After Innocence
Chapter 8, "Fated Battle"
Author: BakaYarou
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I own the characters in this chapter.
Additional Notes: Read the end of this chapter for my reasons why this is so flippin' late.
The week was going slow for the Lord. Three days after Fumiko left, her father, Jujiro, came to his office. Shinzuino gestured for the man to relax and to wait a moment while he finished some paperwork.
When Shinzuino finished he noticed Jujiro did not relax one bit. He immediately apologized for making him wait, but Jujiro shrugged it off.
The Shinobi leader rubbed his brow trying to ease off some tension. He informed Shinzuino that he has not seen or heard from his daughter in days. He was wondering if his Lord knew anything about it.
Shinzuino leaned back and furrowed his brow. He was curious as to why Fumiko would leave without telling her father. He told Jujiro that she left for a week to take care of some personal business.
Jujiro was confused. He was wondering what could be so important that she would leave without informing him. He asked about her performance at work. Then asked if she gave any hints as to what this business could be.
Shinzuino praised her work around the house, and informed him that he had no idea where she went, only that when she told him she was leaving, she seemed very unhappy.
Jujiro bowed and left, satisfied with the information. He had a feeling that Fumiko was going to be ok and would talk to her when she got back.
The Lord pondered the subject a bit further, and wondered if her leaving had anything to do with that night. After some thought, he went back to work,
The rest of the week was rather eventless, minus Betsu the cow escaping, wandered to the market, and began eating one of the vegetable vendor's foods. Shinzuino had to apologize, and paid the merchant for what the cow ate. He got a carpenter to re-enforce the fence and to check for any place that animals could get out.
Shinzuino was at the North end of town on his way to an herbalist's place for some spices when he saw Fumiko entering the North gate. He jogged over and greeted her.
She was surprised to see him, even after he explained why he was here. She commented that Lords usually send others for errands.
He smiled at her and told her that he is not like other Lords. He asked her to join him, and she nodded.
After visiting the herbalist, they headed back to the mansion. On their way, he told her the story of Betsu the cow. They both laughed at the end of the story.
When they got to the mansion, Jujiro was waiting in front. When he saw them, he ran up and put his arms around his daughter, asking where she had been.
Shinzuino felt he should leave this father daughter moment to them, and went to go sort out the spices and last minute herbs he got. After sorting, he took the aloe and seaweed and set them aside. He decided to make a wound salve with them later.
There was a knocking on his door. He got up, slid the door open, and saw Fumiko. He smiled and gestured her in. She nodded and came in.
He kneeled in front of the table he was sitting at before and reached for a mortar and pestle. He noticed Fumiko was still standing and gestured for her to kneel too.
She kneeled at the table obediently and silently watched him put aloe and seaweed into the mortar. While he was grinding the ingredients with the pestle, he asked what she wanted to see him about.
Fumiko shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat. She began to talk about nothing in particular; like the weather and such. She jumped when he rose his voice a bit, demanding to know what was wrong.
He set the mortar and pestle down and took a deep breath. He apologized for raising his voice, and grabbed onto her hand. He looked her in the eye and told her to tell him what was on her mind. He told her that he would listen, because he cared.
She looked down and blushed. She told him she was feeling sick and that is why she left. She went to her nurse, which lived a few miles north of the village. She had a feeling she already knew what was wrong, but she went just to make sure.
Shinzuino smiled and told her she could have come to him since he did have medical knowledge. Right after he said that, she pulled her hand away and took a deep breath.
She closed her eyes and held back some tears. She told him she did not want to come to him unless she was sure. She halted her speech for a moment while she wiped her eyes. She clutched her skirt and summoned up all her strength to tell him what was wrong. She looked in his eyes and told him she was pregnant.
Shinzuino's brow furrowed as he went silent. He picked up the pestle and tapped it on the side of the mortar, getting off the mixture that was stuck to it. He got up, grabbed a small container, scooped the mixture out of the mortar, and put it in the container.
The silence bothered Fumiko, so she asked him what he thought of it. She watched him kneel back down and think.
He told her that she was a beautiful woman, and that she was talented and smart. She was a wonderful person, but...
Her eyes fell when she heard the word 'but'. She could not believe that he would do this. That he would abandon her like this.
...But he was not ready for that kind of commitment. That she should maybe go and find another man who could be a father to the child.
Fumiko stood up, her fists balled tightly. She cursed at him and ran out of the room crying. She ran to her father's quarters.
Shinzuino sighed and lay back onto the floor. He knew exactly what was going to happen next. To daddy dearest, she went. Then he would have a confrontation with said father.
He knew that he would have to spill someone blood. Not Jujiro's, he had that healing jutsu that would prevent him from taking a major wound, which is why he made it to such a high position in the military. It would have to be Fumiko's blood he would have to spill. Such a pity that such beauty will have to go to waste.
With that, Shinzuino got up and decided to take a trip to the herbalist's again. He cleaned up the table and got ready to go.
..........
Jujiro demanded a meeting with Shinzuino, and he agreed. The Lord already knew that he wanted to discuss the pregnancy of his daughter. Therefore, he suggested a dinner meeting between the three of them.
It was a basic meal, just rice, noodles, and fried vegetables. Shinzuino looked over the meal happily and told Tamoe-san to compliment the chef for him once again.
Once she left, he went to Fumiko's dish and pulled out a small pouch. In the pouch contained crushed Dokuzeri root. He poured some onto her food and awaited the arrival of his to honored guests.
The discussion was short. Mostly about why Shinzuino slept with her, and why he would not accept the responsibility of being a father. The Lord was quite honest with his answers. He slept with her because he was physically attracted to her, and she was coming onto him that night. He did not expect that she would want a serious relationship out of that. In addition, about being a father, he just was not fit to be a father.
After the discussion they ate, they all enjoyed the meal and the father and daughter left right after. Shinzuino stayed and smiled as they left. He knew that no matter what, the woman would try to get him to play father. Therefore, he had to get rid of her. He did not need women trying to get close to him.
.......................
Later on that night, while Shinzuino was soaking in the bath, someone burst into the bathroom. Alas, it was Jujiro. And he was mad. The Lord smiled and asked for a reason as to why the man was intruding on his bath.
Jujiro accused Shinzuino of poisoning his daughter. He pulled out a sword and pointed it at the man in the bath. He threatened to kill him.
Shinzuino smiled and pushed the sword aside. He got up and put on his robe. He suggested a fair fight, since it was dishonorable to attack an unarmed man so directly.
Jujiro sheathed his sword and agreed. He told him to meet him in an hour at the central gate of the mansion. Shinzuino nodded and left to change his clothes.
While he was changing, he contemplated Jujiro's ability, the ability to heal rapidly. For the Amakuro clan, the amount of Chakra it took to heal like that was minuscule. He paused for a moment, what if Fumiko had the ability as well. He was not sure; no one ever told him if she had any ability, he always assumed she did not inherit the ability. Nevertheless, just because no one told him, does not mean she did not. He would have to ask Jujiro later.
He contemplated how to kill the regenerating man, and thought of several possible ways to prevent him from healing. He would have to attack Jujiro's Chakra system, or destroy his heart and/or brain at once. He chose the latter because it would be simpler, he did not want to have to search for his main Chakra bank, though it was usually in the belly or right around the heart. Now, as to how to destroy the brain or heart quickly during a battle he would have to figure out. He smirked as he came up with a plan.
......................
Jujiro was leaning against the gate when Shinzuino arrived. The moonlight cast an eerie glow across the shinobi's face. He frowned and walked up to the lord. They both just stood there for a moment, letting the atmosphere sink in.
Shinzuino commented on how the weather was perfect for a fight. After he got no response, he scowled, and asked if Jujiro really knew what he was getting into.
Jujiro smirked and replied that he knew a lot about Shinzuino Yogarasu. His felt a large amount of contempt for the man in front of him. Its not that this feeling was new to him, he felt it long before the incident with his daughter.
Shinzuino clicked his tongue and mentioned that no one ever called him that anymore. He felt threatened by his knowledge of his name, and was quite curious as to how the man knew it.
Jujiro chuckled and told him that he used to live in a town called Satetsu, and that he knew all about the crazy proprietor. Eventually, he moved to Iwa to continue his training as a ninja. When Shinzuino appeared in Iwa, he feared the worst. His daughter wanted to take the job as a maid. At first, he told her no. However, he also considered the fact that Shinzuino was acting a lot different from what he remembered. He let his daughter go apply for the job. Nevertheless, Shinzuino was no different than he remembered.
Shinzuino grinded his teeth slightly, and frowned deeply. If word of any of this got out, he would be done for. There was no way he would let Jujiro live. With that thought, he grabbed the katana at his waist and flicked the blade free.
The older man smiled at the lord and pulled his sword out of his sheath. He knew it was foolish to fight him. The lord, after all, was intelligent, strong, and feared by those that oppose him. However, he did not care whether he won or lost, the public will see what Shinzuino as he really is.
Shinzuino knew that there would be consequences in killing Jujiro, but keeping him alive could also spell disaster. He knew that Jujiro wanted this. Either way, the public will react poorly.
He asked Jujiro if he was sure he wished to fight. When Jujiro said yes, Shinzuino cursed and took a stance.
Jujiro also got into a stance. He waited until Shinzuino attacked. It turned out the lord had a large amount of patience. Feeling eager, Jujiro attacked, slicing towards Shinzuino's right shoulder.
The lord predicted the move and dodged. He smiled and pulled out a bottle of sake. He took a swig from the bottle. He knew Jujiro was just testing him, because he was smart. He would not just attack blindly without a reason.
............
To be continued...sometime
Baka: Well, Yeah, I know, this is very very late. But, I don't care. No, I'm not quitting on you. However, I read "After the Break" again, and was inspired to rewrite it, putting in some of my new writing skills and fix it up a lot. So, that's why I didn't update. I thought, "Since I'm gonna be rewriting it all, why continue right now?"
So, I'm stopping it here, and hopefully it won't be too long before I put up the new, revised version. So, keep your eyes peeled for "After the Break" popping up again in the next few weeks. I'll leave the old versions up until I upload the new versions. So, till then, ta ta!
Chapter 8, "Fated Battle"
Author: BakaYarou
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I own the characters in this chapter.
Additional Notes: Read the end of this chapter for my reasons why this is so flippin' late.
The week was going slow for the Lord. Three days after Fumiko left, her father, Jujiro, came to his office. Shinzuino gestured for the man to relax and to wait a moment while he finished some paperwork.
When Shinzuino finished he noticed Jujiro did not relax one bit. He immediately apologized for making him wait, but Jujiro shrugged it off.
The Shinobi leader rubbed his brow trying to ease off some tension. He informed Shinzuino that he has not seen or heard from his daughter in days. He was wondering if his Lord knew anything about it.
Shinzuino leaned back and furrowed his brow. He was curious as to why Fumiko would leave without telling her father. He told Jujiro that she left for a week to take care of some personal business.
Jujiro was confused. He was wondering what could be so important that she would leave without informing him. He asked about her performance at work. Then asked if she gave any hints as to what this business could be.
Shinzuino praised her work around the house, and informed him that he had no idea where she went, only that when she told him she was leaving, she seemed very unhappy.
Jujiro bowed and left, satisfied with the information. He had a feeling that Fumiko was going to be ok and would talk to her when she got back.
The Lord pondered the subject a bit further, and wondered if her leaving had anything to do with that night. After some thought, he went back to work,
The rest of the week was rather eventless, minus Betsu the cow escaping, wandered to the market, and began eating one of the vegetable vendor's foods. Shinzuino had to apologize, and paid the merchant for what the cow ate. He got a carpenter to re-enforce the fence and to check for any place that animals could get out.
Shinzuino was at the North end of town on his way to an herbalist's place for some spices when he saw Fumiko entering the North gate. He jogged over and greeted her.
She was surprised to see him, even after he explained why he was here. She commented that Lords usually send others for errands.
He smiled at her and told her that he is not like other Lords. He asked her to join him, and she nodded.
After visiting the herbalist, they headed back to the mansion. On their way, he told her the story of Betsu the cow. They both laughed at the end of the story.
When they got to the mansion, Jujiro was waiting in front. When he saw them, he ran up and put his arms around his daughter, asking where she had been.
Shinzuino felt he should leave this father daughter moment to them, and went to go sort out the spices and last minute herbs he got. After sorting, he took the aloe and seaweed and set them aside. He decided to make a wound salve with them later.
There was a knocking on his door. He got up, slid the door open, and saw Fumiko. He smiled and gestured her in. She nodded and came in.
He kneeled in front of the table he was sitting at before and reached for a mortar and pestle. He noticed Fumiko was still standing and gestured for her to kneel too.
She kneeled at the table obediently and silently watched him put aloe and seaweed into the mortar. While he was grinding the ingredients with the pestle, he asked what she wanted to see him about.
Fumiko shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat. She began to talk about nothing in particular; like the weather and such. She jumped when he rose his voice a bit, demanding to know what was wrong.
He set the mortar and pestle down and took a deep breath. He apologized for raising his voice, and grabbed onto her hand. He looked her in the eye and told her to tell him what was on her mind. He told her that he would listen, because he cared.
She looked down and blushed. She told him she was feeling sick and that is why she left. She went to her nurse, which lived a few miles north of the village. She had a feeling she already knew what was wrong, but she went just to make sure.
Shinzuino smiled and told her she could have come to him since he did have medical knowledge. Right after he said that, she pulled her hand away and took a deep breath.
She closed her eyes and held back some tears. She told him she did not want to come to him unless she was sure. She halted her speech for a moment while she wiped her eyes. She clutched her skirt and summoned up all her strength to tell him what was wrong. She looked in his eyes and told him she was pregnant.
Shinzuino's brow furrowed as he went silent. He picked up the pestle and tapped it on the side of the mortar, getting off the mixture that was stuck to it. He got up, grabbed a small container, scooped the mixture out of the mortar, and put it in the container.
The silence bothered Fumiko, so she asked him what he thought of it. She watched him kneel back down and think.
He told her that she was a beautiful woman, and that she was talented and smart. She was a wonderful person, but...
Her eyes fell when she heard the word 'but'. She could not believe that he would do this. That he would abandon her like this.
...But he was not ready for that kind of commitment. That she should maybe go and find another man who could be a father to the child.
Fumiko stood up, her fists balled tightly. She cursed at him and ran out of the room crying. She ran to her father's quarters.
Shinzuino sighed and lay back onto the floor. He knew exactly what was going to happen next. To daddy dearest, she went. Then he would have a confrontation with said father.
He knew that he would have to spill someone blood. Not Jujiro's, he had that healing jutsu that would prevent him from taking a major wound, which is why he made it to such a high position in the military. It would have to be Fumiko's blood he would have to spill. Such a pity that such beauty will have to go to waste.
With that, Shinzuino got up and decided to take a trip to the herbalist's again. He cleaned up the table and got ready to go.
..........
Jujiro demanded a meeting with Shinzuino, and he agreed. The Lord already knew that he wanted to discuss the pregnancy of his daughter. Therefore, he suggested a dinner meeting between the three of them.
It was a basic meal, just rice, noodles, and fried vegetables. Shinzuino looked over the meal happily and told Tamoe-san to compliment the chef for him once again.
Once she left, he went to Fumiko's dish and pulled out a small pouch. In the pouch contained crushed Dokuzeri root. He poured some onto her food and awaited the arrival of his to honored guests.
The discussion was short. Mostly about why Shinzuino slept with her, and why he would not accept the responsibility of being a father. The Lord was quite honest with his answers. He slept with her because he was physically attracted to her, and she was coming onto him that night. He did not expect that she would want a serious relationship out of that. In addition, about being a father, he just was not fit to be a father.
After the discussion they ate, they all enjoyed the meal and the father and daughter left right after. Shinzuino stayed and smiled as they left. He knew that no matter what, the woman would try to get him to play father. Therefore, he had to get rid of her. He did not need women trying to get close to him.
.......................
Later on that night, while Shinzuino was soaking in the bath, someone burst into the bathroom. Alas, it was Jujiro. And he was mad. The Lord smiled and asked for a reason as to why the man was intruding on his bath.
Jujiro accused Shinzuino of poisoning his daughter. He pulled out a sword and pointed it at the man in the bath. He threatened to kill him.
Shinzuino smiled and pushed the sword aside. He got up and put on his robe. He suggested a fair fight, since it was dishonorable to attack an unarmed man so directly.
Jujiro sheathed his sword and agreed. He told him to meet him in an hour at the central gate of the mansion. Shinzuino nodded and left to change his clothes.
While he was changing, he contemplated Jujiro's ability, the ability to heal rapidly. For the Amakuro clan, the amount of Chakra it took to heal like that was minuscule. He paused for a moment, what if Fumiko had the ability as well. He was not sure; no one ever told him if she had any ability, he always assumed she did not inherit the ability. Nevertheless, just because no one told him, does not mean she did not. He would have to ask Jujiro later.
He contemplated how to kill the regenerating man, and thought of several possible ways to prevent him from healing. He would have to attack Jujiro's Chakra system, or destroy his heart and/or brain at once. He chose the latter because it would be simpler, he did not want to have to search for his main Chakra bank, though it was usually in the belly or right around the heart. Now, as to how to destroy the brain or heart quickly during a battle he would have to figure out. He smirked as he came up with a plan.
......................
Jujiro was leaning against the gate when Shinzuino arrived. The moonlight cast an eerie glow across the shinobi's face. He frowned and walked up to the lord. They both just stood there for a moment, letting the atmosphere sink in.
Shinzuino commented on how the weather was perfect for a fight. After he got no response, he scowled, and asked if Jujiro really knew what he was getting into.
Jujiro smirked and replied that he knew a lot about Shinzuino Yogarasu. His felt a large amount of contempt for the man in front of him. Its not that this feeling was new to him, he felt it long before the incident with his daughter.
Shinzuino clicked his tongue and mentioned that no one ever called him that anymore. He felt threatened by his knowledge of his name, and was quite curious as to how the man knew it.
Jujiro chuckled and told him that he used to live in a town called Satetsu, and that he knew all about the crazy proprietor. Eventually, he moved to Iwa to continue his training as a ninja. When Shinzuino appeared in Iwa, he feared the worst. His daughter wanted to take the job as a maid. At first, he told her no. However, he also considered the fact that Shinzuino was acting a lot different from what he remembered. He let his daughter go apply for the job. Nevertheless, Shinzuino was no different than he remembered.
Shinzuino grinded his teeth slightly, and frowned deeply. If word of any of this got out, he would be done for. There was no way he would let Jujiro live. With that thought, he grabbed the katana at his waist and flicked the blade free.
The older man smiled at the lord and pulled his sword out of his sheath. He knew it was foolish to fight him. The lord, after all, was intelligent, strong, and feared by those that oppose him. However, he did not care whether he won or lost, the public will see what Shinzuino as he really is.
Shinzuino knew that there would be consequences in killing Jujiro, but keeping him alive could also spell disaster. He knew that Jujiro wanted this. Either way, the public will react poorly.
He asked Jujiro if he was sure he wished to fight. When Jujiro said yes, Shinzuino cursed and took a stance.
Jujiro also got into a stance. He waited until Shinzuino attacked. It turned out the lord had a large amount of patience. Feeling eager, Jujiro attacked, slicing towards Shinzuino's right shoulder.
The lord predicted the move and dodged. He smiled and pulled out a bottle of sake. He took a swig from the bottle. He knew Jujiro was just testing him, because he was smart. He would not just attack blindly without a reason.
............
To be continued...sometime
Baka: Well, Yeah, I know, this is very very late. But, I don't care. No, I'm not quitting on you. However, I read "After the Break" again, and was inspired to rewrite it, putting in some of my new writing skills and fix it up a lot. So, that's why I didn't update. I thought, "Since I'm gonna be rewriting it all, why continue right now?"
So, I'm stopping it here, and hopefully it won't be too long before I put up the new, revised version. So, keep your eyes peeled for "After the Break" popping up again in the next few weeks. I'll leave the old versions up until I upload the new versions. So, till then, ta ta!