AN: English isn't my native language and I apologize for the mistakes.
...
Chapter 19
With a knocked out ANBU captain slung over her shoulder Hari makes it out into the bright afternoon sun.
It's so different from the oppressive hideout she takes a second to adjust before putting her unconscious burden down on the grass.
She's still a bit paranoid, and keeps expecting something to jump out on them at any moment. But the fresh air helps him regain his senses faster, so to her relief Kakashi doesn't remain out of it for long.
When he awakes it takes him a split second to remember, reassess and jolt to a sitting position. "Where's Kinoe?"
"Gone." Hari reply. "Back to Danzō."
"… What happened after I was knocked out?" He glance at his arm and seems to take an experimental breath, his hands brushing over his healed shoulder, where Hari had treated the slash wound Tenzo must have inflicted during their fight.
...
Hari begins the summary, but the further she gets the more alarmed he seems. "Wait," he interrupts, stopping her. "He wanted you to call him Tenzō? He abandoned the mission? You sure?"
"It's what he said." Hari corrects, because she only has his words to go on here. "He claimed he would abandon the mission and wouldn't be in the way anymore."
"Shit, Hari- do you realize-? No, of course you wouldn't, Hari…" He trails off, drags a hand through his hair, and overly optimistic about his condition Kakashi tries to get to his feet but wobbles and fall right back to the ground.
"Why don't you explain then." Hari suggest drily.
"Root don't fail." Kakashi presses, "They don't sabotage their own missions… Danzō is a hard leader, and abandoning a mission is unacceptable."
Hari feels uneasy. Because failing a mission – any at all – makes her stomach roll unpleasantly. Even this one which will go down as Hari's first failed ANBU assignment tastes like a bitter pill despite the many unforeseen developments.
But… But it isn't the end of the world either. Hari doesn't need to be afraid to return to the village. Even ANBU accepts that sometimes things doesn't work out, and though it'll be noted on her records, circumstances matters.
"Danzō doesn't allow them a name. Not a past, a future or emotions. They only have their missions."
"But… I don't understand what happened down there… What was his mission?" Hari asks, gaze lingering momentarily on his closed left eye.
"We don't have time for-"
Hari pushes him down by a shove to the shoulder – and the fact she's able to do that speaks volumes of how potent the poison was. "Oh my, would you look at that? You will need a little longer I'm afraid. Why don't you fill me in while you get better?"
"Why don't you extract the rest of the poison out of me?" Kakashi rebuffs,
"Why should I?" She challenges. "It's not dangerous to you anymore, what you're experiencing are after effects – it'll pass on its own. It won't be a long wait, and you can use that time explaining so I can do my job properly. Why did Tenzō betray us? He tried to kill you. Or was it to take your Sharingan?"
...
He remains reluctant, and it's not like she wants to pry into his personal matters, but it's a bit hypocritical of him to go tight lipped about himself when they'd just spent hours in Hari's idea of a living nightmare. This was relevant, and without knowing what caused this how was she supposed to proceed correctly?
"Kakashi… please." Hari can't hide her frustration anymore, and a slither of her conflicted emotions must show on her face, because Kakashi flinches.
"This eye… It… I'm not an Uchiha, but my best friend was and he gave it to me." He can't seem to look at her, instead his words are aimed at a nearby rock. "He gave me this eye after saving my life in exchange for his own, and I use it so he can see the future too. But… Obito gave me this eye to protect the person he cared for the most - and I failed." Kakashi sounds nearly unrecognizable, his voice stifled and forceful and angry all at once.
It's not that this isn't interesting, Hari has wondered about the origins of Kakashi's Sharingan for years, but… how exactly does this tie in with this disaster of a mission?
"Alright. So your Sharingan isn't genetically inherited. I... knew that." And saying it that way makes it suddenly more relevant. "Is that why? Because it wasn't yours to begin with… Is that why Tenzō was ordered to kill you?" Hari demands.
"It's complicated, and there's so much- We don't have time to go through this-"
"Yes we do!" Hari shouts. "We have time and it's necessary. An elder just sabotaged our mission and sent someone to kill you. You just don't want to talk about it, but that isn't an option anymore."
Kakashi gives in, and shakes his head, "He didn't share any order details, so when I say I don't know, it's actually true. But… well, I can guess it's my Sharingan."
Hari waits expectantly and he gestures towards his scarred eye.
"Tenzō… He's like you, but he wasn't given the same options, Hari. You have to understand that to Root agents a mission completion is… it's sacred, it's all they ever get and therefore so much more important, and he… I was his mission, and because of my history…"
"Your history? What would make Tenzō trying to kill you on orders understandable?"
"Because I… I've killed a friend too." Kakashi bites out through gritted teeth, "Tenzō kept bringing her up in there, kept asking and asking even while we were fighting, and he concluded that I killed her because she was my mission, he was trying to justify his own actions by pointing out mine, but..."
And Kakashi looks at Hari imploringly now; he wants her to understand; "She was never my mission. Rin died by my hand, but I never meant to hurt her - I didn't mean - I wasn't aiming for her, but then suddenly she was there and it was too late to steer to the side and.." He's rushed through the words, but stops talking abruptly, eyes closing to collect himself.
Hari's glad he stopped, she doesn't need to hear anymore, doesn't want to and her heart hurts. She's been warned about Kakashi's reputation on more than one occasion, and she now knows it was inspired by his worst memory and deepest regrets. It was cruel, and worse of; familiar, because once upon another life Harry Potter should have been murdered alongside his parents, and people just couldn't seem to understand that when they kept calling him the 'Boy Who Lived' without caring about the implications behind the title.
...
"I get it..." Hari say, wishing she didn't. Kakashi seems sceptical, studying her as if he isn't sure of the truth of that, but she doesn't care if he believes her or not.
She might not have ever cast a jutsu or spell that personally snuffed out the life of a loved one, but she's made grievous mistakes and felt the guilt of leading people to their deaths. Cedric, Sirius, Hedwig, Mad-eye, Dobby… Itsuki… So many more too. Not to mention all those children in the lab. She couldn't have done anything for them, logically she knows that, but a part of her will always feel guilty for living where nearly sixty other kids died.
"The point is… Is that I am known as Friend-Killer Kakashi, and I have killed traitors because of my missions in ANBU, but Tenzō might not understand the difference between that and being ordered to kill a friend so his boss can get himself a Sharingan. He has never been allowed much room for personal growth, Hari. But given the chance… he is kind, I've seen that."
They are quiet for several seconds, listening to the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees around them.
"I need to go get him… He'll return to Danzō, and because of me he'll be in so much trouble. Who knows what will happen to him…"
"But… Danzō isn't an Uchiha. Why would he mind that you carry the dōjutsu?"
"He probably wants it for his own use."
...
Her chest tightens at those words in a familiar way, and she exhales harshly. "We can't let him get away with it." Hari concludes when she opens them, straightens up and dusts off her uniform.
Kakashi frowns. "No. I will deal with it, trust me; you do not want to get on the wrong side of Danzō."
Hari snorts. "This already involves me, Kakashi."
"Not yet. When we get back you will return to team Ebo and-"
Hari cuts him off. "It involves me!" She then evens out her voice, puts a lid on her flaring temper. "Because it involves you, and it involves Tenzō; and we pretenders has to stick together."
"… What?" Kakashi blinks. "Pretenders…?"
Hari shrugs. "From what I gather Danzō wants a Sharingan and targeted you because he thinks your lack of a clan makes you vulnerable - and I can't stand for that. So as one fake Senju to one fake Uchiha - you are being very close minded if you think this doesn't concern me too."
The following silence is broken by a low murmur of "fake Uchiha" from Kakashi, as is if he's trying out the alien words for himself.
And then he snorts.
She holds out her hand, tries for a wry smile and succeeds. In fact she managed to make Kakashi laugh – a short one, yes – but it did lighten the sombre mood a little.
"Pretenders, eh?"
"Yes, since we weren't born with these powers, and none of us wanted it, yet it was given to us through some really shitty ways while leaving us to live and deal with the consequences. You know; we're faking it 'till we make it."
Kakashi accepts the hand and lets Hari help him up. He straightens with a renewed energy even as he turns serious again. "I know this… That you feel betrayed after what happened… But Tenzō will need help. It might turn this disaster into an even bigger mess, but I'll still try to get him out of Root… Which will mean creating trouble for Hokage-sama and probably turn elder Danzō furious."
He pauses to evaluate her reaction and give her time to protest, but she doesn't and so he adds; "Will you help?"
"Of course."
...
...
The run back to Konoha is rushed, and though he was recently poisoned Kakashi is still faster than Hari – in his current state it's actually his stamina that fails him first.
They head directly for the Hokage tower, where the most obstinate barrier turns out to be Gazeru who drew the glorified secretary duty of the day, and isn't pleased when they try to enter Hiruzen-sama's office.
"Hokage-sama is working, Dog-taichō. He is not taking appointments-"
Kakashi pushes aside his bewildered subordinate trying to guard the door, while Hari takes advantage of the opportunity to slide them open.
Though they are ANBU and trusted with the Hokage's security – which is the only reason every alarm hasn't been set off yet – they don't have an appointment either.
But this is an emergency, and neither Hari or Kakashi is willing to 'wait and see'.
...
Hiruzen-sama's expression turns increasingly passive while Kakashi reports – very quickly – the gist's of what went down during their failed hideout investigation. Succinctly summarizing how a Mokuton user from Root targeted them, specifically ANBU Dog, and that it was ordered by Danzō, and then ended it boldly by requesting the Hokage's help.
The Hokage's expression doesn't change before he looks down at his paperwork. "I see,"
She closes her eyes in relief at his acceptance of their story – something Hari had worried about, seeing what they were accusing an Elder of doing - and hands them a written note.
"Take this missive to the Foundation headquarters. It's an order from the Hokage to summon Danzō here immediately."
...
...
Outside they take to the rooftops, masks returned to cover their faces and Hari has to press herself to keep up the demanding tempo while they sprint across the village.
She doesn't know how she had expected the Hokage to react, or how this will turn out. Danzō has a lot of pull and power within the village, and the Hokage will not forget that even if he's been given reports of wrong doings. Hari can't predict the outcome, as she isn't really one for politics. Yet attempted bloodline theft couldn't go unpunished…
Hari words her worries aloud, only to get an unexpected reply.
"Mah, I am not so concerned about me in this instance…"
"I'm sorry? How can you not be?" She asks sharply just as they reach the end to a row of houses. There's a gap there that lacks buildings because of her familiar Kyūbi Tree is in the way. She jumps from the edge of the roof, over to one of the top branches, and continues onto the next row of streets while Kakashi answers.
"Hokage-sama has been informed," He drawls, sounding calm even as the speed increases. "Danzō is too powerful, this incident won't be enough, well, for some things – but that doesn't mean we can't take advantage of it."
Hari's eyes narrow, because she knows all about how politicians can wiggle their way out of most problems. She still doesn't understand what angle Kakashi is viewing this particular situation from though. "I don't- what are you on about?"
"Just prioritizing. We'll have to use it to get what we want out of it more than justice, because Owl-" he glance at her pointedly, and she catches a glimmer of scarlet through the dark hole in his mask. "In this case; we won't get it."
She frowns, wondering what the point is then; why he had asked for her help if he didn't think it would come to anything?
Kakashi clarify. "Which is why we should try to refocus the incident. Instead of Danzō being punished for targeting me, the focus should remain on Tenzō instead. He needs to get out of Root – and I'm going to make sure it can't be swept under a rug in an argument over me, when it should be about him."
"So… What? You're fine with what happened as long as…?"
"It's not the first attempt, and it won't be the last. Danzō is hardly the only one who's tried to get that eye from me. Enemy ninjas aside – in the beginning the entire Uchiha clan demanded I return it, and honestly, their attempt was much more successful and nearly worked. But now… well, thanks to this incident Danzō will have to thread more carefully concerning me. The fact it failed gives me a new layer of security because if I suddenly end up without an eye he'll be suspected after this."
He then looks at Hari. "Tenzō is the opposite. He weakened himself in Danzō's standing by failing and sabotaging the mission, and even worse; the failure can be damaging to Danzō himself. Tenzō doesn't have anyone on his side but the two of us, so we need to get him out of there."
Hari's starting to see where he's going with this. Kakashi was saying he could afford the pressure - whereas Tenzō may not. This had cost Tenzō a lot more because he didn't have much to begin with.
The mission… He'd only had the mission, and he gave it up for them; leaving him with nothing.
But not for long, Hari thought viciously.
...
They run up the Hokage mountain, through the green terrain reaching away from the carved faces and deep into the forest.
After a long stretch they start heading downwards to rockier areas, uneven and more traitorous. Hari straightens her ANBU mask, feeling better knowing it's covering her face when Kakashi locates a hidden door, turns the handle and strides in without hesitating.
There's a short passage lasting only a couple of steps before they stand in a dark, large hall.
It's still afternoon and light outside, but it barely makes a difference within the deep Foundation headquarter that reaches far down into the ground.
It's impressive, Hari guesses. Better than Orochimaru's hideout for sure.
They've entered directly onto a cross bridge in the middle of a tall industrial hall. Peeking over the railing reveals a considerable drop, and there's several stories up to the beamed ceiling above them. There's doors and openings in the cold concrete walls, and signs of passages.
It's so vast, designed to hold so many, which makes the two sole soldiers with their staffs at the ready seem ominous despite the underwhelming number. It just punctuates what can be expected for those who dares attempt to breech this fortress.
"Enter, stranger, but take heed,
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors,
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware,
Of finding more than treasure there."
Hari really hoped they wouldn't have to infiltrate. It had been problematic enough with Gringotts.
...
Kakashi holds up the note to them and demands; "Sandaime-sama summons elder Danzō, notify him that he is to appear immediately."
"Danzō-sama isn't here, we will let him know as soon as he returns." One of the unknown ANBU tells them.
This is Root territory, and neither Hari nor Kakashi has the clearance to enter it. They've gotten as far as they're allowed, and thanks to their ANBU masks that is still further than most others would ever get. Which is why "going to find Danzō" just became a whole lot more difficult.
"Where is he now?"
The other guard shakes his head. "We do not know, we are not privy to his schedule."
Then what were they to do? Stand here and twiddle their thumbs?
...
"Owl," Kakashi draws her attention, and she glance at him when he nods towards the exit. "report to Hokage-sama,"
They are in a hurry, and it's not like she's incapable but- "Alone?" he hums agreeable. "What about you?"
"I'll stay here and wait for him. Go."
Hari considers several possible alternatives, but in the end concludes; nah, it's Kakashi. He won't do anything to make this worse at least… Probably.
"I'll see you… right here, when I return then?"
His heads tilts, and if it wasn't for the dog mask Hari is sure she'd be faced with one of his fake eye-smile's. "… Sure."
"Right." She turns reluctantly, and then set off back for the village.
...
...
Gazeru is pretty fed up when Hari breaks in for the second time in the same afternoon, and again there's a commotion with a lot of; "You can't just waltz in, ANBU Owl! One thing is taichō, but you-"
"Not now!" Hari snaps at Gazeru – there really isn't time for it. Because the further she ran away from Root the more uneasy she felt, and she was coiled tight as a bowstring by the time she reached the tower.
Hiruzen waves Gazeru away, and Hari hears the girl grumble when she slides the doors to the office shut.
"Hokage-sama, we couldn't locate elder Danzō," Hari blurts out and kneels in front of Hiruzen-sama who's stood up to witness as she for the second time that day manages to fail a mission. "Dog-taicho sent me to request you go to the Foundation's headquarters."
Hiruzen-sama's eyes narrow and he say; "It's agreed upon that I don't interfere with the Foundation."
And perhaps he would have said more, but Hari is well beyond worried at this point, and she does the unthinkable – she interrupts;
"Hokage-sama… Why should you refrain from interfering with Root if elder Danzō can't do the same for ANBU? He is the one who's breeched the agreement by interfering with your operatives and hindering village sanctioned missions, at worst he's weakening Konoha with inside fighting – as I was just pitted against another Mokuton user - yet we're all loyal to the same village. Elder Danzō should be held accountable when he's made a mistake."
It wasn't right, and Hiruzen-sama couldn't remain idle in the spirit of keeping a promise to a man who wasn't holding up his end of the bargain. If he didn't act now it was the same as giving his agreement, he was basically stating; Danzō can override my authority. And as Hokage he couldn't afford to loose face like that.
No matter what he might have decided beforehand, Hari was now wilfully twisting his arm.
After all, she was already on a roll destroying her spotless ANBU record; at this point what was one more reprimand?
It was worth it. He was worth it.
...
Hiruzen-sama pulls up his sleeve to reach his upper arm where a red seal design rests, and her ANBU tattoo reacts in a familiar pattern. Her shoulders slump in relief.
The Komorebi platoon has just been summoned.
Hiruzen-sama stands up, places his hat on his greying head as the doors open and Gazeru and the closest ANBU on guard duty flocks in.
Within minutes the entire force – missing only ANBU Dog - arrive, and with a clear signal from the Hokage which is as much of a; "yes, this includes you too," as she'll get in this situation, Hari heads back to join the rows of ANBU standing at attention.
"You are to escort me to the Foundation headquarters for negotiations." Hiruzen-sama orders. They get into a protective formation around the Hokage as they leave the tower and then they are off.
...
...
Though the run back takes no more or less time than before, it feels as if it goes on forever. The sun has began setting on the horizon when they reach a couple recognizable landmarks which had been close to the headquarters.
It's at this point Hari notice – along with most of the others – that something is different too. But what could have happened? Hari just left this place.
One of the members on team Kim calls out; "There's disturbances inside the Foundation headquarters, Hokage-sama. The intruder alarm has been set off – the situation might turn more dangerous. If I may suggest; we should approach with caution or turn around."
The Sandaime hums, and then calls back; "Then we won't enter through the front doors."
...
So Hari follows after Frog as he takes a sharp left for an alternate route.
While the rest of the platoon takes off in a couple other directions, Frog bring team Ebo along with Sandaime-sama to a hidden entrance on the upper levels, one that is much more discrete and difficult to reach, and guides them through.
It was a wise decision, Hari thinks, as when they get inside it's – well, chaotic is putting it mildly. There's a lot more activity going on compared to when she'd departed.
There had been an airy silence within the dark halls of the Root division, but now there are operatives everywhere, the alarms are on while they reorganize and orders are shouted. Leaving a bewildered and increasingly annoyed Hari to wonder;
What the bloody hell did Kakashi do? He wasn't rash enough to actually break in, was he?
Oh, crap - He was.
...
And Kakashi not only broke into a Root-only authorized territory - but went and broke Tenzō out as well.
Which was just… He couldn't wait for Hari to bring Hiruzen-sama? Really? What was he thinking?
Well, Hari knows what he was thinking – he was worried that Tenzō would be punished, but so was she – and Kakashi must realize he just weakened his own case with that stunt, right? Because if Danzō is to be accused of attempted bloodline theft, than Kakashi going in and dragging out Tenzō… well, he can be accused of the same now!
Kakashi hid it well, but clearly the guy could be as reckless as any Gryffindor.
Or, Hari began to worry, possibly still a little high from lingering toxins in his bloodstream…
...
They've arrive in time to overhear Danzō start a pretty terrifying dressing down, though Hari is more focused on the fact Tenzō and Kakashi seem to be on the same side now. That despite the trespassing, break in and kidnapping accusation being thrown at Kakashi; Tenzō remains at his side.
Hiruzen-sama wordlessly orders Hari to fall in line behind him, and then proceeds to jump off the side gallery they've been stationed at. He drops onto the cross bridge, and Hari remains right on his heel.
They land in the middle of the confrontation, and many of the Root operatives does very much not appreciate it.
With the Hokage at the scene this is no longer a matter of "arresting the intruder", and just like that the stand-off quiets down in volume and activity, but the tension rises.
The Sandaime addresses Danzō while Hari peeks momentarily over her shoulder, meeting Kakashi's obstinate expression. He seems pretty pissed off, and though Hari'd have liked to give him a piece of her mind she gets what he tried to do here…
Hari might have done the same if she'd been the one left behind, and that disquiets her a little, as from an outsider's perspective she isn't sure this was the best way to bring focus onto Tenzō.
Though he did promise to meet her on the cross bridge… and she can't fault him there at least. Kakashi's exactly where he'd say he'd be, just with an additional crowd tagging along.
While Tenzō… Tenzō isn't wearing a mask and it momentarily distracts her, how could it not?
Back at the base all Hari had really taken away from their meeting was all the things that had changed. The fact he had grown so much, and was so different from that child she vaguely recalled.
Yet… He can't be more than fourteen, and in that instance, with his almond shaped dark eyes filled with both conviction and confusion as they meet hers; he looks so young.
...
However, right now her focus needs to be on the Sandaime. By dragging him here they had put all their bets on him, and how he chose to react to this would decide everything.
"He trespassed by his own accord into Foundation territory, and that is serious." Danzō states, gesturing sharply towards Kakashi.
The Sandaime shakes his head. "No, I dispatched him with a summons from me. Then he went looking for you on my orders."
Well… technically that was true - though considering this mess the spirit of the order might have been misinterpreted slightly.
...
That brings on another couple fraught moments which is only resolved when Danzō makes his Root agents back off. Kakashi stealthily glides towards where she stands behind the Hokage, and Tenzō follows his example with the attitude of a mice trapped in a nest of eagles.
"There must have been a communication mix-up, I'm hearing that for the first time."
"Well then, that settles it with Kakashi. Now, it's regarding this next issue that I sent for you." Hiruzen-sama lowers his voice and continues. "It's regarding another Mokuton ninja of this village. Why would you keep him hidden within the foundation?" The Hokage asks calmly, his arms remaining folded behind his back.
"I found him and protected and raised him. You agreed not to interfere with my organization. I didn't report him to you, because I was training him to become an asset to the village. Like all Root agents are."
...
They both glance at Tenzō, and for a split second Hari likens him to a kid in the middle of some absurd custody battle, one where the parents are calm and composed but also lethal ninjas waiting for the right angle to strike.
"Yet he should never have gone straight into Root," Hiruzen-sama replies calmly. "- because you told me you only found one survivor."
And that sounds like Danzō had fed a blatant lie directly to his Hokage. Checkmate.
"A Mokuton user is rare." Hiruzen-sama turns and looks from Tenzō to Hari. "And even amongst the few we have seen in our lifetime – they have all proven unique. They have come far on their own, but Danzō…" He studies the elder with curiosity. "You know as well as I do progression and growth is achieved when you have someone to measure yourself against. The village is weakened by this divide, Danzō, and I know he is a valuable subordinate to you, but for the sake of Konoha; he will be transferred to me."
And somehow… the elder folds. "Fine," Danzō even manages a jerky nod that seems strained.
Hiruzen-sama walks back to them where they stand stuck in the very centre of this mess. "Then all will be settled amicably…"
Danzō's voice reach his back when he states; "Members of the foundation have a curse mark, so they do not reveal top-secret intel. I will not remove it." The head of Root is as emotionless as the cold stone of his headquarters, his deep voice nearly inflectionless.
"That is fine." Hiruzen-sama agrees to the terms, "I now receive him into my care." He turns to Tenzō and states; "Henceforth, you will be an ANBU under my direct orders."
But Tenzō's attention is drawn back to Danzō, and though he seems a little less afraid than when they entered, there is still something very vulnerable about him when he moves forwards.
Away from Kakashi, past Hari and Hiruzen-sama until he stands for a lingering silence in front of Danzō.
And though Hari has charged into this full of fury and indignation on Kakashi and Tenzō's behalf, it's first now another side of this situation appears to her. Danzō is Tenzō's mentor. His teacher. His Biwako and his Minato; all he's known for years.
Because even if Tenzō disagreed with Danzō in the end – that doesn't take away the rest. It might just make it all the more difficult.
Tenzō bows – deeply.
"Thank you... for everything, Danzō-sama."
...
...
AN: And that marks the end of Part One!
I think Hirzuen's punishment for Danzō is somehow ironic. It's like; you tried to take Kakashi and his sharingan? Well, then I'll take your Mokuton and Kinoe, and make it all seem like a discussion about right and wrongs instead of the power play it actually is. I want to say "an eye for an eye", but that would be a pun in this instance, so I'd rather not. Seriously, Hiruzen is very good at using his grandfather persona to make people WANT to please and give things to him. Like all the Hokage actually. As they say; you can catch more bees with honey than vinegar - something Danzō does not understand and sees as a weakness.
...
This story is cross posted on Ao3 on my account there under the username QuillQ.
I mentioned this in the previous A/N but originally this story was NOT written for FanFiction net (a.k.a. FF), because this website is very restricting with the format, and trying to convert it from Archives of Our Own (a.k.a Ao3) to FF has proven frustrating and not very successful.
Readers has pointed this out to me several times in the comments, feeling as if the text is "jumbled" or "all over the place" - which I agree with. Some of it is the writing style I decided to use for Falling Leaves of Evergreen Trees - but some of the frustration also stems from FF's restricting text formats which makes the story comes off... just wrong.
The two elements doesn't work together.
This issue is one I knew about, and the reason I was reluctant to post the story here on FF and waited over half a year before I gave it a go, but it seems I should have stuck to my original intentions and not posted this here.
People just keeps mentioning it's distracting and makes for a bad reading experience, and I completely get it. It also proves my initial worries about how this story does not suit FanFiction too.
But it's destroying my motivation to try working around it, which is why after considering the issues - and not finding an available solution here on FF which doesn't include rewriting the entire story in a different style to suit FF's idea of how text formatting works - I've decided to stop posting new chapters on this website.
And since chapter 19 is the end of a significant story arch, this seems a logical place to stop. Meaning that the FanFiction net version of the story comes to an end here.
But if you wish to read the rest of Falling Leaves of Evergreen Trees you can find it on Ao3 (archives of our own), where you need to have an account on Ao3 to access it. If you do take the time to read it on Ao3 you'll find that there's (currently) 37 chapters of Falling Leaves of Evergreen Trees posted.
I apologize to those who prefer the fanfiction website, but the continuous complaints and constrictive feedback about the issue proves that this story doesn't suit the site, and I hope you can understand that I do not wish to continue posting a story that's being handicapped because of something as silly as FORMATTING issues. This isn't me trying to blame all the problems of the story on this - it's fine and understandable if people doesn't like it for the plot or writing choices etc. - but then again; the confusing reading experience and jumbled sentences are not topics I've heard about from readers on Ao3. And the only difference there is that I'm allowed to press the 'Enter' button more than once to separate paragraphs.
But it's not like I'm pulling the story. It'll stay available for those who wish to continue reading it, there just won't be any more updates here.
...
Thank you so much for reading, I'm so glad you gave the story a shot despite the clumsy setup, and I hope some of you might take a look at the continuation over at Ao3.
Please stay safe everyone!