Daidai clenched his fists when he sat back down after hearing those words, his knuckles turning white because of how tightly he was doing so. "That can't be true, I'm sure he just used something to cover up those memories right? To pretend that he didn't remember me so he could get away with more and ruin my life?"
Shikaku shook his head and Shikamaru placed his hand on his friend's shoulder in the hopes that it helped him to calm down somewhat. "Inoichi is too good for that, he would know if there was something intentionally blocking those memories. No, they've been completely wiped clean, they can never be returned. My guess is whatever caused him to forget you as a child caused this as well. Potentially it was something to do with the Kyuubi attack on the night you were born, since he did say he was fighting someone strong," Shikaku said, picking up his cup of tea and sipping some more of it.
Daidai unclenched his fists and also picked up his cup, hoping that the tea would help him from doing something stupid in his emotional state. "So he goes from hating me and wanting to use me as a weapon, to forgetting all about me once more? I still find it hard to believe, but you might be right. I'll ask him about your suggestion of something happening at the Kyuubi attack, but know I still don't trust Minato even if he has forgotten me," he eventually said, closing his eyes and letting out a heavy sigh. "Was there anything at all that was good that came out of our incident?"
Shikamaru looked a little confused during their conversation since he was obviously missing a lot of the story and it wasn't quite safe to tell him everything yet. This was something Shikaku and Naruto had discussed a while ago, to only tell him the whole story when he was older. There was only a select few that knew about the nine tails in Daidai, and so it was better to hide it from him until he was strong enough to protect himself. Even though Shikamaru was smart, the last thing they wanted was for him to spill some information by accident, or for something to go wrong.
Shikaku looked to Shikamaru and suggested that he go and get himself some tea, and then nodded at Daidai's words and gave him a half smile, saying, "Yes, actually. You got in, under the man that was there with us. Starting next Wednesday, when you're back in full health. Congratulations," he told him, patting his other shoulder.
"Seriously? I got in, even after all the damage that I caused?" the crimson eyed boy asked quietly, seeming surprised but excited. "And under Hebi, too. Geez, now it's even harder to trust the Hokage, since it's just as likely that he forgot and Hebi convinced him to let me in, or he remembers our deal and wanted Hebi to keep an eye on me," he said with a sigh, closing his eyes and groaning. "I'm excited and all, but am I really the right choice after what happened? I got way too emotional over something stupid, what if I go crazy and use Kurama's chakra like that..."
He trailed off, his eyes widening a little bit more. 'Kurama? What if this whole thing really is to do with you? Something happened on the night I was born, and Minato forgot about me after I converted your chakra into fire and wind chakra and used it to create that storm. Whenever I've converted it to elemental chakra, it seems to be much more pure and less demonic.'
'I'll look into it, don't think too hard about it right now. You're in the middle of an important conversation right now, kid," Kurama told him. "I'll be busy for a while, so I won't be talking to you as much. Have fun on your own and don't mess up too much again." With that, Kurama let out a sigh before blocking him out.
"Ah, my apologies, I thought I was on to something," Daidai explained to Shikaku, laughing sheepishly. "Just give me the details later, Shika will be coming back here in a bit and I want to head out and go on a run. Nothing strenuous, just a jog because I've been lying down for a while and everything feels stiff. I'll keep off the chakra until the weekend at least, promise."
Shikaku nodded at him and gave him a half smile. "Just be careful. I know you will but... we all worry about you. Yoshino and I see you like a nephew, maybe even a second son, and I know that you've become close with Shikamaru." Daidai smiled in return, standing up and stretching.
"Thank you, for everything. You and your clan have been so kind to me and I am truly grateful for everything you've done for me," he told him softly, glancing at Shikamaru when he moved back into the dining room with his own tea. "I'm going out on a run, see you later Shika!" he called out, heading to the bedroom where he'd been in to change into some spare clothes that he left there for if he stayed over and putting on his shoes. It may have been only about four am, but things were already shaping up to be interesting, to say the least.
x-X-x
The next few days were pretty decent. For the first time in a while he didn't do any excessive training, only a jog and some light work outs consisting of pushups, sit-ups, planking and squats. He spent time with Shizune and Tsunade, as well as the Nara's, playing games like shogi or just talking. Even Anko came by and gave him a book on poisons that she thought he might find useful, and the two ended up going out and having dango together because Daidai had nothing better to do.
Soon though, the weekend arrived, and it was time to meet up with Kakashi and his siblings. He was nervous to say the least, he hadn't ever really had interactions with them other then them being rude to him and he was sure that they wouldn't be because as Daidai they didn't even know him. There was that time when they had sat at their booth with their parents when there was no other seats at the curry place, but he was sure they wouldn't remember him and if they did they wouldn't really have any reason to hate him.
As a result of his nerves he ended up being there twenty minutes early than the time they had agreed on, since he was desperate to make a good first impression with his siblings. He had other friends and family to rely on, but he'd never had a good relationship with any of his blood family and he wanted to have that chance for once.
It was only ten minutes later that Katsuko and Motoshi arrived, with Kakashi supposedly going to find Daidai and bring him there on time. They were surprised to see the boy already there sitting under the tree, reading the book on poisons that Anko had given him. Katsuko was similar to her mother in looks, and though she was as kind and loyal as her mother she was much more gentle like her father. She was more proficient in support jutsu and strategy, and so she wasn't as strong as her brother and was often treated as such by him and Neji. Motoshi, well, he was a bit more bratty. He'd taken up a close friendship with Neji, who had influenced his behaviour and made him more entitled. This meant that all the work their parents had put into making sure they wouldn't be selfish and cause fights had gone to waste on him.
The red headed girl ran over and smiled brightly at Daidai, waving at him. He smiled a little and waved in return, his first impressions of her was that he didn't think she was so bad. But then again, she had a reputation for being kind and helpful, so he'd hoped she would be to him as well. He put his book in his bag and stood up, glancing at Motoshi who was trudging behind with an annoyed look on his face.
"Hey, I'm Katsuko. You're Daidai, right? It's wonderful to meet you," she told him, holding out her hand to shake. He nodded and hesitantly took it, shaking it gently and then looking down. "Kakashi-sensei spoke very highly of you, he doesn't often do that. You must be pretty strong, huh?"
Daidai shrugged and glanced back up at her. "I suppose, but that's only because I've had lots of people helping me along the way. Strength comes in different ways, too. You're good at being friendly and that makes you strong socially. That kind of strength helps other people to be strong too because they feel more comfortable around you, and they feel it's okay to be themselves without being judged," he explained quietly.
Katsuko giggled softly and smiled at him. "Is that so? Aren't you sweet," she told him with a grin. "I think we can be good friends!"
Daidai nodded and gave her a small smile, about to respond when Motoshi finally made it over and glared at him. "So this is the Uzumaki brat that sensei has been telling us about? He doesn't seem like much at all, I could take him on no problem," he said, smirking at him. "I am the Namikaze clan heir, it was fated that I should beat him. Mother's clan might be strong, but he's just a kid, and I'll beat him for sure!"
Katsuko looked towards her brother and frowned, shaking her head. "Mo, you don't need to be mean to him. He's our family and as future Uzumaki clan heir I will do my best to welcome him and make sure he feels like he is a part of our clan. I won't let one of our own be treated like trash when he has not done anything to hurt us, even if you are treating him badly," she told him, causing him to scoff and walk off to practice tree walking on his hands so he could 'make use of his time', before she looked to Daidai with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry about him, he likes fighting and he wants to be strong like Tou-san and Kaa-san. While we wait for Kakashi-sensei, how about we get to know each other a little bit?"
Daidai smiled a bit and nodded, fidgeting with the strap of his bag. "My name is Uzumaki Daidai, though I went by Ichigo Daidai before I knew that I was an Uzumaki. You may call me Daidai, or if you really want to give me a nickname Dai is fine too. I like training, spending time with my family and friends and reading. While I do enjoy ramen, I only have it as a special treat and I like lots of other foods too. My dream is to become strong to protect my precious people from all the bad people in the world, so that we can all smile and be happy together."
Katsuko smiled warmly and clapped softly, speaking up next. "I am Namikaze-Uzumaki Katsuko, though I usually just say Uzumaki Katsuko, since that is my future clan and Namikaze-Uzumaki is such a mouthful. I like ramen and curry, and baking is a hobby for me. My dream is to be a great kunoichi that can be a strong and respected clan head. I want our clan to be a welcoming place and maybe one day we can rebuild our home. If that happens then I would also like to become leader of that village," she said, looking up at the sky. "There's such a big world out there, with so much hurt and suffering. I just want it to have a place where people are caring and everyone is welcome. Maybe if my brother hears about it he'll come back to us..."
Daidai stiffened when she mentioned her brother, looking at Motoshi and then her. He didn't think either of them remembered him since they were all so young when everything happened. "Motoshi is right there, I don't understand," he said softly, his expression and tone softening.
She shook her head and sighed softly, looking back at him with a sad and somewhat distant look in her eyes. "No, not Motoshi. My oldest brother, Naruto. When I was young, I didn't know what was wrong with what we were doing. My parents hated him, they convinced us to feel that way too. We bullied him and hurt him and eventually they didn't even remember he was their son. One day they told him to go away, and he left, never to come back. The village celebrated when they realised he was gone for good. I guess you wouldn't know about him, since you wouldn't have been here when he was. But he was always so kind, and we drove him away. I've talked to Kakashi-sensei about it just a couple of days ago, and he told me that it wasn't my fault since they misled me, but I can't help but blame myself for him leaving. That's why I want to make our clan accepting and make a place for people to be themselves without being hated, because I never want anyone else to experience that," she told him, sniffling a bit as hot tears welled up in her eyes.
Daidai shook his head, gently placing a hand on her arm and giving her a sad smile. "I understand how hard that must have been, but it wasn't your fault, just like Kakashi said. You didn't know, you were told the wrong thing, and I'm sure if your brother knew that he wouldn't hate you. You're not at fault here, Katsuko. You have an amazing dream, and a kind heart. I'm sure everything will be okay in the end. You'll see your brother again, I promise you."
"But how can you be so sure that I'll see him again? Even if he doesn't hate me, what if something happened to him? He was only so young and everyone in the village hated him, they could have hurt him," she whispered, a few silent tears spilling out.
Daidai sighed and paused for a moment, very tempted to tell her who he was. He decided against it because as far as he knew since he'd not seem Minato since the incident, his parents still hated him and they wouldn't at all be accepting. Also, if he just suddenly claimed he was her brother, she might not believe him and think he was lying, as he didn't have the whisker marks, his hair and eyes were different and it was naturally so, and his skin tone was different too. No, it would be better to just be Daidai for the moment. He would tell her eventually, like he would tell Shikamaru more things eventually, but now wasn't the right time.
"Look, I can't be sure that you'll see him again. But my experience when I came here was mostly positive. People helped me out because I was only a boy, a hurt boy, and they wanted to do something kind. There are people like Shizune, and the Nara clan head and his family, and people like you. If he was kicked out of the village, or ran away, I know that there would be someone out there kind enough to take him in because there are good people still in this world. Please, never give up on your dream, because you never know how your kind acts will change someone's life, and other people's life as a result."
He gave her a smile, using his free hand to pat her head affectionately. "You're on the track to be a great clan head. We both may still be young, but we have our whole lives ahead of us to learn and grow and become stronger. To be honest with you, I was afraid to come here in case you hated me. I don't know what happened to my parents, and though I have family again now through the people that took me in, it's nice to know that someone I'm related to cares. Maybe your brother is selfish and quite frankly a brat, you are the opposite of that. You are someone who I would call sister, and I would willingly accept as clan head."
Katsuko wiped her eyes and gave him a small smile, moving his hands to be holding hers. "Thank you, that is very kind of you to say, Daidai. My Kaa-san is clan head, but no matter what she decides, when my time is here you will always be welcome. Maybe I don't know where my Nii-san is, but you're right, we don't have to be real siblings to be siblings. Like you don't have to be blood related to be family with the people that took you in. We just met today, but I think that we will be good friends and if you'll let me, I want to be your sister and you my brother."
Daidai smiled warmly and nodded, a feeling of joy and relief spreading throughout him. Maybe he didn't have his parents or brother, but he had Katsuko. Sure, his sister didn't know it was really him, but she cared about the real him and wanted him back. "You know, I don't think Motoshi is interested in being friends, and it's getting close to lunch time. How do you feel about getting some ramen? It'll be a treat, to celebrate new family."
"I'd like that, Daidai. I'd like that very much."
(A/N) Thank you all so much for reading! I love seeing all your comments. So, how'd you like that chapter? What's your opinions on Katsuko?