Chapter 2: The Hasegawa Family
A/N: I completely forgot to end the chapter the last time with an ending note, my bad. I was so eager to post the chapter I forgot to add my parting notes to it; but that's over now. I want to at least attempt to make this story consistent with updates, so by the time this chapter is posted to the public, chapter 3 should be at least started with. So, in case you missed out on chapter 1, or maybe didn't read it completely, here's what you missed:
Yorukō became a jōnin, Yuina and Kori became Tokubetsu jōnins, Sayuri was installed as a shinobi of the village, Aya having a chance to enroll in the academy. Before the group left, Yorukō set eyes on Danzō Shimura, an elder of the village who holds nothing but suspicion and contempt for the Frost Shinobi, even going as far as to set a spy on the group. Chapter ends with Yorukō's desire to one day kill his father.
I hope you guys have just as much fun reading this as I have with writing it. That being said, let's get into the chapter, shall we?
"Did…did I hear you right, Yorukō?" Sayuri asked in an unusually calm tone: "That you intend on going back to the Frost to kill your father?"
"That is what I said, yes." Yorukō answered. Before he could continue, he felt a hard punch to his jaw from his mother, causing him to fall to the floor and hold his jaw in pain. Yuina and Kori looked at the pair in horror as the situation got a lot worse than it already was.
"What the hell was that for?!" Yorukō asked his mother angrily before seeing tears run down her face.
"You…just don't get it, do you?" Sayuri shouted at her son, kneeling to grab her son by the collar before looking him in his eyes: "What makes you so obsessed with death? What causes you to make decisions like this?! Don't you care about anyone that cares about you?!"
"Of course, I care!" Yorukō shouted back: "Why else would-"
"No, you don't."
Sayuri, Yorukō, and Kori all turned to look at Yuina, tears of her own beginning to swell: "Sayuri-san is right, Yorukō-kun. You don't care about us."
"What do you mean by that, Yuina?" Yorukō asked, not adding the suffix at the end.
"Let me answer that for her, Yorukō." Sayuri said, bringing the boy's attention back to her: "You of all people know that your father is a lot stronger that he lets on, and to top it all off, you've never even fought him at his full power. What honestly makes you think you can beat him?"
"I-" Yorukō started before being cut off by his mother.
"You know that fighting that man is a death sentence, and you still wish to fight him? Tell me, what kind of person cares for their loved ones by sacrificing themselves?!" Sayuri screamed.
"Because I'm a shinobi." Yorukō answered.
"W…What?" Everyone asked in unison.
"I know that even at my current strength, taking into account the jutsus I've learned and developed, it still wouldn't be nearly as enough to defeat my father." Yorukō admitted, a tear of his own beginning to form in his left eye: "That's why… That's why I must get stronger than I already am so I can still protect everyone I love and care about."
"But you have us, Yorukō-kun." Yuina stated, pointing at the other two women: "We can aid you whenever you need to."
"That's the problem, Yuina-chan." Yorukō said: "Do you know what would happen if I lost any of you?" The teen gently took his mother's hand from his collar before slowly getting up from his spot, wiping the lone tear from his eye: "I don't fight for myself, I have you guys to come back home to; should anything happen to you guys when we're all on a mission together…I-I don't know what I'd do. I've already lost my mother once…"
Sayuri looked away in sadness when her son said that.
"…I nearly had to kill Kori…"
Kori flinched when she remembered that mission.
"…and you, Yuina-chan. Imagine if you were actually apprehended by the Taiyōkage, even if we weren't in a relationship then, I'd pull ALL the stops necessary to come and rescue you from the Frost Village, even if that makes me an international criminal."
Yuina shuddered at that possibility.
"Finally, we're forgetting Aya. Even though I basically melted her village, the only way I can atone my cruel act by making sure she's loved a wonderful life and made the best of it, regardless of what she wants to do." Yorukō finished.
"Hold on, we're forgetting someone.' Kori interjected: "Where does that leave you?"
"That's the thing, Kori. If I die protecting the futures of you guys, and even for the Frost Village, then so it shall be." Yorukō explained: "Although, that isn't my plan in general. However, at the end of the day, remember that we're all shinobi. This is the life we chose to live and abide by. We only have two possibilities as shinobi, as far as our end goes. We either die in battle for a just or unjust cause, or, if we're lucky, we get to retire from the shinobi life and die on our own accord."
"As much as I'd hate to agree, you're right, Yorukō." Sayuri said: "Spoken like a true shinobi."
"That still doesn't excuse you from wanting to do everything on your own, Yorukō-kun." Yuina told her boyfriend: "We're all a team. If we need to get stronger, we all get stronger together. Yeah, I get it. You're the strongest one out of our group, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you rank amongst the top 15, if not the top 10 strongest shinobi in this village."
Yorukō looked at his girlfriend in awe as she continued: "We may not be able to match up to you in raw strength, chakra, jutsus, or even diplomacy, but let us help you however best way we all can. After all, we're a team, a package deal. Wherever you go, unless we all die, we're always going to be beside you. I'm going to always be beside you."
Kori and Sayuri nodded at Yuina's words towards Yorukō.
"We may not agree with your desire with killing your father, at least I know I don't – but we can still support you the best way we can! So please, don't take the burden of things and place it on yourself." The teenage girl pleaded.
Yorukō chuckled to himself. He looked at his girlfriend before glancing at his mother and Kori before laughing to himself, confusing everyone around him. The laughing continued for a good minute before the teen controlled himself, wiping a tear from his eye and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"You guys… thank you." Yorukō said, looking at the three women in front of him: "I needed that more than you could ever imagine."
"Anytime, just remember that we're a team now." Yuina said.
"That reminds me, Yuina." Yorukō said, looking at the girl: "I couldn't help but notice how much your mood had shifted when Tsunade placed us on the same team. Is there something you're also hiding from us?"
Kori and Sayuri also looked at the girl, curious at the revelation.
"I…It's something I'd really not want to talk about right now." Yuina answered, dodging the conversation.
"I may have an idea of what she may be hiding, but I won't press into it here." Yorukō thought to himself.
"Um…" a voice called out: "You're home now, sensei?"
Everyone turned to find the source of the new voice. Soon enough, everyone's gaze was fixed on the arrival of the young girl, Aya. She wore the robe Guren had given her a year prior, the difference being this time is her black hair flowing down her back, giving full view of her dark emerald eyes. These eyes looked at the three ladies before stopping at her sensei, the young girl walking towards her sensei.
"Yeah, I'm home no-" Yorukō said before Aya ran towards him before tackling the teen onto the floor, stars forming in her eyes.
"Can we train today? Can we? Can we?" Aya eagerly asked.
"Someone's ready to train." Kori mused.
"Almost like she couldn't wait." Yuina added.
"I can't train you right now, Aya." Yorukō admitted, causing Aya to get off her sensei with a downtrodden look in her eyes.
"But…but you promised!" Aya pouted.
"I know, but it's not like I said I wouldn't train you today, just not right now." Yorukō explained before getting up: "Besides, we have your birthday party to plan for soon. Aren't you turning nine this year?"
"Yup!" Aya answered with a wide grin.
"Then we have to get to planning soon, don't we?" Yorukō asked his student: "Did you even get us a list of things you may want?"
Aya shook her head at her sensei, her smile never leaving her face: "I don't really want anything, sensei. When you saved me from that scary man and asked me to become your student, I was happy. Seeing the legendary Hidden Leaf Village with my own two eyes and being around people that love me is more than I could ever imagine."
"Aya, you…" Sayuri said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Yorukō placed his right hand atop his student's head, a smile forming on his face. He looked at Aya, a feeling of pride beginning to swell within him. The young girl innocently stared at her mentor, the girl earning a pat on the head as her reward.
"Aya, without even realizing it, you're the one that always brightens up situations. Even when we were here a year ago and had our problems then, anytime you show up, we always get at ease. That's why…" Yorukō thought to himself before being broken from his stupor when Aya's raised her hands to rest on his own.
"You have heavy hands, sensei." Aya remarked, looking at the teen.
Everyone began giggling towards Yorukō at the girl's comment, the latter taking his hands off the girl's head in pure embarrassment, a small blush spreading across the boy's face.
"Well, I think we've been outside for a bit too long, wouldn't you all agree?" Sayuri asked. Everyone nodded at her words before everyone made for the door to their home, Aya being the first to enter, followed by Kori, Sayuri, and then Yuina. Before the teenage girl went inside, she noticed her boyfriend looking at her with concern in his eyes.
"Is there something wrong, Yorukō-kun?" Yuina asked, slightly confused.
Yorukō nodded his head at the girl: "Yeah. Before we join them, mind walking with me somewhere?"
"Yeah, sure!" Yuina answered.
The teenage boy turned to the others, Kori, Sayuri, and Aya all being inside the house: "We'll be back soon. Try not to burn the house down while we're gone, okay... Kori?"
Kori scoffed at the jab: "Yeah, right!"
"Yuina-chan, grab hold of my shoulder." Yorukō instructed. Yuina nodded, taking hold of the boy's left shoulder while Yorukō began making hand seals. The two glowed in a white light before disappearing from the compound and arriving atop Tsunade's head on the Great Stone Faces.
"Yorukō-kun, this is…" Yuina commented as she lifted her hand off her boyfriend's shoulder. She noticed as he sat down on the head and looked forward into the daytime light. He gestured to the spot beside him with his right hand, prompting the teenage girl to sit beside him. As she sat, she couldn't help but appreciate the cool breeze hitting her body, her hair flowing in the breeze.
"What's wrong, Yuina-chan?" Yorukō suddenly asked the girl: "When Tsunade placed us on the same team, you were elated, but at the same time, you were bothered by something – wouldn't be a stretch to say you were scared."
"That…I…" Yuina said slowly, as if she is carefully forming the next couple of words.
"Does it have to do with when we were originally in a team back home?"
There. It was finally said. Yuina looked at her boyfriend in amazement, as if she couldn't believe the words that had just left his mouth. She was almost certain that, since it's been a year since the incident, Yuina was certain that Yorukō had forgotten about that fateful incident, or at the very least moved past it. She could not stop the tears forming in her eyes before burying her head in his chest, allowing the tears to run freely down her cheeks.
"I…I really wanted us to be a team, Yorukō-kun. More than you could ever imagine." Yuina stated, the tears only getting more and more with the boy's shirt beginning to get wet – not that he minded of course: "But…But when Tsunade added….us to the same team… I remembered that night…what you ended up doing…"
Yorukō grimaced at the memories of that night.
"There…there were days before I defected when I questioned…why? Why did you do it?" Yuina asked out loud while using her hand and slightly pounded into his chest: "Why didn't you leave normally…there were ways to leave freely!" Yuina sobbed, removing her head from Yorukō's chest with red eyes: "Why didn't you just take me with you?!"
"Yuina…I-" Yorukō started before being cut off by the girl.
"I…get it. We weren't together then, but I almost had the resolve to confess to you! When I heard the meeting that you had with the Taiyōkage, my heart dropped. Everything I planned and hoped for would be for nothing! Nothing!" Yuina ranted, more tears running down her face.
Yorukō brought the girl into a deep embrace after her last rant. Although the boy thought things were good between them, which they have been for the most part, he realized that his girlfriend, someone he considered to be one of his pillars, suffered the most from his selfish actions and kept it to herself for the better part of one, almost two years.
"Yuina-chan." Yorukō started: "I didn't realize how much hurt you've been going through because of my selfish actions. I just didn't have it in me to ever say this at the time, but I'm truly and honestly sorry for the pain I caused you over the past year. Bringing you with me was something I did consider, but I was unwilling to put you through what I went through as I left the first time. Losing you back then, even now, is something I'd never want to even think about."
Yuina stayed silent as he continued: "However, back then, even now, there's two things that has always stood out to me. The first thing is that you're completely right: why did I have to defect the village just to see the world for my own two eyes? But even so, why target you and the others?" Yorukō shook his head with a small smile: "Well, I suppose that doesn't matter now, does it? What matters is that I made my loving girlfriend that I don't deserve – at all – sad and upset at me, so what can I do to fix that?"
"Well… with everything that's been going on recently and over the last year, we haven't been on a date since we became a couple." Yuina said. Yorukō knew exactly where this was going.
"A da…da…date?" Yorukō stammered.
"Do you not want to?" Yuina pressed.
"I-It's not t-that…" Yorukō struggled to answer: "It's more like, I've n-never been on one before."
Yuina's tears slowly subsided before giggling to herself: "You mean, the infamous, crazy strong, desirable man called Yorukō Hasegawa hasn't been on a date before?"
"Exactly!" Yorukō admitted: "Well, if you don't include the time I was 'with' Kori…then no."
Yuina flinched at the memory of Kori when she recalled how she and Yorukō became a… 'couple', so to speak.
"Well…I've never been on a date before myself." Yuina confessed, causing Yorukō to look at her incredulously.
"You're kidding!" Yorukō exclaimed: "Someone as beautiful as you have never been on a date before?"
Yuina blushed at the Yorukō's question before shaking her head: "No, the only person I've really had a romantical connection with was you, Yorukō-kun."
Yorukō chuckled to himself, tightening the grip he had on his girlfriend: "Well, I'm honored you chose me to be your first boyfriend, I really am. As much as I don't know about dates, I'm going to try my best to make it something you'll never forget, okay?"
Yuina nodded, enjoying the embrace the two are sharing: "Okay! Although…could we stay like this for a little while longer?"
"Yeah, let's stay for a while longer." Yorukō answered. "Let's stay like this forever…"
A/N: Another chapter is done! I'm trying to push for a weekly release on most chapters, still working out things as I go along. I do want to say in advance that the next chapter will most likely not be posted next week, for I'll just work on getting the next two chapters done which'll kickstart the first arc to the fullest. This chapter wasn't supposed to go the way I had wanted it to, but when I started writing the first part of it, it only felt right with writing it in this way.
This is most definitely one of the shorter chapters I've ever written, but I felt that this could also be an equally important chapter to the plot – I want to focus more on character building and progress in this story and possibly fixing a lot of plot holes, retcons, and unexplained things in the first part of the story by doing it here.
Well, that's enough of me ranting; hopefully you guys enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I'll see you all in two weeks, hopefully.