The Shadow of the World
Part 3
Don stood at the bow of the boat he took to the land of water. It was a clear day and the waves gently brushed up against the sides of the boat. Off in the distance, Don could see a cloud of fog approaching the boat. Don sensed something odd about the fog, but tossed the feeling aside. The fog engulfed the ship leaving Don almost completely blind.
Minutes went by and still nothing; the fog was still thick. Don heard a few thumps come from behind him. It sounded like bodies dropping. When he turned around and stepped forward he realized he stepped on someone's hand. Looking closer, he saw he was now in a pool of blood. He sensed something coming for him so he spun around and raised his guard in time to block an attack. His attacker was masked. He only caught a short glimpse of them, but it looked like it was an Anbu for the hidden mist. Don kept his guard up and next thing he knew, he was blocking a barrage of attacks from all directions by multiple attackers. The attacks stopped when Don became exhausted. He felt that if he was attacked again, he wouldn't survive. He blacked out as he felt someone strike him from behind.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself in front of a beautiful young woman wearing a blue dress. Her eyes were green and hair an auburn color. The hair fell down close to her ankles. She looked at him intently.
"Welcome my young guest." she said.
"Where am I? Who are you?" Don asked squirming a bit when he realized he was being held by Anbu agents.
"You are in Kirigakure, and this is my humble office. I am the Mizukage, Mei Terumi." the woman replied.
"What happened to the people who I was on that boat with?" Don asked, still confused, trying not to lose his cool fearing he could die any second.
"Oh, them? Well, they were killed by my orders. Carrying contraband into my country carries a hefty price. By law, everyone on board loses their lives, no exceptions." she said.
"Yet, here I am." Don said.
"Indeed you are. My Anbu captain tells me you singlehandedly fended of him and his whole squad in an attempt to survive the raid on the boat?" Mei asked.
"Yes. It was extremely difficult with all the fog. They wore me out fast, any more and I would have..."
"That's good enough. Truth is, I had heard rumors in reports that a recent rogue ninja from Konohagakure was traveling to my humble village, so I told my Anbu agents to be on the lookout for you. I told them if they saw anyone matching your description to test their skill and see if they'd survive. Anyone who lived was to be brought to me immediately." she said.
"So that whole contraband story was a lie, you just wanted to test me to see if I was really your reported rogue Konoha ninja?" Don replied.
"No, what I said was true, you just so happen to be on that ship so I got to kill two birds with one stone." Mei replied.
"How are you certain that I'm the ninja you are looking for?" Don asked.
"Oh, I have my ways of knowing." she giggled. She then walked toward him and looked at him thoroughly. "You know, you remind me of someone I once met. I can't quite place my finger on it. It was a long time ago, he was a young, promising Anbu agent for Konohagakure, I was just a young thirteen year old girl, but I remember seeing him and instantly falling in love. That was the man I wanted so bad to marry. I would have gladly bore his children. I remember he distinctly wore a bear mask when he wanted to hide his face."
Don's eyes widened. There was only one person in all of Konoha's black corps that wore a bear mask: his father, Natsu. Without thinking, he spoke, "You met my dad?"
Mei jumped in surprise and then intently turned her attention to Don. "So you're that guy's little kid, eh? No wonder you look familiar. You're practically the spitting image of him when I first met him."
"Wait... you wanted to marry my dad and bear his children? You were only thirteen! My dad was at least ten years older than you!" Don started only to be cut off by being smacked by Mei.
"I was going to wait until I was eighteen. Show some respect for your would be mother." she cooed.
"This is messed up..." Don said.
"There's nothing to be freaked out about. It never happened. Your father had other plans in mind. Even though I had everything planned out, I got to know your father, played the role of the flirtatious girl, I still lost out in the end. I'll give him credit, he respectfully accepted my flirting without leading me on. It was for that reason I feel in love with him more. Sadly his mission in Kirigakure lasted too short. He told me on his last day here that he was heading home to propose to the love of his life." Mei turned around sadly and walked toward her desk, "I never heard from him again..."
Don looked down in sadness, "What was my dad like?" he asked.
Mei turned around and looked at Don puzzled, "Shouldn't you know? You lived with the man."
"I only remember so much about my dad. My mom died shortly after I was born, leaving my dad to raise and support me by himself. I rarely saw him because he had to continue his job as an Anbu captain to put a roof over my head and food on the table. When I did see him, it was the happiest moments of my life, although they were short lived because within a week of him arriving home, he'd be redeployed on some secret mission I knew no details about. When I was eight, I finally got word that my dad had been killed..." Don said trying to hold back tears in his eyes.
A tear trickled down from Mei's face. "Release him." she said and Don was no longer restrained by her Anbu. She ran up to him and embraced him. "I'm sorry to hear that. I had no idea..."
"It's ok... there's nothing you could have done about it." Don replied.
"I feel like if I would have known from the start, I could have, it would have been the least I could have done since he was the first man I truly fell in love with... Him being dead would also explain why he didn't hunt you down when you went rogue." Mei said.
"Mei, thank you for all your concern and compassion, but this is all so strange for me. I'm just a drifter right now trying to find a new village to call home. I don't belong in Konoha anymore." Don said.
Mei released Don from her embrace, "I assume that's why you came here?" she asked.
Don nodded.
"Well, Kirigakure may not be much right now, but if it's a home you are looking for, you are more than welcome to stay here as one of us. It's the least I can do for the son of the man I once loved." she said happily. She walked to her desk and pulled out a headband with Kirigakure's symbol marked on it. She tossed it to him. "Welcome home." She then turned red in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask... what's your name?"
"Don." Don replied.
"Welcome home, Don. I hope you are able to make Kirigakure your home. I'll do everything I can to make you feel welcome." she said. "Give Don some living arrangements and show him around the village. Tomorrow, he'll officially become a mist ninja. And Don?" Mei said.
"Yes?" Don replied.
"Tomorrow, we'll have a private talk. Just you and me." she said winking at him.
Don blushed a little. "Thank you Mei, for everything." he said as he left with her Anbu.
"His son is quite the young man, he almost leaves me as breathless as his father. I really hope he stays around." she said to herself.
Don was given a small apartment to live in and was shown around the village. He was shown where there were places to eat, where the academy was, etc. Don was brought back to his apartment and was left there to settle in on his own.
A couple hours later, a knock came from his door. Don was sitting on the couch and called out to the person at the door to come in. It was Mei. She entered the room and looked around the apartment.
"I know it may not be as nice as what you might have in Konoha, but this is the best we have for now." she said.
"So what brings you here?" Don asked.
She smiled at him, "I just came to check in on you to see how your were doing is all." She then sat down on the couch with him. "I also couldn't wait until tomorrow to be honest, I wanted to have that talk with you right now." she said anxiously.
"What kind of talk?" he asked.
"About your father. You did ask me what he was like, right?" she said.
"Yeah, I did." Don replied. "Tell me everything." he said.
"Your father and his squad appeared out of nowhere one day, like shadows from the fog. Back in those days, we were known as the bloody mist. From what I remember, your father was in charge of staging a coup to overthrow the village leader and help bring to power someone who wasn't as tyrannical. He and his squad posed as ordinary peasants who lived outside the village walls. That is where I met him. I was one of the people who helped show him around, and I became one of his most trusted sources of information. Within a few months, he and his team had completed their mission and left. When I was with him, he'd tell me stories about what Konohagakure was like, how he longed to retire early, settle down, get married, and have a son to teach him everything he knew. He was a real man, one who seemed to have a clear view of what he wanted from life and he was determined to get it. He also had charm in the way he talked, I saw him use it on so many people and it was quite... charming." she giggled.
Don chuckled with her.
"Though there was something that bothered him the most." she said.
"What was that?" Don asked.
"Before he had left Konoha to take on this mission, he had heard rumors that he was going to be the next hokage. He didn't really want that. He liked being a well respected ninja, but he never saw himself as the type to run a village. As bold and confident as your father was, that was the only thing I knew of that he wasn't so sure of. As much as I could tell he didn't want to, he did tell me if he was called, he would answer it knowing how much of a great honor it would be to become leader of the village he cared for so much. That's what inspired me to seek the position of Mizukage. Your father passed down great advice and ideals to me that I still hold on to this very day. You're father was a really great man."
Don cracked a smile trying to imagine everything that Mei had just told him.
"Can I ask you about your life?" Mei asked timidly.
"Anything in particular?" Don asked.
"Anything you feel comfortable telling me." she said.
Don started with telling her a little bit about his childhood, how he had learned about his father's death, was moved in with the Hyugas and spent most of his childhood as a loner. Then when he joined squad thirteen for a while only for it to be split apart some years later. Eventually, he grew more of an outcast, for some reason, he wasn't treated with as much prominence as he remembered from when his father was still alive. He told her how he left Konoha in search of a new home and the events that followed in Amegakure and Iwagakure that led him here. When he finished telling his story, Mei sat in silence.
"If you want, allow me to train you. I will teach you everything I know and more." she said.
"Really?" Don asked.
Mei just smiled at him, "Yes. I mean it. Plus, I will eventually need to have a successor who shares the same ideals as me."
Don said nothing to that remark.
"Well, I really must be going. It was glad to finally meet you, Don. I think we'll have a bright future together. You have a good evening." Mei said kissing Don on the cheek and leaving.
Don turned a deep red.
The very next morning Don was brought out for training by Mei. Again he found himself training intensely for a month, learning every jutsu Mei knew. She kept him going day and night until he dropped. Every morning bright and early, Don would be running laps around the village. He'd pass by a tiny shrine on his route. In the tiny shrine was a tiny statue of a beautiful young girl and behind it a painting someone made of her. She had blonde hair and rusty red eyes. He noticed how unkempt it was, so one day he decided to clean it out and refurbish it. When he had finished, he said a quick prayer and went about his business. Over the course of the past month, the two really bonded. He grew fond of her as a motherly figure; she, however, saw him in a different light.
The time finally came when Don was ready for his first mission as a mist ninja. Don entered Mei's office and reported himself to her.
"The time has come for you to go on your first mission. You excited?" she asked.
Don smiled, "You bet I am!" he said.
"I'm making you part of my Anbu. There's a target we want dead and I'm assigning you to the team that takes on this mission." Mei said.
"What are the details of this mission?" he asked.
"There's a certain sand shinobi who has been a thorn in my side for far too long. She's been able to lead a successful campaign of counterintelligence against us and it's time to put it to an end." Mei said passing him a folder with details about the target.
Don opened it up and he was shocked to see who was on it. It was Temari. "Understood" Don said as he turned to walk out the room.
"Oh, and Don?" Mei said.
Don turned to face Mei once again. "Yes?" he asked.
"When you get back... there's something I'd like to talk to you about..." she said as he twirled her finger around her hair, and her face was a deep red.
Don recognized that kind of look; he had seen it on so many girls before her. He cracked a smile and nodded. "Ok." he replied.
When Don left Mei's office, he met up with four other Anbu agents. "You ready newbie?" the captain of the squad said from behind his mask.
Don put on his mask and nodded. It's a good thing he was wearing a mask, because there was no way he was able to hide his emotions right now. There was no way he'd betray Temari, or even kill her. He had to think of a plan before they reached Suna.
It took them about two weeks to reach the land of wind's border. They were only a day away from Sunagakure. During that time, Don had devised a plan to eliminate his squadmates. It wouldn't be easy since he was outnumbered and didn't know how powerful they were, but his plan was designed to do the job regardless. Not to mention, they'd be playing on turf more familiar to him than them, so he had the advantage.
They arrived outside the walls of Sunagakure in the dead of night. Everyone was asleep and there were only a few guards which they were easily able to slip past. Don followed his squadmates down a familiar route; they were heading to Temari's house.
When they arrived outside her door, they all prepared to breech it. Right as they all nodded to each other, confirming they were ready, the door flew off its hinges hitting one of the Anbu sending him flying back against the wall of the building next to her home. Temari had been ready for them.
"Well, well, well. Looks like I have some uninvited guests, and mist ninja no less. You guys just don't know when to quit do you?" she said pompously.
Then a thick mist engulfed all of them leaving Don unable to see anything before him.
"This old trick. You guys really need to learn something new." she said, yawning. With a swing of her fan, she cleared the mist in the surrounding area only to find they all had vanished. She smirked.
She found herself face to face with two of her attackers, who she fended off pretty easily dodging and blocking everything they sent her way. It was then Don saw his opportunity to strike. He blindsided Temari, knocking her into the street. Temari staggered to her feet and found herself surrounded by four mist Anbu agents. She opened up her fan to try and blow them away but before she could, Don lifted his mask slightly and blew a hot mist from his mouth. When it hit the fan, the paper corroded away.
"I thought only the Mizukage knew such a technique." one of the Anbu said in shock.
"I've been training under her for the past month. It's been like hell, but she did teach me everything she knows." Don replied.
"That voice... it sounds... familiar." Temari thought to herself. Within and instant, Temari found herself restrained by ropes. She fell to her knees unable to move.
"It's time you died. You've been a pain in our sides for far too long." the Anbu captain said.
"Same to you. Go to hell!" Temari spat at him.
"I'll see you there eventually you witch!" he captain replied angrily.
Don stepped up behind Temari and held a knife to her throat. "There's only one thing I have to say to you before you meet your end." Don said from behind his mask.
"And what is that?" Temari asked tilting her head up slightly up to him.
"I wasn't talk to you." Don said.
"You have a lot of nerve attacking this place. This place, I now choose to call home." Don said ripping off his mask and making a hand sign.
"Men, we have a traitor!" the captain shouted.
By now, the other Anbu who had been knocked out by the door, had joined them. Before they could even react to kill Don, he cast his shadow on all of them, causing them to freeze there they stood.
"I appreciate the hospitality the Mizukage showed me, but I draw the line here, with this assassination attempt. I will not stand by her side if she attempts to hurt my friends." Don said. "Now, enjoy hell you bastards."
Don vanished into the shadows, within moments, he pulled every single Anbu agent six feet under the sand. He reappeared by Temari's side untying her.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
"I'm very confused right now... was that you who destroyed my fan?" she said.
Don hesitated, "Yes..."
When he answered, he was immediately punched in the face by Temari's right hook sending him skidding across the ground.
"You owe me a new fan you bastard!" she yelled at him kicking him as he lay on the ground.
"Temari stop! I thought you'd be happy to see me, not want to kill me!" Don said trying to defend himself in a fetal position.
"You're gonna wish I had killed you for destroying my fan!" she barked.
"I'm sorry, ok?! I'll get you a new one, I promise!" Don said and the kicking stopped.
Temari stormed off, she picked up her door, placed it back on its hinges and slammed it shut behind her as she entered her house.
Don rose to his feet and entered the house after her. He went straight to her room to confront her; he found her on her bed curled up with her back to him. He sat next to her and placed his hand on her.
"Temari, I'm sorry about the fan, I..." he began.
"It's not about the damn fan, you idiot! You think I wouldn't notice you were gone for almost six months? Where they hell did you go? Why did you just get up and disappear like that? I thought you were going to make this place your home. Above all else, why the hell were you with those mist ninja?" she complained.
Don said nothing. The past six months wasn't something he felt comfortable talking to Temari about.
She turned over to face him. "Well, are you going to answer me?" she said glaring at him.
"It's not something I want to talk about right now. Maybe one day, Temari, but right now, I'm just happy to be home finally. Please forgive my long absence. I won't be going anywhere from now on, I promise. Sunagakure is my new home now." Don said getting up and leaving to go change clothes in his room.
Temari laid in her bed a few minutes, and heard Don leave his room and leave the house. She got out of her bed and left her house as well. She immediately turned her head to the top of the roof where she found Don laying down, looking at the stars. She joined him and cuddled next to him. She saw he was deep in thought.
"What are you thinking about? Temari asked.
"A lot of things." Don replied.
As he looked up at the stars, he flashed back to the adventure he had over the past six months. Looking back now, it almost seemed like a dream to him. He held back his tears when his reminiscing brought him to his time with Konan and their life together as lovers in Amegakure. To see her again would make him very happy, but he knew he'd be killed if there was even an attempt. He thought about his godfather, still locked up in that prison tower, how he felt being around him. It was like having his dad around again. Sure Gan had his differences, but both Gan and his dad were rugged men in some aspect, and that's what he appreciated about them. And now, his newer memories with Mei. She had grown on him slightly, as a mother figure. It was still a bit creepy to him that she had a crush on his dad way back in the day, but overall, she was a very nice woman. Betraying her now hurt, but he wouldn't allow Temari to be killed. He would have to explain that to her soon.
A few days later, Mei was sitting at her desk when a letter arrived. She opened it up and recognized Don's handwriting. However as she read it, she clinched the paper with anxiety.
Dear Mei,
I want to first of all, thank you for everything you have done for me. You welcomed me in with open arms and did everything you could to accommodate me as I was trying to find a place to call my home. It means a lot to me and I will never forget such kindness. Do not expect your Anbu agents, nor me to return to Kirigakure. I killed your men to protect the target of your assassination. The truth is, when you told me who the target of my mission was, I had a moment of clarity. I realized that Sunagakure is where I belong. Temari was actually the one who brought me in under her wing after I left Konohagakure. Just like you, she had done everything she could to settle me in. However, in the end, I decided to leave in order to find another home, it was that adventure I told you about that led me to your village.
I know you must be very angry with me right now. I know there was something you wanted to tell me and now you won't get the chance. I'm sorry. I also want to warn you, if you try to harm Sunagakure in any way, I will be here to defend it. I'd like to hope our time spent together meant something so I want to ask that you look to Suna in a different light and look to becoming allies. I hope one day we will be able to see each other again and have that all important talk, but since we aren't on the same team anymore, it won't happen anytime soon. I wish you the best, and thank you again for everything.
Sincerely,
Don
Mei sighed as she placed the paper down on her desk. "You'll never know just how much I came to love you, Don... But I'm glad you finally found a place to call home. Your father would be proud of you..." she said as a tear fell from her cheek and onto the letter Don wrote her.
Years later, when Don had been brought back to life using the forbidden jutsu he developed, he had decided to revisit the places he had gone to on his journey. Kirigakure was his final stop before he'd return home. He passed by the tiny shrine he used to see everyday while running. It started to look neglected again, but there wasn't anything Don could do about it. He felt a bit sad when he noticed the statue that was once there was missing. Someone must have stolen it. He finally arrived at Mei's office door. He knocked on it.
"Come in." Don heard a gentle, familiar voice say from the other side.
Don entered the room. Mei looked up and looked at him in surprise. She ran to him and hugged him tight. "Don! It's so good to see you! You've grown up since the last time I saw you, how have you been?!" she exclaimed. As she hugged him, Don was inadvertently pressed up against her breasts making him turn red.
"It's... It's good to see you too Mei. I've been doing fine. How about you?" Don asked.
She smiled at him and returned to her desk, "Meh, since the war ended, I've been living a less exciting life of being Mizukage. I've been overlooking reconstruction projects, they're all working out just fine, but you know. I need a little more action in my life." she replied.
"Yeah... things have certainly changed in the past couple of years. It's almost unthinkable." Don said.
"Well, that's what happens when you are dead for a year." Mei cooed.
Don looked a bit puzzled.
"Yeah, I know about that. During the war, I met Temari. She told me everything about you, including how you died sometime before the war started. She's a very nice girl. You're quite lucky you know." Mei said.
"Yeah, I guess I am. She has quite a temper though." Don replied.
"Most beautiful women do." Mei said putting a little more emphasis on the word beautiful.
Don sat in a chair in front of Mei's deck and made himself comfortable. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked.
"What do you mean? I didn't call you here, you're the one who decided to drop in unannounced." Mei replied.
"Back then, before I went on that final mission for you, you said there was something you wanted to talk to me about." Don said.
Mei's face turned red when she remembered what it had been all about.
"During the time we spent together, I really grew fond of you, Don. I guess it didn't help you were the spitting image of your father, even more so now than when we were last together. I guess the child inside me wanted you really bad, since I couldn't have your father, I wanted the next best thing. Don, back then... I was going to ask if you wanted to marry me. I could see so much potential in you. You were growing up into a man your father would be proud of, a man who reminded me much of your father. When you sent me that letter saying you wouldn't be returning to me, I was heartbroken. After meeting Temari during the war, I became more heartbroken, but at the same time, I was able to come to terms with everything and I finally understood why you did what you did." Mei said.
Don sat back in his chair. There was a few moments of silence. "I kind of figured it was that. I just wanted to hear it from you to confirm it. I'm sorry, but I'm not able to return the same feelings you have or did have for me. In truth, you became more like a mother to me, than anything else. You were kind, affectionate, nurturing. All these things I had missed out on since my mom died shortly after I was born. It was... nice. For what it's worth, you'd make a great mother and it would have been interesting to have you as my mom, but that clearly isn't the case now."
Mei looked down in sadness.
"But..." Don added.
Mei looked up at him.
"I would really like it if you were my mom. Even if you're over here and I'm living in Suna, you are the closest thing to a mom I've ever had and I don't want that to stop." Don said.
Mei smiled at him, a small tear trickling down from her face. She ran out from behind her desk and hugged Don. "It'd be my honor to have you as my son."
Don turned a light red and he smiled. Within a few weeks, Don was officially adopted as Mei's son. He was permitted to remain as sand shinobi. On birthdays and holidays, Mei would come visit Don or he'd go spend time with her. In the summertime, Don brought his friends with him to the land of water to meet Mei and then they'd all go to the beach. Though only a couple of years after Don was adopted, Mei noticed Don came alone on summer vacations. He was sadder than he had before. She also noticed another thing; he no longer carried allegiance to Sunagakure, it was now Konohagakure.