Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only this storyline, my OCs and my artwork.

Chapter 14

"The more this guy talked, the more he sounded like a fortune cookie."

― Kelly Creagh, Nevermore

"This is a terrible idea." I wore my scowl like a battle mask, my feet shuffling along Konaha's dusty streets behind my parents. For some idiotic, moronic, delusional reason, the Kurosawa's were having dinner with the Mitarashi's. According to Hotaru, we needed to 'resolve our differences', and that required us to dress up and beg for forgiveness. She didn't really listen when I mentioned that a clan family like the Mitarashi's would be more upset at Keiko for losing a fight than losing a friend that wasn't even an important alliance. My request to warn the Hokage and ANBU of the meeting had been ignored, though if I was lucky, they were already watching us of their own accord.

With that thought, I snuck a glance up at the rooftops. As was typical for 7pm in the village, the air was still warm yet the sky had deepened like running watercolours. Hotaru shot a glare from in front of me after I sighed loudly. Ayame skipped up to my side and tugged me into a faster pace. "Don't be so negative, Tora. We haven't been out for dinner in ages!"

"This isn't dinner, this is sticking our heads in the lion's maw and saying 'bite me'."

Teuchi chuckled. "If only you had used your words instead of your fists before, then we wouldn't be here."

I groaned, rolling my head back dramatically. "She jumped me first!"

"Forgive me, but isn't the Academy teaching you to not fight aimlessly?" Hotaru drawled like a snake coiled in the long grass.

...Maybe I did have a thing for metaphors when I was emotional.

I sniffed and didn't deign to answer. However I had to admit, despite the impending doom at the end, this little walk with the family was nice. People lazily strolled by us and many shop owners greeted Teuchi with familiar smiles for a fellow retailer. Ayame was right about what she said; my parents rarely had an evening together with Ichiraku's. Even though I had taken over the shifts after school, Teuchi was still busy cooking the harder dishes and with the plans to eventually expand the stand into an actual restaurant, which would mean increasing the profits for an actual staff.

Since I had grown out of Hotaru being able to physically force me into frilly clothes, she had reverted to the guilt trip ('The least you could do is to look presentable!').It was really quite effective. Instead of my usual cropped trousers and a T shirt, I had been forced into a formal kimono made from an apricot fabric, with green sapling growing from the bottom of the skirt and sleeves. My usual pony tail or braid had been subjected to a slicked back bun with curls bouncing free by my ears.

Of course, I would never admit this to my mother (our clashing fashion arguments were close to my heart), but just because I was/used to be a dude, didn't mean I didn't like pretty things. I mean, I liked it when my girlfriends wore cute stuff (or better yet, sexy lingerie). Stands to reason that I was a little intrigued, and besides, Hotaru had made this kimono from scratch for me. It was cute.

Ayame was dressed similarly in a creamy kimono with ripe peaches twirling around her. Teuchi was handsomely dressed in a dark rogue set of ropes, his haori and hakama lined with small silver stitches. Hotaru was...

My mother was beautiful. Bias can perform many things, but considering I had experience twice over with such things, I could clearly see the truth in that statement. My old family were sharp and defined like all of my previous memories, but greying and dull like dusty glass. My real family in comparison were bright and alive, always accompanied with the zing of a sharp fruit. I remember when I first saw the dress she wore now. As I often did, it had been years ago when I was riffling randomly through everybody else's private draws. It had been at the back of my parents' wardrobe. There had been a wide wooden box, and inside, my mother's wedding robes and what she was wearing now.

The silk fabric was a smooth gradient of deep blue, wild ocean waves climbing up to her obi while golden cranes with reddened tail feathers flew through the sea spray. Her brown hair was pulled into a maru-mage style with bronze hairpieces. Her warm dark eyes were shaded with brown makeup and her lips tinted with plum. When I saw her like that, the evening hues clinging to her figure, I discovered another reason to want to grow up, if only to be like her.

"Tora, lagging behind isn't going to get you out of this." She called.

"Coming!"

"Teuchi san, Hotaru san, we are honoured to receive you tonight. Please, come sit." Mitarashi Cho bowed in response to our own, her fuchsia gown glistening with the movement. Her husband, Daiko mimicked her and added, "We are glad to meet your acquaintance." He was similarly dressed like my father but in navy tones.

Teuchi smiled politely, his good nature showing in his crinkled eyes. "Thank you for having us Daiko san, Cho san, we are equally honoured."

During the pleasantries, Keiko and I glared at each other. A thin note of jealousy and surprise hit me when I saw the fine copper silk of her gown; I was happy to wear something my mother had worked hard to make, however I was under no illusions that we were as rich as Keiko's clan. While Ayame and I wore cotton kimonos, Keiko and Anko (speaking of which, was grinning creeping in a black kimono behind her parents) donned tailored silk robes. Ayame was doing her best not to cower behind me at the sight of Anko's...general Anko-iness.

We moved to the dining room and indulged in an elegant dinner. Our parents small talked, Hotaru and Cho realised that they were both customers of the same florist, Keiko and I glared at each other while Ayame summoned up the courage to talk to Anko.

"So, you're a jounin?" Ayame started off tentatively.

Anko blinked her slitted eyes at my sister, grinned widely like she had spotted prey. "Why, yes I am, little civie! Your sister teach you what that means?"

Ayame puffed up a little at the mocking drawl. "Yes. That's the highest rank, right?"

Keiko snorted. "I suppose Tora wouldn't know that there's also the-"

"-kage, yes I'm aware, thank you." I hissed with a withering smile.

Keiko returned the expression, with decidedly more teeth clenching. Ayame shifted a little away from us, then squeaked when Anko sniffed her hair.

The interaction caught the attention of our parents. Daiko was a built shinobi more or less in retirement; he was clearly the origin of his daughters hair and tanned skin, and older than expected, which was a clear indicator that he was skilled enough to survive during the Third Shinobi War. He cleared his throat. "I believe it's time to discuss the tension between our daughters."

Hotaru nodded, her frown deepening. "I agree. First we would like to apologise for Tora's actions. She's been punished accordingly, I assure you."

Cho smiled politely. "I thank you on behalf of my family for your apology, however we cannot accept."

The rest of my family gaped at her. I smirked and leaned back. "Told you so."

My mother recovered first. "I don't understand..."

"Tora san won the match with our daughter fairly. She has ultimately won the feud by the way of the shinobi." Daiko explained.

"The way of the will of fire, on the other hand..." Anko continued cheerily.

"Anko! Enough disharmony." Cho scolded her.

Teuchi furrowed his brow. "But surely, this feud is not finished. They still..."

"Despise her?" I said.

"Hate her guts?" Keiko asked at the same time. We shot synchronised daggers at each other.

"Aww, Cupcake, you're so cute!" Anko cooed, grabbed Keiko's cheek with what looked like a painful grip. "Not even graduated and you already have a nemesis!"

Ayame paled. "Doesn't this mean our families are at war or something?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sis, we traded a couple of punches. You don't need to pull out the pitchforks."

"You broke her nose!"

"She did?" Anko said. She swivelled her eyes to appraise me. I ignored my instincts that told me to hurl my dish at her and make a break for it. "Sweet."

"Anko!" Keiko hissed.

"Oh chill, Cupcake, you sound like one of my summons."

"Cupcake?" I sniggered.

Keiko snarled at me, her hands balling the table cloth. "Shut up!"

"Keiko!" Cho snapped. Like Hotaru, she seemed to have the ability to send out her room like a thunderclap. "I won't have you uttering such course language."

Daiko frowned. "I am sorry you had to see that."

Teuchi shook his head. "We understand. This is quite emotional for them. If I may ask, what exactly started this? Tora, you used to play with Keiko san all the time."

A beat of silence passed over us. Keiko and I suddenly couldn't look at anybody. "Well...I might have...told Tora that her wind nature was stupid." She whispered the last part.

Finally, Daiko spoke, anger in his strong voice. "Keiko, I am deeply disappointed that you would insult such an important part of another ninja's nature. What would cause you to say this?"

Keiko's eyes started to grow puffy, clearly flustered at her parents glares (Anko was busy sampling from Ayame's plate). "Silly stuff...doesn't really matter now."

Oddly enough, as satisfied I was to witness Keikp being pulled down a few pegs, extended gloating wasn't really my thing. In my discomfort, I rubbed my neck. "Yeah, but I didn't really deal with it well either. That made it worse."

Cho tilted her head at me, like she had observed something unexpected. "Your humility is noble, Tora san."

"Erm, thank you?"

Hotaru tutted. "Don't mumble, Tora."

"Perhaps we can talk about a way to rectify this." Teuchi suggested gently.

Daiko nodded, finishing his meal by placing down his chopsticks. "My wife and I have discussed a possibility that we would like to suggest. For over a year now, Keiko has been taught by her grandmother the practice of acupuncture, so as to assist her knowledge of the application of senbon as a kunoichi. She has only practiced on Anko, but perhaps having Tora san there to assist her learning could help to teach her some of the humility and control your daughter seems to possess."

"What!? No, that's-"

"A wonderful idea!" Anko interrupted Keiko, grinning madly. "I found that the assistance of my old teammates with my own training brought us all closer together!"

Keiko threw her hands in the air. "You haven't spent time with them since you joined Morino Ibiki's team and Oroch-"

"Keiko. Enough." Cho hissed. The youngest Mitarashi paled a little at Anko's suddenly blank expression. "S-sorry."

Hotaru ignored my pleading look. "I believe that this is an acceptable course of action. Tora has a habit of burying her emotions, so I think confronting her problems will benefit her."

"Are you kidding me?" I muttered. Ayame just shrugged, eyes still on Anko.

Teuchi nodded his approval. "We accept your offer."

"Then it is decided." Daiko concluded. "We shall be happy to receive Tora san on Saturday mornings."

A familiar figure gracefully slid into the empty stool directly in front of me. I forced myself to look up nonchalently. "Oh, it's you. Wakayama again?"

"So Sukiyaki this time." Akuma's smirk widened smugly. "You've been waiting for me."

I snapped my head up at him. "D-don't be silly. Where else would I be? I work here, you know."

"You've been looking in the direction I walked away from last time I came several times in the last hour." Akuma drawled. "Are you wearing perfume?"

"Ayame attacked me with some when I walked in. And-not that it's true-but how did you know that exactly?" I raised an eyebrow as I fixed him with a partially suspicious yet flustered and offended expression.

Akuma gestured to the Yamanaka flower store at the other end of the street. "I was shopping for my sister. Their window is squeaky clean and right in your direction. What a fortuitous world, huh?"

"You have a sister?" I said with surprise.

"Yes, the little devil herself. You know, I am actually hungry..."

"Right. So Sukiyaki!" I called into the kitchen.

"Seafood's ready!" Teuchi called back. I retrieved the finished dish and placed it in front of a weary looking chunin with a smile. Akuma was following me with his eyes as I made my way back to him. "So...when can I get back my notebook?"

Akuma tapped a finger to his lips. "Well, since I copied it all out the night you gave it to me, I suppose you can pick it up whenever."

"Ever heard of copyright?" I huffed. "Why can't you just drop it off here?"

"C'mon, it's only fair; you invite me to yours-"

"-I've never invited-"

"-and now I'm inviting you to my home. Simple." He finished with a light smile.

I groaned. "You're insufferable. I don't want to go traipsing around the village looking for your clan compound!"

"Don't worry, just look for the demonic laughter and piles of corpses." Akuma brightly added. "Don't you want to meet my cute little sister?"

"You called her 'little devil' before."

"They both apply. The devil appears in many different forms, you know." He replied smoothly.

"So Sukiyaki's ready!" My father called. I hesitated, then rushed to pick up the order. I watched Akuma eat a good portion of his dish while I pre chopped the vegetables for the next customers. I chewed my lower lip.

"You want to ask me something." He murmured softly.

My chopping slowed. "Yes."

After a moment, Akuma continued. "Tora san, your silence is drilling holes into painful areas of my existence."

I giggled with surprise. "A little dramatic, don't you think?"

He laughed with me. "When I die, every nation's going to feel it. I don't do boring."

"That doesn't surprise me." I shook my head, tapping my fingers against the handle of my knife. "Why do people...treat you like Naruto? You know, with the..." I trailed off.

Akuma stilled, staring into his bowl. "Now, you're a little young to know about that incident."

"So are you." I quickly replied.

He thought for a moment, raising his head to meet my eyes. "Come for dinner this Sunday, Okaa san's making takoyaki."

"Will you tell me if I do?"

With a small smile, Akuma nodded. "We'll both get our answers then."