Chapter 1: Building Trust
Dusk vanished slowly with a note of chary sunset. Beautiful colours flooded the Island as the Sun pulled itself down and sunk from beneath the jagged mountain ranges and the horizon. It was a sight to behold, marking the end of another peaceful day on the Island. While the inhabitants of the Island's sole village took their time to bask in the sunset and prepare for the night ahead, things were not as calm and serene on the other side of the Island. Somewhere on the outskirts of a bamboo forest right next to a steady-flowing stream, loud grunts, shouts and growls echoed amongst the cliffs that towered over the bamboo forest.
The old Ninja Master sat patiently on the same patch of grass that he'd been sitting on since dawn, quietly observing his newest student; 14-year-old Kiyoshi, rigorously perform Hane Gari kicks in the air just several feet in front of him. "You are doing the same mistake that you've been repeating for the last half an hour Kiyoshi," the elderly Ninja finally commented, causing the teen to pause and look towards the Master with surprise.
"Young Kiyoshi, all I'm seeing is you kicking about in the air for absolutely no reason, when I've specifically told you to picture an enemy in front of you and make sure that your kicks land in the right places."
Kiyoshi let out a grunt, annoyed that his Master hadn't pointed out his mistake much earlier. Still, he gave a respectful bow and then posed himself to perform the Hane Gari, the correct way this time; by making sure his kicks landed approximately at his "enemy's" solar plexus. The Master nodded in approval and continued supervising his student.
Meanwhile, observing the two in the distant were the other Mini Ninjas, who were gathered right next to the stream with bored expressions plastered on their faces. "Man... I can't believe the Master has completely forgotten about us for the past three days!" Lamented 10-year-old Hiro. "And all because of that Kiyoshi who suddenly popped out of nowhere!"
Three days ago, the children woke up early in the morning to find the Ninja Master standing at their door with the teenager standing beside him. "Children, I want you to meet your new brother... Kiyoshi. He and I will be training on the forest's outskirts for the next few days, so feel free to occupy yourselves with your own activities until Kiyoshi has completed his training." The Master had briefed them, which was greeted by stares of bewilderment from his other students. But before the children could even open their mouths to ask any further questions, the teenager gave them a solemn bow before heading out with the Master to the spot where they will engage in his training for the upcoming days.
"I've always wanted some time off from being a ninja and just laze away without having to do anything," admitted Futo. "But after doing absolutely nothing for three days in a row, I think I have to start being careful with what I wish for now..."
"I have a feeling that Kiyoshi is purposely avoiding us," Shun commented, rubbing his chin as he observed the teen in the distant. "He's never talked to us nor has he even tried to make eye contact with any of us since he arrived. He's even got his own sleeping area downstairs of the Ninja-craft... I'd say he's the type who likes being alone."
"Or maybe... he's the type who only speaks to you if you speak to him first," Suzume suggested, who was getting quite annoyed with all the negative comments and portrayals of the newcomer. "And anyways, why are you boys gossiping so much about him? We girls don't even gossip as much as you do..."
"Hey, we're not gossiping, okay?" Hiro quickly rebutted. "We're just... curious why he doesn't even make eye contact with any of us, or... why he suddenly showed up at our ninja camp in the first place! For all we might know, he might even be working for that evil Ashida and our Master has somehow fallen for his trick!"
The others looked at him with shock, as that particular possibility didn't even cross their minds. However, they instantly rubbished his accusation as they know their Master would instantly recognize anyone who would be working with evil warlord Ashida.
"Come on, Hiro. We all know the Master isn't as gullible as you to simply trust anyone," Suzume teased him with a smirk. "I think you're seriously underestimating the Master's wisdom here..."
"W-what?! No, I didn't mean that!" Hiro stuttered in defense. "I'm just saying Hiroshi looks the type of person we shouldn't trust..."
"Well I certainly trust him!" young Kunoichi eventually chimed in. "He may not speak to us much, but I think deep down, he's actually a nice person."
"How do you know that?" Shun asked.
"Oh... well, err... something inside just tells me he's a nice guy," the 7-year-old shyly replied, to which her seniors smiled at her innocent demenour. Except for Hiro, though. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think we're wasting time talking about Kiyoshi," he grunted, turning around and walking upstream. "We might as well do our own training and prepare ourselves in case Ashida or Shoko decides to cause trouble."
"But we haven't heard anything related to those two since the last two weeks," Futo commented. "And we haven't received even a single complaint from the villagers too."
"Good. Then that gives us more time for us to practice our moves," Hiro briskly replied, as he walked further away from them. "Feel free to join me if you want to."
The other boys exchanged looks at each other before deciding to go with him. "Hey, Hiro wait up!"
As the boys left and leaving only the two girls behind, Kunoichi turned and continued observing Kiyoshi and their Master. "Suzume. Do you trust Kiyoshi being around here?" she suddenly asked after a while.
Suzume raised a brow at her before turning her gaze to the newcomer's direction. "Well... it's a bit hard to tell when he's never spoken to us before," she vaguely replied. "But if the Master trusts him enough to train him as a student, then I guess we should trust him too... I think."
Young Kunoichi was still not convinced with her answer. "Well... does he look trustworthy, then?"
Suzume let out a small laugh, wondering why the younger ninja was so interested in the newcomer, but decided to try and answer her anyways. "Hmmm... I guess... he might look trustworthy," she replied, narrowing her gaze at the teen. "But you can't really tell if someone's trustworthy just by looking at their faces. You have to really get to know them better to decide whether they're really trustworthy or not."
Kunoichi nodded in agreement, but then a small, sly grin suddenly curved on her lips as she got an idea of a rather thorny question that she'd like to see how her senior would respond to. "Suzume... do you think Kiyoshi looks... good?"
Suzume immediately turned and looked at her, eyes widened with confusion, "W-what? What do you mean by that?"
"You know, I mean... do you think Kiyoshi is... good-looking?" Kunoichi repeated, slightly rephrasing her question, though she could already guess the answer just by picking up the slight stutter that Suzume let out.
Suzume furrowed her brows and then trained her gaze at Kiyoshi. She observed how seamlessly he could perform the Hane Gari; taking a few strides back, then using the balls of his feet to launch himself into the air and striking his left leg at where an enemy's solar plexus would be before landing both legs on the ground again. He had been doing that particular move (correctly this time) for the last few minutes, and each time he got better and better.
Suzume's eyes then began to focus on his physical appearance instead. Being only ten and surrounded either by her fellow ninjas who were children around her age, or aging adults who were five to ten times older than her, Kiyoshi was admittedly the first teenager she had ever laid eyes on, and innocent curiosity instantly made her scrutinize the fourteen-year-old's physical stature.
She quietly admired how his tight-fitting hakama pants emphasized his long muscular legs, and how his strained, black kimono showed off the outline of his bulky chest and arm muscles. His spiky hair seemed to glisten in the last few rays of the evening sunlight, his stern-looking face radiated with deadly confidence and fearlessness, while his eyes-
Suzume suddenly snapped from her train of thoughts when she realized she had been staring at him for too long, and she could feel a warm sensation slowly forming on her cheeks that was coupled with intense breathing. Apparently, staring at Kiyoshi's physiques seemed to have a trance-like effect on her and she almost forgot where she was. She then heard a soft giggle beside her and instantly remembered that Kunoichi had been standing with her the whole time, and, judging by the way she was snickering, probably saw how her gaze was so fixated on Kiyoshi the entire time she was observing him.
"I take it that you find him more than just good-looking?" the seven-year-old grinned at her.
Suzume wondered how little Kunoichi could suddenly develop a cheeky and mischievous side when she had always been the good and obedient seven-year-old all this while. Still, she wasn't too worried about anyone finding out her thoughts of Kiyoshi. She knew Kunoichi long enough to be assured that whatever happened just now would remain between them. "Yeah... I guess he is kind of cute," Suzume admitted with a shy smile on her lips. "But I think it's better the others don't find out about this."
Kunoichi nodded with a giggle, understanding what she meant. Knowing how the other boys could be immature at times, Suzume was sure that they would tease her to no end if they ever find out that she finds Kiyoshi appealing. And that itself was still a mystery to her; she wondered why she never felt attracted to any of the boys of her clan despite being so close and having spent most of her life with them, but found herself suddenly being enticed by the mere sight of Kiyoshi practicing his Hane Gari... why was she feeling so different about it?
"I guess we should join the others with our own training, huh?" Kunoichi eventually suggested, looking at Suzume and awaiting her response. Suzume agreed, deciding she should do something to get the newcomer off her mind. She reminded herself that she wasn't the type to fall head over heels for a boy.
The last couple of hours of dusk went by peacefully as usual, and before long, night had arrived. Everyone had gone back to the Ninja-Craft and as per their routine, the Ninja Master cooked their usual dinner of plain 'rice with rice'. While the children and the Master sat down and ate at the common area, Kiyoshi went straight to his own personal space downstairs without joining the others for dinner, which he had done so since he arrived. Apparently, he preferred to survive only on a bowl of rice a day, which he cooked and ate early in the morning before anyone else was awake. The Master found out about this and left him a small sack of rice in his room so he could cook on his own without disturbing the children while they were still asleep.
Usually, there would be quite a bit of chatter during dinner time with the Master engaging in light-hearted conversations with his students, but for the past three days, he never spoke a word, and he kept a solemn expression throughout their meal. The children didn't try to start a conversation out of respect, but they all guessed that his sudden change in behaviour was more than likely connected with Kiyoshi's arrival. There were so many questions they wanted to ask him regarding the newcomer, but him keeping mum about it told them that he wasn't about to answer any questions any time soon. Hiro, in particular, was very impatient to know what was the reason the Master brought Kiyoshi to their secret camp and why he refused to provide a single explanation to them on the teen's unannounced arrival.
After dinner was over, the girls and Futo proceeded to clear up the common area while the three other boys (Hiro, Tora and Shun) went out to practice their stealth skills in the bamboo forests. Everyone had their own activities until it was eventually time to go to sleep. The Master had been in his chamber since after dinner, and he trusted his students to be disciplined enough to know when to hit the hay without being told. The children slept in the common area on the floor, with individual tatami mats as their 'beds' and a single white sheet as blankets and no pillows. It may look uncomfortable to some, but the children were perfectly accustomed to sleeping that way.
Two hours had passed after midnight, and everyone was still fast asleep. Then, out of the blue, there was movement. Suzume, who was a very light sleeper, instantly flicked open her eyes the moment she heard the soft creaking of wood. She forced herself to remain completely still as the movement on floorboards got louder. She didn't have to look to deduce that it was the sound of someone walking up the stairs from the lower floor of the Craft. She held her breath and closed her eyes as that 'someone' had reached the top of the stairs and began walking along the edge of the common area, avoiding the middle where she and the other Mini Ninjas were sleeping.
Suzume braved herself to open an eyelid, and, much to her disbelief, instantly recognized the silhouette who was creeping around in the shadows of the dark. It was Kiyoshi. There was no mistake about it, the silhouette belonged to someone who was very tall, and there was no one else in the Ninja-Craft who was that tall other than Kiyoshi. By now, all sorts of questions began churning in Suzume's mind, and seeing how Kiyoshi was quietly moving about reminded her of what Hiro had said about the teenager earlier today; "For all we might know, he might even be working for that evil Ashida and our Master has somehow fallen for his trick!"
So was Hiro right then? Was Kiyoshi really sent by Ashida to spy on them and the Master had the wrong sense of judgment for once? The young ten-year-old ninja was ready to believe so, but decided to wait and see what Kiyoshi was up to. The sound of his tiptoeing feet told her that he was that he had made his way across the common area. She then heard him slowly opening the door (opposite where she and the others were sleeping) that lead to the small balcony outside. The room was immediately flooded with the yellow glow of the full moon the moment Kiyoshi opened the door, giving a perfect outline of his shadow against the rice-paper door and walls.
Suzume quietly sat up on her tatami mat and watched the movement of his shadow, now even more curious as to what he was up to. She saw his silhouette moving a little to the left from the door before turning around and facing forwards, where he remained still after that. Suzume furrowed her brows with suspicion as she finally concluded that Kiyoshi was now standing outside and facing the balcony. What was he doing? Was he waiting for someone to bring them inside the Ninja Craft? Was he waiting to lead enemies into their home and have her friends and the Ninja Master ambushed while they were all asleep?!
By now, Suzume was convinced that Kiyoshi was up to no good and decided that she should have sound the alarm a long time ago, yet the burning curiosity inside her held her from doing that, and instead, she ended up braving herself to take a peek and spy on Kiyoshi to see if he really was waiting for someone outside. She quietly got up and carefully tiptoed her way to the door, making sure her feet didn't shift the floorboards too much for it to creak as she crept. Once reaching the door, she leaned slightly to the right and peeked outside. She saw Kiyoshi now leaning forwards and resting his arms on the wooden rail of the small balcony, as if he was casually gazing into the distance.
A small gust of wind blew past his hair and the sound of chirping night-time insects together with the soft gurgling of the river indeed painted a relaxed environment, which Suzume herself hadn't experienced before, making her wonder if Kiyoshi was actually just enjoying the serenity of the night instead of the heinous intentions that she thought he was up to. But then, much to Suzume's horror, she suddenly heard his deep, husky voice say, "You know, I can hear your breathing from here, young Suzume..."
The young ninja's heart began thumping heavily against her chest as the target she was spying on was now gazing straight into her eyes. Suzume mentally cursed herself for making the fundamental mistake of not controlling her breathing while using stealth to spy on Kiyoshi. But that didn't matter now, she was caught red-handed and she didn't know whether to stand firm and confront Kiyoshi in defense, or... remain at the door like a timid mouse and pray that he didn't have any kind of evil intentions.
Kiyoshi had an unamused look on his face as he gazed at her, but yet, he didn't appear intimidating at the same time. "Why are you awake? Aren't you supposed to be in bed right now?" He asked with a raised brow.
Suzume took in a deep breath and decided to brave herself and face the teenager as she walked from the door and opposite of him. "Well... I was just about to ask you the same thing," she replied cautiously. "Why were you creeping about in the common area where we were sleeping?"
Kiyoshi's unamused look was instantly replaced with admiration, as he was impressed with Suzume's attitude of not backing down even when she was caught. "I wasn't really 'creeping around the common area' like you said, Suzume," he calmly replied before shifting his gaze to the view of the river downstream. "I was just trying to get to the balcony here without disturbing you and your friends. I was feeling a little homesick, so, I came to enjoy the breeze so I don't miss my home too much."
Suzume was quite surprised at how honest he was in admitting that he was homesick. She didn't think a guy who was tough-looking and older than her would calmly admit that he was feeling homesick. Maybe she did misjudge his true character after all, then?
"Would you like to join me?" he unexpectedly asked, persuading her with a soft, beckoning smile as he looked back at her once again.
Suzume wasn't prepared at all by this. Yet, she couldn't help but feel that Kiyoshi was just being friendly and sincere, making it difficult for her to say no. "Um.. sure," She replied, flashing him a meek smile before walking towards him and taking her place standing beside him.
Kiyoshi once again reverted his focus towards the scenery ahead, closing his eyes as another breeze blew by. With the sight of the full moon in view, the soft gurgling of the river was heard and the intermittent whisper of the night-breeze did indeed bring a sense of calm and serenity as she stood next to him. Her breathing had returned to normal and she was feeling very much relaxed, even comfortable, in fact.
"I sense that you and the others have quite a fair bit of questions you'd like to ask me..." Kiyoshi finally spoke after a couple of minutes had passed. "Am I right?"
A fair bit is certainly an understatement, Suzume thought. "Yes, that's right. But right now, I'm only interested in one question; you said you were homesick and the breeze helps remind you of your home. Where is actually your home? Are you even from around here?"
That question had certainly left Kiyoshi even more impressed with Suzume. He never thought that a ten-year-old could pick up the little details in his words and deduce the true fact that he really wasn't a local there. "No, not really," he answered, confirming her suspicions. "I'm not from this Island, I'm actually from the Mainland. My home is in a village at the base of Mount Fuji, so where I lived, it was always cold and windy." He paused to give a praising smirk at her. "I have to admit, I'm very impressed with how you guessed that I'm not from around here. Great detective work."
Suzume couldn't refrain herself from beaming at his compliment, but flattery wasn't enough to stop her from asking the more pertinent questions. "Okay, so... you're from the Mainland and you were happily living in your old village there. Why did the Master bring you here, then? And then again... how is it that the Master knows you? He's never left the Island before since he was born here!"
Kiyoshi chuckled at the barrage of questions she threw at him. "Are you sure those are the only questions you have for me?" He asked rhetorically with a grin. Before Suzume could respond, he continued, "As much as I'd love to answer those questions, Suzume, I'm afraid the only thing I can reveal to you is that I was summoned to the Island at the request of the Master. The other details... well, the Master insisted that he will explain everything to you all when the time is right."
"And that will be...?"
"In five days' time when I finish mastering all the moves in Ninjutsu and the day I become a Ninja."
This came to a surprise to Suzume, and she initially thought that his last sentence was something that was impossible to achieve, as it had taken herself, Hiro and Futo about two whole years to master all those moves and techniques for them to be qualified Ninjas, so it did appear to be an impossibility for Kiyoshi to master all of them in just five days. But then again, she and the others had seen how he could easily master ten Ninjutsu moves on the first day of his arrival when it had taken them an entire month to master those same moves. There were a total of about 80 moves and techniques in the art of Ninjutsu, so, if Kiyoshi was a really fast learner, it would seem plausible for him to actually master them and become a Ninja in five days' time.
Suzume still had her doubts on Kiyoshi's abilities, but decided not to mention about it. "I just don't understand it. The Master has always been open and he never kept secrets from us. Why is he suddenly being so secretive about everything related to you?" Suzume lamented, looking at him with a dissatisfied look.
Kiyoshi sincerely understood her frustration, but chose not to divulge any information. "I'm sorry, Suzume. I wish I could answer that as well, but... I already made a promise to the Master that I won't reveal anything to you and your friends. He's actually the reason why I've been avoiding you all."
Suzume had also guessed that already, but she was still not satisfied by the fact that none of her questions were answered. "I see..." she replied half-heartedly, turning her gaze away from him.
Kiyoshi was just as frustrated by the fact that he couldn't be more open about himself; he didn't like being cast in a bad light by the Mini Ninjas simply because he was told not to interact with them. Perhaps, he could just give a brief information about himself? After all, he already went against the Ninja Master's order just by talking to Suzume...
"Alright, look..." he began, instantly regaining Suzume's attention as she looked back at him. "I can't tell you much about myself, but I will tell you this. The reason why I was brought to the Island... has got something to do with why it had been so peaceful here for the last two weeks. I think its a well-known fact that you don't usually get even a few days of peace without a certain 'someone' causing trouble on the Island."
This revelation caused Suzume's eyes to widen with shock as she immediately realized who that 'someone' was, "Wait... Are you saying-"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," He cut her off. Seeing how perturbed Suzume suddenly got made him regret letting out that information. "Look, I'm not supposed to tell you anything, so... can you PLEASE promise me you'll act as if I never told you anything?"
Suzume gazed into his pleading eyes and felt sorry for him. She decided she was more or less obligated to make that promise. "Yeah... I will." She nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.
Kiyoshi immediately eased up and let out a grateful sigh of relief before turning his gaze back into the scenery of the night. "Thank you, Suzume. I trust that you'll keep that promise, at least until the day the Master decides to brief you all on what's actually going on."
His last sentence made it sound like she was shouldering a huge responsibility to maintain his trust, and it made her feel uneasy. Eventhough what Kiyoshi revealed gave her some idea of what exactly was going on, there were still many things that didn't quite make sense yet, and she would have loved to discuss this with the other Ninjas. But after making her promise, she decided it was dishonorable for her to do so. Her newfound respect for Kiyoshi meant that she didn't want to do anything to disappoint him.
As the two resumed gazing at the view outside, Suzume reflected on the last few minutes of her interaction with him. She never expected her misadventure would lead to her getting to know him a little better. Eventhough he never actually revealed anything more about himself, she could already discern the kind of person he was; solemn, quick-thinking, can be humorous at times, but beyond and above all that; he's very approachable and friendly, and Suzume was glad that they had the chance to properly interact with each other. In fact, and despite not showing it, she actually felt comfortable talking and being with him. Perhaps a little too comfortable...
Suzume suddenly realized her breathing and the beating of her heart had picked up pace the more she started thinking about the teenager standing next to her. The same thing that happened earlier when she was observing him during his training...
Okay, this is getting weird...
"Hey, uh... I think I have to go back to bed. It's getting late for me," she briefly said, giving him an apologizing look while trying her best not to make her cheeks blush in red.
Kiyoshi nodded. "Sure. And uh... thanks. For talking to me and joining me outside. I really appreciate making your acquaintance, Suzume..."
Eventhough she was trying to get away from him, young Suzume couldn't stop herself from flashing him her sweetest smile. "Sure, it's my pleasure, Kiyoshi," she replied softly, before realizing her cheeks had indeed turned crimson. She immediately turned and went her way through the ricepaper door, shutting it before heading back to her tatami mat.
Tonight had certainly been a different night...
Kiyoshi's gaze remained at the shut ricepaper door before he chuckled to himself and then fixed his attention once again to the Heavens, admiring the silvery glow of the full Moon and enjoying the cool breeze that danced about in the night.
End of Part 1
A/N: And so we have the first part of the story. Hopefully it's worth a review or two, I would really appreciate the feedback! To anyone who's read my story, thank you so much for your time! Again, feel free to comment on anything that you have about this chapter, reviews will always get me motivated to write more :D See you all in the next chapter!