Chapter Twenty-Two
Five months, three days
I recently purchased this book at Hokuto-san's bookstore. I've had the idea to make a record of my daughter's life ever since she entered our lives and now I have the chance. Just looking down at her in her crib warms my heart completely. Maybe that warm feeling was a side effect of the spirit that dwelled within her, but I choose to believe that she is going to grow up to be a sweet and good-natured young woman. Oh, I must put this down, it seems our sweet TenTen is hungry.
Ten months, two weeks, one day
It's been ages since I wrote anything interesting, as babies decide upon their routine once they come into our lives and insist on disrupting it at every turn after that. Well, today something truly special happened. My angel took her first steps. I had just finished preparing breakfast for her and was taking it to the table, but when I turned around my precious daughter was standing on her own two feet, reaching towards me to accept the food. I'm so proud of her, I can't wait to tell her father and brother.
Sixteen months
Kotetsu graduated from the ninja academy today, and I don't know how she does it, but I sense that TenTen understands everything that happens with him and is happy for her big brother. The two of them are so wonderful together. She completely adores him and he adores her in return. I hope that nothing ever comes between the two of them and that he will continue to look after her the way he does.
P.S. TenTen said her first word today. It is fairly early for her first intelligible words, but that wasn't what was so strange about it. I had expected the word to be mama, or papa, or even niisan, but her first word had been, 'Fire', a sad reminder of what her destiny would be. Never mind that the fireplace had to be lit every night now that winter was approaching, or that Kotetsu had been preaching that word for her the past few days. It still scared me and my husband to hear that word coming from her lips.
Three years, nine months, fourteen days
Today was terrifying for all of us. Today, TenTen showed the first signs that she was indeed the last of the Fire Clan and that she held the spirit of the legendary Phoenix inside of her. We'd always suspected as much, but there had been no way to be sure as there are no visible seals on her body. As much as her father and I hate to admit it, she does indeed have a malevolent spirit inside of her and is a danger to us and her brother. She manipulated the fire that was warming the house and burned him quite badly. He survived, but not without catching a severe case of the cold after flinging himself into the snow outside.
Five years, six months
Today I took TenTen to school for the first time. Her teacher nodded warily at the sight of her, having heard the truth about her from our Hokage. She was sealed, I told him in private, and that she wouldn't hurt him or any of the children. He seemed to believe me and steered her towards a group of children towards the middle of the class. She seemed happy when I came to pick her up after school. I could listen to her speak so cheerfully for hours. She adored her new sensei, and had already been accepted by some of the students there. My little girl was so sweet and caring, she could win over anybody's heart after only a short time with them.
Twelve years, three months
I recently rediscovered this book lying around in one of my trunks. I had perhaps intended to lock it away, but now that I had found it, I couldn't put it away. I read through all of my previous entries, relishing the memories they induced. I remembered when she was nine years old and she'd come running to me and told me how she thought one of her classmates was amazing. His name had been Hyuuga Neji, and I found it somewhat humorous that she'd been assigned to the boy she idolized. You see, today was the day after my little girl became a ninja and she had just come home to tell me all about her new teammates and sensei. Gai had been chosen to lead her team, he was a bit eccentric and could do to tone down his excitement, but otherwise he was a good ninja and would be an excellent teacher for them. Until they became Chuunin, he would have just as big of a role in their lives as their own parents would, and I trusted him to take care of my daughter.
Twelve years, three months, four days
My husband and I had been expected the summoning from Sandaime for days now. Ever since our daughter graduated we knew he would seek out a way to release the Phoenix once and for all. We only had a day to prepare for the trip and I fear that I may have left TenTen behind on bad terms, a truly sad moment, for I truly do cherish my daughter and I am afraid that I will never see again. For the first time in years I saw her cry and she clung to my jacket even as I left the house, begging me to stay with her. All I could do was smile sadly, look into those beautiful brown eyes and tell her that her brother would do his best to take care of her now, and that she had to obey him no matter what. As soon as Kotetsu closed the door, sealing that precious girl away from me, I knew I would regret leaving her behind. We had been close and had the sort of relationship I had dreamed of having with my mother. She told me everything and I shared with her as much as I could. I was somehow never able to tell her that she was a monster, because even today, twelve years after I learned the truth, I could not stand to believe it myself. That's why I wanted to make this journey, to learn the secret of the Phoenix, so that she would never have to suffer the pain that it would surely bring to her.
July 13th
This is no longer a journal to record my interactions with my daughter, as I will probably not see her again for a very long time. My husband has suggested that I use this as a log of our travels so that our children will understand why we had to leave them so early in life. We are still wandering our own country, as the Fire Clan did originate in this territory hundreds of years ago. We have asked questions of all the villagers here for a twenty mile-radius, but no one even the eldest of the residents seems to have any information concerning our mission. My husband believes that they know exactly what we ask, but are withholding information from us out of contempt, but we have yet to find a reason why they would do such a thing. Did they somehow tie us to the Phoenix? Did their village have a run-in with the unleashed creature a long time ago? Is that why they were afraid to speak its name?
TenTen stopped reading her mother's handwriting, pain etched on her features. "Can I stop reading?" Her mother had left her over a year ago and now she was dead, all because of her, and her brother loved her less because of it.
"Yes." Gai stood up and stretched. "You three may rest for a while, we'll soon come upon that village."
"She never mentioned a name sensei." Lee reminded him. "How can you be sure that this village is the same?"
"Hagane-san told me." With that Gai disappeared into the bushes, perhaps to scout ahead for enemies.
Lee stretched out beside the fire. "Are you okay TenTen?"
She nodded absently. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
She opened her mouth to respond, but Neji butt in before she could reply. "She said she was fine Lee, do you have to harass her?"
Lee frowned. "I just wanted to make sure."
"He wasn't harassing me Neji. It's okay that he wonders about me."
He turned to face her voice. He had agreed to have Tsunade perform the surgery and it had taken nearly five hours to complete. His eyes had been wound tight with bandages and he had been warned sternly not to take them off for at least two weeks. It had been two days and he was incredibly anxious to find out if his eyes would be able to work. His left hand was almost completely numb and most of the time hung limply at his side, although occasionally some feeling returned to it, but only to remind him of his injuries. "Why aren't you honest with us?" He questioned. "Reading that journal only makes you miss your mother more."
"My mother's dead." TenTen replied coldly. "My feelings will not change that fact."
"TenTen…" Lee's voice trailed off at the determined look on her face.
"We should go to sleep. Gathering information will probably be difficult tomorrow morning." She tucked the journal into her backpack and climbed into her sleeping bag. "Goodnight."
The boys murmured goodnight in exchange, and several hours later the fire was out and the entire camp was sleeping softly, except one person. Ever since he had been blinded, TenTen found herself wondering if he actually slept. Some days he seemed lethargic, as if he had to force himself to do the simplest of daily activities. Her mind made up, she turned in her sleeping bag to face him. Those horrible bandages covered most of his face, hiding his beautiful features from her. Boldly, she lifted her hand from where it was pinned in the sleeping bag and used it to trace his outline.
"What are you doing?" He mumbled.
"Do you ever sleep?" She questioned.
"Of course I do."
"I've never seen you sleep."
"That's because I wait for you to go before I try to fall asleep."
"Oh."
"Are you worried?"
"This is the mission that took my mother's life." She whispered. "Why shouldn't I be worried?"
"Because I don't like it when you worry." His lips parted like he was about to say something else, but a sudden wind blew by, leaving his mouth flapping open dumbly.
"What's wrong Neji?"
"Don't tell me you didn't sense it too?" He questioned harshly.
She nodded. She had felt dangerously high chakra rising from a few miles away, heading directly towards them.
"Get behind me." Suddenly Gai was awake and motioning for the teens to slip into the forest.
Climbing out of her sleeping bag quickly, TenTen took Neji's hand and dragged him out of his bag. "That wasn't necessary." He muttered.
"I don't care."
The three genin watched as their sensei stood in the clearing, waiting, watching, for whatever it was that had been haunting them. A single teenage boy emerged, a sinister smile on his face. "You're lucky." He replied. "I'm not here to hurt you."
Both TenTen and Neji felt something stir in their chests as soon as he spoke. There was an odd familiarity about him. The strange feeling flared into a painful passion. Both of them knew this boy and could sense that he knew them as well.
The hair sticking out above his forehead protector was flaming red and stuck out even in the thick dark night. His ice blue eyes pierced the darkness and he seemed to isolate TenTen and Neji from the rest of the team. "Who are you two?"
The Phoenix flashed an image before their eyelids. That of a three-year-old redheaded boy crying as he watched his mother's eyes close and one of the planks fell from the roof, pinning his older sister beneath it. From the sound it made, he could tell that she had died on contact. Terrified for his life, he'd turned and ran as fast as he could from the burning village.
TenTen emerged from where she was hiding, unable to tear her eyes away from the older boy. "I can't believe it. Kojiro?"
A/N: You may not remember this, but Kojiro is a very important name. Check out chapter 3 if you need a reminder.
