Just as a heads up, this is officially the longest chapter of this story! The next and final chapter definitely won't be this long so enjoy it while it lasts! Thanks so much for sticking with this story for so long and I really hope you like this emotional chapter! xx
The rouge nin sat in a chair opposite the door, his hands placed clasped in front of him on a metal table. He raised his head when we entered, his eyes flickering from annoyance to happiness within a millisecond. He immediately sat up and relaxed his posture, his overall body language seeming a lot more relaxed and welcoming. His sudden change in demeanour startled me immensely, as it was clear to see he still believed that I was his daughter.
"Noemi." He said, smiling as Gaara shut the door behind us. "It's wonderful to finally meet you properly."
"You do realise that at the moment there is no evidence that I am your daughter?" I stated, taking a seat in one of the two others spare chairs at the table. I hated the way of how emotionless I sounded by saying that sentence but I had to make sure that he knew I wasn't so easily swayed. I noticed his hands clench slightly at my statement but he suddenly sighed and slumped down in his chair.
"I do understand that." He replied, keeping a wary eye on Gaara as he took the seat next to me. "And I realise that the only way to prove it is through a blood test, but it cannot be just a coincidence that you look like a splitting imagine of my former wife and have the same name that we gave our daughter."
"I hope you know that you gave Noemi quite a shock back at the trial when you shouted out her birthday to her." Gaara butted in, crossing his arms. "I do not understand how you would expect her to react when a rouge nin somehow has acquired a piece of her personal information."
"I am sorry that I sprung that on you, but I just had to know whether it was you or not." The rouge nin said, his gaze now well and truly set on me. I could sense the desperation coming from him and at the same time I pitied him but also felt scared of him. The silence in the room became overwhelming and I had to break it before it became too much.
"You said to the guards that you wouldn't tell them your name unless you spoke to me." I informed him. "Well, I'm here now so what is your name?"
"Since you asked so nicely," He chuckled. "my name is Hisashi. Nakano Hisashi."
I was revelling in the fact that I could finally put a name to his face, when Gaara said something that made my blood run cold.
"You were a shinobi of Suna, weren't you?"
I almost smacked my knee on the underside of the table in my haste to uncross my legs and sit up straighter. My eyes had widened beyond belief and I thought I was going to faint with shock when Hisashi slowly nodded. I honestly couldn't believe it. This man who could possibly be my biological father, was originally a Suna shinobi and my adoptive father was killed by Suna nin. I wanted to laugh at the sheer irony of it all.
"How did you know? I don't have my forehead protector with me anymore." Hisashi asked, looking quite ashamed under Gaara's gaze.
"I was reading through the reports of Suna's affiliations with Numachi a day or so ago and your named cropped up a few times. Am I right in saying that your late wife was originally a Numachi shinobi?"
"Indeed she was." Hisashi said, sadness creeping into his voice.
"Wait, what's Numachi?" I asked. "I've never heard of it before."
"Numachi was known as The Village Hidden in the Swamp, a very isolated village just like Sanmyaku." Gaara explained. "However, due to unknown circumstances, the entire village was destroyed and it's inhabitants were either sadly killed or went missing."
"My wife, Kaiya, was the daughter of one of the elders in the village." Hisashi informed me. "Their clan was the most prized clan in Numachi, as they had a special affinity. A bit like how Kazekage-sama can control sand."
"What was their affinity?" I asked curiously.
"Gizō mizu, the disguised water affinity or more commonly known as the acid affinity."
This time I did hit my knee on the table as I slid further down my sit, whilst staring vaguely into the distance. My body felt numb but there was a painful thudding in my head as I struggled to process this new information. No one had been able to explain where my acid affinity had come from and it had just been classified a mutation of my genes. Numachi must have been scarcely heard of if no one in my village had even thought of associating my affinity with theirs. I could feel two sets of eyes on me but I turned my head to face Gaara, not giving a second glance to Hisashi.
"Did you not know?" I whispered, my voice failing me. Gaara shook his head firmly.
"There were no reports of this acid affinity in the reports. They must have kept it a secret."
"They did, it was their pride and joy. So much so that Kaiya was never let out of the village until she became a Juunin class ninja." Hisashi added. "However, she sneaked out one day and that's when I stumbled upon her whilst coming back from a mission. You could say it was love at first sight."
He chuckled at the memory, but soon his focus came back onto me. His eyes narrowed as he took in my state of shock. "Are you alright? You seem surprised."
Gaara gave me a warning look, but my wariness had gone out the window as in front of me sat possibly the key to how I got my special affinity.
"I've... I've got that acid affinity. Gizō mizu."
There was a long silence following my words, until a single tear fell from one of Hisashi's eyes.
"It really is you." He whispered. A wide grin almost split his face in half and he gave out a full-on belly laugh. "I knew it!"
"There will still need to be a blood test to make sure." Gaara reminded Hisashi, unfolding his arms. The man across the table from us nodded enthusiastically and hurriedly wiped away the few other tears which had leaked out.
"I know I know, it's just, I could have finally met my daughter after all these years." Hisashi said. "My dream would have finally come true."
With Ichiro-sensei's permission, I was sitting in another room away from Hisashi getting a blood sample taken. After I had relayed all what was said in that room to Sensei, he gave me a bone-crushing hug but surprisingly didn't say anything. He had given authorisation to my blood test without any need of persuasion and I asked him why when they stuck the needle in my arm, wanting to take my mind away from the sharp stab of pain.
"I know that you want closure on how you ended up at Sanmyaku and this is the perfect time to find it. Not only that, but Hisashi could be your biological father! I am so shocked that you aren't freaking out about this Noemi!" Ichiro-sensei had gushed, squeezing my shoulder as the needle got pulled out.
"I'm sure the reality of this will hit me soon enough." I replied, watching as the nurse tapped a small bandage onto the puncture. "But thanks, Sensei. I can't believe that two small vials of blood can determine my ancestry."
"Right, the results of your test will be revealed to you at the end of the day." The nurse told me, stripping off her latex gloves.
"Wow, that soon?"
"Yes, we have highly advanced technology here as well as experienced medical chakra users here."
"Thank you very much." Ichiro-sensei said, helping me off the examining bed. "Come on Noemi, let's find the others."
As we left the hospital, I reminded Hisashi;s reaction to finding out that I had the acid affinity. He just looked so happy and would not stop grinning at me as I left soon after. Gaara had wanted the blood test results to be taken as soon as possible, and Hisashi was only to happy to oblige. As we walked back towards the hotel we were staying at, I spied my fellow team mates as well as the Suna siblings standing outside. Kaz spotted me instantly and ran up to envelope me in a huge, making as crash into the sandy ground.
"Gaara told us!" She yelled, grinning down at me. "I'm so happy for you, but at the same time worried 'cause he's a rouge nin so my head is a mixture of emotions and I don't know what to say or do or-"
"Holy crap, slow down!" I laughed, pushing her off me and standing up. "But f it's any comfort to you, I feel the same way."
"You're doing a much better job of hiding it than me, then!" Kaz said, jumping up and brushing stray sand particles off her clothes. We wandered back to the others with Ichiro-sensei and I could see conflicting expressions on Temari's, Kankuro's and Teiji's faces.
"How are you feeling?" Temari asked, giving me a one-armed hug. I shrugged my shoulders.
"More nervous than anything." I replied honestly. "I just want to take my mind off it for a while."
"How about some training then?" Teiji suggested. "I have a feeling that Kaz stills wants to get revenge on Kanky."
"Oh yes, I am so up for that." I grinned. "How about you Kanky? Feeling confident?"
"I''m going to kick your arse Kaz." He laughed. "And then it's you two next for calling me Kanky!"
"Looks like we have a plan." Ichiro-sensei said.
"Gaara, you bastard, that was so not fair!" Kankuro groaned, sitting up from where Kaz had kicked him into the sand.
"You should pay more attention to your surrondings, Kankuro." Gaara replied, replacing the cork on his gourd.
"I can't when there is a cloud of sand obscuring my vision!"
"I think Kaz won fair and square." Temari giggled. "Now you two are even."
"You all must bow down to my mightiness!" Kaz shouted, placing her hands on her hips. She gave Gaara a side glance. "Even you, Kazekage."
We all burst into laughter and even Gaara let out a small chuckle before rolling his eyes. As Temari helped Kankuro back to his feet, I spotted Baki making his way towards us. I nudged Ichiro-sensei in the arm and gestured to Baki and he nodded in understanding, making his way over with me glued to his side.
"The results have come back." Baki stated the moment we stopped in front of him.
"What were they?" I asked firmly. Baki blinked at me.
"Do you want me to tell you right here right now then?"
"Yes."
Baki looked at me before the corner of his mouth lifted up into a small half smile.
"They came back positive. He is your biological father."
I let out a huge breath, the tension easing from my shoulders. I couldn't believe it, I had found my true father. Despite the act that he was a rouge nin, I couldn't help but grin in happiness. I felt Ichiro-sensei wind an arm over my shoulders.
"Do you wish to go and see him?" Baki questioned. I nodded, my eyes misting over with unshed tears.
"Yes, please." I mumbled.
The moment I stepped into my father's room he jumped up from his seat and rushed over to me, pulling me into his arms. I had had so many hugs today, but this one was the most special. I was reunited with my father and the thought of that only made me burst into tears. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into his shoulder, my sobs being muffled. The door closed slowly behind me and since I couldn't sense any other chakra in the room I knew that we were alone. I felt him pull away and I looked up to see him smiling down at me, his own tears pouring down his face.
"I knew it, I knew it." He sniffed, pulling me down to sit in one of the chairs while he sat next to me in the other one. "I knew that you were my daughter."
"I just can't accept the fact that I'm talking to my actual father right now." I said, wiping my tears with the hem of my top. "It seems unreal."
"I'm so happy that you're doing so well." Hisashi said, stroking my hair. "You've grown up into such a strong woman, I'm so proud of you."
I gave him a watery grin.
"I'm so sorry that I had to leave you the way I did."
My grin dropped. "Why did you?"
Hisashi sighed, rubbing his wet eyes.
"When I met your mother," he began, "we just clicked right away. She had run away from her village to see the outside world and I was happy enough to show her around. We wandered all around the place for weeks and months, my supplies keeping the both of us well and we only dropped into small, welcoming villages when we absolutely needed to. Kaiya was so beautiful and it was only a matter of time until I fell for her." Hisashi smiled.
"Fortunately, she felt the same way about me and we were so blissful during that time. I am always so surprised even to this day that we managed to evade detection for that long. We went travelling for months until we literally walked right into one of the shinobi of her village. I should've been more observant, but we both knew that it was only a matter of time until Kaiya would be brought back to Numachi."
"What happened then?" I asked, pulling my feet up onto my chair and hugging my knees.
"Kaiya's parents were furious, of course. I was brought back to the village fas a prisoner and they were not happy to find out that we were in love with each other. Kaiya was supposed to have an arranged marriage with one of the sons of the other elders. They forbade me to ever come to the village again and I was not allowed to see your mother again for as long as I lived."
"Harsh." I muttered.
"Indeed. However, as I left the village that night I found a note in my bag from your mother telling me to meet her in a nearby glad in a forest. When I found her she said she wanted to run away with me but I said she should stay as it would be a better life for her. That all went down hill when she told me she was pregnant with you."
"What did you do?"
"Knowing that she would face banishment from her village and dishonour her family if they found out, she came with me. We travelled around for some time, but eventually had to stop in a little town as Kaiya was heavily pregnant then. That was when the rouge nin came."
"Wait, were they the same nin that you were with when you raided Suna?" I questioned.
"Yes, they were. They killed many good people in that town and they only spared your mother and I when I told them she was pregnant and I would do anything to save her. They then recruited me and said if I betrayed them, they would kill Kaiya and, ultimately, yourself."
I stayed silent when he stopped for a breather and I caught him giving me the eye.
"I want you to know that in all my time of being a rouge ninja, I have never killed or intentionally harmed anyone."
I looked at him straight in the eye. "I believe you."
He gave me a smile of gratitude before continuing with the story.
"It was only a matter of time before your mother gave birth and when she did, all the others were on a raid and it was only me and a couple of other rouge nin there." Hisashi stopped for a second, seeming to collect his thoughts. "But, there were some... complications and Kaiya didn't... make it."
My heart clenched for my mother who I was never able to meet and I felt another tear slip down my cheek. Hisashi noticed and carefully wiped it away with his thumb.
"Before she left, Kaiya said she wanted you to be called Noemi. The rouge nin who stayed felt sorry for me and offered to help me find a place to bury her. I agreed and as we were searching, I stumbled across a man disappearing into a hole in a mountain."
"Sanmyaku!" I cheered.
"Quite right! I waited outside for a little longer to see if my eyes were deceiving me, but they weren't as soon after the man came back out with supplies strapped to his back. I had heard of Sanmyaku but I never thought I would stumble across it, so I came to a decision which broke my heart. You would receive such a better life if you stayed in Sanmyaku rather than with me travelling with the rouge nin, so I bundled you up in lots of warmth cloths and left you sheltered under a bush next to the opening. And, well, that's the end of that."
"What about the rouge nin you were with? Wouldn't they have questioned you returning without me?"
"I told them that you had died whilst we were searching for a place to bury Kaiya, and since I was already so distraught due to your mother's death they believed me. I never got questioned about it again."
"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that because of me." I mumbled, looking down. I felt him grasp my chin and he raised my head to look at me in the eyes.
"Noemi, you were so worth was happened to me. If your mother was here right now, she would agree with me without a doubt. And besides, it's a happy ending as I was able to reunite with you."
I grinned at him and launched myself into his arms.
"And Noemi," he said, resting his chin on my head. "Baki-san was talking about after my punishment and since I was originally a Suna shinobi, if I serve my punishment and become a good citizen, there is a good chance I would get offered a place to stay in Suna."
I whipped my head to to stare at him, almost making him bite his tongue. "Really?"
"It would have to be discussed with the Kazekage, but fingers crossed."
"That's brilliant!"
"And also," he held onto both of my hand, "I would be extremely happy if you would come and visit me, and if you ever needed it, I would be more than happy to offer you a place to come and live with me."
I laughed, my voice choking on oncoming sobs. "I would love that."
Hisashi smiled and pulled me into another hug, clutching me to his chest.
"I love you, Noemi."
"I love you too, Dad."
ARGH I'VE GOT ALL THE FEELS THIS WAS SO EMOTIONAL TO WRITE I CAN'T BELIEVE I MANAGED TO WRITE IT WITHOUT CRYING ARGHHHH
So yeah, this is the penultimate chapter guys! I really hope you liked it and that you like Hisashi! I can't believe that there is one more chapter to go! This will be the second story that I've ever actually finished apart from one-shots! =D
See you in the last chapter! xx