Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Dreaming of Sunshine. Any characters you see here that aren't from their stories are completely my own.
Author's Note: This was originally part of the next chapter; but, seeing as it involves a time skip, I decided to separate them and treat this as more of an intermission. Everything here is done in Sho's perspective.
Intermission - A Flute Solo
From the moment Ueshima-sensei left their home for the evening, Tanaka Sho and Kotone did their familial duty and kept a vigilant eye on their youngest child. Day and night they watched for any signs of change in her little body. And, after weeks and months of watching her, they came to two startling conclusions.
The bad news: The premature chakra use had, indeed, changed their daughter.
The good news: The premature chakra use had changed their daughter for the better.
They weren't sure of how or why it happened. All that they knew was that the accident somehow resulted in Ayane improving in her developments, not hindered.
She became far more social and loving than before. Asking to help with little chores around the house. Always up for playing games with Hibiki, and even encouraged his habits of sneaking about the house, imaginative adventure games or going outside to look under rocks for bugs and spiders. She became more affectionate. Giving hugs and cheering one of them up when exhausted from a day's' work or when Hibiki would scrape a knee. His little girl, who spent her first three years of life sullen and shy of the world around her, had blossomed into a caring and loving individual seemingly overnight.
She was also learning to read and speak at a much better pace, albeit she did throw in strange strings of gibberish when playing with Hibiki. At first, Sho took the bizarre words as a sign of potential brain damage. He took these worries to his wife, whom fortunately was aware of the situation and hushed his fears when she explained that it was a 'twin language' she and Hibiki had started using before the accident. It wasn't entirely unheard of. He recalled a set of Hozuki twins he knew at the Academy that use to have strange speaking habits, from odd code words to finishing each other's' sentences. Even at the end, during the graduation ceremony, they had fallen with the same screa- Enough of that. He had to shake his head from the thought. Not much use in thinking of such things now. As far as Sho was concerned, those days were far behind him.
The only thing that could be of concern was her habit of singing to herself or Hibiki in their strange twin language. It wasn't… terrible, exactly. They had sat her down and explained to her not to use chakra again, and it seemed like she understood and accepted it. But still, the risk was there. Ever present in his and Kotone's thoughts. They worked hard to hide in the shadows these last seven years, but there was no telling how long it would last or how quickly everything could unravel if Ayane or Hibiki ever carelessly mixed those two together. So they had to keep watch on both of their children, and do whatever it took to keep them safe. Hopeful that, one day, they can finally step out of the shadows of fear and secrecy and bring their family into the light of a new day.
