Echiko checked his backpack for the hundredth time, making sure he had everything he was required to bring. It was a bright and sunny morning outside the window, the bamboo screen glowing as the light tried to invade into his bedroom as he sat atop his futon, fiddling with the wire necklace he now wore around his neck.
Today was a field day for his Academy class. The teacher brought it up a week ahead and kept reminding everyone to get their parents to sign the permission papers to let them go along. Some kids, like the Hyuuga and Uchiha, weren't allowed to go because their clans would not be able to keep a constant watch on them, and it risked too much to have them outside the walls. It was because their dojutsu, or eye techniques, could very easily be stolen by simply gouging out their eyes. He shuddered.
Personally he was glad to get out of the village for the first time since he arrived, Daisuke graciously signing his permission slip as his guardian. He had come to like Konohagakure, but the place felt so sheltered he was beginning to feel irritated with it and he was having dreams again. Dreams of home. Whenever he had dreams of home he became depressed.
He shook his head. Okay! He looked at his bag, knowing in the back of his mind he's been ready for the past half hour, but he still had time before they were required to meet at the Main Gate. He shouldered his backpack and walked into the kitchen, noticing his sister resting in a chair with an apron tied around her swollen belly, her long blue hair loose and draped across the back of the chair.
She's been feeling more and more tired lately. Echiko could see it in the way she walked and talked, though she tried to hide it. Her cheeks were pink, eyelids fluttering as if she were dreaming.
Echiko put a cool hand to her forehead, thankful she didn't seem to have a fever. He remembered when his twin Emiko had a fever, and he would never forget it. Kimi was there still with them at that time. He wondered if she remembered it too.
Kimi's eyes opened slightly, and then she moaned as she straightened herself in the chair. "Ohh... are you heading out, Echiko-kun? Do you need a lunch?"
"No, I'm fine," he responded, hoping she'd be okay while he was gone. She had to be okay.
"Oh right." She rubbed her fingers against her temples, wincing. "...Do you have everything you need?"
"Yeah..."
"How long was it you said that you'll be gone?"
"Three days."
"Well then," she said, wrapping him up in a hug, "Be careful, okay little brother? I'm very proud of you. Have fun."
"I will," he muffled in her shoulder before she let him go, and he paused. "Do you have a headache?"
"Hn? Oh... well, yes," but she smiled at him. "I'll be fine, Echiko-kun. Go on."
"Mother always gave us willow root tea," he said anyway, as he slid open the door.
"Hm. I remember that. I'll have to make some," she answered distractedly. He sighed and shut the door behind him, glancing at the bare plum tree in the front yard as he trotted down the street, heading for the Gate.
From what he knew there were actually three entrances into the Village – the East, South (also known as the Main), and West Gates, the North being where the enormous cliff with the faces on it cut off that side. Though he saw there were stairs that led all the way to the top of the cliff. Maybe he'd check it out sometime.
A few students were early, waiting at the South Gate contentedly, and he spotted the teacher standing beside the guardhouse. The two very same shinobi guards as he had met when he arrived were on post, and they caught sight of him as he walked across the mostly deserted road.
"Hello there," the spiky-haired one waved. "You're the boy who was with Hijame-san that time, right? How are things going?"
Echiko pulled out his permission slip and handed it to his teacher. "Fine..."
"Excellent, Echiko-kun. Thank you," the teacher said after examining the paper and determining Daisuke's signature, peering at his watch. "It'll be about twenty minutes before everyone gets here, so if you've forgotten anything, now's the time to fetch it."
Echiko moved and sat down by the tall pole next to the guardhouse, his bag between his knees, and glanced about. The Gate seemed to tower high into the sky, its walls a formidable barrier yet oddly comforting, as if the brightly painted roof-like canopies stretching the length of the walls and Gate somehow made them appear friendly. The blue sky and chirping birds only added to its warmth, though a cool winter wind brought it back to the reality of it being only hard, cold stone.
The great doors of the Gate were wide open as before, and he wondered if they ever closed them. But he could see the thick trunks of the trees beyond that brought him such awe when he first walked this path. Hijame said they were special trees, created by the First Hokage himself, and if cut down they would grow completely back in a day as if nothing had happened. He almost wanted to cut one down just to test that myth.
An annoying voice cut through his thoughts like cold steel. "Hey, if it isn't spy boy."
Shigeru and his gang of friends walked up to him, ugly backpacks tossed over their shoulders reminding him they were going to be on the trip as well, and he sighed inwardly.
"Just want to let you know, if you're struggling to keep up on this trip, you can always ask us for help," he smirked, and his friends began to laugh.
Echiko didn't say anything, causing Shigeru to crack up even more. "Aw, you don't have to be shy about it. It's just you're such a weakling, we were afraid you might not survive the night out there on your own!" Their laughter died down and he waved in Echiko's face. "Well, if you turn up missing, rest assured we'll look for you. After all, I still believe you're a spy."
They sauntered off to give their permission slips to the teacher, leaving Echiko in much desired peace. Those boys had no idea what it was like to survive. This little field trip won't be anything compared to the hell he lived in those months after the incident. There were many things that happened during that time that he hasn't told a soul about, nor was he going to. Though if they wanted a campfire horror story he sure had a few he could tell that would give them nightmares that night, knowing full well how many sleepless nights he endured to keep his nightmares at bay.
"...Echiko-kun?"
He looked up, startled by the feminine voice of the young girl standing a few feet away, smiling at him. He vaguely recognized her as someone from his class, but he couldn't remember anything about her. Though she had beautiful purple eyes, and the strangest, wavy white hair that fell all the way past her hips even in a ponytail as it was now. She held her bag in front of her, twirling one of its strings with a slender finger as she faced down at him.
"My name's Nya," she introduced herself. "I... just was thinking-well, you see," she faltered suddenly, "I'm not very good at this kind of thing, and I thought... well you seem to know a lot about the outdoors, and-" she bonked her head with a fist as she tried to get her words out, "I was wondering if you could help me a little? I know it's a lot to ask... Heh, I'm just kinda freaking out because this is the first time I've ever gone on a survival field trip like this." She breathed, glancing at Echiko's wide eyes hopefully.
Echiko had no idea what to say. He never dreamed anyone would ask him of all people for help, let alone a girl. "Well, Nya..." He scratched the back of his head, tone quiet. "Aren't you worried... I might let you down?..."
"Of course not," she said seriously. "You're always getting A's in class, and you're very brave to stand up to Shigeru even though he bullies you."
"...I don't really... 'stand up' to him," Echiko responded. More like tolerate, or ignore.
"Yeah, well, my cousin told me how skilled you are, so I believe him."
"Your cousin?"
"Uh huh," she sat down beside him with her back to the pole. "Hatake Kakashi. Hard to believe, I know. My mother and his father are actually cousins, but we call each other cousin anyway."
"Kakashi?" Echiko wondered, the obvious resemblance being their odd white hair, but he hadn't told him about having a younger cousin in his class. Perhaps he thought Echiko already knew about it. "... I see."
"I don't get to see him that often anymore... I hope he's doing okay." She didn't say anything for a few moments as more kids started to gather at the entrance to the Gate. "So the teacher said yesterday it was okay to help each other out... most of the girls were complaining because they didn't want to do it alone. Well, except for Shioku. She's so independent. I wish I could be like her... Anyway, I learn fast, so if we're part of the same team will you help me?" She was smiling again, her smile unexpectedly reminding him of his twin sister. Why?... She's so different, yet...
"I-I guess..." Echiko complied, uncertain. His memories invaded his mind now even when he wasn't trying to think about them. He knew he still had to accept it, accept that his twin sister was dead. But he couldn't... he couldn't forgive it yet. He couldn't forgive himself yet. So they weighed down on him like a half-ton weight, and he towed it wherever he went. He was stuck with it for now.
"Hey, c'mon. It looks like Sensei is gathering everyone up." Nya stuck out her hand and he froze, not knowing how to take her kind gesture. But she just grabbed his motionless hand and pulled him up, still smiling, as she dragged him over to the forming group just as the teacher started calling out, making sure no one supposed to come was missing.
The teacher led the students through the Gate, walking down the road a ways and then turning into the forest, occasionally warning them not to stray from the group. Nya kept close to Echiko toward the back of the line as they twisted around trees and made their way up and down the hills and through the foliage, until they came to a clearing and sat down.
"For three days we will test your survival skills out here in the woods," the teacher began, setting down his own backpack. "This area will be designated as the main camp, and we'll start with learning how to properly pitch the tent in your packs. But before we do so we need to cover some rules. Can anyone tell me what kind of rules you might be expected to follow during an excursion like this?"
A few raised their hands, and one boy spoke out, "Like 'a shinobi must follow their commander's instructions?'"
"Very good, yes. Can you tell me what that rule is from?"
"The... Shinobi Rulebook."
"Correct. I assume all of you have studied the Rulebook, because this is your first field mission and you must treat it with all the gravity of a real mission. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Sensei," the students murmured. He continued.
"The details of the mission are such: During the next three days, you will follow my instructions and will be doing everything from building campfires to foraging wild plants, hunting, swimming, stealth training, scouting, you name it. You have no food in your packs, only the basics of what you'd bring on field missions when you become genin. You were also instructed to bring a tool pouch which we will discuss on it's proper uses as we go along. Now how about we get started..."
Echiko slowly stood as the rest of the students jumped up and started pulling out their tents, claiming spots all around the clearing and a couple fighting over them. When that got out of hand, the teacher determined the girls got the side closest to the wall and the boys had the outside perimeter. Echiko found a nook next to the trunk of one of the enormous trees at the edge of the campsite, and set out the standard issue, thin canvas tent to examine it. It looked easy enough, compared to the thick animal skin tents they made at the rice village for cold weather. Those were heavy and you had to be careful how you added the layers, because if it snows the added weight could break your supports and dump the whole tent on top of you.
He glanced at the short wooden poles and back at the tent fabric. It looked to be a simple triangular design, but it was small so it would only fit the length of one person using their bag as a pillow. From the picture in his head he tied the tent to the poles, and tightening it, he staked it to the ground and glanced back up again. It looked right. He slid underneath and set his bag where his head would be, letting down the fabric on both ends and laying there for a minute. Yeah it was fine, though he wished he had a roll-up futon to make the ground a bit more comfortable.
He crawled out and threw his unopened sleeping bag inside.
"Well I see Echiko-kun is already finished. Very nice."
Echiko turned around, having completely forgot about the teacher showing everyone how to pitch the tents properly. But the man just patted his head and went over to the next boy who was struggling with where his poles were supposed to go. Echiko sighed, relieved. He supposed even the teacher could be flexible when circumstances changed, and that was good. Of course there were some people who couldn't understand the definition of flexible.
"Hey, spy boy, you're sitting on my spot." Shigeru strolled over as soon as the teacher was out of ear shot, his tent not even out of his backpack yet. Amazingly his two buddies who were usually with him were diligently setting up their tents to Echiko's left a little ways down.
"Why don't you go set up your tent by your friends," Echiko suggested, not giving Shigeru even a glance. He busied himself with his pack.
"I can go wherever I want, short-stack," Shigeru pressed, pretending to nonchalantly walk around Echiko and kick one of his poles over. "And I want this spot. So beat it."
"Sorry, but this spot is already taken." Echiko continued to rummage through his pack, if only to busy his hands. He knew Shigeru was getting irritated by his lack of attention. Honestly he didn't care if the bully tore down the whole tent, it wouldn't be much trouble to put it up again, as long as he had the satisfaction of getting one over Shigeru.
"Oh you think so, huh?" He heard him say. "So what if this tent wasn't here anymore?" Bang. "It's not like you're going to be needing it anyway." Bang. "You're probably going to try and make off in the middle of the night, am I right, spy boy?"
"Who's making off in the middle of the night?" The teacher smiled over Shigeru, who froze as he was just about to deal another kick to the tent. Echiko smirked to himself. The teacher saw a whole lot more than he let on.
"Why don't you come with me and we'll talk about respecting people's property, Shigeru-kun," the man continued, picking up the boy by his collar and dragging him off. With a sour face Shigeru spat in Echiko's direction, which only dealt him a bruise on his head before they disappeared into the teacher's tent. The teacher's tent was actually quite large, and Echiko figured was also going to be used as his command center among other things.
"Your tent isn't looking so good," someone stated beside him, bringing him back to the matter at hand. It was Nya.
"...Yeah." Echiko grabbed one of the fallen poles, glad none of the ties were broken. He pushed the stake back into the earth, and feeling a tug from the other side he realized Nya was helping him. "You don't have to..."
"What do you mean? I had a whole bunch of help with mine. It's only fair I help someone else," she replied pleasantly, staking her side nice and tight and standing back up. Except for the boot marks on the fabric, the tent looked as good as before. Echiko re-shouldered his backpack and looked around. "Has Sensei said what we're doing next?"
"I think it was gathering dry wood," Nya said, "He did say we need divide into two-man teams, though. Want to be on my team?"
"Uh... sure." Echiko blinked at the girl as she walked in front of him to stand by the main tent and wait for the teacher's instructions. Why was she doing this? Did she pity him like all the rest so that's why she goes out of her way to do things with him? He just couldn't understand her motive, though he didn't really feel up to asking her about it.
In five minutes the groups separated and it looked as though Shigeru was stuck partnered with the teacher himself, which was actually funny to watch, though Echiko wasn't the kind of person who'd outwardly show it. He followed Nya into the woods, gathering dried sticks as he came across them, until he ended up holding all of them as the girl added to the pile in his arms. She rubbed her hands together, thoughtfully. "With this much wood we could make a bonfire!"
Echiko stared at the pile of twigs. "I wonder..."
"What?"
"Well... making any kind of fire is dangerous. It can compromise your position as it can be seen by enemy ninja even a long distance away."
"Ooh... I didn't think of that," she glanced back. "I wonder if Sensei will broach that."
"I... don't think it matters here, but... on a real field mission," Echiko added. "This is probably enough."
"Okay." Nya met his eyes. "I'm glad you're here. I knew you knew a lot about this kind of stuff."
Echiko didn't say anything, not really sure what he'd say anyway. Inwardly he felt like he knew nothing about survival, but then again before he had no one his age training to be a shinobi to compare himself to. Here... here everyone was different.
"Oh, what's this?"
Echiko peered through his armful of wood, seeing Nya pluck a pretty flower and place it in her hair with a laugh. He didn't really understand girls either. Her personality was almost the opposite of her cousin, Kakashi.
"I think the ten minutes are up," he said, getting her attention again. She hopped up, an apologetic expression on her face as she tried to hide her smile. "Oops." She bounded back the way they came with him trailing after her once again.
The wood was gathered in one great pile off to the side, and the teacher proceeded to demonstrate how to light a fire in several different ways, and also took someone's branch in his hand making sure everyone looked at it. "This branch is wet, and should only be used if you intend to send out a smoke signal, because that's what happens when you use wet wood. Also when you're on missions in other countries you'll find that some types of wood burn with more smoke than others, so you have to be careful with what wood you chose."
Echiko was surprised when Nya raised her hand. "Isn't it dangerous to light a fire at all?"
The teacher set down the piece of wood and nodded. "Actually, yes. Even within our country's borders you shouldn't light a fire unless it is absolutely necessary or you're traveling in a large group. Lighting a fire is like telling the enemy where you are, and in enemy territory it can get you killed. But since this is a training mission we will light a fire for visibility's sake, and for cooking."
Nya glanced at Echiko with an acknowledging smile.
"Now that we have a fire going, let's cover foraging," the teacher took a book and a small pouch from his backpack and motioned for everyone to gather close. "There are hundreds of wild plants that grow in these parts that are good to eat, but there's also just as many that are poisonous, so please pay attention as to what I'm about to say. The most basic rule about gathering wild plants is that wherever there is a poisonous plant, a plant that counters its poison grows within a ten yard radius, and there are look-a-like poisonous plants to most edible plants out there. This book," he waved it in front of our faces, "was covered last year in class, however we'll go through it again. The knowledge you have about wild plants native to different countries will help you survive during your ninja career."
The class was divided into teams again, and Echiko found himself with two students he didn't know well and who completely ignored him as usual, so he focused on the task the teacher gave them. They were each shown an edible plant to find and gather, and also instructions on how to avoid collecting the wrong plant. That seemed simple enough.
"Um... I don't think that's the right one," Echiko pointed out, noticing the boy on his team pluck a plant along with its roots out of the ground. It was similar to the one in the description they were given, but its stem was red and that didn't seem right.
"Who asked you?" the boy replied tersely, ignoring him. He stuffed it into his pouch and went to find a different spot to look, leaving Echiko in indecision. What can he do? If he won't listen then its his own fault.
Echiko checked the leaves of a particular plant, comparing it to his notes before carefully uprooting it and placing it in his bag. As he went along he knew for sure the ones with the red stems weren't the right ones, but as he looked for his teammates they were nowhere to be seen.
"Where'd they go...?" Echiko frowned, seeing nothing but trees and foliage around him. High in the sky the sun peeked through the treetops, showing it was past noon and when they were supposed to return. Perhaps they were already on their way back. But as he turned he felt an uneasiness prick the back of his mind, like somebody was watching him. He quickened his pace, only to trip over his metal foot-piece and almost faceplant into the ground.
"Dude, is the new boy alright?"
Echiko looked up to see another team casually searching for their plants, the boy who spoke staring at him like he was crazy. Did they not feel the strange presence he felt? Maybe he's just overreacting. He picked himself up, suddenly feeling ill. He walked slowly back to camp and retreated into his tent, resting his eyes until all the students returned to camp.

Echiko shot awake, covered in sweat. Inside his tent was dark. His head was swirling, but with some effort he reached for the tent flap past his backpack and pulled it aside. The campfire in the center of the clearing was blazing in contrast to the darkening sky. His eyes widened. It was already evening?
He placed a hand on his warm forehead. How could I have slept for that long? His skin felt hot and tingling, and he realized this happened once before. Of course. How could he have forgotten?
His father's words echoed through his mind. "There are consequences in keeping a summon in our world for a long period of time. Not only does it put a lot of strain on you, the summoner, but also weakens the summon to the point where it has to return to its world on its own and may take time to recover."
It has been over a week since he sent Aizen out, much longer than it should have taken knowing how fast the dragon flies. He just hoped his old friend was okay.
"Are you alright, Echiko-kun?" The teacher was kneeling in front of his tent, a bowl of some sort of stew in his hands.
"Hn? Oh... I guess," Echiko mumbled.
"When I found you earlier today you were running a fever so I thought I'd let you rest." He passed him the bowl. "Don't push yourself too hard."
"I know..." Echiko watched the teacher rejoin the group around the fire where it looked like they boiled many of the plants in a big cauldron that hadn't been there before. He pushed around his spoon, seeing chunks of meat also. He sighed. They probably practiced hunting while he was asleep, and that was one part of the field mission he wanted to do. Oh well. It was only the first day.

The second day had its own adventures.
Echiko fidgeted uncomfortably. He stood on the bank of the calm river, watching some of the boys climb up a steep hill and jump off into the water yelling war cries as they competed to see who could make the biggest splash. The girls were farther down, wanting to avoid getting completely drenched by the boys, and all around there was a lot of noise. This certainly didn't feel like a field mission anymore.
"What's the matter, short-stack?" Shigeru and his friends taunted from the middle of the river. "Why don't you join us? Or maybe the answer is... you can't!" He went under only to surface again closer to the bank. "I bet that's it, am I right? You can't swim, can you?"
Echiko glowered at him and said nothing while the bigger boy pulled himself out and came up to him. "Don't feel bad. I'm sure wherever you came from there wasn't ever any need to learn to swim, right?" Shigeru grinned. "How 'bout I show you how it's done!" He unexpectedly took hold of Echiko's shirt and thrust him forward.
"Hey-wha-!" He was tossed into the water, and he instinctively held his breath, the colorless liquid encompassing him, cutting him off from the world above. Though he could still hear their muffled laughter. He flailed his arms and legs, managing to resurface before his breath ran out. "Gah!"
"Hahaha, how's it going, spy boy?" Shigeru called from the bank. His friends floated farther out, the same mocking grin on their faces irritating him. However he could do nothing about it, it taking all he had to keep himself afloat. His replacement leg weighed him down, dragging him under, growing heavier and harder to move as the seconds passed.
He forced open his eyes. The current was almost visible, shifting the rocks on the riverbed and pulling him farther into the middle of the water where it was deeper. He pushed his arms wildly, the pressure against his lungs choking him until his head bobbed up again at the surface. He coughed, water in his throat. He was tiring quickly.
"S-stop! Help-help me!" Echiko cried, floundering once more. He couldn't keep himself up for much longer. Where were Shigeru and his buddies? His mind was getting hazy. He heard someone's voice behind him, too muffled by the water for him to tell what it was saying. Where was everyone?
A pair of arms abruptly grasped him around the waist, forcing him back up above the water and dragging him onto the bank as Echiko gasped for air.
"Stupid," he heard his rescuer mutter, rolling to his side. It took a few moments for his vision to clear and he was still coughing violently until he recognized the boy beside him. The boy's feral eyes glared at him, two deep red fang marks painted onto his tanned cheeks, his dusty brown hair dripping wet droplets onto his scowling face. "You stupid cripple. What were you doing!?"
It was the boy who sat next to him most days in class. What was his name...? "Uh..." Echiko wiped his eyes but it didn't help. "Th-they... threw me in..." He glanced around but the bullies were nowhere in sight. It looked as if no one noticed what had happened at all.
"Figures," the boy responded flatly.
Echiko was shivering. "Wh-why did you... help me?"
"Because you were drowning, dummy." He stood up. "Don't go thinking we're friends or anything. I don't want to have to save your sorry ass more than can be helped." He cocked his head back at Echiko. "And you might as well kiss being a ninja goodbye if you can't learn how to swim."
The boy stalked off and Echiko lowered his damp head. He was right. How can he call himself a ninja if he can't even swim? He stared at his metal foot like he could bore holes through it with his eyes. How can he do this? Without his real leg or that chakra conducting metal Hijame talked about, everything people do normally is a struggle for him. He becomes a burden to his teammates, and a burden to his whole class.
I knew this would happen. He staggered up, still soaking wet and shivering, and walked back to camp hoping no one would notice him. Of course, it was either no one or everyone.
"Hey, look at the new boy. He seems exceptionally depressed today."
"Well he is soaking wet."
"I heard he can't swim."
"If he can't swim then why is he wet?"
"How am I supposed to know? I'm just telling you what I heard."
"Hey guys, cut him some slack. At least he tried."
"You're all stupid. He was obviously dunked. Who would purposely go swimming with all their clothes on?"
Echiko crawled into his tent, away from the staring eyes, away from the voices, and ripped off his wet clothes. He rummaged through his backpack for his spare set, glad at least no one had stolen them too. He was almost expecting it.
He was changing when his ears caught a commotion outside. It was quiet at first, but it seemed to get louder like all the kids were gathering around the campfire. Did the teacher call everyone together? He hurried, slipping his pant leg over the metal foot-piece and quickly tossing his damp hair with a towel, combing through the slightly tangled ends with his fingers as he crawled out of the tent. He was stopped short when his eyes caught a growing circle of students surrounding something across the clearing.
"Keep it hemmed in!"
"What is it?"
They were shouting at whatever it was, and a few were throwing rocks that were answered with an unsettling screeching sound and a whirl of wind that was undoubtedly familiar to Echiko.
Leave me alone, you brats! I'll eat you in your sleep!
Aizen? Echiko heart suddenly throbbed in his chest and he rushed over, pushing aside those who were in his way and he cried out, "Stop it!"
The hands that were raised froze and the students hushed as Echiko rolled in front of the victimized creature and thrust out his arms. "Don't hurt it!" He gasped, and he blinked at their dumbstruck faces.
Took you long enough, Master! Aizen sneezed behind him. I say we should pummel these guys and teach them a lesson!
"You know what that is?" One of them spoke out.
"Yes... if you'll let me explain-" Echiko began, when Shigeru shoved into view, his face twisted with disgust. "Can't you guys see? He's a spy! That – creature – is what he's using to send information about Konoha to the enemy!"
His classmates looked from Shigeru to Echiko and back.
"Wait... what?-No!" Echiko's eyes widened with urgency. "You've got it all wrong!" Echiko was definitely not in an advantageous position right now, and Aizen was just sitting there, probably wanting to see where this was going to go. Why on earth did he show up like this?
"Don't dig yourself deeper, short-stack. You can't hide it anymore!" Shigeru spat, pointing his finger at his chest. "Do you guys believe me now?"
The group was in indecision, though obviously Shigeru had his two buddies for support. One picked up a small stone and tossed it up and down in his hand before chucking it at Echiko unexpectedly with a cry of, "Down with the spy!"
Echiko instinctively braced himself for the impact, horror written all over his face. They would go so far as to throw rocks at me...? A few seconds passed but he felt no impact from the stone. Cautiously, he opened his eyes and noticed the protective wing drawn over his head as Aizen gripped his shoulder with his claws, hissing. How dare you!... The dragon flapped its wings, screeching angrily, and was about to let out a giant whirlwind from its mouth when Echiko placed a hand on its neck.
"No, Aizen," he said softly. He could see the mixed emotions in his classmates' faces, mostly completely astonished by Aizen's speed and protectiveness, let alone the boy who dared to throw a rock at him.
The dragon calmed down but stayed wrapped around his shoulders, tail flicking, when a commanding voice abruptly joined the commotion.
"That creature is a summon, if I'm not mistaken." Echiko jerked his head up, seeing the teacher standing over everyone looking like he had seen the whole debacle and was disapproving.
"Y-yes, sir..."
Shigeru broke in. "Sensei, he's a spy! He's-"
"I've heard your accusations before, Shigeru, now I believe Echiko has a right to defend himself."
Everyone grew quiet again, and Echiko gulped. He hated being the center of attention.
Humph, it's not like I have to explain myself, Aizen huffed. Echiko felt like glaring at him. You're the one that got us into this mess, he responded mentally.
That's because you weren't answering me! What were you doing, sleeping?
Echiko ignored it and met the teacher's eyes. "This is Aizen, my dragon summon."
"That's a dragon?" One student blurted.
"I thought dragons were legend..."
The teacher held up his hand for silence. "Echiko-kun is of the Nakayama Clan," he stated. "They alone have had the rare ability to communicate with and summon dragons long before the word shinobi even existed. Now I hadn't said anything before because this fact is highly confidential, but you all have taken this too far." His tone grew dangerously dark. "I can't believe my own students would throw stones at a comrade! Because of this, all of you will be digging trenches for the rest of the day. Shigeru, Echiko, come with me."
He immediately walked off to the main tent, and Echiko had no choice but to follow behind a muttering Shigeru as the rest of the students moaned about the digging. It seemed like the teacher was rather mad. It was hard to tell sometimes, though he was frowning deeply when he spoke to them.
Aizen, why didn't you return to your world when you were done? He thought.
Because this is important.
Well it's going to have to wait now... He entered the tent for the first time, his gaze drawn to the low table in the middle of the floor where the teacher motioned for them to sit down. He seated himself across from them and there was a bit of silence before he spoke. "You two haven't gotten along well since the first day. I'd like you to settle your differences here and now, am I clear?"
"That's not possible, Sensei," Shigeru grumbled.
"Tell me, Shigeru-kun," the teacher replied seriously, "what do you know of Echiko other than what I just explained about his clan?"
"I-"
"Do you know why he's here? Did you know his family was killed and his whole village was wiped out, that he's been surviving on his own since then? Tell me what you know about Echiko-kun, Shigeru."
Echiko had no idea his teacher knew anything about what happened. Did Daisuke or Hijame tell him? Of course they did... They probably thought he needed someone who understood his predicament to watch over him. In that regard Echiko was grateful, but why was he telling it to Shigeru? What would be the purpose- His thought stopped short when he caught the bully's hesitation to answer the teacher's prodding, and he shifted his eyes, seeing Shigeru was staring at the table, his hands balled into fists.
"I... didn't know," the boy said reluctantly.
"No, you didn't, but that doesn't mean you can make up facts to support your far-fetched belief that he's a spy." The teacher paused, turning to Echiko and adding, "I'm sorry for not asking your permission first to explain all this, Echiko-kun."
"N-no, it's fine..." Echiko said.
"Can you tell me why your summon appeared rather unexpectedly today?"
"Well..." Echiko shot a look at Aizen. "I sent it home to find something last week... I didn't realize when it came back."
"Did it find what you were looking for?"
The dragon rustled on Echiko's shoulder, drawing their attention. No... I couldn't find the Scroll, Master.
"What?" Echiko exclaimed, and then remembering he was the only one who could hear Aizen, "Oh... it said it couldn't find it..." So I was right?... Aizen, were you able to tell if someone took it? What was so important that you had to fly back?
Geez, one question at a time. I'll tell you, I'll tell you. It lowered its long neck. I searched the entire area but I couldn't find a trace of the Contract's scent. Whoever took it wasn't just some bandit. He was skilled enough to remove the seals without setting them off and mask his scent, and from what I can tell it looks like it was stolen only shortly after the place was destroyed. Smoke blew out of its nostrils. I was able to trace Master Takahiro's scent, though vaguely.
"You were able... to trace Father?" Memories flooded into his mind as he recalled his father's body was never found. What did that mean?
I wish you would've summoned me right after it happened while the scents were still fresh, Echiko-sama.
I know, and I'm sorry...
Yes, well, I tracked his scent up the mountain path. All trace of him stopped where that big boulder is by the cliff – you know, that spot where you can look all the way down into the valley and see the whole village?
Yeah.
I couldn't find his body, but I did find this... The dragon alighted onto the table and spat something into Echiko's hand. It only took a moment for Echiko to realize what it was. It was Father's hair tie.
Ever since he was little he wore one as well, a band tied around a tuft of hair on the right side of his face. It was traditional for the men of the house to wear, only Echiko had lost his own in the incident. He carefully unraveled it, noting its beautiful red, orange, and purple tones that were slightly damp with Aizen's saliva but that didn't really matter. His eye caught something rolled up with the fabric.
"Is that a miniature scroll?"
Echiko had almost forgot about the others in the room. The teacher was bent over the table, patiently watching him, and Shigeru glancing his way every once in a while out of curiosity. What was hidden in the band did indeed look like a tiny scroll, maybe half the size of his pinky finger, and he pulled it out and set it in front of everyone. Aizen, do you know what this is?
No idea.
"How do you read it?..." Echiko wondered.
"Oh, the scroll isn't actually that size," his teacher commented. "You have to preform a certain set of hand seals in order to activate it and return it to its original shape. It's a trick we use to prevent information from getting into the hands of the enemy. Though I'm afraid I can't help you with that. You will have to figure out what sequence was used on your own, Echiko-kun."
Figure out the sequence on his own... what combination of seals would his father have used? What was even inside this little scroll? A message, or a secret code?
The man stood up, motioning to the both of them. "Why don't you take it home with you after the field trip is over and work on it then, alright? Can you two work together now? I have a special assignment I'd like the both of you to do."
"Oh... yeah," Echiko responded distractedly.
"Seal of Reconciliation, first."
Shigeru huffed, but he stuck out his hand like on the first day when they sparred, and Echiko joined his two fingers with his in a passive handshake.