p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Aren't I a little old to go through all of this?/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I scoffed at Rai as I sorted through a few more of the kimonos. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Your father decided to not follow the rules and get this done, so now we must do it right./em I pulled one out that was decorated in pinks and reds. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"What do you think?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I would rather not stand out./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I outright laughed this time, startling the shopkeeper behind me who was also sorting. People here in Kusabana were still getting used to me being back, but they were even more confused at the fact that Rai and I are the same person, just two different personalities. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"It is a ceremony for you. You are supposed to stand out./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"I ignored her grumbling as I pulled another kimono out. This one was decorated with purple and pink flowers on the background of blue. The long sleeves would hit her calves. It came with a pink obi and a lighter pink haneri. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"What do you think?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"It's very pretty./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""The girl who is wearing it, she has blue eyes?" the shopkeeper asked from behind me./p
p class="MsoNormal"I looked back at her. "Yeah, and black hair."/p
p class="MsoNormal""That will be wonderful colors for her." The shopkeeper swept the kimono from me and bustled over to the accessories. "What do you think?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I looked over all of the different colors of kanzashi and other decorations for kimonos. There was one hair piece that caught my eye. It was simple, designed as a cluster of sakura blossoms in blues and pinks that was set on a comb. "That one, she'll love it"./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"My blind gaze was set on the floor as my father's mother combed out my hair to pin it up. I had met the woman when I arrived a few months ago, but it was hard to tell what she thought of me. I tried my best to fit in and follow the customs that my father had forced into me, but she appeared to avoid me when she could./p
p class="MsoNormal""Is she ready?" a new voice asked as hurried steps rushed into the room. Mokuba-san had been at the center of trying to plan this ceremony. While it was traditionally completed when a child was a month old, they would be completing it for me at fifteen instead, so it required several changes./p
p class="MsoNormal""Not yet," my grandmother responded before harshly tugging on my hair. I tried to hide the wince but I knew she had caught it when I heard her scoff. "You will have to be better at hiding your emotions. You're a Lady of the Kohana Clan, the most respected of Kusabana. They must never know your feelings. I thought your father would have beaten that out of you."/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"That bitch! Let me out and I'll fix her!/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I nodded. "I'm sorry, Grandmother, I will try harder."/p
p class="MsoNormal""See that you do."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I felt her place an intricate twist in my hair, before sliding in the kanzashi that Ran-san had picked out to hold it in place./p
p class="MsoNormal""Now, she is ready."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I felt a hand at my elbow as Mokuba-san moved forward to help me stand. He had told me that he would lead me to the temple, as I had not become well acquainted with the town./p
p class="MsoNormal"I held my head high but kept my eyes down as I walked through the compound that was the Kohana family. I heard the members trail out of their homes to follow my cousin and me to the shrine. Mokuba-san had told me that the entirety of the Kohana clan was joining us./p
p class="MsoNormal"From the whispers that Ran-san and I had picked up, they were not very fond of having us here. With my damaged eyes, many of them did not believe that I was a Kohana. They also did not seem to appreciate now having Ran-san as part of the family./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"They don't know how lucky they are,/em/strong the woman scoffed in the back of my head./p
p class="MsoNormal"I smiled. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"No, they do not./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"The trip felt longer than it was. I heard Mokuba-san greet the Shinto priest, as we climbed the steps into the temple. I was guided to an open space before being prompted to kneel. I folded my hands on my knees and kept my blind gaze towards the floor. I could hear the immediate family members follow in to the shrine as well, aunts and uncles, along with my father's mother. Mokuba-san seemed to be the only cousin that was allowed into the temple./p
p class="MsoNormal"I heard the priest move towards me before I felt his fingers brush my forehead. I could feel him draw the character for 'small' on my forehead, leaving behind a type of ink that absorbed into my skin. I then heard him begin to chant and circle us. I could feel the charge of chakra being pulled and realized that he was forming hand signs./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"A ninja priest?/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I could then hear the swaying of paper and the chiming of bells, but the priest was moving so quickly through the people, sometimes channeling chakra, and other times not. I did my best not to cock my head to better be able to hear him and track him through the small shrine. I then heard him slam his hands down on the floor in front of me and I felt a slight burning/tingling sensation on the back of my right shoulder./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"It'll be the same kanji as your name, so it should say 'trust'./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I then heard everyone bow and clap behind me, and this appeared to be the end of the ceremony as I then felt Mokuba-san at my elbow, helping me rise./p
p class="MsoNormal""Did you feel it?" he asked in a low voice, seeming to not want to be overheard by the family who was slowly exiting the shrine. I nodded. He then seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "The priest and I were not sure it would work. It has never been attempted on someone older than a month or two."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Did they make it?" I asked quietly, knowing he would understand./p
p class="MsoNormal"I heard him chuckle. "Anxious to see him?" he asked as we stepped down from the shrine. I felt him pull me off to the right, leading me away from where the Kohana family was gathered./p
p class="MsoNormal"That's when I felt them. I couldn't help my smile as I pulled away from my cousin and moved as quickly as I could in the formal kimono towards my friends from Konoha. I was quickly gathered into female arms, and I couldn't help but hug Hinata back just as tightly. "I'm so happy you could come," I murmured into her shoulder. I could feel that she was in a kimono as well. It seemed that they had dressed to the nines for the event./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"They do love you, you know./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I rolled my eyes at the woman in my head as I felt Hinata hold me out at arm's length. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly./p
p class="MsoNormal"I nodded carefully, my smile falling./p
p class="MsoNormal"I then felt a callused hand cup my cheek, a thumb brushing against my cheekbone and the dark circles I knew were under my eyes. "You're not sleeping," Neji murmured. "Have the nightmares returned?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"I dropped my head forward, wishing that my bangs had been left unbound to hide my flushing cheeks before nodding. Hinata then let me go and I was gathered into warm arms. I gripped the back of his hakama tightly, trying to convey how much I missed him through touch alone. I felt him press his face into the top of my head. I almost protested when he released me, but he simply wrapped my arm around his, keeping me close as he led me to a nearby bench. He placed me in between himself and Hinata. He slipped his arm around my waist as his cousin grasped my hand with both of hers./p
p class="MsoNormal""Why have the nightmares started again?" Hinata asked in a hushed tone./p
p class="MsoNormal"I dropped my head forward, my blind gaze on the ground in front of me. I could feel my cheeks becoming warm with embarrassment./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Would you rather I tell them?/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"My eyes widened in fear and I shook my head wildly. "No!" I cried out. I then smacked a hand over my mouth after realizing I had said that out loud./p
p class="MsoNormal""Rai," Hinata said quietly. "Please tell us."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I took a deep, shaky breath. "They are similar to my father," I whispered, knowing the two of them would hear me. I could feel my hand shaking as I brushed my hair from the back of my neck. The finger-like bruises spread from behind my ears and disappeared into my hair line. "I hadn't bowed low enough," I explained./p
p class="MsoNormal"I heard the two Hyuugas drag in their next breaths as if the action hurt them./p
p class="MsoNormal"I hurriedly brushed my hair back in place to cover the marks. "I had accidentally bumped in to the head of the Kohana Clan, my uncle. He's a few months older than I am but I should have been more careful-"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Why hasn't Ran been walking around?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Yeah? Why aren't you letting me out more often?/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""I want to protect her like she has protected me." I clenched the fabric of my kimono in my hand. "The people here, they do not trust her. Some still believe that she should be put to death for what had happened. I do not want to give the village any excuse to hurt her. I know if she was out and something happened with the family…" I shook my head. "They could put the two of us to death for treason."/p
p class="MsoNormal""So why aren't you standing up for yourself?" Neji asked. I could feel the fingers of the hand wrapped around me drawing idle circles on the cloth covering my arm./p
p class="MsoNormal"I turned towards him, shocked. "I could never!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Why?" he insisted. His free hand came up to cup my cheek again. "I can't see you hurting like this."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Because they could keep me from ever going back to Konoha. They could keep us from being together. They could declare war on the Hyuuga for the knowledge that I shared with your family. I need to keep you safe. I need to make sure I will return. It is the only thing I have! You two are the only thing outside of Ran-san that I have!" I pulled my hand from Hinata's grasp and held his face in my hands. I needed him to understand./p
p class="MsoNormal"I felt him pull both of my hands from his face before I felt his thumb drag under my left eye. I hadn't realized that I had started to cry again. I pulled away from him suddenly, using my sleeves to dry my tears. "I'm sorry," I choked. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"He must think I'm so weak./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Rai, he understands that people need to cry. You, especially, need to cry sometimes. You spent so many years bottling everything up. It's not healthy for you. Tears are a sign of remaining too strong for too long. You are fifteen, Rai! You need to give yourself this one. Your asshole family is re-exposing you to previous trauma. That is going to mess with you./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""Rai-chan?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I jumped at the sound of the new voice. "Hyuuga-san?" I had not been aware that Hiashi had accompanied his daughter and nephew to Kusabana./p
p class="MsoNormal""Is this true? Your family is hurting you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"My eyes widened. "It was my fault, I should have been more aware of my surroundings. If I had not been-"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Rai! There is no excuse for this." Neji interjected. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me tightly into him. "Is this the first time this has happened?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Tears started to fall again as I dropped my head forward. "No," I whispered. "They just do not leave scars like my father had." With the increased healing rate from both the Kohana blood, and Ran-san's demon blood, most minor injuries were healed within a day or two without scars./p
p class="MsoNormal""Where did your family go? Isn't there supposed to be a celebration after the Naming Ceremony?" Hinata asked, bringing to our attention that my family had left the courtyard. "Most of them were not even in their kimonos!" she admonished./p
p class="MsoNormal"I nodded against Neji's shoulder. "I was told that I was 'too old' for the celebration and that my family was only attending because 'it is traditional'."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Does your family accept you as Kohana?" Hiashi-san asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"I took a deep steadying breath before shaking my head. "Because of my damaged eyes, they do not believe what Mokuba-san says. And none of them have sought to test it like he had."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Test it?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I nodded. "The Kohana do not have a Kekkei Genkai as other clans have, but we have power in our blood. We have advanced healing, almost regeneration. But we also have increased sensitivity to poisons."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Insolent child!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I jerked up. "Grandmother?" I stood up to greet her properly but I was met with a harsh slap that knocked me off balance and her hand twist itself into my hair, pulling it harshly at the roots as she forced me back into a standing position. I was aware that she was much taller than I am, but I never expected her to use it against me in this way. I bit my lip harshly to keep from crying out and it took everything I had to not fight her off./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Rai!/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""You are a traitor to your blood!" She then started to drag me towards the compound. She had taken two steps before she stopped short, harshly tugging again./p
p class="MsoNormal""Kohana-san, you will let her go." Hiashi-san had stepped in front of my father's mother./p
p class="MsoNormal"She gave my head another hard yank and I drew blood with biting my lip. A whine slipped out as I gripped my kimono, fighting off the instinct to try and release myself. If I hurt my father's mother when she was already accusing me of treason, she would instantly try and put me to death./p
p class="MsoNormal""She may be filth, but she is of my blood and you have no rights to her or the information she gave you. I'll see you all tried for treason!" she yelled at the head of the Hyuuga clan./p
p class="MsoNormal""Grandmother? What are you doing?" a welcome voice called. I could hear Mokuba running towards our group./p
p class="MsoNormal"I could feel my father's mother swing an arm towards my cousin. "She is to be charged with treason!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""She was talking with her betrothed and his family," Mokuba-san stated calmly./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Do you think he can do it?/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I clenched my eyes shut to stop the tears from building as I bit in to the already split lip. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I hope he can. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal""S-Still! She should not be allowed to share the family secrets!" Her grip lightened for a moment on my hair before clenching it all the tighter./p
p class="MsoNormal"I whined, praying to whoever was listening that this would not happen. Prayed that she would not put Ran-san and I on trial! We would never survive it./p
p class="MsoNormal""They already knew the secrets! They were made aware of them before they agreed to the betrothal!" I felt Mokuba-san's hand come against his grandmother's. "Let her go," he stated firmly. With a quick twist of his wrist, I was released./p
p class="MsoNormal"I stumbled backward, my hands going to cover my head. I felt solid arms come around my waist, lowering me back to the bench before I felt Hinata press a handkerchief to my still bleeding lip./p
p class="MsoNormal""Mokuba-san, if this is the way that she is going to be treated, I will no longer consent to having my nephew's betrothed stay in your care. I will take her back with us," Hiashi-san stated. I heard him move to stand in front of me, placing himself as a barrier./p
p class="MsoNormal""I apologize, Hyuuga-san. I was not aware that my Grandmother had allowed to family to follow through with the teaching that we had abolished almost two decades ago."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I felt a soothing hand brush over the top of my head before Neji gently pulled the kanzashi from the tangles./p
p class="MsoNormal""M-maybe it would be best if I left," I stated softly as I gently moved Hinata's hand away, directing the statement towards my cousin. "All I seem to do is anger people. No one even believes I'm a Kohana."/p
p class="MsoNormal""No!" he cried. "You have a right to the teachings of our clan just as every other clan member."/p
p class="MsoNormal""They don't believe I am part of the clan!" I raised my voice at him. "No one wants us here! They look at Ran-san as a traitor! They look at me as an interloper, that I don't belong here! Why would I want to stay somewhere I am not wanted?!" I begged him. I clutched the front of my kimono, finding it difficult to breathe./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Slow down. Deep breath in and let it out slowly,/em/strong Ran-san guided./p
p class="MsoNormal"I tried to follow her instructions, but I noticed my breathing was shaky./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mokuba-san did not respond. I could feel Neji's hand rubbing up and down my back, trying to soothe me./p
p class="MsoNormal"I shook my head. "I will pack my things. I will return to Konoha with my betrothed," I stated quietly as I stood up from the bench./p
p class="MsoNormal""No. You are a part of this family and I am sorry that we have no treated you like it. That will change today. I will call a clan meeting for this evening. Everything will be straightened out. No family member will lay a hand on you unless it was for training purposes." Mokuba spoke strongly and firmly. I knew that he was high in the clan, but I did not believe that he would be able to change the family that I shared blood with./p
p class="MsoNormal"I sighed heavily, closing my eyes momentarily. "I will give this one last chance. If it happens again, I will be leaving, Mokuba-san." I was going to try and do what Neji asked of me. I was going to try and stand up for myself. Now that I had an accepted family member at my side, something might actually change./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"I flipped to the next page of the book as Rai finished absorbing the information./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"This is so much more advanced than the basic techniques my mother taught me./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I sat back in my chair, putting my feet up on the desk and rubbing at my eyes. They were strained from staring at medical journals for the past few hours./p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Why are you so interested in poisons? You could end up killing us just as easily./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I'm wondering if there is a way to add Kohana blood to poisons. I wonder if it would pass on the susceptibility. I would never want to try it out while training. It would have to be done while out on the field./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I could feel her brain start running through calculation after calculation, comparing herbs and known poisons to the benefits of adding our blood to them./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ran!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The sudden yell jerked Rai out of calculations and drew my attention to entrance of the library. "Yasuo?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The blonde ran over and grabbed my arm, heaving me out of my seat. "You two are missing it!" he cried, pulling me towards the exit./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Oh my! Kaemon's wedding!/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"At Rai's thought, I pulled my arm out of Yasuo's grip and started pulling him. "You're moving too slow!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"We bolted through the town, headed for the center where Kaemon and Moriko's wedding was taking place. We arrived to see a crowd of people./p
p class="MsoNormal""I can't see!" I groaned, cursing my shortness. "Come on!" I dragged Yasuo with me as I headed to a nearby building. I scaled it quickly, Yasuo on my tail. We sat next to each other, our legs dangling over the edge./p
p class="MsoNormal"We could see Kaemon in his black hakama and Moriko in her traditional white kimono. "They do look good together," I told Yasuo as I rested my elbows on my knees and my head on my hands to watch the proceedings./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"They have been waiting long enough for this./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I grinned as I watched the two give their vows. While it might not be a love-match like Neji and Rai, they did like each other and were best friends, even closer than him and Yasuo were. "Think they'll have kids?" I asked, looking over at Yasuo./p
p class="MsoNormal"The blonde shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows. I know his mom wants grandchildren, so he might have one or two just to please her."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I laughed. We'd had heard enough about his mother that he probably would have children just to have his mother shut up./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Now! Finish him!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Locking in on where his chakra was centered, I gathered chakra into my hands and slammed them into my cousin's chest. The chakra might have been medical in nature, but medicine can harm as much as heal. I heard the older ninja cough and felt the splatter of blood as he fell back./p
p class="MsoNormal""Nice job, Rai!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I kneeled beside the poor cousin who I had just harmed, forming the hand signs for a healing jutsu. "Are you okay, Jirou-san?" I asked./p
p class="MsoNormal""Will be," he gasped out before laying out on the ground, allowing me to heal the damage I had caused./p
p class="MsoNormal"I could hear Mokuba-san come up behind me from where he had been shouting directions at me from the side-lines./p
p class="MsoNormal""You're getting faster," he told me, coming to a stop a step or so away./p
p class="MsoNormal"I shrugged as I finished up the healing. "I have been here a year, so far. I hope I would have improved at this point."/p
p class="MsoNormal"He ruffled my hair as he laughed. "You're spending too much time with Ran."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I laughed as I pushed myself to my feet, brushing the dust off of my clothing before holding out a hand to help my cousin to his feet. "We kind of are attached, aren't we?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""How has the poison research going?" Jirou-san asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"I shrugged. "I believe we managed to work out of the mathematical proportions with integrating Kohana blood. I'm not sure if the differences in my blood with Ran-san's contributions are going to cause changes, so I would like to try and secure a sample from another member of the family to use as a control."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Don't you have the purest blood?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"I shrugged, shuffling uncomfortably. This had been a matter of contention between the family members due to the presence of Ran and the damage to my eyes causing changes to the coloring. I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm not sure how the weaknesses change with the addition of the demon blood. As a part-demon, Ran inherently has a higher tolerance to poisons, so it is currently hard to judge. Especially as we do not know if the healing ability is from the demon blood or the Kohana."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Jirou-san and Mokuba-san hummed in agreement./p
p class="MsoNormal"A hawk's cry echoed through the training area, causing a grin to cross my lips. "Kohei's back! He should have letters for me!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I shook my brown hair from my gaze as I opened my eyes, seeing the two Kohana males in front of me before I looked up to see my bird coming to rest on my shoulder, a letter tied around his leg. I pulled it off, smoothing a hand over Kohei's head before he flew off. I hurriedly opened the letter, Rai's excitement getting to me. "It's from Hinata!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""What's it say?" Mokuba asked, resting an arm on my shoulders as he peered over me to look at the letter./p
p class="MsoNormal""Neji passed his jounin test!" I cried before hugging Rai's cousin in excitement. We laughed as I let him go to throw my arms up in the cheer./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"I headed into the restaurant, looking around until I saw an arm waving at me attached to a blonde. "Over here!" Yasuo called./p
p class="MsoNormal""You're embarrassing," I told him flatly as I slid into the booth next to him, smiling at Kaemon. "What's going on?" I asked, curious as to why Kaemon had asked us to meet him for lunch./p
p class="MsoNormal"He looked down at the table between us, staring at his hands. "So it's been almost a year since Moriko and I were married…"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I think I remember that," Yasuo said, "Ran forgot so we were on the building across the street."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I did not forget," I grumbled as I shoved the hyperactive blonde./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kaemon shook his head, took a deep breath, and shook his head again./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;""What's wrong?"/strong Rai asked, worried about the quiet male. He usually doesn't get this distressed./p
p class="MsoNormal""Nothing's wrong," he answered quickly. He took another deep breath and looked up at Yasuo and me. "Moriko's pregnant."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Yasuo and I looked at each other, shocked into silence for a moment, before we both launched ourselves over the table at our teammate. "Congratulations!" we shouted as we smothered him in a hug./p
p class="MsoNormal""Get off!" Kaemon growled, "You're embarrassing yourselves!" He did have a point. The entire restaurant was now staring at us./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hell no!" I answered, sitting next to him. "This is cause for celebration! This calls for a drink!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I can't believe that worked!" I gasped out, shoving my brown hair out of my eyes as we stumbled back into Kusabana. Yasuo and Kaemon were holding each other up in their exhaustion./p
p class="MsoNormal""I can't believe your new poison worked," Yasuo huffed, scrubbing at some dirt that was still stuck to his face./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kaemon stood up straight, bending backwards to pop his back, sighing in relief when multiple cracks were heard. He had taken a hard hit when he was knocked out the tall tree. "It worked very quickly as well. It'll be something to keep in mind in the future."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I nodded, placing my hand on my hips. "I'll have to see how much the time line changes when we use Rai's blood. I know demonic blood can have odd properties as well." I shook my head, "but those are thoughts for another day. You need to go see Moriko, Mr. soon-to-be-a-dad. You were saying that the mood swings were making her worry."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The red-eyed male nodded. "I'll get the report to the elders prior to heading home. Go relax you too."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="text-align: center;"-/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""It's a boy," Kaemon stated, coming out of the maternity ward with a blue wrapped bundle in his hands./p
p class="MsoNormal"I pulled my brown hair, now down to below my shoulder blades, back into a messy bun to keep out of the way before taking the offered bundle in my arms. Yasuo came up behind me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and leaning over me as his golden eyes inspected the minutes-old baby. strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;""He is precious!" /strongRai breathed. I had offered to let her be out for this, but she had told me that she had wanted to be able to see the baby./p
p class="MsoNormal"Yasuo moved some of the blanket out of the way to be able to have the boy wrap his tiny fingers around one of his. "What did you guys choose for a name?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""His name is Hakaku."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I smiled, holding the tiny child close. "Seishou Hakaku… A fine name for someone who will grow up to be a fine man."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're hogging the baby, it's my turn," Yasuo stated, lifting the baby out of my arms. Before the boy was even settled, he had started to fuss and cry. "Hey, hey, hey! It's me, it's Uncle Yasuo!" the man cried out, trying to settle the baby down./p
p class="MsoNormal"I couldn't help but laugh, taking the boy back, and having him settle down almost instantly. "See, you know your aunties! You already love your aunties more than you love Uncle Yasuo."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Kaemon! Your son takes after you! He's a brat!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Red eyes rolled. "My son has taste, that's all."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"I pulled waist length brown hair into a messy bun on the back of my head. Rai and I had become tired of switching outfits, so we had worked together to design a new one that worked for the both of us. They were finally done, having just been delivered by the seamstress that serviced most of the Kohana clan. I pulled on mid-thigh length shorts in a light gray. A one shouldered short-sleeved top in dark teal went over my bindings. Next came an over-bust corset, also in light gray. A wrap skirt, also in dark teal, edged at the top and bottom in dark gray, was tied around my waist, showing the gray shorts on the left side. Bandages were wound around both of my lower legs, coming to just below my knees, before being covered with tight leg-warmers, dark teal edged in dark gray. Lighter teal finger-less gloves that came up to halfway up my upper arms were wrapped in place by more bandages. To finish off the outfit, three belts were wrapped around my middle, the first just under my bust, the second at the base of my ribs, and the last over my hips, all angled so they touched each other. I sat down to pull on black ninja sandals as I heard a knock on the door./p
p class="MsoNormal""Come in!" I called./p
p class="MsoNormal"I saw blond hair before I saw anything else. "You ready to go?" Yasuo asked. "I'm sure Rai is really excited to head back to Konoha."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You have no idea," I responded with a grin./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm sure Neji will be waiting for you two."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I shrugged. "Rai had me send a letter with Kohei a few days ago to let him know that we'd be coming home. But we didn't have a date set."/p
p class="MsoNormal""He's still going to be waiting." Yasuo pushed the door open more, showing that Mokuba was just walking up./p
p class="MsoNormal""Let's go."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I scoffed at Rai as I sorted through a few more of the kimonos. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Your father decided to not follow the rules and get this done, so now we must do it right./em I pulled one out that was decorated in pinks and reds. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"What do you think?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I would rather not stand out./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I outright laughed this time, startling the shopkeeper behind me who was also sorting. People here in Kusabana were still getting used to me being back, but they were even more confused at the fact that Rai and I are the same person, just two different personalities. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"It is a ceremony for you. You are supposed to stand out./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"I ignored her grumbling as I pulled another kimono out. This one was decorated with purple and pink flowers on the background of blue. The long sleeves would hit her calves. It came with a pink obi and a lighter pink haneri. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"What do you think?/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"It's very pretty./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""The girl who is wearing it, she has blue eyes?" the shopkeeper asked from behind me./p
p class="MsoNormal"I looked back at her. "Yeah, and black hair."/p
p class="MsoNormal""That will be wonderful colors for her." The shopkeeper swept the kimono from me and bustled over to the accessories. "What do you think?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I looked over all of the different colors of kanzashi and other decorations for kimonos. There was one hair piece that caught my eye. It was simple, designed as a cluster of sakura blossoms in blues and pinks that was set on a comb. "That one, she'll love it"./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"My blind gaze was set on the floor as my father's mother combed out my hair to pin it up. I had met the woman when I arrived a few months ago, but it was hard to tell what she thought of me. I tried my best to fit in and follow the customs that my father had forced into me, but she appeared to avoid me when she could./p
p class="MsoNormal""Is she ready?" a new voice asked as hurried steps rushed into the room. Mokuba-san had been at the center of trying to plan this ceremony. While it was traditionally completed when a child was a month old, they would be completing it for me at fifteen instead, so it required several changes./p
p class="MsoNormal""Not yet," my grandmother responded before harshly tugging on my hair. I tried to hide the wince but I knew she had caught it when I heard her scoff. "You will have to be better at hiding your emotions. You're a Lady of the Kohana Clan, the most respected of Kusabana. They must never know your feelings. I thought your father would have beaten that out of you."/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"That bitch! Let me out and I'll fix her!/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I nodded. "I'm sorry, Grandmother, I will try harder."/p
p class="MsoNormal""See that you do."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I felt her place an intricate twist in my hair, before sliding in the kanzashi that Ran-san had picked out to hold it in place./p
p class="MsoNormal""Now, she is ready."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I felt a hand at my elbow as Mokuba-san moved forward to help me stand. He had told me that he would lead me to the temple, as I had not become well acquainted with the town./p
p class="MsoNormal"I held my head high but kept my eyes down as I walked through the compound that was the Kohana family. I heard the members trail out of their homes to follow my cousin and me to the shrine. Mokuba-san had told me that the entirety of the Kohana clan was joining us./p
p class="MsoNormal"From the whispers that Ran-san and I had picked up, they were not very fond of having us here. With my damaged eyes, many of them did not believe that I was a Kohana. They also did not seem to appreciate now having Ran-san as part of the family./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"They don't know how lucky they are,/em/strong the woman scoffed in the back of my head./p
p class="MsoNormal"I smiled. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"No, they do not./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"The trip felt longer than it was. I heard Mokuba-san greet the Shinto priest, as we climbed the steps into the temple. I was guided to an open space before being prompted to kneel. I folded my hands on my knees and kept my blind gaze towards the floor. I could hear the immediate family members follow in to the shrine as well, aunts and uncles, along with my father's mother. Mokuba-san seemed to be the only cousin that was allowed into the temple./p
p class="MsoNormal"I heard the priest move towards me before I felt his fingers brush my forehead. I could feel him draw the character for 'small' on my forehead, leaving behind a type of ink that absorbed into my skin. I then heard him begin to chant and circle us. I could feel the charge of chakra being pulled and realized that he was forming hand signs./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"A ninja priest?/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I could then hear the swaying of paper and the chiming of bells, but the priest was moving so quickly through the people, sometimes channeling chakra, and other times not. I did my best not to cock my head to better be able to hear him and track him through the small shrine. I then heard him slam his hands down on the floor in front of me and I felt a slight burning/tingling sensation on the back of my right shoulder./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"It'll be the same kanji as your name, so it should say 'trust'./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I then heard everyone bow and clap behind me, and this appeared to be the end of the ceremony as I then felt Mokuba-san at my elbow, helping me rise./p
p class="MsoNormal""Did you feel it?" he asked in a low voice, seeming to not want to be overheard by the family who was slowly exiting the shrine. I nodded. He then seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "The priest and I were not sure it would work. It has never been attempted on someone older than a month or two."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Did they make it?" I asked quietly, knowing he would understand./p
p class="MsoNormal"I heard him chuckle. "Anxious to see him?" he asked as we stepped down from the shrine. I felt him pull me off to the right, leading me away from where the Kohana family was gathered./p
p class="MsoNormal"That's when I felt them. I couldn't help my smile as I pulled away from my cousin and moved as quickly as I could in the formal kimono towards my friends from Konoha. I was quickly gathered into female arms, and I couldn't help but hug Hinata back just as tightly. "I'm so happy you could come," I murmured into her shoulder. I could feel that she was in a kimono as well. It seemed that they had dressed to the nines for the event./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"They do love you, you know./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I rolled my eyes at the woman in my head as I felt Hinata hold me out at arm's length. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly./p
p class="MsoNormal"I nodded carefully, my smile falling./p
p class="MsoNormal"I then felt a callused hand cup my cheek, a thumb brushing against my cheekbone and the dark circles I knew were under my eyes. "You're not sleeping," Neji murmured. "Have the nightmares returned?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"I dropped my head forward, wishing that my bangs had been left unbound to hide my flushing cheeks before nodding. Hinata then let me go and I was gathered into warm arms. I gripped the back of his hakama tightly, trying to convey how much I missed him through touch alone. I felt him press his face into the top of my head. I almost protested when he released me, but he simply wrapped my arm around his, keeping me close as he led me to a nearby bench. He placed me in between himself and Hinata. He slipped his arm around my waist as his cousin grasped my hand with both of hers./p
p class="MsoNormal""Why have the nightmares started again?" Hinata asked in a hushed tone./p
p class="MsoNormal"I dropped my head forward, my blind gaze on the ground in front of me. I could feel my cheeks becoming warm with embarrassment./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Would you rather I tell them?/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"My eyes widened in fear and I shook my head wildly. "No!" I cried out. I then smacked a hand over my mouth after realizing I had said that out loud./p
p class="MsoNormal""Rai," Hinata said quietly. "Please tell us."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I took a deep, shaky breath. "They are similar to my father," I whispered, knowing the two of them would hear me. I could feel my hand shaking as I brushed my hair from the back of my neck. The finger-like bruises spread from behind my ears and disappeared into my hair line. "I hadn't bowed low enough," I explained./p
p class="MsoNormal"I heard the two Hyuugas drag in their next breaths as if the action hurt them./p
p class="MsoNormal"I hurriedly brushed my hair back in place to cover the marks. "I had accidentally bumped in to the head of the Kohana Clan, my uncle. He's a few months older than I am but I should have been more careful-"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Why hasn't Ran been walking around?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Yeah? Why aren't you letting me out more often?/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""I want to protect her like she has protected me." I clenched the fabric of my kimono in my hand. "The people here, they do not trust her. Some still believe that she should be put to death for what had happened. I do not want to give the village any excuse to hurt her. I know if she was out and something happened with the family…" I shook my head. "They could put the two of us to death for treason."/p
p class="MsoNormal""So why aren't you standing up for yourself?" Neji asked. I could feel the fingers of the hand wrapped around me drawing idle circles on the cloth covering my arm./p
p class="MsoNormal"I turned towards him, shocked. "I could never!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Why?" he insisted. His free hand came up to cup my cheek again. "I can't see you hurting like this."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Because they could keep me from ever going back to Konoha. They could keep us from being together. They could declare war on the Hyuuga for the knowledge that I shared with your family. I need to keep you safe. I need to make sure I will return. It is the only thing I have! You two are the only thing outside of Ran-san that I have!" I pulled my hand from Hinata's grasp and held his face in my hands. I needed him to understand./p
p class="MsoNormal"I felt him pull both of my hands from his face before I felt his thumb drag under my left eye. I hadn't realized that I had started to cry again. I pulled away from him suddenly, using my sleeves to dry my tears. "I'm sorry," I choked. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"He must think I'm so weak./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Rai, he understands that people need to cry. You, especially, need to cry sometimes. You spent so many years bottling everything up. It's not healthy for you. Tears are a sign of remaining too strong for too long. You are fifteen, Rai! You need to give yourself this one. Your asshole family is re-exposing you to previous trauma. That is going to mess with you./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""Rai-chan?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I jumped at the sound of the new voice. "Hyuuga-san?" I had not been aware that Hiashi had accompanied his daughter and nephew to Kusabana./p
p class="MsoNormal""Is this true? Your family is hurting you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"My eyes widened. "It was my fault, I should have been more aware of my surroundings. If I had not been-"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Rai! There is no excuse for this." Neji interjected. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me tightly into him. "Is this the first time this has happened?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Tears started to fall again as I dropped my head forward. "No," I whispered. "They just do not leave scars like my father had." With the increased healing rate from both the Kohana blood, and Ran-san's demon blood, most minor injuries were healed within a day or two without scars./p
p class="MsoNormal""Where did your family go? Isn't there supposed to be a celebration after the Naming Ceremony?" Hinata asked, bringing to our attention that my family had left the courtyard. "Most of them were not even in their kimonos!" she admonished./p
p class="MsoNormal"I nodded against Neji's shoulder. "I was told that I was 'too old' for the celebration and that my family was only attending because 'it is traditional'."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Does your family accept you as Kohana?" Hiashi-san asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"I took a deep steadying breath before shaking my head. "Because of my damaged eyes, they do not believe what Mokuba-san says. And none of them have sought to test it like he had."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Test it?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I nodded. "The Kohana do not have a Kekkei Genkai as other clans have, but we have power in our blood. We have advanced healing, almost regeneration. But we also have increased sensitivity to poisons."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Insolent child!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I jerked up. "Grandmother?" I stood up to greet her properly but I was met with a harsh slap that knocked me off balance and her hand twist itself into my hair, pulling it harshly at the roots as she forced me back into a standing position. I was aware that she was much taller than I am, but I never expected her to use it against me in this way. I bit my lip harshly to keep from crying out and it took everything I had to not fight her off./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Rai!/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""You are a traitor to your blood!" She then started to drag me towards the compound. She had taken two steps before she stopped short, harshly tugging again./p
p class="MsoNormal""Kohana-san, you will let her go." Hiashi-san had stepped in front of my father's mother./p
p class="MsoNormal"She gave my head another hard yank and I drew blood with biting my lip. A whine slipped out as I gripped my kimono, fighting off the instinct to try and release myself. If I hurt my father's mother when she was already accusing me of treason, she would instantly try and put me to death./p
p class="MsoNormal""She may be filth, but she is of my blood and you have no rights to her or the information she gave you. I'll see you all tried for treason!" she yelled at the head of the Hyuuga clan./p
p class="MsoNormal""Grandmother? What are you doing?" a welcome voice called. I could hear Mokuba running towards our group./p
p class="MsoNormal"I could feel my father's mother swing an arm towards my cousin. "She is to be charged with treason!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""She was talking with her betrothed and his family," Mokuba-san stated calmly./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Do you think he can do it?/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I clenched my eyes shut to stop the tears from building as I bit in to the already split lip. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I hope he can. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal""S-Still! She should not be allowed to share the family secrets!" Her grip lightened for a moment on my hair before clenching it all the tighter./p
p class="MsoNormal"I whined, praying to whoever was listening that this would not happen. Prayed that she would not put Ran-san and I on trial! We would never survive it./p
p class="MsoNormal""They already knew the secrets! They were made aware of them before they agreed to the betrothal!" I felt Mokuba-san's hand come against his grandmother's. "Let her go," he stated firmly. With a quick twist of his wrist, I was released./p
p class="MsoNormal"I stumbled backward, my hands going to cover my head. I felt solid arms come around my waist, lowering me back to the bench before I felt Hinata press a handkerchief to my still bleeding lip./p
p class="MsoNormal""Mokuba-san, if this is the way that she is going to be treated, I will no longer consent to having my nephew's betrothed stay in your care. I will take her back with us," Hiashi-san stated. I heard him move to stand in front of me, placing himself as a barrier./p
p class="MsoNormal""I apologize, Hyuuga-san. I was not aware that my Grandmother had allowed to family to follow through with the teaching that we had abolished almost two decades ago."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I felt a soothing hand brush over the top of my head before Neji gently pulled the kanzashi from the tangles./p
p class="MsoNormal""M-maybe it would be best if I left," I stated softly as I gently moved Hinata's hand away, directing the statement towards my cousin. "All I seem to do is anger people. No one even believes I'm a Kohana."/p
p class="MsoNormal""No!" he cried. "You have a right to the teachings of our clan just as every other clan member."/p
p class="MsoNormal""They don't believe I am part of the clan!" I raised my voice at him. "No one wants us here! They look at Ran-san as a traitor! They look at me as an interloper, that I don't belong here! Why would I want to stay somewhere I am not wanted?!" I begged him. I clutched the front of my kimono, finding it difficult to breathe./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Slow down. Deep breath in and let it out slowly,/em/strong Ran-san guided./p
p class="MsoNormal"I tried to follow her instructions, but I noticed my breathing was shaky./p
p class="MsoNormal"Mokuba-san did not respond. I could feel Neji's hand rubbing up and down my back, trying to soothe me./p
p class="MsoNormal"I shook my head. "I will pack my things. I will return to Konoha with my betrothed," I stated quietly as I stood up from the bench./p
p class="MsoNormal""No. You are a part of this family and I am sorry that we have no treated you like it. That will change today. I will call a clan meeting for this evening. Everything will be straightened out. No family member will lay a hand on you unless it was for training purposes." Mokuba spoke strongly and firmly. I knew that he was high in the clan, but I did not believe that he would be able to change the family that I shared blood with./p
p class="MsoNormal"I sighed heavily, closing my eyes momentarily. "I will give this one last chance. If it happens again, I will be leaving, Mokuba-san." I was going to try and do what Neji asked of me. I was going to try and stand up for myself. Now that I had an accepted family member at my side, something might actually change./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"I flipped to the next page of the book as Rai finished absorbing the information./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"This is so much more advanced than the basic techniques my mother taught me./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I sat back in my chair, putting my feet up on the desk and rubbing at my eyes. They were strained from staring at medical journals for the past few hours./p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Why are you so interested in poisons? You could end up killing us just as easily./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I'm wondering if there is a way to add Kohana blood to poisons. I wonder if it would pass on the susceptibility. I would never want to try it out while training. It would have to be done while out on the field./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I could feel her brain start running through calculation after calculation, comparing herbs and known poisons to the benefits of adding our blood to them./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ran!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The sudden yell jerked Rai out of calculations and drew my attention to entrance of the library. "Yasuo?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The blonde ran over and grabbed my arm, heaving me out of my seat. "You two are missing it!" he cried, pulling me towards the exit./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Oh my! Kaemon's wedding!/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"At Rai's thought, I pulled my arm out of Yasuo's grip and started pulling him. "You're moving too slow!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"We bolted through the town, headed for the center where Kaemon and Moriko's wedding was taking place. We arrived to see a crowd of people./p
p class="MsoNormal""I can't see!" I groaned, cursing my shortness. "Come on!" I dragged Yasuo with me as I headed to a nearby building. I scaled it quickly, Yasuo on my tail. We sat next to each other, our legs dangling over the edge./p
p class="MsoNormal"We could see Kaemon in his black hakama and Moriko in her traditional white kimono. "They do look good together," I told Yasuo as I rested my elbows on my knees and my head on my hands to watch the proceedings./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"They have been waiting long enough for this./em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"I grinned as I watched the two give their vows. While it might not be a love-match like Neji and Rai, they did like each other and were best friends, even closer than him and Yasuo were. "Think they'll have kids?" I asked, looking over at Yasuo./p
p class="MsoNormal"The blonde shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows. I know his mom wants grandchildren, so he might have one or two just to please her."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I laughed. We'd had heard enough about his mother that he probably would have children just to have his mother shut up./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Now! Finish him!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Locking in on where his chakra was centered, I gathered chakra into my hands and slammed them into my cousin's chest. The chakra might have been medical in nature, but medicine can harm as much as heal. I heard the older ninja cough and felt the splatter of blood as he fell back./p
p class="MsoNormal""Nice job, Rai!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I kneeled beside the poor cousin who I had just harmed, forming the hand signs for a healing jutsu. "Are you okay, Jirou-san?" I asked./p
p class="MsoNormal""Will be," he gasped out before laying out on the ground, allowing me to heal the damage I had caused./p
p class="MsoNormal"I could hear Mokuba-san come up behind me from where he had been shouting directions at me from the side-lines./p
p class="MsoNormal""You're getting faster," he told me, coming to a stop a step or so away./p
p class="MsoNormal"I shrugged as I finished up the healing. "I have been here a year, so far. I hope I would have improved at this point."/p
p class="MsoNormal"He ruffled my hair as he laughed. "You're spending too much time with Ran."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I laughed as I pushed myself to my feet, brushing the dust off of my clothing before holding out a hand to help my cousin to his feet. "We kind of are attached, aren't we?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""How has the poison research going?" Jirou-san asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"I shrugged. "I believe we managed to work out of the mathematical proportions with integrating Kohana blood. I'm not sure if the differences in my blood with Ran-san's contributions are going to cause changes, so I would like to try and secure a sample from another member of the family to use as a control."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Don't you have the purest blood?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal"I shrugged, shuffling uncomfortably. This had been a matter of contention between the family members due to the presence of Ran and the damage to my eyes causing changes to the coloring. I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm not sure how the weaknesses change with the addition of the demon blood. As a part-demon, Ran inherently has a higher tolerance to poisons, so it is currently hard to judge. Especially as we do not know if the healing ability is from the demon blood or the Kohana."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Jirou-san and Mokuba-san hummed in agreement./p
p class="MsoNormal"A hawk's cry echoed through the training area, causing a grin to cross my lips. "Kohei's back! He should have letters for me!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"I shook my brown hair from my gaze as I opened my eyes, seeing the two Kohana males in front of me before I looked up to see my bird coming to rest on my shoulder, a letter tied around his leg. I pulled it off, smoothing a hand over Kohei's head before he flew off. I hurriedly opened the letter, Rai's excitement getting to me. "It's from Hinata!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""What's it say?" Mokuba asked, resting an arm on my shoulders as he peered over me to look at the letter./p
p class="MsoNormal""Neji passed his jounin test!" I cried before hugging Rai's cousin in excitement. We laughed as I let him go to throw my arms up in the cheer./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"I headed into the restaurant, looking around until I saw an arm waving at me attached to a blonde. "Over here!" Yasuo called./p
p class="MsoNormal""You're embarrassing," I told him flatly as I slid into the booth next to him, smiling at Kaemon. "What's going on?" I asked, curious as to why Kaemon had asked us to meet him for lunch./p
p class="MsoNormal"He looked down at the table between us, staring at his hands. "So it's been almost a year since Moriko and I were married…"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I think I remember that," Yasuo said, "Ran forgot so we were on the building across the street."/p
p class="MsoNormal""I did not forget," I grumbled as I shoved the hyperactive blonde./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kaemon shook his head, took a deep breath, and shook his head again./p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;""What's wrong?"/strong Rai asked, worried about the quiet male. He usually doesn't get this distressed./p
p class="MsoNormal""Nothing's wrong," he answered quickly. He took another deep breath and looked up at Yasuo and me. "Moriko's pregnant."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Yasuo and I looked at each other, shocked into silence for a moment, before we both launched ourselves over the table at our teammate. "Congratulations!" we shouted as we smothered him in a hug./p
p class="MsoNormal""Get off!" Kaemon growled, "You're embarrassing yourselves!" He did have a point. The entire restaurant was now staring at us./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hell no!" I answered, sitting next to him. "This is cause for celebration! This calls for a drink!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I can't believe that worked!" I gasped out, shoving my brown hair out of my eyes as we stumbled back into Kusabana. Yasuo and Kaemon were holding each other up in their exhaustion./p
p class="MsoNormal""I can't believe your new poison worked," Yasuo huffed, scrubbing at some dirt that was still stuck to his face./p
p class="MsoNormal"Kaemon stood up straight, bending backwards to pop his back, sighing in relief when multiple cracks were heard. He had taken a hard hit when he was knocked out the tall tree. "It worked very quickly as well. It'll be something to keep in mind in the future."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I nodded, placing my hand on my hips. "I'll have to see how much the time line changes when we use Rai's blood. I know demonic blood can have odd properties as well." I shook my head, "but those are thoughts for another day. You need to go see Moriko, Mr. soon-to-be-a-dad. You were saying that the mood swings were making her worry."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The red-eyed male nodded. "I'll get the report to the elders prior to heading home. Go relax you too."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="text-align: center;"-/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""It's a boy," Kaemon stated, coming out of the maternity ward with a blue wrapped bundle in his hands./p
p class="MsoNormal"I pulled my brown hair, now down to below my shoulder blades, back into a messy bun to keep out of the way before taking the offered bundle in my arms. Yasuo came up behind me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and leaning over me as his golden eyes inspected the minutes-old baby. strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;""He is precious!" /strongRai breathed. I had offered to let her be out for this, but she had told me that she had wanted to be able to see the baby./p
p class="MsoNormal"Yasuo moved some of the blanket out of the way to be able to have the boy wrap his tiny fingers around one of his. "What did you guys choose for a name?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""His name is Hakaku."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I smiled, holding the tiny child close. "Seishou Hakaku… A fine name for someone who will grow up to be a fine man."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You're hogging the baby, it's my turn," Yasuo stated, lifting the baby out of my arms. Before the boy was even settled, he had started to fuss and cry. "Hey, hey, hey! It's me, it's Uncle Yasuo!" the man cried out, trying to settle the baby down./p
p class="MsoNormal"I couldn't help but laugh, taking the boy back, and having him settle down almost instantly. "See, you know your aunties! You already love your aunties more than you love Uncle Yasuo."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Kaemon! Your son takes after you! He's a brat!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Red eyes rolled. "My son has taste, that's all."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"I pulled waist length brown hair into a messy bun on the back of my head. Rai and I had become tired of switching outfits, so we had worked together to design a new one that worked for the both of us. They were finally done, having just been delivered by the seamstress that serviced most of the Kohana clan. I pulled on mid-thigh length shorts in a light gray. A one shouldered short-sleeved top in dark teal went over my bindings. Next came an over-bust corset, also in light gray. A wrap skirt, also in dark teal, edged at the top and bottom in dark gray, was tied around my waist, showing the gray shorts on the left side. Bandages were wound around both of my lower legs, coming to just below my knees, before being covered with tight leg-warmers, dark teal edged in dark gray. Lighter teal finger-less gloves that came up to halfway up my upper arms were wrapped in place by more bandages. To finish off the outfit, three belts were wrapped around my middle, the first just under my bust, the second at the base of my ribs, and the last over my hips, all angled so they touched each other. I sat down to pull on black ninja sandals as I heard a knock on the door./p
p class="MsoNormal""Come in!" I called./p
p class="MsoNormal"I saw blond hair before I saw anything else. "You ready to go?" Yasuo asked. "I'm sure Rai is really excited to head back to Konoha."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You have no idea," I responded with a grin./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm sure Neji will be waiting for you two."/p
p class="MsoNormal"I shrugged. "Rai had me send a letter with Kohei a few days ago to let him know that we'd be coming home. But we didn't have a date set."/p
p class="MsoNormal""He's still going to be waiting." Yasuo pushed the door open more, showing that Mokuba was just walking up./p
p class="MsoNormal""Let's go."/p