I am finally back. I am so sorry about this insanely long hiatus. I've been finishing up school and now working full time. I really hope I can keep a schedule or something, because these long breaks are getting really ridiculous. I'm so grateful for everyone's patience. Thank you so much and I hope this chapter gives you all the answers you've been curious about.
Chapter 56: Koji and Mari
I undo my transformation jutsu after we enter the Kazekage's mansion. Koji raises his eyebrows.
"You shaved your hair?"
I nod. He sighs in relief.
"I thought it was going to be something way more dramatic."
"What else could it be?"
I say as I giggle at his reaction.
"I guess that's how you got your memories back…"
So he does know more than he lets on.
"That's right. Would you mind telling me how you know that?"
Koji takes a deep breath.
"Alright. I'll tell you everything I know."
I give him a grateful smile. I kind of feel sorry for what I'm planning on doing later, but I know that it's the only way.
"Back then, I noticed that you and Mari were getting close. I was curious about you because I'd never seen you around before. Everyone was telling me to stay away, but I didn't understand why. I decided to get closer to Mari to learn more about who you were. We became friends and she started revealing more about what all the adults were telling her. They were telling her that your clan is evil and that the only way to save you is to get you away from them. She said that she wanted to do everything in her powers to save her friend… When I got home I mentioned it to my parents and they both made me swear not to tell anyone. My father told me that yes it was indeed in their plans to get you away from your tribe and that it was the only way to make sure you did not become like them. He said that it had to be done or you'd become a heartless killer like your family. I'm sure it was all for the best, even if the method was extreme. They just wanted to save you!"
I frown as Koji retells me what he's been lead to believe. He's been deceived… Blinded and lied to by his own father. Should I clarify things for him? Will he even listen to me?
"You look really troubled, Kiu…"
"I am. I'm actually baffled at the story that they made up."
"Made up? What are you saying? They were doing what was best for you and the village!"
"If you truly believe that then there's no point in me telling you what really happened."
Koji grabs my wrist firmly.
"I… I still want to know. Maybe there's more to it. Maybe they weren't fully honest with me. I want to hear your part and come to my own conclusions."
I take a deep breath and start telling him everything that I remember. I omit my coming of age ceremony, since he might just latch unto that to justify what has happened. I tell him that the only reason why my clan was massacred was because the Kazekage feared our strength. After I finish what I had to say, I see Koji with a complicated expression on his face. I see some disbelief, confusion and even betrayal.
"I… I don't understand. You mean to tell me that I've been completely lied to?"
I sigh, not knowing what else to tell him. After a while, he turns away.
"That's all you had to tell, right?"
I slowly nod.
"Then I have no more reason to stay here."
Koji then leaves and I'm left there in my room, all alone.
Well, that's one down. Now I need to go and attempt to talk to Mari. Even if it's by force, I'll learn everything that she has to tell me. If what Koji said is true, then they both have the shared secret about my origins. It wouldn't be too crazy for me to transform into Koji to lure her out.
After rehearsing the scenario a few times in my head, I start to put my plan into action. I transform into Koji and seek out Mari. At this time of the day, if she's not on a mission, she's probably back at her home.
After reaching her house, I knock on the front door. To my luck, she's the one who opens up. She looks pretty surprised to see me there. I guess Koji never really talks to her anymore.
"Why are you here?"
She says with a tinge of coldness in her voice. I need to make her feel like I'm on her side.
"I found out about some very concerning things, Mari. It could get us both into some pretty deep trouble…"
As soon as I say that, her face changes to concern.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"We need to go talk somewhere in private first. We can't risk having someone eavesdrop on us."
Mari looks behind her and looks back at me. She nods and starts to follow me. That was easier than I thought. I lead her to a remote area in the village where people rarely come.
"Will you finally tell me what's going on?"
She looks me in the eyes. I have to get her to talk without arousing any suspicion from her.
"Do you remember what we were told back then?"
She cocks her head and raises an eyebrow.
"What do you mean? I'm not really following."
"You know… About what happened to Kiu."
Her eyes widen.
"Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? We swore never to talk about it again."
"Well, I think she's unto us."
"You're joking right?"
"I'm still not fully sure, though… She's been implying a lot of things."
"This bitch just needs to keep make my life worse…"
What does she mean by that? What did I ever do to make her life difficult?
"Come on, Mari. Is it because you blame her for us breaking up?"
Mari glares at me.
"Oh just stop it. The world doesn't just revolve around you."
I sigh. Now I'm curious. This could be important information.
"Then what is this about?"
"When have you ever cared about how I feel?"
"This is not just about you. There could be some clues to how she figured things out in what you have to say. Also it could tell us about what she might be planning to do with the information she uncovered."
Mari looks away and stays quiet for a while.
"Fine. You might be right about that. I'll tell you my side of the story. There are a few things that you were never aware of, after all."
Finally I'm going to get some new intel.
"As you already know, my family and I were part of the whole plan to decimate her clan and take her in. I was ordered to become close to her and gain her trust. What my parents told me was that it was to save her from her clan. One day, though, I was eavesdropping on them having a conversation about this mission with the Kazekage. Turns out that the only reason she's being spared is so that her abilities can be studied and exploited for our village's advantage. It was planned that she'd stay under my family's watch to make sure she never recovered her memories. However, as you know, that little monster decided to go after the other local monster, Gaara."
It took a lot of self-control for me not to punch her for calling Gaara a monster. I clenched my teeth and kept listening.
"Of course, when that happened, my family blamed me for letting her go and, even though she came back, they didn't want to be involved with Gaara. That's when they advised the Kazekage of that decision and he seemed okay with it, since she would be even more under his supervision. It worked out pretty well for everyone, except that I was still regarded as a failure for not being able to fulfill my part of the mission."
I cross my arms and stare at the ground, thinking of what to say to her next.
"That's all I got. Is there any conclusions that you might've come up with?"
I look back up at her.
"I'm not entirely sure. I'd have to organize my thoughts clearly first. How about we meet up tomorrow right here at dawn?"
She nods. Just as I turn around to leave, however, she calls out to me.
"Koji, what tipped you off about her knowing more than she should?"
I turn to face her one more time.
"She came to me saying that she felt like you and your family might be hiding her origins from her."
She nods. That explanation seems to satisfy her.
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then."
We both go our separate ways.
Tomorrow is the day that I will get my revenge. Once that happens, however, I'll have no choice but to run away… Gaara… I want to tell him everything, but then he'd never let me go through with it. I really wish I could just see him one more time before I go through with all of this.
I hope you guys enjoyed, and thank you again for your patience with me!
