"Forty-two seconds," Ren counted, impressed, looking at the black mass retreat back and merge with his shadow once more.
Shikamaru slumped against the tree trunk in fatigue, but looked rather smug.
"That's five more than yesterday," she remarked.
"You really are amazing!" exclaimed Chouji. "That's a grown-up jutsu!"
"It's not a grown-up jutsu. It's only the basics of a more complex one," he explained, shaking his head slightly.
Ren knew him well enough to know he wasn't trying to be modest but realistic. Perhaps that's why she liked him so much- he never gloated, not even when he won yet another game of shogi against her.
"Still, you're progressing really fast," she noted, a small smile gracing her face.
She was proud of him, yes, but a small part of her was disappointed that he got to learn a cool jutsu before her. She didn't have any impressive jutsus in her arsenal, only the basic E-level techniques from The Academy textbooks and Library scrolls. Pff, what use were those against an enemy like Orochimaru? As if a substitute jutsu would even be enough to save her life.
Something cold landed on her nose, causing her to sneeze.
Darn snow, she thought, glancing at the Vampire Child from the tree branch she was sitting on. The kid got way too excited when he played with Sakura, a girl in their year that had followed Ino back to their 'hideout' one afternoon.
In a way, Ren was grateful for Sakura's presence. It meant that she didn't have to spend too much time taking care of the kid more than necessary and that she regained some of the time she could spend alone with Shikamaru and Chouji that had been stolen from her. Indeed, the trio had skipped out on their lunches by the lake to come and watch over the mutant kid instead. She couldn't help herself from resenting the lost child just a tad for that reason, because Shikamaru and Chouji were the only two people who reminded her how to feel like a child again. Granted, she didn't think that throwing weapons was very 'child-like', but they kept her happy and carefree during the time they spent with her, enough to distract her from worrying too much.
It had been odd, at first, talking and training in front of Ino (and later Sakura) but Ren had gotten used to it. When Sakura had entered the picture, Ino had preferred to play with her and Yota, than spend her time with Ren, Shikamaru, and Chouji. The two girls played hide and seek with Yota, some days making him flower crowns,
sometimes building snowmen and practiced their snowball throwing.
"So... So Yota can make the snow fall too?" Chouji asked, watching the snow fall with a look akin to wonder and small fingers reaching out to catch it.
The snow thing had started one afternoon after Sakura had followed Ino to Vampire Child's tree-house. The kid had fallen in love with the pink haired girl and snow had proceeded to fall.
The snow, much like the chakra infused rain, was tangible and cold to the touch.
What next? Thunderstorms? Ren frowned, wondering what else the kid could do. How old could he be, anyway? Four? To be able to perform these kind of jutsus without any hand seals and be able to maintain them for a long period of time was exceptional. Especially for his age.
Just who was this guy?
He could control rain and snow. This meant that he was a water nature chakra type and very skillful. Could he be a child spy? Was he here to infiltrate Konoha? He hadn't shown any particular interest in the village affairs, though, had even been afraid of approaching the village at first. Was it all an act? She couldn't feel any form of negative emotions from him... She wanted to trust Vampire Child, she did, but she couldn't. Mysterious talented ninjas were not people she could just overlook.
Especially ones that just happened to sneak past the patrolled borders. Either the chuunin on duty were slacking or... Well, Ren didn't exactly want to entertain that hypothesis. She didn't like being so paranoid, but there were only so many things she could turn a blind eye to.
"Shino! What are you doing here?" shrieked Ino, running up towards the approaching kid in panic. "You can't be here!"
She was trying to block Shino's view of the miniature vampire, who had stopped building his snowman when Sakura had tensed up.
"I was not aware that this was private property," he said coolly.
Ah. Shino. She hadn't even noticed him approach. She didn't really notice him in general, now that she thought of it.
Indeed, she didn't really pay that much attention to him during school, unless the spotlight was positioned directly onto him. He was a rather quiet boy, who kept to himself. The bugs that occasionally crawled up his arm probably grossed out the other children, and she didn't think that Kiba's warped stories on the Aburame clan had helped Shino gain any friends. Ren didn't have any problems with him though, and actually preferred his silences to Kota's teasing and Naruto's yelling. Although the bug thing was distracting. It might also be part of the reason she didn't notice him. His chakra reminded him of an insect's chakra, and was easier to dismiss than others.
But what the hell was he doing here?
People hardly visited the Far East forest, and the few who did never came out to where they had installed Vampire Child's improvised house. Unless, like Sakura, he had
followed them here.
Ren had surprisingly not minded Sakura's appearance as much as she thought she would. The girl wasn't insulting, like Ami, and left Shikamaru and her alone for the most part. She made the vampire brat happy, so who was she to protest Sakura's presence?
"What are you doing here?" questioned Shikamaru, jumping down from the tree branch he had been perched.
"... I was in the nearby area looking for certain plant samples and my kikaichu were attracted to the extreme cold they felt via shifting winds. They have led me here."
"Okay..." Shikamaru scratched the back of his head contemplatively before looking up to the sky. "Great."
Ren watched as a bug disappeared into his sleeve. She quickly averted her eyes when she felt Shino's gaze on her. She didn't want him to think her rude, and staring blatantly at his bugs probably made him uncomfortable, so she focused on Shikamaru's twisting shadows once more. Still, she couldn't help the questions from forming in her mind... How did the bugs enter his body? Through his... mouth? Ears? It was common knowledge that the Aburames were bug hosts but upon reflection, Ren had no idea how that was even scientifically possible.
Then again, a lot of things in this world made no sense to her. Blue skin, strange hair, being able to spit out snakes and swords, talking cats ...
It was frustrating at times, because Ren liked logic. In the real world, she liked psychology, philosophy, and sociology. She used logic to try to make sense of everything around her. She liked being capable of understanding others and the world. Understanding their motives and their way of thinking helped Ren predict their next moves.
She enjoyed being one step of everyone, she liked being in control of things.
The slight movement she caught in her peripheral vision has her sneaking a glance at him again.
Because of the sunglasses and hood that obscured most of his face, Ren wasn't sure what kind of expression he was sporting at the moment, but she had a pretty good idea what he was feeling.
"What's bothering you?" she asked, sitting down on the log next to him.
A long silence pursued and she thought he wasn't even going to answer, until he adjusted his glasses grimly.
"One of my kikaichu informs me the child you are hiding has disturbing chakra."
"Hey! Take that back!" seethed an eavesdropping Sakura, raising her fist menacingly.
Ren only blinked, choosing to ignore the interruption.
"Why would I retract a statement that is true?" questioned Shino, sounding genuinely perplexed.
Sakura swung her fist but he dodged smoothly, straightening out his coat. Coat during summer? No comment.
"Just don't... Don't mention it again or you'll make him cry," sighed Ren, shuddering slightly. "I really don't like it when he cries."
She took on an imploring expression, before going back to reading her book as if nothing had happened at all.
Still, it was true that the vampire child's chakra was odd. It was one of the first things she had noticed. Maybe Shino was on to something.
Turning seven was a bigger affair than she would have liked. She liked small birthday parties best, because they were less of a hassle and somehow more meaningful.
A small picnic by the lake with just Shikamaru, Chouji and cupcakes would have largely sufficed, but her mother would have none of that. Birthday celebrations meant
obligatory family attendance, a big birthday cake, streamers and presents. Which meant she would actually have to present Nutty Nan to her friends. If that didn't scare them off for good, she didn't know what else could.
In the end, she not only decided to invite Shika and Chou, but Ino. The latter had grown on Ren after all the time spent in her company. And once Ino had been added to the list, Ren had felt obligated to invite Sakura. It was the polite thing to do. At that point, inviting Shino hadn't made much difference.
Her mother had been absolutely ecstatic that Ren had managed to make so many friends. Her reaction was not exactly disproportionate, because Ren was supposed to be the antisocial one of the Tanaka wolf pack. Even Ren sometimes wondered how she had ended up finding people who enjoyed her company. She knew most of the students in her year labeled her quiet demeanor as 'snobbish behavior'. Hmph. She could understand where they were coming from... Ren was acutely aware that she made no particular effort to make friends or engage in conversation with her peers. In fact, she tried her best not to get in any body's way if she could help it.
But her current friends were all nice. She wasn't as close to them as she was with Shika or Chouji, but she slowly learned to accept their company. Even if at times they made her uncomfortable with their talks of Sasuke-kun and dresses, insects that crawled out of their clothes, and unreadable expressions... She didn't dislike them. She wasn't overly fond of them, but she didn't mind their presence.
Could they even be considered her friends? Weren't friends supposed to be-
SPLASH!
She sputtered, rubbing her eyes.
"You- did you just push me?" she questioned, more surprised than anything.
"A good shinobi is one who is aware of his surroundings at all times," lectured Gai-sensei, crouching down to smile at her. "You were not as concentrated as you usually are."
"Sorry sensei," she sighed, getting up.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. She could feel his calluses through her thin t-shirt.
"Ren Tanaka, you have made good progress. I see you have finally mastered the balancing exercises," he nodded, satisfied, and she broke out into a grin.
She cheated a little with her chakra, but he didn't have to know that. Or did he already know? Gai-sensei had a tendency to act oblivious to the most obvious things, but she knew better than to think him thick.
"I think you are ready for..." he paused dramatically, waiting for the look of anticipation on her face.
She raised an eyebrow for his benefit.
"THIS!"
He took her by her shoulders and turned her around, showing her the wire strings he had intricately attached so that each string crisscrossed in different directions. Tiny silver bells were attached to each one, reflecting brightly in the sun. At the other side of the field was a small wooden box.
"Your job is very simple. Retrieve the box. If you touch one of the wire strings, a bell will ring and you will have to start again," he grinned, so brightly she had to look away.
"Erm, okay."
She took a closer look at the obstacle course and stifled a groan. It was simple in theory. Always in theory, never in practice.
There was little room for maneuver in this sort of exercise. She would be forced to crawl, bend, and lift her limbs over the strings individually. Tying her hair up in a tight bun, she took a steadying breath before giving it a go.
Muscles were too flexible. Ring. Muscles were too taut. Ring. She barely made it past two meters without her right shoulder or trembling toe made contact with the string.
It was frustrating, especially when Gai-sensei had chosen this particular day to forgo his enthusiastic encouragements. She felt his eyes analyzing her movements like a hawk would his prey.
She couldn't rush this. So slowly, a snail could've caught up to her, she made her way between the wire strings. Again, again, and again. She squashed her frustration, not letting it control her.
It was odd, the combination of tense neck muscles and slack shoulders, but she learned what worked and what didn't. Learned it like a choreography until she anticipated every movement, pause, and breath. She was fluid like the Naka River, hard like unfertile soil. When sweat trickled her brow and the sunlight got into her eyes, she blinked she sunspots away and ignored the crispness in her shoulders and rock digging into her palm.
The box was a plain wooden rectangle. It was close, closer than it had ever been. Ren knew if she tried to move her legs she would collapse, like if one tried to flick a house of cards. Ren was smart enough to know when to admit defeat. Yet, she couldn't help but shift her weight slightly to her right and reach out with her left hand. So close.
She considered using her chakra threads to pull the box closer. She was getting rather good at those. Using chakra to center herself during her balancing training had been imperceptible, but she knew that a box being moved seemingly by nothing could not be ignored.
Ugh. The only possibility was defeat. She'd start over and try again. Tomorrow. Right now she really wanted a bath. Preferably with scented bubbles. Then, she'd probably have to go check on Yota.
She blinked when a pair of feet appeared in front of her. Holding out his hand, Gai-sensei helped her up, looking at her more seriously than he ever had. It was quite alarming, considering she had rarely ever seen him not smile. Gai-sensei could make ten minute speeches without breaking a grin. He was that kind of creature.
"You did good today, Ren-chan," he said. "I've been informed your birthday was two days ago, so I got you a little gift. It may as well be a parting gift, from sensei to student, as I will be resuming my active duties next week."
He handed her the wooden box.
"May the little lotuses always bloom," he straightened, beaming down at her. "Like a little bird I have watched you grow! With hard work and determination anything you want, you shall have! Remember my words, little lotus. Remember them like a mantra, a motto. When your forehead sweats and your back aches, know that the road to greatness cannot be taken without the rocks, the perils, and the occasional rabid animals. Challenge yourself daily, for the only person who can make you stronger is yourself!"
She almost cried when she saw a forest-green bodysuit folded inside the box.
"What do you mean you 'found him wandering around the village'?" said Sakura, sharply, her eyes daggers.
Chouji was slowly backing away from the pink-haired girl, as if she was a human bomb, ready to go off at any moment. If Ren wasn't aware of Sakura's hot-tempered personality from the manga, she was certain that she would be staring at Sakura with wide eyes too.
At school, Sakura was timid and reserved. Here, she had become... Hulk.
"I mean what I said! I was minding my own damn business and he came up and asked me to show him how to whistle. I could tell he wasn't from around here though because... Well, anyway, then he said he asked if I wanted a snack and I was like 'hell yeah' because I was hungry! I thought he was going to bring me to his house, or better yet to Ichiraku's! But then we started walking and walking and walking and then we arrived here 'cos that's where he said he lived," explained Naruto, not bothering to take more than two pauses of breath. "What's with this place anyway? It's sooo far away from downtown."
"Naruto, you can't tell anyone about Yota, okay?" pressed Shikamaru. "He's not supposed to be here, and if anyone finds out he'll be taken away."
"What? Why?" Naruto looked down at Yota with interest.
Yota shifted uncomfortably. "It's 'cos I'm not from around here! And I don't have any family! Don't make me go away Naruto-kun! Please! Pleeasseeee!"
As his green eyes watered dangerously, Ren expectantly took out an umbrella.
"'Course I won't turn ya in!" Naruto shook his head, looking at Yota completely differently.
"Why don't we play a game?" suggested Ino, trying to appease any residue tension.
"Rock, paper, scissors?" Ren suggested, putting away her umbrella. "I've also brought a crossword puzzle."
"Wah! You're so boring Ren," complained Ino. "Let's play tag!"
"Not it!" she and Shikamaru said at the same time.
Ren was looking forward to finding a nice place to hide so she could practice her chakra threads in peace. Shikamaru would probably hide in a bush and take a nap. It was getting harder for her to find a good hiding place, especially if Shino was 'it'. He made it a point to track her first, just because she was usually always found last.
Yota quieted down, closing his eyes. He wasn't that bad of a kid, Ren decided. Just really weird. She blinked, watching the contours of his body start to ripple as if he was a reflection in a pond that had been disrupted. His figure distorted, chakra extending and reaching out.
She stopped, the sight before her chilling her to the bone.
If there was one thing in the world she abhorred it was snakes. She hated snakes more than she feared them, but the giant scaly white one in front of her had her taking several steps backwards and reaching for her kunai.
But before she could even aim, the snake was gone, Yota's form replacing it. The entire thing had happened so quickly, she wondered if it had been a mirage.
The lingering traces of a chakra so foul left no place for doubts.
This kid was dangerous. Not only because of his volatile personality that made his powers uncontrollable, but because of his chakra. It was not normal, not normal at all.
She knew then what she had to do.
Ren was surprised when she was greeted with narrowed glares and crossed arms.
"Ren, did you tell anyone about Yota?" asked Chouji in a small voice, cutting straight to the chase.
"What?" she paused, blinking rapidly.
"Yota's gone! ANBU took him away minutes ago thanks to a... tip-off!" spat Ino.
The purple-haired girl responded with raised eyebrows, trying to find the right words that would appease the crowd. She swallowed.
"How could you?!" yelled Naruto, suddenly grabbing her by her shirt collar. "He was my first friend! He did nothing to you!"
"Get off me!" With a hard shove, she took a step back defensively. "Listen, I know you like Yota, I do too, but there's something extremely bad about his chakra, okay? I know he's hiding something from us."
"Yeah, and how the hell would you know?" Naruto growled. "Does he look like a spy to you? He's barely out of his diapers!"
Ren shot him an exasperated look. Spies didn't have a 'look'! That's what made them spies!
"I just know okay? Shino said- didn't you say that his chakra was odd?"
"Odd, yes. But it wasn't a justifiable reason to turn him in," he said calmly, passively, even if she could feel aggravation running through his chakra.
"I was just trying to do the right thing!" she defended, when none of the glaring had lessened. "He could be dangerous! I didn't send him for slaughter! The ANBU are only going to question him and if he's-"
"Question him? More like torture him!" interjected Naruto, prodding an angry finger in her direction. "I've heard the stories!"
"From who? Hibachi? He isn't exactly Mr. Reliable! They won't torture him, he's just a kid!" she argued, her voice taking on traces of annoyance.
She didn't like being confronted by her friends. She didn't like being the unpopular opinion. Not because she wasn't used to it, but because she had done what she did with the objective of keeping everyone safe. Her friends weren't supposed to turn on her. They were supposed to be grateful and look how well that turned out.
"Look- if Yota's as innocent as you say he is, they'll let him go and we can all hang out in the village together."
"I don't think so," huffed Sakura, speaking up for the first time. "Yota will want to be with his true friends and not some sneaky tattle-tale."
"Are you serious? I was only trying to do the right thing!" Ren exclaimed, punctuating the end of her sentence with a childish stomp of her foot.
She could feel the disappointment and the anger, and she turned to look at Shikamaru pleadingly. Surely, he would see the reasoning behind her actions. He was the smart one. He would understand.
But Shikamaru's frown did not vanish, if anything it deepened. He shook his head once and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'troublesome'.
Even the extensive list of training exercises Gai-sensei had her practice when he was away didn't manage to keep her mind off of things. She couldn't even meditate because somehow her thoughts always trailed back to her argument and the way her friends had stared at her with cold eyes and angry hearts.
She wasn't going to apologize for something she wasn't even sorry for. It wasn't even a question of pride. Just sincerity.
Tadashi, who would have made for a great distraction, was absent. Busy "practicing". With a pretty girl. He wouldn't have looked so suspicious if he had been able to stop grinning every time he talked about Mai, the love of his life.
Grandpa Takumi had asked her to help with the Kousen Weapon Shop out on the main street. Normally she'd wiggle her way out of boring inventory work with excuses of 'ninja practice' but she found herself accepting, desperate for anything to take her mind off her current problems.
The Kousen Weapon Shop was situated near the main entrance.
But inventory work was a tedious, monotonous task. If anything, helping her grandparents had made her think about the situation even more. Going through Gai-sensei's workouts was a much better alternative. At least the pain she felt during the impossible stretches helped her mind concentrate on something else.
As much as she didn't want to admit it, not having Shika and Chouji around was weighing down on her. It had only been two days since their argument and look how well she was coping. How pathetic.
They had somehow wormed their way into her heart. Just the possibility of them being angry or cross at her, left her stomach feeling queasy. She couldn't not think of them. Even if they weren't by her side physically, she was reminded of them constantly: polishing kunai made her think of the times she helped Chouji with his aim, she found a sketch of Shikamaru's profile in her journal, even eating dango now left a sour taste in her mouth...
She hadn't believed that friends were necessary. Friends were inessential. Even in the real world, you could have a friend one day, but never hear from them again the next. Friends were fickle. Very recently, Ren had learned that best friends were not.
"What's bothering you, sweetling?"
Her nan, like her mother, had sea-foam-green eyes that could convince her to do anything. If Ren could avoid them, she would be able to keep her troubles to herself. When her grandparents meddled with her life, things always became more complicated she had learned. Especially if the meddler was Nutty Nan.
When she was three, girls had laughed at the color of her hair, so her nan had tried to give her a 'stylish' haircut that would 'fix everything'. Ren had ended up with crooked bangs and half of her hair shaved off.
Never again would she make the mistake of confiding in her grandparents.
"Nothing's wrong," she shrugged, keeping her eyes fixed on the inventory sheet.
"I can always tell," huffed Grandmother Sayaki. "Child, tell me what troubles you."
"I want to get a cat, but mama says no," she pouted, eyes still fixed on the piece of paper in her hands.
"Silly child! The trick is to ask for something impossible. Like a dragon. Plead and plead for days. Then ask for your cat."
How about no.
"Reeeeeeeeeen, come down! Your friends are here!"
She paused, stopping her nervous pacing in her room. Ren had felt them arrive before they had knocked on the door. She could pinpoint their chakra so easily in a crowd so it was hard not to notice when they were near her.
This was the first time in her life she wondered if she should speak to them.
What if they had only come to her house to drop off that kunai she had left at the tree-house? What if they were here to demand more explanations?
Ren didn't have it in her to face them just yet. It was irrational. She was a grown woman (mentally, at least) but being stuck in a child's body had altered her way of thinking and given her more insecurities.
However her mother had already opened the door. She could hear them talk from downstairs. Fidgeting with her skirt, she decided to go and see them. She didn't have much of a choice anyway.
Shikamaru met her gaze instantly, making her gulp. He didn't feel particularly angry, which she took as a good sign.
"Oh, aren't they precious? These flowers look like heaven," her mother gushed, hugging a small bouquet of wild flowers that grew by the riverbed. "I'll go find a vase. Do you want any cookies boys?"
"No thanks," cut in Shikamaru before Chouji could get a word in. "We were just stopping by."
Her mother shrugged, smiling at the pair of them fondly, before leaving the three of them in an awkward silence Ren had no idea how to break. Ren shifted her weight from one foot to another. Not knowing what to do with her hands, she clasped them behind her back. They were clammy. She couldn't bring herself to look into their eyes. The inside of her cheek hurt.
"Are you all right?" asked Chouji, his facial features set in a way that gave the impression he was concerned. "You didn't come to eat with us yesterday so we thought you might be sick..."
"I'm okay," she said softly, trying to mask her nervousness. "I was... I was at my family's blacksmith shop helping out my grandparents."
"Oh."
"Are you guys still mad at me?" she asked quietly, not certain she wanted to know the answer.
"Mad? Why would we be mad?" questioned Shikamaru, looking confused.
"We're best friends," nodded Chouji vigorously. "We can't be mad at each other."
Ren broke out into a grin and launched herself into her friends' arms.
"Good. I don't want us to be mad at each other. Never, ever."
"It's a promise," smiled Chouji, intertwining her pinky with his like she showed him how to do many weeks ago.
"Any news from Little Fangs?" It was polite to ask, after all. She didn't want to seem heartless.
"Who?" Chouji's head tilted to the side.
"You know... Yota?" she said his name hesitantly, not wanting to cause a disagreement.
"Who?"
A/N: This chapter is not proof-read yet! So sorry for any mistakes! I've not sent this chapter to my wonderful beta-reader yet!
Friendship problems! I've had some recently so I could painfully relate to Ren. Sometimes you try to do what you think is 'right' but your friends don't see it that way. At all. And to answer all the questions: yes, Yota is a(n) anime!canon character! Yes, he is just as creepy in the anime! (not gonna lie! I'm glad I've gotten rid of Yota shhhhh)
Summer has come to an end, and school is starting back up! Which means... Itachi encounter next chapter! dundundun
Ren meeting with Itachi was one of my favorite scenes to write in Reincarnation of a Water Lily, so I'm really looking forward to writing those upcoming scenes!
Thank you all for being very patient with me! All your favorites, follows and reviews keep reminding me that there are actually people who want to read this story!
I've made a tumblr page for all those interested! It has some background information on characters, outtakes, meaningless drabbles and so forth. There's really not much on there yet, but I'm hoping to transcribe everything I've scribbled on pads of paper soon. url : silentstrikesfics/ password : ombre
Although I can't promise to write snippets in other POV at the end of every chapter, I am going to write one for the next chapter! Any suggestions? I'll write just about anyone (with the exception of Shikamaru and Itachi. I will not go there.)