Disclaimer: Don't own the show, manga, or author. Hope you enjoy and I'm sorry if this chapter is longer than the others. I couldn't stop myself. Enjoy.
After sating their hunger, the two decided it was time to find Tsunade. It was late already so Sei figured the first place to look would be her home. It did not take long for them to arrive at the residence of the medic-nin's family. The home was very modest considering they were related to the First. This was probably because Tsunade's father refused to live off his in-law's influence. Sadly, he had passed away a few years ago on a mission and Tsunade had become the family's only source of income. Still, she lived by the same creed as her late father and wanted to support the family with her own strength and not her grandfather's.
Sei knocked on the door and prepared for the worst. The worst came as Nawaki answered the door. The boy did not seem pleased to see the blond. "What do you want?" He asked coldly, to which Sei replied, "I need to talk to your sister."
"Nee-san! You've got company!" he yelled into the house. Nawaki let the guests into the small family area and retreated to his room. Sei felt awkward when he left, but part of him felt he deserved it. He motioned for her to sit on the couch with him while they waited for Tsunade.
When she entered the family room, Tsunade smiled as she looked at the two. "Sei, I didn't know you had a girlfriend. She's cute too," she said.
"It's not like that!" he shouted, completely caught off guard by the comment. Sei's face turned beet red, but he was worried what he said might have offended Kyu so added, "She's a girl and she's my friend, but I barely met her today." He looked over to see Kyu's reaction, but it was obvious she had no idea what they were talking about. Instead, the young girl's eyes were fixated on the blond seventeen year old's chest. Sei could not blame her but kept his eyes above the neck.
Tsunade ignored him and then turned to the girl, "What's your name, cutie?"
"My name's Kyu…..I think," she replied softly.
"What do you mean you think it is? It either is or isn't…..oh," she said as she realized what the problem was. "And you came to me because you thought I'd be able to help her get it back?" Kyu and Sei both nodded.
The seventeen year old medic sighed as she sat down beside the girl, "I'm sorry, but I can't help with memory loss." She asked Kyu to stand up and began to look her over. "You seem to be in perfect condition, which makes this even more confusing.
"Look, from what I know about amnesia, this could be temporary in the best case scenario or permanent in the worst," Tsunade said as she stroked the young girl's hair. "I've met a few people with permanent amnesia, yet they still manage to live happily. You might have lost your past, but you still have your future so try not to worry yourself if you have to wait a while."
"Tsunade-neechan, Koharu-sama wants you to look after Kyu while she waits to see the old man. Is it okay for her to stay the night here?"
"Sure," she said without hesitation. "I'll go look for something she can wear while you help her set up here." With that, she retreated to her room and Sei got busy moving stuff around to clear a space for the extra futon. Tsunade returned shortly with a pink outfit in hand and pointed Kyu towards the bathroom, telling her that a bath was ready for her.
When she was gone, Tsunade turned to look at Sei with a serious face. This was not the look of a friend and sister figure. This was the look of a shinobi who wanted answers. "I need you to tell me everything."
As briefly, but with as much detail as possible, Sei went through their entire ordeal. He told her about how he saved her from the river and how he had revived her thanks to one of Tsunade's notebooks he had read during his stay with them. He mentioned his meeting with Orochimaru at the gate and then his encounter with the guards and Koharu. He even talked about their conversation with Sojiro at the Ramen shop.
When he mentioned Orochimaru, Sei asked what he had done to be placed on guard duty for the west gate. Tsunade refused to answer at first, claiming that a kid had no business knowing, but Sei was persistent. Finally, she gave up and told him Orochimaru had snuck into a vault where forbidden scrolls were kept without the Hokage's permission. He claimed that in desperate times, such secrets could prove invaluable to their cause.
"What did the old man say?" the boy asked.
"Sarutobi-sensei simply said that the techniques and scrolls were labeled forbidden because they did little to help the village and were self-destructive or dangerous in the wrong hand. The conversation would have ended there except Orochimaru shouted that the only reason the scrolls and techniques were locked away was because the weak were afraid of the strong becoming stronger. That last statement is what got him guard duty."
When Sei continued his story, he did not mention the abilities he discovered Kyu possessed. The last thing Sei wanted was for people to have a reason to view Kyu with suspicion. He planned to save those details for Old Man Hokage himself. Instead, he took out the animal fur he found Kyu with and asked Tsunade if it meant anything to her.
"Well, it definitely looks like a fox skin. It's probably something to keep her warm, though it doesn't seem practical to have during spring. I don't think it has any special meaning, but try not to show it off. There are some people that think such a thing brings bad luck."
"I'll do that," he said. He then asked if there was nothing she could do to help her.
"Nope. I'm sorry but your girlfriend will just have to wait for it to return on its own."
"I already told you, she's not my girlfriend," Sei muttered under his breath.
"Let's see then. Did you kiss her?" she asked
"That was mouth to mouth! That doesn't count!" Sei seemed desperate. He knew where she was going with this line of questioning and he did not like it.
"Did the two of you go walking arm in arm?"
"She didn't know her way around the village!"
"Did you treat her out to eat?"
"Yes, but…"
"All that and you still say she isn't your girlfriend? Sounds like denial to me, babe," Tsunade said with a smile on her face.
Sei had been defeated and Tsunade loved it. She laughed while he remained silent and it would have stayed that way if they had not heard the commotion coming from the hall.
"Take that back!" they heard Kyu yell, followed by a smacking sound and then a loud thud. Both Sei and Tsunade went to see what had happened and gasped when they saw Nawaki on the ground with a hand over his right eye. When they looked at Kyu, she was clenching her left hand into a fist and had an angry look on her face.
With her sisterly instincts kicking in, Tsunade rushed to Nawaki's side and demanded Kyu explain herself. The medic-nin performed some hand seals and a green aura surrounded her right hand. Kyu then began her explanation.
"I was just leaving the bathroom when he came out of his own room. He asked me what I was doing with a loser like Sei and I asked him what a loser was. When he to told me what it meant I got angry and yelled at him and before I could stop myself I hit him." Tears were rolling down her eyes and Tsunade stopped what she was doing, the green orb leaving her hand. Kyu continued. "If you don't want me here anymore, I'll leave, but I'm not apologizing to him."
"It's alright, sweetie. I'm not going to make you leave," She said before finally turning to her little brother. "Nawaki, I healed your eye enough to make the pain go away, but I think you deserve the shiner she gave you. This girl owes her life to the so-called loser and you should know better than to insult someone's friends."
Nawaki was angry before, but his face showed signs of guilt and regret. He got to his feet, muttered an apology, and then went to his room. Tsunade watched as he closed his door behind him then turned to Sei.
"It's getting late," she said. "Do you plan on staying the night as well?"
"No, I think I've caused enough trouble. Goodnight Tsunade-neechan and tell Nawaki I said bye." He turned to look at a disheartened Kyu, "Night Kyu-chan. I'll see you tomorrow when we go see the Hokage."
He turned to leave, but Kyu grabbed his arm and refused to let go. She did not say a word, but the look in her eyes told him that she did not want him to leave. Sei was after all the person who rescued her, the first person to show her kindness, and also the person who she had spent the most time with. Of course she would become attached.
"I guess the love birds can't be separated. Sei, you smell like sweat and river water so I'm going to ask you to take a bath. I'll get an extra blanket for the couch," a devious grin appeared on her face as she added, "unless you prefer to share the futon with your girlfriend."
"The couch is fine," he said. Tsunade handed him a pair of clothes to change into and he headed for the bathroom.
Sei found it hard to sleep. Not because the couch was uncomfortable, but because he was once again staying in someone else's house, much like when he was jumping from place to place growing up. What made this more unsettling was that he had been here before and had enjoyed his stay here. Had things not turned out as badly as they did, Sei believed he would still be here.
"Sei, are you awake?" he heard Kyu whisper.
"Yeah, I am. I guess you can't sleep either, huh?" She shook her head, still lying on her back. She turned her head to face Sei who was lying on his stomach looking down at the girl.
"Sei, why is that other boy mean to you?"
Sei closed his eyes to let the memories return to him. Nawaki had always wanted a brother and when Sei moved in, the two of them were the best of friends. They pulled pranks together, played together, and trained together. His mother would tell stories of the First Hokage and the adventures he had protecting the village. Nawaki would sit their in awe and Sei would smile, amused at his foster brother's interest. When Nawaki vowed to one day become Hokage and continue his grandfather's legacy, Sei had made a silent promise to one day accomplish that goal. Sei had hoped for things to remain the way they were, but the very promise he made to himself, would force him to give up that hope.
"Are you still awake, Sei?"
"Yes, I'm still up. Nawaki wasn't being mean when he said those things. It isn't mean when you're telling the truth," he said. "I am a loser."
"No you're not!" Kyu raised her voice. Not wanting to wake the others, she made sure to keep her temper in check before speaking again. "A loser wouldn't have been able to save me and then protect me like you have."
Sei was quiet again. He needed to make sure the words about to leave his mouth would not upset her, but at the same time explain why Nawaki had every right to be upset. When he was ready to speak, he did his best to smile and speak in a calm manor.
"When I was an infant, I was abandoned outside of the village. No one knew where I had come from and many people were afraid that I might be a threat to the village when I grew up. I was lucky the Hokage was a kind a man. He accepted me as a member of the village and I stayed at an orphanage until a family would come to claim me.
"Families did try to adopt me, but for some reason I intimidated each and every one of them. I only thought I was doing what they wanted when I learned what they had to offer. I thought they'd be happy when they saw how quickly I could learn. I only ended up scaring them.
"They told me many things but all of them seemed to think that only a monster could do what I could. Even when I tried to hide what I was capable of, the damage was done. Fewer families would take me in and the ones that did were cruel. Finally, I ended up here and found happiness.
"Nawaki was the first friend I ever had and we did everything together. He shared his hopes and dreams with me and I swore to myself that I would do whatever I could to help him. It was the least I could do for the first and only friend I had."
Sei paused and wiped away the tears that were beginning to form, claiming the couch was dusty and something had gotten into his eye. He then continued, trying his best to keep his voice from breaking.
"Then one day, some of the other kids started making fun of me calling me, a freak or monster. I was used to it and didn't let it get to me. Nawaki was different. He yelled at them and looked like he was about to take the group on. Had they not known he was the First Hokage's grandson, they would have attacked him, not that I would have stood by and let them.
"Instead, the kids did worse. As they walked away one of them said that the village would never let a friend of a monster become Hokage. Nawaki snapped and I did my best to restrain him. When he was finally calm, I told him to go home. I said I was going to train a little more, but instead I followed the group of kids.
"When I caught up with them I said, 'If you ever plan on becoming honorable shinobi, you'd better take your beating like men!' Nine kids at least two years older than I was were going home bruised and beaten. However, the last boy, the same one who couldn't shut his mouth, I wanted to suffer.
"I pushed him up against the wall and punched the wall as hard as I could. Thinking I was going to punch him, the boy wet his pants in fear. 'I don't attack cowards,' I said, 'and since you stayed behind to let your buddies take the hits, you must be the biggest coward among them.'
"I left to let his former friends deal with him, but the things he said before bothered me. It is a Hokage's duty to protect the village and make the villagers feel safe. So how could Nawaki hope to become Hokage when he was associating with someone feared by the villagers? As long as I was around, he had no hope of having his dream come true, so I decided to leave."
Sei could no longer hold the tears in and instead decided to hide his face entirely. "I told him we couldn't be friends anymore and that I had to leave. Nawaki was hurt by my decision and never looked at me the same again. He looks at me the same way a lot of other villagers do, only he has every right to."
Sei was silent, trying to get his emotions back under control. He did not notice Kyu get up from the futon. She grabbed his arm and dragged him down to the futon with her. She held him, his back facing her and whispered, "You aren't a loser Sei. A loser wouldn't give up his own happiness to keep someone else's dream alive. I have to admit that it wasn't the best decision you could have made, but your heart was in the right place."
Sei felt as if he did deserve the comfort he was receiving, but this was a first for him, a good first, and he was not about to decline. "What else could I have done?" he asked.
The answer that Kyu gave touched his soul and seemed beyond her years. "Nawaki saw through the monster and was able to see the light inside you. Where others were ignorant of this, he defended what he saw in you. The best thing you could have done was stay by his side and prove to everyone that his trust in you was not ill-founded.
"When you decided to run away, not only did he lose a good friend, he lost face with the people he was defending you from. To you, leaving was the same as protecting him, but people will see what they want to see. Leaving only made you out to be more of a monster than they previously thought. How can they trust someone who would abandon his friends?
The words leaving her mouth stung. How could she understand things so well when she had only been around less than a day? How could she understand his situation so well, after only hearing his story once? The alternate decision that she had given also made him feel like a fool.
"It's not too late to earn his friendship back if you really want it. Part of the reason I was so upset with him is because he called you such a horrible name without truly meaning it. He has a lot of respect for you."
"No he doesn't. How can he after I just threw away our friendship?" Sei said in a hoarse voice.
"He seems more frustrated with you than angry. He….We can't understand why it's so hard for you to see how great you are when it seems so obvious to us." She held him tighter.
"There's nothing great about me," Sei told her, "but thank you. We really should go to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day for you and I'm going to have to tag along." He hugged the girl's hands that were wrapped around him. It did not take long for the two of them to fall sound asleep.
Unknown to them, a certain brown-haired boy had heard everything. Sei was not the only one amazed at the depth of Kyu's personality. The boy brought his hand up to his bruised eye and sighed. She truly was an amazing person, but Nawaki figured anyone who could see the good inside Sei could be considered amazing. He was glad Sei had found at least one more person willing to stand up for him and hoped Sei would take the girl's suggestion seriously. He really did miss Sei's friendship.
As Nawaki turned to leave, he walked into something very soft and warm. Stepping back, he looked up to see his sister's drowsy face. "What are you doing up nee-san?"
"That's my question. I thought you went to sleep before the rest of us."
"I was just getting a glass of water, heh, heh," he placed his hands behind his head and smiled a big toothy grin. He learned that his sister was weak against this look. Unfortunately, he had not considered one very important detail.
"Normally that look would be enough to sway me. However, I'm tired, I'm hungry, and that black eye of yours is sucking away all the cuteness. Since you're my brother and I love you to death, I'll give you three seconds to get back in bed."
"Are you serious?" he asked
"Three…" she cracked her knuckles.
"You wouldn't."
"…Two…" She popped her neck.
Nawaki did not want to find out the hard way if she was serious or not. He was gone in a flash and Tsunade walked into the family room to check on the kids. She could not help but smile at the site she saw Sei, Sei, Sei. You even sleep in the same futon together. Hell, the two of you are practically spooning, she thought. My, kids grow fast these days. She bent down to make sure they were covered properly and went to Kyu's side.
Even if your memory never returns, I hope you hold on to your future as tight as you're holding onto him right now. With that, the blond medic-nin headed towards the kitchen.