A/N – KYOHEI AND KIMARI HAVE A TUMBLR! It's called 'ask-kimari-and-kyohei' and they reblog things they like there. They also take asks and submission so you can get to know them better! So, go say hi!
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"I think that's just about everything." I huffed, placing my hands on my hips and staring victoriously at the neatly packed belongings that had been organized.
"It had better be." Grumbled Machiko, as she shuffled into the living room carrying the box that held my bedding supplies that we were donating to our local orphanage.
I no longer needed it where I was going. Kyohei and I had spent the better part of these last three days getting his little home ready for us to live there together.
"I can't believe you've roped me in to helping you move twice now." She continued dramatically as she dropped the box with the other things she was taking to the orphanage. "What am I to you, a friend or a pack mule?"
I laughed at that one as I double checked that the donation boxes had been securely taped.
All of my personal belongings had once again been packed and consolidated, and I was ready to move.
There had been no ceremony, no special occasions, and no formal proceedings. But I was a married woman now all the same, ceremony or not.
All it took was Tsume's word and I had been elevated to the official status of Kyohei's wife, or mate, rather. They didn't use the terms 'husband' or 'wife', and they conducted no formal ceremonies to mark a union between two people. All we'd had to do was file a change of name form and sign a marriage certificate together at the records office, and that was it. All Tsume had told us was that we were now bound in spirit, mind, and body, as well as reminding us that it was a serious union – one that was to be treasured and honored.
'The wolf mates for life.' Her words from that evening when we had said our goodbyes still rung in my ears.
But I didn't regret my decision. Even if we were not romantically engaged, I was glad I'd have Kyohei at my side in this life. Even if the marriage was fake, I had somebody I trusted fully, somebody who understood my past and understood me for who I truly was.
And I was content.
It was all quite simple and had happened so fast my head was still spinning from it. Only days ago was the night we had dinner with Tsume and her family, my family now too, and I was already set to move to the compound.
Yamamoto-baa-chan hadn't been happy to lose me as a tenant, but she hadn't argued when Kyohei paid out the rest of my lease in cash. In fact, she hadn't argued at all after seeing him procure the money, in cash, and toss it directly in front of her when we had met with her the week prior to discuss my upcoming move.
But Naruto?
The poor boy had been distraught to learn I was moving to the Inuzuka compound and would no longer be his next-door neighbor. He was still avoiding my gaze, still wallowing. I had assured him that nothing would change between us, but he just wouldn't listen.
I felt certain he was convinced I was leaving him behind now, just as everyone else had. He most likely thought that he would now go back to being all alone again, unloved and cast aside.
What a silly thing to think. Didn't he know he had me wrapped around his little finger?
This was why I had persuaded Kyohei into setting up a bed and night table in the spare room of his small house in the compound. The room was a gift to Naruto, so that he could come and spend as much time as he pleased with us, or even spend the night if he so chose. Tsume had granted her permission to have him as a guest from time-to-time, and we had decorated his guest room and stocked it with all the cup ramen he could ever want. He couldn't stay over all the time, just for political reasons, but I was hoping it would be enough to cheer him up.
But he didn't know that yet. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when we revealed the surprise.
Even now, as Kyohei was teaching him the fuinjutsu seals inside the carrier scroll to seal away my luggage and transport it somewhere else, I could see the pain in his eyes that he was trying to hide behind a smile that fooled no one.
"And see here?" Kyohei murmured to the blonde boy, carefully guiding the smaller hand that held the inkbrush above the scroll. "We're going to make a small stroke right here - yeah that's it, good job. That's what connects these two pathways together and lets the chakra flow freely throughout the seal."
"Eh? Really?" Naruto responded with an excited question, before turning his gaze back towards the seal that Kyohei had helped him create. "That's so cool!"
I couldn't stop the warm smile that spread on my features as I watched them together. Naruto needed this, but I suspected that Kyohei might as well. Naruto brought out the good in people wherever he went, so long as he wasn't playing those pranks of his.
"This man of yours is good with kids." Machi whispered as she stepped up by my side, smiling as well at the scene.
Even Machiko had reluctantly come around to Naruto when it became clear that he was here to stay in our lives. And Naruto had been delighted to gain yet another friend.
I couldn't help but agree with her as I watched Kyohei patiently teach Naruto the painstaking and delicate strokes it took to make a storage seal. I recalled as well how I had seen him cheer up crying children in the streets by making silly faces at them, or how he doted heavily on his younger brother, Kiba. Kiba had a shelf in his room dedicated to all the little treasures and knick-knacks that Kyohei had brought him back from his missions over the years.
Kyohei might like to pretend he was a hardened warrior, one who hid behind the persona of a boar; but deep down he was soft. His problem was that he rarely knew how to express that part of himself, and often ended up saying something stupid or blundering up when he tried to do so. But in raw moments like these I could see him for who he truly was.
"Yeah, he is." I agreed softly, unaware of the smile on my own face.
"…Does he have any brothers?" She asked suddenly, a sly tone in her voice.
"Sure does! A nice, handsome, twelve-year-old brother." I informed her matter-of-factly, laughing quietly when she groaned, a sad frown tugging at her lips.
"I never have any luck." She mumbled in disdain. "You know my step-mother wants to marry me off to that middle-aged man that sells fish in the market?"
I wrinkled my nose in disdain when I called to mind the image of the man she had referenced. He was a disgusting man, a drunk who liked to beat his wife and cat call at any woman who walked by. I'd even seen him slap the behind of a twelve-year-old girl once.
Needless to say, I was not impressed with him at all.
"The fifty-year-old pervert with the big gut?" I turned in disbelief, the shock clear on my features. "Please tell me this is a joke."
I desperately willed it not to be true.
"I wish it was. His second wife died last month, now he wants a new one." She shuddered at the thought of it, before turning her nose up in the air. "The dumb skank just wants me married off and out of the picture so she can inherit when my father dies. But don't worry, I threatened to shave my head like one of those monks if my Otou-san agreed. He won't do it, trust me. Besides, he knows I'd rather inherit his trade than marry."
I gaped at her, the image of her with a shaved head giving me cause to giggle. But I soon sobered at what her step-mother was threatening her with. By societal rules she would not be allowed to inherit anything of her father's wealth or business once she married out of her family and into another. But if she remained unmarried, she would inherit everything since she had no brothers or male cousins, and her step-mother would get nothing.
And never once had I heard her express a desire to get married. Machi was much better suited towards business and economics, I certainly couldn't see her as some domestic housewife. And apparently, she couldn't quite picture that either. To be twenty-five and unmarried was nearly unthinkable, but she had turned down each proposal that had ever come her way, intent on going into business for herself.
"Your Otou-san would let you take over the business? Even though you're a woman?" I asked carefully, still surprised at the idea. That sort of thing just didn't happen here, or at least not very often.
She pulled closer to me, guiding me into the kitchen with my elbow and out of hearing range from the men in my living room. When she spoke, her voice was hushed.
"Otou-san says that women in Suna are allowed to own businesses without the permission of their husband. They can inherit things just the same as any man can, they have laws about equality there. Women can even choose their own husbands! Can you imagine?"
"That's great, Machi-chan, but we're not in Suna. I'm not sure that would ever happen here, at least not any time soon."
Machi only shook her head quickly, glancing nervously towards the room where Naruto and Kyohei were working. She lowered her voice even further before speaking again.
"My Obaa-san from my mother's side still lives there, I think Otou-san has been thinking about getting us to Kaze no Kuni. Since my grandmother was born there we could apply for citizenship."
My head spun as I tried to make sense of what she was saying.
"The Land of Wind? But why? Is business bad here?" I questioned, looking to her intently and lowering my voice to a whisper like hers.
"Otou-san says that relations between Suna and Konoha are getting tense, just as bad as they were before the last war. There are trade embargoes and rioting near the borders that nobody's talking about here, it's being kept hidden from the citizens of Hi no Kuni. Whatever is going on outside the borders has Otou-san scared enough to consider leaving. He won't talk about specifics, but I know he thinks Suna is safer."
I fell silent at her revelation.
In the canon plot, we had never seen much of politics or tensions between nation states on a more political level. It had only showed such subjects through village warfare or through the eyes of the ninja. But there was so much more that happened behind the scenes, so many decisions made by the council and foreign dignitaries that affected more than just clashes between ninja and missions.
The manga had never dealt with subjects like trade, foreign relations, or civil unrest. But this wasn't the manga anymore, this was real.
In all reality, Suna probably was safer.
"You're saying the council is keeping this from us? Why would they do that?" My question was low, voice shallow, though I had a feeling I already knew the answer.
Machi sighed, shoulders deflating.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Though Otou-san thinks it's because the village can't afford to go to war with Suna right now even though they keep trying to expand their borders into our territories. He might think we wouldn't be able to win again. We barely won last time as it is."
"That's…I don't even know what to say." I stuttered. I hadn't realized just how bad the situation was outside our borders. Then again, there was a reason for that.
The council didn't want us to know. They wanted our citizens to keep thinking we're the most powerful land on the map, they wanted to abolish any doubts that we could ever lose. Because, if doubt existed in a society, that society would be less willing to pick up a sword and go to war at the council's demand. Public dissent was something the council couldn't afford in a world where wars ran rampant and periods of peace were often short-lived.
The propaganda, the Will of Fire, the subtle sense of superiority that was ingrained in the citizens of Hi no Kuni from their births – it was all the work of the council. They wanted us to think that we were the most powerful, that we were better than the others - superior in culture, ethics, and society. That way, when the next war eventually came, the village council would have the undying support of every man, woman, and child. That sense of inherent nationalism and dangerous patriotism that was worth dying for had been cultivated and fostered by the council for that reason alone.
That way, when children were sent into a battlefield, it was seen as justified. Their deaths would be seen as an honorable service to the village instead of what it truly way – a tragedy. Families would mourn, but they would still be willing to continue sacrificing for The Will of Fire.
But there was never another war with Suna in the original series, we're probably fine here.
"It's probably better not to say anything at all." She advised. "It's not public knowledge, I don't want this getting back to my family and I. I don't know if we're actually going to leave or not, all I know is that things don't look as good outside the village as the council tells us they are."
I pondered upon the information a moment longer, deep in thought with a heavy feeling in my heart.
My thoughts were interrupted by the two men in my living room who I probably should not have left unsupervised.
"Okay, now just push a little bit of chakra into the seal to activate it. Not too much, or else –"
"Don't worry '-ttebayo, this is a piece of cake!"
"No, Naruto! That's too much chakra!"
It happened in the blink of an eye.
The door to my kitchen was blown off its hinges, and I barely managed to pull Machi out of the way in time as it rocketed past us and collided with the adjacent wall. We both collapsed on the floor from how hard I pulled her, staring openly in shock at how the door had lodged into the wall and narrowly missed hitting one of us in my small, narrow kitchen.
I let my gaze drift tentatively from the door embedded in the wall towards the living room that was now visible to me, and immediately wished I hadn't.
My living room was on fire, along with all of my possessions that we had piled together to put inside a storage scroll. Aki was barking at the flames, howling like a wolf in his distress. Two of my windows had been blown out and there was glass scattered all over the floor. And, to top it all off, Kyohei and Naruto were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, attempting to put out the blaze.
"Should we – should we help?" Machi stuttered, still gathering her senses after nearly having been decapitated by what used to be my kitchen door.
I stood with a scowl, helping Machi up as well. Yamamoto-baa-san was not going to be pleased.
"Nope." I replied firmly, shaking my head and motioning her to follow me as I made towards the front door and slipped my sandals back on. They were going to fix this mess themselves. "I think now would be a perfect time for lunch. How about soba?"
"You know, that sounds lovely. Let's get soba." Machi nodded quickly, voice breathless and taking my lead to walk around the random patches of flames to slip into her sandals as well and follow me out the door.
I sent one last look of disapproval towards Kyohei before we left.
"We're going for lunch, and if this isn't fixed by the time we get back you two are going to be in big trouble!" I slammed the door behind me, closing the door to the chaos and Kyohei's protests that he was hungry too.
"Now, where were we, Machi-chan?" I offered her my arm with a pleasant smile, as if we hadn't just exited a blazing mess and two flustered ninja and a howling ninken.
She caught on quickly.
"We were going for lunch, Kimari-chan! Although, since your husband is paying for it, I wouldn't mind stopping for tea and something sweet as well!" She smirked, looping her arm around mine as we walked forward.
"I like the way you think, my friend."
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In the end, the fire had been put out and a few of my belongings had been saved before the flames got to them. My grandfather's wall scrolls had been salvaged, along with most of my clothing, and Kyohei had made sure to grab my grandmother's hair comb since he knew how special it was to me.
But the rest of my belongings had been reduced to ashes. I supposed I ought to have been grateful I didn't own much. When you didn't own much, you couldn't lose much. And Kyohei had saved the important things.
After Machi left for home and I got back to the singed apartment, I marched both of them straight to Yamamoto-baa-san so that they could make a proper and formal apology, and so that Kyohei could pay for the damages and repairs.
And I was right to assume she would be upset, she hadn't been happy at all. She screamed at them for the better portion of an hour, reprimanding them about having proper respect for somebody else's property, rowdy behavior, and recklessness. I'd stood off to the side with Aki, happy to have a front row view of the action as she raged.
I'd asked them hours before they got started with the fuinjutsu to do it outside, knowing Kyohei's fuinjutsu skills, or lack thereof. But they'd both waved me off and ignored the warning to be careful, and I felt no remorse as Yamamoto-baa-san screamed at them until I was sure the old woman might faint from overexertion.
When that was over I had held in the 'I told you so' that I wanted to say, and had only made them promise to practice their seals outdoors from now on.
And now the four of us were walking towards the Inuzuka compound, and Kyohei was getting the silent treatment. But when we got closer to the entrance to the compound, Kyohei turned suddenly, giving a pointed look to Naruto.
"I'll take your things and bring them home, why don't you and Naruto go have some fun?" He suggested, though his tone made it sound like it was less of a suggestion and more of a command.
Naruto nodded vigorously after sharing a meaningful look with the taller Inuzuka.
I glanced between them in suspicion. Something felt off about the sudden detour, and it was blatantly obvious that the two of them were attempting to hide something. Naruto wasn't the subtlest, after all.
"That's okay, I think I'd like to get settled in. I'm sure there's lots of cleaning to do." I murmured, still refusing to look him in the eye. He was still getting the cold shoulder for burning down my living room.
I took a few steps forward to the gates of the compound, but this time it was Naruto who stopped me by reaching out and grabbing my hand.
"Wait, Nee-chan!" He exclaimed loudly, an unnatural and forced smile on his face. "I've – um – well, you see –"
"What Naruto is trying to say is that –" Kyohei tried, before I interrupted them both.
"What's going on? Why are you guys acting so strange?" I demanded, looking towards Kyohei for an explanation.
"I've got it!" Naruto yelled suddenly, giving my arm a strong yank in the opposite direction. "I need to show you somethin' really special, it can't wait!"
"That's right." Kyohei nodded seriously, to which I only raised a suspicious brow. "It can't wait, you wouldn't want to miss something this special, right?"
What in the world are they talking about? Maybe it's better to just go along with it...
"Alright, Naruto-kun." I relented, allowing him to lead me in the direction of the river district. "This had better be worth it."
He was already pulling me quickly from the Inuzuka compound and down a road that led towards the fishing piers as he answered.
"Oh, it will, trust me!"
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"This is what you wanted to show me?" I eyed the object in his hands, unimpressed.
In his hands, cradled as if it were some sort of precious jewel, was a frog that I was fairly certain I had just seen him catch when I'd had my back turned.
"…Yeah." Naruto nodded unconvincingly, and I watched a bead of nervous perspiration trickle down his temple. He was a lousy liar. "But, y'see, it's not just any ol' frog-"
"I'm going back to the compound, there's a lot of work for me to do."
I turned, marching back down the pier he had brought me to and in the direction of my new home. If what Hana had mentioned about Kyohei's cleaning habits were true, I had one heck of a job waiting for me. But I'd make him help too. I'd be disrupting the peace of his bachelor's pad for sure.
"Wait, Kimari-nee! You can't go yet!" He called, quickly tossing the poor frog back into the water and coming to stand directly in front of me, blocking my way. "Can we…uh…can we just talk for a little bit? The sun's gonna set soon, and it looks real nice from this pier!"
"You want to talk." I repeated back to him, tone flat and features ripe with disbelief.
He nodded again and stuck his lower lip out, and I could only follow him back to the end of the pier with a look like that. Naruto most likely didn't realize how much of a hold he had over my heart.
The water and air were cool, but we still took off our shoes to dip our feet in the river. On the horizon, anvil clouds billowed in the sky, signaling we might be due for a front tonight that was likely to bring a few rain showers.
I waited to speak until we were situated at the end of the dock once more, sitting down with our shoes off and our toes skimming the surface of the river as the sun lowered and the sky changed colors.
It was a bit chilly to be dipping our feet in the water, but I made an exception for Naruto.
"What was it you wanted to say, Naruto-kun?" I asked, gaze focused on the colors in the sky that the setting sun brought forth. "If you pull out another frog I'm going to leave." I warned.
He gave a small laugh, but it quickly died out.
Naruto had become silent, too silent for his character. Something was off.
"Naruto-kun?" I tried again, tearing my eyes from the sky and reflections of color on the surface of the river to look towards him.
He did not look at me when he spoke, keeping his hard gaze centered down at the ripples beneath our feet caused by our toes.
"I'm happy for you, Kimari-nee." He intoned, though he didn't sound as happy as he claimed to be. "You and Kyohei-nii are happy, so I'm happy for you."
I analyzed his face as he gave his glad tidings, noting the dejected look in his eyes and refusal to meet my gaze.
"You don't look very happy." He stiffened at my comment, but still did not meet my eyes. "Are you sure nothing else is bothering you?" I asked, though I suspected I already knew the answer.
He thought he was going to be alone again.
Silly boy.
"I just – " A howl in the distance sounded, and Naruto quieted at the sound as if he had just heard some sort of signal. He stood then, shaking his head as if to rid himself from troublesome thoughts. When he finally met my eyes, it was with a fake smile plastered upon his face. "Looks like it's time to go, Nee-chan!"
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about –"
But he was already walking down the pier without me, beckoning me to follow with a forced smile. I frowned as I stood and slipped my shoes back on, I hadn't realized just how upset he was, though I supposed it made sense.
In his mind, I had found something better and would now cast him to the side. In his mind, he wished the best for me, but still found his heart breaking at the thought of losing his first friend. In his mind, he would now go back to cup ramen and nights spent miserable and alone.
But I kept quiet.
Kyohei and I had planned to reveal his room in our house together, as a secret surprise, and he would soon learn that his fears were unwarranted. We would not leave him behind, and I would certainly not let him go back to the way he had lived before if I could help it.
Our relationship had started off rocky, with me being terrified of what being near him might bring, but I had overcome my fear and Naruto had been the catalyst in my life that allowed me to begin to truly live again, to love and relate to others in a way I hadn't been able to in two decades since I left my homeland and family behind.
No, I couldn't leave him. He was just as much a brother to me now as the ones I'd had before.
I followed at his side silently as we made our way back to the compound. At the front gate we were met by Kiba and Akamaru, who both had large grins spread across their faces. Or snout, in the case of Akamaru.
Naruto stayed silent as Kiba led us through a compound that seemed to be nearly deserted. There were no clansmen walking from home to home, no dogs barking in the streets, and not a sound was heard as we traversed towards the matriarch's large house located at the center of the compound.
"Why's it so quiet, Kiba-kun?" I asked softly, somewhat unsettled by the lack of noise and commotion that was common here. "Where's Kyohei?"
"They're – uh – they're…training?" He replied, his answer an obvious lie.
"Really?" Came my dubious reply. "Every single member of the clan is training at the exact same time? Civilians too?"
Yeah, right.
"Uh-huh." He affirmed, as he stepped up and on to the traditional wooden patio that circled Tsume's house, reaching for the sliding wooden and paper door. "Now come, on, we're late!"
I followed after him into the house, now more confused than ever. Naruto trailed closely behind me, still silent.
"Late for wha-"
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
The lights flickered on inside of the house of the clan head, revealing what looked to be the majority of the Inuzuka clan and their ninken packed inside of the home, crammed like sardines.
Kyohei, Hana, and Tsume stood in the middle, with Kyohei holding a tray of some type of strange looking sweets that he had shoved twenty-one flickering candles inside.
I blinked.
Once, twice, and then again.
"…Huh?" Was all I managed, still shocked at the sight of them and the yelled greeting that had taken me by surprise.
"Happy birthday!" Repeated Hana, motioning me forward and into a crowd of smiling, tattooed faces. "And welcome home. Kyohei told us it was your birthday today, so we wanted to have a little get together and have you meet your new family."
I stayed glued to the spot, a sea of emotion now swirling inside of me as I stared at them with wide eyes.
"Is that today?" I replied in astonishment, having completely forgotten all about it.
"The seventeenth of October, right?" Kyohei demanded with a large grin that distorted his tattoos. I gave a slow nod, looking around at all of them as I processed. "Don't tell me you forgot your own birthday?"
That's right. I turned twenty-one today.
Laughs went up all around, the sound near deafening from both the amount of people jammed inside Tsume's house and the ridiculous volume they used.
And soon enough, I was surrounded by a crowd of Inuzuka, making introduction after introduction and completely overwhelmed by how many faces and names were being thrown my way. Food was shoved onto my plate by women telling me to 'put some meat on my bones', and drinks were passed around, which I politely declined.
The party was in full swing in little to no time at all, and I talked with many different people who only seemed kind and warm and accepting of me. So very different from the last few months living as an outcast of civilian society.
Large trays of grilled meats were passed around and shared, communal style, and chopsticks were set aside in favor of using hands and canines. A few men and women sat in a corner pounded on the floor with their fists and palms to produce a type of percussion rhythm unlike anything I had heard before. Children and puppies played between the legs of the adults, roughhousing on the floor and playing a game of shinobi tag.
These guys sure know how to party.
"You look a little overwhelmed." I turned at the sound of Hana's voice as she approached and stood at my side. "Do you want a drink?"
"Oh, I'm fine. It's just a lot to take in. Life here is very different than how I was raised – it's a good type of different though." I reassured her, and she nodded with a lopsided grin. "And thank you, but I don't drink."
"You too? I guess you guys are made for each other. Kyohei doesn't drink either. Can you imagine that? An Inuzuka who doesn't drink?" I laughed along with her, making a mental note to ask Kyohei about that later. I hadn't known he didn't drink alcohol, I had just assumed he didn't drink in front of me because he respected my religious background.
"I've been wanting to ask you something, and don't feel obligated to say yes just because we're sisters now." She started, and I nodded curiously, the motion prompting her to continue. "I run the veterinarian clinic here, it's the largest in Konoha, and I could really use some help. I know you have your vegetable stand, so I understand if you'd rather not."
My jaw dropped open and I gaped like a fish at the offer.
In Palestine I dreamt of becoming a doctor one day, but that dream had been crushed by the war and poverty. I'd spent years burying my nose in old textbooks, studying for a chance to take the entrance exams to a medical school in Al-Quds that I never got the chance to take. It had been my greatest dream, but it was one that I'd given up long ago.
Even here I realized I would never become a doctor, and it was a reality I'd come to terms with. Doctors here used medical ninjutsu for the most part, and the ones who didn't still had to pay expensive fees to get their training at the hospital. I had no training in iryo-ninjutsu nor the funds to attend the classes.
But never had I considered before that I could possibly become a doctor for animals. The thought honestly hadn't crossed my mind. In some ways, I'd remained assured that I might have to sell vegetables until the day I died here, that poverty was something I would never escape in either of my lives.
"You mean like a veterinarian?" I asked, my voice hardly higher than a whisper. "Me? You mean it?"
She laughed again, as if I had said something hilarious.
"Why not? I can train you myself, like I said, I really could use the help. Kyohei says you're very bright, he's the one who suggested it to me. He was bragging the other night that you learned to read with just a little guidance in under three months, and that's an impressive feat for anyone."
"You really mean it?" I sputtered, eyes shining. "I could learn to be a veterinarian even though I don't know medical ninjutsu?"
"Well, sure." She replied confidently. "Being an iryo-nin certainly makes the job easier, but there are plenty of civilian vets. You don't have to be a ninja to make a proper diagnosis, we do plenty of procedures without the use of medical jutsu."
"I would love that!" I gushed, finding myself suddenly more excited than I had been in years about anything. "Thank you so much! I won't let you down!"
Sayonara, produce stand!
"Geez, Hana, I'm gone for five minutes and you've already sunk your claws into my mate!" Kyohei laughed as he approached. "Can I have a moment with her?"
Hana cackled, resembling Tsume as she did so.
"Sure, sure. I'll leave you two lovebirds be." She held her hands up as she walked away, before tossing her head over her shoulder and addressing me once more. "We'll start your training Monday morning, I'll meet you at the kennels!"
I watched her go, starry-eyed at the gift she had just awarded me. I doubted she knew just how much it meant. I turned to Kyohei then, meeting his eyes with a warm gaze.
"Thank you, Kyohei, for everything. You knew it was my dream." My tone was soft, and his cheeks heated immediately at my words.
He scratched awkwardly at the back of his head, looking to the side.
"I told you I'd find you the best tutor in the village, didn't I? Hana isn't a tutor, but she can help you accomplish your dream here." He mumbled, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Don't get all worked up, I'm just keeping my promise."
He grabbed my hand suddenly, only to place something sticky into my palm, obviously looking to change the subject to save himself further embarrassment. Although, I failed to see how doing something kind always made him so self-conscious and embarrassed, but it always did.
He offered a small explanation as I lifted the substance closer to my face for inspection. It was then that I realized that what he had placed in my grasp was one of the sweets that he had been holding on the tray earlier. It looked unlike anything I'd seen before, and not in a good way.
It was lumpy, misshapen, and partially burnt around the edges.
"I know it's probably a shitty replacement for it, but you said it was your favorite so I wanted to give it a shot. I'm a horrible cook though, so apologies in advance if it sucks." He started, and I looked up to stare at him in confusion, unsure what he was referencing. "The nut you mentioned doesn't grow here, but I was able to find some walnuts on short notice. I used honey instead of rose syrup, because I couldn't find it in any market in the village, but I think it-"
And suddenly, the facts came together. Never mind that the rose syrup was something he had confused with another recipe.
"Kyohei…" I started, choking as my emotions surfaced. I swallowed harshly in an attempt not to cry. "Is this…?"
"Yeah - well, not really. I tried, but I've never made it before…" He trailed off, looking to me anxiously. "I'm sure it's nothing like the real stuff. It's a little burnt too. Sorry about that."
Baklava. He made me baklava. My favorite sweet from home.
But it didn't matter if it wasn't authentic and was partially burnt, what mattered was the trouble that he had gone to trying to replicate something I loved as a birthday present. I savored the bite as I chewed, even though it tasted nothing like baklava at all. It didn't matter.
He watched closely as I chewed and swallowed, and his face visibly relaxed when I told him it was delicious.
I licked the honey from my fingers with a happy heart. I ate five more pieces.
The hours passed in a daze until it had become quite late as we continued talking, accepting the congratulations and well-wishes from other clansmen, until something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. A flash of orange and whiskers, slipping out the front door nearly unnoticed.
"Kyohei." I tugged on his sleeve and leaned in closer to whisper to him. "It's Naruto. Can we wrap things up here?"
He gave a firm nod, signaling his agreement. I was unprepared when he bellowed his next statement for the clan to hear.
"Sorry, guys! We're turning in, we've got business to attend to!" He called, and all the noise stopped in that moment as we were given the full attention of the clan.
And then the crowd burst into noises of the more suggestive nature: howls, whistles, and inappropriate sounds accompanied with cheers and laughter. A few even had the guts to yell some last-minute tips.
I flushed from head to toe at what was being insinuated, and Kyohei immediately backtracked.
"That's – that's not what I meant! Get your heads out of the damn gutter!"
The whistling quickly turned to laughter as the rowdy crowd found humor in his flustered response. Kyohei only scowled at them, made an offensive gesture that garnered even more laughter, and slammed the door behind us.
But the minute Kyohei closed the doors, I was already running towards what I could see of Naruto's retreating figure in the dark with his shoulders slumped and kicking at random rocks as he passed.
"Naruto-kun! Wait!" I called desperately, running across dewy grass with bare feet.
He turned at the sound of my voice, surprised to have been followed. I was breathing heavily when I caught up to him, and Kyohei appeared soon after as well.
"Kimari-nee?" He questioned quietly, looking between us in confusion. But I was still huffing and puffing from my desperate sprint.
"Kimari and I have something we want to show you." Kyohei supplied as I caught my breath.
His brows furrowed as he continued to look between us, eyes darting back and forth quickly between our forms.
"It's not a frog, I promise." I said with a small chuckle, which elicited a small smile from him. "Come with us, Naruto-kun?"
I held out my hand for him to take. He eyed it a moment, as if trying to detect what we could possibly want to show him, before he slipped his warm fingers into my grasp.
We walked quietly, eventually joined by Aki as well, as we traversed the Inuzuka lands towards Kyohei's small home.
The home was something he was proud of, having built it himself. It was quite small, but it was cozy, with many windows and a warm interior that looked much more European than anything in Konoha. It was modeled after a cottage on the inside, and sat on the outskirts of the majority of the homes within the compound, bordering the forest.
The cottage was lovely, with two small bedrooms, a combined kitchen and living room space, and one bathroom that held a circle tub that was more traditional here in Konoha.
If you looked at it from the outside, with the tall trees of Konoha's forest and the traditional Konoha build sytle, it looked fairly inconspicuous. But when you walked through the front door it was easy to feel as if you had left Konoha all together. With the interior European architecture, you might have pictured yourself in a different place. Or, perhaps, a different universe.
But here it was just written off as eccentric decorating preferences, and Kyohei was smart to have built the outside to match the majority of the other buildings in the clan compound.
The cottage had, of course, been completely sealed for our privacy and protection.
Naruto inhaled softly in surprise as he stepped over the threshold and into the European-looking bungalow. The wooden kitchen table and carved wooden chairs, the white curtains, the sitting chairs and bookcase, the fireplace with a set of hand-carved and brightly painted matryoshka dolls placed on top of the mantle – all of it was sure to look extremely strange to Naruto. But for Kyohei, it was home. Or at least a slice of home that he had created for himself here.
"You've got weird taste, Kyohei-nii." Naruto murmured after a few moments taking in the odd decoration and furniture. "But I like it."
"Good." Kyohei ruffled his head as he passed the boy and walked further into our home. "Then that means you'll like how we decorated your room."
"It's a good thing you like his style!" I laughed, passing Naruto as well to follow after Kyohei. "Come and take a look. If you don't like it we can always re-decorate."
This was the moment I had been waiting for. I had been excited to see his reaction for days now, and it didn't let me down.
"M-my room?" He asked, voice very small in that moment and eyes wide in disbelief. "I don't understand."
He let us guide his dumbfounded form into the small guest bedroom without protest. His steps were tentative as he entered into the room, surveying it all with his mouth agape.
This room matched the rest of the European-styled cottage as well, with wooden floors, soft walls, a small dresser, and a raised bed and night stand. The quilt on top of the bed was one I had patched together myself, with little forest critters embroidered around the edges, including foxes and dogs playing together, the message completely intentional.
"This is…for me?"
Kyohei and I shared a small smile as he turned, shock embedded deep into his blue orbs.
"You really mean it '-ttebayo?"
"Well, you technically can't live here since you aren't an Inuzuka –" Started Kyohei, who I quickly interrupted before he could say anything worse when I saw Naruto's face fall some at his words.
"BUT –" I cut in, and he looked back up with eyes alight when I continued. "Tsume said you could spend a few nights a week if you like. We'll keep the room ready for you. You can come whenever you like, isn't that great?"
Naruto only nodded slowly, seeming to have trouble comprehending what had unfolded.
"And look!" I continued, crossing into the room and opening the first drawer of his dresser. "I sewed you two pairs of night clothes, so you don't even have to pack anything! You can take them home and see if they fit, I can alter them for you if they don't. I was estimating as I made them, so they might not –"
I was cut off with a tight hug. When he spoke his voice was muffled by my clothing.
"Why?"
His question nearly broke my heart in two. After months of friendship, he was still conditioned to think that he was worthless and unlovable.
"Because that's what family does, dummy." Called Kyohei, from his spot leaning against the door frame.
Naruto released me immediately at the word 'family', looking to Kyohei with a pale face. Kyohei continued after seeing Naruto was left speechless.
"Family comes in two different types: the one you're born with, and the one you choose for yourself along the way. Just like how Kimari and I chose each other and became family, do you understand?" He asked, the question serious. "Your teammates and sensei can be family, Kimari and I can be family, even the damn Hokage can be your family."
This was the most open and honest I had ever seen Kyohei speak to Naruto, similar to how he spoke to his own little brother.
"I think I get it." Naruto said, voice dripping in newfound wonder at the revelation. "So you and Kimari-nee can be family if we choose each other?"
"Exactly." Affirmed Kyohei with a small bob of his head. "And we already chose you so you're stuck with us."
His grin was blinding.
"I understand '-ttebayo!" He exclaimed, accepting the pajamas I had made for him with a wide grin. He held the hand-made clothing close to his chest as if it were precious to him. "We can be family!"
Suddenly, his grin turned from innocent to sly as he glanced between us.
"Hehehe, well I'll just be going now, I don't want to interrupt nothin'!" He snickered to himself as he tiptoed past Kyohei and I, heading towards the front door of the cottage with his new pajamas.
"You don't want to stay?" I asked, surprised that he was choosing to leave after we had shown him his room here. I'd thought he would want to stay for sure.
"Eh?" He looked shocked for a moment with a light blush, before Kyohei rolled his eyes at my oblivious attitude and waved him along.
"Don't worry, we understand. Thanks for the privacy, little bro." Kyohei walked with him towards the front door, and I watched in confusion as they exchanged a fist bump before Kyohei shut the door behind him, leaving the two of us alone together.
It was then that it dawned on me just what Naruto had been hinting at before he left. And suddenly, I was very aware of the fact that we were now alone. I felt my own cheeks heating now.
"You can take the bathroom first, if you want." He offered, shrugging off his black jacket and draping it over a kitchen chair to expose his bare arms with the black sleeveless shirt he wore underneath. "I'll go get some water from the well for you to wash with."
And before I had a chance to say otherwise, he was out the door, traversing towards the small well next to his home.
The house was not hooked up to the village's plumbing system. In fact, most of the Inuzuka compound wasn't. There were many communal wells that were used instead. I supposed we were lucky to have our own.
The Inuzuka compound was located near the edge of the forest, much like the Nara compound. But the lovely views came with a price; we were situated outside the reach of the village's modern plumbing system since we weren't located in a more industrialized area of the village. It made sense though. The Inuzuka made good use of the forest with their ninken, and the Nara had kilometers of forest land that backed up to our lands, where their deer roamed free.
And to be honest, the plumbing didn't bother me. I'd lived without it before, I could do it again. The only downside I saw was that there was no hot water on demand, not like how I'd had in my apartment in the more developed area of the village. Yeah, I was going to miss that.
Instead, we had a traditional tub, where you had to go outside the house to access a moveable panel where one could light a fire underneath the tub to heat the water. Very old-fashioned and time consuming, but as long as we had the means to hot water I wasn't going to complain.
Soon enough, Kyohei had returned, a long wooden pole with two large buckets sloshing water on each end balanced over his shoulder blades. Strong muscles flexed as he repositioned the heavy pails of well water and maneuvered his way towards the bathroom.
I dropped my gaze, not wanting to get caught ogling at his arms.
He emerged from the bathroom moments later, but my gaze remained glued to the wooden floorboards beneath my feet.
"I'll go light the fire, it heats up pretty fast. There's soap and some other toiletries in the cupboard." He announced.
"Ah, thanks." I murmured. Stepping past him and into the bathroom to shut the door behind me.
I surveyed the bathroom in a way that seemed almost detached, the space mostly unfamiliar to me, but a space that was now my home. I ran my hand over the surface of the slowly heating water as I listened to Kyohei rustling outside the house as he kindled the fire.
Home, this is home now. Here with Kyohei, here with the Inuzuka.
I pondered upon the thought a while longer before finally slipping out of my clothing and into the warm water. The water was heating quickly with the small fire beneath it, just as promised, and there were soon billows of soft steam rising into the air around me.
"Inuzuka Mari."
My voice was hardly even a whisper as I repeated the name to myself, my new name.
When I had finished bathing and had redressed myself in my night clothing, I slowly opened the door to the bathroom to start down the short hallway that led towards our bedroom. My bare feet made little 'plopping' noises as I stepped into the bedroom, only to find it empty.
"Sorry about earlier, when we were leaving the party. I didn't realize it would sound the way it did." I heard Kyohei's voice behind me then, and I spun quickly with a small gasp, hand over my heart at the sudden surprise.
He was dressed in his own night clothes, hair dripping. It looked as though he had washed by the well.
I hadn't heard or seen him approach. But I suppose that was natural, he was a ninja after all. His footsteps never made sounds unless he was actively trying to be heard.
"It's fine." I breathed. "I think most of them were drunk anyways."
"You're probably right about that." He chuckled softly as he moved past me and into the bedroom. I followed into the dimly lit room after him, letting my eyes wander around the cozy abode.
It was then that I realized there was only one bed.
"K-Kyohei?" I called softly, cursing my easily flustered nature when I felt my face getting hot. "What are we going to do about the sleeping situation?"
He snorted, before wiggling his eyebrows.
"Together, obviously. We're mates now, remember?"
"What? But – no – I mean, yes, we are - but – t-t-t-together?" I stuttered, and I was sure my face was now about as red as a lobster.
He burst into laughter, the loud sound reverberating within the small room.
"Sorry, love!" He wiped a tear from his eye as he reined himself in. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Jesus, your face was priceless!"
He moved around to the other side of the bed, still laughing to himself. Pulling up the quilt on top of the raised bed, he ran his fingers underneath until a small 'click' was heard. To my amazement, the bottom portion of the wooden frame began to slide out from underneath to reveal a small platform bed on wheels that had been hidden beneath the higher bed.
A trundle bed hidden beneath the actual bed?
I breathed an audible sigh of relief as he positioned himself on the lowered bed and pat the higher one, indicating that it would be mine to sleep on.
"You're such a jerk." I mumbled, though I couldn't help but laugh as well. I'd have to get him back for that one.
"Is that any way to speak to your husband?" He teased in faux chastisement as I climbed on top of the raised bed and slipped under the cozy quilt, nuzzling into the soft pillow. In the corner, Aki circled his doggie bed a few times before laying down and huffing in contentment though his snout.
I laughed again. I just couldn't help it. What a strange situation this all was.
Eventually my laughter ceased and Kyohei reached for the lamp to turn off the light. It was quiet for some time, before I spoke, voice soft and whispering into the darkness.
"Thank you again, you went to so much trouble, I really appreciate it." I heard the shifting of fabric and the creaking of the wooden bedframe as he rolled over to face my direction. "The party, the baklava, talking to Hana for me to help me pursue my dream, the separate beds – I don't know how to repay you."
He scoffed in the darkness.
"Repay me? Cut it out." I could nearly hear the scowl in his voice. "I didn't do any of it so you would owe me, I just want you to be happy. You don't owe me or anyone else a damn thing, got that?"
His voice was gruff, and I could tell I had made him uncomfortable again by thanking him. He didn't really like to be thanked or have his kind deeds acknowledged, but I felt it necessary to express how grateful I was.
"I know." I replied. "I just want to do something for you too. You've been so kind."
If somebody had told me the first time we had met that he was capable of this kind of sentiment and action, I doubted I would have believed them. But Kyohei was changing, just the same as I was, the both of us for the better.
I heard him roll again, sounding as if he had flopped onto his back.
"You want to do something for me, huh?" He was quiet for a moment, before voicing a request in a tone that was much less gruff. "Do you sing? I used to love listening to folk songs, I just whistle them now. You could sing a folk song from Palestine if you're comfortable with that. I'd really like to hear one."
A beat of silence before I answered. Outside, an owl hooted in the distance.
"I haven't in a long time. I was too scared to even hum them, they sound so different and I didn't want to attract attention." I admitted.
It was a shame, really. I loved to sing. I was decent, and singing was something that was in my blood. Palestinians had a deep love for our traditional music, it was how we survived. Our music and lyrics were filled with tragedy, history, and pride – it was a part of who I was.
My mother, sisters and I had sung folk songs while kneading bread or baking sweets in the bakery. My brothers sang nasheeds while they worked. My father hummed or recited Qur'an when he worked in the garden. It was just who we were.
"You can sing here all you want, even if the windows are open, whenever you like." Kyohei reminded me. "I've got so many privacy seals hidden in the walls of this house it's ridiculous."
I hummed quietly, thinking of what I could sing. I had many favorites.
It was quiet when I began, and my voice echoed throughout our small room as I sang. The song was one I was well familiar with, one that had risen in popularity when the bloodshed in our lands worsened in the last few years before I died.
It was a song nearly one hundred years old, one that told the tale of the grief when sons and husbands would leave to fight for an independence we would never truly win, and never come back home. The lyrics told the anguish of the mothers and wives who were only brought back a bloody rifle instead of a body to bury.
It was melancholic, like most of our music.
I felt strong as I sang in my mother tongue for the first time in two decades, like my identity was somehow returning to me. I felt warm as the last few notes escaped my lips and tapered out into the darkness. I felt strong and steady, as if I were carrying the strength of my ancestors in my bones.
Perhaps I had been carrying them with me all along.
If I closed my eyes, I could nearly smell the salty air coming from the Mediterranean that lapped at our ancient ancestral homelands. I could nearly hear the hustle and bustle of the busy city. I could almost taste the spices from the dinner table on the tip of my tongue.
I saw the faces of my family flash through my mind: My mother, my father, Marwah, Amal, Omar, Laith, Hassan, Khalil, Amir, Hamza.
But this time, instead of the memories leaving me feeling hopeless and destitute, I felt strength in them, I felt hope.
It was quiet again, even the owl had stopped hooting, and I could hear Aki's soft breathing from the corner where he lay atop his large doggie bed.
"Kyohei?" I whispered into the darkness of the night, only faintly illuminated by the light from the moon outside.
A soft snore was what greeted me in return.
I smiled to myself, before pulling the quilt up to my chin and letting my eyes flutter close.
What an odd sensation it was, to feel truly happy.
.
.
A/N 2.0 – The song is 'Tallat El-Baroudeh', an old ballad of tragedy. My favorite version is sung by Sanaa Moussa, and it is available on Youtube should you like to give it a listen. I really recommend her if you are looking to try out some Palestinian folk tunes, she sings with so much passion. 'Nijmet El-Subeh' is another good one from her as well.