Nanami came to me after school the next day. She looked hopeful.
My gut twisted.
"Sorry Nanami, I don't have it," I told her. "But Aunt Mikoto does!" I quickly added. "She wants to talk to you first."
Nanami swallowed. For a second, it looked like she changed her mind. But then she nodded, her face red. "Okay."
Her face got redder when our other classmates saw us and waved. "Hey Ayae, are we going now?"
"Yeah, let's go!"
The group followed me back to Aunt Mikoto's. They weren't as flustered as the first time, but still shy. Aunt Mikoto smiled and offered everyone tea.
"So Ayae told me you're interested in shinobi and kunoichi pills," she said. "What do you know about them?"
"I heard they keep you awake. Like tea, but better!"
Others nodded.
Aunt Mikoto had something to show us.
In the dojo room, we saw she had something set up. There were two clear glasses of water. Each had a wildflower floating inside, the roots just touching the bottom.
Curious, we crowded around it, wondering what she was going to do. From a handkerchief, she showed us two pills. She showed us the first, which I recognized as the shinobi pill. She dropped it inside the first glass.
The pill floated down, dissolving fast.
Almost immediately, the wildflower changed.
"Whoa!"
It bloomed before our eyes, the petals opening in a spiral. We were about to clap, but the flower kept growing until all its petals fell. One blink later, there was nothing but a dead little stalk.
Quietly, Aunt Mikoto dropped the kunoichi pill inside the second glass.
We expected something crazy to happen too.
Nothing did. It looked the same, except for the bud, which fell. It floated there.
"All living things have flow," Aunt Mikoto explained. "It has a beat and rhythm that carries life from beginning to the end.
"The shinobi pill is a stimulant. For a price, it quickens that beat, compressing three days into one. In contrast, the kunoichi pill is a suppressant. Also for a price, it slows that beat, extending one night into three.
"However, as you can see, all of this is irrelevant of time itself, which moves with or without you. In taking the shinobi pill, you have not been granted extra time. You have been granted the ability to take time away from your own future. For one extra day now, it will take one week away later. For two extra days, one month. For three extra days, one year. Even in extreme circumstances, shinobi rarely go above three."
Aunt Mikoto came back with something. They were more shinobi pills. "I've lowered the dose, such that it will help you keep alert for an extra hour or so. But be aware you may not feel well the next day. In the case of an exam, it may be wiser to study in the days before, then enjoy yourselves freely in the weeks after."
Aunt Mikoto offered them. Hesitantly, a few of my classmates accepted. Some of them shied away, and others politely shook their heads.
Aunt Mikoto simply nodded and folded the handkerchief over the remaining. "The shinobi pill is a tool like all others. If used carefully and properly, it may serve you well in many circumstances. But handled improperly, it can also do great harm. Please use good judgement, and whatever you do, do not take more than one within twenty-four hours."
I understood now why Aunt Mikoto needed to talk to them first. Even though I knew everything she said, I had forgotten my classmates didn't.
They could have gotten hurt using them, and it would have been my fault.
Aunt Mikoto must have seen my expression, because she held my shoulder.
Everyone left except Nanami. Aunt Mikoto turned to her and leaned down. "Most people don't think to ask for the kunoichi pill," she said softly. "Will you tell me why you think you need it?"
Nanami averted her gaze. She looked embarrassed.
Finally, she touched her belly. "I… heard kunoichi don't have it. I heard they take a pill that stops it from coming."
Aunt Mikoto gave a tired smile. "Yes. When taken a certain way, the kunoichi pill can do that. But there is nothing wrong with having a period, Nanami dear. Why would you want to stop it?"
"Because it hurts!"
I froze.
"It hurts… it hurts so bad that I want to throw up," Nanami said, closing her eyes. "I can't walk. I can't go to school. The herbalists gave me some medicine for it, but it didn't help. Nothing has helped. My brothers think I'm making it up to get out of school, but I swear I'm not. Please, I can't take it anymore…"
Nanami couldn't hold back anymore. She was crying. She jumped when I touched her, but then tightly held onto me.
I looked at Aunt Mikoto with wide eyes. "You can help her, can't you, Auntie?"
Aunt Mikoto recovered. She looked conflicted, then told us she needed advice.
Nanami and I were on the couch when Aunt Mikoto came back. I was chatting about unimportant things to pass time. By then, Nanami had calmed down, a few rumpled tissues in her hand.
Behind Aunt Mikoto was Shisui's mom.
With Nanami's permission, Shisui's mom studied her. She pressed her palm against Nanami's sides, then her belly. She closed her eyes, as if counting.
Finally, she stood up. She gave Aunt Mikoto a lost look.
"Well, it's not what cousin Toyohina had."
"Nothing?"
Shisui's mom tried again. "I can't sense anything out of the ordinary."
Nanami shrunk.
"But there has to be something wrong if Nanami is in pain, right?" I asked. "Can't the hospital make her better?"
Shisui's mom shook her head. "If I can't sense anything, they certainly won't. Medical-nin can't fix a problem they can't detect."
Aunt Mikoto looked truly puzzled. "When I was in Inaho, I met a family. Their daughters… I feel I recall a similar story…" Her confusion turned into thoughtfulness.
Shisui's mom caught her eye.
"Oh, Mikoto, you can't be considering it. The girl is a civilian, the pill will kill her."
"WHAT!" I cried, hugging Nanami protectively.
Shisui's mom clapped her hand over her mouth. Giving up, she crouched before us. "Listen. Ignore what the Academy says, Ayae, baby, the kunoichi pill is an evil, evil invention."
"Asa," Aunt Mikoto said, exasperated.
Shisui's mom shushed her. "You know what girls are supposed to do every month? Kick up our feet and lay under a parasol while our brothers bring us mochi. We're like butterflies. You're supposed to feed us and pamper us and let our bodies do its thing. But then, some dipstick invents this stupid pill, and now they're all like, oh, you're basically a boy right? Go fight in that ditch."
"Asa."
Aunt Asa wasn't listening. "And if that wasn't bad enough, you feel like hell has just been sucked into you. You're perpetually cranky, you're exhausted, your hair is greasy, and before you know it, you're fat," she hissed, scandalized. "And that's for the kunoichi with good chakra control. Remember Yoko?" she asked Aunt Mikoto. "I visited her last month. Her apartment is a catastrophe. She doesn't even change out of her sleepwear anymore. Or Tsubaki and that mysterious illness that did her in. I hear Suki is developing similar symptoms."
"You're frightening them," Aunt Mikoto said, disapproving.
"Good, they should be!" Aunt Asa snapped. "The kunoichi pill is damn dangerous, and it's not like this girl can take it once and be done with it. She'll need it in her body at all times, and who knows what all that build up will do to her."
In the end, I walked Nanami home empty-handed. Shisui's mom was absolute in her judgment. Whatever pain Nanami was in, she would have to be brave and bear it. It was just a few days a month. It was better than dead.
From Nanami's awful expression, I could tell she thought otherwise.
She looked up when I squeezed her hand.
"Let's go eat mochi. My treat!"
The mochi did cheer her up a little.
But then next week came, and Nanami was absent again.
I had never noticed her absences before, much less thought anything of it. Now I couldn't stop looking at her empty desk. It left a sinking feeling in my stomach.
I stared at my extra wristband. I failed, I thought sadly.
But with or without Nanami, school went on. My responsibilities as student representative didn't stop.
Tamaki needed me to add things in the rulebook. Ayame was asking about aid. We were in the middle of talking when the door to the club room slammed open.
It was Setsu and Dai, huffing.
"There you are! Backup, now!"
My eyes widened. I followed them out of the school building. Dai told me a fight was about to break out.
Usually Dai had no problems dealing with pranksters and delinquents. But this fight was different. There were dozens of people, some carrying batons and knives.
Once we were outside, I held my breath.
Gathered on the street was a group of girls, all wearing knotted shirts and baggy pants. Even though their hair styles were different, their hair all had the same dry, crinkly look. Leading them was the bad girl I met in the principal's office. She was twirling a pencil.
On the other side were my former classmates and Academy graduates. They were led by an older boy I didn't know. He was holding his eye and screaming curses.
I had arrived too late. Everyone charged, weapons out and yelling the worst words.
I jumped in, trying to stop it. "Wait! No, please! Stop!"
No one listened. No one saw me, too busy trying to hurt each other.
Finally, I had enough.
"I. SAID. STOP!"
By the time I calmed, huffing, half the people were on the ground around me.
Some of the girls took a step back. "Shit, it's the Uchiha."
A glare from me, and my old classmates stepped back too.
Someone pulled the leader of the bad girls. "Let's go, Ise!" she hissed. "We'll get them later."
The leader, Ise, did not move. Finally, she gave in, giving the signal. She and the other bad girls disappeared.
My shoulders lowered. I rushed over to the fallen older boy. He was bleeding.
"Are you okay-"
He swatted my hand away. "LEARN TO MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS."
Setsu and Dai tensed when they heard what he called me next. Immediately, they were at my side.
The other boys got up. Half of them had forehead protectors.
"That's Uchiha Ayae," one of my old classmates whispered.
The older boy didn't care. Neither did his teammates.
"And is that supposed to mean anything?"
Before I knew it, he had charged at me. My training reflexes kicked in, and I side-stepped. But then the other boys charged too. I realized too late that they weren't just after me. They were going after my friends!
Heart pounding, I went from one defensive kata to another. But there were too many. I couldn't cover every angle.
Setsu screamed.
My step faltered. I couldn't turn around to look. My head hit the street. A hand was around my neck, pinning me down.
"I'm not scared of a little girl," the older boy sneered.
My head spun. Why was he hurting me? What did I do? I couldn't understand.
Every person who acted mean to me had a reason. Every fight I fought had a reason. But I didn't know him, and he didn't know me. So why was this happening?
I thought of Setsu and Dai. I had no idea what happened between these boys and the bad girls, but my friends did nothing wrong. If they got hurt… if they got hurt…!
I grabbed his wrist.
"Well, you SHOULD BE!" I screamed. He slammed into the ground next to me. I pushed the other boys out of my way.
I ran to where Setsu and Dai had fallen. "Are you okay?!"
Dai was clutching her head, but Setsu was only wide eyed. She nodded slowly.
Setsu stiffened. "Look-!"
I had already pivoted on my foot, pulling the attacker forward. As he passed me, I gave a hard push. He landed face-flat on the ground. So did the next person.
There was no need to think anymore. My body had already found rhythm, circling from yin to yang and back. Without looking, I caught something midair. It was a kunai.
The thrower went pale.
My old classmates, who had been keeping distant, ran away. The boys who could get back up ran away too.
The fight was over.
Setsu was a little shell-shocked. When she came back, her eyes were misty.
I knelt down, holding both her shoulders. "Are you hurt anywhere, Setsu?"
She closed her eyes and shook her head. Seeing her cry made me want to cry too. She should have never been caught up in this. I messed up.
The remaining boys could get up at any time. I needed to get her away from the street.
"Dai, Dai, get up," Setsu said.
Dai was still disorientated. "Ow, ow, ow," she said, when we lifted her up.
Setsu noticed the problem and lifted her from under her arm. Dai's elbow had gotten wounded.
"Can you get her to the club room, Setsu?" I asked at the entrance door.
Setsu nodded.
While they went into the building, I went back into the streets. There were four boys left. One by one, I dragged them to the closest wall and tried to sit them upright. I moved their arms and legs so any injury they had would not get worse.
The most injured was the boy who pinned me down. Someone had hurt his eye. The eye needed to be covered. I couldn't find anything except his forehead protector, which wasn't enough.
I deflated.
"You owe me big, mister," I mumbled, slashing my own shirt with the kunai. I made a thick ring with the cloth. Carefully, I set it around his wounded eye, then used his forehead protector to hold it in place.
Done, I went to pick up the litter left behind. On top of shinobi weapons, there were rulers, a broom handle, a knife, and lots of pencils. There was also a switchblade.
The switchblade was made of a shiny metal. Looking at it, I could see my own reflection. I also saw the reflection of the school behind me. Specifically, the roof.
Startled, I looked up.
My shoulders lowered. There was no one there.
"I knew you were a delinquent."
I jumped.
"Sasuke?!"
Sasuke was standing in the street, looking unamused.
"What- no- I'm not-!" I remembered the switchblade and hid it behind my back. It was much harder to hide the four battered genin a meter away.
… who were slowly coming around.
Before Sasuke would say anything, I covered his mouth and pulled him to the side of the school building.
Thankfully, the genin never saw us. Without anyone there, they seemed less angry and more worried about themselves.
"The Uchiha… is she gone?"
"What time is it? We need to go, man, we need to go."
"Shit, Genji, help me carry him."
My eyes shut when they limped past. I kept my hand on Sasuke's mouth, already feeling his rising protests.
Once they were gone, I let him yank my hand off. "Flunking wasn't bad enough, you pick street fights now," he scowled.
"I wasn't…!" I buried my face into my palms, giving up.
The front door pushed open. It was Tamaki. "Ayae?!"
"Over here," I said.
Tamaki sighed in relief. She had run out to see if I needed backup. I told her it was okay, the fight was over.
Tamaki noticed the bruise around my neck. Her eyes hardened. I could tell she was already thinking hard. Fights like this would never happen again, not on her watch.
In the club room, Ayame was nursing Dai. Dai was holding a pack of ice for her head.
Setsu stood up. "Ayae! The fight, is it…?"
"She took care of it," Tamaki said, dropping all the weapons into a basket.
Dai laughed. "Knew she would. Man, you should have seen her!" She noticed the person behind me. "Eh, isn't that Itachi's little bro?"
Sasuke's appearance was not expected. The normal school was nowhere near the Academy or the Uchiha district.
"Why are you here, Sasuke?" Tamaki asked, confused. "Did you get lost?"
Sasuke looked insulted. "I don't get lost."
"Did you want to see me?" I said, pointing to myself. I got hit by a gush of warm feelings. Did he miss me? Did he want to play with his big sister? Aw, we could totally play!
Before I could squish him in a hug, Sasuke slapped a note against my chest.
"NO."
Blinking, I unfolded the note. It looked like a grocery list. Some of the items were strange.
"Mother sent me. She wants us to pick up a few things from the village."
Oh. Okay, that made more sense.
But one day! One day, Sasuke will like me!
Aunt Mikoto had done lots for me, so I didn't at all mind doing the errand. I looked to the Dropouts, who waved me off. They could handle the rest of the representative duties without me.
"Thank you!" I said, then went off with Sasuke.
Sasuke was impatient. He wanted to get the chore done before sundown. So we took the fewest and shortest routes. Because money wasn't a big deal to him, he never compared prices or bargained. We chose the nearest shops with the quickest lines.
He did the finding and buying. I followed and carried things.
Soon we had gotten everything but three items. Those three items couldn't be bought.
The first was a book. The only copy was in a district far on the opposite side of ours. It was a quiet neighborhood by the border.
I jolted at a shuffle in the nearby woods. To my surprise, it was a deer. I wanted to tell Sasuke to come look, but he had walked on ahead. The deer disappeared.
In front of one home, a skinny woman was waiting for us. "You must be Uchiha Sasuke," she said. She noticed me. "Oh, I didn't realize Mikoto had a daughter."
Before I could say anything, she took out a book, wrapped in twine. "Here you go. Ten days, as we've agreed."
From his bag, Sasuke took out a book of his own. I recognized the Uchiha symbol on it.
After they made the trade, the woman looked disbelieving but pleased. "Well then. Thank you," she said, her voice suddenly much softer than before.
"Thank you," Sasuke said politely.
"Thank you, ma'am!" I said, waving.
Although she focused on Sasuke at first, she only stared at me as we left. It wasn't a mean stare, just a curious one. Then she turned the Uchiha book in her hands, smiling.
Once we were out of sight, Sasuke tossed me the woman's book.
The next item was a candy of some kind. It was round and pink and inside a square glass container. The person who had it was a wealthy plump lady who lived in a giant mansion.
"There you children are!" she greeted cheerfully. "Do you have it?"
She beamed when Sasuke took out a bottle. There was liquid inside. Imprinted on glass was the Uchiha symbol again.
Like the skinny woman, she looked delighted. After the trade, she ran back home to show the family.
That left our last item, a flower.
This time, I knew where we were going. There was a flower shop downtown that was famous. Every time you passed it, you could smell something very woodsy and sweet.
The doorbell chimed.
Inside, we were surrounded by ferns, vines, and flowers of all colors. The air was full and damp.
At the counter was a little girl. Two girls, one hidden behind the other. The first had short blonde hair, and very fashionable hair clips that Tamaki would approve of. The second wore a cute bow. Both looked to be about Sasuke's age.
"Sasuke?!"
"Is your mother here?" Sasuke asked the girl in front, the blonde one. They knew each other.
She looked at him, then at me, but then at him again.
"No, my mom doesn't work here. My dad does," she said.
"Your father then."
"He stepped out."
"Maybe you can help us? We're looking for this," I said, showing her the note.
The blonde girl read the note. Her eyes widened. "The Moonflower? I'm sorry, we don't have those."
Sasuke was starting to get annoyed. "If you're going to lie, at least do a better job," he said.
They winced. The girl with the bow had ducked behind her friend. I slapped my face, reminding myself to work with Sasuke on manners.
Sasuke took out a small paper envelope. "We know you have it. We'll give you this if you can get us one."
Furrowing her eyebrows, the blonde girl opened the envelope and shook out the inside. Seeds fell into her palm.
The girl with the bow peeked over her shoulder, curious.
"Mother wouldn't waste your time, so don't waste ours," Sasuke said.
The blonde girl recovered, but looked very confused. "But this is from the Senju. Why would the Uchiha have it?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He didn't like what she was implying. "The Senju and Uchiha are allies. Good allies leave gifts."
"What are they?" the girl with the bow asked her friend.
"Morning Stars. They're a very special kind of shion. I heard they can do all sorts of things. They might even grant wishes." The blonde girl was proud of her smarts. She looked at Sasuke. "I still need to wait until my dad comes back."
"How long?" Sasuke asked.
The blonde girl shrugged. Grinning, she said, "We're coloring. You can join us."
Sasuke soured.
The girl with the bow noticed. To her friend, she whispered. The blonde girl frowned. Then she thought some more.
She gave in. "Okay, fine," she said, climbing off the counter chair. "But if I get in trouble, you're all in trouble with me."
She disappeared into a back room. That left us with the girl with the bow, who shyly glanced at Sasuke. She looked like she really wanted to talk to him, but she never did.
The blonde girl came back with a pot. In it was a small plant bouncing with her every step. It looked dewy.
Sasuke uncrossed his arms. "I don't see a flower," he mumbled.
"It's a Moonflower," the blonde girl explained, "of course there's no flower yet. It only comes out once a month, with the full moon."
When Sasuke extended his hands, the blonde girl pulled back.
"I'm not giving it to you that easy," she said.
"You have the Stars."
"That's for my dad, from your mom. But what about me?"
"What about you," Sasuke said, frowning.
"I want something too." She thought. "I know! You must join our homework group. It'd be good to have another smart person."
"Deal!" I said. Sasuke looked at me like I just signed over his soul. I shrugged. Wasn't he the one in a hurry?
The blonde girl beamed. "Here you go, big sis!" she said, handing me the plant. To her friend, she winked. "See, that's how you do it."
Despite our best efforts, the sun was already setting by the time we returned to our district. When we reached the intersection, Sasuke tried to take all the stuff I carried.
"Oh, I can bring it all the way to the house. I don't mind!" I said. I wondered if Itachi was back from his mission. I had left so abruptly that other night, there were so many things we never got the chance to say. "Say Sasuke, is Itachi-"
My heart skipped. Sasuke was staring at me with such a hateful expression.
"Don't bother, my brother can't see you."
"What do you mean?"
"It's past sundown. You can't see him past sundown."
I blinked. "It's seven o'clock."
"What does it matter! You shouldn't see him at any time!"
He was raising his voice so I did too. "And why not!"
"It's obvious why not! He's important, and you're not! You're nothing at all! So what right do you have wasting any of his time, or my mother's, or mine! Go home and stay away from ours, you idiot, you loser, you… you… thin hammer!"
My eye twitched.
"Wh-!"
The bags fell. Sasuke's feet kicked the air.
"What are you doing!" he demanded.
I puffed my cheek. "Hugging the evil out of you."
"Put me down!"
"Nope."
"I will kill you."
Grinning, I squeezed harder, ignoring his struggles and screams. Finally, I let him go before he made good on his promise.
"If you want to curse, just curse. Or come up with something better than thin hammer," I said, snorting. Before he could snap back, I picked up all the bags and placed them in his arms. "Of course Itachi is important. He's one of the most important people to me. And you're one of the most important people to him."
Sasuke froze.
"Whoever told you Itachi has a seven o'clock curfew is a big fat liar," I said. "You can definitely still see him tonight."
Smiling, I waved goodbye.
