learned, but he was still loads better than Yanagi-sensei.

Naruto squinted at the mention of yesterday, “Well, no. But Frizzy-sensei normally isn't so… uh… evil. She's kinda funny when she's not yelling at us.”

Behind the two boys Hinata nodded, though neither saw it.

“When isn't she yelling at us?”

“When she's yelling at someone else,” Naruto returned quickly. He paused for a moment then added in a mischievous tone, “her nicknames are really funny actually… Duckass.”

Sasuke shot his stupid teammate a dark look, “Her nicknames are not amusing at all, they're insulting.” He stated firmly.

“Oh come on! Don't tell me you weren't a little amused by 'Peach-boy'! Calling someone as strong as Zabuza that is just hilarious.”

“I'm surprised you even know that word.”

“Oi!”

“G-g-guys, let's not f-f-f-fight.” Hinata interjected before either boy could warm up to the argument that was starting. When the team was first formed, Yanagi-sensei had given the job of maintaining order to Hinata; and she was just finally starting to be confident enough to try and mediate between Naruto and Sasuke's fights.

Both boys glanced back at their shy teammate and then at each other. Though neither would admit it, they were both in agreement that they had to watch out for Hinata since she was so shy and fragile. She didn't know it, but she could probably order them to do almost anything and they would do it without complaining because it was Hinata. They felt the need to protect her from everything; from chaotic cats to their insane sensei.

“Training?” Naruto prompted, changing the subject. Yanagi-sensei had beat into them pretty early on that they had better train sometimes in their downtime, or training with her would be utter hell.

And they had already gotten a taste of Utter Hell; there was no reason to try and seek it out.

Sasuke shook his head, “Kaa-chan wants me home before dinner. Something about someone having dinner with the family.” He explained. In reality he'd rather train with Naruto. They had actually been a decent team on the Wave bridge and he wanted to see if they could hone their skill.

Hinata hesitated, not liking being put on the spot. She would love to train with Naruto, but she was concerned that she might faint if it were just Naruto and herself. “I-I can… but only for a h-hour, N-Naruto-kun.” She finally decided. She didn't think she would be any help, but Naruto seemed to think otherwise.

He brightened, “Great! You can help me with that silent technique Frizzy-sensei taught you! Come on!” And with that Naruto grabbed the bright red Hinata and practically dragged her away. Sasuke watched amused and feeling only slight pity for Hinata. His female teammate was in no condition prepared to deal with the hyperactivity that Naruto consistently exuded; but if she was determined to keep that crush of hers, she might as well learn how to deal with it.

vvv Normal POV vvv

“Well look at the bright side, Yagi-chan…” Shisui tried to cheer me up as we walked back to the Uchiha Compound, “Asao-san didn't say you were mentally unstable.”

I crossed my arms with a scowl. Ass-ao might have cleared me of being batshit insane, but he did diagnose me as emotionally repressed, with a superior complex in general, anger management issues, and a plethora of tragic memories that possibly lead to all of said conditions. I was suspended for three weeks to see professionals to take care of my issues; and if I failed to show to the people that Asao recommended I'd be suspended indefinitely until I did see them.

Although the anger management issue came from when I threw a chair at the bastard's face for bringing up Obito's temporary KIA status during the Third War.

Really, he was asking for that one though.

“Ah well. Here we are, Yagi-chan, I delivered you safely to the Main House!” What do you want, a medal? “I had fun today, Yagi-chan. We should do this more often… though it's better when your drunk.” Shisui added teasingly. I tried to punch him, I really did, but he seemed to know exactly what I was going to do for he utilized the shunshin jutsu to get away and my fist went through the air where his gut had been.

Piss ant.

I glared at the spot where Shisui had been standing, as if it had somehow betrayed me by not holding the man there for a second longer, before stalking inside. I never bothered knocking since the only one who really cared was Fugaku and I didn't give a shit what he thought anyway.

“Mikoto-oba, I'm here!” I called as I sat down to take off my sandals.

Instead of my aunt answering there was the pounding of someone running towards the entrance than Sasuke shouted, “What are you doing here?”

I turned to give my student and youngest cousin a flat look. But before I could give a snappy comeback his mother came to greet me, “Oh good! Obito-kun is already here, now we can eat. Come, Yanagi, I made Nikujaga just for you.”

Okay I had my suspicions before, but now I was certain that this whole thing was a set up. My aunt never made Nikujaga because Sasuke hated sweet foods. The only time she did make it was when the family was at odds and she had been forced to play the mediator; most often between her husband and Obito or I.

No wonder Shisui didn't try to mooch a meal off of Mikoto like he normally did. He knew what was going on, the traitor.

vvv

Silence reigned supreme over the whole meal. The only people who weren't giving me dirty looks throughout dinner was Mikoto-oba and Obito, though Nii-san looked like he was constantly on the verge of laughing. At least Mikoto-oba had the decency not to bring drama to the table.

Unlike a few people I knew of.

I was the last one to finish, mostly because I was stalling for time, and as soon as I laid down my chopsticks Fugaku-sama was standing, “Yanagi, come with me.” He ordered.

I exhaled a long sigh and looked at my brother sitting across from me. Obito had his silly grin on and was cheerfully waving good-bye when I looked at him. Then he stood and gathered his and Sasuke's dishes, “Mikoto-oba, let me help you.” Oh so he'd help Mikoto do the dishes, but left me to do all the chores at home. Jackass.

“Yanagi.” Fugaku snapped when I was taking too long.

“Alright alright! Don't have a cow, I'm coming.” I said defensively as I stood up and stalked after my uncle to the common meeting room.

The common meeting room opened to the outside and was closer to the living quarters of the Main House, thus making it easier to spy on. It was where most public discussions took place, or official reprimands. The private meeting room, located under the Naka shrine, was only used for serious issues; like excommunications from the clan, planning coup d'états, and–in the past when Konoha was first founded–executions.

I wasn't really surprised to find four of the eight clan Elders all sitting in a semi-circle. Fugaku waited until I was inside the room before shutting the door with an audible snap and taking his place at the apex of the arc. I barely refrained from rolling my eyes as I bowed to the Elders and knelt down on the uncomfortable tatami mats. No soft pillow for me, the jerks.

“Your condition?” The furthermost Elder sitting to the right questioned. If I remember correctly, her name was Sayako and she was not only the oldest Uchiha, but one of the oldest individuals in the village. She also happened to have a soft spot for my brother, as did most of the elderly.

I leaned over in a bow, placing my hands flat against the ground and lowered my head until my forehead brushed the tatami mat, “Honorable Elders, Clan leader… I reported to Yamanaka Asao as ordered. He has deemed me to be mentally sound, however…” At that everyone tensed. “I am to report for professional help for the next three weeks on account of anger issues and repressed emotions.”

I think I heard one of the more crotchety old coots mutter something about not being all that surprised, but I couldn't tell.

Fugaku gestured for me to continue. I sat up and placed my palms flat against my thighs, “I have been cleared to resume normal duty as soon as my three weeks of suspension are up.”

My uncle dipped his head and turned to the Elders, “Then the issue is solved.” He said in that flat tone he used when addressing the Elders. Fugaku and I didn't get along at all. We disagreed on almost everything; but one of the sparingly few times we did agree on something was that the Elders were just a bunch of bored busybodies who had nothing better to do than to bother the clan leader about trivial things.

Hibiki, a particularly nasty Elder, sputtered, “Just like that?! This gaki has nearly mentally traumatized one of our most promising genin of this generation and she gets away with a slap on the wrist?!” Funny how he made it clear that he didn't care for Sasuke as a person, just a tool to better the Uchiha clan.

“It was by the order of the Hokage that Uchiha Yanagi be able to continue as a sensei if she were to pass the mental examination.” Fugaku said. There was a rustling of unease that clearly stated exactly what the Elders thought of their Hokage. I breathed deeply through my nose and made sure not to stiffen up. Unrest among the Elders meant that it would soon leak out into the rest of the clan, which could possibly lead to another coup.

Sayako grumbled as she climbed to her feet, leaning heavily on her walking cane. The Elder beside her and Fugaku both jolted as if to assist her, but the spry old woman was already on her feet. “The issue is closed, as Fugaku-sama said. Complaining about it won't change a thing. I'm going to bed!” And with that the old woman hobbled past me and out the door.

We could all still hear her go from an ornery badger to a cooing grandmotherly figure. Most likely that meant that Obito was out there eavesdropping; in fact I would bet that everyone except Itachi, who would have found a much better hiding spot, was just standing outside the sliding doors.

Leave it to my brother to turn the woman said to have intimidated all Hokage from the Shodaime to the Yondaime to turn into a mushy old granny.

#Script's Archives #sensei fanfic #naruto fanfiction #fanfiction

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therainroguefanfiction · 4 years

Text

🎾 Reaching Out (Tenipuri) #1: The Twins

Genre: Friendship, Family, Comedy, Fluff ☁

Word Count: 1,887 ☁

Pairing: OC x ?? ☁

World: Prince of Tennis ☁

Author’s Note: This was written a long time ago and remains as one of my favorite pieces to date. I don’t know if I’ll be completing this series, but I’m still proud of it and want to post what I’ve already written.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

Rojo Kira followed the pathway toward the tennis courts in Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku, the ponk of the balls growing louder with every step she took. School had ended a while ago, leaving only the after school clubs behind. More specifically, the famed tennis club that the junior high students seemed to go nuts over. The high school division had a tennis team, as well, but they didn’t have as much fame as the middle schoolers’ team got. The reason for that was simple. While the middle school did have other sports, tennis was their main one. It was a big deal though, with all the trophies they’ve won, I guess you could see why.

The high school, however, offered more sports, evenly spreading out the student body to cheer for each one equally; not one was more important than the other. Kira wasn’t too sure why it worked out that way, but she summed it up to the fact that high schoolers are more angsty, and need more choices at outlets they can use to vent their frustrations. Middle school was difficult, but nothing compared to high school. It made Kira glad that this was her last year.

One thing Kira had noticed about the fans at Rikkai, was that they were not at all as crazy as everyone believed. Sure, there were a few delusional nut jobs that believed they could win the love of their beloved regular-sama, but most of the kids who cheered and supported Rikkai were doing it because they loved the team and wanted them to win. At Rikkaidai, it was all about rising together as one to annihilate the enemy. It was as simple as that.

Still, Kira thought it a bit stupid to give the regulars so much popularity just because, well, they were regulars. It’s completely pointless, but her opinion didn’t really matter in this case. She did not attend school with them so she couldn’t voice what she thought. And she thanked Kami-sama that she would never have to share a school with them because when they graduate to high school, she’ll be graduating to life.

Kira’s eyes scanned the crowd around and on the tennis courts, searching for a mess of fire-engine red hair that belonged to her younger brother, who was in his second year of middle school. He often stayed behind after school to watch tennis practice, even though he wasn’t part of the team OR the cheering squad. He simply enjoyed watching it. That’s not to say that he didn’t play, but it was on a more hobby basis; it was something he did when he was bored or needed something to pass the time. Really, the Rojo family wasn’t a very sporty family. They loved to watch, but playing one was just too much effort that could be spent sleeping or just lazing around. At least, that’s how the Rojo children are. They can’t be bothered to do anything unless they want to or are ultimately forced into it.

Kira walked up behind her brother, who stood at four ten, and set a hand on his hair, which had recently been dyed. The boy was originally a blonde, but because he wanted to try something different, he somehow managed to convince his mother to let him dye it when he started his second year. Finally, she caved and gave in to his begging – probably just to get him to shut up. It stood out glaringly against his personality. But he had been set on the idea of going with red since the day his big sister came home with blood-red highlights.

Rojo Kaizen looked up at his big sister, his usual bored-calm expression in place. “You’re early, sis.”

“Did you forget? We have to go pick up Kaoru since Ryuuka can’t do it.” She ruffled his already messy hair lightly. “You said you wanted to visit Seigaku again, right? If not, you can walk home with one of the regulars. You said before a couple of them live near us, right?”

“Kirihara-kun does. And I don’t think Sanada-san is too far away, either. But yes, I would like to visit Seigaku. I want to see Eiji-kun again.”

Kira didn’t want to imagine how bouncy and loud the cat-like third year would be when he saw that Kaizen’s hair was about the same shade as his own. She pushed the image away from her mind as she readjusted her bag on her shoulder, leading her brother to the gates. Ryuuka-san, Kira’s stepmother and the twins’ birth mother, was usually the one who went and picked up Kaizen’s twin, who attended Seishun Gakuen in Tokyo, but since she was busy, it was Kira’s job to get him instead. It had been a while since the two had visited Seigaku, so it was questionable how the regulars would react to the pair. Maybe they could slip in and out without being noticed? The pessimistic side of her brain told her not to count on it.

About fifty-five minutes or so later, the pair found themselves entering Seigaku’s gate. No student was in sight, but the sound of tennis balls being hit told them what direction to go in. Like his younger twin, Kaoru liked to watch tennis matches, but he wasn’t on the team himself. He had been asked several times by Seigaku’s team, but he declined each time. He had his sights set on the baseball club, but he had yet to make an effort to join. The twins were a lot alike, especially in looks – the only way you can tell them apart now is by the color of their hair-, and their personalities only differ slightly.

Kaizen was… well, bland for lack of a better word. He always bore the same bored-calm expression, never changing it no matter what situation he was in. He drawled when he talked, always taking on a bored tone. His voice stayed the same pitch, no matter what the situation – the only exception to that is when he’s crying, which isn’t very often. His hair, now an almost blinding red, was short, but his bangs were long, often hanging in his liquid silver eyes, which he had inherited from his mother. Because of this, he often keeps them pinned to the side and out of the way with bobby pins.

Kaoru was quiet. While he often shared the same expression as his brother, it did change. He wasn’t as rude as his younger twin, and was very kind to other people, especially where their feelings were concerned. He was more social, as well, and people seemed to be attracted to him like magnets, even though he doesn’t go out of his way to make bonds with people. He’s a lot more responsible and mature, though he tends to take on too much, and never can stand up and say it for worry that he’ll let someone down. His hair was still the same blonde color that he had been born with, the same length as his brothers, but parted to the side instead of pinned back.

Rojo Kaoru’s eyes shifted to the pair when they approached and he stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder with a small smile. “Hello, bro, sis.”

“How was school?” Kira asked softly, pushing away a few strands of hair that had fallen out of place. Kaoru was also the weaker of the twins, despite being older. He got sick easily and spent most of his childhood in and out of the hospital. She believed that was the reason behind Kaizen’s distant nature; he had been really scared that he was going to lose his brother.

“It was good. Ryoma-kun nearly got trampled today by fangirls, but thanks to Momo-chan’s quick reflexes, and Inui-senpai’s threats, the fan club retreated back to their respective classes.”

“You’ve never taken anything from that guy, have you?” Kaizen questioned blankly, his bored gaze set on the elder twin.

He quickly shook his head, causing more strands of his blonde hair to cover his eyes, which he brushed away before speaking. “Iie. Oishi-senpai and Tezuka-buchou forbade Inui-senpai from offering his juice to anyone outside the tennis club.”

“I still don’t trust him. You should have a talk with him, Kira-nee-chan.”

“I agree.”

Kaoru’s cheeks tinted pink at the overprotective nature of his siblings, but he couldn’t help the smile that broke onto his lips. “You don’t have to worry, I’ll be fine, really.”

The pair exchanged a look, but before they could say anything else, a loud ‘Hoi! Look, Echizen!’ caught their attention before Kaizen was engulfed by a red blur. He now lay sprawled on the ground with Kikumaru on top of him, arms tight around his neck and cheek rubbing against his own. “Long time no see, Zen-chan!”

“You’re heavy,” he managed out in a bored voice, despite the fact that the wind had been knocked out of him.

“Eiji!” Oishi came rushing over, a panicked look on his face as he ushered the third year off. “Are you okay, Kaizen-kun?”

The red-head nodded, accepting the offered hand.

“You don’t do that to Kaoru too, do you?” Kira questioned, glancing at the boy beside her who had paused in dusting his uniform off. He wanted to know the answer, as well.

“He tries,” Oishi shook his head with a sigh, one hand on his hip. He really was the mother hen of the team. “But Kaoru-kun’s reflexes are pretty impressive. He usually misses and lands on Echizen…”

The elder Rojo locked eyes with the blonde as if to confirm the tale and he promptly nodded, letting her know that it was okay. Even though Kaoru had been with these guys for a year already, she wasn’t ready to trust them just yet, not with her fragile baby brother. And she knew Kaizen felt the same way.

Kikumaru edged his way closer to the blonde, poking his side with a wide grin.

Kaoru took the hint and turned to his big sister, his hands twisting the strap of his bag, a sure sign that he was nervous. “Um… nee-chan?”

“Hmm?”

“Well, Seigaku has a tournament coming up – ”

“The regional tournament!” Momo added in, excitedly.

“ – And I was wondering if, maybe, I could go?”

Kira and Kaizen exchanged another look. “When is it?”

“In a couple of days,” Oishi responded, offering them a small smile. “If you agree, we promise to look after your brother.”

“What do you think?” Kira asked the red-headed twin, who simply shrugged in reply.

“Your call.”

Kira adapted a blank look as she surveyed the blonde. She could tell with one look that he really wanted to go, but he wouldn’t argue if she told him no – that was Kaizen’s job, not his. “Alright. But we’ll be going, as well.”

“Thank you, nee-chan!” Kaoru smiled greatly, wrapping his thin arms around her waist. She returned the hug, patting the top of his head.

“Well, if you’ll excuse us. Ryuuka-san is probably waiting for us by now.” Kira nodded to the group before turning and heading toward the entrance – or in this case, the exit. Kaizen said nothing, turning around to follow the older Rojo, while Kaoru bid his goodbyes before running after the pair.

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ethelindawrites · 5 years

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October 21

Fictober, Prompt 21 - “Change is annoyingly difficult.”, Original Fiction

Warnings: magical battle, slight creepy imagery.

Fantasy follow-up to Day 2 and Day 9 (starts immediately after #9).

It was large, amorphous, and colored with a sickening swirl of unpleasant greens and reds and oranges. It looked like something that should have oozed over the ground, but instead it was fast, and the discordance jarred my head worse than the colors.

The creature came straight for me, scarcely seeming to notice the kami.

She intercepted it before it could reach my shields, cutting off a reaching, gooey arm with a sword made out of light.

The thing screeched in pain and drew back, only now seeming to focus itself (did it even have eyes?) on the deity standing before it. Still, it did not move to strike her, but squirmed sideways, working towards me again.

I sent out a blast of my own power, dark and heavy, aiming for another multicolored arm.

The magical punch struck home, and did some damage, but this time the creature shrieked in rage rather than pain.

I was the target of its malice, clearly. Because I was human? What did that mean?

The kami went on the offensive now, darting forward with her shining blade, her sword strokes fluid and practiced as she hacked off piece after piece of the strange, magical flesh. Some of the pieces quickly reattached themselves, while others wisped away into nothing.

Now it did strike back against her, but either it was unable to touch a deity, or her own magical protections were strong enough to fend it off, for she sustained no apparent wounds. Slowly, she drove it back.

I followed as close as I dared, sending my own magic in whenever I could get a clear shot. I doubted that my strength would do much to touch a kami, but I did not wish to hit her, even by accident.

As we pressed closer to the river, the thing seemed to temporarily regain some strength, surging up larger again, as if drawing form and power from the area where it had originated. I could almost tell what the kami meant about its power having a weird taste; it wasn’t quite that, not for me, but the smell of the air was strange here, a swampy miasma where there should have been only forest and rock and river.

Still the kami pressed it, relentless.

“Give me a direct hit!” she called abruptly, and I had just enough time to get my hands up as she turned back out of the way, and my blast hit what seemed to be the creature’s head squarely.

It wailed again in rage…but then the kami was there again, her sword slicing clean through, splitting the thing half.

“Again!” she commanded, and I did. We fell into a quick rhythm then, magical blast followed by consecrated blade, and eventually it had been reduced to something small. If a puddle could have radiated hatred and anger, that would have been the closest description I could name.

“The last blow must be yours,” the kami told me. “You must mean it.”

Remembering the unsafe path and the way it had reached for me, eager to rend me apart, I raised my hand once more and let dark, heavy magic shoot from my palm.

What remained of the creature disintegrated, and was gone.

A gust of wind blew over us, and already the air felt cleaner.

I took a step back, stumbled in surprise at my shaking fatigue, and let myself fall gracelessly back to lean against a tree.

The kami stood nearby, eyes closed, blade gone. She did not look tired, exactly, but I sensed a slight dimming in her power that had not been there before.

It was only a slight change, though.

“Kami-sama,” I asked carefully, “why did you need my help for this?”

Her dark eyes opened, and turned to me, their gaze intent.

“Your own power was more than strong enough,” I went on, “and mine is nothing in comparison.”

“Your strength is sized correctly for you,” she said, in one of her not-quite answers, “and it is human.”

“It was going after me,” I said, turning back to where the last of it had disappeared. “I was the one it wanted to hurt.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “It was a creature born of human malice, against other humans.”

“It didn’t appear if you came alone,” I puzzled out, still watching the kami. I thought I knew the answer now, and she seemed inclined to let me spell it out. “Because it only cared about humans on the path, so you needed a human to draw it out.”

“And human power to finish it, at the end,” she agreed. I thought that maybe I should feel indignant over having been used as bait, but it was clear that she would never have let it harm me. “A circumstance that I have not encountered before.”

“Never?” Although I did not know much about the kami beyond the basics that we were taught, I had enough sense of her now to know that she was old.

She shook her head. “Change is annoyingly difficult, some might say. And at times it is, as in this case. But one may also view it as an opportunity. I have never before battled alongside a human ally, either.”

“Huh,” I said. “That all makes sense, I guess. But…why me?”

At this, her mouth quirked slightly towards a smile. “You are the first to come along who seemed to have enough power to hold your own against it, and to do real damage. I did not want to bring someone vulnerable if I did not have to.”

“Thank you for choosing me, then, Kami-sama.” I wasn’t feeling up to standing just yet, but bowed my head. She accepted this with an easy nod, and closed her eyes again. I had a sense that she was checking the area, perhaps making sure that the damage was healing. My own power was going to take some time to recover, but I was not dangerously drained.

By the time she opened her eyes, I felt ready to stand. My legs were reasonably steady, and she led me back into the forest along the almost-not-there trail. I doubted I would ever find it again, should I come back this way on my own.

“The kannushi will have come, so there will be hot tea and food for you. You may stay the night on the grounds, if you like,” she offered as we neared her shrine.

There was indeed a priestess there, a young Nihon woman who hurried forward with a worried cry of “Kami-sama!” when we arrived. I was the one who looked like I had just been through a battle, but apparently human hiking clothes were not the kami’s usual appearance.

Even as I thought this, her form flared brightly and then she was wearing an elaborate kimono, her hair now long and pulled up partially with ornate jade pins and combs.

“I am well,” she assured her priestess. “This one has done me a great service today, and will rest here tonight.”

I bowed.

“My thanks,” the kami told me, smiling once more, before fading from view.

The kannushi was staring at me with slightly wide eyes, but quickly got over her surprise. She bowed to me, which I returned, and then welcomed me warmly. I explained what had happened, assuming that the kami would not mind, and the priestess was grateful to know that the problem had been solved.

I started out along the river path again the next morning, and my steps this time met only with solid, comforting stone.

----

Glossary:

Kami - Japanese word for “god/spirit/deity/etc.”. It doesn’t translate well, being a (somewhat deliberately) ambiguous and flexible word in regards to what it refers to.

-sama - Japanese suffix (one of many) used to address someone formally and respectfully. I believe this one is often translated as “lord/lady” (for example, “Name-sama” would be “Lord Name”) but is gender neutral in Japanese, and there might be other words in English that would work. It is more respectful (elevating the person you are addressing) than the “-san” suffix, which is still polite but more everyday.

kannushi - according to the Encyclopedia of Shinto, this is a general term for shrine priests in the modern usage. It has had more specific meanings in the past. I don’t know if it is commonly used for women who might hold this position in Japan today. The term miko, referring to the shrine maidens, wasn’t quite what I meant here, so I went with this one instead.

I’ll note again here that my understanding of traditional Shinto beliefs is that the kami do not exist directly in the human world (existing on a separate world/plane), but rather use intermediaries. I am working with a variant of the idea here, in which a kami can manifest in this world if they choose to do so.

#fictober19 #fantasy #kami #kami verse #goddess #monster #inspired by Japanese mythology

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shibuemiyuu · 6 years

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Desires - Hakuoki Fanfiction - Chapter 6

Hello folks! Here’s another chapter for the story.

For the picture, you CAN guess who’s in the picture if you read this chapter. Just read to know :D

There’s some problem with the tagging, so I will just tag someone that is on my list. But please tell me if you want to be tagged.

And again thank you for reading my story. May you enjoy.

Chapter of the story:

Prequel - Prologue - I - II - III - IV - V

@hijichiweek @kirakirachiizuru

Miyuu

-VI-

It must be because of the fever that he could SAY that THING to her. No way in million years would Hijikata asked her to do that if he's not sick. She could see that Hijikata's eyes were half lidded. A look of daze and not focus was plastered on his face. 'He looks like when he was drunk. His mind must be not fully awake…. Maybe he will not remember what's happening tonight also.'

But still, the oni fukuchou had asked her to feed him. No, he pleaded her to feed him. Even though Hijikata was in his weaken state... He would surely kill her if he knew that the word cute was swimming in her mind now to describe his expression.

...She wanted to hug him.

...and he called her Chizuru again.

"Okay. If you'll let me," Chizuru said, a small smile tugged on her lips.

Hijikata knitted his eyebrows. "Wipe off your smile. This is not a thing to be smiled about," He said in a weak and slurred voice, but his tone was commanding. She swore she saw him blushing a bit. But maybe that’s because of his feverish state.

"Hai," said the woman with a small smile still tugged on her face. He just sighed in the end.

She fed him carefully and slowly with tender and care. He never knew that his favorite food could taste so divine like what he ate at the moment. He ate it and swallowed the tasty food easily and it warmed his stomach.

"Did you cook this soup?" He asked her after he finished. She put the bowl and prepared to give him the medicine when he asked.

"Yes. Matsumoto-sensei had told Yamazaki-kun to give you food that you can digest easily. I thought a porridge would be better at first, but then Kondou-san said that maybe you'd like to eat a sweet red bean soup with rice cake. The ingredients were all there, and it's not hard to make so, I made it."

The thing that she didn't say was she had carefully picked the red bean and chose the best one, made the paste from the beginning and she had to buy the rice cake that on that day was running out in almost every shop and at last, she found it after the nth shop . It took her almost all her time that day just to serve him this one bowl of soup. Maybe that's why the taste wasn't the usual Hijikata would eat. It contained Chizuru's feeling for him.

"Did you not like it?" Just then she felt a doubt feeling of him not liking her cooking. So far whenever she cooked and served it when they ate together with the captains, he never complained about it. He even said once that he liked how she brew the tea that she always gave to him. But, his condition was different now. Maybe his taste bud was so sensitive that he felt her cooking was weird or not good. Oh... She should ask him first if he-

"No. I like it very much," Hijikata said, cut her rambling thought. "I never ate food that taste so good. It easy to be eaten, so tasty and it warm my stomach in a good way. Your cooking is delicious, Chizuru. Just what did you put in there that made it so good?"

'A feeling that care and love you, Hijikata-san,' Chizuru thought in her mind. But when she thought that, she could feel her face, neck, and ear was getting red. He's not only praising her food, he also liked it!

"I-I didn't put anything else than what it should be. You praise me too much, Hijikata-san," said the woman, stuttered a bit but a happy feeling was bursting inside her.

"Thank you for the food, then," Hijikata thanked Chizuru softly and gave her his rare smile. The smile that almost made her breath stop. She could count on how many times the guy in front of her smiled. She always saw him scowled, growled, or most of the time angry. So, when he gave her that rare display of expression, unconsciously her heart would skip a beat. He looked so handsome and solemn...

"You're welcome," Chizuru said with much effort after the 'attack'. She diverted her gaze, before she did something stupid like stared with mouth agape of the handsome adonis in front of her. 'Get a grip Chizuru!' she berated inside. Then she the medicine on the tray. "Here, please drink your medicine." She gave the medicine to him and he accepted it almost reluctantly.

He eyed the medicine with half lidded eyes and remembered the awful taste of the potion. "Did someone gave this medicine to me before?" His furrows got deepen.

"Yes, Yamazaki-kun gave it to you once in the afternoon. It was after Matsumoto-sensei left the compound. The other asked him to give you a very effective medicine to cure your sickness. How do you feel now, Hijikata-san? Do you feel any better?"

"Just a bit." And he drank the medicine quickly.

He gave the empty bowl to Chizuru and she put it on the tray. She looked to Hijikata and realized that his hakamashita was wet. 'Maybe he was sweating because of the medicine and the food.'

Just then, Hijikata touched his body, "I'm drench in sweats. My hakamashita is all wet."

"Maybe it's because of the medicine that you drank and also the food. But, if you have begun to sweat it's a sign that you're getting healed from your sickness. It's a good thing." Chizuru explained to Hijikata.

"Still, I'll catch a cold again if I stay like this. I need to change my hakamashita."

"Then, please change your hakamashita before you get back to rest. I will step outside," said Chizuru while she took the tray. "Good night then, Hijikata-san. Hope you will get much better in the morning." She bowed before she started to stand to leave the room. A hand grabbed her wrist suddenly that made her dropped her tray to the floor with a clatter sound echoed in the room and she found herself fell into Hijikata's lap.

"Hijikata-san?!" Chizuru squeaked, flabbergasted with Hijikata's action. His hand was hot against her cool skin. She looked up to him and what greeted her was a cool stare. He stared his purple eyes straight into her brown one. She gulped for no reason.

"Didn't you say earlier that you come to take care of me?" Hijikata sounded so steady in his weak state. He tilted his head a bit, "Then, why do you want to leave when your job is not finish yet?"

"W-what?"

"You haven't changed my wet hakamashita, Chizuru. So... You can't leave yet."

If only Chizuru could faint, she would do it without thinking. But her mind had stopped working for a moment. She gave a blank stare.

They were staring at each other, not moving. Hijikata moved his other hand that didn’t hold Chizuru's wrist and cupped her cheek and caressed it with the pad of his thumb. “Finish your job until the end before you leave.”

The warmth of Hijikata’s hand brought Chizuru’s mind back and she was surprised to find Hijikata’s face was so closed to her. She could feel his hot breath blew to her face. He looked so calm even though their face was so near. And not only that, his face was getting closer.

‘Is-Is he going to kiss me? ……Will we do what we did at the Shimabara a month ago?’

Chizuru couldn’t move. Hijikata stared had very much held her captive, grounded her on the spot. And even if she wanted to run from this situation, her mind and body weren’t in sync. The other wanted to run, while the other one wanted to stay on the spot and let her suppressed desires to be surfaced again. And the one that had won the struggle was the latter.

‘Kami-sama, he’s so handsome.’ Looks liked Chizuru’s mind was gradually got in sync with her body also.She waited for the rough and thin lips of the oni fukuchou to meet with her plum and soft one. Then she felt his body weight pressed her to the tatami...

But after that, Hijikata didn’t do anything.

“Hiji-kata-san?” Chizuru whispered softly. She didn’t accept any reply from the man. “Hijikata-san?” she called him louder. No answered. ‘Did he faint?’

Chizuru tried to move his body and he still didn’t move. She looked into his face and his stabilize breath was heard. ‘He’s…. asleep.’ She sighed relieved. “Don’t start that thing if you can’t finish it Hijikata-san.” She sounded a bit disappointed. After realizing what she had said, her face turned red so bright. ‘What did I just SAY?! Chizuru you pervert.’

Chizuru vigorously shook her head. Then, she turned Hijikata slowly on the futon. The man still slept tightly.

‘He has to change his hakamashita. He will catch a cold again if he sleeps with this wet hakamashita. Oh… what to do?’

Chizuru was battling with herself whether she should change his hakamashita or not. She knew where he kept his clothes in the room, courtesy of Okita. He had put some itchy powder to Hijikata's drawer and all of Hijikata clothes were affected to that powder. Hijikata had gave him a really embarrassing punishment that he was sure Okita would think a hundred times if he wanted to pull a prank like that again to him; plus the disappointed look that Kondou gave to the first captain when he knew what Okita had done was sure a big help. Later, she offered a help to Hijikata fro her to wash all the clothes and put it back to his drawer in his room. When Okita sneaked into Hijikata's room and put the itchy powder, the fukuchou had to go with Kondou-san because they just received a letter that told them to meet the higher up. Hijikata wanted to make Okita the one that washed all the clothes. But on the second thought, and with a better judgement, Hijikata accepted Chizuru's helped with the matter.

In the end, the woman decided to change the hakamashita. ‘He was asleep after all. It won’t be too embarrassing for me to change his cloth in his state right now.’ Chizuru went to his drawer and took a new hakamashita for him. Then, there was a task to change his hakamashita to a new one. She gulped after she realized that she had to undress the man.

‘What are you thinking Chizuru! Just change the hakamashita and get out of here.’ Chizuru berated herself again inside. “I have stayed long enough in this room. Let’s get this done.” She firmed her resolve in the end.

Carefully Chizuru took off the wet hakamashita. Then she also wiped his body that drenched in sweat with the cloth in the basinet beside the bed. It wasn’t an easy task to change the hakamashita into a new one. After all, Hijikata's body was bigger than her. With much effort, at last she was done with the task.

‘He really can sleep. With all the pull that I do to move him, he didn’t even grunt or awake.’ Chizuru mused in her thought. Once again, she sat at the bed side and gazed to the sleeping man. A chagrined smile adorned her face. ‘But, I bet, despite the whole event that happened this night, he also won’t remember it… Like he didn’t remember that night in Shimabara.’

Chizuru gathered the tray and the wet hakamashita and slowly she stood up into standing position. She walked out of the room without glancing back to the patient inside the room.

And that’s why the woman, again, didn’t see that the said man opened his closed eyes and gave her a wistful look. She closed the door together with the man closing his eyes, drifted off to a restless sleep.

---

Footsteps were heard outside Hijikata room before someone opened his souji door in the morning after. The owner of the footstep entered the room and he was greeted with the already awake owner of the said room.

“Toshi!” Kondou exclaimed in delight. “You’ve awaken I see.” Kondou closed the door and sat beside the bed. “How are you today? Get any better?” He asked worriedly.

“I’ve gotten better, thank you.” Hijikata got up from his laying position in futon. He felt much stronger than the previous night. The proof that he had gotten better. “And I have you and the other captains to thank, have I not? Didn’t you ask Matsumoto-sensei to give me a very effective medicine that can healed me fast?” Hijikata gave Kondou a slight smile but somehow for unknown reason Kondou felt a chill aura was emitted surround his right-hand man.

“Y-You don’t have to mention it.” Kondou didn’t know why he felt intimidated with the sick man now. Usually an aura like this was always directed toward the enemy of the Shinshengumi or someone that had pissed the fukuchou. What had he done that now the oni fukuchou had directed this deadly aura to him?

‘Thanks to Chizuru soup that I do feel any better. I have you and the other captains to thanks of this medicine, Kondou-san. I will surely thank all of you.' With a dark thought and a plan of revenge to his co-captains he directed his icy aura to one of his victim.

“To-Toshi, why are you smiling? It’s not that I don’t like you to smile, but for some reasons I find your smile was rather frightening,” Kondou said, naively voicing his thought. Hijikata than stopped smiling and gave his boss a passive face, before he shook his head. ‘Kondou-san is a wrong person to be blamed. He just pure worry about me. There have to be someone that more suited to receive my wrath.’

Okita, Harada and Saitou sneezed simultaneously. “Achoo!”

“Why do you come to my room in the morning, Kondou-san?” Hijikata's voice had returned back to the normal voice he usually used. And his dark aura had gone. Kondou began to relax and cleared his throat before spoke.

“I come to check on your condition, of course. Looking at you now, I guess Matsumoto-sensei medicine really did the wonder,” Kondou said happily, examined Hijikata with his eyes and pleased with what he saw. Then he turned serious. “He said that you’ll be healed in a week time, but you have to get rest and take it easy for a week at least. So, Toshi you still have to rest and drink your medicine. Matsumoto-sensei will come to check on your condition next week. Until next week you are off duty.”

“I know.”

“Good.” Kondou nodded his head. And he sighed in the end. “This is your first time getting sick this long. Not to mention with what you did, it wasn’t helping at all. Please don’t do it again in the future Toshi.”

“…I know. And I’m sorry for what I did.” With shame, Hijikata admitted and apologized to Kondou. He really didn’t know what had possessed him and why he had become so stubborn of not wanting to admit that he indeed was sick.

...Or so Hijikata told to himself. He knew exactly why he had gotten so stubborn of not wanting to admit that he was sick. He thought that the reason was ridiculous and that's why he didn't want to acknowledge it. Ridiculous because it was so not him to be sick just because of that. And the reason was the same one that made his slept restless the night before and in the end he woke up to ponder on his mind. Of what had happened the night before, about the situation between them, about what would happen in the future.

Oh yeah, Hijikata was very aware of what had happened last night she had come to his room. If not for the weak state his body had become, he’d likely did what he did at Shimabara. He’s not faking it when suddenly his body felt so heavy and next thing he realized, his body was pressed against her. As if his energy had gone completely from him. ‘It’s the medicine. There must be a sleeping medicine inside that thing. Otherwise I won’t feel so drowsy and weak.’ He couldn’t do anything. But, he knew what she had done to him. ‘And her slipped of a tongue…’ From where he got a strength not to pin the woman and undid her, he didn’t know. He thanked to whoever that had gave him the ability to restrain himself.

Thinking about last night made Hijikata wanted to groan. This was the reason of why his sleep was so restless.

“Toshi,” Kondou’s voice cut off his thought. And he could sense that whatever topic Kondou wanted to talk about would require his full attention from the tone that Kondou used. He put all his focus on the chief.

“Yes, sir.”

Kondou looked straight to Hijikata, his face serious. “Will you tell me what happened between you and Yukimura-kun?”

To be continued

And here's some information from the story:

1) The sweet red bean soup with rice cake is call Shiratama Zenzai. The rice cake that's mention is what you know as Mochi, shape into a ball. I get the information that this was Hijikata's favorite food from one of Reimeiroku OVA where Hijikata was sick and everybody came to visit him.

2) Hakamasita is an inner kimono and It is a short type of kimono robe which is generally worn with hakama (samurai's pleated skirt; worn over a hakamashita, tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles). In Shinsengumi's time, only man that wear a hakama.

#hakuoki #fanfiction #yukimura chizuru #hijikata toshizo #kondou isami #romance #angst #chapter 6 #disclaimer: hakuoki is not mine #writing

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syao · 7 years

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[Aoharu x Kikanjuu] Dear Goemon-san

Summary: [Midori x Tachibana]. The story of how a tech-challenged pediatrician inevitably fell in love with a young woman who earned his elusive interest, told through postcards and notes.

"I wanna see you soon, Tachibana-san!" Fujimoto Takatora looked nothing like his fear-striking alias on the battlefield at the moment. Tears and snot mixed freely on his face as The Assault Destroyer clasped the small, calloused hands of Tachibana Hotaru. He was unmindful of the airport crowd that streamed past them, some doing double-takes at the scene he was making. "B-But I know I can't wish that. You'll only come home if Papa-san doesn't get better so… so…"

The petite sixteen-year-old offered him a warm smile in return. "No matter how long it takes, we will meet each other again… and duel!"

"You're overreacting, idiot." Tossing her dark hair in boredom, Ichi Akabane looked unimpressed as usual. "You can just message her online or something. In fact, you can even do it in half a day or so."

"B-But…"

Tachibana nodded gratefully as she pressed a few keys on her mobile phone. "Absolutely! Here, let's all exchange numbers and Twitter handles—"

"Nope," the raven-haired woman was quick to retreat from the group, her ponytail bobbing along. "Any act of friendship grosses me out."

"Sorry, Tachibana-san!" The towering white-haired doctor pressed his hands together in apology. "I have her info if you want. I'm just not sure if it's updated though because she always changes her account details whenever she learns that I peeked through the personnel records for them."

"A-Ah, no, it's okay!" She beamed as she watched the nurse's diminutive figure disappear into the crowd. "Tachibana is really glad that she came to see me off, though."

Her phone's Bluetooth notification beeped.

"That's mine." Hosokawa Haruka informed her somberly, glancing up from his own device. "And that's my Nii-san's," he added when another beep sounded. "And that's his vital statistics. And his likes and dislikes. And his candid photos from my private offline collection," he identified as a series of beeps rapidly sounded off. "Make sure to remember Nii-san with all that— he will be very happy if he knows you won't forget him."

A sweatdrop formed on her head. "Y-You know, Haruka-san, Tachibana wouldn't have forgotten Haruki-san even if you didn't go through the trouble of sending all these. He is, after all..." She beamed at him. "... an important comrade of mine."

To her puzzlement, the male's brows furrowed in a displeased fashion. "A comrade? Just a comrade? Are you sure you can't see him as anything else?"

"E-Eh?"

"Maybe I should send you some more provocative pictures of him to make sure…"

"Now, now, Haruka." A grinning figure emerged from the back to tap the man's shoulder. "Stop pimping your elder brother and leave him with some amount of dignity after this."

"Midori-san!" Hotaru raised a palm to greet him. "Thank you for seeing Tachibana off as well."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He grinned at her fondly as he handed her a gift-wrapped box. "Our farewell gift."

"T-Thank you." Her eyebrow cocked up suspiciously. "This wouldn't happen to be something that'll set off the TSA alarm when Tachibana gets to America, right?"

"You are wary of me. Good girl," he nodded approvingly at her. "But no, I'm afraid it's just a little token of gratitude from Hoshihiro— ah, you're unwrapping it already right in front of your gift-givers! Your eagerness warms my heart like so, young lady."

"If Tachibana will be caught by the airport cops, Tachibana wants to know as early as now how she can explain it to Mother— oh!" Her verdant eyes shook when she saw the familiar white naval hat that everyone in the Team Hoshihiro wore during TCG battles.

"We all think the world of you, Tachibana-san," explained Fujimoto as the girl ran her fingers appreciatively over the peaked cap fabric. "And we would have gladly stolen you away from your team if only you were less attached to them."

"But then again, that almost-naive loyalty of yours is what makes the person you are now," added Haruka quietly.

"And we'll always think of you as our honorary member, the best one we never had." With the trademark gentleness of his ward's most beloved pediatrician, Midori placed the cap carefully on her crown. "Safe travels, Tachibana-kun. We wish your father a speedy recovery."

She blinked, then grinned warmly at everyone. "Thank you, Hoshihiro!"

"Oh, by the way…" Midori stepped closer to her and crouched down till his lips aligned with her right ear. "Won't you be asking for my contact details, Tachibana-kun?"

"H-Huh?" Her hand shot up to cover her ear protectively.

"If you don't write to me, I'll get a bit lonely," he continued huskily, enjoying her reaction to his ministrations.

Her sigh of exasperation rang out clearly. "You don't even know how to text, Midori-san."

Touche. "Oh well, I'll have to settle for this then." And before she could react, he pulled the brim of her cap down until it covered the entire half of her face.

Then with the smooth soundless movement minimally expected of an airsoft elite, he bent down and planted a light kiss on the visor, just right above the small tip of her nose.

"W-What, what?" Hearing the collective gasps around her, Hotaru pulled up the cap from her eyes in panic, but only saw the doctor's grinning face. To her embarrassment, she felt heat rush to her cheeks. "W-What did you guys do now? Midori-san?"

Instead of responding, he gave her a slight nudge towards the gates. "You'll be late for your flight."

"F-Fujimoto-san!" Hotaru shifted her eyes towards her biggest ally among the group. The latter still seemed surprised, but he had recovered enough to nod at her reassuringly.

"Tricking Tachibana even till the very last moment. Really, you guys." She offered them a final wave before heading for the concourse.

"You're declaring a war against me and Nii-san, huh," muttered Haruka, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Midori let out a laugh. "What a hot-tempered otouto! This old man was merely giving his favorite protégé a proper send-off."

"You're the reason predators in the society continue to exist. Scum."'

"It's been awhile since I've last felt this truly despised outside the battlefield. Good times."

Meanwhile, Fujimoto sadly glanced back at the crowd where he was sure Ichi was, certainly watching like a silent hawk. You definitely saw it, too, didn't you, Ichi?

It was the briefest of moments, but he swore he saw it sometime before that farewell prank kiss.

Reluctance.

It was an alien notion to think of in terms of the Midori-san he knew who had painstakingly maintained the barrier between utility and attachment in all of his relationships for years. He was someone who could let go even of a soul he had once saved from darkness.

That you made him feel that way even for a moment… The kind-hearted doctor shook his head in awe. You're even more amazing than I thought, Tachibana-san.

"Look, Papa! The statue's so big!" A young girl in pigtails eagerly pointed to the postcard stuck on the corkboard. "Is it Kami-sama?"

"Young lady, that is the Statue of Liberty in America." Somewhere in the middle of looking at the travel postcards Midori Nagamasa had conveniently placed across his desk, the child barely noticed the vaccine injection that he had quietly made. He didn't even have to summon Fujimon to take on his usual role and distract his little patient.

"Why do you have Liberty-san's picture, Sensei?" asked the girl, eyes widening in curiosity.

He glanced up quickly at her to smile before resuming his scribbles on his doctor's pad. "My friend sent it to me. She lives there right now."

"Do you miss her?"

Before he could respond, the child's father guffawed. "Of course not, Baby! Sensei has many pretty nurses and mommy friends who come to his office! Ne, Sensei?" He winked at him conspiratorially, as if they were close buddies.

Garbage.

He paused from writing long enough to smile brightly at him. "Indeed. Let's especially not forget your lovely wife who visits me from time to time, begging me desperately for a Sildenafil prescription."

It was then that Ichi, with her too conveniently impeccable timing, entered the room with an airmail envelope.

"Sensei, a letter came in for you." She eyed the colorful postcards littering the board in quiet disdain before meeting his gaze.

"Thank you, Ichi. You can place it on my desk."

"Yes, Midori-sensei." She immediately did as told.

"Do I still have patients waiting outside?"

"None. Your next appointment is after lunch."

"Perfect." He smiled pleasantly at her. "I will be taking my lunch break."

Whether conversing with the nurses or taunting a target in a no-freeze arena, Ichi knew that the good doctor wore basically the same genial expression on his face. She wouldn't have felt offended at such fact if only her devoted attention to him did not reveal a grand exception to this rule— and that was his young penpal from America. The fondness he had solely for her was undeniable.

"Please excuse me." She bowed at him and his patients before heading to the door. She's been away for a year, but he hasn't lost his interest in her yet. With much more force than usual, she flipped the "The Doctor is In" sign on the door and reveled in its surprising loud thud.

What sorcery does she hold over him, really?

Dear Goemon-san…

Nearly all her letters started in a similar fashion, save for her very first mail. He could still vividly recall his pleasant surprise when Fujimon handed him the postcard of the NYC skyscape a month after Tachibana Hotaru had left the country.

Granted that it bore merely a generic stream of pleasantries, he was glad that she still chose to indulge an old fogey like him and wrote to him after all.

So as his way of expressing his gratitude, he wrote her back using the return address of her dormitory, along with a little care package.

Her reply came in sooner than expected, delivered to him by his trusty Fujimon. And this time, instead of a polite "Dear Midori-san", what he got was this:

Dear Goemon-san,

Thank you for your package. However, a female student has no use for a wall calendar of half-naked AV idols who can't hold guns properly to save their lives. Tachibana has promptly shredded it and tossed it in with this week's trash.

Hope you and Team Hoshihiro are well.

Signed,

Tachibana

He had spent that afternoon in a strangely good mood that even his patients had taken notice of it. That very evening, he wrote her back.

Dear Tachibana-kun,

I am relieved to hear that you still recall the proper gun grip. I also agree with your assessments and have forwarded your concern to the entertainment group handling these irresponsible campaign models. As a medical professional working in the pediatrics field, I agree that the children of Japan deserve better gun education than this.

Do you still get an opportunity to play survival games there? It pains me to imagine a bunch of unworthy creatures of mediocrity becoming on the receiving end of your glorious bloodlust.

My team is doing well. We have won a million yen for the nth time, so I have elected to fill my bed with bills that I can roll around on when I am feeling rather uninspired. It would have filled the hole in my heart if only I've been bestowed with one in the first place.

Hope you are adjusting well to your new life in the States.

Signed,

Your Fellow Advocate for the Proper Demonstration of Gun Holding Among Sexy Idols

P.S.

Why am I suddenly christened Goemon-san?

It didn't take a month to hear back from her again. Turning over the postcard showing the landmark 19th-century Brooklyn Bridge, he read her hastily scribbled note.

Dear Goemon-san,

Thank you for enlightening Tachibana as to why an invitation from an entertainment group to watch the next year's shoot of their "Guns x Babes 2018 Artbook Collection" came in the mail.

Tachibana must also confess to asking Matsuoka-san about your home address so Tachibana can provide that information instead for their "Guns x Boys 2017" calendar + artbook bundle offer.

Between spending time with Dad, a part-time job, and schooling, Tachibana is hardly able to find time to play survival games. Tachibana does watch war game clips online during the commute, and that helped tide things over for the time being. Nonetheless, thank you for asking.

Signed,

Tachibana

P.S. Tachibana talked to Fujimoto-san about it, and he agreed that it is best to minimize references to you as much as possible.

That gave him an idea as to why she did it, which was confirmed by Fujimon when he asked the next afternoon.

"She has to use an alias so the hospital staff won't gossip about a fully adult physician exchanging non-academic notes with a high school student overseas… or so Tachibana-san says."

A child twelve years his junior knew more than him regarding the conventional boundaries he was expected to set. But more importantly, he appreciated that she, with her naive blazing sense of justice, resorted to this silly act in kind consideration of his request that she write him, too.

That night, he wrote her back.

Dear Tachibana-kun,

I look forward to receiving that literature you so thoughtfully ordered for me. I can't wait to peruse through them and see how well they can challenge my current limits of taste and preferences. You alone can be so considerate to such extent of my circumstances— whether it be this or everything else.

Thank you. I am honored to accept the name of the gun you first bought (under my auspice, of course. I have excellent taste, don't you think?)

I have enclosed videotapes of my Matsune and his friends playing in the outdoor field. I can send you more if you want— I have an enviable network I can tap on anytime to do my bidding.

Signed,

A Future Fan of the Guns x Boys Franchise

A week after he received the artbook and wall calendar, he heard back from his benefactress.

At the back of a lit-up New York City nightscape postcard, she had written:

Dear Goemon-san,

Please don't send Tachibana any more photos or videos of everyone back home. It's difficult as it is. Tachibana will only miss everyone more.

Signed,

Tachibana

Despite himself, he felt anxious at the almost-curt length of the message. Excusing himself from the rest of his shift, he hurried to the postal office the same day to send a priority mail to her.

Dear Tachibana-kun,

When not on the battlefield, I endeavor to go against the little, excited voice in my head and refrain from causing anyone pain. If I caused you such with my previous mail, you have my utmost apology. I went too far with that one, I believe.

Write me back?

Signed,

Your Foolish Old Man Penpal from Japan

He quietly waited with bated breath for her response. It came in two weeks after, via a postcard showing a beautiful fountain and statue amidst the greenery. However, it was inside a bigger envelope, which had a slightly longer letter with it.

Dear Goemon-san,

This is the Angel of the Waters. It is situated in the Bethesda Terrace in the Central Park. A city guide said that an angel was said to have blessed the water and healed the sick, like it did for the cholera-stricken city many centuries ago.

Tachibana learned that Bethsheda's word origin can either mean a place of shame or a place of grace. It reminds Tachibana of you. You are both an angel of healing in the hospital and an angel of shaming in the battlefield. Tachibana accepts both faces because they both belong to a good friend. If you go over the line at either end, Tachibana will fight to bring you back.

What Tachibana is trying to say is… thank you, apology accepted, and Tachibana looks forward to receiving a new mail from Goemon-san.

Signed,

Tachibana

Only then could he let out a huge sigh of relief. For what, he did not endeavor to determine. All that mattered to him was that their flimsy connection— whatever it was— had not been severed.

He went on to pen his response, in what inevitably would be one of the many more letters they would exchange over the year and the months beyond.

Nagamasa Midori deftly opened the US-postmarked envelope with a paper knife. To his surprise, inch photo slipped down the table. It was a photo of Tachibana Hotaru together with a couple that he assumed to be her parents due to the unmistakable resemblance.

Ah, so this is how the young lady would look like had she been blessed with more calm and finesse.

Despite the bony, devastated tautness the advanced stage of his disease brought to him, the Tachibana patriarch's inner peace blossomed through. He knew first-hand the therapeutic impact having one's family close among even the illest of his patients.

The mother, on the other hand, was a rock of stability and principled righteousness. He had no question anymore as to where Tachibana-kun derived her convictions from.

And speaking of Tachibana…

She had grown out her hair, huh? Wild tufts of light golden tresses escaped from her slipshod attempt at a low ponytail, but he found them all endearingly true to the young lady's quirky personality. The months had also lent a touch of curves on all the right places, and he mused that the next time she competed in the TGC, she wouldn't get away with her disguise as easily as she could before.

After spending a few more moments appreciating the photo, he reluctantly let go of it to read the accompanying note.

Dear Goemon-san,

Tachibana is not a fan of taking pictures, but since Mama and Papa insisted on one, things ended up with you holding one of the copies Tachibana made.

Papa is having trouble sleeping lately and he has lost a lot of weight. But Tachibana knows Papa is fighting to stay here with us. As a physician, if there's any other advice you can share to make sure Tachibana cares for Papa well, please let Tachibana know.

Signed,

Tachibana

P.S. Tachibana will get you a proper postcard the next time she goes sightseeing in the city. Tachibana really misses Japan.

The doctor picked up the photo once more, gazing thoughtfully at it. Then carefully he picked it up and tucked it in his wallet, along with a few choice possessions he had that held great value to him.

He then exited the clinic and headed for the nearby tourist shop.

Dear Tachibana-kun,

Your father has done very well. But things will only become more difficult from this point on. Just stay by his side. No matter how scary or bleak things can be, don't waver your eyes away from his…

Tachibana Hotaru sank on the grass-carpeted ground that enveloped the cemetery, sobbing and unable to continue reading the postcard anymore. Her mother had left right after handing her a priority mail from Japan.

Even without looking, she knew her mother's face bore the stony impassiveness concealing the grief in the widow's heart. The woman responded to the death of her childhood love with a steely determination to be their daughter's rock no matter what it takes.

It took a few minutes before the insistent sound of her ringing phone registered in her ears. Taking a few shaky breaths, she struggled to calm herself as she answered the call. "T-Tachibana here."

"Tachibana-kun?"

A wave of surprise shook her to the core. Rubbing her eyes quickly, she called out, "M-Midori-san?"

She heard him pause uncertainly, and then, "My postcard didn't make it in time, I suppose?"

"T-The postcard is beautiful," she replied, a tad too quickly. Then with a defeated sigh, she continued, "P-Papa would have loved it."

"I'm sorry, Tachibana-kun."

The uncharacteristic concern in his voice choked her up. "T-Thank you. He passed away three nights ago."

"I see. It must have been hard."

She shut her eyes tight, involuntarily recalling her father, who was in pain all day and night but was blessed to go when he was peacefully asleep. "Tachibana… Tachibana didn't waver from him… "

His silence told her to go on. So she did.

"It was frightening every time Tachibana thinks that Papa is surrounded by all these medicines and doctors but no one can do a thing for him… it was frightening to feel so helpless for the first time in life," Heartbroken sobs threatened to snatch her voice away but she soldiered on. "T-Tachibana... Tachibana did her best to not look away…"

"Good girl." His voice was silky smooth and soothing. Peculiarly, there was a complete absence of the usual mockery in his tone."You did well, Tachibana-kun." No words felt like a better balm to her broken soul than hearing his words of quiet support and pride.

She wiped her tear-streaked cheeks with the back of her palm. "Tachibana and Midori-san had the same idea in the end, huh?"

"Loss is a universal human experience," he replied solemnly. "But it makes me happy that you think that way, Tachibana-kun."

"Thank you for calling, Midori-san." Only then did she recall to check her screen. "Is this a long-distance phone call?"

"I had Matsune share your phone number," he explained swiftly. "Looking at your father in the photo you sent, I felt I had to get in touch with you sooner."

"M-Matsuoka-san gave it to you?" She was aware of how her teammates and friends at Toy Gun-Gun can become extremely protective of her.

"Yes, but his four-eyed buddy made sure to threaten the very fabric of my existence before giving in. Needless to say, I was thrilled beyond words."

"No doubt you were, Midori-san." She clasped the phone close to her ears, suddenly recalling how the doctor had spoken to her that day at the airport. "You should go. It must be late at night where you are right now. Plus, calls like this can get expensive."

"Don't look down on a grown-up's finances, young lady."

She managed a small chuckle at his playfully cocky reprimand. "Well, maybe a one-time overcharge on the phone bill should be fine, even for an adult who spends a fortune on his toy guns."

"Ah."

Her forehead creased at the odd sound she heard from the other end of the line. "Midori-san?"

"I was thinking… if you're still seeking revenge against me on your friends' behalf, the best way is to attack my wallet."

"H-Huh?"

He spoke hurriedly— which was quite unusual for the calm, easy going king of the survival game scene in Japan. "What I meant is… you can keep accepting these expensive international long distance calls from me so I will be left with little budget to live on."

She scratched her cheek. "Midori-san, as you once told Tachibana in your clinic, people must separate their lives on the battlefield and in real life. Tachibana does not wish anything else for Midori-san anymore except for him to be well always."

To her surprise, he let out a sigh of resignation. "You're one tough customer, you know that, Tachibana-kun?"

"I-I don't understand…" She must have been utterly confused that she inadvertently slipped out of referencing herself from an outsider's perspective.

"Well, I don't mind. The prize is worth the chase." His tone sounded final as he spoke, as if he himself had realized something and had come to peace with that epiphany. "Get some rest, Tachibana-kun. Your father will want you and your mother to be well, at any cost."

"Thank you, Midori-san."

"I'll call you again."

For some reason she couldn't fathom, his earnest-sounding promise made her heart skip a beat. "Suit yourself. But if you do, you should hook up with a phone subscription so you can get discounts."

He let out a hearty laugh. "This is the first time that I've spoken with a woman who ended the calls with budget tips instead of erotic plans for the evening."

"Well, Tachibana cannot be compared to women like them because you see all of us differently."

"Indeed," he agreed smilingly. "My lady is incomparable to anyone else."

"It has been two years, huh, Midori-sensei?"

"Hmm?" Nagamasa Midori carefully dabbed the corners of his mouth with a lunch napkin and offered his attention to his trusted nurse and combat sniper, Akabane Ichi. Beside her, Takatora Fujimoto and Hosokawa Haruka paused from their respective meals and turned to her as well.

"Since that girl left."

He smiled pleasantly. "Ara, has it been that long?"

"You had to buy a bigger board to accommodate all those postcards," chimed in Haruka.

"You've racked up quite the bill monthly on Skype and online airsoft equipment deliveries," added Fujimon, bless his helpful little heart. He made a silent note to deal with his subordinate's talkativeness later on.

"Interesting," remarked his nurse. "You haven't participated in the TGC for the past two years."

He shrugged. "What can I say? After competing against Tachibana-kun, pretty much no other player can excite me enough to play."

Ichi sighed. "If she's your yardstick, then I'd say you'll have to hang up the laces of your training shoes. No one else will come close to beating her in your scale."

"I suppose." His phone rang, mercifully saving him from his team's pointed interrogation. One look at his phone screen and a genuinely fond smile broke on his face. "Excuse me." He hurriedly got up the table.

The trio watched their departing leader with looks of wonder and exasperation.

"It's her." Haruka bit on his muffin soundlessly, venting his ire on the pastry. "That disgusting expression on his face says it all."

"He's always had a soft spot for Tachibana-san," gushed Fujimoto, a happy nostalgic tone in his voice. "From the start, I've seen how hard he subconsciously tried to show her his gentle side. Usually, he wouldn't have been moved to do that for anyone. But she has always been different from the rest of us."

I know that. Ichi glumly chewed on her sandwich. The only person to draw out a tapestry of emotions that otherwise she wouldn't have known had existed in him— it couldn't be anyone but her. And despite herself, she couldn't deny her gratitude to Tachibana Hotaru for bringing out that beautiful side of the man she had loved one-sidedly for so long.

"Cheer up, Ichi!" The ash-haired doctor beamed at her sympathetically. "Yukimura-san says you have ample assets that men and women can easily fall in love with— AAARGH! GRAAAAAK! HARUKA-SAN HELPPPP!"

Haruka carefully slid away from the brutal slaughter happening beside him. He was too busy finding a suitable match for his brother in the dating app to bother himself with trivial matters such as the life and death situation of a co-worker.

"Tachibana is so sorry for disturbing you at work, Midori-san. Were you with a patient?" asked Tachibana Hotaru nervously as she leaned back against her bed's headboard. Behind her, the neon lights twinkled sharply against the velvety darkness of the midnight.

"Not at all. I was having a meal over a little inquisition." He leaned back against the endlessly white hallway outside the lunchroom.

"An inquisition, huh? About what?"

"About a topic I hold dear."

"Torture?"

He let out a loud entertained laughter. "Heavens, have I made quite an impression on you, huh?" Still chuckling, he asked, "So to whom do I owe this honor of being called on by my lady?" She found that he had long stopped calling her 'young lady', perhaps in recognition of the fact that time does move even for the likes of her.

"Tachibana… uhm, Tachibana has just been informed by the school that she's graduating with honors so… well, Tachibana wanted you to be among the first to know." She clasped the phone closer to her ear, wondering if she was acting too conceited, calling an accomplished physician like him in the middle of the day to brag about her school feats. She imagined the corners of his mouth twisting sadistically as he mouthed off a few choice shades on her. She only knew too well how capable he was of that.

But to her utter relief, he sounded nothing else but genuinely delighted. "Congratulations, sweetheart! That is excellent news!"

She silently castigated herself for getting beside herself upon hearing his word of endearment. "T-Thank you, Midori-san. After graduation, Tachibana plans to visit Japan for a month in order to prepare to go to a university there. Mama has reclaimed our old home from our relatives, so it should be okay."

"Ah, so you're coming home. Finally."

The words sounded so sweet coming from a man she least expected them to come from. "Y-Yes. We can finally test all that airsoft equipment you've been dumping at our house."

"As a matter of fact, they are yours, my lady."

Her hackles rose. "NO WAY! Tachibana refuses to accept them unless you let her win it by gun testing just like before!"

"Fine, fine." He sounded like a doting father indulging his favorite princess. At that thought, a feeling of disappointment surged through her. But just as quickly, she shook her head vehemently, as if clearing away these unreasonable feelings.

"B-Besides, d-does Midori-san…" She gulped inwardly, wondering if she had the guts to continue her question.

"Hmm?" He sounded lighthearted, and she could almost imagine him grinning innocently before him as his brain cooked up a dozen ways to skin her alive. "I've just been through an interrogation, so one more question from my lady will not bother me terribly."

Er, good? She bit her lower lip. "Does Midori-san… treat all his female friends this way?"

"Ahh," she heard him say, and she could practically see a light bulb popping over the man's head. "You sound interested, Tachibana-kun!" he drawled in a honeyed tone, making her blush from the roots of her hair to the tip of her toes.

"M-Midori-san!" Her face felt positively hot at that moment. "T-Tachibana just doesn't want you to be misunderstood by other girls. Y-You can be someone's friend without spending an inordinate amount of money!"

"So friends don't spend money on their friends?"

She clutched her phone tightly. "O-Of course!"

"So if I'm spending money on you, what does that make you then?"

She felt her heart pound. "Uhm… s-someone taking advantage of you?"

To her surprise, he let out a now familiar resigned sigh.

"I-Is Tachibana wrong?" she asked nervously.

"No, my lady. Like many others, you have won me over with your noble sense of justice. Or at least mellowed me to some point." He let out a low, husky chuckle. It sent excited shivers throughout her body, especially with the phone pressed so close to her ear. "I guess I'll just have to keep on trying until you finally understand."

"U-Understand what?"

"In any case, I will see you soon, my Tachibana-kun," he promised meaningfully.

Tachibana Hotaru did not expect him to keep his promise so soon.

Standing some distance away from the graduation venue was Midori Nagamasa himself, donning a dark coat over a pair of equally dark trousers and a maroon dress shirt. He was holding a bouquet of assorted carnations.

Beside her, she felt her mother stiffen. Tachibana Kane had not been introduced to this older, bespectacled man yet. Her motherly instinct told her though that this man's presence was not good news for her.

"Good evening, Tachibana-kun, Tachibana-san." The male bowed politely before them before offering the flowers to the younger woman. "Congratulations to the graduate."

Despite her bewilderment, she went ahead and took the flowers from his waiting hands. "T-Thank you, Midori-san. But why are you here?"

"I promised I'll meet you soon, did I not?" He flashed her a grin innocently.

"B-But…"

He bowed once more to the matriarch. "My name is Midori Nagamasa. Your daughter and I have played together in the TGC a few years ago."

The woman eyed him suspiciously— one of the rare times that a woman did not immediately become smitten with him. Truly, the Tachibana women are most formidable beings, he thought with a grin. According to Matsune and his buddies, Tachibana Kane's sadistic tendencies matched his point-for-point.

"So you live in Japan," the woman said slowly, gauging his worth all the while. "But you are here in New York because you are interested in my daughter, is that right?"

He pushed the bridge of his glasses back up his nose. "That is accurate, Tachibana-san."

The younger Tachibana exhaled sharply, not expecting his words.

Kane, on the other hand, scowled in utter displeasure. "And how old are you? Twenty-five? Twenty-seven?"

"I've turned thirty this month, Tachibana-san."

Both women's eyes widened at how deceitful a handsome man's appearance could be.

"My daughter has just turned eighteen," she hissed, recovering from shock. "Do you intend to take away her future because of your selfish desire—"

"M-Mama!" Hotaru stepped forward between the two. "M-Midori-san likes to kid around, d-don't you, Midori-san?" She grinned forcibly at him, begging for his cooperation.

He smiled brightly back at her. "I was Tachibana-kun's first kiss. It happened in a—"

"GRAH! She slapped her bouquet-holding hands over his mouth to stop him, but felt herself do a double take when she realized that after two long years, he was finally right in front of her— in the flesh. And she was touching his skin once more.

In response, the man clasped both her hands and planted a gentle kiss on her fingers. The momentary contact nearly set her whole body on fire.

M-Midori-san! To do this in front of my mother… From the corner of her eye, she stealthily glanced at her mother and braced herself for the latter's reaction.

Watching them warily. Kane stepped back with a shrug. "From the looks of it, 30-year-old-san, my daughter seems to be quite taken with you, too." She started to walk away, waving a hand. "I have reservations in the nearby restaurant at 8. I'll see you both there."

"Thank you, Mama!" It was the doctor who spoke with utmost cheerfulness.

"Midori-san!" She forcefully snatched back her hands away from his. "Seriously! There should be a limit to your pranks, you know!" she cried as she lowered her heels to the ground. Yet despite her high heels, the man was still impossibly taller than her. Even with the gap of two years, she had a long way to go before she could catch up with this nettlesome man. "Mama might misunderstand."

"So your mother is faster on the uptake than you?" he asked softly, caressing her cheek with his hand. It was not the first time he had done it, but it was the first time that this gesture had caused her heartbeat to race this abnormally fast.

"You… you can't expect Tachibana to believe that you… you…" She struggled to piece together her thoughts as his face slowly lowered towards hers.

"Yes, sweetheart?" he murmured, his breath fanning her face. She could see the tiniest teasing twitch on the corner of his mouth.

"... you like me?" she managed to ask before their lips could touch. She unwittingly shut her eyes tight, not daring to look at his expression should he announce that it was all a joke she gamely played along with.

Instead, she felt a momentary silky whisper in her ear.

The voice of the man who handpicked her H&K G3SAS High Cycle after becoming the first one to figure out who she was.

The man who mentored her unconventionally through a mix of harshness in the battlefield and gentleness in real life.

The man who praised her for giving her partner weapon a cool name.

The man who received her first kiss.

The man she drew strength from as she tried to come out to her friends one more time.

The man who Fujimon said collected all her postcards and lit up whenever they came in the mail.

His voice spoke to her softly. Sincerely.

"Like you? I am in love with you, Tachibana Hotaru."

Her eyelids fluttered open in surprise, but they closed just as quickly because he was done with speaking. His mouth finally, hungrily claimed hers in sweet longing and desire.

Matsuoka Masamune threw his phone down on the couch in disgust. "Ugh. The moment Midori-san first learns how to send a chat message, he sends THIS." He was referring to the photo of the doctor giddily embracing their blushing little Hotaru who was garbed in her graduation gown.

He turned to his bespectacled best friend peering down at his phone with an equally dark expression. "He sent you the same thing, didn't he, Yukki?"

"Yep." The erotic manga author inspected the chat window. "Us and all his four hundred contacts including the hospital staff, his patients, and everyone in the TGC."

Masamune crossed his arms over his chest. "You think he made a noob mistake? He had never learned to use apps till now."

"Nah. That guy's definitely rubbing it to our faces. That bastard."

THE END

#syaowrites #fanfic #tachibana hotaru #midori nagamasa #tachibana x midori

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rmoart · 7 years

Text

Telepathy, an abandoned Naruto fanfic

2008-2009

A fic I started writing as a result of talking with a friend who was similarly into Naruto, and with whom I RP’d a horrendous amount of rather dubious content. Putting it here because the whole experience was a Learning Curve.

Chapter 1 - News Inuzuka Tsume stood before the Hokage, awaiting his news for her.

The chuunin who had delivered the Sandaime’s request had informed her that the matter was urgent and concerned her family. Now her pack instinct was making her fidgety; the presence of another ninja was not soothing her at all, especially since he was from a foreign village. Sarutobi noticed her restlessness, and decided to be as brief as reasonably possibly. “Tsume-san, I have called you here both to inform you of news and to give you a mission of sorts. An envoy,” he said, glancing at the shinobi standing quietly at the window, “from the Hidden Mist has come to ask the Hidden Leaf to take in a child.” He drew a piece of paper from one of the ever-present piles on his desk, scanned it, and then looked up after confirming something. “Your aunt married into the Ogawa family, a Hidden Mist clan.” It wasn’t a question. “I’m sorry to inform you that the last of the Ogawa nin was killed in action a month ago; your cousin, Miharu.” Tsume’s eyes widened as she slammed her hands down on his desk, disturbing one of the piles. “What? How did this happen? Even jounin need highly advanced specialised jutsu to detect them when they’re on the evasive! And Miharu… Miharu was one of the best, dammit!” Sarutobi observed that her nails were digging slightly into the wood. Nodding tiredly, Sarutobi locked his fingers together, leaning his chin heavily on them. “While I am less familiar with the clans of the other villages than our own, I am curious as to how so many members of the clan were killed within such a short timeframe.” “How short?” Tsume asked. “Three months.” Tsume spun to look at the Mist shinobi, who hadn’t even turned from the window as he spoke. “Three months?” “Three months.” “But… that’s over thirty nin! Who can kill that many in just three months?” “We don’t know. We suspect that it may be someone, or a group of people with specialised tracking jutsu,” he answered, finally looking over his shoulder at Tsume, who growled as she realised his implication, “or those with doujutsu.” The shinobi locked eyes with Sarutobi, who nearly let a pained look flicker across his face. He was fully aware that the Hidden Leaf was home to two of the ‘Three Doujutsu’: the Byakugan and the Sharingan. “However,” the shinobi continued, “we do not believe that the Hidden Leaf is responsible. A... a rogue nin is the most likely candidate.” Although Sarutobi was highly relieved that a political situation involving the two villages would not occur, he did not fail to notice the man’s reluctance to elaborate on the identity of the rogue nin. The shinobi then turned to face Tsume, who still looked irritated. “Inuzuka-san, a child – about six years of age – has been left unscathed. As her closest living relative, I must ask if you would take her in, at least until she becomes a genin. At that point, which village she joins and her further training will be discussed. Can I ask you to do that?” Tsume didn’t even hesitate to nod. “An orphaned pup of the extended Inuzuka pack needs help; I would be nothing if I did not uphold that.” The shinobi bowed. “Many thanks, Inuzuka-san. I will ensure that the girl is prepared to leave the village in seven day’s time,” he said. He then bowed to Sarutobi, and turned to leave. “Wait,” Tsume said. He paused in the doorway at Tsume’s request. “What should I know about the girl, and how come it too a whole month for you to approach the Inuzuka clan?” The shinobi didn’t turn as he answered. “Her name is Ogawa Datsuko, and she is the daughter of Ogawa Shun and Ogawa Miharu. She is six years old, and appears to have inherited the family kekkei genkai very strongly. The reason we did not make contact as soon as we knew of Miharu’s death is because we only found out that she existed two weeks ago, when she submitted, in surprisingly good handwriting, a benefits form concerning her new status as an orphan of ninja parents.” Tsume stared open-mouthed at the back of his head for a moment, and then regained her composure. “Didn’t know she existed? How?” Shrugging, the shinobi answered, “Nin aren’t registered on the village documents until they start their education, and the Ogawa clan prefer not to declare children to the civil authorities. And I’m sure you, of all people, know how hard it is to find them without their approval.” With that, he left. Tight-lipped, Tsume turned to Sarutobi. She looked distinctly like she wanted to maul the indifferent shinobi. “Weren’t aware of her existence,” she said angrily. “Tsume…” She sighed. “I’m sorry, Hokage-sama. I will leave to make preparations for… Datsuko’s arrival, and then in two days I will leave for Kirigakure.” She bowed, and then left the room, fists clenched and still muttering. Sarutobi looked after her sympathetically, and wished that the village felt the same way about a certain, small blond boy.

Chapter 2 - Orphan Tsume and her nin-dog, Kuromaru, were met by the same shinobi a week later after they had registered their presence in Kirigakure. He gave them an address and directions, which Tsume declined when she realised that the address was her late cousins’ house, which she had visited before. A chuunin was to meet her there, with a packed and prepared child. She briskly walked through the village, chilly and misty as usual, and ignored the strange looks she and her massive companion received. When an over-zealous genin challenged her right to be in the village, she calmly explained that she was carrying out a mission for the village, and pushed past the stunned girl. On turning onto the street where the Ogawa compound was located, Tsume immediately focused on the fidgety chuunin standing by the entrance. As she strode up, he looked distinctly relieved. “Inuzuka-san?” “That’s me.” “Thank Kami. The child is ready to go, as per orders.” Tsume glanced around. “And where would she happen to be?” The chuunin jumped and looked alarmed. “She’s not here? Oh crap, ah… umm…” A slight tug on the leg of her shorts prompted Tsume to look down. She struggled to keep her eyes focused on the child as she tried to take in the details, and crouched down, placing a hand on her head to help reduce the effects of the kekkei genkai. Plain. Brown hair, slightly tangled. Green eyes. Pale skin, grubby in places. There were a few small stains on the black top and navy shorts she wore. Tsume sniffed, and realised that there was a confused smell of dirt and soap, where the girl had tried as well as she could to keep herself clean. “Hi, Datsuko,” Tsume said. “I’m Inuzuka Tsume, and I’m the cousin of your parents. Sorry for not noticing you down here!” She laughed. “My pack will be looking after you from now on.” The girl regarded her silently, but she got a sense of acknowledgement from her. The she looked up at the chuunin, irritation on her features. “Who’s been looking after her?” The chuunin shrugged. Tsume growled at him, and then took one of Datsuko’s hands. “Come on, Datsuko. If I start ignoring you, make sure you get my attention, okay?” The girl did not respond, but dutifully followed her new guardian as they left behind the Ogawa compound and the village of her birth. * Tsume had managed to lose track of the girl at least once a day, even on the boat from the Mist Country, and was certain that if she hadn’t asked Kuromaru to carry her, Datusko would have been left wandering until she found either civilisation or death. It wasn’t that she meant to. That was the Ogawa kekkei genkai. Gimantekimuu. Deceptive existence. It rendered the person virtually invisible. Technically, they were still visible, but for the most part they were simply another face in the crowd, or nothing worth noticing. The eye, or indeed any other sense, seemed just to pass over them unintentionally. A reverse-doujutsu as such. It was also impossible to completely deactivate. This made it difficult to focus on any members of the Ogawa clan, even when they reduced the strength of the jutsu. Physical contact was necessary for most to focus on them for any length of time. This had lead to them developing jutsu that allowed these barriers to be broken to individuals, although Tsume had no knowledge of what they were, how they worked or whether Datsuko had mastered any of them. At the least, it certainly seemed that she hadn’t, or was choosing to refrain from using them. The girl had only spoken out of politeness, to answer yes or no questions or to thank her. She hadn’t answered any of the questions of a personal nature, but listened courteously when Tsume filled the silences with chatter about her own pack, especially about her own two pups: Hana, who was twelve, was about to graduate from the academy, and showed a lot of promise in working with the dogs of the family, possibly even medically; and Kiba, who was boisterous and loud but was a good kid at heart, and was a few months older than Datusko. On returning to Konohagakure, they reported in to the Hokage, and he welcomed Datsuko to the village. She had bowed respectfully and thanked him, but otherwise remained silent. Afterwards, they returned to the Inuzuka household, where Tsume had almost immediately given her a bath to get rid of the dirt that had accumulated on their way back from Kirigakure, in addition to that already on her. Then she had changed her clothes, been introduced to the dogs, who after sniffing her once ignored her, and was then shown to the room she would be sharing with Hana. It was as Tsume was about to leave Datsuko to fully unpack her few belongings that the girl spoke unprompted for the first time. “Tsume-obasama.” Tsume turned in the doorway, surprised that Datusko was speaking. “Please, you and your family don’t need to use your chakra up to look for me all the time. Even Otousan couldn’t find me sometimes. If… if you can make sure that there’s food and … ne-necess- things I need, then I can look after myself.” The tiny girl looked deadly serious, and it was hard to believe that she was only just six years old. Tsume smiled. “I’ll try to look after you better than that, but if I don’t and you need something, just make sure you get my attention, okay?” The girl thought for a moment, and then nodded. “Dinner’s at seven,” Tsume told her, and then left, closing the door behind her.

Chapter 3 – Settling In Tsume, unintentionally, did not look after her better than that. This left Datsuko to her own devices for the majority of the time, which she was perfectly content with. She spent the days before she was to be enrolled in the academy wandering the village and the surrounding areas, completely unhindered by any. She had learnt a long time ago about her family's kekkei genkai, Gimantekimuu, and accepted its repercussions quite happily. Her mother had recently begun to teach her about consciously controlling the strength of the jutsu and how to overcome the barriers it produced, ready for schooling, when she had been killed in action. Datsuko had also been aware of the dangers of the ninja life for a long time, and although it had shocked her somewhat, she had coped with the death of her entire family. Unsure of what to do, she had investigated, and discovered Kiri's benefits system for orphans. Although the offices had been in chaos and confusion due to the mysterious disappearance of the Mizukage, she had been able to acquire, unnoticed as usual, a form and laboriously fill it in. Two days after she had submitted it, a jounin showed up on the doorstep, and things had gone from there. She was very grateful to Tsume for taking her in. After all, no one else would have looked after her, or made sure she had an education. There was only so much that she could teach herself. The fact that the family ignored her for the most part didn't really bother her much. Hiding from the dogs was good practice at controlling her Gimantekimuu. And it was as Datsuko wandered around unnoticed that two incidents occurred that piqued her interest. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 The first was the case of a small blond boy. On her second full day in the village, she had been working to memorise the streets and shops in the centre of Konoha, and as she had been making her way down the main street when the people around her had started turning their heads and whispering to each other. Hearing comments like, "It's that boy," and, "Darling, keep away from him," Datsuko slipped through the crowd to see what the fuss was about. A tiny, obviously neglected blond boy trudged down the street. Every time he heard and identified the speakers, he shot an angry scowl at them, causing them to recoil. Datsuko blinked in confusion at the reactions of the villagers. This was just some kid! "Who is that boy?" someone behind her asked. "You don't know? That's Uzumaki Naruto, and he's a cursed brat. He's the-" "Haruhi, you know we're forbidden by law to talk about that!" "Fine. But so you know, stay away from him; he's dangerous." The blond – Naruto – glared at the three talking, and he muttered under his breath. "Well, lady, one day I'm gonna be Hokage, so you can shut up." As his eyes passed over Datsuko, she gave him a smile; but, like everyone else in the village she had seen so far, he didn't even register her existence, and carried on down the street, hands in his pockets. Datsuko sighed, for once wishing that the Gimantekimuu could be deactivated entirely, and trotted onwards, mulling over reasons for the strange behaviour of the people towards this apparently harmless, under-fed boy. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 The second incident involved her discovery of one of the doujutsu kekkei genkai in Konoha. She had been very pleased to find that Konoha had a river and a lake, and on finding the small pier, had made it her favourite place to sit after meandering around the area. It was the last day of March, the day before the induction of new students to the academy. She was sat on the end of the pier, cooling her feet in the water – Konoha was too warm compared to Kiri – when footsteps came their way towards her. She thought nothing of it, expecting whoever it was to ignore her. She was quite surprised when they stopped and a voice asked her petulantly, "Who are you? You're sitting in my spot." Startled that she had been noticed, Datsuko turned to see a small boy, around her age, with dark eyes and hair spiked back. He looked comically annoyed, glaring at her with his arms crossed and tapping a foot on the wooden boards of the pier. The other was bound with a wet cloth around the ankle, like he'd injured it. "Well?" he asked. She stared at him for a moment, and then turned to pick up her shoes. "My name is Ogawa Datsuko," she said, standing up and flicking the water off her feet. "I'm sorry for taking your place, but I'm new here, and I didn't realise." She slipped on her shoes, and bowed apologetically. "I'll go away." Suddenly on a whim, she decided to try of one of the jutsu her mother had taught her. She briefly touched his arm as she walked past him. // You have good eyes… Uchiha Sasuke. ... See you in school tomorrow. // Then, as his eyes widened, she increased the strength of the Gimantekimuu, and walked away. Sasuke was left on the pier open-mouthed as he looked around trying to see the strange girl who had just spoken to him. With her mind. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 That evening, Datsuko wondered about the boy as she lay in bed. She had heard of both of the village's doujutsu kekkei genkai, although she only knew of them through a children's rhyme taught to the Ogawa children. "Facing white eyes that see through all, Don't think yourself safe behind your deceptive wall. The owners of these can see you and I, The possessors of the Byakugan eye. Facing red eyes and black tomoe, Run away, flee away, speed away, hide away, Even we, to them, will be no surprise, The possessors of the Sharingan eyes." It was supposed to be a warning that there were those who could see through the Gimantekimuu. However, further details of the users, such as the clans with the abilities, and tactics to combat them weren't taught until genin level, and then by a senior Ogawa nin. That probably wasn't going to happen. It was also the first time that she'd tried to use the jutsu on someone out of the family. The concept was simple. If the senses didn't send messages to the brain confirming the existence of something, then the obvious way to communicate was to bypass the senses entirely and go straight to the mind. The simplest method was to create a dispelling seal on the body of the user, activated by contact with another, and send messages through the chakra system. Information and messages on the chakra system could also be read. There were variants that increased in complexity and effectiveness, but those were going to have to be self-taught. Datsuko sighed, and tried to go to sleep.

Chapter 4 – Enrolment Ceremony The next morning, Datsuko followed Tsume and Kiba to the academy for the enrolment ceremony. Because Tsume was now her legal guardian, she was acting as the family member for both children. Kiba was bouncing up and down like he was high on sugar, gabbling on about how he was going to be the best ninja the Inuzuka clan had ever had, and how he'd help the pack by being so awesome, and how he'd outdo Hana, and how he'd make his mum proud, and… Datsuko merely smiled at his antics, already completely used to the loud, rash but well-intentioned boy. He hadn't sensed her presence once – apart from when the two were forced to shake hands at introductions – unlike that Uchiha boy… They turned into the academy, and Tsume checked off both Kiba and Datsuko's names on the list of entrants; even if the others couldn't sense Datsuko, Tsume had activated her hanajutsu, and knew that she was there. The chuunin looking after the list blinked, as he only saw one child, but waved Tsume on. As Datsuko took her place in the playground, she took the opportunity to look around at the other entrants to the academy. They were lined up in alphabetical order, in nine lines of ten students. She was standing near the back of the fifth line, behind a bored-looking boy who was staring skywards, hands in his pockets. His hair, pulled back in a high, spiky ponytail, tickled her face briefly, his head was tilted so far back. She giggled slightly, and took a step backwards, but he merely continued looking up at the clouds. She could see Kiba a few lines over, fidgeting behind a tiny, blue-haired girl, whose eyes were fixed on the ground as a tall, long-haired man spoke to her. Datsuko balked slightly when the man moved away from the girl, and looked directly at her. He has white eyes!</i? Then his gaze moved onwards disdainfully, and she relaxed a little. Looking in the other direction, she could see Uchiha Sasuke. He looked… uncomfortable. Underneath the obvious irritation yesterday, he had felt upset at something, although she hadn't probed any further into his mind to discover what the cause was. Now he was standing stock-still, his eyes flitting around distractedly. Datsuko scanned the crowd for whoever was with him, and located the most likely candidate. A rather stern-looking man, he had his arms folded and his eyes closed, and certainly didn't seem to be focusing on the events around him. To her surprise, the scrawny blond kid was standing behind the Uchiha, looking quite pleased with himself despite the glares of the parents and the hostile glances of some of the children. Datsuko hadn't seen anyone in the crowd who resembled him at all, but she looked again to see if there was anyone watching him without a glare. Nobody was. Maybe he was like her. Or maybe he didn't have anyone at all. When Datsuko glanced over at Tsume, her gaze was mainly directed at Kiba, but it did slip to Datsuko once while she watched, accompanied by a smile. Datsuko smiled back, a little shyly, but then turned as a chuunin called for silence. What followed was a series of speeches and introductions from the teachers, whose names Datsuko memorised. Then the Hokage spoke for a little, finishing with, "Everyone, congratulations on entering, From this day forth, please work hard to follow the shinobi way." With that, everyone applauded him politely, and then began to break up, children rushing back to parents excitedly. Some of them – the Uchiha and his father included – went to speak with the teachers, while others chatted avidly to each other. Somewhat unsure of what to do, Datsuko remained where she was while people pushed past her. She noticed with concern that the blond – Naruto – also stood in his place while the other children went to their parents and avoided him. Looking in the other direction, she was surprised to see that the blue-haired girl was also standing where she had before, but actually looking at Datsuko. She had the same white eyes as the man who had been talking to her earlier. Datsuko smiled shyly at her, and was perturbed when the girl started to return it, then stopped and averted her eyes. Then a shadow fell over Datsuko, and she looked upwards to see that the white-eyed man was leaning over her. He did not look friendly. Choosing courtesy to cover her fear, she turned to face him properly, and bowed respectfully. "Konnichiwa, O-sama," she said. He looked at her coldly, and then swept past to the girl. "Come, Hinata," he demanded, and the girl jumped nervously. "H-hai, Otou-s-san!" She glanced back at Datsuko, and then hurried after her father as he went to talk to the Hokage. While Datsuko couldn't hear the conversation, it certainly didn't seem to be pleasant, as the girl's head sank lower and lower. Suddenly a bell rang out, and the teachers started calling out for the children to be quiet while the classes were read out. The children turned from their parents to listen. The first teacher, a rather jolly-looking, slightly chubby man, who had been talking to the Uchiha – a Koimaru, if Datsuko remembered correctly – shouted out, "Class 1, in a line over here, alphabetical order please! Aburame Shino! Akimichi Chouji!" The list went on, and Datsuko found herself behind the same boy as before. He still looked bored. Then the teacher called for the students to follow him, and they walked into the academy where they would become ninja.

Chapter 5 – Introductions The pupils were brought into a classroom, but instead of taking seats at the obviously well-used desks, they were lead to the area at the front of the classroom, and instructed to sit down in a circle, still in order. Then to fill in the space between the first and last person, the teacher plopped himself down on the floor with them. He beamed around at the class. "Well!" he said. "Welcome to the academy! I'm Mizure Koimaru, and I'll be your teacher for this year. Now, I want to get everyone to know each other, so I want you to say what your name is, something interesting about yourself and something you'd like to do in the future. Then I want to next person in the circle to repeat everything that's been said before, and then talk about themselves, then moving on again, and so on. Do you understand?" There was generally nodding around the class, although there were some scowls. "Tch. How troublesome." This came from the boy next to Datsuko. "Why do we have to do this? It's babyish, and you should be teaching us to be ninja!" Datsuko looked back towards the teacher, and saw that, three places from him, Uchiha Sasuke was pouting again, looking annoyed. Next to him, the blond kid folded his arms and nodded. "Yeah, sensei! I'm gonna be Hokage someday. I don't need to waste time playing games!" The teacher remained smiling, but seemed to refuse to look at the blond. "I am here to teach you all to be ninja. But ninja need to be able to rely on each other, and work as teams. The first step towards that is knowing your fellow students. This is also a good way to practise learning by listening. So," he said, looking down at the boy next to him, who had remained silent up to this point. "We'll start with you." The boy, whose eyes were covered by black glasses, did not move anything more than his lips while he spoke. "My name is Aburame Shino. I am very interested in bugs. I would like to become an excellent shinobi and talented user of my family's jutsu." The teacher shifted a little uncomfortably, but moved onto the next boy, who was… chubby, Datsuko decided was the polite way to put it. He was gently prompted by the teacher. "He is…?" "He is A-bu-ra-me Shi-no, and he is… he likes bugs, and he wants to be an ex-ex-ex-" "Excellent." "-shinobi, and a ta-ta-" "Talented." "… he wants to be good at his family's jutsu." The teacher accepted this cop-out. "And you…?" The boy smiled. "I'm Akimichi Chouji, and I like eating my mum's cooking." A snigger was heard from one of the boys, and Chouji glared at him but continued. "And after I retire from being a ninja, I want to be Konoha's best cook!" He beamed at the class. The children went on around the circle, each one working progressively harder to remember all of the names, and often compromising quotes for simpler things. When they reached the blue-haired girl, she carefully and accurately repeated everything before her, albeit with a severe stutter, and then introduced herself. "H-hajime-m-mashite, m-minna-san… M-my name is H-Hyuuga Hinata, and I like p-pressing f-flowers. W-when I am older, I w-would like to b-be-c-come a … a k-kunoichi to m-make the H-Hyuuga cl-clan proud…" She seemed very flustered, looking distinctly upset as she said the last part. Then it was Kiba's turn, and when he reached Hinata's name, he deliberately imitated her stutter, causing the poor girl to flush bright red in shame. Datsuko shot her a sympathetic glance, which she missed as she stared at the floor. He laughed it off, and introduced himself loudly. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba, and I share a house with my parents, sister, a cousin who's never there and four dogs, plus half the family's dogs end up around our place sometime! When I get my own dog, we'll be the best man-dog team the village has ever seen!" A few turns later, they reached the boy next to her. Given the lack of attention he seemed to be paying, Datsuko was surprised when he simply sighed, and repeated everything word for word, introduced himself as Nara Shikamaru, said he liked watching clouds and wanted to go to sleep. She was amused by his bluntness, and began to speak herself when the person on the other side of her started talking. Glancing at the teacher, she saw that he obviously hadn't registered her presence, sitting there smiling at the girl recalling names. Datsuko was unsurprised. However, she wasn't the only person to have noticed. Both Sasuke and Hinata were looking between herself and Koimaru rather confusedly, and Sasuke was about to raise his hand when Datsuko smiled and shook her head. He frowned, and Hinata looked concerned, but neither spoke up. The introductions went without hitch until they reached Sasuke, who looked rebellious. However, on being told that Itachi-sama (whoever that was) had done it, he brightened up considerably, and gave the names and information word for word. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke, and I like training because I want to be as good as my big brother, and when I grow up I'm going to join the police force!" Then, when the blond next to him refused to take part, Sasuke poked him. Naruto turned to glare at Sasuke, who merely looked back at him. "Your turn, silly." The blond glowered, and Sasuke smiled. Then Naruto jumped up, and defiantly shouted, "I don't need to play silly games, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm gonna be Hokage one day!" A large number of the students tittered or glared at him, and the teacher snapped at him to sit down. He scowled at the class, and reluctantly dropped back to the floor. Then, catching sight of Sasuke smiling again, he started having a go at the dark-haired boy. "What are you smiling at?" Sasuke blinked. "You," he answered honestly, without malice. "Yeah? Well, you people all think you're so much better than me, you're the ones who are stupid!" Sasuke, previously unaggressive, was now riled. "If you can't even try in a simple game, you're the stupid one." "Bastard!" "Stupid." "Naruto, stop arguing with Sasuke-kun!" Koimaru said. Datsuko raised her eyebrows, noticing the lack of an honorific for Naruto, and the one-sided reprimand. This rudeness was obviously not lost on everyone, and the Hyuuga girl frowned slightly. The circle was completed by a blonde girl who said she like flowers, and then Koimaru sent them back around the other way, this time saying something the didn't like and their favourite food. Naruto immediately chose Sasuke as the thing he disliked, and proclaimed his love for ramen. Sasuke responded in kind, saying he didn't like Naruto, and the blond swore at him. Sasuke merely smirked, and was rather surprised when the boy launched himself at him, trying to pin him to the ground. He reacted almost immediately, untwisting his legs from their crossed position, jerking them upwards as he rolled backwards, sending the blond crashing head-over-heels into the space rapidly vacated by two quick children. Kiba jumped up, and started shouting. "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Several other boys joined in, clapping. "Naruto! Out of the classroom now!" the teacher said, stabbing a finger at the door. "And you boys, sit down and be quiet!" "But-" Naruto tried to object as he prised himself off the floor. "No! You do not fight against your fellow nin outside of sparring!" Standing up, Naruto rubbed the back of his head where it had made contact with the floor. "Bastard-sensei," he said under his breath as he turned to the door. "That does it! After-school detention!" All jollity was lost from the teacher as he dealt out the punishment. Naruto stomped sulkily out of the classroom, a scowl plastered on his features, earning a few titters from the class. Before closing the door, he shot one last glare at Sasuke, who had just flipped himself back up into his sitting position. It was returned by an infuriatingly innocent smile. Then he slammed the door shut. Datsuko looked back around the circle, and was rather unsettled to see so many smiles at the boy's punishment. A few admiring glances were also being sent Sasuke's way – mainly by the girls – but he was ignoring them, staring at the door Naruto had just slammed without any trace of a smile on his face anymore. Hinata was also frowning slightly at the door. The teacher then gave the class a brief lecture on behaviour, and then set the game off again. It finished without noticeable incident, although Datsuko was missed out again. This time Sasuke and Hinata were too busy staring at the door to notice, and Hinata nearly missed her turn. The teacher then sent the class to choose seats, not minding who sat next to who. Datsuko followed Hinata, who sat herself near the back, but stiffened when she saw Datsuko again. Datsuko blanched, suddenly afraid of rejection from one of the only people who had noticed her. "Hyuuga Hinata, right?" The girl nodded. "Um… is this seat taken?" The blue-haired girl shook her head slightly. "D-damme. N-nob-body has t-taken that s-seat." For a six-year-old with a stutter, she spoke very formally, and with a cultured accent. Datsuko smiled. "Then do you mind if I sit here?" After a slight pause, the girl shook her head again. "D-damme." Datsuko slid herself into the seat next to her. Hinata looked down. "Gomennasai," she said, Datsuko looked curiously at her, not sure what the apology was for. "O-Otou-san… H-he obj-jected t-to your p-p-presence, as h-he s-said you w-were from K-Kiri-g-gakure." She started fidgeting with her hands. "B-but then, Otou-san ob-objects to m-most things," she said quietly. Then she looked up at Datsuko. "Go-gomennasai, I do not know your name. Th-they," she said with a slight frown, "they missed you out." "Ogawa Datsuko, from Kirigakure, like your father said," Datsuko introduced herself. "I'm here because I'm an orphan, but related to the Inuzuka. And why they missed me out…" she said, tapping the side of her nose. "That's more than I can explain before the less—" she broke off as the classroom door slid open, and Naruto was frogmarched back in by a slightly irritated looking teacher. It wasn't clear whether his annoyance was directed at Naruto or Koimaru. Koimaru introduced the teacher as Umino Iruka, who nodded at the class before having a hushed but clearly annoyed discussion. It ended with Koimaru reluctantly pointing Naruto to a seat next to the Aburame boy, well away from Sasuke, who had ended up in front of Datsuko and Hinata and next to Kiba. Iruka looked satisfied, and left the classroom, smiling at Naruto. The blond boy blinked in surprise, but then grinned at the door as it closed. "Thanks Iruka-sensei!" he shouted. Then he sauntered over to the seat, and sat there smiling. Datsuko turned back to Hinata to finish what she had been saying, but stopped as she saw the girl was still staring at the blond. She tilted her head, watching the girl's face, and then smiled in faint realisation. Aww… I think she likes him. Then she poked her gently, both snapping her back to reality with a start and confirming the sense of happiness. "Ah! G-gomennasai," she said. "Don't worry. I was just going to say," she said, raising her voice slightly, "that I would take questions of that nature at break. That goes for the eavesdroppers too." The Uchiha in front of them started slightly, but nodded in recognition. The teacher then started talking about assessing the students' current abilities, and the class got down to work.

Chapter 6 – First Friends The bell rang for break, and Koimaru dismissed the class. Sasuke packed away his belongings, and got up to leave the class. He casually sauntered up the steps to the door, glancing at the girls sitting behind him and the Inuzuka as he passed them. The strange one – Datsuko – nodded slightly at him as she saw, and continued putting her possessions back in her bag. As he walked out of the door, he heard a couple of boys talking. "That kid's an Uchiha, right?" "Yeah." "So that means he must be awesome, eh?" Sasuke felt a sense of pride wash over him as he thought of just how amazing his brother was, and how everyone knew that the Uchiha clan was great. Then he felt a little sad as he thought about how his father gave Itachi so much preferential treatment, and expected Sasuke to be like him. Then he smiled, remembering how Itachi was on a mission that would get him into ANBU, and silently wished him a little luck. Sasuke looked around the playground, taking in the various areas. The main yard. A few trees and some swings were in a corner. Some benches were placed around the edges of the playground, and Sasuke picked one in the shade of some trees, visible from the entrance to the school. Other children began to come out as he walked over to it, some of them much older than him; the school took students until they became genin, although they normally didn't let students remain after failing the exam after their fifth go at sixteen. There didn't seem to be any that old around this year, unless they were still inside. Sasuke sat down on the bench, and waited. Hearing a giggling noise, he looked up to see some of the girls in his class standing a little way away, chatting excitedly. He watched them disinterestedly, until one of them – a blonde, Yamanaka Ino if he remembered correctly – looked over at him, turned back to the group and started whispering and giggling. He then kept a cautious eye on them, not entirely sure how to react to this strange behaviour. It made him a little uncomfortable, to say the least. A moment later, Datsuko and Hinata sat down next to him, and the girls turned to stare at the Hyuuga, making her hang her head in embarrassment. Datsuko whispered, "Ignore them, Hinata-chan. If it makes you feel any better, get out a book and pretend to read. Then they won't think anything of it." Hinata opened her bag, which she had brought with her, and got out a book on basic genjutsu, and pretended to read. "Arig-gat-tou, Datsuko-san," she said, looking a little less uncomfortable. Datsuko waved it off. "You don't need to be so formal, Hinata-chan." Then she looked between Sasuke and Hinata. "So… what do you want to know? I can't answer everything, but I'll try." Sasuke kept his eyes on the gaggle of girls as he spoke, thinking carefully over what he wanted to know. "Ogawa Datsuko, right?" "Yup." "That's not a name from Konoha." "Nope. That's because I'm from Kiri." Sasuke frowned. "Then… why are you here?" "I'm an orphan." The girl said it so bluntly that Sasuke turned to stare at her, shocked, before then feigning interest in his surroundings again. "However, I'm related by blood to the Inuzuka, so they were asked to take me in. I'm the cousin Kiba-hatoko claims is never there," she said, looking a little embarrassed on behalf of the oblivious boy. Sasuke was silent for a moment as he thought that over. Then he nodded. "'kay. So why is it only me and Hyuuga-sama who can see you?" Datsuko blinked, and then turned to look at the blue-haired girl, who was still 'reading' her book. "Hyuuga-sama?" Hinata blushed. "H-Hai. Uchiha-s-sama is c-correct. A-as I am th-the heir-ress to th-the nob-ble H-Hyuuga clan, m-most p-p-people are exp-pected to ad-address me f-formally. A-as a ch-child of th-the h-head of the Uch-chiha cl-clan, I sh-should also ad-address Uchiha-s-sama f-formally." Datsuko tilted her head around so that she was leaning in front of the blue-haired girl, and although Sasuke couldn't see her face, when she spoke she sounded a little concerned. "And do want you us to call you Hyuuga-sama?" Hinata was silent for a moment, but then shook her head almost imperceptibly. "Damme," she said quietly. "I-it s-sounds … cold." "Hinata-chan it is then. And you," she said, turning to face Sasuke, "what do you want us to call you?" Sasuke blinked, and then shrugged. He didn't really expect people to call him anything fancy; that was for his father, and maybe for his brother, but not for him, who was barely acknowledged by the stern head of the clan. "I'm fine with Sasuke-kun or Sasuke." "Then we're settled." "You still haven't answered my question." "I haven't, have I?" Sasuke frowned a little as Datsuko settled herself more comfortably on the bench. "Okay, I'm going to assume that you guys come from the families with the Sharingan and Byakugan kekkei genkai." Sasuke nodded, and saw Hinata mimicking the action. "Then you know how kekkei genkai work." He nodded again. "Well, your kekkei genkai aren't the only ones. My family has one too: the Gimantekimuu, or deceptive existence." Sasuke was puzzled, not understanding what the brown-haired girl meant. "Deceptive existence?" he asked. "But-" "It means that people can't sense my presence without the help of jutsu or amazingly good senses. Or…" she trailed off, and Sasuke saw that she was looking a little frustrated as she worked out how to explain it. "It's more complicated than that. It's not that they can't, it's just that… they don't. They ignore me. It's like… if you look at a forest, you don't notice each tree – they just blend into a bunch of trees. So they look but they don't see, if that makes sense. I'm just another face in the crowd, another kid in the class. They won't pay me any attention without prompting or a reason. You guys can see me because you have doujutsu kekkei genkai; and even without activation, your eyesight is good enough to be able to focus on me." Datsuko was then quiet for a little while as she let Sasuke and Hinata take this in. Sasuke's mind raced as he pondered over what he had been told. It was just… ridiculous. People just… couldn't see her? That's stupid. But then… she did 'vanish' yesterday… what did she- His thoughts were interrupted by Hyuu- Hinata quietly asking Datsuko, "S-so n-nobody knows you e-even ex-xist?" Datsuko shook her head gently. "A few people know. Tsume-oba-sama makes sure that I have what I need, and I look after myself. I'm now on record. You guys know. It doesn't bother me too much." "B-but that's awf-ful! Datsuko shrugged. "Like I said, it doesn't bother me. I've been taught about it since I was able to understand it. I expect to be alone." She smiled a little, and looked at Sasuke and Hinata. "The fact that I have two people in my class who can see me is way more than I could hope for." Looking down at the ground, Sasuke wondered what it must have been like for the girl to lose her family. He couldn't imagine it at all. Even if Itachi was the star of the clan, most of his family acknowledged him, and to lose that familial friendship… He shuddered, and hoped he'd never have to witness anything close to what the brown-haired girl seemed to be taking in her stride. He didn't think he'd be able to cope. But then… she wasn't exactly peaceful when… yesterday… Maybe she wasn't so calm about it. His face must have conveyed some of his discomfort without his realisation, as Datsuko turned to look at him. He blinked, and then tried to work out how to phrase the question about…what she'd done the day before. "Ah… How…" He trailed off, perplexed as to how to put it without sounding idiotic. Like that blond twit, Naruto… He had noticed that the kid was sitting on his own on one of the swings hanging from a tree, watching the world sadly. Sasuke had tried to put him out of his mind, but had found he was thinking about the boy again. He was jerked back to the conversation when Datsuko gently placed a hand on his wrist. // You want to know how I did this, right? // Sasuke flinched as the message passed through his mind in an instant. He nodded outwardly. "Yeah. That." Hinata looked up. "Sumimasen… Nani?" As Datsuko placed her other hand on Hinata's arm, Sasuke felt a tiny flicker of something in her mind, faint but a little worried. Then it vanished after a tiny flare, and Datsuko mentally poked him away. // Heey… no peeking. // // You can talk, // he replied. // That wasn't peeking, that was taking in surface info you weren't hiding. // // Whatever. // The girl laughed aloud, and Sasuke allowed himself a small smile. A faint echo of Datsuko talking to the other girl passed through to him, and she jumped violently, dropping her book, and stared at Datsuko, white eyes wide with shock. "N-nani? How?" Datsuko removed her hands from the two of them, and looked downwards at her lap. She sighed, and tried to explain. "It's complicated, and to be honest, I need to read up on a lot of it. But the idea is that if the brain doesn't notice something via the senses, then you have to send messages to it directly." Sasuke frowned a little, not certain what she meant, and saw that the blue-haired girl looked as clueless as he felt. Datsuko looked skywards for inspiration. "Um, how to put it… Oh! It's like knowing the postmen are on strike, so you hand-deliver a letter. Does that make more sense?" Sasuke's expression cleared up in enlightenment, the silly comparison making it surprisingly easy to understand. He nodded, and Datsuko looked relieved. "Good. Well, my family's jutsu to overcome the Gimantekimuu is basically mind-communication, and bonds to dispel the effects. We call them Kiton – mind style – even though it isn't an element. Messages are sent though the chakra system by bonds, so we can talk and exchange information with others even if they wouldn't normally see or hear us. Pretty cool, huh?" Feigning indifference to cover his jealousy at such a cool technique, Sasuke sniffed and looked back over the playground… to see the blond kid looking really depressed. He even considered getting up to see if he was okay, but… "You're t-telep-path-thic?" "I guess. But it's all jutsu." "Sugoi…" the blue-haired girl breathed out in awe. "Huh." Sasuke folded his arms. "Well, I guess that's pretty cool. But you don't stand a chance against the Sharingan or Byakugan, right?" "Right." The bell rang to call the students back to class, and Datsuko stood up. "If you guys wanted to kill me, I'd be dead." She turned back to the two, who were also getting up. "But I don't want to be enemies with the only people who'll notice me." She looked a little resigned, and Sasuke felt a little stab of sadness for her, but then she smiled again, and held out a hand. "Friends?" Sasuke and Hinata both stared at the hand for a moment, as they considered her. She seems a really nice person… And ignoring the fact that she talks mind-to-mind, she's not creeping me out, unlike those girls over there… and the Hyuuga girl seems okay as well. I hope she doesn't turn out too much like her dad though. …I'll take a chance. He stepped forward, and took her hand. "Friends." // Thank you, Sasuke. // He felt her gratitude as her mind touched his lightly, and he smiled. Then she let go of his hand, and turned to Hinata, again offering her hand. Hinata shyly took it, and nodded. "Hai. Friends." Then the bell rang again, and the three hurried back to class.

Chapter 7 – Initial Assessments After break, they went through some simple mathematic and literacy skills tests, and although Sasuke found very little too tricky in the papers, when glancing around the class after he was finished he was a little surprised to see so many people looking stumped at the exam. Cautiously looking behind him while the teacher was sorting the papers for the next test, Sasuke had seen that Hinata and Datsuko were finished more than ten minutes before the end of the assessment. They appeared to be some of the more intelligent people in the class. Turning back to his own desk, he resisted the urge to smirk when he saw the boy next to him – Inuzuka Kiba – was stuck on a multiplication question and was counting on his fingers, mouthing the numbers as he went. After lunch, the assessments continued. However, these ones were of more practical skills for ninja: stamina tests, shuriken throwing and sparring. Firstly, they were lead back into the playground, getting a sigh from some of the students. Koimaru then marked out a twenty-five metre length in the courtyard, and told all of them to run up and down as many times as they could at a reasonable pace. Some of the boys dashed off, Naruto and Kiba included, and Sasuke saw Datsuko shake her head out of the corner of his eye as he set off at a moderate pace, smart enough to know he would wind himself if he ran too fast. However, some of the students did the opposite, ambling reluctantly along until they were ordered to run. After a few lengths heading the group of sensible runners, Sasuke started to pull ahead as the rest started to slow down. Looking around, he realised that the only one of the students who dashed off was still running: Naruto. The others were all sitting at one end of the track, bent over with stitches and trying to catch their breath. Soon, only Sasuke and Naruto were running, and Sasuke was trying not to admit that he was impressed by the blond's stamina, when said blond punched the air, shouted, "Twenty lengths!" and tripped, falling flat on his face. The class burst into laughter, with the exceptions of Hinata, who looked appalled; Datsuko, who glared at the teacher when he calmly noted down the total and summarily ignored the boy; and Sasuke, who was too out of breath to do anything but run if he was going to beat that clumsy twit. Naruto lifted his face, grinning and laughing with the rest of the class. Then he rolled himself over so he was sitting, and closed his eyes. Sasuke drew to a stop. "Twenty-two," he told the teacher breathlessly, and as Koimaru noted it down and started to shepherd the applauding class to the target range, he just stood next to the blond, trying to catch his breath. Naruto tried to get up to follow the class. As he tried to put weight on his right leg, it twisted under him, his knee slamming back down on the ground, and as Sasuke straightened up he saw a grimace of pain cross the previously smiling face. Sasuke looked at him, feeling a little sorry for Naruto, and extended a hand. The blond blinked as the hand entered his field of vision, but after glancing up at the owner he looked away stubbornly. "I'm fine, teme, I don't need your help!" He tried to get up again, but this time before his leg gave way Sasuke grabbed his arm. "Moron. You don't have to be so stubborn, you'll get hurt." The whiskered face stared up at him, looking as surprised as he felt at what he'd just said. Then Naruto scowled. "Oi, teme, I'm not a moron!" "Only a moron would try and walk on an injured leg and refuse help." "Oh yeah? Well… hmph." Naruto looked away again, but Sasuke could see a smile twitching the corners of the boy's mouth upwards. Sasuke hid his own smile and sighed. "Come on," he said, tugging Naruto in the direction the rest of the class had gone. "Or they'll start without us, …dobe." "Teme." "Whatever." Sasuke helped Naruto around to the back of the school building, where the teacher had just finished explaining the assessment. As the Aburame boy stepped forward onto the range, Sasuke let go of Naruto's arm, given that his injury seemed to have vanished already, and looked at Datsuko questioningly. "Six shuriken, that target, try and hit a bull's-eye," she said. Sasuke nodded, and repeated the instructions to Naruto, who hadn't noticed her or her words and was about to yell at the teacher to tell him what was going on. Naruto shut up and grinned, probably eager to show off what he must presume to be his 'awesome ninja-skills'. Snorting softly, Sasuke turned to watch as he waited for his turn. The process went fairly slowly, as Koimaru had to total up all of the scores and make notes on each student's technique. A cheer went up from the class whenever anyone hit a bull's-eye or close to one, although nobody really noticed when Datsuko was called up and hit a chance one, her other five shuriken landing in the outer circles. The teacher looked completely stumped, both when he called out her name from his list, and when it came down to writing notes. Is she really that hard to notice? Sasuke wondered as he saw Koimaru's puzzled expression. However, the teacher totalled up the points scored, wrote it down, and called up the next student. As Datsuko came back to stand between Sasuke and Hinata, he gave her a pointed look. She shrugged. "I told you they need prompting and hardly notice me anyway," she said, a neutral expression on her face. Sasuke frowned, but went back to watching the other students. "Uchiha Sasuke!" Sasuke walked forward, taking the practice shuriken from the teacher. Settling into the textbook throwing stance, he paused a moment, testing the weight of the projectiles – slightly lighter than the ones Itachi-niisan let him use, he thought – and ignored the twinge in his left ankle reminding him of the last time he practiced throwing dangerous objects the day before. The he collected himself, and threw all six shuriken in quick succession, each one making a satisfying thok as the points buried themselves deeply in the target. A tight but pleased smile on his face, Sasuke turned to go back to his place, two bull's-eyes and four near misses behind him. After a moment of stunned silence, the class burst into applause and whoops. The teacher gave Sasuke an approving smile before shushing the class and calling Naruto up. The blond scowled a little at Sasuke as he walked past, but Sasuke merely smiled at him. The class sniggered as Naruto comically tried to imitate Sasuke, failing magnificently. Even Sasuke smiled a little at how awful the clown was. Then, with a flourish, the blond threw his shuriken forcefully at the target. He paused as only two of the six throwing-stars hit the target, and only one of those was anywhere near the centre. Then he turned to the class, a grin on his face and scratching the back of his head. "Eheheh… I meant to miss that! All of them hit where I aimed, 'cos going for more different targets shows I'm an awesome ninja!" The class laughed at that, although the teacher looked disapproving, and Naruto joined in as well, sucking up the attention. Sasuke shook his head, pretending to be annoyed with the blond, when a genuinely serious face caught his eye. Datsuko had her eyes narrowed as she watched Naruto laughing, although she didn't look angry, just… thoughtful. Sasuke nudged her. "What is it?" The girl's eyes narrowed further, but then she shook her head and put on a neutral expression. "Nothing, don't worry about it." Sasuke did worry about it. But he didn't say anything. Once the last person had taken their turn, Koimaru-sensei announced that the last part of the assessments would be a two-minute sparring session with another student in the class. Punches were to be pulled, and no serious damage was allowed to be inflicted, but otherwise there were no rules, other than that if one person gave up the other must stop fighting immediately. Some of the fights were… interesting, Sasuke mused. Some were quite dull, like most of those between the girls, although he became somewhat uncomfortable when the self-declared 'winners' started looking over at him, trying to get his attention. He tried to ignore them, but they creeped him out. He was not interested in girls. However, some of the matches were interesting to watch. His newfound companions Datsuko and Hinata were paired up, and while neither of them exactly landed a hit on the other, their styles of fighting were mesmerising. Sasuke knew about the Hyuuga's Jyuuken style, but had never seen it in action before, and marvelled at how fluid and fast it was, even more surprised when he found out afterwards that she'd only been learning for a few months and was still very slow. Datsuko's style… wasn't a fixed style that Sasuke could think of, and seemed more like improvised dancing. Whatever it was, it was fast and, when developed, looked like it could be pretty deadly. The other match that piqued Sasuke's interest was the one between Naruto and the Inuzuka boy. They seemed to fight quite similarly, both going for hard fast moves, quite wild really. Kiba seemed to employ more wrestling techniques though, while Naruto used his legs for kicks more. The two seemed matched overall in skill, although in different areas, but it was fairly clear that Kiba was stronger and had some experience of fighting. The fight ended after two minutes, Naruto having taken the worst of it despite the rule of pulling punches. Sasuke's own fight was unremarkable. He clearly outmatched his opponent, and landed several 'strikes' while guarding against attacks. On each 'hit', several people whooped, and one or two of the girls called out encouragement to him. He ignored them. After all fifteen matches, the bell rang again, and Koimaru dismissed them for the day.

Chapter 8 – Going Home When Sasuke got home after school, he was in high spirits. He'd officially started on the path to becoming a ninja, seemed to be the best in his class and had made some friends. He dashed home, a smile on his face, eager to tell his family about his day. He skidded to a stop outside his house, hurriedly took off his sandals and rushed into the kitchen where he threw his arms around his mother's waist, knocking her into one of the kitchen cupboards. "I'm home!" he said, smiling up at her. His mother, Mikoto, looked down. "I think I can see that, Sasuke-kun, and the sharp pain in my knees is telling me that you're very excited about something!" Sasuke's smile dropped and his eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Kaa-san!" he said, looking the picture of sorrow. "I didn't mean to hurt you!" He let go of Mikoto, a smile creeping back onto his face as he spun himself around on the balls of his feet. "I was just really really happy!" Mikoto smiled, and washed her hands, Sasuke still spinning himself. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun, I was only teasing," she said, drying her hands. She turned back to Sasuke, who was now still and pouting. "Mattaku." Taking his hand, she said, "You need to stop taking things so seriously, like your father and Itachi-kun." Mikoto tugged his hand gently. "Come on; you can tell me about your day out in the garden." The two sat down on the decking outside, where the soft plunk of the deer-chaser and the quiet trickle of water had a calming on influence on Sasuke, mellowing any momentary irritation he had towards his mother. His face was now fairly neutral, although his swinging legs betrayed his happiness. "So, Sasuke-kun, how was your first day of school?" Sasuke smiled. "It was great! All the tests were really easy, and even though I don't know how I did on the written ones, I was the best in the class for the running and shuriken tests!" "Now, why doesn't that surprise me?" "Because Nii-san taught me?" "Well, that too, but even Itachi-kun couldn't teach you if you weren't such a talented little boy." Sasuke blushed a little, pleased by the comment, but pouted as he remembered the adults' views concerning the brothers. "Tou-san wouldn't say that. Everyone thinks I'm amazing because Nii-san is, and they just want me to be like him." Mikoto pulled Sasuke onto her lap and wrapped her arms around him. "Well," she said, "I know that you're amazing because you're you, not your brother." Sasuke only blushed further at this, and looked away to hide his pleased embarrassment. Mikoto smiled, and then asked, "So, what else happened today?" "Um… I made some friends?" "Oh? Who?" "Ogawa Datsuko, Hyuuga Hinata and—" he hesitated, not sure if could call it friendship, "—Uzumaki Naruto." Mikoto tensed a little as she heard the names. "Ogawa, Hyuuga and Uzumaki." Sasuke nodded. Hesitating, his mother eventually said, "Don't tell you father." Sasuke blinked. "Why, Kaa-san?" Sighing, Mikoto replied, "The Uchiha clan has rather… strained relationships with the Hyuuga and Ogawa, and you father would not want to hear that you were associating with the Uzumaki boy." "Is it because people with the Sharingan can see the Ogawa?" His mother looked down sharply at him. "Who told you that?" "Datsuko-chan did. She said that if me or Hinata…-chan wanted to kill her, she'd be dead. But… I don't have the Sharingan yet, and she managed to hide from me. I don't think she knows that I don't have the Sharingan yet." Mikoto didn't reply to Sasuke for a moment, causing her to look up, concerned. "Kaa-san? What's wrong?" "Sasuke-kun, stop talking about killing your friends, it's not nice." Sasuke blinked, and then smiled. "So you're not angry?" "No, I'm not angry with you for making friends. Just be careful around your father and the Ogawa girl's family." Sasuke was silent for a moment, and then looked away before saying, "Her family's dead – that's why she's here." The stunned silence told Sasuke that his mother was shocked. Then she found her voice. "Then who is she staying with?" "The Inuzuka." "Oh." There was a brief silence. "Then, I have no worries. But still, be wary of telling your father." Sasuke mulled over this before his mother asked him about what happened in the rest of his day, and he told her. Afterwards, they sat in silence for a moment, before Sasuke asked, "Is Nii-san back?" Mikoto shook her head. "Neither Itachi-kun or your father are home right now." A sad expression flickered over Sasuke's face, but he quickly stood up, forcing a smile. "Okay, Kaa-san, I'm going to do some shuriken practice!" He then ran inside to find his sandals before heading off to train. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 When Hinata arrived at the academy gates after timidly smiling goodbye to her newfound friends, she found her cousin, Hyuuga Neji, and her escort, Hyuuga Kou – both Branch House members – waiting for her. They both bowed stiffly to her, and she returned the gesture before nervously glancing up at them. Neji seemed as cold as ever, not looking at her as he shifted his satchel to hang more comfortably. Kou was a little more courteous, asking her politely how her day was, and listening attentively through her stutter how she had made a couple of friends. When she told Kou that they were Uchiha Sasuke and Ogawa Datsuko, Neji's lip curled ever so slightly into a sneer, which Hinata noticed but chose not to pursue; the slight frown on Kou's face seemed only to confirm that she had not made the best choice in friends, and she quickly stopped talking. She hung her head and watched her feet as she walked, each step louder on the stone streets than those of her companions. She clasped her hands, trying not to fidget or worry about what her father would say to her, and trying to think of all the things that had gone well that day. She… had not disgraced herself? She certainly hoped she hadn't. She had not found the written tests too hard? As the heiress to the clan, she shouldn't have. She had made good friends? Evidently not. Hinata felt tears pooling in her eyes as she imagined her father's responses to her report of the day. He would probably be as disapproving as he had always been in the last few months. Since her mother died. She sniffed, trying to hold back the tears, and she heard a quiet "Tch," from her cousin. She didn't have to look up to know what his expression would be. The rest of the journey passed in silence, and as they arrived at the Hyuuga estate the guards either side of the imposing archway bowed to her. Increasing the angle of her stoop, Hinata returned the gesture before she was hurried inside the main building and into an anteroom to the formal meeting room, where she was instructed to wait with Neji until her father – his uncle – was available. Neji dutifully sat down on his knees, and composed himself calmly. Hinata also knelt, folding her hands demurely on her lap, and trying to take advantage of the quiet moment to meditate. She needed more practice to control her chakra, and calming before she faced her father would be beneficial. She began to breathe in and out slowly, trying to visualise the chakra in her body slowing down and moving to a steady trickle. Her eyes closed, she was starting to feel calm when a whiskered face topped by blond hair popped into life before her eyes, startling her and making her gasp quietly, all control gone. "Hinata-sama?" Hinata looked up at the voice, to see Neji staring at her. "Hinata-sama," he repeated, "are you alright?" Forcing herself to try and breathe normally again, she nodded slightly. "H-hai, Neji-nii-san…" Either satisfied or not caring if she was lying, Neji settled back down to await her father's arrival. Hinata closed her eyes again, still slightly shaken by the image of the boy: Uzumaki Naruto. However, she couldn't focus on her meditation with Naruto's face in her mind, and she was sure her father would be even less approving of her interest in him; she'd been told before to stay away from the blond. He had looked sad. "Hinata. Neji." Hinata's head jerked back up to see her father standing tall above her. She stifled a squeak of surprise, and bowed to him. "K-konnichiwa, Otou-san…" "Konnichiwa, Hiashi-sama," Neji said courteously. Hiashi knelt down in front of them. "Hinata, how was your first day at the academy? "A-ano, Otou-san, i-it went well, th-thank you." "What occurred?" "E-etto… W-we took p-part in s-some activities s-so we c-could get to kn-know each other a little better, a-and then m-most of the day was t-taken f-for tests." "What manner of tests?" "L-literacy, n-numeracy and physical." "How did you do?" "I-I had little d-difficulty o-on the literacy a-and numeracy tests, a-and I did q-quite well on the physical tests." "What were the results?" Each of Hiashi's questions came relentlessly, not pausing to comment on Hinata's report, or give any sign of approval or disapproval. Hinata hesitated before answering, sure that her father would not be happy. "E-eto… K-Koimaru-sensei h-has n-not m-marked the p-papers yet…" "And the physical assessments?" Nervously looking up at her father, Hinata swallowed. "I-I m-managed t-ten lengths, I-I sc-scored t-twelve p-points on the sh-shuriken range a-and I p-performed f-fairly well i-in sp-sparring." As Hiashi's eyes hardened even further, Hinata flicked her eyes downward, afraid of what was to come next. A silence followed before her father's controlled but cold voice questioned her again, making her even more nervous but not persuading her to look up. "And… what was the highest score, attained by whom?" Hinata kept her head down as she quietly said, "U-Uchiha S-Sasuke, w-with t-twenty-two lengths a-and a sc-score of t-twenty-s-six on the shuriken range." Hiashi was silent for a moment before speaking. "Who are you?" Hinata tensed, familiar with the words her father made her say every time he felt she had forgotten her position. "I-I am Hyuuga Hinata, the f-first heiress t-to the Hyuuga c-clan, the st-strongest, m-most n-noble a-and w-wisest clan in the village of K-Konohagakure, a-and I sh-should act as s-such, w-working towards the b-betterment of m-myself and the c-clan." "Do not forget it." Hiashi stood, his white robes swirling around him as he turned to leave. "Hiashi-sama." Neji spoke calmly, and his uncle paused, waiting for him speak. "Do you not wish to know which of her classmates Hinata-sama has already associated with?" Hiashi slowly turned back to face them, and Hinata cringed as she felt his gaze boring into the top of her head. Eyes on her, he levelly asked Neji, "Who?" A barely disguised smug tone eased into Neji's voice as he answered, "Uchiha Sasuke and Ogawa Datsuko. And someone she has not mentioned." Hinata felt her face heat slightly as she snapped her head to see Neji with an air of self-satisfaction around him. "N-Nii-san! Th-that is n-not true! I-I have n-not sp-spoken to a-anyone apart f-from S-Sasuke-k-kun a-and Datsuko-ch-chan o-out of l-lessons!" Neji looked triumphant as Hiashi spoke. "Hinata." Hinata turned back to her father, trying not to panic. "Do you know who you have made 'friends' with?" He made the word sound rude. Hinata nodded. "Then you know that the Hyuuga have bad relations with the Uchiha and their intentions to ruin the village, and that the Ogawa are our enemies?" Hinata nodded again. "Then," Hiashi said, sounding slightly chagrined, "why?" Cringing at the disappointment she could hear, Hinata stared at her lap. "B-because Datsuko-ch-chan w-was k-kind to me, a-and S-Sasuke-k-kun w-was n-nice enough." She quailed as she felt the atmosphere drop several degrees. "You made 'friends' solely based on superficial actions." It wasn't a question, and the criticism stung like a slap in the face. "Have you considered that the Ogawa girl, who is a nemesis of both the Hyuuga and the Uchiha, is acting out of a desire for requital and lulling you into a delusory sense of security, or trying to corrupt you? Or that the Uchiha is working on behalf of his clan, debauching the youth of the village as his elder brother perverts his seniors?" Trembling, Hinata tried to keep her composure, but it was stolen away by the gist of what her father was saying; even though she didn't know many of the words he used, she understood his meaning. Tears started to roll down her face, and she sniffed, not saying anything as she didn't trust her voice. Hiashi was silent for a moment as he appraised the crying girl – his crying daughter – before standing. "Be ready for training at four o'clock." He turned, and stopped at the door. "Do not allow them to lead you astray." Hinata looked up, surprised. "D-does that mean-" But he was already gone. After throwing a smirk in Hinata's direction, Neji got up and followed the patriarch, leaving Hinata in the anteroom, free to cry. She did so. After a few minutes curled up in a ball and crying, Hinata forced herself to stop snivelling, wiped her eyes on her sleeve and shakily stood up before picking up her schoolbag and slipping through the estate to find one of the only people who ever seemed happy to see her. It was likely that it was because she wasn't old enough to see the first heiress' mistakes and failings, but she didn't care. Seeing her baby sister's beautiful smile was enough for Hinata. As Hinata trotted down the corridor leading to the nursery, she heard the thin wail of her sister and increased her pace, worried that she had been left alone again. She stopped in front of the door, and timidly opened it, half expecting someone to be angry with her for being there. As it was, the room was empty of people, bare as usual, and with the white cradle in the centre of the room. The wailing quieted to a whimper as the door opened and shut, and Hinata dropped her bag, hurried over to the cradle, and leant over the edge. The whimpering stopped. Hanabi was a beautiful baby. Large white eyes took in everything with curiosity, and her face was framed by soft dark brown hair, like her father's. As a smile cracked the chubby face, Hinata wondered how anyone could bear to see the child upset, and what it would be like to have her own baby. She gently stoked a tear-stained cheek with one finger, and Hanabi gurgled happily. Hinata smiled. Struggling a little, the small girl lifted the baby out of the cradle, blankets and all, and held the heavy yet fragile bundle close to her as she carefully trod towards the door. She pulled it open with one foot as she caressed the dark downy hair of her sister, and was slightly startled by the appearance of Hanabi's nursemaid in the doorway. "Hinata-sama!" The woman bowed to her. "I heard the child-" "Hanabi-ch-chan," Hinata cut across, slightly upset by her sister being merely another baby. "-Hanabi-sama, and came to investigate." She looked slightly worried. "Hinata-sama, are you sure you-" "Sh-she was crying." To Hinata, her explanation seemed perfectly reasonable. Still, the nursemaid sighed and leant down to take Hanabi. Hinata shied away, pulling her sister closer, but the woman prised the baby away, although panic returned to her eyes when Hanabi started mewling again and tears formed in Hinata's eyes. As the volume of the wailing increased, the nursemaid looked between the two crying heiresses and slowly gave Hanabi back to Hinata. The blue-haired girl clutched Hanabi protectively, smiled through her tears, inclined her head and whispered, "A-arigatou, Junko-san," before slipping out into one of the many gardens to watch the blossom-filled trees, and spend a little time with her sister before she went to the dojo for practice. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 Datsuko felt the need to stifle a smile as Kiba practically danced around his mother on the way home; if he had been a pup on a leash, Tsume's legs would have been tangled in moments. However, he wasn't, so he kept on darting around, retelling most of the day with wild gestures and exaggerated details. He pouted as he complained firstly at how hard the written tests were, and then grumbled about why super-ultra-cool ninja like him had to waste time writing and doing maths when they should be out on ultra-super-cool missions. Datsuko didn't quite stop the giggle escaping at this, seeing a similarity between her cousin and the blond he had sparred with, Uzumaki Naruto, but it wasn't as though anyone noticed it. The two boys were similar in many respects, it seemed. But at least he didn't complain about the concept of teamwork, which was a good sign, she supposed. By the time they reached home, Kiba had finished telling Tsume about his day, and begged her to let him run over to the Inuzuka-run Konoha Kennels to tell his father, Genshu Hiraku, and Hana if she was there. After a moment's hesitation, Tsume granted him permission on the basis that he was home by six, and told the others that dinner was at six-thirty. He eagerly agreed and dashed off, leaving his mother and cousin on the doorstep. Datsuko heard her aunt sigh as she unlocked the door, and reached up to touch her wrist. Tsume looked down at her, blinked, and then smiled. "Ah, sorry, I was ignoring you again, wasn't I? How was school for you?" "It went well, Tsume-oba-sama. I found the tests relatively easy, and due to their kekkei genkai I have made friends with Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata." Tsume looked a little surprised, but then smiled as she led Datsuko inside. "I'm glad you've made friends. Maybe the families are too strict and traditional, but they make good ninja, and are good to work with once they get over their superiority issues." Datsuko said nothing on the matter, and simply stared up at Tsume before showing her aunt, through the temporary bond their contact made, her moment of hesitation at letting Kiba go to see his father, and putting an enquiring presence behind it. Tsume actually flinched, either at the mental contact or Datsuko's observation. She took a breath and looked like she was about to deny everything before she sighed, conceding to her niece. "Your uncle and I are having a difficult patch, Datsuko." Tsume's eyes flickered to the room where the dogs usually slept. This did not go unnoticed, but Datsuko kept her thoughts to herself this time, drawing her own conclusions. Tsume forced a smile. "Now, why don't you go and do some shuriken practice? I need to check on Ami's bitch, Byakuko, since she's due any day…" Datsuko was left standing in the living room while Tsume hurried off, concerned for her family's precious canines. Datsuko shrugged and padded upstairs to the room she shared with Hana, settling down with the Sudoku book she had bought with the pocket money Tsume allowed her, wondering whether her aunt and uncle would make up.

Chapter 9 – Late Nights If that night was anything to go by, they would not. Datsuko was woken, about ten o'clock, by barking and whining, and voices from the dogs' room; more precisely, the whelping room. Wondering what was wrong, Datsuko slipped out of bed, noting that Hana was not in hers as she did so, and padded down the hallway. She walked straight into the room, pressing herself against the wall so she wasn't in the way, and silently watched. The dog was having her puppies, and the family had come to watch. Hana was kneeling by the labouring dog, doing things Datsuko didn't know about but made sense to help the birth. Tsume and Hiraku stood over her, occasionally whispering advice to their daughter, which she accepted readily. Kiba was fidgeting in the background, kept from interfering with the birth by Tsume's massive dog, Kuromaru. The bitch's owner also hovered in the background, concerned for her companion. As each puppy was born, Hana helped the dog bite through the umbilical cord, and murmured the gender before passing the pup to her mother to be checked over and weighed. Hiraku made a note of all the details as his wife and daughter whispered them to him, a calculating look in his eye. Tsume would then gently lay the newborn back down with its mother, where it squirmed into her warmth blindly. The process would then start again as the contractions began for the next puppy. "Bitch." "Dog." "Dog. "Dog, but looks like it's got a bad paw." "Bitch, looks like a runt." And then it was over. The mother tiredly licked her puppies clean, and guided each one over to her teats so it could feed. Hana helped to clean the mess up, and the dogs in the room barked happily. Kiba started pestering his parents in the hope of being able to have one, which they refused, much to his annoyance. Leaving the happy owner with her dog and litter, Tsume, Hiraku, Hana and Kiba all left, going to the kitchen, with Datsuko trotting silently behind. Tsume and Hiraku were arguing in angry whispers, and they stepped out into the back garden as soon as Hana and Kiba had sat down, shutting the door behind them. Raised voices immediately drifted through the wood, and although the children couldn't see their parents, it was easy to imagine their faces. Datsuko started to make hot chocolate for the three of them. "The runt and the lame should be put down – they'll be no use for working or breeding!" This was Hiraku. "No! Just because she's the runt of the litter doesn't mean she can't work, or breed, or be a companion! And the dog could be a companion too," Tsume responded. "It's not worth the resources to rear them!" "It's always worth it!" "It's uneconomical!" "It's ethical and moral!" "Leaving them to grow and be useless is immoral!" Hana had long brought Kiba into her arms and covered his ears, trying to muffle the row. Kiba was snivelling into her nightgown and clung tightly to her. Datsuko quietly put two mugs of hot chocolate in front of the pair and tapped Hana's wrist to let her know. The pre-teen, used to Datsuko appearing randomly and only communicating with feelings, nodded gratefully in Datsuko's general direction before taking Kiba's arms from around her waist, pressing a mug into his hands and gently leading him up to his bedroom for the night. Datsuko waited patiently in the kitchen for Hana to return for her own drink. When the girl returned, looking distinctly upset now and glancing nervously at the back door, she slid onto a chair and sipped the warm drink. She started slightly as Datsuko touched her arm, sending a questioning thought to her cousin. Hana slumped on the tabled and cradled her mug in her hands before speaking quietly. "Mum… Dad… They always argue after a litter's been born. Dad's an outsider, not from the village; he was a prominent dog breeder from the Tea Country, and Grandpa thought it would be a good idea to have him marry Mum, so they could share talents and experiences and improve the Inuzuka pack. But as a civilian, he specialises in domestic and traditional working animals. While he cares for the dogs, he's more interested in breeding specialised ones and selling on the stock. A runt or a lame is a poor investment." Hana paused for a moment, and sighed as she eyed the door again. "On the other hand, Mum specialises in nin-dog and is much more concerned about the dogs than the profit. Dad just… doesn't get it." She sipped her drink. "He doesn't get it at all, so Mum's always fighting with him. She normally wins, but…" Trailing off, Hana stared into the frothy brown mixture. Then, almost inaudibly, she said, "One of my triplets is the father. His first." Datsuko's heart went out to her cousin, and the girl smiled a little as she felt it through the temporary bond. Then she picked up her mug, downed the drink and stood up. "Anyway, if he puts any of them down, it won't just be Mum he's answering to; I'll put him down myself," she joked awkwardly. Patting Datsuko's head she said, "Come on; bed for us. They… They'll stop arguing in their own time." She glanced again at the door, where voices could still be heard, although they were quieter and more intense, so only the occasionally "Bastard," and "Stupid woman," came through. Hana then steered her cousin into bed before going to bed herself. Before long her breathing had evened out in the depths of sleep, and eventually lulled Datsuko's fretting mind to sleep. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 Late the same night, Sasuke was padding quietly though the dark corridors of his house, coming back from a visit to the bathroom, when he heard voices coming from the meeting room, and a beam of light spilled from a crack in the sliding doors. As he recognised his father's low chuckle he stopped to listen to the conversation. "You are my son, indeed. I knew I could trust you to enter ANBU." Sasuke regarded the statement for a moment, before realising that Itachi had succeeded in his mission. It was probably unfair of him to be upset that his brother had gotten into ANBU. It just meant that there was even more for Sasuke to work up to. 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 Hinata lay awake that night in her stark, cold room, thoughts of the day passing incessantly through her mind: her father's angry words at an innocent girl not born in the village; the rudeness of everyone towards Naruto; the surprise friendship and acceptance of an 'enemy' and a rival clan's heir; the blond's smile as he lapped up the class's attention; her father and her cousin's disapproval of her friends, and the harsh training session, which had left her with several bruises from Jyuuken strikes, even if they were free of chakra to 'protect' her; the look of disappointment when Hinata failed to land a strike on even Neji, who was a Branch House member and supposedly below her; and Neji's smug air when Hiashi nodded in silent approval of his skill. Hinata wished so badly that he would give her even that simple nod to show pleasure in her. She sighed and rolled over on the bed, trying to ease the pressure on a bruise on her ribs, and stifled a sob, making efforts to reassure herself that she was just a slow learner and that she would one day meet her father's expectations. It was of small comfort. Then she remembered the blond boy's sunny smile, even after he had tripped and embarrassed himself. Smiling weakly, Hinata took a little courage from the memory, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

And that’s where I abandoned it! Sorry if you wanted more, but I hope you enjoyed it.

#RMOR writes #RMOR writes fanfic #Naruto #RMOR takes GCSEs #RMOR takes AS levels #Inuzuka Tsume #Inuzuka Kiba #uchiha sasuke #Uzumaki Naruto #Inuzuka Hana #Hyuuga Hinata #RMOR makes OCs #2008 #2009 #2010

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carrotcouple · 7 years

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In The Land of Higashiizumo (AO3)

Kiun has four jobs. One, working for an organization called ‘Equilibrium’. Two, guarding the gate of Yomi. Three, taking care of his cousins. Four, being Takemikazuchi’s anchor. The last one is the hardest. It is also the one Kiun is the most invested in.

Chapter 7 - Attack

“I ran into him in the library again.” Hiyori told Kiun as they assembled in the meeting room for S class members. Hiyori wasn’t an S class member but she was there to watch the proceedings. “He was a little cold at first when I was talking to him, but when I told him that we were all here for him, he seemed genuinely surprised. He’s not much of a Weizhi, is he? He doesn’t seem to be able to decipher our honest feelings at all.” Hiyori frowned.

“I think he’s just really nervous when Takemikazuchi is around.” Kiun suggested. Hiyori looked at him.

“Oh! You didn’t put in a ‘sama’!” Hiyori grinned. Kiun’s face reddened.

“Th-that was because he asked me to!” Kiun said flustered.

“Is that so?” Sayuri asked as she suddenly showed up and took her seat. She smirked at him. “Honestly Kiun, have you been making any progress at all?” Sayuri said with a teasing voice.

“Sayuri san!” Kiun cried out.

“You’ve been getting rather close to Yato kun, Hiyori.” Sayuri stated her observation.

“Well...I don’t think he’s a bad person. I just get the feeling you know. After I told him we were all here for him he seemed to relax a bit and talk more, he even laughed when I told him that Kiun san was a worry wart!” Hiyori giggled. Kiun sighed. The mother and daughter were bullying him.

“But I wasn’t expecting him to come find me like that. Oh, Kiun, you don’t know what Yato kun did, do you?” Sayuri asked him. Kiun shook his head. “He came running to me right after I got Masaomi and he grabbed my arm. At first I wasn’t sure what he was up to but then he looked up at me with terrified eyes and told me that Hiyori had run off to where a powerful Guancha zhe was. I had already been told it was Sarutahiko so I hurried as fast as possible, Yato, fidgeting next to me the whole time. You guys were right, he does seem far more meltable than Takemikazuchi was at first.”

Kiun thought back to what Takemikazuchi had told all of them.

“Heck, I don’t even know how much of this body is actually mine. What if all of it is the raijuu?”

“Takemikazuchi was...different…” Kiun whispered.

Hiyori looked white.

“Hiyori, I want your personal opinion for something important.” Sayuri said quietly. Hiyori and Kiun both turned to look at her. “Can I start to put my trust in Yato?”

Kiun’s eyes widened. Even though he agreed that Yato was definitely starting to thaw, he would say no. The fact still was that Yato was attempting to do something against equilibrium for his father. But it wasn’t his place to say a thing. It was Hiyori’s and Sayuri was deciding to trust Hiyori’s judgement.

“Yes,” Hiyori said firmly. “He has ways to go, but he’s getting there.”

“Understood.” Sayuri stood up. “Is everyone assembled?” Tenjin called affirmative. “I’m pretty sure all of you already know, but I will brief all of you again just in case. Three hours ago, Sarutahiko crashed into Higashiizumo on the body of a raijuu. He claimed that there were hundreds of yokai coming here because of the shields and barriers having been torn down recently. Kiun confirmed that for us when he looked into the raijuu to discover the raijuu had been coming to warn all of us.” Instantly everyone began whispering in disgust. No one liked Sarutahiko. “Masaomi is currently outside, strengthening the barriers and shields with everything he has with others on watch duty. We’ll be hit with the brunt of it in three hours, so our job is go out there, fight, protect and strengthen barriers and shields. I’ve drafted up everyone’s positions.” Sayuri started to tell everyone where to go. Hiyori watched with something akin to sparkling respect.

“Mom, can I come?” Hiyori asked once Sayuri was done and had dismissed all of them. Kiun, Takemikazuchi, Ebisu and Kunimi who had stayed behind stared at Hiyori. Ebisu chuckled.

“Is there a better place to learn than at the actual battlefield?” Ebisu said, but his eyes were jade green instead of his normal dark green and they all knew that it was the Ningyo in him speaking.

“That is true, however, she cannot survive on the battlefield long enough to become a training ground for her.” Sayuri said, a respectful tone in her voice.

“Actually,” Kiun spoke up, surprising even himself. “She can probably survive longer than quite of a few of our Guancha zhes. I saw the wall she put up in between Sarutahiko and us. I think she’s more than ready.” Kiun said honestly. Hiyori looked him with a hopeful look on her face.

“Kiun, you do know what you’re saying, right?” Sayuri asked quietly. Kiun saw the look she was giving him. The look she was giving him was of a worried mother, not head Jianhuren and Kiun knew she was unknowingly giving him that look.

“As her teacher, would you let me take her to the battlefield, Jianhuren sama? I have full confidence in her abilities.” Kiun said formally. Sayuri looked startled and then embarrassed that she had let her personal feelings overcome the fact that she had a job as the head Jianhuren and that was running Higashiizumo.

“Very well, Kiun. You’ll have to keep an eye on her though.” Sayuri turned and picked up charm she always wore around her neck from the table.

“I intend to do just that, Sayuri san. This is a lesson for Hiyori chan after all...and...I’m stronger than before. My raijuu, he’s awake.” Kiun stated. All of them turned to Kiun with shock on their faces.

“He’s awake?” Kunimi cried out.

“When did he? Has he said anything?” Takemikazuchi asked.

“Do you have any hint as to why he was asleep?” Ebisu wanted to know.

“Do you know why he woke up?” Sayuri demanded an answer.

Hiyori watched the adults get worked up in confusion.

“I’m not sure.” Kiun shrugged. “We haven’t talked about it yet. I guess we’ll get around to it eventually. He’s a funny guy.” The raijuu growled in warning. “OK, OK, I’m sorry, I won’t tease you.” Kiun chuckled.

“Honestly...how much do you know about your raijuu that you treasure him and trust him so much?” Kunimi sighed.

“Well, he saved my life, I don’t need anything else to trust him for. He saved me when no one else would and twice too. He stayed with me to keep me alive. He cares about me.” Kiun grinned.

“A story that only one of us in this room has heard. You don’t have to get all happy about it if you don’t plan on telling us about how you first got your raijuu.” Ebisu made a face and turned to walk out. Kiun stifled a laugh as they all started to file out of the room.

“That’s it!” Takemikazuchi exclaimed.

“What’s it?” Hiyori asked.

“It struck me how very much like a raijuu Kiun was when he attacked Sarutahiko, it was almost as if he was a raijuu himself, only he had human form. But when you think about it, if that’s the kind of power a jiijin can get from being on the same wavelength of your yokai then we’d have all kinds of powerful people around us. But things aren’t like that. If there are super Guancha zhes, then the same can be said for jiijins although this is our first time seeing it. Maybe there is a different class of Jiijins entirely. Kiun is one of those. Jiijin’s with enough power to host an A class yokai and who knows, maybe even an S class yokai. Yukine might very well be one of those. But you see, I think yokai are attracted to special jiijins just as much as they are attracted to Weizhis, except with a Weizhi, yokai are a lot more careful. I’ve always found it odd that when I’m by myself, yokai observe me but don’t come close but yokai approach me when Kiun is around. Yukine doesn’t like yokai, but I believe the Yukionna saved him from something. The Yukionna didn’t possess him, take over his body and go on a rampage! That was Yukine and the Yukionna being on the perfect wavelength together, just like Kiun was!” Takemikazuchi explained excitedly. All of them stared at him. “Ebisu must have been a special type too.” Takemikazuchi gestured at Ebisu.

“You’re right.” Ebisu chuckled. “Jianhuren dono, I believe your Weizhi is smarter than most. Not even other Weizhis have thought this up and naturally assumed that the Jiijins were unstable, far too powerful, or the yokai had already crushed the host’s soul. There’s such a thing as people chosen by different Kami. After all, Weizhis are those born with the power of a Kami’s blessing or curse.” The Ningyo grinned toothily. “Well, I believe we have a war against yokai to see to.” Ebisu turned and started to walk off.

“Wait a moment, why was I given this power? I didn’t ask for it!” Takemikazuchi shouted. Ebisu turned back.

“Who knows what the Kamis have in mind. I only know that, you will one day see that you were given this power for a reason.” The Ningyo shrugged. “Kunimi, let’s be off.” It was suddenly Ebisu speaking and Kunimi nodded and ran after Ebisu.

“I wonder how Kunimi san handles both the Ningyo and Ebisu san?” Hiyori wondered out loud. Kiun looked at Takemikazuchi who was expressionless. To be honest, Kiun didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to make Takemikazuchi feel better. No matter what he said it wouldn’t change the fact that Takemikazuchi had been through far too much in his life. His life was practically the worst injustice Kiun had ever heard of. But at the same time, Kiun was glad for his Weizhi powers, for it meant that even if Takemikazuchi’s Ban Shen powers failed him, Kiun could protect him even if he wasn’t there. Kiun could meet and love him because he was a Ban Shen rescued from an illegal laboratory.

It was so selfish of him to think things like that. He should have instead wished that even if he would have never met Takemikazuchi, even if he could never see Takemikazuchi grin at him that Takemikazuchi could have grown up as a normal child and would have lived a normal life. Perhaps because he knew that it was useless thinking of what could never be and rather what he could do now. Kiun quickly went to Takemikazuchi’s side.

“Takemikazuchi sa-” Kiun started. He stopped and then quickly corrected himself. “Takemikazuchi, shall we go?” Takemikazuchi looked at Kiun. The least Kiun could do was let him know that even if the whole world turned against them, he would be by his side. Takemikazuchi had a mask up, Kiun could tell. He was trying to appear unaffected, normal.

“Don’t you have to keep an eye on Hiyori chan?” Takemikazuchi asked him with a raised eyebrow. Kiun started. He was right. As Hiyori’s teacher, Kiun’s first priority was her, not Takemikazuchi. This was his role in Higashiizumo. Kiun nodded.

“That’s right...what about you Takemikazuchi, will you be able to fight?” Kiun asked. His smile was fake. The smile Takemikazuchi gave him was not a happy one.

“Well, I don’t want to hurt you, so I’ll be careful. I promise, I think I’ve gotten an idea on how to do things.” Takemikazuchi shrugged turned and walked out.

“What was that, are you two actually stupid? Just kiss and be done with it.” Sayuri muttered.

“Sayuri san!” Kiun cried. Well at least, she couldn’t seem to tell exactly what Takemikazuchi had meant.

“Mom!” Hiyori was scarlet. “What are you even talking about? Kiun san and Takemikazuchi san are-” Hiyori sounded confused and embarrassed.

“Oh, you didn’t know? That’s no good Hiyori, as the next Jianhuren you have to be able to at least tell what the S Class members are feeling. Kiun is in love with Takemikazuchi.” Sayuri sounded way too serious.

“Sayuri san! Don’t just go around telling whoever you please! And especially not Hiyori chan!” Kiun wailed, his face, he was sure was probably redder than the bright red on Hiyori’s hoodie. Hiyori looked stunned and red too. She slowly turned to look at Kiun.

“I...I didn’t know, Kiun san…” She said slowly. And then it was like a switch turned on in her head. “Oh my kamisama! I should have known! It was obvious with the way you look at Takemikazuchi san!” Hiyori gasped. Now Kiun wanted to just vanish, disappear into the ground. He made a strangled noise and then grabbed Hiyori’s arm and pulled her with him as he marched out of the room.

“Sayuri san, I swear I’m going to get back at you for this!” Kiun yelled. He could hear the Jianhuren behind them laugh loudly.

------o------

“So, you’re major job for now is making a shield or barrier, any is fine. I’m not going to ask you to do anything complicated. If you manage to do something then that’s great, but for now, you need to just see what is going on around you. This is a learning process and I don’t want you to put yourself in any unnecessary danger.” Kiun explained as he tightened the knees pads he was putting on Hiyori just in case. It hadn’t been long since she had skinned her knees and elbows when Yato and Takemikazuchi went on their rampage.

“Then how about you stand next to me at all times, Kiun san?” Hiyori asked briefly glancing at the people that ran past them with armfuls of scrolls. She lowered her voice and spoke in hushed tones. “We know Takemikazuchi san will try his best not to hurt you but there are chances you might not be able to use your power properly, so maybe you should stay next to me so I can put a barrier or shield in front of you too.”

Kiun smiled at her and then patted his stomach softly.

“Thank you for your concern, Hiyori chan, but I’m pretty sure me and my raijuu can manage since he’s awake - although he seems rather opposed to answering questions on why he has been asleep for so long.” Kiun reassured her. She pouted and then turned to look around. Kiun looked around as well. Guancha zhes, Jiijins and Ban Shens were running around. Hiyori’s father and some of the strong Guancha zhes were watching over the children in the Institute. At the front line in each important corner of Higashiizumo was an S Class member. Takemikazuchi was in the in the farthest corner away from Kiun and Kiun felt anxious. Already yokai had come slipping in and they had been promptly slain or thrown out by members on the Institution.

“I wonder if Yukine kun and Yato kun are OK…” Hiyori said softly. “They probably want to know what is going on.”

“I just hope they keep their noses out of trouble.” Kiun muttered.

“I think they’ll be fine.” Hiyori said gently.

“A horde of yokai are approaching from the south!” Bishamon’s voice crackled in all of the walkie-talkies.

“This is Takemikazuchi, I sense them coming from all directions. The largest amount is in the direction of Iwasaki Shrine. Jianhuren dono, should I change locations?” Unease filled Kiun. Ever since Takemikazuchi had become the Ban Shen Kiun worked under, there wasn’t single fight in Higashiizumo that they hadn’t fought together side by side and now they were apart. Anxiety was eating him inside out. What if Takemikazuchi got hurt? Kiun wasn’t there by his side.

“Stay where you are, Ebisu should be able to handle them with those in his area.” Sayuri’s voice replied. “Brace yourselves.”

“They’re here!” Takemikazuchi yelled. Kiun watched in something close to awe as he saw differently colored shields and barriers go up. He had seen this sight before but it still caught him off guard every time. Since he and Hiyori were in the inner defence circle they could only watch and wait for some yokai to slip past the first circle and come to the second circle. The goal was to turn the yokai back and to either seal the insistent yokai or kill them if necessary. Hiyori looked both excited and scared.

“Kiun san, why is it that we have to keep yokai away from yomi? Don’t some of them go in?” Hiyori asked. There was noise everywhere, people were shouting and yokai were clamouring. Kiun could see flying and jumping yokai crashing into Masaomi and Sayuri’s impressive barrier.

“Some yokai that go into Yomi have different reasons for going in. The ones that we allow to go in usually have offerings for Izanami kamisama, but others usually want to bring unspeakable things out of Yomi and some powerful enough would try to even bring Izanami kamisama herself out of Yomi.” Kiun explained. The sky lit up from the direction of Ankokuji Shrine. He turned and saw a stream of lightning. Kiun only felt a little bit of his power drain. “He’s doing it…” Kiun said quietly.

“How are you feeling, Kiun san?” Hiyori asked in concern.

“I feel fine.” Kiun said quietly, looking down at his hands.

“Does that mean Takemikazuchi san now has control over his Weizhi powers?” Hiyori asked excitedly. The ground rumbled underneath them. “Kiun san to your left!” Hiyori shouted. Kiun spun around and jumped backwards just as a giant yokai burst out of the ground. Instantly Hiyori had a barrier over the two of them as it swiped it’s sharp and large claws down at them.

“Bakeneko!” Kiun yelled. “Hiyori take down the barrier, I’ll deal with it!” Hiyori let down the barrier and then Kiun drew on the raijuu’s power.

Let’s see how your fighting has improved, little one. The raijuu rumbled.

Kiun jumped at the Bakeneko, easily avoiding the sharp claws and slammed his lightning covered knee into it’s face. Guancha zhes let out loud cries of surprise and moved out of the way as the Bakeneko fell to the ground, Kiun still on top of it.

“Hiyori, do you think you can transport this guy to the edge of Higashiizumo? Preferably where your brother is.” Kiun jumped off of the Bakeneko and turned to Hiyori. Hiyori nodded.

“I’ll try.” She said with a determined look on her face. Everyone backed away from the Bakeneko and Hiyori let down the shield she had put up around herself and stretched out her arms. Her eyebrows furrowed together as a look of concentration came on her face. Kiun turned to look at the Bakeneko and then it suddenly lifted into the air and a large purple sphere formed around it. It floated and wobbled a bit before it started to move towards the place where Masaomi was.

“Kiun san, I haven’t seen you in action for a year now! You’re still as great as ever!” One of the Guancha zhes complimented him.

“For a year?” Hiyori asked as they continued to turn back huge amounts of yokai.

“I haven’t been really active since I became Takemikazuchi sama’s Jiijin.” Kiun explained. “He usually is pretty aggressive so before I have the chance to do anything, he’ll have already completed the task.”

“Kiun san,” Hiyori asked as they saw Bishamon leap backwards in the air and slice a yokai in three pieces with her elongated nails. “What kind of Ban Shen is Bishamon san?”

“A kamaitachi,” Kiun answered.

“A kamaitachi? Isn’t that an ability to use the wind as knives?” Hiyori tilted her head as she looked at him.

“You’re correct. A kamaitachi is a weasel like creature. No one is exactly sure what they look like since they ride sand devils. But they have the distinct ability to cut people with their long claws and control wind.” Kiun slammed his fist into a Onibaba that approached them.

“Everyone back off! The barrier is going up!” Someone shouted through the walkie-talkie.

“Get back.” Kiun put his hand on Hiyori’s arm and the two of them stepped back. Both of them watched a colored glass like barrier go up. Yokai around them wailed and screeched in distress and then it was silent.

“Where did all the yokai go?” Hiyori looked around in confusion.

“Ever since the all the barriers went down Sayuri san and your brother have been working on putting the barrier back up the way it was before plus some new additions. It’s taken them nearly a week to finish this barrier and now that they’ve finished it everything is balanced yet again.” Kiun dusted his shirt off, watching dirt slip off and yokai blood stick. “It’s a very difficult barrier considering it’s a barrier created over centuries and contains so many elements to it. When you’re finally considered a full fledged Jianhuren, you’ll be shown the book in which all the laws and elements to the barrier is written.”

“Kiun, your charge, Yukine, has gone missing.” Ebisu landed next to them. Blood was soaking his pants and both Kiun and Hiyori tried not to look at the gaping gash across Ebisu’s back.

“Yukine has gone missing?” Kiun asked in surprise. “I would have thought Yato would go missing a hundred times over before Yukine did!” Kiun turned to look at Hiyori. “Do you think you can go back to the Institute and join the search? I’ll go see Takemikazuchi sama and ask him to find Yukine with his abilities.”

“I’ll go. Perhaps Yato kun will be able to help. Also, Kiun san, you started using ‘sama’ again.” Hiyori turned and ran towards the Institute. Kiun shook his head at her and then went to go find Takemikazuchi. Takemikazuchi was bent over the fallen body of a Mujina.

“Takemikazuchi! Things went we-” Kiun hurried over and froze when he saw the amount of blood dripping from the cuts on his arms that went all the way down to his wrist.

“Well, I don’t want to hurt you, so I’ll be careful. I promise, I think I’ve gotten an idea on how to do things.”

“You-” Kiun cried, rushing over in horror as he understood what Takemikazuchi had meant. “You purposely undid your second seal to make the raijuu power overpower you Weizhi power use?” Kiun screamed.

“Ah, crap, you saw…” Takemikazuchi dryly chuckled.

“This isn’t funny!” Kiun shouted. “Why would you do this?”

“I wanted to use the power of a Ban Shen, not a Weizhi, that’s why. I didn’t want to be a monster.” Takemikazuchi wobbled onto his feet. Kiun dashed forward and supported the black haired male.

“And I keep telling you, you’re not a monster!” Kiun hissed. “Let’s get you to the Institute right away.” Kiun drew on the power from his raijuu and headed to the Institute, Takemikazuchi clinging to him with bloodied fingers. Kiun put Takemikazuchi on one of the clinic beds. “We need a Jianhuren right away!” Kiun yelled, trying to stanch the bleeding with his hands. It made him sick. He hated having to see Takemikazuchi like this. Maybe it would be better if he just used his Weizhi powers.

Takemikazuchi was pale and his limbs were trembling. Kiun swallowed. He had only heard what it was like for a Ban Shen’s second seal to actually come undone. The yokai tried to take over and in order to do that, they would have to reconstruct the Ban Shen’s body into their own. So at the very moment, Takemikazuchi was suffering the pain of the raijuu trying to rip his body apart and make something else.

“I’ll take care of this. Kiun san, I’m going to have to ask you to step outside.” Masaomi walked over.

“Why do I have to step outside?” Kiun asked in confusion, his grip on Takemikazuchi only tightening. “I’ve always been here during the seal making and when the wound is stitched up. Why are you asking me to go out?”

“Please step outside, Kiun san. If you would like you can join the search party for Yukine kun.” Masaomi gently pushed Kiun towards the clinic door. Kiun flinched as the door was closed in his face.

“Kiun san? Will you be joining the search party?” Aiha, one of the Guancha zhes who was good at seals, asked him. She has left the room just as he had been shoved out.

“I guess I’ll join…” Kiun mumbled. Kiun turned and walked off, leaving Aiha standing there. He ran into Hiyori rather quickly.

“Kiun san! You have to come and see this!” Hiyori said, grabbing his hand and dragging him with her. They had just arrived at the main classroom when he spotted Yato standing inside his arms stretched out strangely.

“Yato kun, did you find Yukine kun?” Kiun asked, curiously.

“He’s right here.” Yato answered.

“Huh?” Kiun blinked and then he directed his gaze properly at the empty space in front of Yato. He blinked again and then there the blond boy was standing, shivering and clutching a flimsy piece of paper to his chest. “No way, is he using his Jiijin powers?” Kiun gasped.

“He is. You’ll never guess what he’s done.” Hiyori said. Kiun walked over to Yukine and put his hand on Yukine’s shoulder.

“Are you OK, Yukine kun?” Kiun asked. Yukine’s skin was starting to look like paper to Kiun. Yukine looked up at Kiun. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked terrified.

“Here, I got this.” Yukine thrust the piece of paper he was holding into Kiun’s other hand. Kiun glanced at it.

“You got the blueprint? What were you thinking? You could have gotten into trouble!” Kiun cried out.

Yukine smiled wryly.

“I remembered that I could draw the power of the Yukionna through a small flaw in the seal put on me. When I tried it I could see barriers and shields and Yato couldn’t see me. Everyone was outside dealing with whatever you guys were dealing with. There was no way I couldn’t use this opportunity.”

“That’s pure recklessness.” Kiun murmured, looking down at the scratchy chicken like scrawl Yukine had done. “Are you OK? You look awful. It must be because this is the first time you’ve knowingly used the power of the Yukionna. You should take a seat.” Kiun propelled the boy onto one of the chairs. Then he took out his walkie-talkie. “This is Kiun, I found Yukine kun, he was reading books in the special class. I’ll take of him.”

“Where is Takemikazuchi san and why are you covered in blood?” Yukine asked, making a face.

“That idiot is in the clinic for his stupidity and most of this is his blood and yokai blood.” Kiun muttered unhappily. All three in the class stared with wide eyes.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard Kiun san say something like that about Takemikazuchi san. Is he OK?” Yukine asked, looking at Hiyori.

“I wonder…” Hiyori said.

“Ah, I get it.” Yato said knowingly.

“Quiet, kids.” Kiun rolled his eyes.

“I tried to copy the blueprint as clearly as possible. I wasn’t sure how much time I had.” Yukine pointed out, effortlessly changing the topic.

“It looks recognizable. Thanks, Yukine kun. You just got paler. Maybe we should take you to the clinic.” Kiun reached for the boy in worry.

“I’m fine.” Yukine brushed Kiun’s hand away and Kiun was struck with how ice cold Yukine’s hand was. Yukine got to his feet. “I think I just need to slee-” Kiun, Hiyori and Yato watched in horror as Yukine’s skin turned as white as snow and his eyes rolled back just as he fell forward. Yato was the one to catch him before he hit the ground.

“Yukine kun!” Hiyori and Kiun cried.

“Yukine! Oi, Yukine!” Yato shouted.

“Get him to the clinic at once!” Kiun yelled.

Author Note - Thank you for putting up with the wait for the new chapter yet again! Although this chapter didn’t have as much Takiun action as the last chapter, it leads to a lot of Takiun action in the next chapter. So look forward to the next chapter. I’m not going to give any of you guys any hints as to what will happen next. And as always, my thanks to wuminguk for taking her time to translate this into Chinese and help me out when I need help with Chinese terminology. Teehee~

#sunny writes #sunny's fanfic #in the land of higashiizumo #takiun #takemikazuchi #kiun #noragami

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