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This article, Naruto: Kōseiden - Vol. 6, is property of Nobody. Do not modify or use any of its content without her express permission. |
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The Plan Unravels: Kian vs. Sora!![]
Uchiha Kian was a boy on a mission as he sped through the Third Training Ground, his Sharingan active as he went hunting for Uzumaki Sora. He was determined to take the redhead down and eliminate him as the most annoying obstacle to his team’s victory. If he could do that, it was just a matter of signaling Dan to join him and use his Byakugan to find the other team’s flag.
Luckily, he didn’t have to hunt for long.
He stopped on a tree branch opposite where Sora and Shusei had landed, both boys equally surprised to see him this quickly. Only… Kian narrowed his eyes, studying ‘Shusei.’ Smirking, he drew a kunai at blinding speed, throwing it just as swiftly. The blade lodged itself between ‘Shusei’s’ eyes, and sure enough, the Inuzuka vanished in a cloud of white smoke. “Rookie move, even for you, Sora,” he taunted. For a moment, he’d almost believed that Shusei had joined Sora.
Almost.
The transformation had given the ruby-haired boy’s doppelganger away. After all, Sora could have the clone transform, but the chakra signatures were still identical. He focused, thinking critically. The clone having an indistinguishable chakra signature from Sora’s, coupled with the fact that he had physically heard them land, meant that this wasn’t just a pair of regular clones; this was specifically the flesh-and-blood variant, the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, which meant…if this wasn’t the genuine article Sora, he was relatively nearby. The goal was clearly to confuse him and his teammates, feint them into thinking that both Sora and Shusei were going after the flag, and take advantage of the fact that they couldn’t communicate as easily as the other side could, courtesy of Minegumo.
Kian realized that that meant it was likely there was another ‘Sora and Shusei duo’ or two roaming around to distract him and his teammates, which was as good as confirmation that not only had he likely predicted their plan accurately, there was probably around a 50/50 shot that this Sora was the real one. He was convinced that the real one had to be here in front of him or heading for the flag from another direction; it made no logical sense to send the real Shusei over Sora, and sending both of them was a risky gambit, one that he was sure that Minegumo wouldn’t take. It had to be a tactic to create an opportunity for Sora, and Sora alone; otherwise, the fake-out wouldn’t have been necessary at all.
Right, then. Now, the question is…are you the real one, or not?
Well, Mine, he’s found me, Sora thought wryly, staring back as Kian eyed him. What do I do now? Do I take him out?
Try to lure him away from their base and closer to me, Minegumo sent back. Just a few yards in, and I can hit him with a genjutsu. That should slow him down enough for you to incapacitate him.
That was the plan, anyway. Mine didn’t know how good Sora had gotten since the Academy, what skills he might’ve picked up, but if it was anything near the level of Dan, then the plan should work. They just had to stay smart, and they could win this.
Keep your eyes closed, he warned, thinking about Ki’s Sharingan and how close to full maturity the dōjutsu was. Use your other senses to fight, especially chakra sensing. Stay on the defensive: wind to neutralize his lightning, and avoid his fire if you can. If you need help, I’ll have Shusei come to you.
Roger, roger, Sora thought, his eyes squeezing shut instantly. He wasn’t used to fighting against the Sharingan, truth be told; he understood Dan’s Byakugan much better. Looking inside his mind’s eye, Sora was able to see in detail the area around him, Kian’s chakra signature particularly vivid.
Vivid…and moving.
In the instant that his opponent had closed his eyes, Kian had lunged. After all, unbeknownst to Minegumo and Sora, as they’d communicated, Kian had spotted the subtle inconsistencies in Sora’s chakra flow consistent with having been put under genjutsu, and well…knowing Minegumo the way he did, Kian hadn’t had to think very much to guess exactly what genjutsu Sora was under. I knew you’d stay in communication this way, he thought, jumping into a powerful kick.
It was all Sora could do to duck under Kian’s leg, avoiding getting savagely kicked in the face. As he ducked, however, Kian landed right next to him and grabbed hold of his arm, forming the ‘release’ hand seal with one hand. Concentrating, it was own chakra now suppressing the flow of Sora’s before releasing it. One quick scan with his Sharingan told Kian that Sora’s chakra flow was back to normal. He smirked, throwing Sora backwards from him in the direction of the base that Hikari and Dan were guarding.
Okay, then. Minegumo will know immediately that the link with Sora has been severed. I’ve got about five minutes before Shusei comes crashing in, probably, unless Minegumo has more confidence in Sora than Dan does. Shusei shouldn’t be able to smell me, but just in case… I’ve gotta end this pretty quickly.
Kian wasn’t about to let up. He pursued Sora, throwing a combination of punches and kicks at him that connected with gusto, finally jumping at him and kicking him in the chest. Using Sora as a springboard, Kian backflipped into the air, quick-drawing a handful of shuriken and throwing them at Sora. In the blink of an eye, he was performing hand seals and breathing out flames, coating the projectile weapons and setting them ablaze with his fiery chakra.
Just barely, Sora was able to contort himself in midair, dodging a couple of Kian’s flaming shuriken. He was not, however, able to dodge all of them, and a few of the shuriken sliced into his skin, cutting it open and burning it simultaneously. As he processed the pain, he couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated; Kian had moved even farther out of Minegumo’s range. He knew exactly why, too: the Uchiha was trying to keep out of the range of Shusei’s nose and ears. Though Sora, perhaps, wasn’t as bookish as the other boy, he wasn’t stupid. He could reason that Kian was, reasonably, not thrilled at the idea of fighting him, Shusei, and Suisei all at once. Part of him was debating about doing something himself to bring Shusei running, but he knew that he had no way of doing so without alerting the person he was really not enthusiastic about fighting, too. If he got Shusei’s attention, he’d get Dan’s, too; three was no way around it. Sending a clone to fetch Shusei was off the table, he knew. Kian wasn’t dumb, he would not allow a clone to escape.
It’s just you and me, Sora thought, getting slowly to his feet, eyes still closed as he continued to rely on the sight of his mind’s eye. Wouldn’t have it any other way…Kian.
Back at the base, Minegumo huffed, even as a grin pulled at the edges of his lips. Trust Ki to not only realize there was a genjutsu being used, but also immediately break it upon deducing what it was for. Yeah, his best friend wasn’t one to waste time.
Fortunately, neither am I.
Shusei. He reached out to the third member of their makeshift unit. Can you hear or smell what’s going on with Sor and Ki?
Nope, Shusei thought, eyes narrowing in frustration. Dan’s smart, the dude really fucked me over. All my ears can hear is that high-pitched bell, its frequency is too overpowering. I can’t make out the lower pitches sounding out under its whine. I can’t smell emo boy, either, his scent disappeared. I’ve got Sora’s scent, still, though. Smells like his chakra is fluctuating…he must be fighting. Wait, hang on. I smell a bit of smoke, too.
Indeed, Shusei’s ears were beginning to hurt him. He only bore the discomfort in order to give his team a potential edge; after all, if the bell stopped ringing, his chakra-enhanced hearing could be useful. Shusei supposed that, as for Kian, he must’ve dipped himself into the river to erase his scent. It was a smart move, he had to admit. Part of him wanted to rush Sora’s location immediately and blitz the Uchiha, catch him off guard and free Sora up to make a move on their flag, but he trusted Minegumo to direct him properly, so he waited for the blue-haired boy’s command.
Minegumo hummed thoughtfully, thinking it over. Sora would need help, there was no doubt in his mind about it. While he had the stamina to outlast, Ki had an advantage in terms of elemental power and overall ninjutsu prowess, if Sora didn’t have any other fūinjutsu to call upon. Having Shusei make his way to him would make things easier; their teamwork would be enough to overcome his best friend…if Dan didn’t show up first, and that would leave the base with only Minegumo as its sole protector.
He clicked his teeth. No two ways about it, then.
Come back to the base, Minegumo ordered. If I’m right, Ki plans on going after you next, and then he and Dan will both be on their way here.
Alright, I’m on my way. I’ll leave Suisei patrolling, he already knows to howl if he needs to summon me, Shusei thought, tearing off in the direction of Minegumo. Part of him was worried about Sora. He knew that this Uchiha kid was strong; Kian had been first in class, after all, and clearly had improved significantly, being taught by a Jōnin like Arata. Sora, on the other hand…he couldn’t help but feel anxious for him, no matter how much he believed in the guy.
Nodding, Minegumo sent a confirmation before bringing a thumb to his mouth and biting down hard enough to draw blood. Then, pressing his hands together, they blurred through a set of seals.
Slamming his hand to ground and releasing a pulse of chakra, a series of seal-script materialize; bringing with it a cloud of smoke. Blowing away as quickly as it came, the ink disappeared and its place sat a coiled snake: thick, twice the size of Minegumo’s arm, and easily several yards long. It looked around with sharp, cold eyes, before finding the one who summoned it. “Well, well, well,” the snake hissed, dragging out the last syllable. “If it isn’t our newest summoner.”
Slowly uncoiling itself, the serpent quickly wrapped itself around Minegumo’s leg, slithering up and under his shirt. Wrapping around his torso, it poked its head for the color of his shirt and leaned back.
“You’ve certainly waited to invoke our contract, Minegumo,” it said, moving to and fro. “We were beginning to wonder if we had not been spurned.”
The words were said lightly with a joking tone, but Minegumo could feel an undercurrent in its words, a very real malice that was just barely held back. One wrong word…
“I’m sorry,” he said, voice soft and sincere. “I was told once that snakes don’t like to have their time wasted, so I refrained from summoning out of respect for that. I’ll be sure to summon you more often, Sasshō.”
“I seeeeee,” Sasshō coiled around Minegumo’s neck, only to slither back down under his shirt. “I will hold you to that, Kurama Minegumo.”
There was a strange delivery in the way he said his name, like it was some joke that Minegumo was the subject of.
“So how can I be of service, dear summoner?” Sasshō asked, moving to rub his head on Minegumo’s hand.
“My teammate needs your help,” he answered. “He needs backup, and I can’t afford to send my other partner. I can’t think of anyone or anything better than you.”
“My, my. Your flattery could use some work, but you certainly have the beginnings of a silver tongue, don’t you?” There was that undercurrent of amusement again. “Don’t worry, Minegumo. I will remind you how privileged you are to sign the contract of the great snakes.”
Then he was gone, slithering off so fast that Minegumo couldn’t help but be surprised. As it was, he just barely remembered to cast the genjutsu communication on the serpent and bring him into the link.
A small legion of doppelgangers had completely encircled Kian after appearing in a large cloud of white smoke which had obscured his vision, advancing upon him. I know I’m fighting the real Sora, because I could see the physical damage that his body took from that last attack, but… Seems like I can probably safely bet that the real Sora isn’t among these. He won’t risk breaking for the flag and running into Dan, just to have me track him down and gang up on him with Dan. The clones charged him, lunging at him with sudden bursts of speed, but he was prepared. Flipping into the air, he knocked the heads of two clones together, using them as a spring board to launch himself upside-down into the air. As they vanished, Kian smirked, weaving hand seals. Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! Kian completely expelled a massive fireball from his mouth, the sphere detaching from him and roaring straight towards the clone, making impact in the dead center of them. Upon impact, the fireball burst into waves of searing, deadly hot flames, washing over all of Sora’s clones at once and dispelling them, leaving no one in its wake. Figured as much, Kian thought.
“C’mon, Sora,” he taunted, calling out as he landed comfortably on his feet. “Don’t hide from me. You want this fight, I know you do.”
Unable to bear Kian’s taunt, Sora indeed stepped out from his position behind a tree, glaring at Kian defiantly. Memories of watching Kian throw shuriken perfectly in class, even without the Sharingan, of him always having answers to the teachers’ questions, of him never losing a spar in the Academy all came flooding back to him. He could admit it to himself: he was jealous. Sora had always been jealous of Kian’s talent, and even more jealous that Kian seemed to have no trouble being motivated. For as long he could remember, Sora had just wanted to be as cool, popular, and skilled as Kian had been during their Academy days. It annoyed him to witness the fruits of the raven-haired boy’s training. Coming face-to-face with the fact that there was still a gap between them was frustrating.
Of course, that didn’t mean that Sora planned on giving up. Even if there was a chance he wouldn’t win, all he really needed to do was delay Kian. He would have backup on the way…he hoped. Sora tried not to think about the fact that at some point, Kian would also have backup in the form of a Hyūga prodigy, one that also happened to know his skills inside and out.
Again, Sora formed a hand seal and created a group of clones. White smoke surrounded him, and he took advantage of the opportunity, while Kian’s vision was obscured, to draw handfuls of shuriken and grab hold of one of the scrolls that Minegumo had had him seal part of the posion cloud into and transform it into a shuriken, slowly burning some of his chakra into it to make the seal reactive. He knew that he would only have one shot; Kian wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice in the same fight. Unfortunately, his timing would also have to be perfect for him to be able to unseal the toxic fumes before Kian could take a good look at the ‘shuriken’. Sora and his clones charged Kian, leaping into the air and throwing a hailstorm of shuriken at him; the real Sora, however, kept hold of the transformed ‘shuriken’ as he allowed his mind’s eye to focus on Kian’s movements.
Instinctively, Kian shot chakra through his legs and kicked off, diving sideways to avoid the shuriken onslaught that was bearing rapidly down upon him. He hit the ground, rolling and popping back up to his feet easily, just to be met with Sora’s clones converging on him, distracting him from the stray shuriken that had landed near his feet. As he ducked and weaved throw the doppelgangers’ blows, evading them, the real Sora, careful to hang back out of range, quickly formed hand seals and unsealed the scroll’s contents, dropping the transformation simultaneously. Immediately, toxic, deep blue gas began to spread through the clearing as Kian finished making quick work of the clones.
Fuck, Kian thought as he once again channeled chakra through his legs, leaping high into the air, pulling his shirt over his mouth from underneath his hoodie to prevent himself from inhaling the fumes. Without any other choice, he quickly pulled a bandage roll from the pouch fixed to his back pocket, wrapping a long strand of bandages around the lower half of his face. Breathing a bit uncomfortably would be preferable to dealing with what he knew was Minegumo’s poison gas, if he couldn’t avoid it. At least not breathing it in would slow the onset of its effects.
Not a bad tactic, Mine.
Sora had found himself an opening. Taking advantage of Kian having propelled himself into the air to avoid the poison, Sora once again created a clone who helped throw him into the air. He threw a powerful, cross-body punch that connected with Kian’s jaw, and he wasn’t done there. Creating another clone who then threw him in the direction he’d launched Kian in, he followed it up with a series of more punches before grabbing hold of Kian’s wrists as he front-flipped, throwing the Uchiha straight into the ground. Landing on top of Kian, swinging his leg downward, and kicking him in the stomach, Sora then straddled him and started throwing more punches, striking Kian’s face repeatedly, knowing he wasn’t going to get another opportunity in this fight as good as this one to end it.
Coughing up blood, Kian fought through the daze of Sora’s assault, blocking out the pain as much as he could. As Sora’s fists flew towards his face once more, Kian reached out and grabbed his wrists, twisting them hard, making Sora yelp out in pain. The Uzumaki tried to wrench his arms from Kian’s grip, but it was too strong. Electricity gathered in his palms as he tightened his grasp on Sora, turning up the voltage just enough to be incapacitating. The electricity ran up Sora’s arms and then coursed through his entire body, and within seconds, the Uzumaki had slumped over, unconscious. Kian carefully pushed Sora off of him, getting to his feet and dragging the red-haired boy over to a tree, where he promptly used some of his wire string to tie him to its trunk.
That’s him dealt with, he thought. Now to signal Dan.
Kian, despite already feeling his muscles tighten and stiffen due to Minegumo’s poison seeping in through his skin, wrapped a quick-fuse explosive tag around one of his kunai and threw it a safe distance from him and Sora. The resulting explosion, he knew, would alert Dan and bring him running. He also assumed that it would bring Shusei running; he was banking on Shusei and Minegumo not being able to resist helping their teammate. So far, things were working out according to his plan. All he needed was for Dan to show up.
One way or another, they were absolutely going to collect that flag and be victorious in this training exercise. He was determined, especially, not to fail in front of…
Kian shook his head, taking a moment to once again dip into the river before finding a hiding spot in a nearby treetop, where he could scan the scene and wait for Dan.
Flag Captured: The Training Exercise Concludes[]
As Kian ended his bout against Sora on one end of the training ground, so too was Hyūga Dan ending his own. A single look could reveal the signs of a struggle: kunai and shuriken were embedded within the trees, while clean-cut lines that still smoked as a result of intense chakra could be seen in the ground. Arms outstretched, he came to stop in his movement, a stream of thin, razor-sharp chakra spiraling out from his palms. The attack lashed out like a whip, cleanly slicing through the clone of one of his best friends and dispelling the doppelganger.
Watching it ‘die’ and return to nothingness, Dan couldn’t help but sigh. That fight had been far too…unchallenging, for lack of better phrasing. He would have liked to say that it was because they were teammates and best friends, knew each other’s tactics like the back of their hands, and could therefore predict what the other would do, like the Uchiha and Minegumo…and that was true, to a certain extent. The truth of the matter was, however, that for all that Sora was talented and creative, for all that he housed an ocean of untapped potential…well. It was just that: untapped.
Dan trained. Anyone who knew him, truly knew him, could tell you that from sunrise to dusk, he spent the time training, pushed himself to his limits and then beyond. It wasn’t enough that he was good. Anyone could pat themselves on the back and say they weren’t the worst. Dan didn’t want that. No, what he wanted was to be extraordinary, to be so damn strong that he could stand on the same ground as legends such as Hatake Kakashi.
To be so strong that no one could ever hurt or manipulate him again.
So he trained, day in and day out. He demanded that Takuya help him perfect his skills, pushed his teammates to follow his example and make the most of their time together. Shusei was easy enough to get to take things seriously. Sora…was not. Now, months after graduation, his best friend was undeniably the weakest link of all of the participants in this training exercise, and Dan could already guess how upset he would be after this was over, because the Sora that he’d fought against had been a clone. Which meant the real Sora was going up against Uchiha, a fight that Dan unfortunately could already predict the ending of.
Sighing, Dan got ready to return to the base and meet back up with his teammates when a sudden explosion detonated in mid air. Pausing, he focused his Byakugan, quickly scanning the forest and flickering towards where the explosion had occurred. Coming upon a riverbank with Sora tied up and knocked unconscious not too far away, Dan shook his head, his coppery hair whipping about.
“I was afraid this would happen,” he mumbled under his breath. Another quick scan showed that Sora didn’t have any major injuries; Uchiha had obviously held his murderous tendencies in check. Pressing his lips together, he honed in on his…partner, sitting in the tree branches.
“One down,” Dan said aloud, pressing his hands into his pockets. “Press on?”
Then again, it looked like his question was already being answered for him: Shusei’s chakra signature was quickly closing in on them.
“Guess that answers that then,” he muttered.
Kian cursed under his breath, reading Dan’s expression and guessing what it meant. “Quick, dive in the river and stay beneath the water until he passes,” he advised quietly. ”Let him break towards the flag, our little trap will keep him distracted. Kari can handle the rest.”
Dan blinked, but shrugged, walking into the water and submerging himself, using chakra to cycle his breath. Keeping his Byakugan active, he used it to keep track of Shusei and his actions.
Moments later and Shusei, who had, out of concern for Sora, ignored Minegumo’s frantic, angry commands to stay put back at base, was closing in on exactly where the explosion had occured. Suisei was only a step behind him. He groaned audibly when he saw Sora, tied up and knocked out, but not a single burn on his skin. Shusei pondered this for a second, then realized that the explosion must have been the Uchiha boy’s method of signaling to Dan, which meant… They were probably heading for Mine. Growling lowly, he sniffed the air, perplexed. Both Dan’s and Kian’s scents had disappeared completely. With Sora taken out, that meant that they were now in a time crunch.
Mine, he thought. Sora’s down, but he’s completely fine, that explosion was Kian signaling Dan. They’re gonna be coming for you, but I can’t smell either of ‘em, so I couldn’t tell ya how close they are. At this point, I need to just go for their flag and hope that I’m quicker than they are.
What? NO. Shusei, come back! Minegumo all but ordered. Gritting his teeth, he continued. You can’t go up against Kari on your own, are you stupid?
You think me coming back just to get knocked out against Dan and Kian is a better idea? Dan’s much stronger than me, even if I hate to admit it, and Kian’s roughly as strong! Even if I come to help you, it’s a losing battle, Shusei thought, his brow furrowing in impatience. I don’t need to beat this girl, I just need to outspeed her, grab the flag, and make a break for the Jōnin! C’mon, man, it’s the smarter move.
You’ll have me to help you! Minegumo’s frustration was palpable through the link. I. Have. A. Plan. One that had a great chance of working, if you’d have just done what I said to begin with! Just think, Shusei: Kian’s an Uchiha. You think he hasn’t set a trap for you? And even if you get past that, I guarantee you that Kari won’t let you or Suisei get within even a yard of that flag. You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t muzzle you!
Man, what kind of plan is going to take down prodigies from the Uchiha and Hyūga clans? Our chances are better of me surviving a two-on-one fight long enough to swipe the flag! We aren’t strong enough to beat both of them at once, even with Suisei and that snake you summoned. At this point, Shusei was truly feeling restless as he drew a kunai and cut Sora free, carefully setting him down at the base of the tree. Our only hope is to get their flag before they get ours. Just…hold them off, yeah? Leave it to me and Suisei, it’s not like we’re completely useless. It’s the both us of against one girl.
You-you— Even in a telepathic conversation, Minegumo found that he didn’t know what to say. All he could do was pull at his hair, fighting the urge to scream. I know you aren’t useless, Shusei! It’s why I wanted you to come back to me! Just listen to me! If we work together, we can handle Dan and Ki, and then take out Kari together. But only if you do as I say!
Shusei mentally groaned, but he decided to concede. Fine, but whatever’s up your sleeve better be good if I’m not going after that flag, he thought. Be there in a flash.
He and Suisei turned back in the direction of their base, but before they could do more than take a couple of steps to get going, Kian had flash-stepped towards them and then landed directly in between them from his perch atop the tree, grabbing their heads and knocking them together with no small amount of force, rendering both human and canine unconscious. Indeed, the Man Beast Clone technique was undone and Shusei was sprawled out on the ground, a newly untransformed Suisei curled up right next to him. Kian could tell from the way that Shusei’s hand twitched that the Inuzuka was down for the count, having fallen victim to his surprise attack.
Assuming that Dan could see with his Byakugan, Kian beckoned towards himself in the direction of the riverbank, his way of giving the Dan the all-clear.
Emerging from the water, Dan found himself sighing once again, embarrassment for his teammates creeping over him. So far, both his teammates had been taken out, Shusei before he’d even known what was happening, and he could already guess about Sora…
Mouth in a thin line, Dan followed after Uchiha. He would have to convince Sensei Takuya to up their training; this kind of stagnation couldn’t be allowed to continue. If they lost this badly in a training exercise, how were they ever going to do anything against the real threats that were out there?
“Guess it’s only Mine left, then,” he mused aloud. “Hopefully he’ll go down easy, too.”
--- Back at the Team Crimson base, Minegumo was beginning to feel the beginnings of a migraine. Jaw clenched, he paced around the base, taking deep breaths as he tried and failed to keep his temper in check. He’d had a plan, a good plan for this exercise. While Sor being taken out had been unfortunate, he’d also planned for that: it was always a probability, just as much as winning against Ki was. The problem, the part where the plan truly unraveled was when Shusei had gone against what Minegumo commanded and decided to go on ahead.
Now, Minegumo’s plans had well and truly dissolved. Shusei had been taken out, and now he had Ki and Dan converging on him. The only way this could be worse was if Kari was with them.
“So easily stressed.” The drawling voice of Sasshō brought Minegumo out of his thoughts, and he looked down to where the serpent was coiled around his torso, head resting on his chest. “But then, you humans love to treat each problem like it’s a crisis.”
Groaning and leaning against a tree, Minegumo huffed. “I don’t like to lose,” he said bluntly. “Especially when I know I could win if I had better tools.”
Sasshō cocked his head. “Tools?”
“A shinobi’s body is a tool,” he answered with a shrug, repeating the phrase he’d been raised on.
“How cold-hearted,” slithering up Minegumo’s torso, Sasshō brushed his head against his jaw. “But I suppose this is why I adore you so much already.”
Lips twitching in the beginnings of a grin, Minegumo brought a finger to scratch under Sasshō’s chin. “You aren’t so bad either,” he said softly.
Taking a deep breath, he straightened as he felt two familiar chakra signatures enter the range of his chakra sensing. It was time for the real exercise to start.
As they closed in on Minegumo’s location, courtesy of Dan’s Byakugan, Kian couldn’t help but feel nervous. The only time he’d ever been able to bring himself to raise his fists against Minegumo had been during their bell test, and that had only been because Master Arata had used genjutsu to create a massive rift between them. He hated the idea of fighting his best friend in any capacity, even if it was what it took for his team to win the exercise.
Do I even want to win badly enough to fight him…? What if I do snap again, this time on him? I could never forgive myself if…if I…
Kian didn’t allow himself to finish the thought. If he did, it was tantamount to admitting that even he thought he was an awful, unstable person. He didn’t want to be that, to cave in and let his darkest impulses rule him.
But you don’t really believe that, do you? the voice in his head taunted softly.
As they neared, Minegumo forced himself to remain level and clear headed. Ki was the first he noticed, his chakra signature like a bolt of lightning. Loud, fierce, and so bright it could have lit up a room. Even from here, Minegumo swore he could feel the hairs on his arms stand up on end. Then there was Dan: just as bright, but cooler, like a moonbeam. It was almost too cool, chilling, were it not for the softness that accompanied the sense.
Two of his best friends, and he had to fight them off together. Talk about unfair.
Still, Minegumo did his best to remain cool, eyes moving back and forth between the two. His mind raced with barely-there plans and ideas, coming and being struck down as quickly as they’d come to life. What it all boiled down to, was that while he was sure he could take one of them on with a 50/50 chance of winning, he knew he couldn’t take both of them. That’s why he’d wanted Shusei around; they could have divided and conquered.
This was fine, though. After all, he still had his own traps set up, prepared beforehand. While they’d been laid down with the intent of more than one person being at the base, they could still be useful. He just had to be smart about how he used them.
“Hey, look…” Kian murmured to Dan, halting in his tracks. “Just…like I said earlier, if you wanna fight him at close range, I can cover you from a distance. I just don’t want to…”
His voice faltered and trailed off, and he looked down at his feet awkwardly. The idea of fighting Minegumo was making him physically ill, even if it was just a stupid training exercise. Admitting it, especially to Dan, was hard, but it was the truth. Kian didn’t even care how it made him look, he simply didn’t want to hurt the best friend he’d ever had.
Dan bit his tongue, literally. Yeah, like he would ever believe a word that came from Uchiha’s mouth. He nodded sharply, just barely stopping himself from scoffing. Instead, he took a deep breath.
“I’m sure we can resolve this without it coming to blows,” Dan said, proud of himself for how calm his voice was. “Mine has to realize he’s already beaten.”
While he hated to have anything in common with Uchiha, he could at least agree that he didn’t want to fight Mine either, if he could help it. That was why he walked forward, determined to end the exercise, eyes locked on his friend.
“We come in peace,” Dan called out, showing his hands in a gesture to show his sincerity. “Mine, we don’t want to fight you. Just give us your flag, and we can end this.”
Minegumo blinked, surprised and taken back. “Oh?” His eyes went from Dan, to Ki behind him.
Kian could have groaned, but refrained. For someone who clearly has an unrealized crush on Mine and claims him as a friend, you sure don’t know him at all, he thought. That was the worst thing you could’ve said. His muscles tensed as his eyes fixed on Minegumo, anticipating the onslaught that he knew was coming.
Oblivious to what Kian had realized, Dan only nodded, eyes wide with clear sincerity. Taking a step forward, he stood tall.
“Sora and Shusei are both down for the count,” he said firmly. “It’s just you left. There’s no point in dragging things out.”
Blinking again, Minegumo’s eyes flickered, the corners of his lips twitching as he took in Dan’s words. Isn’t that just nice of him to take pity on little old me?
A smile appeared on Minegumo’s face, wide and filled with teeth. Putting his hands behind his back, he rocked back and forth on his feet.
“You’re absolutely right, Dan. There’s really no point in dragging this out,” he agreed smoothly. As one friend’s expression brightened, Minegumo’s gaze flickered to the other. If possible, his grin widened, and as he continued addressing Dan, he directed his words to Ki. “Why don’t we finish this here, then?”
Dan nodded, breathing out a sigh of relief. “Glad you didn’t make this hard, man.”
Minegumo hummed but didn’t reply. Instead, he stepped to the side, head tilting to the side as he made room for Dan to walk forward and grab the flag.
Kian was struck by how remarkably Minegumo resembled a snake sizing up its prey and planning its strike. He reached out and grabbed Dan’s arm before the Hyūga could fall for Minegumo’s feint. Instead, he jumped backward, dragging Dan with him as he threw shuriken wildly with one hand, very easily missing Minegumo…or, he would’ve, had Minegumo been his target.
Katon: Hōsenka Tsumabeni!
The blazing shuriken tore into the trees surrounding them, the flames leaping gratefully from the metal to the wood and lighting the area ablaze. Smoke, thick and oppressive, filled the clearing as the fire spread rapidly, and as it did, Kian used it as cover to pull Dan out of Minegumo’s line of sight with him. He knew that it was only going to buy them seconds, what with Minegumo’s sensory skills, but nonetheless, they would be valuable seconds.
“You’ve lost the plot if you think he was actually going to let you waltz right up to that flag and take it,” Kian murmured bluntly. “Be mad at me if you want, I probably just saved your neck. Minegumo is competitive as hell, never make the mistake of trying to get him to give up; he’ll go harder just to spite you.”
They were in for a fight now, for sure.
As if in response to his thoughts, the smoke rippled as a dozen shots of toxic blue sludge burst through, aiming directly for the two. Swearing under his breath, Dan waved his arm in an arc, sending out lines of razor-sharp chakra that lashed out at the incoming spheres of poison, slicing them into pieces.
However, that proved to only be the beginning of Minegumo’s attack: hissing could be heard from the smoke, and Dan winced as he activated his Byakugan. Sure enough, he could see a multitude of snakes making their way to them, some digging their way underground, while others slithered through the smoke, seemingly unbothered by the heat.
Wincing again, Dan honed in on Minegumo through the smoke. “You might be onto something,” he told Kian. As much as it burned him to admit anything to Uchiha, especially that he knew their mutual friend so much better than he did, he wasn’t stupid.
Kian’s eyes narrowed at the slithering filth that was closing in on them. Snakes. I hate them. Of all the creatures he could summon, he chooses fucking snakes. He drew his blade, slicing through the hissing nuisances before they could sink their fangs into either him or Dan. Biting his lip, he thought hard for a moment: could they really trust that in the instant that Minegumo had set the snakes upon them, he hadn’t set up his genjutsu communication link to use the snakes to close in on them? No, he supposed they couldn’t.
“Best way to go is up,” Kian sighed. “Just…keep your eyes peeled, too, yeah?”
Dan nodded, but otherwise didn’t answer. Instead, he kept his Byakugan focused on his friend, waiting to see what he would do next.
With that, he diverted a small measure of chakra to his legs, leaping upwards directly onto the limb of the tree above them, eyes scanning for Minegumo. Something told him that Minegumo had planned on forcing them upwards, having sent those snakes burrowing underground, but it was either deal with whatever Minegumo had planned or get bitten.
I’ll show him ‘dragging it out.’ Brow set in a frown, Minegumo’s eyes were closed as he used his chakra sense to keep track of his two friends. As Kian jumped into the air, he reached back, grabbing hold of a pair of shuriken. Taking them out, he immediately let them loose, launching them directly at his best friend; but it wasn’t Ki that Minegumo was intending to take down, not really.
Instead, Minegumo’s ire was directed at and focused solely on the friend that he’d reconnected with: Dan. Remembering the way his friend had looked down on him and had the nerve to suggest for him to just give up left a bad taste in his mouth, like he’d swallowed one of his own poisons. Minegumo didn’t like it. It made him feel like he was back at the Academy, being told that it might be best for him to drop out because he had so much trouble understanding what was being taught, because he couldn’t read.
Maybe Dan was right: maybe he was already beaten and was just dragging out the inevitable, but just because he’d lost didn’t mean he couldn’t take them down with him.
Your vindication is so very delicious, Sasshō’s thoughts were like a purr. Are you so sure you don’t want me to eat them for you?
I want them alive and unharmed, Minegumo was firm. They’re still my friends.
Sasshō shrugged. At least, that’s what it felt like to Minegumo through the link. You humans are so strange, but I shall do what you request of me, dear summoner.
There, Kian thought, eyes following the reverse trajectory of the shuriken through the smoke. Drawing a pair of kunai, he threw them, intercepting the shuriken that had veered around him and towards Dan instead. Rather than being hasty and closing in on Minegumo, Kian hung back. He hated being on opposing sides from Mine, hated it with everything in him. Kian recalled how Mine had confessed that he hated it when Kian walked away from him…and he was beginning to understand that he hated doing the walking away. Any separation from Mine was painful for him, even if it was for a stupid training exercise that didn’t matter in the long run.
Exhaling deeply, Kian weaved hand seals. Sorry, Mine.
Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!
The massive fireball roared imperiously through the smoke and the flames, heading straight for Minegumo’s position. Kian knew it wouldn’t really bring him down, but it would give him something to react to, something to detract from his concentration.
“If you can see him, Dan, now’s your chance,” he called to his…ally, he supposed.
Nodding sharply, Dan kicked off of the tree with a sharp burst of chakra as the fireball launched toward Mine, and not a second too soon: a mass of snakes burst from underground, launching themselves at the spot he’d been in only seconds before. Within moments, they’d wrapped around the branch and had bitten into it, filling it with venom that dyed it a deep, sapphire blue. With a shudder, Dan flipped whilst in the air, landing on his feet and using the momentum to push himself forward.
Sure enough, their mutual friend hadn’t been taken down by the fireball, the other boy having launched his own attack in the form of a stream of liquid that met the ball of roaring fire and filled the clearing with intense steam as the two techniques clashed, canceling each other out. Taking advantage of the sudden smokescreen, Dan pooled a small amount of chakra into his palm and lashed out.
“Hakke Kūshō!”
His chakra flaring, the space before him distorted as a concentrated mass of solid air left his palm. Aimed directly at Minegumo, Dan willed it to slam directly into the ground as his friend startled, kicking off as the ground below him suddenly exploded, sending debris everywhere as he went airborne.
Now’s my chance!
Arms behind him, Dan leaned forward, increasing his speed as he raced toward the flag.
“Sasshō, now!”
It was Dan’s turn to be startled, Byakugan catching as a hole suddenly opened up underground and released a snake that seemed to glow a sinister green in the light of the sun’s rays. Turning sharply on his feet, Dan had just enough to throw his hands out and release a pulse of chakra to defend himself.
Jūkenhō Ichigekishin.
It was just in time as the snake spat out a stream of bright blue venom, impacting his makeshift shield where it became suspended in midair as the serpent slithered back. Eerily mimicking the wide smile Minegumo had given him just minutes earlier, the snake hissed.
“Well, well. So this one possesses the All-Seeing Eye and the gifts to go with it,” Sasshō circled around Dan’s chakra shield, eyeing him like he was the snake’s latest meal. “But I wonder, how long can you keep your shield up for?”
Kian, who had followed Dan in order to fulfill his commitment to acting as the Hyūga’s backup, arrived at his location and watched as Dan’s shield did, indeed, begin to fade. The bright green serpent reared back, its jaw opening at a one-hundred-and-seventy-degree angle. Understanding what was going to happen before it happened and knowing that he wouldn’t be able to stop it in time, Kian used the Kawarimi no Jutsu to swap positions with Dan. He yelped in pain as the snake’s fangs plunged into forearm, then were retracted as quickly as they’d punctured his flesh.
“Ugh, fuck, that hurts,” Kian whimpered, clutching his arm.
Sasshō blinked, momentarily surprised at the human who’d appeared in place of the other, but he didn’t have much time to think about it before a sudden burst of chakra slammed into him, lifting him up and slamming him into a tree. Sasshō scowled, hissing and baring his fangs. However, just as he reared and got ready to attack again, he vanished, dispelling in a puff of smoke as Dan raced forward and grabbed hold of the flag. Tightening his grip, he yanked it loose.
Taking a deep breath and shaking himself, Dan focused, using his Byakugan to locate Takuya and the sensei for Minegumo, Uchiha, and Yakushi. Seeing them sitting in wait in the heart of the training grounds, he tied the flag around his waist before blurring away, leaving a fuming opponent as his ‘partner’ writhed on the ground.
Kian got to his feet, still holding his bitten arm. Within moments, the shrill sound of the whistle rang throughout the training grounds, signaling the end of the training exercise. Exhaling deeply in relief, Kian made his way to the center of the grounds, glad that it was all over. I think I’ll be glad if we never do this again, he thought.
As he and Minegumo drew closer to the others, Kian was surprised to notice newcomers in their midst.
Game Over[]
Applause, small and gratuitous, could be heard as one Uzumaki Kosui began clapping once the two teams were all assembled. Dressed in the robes that marked him as the thirteenth Hokage, the man addressed each of the Genin.
“That was very well done,” the man said, giving the assembled Genin a smile. “Less than a year after graduating, and you kids are almost as far along as my peers and I were at this point.”
For a moment, his voice was wistful, nostalgia brightening his eyes and coloring his voice as memories of the past filled him. Shaking his head, he continued on with a soft smile.
“Your teachers have done an excellent job in their duties, I’m proud to see,” he continued, giving looks to Arata and Takuya.
Arata inclined his head respectfully to the Hokage, appreciative of his praise. In truth, he was very proud of how his students had performed. Minegumo and Kian had done excellent jobs in taking command of their respective teams and putting them in a position to win. He was also impressed that Kian had been able to suck it up and work with Dan so well.
“Hey, Kari,” Kian whispered, gently nudging her. “Why is Lord Hokage here?”
Hikari shrugged. “He just showed up out of the blue…” She trailed off, catching sight of his arm. “What happened to your arm?”
“Oh, snake bite,” Kian mumbled nonchalantly in response. Then, confused as to why Hikari would be worried if the bite was as innocuous as it had seemed, he dared to look down at his arm. Immediately, his face went pale; his arm was absolutely drenched in blood, blood that dripped down and stained the grass.
“What do you mean, snake bite?” she whispered, giving him a look that was half concerned and half furious. “What kind of snake was that? What did you two do?”
“Why do you always assume that I had something to do with things?” Minegumo demanded as her gaze bore down on him. Crossing his arms, he returned her look with a frown of his own. “Why can’t it ever be that Ki just did something stupid?”
“The only times he does something stupid is when you’re involved,” she answered dryly. Then, under her breath, she muttered, “You tend to have that effect on the guys in our graduating class.”
Minegumo scoffed, rolling his eyes, but as he looked at the state of Kian’s arms, his frown deepened with the same concern that Kari was feeling.
“That does look really bad,” he said, giving Kian a worried look. “How are you feeling?”
“Not great,” he answered meekly. Kian was beginning to feel a bit faint as the bleeding in his arm began to suddenly rapidly increase. He swallowed hard; clearly, he could tell from the fact that his wound was beginning to hemorrhage, the snake had been venomous. Oh, fuck me.
“What kind of snake was it?” Hikari asked, turning to Minegumo. “What kind did you summon?”
“I don’t know!” He shifted on his feet, hands curling and uncurling in anxiousness. “I summoned a variety of them towards the end, but the only one…” he paused, eyes going wide. “Oh, no.”
Head snapping to Minegumo, Hikari’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Sasshō,” he breathed out, giving his best friend a look of horror. “Sasshō was the snake that bit him. He’s a boomslang!”
What’s a boomslang? Hikari wanted to ask, but she found that there was no opportunity as Minegumo immediately began shouting for help.
“Sensei, we need you!”
Arata’s attention was immediately grabbed by Minegumo’s shouting. He could tell from the panicked tone that something serious was going on. The Jōnin apologized hastily to Kosui for the interruption before quickly rushing over to his students. Glancing at Kian’s arm as he approached, the color drained from his face. He could tell immediately why Minegumo’s voice had sounded so urgent.
“Lord Hokage,” Arata called calmly. “We could, er, use your assistance, sir.”
“What’s going on?” Shusei asked quietly, brow furrowing as he watched the scene unfolding.
“Not sure,” Sora mumbled, standing on tiptoe to get a better look.
“Uchiha got bit by a snake,” Dan answered, lips pressed together in a thin line. “…It was supposed to be me, but he took my place.”
This is something you certainly don’t see every day, Kosui couldn’t help but think as he came across the group. Almost brings back memories.
One look at the young Uchiha, and Kosui knew what’d happened. While he was no Lady Tsunade who could discern any ailment with but a look, he could certainly recognize the effects of boomslang venom.
Uchihas, always in the middle of some kind of mess.
“Give me space,” he ordered, giving Minegumo and Hikari looks from the corner of his eye as he took a seat on the floor of the clearing. “Lay the boy down, so I may treat his wound.”
Taking off his coat and motioning for Arata to lay Kian down on it, he quickly placed a seal seal down atop it. They were going to need it for this particular procedure.
“Is he going to be okay?” Minegumo asked, peering over Kosui’s shoulder at his best friend. “He’s not going to die, is he?”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Kian replied, forcing himself to smile reassuringly even through the excruciating pain in his arm. He wasn’t completely sure it was true; he just didn’t want to make Minegumo worry. Truthfully, he was a bit embarrassed by the fuss that they were making over him.
Kosui nodded. “Boomslang venom takes some time before it gets fatal,” he said, almost absentmindedly as he pushed his hands through a set of seals. There was a faint buzzing sound as the Kage’s hands were enveloped in gloves of solid light; he pressed on to Kian’s bleeding arm, making an incision and increasing the deluge of blood.
If Kosui was uncomfortable with the blood getting on him, he didn’t show it, instead calmly continuing to operate on Kian. Keeping one hand pressed to the wound, he raised the other and breathed out a small amount of water, energizing it before pressing it into the bleeding arm. As the medicinal fluid made its way through, Kosui closed his eyes, focusing as he directed the healing water to flush the arm out. Using his other hand, he coaxed out the boomslang venom, the almost luminous green substance suspended within the conjured water.
Not stopping until there wasn’t even a speck of venom left, it was only when the boy’s arm was completely free of toxins did Kosui finally end the operation. Standing up, he gave the boy a once-over before deeming him good. Well, good enough. Nothing that a night of rest couldn’t take care of. As his gaze flickered to Minegumo, Kosui found himself pausing. Although he wasn’t particularly endeared towards anyone in that Uchiha clan these days, this was an opportunity to make a good impression on both Sora and Minegumo. As himself, at that.
Who knew when he would get another chance like this?
With that in mind, Kosui brought his hand to Kian’s mouth, giving the young Genin a firm look. “Bite.”
Surprised, Kian nonetheless did as he told, hesitantly biting down on the Hokage’s hand. Almost immediately, he could feel the pain slowly subsiding from his arm, as well as the swelling and stiffness that had already set in from the operation. What in the…? What is this I’m feeling, healing chakra? No sooner had the thought occurred than he began to glow brightly with a faint green aura. Within moments, he felt completely restored.
“Erm…thank you, Lord Hokage,” the boy said sheepishly.
“There’s no need to thank me,” replied Kosui with a soft smile that he didn’t feel. “I would do this for any of the ninjas under my command.”
Well, most of the shinobi under his command.
“The boomslang venom has been fully flushed from your system and my chakra has revitalized you,” he continued breezily, picking his jacket off of the ground. “You’ll be ready for your mission.”
“Mission, sir?” Kian asked politely, getting to his feet and bowing respectfully to the Hokage. The man was right; he felt about as good as new.
“Oooh, a mission,” Shusei mumbled excitedly, nudging Dan and Sora.
“Calm down, Shu,” said Dan. “Stop wagging your tail.”
Sora gave Shusei a look but didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to be overheard being disrespectful; the truth, though, was that the prospect of a mission didn’t excite him.
Pushing his hands into the pockets of his jacket, Dan gave Sora a curious look, one brow raised in question.
“I thought you of all people would be excited for a chance to get out of the village,” he mumbled, low enough for only his teammates to hear.
“If this mission even takes us out of the village,” Sora replied under his breath. “Could always just be some more enthralling grunt work.”
As the Hokage returned to stand alongside the Jōnin, Sora took the opportunity to catch Hikari’s eye, winking playfully at her. Okay, maybe a mission with them won’t be awful, after all.
Hikari cringed, shifting closer to her teammates. “I’m going to be sick.”
“I almost feel bad for him,” said Minegumo, watching the very real disgust play out on her face. “Too bad this is so funny.”
Hikari sneered but didn’t reply, huffing and crossing her arms.
Kian watched in amusement as Sora tried and failed to flirt with Hikari. For a second, he deliberated, but then he casually slid his arm around Hikari’s shoulders, pointedly ignoring the irritated look on Sora’s face. Payback for what you did to my face, loser.
“A mission indeed,” said Kosui, giving the Genin an amused look. “Tell me, what can any of you tell me about Uzushiogakure?”
Collecting himself and reigning in his annoyance, Sora’s eyes flickered toward the Hokage…his uncle. “It’s the original homeland of the Uzumaki clan,” Sora replied. “It got destroyed during the end of the Warring States Period because the Uzumaki were considered too much of a threat.”
“The Kurama clan were also once part of the village.” Minegumo picked up where Sora left off as the Hokage’s amber gaze came to rest upon him. “They managed to escape when the village was razed and came to Konoha.”
Lost their noble status in the process, too, when the clan stopped producing anyone with talent above the Chūnin level, and their Kekkei Genkai began appearing even more sporadically than before. His grandfather had been the one to restore the clan’s glory, and from the journals that Minegumo had gone through in his tutoring sessions, it hadn’t been easy.
“Lord Seventh’s son was the one to restore Uzushiogakure to a proper village,” said Dan. “He found the remaining survivors and helped relocate them: half to Konoha, and the other to Uzushio.”
Kosui nodded, bringing his hands together. “Well said, each of you. While Uzushiogakure has only been back for the past couple of generations, in the past, Konoha has enjoyed close bonds with them and has had the privilege of being allowed exclusive use of their fūinjutsu. Can anyone tell me why that is?”
“Because during the Warring States Period, the Uzumaki allied themselves with the Senju,” Kian replied. “They stayed supportive of Konohagakure even after the village was formed. That’s why our active duty uniforms have always incorporated spirals into the design.”
It felt awkward, being an Uchiha and speaking up about the history of the Senju and Uzumaki clans, but alas. He was used to being judged for his lineage, anyway.
“Correct.” Kosui gave Kian a nod. “Since the reformation of Uzushiogakure, our villages have once again been made allies, a bond made stronger by the presence of the Uzumaki in both villages, along with one of their old nobilities.” His gaze once again flickered to Minegumo and Sora. “Which brings me to your mission.”
He motioned behind him, to the other visitor that stood behind him. It was a woman: tall, as tall as Arata, with a mane of blood-red hair and cool brown eyes.
“Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Uzumaki Rika,” Kosui introduced. “My cousin and the head of both Uzushiogakure and their branch of the Uzumaki.”
“Thank you, Kosui,” she said, pinching his cheek playfully. “It’s nice to finally meet all of you. That was a very good game, I must say.” She nodded at Dan, Kian, and Minegumo. “And it shows that you are indeed up to par. In the upcoming week, my village Uzushiogakure will be holding a remembrance festival, celebrating our rebirth and revitalized ties with Konoha.”
Kosui nodded. “As part of that, you six Genin will be tasked with escorting Rika back to Uzushio, as well as hand-delivering some very important tools that the village will need for the festival. Any questions?”
The Genin collectively shook their heads, and as they did, the Hokage left them to their assignment. At the direction of Takuya and Arata, they each went home briefly to pack, regrouping within an hour at the vast gates that protected their village. With Rika in their midst, the two squads left, chattering away and making small talk.
Arata took the opportunity to walk a few paces behind the group, motioning to Kian to join him.
“You needed me, sensei?” Kian asked quietly, brow furrowing as he walked alongside Arata.
“I wanted to speak to you, yes,” he replied. “Kian… I’m sorry for how I handled the incident with you and Dan. I shouldn’t have said what I did. Your father loved you very much, and I know he’d be proud of you.”
Kian felt a lump rise in his throat, his eyes stinging. “No, it’s okay,” he mumbled. “You were right, sensei, dad would’ve been upset at what I did.”
Arata sighed, reaching over and tousling the boy’s hair affectionately. “You’re not being reassigned,” he told him quietly. “I never really wanted to do that to you, anyway. The only catch, though, is…well, I’m going to be arranging mandatory therapy sessions for you when we return from this mission. I know you’re not going to be happy, but it’s the only way I can keep you on this team. What happened isn’t something that’s supposed to be swept under the rug. This is Takuya, Akigumo and I looking out for your best interest.”
The idea of mandatory therapy was a lot for Kian to process, and Arata was right: he did hate the idea. He hated the idea of being forced to sit and talk to someone about his feelings and his past and his mental state. For him, needing therapy was tantamount to admitting that he was defective, weak, broken. On the other hand… Kian glanced ahead to Hikari and Minegumo. If it was his only way to remain on the team with them, no matter how much he hated it, he would do it. He wouldn’t let himself be separated from them, so he nodded.
“Thank you, sensei,” he said quietly. “For giving me another chance.”
With that, he sped up to resume walking in between his teammates. He would deal with the therapy sessions when the time came; for the moment, all that mattered was them.
Fortune or Misfortune?[]
Uzushiogakure was, in one word, beautiful. Even that did not do the hidden whirlpool village justice.
It was spring in Konoha’s greatest allied villages, and it was like the gods themselves had given their favor. A golden sun beamed down upon the citizens of Uzushio from a beautiful sky filled with passing clouds, whilst cherry blossoms flew and spiraled about, carried on a gentle breeze. Even the churning seas only served to enhance the gorgeous scenery as the great spirals released bursts of water that the wind lifted, keeping everyone cool with a fine mist.
Hikari found herself breathless just watching it. The flowering trees, the fierce but calm sea…it filled her with a sense of serenity she hadn’t felt since the Namekujira village. It wasn’t as strong and didn’t make her feel as if all her worries were nonexistent, but it was a nice second.
Her gaze switched from the beautiful scenery to Minegumo and Sora. “This is really where your ancestors came from?”
“Yup,” Sora replied cheerfully, arms behind his head as they all walked together. It was a bit odd, hanging out with Minegumo, Hikari, and Kian with no Jōnin around; the moment they’d arrived in the village, both Master Takuya and Arata had been swept away into a meeting about the festival. Apparently, it was only a couple of hours away from kicking off. “I mean…it’s pretty,” he continued, “don’t get me wrong. It’s not as pretty as you, though.”
Damn. You really thought you had something, huh? Shusei thought, glancing at his friend in amusement.
Kian was not quite as amused, casting an irritated glare in Sora’s direction.
Hikari sighed, rolling her eyes. However, for once, she didn’t send him her usual look of loathing at his antics. “I know I’m pretty,” she replied calmly, as if discussing the weather. “You don’t have to remind me.”
“That’s my girl,” Minegumo said with a grin, throwing an arm around her side. As the flowers continued to fall around them, he picked one up and pressed it in her hair.
He’s right though, Minegumo sent out, moving his arm to cross with hers. You really are pretty, Kari. You really live up to your name.
Hikari huffed, rolling her eyes, but there was no fighting the smile that appeared on her face, nor the way her eyes softened.
He could learn a thing or two from you, she replied.
“Have any of you ever been here before?” she asked aloud.
As Kian shook his head silently, trying to keep his face impassive, he couldn’t fight the familiar feeling of being alone in a crowd. Wish I could make someone smile like that, he thought, sliding his hands into his pockets. He focused on the scenery, trying not to let himself get too low. At least it really was beautiful there, he supposed. Calming.
“Nope,” Shusei chimed in, grinning. “It’s an adventure, right, Suisei?” From atop his usual perch on Shusei’s head, the puppy barked excitedly in agreement.
Meanwhile, Sora’s expression was almost as blank and impassive as Kian’s. Well…I guess at this least time she didn’t act like she hates me, he thought wryly.
“I haven’t been before,” Dan spoke up. “But I know someone who has. They told me there’s a fortune teller here.”
That seemed to get everyone’s attention, as they focused on him with looks that ranged from interested to disbelieving.
“A fortune teller?” Hikari asked, bemused. “Aren’t those supposed to be fake?”
Dan felt his face flush. “No less realistic than an alien princess turning into a ten-tailed demon,” he gritted out. “Like I said, it’s just what I was told.”
“Well, no need to get so worked up about it,” Hikari muttered under her breath. “Let’s do it,” Sora remarked. “I mean, even if it may not be legit, it could at least be interesting. What kind of fortunes does this fortune teller give, anyway? You know?”
“Fortunes about life,” he answered after a moment. “Important moments in life…love. Who your epic love will be. That sort of thing.” Eyes flickering for the barest of seconds, Dan looked down, unwilling to look at anyone else.
“Maaaan, that sounds so lame,” Shusei groaned. “You guys can do that if you want, Suisei and I are gonna go on a walk and check everything out! I’ll catch up with everyone at the festival, peace.”
With that, the impetuous Inuzuka and his dog were off, running exuberantly through the village in wonder at its sights, not hesitating.
“I think it sounds nice,” Minegumo said in the wake of Shusei’s departure. “We should do it.”
Hikari gave him a look of surprise. “You really think so?”
Nodding, Minegumo swung their connected arms. “Doesn’t everyone wonder about who their soulmate could be?”
Kian felt a wave of nervousness wash over him at Minegumo’s question, his face falling. If he were to answer honestly, the answer would’ve been yes. If he were to answer even more honestly, his answer would’ve been that despite his curiosity, he was also terrified to get an answer to such a question. What if I don’t have a soulmate? he thought. What if I’m just gonna be alone? The thought made him shrink. He knew what he hoped for, at least he thought he did, but…the idea of it not being meant to be…
“Well,” Sora remarked casually, stretching, “I guess we have to do it now. Lead the way, Dan.”
Sending his best friend a grateful look, Dan allowed his Byakugan to activate, his world bleeding of color as it became inverted. It took only a moment for him to find the shop in question.
“Let’s go,” he said. “It’s only five minutes away.”
“Now that’s an All-Seeing Eye,” Minegumo muttered. A moment later, however, he winced as Hikari jammed her elbow into his side, giving him a look of warning.
Dan’s assessment of how long it would take them to arrive proved to be correct. Five minutes later, they were all, minus the departed Shusei, standing outside a colorful, slightly run-down-looking shop.
Kian’s hands were still in his pockets, his nerves on fire. He wasn’t sure, empirically, that he believed that this was going to mean anything at all, but something instinctually told him that he was about to experience something that would stick with him, for better or worse. Exhaling quietly, he decided to break the ice.
“Well…I guess ladies first?” he suggested faintly, glancing towards Hikari.
Shrugging in response, Hikari detached herself from Minegumo and walked through the door. Making her way through the shop, she was immediately assaulted with the scent of herbs and flowers: cherry blossoms and lavender for sure, but also sage and rosemaries. The powerful combination of scents was almost dizzying, yet calming in their own way. It was a reaction that almost unsettled Hikari.
“Are you just going to stand there, child?” a voice called from behind her.
Startled, Hikari whirled around, coming face to face with a man. He was tall, with a mane of wild black hair that tumbled down his back, and intense violet eyes.
Breathing deeply, Hikari gave him a perturbed look, looking from him to the door and back. “How did you–”
“If you are here to get your fortune taken,” the man cut her off, walking past her without a backward glance, “then follow me.”
Okay, then…
Following the man, Hikari was led to a small, circular wooden table. Taking a seat and motioning for Hikari to do the same, he took out some supplies.
“Write your name on this slip of paper,” he instructed, giving her a brush and some ink. “Then shuffle this deck of cards for me. Make sure to mold your chakra as you do so.”
Doing as he asked, she carefully wrote her name down, watching as the ink cooled almost instantly, before folding the slip and handing it back to him. Then, summoning a small amount of chakra, Hikari began shuffling. Throughout it all, the man never took his violet gaze off of her.
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, he held up a hand and took the deck from her. Then, Hikari felt herself gasp as the man’s eyes changed, flaring brightly with a pattern that could only be a dōjutsu. The man began shuffling the deck himself before laying down cards.
“Are you ready, child?” he asked. Getting a muted nod in response, he slowly began turning them over, one by one, until each of them were uncovered. “Then let us begin.”
“The Lovers…Wheel of Fortune…and finally Death.” Eyes snapping to Hikari, he slowly named each card. “Your love has been decided by Jupiter, the planet of storms,” he said. “Two routes are available to you, one of amethyst and one of emerald.”
“Amethyst and emerald; what does that mean?” Hikari couldn’t help but ask. “Can’t you tell me more?”
He smiled. “The route of emeralds is that of the sea,” he revealed. Holding up a hand, the man a projection of the ocean formed: calm and dazzling, with small waves that lapped at the sands of a beach. “It brings joy and serenity wherever it goes, and it will ease your heart if you let it. However–”
Storm clouds gathered over the image of the false ocean, bringing fierce winds that intensified the small waves. Churning together in a symphony of destruction, Hikari felt her breath catch as a typhoon grew upon the water.
“That calm hides a storm. It crushes all within its path, and while love is the reason for its rage, it is that same love that will bring peace to it.”
Hikari shivered. “And the amethyst route?”
“Is that of the heavens,” he answered. “It is that which the thunder tumbles after, and it brings a cold fire that smites its enemies even as it energizes its allies.”
The image in his palm changed, the sea disappearing and being replaced with that of a mountain peak. Deep black clouds could be seen, their bodies covered with arcs of electricity. Without warning, one of the arcs of lightning slammed down into the mountaintops, illuminating the world for the briefest of moments.
“But the heavens are not cruel,” the fortune teller continued. “Just as they bring down their wrath, so too do they nurture. Love is a guide to its wildness, and your hand will not lead it astray.”
“How do I know which one to choose?” she asked.
“That is not for me to answer,” he said gently. “Only you can decide for yourself. Trust in your judgment, girl whose heart beats with the Earth.”
Then the projection ended, and Hikari was surprised to realize that the session was over.
“Tell young Sora to come in, would you?” he asked, getting up from the table and pinning her slip of paper with her name on the wall.
Nodding, she made her way back outside, to where the others were waiting. It was only as she stepped out that Hikari realized she’d never once told the man who she’d come with.
“Your turn, Sora,” Hikari said, pushing her hands into her pockets.
Flashing Hikari a bright smile, Sora walked into the shop. He wasn’t expecting much, certainly not for this fortune teller to be anyone credible. As he entered, the salty, lively scent of the ocean hit his nostrils, nearly overwhelming him. Shutting the door behind him, he took note of the different colorful tapestries that seemed to be draped over all the tables and counters, the jewels woven into them. On one table sat a crystal ball; it was to this that Sora was drawn before a voice spoke, causing him to flinch from surprise.
“I hope you were going to look with your eyes and not your hands,” the fortune teller leant against one of the walls in the room, giving Sora an amused look. “Then again, I suppose I can’t fault you for being drawn to the crystal ball. Your mind’s eye is particularly strong, isn’t it? So much power at your disposal, but so little in the way of directing it.”
Brushing past Sora, the man took a seat at the table, waving a hand and smiling. “Take a seat. I cannot start without you.”
“Sorry,” Sora mumbled, a bit embarrassed, as he took a seat as instructed. “Er… What do I do now, sir?” he asked, adding the last word hastily as an afterthought to avoid being unintentionally rude.
As if reading his thoughts, the man smiled, pulling out a slip of paper. “To start, write your name on this,” he instructed. “Then once you hand it back to me, simply place a palm on the crystal ball.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a set of candles, placing them on the table in a circle around the crystal ball.
Sora did as he was told and wrote his name down on the paper. He slid it back to the fortune teller before placing his right palm carefully against the warm, fragile glass of the crystal ball. Now that this was actually happening, Sora had to confess himself a bit anxious. Going into this endeavor, he’d expected it to be a bit of a joke; not one that was his sense of humor, but a joke nonetheless. Something felt different about this fortune teller, though. For once, he wasn’t laughing; he was taking things seriously.
Taking the sheet, the man carefully folded it and set it on the table before the crystal ball. Then, pressing a finger to the wick of a candle, he summoned a miniscule amount of chakra, focusing it to the tip of said finger. Using it to light the candle, he repeated the process with the next one, again and again, until each of them were lit. As he did so, his eyes began to flare as well, the faint pattern within them seemed to ripple in the unmistakable mark of a dōjutsu.
Once finished, he layed that same hand atop of Sora’s whilst the other went directly to the crystal ball, causing the object to flare as his chakra poured into it. “Now we begin.”
Sora could practically feel the chakra flowing into the crystal ball. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as a glow began to emit from the mysterious sphere, and he exhaled deeply to steady himself. Here goes nothing, I guess.
Peering into the ball, the fortune teller was quiet for several moments, his eyes seeming to pulse in time with the flashes from the ball. After another beat in time, however, he began speaking as images slowly made themselves visible in the crystal globe.
“Your love has been decided by Saturn, planet of the harvest,” the man intoned. “Just as the harvest can lead to an unexpected bounty, so too are many roads open to you. But the one that stands out clearest for you is that of pyrite.”
“Saturn,” Sora reiterated, nodding his head. “Okay. What about this pyrite path stands out? Am I meant to figure that out on my own, or do I get a hint?”
“So impatient,” the man commented, but there was a smile on his lips, and the shapes in the crystal ball began to grow sharper.
“Just as pyrite comes from the earth, the one you’ve decided on too is beloved by nature,” he said. “Within them is a beast they desperately want to set free and unleash on the world, but the cage is one of their own design, and so they swallow their roars as they’ve been taught to do.”
Within the globe came a lion, strong and proud, with claws that easily tore through the ground as it raced about. Its color was off: this lion was jet black, with ominous eyes and protrusions on its legs and sides, giving it a monstrous look.
Sora blinked as he stared into the crystal ball, watching the lion paw impatiently and bare its teeth. He felt both awed and afraid, watching transfixed as it then open its mouth in a silent roar that still somehow shook him to his core. It was a moment before he could find his voice again.
“I…thank you,” he said shakily, utterly confused by his fortune. “Um. I should probably…go now, right?”
Nodding, the fortune teller waved a hand. “Tell Kian it’s his turn. But, before you do, Sora? Not all monsters do monstrous things. They simply desire the kind of love that allows them to be true to themselves, and trusts them to make their own choices. You should understand this, I hope.”
With a shudder, Sora got to his feet and practically ran from the shop. How did he know? How did he know that I’ve got a monster inside me? Sora was too spooked to even process that somehow, the fortune teller seemed to know everyone’s names. As he opened the door, it accidentally swung open too far and smacked an unsuspecting Kian in the face.
“Smooth move,” Kian grumbled, rubbing his face.
“Huh? Oh…sorry. It’s uh, your turn, by the way.”
Kian slipped past Sora and entered the shop. It smelled like lilac and storms, which was good for calming his nerves. The boy took a deep breath as he shut the door behind him, deciding to wait patiently. He glanced around, noting that crimson and gold seemed to be the dominant colors in the room. Biting his lip, he decided to speak up.
“Hello?” he called out anxiously. “Anyone here?”
“You’re more patient than the last two,” the fortune teller spoke from right beside him, giving Kian a curious look. “But only just barely, aren’t you? Ah, but I suppose you’ll grow into that.”
Walking to his table, the man made a motion for Kian to follow him. “Come, come. Sorry about your nose, by the way.”
“It’s okay,” Kian replied sheepishly, hesitating slightly before he followed the fortune teller to the table and sat. Do I really want to do this? he asked himself. What if it’s all bad? Maybe I shouldn’t… Even as the thoughts formed, however, he knew it was too late to back out. Backing out, he knew intuitively, would guarantee his poor fortune somehow.
“The future is never so black and white as to show only misfortune,” the fortune teller spoke softly, giving Kian a gentle look. “In fact, you will find that for all they sometimes have more questions, all of my customers are satisfied in the end.”
Taking out a sheet of paper, he handed the slip to Kian. “If you are ready to begin, simply write your name here.”
With great effort, Kian held his hand steady as he scrawled his name on the slip of paper. As he handed it to the fortune teller, he found himself slowly calming down. What came next…well, he would face it when it came. There was no way around it.
Taking the sheet, the fortune teller folded it until it was the size of a coin. Then, keeping it in one hand, he put his other on the table. Eyes coming to life with a small flare of chakra, he looked Kian in his eyes.
“May I see your palm?” he asked.
Nodding shyly, Kian held his hand out for the fortune teller. His curiosity, he supposed, was outweighing his fear at this moment. After all, who was to say that this fortune teller wasn’t the real deal? There was something…off about him that Kian could sense. It didn’t feel sinister, but he could definitely feel it nonetheless.
Smiling in thanks, the man took the offered hand and moved it so that it rested in the middle of the table. Then, opening his other hand, he set the folded sheet of paper on the wooden surface, positioning it so it was directly under Kian’s hand.
Closing his eyes, the man kept hold of Kian’s wrist with one hand, while using the finger of his to lightly poke the center of his palm and release a pulse of chakra. Almost immediately, the lines in Kian’s palm began to flare as the man’s chakra seemed to seep into his hand.
Kian watched in amazement, feeling the chakra seep into his skin and wash over him from head to toe. Definitely not normal, he thought. Maybe he really is the real deal. He supposed crazier things had happened. Hell, he’d flat-out experienced crazier things.
“I see.” Eyes open once again, the man hummed as he stared at the lines on Kian’s palm. Letting go of his wrist, he moved both hands to gently cradle his palm as he began tracing lines.
“Your love has been decided by Venus itself,” he stated. “Planet of love…and of war. Just as Venus rules the two major phases of the day, so too does it open two paths to you.”
“Two paths,” the boy acknowledged.
“Indeed,” the fortune teller said.
Kian swallowed hard as he processed that. Two paths…two choices…so, two people, he thought, a bit bemused. Just… I’m so happy he didn’t say I’m gonna be alone… He had to master all of his self-restraint not to cry in relief.
“The first path,” he continued, “is that of the dawn. Its radiance envelops the earth, and washes everything in its glory. Its luster cannot be denied, and just as the swiftest animal cannot outrun the sun, neither can you hide from this brilliance. It strips you of your falsehoods, and is scathing as the truth is forced out.”
The chakra that covered Kian’s body rippled, moving to his hand and condensing into the form of a shining sun. The sun pulsed, growing brighter and brighter with each passing moment until it was almost too intense to look at directly.
“But never forget that the light is also nurturing,” he said, eyes sincere. “Yes, it can hurt to look at, and yes, it can even burn, but it also allows for growth and no matter how dark things get, the light is always there waiting to bask you in its glory.”
“I…” Kian mumbled, his voice trailing off, strangled by emotion. “That sounds…”
Wonderful. Enticing. Beautiful.
But you don’t deserve it, the voice in his head jeered, softer than satin. Remember your place, heart full of hatred. Love is not bestowed upon creatures of vengeance. You will be perpetually unloved, alone until death’s grip takes hold of you. What if love was exactly what he wanted, though? What if after all the abuse, he wanted to finally be shown affection? What if loneliness was more than his heart could take?
“What about the second path?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“The second path is that of the dusk,” he said gently. “It is bleeding from day to night, when the sun sets but the moon has not yet risen. It is the shadow that stretches upon the land, and makes all equal in its embrace. Your first instinct makes you run from it in fear of what it contains, but you needn’t worry. It cools the flames that burn within, and allows you the rest you so desperately seek. It will take all of your woes and let you relax, but only if you let it.”
Slowly but surely, intense clouds came to cover up the sun, twisting around the burning sphere and causing the room to dim as the light was suddenly covered up. There were no ominous shadows in the absence of the light, and the clouds of chakra simply drifted calmly.
“The darkness can be hard to turn to,” the fortune teller said with a nod. “We cannot see what it hides, what secrets it keeps and what whispers within it, and so we cannot help but fight against it. Many forget, the darkness is also a protector. It accepts everyone, no matter their flaws. It is where the weary and tired are given a place, when the rest of the world has turned their backs on them. It would accept you too, if you would give in to its call.”
Kian felt a burning sensation in his throat as he held back tears, trying not to lose control of his emotions. No matter which I choose, I’ll be happy… I’ll be loved… Relief flooded him as the thought sunk in. Either path sounded like everything he’d ever wanted or dreamed of, even if he’d never dare admit that out loud for fear of having the dream torn away from him. He blinked, hot tears rolling down his cheeks.
“I see,” he said quietly, wiping his eyes. “Thank you…”
“Leave with an easier heart, boy whose eyes reflect his heart,” the man said, waving a hand and allowing the chakra covering Kian’s hand to dissipate. “Know that you have daybreak and the sunset waiting for you at the end of the tunnel…and tell Dan he can come in, instead of attempting to peer through with those eyes of his, will you?”
As he got to his feet, shaking, Kian nodded. He made for the door and stepped outside, motioning to Dan. Feeling as though he craved a moment alone, he bypassed his teammates and walked on, hands in his pockets. With great effort, he managed not to look back at them as he made for the shoreline.
Watching him go past, taking notice of the tears on his face, Dan couldn’t help but wonder just what kind of fortune had been given to get a reaction like that. First, Sora ran out like he’d seen a ghost. Now Uchiha bawling? Is the fortune teller that scary?
Ultimately, he shrugged. It wasn’t like it was any business of his, anyway. Walking through the shop door, Dan was surprised at the scent that filled him. Oak, strong and hearty, and dirt, like he was back in the training grounds of Konoha. It soothed him, settled an anxiety he hadn’t realized he felt, as did the combinations of blue and red art that hung on the walls. Taking a deep breath, allowing his eyes to flutter shut, Dan felt his body relax as he continued taking in the pleasant aromas of the shop.
He wasn’t sure how long he stood there. While it couldn’t have been for more than a handful of moments, it must have been even longer than Dan realized, because when he opened his eyes, he found himself face-to-face with the shopkeeper.
Jumping and taking a step back out of instinct, Dan caught himself and shook his head, giving the man a defiant look.
“Another impatient one, I see,” the man said, giving Dan a once-over. “But I suppose that’s part of why you and Sora get along so well.”
“Excuse me?” demanded Dan, giving the man an affronted look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
All the fortune teller did was shrug, turning on his heel and moving deeper into the shop. With no choice beyond standing there or turning back around, Dan followed after the man, gritting his teeth all the while. Being led to a table in the back of the shop, Dan was surprised to see the man pouring what looked like tea straight from a pot into a cup. Taking a seat and motioning him to take the other, the fortune teller pulled out a slip of paper.
“Write your name on this and we can begin,” he said as Dan slowly sat down.
Giving him a wary look, Dan activated his Byakugan, examining the poured tea and the supplies. Finding only unbagged tea leaves, he allowed it to deactivate, relaxing a miniscule amount. Taking a deep breath, he carefully wrote his name down, folding the sheet in half and handing it back to the man.
Smiling, the man took the sheet, laying it on the table, and picked up the cup of tea. Eyes glowing violet with an indescribable pattern around his irises, he tapped the cup with a finger, sending a pulse of chakra into it.
“Now drink this,” he said, “and I can read you your love fortune.”
“...Right.” Dan looked from the cup to the man in front of him, and knew there was an expression of distrust on his face.
If he was going to try something, he would have done it already. Dan told himself. Not everyone is like Seiya.
That thought made him shake, his entire body giving a twitch, and he had to force himself still. Locking eyes with the fortune teller, Dan drowned the entire cup, being careful not to swallow any of the tea leaves. Once the cup was drained, Dan was surprised to see that it was marked on the inside. Handing it back to the fortune teller, he sat as the man placed the cup on a saucer, marked just like the cup was.
Then, placing the folded sheet with Dan’s name written in it in front of the cup and saucer, he looked Dan in his eyes. “Now we may begin your fortune.
Taking a look into the cup, he moved his finger around the edge, chakra sparking at his fingertips. For several moments he was quiet, then began speaking once more.
“The Candle, clouds, goat, and the mountain. Placement of Scorpio. How curious,” he stated. Raising a brow, he gave Dan another look over. “Your love has been drawn by Pluto, planet of the Underworld.”
Dan blanched. “Underworld? Does that mean they’re going to die?” Then, pausing as he thought it over, his eyes widened with horror. “Am I going to die?”
But the man only laughed, giving Dan an amused look. “You would certainly believe so, wouldn’t you? But no, Dan. You needn’t fear death in your love life. You see, Pluto is indeed the planet of the underworld, but that does not always mean the afterlife. It symbolizes revolution, renewal, and realization. Just as the reincarnation demands growth and repentance of one’s karma, so too does Pluto demand those it has claimed to look underneath the surface and see what is already before you to find your chosen path.”
“What’s before me?” Dan repeated the words in a mumble. “What’s my chosen path?”
“The rain, of course,” answered the fortune teller. “It douses flames and feeds what is sown, so it may grow; but a gentle shower can become a flood, and then it will erode mountains and wash away everything the land has to offer in its wrath. It leaves sickness and destruction in its wake, and its rage is made legend. The rain comes and goes as it is needed, and attempting to capture or force it is a fool’s errand that will only end in demise.”
From the tea cup, the droplets that still clung to the leaves floated up, swirling together until they formed a miniature cloud that began raining back into the cup. However, to Dan’s surprise, the rain didn’t stop after a moment or two. Instead, it kept falling into the cup, until it was spilling at the edges.
Swallowing his saliva, Dan could only watch, strangely frozen in his seat.
“Even as it drowns and leads a path of havoc back to the sea, the rain is still nourishing. It brings growth and prosperity, and eases our hearts after the long drought. Never forget, it is only with rainfall that the rainbow can come and fill us with hope. After all, after each flood, the ground is fertile once more, and new beginnings are made possible where there was only rot before. So too will the rain wash away your fears, and bring about a cleanse and renewal.”
Sure enough, the conjured rain of tea droplets finally let up, becoming a small sprinkle. Then, it swirled together once more, before taking on the shape of a shimmering rainbow.
Nodding, feeling an odd pressure in his chest, Dan forced himself to breathe. “Thank you,” he said after a moment. “That was…enlightening, I guess.”
“You may send Minegumo in,” the fortune teller replied, watching Dan as he made his way out. “But Dan? While the rain will not be controlled, that doesn’t mean it will never pour when needed. It can be coaxed out and brought your way, but only if you see the fertile ground and seed to be sown.”
Dan paused. “Will do.”
Then he was gone, through the door with his hands shoved into his pockets. “Your turn, Mine,” he said. Getting a nod in return, he moved to stand beside Sora as their friend detached himself from his teammate.
“See you guys in a bit!”
With a hop in his step, Minegumo walked through the door and entered the shop. Almost immediately, he was hit with the nostalgic scents of lilies and eucalyptus. Almost immediately he was struck with an old memory, the only memory he had of his father. He didn’t remember much of the man, but Minegumo could recall bits and pieces. His eyes, the same amber as his own, his dark hair, the way he’d smelled like water lilies…
Suddenly feeling grief well up in him and tears beading in his eyes, Minegumo rubbed at his face. Raising his head, eyes somewhat blurry–
A ripple and shimmer, and the world shifted.
Blinking, Minegumo looked around, bemused as his chakra sense suddenly went off. Brow furrowed, there was a strange, scurrying sound, and when he looked down, he found a rabbit at his feet. A snowshoe hare, he realized. Reaching down to pick it up, Minegumo had just grazed its white fur when it suddenly ran off.
“Are you going to go after it?” a voice asked from beside him.
Somehow, Minegumo wasn’t surprised to see who was waiting for him. Fair skin, amber eyes, a mane of hair that’d gotten him labeled as the walking blueberry, complete with the damned smirk that always got him in trouble back in the academy. Ordinarily, the sight of his mirror image would have immediately set his hackles rising, yet for some reason, he felt at ease.
Behind his double, in the middle of a starry sky, hung a crescent moon that drew Minegumo’s eye no matter how much he tried to look away. Taking a step forward, raising an arm, he reached for it. He couldn’t explain it, but something in Minegumo, some inexplicable feeling, told him it could be his. If he just reached for it and held it close, it could be his—
Minegumo woke up with a gasp, the air sounding from his throat like it’d been ripped out. Swallowing, he looked around, confused as he realized he was sitting at a table with the fortune teller across from him.
“I see,” the man said, giving him a curious look. His eyes were alight, flaring bright violet with the pattern within almost dizzying. “How interesting indeed. Now then, are you ready to begin?”
Handing Minegumo a sheet of paper and instructing him to sign his name, he took it back once the task was complete, folding it several times, before placing it on the table. Finally, after a moment that lasted only a second but felt to Minegumo like an eternity, he began speaking.
“Your Moon dictates your love,” the fortune teller stated. “It is the shining satellite and the symbol of cycles and the passage of time, and just as the moon has many phases, so too does it open up two great routes to your heart: one of red, and the other of blue.”
“A red route and a blue route.” Minegumo’s brow furrowed as he pondered what it could mean. “That isn’t like, blood, is it?”
He blinked. “Actually, you aren’t too far off. The red route is that of the blood moon, the eclipse,” he revealed, giving Minegumo a smile. “It lives within the eye of the hawk, who soars high in the sky and looks down at the world with knowledge that it is a predator. The hawk is relentless in its attacks, with sharp eyes and even sharper talons that guarantee its prey will not escape. It is the hunter that will not be outrun or hid from.”
As if his words were a summoning, Minegumo heard the cry of a hawk in his ears, followed by a gust of wind on the back of his neck. Sure enough, as he looked up, the bird of prey had somehow materialized into being, flying several feet above the heads of he and the fortune teller.
“However, the hawk is also a protector,” the man continued. “It will lift you when you stumble, and rebuff other predators who would attempt to make you prey. It flies ahead to find shelter during the storm, and does not hesitate to lay down its life should it come to it. Its loyalty is unquestionable, and no matter what, you will have an eternal ally as part of its flock.”
“Oh,” Minegumo said, voice soft. “And the other one?”
“The route of the blue moon,” the fortune teller answered, “which lives in the eyes of the great hound. The wolf is the greatest predator on land, and is the harbinger of death and destruction. It is a greedy being and plays tricks to deceive its prey. It is smarter than other hunters on land, and so carries famine and plague in its jaws as it hunts.”
There was a growl, low and chilling, as a large, white, wolf slowly stalked into the room. Stopping at the fortune teller’s legs, it stared at Minegumo with crystal-blue eyes that chilled him to the bone. To his surprise, it carried a rabbit in its jaws, dropping it into Minegumo’s lap and giving him an expectant look.
“However, for all that, the wolf is also a chief,” the man said. “It leads the pack gracefully and intelligently, keeping its betas taken care of and well-fed. Its bonds are sacred and cherished, and it will do all in its power to help those under its care reach self-realization. The wolf trusts you to make your own judgment, but will stay by your side all the while.”
Taking a deep breath, Minegumo took a moment to process everything that he’d been told. It was…a lot. A lot, but too little at the same time. He could just barely wrap his head around everything, but for all that it was confusing, it would be a lie to say that Minegumo wasn’t…appealed to it. That the thought wasn’t alluring in its own way.
He wasn’t going to say that to a stranger, though. The idea alone was almost enough to break out in hives. “That sounds intense,” he mumbled.
The fortune teller grinned sardonically. “Would you have it any other way?”
Minegumo shook his head. “No. But how am I supposed to pick between them? What if I don’t want either of them? Or I want both of them?”
“That is up to you, Minegumo,” the man replied honestly. “How you go about the paths open to you is something that only you can decide. But I can tell you this: no matter which path you choose, you will never have to worry about being left behind. Now you may leave, you and your friends. But tell Shusei that I am sorry to have missed him, will you? His fortune would have been an interesting one as well.”
A Festival of Whirlpools[]
He was never a fan of the beach, not really.
What drew him there was the fact that he felt inexplicable calm near the ocean, foreteller of storms. Indeed, even now as the afternoon faded into twilight, he could feel that the atmospheric pressure had lessened, and could see the deep streaks of blood red dominating the canvas that was the sky. Kian remembered, had never forgotten, the times his father had taught him to fish.
Red sunsets will always tell you when a storm is brewing, son.
Kian stood by the water with his hood up, sandals off and leg sleeves removed, letting the tide gently embrace his lower legs from his feet to his calves. As he inhaled the gentle sea breeze, he stared out over the surface of the water, thinking hard. Two paths, he’d been told. Closing his eyes, he breathed out deeply. Dawn and dusk, light and dark, sunshine and clouds…diametrically opposed forces, but so complementary, almost like they could be friends. He knew that it was all metaphorical, that they were supposed to represent people that were actually in his life…or, at least, people that would be in his life, if they weren’t already. As he thought, blocking out everything except the sensation of the water on his skin and the sound of the wind, he came to the realization that having two paths, two choices before him wasn’t as surprising as he’d thought at first.
Part of him was beginning to accept that if he was true to himself, he had an idea as to whom his fortune referred, and that made him desperately confused.
When he envisioned his life, years down the line, he’d always…well, he’d always thought that the one standing beside him would be his closest friend. Kian understood clearly now what his feelings for Minegumo were. He could no longer deny it or run from it: his heart beat for Mine, the boy he’d always been inseparable from, the boy he’d spent countless hours patiently reading out loud for, the boy who felt his pain as if it were his own. It had seemed to Kian to be something like fate that they would one day be together.
Now, he ached inside, realizing that as much as it was possible that they were fated for one another, it was just as possible that they weren’t.
Is it really possible that I could be meant for someone else? he asked himself. He looked down at his feet, sunken into the sand, the water merrily nipping at them. As hard as he’d tried to resist it, going so far as to force himself not to think about it, he knew that he was beginning to feel for someone else, too.
Being forced to choose between her and Minegumo was going to tear him apart, but if the fortune teller was right…it was inevitable.
How funny, the voice in his head remarked. You’re so worried about having to choose between them, you aren’t even considering that maybe, just maybe, neither of them will ever want you.
Shut up, Kian told it firmly.
The truth was, that nagging possibility had been attacking his mind from the instant he’d heard his whole fortune. It was, he knew now, his worst fear: loving both of them with his entire heart, only for both of them to turn him away and find love in the arms of others. Maybe they should, he thought miserably. I don’t see how I could ever make either of them happy. They both deserve the whole world, and I’m not good enough. Why would either of them choose someone broken when they could have anyone they wanted?
Why would either of them ever choose me?
As the young Uchiha continued to watch the gentle waves, the sounds of footsteps on the sand could be heard. Sure enough, his teammates appeared, arms linked with expressions of concern on their faces.
“Hey,” said Hikari, taking a seat beside him. “We were looking for you.”
Minegumo nodded, coming to rest beside her, laying out and resting his head in her lap.
Kian watched as his teammates approached, his eyes lingering for just a moment on their interconnected arms and Minegumo’s head in Hikari’s lap.
They seem cozy, the voice taunted him, practically purring with amusement.
“Hey,” he said quietly, somehow managing to keep his tone neutral, forcing himself to return to staring out over the water.
“How’d it go getting your fortune?” Minegumo asked. “Was it as trippy for you guys as it was for me?”
Kian shrugged. “Fine, I guess,” he mumbled. “The usual ‘you’re gonna choose between two people’ mystical stuff.” How am I gonna choose? Does it even matter if I do?
For a moment, he wrestled with himself. He was curious, yes, but also right back to being afraid of the answer he would get if he asked the question. Curiosity ended up winning, much to his dismay. Shifting uncomfortably, he finally settled on asking.
“What about you guys?” he asked faintly.
Hikari hummed, shifting so she could lean her head against Kian’s shoulder while keeping her other teammate in place. “I had to shuffle some cards,” she said. “Then I got told my love life was dictated by Jupiter, and that my soulmates are apparently represented by jewels, but those jewels were just representations of the sea and the sky.”
“Sounds trippy,” Minegumo remarked. “I didn’t have to shuffle any cards though.”
Hikari frowned. “Really?” Receiving a nod in response, she looked at Kian. “What about you?”
Kian shook his head. “Nope,” he replied, mindlessly sliding his arm around Hikari, a bit disconcerted at the comfort he felt by being so close to her. “I guess mine was a palm line reading.”
It was so jarring, to be sitting there casually talking about the future of his love life with the only two people he could ever imagine having a future with. He hoped beyond hope that neither of them would ask him for details or ask who he thought his fortune referred to; he couldn’t tell them, didn’t have it in him. Kian wasn’t sure if he ever would, because after all… What if one of them did feel the same about him? What if they both did, and he put a wedge in between them? That was the last thing he wanted to do, knowing that they clearly cared about each other.
“I fell asleep in mine,” Minegumo revealed. “Woke up sitting at the table, and then he told me fortune after I wrote my name down. Said that my destiny was the moon.”
Looking up, taking in the sky and its beautiful shining sun, he couldn’t help but think about what he’d been told. Two moons, one blue and one red. The Hawk and the Wolf…
“I guess he had a specific method for each of us then,” Hikari muttered. She wondered if there was a reason for it, if it was because they’d gone as a group, or if it’d been at the simple whim of that mysterious man. He’d seemed to know things about them, so much that it almost made her shudder if she thought about it for too long. That piercing gaze, the feel of his chakra. If we never see him again, it’ll be too soon.
“Maybe so,” Kian mused in agreement. “I think…I think he was legit. Called me the ‘boy whose eyes reflect his heart’... Can’t be a coincidence. That’s what we in the Uchiha clan call the Sharingan, eyes that reflect the heart.”
What would he see if he looked into the reflection of his own eyes? Would he see himself triumphant in vengeance, hatred on his tongue, and rage burning in his lungs? Would he see himself happy, living a peaceful, quiet life full of love, unburdened by his past? No, he thought. I’m not destined for love or happiness. I’ve got one purpose, one destiny, and…I think my destiny might take me away from you. Both of you.
I’m sorry.
Minegumo licked his lips and rolled over, turning his head in Hikari’s lap to peer at Kian with a look that was half curious and half hesitant. “What did you guys see?”
Hikari blinked, moving her hands to play with his hair. “See?”
He nodded. “During my fortune, he…showed me things. Both in my dream, and after it. What did you guys see?”
Ah. Hikari paused, thinking it over. “…I saw storms,” she answered after a moment. “Great, intense storms; the kinds that sweep everyone away. The first was a typhoon and the second was a thunderstorm, one at sea and the other on a mountain top.”
Thunderstorms?
Kian felt his heart leap into his throat as the word reiterated itself in his mind, over and over. Could that mean what he thought it meant? Did he dare to hope, lest he be let down? Slowly, absentmindedly, his fingers ran gently down Hikari’s arm. He was too afraid to say a word, for if he did, all of his emotions might escape him at once. You’re overthinking, he told himself sternly. It probably has nothing to do with you. She’s too good for you, anyway. All you’d do is drag her down, assuming she gave you the time of day.
He took a deep breath. “I saw…dark clouds. Dusk. It was this really soothing, gentle darkness. There was light, also, the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen,” he said nervously, before he could stop himself.
“Dusk and the sunrise, huh?” Hikari processed that, repressing a shiver. Feeling Kian’s hand rub on her arm, she snuggled closer to him. “Sounds like your soulmates are real opposites.”
“Or complementary,” Minegumo pointed out. “Light and dark are opposites, but they also balance each other. Could mean that the people he’s supposed to choose between are two sides of a coin.”
“That’s a good way of thinking about it,” she replied. Then, realizing he hadn’t yet revealed what he’d seen himself, she ran her fingers across his temple. “What about you, little boy blue? What did you see?”
He rolled his eyes at the nickname, although a fond smile graced his features. “In my dream, I saw a white rabbit, then myself, with the moon hanging behind me. I tried reaching for it, and then I woke up.”
“And during your fortune?” Hikari asked.
“A wolf and a hawk,” he said. “A blue moon and a red moon. They were so…intense. Dangerous, yeah. But also beautiful. They could have killed me, but they chose not to. Instead, they were like guardians; the wolf even gave me a gift.”
Kian listened as Minegumo described his visions, the hope that he’d felt just a moment earlier leaving him completely. Every molecule of him had been on fire with anticipation for Mine’s fortune, but…it didn’t sound like it had anything to do with him. Disappointment quietly strangling him, he held Hikari closer to him and nuzzled into her hair, a convenient method of hiding his face. Please, Mine…don’t be meant for someone else. Please. I want so badly to be yours. He was glad that the sun was sinking; the impending darkness hid the fact that he was shaking.
“Sounds like your soulmate is Shusei,” Hikari teased. However, she then paused, lifting her head to give Kian a questioning look as she felt him start to shake.
“Don’t even joke about that,” Minegumo muttered. “Besides the wolf had blue eyes like you, Kari, while the hawk’s…”
He snuck a glance at Kian, before quickly looking away as a flush grew on his face. “The hawk had eyes like Ki,” he said, voice barely above a whisper.
“Like me?” Kian asked quietly, hardly able to believe what he was hearing.
His cheeks immediately went crimson. Almost as a reflex, he pulled his hood further up over his head, determinedly looking at anywhere but Hikari or Minegumo. What if you don’t choose me, though? he thought. Suddenly, panic gripped his heart, and it refused to let go. What if…what if Kari really is the wolf, and you choose her? Thinking about his teammates ending up together made him feel physically ill. I’d be happy for them, but…I’d be so, so lost…
The voice chuckled softly. Aren’t you already?
“Wow, Mine,” Hikari teased. “Not even gonna wine and dine a person before deciding they’re your soulmate?”
Minegumo let out a groan, face growing warmer by the second. Sitting up with a pout, he made to stand, only to find himself in his previous spot as Hikari yanked his arm back.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said, giggling. “No more teasing, I promise.”
Minegumo scoffed, but ultimately remained where he was, giving her a scathing look. However, it was ruined by the blush on his face.
Kian saw the way that Minegumo looked at Hikari, and he felt himself shrink. He looked up at the sky, willing his eyes not to water up. That fortune teller was a horrible idea, he thought sadly. I don’t even wanna be here now. Indeed, Kian felt himself wishing that they’d never left the village at all. Feeling his throat start to burn, he got to his feet and busied himself with pulling on his leg sleeves and his sandals to hide the fact that his eyes were stinging with tears.
“We should probably meet up with the others,” he said quietly, pulling off the Herculean feat of not letting his voice crack. “Festival’s gonna start soon, I think.”
Hikari blinked. “Is it that time already?”
Following Kian’s lead, she also stood, taking the time to stretch and work the feeling back into her limbs. Minegumo, meanwhile, was much more subdued, hands in his pockets as he looked down.
Just great, he thought, kicking at the sand. He could already guess at why his best friend suddenly wanted to go in when they’d just been talking. Ki hates the idea of being my soulmate.
His chest suddenly felt heavy, and Minegumo bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood. Summoning a small amount of chakra, he took a shaky breath, swallowing down the blood in his mouth and closing his eyes.
I’m okay, he told himself. Everything’s fine.
His energy coursing through him, Minegumo felt a wave of calm wash over him, his previous distress washing away like dirt in a shower. Opening his eyes, he gave a hum and moved to walk alongside his teammates.
“What do you guys think the festival will be like?” he asked.
Hikari gave a shrug. “I’ve only ever been to the ones that Konoha hosts,” she said. “So I’ve only got that to go on. You?” Then her eyes narrowed, seeing the blood at the corner of his mouth. “What happened?”
“Accidentally bit my tongue,” he answered smoothly. “Got up too fast. And I’ve been to a couple festivals in the Land of Iron, but samurai do things differently than shinobi.”
“I haven’t been to a festival in a couple years,” Kian admitted. “The only time I’ve ever gone was…with my dad.” I really could use your advice right now, dad. I wish you were with me.
Despite not particularly feeling festive, he supposed that it would’ve been a waste of the night not to go. With one last look at the ocean, he led on, falling into step with his teammates when they caught up with him.
--- The night was truly in full force, the sky a dark, smooth black punctuated only by the light of the moon and the stars.
Uzushiogakure, however, was alive with color. There were beautiful, multicolored paper lanterns holding candles being carried through the crowded streets by the gentle breeze, colorful lights strung up overhead, intricately painted paper dragons carried over the heads of sprinting children. Even in his low mood, Kian couldn’t help but be impressed and captivated. Watching as Shusei lead the group onwards to the next carnival booth game, he pulled his hood back up over his head and slid his hands into his pockets.
His brain must be going haywire with all the smells wafting through these streets, Kian thought wryly. But I guess his enthusiasm is admirable.
Sora sighed loudly. “Shusei, slow down, bro! We don’t all have your energy, my guy.”
Groaning, Shusei indeed took a bit off his pace, allowing the others the opportunity to catch up. “You guys just need to get faster, easy,” he quipped, grinning broadly.
Dan rolled his eyes. “Or maybe you need to stop moving like you’re ten seconds from an accident if you don’t find a bathroom.”
“Don’t be so mean, you two,” Minegumo chided, sending Shusei an amused look. “It’s a festival in another village. We’re supposed to be running all over the place.”
“I don’t see how you can talk about running when you’re carrying all of that luggage,” Hikari said, pointing to the prizes her teammate was carrying in his arms. “My arms hurt just looking at you.”
Kian, accepting that his luck couldn’t possibly have been worse, glanced at all the carnival prizes that Hikari was pointing to. Prizes that Dan had won and turned right around and gifted to Minegumo, all while Kian had to watch and simply do nothing about it because the last thing he needed was to get in trouble again for fighting with Dan.
He hated it.
For his part, Sora found it funny how oblivious his best friend was to his own feelings. He decided it was about time to call Dan out; plus, he knew it would upset Kian, something that was always a nice bonus. Why not stir the pot?
“You know, if you’re not careful, Dan, people are going to assume you and Mine are dating,” he quipped.
Oh, fuck you, Sora, Kian thought, annoyed.
Both Dan’s and Minegumo’s faces turned bright scarlet at Sora’s words, both of them stuttering and stammering as they tried and failed to speak clearly.
Hikari rolled her eyes, lightly tapping Sora on the back of his head. “Don’t antagonize,” she said. Then, her expression shifted, a small grin playing on her lips. “Besides, Mine’s got a thing for dogs–”
Her words were cut off by said teammate launching one of his prizes, a stuffed tiger, directly at her face. Catching it with a giggle, Hikari burst out into full laughter at how red her friend’s face had gotten.
“What’s she mean, a thing for dogs?” Dan asked, brow furrowed. His gaze shifted to Shusei, and his eyes flickered with something like horror.
“Nothing!” Minegumo exclaimed. “Kari just thinks she’s funnier than she actually is.”
“None of you are funny, except for Shusei and Kari,” Kian deadpanned, throwing Sora a dirty look after taking a second to steal a glance at Hikari’s smile. Funnily enough, he found that it reduced his impulse to knock Sora out quite dramatically.
“Oh, hey, goth boy thinks I’m funny?” Shusei joked. “Bet. I’ll take it.”
Sora shrugged. “For real, though, you two should just get a room,” he teased, eyes flickering from Dan to Minegumo and back again. I’m sorry, Kari. I’ve gotta wingman for my guy, I don’t really care if Kian doesn’t like it.
“What’s so wrong about getting gifts for my friend?” Dan mumbled, but even to him, the question sounded weak. He knew that while friends got presents from festivals from other friends, the amount he’d won specifically to give to Minegumo was…excessive, to put it lightly.
But I’m making up for lost time, he thought stubbornly, adamantly not thinking about how pleased he felt every time Minegumo accepted one of his prizes. That’s years of gifts to make up for, thanks to Uchiha.
That reminder was almost enough to make his good mood plummet, and he had to fight off a scowl. He hated it, hated how Uchiha had spent years buttering himself up to his friend, and then had thrown their friendship in his face at what seemed like every turn. Well, not anymore. I’m back, and I’m here to stay.
“Aww, do you want me to get a present for you too, Sor-Sor?” Dan asked, giving an exaggerated eye flutter as he grabbed onto his best friend's arm. “All you had to do was ask.”
All at once, Hikari broke out into another fit of giggles, pressing her hand to her mouth as she just barely held back her laughter.
Sora rolled his eyes, playfully pushing Dan off of him. “I’m good, I don’t wanna make your boyfriend jealous,” he joked, grinning.
Minegumo scoffed. “That was so funny I forgot to laugh.”
“Oh, this one’s got the coolest prizes yet!” Shusei barked excitedly as they reached the booth he’d been so hellbent on getting to. It was a mock archery game.
Dan hummed, looking at what the game had to offer as prizes. Most of it was of no interest to him, but at the top of the rack was a beautiful plushie in the shape of a puppy, complete with a blue scarf around its neck.
Kian could’ve screamed into the void for all eternity, he was so frustrated. It would’ve been all too easy, what with his Sharingan, to get a perfect score at this stupid game and get Minegumo a prize himself. He knew, though, that it would just end up in a fight, so he found himself inching closer to Hikari, removing a hand from his pocket so that he could carefully lace his fingers with hers.
It didn’t quite cool him off completely, but it helped.
“Why do I get the feeling that you aren’t having the time of your life?” Hikari asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye.
“I’m not,” he admitted quietly so that only she could hear. “But it’s just been a tough day, anyway.”
Sora noticed that Kian was holding Hikari’s hand, and he felt frustration and jealousy course through him. “You know, Dan,” he remarked casually, “I bet you could win that top prize up there.”
“Damn, that’s like, the best plushie I’ve ever seen,” Shusei gushed as Suisei gave his owner an unamused look. “I want one!”
Dan cleared his throat and looked at Minegumo. “Does that seem like something you would like?”
“I wouldn’t mind it,” replied Minegumo, the flush returning to his face. “Then that’s what I’ll be getting,” Dan said firmly. Going up to the game booth and laying down coins, he took hold of one of the fake bows, before pausing. “Anyone else want to play?”
Hikari shrugged. “I’ll give it a go.”
Kian let go of Hikari’s hand and squeezed her shoulder gently. “You got this,” he said encouragingly.
“Damn right, I do,” she replied, leaning into the touch.
On the surface, he was fine. Really. Underneath it, however, a storm was raging. He hated the way that Dan seemed to be having an effect on Minegumo, hated that he couldn’t do anything about it without being painted as a bad guy, hated everything about this trip. Kian wished with his entire heart that he was back home, alone in his house with his books. Most of all, Kian wished that Dan would simply fuck off and stop blatantly hitting on Minegumo in front of him.
For her part, Hikari was feeling a bit on edge herself, despite the good mood. Her teammates were both acting off, in their own ways. Minegumo, usually so in control of himself, had been acting flustered and shy since Hyūga had started handing him prizes. It was amusing, watching her normally intense teammate reduced to the state he was in, but…her eyes drifted to her other teammate, who’d been more dour than normal. Well, somewhat more than usual. To Hikari, he seemed to fluctuate: easy and normal enough when they were talking, but then looking ready to throw a table at Hyūga as the night wore on.
As for Hikari herself…well, it would be a lie to say that she wasn’t feeling her own dissatisfaction about things. Uzumaki flirting, Ki and Hyūga’s weird rivalry, Minegumo’s seeming obliviousness to the whole thing… Well. She hadn’t been entirely joking when she said that the shortest member of Team Arata had a way of making the guys in their graduating class act stupid. Back then, it had been surprising, and after becoming teammates with him, it’d been amusing. Even now, it still made her giggle a bit, but Hikari would be lying if she said she wasn’t a bit envious, too.
Hikari took a deep breath, shaking her head and getting rid of those thoughts. They didn’t help anything, and she didn’t want or need anyone making a fool of themselves in her name. There was a reason she didn’t spend time with Uzumaki that wasn’t ordered.
“So how does this work?” she asked the man at the booth.
“Hit three targets,” he replied boredly. “Prizes depend on how well you do. Three bullseyes, and you get any pick of the top shelf. Arrows are suction cupped; they don’t stick, it doesn’t count as a win.”
At least he’s upfront about how it’s rigged, Dan thought wryly. Picking up the fake bow and arrows, he and Hikari exchanged looks, giving matching nods, before letting their arrows fly.
Ten minutes later, Minegumo was the recipient of a new plush puppy, carefully holding the stuffed animal to his chest as Dan looked on with a smile. “Thanks,” he said, giving his friend an uncharacteristically shy look.
“Here, Shusei,” Hikari said, giving him the puppy she’d won. “Consider it a gift from your new human best friend.”
“Yes!” Shusei exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly as he took the plushie, hugging it tightly. “Thank you so much, I love it!”
“Don’t wet yourself,” Sora teased, gently punching his teammate in the arm.
Kian, meanwhile, was looking determinedly up at the sky, trying to contain himself. He never acts like this with me, he thought, agony piercing his heart. It bothered him beyond words that Minegumo was acting like a smitten schoolgirl around Dan; it made him feel so invisible, if he were honest.
Who would notice you? the voice in his asked with a bored drawl.
Yeah…you’re right.
Minegumo coughed into his fists, taking a step away from Dan to address everyone. “So what do you guys want to do now?” he asked. “There’s still a lot of time before the water show.”
Hikari shrugged. “Should we look for Master Arata and Master Takuya? We haven’t seen them in a while.”
“Eh, they’re probably having a good time drinking and catching up,” Sora mused. “We don’t need them to have fun.”
“What do you think?” Shusei asked, turning to Dan.
“Why don’t we look for spots to watch the show?” he suggested. “I can help Mine take all of his stuff back to our hotel, then we can all meet back up. Sounds good to everyone?”
“Yeah, sure,” Hikari replied. “We were on the beach earlier. We can probably find a spot there.”
Dan smiled, taking Minegumo’s hand. “Perfect,” he said. “We can meet back up in about fifteen minutes, then.”
Smile Like You Mean It[]
As Kian walked through the streets alone, numb and wishing he were anywhere else, all he could think about was Minegumo and the way his best friend…crush…was with Dan.
He couldn’t even feel anger. All he felt was disappointment, self-loathing, and grief as he pictured Dan taking Mine’s hand over and over in his mind. The young Uchiha had no idea where he was going, had no sense of direction in this village, but he was so glad to be free of Dan and Sora that he didn’t care. Walking away from the others, at least, distanced him from the source of his pain.
When he’d gotten a couple of blocks away, Kian found an unoccupied bench and sat, holding his face in his hands, forcing himself not to cry.
“Ki?” Hikari’s voice was soft as she came across her teammate and friend, taking a seat beside him on the bench.
If it had been anyone else joining him, he would’ve probably just gotten up and walked off. The sound of Hikari’s voice, though, kept him rooted to the spot. She was the one person, it seemed, that he couldn’t run away from; she simply didn’t let him. Even though the impulse to run was still strong, he stayed. Wordlessly, Kian leaned into her, resting his head on her shoulder. For a moment, he was silent, wallowing in his emotions. Then, finally, he spoke.
“Dan’s probably kissing him right now,” he whimpered, voice flat and listless as the thought came to him and made him feel violently ill.
“Oh, Ki,” Hikari sighed out, coming to rest her head upon his. She hummed gently, moving her arms to wrap around his shoulders and shifting so she could tuck him under her chin. “You boys. What am I going to do with the two of you?”
“It hurts,” Kian told her quietly, pressing his face into her neck. “And I don’t know how to make it stop.”
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. There was one way to make the pain subside and leave him intact, but he wasn’t strong enough to go through with it. He didn’t have the fortitude to stop caring about Minegumo, no matter how much the idea of his best friend with someone else tore him apart inside, ripped away at his core. Kian couldn’t do it, even if it would’ve spared him from feeling this heartbroken.
You’ll grow to like the pain, the voice sneered. You’re already halfway there! Give in to it, let it make you stronger.
Kian swallowed hard, trying and failing to force his emotions back down below the surface. “I’ve liked him for a while,” he confessed, knowing instinctively that if he didn’t talk about it, it was going to slowly choke the life out of him. “You probably know already, though. I’m sure you’ve figured it out, and that I’m…you know. Bi.”
Hikari nodded, rubbing Kian’s back softly. She had noticed; privately, she thought you had to be willfully blind not to. “I had an idea back in our bell test. You guys had some pretty intense reactions to whatever it was that Master Arata made you see.”
Then there was everything that came after. Ki awakening his Sharingan after seeing what they both believed was Mine dying, the sheer relief on his face when they’d realized he’d lived. The training exercise when he’d lost control and his reaction to Mine being worried about Hyūga, how scared and forlorn he’d been…
Well. There were a lot of signs, some bigger than others.
So I really am obvious, Kian thought miserably. But then…why doesn’t Mine say something? He just…acts like he doesn’t notice…
Despondence attacked him as the thought occurred to him that Minegumo just didn’t want to notice his feelings, didn’t want him. Maybe deep down, Minegumo found him as repellant as Hikari found Sora, but considered him too much of a friend to say so. Perhaps that was why, as Minegumo had talked about the hawk in his vision having eyes similar to Kian, he’d been so focused on Hikari… Kian closed his eyes, blocking everything out except the sensation of the hand running over his back. It worked, for a moment; the pain dulled, and he found comfort in Hikari’s warmth, and her scent. For a moment, he escaped his reality, until he was forcibly reminded by his own thoughts that there was no escape.
She would never want you, either, he told himself.
Kian’s eyes opened slowly, shining with wetness. “What am I going to do, Kari?” he asked her softly. “I want him so badly, but I also just…want him to be happy, even if it means I’m not. What if it really is Dan that’s meant to be with him, not me?”
“Ki…” Hikari felt like her heart was breaking, seeing her teammate cry like this. What could she possibly say that would make him feel better?
“...You know,” she began carefully, “back on our last C-rank, Mine and I talked for a bit. I asked him if it was such a bad thing that you and he don’t always understand each other. Do you want to know what his response was?”
For a split second, Kian hesitated, wiping his eyes. At least Kari doesn’t seem to judge me when I cry, he thought. There’s that much to be grateful for. He pondered over her words briefly, realizing that they weren’t exactly wrong. Despite their friendship, it didn’t seem like he and Minegumo understood each other at all sometimes. It felt as though there was some unseen force determined to drive them apart, and Kian for the life of him couldn’t comprehend why. Why had he been introduced to someone who took his breath away, only for them to be so close, yet so far, unless it was the universe toying with him like it usually did? Why did he always have to just roll with the punches, bear the pain and pretend like he was fine?
All he wanted was to find some small piece of happiness that he could call his own.
“Yeah,” he said after a moment, his voice small. “I’d like that.”
“I may as well have told him the world was ending, from how forlorn he’d been,” she said. Just remembering it, how defeated the third member of their team had looked, how lost he’d been afterwards…
Hikari took a deep breath. “Have you ever thought that maybe you aren’t the only one who feels like you’re being left behind?”
Kian took a moment to consider that. “Maybe, but…I don’t understand…if that’s how he feels, why does he act like that for Dan, but never for me? It makes me feel like I don’t even exist to him, the way he…” His voice trailed off; he couldn’t make himself finish the sentence, but he supposed Hikari would probably understand him anyway. Somehow, she always did. Why was talking to her so much easier than talking to Minegumo?
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “If I had to guess, it’s because he actually knows you. He’s spent the last few years at your side, whereas he’s only just made friends with Hyūga again.”
Not to mention that the only reason that particular friendship had been rekindled was because of a slip up on Ki’s end. Had it not been for that, Hikari was certain that Mine would have been happy keeping his distance from Hyūga and Uzumaki. Funny, everything that came from that.
“But Ki,” she continued, “Mine was ready to die for you, remember? As much as he’d been worried about Hyūga back in that first joint training, it was you he did a body replacement for. Doesn’t that tell you anything?”
That made him quiet. As he thought, he shifted to lay across the bench, resting his head in Hikari’s lap and finally meeting her gaze.
“It’s funny,” he said quietly, “but I never really thought about it, I guess. In that moment, I was so ready to die for him, too, and for you, that I just… I dunno.” Pausing, he exhaled deeply. “Maybe I’m just too reckless with my own life to remember that for most people, something like that isn’t automatic. I care more about you and Mine than I’ve ever cared about myself, and I think that’s why my Sharingan came to me back then, because I was desperate not to lose both of you.”
Kian felt significantly better, thinking it all over. Hikari must’ve been right on some level, right? Surely, Minegumo wouldn’t have some close to dying for him if it meant nothing, if he meant nothing?
He blinked up at her, his amethyst eyes finally cleared of sadness. “How is it that you get me so well?” he asked, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You always just…know what to say or what to do.”
“Consider it my super power,” she said, running her fingers through his hair. “Yakushi Hikari: taijutsu master, Earth Release practitioner, Kian and Minegumo whisperer.”
Then, her eyes softened. “Just so you know, Mine and I…it isn’t like that between us, you know that, right?” she asked, remembering the look on his face when they’d been on the beach earlier. “I’ve never had any family, but I’m pretty sure he’s the closest thing I have to a brother.”
Saying it aloud, Hikari realized it was true. As tactile as they were, as much as she spent the night over at his house, things between them were strictly platonic. Minegumo had a way of putting her heart at ease and making her smile, and she liked to think she did the same for him. They’d even kissed each other on the cheek, and yeah, she’d even blushed a couple times, if only because it made her feel self-conscious, but it was never anything beyond that. Hikari didn’t feel…jittery when she was with him, didn’t feel butterflies in her stomach, or her heart pump so hard it would beat out of her chest. Not like…
She leaned back, looking at the sky and taking in the mass of stars. “Just so you’re aware of how things are.”
Kian exhaled deeply. “It’s good to hear that. I just…I’ve wondered here and there, you know?”
As much as he truly wanted them both to be happy, he couldn’t pretend like the two of them becoming a couple wouldn’t have absolutely ripped his heart out of the chest that it was beating so violently against. It was very reassuring to him to know that things weren’t like that. He supposed it made sense; Hikari and Minegumo were so…wildly different. Complementary, sure, but so different that if he’d been thinking with his brain instead of his heart, he probably would’ve realized for himself that they weren’t interested in each other like that.
When her latter statement finally pierced his brain through the relief washing over him, he chuckled softly. “I guess I’m chopped liver, then,” he teased, reaching up and gently brushing some of her hair behind her shoulder.
She just barely repressed a shiver. “Not everyone can be a premium lamb like me,” she said lightly. “But don’t worry, you’re still special. Sorta kinda.”
“I’ll take it,” he quipped, his mood having lifted significantly since she’d first found him.
For a moment, they sat there in content silence, until it was interrupted by the sounds of people clamoring. Sitting up, Kian noticed that the disturbance was coming from another game booth; apparently, the prizes had just been re-stocked, and the top prize was an absolutely gorgeous necklace. It wasn’t anything super intricate, but simple and elegant, and he decided immediately on exactly how he was going to thank Hikari for dealing with him.
“Be right back!” he exclaimed, jumping to his feet and darting off into the crowd.
“Wait, where are you going?” Hikari asked, dumbfounded, but her teammate was already up and moving, leaving her on the bench to sit and stare as he tore off.
Within minutes, he indeed returned, arms behind his back to hide the box that contained the necklace. It hadn’t been hard for him to win; the game was a kunai-throwing contest, and he’d so far outclassed the civilians also playing the game that it had been unfair. He’d set the high score, as well, much to the bemusement of the booth operator.
“I may have gotten you something,” he said bashfully, biting his lip as he sat back down next to her, setting the jewelry box across her lap. “I thought it looked like your style, I hope I wasn’t wrong.”
Hikari blinked, taking the offered box and opening it up. Taking hold of the chain, she felt her breath catch in her throat. “Ki, it’s–” Gorgeous. Beautiful. Took her breath away. Was the nicest thing that anyone had ever given her.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I love it.”
Kian’s face slowly broke out into a smile that reached his eyes, lighting them up as he saw how genuinely happy Hikari was at receiving the gift. Carefully, he reached over and took the chain from her hands, fastening it around her neck, very cognizant of making sure that when he did the clasp up, it wasn’t too tight.
This time, there was no repressing the shiver that went down her back as she felt his hands against her neck. Mouth suddenly dry, Hikari clenched her hands, thankful that the cooling weather at least gave her a good cover up for the goosebumps that were no doubt coming to life on her neck.
“It’s nothing,” he said softly. “Just…a way of saying thank you for dealing with me.” He paused. “It looks great on you, by the way, as beautiful as you are, inside and out. Guess that’s the one thing Sora is right about.”
Beautiful, huh?
There was that feeling in the pit of her stomach again, that fluttering sensation in her chest. It was her first time being called that, by anyone. Uzumaki had called her pretty and while the compliment had been flattering, Hikari hadn’t thought too much of it. Still didn’t, if she were being honest. Mine had also called her pretty, had put a flower in her hair and said she lived up to her name. That had been endearing, had made her happy and smiley. Yet…
“You aren’t so bad looking yourself, Ki,” Hikari said bashfully, tucking her hair behind her hair. “Definitely easy enough on the eyes.”
Kian was caught off guard by the compliment, so much so that he didn’t even bother to hide the blush rising in his cheeks. “Thanks,” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I, uh…honestly haven’t heard that before from anyone who wasn’t just superficially interested in me, actually.”
He’d always been derogatorily referred to as ‘pretty boy’ by people who didn’t like him or judged him or were jealous of him. There hadn’t been a shortage of girls in the Academy who had delighted in calling him hot, handsome, all that…but none of them knew him at all. It had always felt like they were describing an object, not a person. For Hikari to say that to him like she meant it, knowing him the way she did…
It just meant so much more.
Well, they weren’t exactly wrong, Hikari couldn’t help but think. She wasn’t exactly oblivious to the fact that both of her teammates were handsome individuals; between the two of them, they’d attracted the attention of both the boys and girls of their class without even trying.
“Well, you’re the first person that’s ever called me beautiful,” Hikari admitted, willing herself not to blush. She gave a smile, bumping his shoulder. “So I guess we’re even.”
Kian laughed shyly. “I guess so,” he agreed, grinning brightly.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually smiled this much, considering life usually didn’t give him much to smile about. For the first time in a long time, he felt like himself, truly himself, not the scared, hurt, traumatized person that he’d become. It was as terrifying to him as it was enthralling, and he was grateful that under all the colorful lights, it was impossible to tell that he was practically glowing, that he was fighting the reckless impulse to kiss the girl beside him that had managed to make him feel so much lighter.
What is wrong with me? he thought. I was literally just telling her all about my feelings for Mine, she wouldn’t want me to… Man, I need to get a grip.
Despite his best efforts, though, he couldn’t help but wonder if Hikari was feeling the same things that he was.
--- If Uzushiogakure was beautiful during the day, it was absolutely gorgeous during the nighttime hours. In a starlit sky clear of wayward clouds, the moon glittered bright and full, basking those down below in beams of silver-white light. Illuminated by the moon’s dazzling gleam, the falling cherry blossoms seemed to sparkle and shine as they gently fluttered about on the night wind. Meanwhile, the eddies that surrounded the village also seemed more alive on this night of the full moon, their whirling tides radiant in the moonlight, and allowing the villagers a rare glimpse of what lay below, at the bottom of the sea.
It was a breathtaking sight, like the gods had decided to bless the citizens and visitors of Uzushiogakure with this miraculous sight. Perhaps they had; it was, after all, the village’s spring festival. It was the perfect location for a get together, for friends to reaffirm their bonds and celebrate the time spent together, and for lovers to make prayers for continued good times.
Maybe, a place for old friendships to turn into something new, too. The thought came to Dan like a whisper in the wind; gone as quickly as it’d come, but the sensation it brought made his mouth go dry.
Looking at the boy beside him, he felt his heartbeat quicken in chest. Minegumo. Formerly the third in a trifecta of pranksters that’d been labeled as an unholy trinity by the instructors at the Academy, then his enemy, and now his friend again. Friend…and maybe something more.
“I still can’t see the others,” Minegumo said, breaking Dan out of his thoughts. “Are you sure they’re around here?”
Dan took a deep breath. “I’m sure they’re somewhere, Mine,” he said, willing his voice to stay even. “They might have just gone to play some more of the games.”
The ‘they’ in question being Sora, Shusei, Hikari, and Kian. Before dropping the prizes that Dan had won for Minegumo off at the hotel the two teams were staying at for the festival, he’d managed to get Sora to agree to distract Shusei long enough for them to get a good enough distance away from the Inuzuka’s sharp senses. Then, Dan had gotten Minegumo to walk around and check out the rest of the festival with him under the guise of looking for their wayward teammates. So far, things were going okay, but knowing the other boy as well as he did, Dan knew that Mine would eventually take things into his own hands and use his sensory perception to track everyone down himself.
He couldn’t allow that to happen.
“I’m worried about Ki,” Minegumo said, looking around with increasing anxiousness. “He looked really down earlier.”
As…distracted as Minegumo had been by Dan’s behavior through the evening, he hadn’t been so absorbed that his bestfriend’s worsening mood hadn’t caught his eye. Something had made Kian so upset that he’d been quiet the entire time, and he hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to him about it. Now said best friend was nowhere to be found, his other teammate had also disappeared, and it was taking everything Minegumo had not to send out a mass genjutsu communication.
Seeing his friend work himself up, it took everything Dan had to remain cool. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he scoffed under his breath. Even when he’s not here, Uchiha is ruining everything. It was enough to make Dan grit his teeth in frustration. Just once. Just once, can’t he not make Uchiha his number one priority?
It was slightly irrational, Dan knew that. What’d happened to Team Arata during their C-rank had been the talk of the Genin and Jōnin teachers after the mission report had come in. Minegumo had every reason to be worried about his teammates after something like what they’d gone through. Dan knew that. He knew that, but that didn’t stop the frustration from bubbling up in him.
Minegumo bit his lip. “Where are they…?”
“I’m sure they’re fine, Mine,” Dan said, throwing an arm over the other boy’s shoulder and feeling a thrill go through him when he didn’t push it off. Swallowing saliva, he tried to give what he hoped was an assuring smile. “This is Uzushiogakure, they’re greater allies of Konoha than even Suna. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Minegumo allowed himself to relax, shivering at the weight of Dan’s hand on his clothed shoulder. Playing with his jacket, he zipped it up, thankful for the large collar covering up the lower of his face. “And it is a festival.”
Dan nodded. “That’s right. And we’re here as honored guests, so just have some fun, yeah?”
“You’re right,” Minegumo agreed, giving a nod of his own. “Who knows when the next time we’ll have a chance like this is?”
“That’s the spirit!” Dan could have cheered, jumped up and pumped his fists in the air. As it was, he smiled so wide he felt like his face was going to split open. “You want to play some more games?”
“If by ‘play’ you mean watch while you play, win, and give me the top prize?” Minegumo asked wryly. At the hopeful look on his friend’s face, he smiled, but shook his head. “As much as I hate myself for saying ‘no’, I’ve got to this time. Any more gifts and someone will think something’s going on, if they don’t already.”
Remembering the jokes and laughter from Sora, Minegumo felt himself blush and found himself looking down. “Last thing we need is more teasing from the others,” he mumbled.
Is that such a bad thing? Dan had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from speaking the words just on the tip of his tongue. Would it really be so bad if people thought that way about us?
That thought had his heart beating even quicker than before; going into overtime as it sent Dan’s blood straight to his face. “Right,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “That’s fair. Wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea.”
The words tasted like ash in his mouth, and Dan almost sighed. He hated this, this confused cocktail of emotions that made him think unneeded thoughts whenever he was around Minegumo. It made him feel like some child, feeling things he couldn’t put into words, and crying because it was the only way he knew how to express his emotions. Except…except, deep down, he knew what he was feeling. Knew why his heart was beating so hard in his chest, why this night was shaping up to be one of the best of his life.
Oblivious to the thoughts going through his friend’s head, Minegumo gave a hum, taking in the way the night slowly began to draw to a close. Booths were closing and putting their wares away as the people began making their way to the beach to see the end of the festival, a show on the water.
“Maybe we should make our way to the beach,” he said, pointing to everyone leaving to see the water show. “We might run into Ki and Kari and the others.”
That was the absolute last thing Dan wanted. Sending a quick prayer, Dan activated his Byakugan, giving the gathering crowds a quick scan, and breathing a sigh of relief when he saw neither Minegumo’s teammates or his own. Sora, I owe you big time, he thought, once again feeling the urge to cheer.
“They aren’t at this beach,” he said, just barely suppressing a smile.
“Oh,” Minegumo’s brow furrowed. “We can probably just do a scan together and find them.”
“We could do that,” Dan agreed carefully. “But Mine, the show is about to begin any minute. In the time it takes us to do a scan of the entire island, without drawing unnecessary attention, the show will have begun. Then we’ll be wasting more time joining them—and that’s assuming they’re even all together.”
Unlikely, considering how much Sora loathed Kian. Dan didn’t think his feelings for Hikari were strong enough to stomach being around the guy he hated of his volition.
Minegumo pursed his lips, shifting on his feet, torn between the rationale in Dan’s words and the desire to see his friends, if only to make sure they were okay.
Come on, Mine…
“If they weren’t okay or something happened, I’m sure they’d have reached out to you or given some sort of signal,” he said gently. “Do you really want to look back on tonight with a memory of missing the show because you were worried over nothing?”
Minegumo looked away. “No…”
“Then let’s watch the show,” Dan said firmly. “Enjoy the performance, and then we’ll find everyone. Starting with your teammates.”
“Fine, fine!” Minegumo sighed, looking at Dan with a rueful smile. “You win. Happy?”
“Ecstatic,” he replied sincerely. “Now why don’t we find our own spot for the show, yeah?”
Moving his hand from Minegumo’s shoulder to his lower back, his heart kicking into overdrive again, Dan led them to a cliff that overlooked one of the beaches. Surrounded by cherry blossom and wisteria trees, with a perfect view of the show as the ninja of Uzushiogakure began putting down ofuda with a complex seal script. Taking a seat on the edge and motioning for his friend to sit beside him, Dan kicked his legs as the show began.
What a beautiful show it was, the seal tags lighting as the ninja of Uzushio took off toward the water. With every step they took on the sea, the waves sprung up in the form of beam-like waterspouts and chased after the performers. Every flip, every spin, the tendrils followed without fail, moving freely in the air. When it looked like the controlled waves would crash and cancel one another out, they instead intersected, moving through one another. As he looked on, Dan realized that the waterspouts weren’t just moving around randomly: they were creating shapes in the air.
Starting out small and like random knots than anything else, they soon grew in size and detail with each spin and flip the performers did. Within moments, a large palace of moving water stood over the sea. And it wasn’t alone: wrapped around the castle of shifting waves was the most intricately detailed water dragon that Dan had ever laid eyes on.
This is so…
“Beautiful,” Minegumo breathed out. Turning to him, Dan froze, heart stuttering and breath catching as he looked at the bright look on his friend’s face. As if sensing Dan’s gaze, Minegumo shifted. “Isn’t it?”
Oh.
“Mine,” Dan heard himself speak as if from far away. “Do me a favor and close your eyes, yeah? You have something in your hair.”
Predictably, trustingly, Minegumo’s eyes fluttered closed and Dan moved to push his hands through his blue locks. Then, moving that hand to Mine’s neck, he moved: before he could talk himself out of it, before he could worry about it, Dan kissed him.
For Reasons Unknown[]
So, this is how a heart breaks.
Alone in a hallway a few turns from the room he was sharing with his teammates, Kian sat with his back against the wall. Moments earlier, after he and the others had returned from the water show, Minegumo had come darting up to them from behind, looking dumbstruck as he practically dragged Hikari to their room, not even bothering to acknowledge him. Of course, Kian had noticed that Dan and Minegumo were the only ones absent from the group during the show. Of course, seeing Minegumo’s nervousness, it hadn’t taken him much to add two and two together. Of course, he was now sitting there, watching a faulty light bulb flicker almost rhythmically, like a morbid cadence to his excruciating agony.
I’m such a fucking idiot, he told himself, casting his eyes down, fixing them upon the ground. I knew this would happen. I fucking knew it…they really…
Kian was sure that Minegumo was busy telling Hikari all the details about how he and Dan had kissed. He could envision in nauseating detail Minegumo buzzing with excitement as he told her, probably even describing what Dan’s lips had tasted like. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t seen it coming from the moment he’d fucked up and driven Minegumo into his arms…
Gonna cry? the voice mocked, sounding all too pleased. Now that Minegumo’s tasted him, he’ll never spare you a second thought. Don’t be too sad, though; look at how happy you’ve made your love, just by doing him the favor of pushing him towards someone that’s better for him!
“Fuck you,” he whispered under his breath, hugging his knees to his chest like his life depended on it. “Fuck you. I won’t cry. I won’t. I won’t…”
No matter what, he wasn’t going to cry like a bitch anymore. He was tired of crying, tired of hurting, tired of caring enough to hurt. Kian was going to send the pain below, bury it deep beneath the surface. After all, hadn’t he gotten quite good at that? Pretending to be okay? The thoughts that ran through his mind, the way he seemed to fade away more and more each day while nobody noticed… Yeah. If it hadn’t been for his fight with Dan, nobody probably would’ve even begun to see the depths of what he felt.
Kian looked up, watching the light bulb flicker again.
Why? Why him, and not me? Why do I have to go through this, watching the person I love slowly fall for someone else?
The world didn’t make sense anymore. Kian was so numb that it felt like he was watching himself from outside of his own body. Everything hurt all at once, but at the same time, he felt nothing at all, not even the way his heart seemed to be ripping itself apart. If there was a bright side to all this, he couldn’t see it. Is that true, though? he asked himself. There was the inescapable truth that, more and more…he was starting to feel something for Hikari, something that was beginning to match his desire for Minegumo in strength. Nine months of seeing each other nearly daily and a couple of near death experiences had a funny way of revealing people to one another, and Hikari seemed to understand him in a way that nobody else did. Even Minegumo, who for all that he himself had had to put up with his mother’s bad days, at least had family. He was loved, openly and truly. Kian knew and appreciated that Minegumo wanted to understand him, but there was a disconnect. The pain of being alone was a pain that could only be truly grasped by those that had experienced it, and Hikari knew that pain the way that Kian did. Perhaps that was why talking to her was so much simpler.
For a second, the world seemed to stop ending as he thought about the moment they’d shared when they were alone, just the two of them, before the water show. It had been the first time he’d ever been the reason someone had lit up with that much happiness. Maybe, just maybe, there was something to that. In the moment, he hadn’t thought too much of it, but on reflection, he’d noticed the way she’d quivered at his touch. She’d admitted to considering him good-looking, too, and the way she’d been so breathless when she’d opened his gift…
Everything was so fucking confusing. On the one hand, he was torn apart by the grief that came with processing that Minegumo probably wanted someone else, but on the other hand, he couldn’t help but think about the way Hikari made him feel. Kian wanted to just turn his brain off and not think anymore, but unfortunately, the anxiety coursing through him removed that option off of the table.
If he’s happy…that’s what really matters, isn’t it? What if I’m being selfish, clinging to my feelings for him so desperately, and I’m meant to let him go?
Unable to sit there anymore, watching the light bulb die the same slow, morose death that he was, Kian got up and was gone. Within minutes, he was walking swiftly through the streets, now dark and quiet. It was the low that always seemed to follow a high as drastic as the one that accompanied something as joyous as a celebration, the bitterness that followed intense sweetness. Eventually, Kian found himself in a park, surrounded by the beauty of trees and moonlit cherry blossoms. As he came to a clearing, he was greeted by an unexpected sight: Dan standing at the edge of a pond, leaning against the railing and focusing on the water’s surface.
Something wasn’t right. Dan wasn’t the type to isolate himself and brood, not without reason. Kian wrestled with himself. This was the boy who had managed to bait him into losing Minegumo, who had insulted his father’s memory and treated him like garbage from the word go, who had had no guilt whatsoever about flirting with Minegumo in front of him. Why, Kian asked himself, should he have given a single fuck about Hyūga Dan’s problems?
The young raven-haired boy sighed, too emotionally drained and shattered to his core to feel angry or hold a grudge. Against what was probably his better judgment, Kian approached.
“People generally only make friends with the night when they feel like they can’t be open with anyone else,” Kian stated, his voice hoarse and cracking from emotional distress. He walked up beside Dan, leaning his back against the railing, arms folding across his chest. “You don’t have to talk, but I know suffering when I see it.”
“You don’t have to pretend we’re suddenly friends, Uchiha,” Dan muttered, tearing his gaze away from his reflection in the water. His voice was rough, a clear signal to his own emotional state as he began playing with a small bracelet he retrieved from his pocket. “Wouldn’t want you to feel insulted,” he added, mumbling the rest underneath his breath.
“I have better hearing than you’d think,” Kian remarked wryly, too hurt to argue. “Look, I’m not pretending anything. I never said we were friends. You made that abundantly clear when you basically said that I should kill myself like my father did.”
As if I haven’t thought about it before. More times than I’d like to admit. He left that thought unspoken, however.
No, he was really mostly interested because he knew that whatever had Dan sulking, when he should’ve felt on top of the world after kissing the boy that Kian had so nearly died protecting, it had to be genuinely serious. As much as he wished he could be angry, maybe even enough to have another go at acquainting Dan’s face with his fist, the emotion simply didn’t come to him. He knew, truly, what it felt like to hurt that deeply. Without any explanation, he knew somehow that Dan was aching just as badly as he was.
Dan scowled, shame and frustration about that particular memory making his teeth grit. “And then you tried to electrocute me and everyone else, so I guess that makes us even.”
Looking at Kian from the corner of his eyes, he had to resist the urge to…well, Dan didn’t know. Storm away, attack him for breathing the same air as him. Break down and scream. Dan didn’t quite know what kind of reaction he would have, but he knew it wouldn't be a good one. All because damn Uchiha couldn't just stop.
“Shouldn’t you be with Mine and Yakushi anyways?” he questioned, pulling the bracelet taut. He could already see it in his mind’s eye: Uchiha comforting Mine for the shameful kiss that Dan had forced on him.
Kian smiled darkly. “I think we both know why I’m not,” he said evenly, not shying away from Dan’s gaze. “He didn’t tell me anything, but he didn’t have to. I knew it was coming.” Pausing, he breathed the pain out, steadying himself. “I’m not just some big bad villain, you know. Mine…all that matters to me is his happiness. I never expected myself to be happy, anyway. I’ve always known that I’ll never be good enough for him.”
He didn’t know why he was admitting that to Dan of all people, but he supposed it didn’t matter. Kian was too empty to care. All he knew was that if Minegumo really did was Dan…all he could do was try to make peace with it. That was the only way he’d ever be able to move on.
Dan scoffed. “Don’t worry, Uchiha. You don’t have to worry about me stealing him away; you’re the only person he seems to think about.”
It hurt admitting that aloud: that even with just the two of them, Minegumo had spent the evening thinking about and looking for Uchiha, up until Dan had kissed him, and then he’d managed to ruin that too. Now here he was, with the one person in Konoha he couldn’t stand for company.
“The gods have such a damn sense of humor,” he said darkly, once again pulling at the bracelet as far as it could stretch. “I realize I have feelings for Mine, and he’s probably disgusted by the idea of me.”
Figures that the only person who would want me is— Dan bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood, hurriedly wiping at the corner of his mouth. Unwilling and unable to finish that thought without making himself sick.
“As much as I wish I could look you in the eye and say that that’s true, it’s not,” Kian told him, looking down in sadness. “For as long as I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him get flustered by anyone like he was earlier around you. The only time I’ve ever seen him as concerned for someone as he was for you when I lost my temper was…when I nearly died on our last C-rank. He takes a while to be aware of himself, Mine. Doesn’t like to unsettle himself by thinking too much about his feelings. I…really, really hate to say it, because it kills me, but his feelings for you look like they’re developing quicker than they ever did for me, if they did at all.”
He could fight for Minegumo. He could choose the path of greatest resistance, scratching and clawing in his desire to keep up with the competition, but…was that even what he wanted? As much as he loved Minegumo, was it really healthy, trying to compete all the time to get his attention? Jealousy was exhausting. Fighting was exhausting. Love wasn’t supposed to be exhausting, though; it was supposed to be the pinnacle of relief.
Was that the case? Dan felt torn: part of him wanted to believe Uchiha’s words, to believe that maybe the boy he’d been thinking about since they went their separate ways in the Academy actually returned his feelings. That maybe it wasn’t all in his head, and the little things he’d picked up on had actually been little things to be noticed. It could all be so simple.
But another part of him, the part that had learned to read people because he refused to ever be duped again, was so sure that Minegumo had feelings for Uchiha. Uchiha his teammate, Uchiha his best friend. Uchiha who’d stolen Minegumo from him when he’d been eight and left him with Sora who he loved, but would never understand what it was like to feel like a prey animal in your own house.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Uchiha,” he said bitterly. “Even if he does have feelings for me, I doubt it’ll take much for you to take him from me like you did last time around.”
“You know that wasn’t intentional, right?” Kian inquired, looking up at Dan, the exhaustion evident on his face as he finally understood the root of Dan’s awfulness towards him. “It was never like that. When I came back…it was from being kidnapped. For three fucking years. He gravitated towards me to overcompensate because I’d been gone. I never had any part of that, I couldn’t care less if he has other friends. Like I said, all I care about is his happiness. My own doesn’t matter to me.”
Well, it all made sense now. Dan had hated him from the start because he’d thought he had deliberately separated Minegumo from him. Nothing could’ve been further from the truth; Kian would have never, ever stood in between Minegumo and anything or anyone that made him happy.
“He still chose you,” Dan stated. “I needed him too, but you were the one he prioritized. My whole fucking world went to shit, and I didn’t even get to have the one person who would have understood through it all.”
His eyes stung, and Dan hastily wiped at them before tears could form. He hated it, this. Hated having to remember how he’d been left behind, forced to watch as Uchiha and Minegumo grew closer. It was like he’d been taunted in the sickest way possible, and all he could do was sit there and take it, until he’d lashed out in the only way he knew how.
And where had that gotten me?
Suddenly, he felt tired. Drained, like he’d spent the entire evening training, instead of having a good time. “Why can’t you just leave well enough alone, Uchiha?”
Kian sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair and tilting his head back to stare up at the moon. He felt a bone-deep tiredness that had nothing to do with a desire for sleep; all he wanted was some peace. Some warmth.
“Because, contrary to popular belief, I’m a human being with feelings of my own,” he replied quietly, almost defiantly. “I’m just as capable of empathy as the next person.” Maybe a little too capable. “Trust me, I know how it feels to watch your world get stripped away from you.”
For a moment, he fell silent. Maybe he wasn’t as terrible as he himself thought, if doing the right thing came so easily to him. Maybe, just maybe, Hikari had been right about him, that he wasn’t irredeemable. Selfishly, it was she that he wished to run to, the only person he could think of who would understand what he was feeling and want to ease his burdens, one of the only people who actually cared. It seemed, though, that tonight, Minegumo needed her more. The thought made him feel awfully lonely.
Before he could stop himself from talking, the words left his tongue. “When I was…taken… I was brainwashed. All my memories were altered, and a fake life was set up for me. I lost my entire sense of being and was made to think that my caretaker was my actual father, until he died a few months in and the genjutsu got progressively weaker. I ended up living on the streets, memories coming in and out, but I didn’t realize until later on that they were my own. I was a thief for most of my time there, you know, in Amegakure. I had to be, in order to survive. Do you know what happens to street rats in a crime-infested village like that one?”
There was no malice in his voice as he posed the question. He may as well have been asking Dan what he thought tomorrow’s weather was going to look like.
“I can take a guess,” mumbled Dan, twisting his bracelet. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Uchiha was alluding to, not when you remembered how awkward and aggressive the other boy was. But still, he could recognize the story for the gesture of peace and offer of empathy that it was. The right thing would be to return it, but the idea of telling anyone, much less Uchiha, about his own life story made him nauseous with anxiety.
I can’t keep it a secret forever, he thought. He’ll learn eventually. Better to give my side of it while I have the chance.
“What exactly do you know about the Hyūga clan?” asked Dan. “And I don’t mean our techniques or ancient history. What do you know about the current generation?”
Thinking about the things he’d endured…well, his eyes had glazed over slightly, before Dan’s question had snapped him out it, brought him back to reality. He mentally shook himself.
Kian’s brow furrowed; not out of irritation, he was simply thinking deeply. “Not much,” he admitted. “Between being gone for three years out of my twelve years of life and then being mostly focused on the state of the Uchiha… I can’t say I know much, at all.”
Why did he have a feeling that he understood where this was going, that he was about to bet let in on a twisted family secret? It wouldn’t be the first time that something fucked up had been swept under the rug for the sake of keeping peace within a clan. That was the burden of those born into powerful bloodlines: the pressure to put the clan and its glory, its reputation, above all. Any loss of face could be detrimental to the clan, and nobody was above the clan, no matter how skilled or gifted or talented.
Didn’t he know.
Pressing his lips together, Dan nodded, relief going through him. So, Mine hadn’t told him, then.
“The current main family is just my mother, Hyūga Mito, and I,” he revealed. “Except, Mito isn’t my mother by blood; she adopted me the day I was born to stop a scandal from happening. But that’s not important. The main family: there used to be four, instead of two. The other members were my father, Hyūga Syaoran, and…my older brother, Seiya.”
His hands twitched, and his voice cracked as he uttered out a name that he hadn’t spoken aloud in more than a year.
As he listened, Kian’s violet eyes, so observant even without the Sharingan, took inventory of Dan’s mannerisms: the defensive body language, as if trying to hold himself in, the fidgeting, the way his eyes darkened at the mention of his brother. He didn’t need to hear the way that Dan’s voice broke to pick up on the tells, but he wasn’t going to force it out of him. God, he knew how angry he would’ve been if someone had tried to pry the truth from him; he wasn’t going to do that to someone else.
Instead, he simply nodded as he pulled himself atop the railing to sit upon it, his heavily lidded eyes closing for the briefest of moments as he contemplated. “Well, I think I do recall my…uncle…mentioning a death in the Hyūga clan,” he said, voice hushed. “The head of the clan….”
Yeah, he remembered now, alright. Kian tended to forget that Dan was also an heir, himself, which meant that the man who had died was…Dan’s father. He recalled his uncle taunting him, mentioning that the man had met a fate similar to his own father. Something about it being ironic that the Hyūga clan had lost its own leader around the same time as the Uchiha.
Something was wrong, though. Clans like the Hyūga and Uchiha didn’t simply pass over their heirs, not normally. His situation within his clan was unique. For the firstborn of the Hyūga clan’s patriarch to be out of the picture, something must have happened. His stomach clenched; he thought he had an idea as to what.
Dan laughed, a malicious and spiteful sound. “He was killed. I don't know who she went to or how she did it, but Mito poisoned him and every one of those damned old men, for me. For what they did, what they still wanted to do with me.”
He could still remember that night, watching Syaoran and the elders choke after taking sips of their drinks. How frozen he’d been while the only other he’d ever known watched as his father screamed and pleaded for his life, to no avail. The whole time, Mito had sipped her juice, looking on with eyes that made him shiver to this day from how glacially cold they’d been.
“She did it to protect you,” Kian breathed, a shiver running down his spine. “That’s…”
It was touching. It was what adults were supposed to do: protect their children. He swallowed a lump in his throat as the realization hit him that he wished that he’d had someone to protect him when he was alone on the streets. Maybe if he’d had someone protecting him, he wouldn’t be this broken. He would’ve been okay. Sure, his father was his protector when they had been together, but then they’d been separated, only to be torn apart from each other forever within two short years of reuniting.
Dan shrugged. “Lot of good it did. She couldn’t bring herself to kill Seiya too, and he was the one who—” He broke off, jaw in a clench. “He was the one who started it. The one who did…that to me to begin with.”
Syaoran had let him, had seen what Seiya was doing to his own brother, and instead of putting a stop to it, had allowed it to continue. He could still remember how it began. How his brother always stared at him, like he was a puzzle to be completed. Then he’d started coming into his room, getting him alone…
“I didn’t — I hadn’t realized at first what he was doing,” Dan continued, tears falling down his cheeks. “I thought it was normal, something all brothers did. He always told me it was our little secret, and even Syaoran told me to keep quiet about it. Then Mito saw.”
That had been the beginning of the end. Dan had told her that Syaoran told him not to tell anyone about it, to stay silent and let Seiya do what he wanted, and something in her had seemed to die. Worse than finding out that her husband had been having an affair, worse than the knowledge of her son having antisocial tendencies. It was like whatever well of patience she’d had within had finally ran dry, and in its place was an inferno of rage.
“When I was eight, he was arrested and was to be taken to the Hōzuki prison,” he said. “But he managed to escape his guards and became a missing-nin on the run. But first, he…he came to see me.”
Kian felt his own tears rolling as he listened, hot and wet, stinging his skin. His whole body trembled from head to toe as the memories began rolling in his mind’s eye like the filthiest, most depraved films imaginable.
“It’s the worst pain imaginable, isn’t it?” he croaked out shakily after a long silence. “It’s…humiliating. Degrading. I’ve been beaten, thrown away like trash and screamed at, I’ve been stabbed and left for dead, I’ve been choked out and had my head slammed into walls, you name it, but… Nothing has ever made me want to die as much as being…touched…”
Dan nodded, wiping at his eyes. “Syaoran said it was my fault, when Mito found out. Said that I must have done something to draw Seiya’s attention, as if I’d ever want it.”
Kian grimaced and shook his head in equal parts sympathy and outrage, lost for words. Victim blaming was so cowardly. Classless.
He cast his thoughts around wildly for something that would bring him even a small amount of comfort as his memories continued to torment him. Kari, he thought, childish in his longing for her warmth. She knew. She knew what he’d been through, had had the compassion not to make him talk about it, and she hadn’t looked at him as if he were diseased or something to be pitied. Kian had told her, the only other person who knew aside from Dan now, and she’d never stopped just…seeing him. Part of him would’ve loved to have gone back to the hotel and asked for her to hold him and stay up with him, but he knew it was late at this point. Both of his teammates were probably fast asleep, and if they weren’t, they would be by the time he ended up returning, and Kian knew he couldn’t bring himself to wake her up just to burden her with more of his emotions. He didn’t want to be selfish.
Drawing a rasping, shuddering breath as a chill ran down his spine, he spoke. “I hated you, you know. Before now. I hated you because you always took shots at me and treated me like dirt, but… I don’t have it in me to hate someone who’s been through the same pain as me. Dan, if nobody’s told you this before…I’m sorry. You deserved better.”
“I hated you too,” Dan said. “Everyone saw how much Sora loathed you and assumed I did for the same reason, but it isn’t true. I couldn’t bring myself to hate Mine, so I hated you instead. For taking him away, and being the one he smiled to all the time. I hated how I couldn’t forget about him, while he was so happy with you and I had to just take it.”
For years, Dan had just wanted Minegumo’s attention. At some point, he’d stopped caring if the attention was good or not; as long as Mine was looking at and thinking about him, he was satisfied. Then that training exercise had happened, and it was like the gods had finally taken mercy on him. Mine was talking to him without any barbed words or stinging comments; had cried for him and suddenly they were friends again. It was everything Dan had wished for since he was eight, and he’d been satisfied with it. He had been.
Then they’d gone to see that fortune teller, and it was like the universe itself was screaming at Dan that this was his chance, his one opportunity, and that if he wasted it, that was it. All he had to do was have the fortitude to actually take that step, and he had. He’d kissed Minegumo at the show, only for him to run off as soon as they got to the hotel.
Kian took note of how Dan used the word ‘hate’ in the past tense. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Rubbing between his eyes, he chewed his lip thoughtfully as the tears continued to roll down his cheeks. Be grown up, he told himself. Don’t be a child. It’s not worth holding a grudge. Not after what you did. Unlike his uncle, Dan wasn’t some cold-blooded killer who deserved the full weight of his vengeance.
No, Dan was just a kid his age who was as scared, confused, and emotional as he himself was.
“Dan, I’m not here to stand between you and him,” Kian sighed finally, wiping his tears on the sleeve of his hoodie. “I’m really not. As much as there was distance between the two of you, I don’t think he ever stopped caring, not really. For him to react the way he has been to you… He’s probably always cared, and…I’m okay with that.”
Though the words came from his lips, they felt as though they’d been spoken by a stranger.
“I won’t deny what I feel for him,” he continued. “I’ve tried, and tried, and tried, but I can’t. At the same time, though, I think I’m beginning to realize that…sometimes what you want isn’t what you need. Sometimes things go differently than you imagined. To be honest, when I’ve tried to picture what my life will look like in the future, I always pictured it being with him, but…as much as you see our closeness, you haven’t gotten a chance to see that we don’t always communicate well. We don’t always get what the other needs, we don’t always understand each other. Maybe you really will turn out to be better for him than I am. It’ll hurt, yeah, but the world will still turn. The sun will still rise and fall. Life will go on. I just want him happy, even if it means I go unloved.”
Don’t count yourself out just yet, Dan wanted to say. Mine’s still crazy about you.
Instead of speaking his thoughts, however, he shrugged, sliding his bracelet into the pockets of his jacket. There was no need for it, now that he wasn’t feeling so intense and worked up.
“You don’t have to worry about me giving up on him,” Dan said. “I don’t plan on going anywhere. Not this time.”
Kian nodded. “Truce, then?” he asked softly, sliding off the railing and offering his right hand for Dan to shake. “No more fighting, no more jealousy over him?”
Maybe this way, even if I don’t end up with Minegumo, even if it’s Dan that he chooses…I can still be with him. As his friend.
Looking at his hand, Dan hesitated from a single moment, before accepting the obvious branch, taking his hand in his own and giving it a shake. “Truce.”
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