I don't think what I've been told really sinks in as we walk away from the hospital. That I'm a container for half a demon, and that my sister holds the other half. That the two halves were opposites and collided.
That I'm not a normal human.
All that I can feel is a strange fluttering in my belly, something that makes me frown and wonder if I'm forgetting or overlooking something.
When we reach ANBU headquarters, a slight shiver passes through me as I see masked shinobi everywhere. Even though I know Kakashi is by my side, and that nobody would hurt me, I feel fear.
There's a reassuring pat on my shoulder. It's hesitant, but comforting at the same time.
He leads me through the hallways quite slowly, content to go at my pace, even with the ANBU members rushing around. I feel like a turtle, trying to swim upstream.
We reach a nondescript office door that Kakashi knocks at, and a man comes out quickly.
"Mr. Yamanaka!" I step back in surprise. By "Inoichi", I didn't expect him.
"Mirai," he nods at me. "I got the message, Kakashi-san. I have time – should we get started now?"
"If that's okay with you, Mirai," Kakashi says to me. I feel a bit comforted, but a bit flustered at the same time. I feel like a child, being brought here by a parent to do a check-up.
But I simply nod.
Inoichi leads us to yet another room, one with a black door. It seems to be locked, but he doesn't unlock it with a key. Instead, he presses his thumb to the doorknob, which glows faintly with his expelled chakra, and the door swings open on its own.
Seeing me look of amazement, he smiles at me. "It's one of the best methods we have."
The little comfort I had had before disappears now. The room is dark, and there's a chair with handcuffs and chains connected to the armrests. On the other side of the room, there are a few jail cells that look like primitive cages. I can't stifle a gasp when I see fresh blood in one of them.
"It's fake," comes a quiet voice from my right. Kakashi. "It's just to intimidate. They've had that puddle there since I was in ANBU, and it's always been that colour."
It still surprises me how much this man notices, especially when it comes to what I'm thinking. I swallow, and nod meekly at him, even though the fear is still coursing through me like a fast-paced river.
"Sorry, Mirai," Inoichi says ruefully. "It's just easier for me in this room. We won't be using the chains of course, but I'd still like you to sit in that chair. It's been set up to complement my jutsu, and the chair will descend to be in line with a special encryption."
"Of course," I manage to whisper, and I force myself to walk to the chair and sit in it. The cold metal seat is not comforting.
And suddenly the chair begins to sink into a large indent in the ground, until my head barely reaches out from a white, rounded protrusion from the ground. I feel helpless, and the fluttering sensation magnifies into an outbreak of panic.
I want … no, I need to escape from here!
"Mirai!" Kakashi shouts suddenly, and I flinch at the loud sound. "Calm down. I can feel your chakra levels going much above the norm."
I grasp at the sound of his voice, reminding myself where I am, why this is happening.
And somehow, it works. I'm able to somewhat clench down on the overpowering feeling of fear in my chest, and suppress it.
I feel a large hand on my head.
"You're doing great," comes Inoichi's encouraging voice from above. I can't move my head even a little bit.
And then I can feel a change in the atmosphere, the feeling of energy swirling, before the dark room before me disappears.
::~::
The two shinobi are gaining on me, and my bare feet are already bleeding profusely, leaving a clear red trail.
Suddenly, I trip and fall onto my knees, glass shards cutting through my skin like a knife through butter. I roll over hastily in time to see the shinobi leering down at me.
They wear no discerning forehead protectors, and I know they must be mercenaries. I feel all the meagre hope in my heart disappear in a flash – the mercenaries are heartless, even in comparison to the evil village of Konoha.
I see my life flash before my eyes before I squeeze them shut, hoping for a quick death.
There's a loud grunt before me, and a splatter of some warm liquid…
My eyes flash open, knowing it's blood on my face and that the blood isn't mine. In shock I see that the tip of a sword protrudes through the torso of one of my to-be killers, a metal tip that quickly retracts, letting the man's body fall to the ground with a loud thump.
"Kiyosho!" I exclaim in astonishment, heart still thrumming in fear. He barely looks up at me with a comforting look in his eyes when – "Watch out!" I scream.
The second shinobi has leaped back and holds some sort of weapon in his hands, some sort of barbed shape that's moving sluggishly. With a grin, he throws it at Kiyosho, who is taken by surprise, and the barbed thing latches onto his chest, and I can only watch in horror as it sinks a sharp appendage into his ribs before he pulls it out with difficulty.
"Kiyosho!" I shriek, crawling to him. There's a huge hole in his chest, and jagged little barbs protrude from the sides of the wounds. The blood is everywhere, but I don't care, and I summon up chakra to my hands – I can do this, I can heal him!
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the shinobi advance. I throw myself between him and Kiyosho.
"Please," I beg. "Have mercy!"
His only response is a widening of his smile as he picks up a kunai from the ground…
A flash of blue stuns me momentarily as it barrels into the shinobi's form. In shock I realize it's the blue uniform of our Sora-nin, and I'm even more astounded to see that it's Isamu, who wears a feral, unthinking grin as he stabs his own kunai into the shinobi's body…
My shock wastes another few precious seconds before I turn back to Kiyosho, trying desperately to heal him. A bubble of blood appears at his mouth, and he looks up at me pleadingly.
"Get… away," he manages to utter, but I shake my head hard. I look up to see another three shinobi heading this way, and fear – for me – is evident in Kiyosho's eyes. I shake my head again, even though my attempts are futile at best and useless at worst.
Suddenly a pair of strong arms hoists me away and I scream. It's my father, and he drags me away, ignoring my relentless kicking and screaming as I see Isamu stand before the broken body of his brother…
::~::
My pulse is racing even now from that memory, and I remember the absolute mindlessness of the battle. They had just come so quickly, out of nowhere…
::~::
It's midnight, and the moonlight that passes through the window is dim, like it's being muffled by the clouds, the foreboding atmosphere.
I turn to the man beside me, thumb stroking along his cheek, then through the soft locks of his hair. I press my lips to his jaw.
"Please, don't go," I beg him. "You don't need to do this." Even though I know it's hopeless, I still say the words.
He kisses me gently, a feather-light touch on my lips. "If it was you, you wouldn't hesitate either," he murmurs.
He's right, but it doesn't mean I'll let him go without a fight.
I kick away the blankets tangled around my legs, and hoist myself above him, letting our torsos touch, but only the slightest bit. My teeth graze his earlobe, and I can feel him shiver.
"Don't you want…" my tongue darts out to taste the side of his neck, "to stay…" his collarbone, "with me?" and finally his throat. I feel him swallow, right against my lips.
"Mirai," he whispers my name, a reverent murmur.
But I grab his hands as they begin to snake up my back, and hold them down on each side of his head. He can break free if he really wants to, but he humours me by staying still. I kiss the hollow at the base of his throat again, loving the slight saltiness of his skin. And suddenly it dawns on me that this might just be the last time I'm with him like this.
"Please, Kiyosho," I whisper desperately, brokenly. "I love you. I love you so much. Please, I'm begging you … don't go."
His eyes widen at my admission, and he doesn't even blink when a teardrop falls from my eyes to his cheek. Then he closes his eyes. "Mirai … I love you too. You know that."
But it's too little, too late. He's not giving in, and my tears overflow, but he just lets me cry and cry onto him.
It really is the last night.
::~::
I don't know why this is one of the first memories he pulls up, but I feel somehow violated and extremely uncomfortable knowing that someone else is now witness to this scene.
But before I can consider it further, I am plunged into another memory.
::~::
We're under a large oak tree, hidden from the sun and the rest of the world.
He clenches his hand in the grass, pulling out a fistful of it.
"Hey," I say softly, placing my hand over his, and he relaxes immediately. I smile despite myself, amazing at how much my touch can affect him, this man who means the world to me.
"Sorry," he murmurs, and he entwines our fingers. "It's just … I can't believe he'd really go do it, after all these years."
Of course that's what it's about. Isamu's enlistment.
"It's just a phase," I say, even though I know it's not true. "He'll grow out of it," I lie.
Kiyosho is silent. He knows I'm only saying these words.
His handsome face is grave, a frown on his brow and taut muscles at the corners of his lips. A cool breeze passes us, and his silky dark hair flutters slightly in the wind. I comb my fingers through the short locks before smoothing a thumb over his brow, and then his cheek. I marvel at the perfection of his face – the perfection I'd admired from afar for so many years. The perfection that was so unbelievable that it took me weeks to allow the fact that he liked me back to sink into my mind.
And suddenly he tackles me to the ground, kissing me fiercely, just a clash of our lips, teeth, tongues. I moan. His hand explores my neck, my shoulder, my collarbone, thumb hooking under the shoulder strap of my tank top and pushing it down. He kisses the sensitive skin at the crook of my elbow, keeping his eyes on mine as his lips move from there to my shoulder, and back to my neck. He kisses my throat, breaking that gaze for a mere moment before his eyes meet mine again.
There's a fire in those eyes, one that dances behind the hooded, deadly gaze of his eyes and makes me tremble in anticipation.
His lips meet mine again, and it's not a kiss – it's much more than that. He expels all the desperation, all the frustration, and all his worries into that one kiss, saying all the words that I know he can't begin to express in words.
And suddenly it's over; he sighs and turns over onto his back so that we're both gazing up at the bright blue sky.
Gripped by a sudden fear, I whisper, "Promise me you won't leave me."
"I promise," he says without hesitating. "And you too."
"I wouldn't leave you even if the world was ending," I whisper earnestly.
And I sigh in contentment as his fingers curl around mine again, and all the troubles of the world disappear from our minds.
::~::
This time, I can barely fight back the tears. Two of the most bittersweet memories of my entire life, displayed before me … showing me exactly how much I lost, how little I have now…
But blackness swirls around me again, faster this time, as if it's impatient to keep combing through my memories.
::~::
"Stop staring at him!" I whisper frantically as Tsubasa peeks at him again as he passes by the two of us.
"If you like him so much, why don't you just tell him?" Tsubasa whispers back, rubbing the back of her head where I hit her.
"I can't!" I exclaim, scandalised. "How could I tell him?"
"You just … tell him," she says, rolling her eyes, not understanding my conflict. She'd never understand – even at the age of ten, she's had boys climbing over one another to confess to her. She's never had trouble in this area.
I gaze at him longingly again, just as he happens to turn this way. I blush scarlet, but I can't turn away as he looks directly at me and smiles, a bit in confusion. A mixture of embarrassment and excitement erupts in my gut, and I fight the urge to squeal in joy.
"Girls, come in!" comes the voice of our mother. "Lunch is ready!"
We scramble into the house, kicking off our shoes at the doorstep. As we wash our hands, my head is swimming with thoughts of Kiyosho.
"Mum," I say dreamily, "when will I get married?"
She shoots me a strange look. "Have you been around that boy again?" she demands, her tone sharp. I guess my guilty look is enough to give her an answer. "Mirai, you're only thirteen. It'll pass, this silly crush. He's no good for you."
::~::
There's barely time to think before the next memory presses onto me.
::~::
"Momma," I say, tugging on her sleeve, "who is that?"
I point at the laughing boy, who ruffles a younger boy's hair.
For some strange reason, Momma's face hardens. "Those are the two boys from the Yamaha clan," she tells me tightly. "Don't play with them. They come from a bad family."
"A bad family?" I echo, confused. But Uncle Sora had said they were 'an old and noble clan.' "Why, Momma?"
"Don't ask so many questions," she snaps suddenly, and my eyes widen in fear. Why is Momma getting so angry? And when she sees my expression, her eyes soften, and she picks up my little hand in her big one. "There are a lot of things you don't understand yet, but you will once you're older. Just trust Momma for now, okay, love?"
::~::
A loud knock at the downstairs door.
"Dammit Keiji, let me in!" roars a loud man's voice.
"Momma, where's Dadda? Scary man here," I whimper. Momma presses a hand against my cheek with a tight smile.
"It's going to be all right," she murmurs to me. "Daddy's with Tsubasa. Just go to sleep, honey. Everything's going to be okay."
"Let me in!"
"What the hell do you want!" comes my father's voice from downstairs. My baby sister's cries from next door are loud.
"Dadda's not with Tsubasa," I comment to Momma. She looks grim, and merely covers my eyes, meaning for me to sleep. But the voices downstairs are loud and they scare me.
"You know what I want, Keiji! I want to see how they are!"
"That wasn't part of the deal," comes Dadda's growl. "You don't get to see them now."
Quiet ensues for a few seconds.
"You will hand them over at the time we agreed on," comes a final snarl before I hear the stomp of feet down the stairs.
::~::
Black. All black.
Scary shadows around me. Strange glowing suddenly at man's hands.
I open my mouth and wail. Nobody picks me up and kisses my forehead. I cry louder but even Dadda who is beside me doesn't move.
Strange words.
Dadda picks me up, but only to turn me onto my stomach. Table under me cold. Very cold. I keep crying.
Suddenly, my body hurts! Man's hand touch my back, pain everywhere!
I scream and shriek, and hear a bird somewhere.
Bird is screaming too.
Poor birdie. Poor me.
::~::
The interrogation room appears before me in a sudden flash, though my surroundings are blurry at first.
"Mirai!" comes a concerned shout from far away. Too far away for me to care. My head droops, and I'm panting shallowly.
Distantly I feel the strange chair contraptions come away from my body and the chair returns to its original position on the ground. I fall out of it.
But before I can fall on the ground, a pair of strong arms catches me.
"What's wrong with her?" demands Kakashi's urgent voice. "How come she's like this?"
"A badly-executed memory suppressor jutsu, along with the fact that some memories were so early that she can't remember them herself. It probably sapped her energy. Mirai? Are you all right?" Inoichi-san's voice sounds a bit weaker than usual.
"M'okay," I mumble, almost incoherently. I squeeze my eyes shut.
I realize my head is leaning against Kakashi's chest, my body draped over his knee. His arms are around me.
"Please," I whisper to Kakashi. "Can you … can you get me out of this place?"
And without another word, I feel myself being lifted by his arms, feel him shift my weight so he can press a hand against the doorknob, and feel him kick the door open. The sounds are deafening to my ears, and I press closer to Kakashi with a pained moan. And then for some reason, his warmth and even the faint woodsy smell of him make me feel better. His originally-jerky movements that made me woozy turn almost immediately to small steps that barely jostle my body.
I feel myself being placed on a cushioned bench – a firm surface, I think thankfully – but I can't help the feeling of disappointment that washes over me as the contact between us breaks.
"Kakashi," comes Inoichi's voice. "We need to talk about this."
"Not now," Kakashi says, and if I didn't know him, I'd almost say he snapped at the other man. "She's sick."
"Let her stay there. Come to my office with me."
I think I imagine the sound of Kakashi gritting his teeth.
"Fine," he says finally. "But I'm leaving a clone here with her."
A faint poof.
And then there's blessed silence. I feel someone sit on the bench with me, just beside my head, and a deft hand strokes my hair gently.
I feel myself drifting off to sleep, and just before I do, I swear I feel a slight touch to my cheek. The texture of fabric, but with the warmth of lips.
"Sleep."
::~::
Hey everyone! So I got a review this morning asking for me to expand on Mirai and Kiyosho's past, which was exactly what I started last night! So, here's a cookie, "ed"! (::) - chocolate chip cookie ^-^
I've had the first two of those scenes planned out for a little while, and I'm glad I finally got the chance to insert them into the story! This chapter was a tad difficult for me to write, with all the sudden changes and such, especially when I had to write from the perspective from a toddler Mirai, and baby Mirai. I wanted to make it sound like a little kid talking, but little kids can't explain chakra or things … ugh, I'm glad that's over, anyway.
Much of this chapter was to show the relationship between Mirai and Kiyosho, and also to ascertain what happened in Mirai's past regarding the demon, or at least to shed a bit of light (though not so much that there's no mystery … although I have a feeling that I've made it too obvious). Anyhow, I used a bit of freedom while describing Inoichi's technique, though I did take the physically-seen part from Kakashi Love Song, where he interrogates Hanare. However, I wanted the readers to see the scenes too, so I made it so that Mirai can also see what Inoichi sees. Since his technique isn't described too much, I thought it's not too bad of a tweak, right? :)
Anyhow … I was also asked for a bit more fluff between Mirai and Kakashi. To be honest, ever since that terrible OOC scene near the beginning, I've been a bit apprehensive about fluff involving Kakashi. Back then, I hadn't read many Kakashi fics, and now that I have, I don't have the best idea of how to approach them with an OC. However, I'm just going to continue at my pace, and really, you'll just have to bear with me ;)
As always, please review, follow, and favourite!
-Jennifer *hugs*