,,Redemption" by GreatMarta
I said oh, misery
Shame and scandal in the family
I said oh, misery
Shame and scandal in the family
Episode 6 : Ideo confronts the gang
Kwan ran without stopping. Through the hidden passage. Outside the village. Nobody would pursue. They would all focus on Hro. Faster, faster!
"Where are you taking me?!" Screamed Ideo, as his kidnapper jumped from one branch onto another.
"We're about to get there, Nii-san!" replied the Hyuuga boy, increasing the speed. There still was a chance, that somebody might've followed them, so he had to hurry.
"Don't call me Nii-san!" Ideo was furious. Kidnapped. He was kidnapped. By somebody about his age. A mere, dirty outsider. From his own house. And he could barely move. Everything hurt him. And now, after he took him away from home, that Kinu, or whatever his name was, had the nerve to call him Nii-san. Insolence!
"Sorry, Nii-san!" was Kwan's answer. They were already far from the village. But he kept his speed up. He couldn't stop. Not before he was sure, that it's safe. Good, there comes the big jump!
Ideo tried to look around. High trees. Middle of the night. Dark and cold. Hard to recognize the topography… no, wait, he knows…
Kwan's sudden powerful jump made Ideo feel, as if he was to throw up again. He let out a loud groan.
"Sorry, Nii-san!" said Kwan, feeling guilty. Right, he had to hurry, but also make sure he delivers his cousin safe to the hideout. He was, afterall, his hostage. Hostages deserve some care, don't they?
After a few more minutes, he landed near some rock formation. He placed Ideo on the ground. Good. It seems, that his condition is not so tragic.
"We're here, Nii-san" he said, smiling. He was really proud. He fulfilled his part of the plan, and he did it well. He actually did well. Mom and dad are gonna praise him.
Sasuke's son looked up. A wall of rock. There was a cave. And strong chakra coming from inside it. What the hell is this supposed to mean? What will happen to him? And who was this guy anyway?
"Ka-san! To-san! Ji-san!" called Kwan, scarring the life out of his cousin "I'm home!"
A black figure appeared, coming from the cave. Ideo gasped. He was scared. He was seriously scared. Holy ancestors, how could he ever allow this to happen? To fell into enemy's clutches and don't even have enough strength to fight back? He was an Uchiha heir, for God's sake! He can't die like this! He has plans for the future! He hasn't even told Kitoro, how he admires her! He hasn't even become a chunin! They can't kill him! No!
That man… It… it was…
"Well done, Kwan" the figure said, coming closer. As he entered the area, which the moonlight could reach, Ideo's eyes caught his face. That face. That wrinkles. That hair. That chakra.
The truth hit the boy in the very core of his brain. No. No way. It can't be. But that man… impossible. But those eyes. Memories. Memories of his father's stories. The pictures he showed to Ideo and Kai. The pain he was filled with, telling them about the Uchiha massacre. The anger. All those ANBU missions, during which he hoped to track down that man. His brother. The traitor. The murderer.
He's been looking for that man for his entire life. And now, that man was standing right in the very front of Ideo.
Uchiha Itachi.
As the hostage twitched in fear and disbelief, another figure revealed himself. Another man. A shark-man. Smirking in a mad way.
"Oh, so that is your nephew?" he joined his friend in staring at the captured boy "My, my, what a handsome little guy…"
"That runs in the family" Itachi replied. Itachi. Uchiha Itachi. The sage nukenin. The one, that massacred the entire clan. Standing above him. Looking at him. So simply. So out of the blue. This must be a nightmare.
"Uchiha Itachi…" he whispered in fear. The man nodded.
"So you know. Very well. It makes things easier to us" he stated simply. The sight he was giving his nephew was cold. So dreadfully cold. And it somehow expressed a deep interest. Like a jeweler, watching a precious, yet vulnerable stone. A stone he could kill with one movement.
"And I am Hoshigaki Kisame" the shark man introduced himself "I suppose you've heard of me too, right?"
Ideo waved his head for yes. Kisame laughed.
"Right! I deserve some fame! Afterall, I've been saving Itachi's butt for all those years!"
"You saving my butt?" Itachi smirked "I thought it was the other way round"
"Perhaps I should take part in the discussion?" a female voice was heard "Afterall, who knows Itachi's butt better than me?"
"Nobody, Dragon" the criminal admitted, smiling "You are the absolute butt expert"
"Especially, when it comes to kicking butt!" added Kisame with a slight irony.
"Heh. That surely is less complicated. Now, show him to me" the woman came and stood by Itachi's side. Ideo could swear, that after what he's seen so far, nothing else could surprise him.
But when she entered his field of vision, his eyes reached the size of two frying pans.
"Hiana-san?" a silent question automatically escaped his lips. The woman frowned slightly. In exactly the same way as SHE does.
"What did you say?"
"No, no, nothing" he panicked. There was no doubt. The same face, exactly the same face. Just different hair. But how could she? No. That was impossible. First the murderer uncle, then the shark swordsman, two legendary terrorists in one go, and now a clone of Hiana-san? Oh God, you're going too far!
"Kid, don't look at me this way" the woman said "You're gonna make my husband jealous"
But he couldn't draw his eyes away from her. So many similarities. About the same height. Similar figure. The voice sounded so similar too. It couldn't be a coincidence.
"You… you look very much… like a Hyuuga I know" he explained. She didn't seem to find anything suspicious in this kind of a statement.
"Big deal. Most Hyuugas look alike. Inbreed, you know"
No, he thought. It's more than this. Much more. He just didn't know how could it be. If this woman was the person he thought she was… she was supposed to be dead. At a young age. Is it possible… could she miraculously survive?
"Listen up, kid" Itachi started, finding the conversation slightly irrational "You are going to stay with us for a while. We are not going to harm you, but you'd better not try running away. Next night, I'm meeting your father, and you're a grant, that he will listen to me. Once we've solved the case, we'll return you to your parents. Is that clear?"
Ideo waved his head for yes.
"Fine. And now, I guess you'll need some medic treatment. My daughter is not an opponent, which you can afford to take lightly"
His daughter. So he wasn't mistaken. He really saw sharingan in her eyes.
He was defeated by his own cousin.
"Lay down" Ryoka ordered, kneeling by Ideo's side. He obeyed. His stomach. It hurt so much. As it he has eaten a huge amount of stones and foamed polystyrene. Now, having accepted the situation he was in, he could feel it very clear.
She examined him with her byakugan. He used the opportunity to take a better look at her face. No difference. It was the same face, 100 .
"What's your name?" he asked.
"As for you, it's Oba-san" she said, scanning his body "You're totally dehydrated. Hro must've been hard on you"
"She was awesome!" exclaimed Kwan "He didn't even manage to hit her once! She was so fast, that he couldn't even see her! She was hitting him from all directions, and he threw up three times! And when she used Rasenmaru, everybody's jaws dropped! Pity you couldn't see it!"
Rasenmaru. So the jutsu she used at the end was Rasenmaru. The spiral circle. He's never heard of such a jutsu. It looked similar to Rasengan. But it was flat. Rasengan was a sphere. And she put electricity in to it. It was a joined shape manipulation and chakra nature manipulation. But how did it work? It takes ages to learn such a thing. Only the best ninja can do it. Like Hokage-sama. Right, she used a clone to help her. The Hokage uses clones too. But in a different way. Oh boy. However she did it, she must be a greater prodigy than he thought. But then, again… she was the daughter of Uchiha Itachi.
"We knew you would do fine" Ryoka said, pulling out a scroll "You always do. Especially your sister" at this point, a bit of sadness could be heard in her tone "Poor girl"
She unwind the scroll on the ground, next to Ideo. She put her hand on it.
"Kuchiyose: Medicine box"
PUFFF
A box of medicine appeared on the scroll. This surprised Ideo. To keep such normal things in a summoning scroll? Animals okay, weapons okay, but medicine? Weird.
The woman took a small bottle and handed it to him.
"Drink it. It will ease the pain"
He took the bottle. How could he not? He drunk a bit of the liquid inside.
He immediately split it all out. Shit! What a horrible taste!
"Come on. Drink it" Ryoka encouraged him "If you don't, the pain will get much worse"
"Right, Nii-san" Kwan added "Try to imagine, that it's coca cola"
Ideo gave him a stare.
"Sorry" the white eyed boy said "I know you said you don't want me to call you Nii-san, but... but we are first cousins. And you are older. I guess it's the most appropriate if I call you Nii-san"
First cousins. The guy who kidnapped him was his first cousin. Itachi's son. Right. They looked alike. Especially the face shapes. But Kwan's face was so gentle. So friendly. So much different than his father's. He didn't seem evil at all. And was actually polite. A murderer like Itachi to have a nice son? Not likely. Yet…
"Yeah… it's fine" Ideo replied. Fine, do it, whatever. He rapidly purred the medicine inside his mouth and swallowed it. YUCK! Bleh! Gheh! Horrible!
"You are just like my sister!" Kwan laughed at him "She hates that medicine too! It was me who had to persuade her to take it, when her stomach was a mess after one battle. Poor Nee-san, she had a real depression back then. She despises loosing"
"So do I" Ideo admitted. He was supposed to be afraid. And they were supposed to be frightening. But that guy didn't seem to realize the seriousness of the entire situation. He was a kidnapper. A criminal. And he was treating him, his victim, like a good friend. That certainly wasn't right. Especially not right, considering who his father is.
The woman put her hands on Ideo's stomach. They were warm. She concentrated. She sent a bit of her chakra into his cells. He could feel the warmth overwhelming him. This wasn't a typical medical jutsu. It must be somehow linked with the medicine she gave him.
Whatever it was, it eased the pain, and that mattered.
"Kwan, you will stay close to your cousin" Itachi ordered his son, when Ryoka was done "You have to keep an eye on him. Do you understand?"
"Yes, To-san" Kwan confirmed "I will take good care of Ideo-Nii-san"
"Ideo" Itachi repeated, tasting the sound of that name "Uchiha Ideo…"
"Yes. And his brother's name is Kai"
"Your brother was less eccentric than you when picking names" Kisame pointed out. Itachi nodded.
"Indeed… Hmh… Alright. My son and nephew need a rest"
"I'll put him to bed" Kwan offered, picking Ideo up. Ideo groaned. It still hurt. Was easier to bare, but still unpleasant.
The gang exchanged "goodnights", and the youngest member directed his steps to the hideout.
"I'm going to sleep with you" Kwan told his new Nii-san, walking into the cave "I usually sleep with my sister. Poor Nee-san. I hope they won't treat her too bad. I don't want her to suffer. But To-san says there's no other way… a hostage for a hostage. If they only could forget their hatred… But after all the pain my father gave your, I guess this could never happen…"
Ideo listened to his cousin's words, fully amazed. That boy was really kind hearted. And devoted to his family. A nice guy. Or is he pretending? A fruit of a murderer's loins… hmh. But if his mother was the person he thought she was, and if she was anything like Hiana-san… yup. That would make a genetic sense then. And his sister… yes, she was exactly the type of a girl that would make Itachi's daughter.
Guess she took the lion's share of evilness, and there was not much of it left for the second child.
The cave was not very big. There was just enough place for the entire gang to sleep. Kwan walked past something, that most probably was a sleeping mating. A big one, and a double. So Itachi's and his wife's. Next to it, another big, but a narrower lied. This one must be Kisame's. Kwan stopped at the end of the cave. The last mating was about the same size as the second one. For one adult. It was fine for two children their age. That is where he placed Ideo. The matting wasn't really comfortable. But, what to expect from outsiders?
"It's not a five star hotel" Kwan said, as if guessing Ideo's thoughts "We sometimes stay by a hotel, but for most of time we have to remain on the mercy of the wild nature" with that, he sat down by his cousin "You know, lots of hunter nins are after us. We need to be careful. But mom says that if we the plan works, we will be able to stay in Konoha forever. That's great, isn't it?"
"So your plan is to live in Konoha?" Ideo asked. That was the last reason he would expect to hear.
"Yup" Itachi's son nodded "If your father allows us, that is. But first of all, my father has a very important message for the Hokage. And negotiations to do. I'm afraid he might not believe us. Two sage nukenins and an elite assassin are not the kind of people who get rusted easily"
"An elite assassin?" the hostage's eyes winded.
"That's right. My mom represents the style of the Rai-Ookami. Before she met my dad, she worked as a paid assassin and gained quite a fame under the name of Shiroi Ryu" The boy explained, bursting with pride of his mother.
"Shiroi Ryu? Your mother?" now Sasuke's son was confused.
"She herself. And people think it was a man. So funny"
Now Ideo's theory had a breakdown. He's read once about an assassin known under this name, but the scroll said that this person was a man. Well, okay, there wasn't much known about him… correct: her. Apart from that she was a high class specialist, skilled at killing from both long and short distance, using lighting type ninjutsu and also powerful ninjutsu. Yes, it would make sense for such a person to be a Hyuuga, their taijutsu was the most dangerous. But now, the genetic sense would drop off again…
But…
"Umh… Kuwa… Kawa…"
"Kwan" Kwan corrected "It's not that difficult to pronounce. First, try to say: Ka-wa-nu"
"Kawanu" Ideo repeated without any problems.
"Good. And now, the official writing with kana: Ku-a-n"
"Kuan" this one fairyly easy.
"Great!" Kwan praised him "Try to make it sort of a quack sound. Now, final round, just say it all on one breath: Kwan"
"Kwan" he said it!
"See? You made it!"
"Right… But you have an unusual name, I must say"
"At least not as unusual as my sister's. But I'll teach you to pronounce her name tomorrow, it takes more energy"
"Okay… so, Kua… Kwan. What's your mother's name?"
"Ryoka. Formerly Hyuuga Ryoka, now Uchiha Ryoka. Ryoka, not Ryoko, remember"
Ryoka. Her name was Ryoka. This was her. Somehow, it was that person. Hiana-san's sister.
So she did live. She survived and grew up. She became a high class ninja. And she married his uncle.
Oh boy.
He didn't know, what surprised him more: the fact, that a child of two weak parents could go this far to get a place in ,,Assassins of the time" book, or the fact that the sister of his parent's good friend ended up with his father's terrorist brother.
Man, this world is small.
"Well" Kwan lied down "I guess it's time to get some rest. But remember not to try running away. My father will notice, no matter how careful you are. Besides… if you return to the village… you father will no longer have a reason to keep my sister alive" his expression turned gloomy. Ideo was hopeless. He promised that he'll behave himself. He was not in the condition to try running away yet.
Besides… it would mean having sentenced his cousin, who was also the cousin of his good friend, to death.
No. Ideo was not Itachi.
……………………………………………………………………….…
…………………………………………in "
NOTE: The chapter is short. The school started again. I'm feeling down and alienated. Things are not going good.
But, people, seriously: 5 people have an alert on this story, FIVE people, yet 1, only ONE, reviewed the last chapter. Okay, I don't expect much, but you other four could at least submit something like: "Good chapter" or "I liked it" or "That's getting exciting", or if you don't like it, tell me what don't you like so I knew what to improve. I really want to give you the best I'm able to make.
I suck at everything but writing, drawing and foreign languages. I just need to know that I am good at something.
(InnerGM: Looser, they hate you and they think your story sucks)
Well I certainly hope InnerGM is not right…