Arc One, Chapter 7: The Coal's Enemy

Kaito stared at her for a moment.

"Mariko," he asked slowly, "When did the curse start?"

"When I moved back here."

"Okay. And you moved back in with your family?"

"Of course... Why?"

"Your family. The ones who got threatened. Did your mother have blonde hair?"

Sora looked at Kaito, to Mariko, and back to the genin. He was obviously confused as to what was going on.

"Yes, just like mine, except I haven't had a brush in ages."

"And Michio and Rika?"

"Why, they're my parents. Do you know them?"

. . .

"Kaito!" Aoi came down the stairs, approaching the boy. "Where were you last night? Sora told us to come home."

"Sora and I spent the night over there. I've got to tell you something upstairs." He lowered his voice. She nodded, and followed him up the creaky stairs. Over the few days, they had learned how to maneuver around the stairs that creaked. It was hard, but the results were fruitful enough that they didn't mind.

Hayato was in his bed, playing with a kunai, again, when they entered the room. He looked up and rose an eyebrow in a silent question as Aoi walked in after Kaito.

"I've got some news," Kaito announced, laying down on his bed.

"I'm all ears." Aoi chirped, Hayato nodding with her.

"Mariko is Rika and Mamoru's daughter."

Aoi gasped.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Sora's working on Mariko's condition, trying to see if the technique placed on her will affect her if she were to go outside. I'm just here to deliver the message. I didn't get to tell you, but nice shot." He turned to Aoi.

"Hm? Me? What?"

"Last night, remember?"

She looked up in a thoughtful pose.

"Oh yeah! It was no biggee. I've just got good accuracy, is all."

"I couldn't have made that shot!"

"Well I'm not the only one who did something amazing!" She smiled, lightly punching Kaito and Hayato on their shoulders, "You and Hayato did that water thing! That was awesome! Next time you two make a team move, mind inviting me to the meeting?" She smiled.

"Haha, deal." Kaito laughed. And then an idea suddenly struck Kaito. "Hey, how about we train?" He suggested.

"Today? If Sora-sensei will let us."

"Oh yeah. What about going to check on Mariko?"

"Sure. But first, shouldn't we tell... Them."

Kaito sighed. He wanted to avoid this for as long as he could, but if not now, then when? Tomorrow, or the day after? No, he decided he'd do it today and hear it from them.

"Yeah," Kaito stood up, "Let's go tell them."

. . .

"Mariko!?" Rika dropped the plate she was scrubbing as Mamoru screamed the name. "Where did you hear that name? From who?"

"Well—"

"I think you two should sit down for this." Aoi informed them.

They obediently sat of the couch, Mamoru squeezing Rika's hands tightly.

"First, answering your question, no one said anything about her. Second thing is, we'd like to confirm if she is your daughter."

Rika nodded slightly, squeezing Mamoru's hand tighter.

"We have learned her tale, and have news to tell you. If it is good or bad, that's really up to you two." Aoi paused before continuing.

"We have discovered that she was not cursed, but is being messed with. We believe a man has been sneaking in her room at night and using a form of genjutsu on her mind. Genjutsu is a sort of illusionray technique, so when he put those illusions in her head, we think he made those things happen later, so it would seem she saw the future."

"So does that mean that she can come back?" There was a touch of desperation in his voice. Aoi's heart went out to the couple yet again.

"We're waiting for Sora to get back. He should be here any second."

"Aoi! He's here!" Kaito called from the front door.

Aoi sighed with relief as the door opened.

"She's alright." Sora said, as if knowing what they were about to ask. He stepped to the side and Mariko stepped in.

Rika was the first off her feet, and suddenly she was hugging her. After a moment of shock, Mariko hugged back. Mamoru joined as the two began crying. But these weren't tears of sadness. No, they were the tears of finally being reunited.

. . .

"There was a very delicate genjutsu placed on her," Sora said. The four ninjas had gone upstairs to let them have their reconciliation time. "I believe it was all broken apart when Kaito interrupted him. If we want answers as to why he chose her, we need to find our guy. My clone is tracking him now, so if I hear any word from him I'll inform you of our next actions."

"Sensei, can we train?"

"Sorry, but no. To train we'd have to go out of the village, and they could use that moment to strike. Preferably they do it on a nice day," Sora looked out the window, "I'd hate to fight in the rain."

"I don't think that we have a say in weather..." Kaito sweatdropped.

"That's true, otherwise I'd always make..." Sora drifted off.

"Make what?" Aoi asked.

The jounin sighed and looked at his students.

"They're attacking soon."

. . .

"What?" Aoi sat up, "How soon?"

"In two-to-three days. They've been planning this for a while. Close to three years to be exact. There's so many of them." Sora stood up, cursing silently to himself. "We have to put out the fire."

"Why?" Kaito asked.

"They don't know exactly where the village is, and plan on attacking at night. The fire from the village will lead them."

"Okay, so we extinguish the fire. Easy enough." Kaito nodded.

"No," Aoi shook her head, "The chief and the villagers won't let that pass. Mamoru told me that the fire's been going on since the village's construction."

"So we have to convince them."

"Yes," Sora looked at his genins, "And I'm trusting that task to you. I have to set some traps. If you need me, I imagine you know how to call me." Before he stood, he looked at Aoi one last time.

Without another word, Sora disappeared.

. . .

"Mamoru, do you know if we could talk to the elder?" Kaito asked as they were dinner. The day was much quieter since the jounin had left. At first they had been angered, but they had soon gotten over it.

"I believe you can see him tonight. I'll show you to his mansion." He took a sip of his soup.

"May I ask why you would want to speak with him?" Rika spoke up.

"It's just some ninja business." Aoi reassured. She didn't want to involve them in this. This could easily cause a panic.

Michio and Mariko had finished before the others and he wanted to show her his cards. They had gone into his—now theirs since Mariko had moved back in—room, and they could hear Michio's tiny giggles from the kitchen.

"Well when you're done, I'll show you to him."

"Thanks!" Kaito said, taking one last bite from his sandwich.


It was cool outside, clouds blocking their view of the starry night sky. The people of the village danced around the fire, and the flames danced with them, its tongues licking the them as they spun and twirled. A couple of streets down lay the village's leader's mansion. They entered and were treated by an assistant. She wore an elegant suit and had her black hair up in a tight bun.

"How may I help you?"

"Our friends need to speak with the elder, Mai-san."

"Sure, right this way." She directed the group upstairs and into a small office.

"Here he is." She bowed and walked out of the room.

A very thin man with a scraggy beard looked up at them and smiled a kind-hearted, toothy grin.

"How may I help you?"

"Sir," Aoi took a step forward, "We'd like to speak to you about the bandits."

"They're meddlesome aren't they?" He sighed. "Almost as meddlesome as my grandchildren. What about them?"

"Well, they're planning to attack soon."

"What!?" The chief and Mamoru and Rika said simultaneously.

"Yes, sir. They are planning to attack at nightfall in—well, soon. They plan on using the village's flame as a means to locate it in the dark. We ask you to either extinguish the fire, or cover it."

"Unfortunately we cannot craft something so big in the short amount of time, nor do we have the items to do so. Are you sure this is all true?"

Kaito nodded for her.

"We swear on Konoha's good name that it is."

His eyes were stuck on them like glue until he finally said, "Okay. I will tell the villagers right now. And you all will come with me."

. . .

"Villagers!" The scrawny man yelled at a surprisingly loud level, "I have an announcement!"

He threw something in the fire and it changed colors; the burning orange turned into a scarlet red. The same red that was on the door.

Mutters and mumbles infected and spread throughout the crowd.

"These visitors have alerted us that the bandits that have plagued us for so very long are finally attempting to attack us. The last time these flames changed into this sinister color, only one house stood above the wreckage. We scratched the inside door of that house three times to signify that it was the third time that menace had destroyed all that we had loved," he spat the word "menace" viciously, "And again, as we had to do two other times, we rebuilt our beloved village, the fire only a flicker, but still alight.

"But now we have an advantage. It has been long since we took up arms, and even then, we were sourly outmatched. If not for the Village of the Leaf, we would have been all but destroyed. For that, we have owed them a great debt. And today, it is an even greater one. For these ninja," he gestured towards the three kids on his right side, "Have warned us of yet another attack. So I beg of you, listen to their plead with all of your hearts. This is not only our lives in jeopardy, but the children's." He took a step back and waved at the genin.

Kaito took a step forward and took a deep breath. Aoi had told him what to say. The only reason she couldn't do it was because of the large crowd.

But he could.

"Hello!" Kaito waved, "My name is Kaito. I am a genin of Konohagakure. These are my teammates, Aoi and Hayato. Together with our jounin sensei, we have learned the bandits' plan. They plan to attack soon. Very soon, in fact. And the only way to stop them is if we out out that fire." He didn't have to point; they already knew what he was talking about.

A couple of gasps escaped from numerous mouths as Kaito went on.

"I know that this flame resembles a lot to you people. But if we extinguish it—"

"How can you possibly understand? You aren't even a villager!" A voice broke through the silence.

"Yeah! For all we know you could be working with the bandits!"

"If that fire is extinguished so is our pride! Do you even know what this fire means?"

More and more yells broke in, causing Kaito to look around with a panicked expression.

His heartbeat fastened, and just when he thought he was going to burst—

"Quiet!" A strong voice from behind yelled. Hayato stepped up. "Just. Listen."

Kaito seemed to calm down, and silently thanked his friend for quieting the crowd.

Kaito cleared his throat and began again.

"This headband," He took off his forehead protector, "Is proof that I belong to the Leaf Village. And not only is it proof, it is something special to me. My parents told me the day I become a ninja would be the happiest day of my life. And they were right. I'm on a team with some fun people. Heck, on this very mission alone, I have met a great family, and an even greater village! My parents have had to endure quite a lot, and because of it we've had some rough times, together and apart. This little piece of fabric and metal in my hand tells me that not all times will be bad. It gives me hope that from now on, only good times will come. I reach up and feel that hope every day. I don't know what special meaning the fire has for you, but if you don't bring that flame down now, you may never see it burn again." He let the words sink in.

"I agree!" Mamoru and Rika stood out, smiling at the boy.

"I do, too!" Michio joined.

"Same here! We still haven't has that adventure yet!" The three boys waved frantically in the crowd. Soon their parents agreed, and their friends agreed, and their friends' friends agreed. With one last wave, majority of the crowd had voted to extinguish the flame. The 1/3 of the crowd that hadn't agreed glared daggers at the ninja at the front. But Kaito barely noticed as he stepped back and let the elder speak.

"The vote has been taken. To preserve a piece of the flame, we shall use the sacred torch. And on behalf of our future generations, I thank you villagers, and also these Shinobi."

. . .

The ninja were extremely proud of what they had accomplished. Though they hadn't gotten everyone's favor, they got well over enough. They woke up the next morning and wondered where their sensei was. After checking his empty room, they followed the sweet aroma of breakfast: on the table lay steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and tamagoyaki.

While Kaito ran at the table like an animal, Aoi went to Rika.

"Do you know where Sora is?"

"No dear, I thought you all did. Wherever he is, I'm sure he's fine." She smiled. "Help yourself to breakfast. We get up quite early, so everything on the table is yours for the taking."

Kaito was already eating by the time Hayato had pulled his chair out.

"Thank you." Aoi went to take a seat at the table, flicking Kaito's ear as she passed by him.

. . .

After freshening up, the ninja had gone out to see if they could help in any way. Not many jobs needed to be performed, so when they finally came home, they arrived to see a note taped on Sora's door.

It read:

'How did everything go? Well I hope everything went well. Tonight is the night of the attack. If you have the fire out by tonight, then my plan will work. Stay by the chief tonight until you decide something else should be kept a close watch on. Do well, my little shrimps! I'm counting on you! - Sora."

On the bottom of the note, a small little picture of a coin was drawn in black ink. Looking closely, they could see Sora's face drawn in the coin.

"His 'little shrimps'?" A grin tugged at the corner of Kaito's lips.

"Why couldn't he just be here to tell us?" Aoi asked.

"Maybe he's just like that? Either way, if he wants us to watch over the elder, I'll do it. You guys up for some boring surveillance?"

"Why not?" Aoi sighed, "I've got time."

. . .

Around nightfall the ninja had hid in the shadows near the elders' mansion. Aoi and Kaito hid on a rooftop while Hayato hid in a bush near the building.

They observed as the elder snored off, jerking awake whenever his assistant—was Mai her name?—would check on him. As Kaito had said, it was boring, the only enjoyment from eating snacks. Before they knew it, two hours had passed. The elder was fully awake and signing a couple of documents. The fire had been extinguished, and the chief himself had the torch that held but a piece of the once huge, flickering flame. The torch was held on the right side of the room. Mai had dropped off a couple of more papers, bowed and exited the room.

"Kaito," Aoi whispered, "I think we're supposed to follow her."

"I was thinking it too, but wasn't sure. No one else has been in the mansion. You ready?"

She shook her head.

Mai walked out the building a moment later, walking down the streets. And the strangest thing happened: She walked towards the lake and dropped her things in it. She then proceeded to the village's gate, where three guards sat at the top of a wall, a large bell next to them.

She disappeared before she got to the guards.

The ninja were already following her, and quickly tracked her location. She had changed from her uniform into a dirty white, mummy-like fabric top, a long and torn dark green skirt, yellow straw sandals, and let her hair out.

She jumped on a tree and began dashing; getting over their shock, they silently followed. When they had gotten a far distance from the village they decided they would stop her from reaching her destination.

They split apart in the dark forrest.

She took another leap on a tree, and suddenly it exploded. She twisted awkwardly in the air and caught onto a branch. Moving swiftly, Aoi landed on the branch she was clinging to.

"Going somewhere, 'Mai-san'?"

"Tsk." She let go of the branch and fell into the darkness. Landing on the ground, she broke into a sprint.

Hayato dropped to the ground in front of her. She skidded to a stop, and Kaito appeared behind her.

She sighed and stood up straight.

"You kids don't know what you're getting into," She growled, "You should stay out of this while you can."

"I guess that means you're working for the bandits." Kaito glared.

"We wouldn't want you going back to your leader, now would we?" Aoi said from somewhere above.

The woman placed a hand on her hip.

"All I need is for the fire to go back up. I don't want to hurt you, and I don't really have to. I just want to safely go back into my boss's arms," she looked turned to look at Kaito, "And it'd be a shame if corpses were found on my way there. Don't you agree?"

Mai looked behind him and smiled.

"Ah, there we go. The fire is lit yet again."

Kaito didn't trust her enough to follow her gaze. He stared her down.

"You don't want to see? It's quite beautiful, actually. Oh, how rebels don't want to listen. They make my job so much easier. All it takes is a little persuasion and viola." She grinned maliciously. Aoi dropped down in front of Kaito.

She motioned for him to take her spot, and he quickly did.

As he reached a fairly high branch, he looked back to the village and stared in disbelief.

A large light was illuminating the darkness. They had failed.