Hey everyone! Just wanted to say that if you haven't read all of the other chapters before this one, please do so. It gets pretty confusing if you haven't, ESPECIALLY the first chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 14: Nothing but Truths and Screams

Tsunade was in her office with Hishu, Hiyougo, Hiryuu, and Jino. The pendant Himai had obtained was sitting on her desk with everyone's eyes on it. Hishu was furious. Their plan has backfired. There was no telling what would happen now.

"There's no doubt in my mind Lady Tsunade, this is my mother's pendant. She's evading detection." Hishu said.

"That's what I suspected when Himai threw a fit in the interrogation room. I assigned this mission with Himai in mind because there was a numerous amount of people that had to be taken out and there was information that had to be extracted. I thought they had something to do with the Akatsuki. I didn't imagine ANYTHING like this. What do you think we should do?"

"Bring back grandfather Hikougi. If grandmother Zurui finds out we have the pendant, she'll want to come after Himai. Grandfather Hikougi is the strongest of the dragon masters. He and his dragon Chuusei can help Himai."

"We don't even know if he's still alive. The last time we heard of him was three years ago. Unless we can track him we have to think of something else." Interrupted Hiyougo.

"What about my dragon. She's a tracker. If there's something of his here we have a chance." Jino said.

"Then it's settled. Hishu, do you have anything with you that can be traced back to Hikougi?"

"Yes." Hishu reached into his pocket and pulled out a journal with a black cover. He gave it to Jino who summoned his dragon, Joukoshi, guardian of history.

"Hey lil' demon, what can I do for ya tonight?" Joukoshi said.

"I need you to track down the scent from this book and give the person this message: the light is dimming."

"You got it! I'll come back when I deliver the message! See you soon lil' demon!" Joukoshi poofed away.

"Now, about Himai. It's too dangerous to send her away again, not to mention mentally she can't handle that. From all the group work she's done, I've realized she does best with people who challenge her mentally. I've assigned a person like that to look after her."

"Are you talking about that nice boy that came to inform us about Himai earlier? Shikamaru, right?" Hiyougo asked

"Yes. He's smart so she will be in good hands. It's safer for her to be with someone that's not family. Remember she's still adjusting to being around so many people."

"Agreed, so how do we tell her she's been lied to for seven years?" Jino asked.

"We'll have to be careful. She has a temper. She may have an emotional breakdown." Hiryuu said.

"We'll tell her when she awakens. She should know right away. For now, let's get some sleep. We have things to prepare for tomorrow." Tsunade said. Everyone nodded and left the office.

Morning of the next day

Shikamaru woke up in the hospital to see the sun just rising. The room was white with a window on the right, had a bed, a night table, closet, and a door to the bathroom. On the night table was a small vase with a lily in it that Ino brought last night. Shikamaru didn't know how to feel right now. On one side, this was some girl with serious issues. On the other hand, she was a girl that never had a childhood and needed help in trusting people. She was a mission, but she was a friend.

Himai woke up when the sun was fully up. Her vision was a bit blurry. The glaring lights from the ceiling hurt. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to remember the last thing that happened. "The hell is this Tsunade!" Himai's eyes shot open and she quickly sat up.

"Hey slow down you just woke up! You've been out of it since mid-day yesterday!" Shikamaru warned.

"Where am I?"

"You passed out after the interrogation from stress and extensive chakra use. You're in the hospital now."

"Where's Tsunade?"

"She's coming soon. I told your parents too. Your mother was very happy to meet me."

Himai breathed in and out. "My mother's happy to meet the baby birds that hatch in spring."

Shikamaru chuckled. "How do you feel?"

"Just peachy." Himai said sarcastically crossing her arms and turning her head away from Shikamaru.

"Do you feel tired or-"

"I'm fine."

"Physically. How about mentally?"

"I don't know. My head hurts from thinking so much."

"So you're confused?"

"I'm pensive. I don't know how to process what's going on. Hell, I don't even KNOW what's going on."

"…So you're confused."

"Why does that matter?"

"It's a drag but I'm trying to avoid you having another mental breakdown."

"Well I'm not thinking about my feeling I can assure you that."

"No, but you're thinking of the situation which is making you feel a certain way which can lead-"

"Alright I get it already. You're a pain. Can't you spend a moment NOT analyzing everything?"

"No."

"Figures. I just need to talk to certain people."

"Why does that pendant matter so much?"

"You won't rest till you get answers, will you?" Himai sighed.

"When you become a dragon master, your dragon gives you a pendant signifying the bond you share. If you give up the pendant, you lose the connection. It's the same as not passing the training and leave. The secrets of the dragons are in jeopardy because there's no connection between a dragon and master. The stronger the person with the pendant is, the more they know about dragons, and the more dangerous it's for them to live."

"You say there are many secrets to the dragons that you keep, yet I feel like you tell me more than you're supposed to."

"I don't. I tell you nothing compared to what I know. I only tell you things to understand the dragons."

"Okay then." There was a knock on the door. Shikamaru stood to open it.

"It's Tsunade with your parents, brother, and Jino."

"They can come in."

Shikamaru opened the door. Hiyougo ran to Himai and gave her a strong hug.

"Are you alright Himai? Oh dear I was so worried. Your friend came to tell us that you were here and I've been worried sick!"

"Ma! Can't… breathe!"

"Oh! Sorry dear." Hiyougo let go of Himai and turned to Shikamaru.

"Thank you Shikamaru."

"It was nothing."

"I'd hate to break up this reunion, but we have business to attend to." Interrupted Tsunade. "Shikamaru, wait for us outside. We'll call-"

"Why does he have to wait outside? Why can't her be in here?" Himai inquired. Tsunade turned to Hishu for an answer.

"If he will be spending time with my daughter, it's better for him to stay. He may be able to help us maintain her temper."

"What do you mean 'maintain my temper' old man? What's going on?"

"Himai. We never told you the REAL reason why we left for 7 years." Hiryuu said.

"What are you talking about?" Himai was beginning to get angry.

"Danzo does play a part in the truth, but it's not all about him." Said Tsunade.

"Stop beating around the bush and spit it out already!" Himai yelled. Hiyougo say by Himai and grabbed her hand before beginning to talk.

"Your grandmother was the one who informed Danzo that you weren't being trained to be a ninja. Someone who wasn't trained was good because it means that he can mold them into whatever he wants. After Danzo left the compound without you, your grandmother Zurui was the one who met with him to tell him to send ANBU in to kidnap you. She wasn't expecting you to be able to defend yourself, let alone kill the ANBU team. She then started saying you were too dangerous to live. So to stop her ranting, we sent you away. She still wasn't satisfied with the ruling, so she left the clan to find and kill you before you could train with the dragons. Your grandfather Hikougi went after her to try and stop her, but as of three years, we don't know anything about them." Hiyougo finished.

"…And WHY does she want me dead?"

"She thought the clan could do better if it defected from Konoha. When she proposed the idea, your father took over. She planned to manipulate the next head to fulfill it. You know the next heir is chosen by evaluating how strong the connection to dragons is at birth. Your connection is so strong that during the evaluation, she fainted. She knew when she woke up there was no way to fulfill her plan with you in the way. She also wants revenge on your grandfather for secretly training you. You were never supposed to be a ninja. You were supposed to go to Danzo and Hiryuu was to become the next head. Her goal was to eventually take over the clan and then fight against the dragons and have full control over them to rule the world. Can you imagine the destruction a dragon army can do to a country?" Jino said.

"So wait. My grandmother wanted the clan to defect from the village so they could tame every dragon in existence and use them to take over countries. To do that she had to manipulate the next heir into helping her. However, I was in her way because my connection to dragons is stronger than hers and because of it there was no way I'd agree to help. So she thought if Danzo took me away, the next person in line would be easier to manipulate. But since that plan failed and so did kidnaping me, she wants to kill me herself? And because she knew that you can track a dragon master by their connection with their dragons she got rid of her pendant and now we don't know where she or grandpa are? What was her dragon anyways?"

"Makurayami: guardian of total darkness." Hishu answered

"No wonder we clashed. So why am I being told this now?"

"She may be on her way here. Your team caught the person she gave the pendant to. I wouldn't doubt if she followed him all this time. If she knows we have him and that you're in the village again, she could come and kill you. Who knows the thing's she's done the past years. The original plan was to tell you in six months because she promised to return in a year's time to destroy the clan if you were not yet dead." Hiryuu replied.

"But wasn't Higami's wedding in six months?"

"That was a diversion. The pompous brat we was only here because we thought he had something to do with my mother. We'd interrogate him, then brainwash him so he wouldn't remember anything. Turns out he knew nothing. No man will ever be good enough to marry a daughter of mine." Hishu stated firmly.

"WHAT?! So you LET ME attack you? And Higami was just a pawn in all this?" Yelled Himai.

"Precisely."

'This family is full of conspiracy theories and crazy people! The only one with a heart here is her mother, and even then there's doubt.' Thought Shikamaru.

"There's one more thing." Hiryuu added before Hiyougo continued.

"Before you left, we had part your memories of altered so you wouldn't feel bad leaving the village. Because you had yet to start the dragon training, we could cast genjutsu on you without problems."

"What did you alter?"

"You and your father used to get along very well, you were almost inseparable. So before the meeting to determine that you would leave, we had an Uchiha alter your memories to think you never got along. As time went on, we fed on to that fake anger so you wouldn't want to come home so soon. That way, if Zurui ever attacked your father, you wouldn't feel so destroyed in the inside. It was to protect you and your father." Hiyougo finished.

"Get out. Everyone in this room except for Shikamaru get out now." Himai's head hung low. Her voice was very stern and very low.

The adults looked at each other before leaving. Shikamaru was left in an awkward place. He had no idea what she was going to do. He didn't know what to do. Anything he did could strike a wrong nerve. He just stood there watching her. She hadn't moved her head or anything. It took a few minutes for a reaction from her. She started to shiver.

"Himai? Say something. What going on in your head?"

"I… don't know." Her voice was shaky, not the usual calm.

"How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. I wasn't expecting any of what just happened." Her hands began to reach for her face.

"Himai look at me. You're not going to sit there like a possessed doll all day."

She didn't move.

"Aw come on. Loo-"

Shikamaru grabbed Himai's chin to make her look up. He was shocked of what he saw. The girl looked even paler than she normally was, if that were possible. Her eyes made contact with his. They were filled with tears that kept flowing. What was really creepy was how her expression was the same emotionless mask she always wore, just with tears.

"You're kidding."

"What?"

"I've never seen someone cry and hold an emotionless face at once."

"I don't cry Shikamaru." Himai's voice was still shaky.

'Could she really not understand what's going on with her?'

"You're super pale and you're crying. Something inside is obviously hurt."

"Well I can't find it."

"It's not about finding it. It's about NOT suppressing it. Stop hiding your emotions and just let them out."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Alright that's it." Shikamaru grabbed one of the pillows on the bed and smashed it on her face.

"I can't breathe!" Yelled Himai, she sounded muffled.

"Scream. Just scream."

"But-"

"You won't be given oxygen until you scream."

Himai breathed in as much she could through the pillow and screamed so hard she ran out of breath.

"Again."

She did as she was told. This time, the scream was accompanied by heavy breathing and then sobbing. Shikamaru removed the pillow from her face. Her eyes were now closed and she was holding her face. Shikamaru sat next to her and allowed her to rest her head on his chest. Why he did that? He didn't know. Something inside just told him to do it.

'She's here for a month and this happens? I can't wait for the rest of the year.'

He thought. This was going to be a really long drag.