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Butterfly and Moth
Chapter 11 - Returned
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One moment they were still out in the forest, the next they stood in the Hokage's office.
Hashirama was sitting at his desk in front of them, stared at them, and Akari could see the exact moment on his face he realised who stood there.
She quickly let go of Tobirama's hand.
Hashirama jumped over his desk, paper flew through the air, and he pulled them both simultaneously into a tight embrace.
The door opened almost immediately and a shinobi asked whether all was fine. Hashirama told him to get Akari's father, tell him of her return.
He kept holding them, started sobbing. All Akari could think about was that she was still so close to Tobirama. Hashirama was pressing them together.
But she made sure not to look at him, not even a short glance. Because they were back in Konoha. She was back to being Akari Hyuuga.
And in a village full of shinobi, even the smallest glimpse could give too much away.
"I am so eternally grateful you two made it back." Hashirama finally stopped hugging them and moved back to take a look at them. "Is anyone injured?"
"Her ankle is broken," Tobirama reported in his usual calm voice that lacked excitement and intonation. "Other than that, we are both fine."
Hashirama eyed her foot with concern, but it was soon overshadowed with pure relief again. He asked her how she was feeling and whether he ought to call a medic right away.
Akari hardly cared about her foot.
"Sensei, what about the others? What about the jinchuuriki?"
The happiness in Hashirama's face died in an instant. His glance dropped.
Akari took a short breath, realising there was something wrong. She could hear Muu's voice in her head, and fear grew in her.
Hashirama slowly walked back to his desk. "Kumogakure took the sixtails. After you left, Tobirama, we found ourselves not only attacked by the Raikage and his people, but by Iwagakure as well. Muu the non-person and his team, to be precise." He took some documents from the desk and gave them to Tobirama. It was the official report on the mission. "As it stands, we suspect that Kumo and Iwagakure worked on this together. They clearly didn't work against each other, so much is certain. While Kumo took the sixtails, it seems Iwa's plan was to take both the Byakugan and Sharingan."
Akari's heart sank at the pause her teacher took. It was clear he prepared himself to deliver bad news to them. Awful news.
"Is Inori fine?" Akari asked. She had to hear it.
Hashirama slowly nodded. "But I'm afraid Kagami didn't make it. He got fatally wounded in battle. And Iwa later fled with his head and the Sharingan."
Akari swallowed, her eyes sank. She wanted to look at Tobirama, but she couldn't. So she stared at the floor instead.
"I'm sorry to hear that," she said into the room, at no one in particular.
"I'm still glad that at least we didn't lose you too, Akari. And I have to thank you for that, brother. I'm sorry I failed you in return."
The door was pushed open. Akari's father stormed inside and wrapped his arms around his daughter. Her brother Haruto and cousin Emiko quickly followed. More Hyuuga members waited in front of the door.
Her father's words barely reached her. She wanted to stay with Tobirama and Hashirama, but her father took her away, home.
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At the Hyuuga compound, Akari convinced her father to let her take a bath first of all. He insisted on her seeing a medic-nin first, but Akari eventually won the argument saying that she didn't want to meet a doctor smelling all sweaty with undone hair.
Emiko wanted to join her, rub her back, but Akari made sure to dismiss her too. She wanted to be alone.
She rinsed her hair and body before sitting down in the tub. The water was hot.
She took a deep breath. Her head was spinning. The bathroom was so familiar, the water itself smelled just like it always had. Yet she felt that somehow, she had ended up in the wrong life. Somewhere along their journey, the Hiraishin must have teleported them into another reality. The last three days felt too surreal.
Her heart was beating fast, and no matter how much she tried to control her breathing, it wouldn't slow down.
She sank into the water until her head was completely submerged and only came up again when she needed air to breathe.
"Akari!" She heard Emiko's voice call out to her. "You shouldn't stay in the water too long. Your Lord Father is expecting you."
Akari took another deep breath and straightened her back before leaving the tub. What had happened on their journey she now had to forget. She'd have to hold her head high and pretend that she was the daughter her father wanted.
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The initial gratefulness her father felt when Akari returned safely to Konoha vanished quickly. What followed were hour-long lectures filled with "I told you so," "you were being careless," and "this is why a member of the main family is not supposed to go on missions."
"From now on, you will stay in Konoha, with your guardian," he eventually concluded.
Akari remained calm. This wasn't the first time she had heard these words. And by the time her ankle would be healed, her father might have forgotten his words again.
"I apologise that I upset father," she diligently said. It was no more than an empty phrase she didn't expect her father to react to.
Yet he turned to her, with an angry but pained expression and said, "I'm not upset, Akari. I'm -"
For a moment, he was lost for words. It irritated her.
"I was desperate, Akari. I was certain you were gone. Forever."
"But I'm not gone. I am here, and well."
"You were being lucky," he immediately said. "You might as well be a prisoner in Iwagakure now. You and those two perfect eyes of yours."
"I was not being lucky," she protested. "I freed myself."
"You are only here because Lord Tobirama risked his life to carry you half across the country! We will have to go and properly thank him tomorrow."
Akari remained quiet. This argument she knew would go nowhere. So she lowered her head a bit more and continued to listen.
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Meanwhile, Tobirama sat at the desk in his office and stared at piles of documents in front of him. He didn't touch any. His mind was blank. He'd felt anxious returning to Konoha with Akari, but any feelings he'd had were now replaced with a strange emptiness.
Tobirama's last few years in Konoha had been fairly blessed. Life was not perfect, but life was good enough to have him forget just so slightly what sudden loss felt like.
He took the mission report again. He'd already read it and put aside, but couldn't quite keep his eyes off it. So he opened the first page.
He found nothing new, nothing he didn't already know. The words didn't change. Neither did the past.
He threw it to the side once more and decided to see what his brother was doing.
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The door to Hashirama's office wasn't completely closed and Tobirama could hear voices coming from inside. He walked slower, and approached quietly. Next to the door he stopped.
"If this mission has shown me anything, it is that we need Madara back." It was his brother speaking. He sounded agitated.
"And if this mission has shown us anything, it is that we should not have gone in the first place. The risk was too high. And for what? Giving Sunagakure their Jinchuuriki back? A beast they can't control anyway?"
This voice Tobirama knew as well. It was one of the higher ranking Uchiha. A man who'd announced himself Inori's advisor after Madara left. He wondered if the Uchiha heiress was present as well, or if she even knew of this meeting.
"They are our allies," Hashirama firmly said.
"They are useless allies if they can't even keep their own jinchuuriki safe." The man's voice was harsh.
"They are still allies. The Hidden Villages won't bring us peace if we do not foster our relationships with our neighbours."
"We Uchiha accepted to join this village to not have to compete with your clan for the daimyo's missions. We weren't just looking for peace, we were looking for financial gain and we made that very clear," a woman said. She was slightly calmer, but she wasn't Inori.
Tobirama knew that financial gain had not been on Madara's or Hashirama's head when they founded Konoha. But Madara could not speak for his whole clan, despite being their head. And it was true that finances and economy were one of the arguments they'd used to convince everyone.
"We are Uchiha. We don't mind war, nor do we mind giving our life in war. But that doesn't mean we are throwing our lives away blindly for someone else. There was no gain for us in this mission. You are just making us throw our lives away in vain."
"I would never throw the life of my people away. Sunagakure are our allies. We need them if we want to keep the peace that -"
The Uchiha man interrupted him. "What good is peace? We are shinobi. War is our life. We should have gone after the jinchuuriki ourselves. We should have brought Mito and take the bijuu for ourselves. At least then this mission would have had a purpose. Kagami would have died for a purpose!"
Tobirama quickly straightened himself when he heard them go for the door and pretended he had only just arrived. The two Uchiha stopped when they spotted him. A hint of surprise was on their face.
"You returned," the woman noted. "The Hyuuga heiress?"
"Back and well," Tobirama shortly replied.
The man snorted. He wasn't relieved. He was bitter that his clan was the only one who'd lost a member.
Part of Tobirama was ready to point out their disrespectful behaviour. But he was too tired. So he let them leave and entered his brother's office.
"Tobirama," his brother said, surprised to see him. "I assume you heard our conversation?"
"Part of it, at least."
Hashirama sighed in defeat as he dropped back into his chair. A hand ran through his long dark hair. "I'm just glad you brought Akari back. Otherwise I would now have this same conversation with the Hyuuga too."
Tobirama didn't know how to reply. He'd come to his brother's office in search for a distraction. But his brother looked even more tired than him. There was a big line of worry on his otherwise unusually young-looking face. Hashirama had been blessed with the better part of the Senju genes. Some were sure he'd live for hundreds or even thousands of years, just like the old Senju in legends had.
"Say, Tobi, did I mess up?"
He looked at the pictures Hashirama had arranged on top of some cabinets. They showed a plethora of happy people. Hashirama's son and wife, him and Tobirama, their deceased father and brothers, Hashirama's mother.
Hashirama only ever chose pictures that gave the impression the world was perfect. And he had somehow managed to even find a picture of their father that showed him smiling, next to his first wife.
And of course, there was a picture of him and his team. Tobirama felt like this was the first time he ever looked at it.
"You did what you thought was right. You wouldn't be Hashirama if you didn't agree to help Sunagakure. And Hashirama is the one we chose as Hokage. Konoha is built on your values, not on those of the Uchiha."
His eyes got caught on the picture with Akari for just a moment.
"No, you were right when you said I should leave Akari and Inori in the village. We almost lost both of them on that mission. The Uchiha already blame me for Kagami's death. I don't want to imagine their fury if it had been Inori instead. And the Hyuuga? Their contempt I got to feel first-hand before you returned. Akari's father basically lived in my office."
He turned away from the pictures. "Every single shinobi in this village is someone's child, niece or nephew, someone's parent and loved one. You can't protect them all, and you can't play favourites. Soon the Inuzuka, Nara, Yamanaka and everyone else will want their heir to stay away from missions too, then their second-borns and soon their first and second degree cousins as well. There'd be no one left to fight for Konoha."
"If everyone refused to fight, not just Konoha, then this world could be at peace."
There it was again, his brother's dream. And the Uchiha weren't wrong. Their village's economy strived with wars and conflicts between feudal lords.
"You are our leader. You make the decisions for this village. They have to accept that." Tobirama didn't bother sitting down. He couldn't offer his brother more of the assurance he needed.
Hashirama stood up again as well and looked out of the window. The village had grown fast in the last 10 years. "I wished I was. At days I feel more like a landlord. I can't wait for Akari and Inori to lead their clans. It will all become easier then, right?"
Tobirama's eyes fell back on the picture. Inori's arms were wrapped around both Akari and Riku, and Hashirama had his in a tight embrace around all three of them. They looked more like family than students and teacher. "Old habits and traditions aren't just changed overnight. But it seems you raised those two well. Slowly with time, they'll teach the following generations to see Konoha as part of their heritage."
Hashirama smiled. "That's the dream. Thank you, Tobi. For trying to cheer me up." He gave his brother a good pat on the shoulder, but then decided that wasn't enough and went for a tight hug. "And thank you again for bringing Akari back. I really don't know what I'd do without you."
Hashirama's words made Tobirama cringe inside. He'd never been good with overly grateful people. And this time he felt like he did not deserve gratitude at all. On the contrary.
It made him wonder what his brother would say if he told him the truth.
With Hashirama's ideals, Tobirama was sure he would urge him to confess to her clan. And he might even try and arrange a marriage to set it all right again. It was nothing Tobirama wanted, and surely nothing the Hyuuga clan would want as well. It could only damage the village his brother was building.
So he slowly broke free from Hashirama and in a calm but slightly grumpy voice told him, "Don't get all sentimental. We both know this village would not function without me. So I was really just doing my job. Besides, I probably faced less trouble in the Land of Earth than you did in the Land of Stone."
Hashirama sat down again, and sighed. "Kagami was a good shinobi, and your student. I was too occupied. With the sixtails, and the Raikage. Maybe I should have given up on the tailed beast earlier. As soon as Muu appeared. I failed him, and you."
Tobirama walked towards the door. Before opening it, he said, "They are not our students anymore. We taught them how to protect themselves. So stop beating yourself up. These things happen. They always have, and they always will."
The last part wasn't what his brother wanted to hear. But it was what Tobirama believed. He fled the office before Hashirama could say anything else. He was still yearning for distraction, and this surely wasn't helping.
He went back to his own office and sat down at his desk. He looked at the paperwork, signed a few documents. His head was still clouded; his thoughts kept drifting off. He stopped again, got up, and left the building.
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Shortly after, Tobirama was on a training ground. His muscles were sore and tense, and the weight of Akari's body still lingered on his shoulders like a ghost. Maybe a work-out was what he needed.
It was dark already, but that had never stopped Tobirama from training. So he started with stretching and push-ups.
Tiny drops of sweats had formed on his forehead by the time he heard someone close-by. He rose from the ground just in time to see Hiruzen and Danzo approach.
"We heard you were back," Hiruzen said. "You weren't at your office or flat, so we wondered where you might be."
Tobirama sighed. It hurt to only see two of them. But at least these two looked well. He wondered what he was supposed to say to them, and whether they expected to hear anything from him in particular.
Usually it would be Kagami who'd break the silence between them with an awkward joke.
"I'm glad to see you two are well," he eventually said.
They nodded. Then Danzo said, "Hiruzen was crying like a little girl because he was so worried."
"I did not!" Hiruzen protested.
Danzo smiled at his friend. "I'm just saying it's good sensei is back too."
To that Hiruzen agreed. Then the two young men fell silent again. Tobirama wasn't sure what to do with them.
"I had planned to go on a little run around Konoha. Want to join?"
They both nodded.
"How is Akari?" Hiruzen asked while Danzo was already stretching his legs. "We haven't heard much yet."
"She's fine," Tobirama casually answered. It felt like Hiruzen was waiting for him to continue. But it wasn't unnatural for Tobirama to be sparing with words. So he simply turned away from Hiruzen to end the conversation.
The three spent the rest of the evening together, not speaking much but focusing on working their bodies. It did help put Tobirama's mind at ease, and if there wasn't that third person missing between Hiruzen and Danzo whenever he looked at them, then returning to his old life pretending nothing had ever happened might have been easier. Just a bit.
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The next day, Akari left the Hyuuga compound early together with her father, uncle, Emiko, and two crutches. They were on their way to Tobirama's office as her father thought it necessary to see his daughter's savior again and thank him. Akari would have been faster crawling down the forest ground and her broken ankle was not the reason for her pace, only the scapegoat. She wasn't exactly sure if there was a worse way to spend the morning than being in the same room with both Tobirama and her father. But she wasn't exactly in a position to complain. After all, she knew she had brought this on herself.
Her eyes immediately searched Tobirama's as she entered his office after her father. In his usually calm eyes she could spot hints of nervousness and worry. She couldn't hold it against him. Her father had simply sent a notice asking Tobirama to meet him and his daughter. The reason he did not state. And not more than an hour later, they arrived at his office.
There was no way for Tobirama to know whether Akari had told her father, or whether he had found out some other way, or not. For a moment, she was afraid he'd start the conversation with an overhasty apology that would reveal their little secret.
But Akari was not the only one in the room to read emotions quickly, and her father looked anything but a man who was prepared to kill. So Tobirama respectfully greeted the two with a short nod and asked for the details of the meeting.
"I would like to express my gratitude again, both me and my daughter. Last night was rather hectic, and I'm afraid I haven't quite thanked you enough yet."
Her father bowed, and Akari made sure to bow lower than he did. "I'm very grateful that you came to my rescue," she thanked him.
"There is hardly anything my clan could offer you that would be worth my daughter's life that you have given back to us. We are greatly indebted to you. Should there be anything at all we could do to repay you, please feel free to say so."
Tobirama's eyes switched from Akari to her father. "I appreciate your words. But there is no need to be grateful to me or repay me in any way. Your clan is part of Konoha. Naturally I'd try my hardest to bring your daughter back."
"That is very kind of you," Akari's father said. "But the offer still stands. Should you ever seek assistance of any kind, know that the Hyuuga are glad to help."
"Thank you." He nodded at her father.
The Hyuuga head was pleased this issue was taken care of. Father and daughter left the office and building again. Their small entourage had waited outside. Akari politely asked her father whether she could visit her friends before returning home. He looked grim, but agreed. He left Emiko with her and returned to their compound.
Akari waited until he was out of sight before turning to her guardian. "You don't have to come with me. I'd rather go alone."
Emiko's eyebrows rose in a concerned manner. "I don't know, Akari. Your father gave me a rather big speech today that I was to keep a close eye on you again. He'd be furious if I left you now."
Akari was not surprised. "Please, Emiko. We are in Konoha. You following me around the village is ridiculous."
Emiko considered for a while. She was torn between duty and personal loyalty. Eventually she said, "I might have a stroll around the village and meet some friends of mine too then. How about we meet in two hours and walk home together?"
Akari smiled. "Thank you. I'll go see if the Hokage is here first. I will meet you in two hours."
Emiko nodded and left.
Akari entered the building again. Instead of going to the Hokage office, she carefully looked around before knocking on Tobirama's door.
Tobirama dropped the book he was reading and jumped to his feet when his eyes spotted Akari enter alone.
She stayed by the door, leaning her crutches against the wall.
"Can I... help you with anything?" he asked. He closed the book without taking note of the page he'd looked at.
"I guess you can." Her eyes wandered around the room. The walls were covered with filled bookshelves. She took a deep breath, almost started to speak, but stopped again.
"First of all, I am very sorry about Kagami." Akari felt a weird sense of guilt concerning Kagami's death. She couldn't help but wonder whether he'd still be alive if Tobirama had been there, whether that fight had ended differently if she hadn't been abducted.
Surely, that thought had to cross Tobirama's mind as well. It made her all the more nervous to talk to him.
"No need to be," he shortly said. Tobirama sat down again and offered her the seat at the other end of his desk. "You said you needed my help?"
She approached, rested her hands on the chair, but didn't sit down. "I was wondering, would it be possible that you…" The words didn't want to leave her mouth. She took another deep breath. "Could you get some contraceptive pills for me?"
Within seconds, a bright red appeared in Tobirama's face. They stared at each other awkwardly, and both seemed to want to vanish into thin air equally.
"Can't you get those yourself? I thought we were keeping this a secret…"
"We are!" she immediately said. "But what do you expect me to do? Ask someone from my clan? Walk into the infirmary and buy them? You have access to the medical supplies, don't you? Please. I'll never ask you for anything again."
He frowned, crossed his arms, but said, "How should I deliver them to you?"
"Hide them underneath a bench in the park or something. Just don't give them to me personally."
"Fine. I'll go right away." He put the book away and organized some of the documents on his desk into piles before getting up.
"Wouldn't it be wiser to go tonight?" Akari asked, surprised. "I mean, you shouldn't let anyone see you. That'd be more than suspicious."
He scratched his head. "I thought that the matter was urgent. You shouldn't wait too long before you..." A hand wandered to his face, rubbed along his cheek and forehead as he sighed. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't be in this situation. My behavior was inexcusable and reckless. I don't know what happened to my brains."
A sad smile formed on her lips. "I'm the one who brought us into this situation," she reminded him. "So I should be the one apologizing." He was about to interrupt her when she said, "But the pills are just a precaution. So there's no need to worry. After today, everything will go back to normal."
He nodded. "It's good you came to me. We really shouldn't take any more risks." He cleared his throat, then told her where he'd hide the contraceptives for her to retrieve.
"Thank you," she politely said and slightly bowed.
Tobirama didn't say anything as she left.
Outside, Akari took a moment to lean against the wall behind her. There was no air left in her lungs. She had lost it somewhere in Tobirama's office. Once her legs felt stronger again, she went to her teacher's office. It was an alibi visit more than anything.
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Akari had barely left the Hokage building when she saw Inori approach. Her friend started running as soon as she spotted her. Her arms flew around Akari into a tight embrace once she reached. Akari had to let go of her crutches to return the hug. They fell to the ground, but neither cared.
"I went to your compound as soon as I heard you were back, but they said you had gone to the Hokage office." Inori was speaking fast. Her face was filled with both a deep relief and pain. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
Akari gave her the best smile she could manage. "I was just on my way to you. I'm sorry I couldn't see you yet, but my father was pretty upset last night. Today he made me go thank Lord Tobirama for saving me first thing in the morning."
"No, no. Don't apologise. I'm just so glad you are back." Inori hugged her again. "So, so glad. I was so worried about you, and I felt awful for leaving you and Riku back then. I should have been with you."
Akari rubbed her friend's back. They stayed like that for a bit. Inori's hands remained on Akari's arms even after the hug ended.
Now that she truly got to look at her teammate, she noticed the cut and bruises on her face, and the bandage on her arm.
"Nothing that won't heal again," Inori said when she noticed her concern. She let go of her and picked up the crutches to hand them back to Akari. "What about you?"
"Just a broken ankle and some bruises here and there."
"You need to tell me everything. Are you free?"
Akari nodded. This talk was nothing she was looking forward to, but she knew there was hardly a way around. Inori was perceptive, and out of all the people in Konoha, Inori knew her best. If there was someone who would find out about Tobirama and her, it had to be Inori.
"Should we go to Riku? He's been dying from worry too. He kept thinking it was his fault that they took you."
She nodded. Riku was good at drawing attention away from others and to him. Especially Inori's.
They walked down the road together. Konoha seemed calm and lively at the same time. And while Akari's life felt like it was turned upside down, the village was unchanged. She saw the same trees and benches as they passed the park, the same children playing on the streets next to the school. The same shops, same buildings, and the same wall holding it all together.
Some shinobi they met on their way would stop and talk to them. They'd express their relief that Akari was back and their deep regret that Kagami was gone. Both girls smiled nicely and thanked them for their words.
One time, when they were in a quiet part of Konoha, Akari stopped her friend to speak.
"I'm also sorry about Kagami," she said, and she truly meant it. "I heard last night from Hashirama-sensei. Do you want to talk about it?"
Inori shook her head, but Akari could clearly see the pain in her eyes.
"Are you sure?"
"I don't even want to think about it. All I want is to erase that day from existence. So yes, I'm sure." She forced a smile. "But at least we didn't lose you too."
It wasn't exactly something Akari was too happy about herself. It strengthened her feeling that Tobirama had saved her over the others. It almost felt like she'd been better off being abducted while the others stayed back to fight for their lives. The fact she even ended up enjoying part of their journey back to Konoha sprouted the most guilt in her.
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Riku lived in a traditional-styled wooden house in the outskirts of Konoha. It had been a wedding gift from the Senju clan, whom his wife belonged to. He'd come to Konoha one day with no more than some clothes and a lunch package from his mother. And while his home in Konoha was tiny compared to the huge clan compounds and mansions, it was still more than the average citizen could ever hope to achieve. And a castle for a farmer's boy like Riku.
A clanless boy, taught by Hashirama Senju himself. Hashirama hadn't chosen to take him in simply because of his talent for ninjutsu. He wanted to set an example: not only clans could produce strong shinobi.
And Riku had set an example for sure.
"I don't think he knows yet that you are back." Inori smiled as she knocked on the door.
Riku really didn't know. He opened the door with his elbow as he held a big bowl of dough in his hand, kneading it with his other. Flour stuck to his pants and cheek.
"Is this for real?" he asked before pulling his hand out of dough to go for a hug.
For a second time that day, Akari found herself almost getting squashed by a teammate.
"Couldn't you have washed your hands first?" she murmured, but she didn't actually stop him. Despite getting flour all over her dress as well.
Riku flooded her with questions while inviting them inside. Akari didn't get to answer any of them because Riku kept asking more and more. Sakumo was sleeping in the living room. Inori went straight to his crib to fawn over him.
They all sat down together. Riku and Inori carefully listened as Akari told them of her journey over a cup of tea. The story ended when Tobirama and her reached the Land of Fire.
"I can't believe you two fought Muu too," Riku said. "I hate that guy. I hope Hashirama-sensei will call for his head. He deserves it."
Inori had stayed unusually quiet during Akari's account. Now for the first time she said, "He won't. We breached the neutrality agreement first by crossing the borders without permit to chase after the Jinchuuriki. They'd just render Konoha hostile if our Hokage would ask for amends."
"Has Hashirama-sensei said anything about the matter yet?" Akari asked. She didn't want to come to any conclusions, after all she barely knew what had even happened yet. But what Inori said made sense to her, and she could imagine that the incident would simply be filed as a failed mission. After all, revenge for the death of a single shinobi was not more important than general peace.
"He doesn't have to. It's obvious that Konoha will just have to accept it. And Kagami's death will…" She shook her head, then got up. "There is no use discussing this. Weren't you cooking when we barged in, Riku? Need help with anything?"
"Oh, yeah. Kumi is visiting her parents so I'm preparing lunch for later. Baking some bread for now. But you don't have to help."
"But I want to!"
Riku frowned. "Your cooking is almost as bad as Akari's. I can't feed that to my beloved wife."
"Excuse me?" Both his teammates said in unison.
Riku chuckled, and before they could complain he said, "Actually, if you two could look after Sakumo real quick. I have some things I still need to buy, so I'll go run to the market." He fumbled out a shopping list from his pockets. "I didn't want to wake him so far. You know, sleeping babies are the best."
Inori snatched the list from him. "I'll go buy it. You two can catch up some more." Without wasting any time, Inori vanished and left the house to go shopping. Akari and Riku were left behind in the living room.
Riku sighed. "I hadn't noted down eggs yet."
"Is Inori alright?" Akari carefully asked.
Riku shrugged. "I hope so. She hasn't really talked to me. But Kagami died and you were gone too, so… It's not like I expected her to be alright. Maybe she'll feel better again now that you are back."
"What happened after I was taken by those Iwa shinobi? How did Kagami die?" It was nothing she'd wanted to ask while Inori was present.
He leaned back on the sofa and stared up at the wall. "It all looked doable until that Muu guy appeared."
"From Iwa?"
He nodded. "Everyone from Suna who was still alive was dead a second later. Except for Minoru. We figured out they were after Inori quite quickly, so we tried to protect her, and Kagami too, but we couldn't possibly fight someone we couldn't see."
Akari's heart sank. She could have seen him. If only she'd been there.
"I'm not quite sure what happened then. We fought for a while. Inori, Tobirama's team and me against Muu and his team while Hashirama and Minoru tried to keep Kumo from taking the sixtails. We had Inori and Kagami mostly stay out of the fight to defend themselves from Muu while we got rid of the others." Riku sighed. "I don't know. Maybe they were getting rid of us instead. Next thing I know is that Inori was screaming and Kagami collapsed."
It was silent in the living room. Riku took some time before he continued.
"When Muu tried to take Inori, Hashirama finally gave up on the sixtails and decided to keep her safe instead. But Kagami bled out quickly. There was nothing we could do."
Akari looked down. In the end, they lost both the sixtails and Kagami. And that made it hard to appreciate that everyone else returned to Konoha alive. It could have ended much worse, but it still felt like the worst case scenario.
"At least the fight we won with Hashirama. But once they realised they couldn't get Inori, they settled for Kagami's head. Ran off with it." His breathing became slow and controlled. He put a hand in front of his mouth. "I've never seen a person without a head, Akari. It looked so… wrong."
Akari had. It was quite a common practice when stealing eyes. It ensured they didn't get damaged, and carrying a head was much easier than carrying a whole body. It was the one good part about the caged-bird seal. Enemies stopped bothering since the seal destroyed the eyes anyway after death.
She softly stroked Riku's shoulder.
Sakumo started crying. Riku's attitude immediately changed as his son pulled him away from his thoughts and back to reality. He got up and took him in his arms.
"He must be getting hungry. Kumi should be back soon."
It seemed their conversation was over, at least for now. Akari thought it would be a good moment to say goodbye, and she also had to pay attention to not make Emiko wait. But she couldn't possibly leave before Inori was back.
"Could you hold him for a moment? I need to check on the bread." Riku was already handing the baby to her.
Akari defensively held her hands up in front of her, so he wouldn't simply drop him onto her. She tried to explain she'd rather be the one to do whatever the bread needed her to do, but Riku wasn't really the sensible and considerate type, so she ended up with little Sakumo in her arms anyway. Despite really not wanting to hold him.
The boy looked discontent and there was a big baby frown on his eyebrows. His hands rubbed around his face aimlessly.
Akari was frozen in place. There was something weirdly scary about displeased babies, and it felt like one wrong move or glance would make him cry out at the top of his little lungs.
The sight of the infant reminded her of her last conversation with Tobirama. It let yet another fear grow in her, one that ran much deeper.
Sakumo calmly went back to sleep in her arms.
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A/N:
Hi! Thanks for sticking around for so long :)
I guess this chapter sort of concludes "Part 1" of the story. Spent the last week writing a 15k words outline for the next 10 chapters, haha. So if you are wondering how much more is yet to come, I can tell you: a lot. ... Because somehow my stories always end up longer than expected. Woops.
Next chapter might take a bit longer to upload though since I got a bit of real life stuff to do and this seems like a good point to pre-write a bit.
But yeah, I hope you guys are ready to see a bit of other characters again now that the story is back in Konoha!
Stay safe everyone :)