Fifteen

Misty sky of yet another morning
Holds little meaning to a troubled soul
Against the backdrop of an unpredictable tomorrow
I just pray I have the strength to go on today
Facets of the past creep up from behind
Running away is no solution
But my gutless self refuses to listen
Living day by day in my refuge
Basking in the minutes of transient joy
I need to one day find the strength to face it all
For I am wary, very tired of running


Countless steps have been taken, many hours that links up to days has passed and they were still journeying to some location that doesn't seem to exist. No one could blame the jounin or the boy for to them they were wandering round and round a never-ending landscape of painted scenery.

I swear we are lost, thought the silver-haired one. It has been almost four days and we are still trekking through acres of forested land and streams and countless other meandering paths that never seem to lead to anywhere.

The lot of them were covered in grime and dirt since for the past few days, it was just not plausible to bath in any of the streams given the damp cool weather. Food resources are proving to be limited as they trekked further into the heart of nowhere.

Only Kendon and Keishinn seem to know where they were heading, or rather Ken since Keishinn was currently offline in the visuals. She has not been too pleased about having been carried for most of the journey so far, arguing with the jounin who suffered from serious stubbornness and never seem to hear her complains.

Her eyes have stopped bleeding but have yet to recover. It would seem that the poison was rather potent and she refused to use her chakra to heal herself.

"There is a limit as to how many times one can force the body to heal quickly. The cells have limited regenerative nature and in any case, I am afford the time to allow it to heal slowly on its own."

And so she is still being carried around by him.

Aww…. The knight with silver hair carrying his lady….How sweet a picture you two are painting.

You again?

Yes, it is I, your conscience and I will prevail this time!

……………

Why can't you admit to yourself that you like her?

Cause I'm only concerned for her and do not have any romantic inclinations.

Yes you do.

Urusai!

Stubborn boy! I'll be off now but rest assure that I'll be back!

How did my conscience developed into such a character?

His thought broke off as suddenly as Ken halted in his tracks.

"Well folks, sorry for the long walk but we're finally here."

"Here where?" Sasuke asked. All he sees is the same scenery he has been exposed to for the past few days.

Ken beckoned all to walk forward again and he shifted some shrubs to reveal to them, a village. It was a place of ancient architecture and of harmonized character with the nature around them. It was a tranquil place of untouched beauty that stood against the backdrop of a waterfall and awesome tropical environment.

It was Shangri-la.

Ken whilst carrying Sasuke walked up to its gates and Kakashi followed with Kei in his arms. The uniquely dressed guards instantly recognized them and ran up eagerly with greetings and words of concern,

"Ken-kun, you're finally back!!"

"Arata-san, it's good to see you!"

"Kei-chan!! You're injured!!"

"I am fine Taka-san. It's good to see you too."

"We must inform the chief! And Maemi-sama!!!" The shorter one yelled and immediately ran spreading the good news.

The other one was hesitant about the two shinobis but was quickly assured by Ken that they are with them.

"Very well then, please, follow me this way." And he led the lot into the heart of the village.

Their clothing speaks of an old tradition that one reads about only in scrolls. Black-based top whose edges are decorated freely with colors of the rainbow, with all adorning pants underneath the three-quarter length top and head scarves, their homes were built upon wooden foundations and their culture was a vibrant and lovely one.

The lot were led through the masses of shops and houses and the people who had gathered to see who were the visitors in question, showering much rejoice and welcome upon them. They were met finally in the heart of the village by an elderly man in his fifties and an elderly woman in her twilight phrase both dressed in the same exotic manner as the rest of the village.

Ken sat Sasuke down on the ground before he walked up to the old man and was greeted with a hug. A proud expression stood on the old man's face while the lady offered gentle smiles. Kei tugged at Kakashi's flak jacket to be put down and he obliged for the first time in days.

She set her legs on the ground and walked towards the familiar voices. The old lady reached up to stroke the sides of her face and whispered words of concerned about the bandaged eyes. Kei assured her that she was fine and the old lady hugged her tight.

They were missed.

The other two felt out of place and a tinge of envy crept in.

Only for a little while as soon introductions were made and warm welcomes were awarded to the Konoha people as well. Suddenly, they hear someone shouting out Ken's name. The crowd in front of them parted a path for a petite girl with flowing silvery-white hair to run through.

"Ken-san!!!"

For the first time so far, Kakashi was offered a glimpse into a side of Ken that was rarely seen. The young man's expression softened a great deal as he watched and moved forward to receive the girl in his arms.

She buried herself deep into his chest and embraced him tight. He too, didn't look like he was going to let go. Tears flowed freely as he assured the girl that she was not dreaming.

"I missed you so much!!" She cried.

"I missed you too." He inhaled her scent and stroked her hair.

He allowed her to pull down his mask and they met halfway for a kiss. And they indulged in more hugging after. But after some moments passed, they came back into this world. Of which, Ken then proudly made the introductions,

"This is Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke. They are from Hidden Leaf Village."

"My friends, I would like you to meet my wife, Harada Kaede."

This was definitely a surprise! Who would have thought that the calm and collected guy was married?!

"Pleased to meet you." She said politely. She turned to greet Kei as well and her tear-stained happy expression changes to overt concern.

"Kei-chan! What happened to your eyes?? Have you lost your sight? Was it cut or poisoned?? Ne!! We have to treat you immediately! Don't move, I'll get someone to carry you!!"

Sweat drops formed on everyone's temples.

I see that some things never change, thought Kei.

"Calm down my child." Maemi-sama, the elderly lady said. "They've had a long journey and need rest. In fact, a bath would be good for them."

"You've read my mind, Maemi-sama" Kei said

"Of course. But rather it's more because I smelt your need for it." And the surrounding people burst into laugher while the girl's cheeks turned a crimson shade to match her hair.

The laughter was infectious and everyone joined in.

"Sasuke." Kendon suddenly turned his attention to the sulking one on the ground. "I'll release your seal points now so that you can exercise those limbs a bit."

A couple of swift movements unblocked the acupuncture points. And the boy stretched up in relief, standing up finally on his own limbs to face the crowd. The elderly ones watched quietly as they sensed a certain evil underlying the boy.

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a blow to his back between the shoulder blades and jumped to see that it was Kei that gave him the slap on the back.

"What was that for?"

"Ne? I was just rendering the ability to use your chakra useless for a while."

He glared at her.

"So you can choose to escape but I doubt you'll get back alive without being able to use any jutsus or your Sharingan. And glare ahead boy, but only I can restore you back, so you might as well stick around for a while."

He sulked but offered no rebuke. She smiled.

Before long, Kaede helped led Kei away while the men followed another guy to the prepared facilities for the long needed bath.


Kei was in the room where a steaming hot tub of water was prepared for her. Kaede insisted on helping her and so was assisting in helping her out of her guards and garments. Once removed of the bandages, she was helped into the bath, to which she then insisted that Kaede go spend some time with Ken. Worked like a charm and she's got her privacy at last.

She sunk into the calming warm waters and allows the aromatic scents relax her muscles. The door slides open, and a figure slowly steps in. Kei turned in the direction of the figure.

"Maemi-sama."

"Kei-san, I came to help you scrub your back."

"That is really not necessary, I'm fine really."

Is it too much to ask for some privacy?

Old ladies never seem to hear you, especially once they had made up their mind on certain matters. The old lady walked over and seated herself down on a stool. She took the sponge and lathered some soap before proceeding to scrubs the girl's back. Keishinn merely resigns to the lost argument and sits her still in the tub.

The sponge glides over the smooth back, the skin was pale with hints of pink arising from the hot water, and it was unblemished save for only one thing that never fades.

The old lady sighs as she looks at the dragon that was facing her. Clean lines with its protuding ridges runs down the back with curves that draws the eyes into its intricate nature and ancient history, it is really a piece of art. The slender creature motif was only a reminder of the real thing that lies behind the surface. Maemi-sama couldn't help but think back to the day when she first set her eyes on it.


FLASHBACK

It was by chance that they met. The people of the Medicine House were out gathering herbs in the mountains. The climate here was a comfortable humid environment that encouraged the growth of much medical herbs, and being the leading person in the art of medicine required Maemi-sama's supervision to pick only the finest of the crop.

At first, she thought her ears were playing tricks on me but heeding instincts, called a disciple to go investigate the sounds at the bottom of the valley from where we stood. He came back to report of four masked individuals at the bottom, whom had passed out saved for one that questioned his intentions.

With the help of Kaede, she went down to have a look myself.

What sight greeted her eyes!

They were lying within the crevices of the rock floor; three were unconscious saved for the red-haired one leaning against a support that looked at her with suspicion accessorized with a kunai.

"I am Maemi-sama, a native of this land. I mean no harm, my greetings extends help for your friends."

Uncertainty lingers in those blue-grey eyes and fatigue surrounds them. She looks at them and chose wisely to accept the help. The younger followers then assisted in brining the group back to the village.

Once there, the young girl watched over us as we attended to them. Before she got stop us from removing their masks, fatigue took over and she fainted. It would seem that even she was not spared from exhaustion.

Though she picked up on the hint that they not want to be recognized, the masks were removed to assist medical treatment. Neither of them suffered from anything serious save for grazes and some bruises, the group of them were only diagnosed with severe dehydration, malnutrition and fatigue.

Maemi-sama finally came around to take a look at the exhausted red-hair one. She lay on the bed breathing regularly, demonstrating no complications of her health. She had her clothing removed to examine more thoroughly.

At first, she only caught sight of a thin scar that peeped over the nape of her shoulder. Curiosity had the better of Maemi-sama and had her turned over. Horror struck her. She never thought that forbidden jutsu would still be seen in this age and time.

END OF FLASHBACK


"Kei-chan, how's your training these days?"

"It's going good."

Whack!!

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"How dare you lie to an old lady? Have you no heart?"

If it helps me avoid you nagging at me, I'll do anything.

"You need to be serious! Your life is at stake here!"

"Hai, Maemi-sama. I'm aware of my situation here. I've heard it…."

"Millions of times, I know I've been relentless about it for the past few years but!!"

The girls shielded from another possible whack on the head. But instead the old lady sighed and touches her forehead.

"I'll leave you now. Come to the main house after you're done all right? The chief has called for a feast to celebrate your visit."

Kei smiled and promised to be there. And the old lady goes out of the room, giving back her privacy. She soaked her aching body while her mind wondered.

I understand your concern but the thing is I may have run out of luck with fate.

She smiled.

You're just running away from everything.

She stiffens. That voice.

Yes, it's been a while since you last heard from me isn't it Keishinn?

What do you want?

Why are you so afraid?

Of you?

Of who you are and what you can be?

She sat there quietly. There were other voices echoing in her psychological plane.

Kei!!

A single image of a red-haired child being carried and spun round and round in the rice field against the setting sun. A female voice laughs into her ears and a male voice echoes in the foreground as he walks up the path to the wooden house behind them.

My beautiful little girl! Always remember that Okaa-san and Otou-san loves you very very much!

Th image fade and another image follows suit of a boy with blonde spiky hair and a long tail that trails his flight whenever he moves.

Kei-chan! You're pretty! … I like you very much!

Her heart wrenched at the memory trip.

All the love in world but none that can keep the loneliness at bay.

None that can keep all my loved ones alive and safe.

None I can protect from certain death.

She rinsed once again and got up from the tub to dry off. She touched upon the eyes that were healing but can't open yet.

What good is it to be one of the most powerful shinobis around if you can't live in the goodness of ordinary life?

Why should I live when I'm should have died some nine years ago?


Author's note:

Hi Everyone!

Need to ask a favor. It seems that no one seems to be reading this fic anymore :( So if there is any glimmer of hope that someone does want this to finish please let me know all right? Otherwise, I guess I should stop then. Yeeps! I hope that doesn't happen! I'll be off now.

Cheers,

Arte