Niisama... He's been on a mission for 4 days already.
A nine-year-old child sighed as she was walking in the woods alone, pouting a little.
No.
Alone might not be the appropriate word to describe the situation.
She would have been truly alone if only her bodyguard, the overprotective Gekkamaru, hadn't been observing her from nearby, of course.
Suddenly, she heard something shifting in the bushes. Without hesitation, a twelve-year-old young boy jumped in front of Enju out of nowhere and prepared to unsheathe his weapon at any second.
"Enju-sama! It could be dangerous! Stay behind me."
Enju was not surprised that she was being followed again. Gekkamaru had been chosen to be her exclusive bodyguard a year ago, when he was eleven. He was overprotective to extreme lengths, which annoyed Enju sometimes.
She frowned behind him as Gekkamaru focused on his senses, his eyes cautiously staring at the bush in front of them.
"Who is it?! Show yourself now!"
He shouted and brought his arm in front of Enju as a protective shield.
Something jumped out all of the sudden. Gekkamaru moved forward, preparing to deal with whatever would appear in front of them－
He stopped abruptly as he widened his eyes, totally dumbfounded by the sight in front of him.
"A... r-rabbit?"
He couldn't believe his eyes.
"Gekkamaru... you're going to scare the poor rabbit..."
"E-Enju-sama! Are you injured?"
Gekkamaru quickly turned to Enju, asking her this question with massive concern, all while observing any injuries that she might have had.
"How could I possibly be injured by seeing such a cute rabbit?"
"... Enju-sama, I'm glad you're okay."
"I had a feeling you were following me again. Now that you're here, instead of staying out of my sight, you might just as well walk beside me, Gekkamaru."
"You should have told me you were going to practice ninjutsu so that I could protect you in any case of emergency! I was looking everywhere for you and I was worried!"
"That is why I didn't tell you..."
Enju murmured to herself.
"Enju-sama, Chōjirō-dono is away today. You know that too, right? That makes all the more reason I need to be here!"
The boy exclaimed.
He couldn't understand why she wouldn't let him stay with her when he was her one and only bodyguard.
"..."
The girl fell silent, unsure of what to say to him. It wasn't that she hated him or something, but…
I want to be alone now…
"Why are you practicing again? Haven't you already practiced a ton yesterday? You might burn yourself out!"
"You know why, Gekkamaru. I want to further polish the ninjutsu niisama taught me and be sent off to a mission eventually! You know it! I've always wanted to actually use the skills I've learnt from niisama! Just like Kyara and the others!"
"...But... Enju-sama, I'm just worried about your fatigue."
"I'm sure skipping training sessions isn't something to be praised. I always see niisama practice everyday, and that's what I'm aiming for! I can't slack off from training if I want to be as strong as niisama! Also... when niisama comes back, I want to show him how much I've improved, then he'll..."
Enju smiled to herself unconsciously as she muttered the last words.
"...?"
Gekkamaru looked at Enju with a confused expression as they had finally arrived at the training grounds, the outskirts of the Kōga village, where Chōjirō taught his disciples ninjutsu.
"I'll start practicing now! Oh Gekkamaru, can you prac..."
Enju paused her sentence as she shook her head.
'No way Gekkamaru will be willing to throw shurikens at me to help me practice... I might as well give up.'
"Enju-sama?"
"Nothing. Gekkamaru. You can watch me from there instead! Don't interrupt me! Okay?"
"Yes, Enju-sama."
...
"I'll try my best not to interrupt..."
He muttered to himself.
Just like Gekkamaru said, I don't need to practice today because niisama is on a mission. But when I practice more and improve my skills, niisama always praises me by patting my head... whenever he does that, it makes me feel assured, and also I feel... I've got his recognition, and that alone makes me feel satisfied and happy...
Sunset had arrived.
The two children were returning to the Kōga village.
"Enju-sama, you must be exhausted. Let's go grab some water from the river to replenish all the water you've lost in your body today!"
"Mm."
"When we return, Kyara and the others will be there too! They should've already returned from their mission!"
"Mm."
Despite how Gekkamaru attempted to cheer her up, her gloomy expression remained. She sat glumly near the riverside, looking out… to a very distant place.
"Enju-sama…"
The young boy eventually fell silent after his constant talking, giving up. She was drinking water silently.
A year ago when Enju was eight years old and Gekkamaru became her bodyguard, Kuroyuki, Gekkamaru's younger brother, had been sent off far away from the Kōga village for training purposes. Kuroyuki was mischievous and he always enjoyed sticking around Enju and pranking her.
If Kuroyuki was here, maybe he could pump up Enju-sama's mood effectively... more than I.
Gekkamaru seemed to be disappointed at himself as he glanced over her gloomy face.
Enju's gaze went back to the river, blinking her big blue eyes moderately, still pouting.
After a while, she finally stood up.
"Let's go, Gekkamaru."
"Yes, Enju-sama."
"Enju! You're back! I thought you would be here as long as we returned! Did you go and do some training again?"
Kyara asked as Ennosuke and her were already at the table, preparing to dive in at any time.
"Yes Kyara I did. How was the mission today?"
The young girl asked as she smiled a little. She was always excited to hear about journeys she couldn't experience. Listening to their journeys was like listening to stories. They sounded intriguing and fun to her, because she rarely left the village. Everyone in Kōga treated her with special care and respect because she was the daughter of Kandō Ueno, her father, from the Kōga clan; and Kagari, her mother, from the Iga clan. Everyone called her ohiisama (princess) because she was a symbol of peace between the two clans which once fought against each other. Despite all the protection received, Enju wasn't pleased to see everyone treated her with such special concerns.
Gekkamaru was relieved when he finally saw her usual elated expression. The times when she got to listen to topics related to shinobis and missions, he realised: it just further proved how hard-working she was, like Chōjirō.
"Ennosuke was being super mean to me! He said I was fatter than any of the girls in the Main Street of Wakasa! How could a guy say that to a girl?! Right, Enju?!"
"I- I was just speaking the truth…!"
Ennosuke retorted.
"Ouch!"
Kyara put her chopsticks down and gave Ennosuke a strong punch in the stomach.
"Suits you!"
"..."
"Hahaha!"
Enju laughed.
"Enju…! Shouldn't you ask me whether I'm okay? And Kyara! You... wicked woman!! Ah fine whatever! You're the slimmest girl I've seen! Okay??"
...
"Enju-sama, it's bedtime. Chōjirō-dono has asked me in advance to send you to sleep. Come."
The twelve-year-old led the nine-year-old to her room. From others' point of view, it would seem funny how one escorted the other even though they were just children.
Enju returned to her gloomy expression when she walked past her cousin's bedroom.
Noticing this, Gekkamaru spoke gently as he opened Enju's shōji.
"Chōjirō-dono said he would arrive tomorrow, you know that right?"
"E-eh..? I- I know that. Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?"
Embarrassment was always taking over her when someone could guess what she was thinking about.
"I just want to reassure you!"
The young boy said, a huge smile on his face. He walked away after Enju stepped into her room.
No one should know I miss seeing Chōjirō-niisama! Why did Gekkamaru know? How did he know...?
She thought as she hid her head inside the blankets, pouting again.
Niisama is always diligent to his missions. I really hope to become a strong shinobi like him one day. If I could ever go on a mission with niisama one day... that'd be...
The young girl fell asleep as drowsiness occupied her thoughts.
"Yo Enju! Training again?"
Ennosuke stretched his arms and yawned.
"Yes! I'm going to the woods to practice! Do you want to join me?"
She was having a hard time hiding her enthusiasm.
"Well... maybe not today. I'm still tired after carrying out the mission yesterday!"
"Okay, see you then!"
Enju was smiling, looking forward to seeing Brother Chōjirō today.
She wanted to go out to the woods early because she wanted to see him first, before anyone else. She wanted to be the first person to greet him warmly from his mission, and the best way to do that was to wait for him at their usual training grounds.
Enju swung her body and performed a high jump, trying to execute a part of the special ninjutsu Brother Chōjirō taught her: Hyakka shōfūren.
She spread the flower petals in the air as she jumped high, and tried to land on the ground safely. This ninjutsu hadn't been taught to her completely yet, but Brother Chōjirō told her to practice only this section first in order to handle the full technique completely, which he would teach her later on, when she had improved her footwork and would be able to land on the ground with a certain stability. After that, he would then teach her how to attack her target before landing her feet on the ground safely.
"I did it! My feet landed on the ground with more balance than last time!"
Enju panted as she lay on the lawn happily with her eyes closed, her chest moving up and down along with her breath.
Would niisama pat me on the head this time...? Would he tell me I've done a nice job?
Thoughts as such went through her mind as she smiled innocently.
As her mother had passed away, while her father, Kandō Ueno, rarely showed any care for his own daughter, Enju always found that the time she spent with her cousin, Chōjirō Momochi, was assuring and precious. He was her only family besides her father. Chōjirō had always been teaching and taking care of her, and his disciples- who were her friends. Despite everyone finding him a bit intimidating sometimes, they knew he was just being diligent to his missions. Enju admired him a lot and always wanted to become a competent shinobi like him one day, she wanted to be strong and worthy.
As she was thinking about Brother Chōjirō, she heard quick footsteps from afar, rising in crescendo.
Enju immediately opened her eyes and was ready to stand up when－
"ENJU-SAMA!"
This time, it was Enju who was dumbfounded.
The young Gekkamaru was panting heavily, relieved to have finally found his princess. He was still in his nagajuban. One of his hands was holding his burgundy-coloured kimono. He looked like he wasn't fully awake yet with his messy bed hair.
"Ge-Gekkamaru...!?"
"I... I knew... you would be here! I... I thought you... N...nevermind. Excuse me... f..for being unprepared... Enju-sama. I... I'm just... s..so glad... to see you... safe!"
The young boy panted heavily as he lay down on the lawn too, next to her.
"S...sorry Enju-sama. I...I... am... just... tired. My eyes aren't fully... awake yet..."
It was just a little bit after dawn. The sun was slowly rising and it was beginning to fill the area with light, making it even harder for Gekkamaru to open his poor eyes.
"Gekkamaru, you should return first... and if you're still worried about me, come later after you're properly dressed! You see, I'm fine! I'm okay! Gekkamaru!"
"But..."
Enju had thought about it for a while. She knew Gekkamaru wouldn't leave her by her own anyway, but she couldn't stand seeing him partially-dressed... like this.
She sighed.
"...I got it. I'll return to the village with you. You need to get dressed properly! After you're totally awake, I'll come back to the training grounds again... and I don't mind if you tag along or not then, alright?"
Young Enju pouted.
"I'm really sorry for the trouble... Enju-sama. But I'm really fine, I can stay here for as long as you want. My eyes will get accustomed to the sunlight soon! I didn't mean to be an inconvenience and meddle in your planned activities, I just wanted to make sure you're safe..."
Gekkamaru sincerely apologised as he slowly opened his eyes, trying to adjust his view around his surroundings.
"It's fine Gekkamaru... let's go... I guess nii-"
Enju swallowed the rest of the sentence abruptly that was about to come out of her mouth. She bit her lower lip and blamed herself.
That must be how Gekkamaru know I miss seeing niisama!
She then dragged her exclusive bodyguard along with her.
"Enju-sama... I'm truly sorry."
I guess niisama wouldn't be back this early anyway. So I'll come with you.
(Training grounds, dusk)
Eventually, they returned to the training grounds after Gekkamaru finished changing back to his shinobi outfit.
Enju was practicing again.
But as she waited, waited, and waited...
There were no signs of her cousin.
It didn't seem he was coming back. At all.
(Training grounds, night)
"Enju-sama... it's dinner time. Chōjirō-dono might have urgent missions to conduct after undertaking his main case, so he might be late today. But let's head back for now! Everyone's waiting for us."
Needless to say, Gekkamaru already knew exactly why Enju was still practicing this late.
"But... but niisama promised we would have dinner together... today..."
"..."
Despite the disappointment, she obediently followed Gekkamaru since she knew everyone was waiting for them.
"Enju! Gekka-nii! You two were super late today! My stomach's been growling all this time!"
Ennosuke complained as Enju sat next to Kyara, and Gekkamaru sat next to Ennosuke.
"Speaking about it... where's Chou-nii? I thought he already returned from his mission."
Kyara asked as she turned her gaze to Enju and Gekkamaru.
"Oh... right, Chou-nii told us he would have dinner with us tonight..."
Ennosuke changed from being enthusiastic to disappointed as he was staring holes at the yakizakana right in front of him.
Enju glanced at the empty chair resting on the far left of the table unconsciously as Gekkamaru answered.
"It seems Chōjirō-dono hasn't returned yet. I think he might have an urgent mission to attend to."
"Hm... that's a very LONG mission. It's been four days! I think Chou-nii must be very tired. I feel a bit sorry for him..."
Kyara said as Enju returned her gaze to the food in front of her.
"Yea I wouldn't want to work for THAT long... Anyway! I'm sure Chou-nii wouldn't want us to starve because of waiting for him! Right? So let's dive in! －That being said, itadakimaaasu~!"
Knowing that he finally got to eat, Ennosuke's energy eventually came back.
Enju hung her head slightly as she started to eat the yakizakana on her plate silently.
Somehow, the yakizakana was tasteless.