"Mila."
"Yes, Miss?"
"What time is it?"
"It's dawn, the sun's just rising."
"You're early."
"I woke up a while ago, I thought I would just come out."
Aroka blinked lazily, pale brown eyes boring into green ones.
"You're never early." she tilted her head. "What's wrong?"
Mila smiled sheepishly, slightly embarrassed she had been caught.
"How did you know?" she asked with a nervous chuckle.
"Just a guess." Aroka shrugged, waving her in. "Sit down, what's on your mind?"
Mila stepped into the dark room, unbothered by the warm wash of chakra, and gently shut the door behind her. She took a seat in front of the low table.
"I've... just been thinking about my parents." Mila sighed, staring at her lap.
"You haven't seen them in a while."
"Three years. I was hoping you might be able to tell how they're doing." she glanced up timidly.
"You could ask them yourself, you know. They only live a few minutes away."
Mila shook her head.
"You know Toru doesn't like it when I leave the compound. Besides, I'm not going to leave you alone."
"Then we'll go together, if he asks just tell him it was my idea, he won't say anything." Aroka smiled. "What do you say?"
"Are you sure? But you won't be able to see." Mila frowned, knowing her friend never used chakra outside. The previous clan leader, when he thought Aroka wasn't around, would often complain about how strange her chakra felt, something the young seer took to heart. She was around twelve when she stopped using her chakra outside and, by no coincidence, also began spending less time away from her room.
"I'll be fine! Besides, you'll be there to make sure I don't walk into a wall, right?" Aroka chuckled cheerfully. "Come on, let's go!"
Aroka bounced up from her seat and walked over to Mila, playfully waving for her to hurry.
The pair started towards the door and, just before they stepped into the walkway, Aroka paused, recollecting her chakra from the room.
Instantly, the vague outlines of the interior disappeared from her mind, leaving her in a state of true blindness.
Aroka felt a warm hand curl around her arm and softly urge her forward.
"I've got you." Mila's voice reassured.
Nodding with determination, Aroka stepped into the walkway and turned in step with her friend, both of them heading towards the compound's main exit.
For the blind seer, each sightless step was careful and hesitant. She was used to being able to make out a general picture of her surroundings by the way her chakra molded around objects, and having that taken away was… uncomfortable. But that didn't matter. Mila wanted to see her parents and Aroka was determined to help her.
After what felt like an eternity, the pair finally stepped foot outside. Aroka felt the warm light from the morning sun envelop her, almost making her forget about the cold autumn air.
"You don't have to do this, you know." Mila reminded as they continued their leisurely walk into the quiet town.
"You wouldn't have gone alone." Aroka nudged her playfully, earning a chuckle from the woman.
A comfortable silence settled between the two, and by the time they arrived at Mila's old home, the sun had crept a bit higher into the sky, now fully illuminating the small, aged building.
Mila stared at the house warily, almost unsure if she should be here at all.
"Don't start having second thoughts now." Aroka teased, patting her back. "Go."
The brunette gave a nervous smile before taking a few steps towards the house.
"Hm?" She turned back upon noticing Aroka wasn't following her. "What's wrong?"
"I'd better stay out here. Your parents don't like me very much, remember?" the seer smiled at the memory of what happened last time she met Mila's parents.
"What? I can't leave you by yourself. What if something happens?"
"Hey, I'm blind, not a baby. Besides, I can see danger from a mile away." she grinned, bringing a finger to her head. "I'll be fine, don't worry about a thing." She gave her a light push in the direction of the old house.
Hesitantly, Mila turned and continued forward. Once she reached the door, she knocked lightly before glancing back at her friend who, much to her surprise, was nowhere in sight.
A middle aged man with short white hair opened the door.
"...Mila? Is that you?" he squinted. "My goodness! What are you doing here? Come in, come in! Honey, come quick! Mila's here!" he called before eagerly sweeping her inside.
Aroka smiled as she watched her friend's line meet her father's, then her mother's. From the motion of the three lines, the small family seemed to have sat down together. They do have quite a bit to catch up on.
Mila came to the main household when she was very young. Aroka remembered seeing a new white line enter her focus that day, she watched it curiously as it crossed with those of the housekeeper, the head maid, and a number of other servants in the household. The compound didn't get many visitors so this was a curious situation for the young seer. After following the line labelled "Mila Imada" for a while, she concluded that this girl must be a new servant. This was reaffirmed when she traced the line back; her family seemed to associate mostly with the clan's less affluent members which suggested that they were rather poor and, from the look of her parent's lines, they both worked long hours, leaving little time to care for their young daughter.
For as long as Mila had been with the main family, she had been an excellent worker: always diligent, hardworking, and devoted. Aroka had always liked her and being so close in age was a big bonus too; it was nice to have someone to talk to, even if that someone was essentially obligated to listen.
Aroka refocused her vision back onto the present day where she watched as Mila's line shifted mildly with her parents. A small distance away sat her own line, trailing a straight path as the few that were around it moved in smooth curves. She could hear the soft chatter of passersby as they went about their morning walks and errands.
It was still rather early so there weren't too many lines around at the moment, which is why she noticed immediately when a new one entered her vision, one that definitely stood out.
"Hello miss, sorry to bother you but do you happen to know where the main compound is?" a soft masculine voice asked.
From the position of his line, she could tell he was right next to her.
"I'm sorry, I don't." she half lied. "Are you looking for someone in particular?"
"Yes, I'm supposed to meet with Imada Toru. He wanted to discuss a trade deal he'd proposed." the man answered.
"Is that so? How interesting." she smiled, tilting her head. "What's your name?"
"Takahashi Yuuto." he replied. "And you?"
"...Takahashi Yuuto…" Aroka repeated, ignoring the question. "I didn't know the Takahashi clan was interested in our silks. If I remember correctly, they always favored trading for weapons from the southern lands." she mused, tapping a finger to her chin.
The man paused.
"There has been a greater demand for luxury products in my clan, our leader is looking to trade for a number of such goods, including your clan's silk." he responded after a moment.
"Ah, I see. So you're not looking for the seer." she hummed, nodding slowly.
"Seer?"
"Oh, it's just that two men from another clan came here a few months ago looking for our clan's seer." Aroka shrugged nonchalantly. "Or so I've heard anyways."
"Really? I didn't know there was a seer in the Imada clan."
"It's a bit of a secret. I'm not sure how those two found out, really."
"What clan were they from?"
"Hm… I can't seem to remember." she shrugged.
"It must be interesting to have a seer in your clan. That must be why your village has been able to avoid war for so long."
"Oh, of course. Our seer has some very fascinating abilities, you know. She can predict the future, see the past, foretell events… Oh! And she can see the names of everyone she comes across! That's pretty useful, being able to tell if someone is lying about who they are," she smiled frigidly. "Don't you think?"
There was a pause before a deep chuckle broke the silence.
"You might be worthwhile after all."
The man's voice had changed, colder and deeper than before. Aroka had to keep herself from shuddering at the ice in his tone.
"What do you want, Uchiha?"
"Hm… it almost seems as if you don't like me." His voice radiated amusement. "Despite what those Senju imbeciles may have lead you to believe, I'm not a bad person."
"Try convincing yourself first." she sneered, though it only drew a smirk from him.
"You know, I could kill you right now." he taunted, leaning closer and picking up a strand of long black hair. "Are you afraid of me?"
"Have you already forgotten how the whole 'seer' thing works? If you were going to kill me do you think I would have come here?"
"Fair enough. And seeing as you know so much, I'm sure you're aware of why I'm here."
"It's not that hard to guess, there's only one reason for someone like you to come to me."
"And what might that be?"
"You want my help, the only question is what for?"
"Smart girl. I want to know what you've been telling the Senjus."
"Hm… it's been so long since they last came to visit that I can't seem to remember."
"I think we both know that's not true. Whatever they're paying you, I can double it."
"Tough luck, they're not paying me anything."
"Then why are you helping them?"
"They're working towards something good."
"And what might that something be?"
"There's no reason to ask when you already know, after all, Hashirama came to you about it long before he came to me." Aroka stood up and brushed herself off. She turned to meet his eyes, or at least where she thought his eyes were. "Well as much as I've enjoyed our conversation, Madara, I have to get going now."
Just then, a nearby door clicked open and the sounds of cheerful voices spilled through.
"Come back soon, dear! Take care of yourself!"
"I will, bye Mom, bye Dad!"
Mila's line curved towards Aroka's as she approached.
"Sorry to keep you wait- who's this?" she asked upon spotting an unfamiliar man standing a little too close to her friend.
"He was just asking for directions. Sorry I couldn't be of any help." Aroka said, directing the later half to the man next to her. "We should get going, good luck with your travels." she smiled as the man excused himself.
Mila gently grasped the younger woman's arm, her eyes following the stranger's retreating back.
"Let's go." Aroka nudged her, snapping her back into reality.
"Oh, right."
The pair turned and started back towards the main compound.
"How did it go with your parents?"
"They were glad to see me." Mila glanced behind them; the man was nowhere in sight.
"Good, you should visit more often."
"Toru wouldn't be too happy if I did."
"He won't say anything if I'm with you."
"You don't like going outside, remember?" Mila reminded with a chuckle.
"Well it's nice to get some fresh air once in a while. Besides, I thought I should enjoy all of it while I still can."
"Hey, don't say that, you're going to be fine."
"It's going to happen sooner or later, I just want to live normally for as long as I can."
Mila glanced at her friend in concern.
"Anyways, Toru is going to be home in just a few minutes, if we hurry we can beat him there!" Aroka smiled, pulling Mila behind her as she began running.
"Hey! Slow down! You're going to hurt yourself!" she laughed as she held onto her arm, running alongside her friend as they dashed back towards the compound.
