Chapter L - Father and Daughter
Kaori used her left arm to gently pull the shutters towards her, slowly covering more and more of the window until daybreak's orange light no longer intruded through any crevices in the large shack. Whatever that remained of her brutally detached right arm was tightly wrapped in a soft and damp cloth, resting hopelessly immobile behind the sleeve of her kimono. The daughter of the Kuraiya clan's leader then directed her attention to the silent woman that stood near the entrance of the door. Kaori's shiny blue eyes met the woman's contrasting orange hues and gave her a light smile. Due to her enduring silence, Kaori concluded she was the one who needed to break the ice.
"It's the worst-case scenario in the Hidden Stone, right? That's the only reason why you'd be so hesitant to even greet me," Kaori told her softly. The shorter woman timidly nodded her head in response. She was lucky to even be standing there alive, having firsthand witnessed the devastating capture of the Stone in concealment. Under Kaori's direct orders, the white-haired female was to remain in the shadows and assess the strength of the enemy, no matter what happened to her superior. Unfortunately, she didn't expect Hikari to cut off her arm so carelessly. The woman fought off her building tears and struggled to look Kaori in the eyes for any longer.
"I would have helped you in a heartbeat, bu-"
Kaori quickly interrupted her by pressing a cold finger against the woman's lips, already anticipating her forthcoming words of reassurance. Frankly, she just didn't want to hear any of it.
"Don't go there, Taura. Just... don't, okay? Gyatsō would've killed you had he sensed your presence," Kaori pointed out. Once again, Taura only nodded her head slightly. There was absolutely no reason to even bring up the would'ves and the should'ves, she knew that. In fact, she was merely reaching for the small opportunity to delay the inevitable, to avoid telling Kaori that Gyatsō had all of their friends killed during the raid, that nearly every symbol of Hidden Stone patriotism was burned down to ashes.
"Don't think about that either," Kaori said in a whisper. Her father Ketsueki trained his eyes to immediately spot the least noticeable of peculiarities in his opponents, just as he did when he caught Gyatsō alternating between his Rinnegan and Shaolin. Kaori had keen eyes herself - eyes disciplined to detect and read a person's thoughts and emotions through their face. At that moment, Taura was nowhere near being able to suppress her deepest fears regarding the current state of her village. Kaori had read her like a book, and she knew it.
"I-it's just that I can't stop thinking about what's happening back home," Taura choked out faintly, finally letting her tears run down her apricot cheeks freely. Kaori hesitated to reassure Taura herself. With the fact that the Stone could still very well be under siege deeply implanted into their minds, what good would such lip service do? If anything, it would validate Taura's potential return home - a precarious walk into the jaws of death. Rather than bolstering this possibility in any way, the redheaded kunoichi led her to the large wooden table in the middle of the room.
"It's okay, really. Let's worry about other things, yeah? Did you eat anything on your way back?" Kaori asked her. Taura sniffed a few times as she picked at her fingernails and stared at the floor. For some reason, Kaori was bothered by Taura's present lack of emotion.
"No, I haven't eaten in a few days... but I'm not really hungry," Taura replied. Kaori let out a hearty laugh and slowly reached over to take the woman's soft hands in her own. Taura couldn't help weakly smiling at the kind gesture.
"You know how crazy you sound right now? Come on, at least let me make you something," Kaori insisted. Taura shook her head and stood up, letting the caring embrace in their hands slowly break apart.
"I'll go to Naritaka's if you really want me to eat," Taura told her as she began to walk for the door. "I'd hate to eat up what little you have left."
Kaori turned in her chair to once again look into Taura's ambivalent eyes. The white-haired female immediately brought her eyes to the floor again, herself uneasy about something. Kaori figured it had something to do with home, but she still didn't regret declining the woman's subtle request.
"Oh. Well, Naritaka's Shoppe doesn't sell particularly cheap food. I can spare a little bit of money if you need any," said Kaori. Taura dismissively shook her head and opened the door. The light that previously obstructed Kaori's vision immediately returned and caused her to flinch uncomfortably.
"T-thank you, Lady Kaori. For everything."
The door then shut quickly. Even though she was partially disoriented from the light outside, Kaori could make out Taura's hysterical sobbing. Her suspicions rose even more so when she took a moment to take in the woman's parting words.
For everything?! Kaori thought frantically. GoddamnitTaura, you better not be thinking about going back to that hellhole!
Taking her injury into account, she carefully jumped out of her chair and made a beeline for the door. Kaori could hear her own rapid heartbeat upon opening it to find no Taura, but the gentle pitter-patter of the forest's evening rainfall.
Where did she go so quickly?
"Taura!" Kaori cried out. No response. The kunoichi then hurriedly walked in the vicinity of her shed, checking usual areas of traffic, shortcuts, even behind large bushes and trees. The longer she looked for the ill-fated woman, the more agitated she became. Finally, after twenty minutes of searching, Kaori decided to go back.
"What's with her?!" she yelled as she slammed the door shut with all her strength. An excruciating wave of pain from her right side gripped the rest of her body vice-like, making the woman instantly bemoan the action. She carefully walked into the icy bathroom on the left side of the room and slowly closed the door.
She looked into the mirror and immediately pouted at her disgruntled reflection. I look so tired. I guess I have been losing a lot of sleep as of late, she thought,quickly taking note of the noticeable bags that had formed under her eyes. She then turned the bathtub faucet a few times to the right and stared at the fresh, hot water pouring out in front of her. A faint knock on the door interrupted Kaori from meticulously taking off her kimono.
"The hell?" she mumbled to herself. Moments of silence passed on both Kaori's side of the door and the unknown visitor's. Kaori decided to overlook the sound both due to her assumption that she had imagined it and the fact that she didn't want to be bothered by anyone at the moment. A louder second knock came as she was descending a leg into the tub.
"Yeah? Who is it?" Kaori asked loudly. It was at that time when she realised the mystery person must have broken through her locked front door or through the back. No matter though, she'd be more willing to fight an intruder after a nice, soothing bath - so long as the intruder doesn't get any funny ideas and attack her first. No reply came from the other side of the door yet. The redheaded woman sunk into the bubble-filled tub and let out a long, relaxing sigh. The third knock wasn't going to make her get up, not now, not ever. She just really did not want to be bothered.
"Just give me a minute!" she said. The intruder's response came in footsteps. From easily audible behind the door to just faint paces leading to wherever the hell they were going, she couldn't care less. Kaori slowly closed her eyes and let out another peaceful sigh. In seemingly no time at all, fifteen minutes had come and gone. With the pain on her right side significantly diminished and her nerves calmed (more or less), she finally got out of the tub and dried herself off with a cyan towel.
"I gotta say, you've got balls for sneaking into a Kuraiya's home," she said loudly. "Whoever you are."
Kaori then slid on a new clean kimono roughly the same colour as her hair and tightly re-wrapped her right arm. A vibrant smile met her when she looked in the mirror this time. There were still slight bags under her eyes, but she rid herself of all of the previous grime and dirt that had accumulated on her face and body.
Okay, let's see who this little bastard is.
Kaori opened the bathroom door and stepped out carefully. A tall redheaded figure that appeared to be some man was sitting at the wooden table, his back turned to her. Kaori felt her heart skip a beat as she thoroughly studied whatever she could of him. Something seemed faintly familiar about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it yet. It instantly hit her when the man began to speak.
"You're far too laid-back for a stranger to be roaming your house," he had said calmly.
There's no way in hell... but that voice...
The man remained silent for about ten seconds for a response, then turned around in his seat. Kaori let out a weak yelp before gritting her teeth as hard as she could. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, her father was sitting before her with a lively smile of his own. Surely only a day or two have passed since his daring escape from Konoha, but he remarkably didn't look worn out at all. He had a new, clean blue poncho covering everything from his neck to his waist. His hair, previously unattended for, neatly fringed. Neatly shaved, and even a little touch of makeup on his face. Didn't look at all like an escaped prisoner.
"To lower your guard in the presence of a potential enemy... is that how I raised you?" Ketsueki asked. Kaori quickly reached over into her ninja tools pouch and pulled out a kunai. Before either one of them could say another word, she aimed the projectile at his head and threw it as hard as her strength would allow. Ketsueki deflected the small weapon with a sizable kitchen knife that had been on the table.
"Hey. Easy there, Kaori," he said impatiently. Kaori was digging into her pouch to retrieve another kunai, clearly unhinged by his sudden appearance. However, she caught herself to be quietly sobbing at the same time. Her fidgety hand clasped the blade so hard that she managed to cut herself. A single drop of blood fell onto the fur carpet.
"Raised me...? Raised me?! You... youleft us when I was a fucking baby!" Kaori yelled. Ketsueki hesitantly stood out of his chair and frowned at the irate woman. He then took a cautious step towards her. Kaori immediately pointed the blade at him as a warning, but it didn't stop him from advancing to her slowly. To her, his looming presence felt as if he was approaching her with a deadly weapon, prepared to sabotage the very end of her life just as he did with its start.
"Stay away from me, you son of a bitch!" Kaori screeched. Ketsueki winced at her hostile words but kept coming towards her. When he wrapped his arms around the woman in a stiff hug, she repeatedly jabbed the blade into his hip as fast as she could. One, two, three, four... Kaori precisely counted how many times she penetrated his flesh with the knife, each vigorous stab representing how many years she had to grow up with a disheartened, lonely mother, how many years she loathed the heinous man standing before her now. Wouldn't killing Ketsueki Kuraiya now be what many in the Leaf would envy? To end the life of a former New Akatsuki member, conman, mercenary, traitor, deadbeat... it wouldn't be hard at all to justify the act.
"Kaori!" Ketsueki gasped out. The first few stabs made him exhale in pain. Kaori was well on her way to mercilessly stab him a tenth time, but Ketsueki used Reddokarīngu to form a small shield of hardened blood over his wound as a measure of defence. Unsurprisingly, the woman's kunai was immediately rendered useless against the tiny but effective shield.
"I'll kill you," Kaori said in a hushed yet melancholy voice. She slowly released her grip on the kunai, allowing it to fall and stick in the wooden floor instead. The woman continued to cry softly in her father's arms. She viewed the hug as no different from embracing a massive fire in open arms, but the longer they hugged, the less intense the heat from such a flame would grow. This particular form of compassion between them felt nothing short of alien.
At least she's not outright rejecting me. Not much anyway, Ketsueki thought. The last time he saw - let alone hugged - his daughter was indeed during her very early childhood. He understood that his unannounced appearance would shake the young woman up, that was obvious. But now he feared that an apology or explanation of some sort would just anger her again. There was just one question the man couldn't fight off asking anymore though. He tilted his head slightly downwards to look at Kaori.
"Is Karin doing well?" he asked collectedly. The mention of her mother caused Kaori to quickly open her eyes and look up into her father's. Up until now, she figured that he couldn't care less about her since they divorced following his sudden abandoning of them. Ketsueki's eyes, she noted, didn't appear to bear the faintest sign of malice or insincerity to them. She was taken aback by the unwavering lavender pupils she never studied until now. Either he was very good at faking certain emotions... or he really did care about her mother.
"...S-she's been occupied taking care of Kazuhiko. He's sick. But Mother's managing fine," she replied, her voice more composed. Ketsueki smiled softly and stroked the woman's hair in an attempt to soothe her. Kaori absolutely despised this of course, but she had to admit... it did make her feel a bit calmer. Ketsueki placed his chin on top of his daughter's head and rocked her gently.
"Ah, that's right... Kazuhiko," he said with a hint of unfamiliarity in his voice, resembling one attempting to remember a person long ago forgotten. To be fair, he pretty much was. According to his memory, his only son had hopes of becoming the new leader of the Kuraiya clan following his death. Ketsueki once told him that his uncle Furesshu would instead assume the position. Nobody knows what Furesshu's whereabouts are - if he's even alive. Ketsueki often thought about his brother, the only other survivor of the fated massacre.
"The last time I saw my son, he was a mildly annoying, provocative little boy. Always pulled on our hair, mine and your mother's... how old are the two of you now?" he asked.
"I just turned eighteen last week, and Kazu's seven years older than me. That makes him twenty-five," Kaori replied. Ketsueki kissed her cheek and slowly closed his eyes.
Those seven years with Karin and Kazuhiko, easily the best years of my life. I was finally creating a new generation for the clan, but... but...
"Last week, huh? I wish I came a week earlier then. Happy belated birthday," he said wistfully. Kaori sniffed and smiled at him gently. A week ago, she never would've accepted her father's visit, and she damn sure wouldn't be standing there hugging him. If not for Taura throwing her for a loop, perhaps she'd be in the process of killing her father right now. Her father...
"Thank you... Father."
Ketsueki felt his own heart skip a few beats. One of his most reliable sources informed him of the battle Kaori had with Gyatsō and the Osore a while back, including how she spat out his name with a disgusted hiss. To his knowledge, she had never referred to him as her father, but just a man she unfortunately knew about. To hear her finally acknowledge him... even a hardened shinobi who's taken hundreds of lives would start to tear up at that revelation, so it came as no surprise when the salty streams made their way down his cheeks.
"What the hell are you crying about?" Kaori asked, the shakiness of her voice immediately returning. Ketsueki briefly rose the end of his poncho to his eyes. A split second later, he lowered it, his eyes now dry.
"Like you're one to talk," Ketsueki said back. Kaori pouted at her father and looked away from him, instead bringing her gaze to the front door. The lock looked untouched, and there were no other signs of forced entry. Somehow, she knew he didn't break in from the back either, so how the hell did he get in? Actually, there was something more important to think about.
"Why are you here exactly?" Kaori blurted out. The question was brought up so nonchalantly that the younger woman thought of it as rude. With Ketsueki's slightly hurt facial expression, she knew she hit the nail on the head. Ketsueki let his arms slowly fall to his side, and Kaori would be a damn liar if she said she didn't already miss that unusual yet calming feeling.
"Is there a better place we can talk?" her father asked. Kaori nodded her head and led him to a larger room further down to the right. Unlike the living room and bathroom, bright blue wallpapers covered with large flowers decorated a majority of the walls, accompanied by several paintings signed by the most famous of artists. An antique-looking chandelier swayed gently in the middle of the room as they sat at a small table covered in fur. Ketsueki brushed his hand against the soft material and looked up to his daughter quizzically.
"This shack looked pretty run-down and shoddy from the outside, but the interior looks like it actually costed quite a fortune," he said as his fingers meticulously examined the fur. "You don't exactly strike me as some lavish businesswoman, so how'd you pay for all of this?"
"The Tsuchikage and I are close friends. He had the place set up for me as a gift when I was being pursued by the Hidden Cloud. I didn't have to pay a dime for the construction or décor," she answered. Ketsueki crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
"You were a close friend of his," he corrected. "Lord Owabi has been killed. The same goes for Ladies Temari and Nori."
"The Kazekage and Hokage have fallen, too? This fiasco is such a headache. I'd rather not think about Gyatsō Mataba or a Hidden Dark Nation or anything involving this mess. People are calling this the Fifth Great Ninja War, for Pete's sake! " Kaori exclaimed uneasily. Ketsueki looked at Kaori's right side and frowned slightly, feeling his own nerves starting to get the better of him. He knew now that there was no such thing as a time for making slow, careful decisions. "Father, exactly what happened back home?" Kaori's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Our resistance in the Leaf was outnumbered, crushed. The Hidden Sound and Dark had us all imprisoned. I was only able to make it out alive thanks to Red," he admitted. Kaori rose an eyebrow and inspected several parts of her father's body, such as his neck and arms. She heard rumours of the powerful curse mark given to him, but where was the seal located?
"Red? Is that the name of the curse mark, as in Red's Curse Mark?" she asked confusingly.
Ketsueki shook his head and performed a few hand signs. Even though there were no enemies present, he allowed five percent of Red's seal to come undone. As a result, his eyes slowly turned crimson and parts of his hair extended. A few select black markings appeared under his eyes.
"Red isn't a traditional curse mark. He used to be a powerful chakra deity. When I was born, your grandparents cut me on the cheek and poured his blood into the wound to bestow upon me his unrivaled chakra," he explained. Kaori began to frown at the ridiculous story, barely able to follow him.
"How did they even get his blood, if he was some god?" she asked.
"When Red was eventually defeated, all of his remaining blood was frozen in tiny capsules and stowed away for extensive research. Your grandparents just happened to own one of those capsules. I still don't know why they decided to give me Red's power so immediately after my birth," he sighed out.
"I'd hate to criticise my grandparents but.. maybe they broke Kuraiya code and had a child only to use it as a test subject," she suggested. Ketsueki nodded.
"I could've died as soon as they put his blood in me. I didn't know my parents all that well. When I was a kid, your grandfather trained me to the bone so that my Reddokarīngu could make me hang with the ANBU Black Ops. And your grandmother... well, I don't know. They all died when I was eleven, anyway."
"Mother did her best to hide the massacre's details, but I did a little bit of snooping around," Kaori said. "Found out that the great-great-grandson of our clan's founder is the reason why everything went the way it did. He threatened the Hokage's life, and as a result, the entire clan was almost entirely cut off from the village. Pretty much got the Uchiha treatment."
Ketsueki stared at Kaori in amazement. Details so accurate were kept secret among the village's top leaders, out of reach of any common villager. And yet, Kaori - a young woman who never even resided in the Leaf to begin with - had access to such information. The only possible reason for this, he concluded, was that Kaori eventually visited the Leaf and talked to Naruto. Since she was very well the daughter of the man who tried to destroy the village, he figured there would be at least a little animosity towards her. Apparently not.
"The higher-ups thought it'd be much easier to kill off the Kuraiya in order to end the rumour that we were going to launch a coup d'état, like the Uchiha. Unfortunately for them, Red's power was more than enough for me to survive that night.. wait a minute," Ketsueki said, looking more stern. Kaori slightly squinted at him, reaching the realisation at the same time.
"Father, you don't think that my grandparents...?"
"I think they gave me Red in case anything like that happened. To continue living. To create a new generation of Kuraiya from the ground up, and ensure past mistakes aren't repeated," Ketsueki said quietly.
"If Uncle Furesshu is dead, you're the only Kuraiya who experienced the massacre and is alive to tell the story. I wanted to believe that Kazuhiko would make a better leader for the clan, but.. you're certainly a case, Father," Kaori sighed out.
"You are, too. Why do you choose to reside in this depressing forest alone?" Ketsueki asked.
"It's not like it's hugs and kisses between the Hidden Leaf and I. They're the people who killed hundreds of my family members, you'd know that. And I'm nowhere near as forgiving as you," she replied. A split second later, she realised how idiotic that sounded, as she was sitting there talking to Ketsueki of all people. Didn't she admit she'd kill him in any other circumstance?
"Hey, I never said I forgave them either. I just decided to view the Leaf as a symbol of our people to protect. But Gyatsō took control of the village, so I guess it was all for naught... actually, that's why I came to visit you like this," he said. Kaori rose her eyebrows again in interest. He slowly reached over to take her hands in his own, just as she did with Taura earlier. Not unlike their previous hug, it felt very, very foreign. Affectionate, but foreign.
"What is it that you want to tell me, Father?" she asked softly.
"When I take my leave shortly, tell Kazuhiko that he is to immediately assume the leadership of the Kuraiya clan," he choked out.
"What? What the hell do you want me to do that for?"
"Kaori... from here on, I want you and everyone else to act as if I am dead."
