CHAPTER 9
"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."
-To kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee
No matter how many times Ryusei told me that it was hopeless, that I could never possibly win against Uchiha Itachi, that I was just wasting my time, I kept training, if only just to rile him. "You should go and spend more time with insects and spiders instead of nagging me," I told him heatedly. "Get over your phobia."
"I don't have any phobia of spiders," he declared.
I laughed. "Sure you don't. Do you need my help? I will be happy to transform into your Jasmine for you."
"I will pass on that," he replied dryly. "What exactly do you have against Uchihas, by the way? You lose all your reason when it comes to them."
"How very observant of you."
"Why do you hate them so much?"
Why, indeed.
…
"I need you to activate your kekkei genkai," Shikaku sensei said as he leaned against a tree, his one knee drawn forward. "If you activate your kekkei genkai, only then do you stand a chance against Uchiha Itachi. Understand?"
"But… But Fukuro kekkei genkai is not as common as the Sharingan," I replied a bit irritably. Here I had come to meet him with high hopes of learning some new jutsu and that was all he had to say? "It used to be really common back then but not so much anymore. It has already skipped three generations and has almost become a myth. Even my Obaa-san doesn't have it and she is one of the strongest Fukuros to ever live."
"Her element is Earth," Shikaku sensei said, acting oblivious to my frustration. "She has her feet planted too firmly on the ground and nothing can shake her views once she has established them. She is implacable, like a cliff." He broke off, looking a bit wary. "By the way, whatever is said here, stays here. You won't go and rat me out to your Obaa-san, would you?"
"I might," I grumbled, "if you didn't teach me some good jutsu, that is."
He heaved a sigh. "Troublesome, I shouldn't have gotten out of bed this morning after all."
"Your wife would have thrown you out anyway."
"Right." He stifled a yawn. "Well, as I was saying, though you have inherited many of her qualities, your element remains different; Wind. People with wind element are supposed to open-minded and peace-loving." He looked a bit dubious as he said that. "Now, I am sure that you are well aware of the fact that Wind release is weak against Fire release, which, unfortunately happens to be Itachi's element…"
My eyes narrowed. "What are you getting at?"
"Patience, Miyuki," he said dryly. "I am saying that there is still hope. You can turn this weakness into strength by activating your kekkei genkai. Fukuro's kekkei genkai…"
"Teishi Jikan," I said. "It is called Teishi Jikan."
"Yes, all your ancestors who managed to activate Teishi Jikan had Wind release as their elements. Lady Fukuro was kind enough to allow me to do some research." He smiled beatifically. "This means that Fukuros with Wind release seem to have special affinity for Teishi Jikan."
"B-But why?" I sputtered out.
"First recite to me the basics of Teishi Jikan, and then we will proceed."
"Teishi Jikan is the bloodline power that allows the user to stop the time," I said in a monotone. "Time is the greatest ally to Fukuro, after all."
"Exactly."
"You are sounding like Obaa-san day by day, sensei," I muttered.
"Teishi Jikan allows the user to enter a specific dimension where time halts for few moments. In these few moments, the user is able to move and so, is able to do anything while all the other people remain oblivious and so, would have no idea that the time has actually stopped. It is rather a very formidable power, I should say. Invincible even, if it is mastered and honed correctly."
"And rare too," I added pointedly. "But if that is what it will take to defeat Uchiha Itachi, I will do it."
Shikaku sensei looked at me oddly then, scratching his hair. "Somehow, I think you have already entered that dimension once before. So it won't be that hard."
"What?"
"During the deer-horn test, the first time you graduated from the academy, when you broke through my Shadow possession. One moment you were standing there paralyzed and the next moment, you had not only broken free of my jutsu, you had also covered a distance of three meters in a blink of an eye."
"But it is probably because I was moving so fast," I said, still uncertain. "And weren't you asleep at that time?"
"You are fast," he conceded, "but you are not that fast and also, that doesn't explain why you broke free of my jutsu when you were still within the range. And yes, I was asleep but that doesn't mean I was unaware of my surroundings."
"What kind of sleep is that," I muttered and then sighed, a bit skeptically. "Sensei… do you think I can do it?"
The corners of his eyes crinkled in a kind smile. "Of course."
…
"We meet again, Jasmine," Ryusei said with an apparently confident grin that wavered pathetically at the edges. He was trying to act all brave, but Hana and I could tell he was still terrified of the giant, scuttling spider.
"Did it have to be a spider?" Hana moaned.
"Good thing it isn't a flying cockroach though. Just imagine."
She shuddered. "You are right."
We were sitting at the bleachers of arena and the finals of the Chunin exams had just begun. I had caught glimpses of Itachi few times before and he had seemed just as unperturbed and undefeatable as ever which, of course, had made me even more anxious. I tried to swallow the lump of unease in my throat and focused on our teammate Ryusei instead who was finally gaining an upper-hand after getting thrashed around by Aburame Sumiko and her Jasmine for a long time.
"You idiot!" Hana shouted at him when he barely avoided Jasmine's deadly pincers. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Get up and fight like a Hyuuga!"
"You shut up and let me concentrate!" he yelled back.
I sighed. These two could never stop bickering.
Finally, Hana and I gave a loud whoop of delight when Ryusei was finally declared a winner after an intense battle. He was wearing a poised smile as he limped his way towards us on the aisles, looking vaguely suave and more like a Hyuuga than ever, even when he was battered down. But as soon as he was close enough, I could see that his face was dangerously green.
"Way to go, Ryusei!" Hana slapped him on his back. He immediately retched in response and then emptied out the contents of his stomach at the side of the wall. "Gross!" Hana let out a repulsed sigh before handing him the napkins.
"You can't even look cool even though you won the match." I shook my head. "That's pathetic."
"Shut it!" He growled, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I could barely stand being so near that big spider and those big hairy legs of that… that Jasmine. It seems like a miracle that I won… And besides, I look forward to seeing how you will look after your battle with an Uchiha prodigy."
That shut me up and I pursed my lips in a hard line. He had a point. "Well, at least you won. Even though you look like such a grand loser right now, puking your guts out but still, you won."
"Yeah, he was great," Hana agreed.
Now, Hana always had a knack of embarrassing us in the public but this time, she outdid herself when it was time for Shisui Uchiha's and Kemono Harushi's match. I cringed with mortification when she cheered on Shisui, sounding like she belonged to that annoyingly eccentric cult of fan-girls Shisui seemed to have in Konoha. I knew that Shisui Uchiha was turning out to be notably handsome and attractive even at twelve years of age with his easy, gallant smile, laidback personality and impeccable social skills that had earned him quite lot of admirers. But I hadn't realized that Hana was one of them.
"Keep it down," Ryusei snapped. "You are embarrassing us."
Hana flashed him a look of utter disgust before continuing to swoon over Shisui who was now obviously showing off out there in the arena for the benefit of his fans. "I thought you hated all the people from the noble clans," I choked out.
"Yes, but Shisui-san is different," she said primly. "He is really nice. Not arrogant at all and doesn't think he is above talking to others, unlike that Itachi Uchiha."
"So while we were busy training ourselves to death," Ryusei said, his opal-white eyes scornful, "you were busy getting acquainted with that Uchiha Shisui?"
"It is not my fault that I was knocked out of the Chunin exams," she shot back, holding up her chin defiantly even as red bloomed in her cheeks. "And I did train… Shisui-san was kind enough to show me some moves."
My mouth dropped open. When had that development happened? How come I hadn't noticed it? Oh, right, I was busy training myself to death, just as Ryusei had said.
"What kind of 'moves', may I ask?" Ryusei drawled, twisting his eyebrows at her contemptuously. "I have heard that he shows these 'moves' to lots of girls."
That immediately earned him a whack on the head from indignant Hana. "Shut up! You are just jealous of him because even though you both are of the same age, he is way stronger than you could ever be!"
I gulped. One must never address the rivalry between Uchihas and Hyuugas, the two most notable and influential clans of Konoha and Hana had done exactly that. I knew both of them had crossed the line and were now sitting on either side of me, sulking and glowering into space with their hands bound across their chests. It wasn't the first time I would have to act as a mediator between them but I was too apprehensive of my upcoming match with Itachi to offer them any words of consolation. When Hana didn't even crack a smile when Shisui won the match, I knew that this pointless banter of theirs had already escalated to something serious.
I heaved a sigh. "Just don't try to kill each other when it is time for my match."
….
Those red eyes again.
Involuntarily, I shivered; not because I hated the color red and not because those eyes were the color of blood. It was because they were beautiful. The color red was beautiful, the color of the lifeblood, of the sun when it was dying at the purple-streaked horizons; in a way, it represented death. But then again, it was also the color of sun when it was reborn after an extended dark night, the color of the eyelids against the placid, warm sunlight.
But just because it was beautiful, didn't mean I hated it any less.
For some reasons, I found myself remembering the incident of the nine-tail fox attack when he had committed murder for the first time with those same enchanting, crimson eyes. These orbs now glowed even more sinisterly than they had at that time, probably because he had three tomoes in his irises now. Just like all the dangerous things were attractive, his eyes too, were beguilingly beautiful, although this beauty spoke of surreal darkness I couldn't fathom. Had he killed even more people after that time? As he stood in front of me, I couldn't help but notice how his dark aura screamed of an impenitent killer and an icy finger of fear stroked my back. But I knew I couldn't let that intimidate me now.
"Uchiha Itachi," I greeted with as much venom as I could inject in my voice.
"Fukuro Miyuki," he said almost silkily and then inclined his head to one side, as if measuring me up. "You caught up fast."
"I told you I will."
There was a hint of smirk over his face and I could tell that in his own way, he approved of me. "But I never thought we would face each other like this. Fate has strange way of working."
"It sure has."
"Forfeit this match now."
I wasn't sure if my ears had heard correctly. "What?"
"I said forfeit now," he repeated patiently and then a small furrow appeared in his forehead as if he was having a debate with himself. "I don't want to hurt you."
I tightened my fist until all my tendons stood out as a wave of fury submerged me in. Was he trying to mock me? Was he trying to shake my resolve? "Funny," I spat out sardonically. "You didn't seem to care about that when you left me on the forest floor to die earlier."
"You were hardly dying."
"I could have," I pointed out.
"But you didn't. I made sure."
I scowled and my fists shook. What was he saying? I stared at him warily, looking for the signs of weakness, anything that could betray what he was thinking but found none. Those coal-black locks of his had gotten even longer and were tied behind in a ponytail with few strands billowing gently in front of his face. His posture was gracefully serene and he looked almost bored, as if he wasn't standing there for a battle but to observe something tedious. But I knew his guard was up. He was like the breeze, silent and complacent, but at the same time touching each and everything with his eyes and that was what made him a terrifying opponent.
"What do you—" I started and then shook my head. I decided it was better to put an end to this small, pointless chitchat because I knew he was doing this just to make me unsteady on my feet, whether intentionally or unintentionally, I knew not. "I don't care if you hurt me physically," I said through gritted teeth, taking up my stance, "I can forgive you for that easily, but quit asking me to give up. I am not as weak as you think. I won't forgive you if you tried to hurt my pride as a shinobi!"
And then I lunged forward.
"If that is what you want." He smirked and raised his arms, getting ready to meet my attack headlong with a grace of a shinobi who had obliterated his opponents countless times before.
We engaged in taijutsu first. My fists collided with his with considerable force but he blocked all my moves sinuously and dexterously, not faltering even once. "You are angry," he noted, blocking my kick and holding my ankle a prisoner with his strong fingers. "That is why your moves are so predictable. You can't win from me if you let your emotions guide your attacks."
"Don't patronize me, Uchiha," I said through gritted teeth, straining my leg to free it from his vice-like grip. "I will defeat you in my own way!"
"I would like to see that." His grip on my ankle tightened.
Anger coursed through me at the challenging lilt in his voice but no matter how hard I struggled, he showed no intentions of releasing my ankle, so I decided to put my hands to use. He maneuvered my fists away from his face swiftly and confined both my wrists in his one hand with surprising strength. "You are fast enough to keep up with me," he drawled, pulling me forward, "but you lack strength."
So, he had already pinpointed my weakness.
I glared at him, clenching my jaw, a bit disoriented to find that his face was now only few inches away from mine and his soft, raven hair fluttering in the wind was tickling my cheeks. For a while, our proximity had me incapacitated and I could feel the familiar heat rising on my cheeks; he saw that and it made him smirk, much to my mortification. If he was using this tactic to sidetrack me, it was working marvelously. Also, I could hear the crowd cheering on Itachi in the background, much to my chagrin.
"Are you crazy?" Hana yelled at me from the sidelines. "Break free already! You look like a chicken standing on one leg."
That does it! "Let go—!" I growled at Itachi.
"Break free yourself, if you can, that is."
"Or I am going to disembowel you!" I snarled, flailing my limbs to no avail.
"Again, those empty threats," he said with that insufferable, sardonic grin. "You haven't changed much, I see."
"I am no longer the same Miyuki you remember," I bit out. "I have… gotten stronger."
"Prove it then."
He was challenging me; I could see it in his eyes. He was deliberately provoking me. Well, if that is what he wants, I thought furiously. "I was saving it for later but…" I trailed off and immediately began summoning my chakra, to unlock the gate to that specific dimension... "Teishi Jikan!" I shouted and just like that, I was free.
Not only did I get the time to free myself from his grip, but also in that infinitesimal moment, in which the time had stopped for Itachi, I managed to land a kick on his face before the gate to the time-dimension closed and everything returned to normal. To my extreme, almost vindictive satisfaction, I saw Itachi flying in the opposite direction and falling to the ground.
Whole arena had now gotten awfully quiet with daze and incredulousness; they had probably not expected their beloved prodigy to take a direct hit like that. I almost had to resist an urge to laugh evilly like some maniac and allowed myself a smile of victory instead. Yes, I was never a terribly humble person, not in front of my nemesis of lifetime at least.
"…I see." He wiped off the trail of blood from the side of his mouth as he raised himself up to the standing position once again, smirking as he did so. Even from where I was standing, I could see approval and acknowledgement in his eyes. "So, you managed to activate your kekkei genkai. You are full of surprises, Miyuki."
I was a bit unsettled to hear him use my first name so casually, as if he had been doing it countless times before but I wasn't about to let that get to me in my small moment of glory. I could tell that he had done that deliberately to make me drop my guard; everything he did on the battlefield was a tactic. So I returned his piercing stare with a smile of my own. "And you were asking me to forfeit," I said. Yes, I was looking for an apology.
"Forgive me; I underestimated you," he said. "So, as it turns out, you are a challenge for me after all. I won't go easy on you now."
"Good!"
Next time I used the Teishi Jikan, I sent him flying yet again but to my dismay, that conceited look over his face never went away even though he was obviously surprised by my abilities, which led me to think that he definitely had some kind of strategy worked out.
His hands moved rapidly through the series of hand-signs and then the signature blast of fire emerged from his mouth, which I dodged promptly using the replacement jutsu. But I could tell that my movements were soon slowing down as I tried to keep avoiding his successive fireball jutsus. "Just as I expected, this Teishi Jikan of yours has taken too much of your chakra. Isn't that right?" He was teasing me now. "Let's see how long you can keep this up."
Just how much chakra did he have anyway? I wondered as he relentlessly sent one fireball after another in my direction. Finally, at one point I couldn't dodge them at all and had to use Teishi Jikan once again. When the time halted, I immediately looked for Itachi but he was standing there frozen, a good twenty meters away from me and there was no way I could reach there in time… But I tried anyway and just as I was running in his direction, everything returned back to normal.
"So!" he said smugly, smiling slightly. "Your limit to stop time is three seconds only."
I dropped to my knees, panting heavily with sweat dripping from my forehead.
"Get up right now and fight, Miyuki!" Hana shouted, pumping her fist in the air, embarrassing me yet again. "Don't let that get you down!"
"I know," I muttered and then turned to Itachi. "How…How did you figure my limit out?"
"Judging from your speed and the distance you covered in blink of an eye, I calculated your limit. Arithmetic has always been my strong point, I am afraid," he drawled. "I deliberately stayed out of your way and forced you to use your kekkei genkai to check its limit. Not only that, I also know that it takes tremendous amount of your chakra. So in conclusion, it won't be a problem for me after this."
A wave of desperation washed over me as I raised myself up to stand in front of him again on my trembling knees. I glowered at him then, hating those confident, detestable red eyes. I knew he wasn't called a genius for nothing but this demonstration of his analytical skills only served to make me hate him with even more ferocity than before. Also, I was deeply aggravated by the uselessness of my own kekkei genkai. Why couldn't my bloodlines bestow upon me something as splendid as Sharingan? "Dammit!" I whispered.
"Are you an imbecile?" Grandmother bellowed from where she was sitting near the elders, making me wince. "How dare you let him figure out your limit and dishonor the name of Fukuro? Wait till you get home!"
Several people in the crowd snickered at that but I ignored them all and focused on Itachi instead.
As he stood there scrutinizing me, I could take some comfort in the fact that he was not unscathed either. He was panting slightly too, exhausted by the constant use of his fireball jutsus and the side of his cheek was swollen and bruised. I knew that it was a big achievement, considering he was an Uchiha prodigy and the crowd seemed to appreciate this, but it was nowhere enough for me. I had already trained so hard, too hard to be satisfied with just this, to give up now.
Taking out my shurikens, I darted forward once again with renewed determination but suddenly, I realized that the three tomoes in his eyes were spinning ominously. The aura around him had shifted to a more foreboding one and the tension emanating from his form was almost tangible.
Genjutsu!
But it was already too late to break the eye-contact now.
"I wasn't going to use this on you," he was saying in a soft, menacing voice, "but you leave me no choice."
The world around me dissolved away and two-dimensional world replaced everything. I watched in horror, as my hands turned into papers. It is just a genjutsu, I told myself frantically, trying to dispel it the way Shikaku-sensei had taught me to but my hands were too light… I couldn't put them together into a seal. Genjutsu had always been my weakness and also, I knew it was quite impossible to break free of it alone. But I was by myself; I had no one. I was alone.
In front of me, I could see those cruel, callous, crimson eyes of his but I could expect no help from them. He was telling me that through this genjutsu; perhaps he was the one who was intensifying these feelings of sheer loneliness exponentially because no matter how much I tried to tell myself that I had my grandmother and friends now, I couldn't break free from the shackles of these terrifying feelings. Perhaps these sentiments had always resided in the deep recesses of my mind and he had just dug them out.
I felt suffocated, as if I was buried under an avalanche, as if the stifling pressure over my chest would never abate… To my horror, he had already turned his back on me and was walking away.
And no matter how much I wanted to run after him, I couldn't even move an inch with my papery feet. "No!" I choked out desperately. "Don't leave me here, Itachi!"
But his receding figure disappeared, along with the Uchiha crest and perpetual darkness engulfed me.
When I woke up again, I could see the sky, the vast, endless azure sky with tinge of vermillion and purple at the western horizon. The sun burnt red as it silently approached the western horizons and I wished it would take me away to wherever it went in the nights, to hide me away from all these people who were now cheering for Itachi. I realized I was lying on my back in the arena and probably few minutes had elapsed since Itachi had been declared a victor.
"You okay?" I heard a voice nearby. It was Itachi and his eyes were no longer malicious red but comforting obsidian, like a kind, night sky full of stars. I didn't know why looking at him now like this filled me up with overwhelming longing, so much that I almost wanted to embrace him, to hold him tight, to prevent him from walking out on me ever again. But for now I felt too exhausted and emotionally drained to even move an inch and wistful tears filled my eyes instead.
No, I am not okay.
"I apologize," he said, sounding genuinely repentant. His eyes widened slightly with alarm at the sight of the tears swimming in my eyes. "That kind of genjutsu was uncalled for. I shouldn't have done that… It was a dirty trick."
Stay with me this time.
"Go away," I muttered, turning my face away from him. Couldn't he just leave to let me cry in peace and wallow in my despair? Yes, it was all his stupid, stupid genjutsu's fault anyway that I was a pathetic, emotional mess right now even though I knew that he had not, by any means, fabricated those feelings; they had always been inside of me.
Still, I wanted to shout at him, to pull his hair out but I knew I had no right to hold the fact that he had actually played with my emotions, against him because that was what real shinobis did anyway; he had every right to exploit my weaknesses in the battlefield. Also, he had given me clear warning beforehand… But yes, maybe I hadn't expected him to be quite that ruthless.
He didn't move from where he was crouched down beside me and I could sense his obvious reluctance before he reached out and touched my wet cheek gently with his knuckles. "Did I hurt you?"
Yes, but I probably hurt you more three years ago.
"No," I said in a hoarse voice, holding myself stiffly away from his soothing, feather-light touch, "I am… I am glad you didn't go easy on me. This is the way I had wanted it to be."
"Then why are you crying?"
"I am not crying."
"Yeah right," he scoffed, running the pads of his fingers over my cheek and then showing me the glistening wetness there. "Then what is this?"
I sighed. "Maybe it is raining."
"Stop looking so defeated and get up," he ordered, grabbing my arm and tugging me up in a sitting position. "This kind of look doesn't suit you. You didn't lose entirely… Not yet."
I blinked the teardrops off my eyelashes. "What are you saying? Do you want me to admit defeat in public and pronounce you the victor? Do you plan to humiliate me even more than—"
"Hardly. Everybody knows I am already the winner without you admitting defeat." He gave me an ironic look before holding out his two fingers in front of me. I recognized the gesture immediately after a brief moment of bewilderment. A seal of reconciliation.
You remembered.
He grinned then, making my heart flutter like wings of butterfly for some unfathomable reason. "But I feel guilty," he went on, "so I will let you take out your frustration on me."
This time I made sure I broke his fingers.
You remembered. But it doesn't change anything.
"It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone."
-Anonymous
AN: I am really sorry for the lateness of the chapter. College is catching up on me; I had loads of tests to give and wards to attend... But I am glad I got to write this chapter in the end.
Oh well, I debated over letting Miyuki kick Itachi's ass in this one but then again, I am not trying to turn her into some sort of prodigy. I want her to be someone strong yet relatable and honestly, one prodigy is more than enough... 'Teishi Jikan' means halt the time in Japanese and although it is not something really unique or extraordinary, I have my reasons for giving her this power as you will see later on. X) I hope I didn't mess this chapter up though.
Also, I am not exactly sure how Hyuuga's classification into main-house and branch-house works out, but consider this: Ryusei's dad is probably Hyuuga Hiashi's first cousin and the elder sibling in his family, which makes him and Ryusei belong to the Main-house, according to my logic at least.
Once again, thank you for all those who reviewed and read this story. I appreciate it! Also I really need your feedback on this chapter as well.
-AnEveningMoth
