Facing the Past
While walking through town, Ayame stopped at a Dojo. She entered and saw an Old man.He looked at her, grabbed his sword and said:
-How did you come back?
-I have regreted my actions Yahiko Sensei!The interogatory genious and my mother believed in me.
-I don´t.
-Well, you do have your reasons...I was just wondering how´s everyone doing...How come this place is so empty?
He laughed:
-Because all that is left here are ghosts Ayame.
-You can´t be serious...where are Tomoyo, Mushin, Jogo, Yamakoto...Tori?
-They all died in mission Ayame.
-But..but they were so powerful!How come!This can´t be true...
-It is...
She stopped her questions for a moment.Then headed to the door:
-Well, too bad then..Bye old man.
But that old man had an hability to see chakra.She saw great sadness on hers.Regret, and the faces of her old friends.A great cry infected her soul, and that she could not hide.
-Ayame sit here. Let´s talk...Remember the first day you came to the dojo?
She sitted by him, and started to remember. She laughed:
-Yes!
A small Ayame, arround 8 years old knocked at the Dojo´s Door.A boy by the same age answered it.
-I am Tori, how may I help you?
-I..I...I am looking for this Dojo...is it here where they teach and give shelter to orphans?
-Yes it is!Come on in!-he grabbed her hand and took her to the Dojo´s indoors:
-You probably should see Yahiko Sensei!Come!
He took her to a room where an old man( but not very old) trained with a young girl.
-Yahiko Sensei!There´s a girl that wishes to speak to you!
He stopped the training, told the young girl to go train with Tori.He made a sign for Ayame to sit:
-So, why is that you are here?
- I...I have no parents.
-Hmm that´s a lie-he laughed- I know your mother, and she´s very alive to me!I think you are a little liar...
-It´s not that!-she raised her voice, then lowered it- it´s just that...all the time they say that I´m the daughter of a great sanin...everyone expects me to be like my mom...I want to be myself...so, I want to join this Dojo, so, everyone would forget about me being the daughter of the great Tsunade!I want to be great by my own...
--Hmm...that´s interesting...I should talk to your mother about this...but yes, I could take you in,ofocarse...
--You were very happy.Since Tsunade agreed, you started to live at the Dojo, and she started to tell people you had left the village to live with your father.Since no one knew who that was, after a while, the daughter of Tsunade-hime was forgotten and Ayame from Yahiko´s Dojo become stronger and stronger.We were very happy for a while, weren´t we,Ayame?
-Yes..
-But then, you´ve always looked up to the Fourth,didn´t you?He was your hero...He always came here to see how you were doing...Remember that day?
The fourth followed by his team entered the Dojo.There were Kakashi(only much younger ofcoarse),Rin and Obito, his three man team.
-How are you Yahiko?
-I´m great sir!So, are you looking for the children?
-Yes, actually, I brought my team mates to spend a day with them!
-Oh, that´s wonderful! Let me call them!
-You were very happy, to be able to interact with first class ninjas, as you called them, weren´t you?
-Yes..Rin and Obito were great...but that Kakashi was a snob...I´m going on a mission with him, you know?
-Really?
-Yes...I have to prove my devotion to Konoha.
-That is wise of your mother...Well, everything was so great...but then Obito died and a bit of the glimmer of your happiness ended,right?You two really created a bond since that day...
-Kakashi should have died, not him! Obito was a good kid...And he would have been a great man.Remember Sensei, after he came here for the first time, he used to always come with the Fourth to see us..
The old man observed her chakra...it seemed she had forgotten to control her emotions, something she had never done since...that day...:
-And then, fate striked your little heart again, when, only four years after you joined us, the Fourth, the one you used to tell the guys that you would be just like some day...The Yellow Flash of Konoha...perished.And something you had never felt before started to fill you...hatred.You started to develop your own philosophy of life.Obito was a good person, the Fourth was a good person, so, what good did it make to be good?Ofcoarse you did not become bad...not untill that day I think...but you weren´t good either, even though your spirit claimed for you to be good, you just...didn´t listen...You became numb...Even the love Tori developed for you wasn´t enough to bring you back Ayame...
-I loved Tori old man...
-But you never allowed yourself to fully love.You did love him, but that feeling didn´t make you good either.Tori on the other hand did good things, and even though you were numb, he loved you with all his heart.
-...
-Remember the last conversation we had when you were about to leave?
She stopped and remembered that day.It was raining.She had just injured all her team mates nearby a lake and was leaving.Yahiko Sensei had just arrived, and yelled at her:
-Ayame!
The young girl, who was about 17 years back then stopped walking.
-Ayame!Look at your friends!You´ve hurted them!WHY!
-Because they were in my way.
-In your way!In the way of what!
-Sensei- said Tori,trying still to catch his breathe.But even though very wounded, it seems that a knife had pierced his heart.His chakra was so sad, that a tear fell over sensei´s face- Ayame´s hate has consumed her.Please stop her, don´t let her leave!
-What!Your hate for Obito´s death? For the Fourth´s Death? For the Kyubi?Is that it?
-YES!-she answered-that goddamn fox tried to exterminate our village, and now, we have to live with it, as if nothing ever happened!I´m glad that kid has no friends and is ignored by all!He sure deserved something far more deadly!HE KILLED THE FOURTH! You are all blind!
-I will not let you go!-said Yahiko sensei
-Come back Ayame-chan!-yelled her friends.
But she didn´t care..she did not wish to stay in Konoha anymore.Ayame defeated her Sensei easily.And left.
-Old man...but how did they died?In four years, all of them?
-Tomoyo´s boyfriend betrayed her...so she commited seppuku...
-Damn it Tomoyo!-she yelled and the old man smiled as he saw her chakra of anger for her best friend´s stupid end.
-Mushin and Jogo died on a mission...Yamakoto,well, he betrayed Konoha 10 times more then you did,and left...I´ve heard he was killed by the village of the mist when they found he was of no more use to them
-But he was so devoted to the village...
-Go figure Ayame...I was their father, but appearently that was not enough for them to stick together...you and Tori were a glue, a glue that made this family happy...even through the times you were numb, you always cared for your team mates.I know, it wasn´t goodness, it was strategy:A strong group is better then a weak one...don´t worry, I read that on your chakra...but still, I like to believe there was a bit of love in those actions you used to take..
Ayame´s chakra began to disappear for the old man.She had been uncovered for too long.Calmly, she asked:
-Tori?
-He died right after you left.He started to search for you...he said he would never give up and would take you back by force if he had to.But a group of unknown Ninja killed him...and his dream.
-This is all very sad...now, there´s only you in this god forsaken Dojo...-a cold wind came by, Yahiko smiled-It´s not god forsaken..it is just empty.
Ayame looked at the watch on the wall. It was time to go.She stood up and said:
-Take care old man.
-One last thing, Ayame-chan...I think we should not worry about you...deep in your soul, you just always wanted...to protect the village.
Ayame left.
At the street, a man asked her what she was doing there. She said she was visiting her old sensei:
-Yahiko?
-Yes-she said
-Impossible mam'!
-Why is that?
-Yahiko Sensei died 3 years ago on a mission with two of the kids that used to live here.
-Mushin and Jogo?-she whispered. Ayame ran back to the Dojo, to find out that there was nothing but dust in that old house. As she came back to the street, the man asked:
-What were you doing on that god forsaken place, mam'?
-Facing the past...-she answered.For a few seconds, Ayame grieved for the path that she had taken, and for the death of the ones she loved. She felt guilt, sorrow, anger...but then she remembered that she had to meet with Kakashi´s team at the gates.
She remembered Kakashi and remembered the sorrow she felt for Obito´s death, she remembered the anger she felt with the death of the fourth and the hatred she felt when it was decided that the Kyubi would live in Konoha.Her fists got tight and she tought:" I´m glad…that those who knew my heart wasn't so pure can no longer tell the truth.":
-Are you okay mam'?
-Yes- she smiled peacefully- I am fine.Thankyou!Goodbye!-she waved as she ran towards the gates.
The man on the street wondered:"What a nice young girl!".
