A/N:
When I write my fict 'For You', I realized that it could be more confusing if I kept showing the scattered memories between Kakashi and Kyouna, so I cut it and put them into separate story. The Transient Fireworks (Utakata Hanabi) is one of Naruto Shipuuden's ending theme song performed by Supercell from episode 167 to 179. I love the song and always listen it while I write Kakashi-Kyouna's childhood memories, since their lovely friendship started when they watched the fireworks (hanabi) together. So I borrow the English title of the song for this fict. It's up to you to judge it as songfict or not, I just couldn't resist the song's mood every time I heard it hehe, and right, this is the prequel of the series that I plan to write, this is the revised version since i decided to add more details and slow the development. I hope you'll like it and review could be lovely :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any media of its including any musics theme.
This chapter betaed by Marce5500
Chapter 1
Uzumaki Kushina hated the sealing training, she hated it because memorizing the hand seals or the spells characters were hard. She was born impatient, learning the sealing technique needed to be patience; she needed to memorize the hand seals. What characters would be needed to write and sometimes, which one would cost some of her blood. These slow stages just irritated her.
She scowled at the scroll in her hand, muttering something unintelligible, but she kept moving her hand to make the seal. Kushina did not realize another girl was watching her from behind, she moved closer and leaned over the girl who sitting cross-legged on the ground shutting her eyes trying to concentrate. She raised an eyebrow and smiled when she saw the letters that spread across the papers.
"You put the wrong characters there, Kushina." Kushina shot her eyes open, glanced up at the taller girl upon her, before narrowing her brows, and checked the characters she had wrote, comparing with her scroll once more and finally sighed in defeat. She laid down on the ground with hands clasped behind her head.
"Aaah…I'll never get used to this thing." Kushina stared at the blue skies above them and sighed. "You're lucky that you're smart. Obaa-chan always praised you and bragged to everyone that Keiko was the real genius in sealing technique, a worthy heir of our clan's fūinjutsu."
Another redhead girl named Keiko shook her head and joined the younger girl on the ground. "I'm not genius Kushina, I'm just a fast learner."
"Yeah, an incredibly fast learner." Kushina retorted but still grinned at her. "Ne, ne, are you free today, Kei nee-chan?"
Keiko raised her eyes and chuckled. "You only call me like that if you want something from me." Kushina didn't reply but laughed at the sentence. "Nah, what do you want from me, ne, my cute little cousin?"
"Hehe, please teach me this Fūja Houin, nee-chan!"
"What's your problem with that? Except that you keep forgetting the characters."
"That's my ultimate problem, too many character for this technique." Kushina rolled her eyes. "You know I'm not good at memorizing long sentences."
"Kushina, what's the purpose of Fūja Houin?" Taping her chin in thought, Kushina tried to remember what her mother said about this type of seal.
"Um… it's used to counter the effects of a cursed seal."
"Right, I think I have a better method for you to learn it." Keiko smirked as she readied her hand seal, Kushina shuddered as she suddenly felt a scary feeling, she turned in attempt to run but Keiko's faster, she gripped and pulled her hand as her smirk gone wider. "I already put a curse on you."
"Kei-chan!" Kushina stared in horror at the black mark that appeared on her upper arm.
"You have a week to successfully counter the curse, if you fail, you won't be able to live in peace." Keiko smugly pointed at her shoulder. "He'll stay with you as long as the curse still active." Shuddering, Kushina peered on her shoulder, her eyes bulged out when she saw a small weird creature calmly perched on her shoulder.
"Gyaah! What is this thing?" She tried to shove the creature but failed. It's perch there and eerie laugh heard from him.
"A tiny demon, I summoned him here to keep the curse on you." Keiko laughed and waved her hand. "You can use Fūja Houin to counter it, well I have to go Kushina, good luck."
"Oy! Wait-dattebane."
"Ah, right, I forgot. Be careful, that curse is consuming your chakra." Another menacing laugh was heard from the older girl as she walked away from training ground, leaving her alone with the nasty creature that still perched happily on her shoulder.
Kushina gaped at the sight of her cousin when she suddenly showed up at her daily training in their dojo, it's been six months since Keiko went to take over her family business and gone away just like that. If she's not pestering her mother she believed that her cousin had ditch her, she knew Keiko wouldn't be always there to train with her, but she didn't know this would happened so soon.
She knew a little about her cousin's family, Keiko originally was not trained to be a shinobi like her, her aunt, Keiko's mother was a Miko. She learnt that there were two priest-like clans in Uzushio no kuni, which oversaw certain important land rites, and they're an influential clans. Keiko's mother was from Nishikawa, one of the priestly clans, Kushina knew from her mother, because her uncle married with her aunt. She always was mesmerized by how stunning her aunt was in her high priestess robe. Keiko told her once that she'll be her mother successor since she didn't have any sibling, and one day she'll receive the mark.
"What mark?" Kushina cocked her head, they're enjoying their short break after Keiko willingly taught her about sealing.
"The Nishi." Keiko smiled. "You know, the black circle and four red diamond shapes on my mother's forehead." Kushina nodded, she remembered those red and black marks, she thought they were makeup.
"What's that? How do you receive them?"
"Curious, aren't you?" Keiko playfully nudged her cousin and laughed. "I don't know, maybe it needs a ritual or something. That's my mother-" she blinked and shook her head "no, my clan contract. They call it contract among the dragons to be their right hand, to help them keep 'the other world' balance."
"The other world?" Kushina's brows narrowed. Keiko sighed heavily as she bent her knee up to her chest.
"It's going to be long story Kushina, since it's my mother's clan history."
"It's okay, we're in break anyway."
"But you hate history."
"Not really, I think it's quite fun as bed time story." Kushina stuck out her tongue and laughed at the frowning red head girl.
"Mattaku, this girl."
"Neh, neh, tell me please."
"Hai, hai. Let's start with the other world." Keiko sighed in defeat. "Well, simply to say that we're not alone in this world. Human world, demon world, we live together in this world."
"Demons? So those kinds of things are exists? Ghost? Monster?" Kushina eyes widened in surprised. "Did you ever see one?"
"Yes they're exist, I saw them once near the cemetery. You read our clan sealing scrolls didn't you? They mentioned how the Uzumaki clan seal the demon, right?" Keiko pointed her finger to tap Kushina's head. Kushina blinked and grinning sheepishly.
"Hehe I'm forgot dattebane. So, so, how could those marks keep the world balance?"
"Mou…Kushina, let me finish will you, then you're free to ask any questions." Keiko scowled at the too much eager Kushina who looked interested in her story. Her little cousin was brave, too brave for any child around her age. Kushina again only scratched her head sheepishly.
"Where was I? Ah, right, another world. Actually, our world are connected each other, that's why many people sometimes could see ghost or yokai rooming around. Some of them hunger for blood or power, not much different from human. Mother said that some human sometimes could be scarier than demon.
"My ancestor was one of those men who hungered for power, history told that he was an onmyōji who started to collect demons to serve him to become the greatest onmyōji. He then challenged the Shiryū, the 4 dragon kings, but he lost. Later, the Shiryū punished him by sealing those power into him and cursed him, so that his descendants is always a girl to make sure she doesn't misuse the power.
"He freaked out, and he tried to omit the curse by marrying the Miko but it didn't work. He and his descendants had to keep the balance between the two worlds, they had to exorcist or seal demons neither tried to cross the border and create disturbance for the humans and from preventing another human to use demons for their interest to pay his sins.
"Well, sometimes exorcising or blessing something were side jobs for every priest in the world. However, demons varied, some of them were stronger some weaker, we couldn't predict their power. That's why I have to keep learning the sealing art, Kushina, that's also another reason why my mother married my father. The Uzumaki clan were renowned for their fūinjutsu, Jii-san thought if an Uzumaki and Nishikawa join forces it would strengthen our village and our specialty in sealing art. It also helped my clan to keep on existing. Beside we're always caught up in war, someone has to keep the bloodline, don't they?"
Kushina furrowed her brows at the long explanations. "How long does Nishikawa's generations have to do that job?"
"I don't know." Keiko shrugged. "Maybe a whole lifetime."
"Is there any way to break the curse?"
"That too…I don't know. Maybe I could find something from my clan's files." Kushina nodded absently, the silent between them was comforting for the older Uzumaki but for Kushina she's just fell into a deep thought.
"You said that mark was from the 4 dragon kings, right?" Keiko glanced at her and nodded. "But there's five marks, not four."
"The last one was the clan's sealing power, originally my clan's onmyōji married to a Miko. As far as I know, if something happen to us, four of them will be gone but that last one won't be. It's quite hard to maintain the sacre power, you know."
Kushina stared at her cousin in bewilderment, Keiko was the only Uzumaki child that around her age, though she's five years older than her but she's the closest one. Seeing the fact that the girl still felt lonely around her made her sad, because she's consider Keiko as the sister she never had.
"It's okay, Kei-chan." Kushina flashed a grin to her. "You still have me, we can make the greatest redhead duo-dattebane!" Keiko blinked a second at the exclamation but laughed as she nodded in agreement.
So, she already got those, huh. Kushina wondered idly why Keiko's gone in these six months, after finally she excelled the sealing arts and took the priest exam – she remembered her expression when she announced to her that now she's in Meika rank – then she's just gone like that. Noting from her appearance, Keiko might be a Shōgūji now, just a level below her mother and Tsurubuchi-sama in their shrine, and that girl seemed didn't bother to change before waltzed into the dojo, she's still wore her costume, probably ran after performing Kagura.
"There you are!" She grinning at Kushina who stopped abruptly from her taijutsu training when she heard the door opened, her eyes traveled to her cousin, she brought a wrapped box in her hand.
"Ran away from your duty?" Kushina snickered at her clothes.
"I'm just finished. So I thought I could finally have my break to meet you. Training for academy huh?"
"Yeah! I'm going to be the greatest kunoichi in Whirlpool, dattebane!"
"Hmm…can't wait to see that happen." Keiko kneeled down, she found it's quite difficult with her kimono until she successfully sat down and patted her side, signaling Kushina to sit there. "I'm sorry I didn't come to your birthday. I hope you're not angry."
"No I'm not angry." Kushina sat beside her cousin and huffed. "I'm mad!" She crossed her arms and pouted, Keiko grimaced at her side. "But I know, you didn't do it on purpose. So, how's the ceremony?"
"How-"
"I asked kaa-chan, she said oba-san took you to the shrine." Kushina gnawed her lips, she knew Keiko didn't like to bring up this topic, but… "So, did you…did you get it?"
Keiko glanced sideway and nodded at Kushina and pointed her finger at her forehead. Her hand reached up and pulled aside her bang, only for Kushina's eyes widened at the sight of a familiar tattoos she always seen on her aunt's forehead. Kushina suddenly felt the sadness radiated from her cousin, she knew her fate had changed when she was finally branded by that mark. It's not like Keiko herself wanted the power, but she's was destined to bare it.
"I wish I just an ordinary Uzumaki who served the shrine." Keiko pulled down her bang and sighed. "My priestly lineages are troublesome." Kushina felt guilty to bring that up but her curiosity won over.
"How did you get that?"
"I don't know, I just remember I got nightmares and high fever, I thought I was sick and mother took me to the shrine. I don't remember anything else, when I realized I already got this and forced to train, then suddenly six months already passed." Keiko took another deep breath before she let out another tired sigh, "I've been practically isolated." Kushina could felt sadness radiated from her.
"I do mean it you know. What I told you before, about I'll always there for you. Then our children too, they'll have our great friendship and awesomeness, dattebane!" Keiko giggled at the exclamation, but somewhere in her heart, she felt a bit jealous over Kushina's freedom, she can choose what she wanted to be unlike her, stuck in this cursed loop and her future daughter will too.
"You're right." Keiko nodded, still having a smile plastered on her face. "By the way, this is your belated present, to make up my mistake of not coming to your birthday, Kushina." She handed the box to Kushina who happily began ripping the wrapping paper off, she squealed in delight when she opened the box and lifted her new training suit to air.
"What? Another scrolls?" Kushina pouted as she took another thing out from her box. "Kei-chan you're cruel!" She got the training suit and few scrolls as her presents, but it seemed her suit was the one she liked the most.
"You don't want it? Too bad, those are collection of my resumes about sealing art, I put all my experiments through all my sealing training there." The pair of violet-blue eyes in front of her widened in awe, Kushina jumped and pull the scrolls out over.
"This is the golden scrolls, dattebane!"
Keiko laughed at the over enthusiastic Kushina, looked like not the scrolls were more precious than her suit. "I'm glad you like them, so from now on you've to train harder. Though, I'm not there to help you."
"You won't help me anymore?"
"It's not like that, but I'm going to be busy, since…well, you know." Keiko shrugged lazily, didn't attempted to continue. Kushina watched the expression changed on her face. Right, now she's officially a Miko, she had to do her job and couldn't fooling around with her anymore.
"It's okay, I just need to come to the shrine if I want to see you, right?" Kushina pumped a fist in front to show her determination.
"Pfft…okay, but promise me you won't skip your training!"
"Eeh…you're awful!" Kushina protested face fell at the mentioned of her training, much to Keiko's entertainment. "Last year you put a curse on me, now at least let me skip once or twice, please."
"Ah, ah, ah." Keiko waved her finger playfully scolded her cousin. "In the end, you're were able to counter my curse, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did, but those horrible days with that nasty creature were surely exhausting." Kushina shook her head and put her gifts back in its box.
"You'll only exhaust yourself, at least you won't passed out." The young Miko frowned. "Did your mother know about that?"
"Of course she knew, how could I hid that nasty creature and your curse from her?" Kushina scratched her head in annoyance, she remembered the anxious and curious looks her parents had gave her in those five horrible days. "Ah, that reminds me on something." She glanced up at her cousin. "Kaa-chan said you're up on something, special chakra training. Are you planning to be a ninja too?"
There's a moment of silent before the older redhead shook her head. "I couldn't abandon my Miko's duty, but yes, I'm doing chakra training right now."
"Why so sudden? You were never interested in ninja training. Well, you did chakra training for sealing but what with this special training?" To her surprised, Keiko shrugged uninterestedly.
"Jii-san and Baa-san told my mother that I have unique chakra too, quite similar like you but not as strong as yours."
"Mine stronger?" Kushina widened her eyes. "You're must be kidding."
"You're pure blooded Uzumaki, I'm just half blood, remember." Keiko huffed and dusted off her kimono as she stood up.
"So, what are you doing for this special training?"
"Maa…this and that." Keiko grinning and ran her hand to ruffle Kushina's hair. "I have to go, you can start your training again. And don't skip it!"
"Hey!" Kushina shouted her protest, only reward another ruffled and laugh from her cousin before she darted away from her.
Today was like another day in Uzushiogakure, nice weather, usual day in academy for some people but a fantastic one for Kushina. Her teacher praised her because she won the sparring match over her classmate, so she happily skipping along the road home. Eagerly wanted to tell her parents about her day, might ask to visit Keiko, and stayed for dinner in her cousin place.
It's not she liked the priest meal or how quiet the atmosphere when they had dinner, she just wanted to showed off one of her achievement today to her. Aside of the sealing art, in ninja training she definitely won't be Keiko's shadow. Kushina knew it's not a quite fair rivalry because unlike her Keiko didn't train to be ninja, but she didn't mind it. Her cousin's body was too weak for any physique training, that's why she relied so much on her sealing and chakra training – last time she saw her training Keiko was quite doomed with her chakra – she said she only needed Kushina to be her guardian, that's if she could be a great ninja.
She wanted her to know that she would be one in no time, humming happily Kushina opened her door house and she kicked off her sandal.
"Tadaima. Kaa-chan?"
Kushina walked to living room but didn't find her mother, she turned to kitchen but found the room was empty. She checked her parents' room but found nothing, it's rare to see her house empty. Her father probably went off for mission somewhere but her mother nowhere to be find, running back to her door she put her sandals on and headed to her grandparents' house. Usually her mother was there if she's not at home, maybe she was discussing about her training with her grandpa.
When she reached her grandparents' house she didn't rushed in but strolled to backyard, she always entered into this house by the back door lead from backyard to the kitchen. Is she lucky she would find afternoon snack there, grinning from her imaginative snack, she'd find Kushina crossed the backyard and sneak into the kitchen. Instead of found a delicious snack, she overheard the house cleaners whispering about her.
"So Kushina-chan will send to that village? Where is it again?"
"Konoha."
"Eh? Really?"
"I heard the whole family agreed to send her, it's already settled."
"So, the masked ninja who came this morning was from Konoha?"
"Yes, I guess he'll be the one who'll take her."
"But why they send her?"
"Konoha wanted her, it's part of our deal with them. You know, Mito-sama? She's sent there too."
"Oh…right, Mito-sama never come back here anymore, does it mean we won't see Kushina-chan again?"
"How about her study?"
"I think Konoha also had academy, she might transfer there."
"Poor Kushina, I'll miss her."
Kushina blinked at the mention of Uzumaki Mito, she learnt about her from her grandmother. She said Mito-sama was special, she had special chakra and quite strong beside her mastered in sealing art. That's why she was sent to Konoha, though in the end she married the Shodaime Hokage she never came back to this village anymore.
Her grandmother said she also had special and huge chakra, mass amount chakra was normal in Uzumaki clan, but special was quite rare. That's why she started her chakra training years earlier than Keiko, her cousin also had quite similar chakra but less special and not as huge as her that's why she didn't train as harder as her, instead focused on her sealing art.
She's quite proud with her possession but now she's not sure about it, what if the house cleaners said was true, then she would sent to Konoha? Like Mito-sama? Never came back to this village? Why? Why would they send her away? Was it because her chakra? Moreover, they said her family had agreed. That meant her parents and grandparents agreed? Her grandpa was the village leader, the Kage in this village. His command was absolute, as granddaughter of the Kage she wasn't exception, but to leave her home?
Kushina felt a big lump in her throat and her eyes stung, she wanted to cry. Kushina turned and ran away, accidently hit a ninja who entered the gate, but she didn't bother to apologize as she kept running. Absently leading herself to familiar road until she reached the Torii gate, eyes still locked to the ground as she started climbing the stairs. Ignoring the look sent by the Gonnegi as she took a turn to the priest compound.
She always spent most of her time in this shrine beside her family dojo or park, one familiar figure that always connected to the shrine was her cousin. The smiling redhead who always welcomed her since they were children, she loved to be around Keiko. Helped her sweeping the leaves or put the omikuji when the festival comes, she loved the relaxing atmosphere here, the smell of the air was calming.
"Looking for something?"
Tsurubuchi, the Daigūji of this shrine, the man she known was a friend of her uncle who became the Priest here and helped to teach Keiko since she was a kid, stood right in front of her, blocking her way to the files storage room. He sighed when he finally got a look of the little girl.
"Alright, Keiko's inside." He stepped aside to let the eight years old girl entered the room. Kushina nodded slightly and abruptly entered the room.
"Kushina?!" Keiko snapped from her scroll at the sudden disturbance of the door that slid open. "What are you - " She shut her mouth at the sight of the trembling Kushina.
"I don't want to go!" Kushina snapped as she stood on the doorway, hands clenched tightly, hanging at her sides and trembling. She scrubbed her face as her tears started to fall. "I want to stay here Kei-chan."
Confused with the younger actions, Keiko stood off from her chair to get closer and hugged her. "Calm down, Kushina. You won't go anywhere."
"They'll take me. I don't want to go!"
"Who's going to take you?"
"Shinobi from Konoha, they're here and kaa-chan and tou-chan agreed with him." This is bad, Kushina was crying. It's bad enough when she's was angry, but crying, was a different matter.
"If you don't calm down, I won't understand anything you're talking about." Sighing, Keiko pulled her hand and escorted her to the back porch. There's a little pond behind this building, they could sit on porch and talked. "Wait here, I'll get some tea."
Five minute later Keiko back with a tray on her hand, she brought two cups and a small pot of tea. She poured the tea and gave it to the still sniffling girl and poured another one for her, she waited until Kushina stopped crying and drank her tea. They won't get anywhere if she's still couldn't control her emotion. She knew it quite well because they're grew up together long enough to know that Kushina was quite temperamental.
"Did you calm down now?" Keiko peeked at the slight shorter girl on her left and saw her nodding. "Now, tell me what's wrong?"
"I was looking for Kaa-chan but she's not home, so I went to Jii-chan's and I heard they talked about me. They…they'll send me to Konoha."
"Eh? Who will send you there?"
"Them! Jii-chan, Baa-chan and Kaa-chan too!"
"Why?" Keiko didn't understand at all why would her family send their only daughter away to Konoha, her mother didn't say anything about this, her father might have know something but he's still in battlefront with Kushina's father. There's have to be something behind this plan, especially relate to her cousin.
"I don't know, they said Konoha wanted me." Her tears started to fall again. "Just like Mito-sama."
Mito-sama? Uzumaki Mito? She read something about the woman, she'd been sent to Konoha and later married with the Shodaime Hokage. No other additional information about her beside she also had special chakra, well, she's an Uzumaki after all. Don't tell me…
"Ne, Kushina. Tell me, from whom you heard this?"
"The house cleaners, they overheard Jii-san talked with Kaa-chan and Baa-chan."
Biting her lip Keiko cursed the habit of both the house cleaners and Kushina who kept pulling a conclusion from what they just had heard without filtered the information.
"Kushina, you can't jump into a conclusion from what you just heard an hour ago without thinking carefully at first place. We don't even know the truth about it, they might be wrong."
Inwardly Keiko slapped her head, now she's sounded like lecturing the girl. Luckily, Kushina was more preoccupied with her own thought than snapped. She needed to be more careful with her tone, but she couldn't dismiss the possibility she just found out. However, it's still not a hundred percent sure about that, but still she had a bad feeling about it.
"Do you want me to ask Ba-chan about that?"
Keiko offered her help to talk, besides, she also had something to ask her aunt. She knew in this condition Kushina won't be able to talk with her own mother with a clear mind, more precisely she didn't want to talk. That's happen before when she got angry and didn't want to talk to her mother at all, but seeking shelter from her. Keiko noticed the vague nod from her as she whispered her wish.
"Can I stay with you? I'm afraid to go home."
"You're always welcome, anytime, Kushina." Keiko slowly patted and combed down Kushina's hair to make her calm as she started to think how to persuade her aunt about her daughter.
To be exact it didn't need to take any time and effort to explain about Kushina, both her mother and Kushina's already knew that she would always be the place where the little tomboy girl ran to, if she had problems. However, this case was a little bit different than her usual, Keiko forced to had a private talk with the women. Fortunately, Kushina already went to bed after exhaust herself from the crying and training.
"So she heard it from the house cleaners?"
"Hai, ba-san." Keiko nodded. "And she's really angry about that."
The other women were sighing tiredly, somehow Keiko got the feeling that her aunt and mother already talked about this. It showed from their gestures.
"Ano…ba-san, is it true that Kushina will go to Konoha?"
The older redhead let another sigh before she nodded solemnly. "Ah, it's settled. She'll go to Konoha."
Keiko's brow furrowed. "Is it because she had special chakra? Like Mito-sama?" she had a good guess about the answer she'd get by eyeing her aunt slight changed expression.
"It's for our alliance between Konoha and Uzushio, Keiko."
"Why? I don't understand, did she really need to go and never come back?"
"Yes."
"But-"
"Keiko, enough!" Her mother snapped. She rarely got angry, especially to of curiousness. "Your grandpa already set it, Kushina will go to Konoha. You can't disobey Kage's order."
"Will she go alone? Can I go with her?" Keiko sent pleading eyes to them, just like Kushina, she didn't want to separated from her cousin. She's lonely enough with her duties and Kushina's company in this village, she couldn't imagine how lonesome her life would be without the talkative girl.
"No, I'll follow her to Konoha after everything settled here." Her aunt shook her head. "I'll wait until your father and uncle come back from battlefront and then go to Konoha."
"And no, you can't. You know you're needed here." Added her mother when she got the signal her daughter sent to her, sadly, both Keiko and her would have to stay here. Her clan business was more too important to abandon and moved to another village just because she didn't want to lose her best friend, she had to learn how to sacrifice.
"But you can spend your time with her if you want until her departure." Keiko gulped, she knew it would be her answer. Solemnly she nodded. Right, Kage's orders were absolute. "You can go now, Keiko."
With slight bow, Keiko walked back to her room. Kushina won't like the news, she would started throwing tantrums and she couldn't do anything, only her mother could calm her. Sighing Keiko watched the sleeping girl on her futon before she spread spare futon beside Kushina and pulled her blanket.
Kushina sat under the tree beside her cousin on the shrine backyard, her eyes still puffy and red after hours crying out on her predicaments. She really didn't want to leave her village, her families, and her friends. No matter she hated that this village was always caught in war, she still loved her homeland, she was born and grew up here, she declared that she'll be the first Female Kage in this village. Now her dream was destroyed.
She's glad that Keiko didn't had to do her duties and accompanied her since yesterday, she always put her on the top aside her own self interest. Kushina was lost count how many time she dragged Keiko into her own problems and disturbed her me time, but she never complaint. She happily accepted her and listen all her stories, where would she found a best friend and a sister like her.
"I'm gonna miss you so much, Kei-chan." Kushina rubbed her eyes, still sniffling as she tried to suppress her tears. Keiko wouldn't appreciate it if she ruined their last day by crying.
"Me too, Kushina. Me too." Keiko gnawed her lip as she scrunched her face, Kushina blinked, that expression. Keiko always had that expression if she would do something strange, so she waited patiently.
"Kushina," finally she talked after a moment of heavy silent between them. "You promised me once that you'll always by my side right?" Kushina nodded, yeah, another promise that she would abandoned. "But when you go to Konoha, you won't be there for me anymore, and I won't at your side to listen all your stories. So, I think I have to do something."
"Do what?" Kushina had wished Keiko would do something of her interesting jutsu of hers to make her departure canceled. Yet she saw her cousin pulled out a scissor and cut some of her hair.
"Cut some of your hair to me Kushina." Though she didn't understand her action, Kushina accept the scissor and did what she's been told.
"What will you do with this hair? Do you want to make my clone?"
"Unfortunately, I can't do that." Keiko smiled, then she joined both hers and Kushina's hair and tied it. She pulled out an ofuda and started to cast a spell. Kushina watched her in amazement, she knew her cousin was summoning something when she saw the magic circle formed under her feet, and suddenly an eagle flew down and perched on her shoulder. She had seen some of her summoned demons before but this is her first time to see this strange eagle.
"This is Koh, our great eagle demon. He's one of my shiki." Keiko explained to her as she realized the confusing look she's been given to her and turned her attention back to the eagle on her shoulder. She gave the hair she'd been tied to him. "Koh, eat this. This is my hair and Kushina's."
"Eh? You fed your eagle with our hair?" Kushina blinked credulously.
"Koh didn't need to be feed by me. I'm just giving him our track." Seeing her cousin titled her head, Keiko nodded to her demon. "After he eats those hairs, he could always find us easily anywhere we go. Therefore, I can ask him to send my letter to you any time, no matter how far we separated. Beside now he already know you, you also can reply my message and give it to him. With his help, we can always be connected each other."
Kushina's eyes widened at her explanation, that was handy, kind of messenger. A demon messenger, she believed Koh was a strong one. Keiko's shikigamis were strong. Slowly she felt her lips turned up into a smile, as usual, Keiko always could make her calm.
"Arigatou, Kei-chan."
A.N: Because I don't want to confuse my reader, I'd give you some info about Shinto Priest Rank based on exams and Jobs title of Priest; I used a different jobs title here. At most of Shrine, the Priest ranks from High to Low are: Gūji, Gongūji, Negi, Gonnegi. But in this story I used the rank from The Grand Shrine of Ise (or Ise Shrine) in Mie Prefecture which the high priest and high priestess of Ise Shrine are typically members or descendants of Japan's imperial family. Ise Jingū has a priestly class that is somewhat different from the norm. And the ranks are:Saishu,Daigūji,Shōgūji,Negi,Gonnegi,Gūshō. To work officially as a priest, people must pass examinations, and these are Ranks Based on Exams (High to Low) from the Association of Shinto Shrine: Jōkai,Meikai,Seikai,Gonseikai,Chokkai.
Rewritten: 28/10/2013