All I Need To Know
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Getting It Right
It was still about ten days before Sasuke would declare that they were going to kill the Snow-Queen on that day.
Everyone was busy training.
"Aoi Fire!" Mari cried, and shot a perfect wave of blue fire, which hit the red and white target, bulls-eye.
"Shourisha!" Emma cheered, glad that she'd finally taught her best friend her favourite Jutsu. Even though Mari had needed to invent a hand-seal for it (it wasn't a very complicated one) it reassured Emma greatly to know that Mari would be able to protect herself and others using it.
Mari held up her index finger like a gun, and pretended to blow smoke away from it. "Ichiban-Sensei!" She told her best friend, and she meant it too.
Even though her arms were still injured and she couldn't fight yet, Emma wasn't in despair. She was teaching everything she knew to everybody else.
…
Meanwhile, Hoshi was also being taught, by everybody.
She had to remember a lot – but no one wanted to tell her about Kankurou, and how she had liked him so much.
Kankurou was staying away from Hoshi, too.
But, it came a time when they met.
"Hang on!" Hoshi cried. "Chotto! I haven't met these people!"
'These people', by the way, were Kankurou, Garaa, Sai, Matsuri and Sore.
Mushi and Musha, showing Hoshi around again, knew that meant 'I don't remember meeting them, but I'm sure that I have…' and introduced everybody.
"That's Garaa, Sai, Sore, Matsuri and…Kankurou…" Musha told her.
"Umm…eto…" Hoshi stared hard at each of them, in turn. "Sai and Matsuri…are going out?"
"NO!" Matsuri cried.
Sai sighed.
"Why not?" Hoshi demanded. "You're friends, and you look cute together!"
"Ah…well…" Matsuri blushed pink.
Sai looked embarrassed.
But, Hoshi had already turned to Sore. She suddenly grinned. "Kaguya Sore!" She cried.
"That's right." Sore nodded.
"And…" Hoshi muttered. "Eto…Gobi Kurasu…"
Sore gasped. "I never told her that!" She exclaimed.
Everybody else kinda cringed.
Hoshi looked at the two sand brothers next. "Eto…Sabaku No Garaa? Kazekage?"
Garaa nodded.
"I remember…" Hoshi murmured. "Eto…you and him brothers, hai?" She glanced at Kankurou, and he nodded. "Kankurou…Kankurou…" Hoshi shook her head. "Nope, no recollection! I guess I didn't like you or something!" She looked sideways at Garaa. "I think I like you, though…" She added.
Garaa remained silent.
"Time to go!" Musha said, a little too cheerfully, as she and Mushi led Hoshi away.
Man, amnesia is what I need right now… Kankurou thought. He shrugged. I'd better go and find…
"Kankurou-Kun!" Neji's sharp voice cut through to Kankurou, as the white-eyed Hyuga man practically charged up the hallway. When he reached Kankurou, he looked ready to kill him.
That wasn't it… Kankurou though, wearily.
…
Neji was trying to stay calm, as he seethed: "Kankurou-Kun! Get yourself outside and help!"
"Help with what?"
"There's a messenger and she's asking for YOU!" Neji practically spat. "Now!"
Something in Neji's voice made Kankurou absolutely shatter the world-record for the hallway to front-door sprint. He burst out of the door, and found a harpy-like woman standing in the snow, waiting for him.
Emma and Mari were standing some ways back, nursing bruises.
"She attacked us!" Mari screeched, when she saw Kankurou. "And, she wants to talk to you!"
I hope Emma's okay… Kankurou thought. And…Mari too, I guess… Then, he turned to the harpy. "Okay, I'm here!" He growled.
"You…Kankurou?" She rasped.
Kankurou nodded. "I…" He drawled.
The harpy was about 5'7", with a wild tangle of black hair, cold blue eyes and a dress that was black and mad eher look like the angel of death.
The, uh, fifteen feet black wings didn't go astray, either…
She stepped forward across the snow. "My name," She said icily. "Is Raven."
How original. Kankurou thought sarcastically.
"I was once a subordinate to the Snow-Queen," Raven went on. "But, that was before that whore let her daughters and my friends be killed by your kunoichi!" She glared over at Mari. "That one!" She added bitterly.
"Yeah, so?" Kankurou shrugged.
Raven looked outraged. "So," She yelled. "I want you to either kill yourselves or kill the Snow-Queen! Either way I'll be happy!"
"Good." Kankurou said, striding over and helping the two girls to their feet, as everyone else trickled out of the house. "Because we're killing the Snow-Queen."
"Snow-Queen…" Hoshi whispered. "Why do I…?? I think I…" And, she knew. She remembered. She knew the Snow-Queen.
How could she not?
It was her Mother.
