It was a few days later, and Senjo was busy going over some paperwork in her mother's office when Naiteki walked in and leaned against the door for a moment. "Mother, is there something wrong?" She noticed a scroll tube in her hand, and immediately stood.
"Hidden Stone sent their reply to our letter." Casually tossing the message to her daughter, Naiteki sat down at her desk and began going over some reports. With trembling hands, the redhead opened the tube and unfurled the letter. It was short and straight to the point, and when she was done, Senjo nodded at her mother.
"You've discussed things with the Kazekage, I assume?"
"Of course. Do you want to tell the prisoner?"
"I'm the only one he'd believe." Naiteki nodded and withdrew her keys from her belt, unlocking the door and tossing them to Senjo.
"Make it quick."
"Yes ma'am." Still clutching the scroll, she descended into the cell area, eyes going straight to Daisuke's cell. What would he say when she told him? He had been so patient over the weeks, and so nice to her. When he'd heard about Kuro's attack on her, he'd even been angry. She managed a small smile. Some good had come out of this after all, as they had sent the location of the Hidden Sound village to Konoha recently, hoping that this would further strengthen the alliance between Leaf and Sand. "Daisuke?"
"Senjo?" He came to the front of the cell, hands holding the bars and a smile on his face. That this would be the last time she saw him like this nearly broke her heart.
"We received a letter from your former village today." His face fell, the color draining from it. She handed him the scroll, and he swallowed loudly before unrolling it and reading aloud.
"By order of the Tsuchikage of Hidden Stone, Sunomo Daisuke has been declared dead, a casualty of war six years ago, and his file has been destroyed. Any further requests for information will be denied." Senjo unlocked the cell door and caught him just before he slumped to the floor. "Senjo… What does this mean?"
"It means you're free, Daisuke. Your village could've sent a hunter-nin here to kill you, but they didn't. Now you have a choice: Wander as a homeless ninja, or stay here in Hidden Sand."
"Stay here? But I'm the enemy. I came here as a spy. I'm an outcast."
"There are quite a few of those here anyway," she replied with a smile. "Now on your feet. We're going upstairs to see my mother."
"Mother?" He wasn't quite following what she was saying, but at least he was walking beside her. Up the stairs they went, and Senjo unlocked the door. "Ow!" he yelled as the light hit his eyes for the first time in months.
"Get used to it, Daisuke," Naiteki told him. "There's a lot of sun in this village." He blinked a few times, recognizing the voice he couldn't put a face to at the moment.
"Senjo… Your mother is the village interrogator?"
"Of course. Why else did you think I had access to the cells?" He smiled slightly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I see. So to what do I owe the pleasure of you calling me by my name?"
"The pleasure of being a possible ninja for Hidden Sand. That is, if I determine you are fit and loyal enough. You see, we don't take betrayals lightly. So if you ever even think of going back to that bastard Orochimaru again, we will hunt you down with every hunter-nin we can spare." She dropped her voice and stared into his eyes, and Senjo knew she was using her chakra to form pictures in his mind of the consequences. He swallowed hard again, nodding vigorously that he understood. "Good boy. Now let's see what we can do about getting you some decent food." Senjo began giggling, and both Naiteki and Daisuke gave her puzzled looks.
"Which means it looks like I'll be making lunch." Naiteki sighed and shooed them both out of the building, a smile on her face.
"Kohaku, have you seen your brother?" Atsui asked at breakfast the next day. "When I went to wake him, his bed was made and his clothes were gone. He's hardly been home the past few days."
"He's probably out training," she replied. Kurai being gone was nothing new, but even she had seen little of her twin. Daichi had been keeping his mouth shut, but he would sometimes smile like he knew a big secret and didn't want to share.
"Isn't that where you should be?" Taru asked gruffly, not looking up from the morning paper. Kohaku bristled instinctively, but grit her teeth and stood up. Lately everything their father had said was derogatory, and everyone was trying to just take it in stride. She had been going out on quite a few village border patrols lately, but this was the first day she had all to herself. Yes, she would be spending it training, but she resented the tone in her father's voice, like she'd never trained a day in her life.
"Yes Father." Daichi met her eyes across the table, and she nodded. The siblings had developed a rudimentary silent language in the days since Taru and Kurai's talk. Eye contact meant "are you all right", nods and shakes were "yes" or "no", and a smile meant "I'll be all right". Passing by Taru's chair, Kohaku was startled to hear him ask:
"Why aren't you wearing your armguards?"
"I don't need them anymore."
"They cover your scars."
"A shinobi should be proud of the scars they bear."
"They show weakness," he told her, glancing up. "You don't see Kurai with any, yet you and Daichi both have them." Atsui's back stiffened at the stove, and Daichi's eyes widened. His hand came up to rub across the scar that Kurai had inflicted, though he'd concocted a story that he'd fallen down a rocky slope and hadn't gotten it treated in time. Taru hadn't said anything implying that scars were bad before, and that was going too far. Kohaku would not let this comment go, and met her father's gaze.
"They show experience." She turned quickly, leaving the room, putting on her sandals, and making it out the front door in less than a minute. She didn't expect him to follow; she just wanted to get out of the house. Once in the street she headed for the cliff-top where the sentries were stationed. Anger forced her steps faster and faster, until she was running blindly. She vaguely heard someone shouting her name before she collided into something that crashed to the ground along with her.
"Kohaku!" After shaking her head to clear the stars she was seeing, the brunette realized that Senjo was standing over her, tugging on her arm. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Senjo. Sorry-" The words froze as Kohaku looked at the person she'd run into. He was sitting in front of her, holding his head with one hand and swearing softly. The clothes he wore looked like cast-offs: A tan short-sleeved shirt that was a bit baggy, and long gray shorts. His dark-brown hair was tied back in a short ponytail, and he wore a red cloth forehead protector without the village symbol that he kept tugging out of his eyes. And those eyes were what drew her attention: Light, sand-colored, and full of a thousand emotions at once. She had seen eyes like that only once before, and she scrambled to her feet. "Who are you?"
"Me?" he asked, staring up at her. The question seemed to catch him off-guard, and he looked lost for a moment. Kohaku put him at eighteen, maybe a year older. She knew most of the people in Hidden Sand, especially anyone who looked like they were a ninja. Though he appeared inexperienced, this young man seemed combat-worthy.
"Uh, Kohaku, this is Daisuke. Tanamari Daisuke," Senjo introduced with some hesitation. When her teammate raised her eyebrow, she sighed. "You remember the Sound spy we caught months ago?"
"This is-" Senjo clapped her hand over Kohaku's mouth and hissed in her ear:
"Yes! Don't make a big deal about it, please?" Daisuke was watching them, not moving a muscle. His attention seemed split between the girls, but Kohaku could tell he was watching her closer.
"Sorry," she whispered when Senjo backed up. "I just wasn't expecting to run into him out on the streets. What happened?"
"His village declared him dead, so the Kazekage is letting him stay with us so mother can evaluate him to be a Sand ninja."
"Oh." Daisuke put his hands on the ground to stand, but both girls offered him their hands, which he accepted with a smile as they pulled him up. "Forgive my lack of manners," Kohaku apologized as he dusted himself off. "I'm Hajino Kohaku, teammate of Senjo's." They bowed to one another, and he seemed much calmer now.
"Senjo has told me a bit about you and your brother." He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "She also said that if you thought I was going to hurt her, you'd break me in half and roast the pieces."
"You believe her?" Kohaku's grin was a dangerous one, and he shrugged again. This time though, his eyes were serious.
"She told me about what you did to Kuro. I knew him back in the village, and he wasn't someone I wanted to mess with. I believe you'd carry out that threat."
"Good. Now that we have that settled, what say I give your abilities a little test run? If you're going to be a Sand ninja, then you should see what we're like. That, and I could use a workout." She dropped into a loose stance, and Senjo went to protest, but Daisuke just nodded.
"Me too," he agreed, crouching down with both hands up in fists.
"Kohaku, is this really necessary?" Senjo asked, irritation clear in her voice. Her mother had warned her not to bring any undo attention on Daisuke, and a fight with a Hajino would do just that.
"It's just a friendly spar," came the reply.
"I'll be all right, Senjo," he agreed. The redhead sighed heavily and crossed her arms, sitting down just out of range of melee. Both fighters suddenly charged forward, but Kohaku went low, sinking into the ground as she moved. In a matter of moments she was completely encased in the earth, and Daisuke stopped dead. He immediately placed one hand on the ground, and Senjo felt his chakra spreading out, like he was searching for his opponent. His eyes widened as he suddenly leapt to the side, and a pillar of rock rose up where he had been a moment ago. Kohaku was sitting on top of it, and Daisuke scrambled to his feet and paused for a moment. The girl was staring at him, arms resting at her sides and legs hanging off the pillar like it was a throne. The smile on her face was one of triumph and amusement, but he wasn't done. He centered his chakra on the pillar she was on, quickly forming the hand seals he'd learned so many years ago.
"Doton: Hahen dangan (Earth Element: Rock Bullets)" Kohaku sensed the chakra shift as she dove off the pillar, which shattered. The pieces hung in the air for a moment before they flew at her. Senjo screamed, but Kohaku slammed her hand to the ground and called on her favorite defense:
"Ganseki toku! (Rock shield)" The rock fragments struck her shield, but it held. She waited a few moments before shrinking it down, and noticed Daisuke trying to catch his breath. He was standing, though with his head bent and hands on his legs like he had just run from Konoha. Senjo was on her way over, but Kohaku beat her to his side and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"
"Sure," he wheezed. "But that took a lot more chakra than I'm used to. I'd heard that your family shared similar abilities with Gaara, but I never thought you had such a heavy concentration of chakra in your techniques. Unfortunately, that's the only earth technique I know. You would've overpowered me eventually."
"Nice to see you know when you're beaten." They smiled at each other, and Senjo raised an eyebrow. Kohaku usually didn't take this fast to people, though it might've been because of all the action they'd seen in Konoha. And Daisuke did need more friends… Suddenly a rumbling cut her musing short, and she barely had time to grab Kohaku before they were all knocked off their feet.
"Earthquake?" Daisuke yelled as the noise increased.
"In the desert? We've never had one."
"That isn't an earthquake, Senjo," Kohaku said as she watched the sentries running as best they could to the edge of the cliff. The trio followed as quickly as they were able, and everyone's eyes widened. Out in the sand dunes, a massive wave of sand was making its way south, heading parallel to the village border. A figure was kneeling with his hands on the ground, watching the sand.
"Gaara," one of the sentries whispered. The hair on the back of Senjo's neck rose. She'd seen this technique up close once before, and it seemed even larger than last time. But the control with it wasn't as good yet, and it seemed to be slower.
"That isn't Gaara," Kohaku said softly, eyes centered on the figure. "It's Kurai."
"Kurai-kun?"
"Your other teammate?" Daisuke asked, still in slight shock.
"Her teammate and then some," Kohaku flippantly told him.
"Well, I'm not so sure about that," the redhead replied. "Lately he hasn't-"
"He does care about you, Senjo," Kohaku told her. "He just doesn't always know how to show it." She looked over and saw Daisuke's face fall as he looked quickly at Senjo, then at her brother.
"So that's Hajino Kurai?"
"Yeah," Senjo said with a smile, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. She still cared about him, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.
'He'd kill me if he knew what I was thinking about Senjo. I knew he was her teammate, but I never realized why she spoke so highly of him.' Daisuke felt someone staring at him, and looked up to meet Kohaku's eyes on the other side of Senjo.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize." Her smile was genuine and apologetic, and he just shrugged and smiled back. Senjo broke out of her staring to see the two of them smiling at each other again.
"Come on, you two, let's go see Kurai-kun!" Tugging on their arms, she turned and ran down the road, sash and hair flying behind her.
"She's such a kid sometimes," Kohaku mused.
"At least she's a happy kid," Daisuke shot back as they followed their friend.
Kurai was walking back towards the village when he saw a group heading towards him. A moment later Senjo was at his side, smiling up at him. His sister and a man he didn't recognize hung back a moment. "Who's your friend, Senjo-chan?"
"Oh, um… His name is Daisuke," she said softly. "He's-"
"The former Sound spy," Kohaku interrupted. She saw Kurai frown, casting a glance at Daisuke even as his arm went around Senjo protectively.
"And I assume there's a reason he's walking free around the village?"
"Naiteki-san is evaluating me to see if I can be a ninja of Hidden Sand," the boy in question shot back, eyes centered on Kurai like he expected a challenge.
"He's a decent person, Kurai-kun," Senjo told him, taking his hand. "And I already told him that if he tries to hurt me-"
"That it'll be a race to see who kills him first," Kohaku said, a smile on her face. Senjo glared at her for a moment. She was behaving a little oddly. Had something happened at home this morning? In all the excitement of Kohaku meeting Daisuke, Senjo had not asked her friend why she had been running through the streets.
"I would never hurt Senjo. She's the only one who ever gave me a chance and didn't treat me like a criminal."
"Even though you are," Kurai added. When Daisuke just nodded, he squeezed Senjo's hand once before gently pulling away. "Well, I need to get some food before I head back out for some more training. Kohaku?"
"See you later, Senjo. Nice meeting you, Daisuke."
"You too." The twins headed through the gates, quickly getting swept up in the crowd at the market.
"So that's where you've been running off to every day," Kohaku said. Her tone was slightly accusatory, but flat.
"I had Daichi show me where Gaara trains, and I saw him doing a technique like that. I have to perfect it before I challenge him, and I'm getting close."
"You are really going through with it, then? Kurai, I thought you had given up on that foolish dream of Father's."
"I'm not doing this for him, or the clan. I'm doing this for myself."
"Yourself?"
"You'll understand when I challenge him. Please Kohaku-"
"No, this is all the same egotistical bullshit you were spouting before we went back to Konoha. Kurai, we have to accept our position-"
"I don't know about you, but my position hasn't been determined yet." She stopped with a snide comment on her tongue, staring at him. He didn't seem angry, or even upset that she still thought he was an idiot for challenging the Desert Child. Had he actually learned something through all the fighting and rehashing of the past that they had done? "I just ask one thing: Don't judge me yet."
"You know I already have." He nodded, smiling sadly.
"I know. And Senjo will too. I just hope I don't lose you both over this."
"Then stop thinking like this! You have nothing to prove! You are my brother, the heir to the Hajino Clan, and I don't ask you to do this. The girl you love isn't demanding you fight someone she considers a friend. Our mother is afraid of losing you to feelings of revenge like Father, and Daichi just wants his brother to notice him."
"I'm not doing it for anyone else, I already told you that." She stared at him, sighed heavily, and shook her head.
"I will always be your sister, Kurai. Just sometimes I'm not sure we're as alike as everyone thinks we are."
"I would hope not. The world doesn't need a second me. You will always have your own path to walk, and I will support you on it. Now I ask that you support me on mine." He walked away, leaving her alone in the crowd, and she leaned against the nearest building, feeling the warm stone on her back.
"No Kurai, I don't think even you will support me on the path I'm on."
The days following had been quiet, and life appeared to be getting back to normal. Senjo and Naiteki were working even more closely together, going over paperwork and old accounts to get Senjo prepared for her future. Daisuke too, seemed to be adjusting easily to a routine. Seishin would train him every day he was able, and it seemed he enjoyed having another "son" to be involved with. Inkei was even behaving himself, and he and Daisuke were getting along well. So it was a bit of a shock when her little brother came barreling into the office, startling Senjo and causing a stack of papers to crash to the floor. "Inkei, what's wrong?" she demanded.
"You need to come with me!" he said, reaching for her hand.
"What happened? Is the village being attacked?" She briefly thought that Akatsuki had made a move on Gaara, but Inkei shook his head.
"Kurai is challenging Gaara!" The world stopped for a split second as she felt her legs start to give way, but she caught herself and clenched her fists tight.
"Damn him!" The Tanamari siblings raced to the center of the village, where it seemed everyone had gathered. Naiteki and a few other Jounins were standing off to the side, and the Kazekage was right behind them. Daichi and Kohaku made their way over, followed by Atsui. "Is he serious?"
"I'm afraid so," Kohaku replied, frowning slightly.
"Suicide," Kankuro quipped as he and Temari strolled up. "Kurai is as stubborn an ass as your father."
"I know."
"Speaking of dad, there he is," Daichi pointed out, as their attention went to the center of the ring of people. Kurai and Gaara were talking, and Taru was standing on the inside of the circle, right behind his son. The smile he wore was more of a smirk, and Senjo noticed Gaara cast a quick glance at the older man.
"…at three tomorrow?" Kurai was asking. Gaara nodded, arms folded across his chest. "See you then." As the boys went their separate ways, the crowd began dispersing. Taru clapped Kurai on the shoulder and whispered something to him, but he just kept walking. Senjo knew he was headed for their group, and she was torn between running away and telling him off.
"We'd better go find Gaara," Temari said as she nodded at them.
"We'll see you tomorrow," Kohaku added as the two ran after their brother. Daisuke and Naiteki walked up, and Atsui pulled the other woman to the side.
"He's challenging Gaara?" Daisuke asked in slight shock. "Why?"
"Because I have to," Kurai told them, coming over. "You'll understand tomorrow." Kohaku and Daichi raised their eyebrows, but said nothing.
"Aren't you ever satisfied?" Senjo asked, trying to keep her voice soft. "When will you be done proving yourself?"
"Senjo-chan-"
"No Kurai, I'm tired of all this! It isn't bad enough we had to deal with Makoto, Kuro, and Tansei, but now you want to stoke your ego even more by thinking you can fight Gaara?" A small crowd had begun to form around them, and Senjo was losing the fight to keep from shouting. "When will it be enough? Do you have to be lying half-dead again? Or do you want to be dead before you're through trying to live up to what your father wants."
"Senjo, please listen-"
"No, you listen! If you want to challenge Gaara, you do it alone!" Turning on her heel, Senjo bolted from the crowd. Kurai made a move to follow, but Naiteki and Kohaku grabbed his arms.
"Let her go," his sister advised.
"You've done enough damage already," the woman added.
"I still think this is a stupid idea," Daichi said as he and Inkei walked away.
"Of course it is," Kurai replied. "But I still need to do it."
"You're willing to hurt Senjo just because you feel slighted by Gaara?" Daisuke demanded. When the twins looked at him, he continued "She told me all about your family's history with him. Maybe you should think about others for a change." He turned in the direction Senjo had gone, and the second crowd began leaving as well. Kohaku shook her head and sighed heavily.
"Just once, it would be nice not to have to play peacemaker."
"I never asked you to," Kurai shot back.
"I know, but it's my default role. Now I need to go calm him down before he says something stupid to Senjo." Leaving her brother alone, Kohaku went after Daisuke and hoped this mess would all be done with tomorrow.
The wind whipped over the cliffs, dragging sand with it. Senjo ducked her head into her knees, closing her eyes until the wind died down. She had been up here for a little while, trying to think. But every time she pictured Kurai, she had to will herself not to cry all over again. "Stupid idiot," she whispered. "Doesn't even care about anyone else's feelings. All he's doing is listening to his father."
"Senjo?" a female voice asked from behind. Thinking at first that is was Kohaku, the redhead turned, only to see Temari and her brothers a few feet away. "Are you okay?"
"Does it look like I am?" she shot back, instantly regretting her tone. The blonde sighed and nodded, turning to her siblings.
"Let's leave her alone for now."
"You two go on ahead," Gaara said, looking at Senjo. "I'll join you shortly."
"And you still deny that you and Senjo are-" Kankuro began before glares from Temari and Gaara silenced him.
"We're just friends," the female redhead said, a blush creeping into her face.
"Right," the puppet master replied with a chuckle as Temari rolled her eyes and dragged him away. There was silence on the cliff top as the wind kicked up yet again, but Gaara didn't turn from the stinging sand as Senjo did, but continued to watch her.
"Why are you upset? Shinobi challenge each other all the time. It is only natural for Kurai to want to fight me. I am an obstacle he must overcome."
"Those are Hajino-san's words. I don't even know if Kurai has his own opinion of you. He's spent his life under his father's shadow."
"Kohaku admitted as much, that she has no personal opinion of me, but was merely following her family." Senjo raised an eyebrow and looked up at him.
"Kohaku said that?"
"At the hospital, after she was through speaking to Uzumaki Naruto's teammate. It appeared she and the girl have some things in common." Something clicked then, and Senjo smiled slightly.
"Sakura. They met when we first went to Konoha. Naruto's whole team seemed to share similar aspects with us. Kurai and Sasuke were almost completely alike."
"Do you equate yourself to Naruto, then?"
"A little. He's the untested link in that team, the one who needs help from everyone but doesn't want to admit it."
"Wouldn't that make him helpless?"
"No, not really. He can do a lot of things on his own, but he needs the proper motivation. Without it, he's a goofy kid." Gaara folded his arms across his chest and met her eyes. Senjo wasn't sure, but she thought she detected the hint of a smile in his gaze.
"And what is his motivation?"
"His friends. If they're in trouble, he does anything he can to help them."
"And you?" Frowning slightly, Senjo stood and cast a glance across the desert. She didn't have many friends, but she cherished the ones she did have. Even if they were too busy being a jerk to listen.
"My friends are important to me. I would die for them if I had to." She met his gaze, and he nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer.
"Many times I asked myself why Uzumaki Naruto wished to be Hokage. And now I think I have the answer: He wishes to protect everyone, as he does his friends. When he becomes Hokage, then everyone in Konoha will be important to him, and he will do whatever it takes to ensure their safety."
"Most people want to be village leader for the power and prestige. Naruto just wants to help people." Gaara walked to her side, looking out over the desert as a dust devil whipped across the ground far below them.
"Maybe one day, I can do the same." Eyes wide, Senjo turned to him, wondering if she'd heard him right.
"You want to be Kazekage?"
"I want to be like Naruto: I want to understand why he is the way he is. By sharing his dream, maybe I can."
"If anyone can do it, you can."
"You have a lot of faith in me, don't you, Tanamari Senjo? Why is that?" There was silence as she tried to think of an answer, but there wasn't one. At least none that made complete sense to anyone but her. She had gone from fearing Gaara to thinking of him as a friend in a very short period of time. Had it all been because of Naruto, or had she always felt that the desert child's isolation was unfair? She herself had been nearly isolated before Kohaku came along, so was it because she knew what it felt like? There were too many questions and too few answers, and she was tired.
"Because no one should be totally alone. Everyone needs at least one friend they can count on."
"I've never had a friend, before you and Naruto came along."
"We'll be there whenever you need us, and sometimes when you think you don't. Like how you stayed to talk to me. Why did you, anyway?" He shrugged, and the corners of his mouth turned up for a moment.
"It seemed like the right thing to do." He turned and started walking, but Senjo reached out and tugged lightly on his arm. "Yes?"
"Are you really going to fight Kurai tomorrow?"
"I believe we have had this discussion already. And the promise I made then still holds. Kurai and I will fight, but there will be no senseless bloodshed."
"Do you think that will be enough for Kurai?" Gaara nodded, and she released his arm so he could leave.
"I think tomorrow will be a learning experience for everyone." Then he was gone, leaving Senjo alone to consider his last words, and her words to Kurai.
Daisuke was walking along the perimeter of the village, trying to find Senjo hiding somewhere. He knew she was probably out in the desert by the cliffs, but he wasn't sure if he would be allowed outside the gates by himself. Naiteki-san had warned him not to draw attention to himself, and since none of the guards knew him, leaving would do just that. But even if he found Senjo, what would he say to her? Kurai's apparent betrayal of her feelings was something he would not stand for, and yet he wasn't sure of her feelings himself. She cared about Kurai, and it didn't seem that this one act would be enough to tear them apart. But did he want to potentially get in their way by telling her how he felt? Or would that just do more damage to both of them? "Daisuke!" a voice called out. He turned to see Senjo's teammate Kohaku jogging up to him. "Going somewhere?"
"I'm trying to find Senjo," he replied matter-of-factly. She smiled, casting a glance up the rock wall that marked the end of the village.
"You won't find her here. She would've gone to the cliffs. Almost no one goes there because of Gaara. That's his usual training grounds."
"Most of the village seems to still fear him, but Senjo doesn't." It wasn't really a question, but he knew there was one in his tone.
"She never did think like everyone else. Even when we were younger, she always had her own thoughts and ways of seeing things."
"When she was friends with Toshiro Kuro?" Kohaku frowned, her eyes darkening for a moment.
"Yes. He did everything he could to break her, and never succeeded."
"Senjo said that was because of you. That you protected her."
"She's my friend," the girl replied with a shrug. "When we became teammates, it became even more important to protect each other." She paused then, and Daisuke saw her look down at her arms. He had noticed the thick scars before, but had refrained from asking her directly. However, Senjo had dismissed his questions as well, refusing to explain where and how her longtime friend and teammate had gotten the scars. Her reasoning was that it was Kohaku's decision, and hers alone, to tell him. His curiosity piqued, Daisuke reached out a hand to touch her arm. But the moment Kohaku realized what he was doing, she pulled back, hugging her arms to her chest. "Don't."
"I'm sorry, but I wanted to know: What are those from? Senjo won't tell me." They stared at each other in silence, he not moving, and she walking over to lean against the wall. Finally, she looked over at him and dropped her arms to her sides.
"How well did you know Kuro and his teammates?"
"Well enough to stay out of their way. They weren't our best, but they were dangerous," he replied with a shrug.
"What about Akanaho Tansei?" When he stiffened slightly, she was sorry she'd mentioned the name. Still, his reaction intrigued her. She hadn't doubted that Tansei was as sadistic as he'd told her, but to hear someone else's view would be interesting.
"I would see him around the village sometimes, always by himself unless on a mission. He would sometimes watch everyone train, studying each move and technique like he was trying to memorize them. But mostly he stayed with the prisoners. I'd heard that he was one of the people Orochimaru used to test them." Daisuke stopped and repressed a shiver. "I only spoke to him once, but he unnerved me with just that conversation. When I asked him what he did to the prisoners, he said he was making music." Kohaku glanced up and hugged her arms to her body again, biting her lip. His reasons for doing what he did had unnerved her as well, and it was no surprise that someone who knew nothing about Tansei would be shocked by his actions. Somewhere, somehow, she had missed the change from classmate and friend to psychotic sadist. Daisuke continued, as if he was reliving the conversation. "Then he explained that screams were like music to him, and he was searching for the perfect one. He'd only heard it once, but-"
"I know," Kohaku interrupted, voice soft. She flipped her arms over, staring at the scars as he looked over and waited for her to continue. "My scream was the one he wanted to hear again. That was the only time I ever screamed like that; when he gave me these scars." Their eyes met, and she saw the shock that sat so openly in his gaze. "He was my friend- No, he was more than that, but it didn't matter. The boy I had loved died long before I was ever injured. The monster who did this got his punishment."
"Kohaku…" There were so many questions he wanted to ask her, but none of them could get past the lump in his throat. She was so young, to be hurt like that by someone she'd cared about. He turned away, realizing that Senjo and Kurai's argument was minor compared to that. Even Kuro's attack on Senjo held more weight than Kurai not taking Senjo's feelings into consideration. How could he have thought that she might turn to him, rather than her teammate? "I'm such an idiot."
"No, you aren't," she argued, coming up beside him. "You're just male." He raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her.
"You make that sound like a shortcoming." There was silence for a moment, and then she smiled at him, shaking her head.
"You mean it isn't?" He returned the smile, but was startled a moment later when she leaned into him, arms across her chest. They stayed like that for a few minutes as he felt his heart speed up slightly, and then drop back down to normal. She hid her pain well, and she seemed to be the type of person who didn't trust easily. That she allowed him to share in her personal nightmare was not something he expected, but appreciated nevertheless. "You're really serious about becoming a ninja for Hidden Sand, right?"
"Of course. Without your village, I'd have nowhere to go. And Senjo was nice to me even when I was a prisoner."
"Then do me a favor: Don't get into the mindset of feeling you have to prove yourself. This whole village has something to prove, and egos tend to be even worse. My family, Gaara, Senjo, even me; we all feel the need to prove ourselves because it seems to us that we're not good enough. If you really want to be a ninja, then follow Tanamari-san. Sometimes it seems like he's the only one who has a good head on his shoulders."
"Senjo's father? Sometimes I'm not even sure if he knows he has a head." They both chuckled, and Kohaku looked him over again. All in all, he wasn't a bad guy, even if he was a bit misguided. Still, she knew that anything she might be thinking about him was tainted. Her promise to Hyuuga Neji was still fresh in her mind, and seeing Tansei and coming to grips with her feelings for him had shocked her.
"Daisuke?" she asked, wondering if she should really be asking him this.
"Yes?"
"Do you think we could be friends?" He seemed a bit surprised, then put a hand behind his head and chuckled again.
"I thought we sort of were already. After all, I'm going to be living with Senjo and her family, so we'll probably be seeing a lot more of each other."
"I'd like that."
"I would too."