The Three Sacred Treasures
Seichuu no Katana, Kaichou no Kagami, Chiyu no Magatama
(Sword of Loyalty, Mirror of Unity, Jewel of Healing)
Pierce of Valor, Reflection of Wisdom, Shine of Benevolence
Part One
Identity Lost
Chapter Six
Journey Across Land, Quest Against Time
"It's great to be back in Konoha!" Naruto shouted, breathing in deeply.
"Finally…" Sakura whined, "I can't believe we finished all of those in just a month! Kitsunata's driving us like cattle…We can finally get some rest…"
"Not quite." Suzuko stated, "Look here." She pointed to a place on their papers.
"You're supposed to call her Kitsunata Sensei." Sasuke commented.
"It says we have one more mission before we can go looking for our last part of our missions." Ryuusei said.
"Ah……" Naruto and Sakura whined
"Stop whining back there!" Kitsunata called behind her. She was about twenty feet in front of them. "No telling how we'll find that scroll after this. This should be a luxury compared to what we're going to do afterwards."
Kakashi, bringing up the rear, chuckled at Sakura and Naruto's faces.
"It's like you two have never been on a mission before." Ryuusei said.
"When do we get to stop our missions and take a break?" Naruto complained.
"When we're through." Ryuusei said coldly.
Suzuko shook her head, giggling.
"Open the gates!" Kitsunata shouted to the gate guards of Konoha.
The gate guards looked at her face, and then to a packet of paper, shouting: "What's your name?"
"Jounin Taka Kitsunata and Hatake Kakashi." Kitsunata shouted up to him. Then added in a commanding tone, "Now open the doors!"
The guard looked Kakashi and Kitsunata's names up. Looking at their faces, the guards concluded that they were the same persons.
The gates steadily opened up to the bustling town. The team walked in, arguing.
"Shut up already, Naruto!" Ryuusei exploded, "No one wants to hear about you eating Instant Raman!"
Suzuko held Ryuusei back as she tried to hit Naruto, who hid behind Sakura.
"Cut it out!" Sasuke said out of annoyance.
Kitsunata sighed in exasperation and fatigue. She swayed on the spot. She really couldn't handle Sakura and Naruto's frequent mishaps on the field anymore. Sakura, for one, didn't even try to join the fights to help. Naruto rushed in and got into trouble so many times, she and Kakashi were ready to ring his neck themselves. Of course, the others had flaws too. Suzuko and Ryuusei tended to only fight together as a pair, having done this for two years straight before merging teams with them. Sasuke was the one who preferred to fight alone, which left him constantly open, which worried her most. She didn't like it when she couldn't be able to help him if he got into trouble, no matter how many times he was able to pull himself out of troubles.
A strong arm steadied her. Kitsunata looked up to find her friend Sasuke there, "Are you okay?"
Kitsunata rubbed a hand over her face, saying, "Yeah, I'll be fine."
"Here, drink this." Suzuko suddenly held a vial up to Kitsunata.
Ryuusei chuckled, "It's just like you, Suzuko, to have an Energy Potion ready for Kitsunata Sensei on hand!"
"Well, she was having fatigue spells throughout our journeys, so I thought it would be good to have some." Suzuko handed the Potion to Kitsunata.
"Cool! Can I have one?" Sakura asked "I'm really tired too."
"These are extra strong Potions, Sakura." Suzuko stated, "They're for fatigues only. Who knows what would happen if you drank this…You'd most likely overdose."
"Is that a bad thing?" Naruto asked stupidly. Sasuke smacked himself in the head.
"No, Naruto," Ryuusei said sarcastically, "It's a good thing. We want Sakura to overdose and die."
"So…Is that a no?"
"You are such an idiot!" Ryuusei cried out.
Kitsunata downed half of it in one gulp, almost choking on its vileness, as her body tried to push it out. She began to cough, saying, "Couldn't you make this any sweeter?"
"Adding anything other than the original ingredients destroys the Potion's energy boosting properties." Suzuko said matter-of-factly.
Kitsunata sighed, "Fine…I'll drink it this way."
Kitsunata looked at the rest of the Potion as if it were poison, but brought it to her lips a second time. The disgusting liquid slid down her throat as Kitsunata fought to not throw up. Some of it came back up, and slid down her air tube. Kitsunata coughed badly and Sasuke thumped her on the back until she stopped.
"Do you feel better?" Sasuke asked
Kitsunata nodded, feeling much better, "Well, aside from my throat aching."
"You'll get used to the taste, especially when you keep having all these flash fatigues." Suzuko said with a giggle
Sakura threw Kitsunata envious looks. He was always just helping her; always near her. It wasn't fair.
"Neji, come here a second." Tsuyu called him. They were all already on their way to finding their scroll.
Neji, who was resting with Yanagi and Tenten, walked towards Tsuyu. A confused look played across his serious face.
Tsuyu led Neji deeper into the forest, away from where everyone could hear and see them.
"Please take a seat, Neji." Tsuyu told him, not yet facing him.
Neji quickly sat down on the floor, obeying his Sensei. "May I ask what exactly is this all about?"
Tsuyu, in one fluent motion whirled around and sat down across from Neji. Her face, apart from her usually cheerful look, was serious.
"I can't say for sure what we're going to do here, okay." Tsuyu stated. "Out of all your partners, pick one teammate that you think could stand up in a fight against you. Bring that person here, now."
Neji stood, nodding to his Sensei out of respect, before walking back to the break camp. On the way there, he thought of all his teammates. There was Marise, who graduated second in his class from the Ninja Academy and also was the only male in Konoha who passed the Chunin Exams. But he didn't know his skills in combat. During their missions, he hadn't ever seen him fight. His opponents would be up one second, then down the next.
Yanagi…She was great in combat when she had her weapons. She probably could beat him at that. Oh, and also with the fights that involved riding horses. But what about the places where Ninjutsu was supposed to be? Yanagi was at a great disadvantage in this. She had absolutely no idea to counter jutsus.
Then there was Lee. Whatever Tsuyu wanted to talk to him about, he was sure Guy Sensei would tell him.
And lastly there was Tenten. She was great with weapons, like Yanagi, but she also had some skills that would protect her against Ninjutsu attacks, skills Yanagi did not possess. Plus, she was a great partner, and on the field the two fought well together.
Neji decided that he would get Tenten then.
"Tenten," Neji called to her. She turned her eyes to him. He beckoned for her to follow him. She stood and followed Neji to where Tsuyu was.
"I'm going to go train." Shina commented. They were taking a break in the woods, on their way to their scroll.
"Why don't you take a break?" Kyoshi stated.
Shina shook her head, "I really need this practice.
Kyoshi looked at one of his charges in concern. "Don't train too hard. You need to rest up as much as you can. The next three months are going to be rough."
"If she wants to train, then let her train." Taura said coldly, jealous of all the attention that Shina was now receiving.
Shina turned and walked into the forest.
Everyone watched her walk into the forest.
'That girl…' Kurenai thought in her head, talking about Shina. 'She sure is persistent. She's been practicing every moment she gets a chance…'
Shina set her logs up, tapering her paper targets to them. She pulled out her senbon, taking aim at them. She did this over and over again, becoming furious as she could only make three of them in the center.
Kentaro signaled his team to remain quiet. Asuma, perched in a tree, looked at the scene below. He was steadying one of the two charges they had, a young woman. Ino and Shikamaru hid in a bush together. Shikamaru, somehow acquiring a large bull deer, petted his friend. Nariko and Choji hid behind some nearby trees. Takara was behind the trees opposite the two, holding onto a small girl they were escorting, a hand over her mouth. They were near the village they were to explore for their scroll, between the Land of Rice Fields and Land of Thunder.
Kentaro's eyes briefly flickered to Asuma. Asuma nodded. Kentaro turned to Ino and Shikamaru, the two closest. He beckoned for them to tell the others to prepare. Takara slung the child over her shoulder, one hand under her to support her. Not long ago, the clearing in front of them had been there break site. They were ambushed by a mob of strangers. They weren't Shinobi, or at least weren't any that any of them had ever seen or heard of before.
They seemed to be large, oafish people; there were around ten of them. They were bulky and slow, with muscles that bulged. Their clothes were much too small for their rock like features and were torn in many places. They ransacked the camp, looking for an unknown object.
"NOW!" Kentaro shouted. The entire area exploded into action. Shikamaru's new friend charged one of the rock men, sinking his horns into his side. Ino used her Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Technique. Shikamaru caught Ino as her soul raced to one of the men. Shikamaru's shadow extended and held one of them in place.
Ino ran around the clearing, hitting those she could.
Kentaro threw four shuriken at the nearest person. Instead of hitting him, the shuriken went around him in quick spins. The man looked confused as something began to tighten around him. Kentaro caught the four shuriken, looping his fingers through their center holes. He yanked hard on them and the man stumbled. Kentaro smirked mischievously. He yanked again and proceeded to do this many times, playing a sort of game.
Choji changed into his Human Boulder; Nariko balanced on top of the spinning boy. She did hand gestures and rose thorns darted at one of the men. While he was distracted with the thorns, Choji ran him over.
Takara nearby threw kunai and senbon at her opponent, careful to hold the little girl securely. The kunai lodged themselves deep within the man's arm. He thrashed at her with his free arm, catching her in the stomach. Takara flew backwards, and the little girl screamed. She flipped in midair, landing on her feet. Takara changed the little girl's position to her neck. She made hand gestures. A puff of smoke blew up around them and Takara reappeared as a giant grizzly bear, the little girl upon her shoulders. She ran at the man on her hind legs. She smacked him on the shoulders and arms, knocking him backwards.
Kentaro lodged his shuriken into trees with kunai to reinforce them. He proceeded to do this with Takara's man too.
The leader bore down on the Ino controlled man. He kicked her onto her side and began to stomp on her. Blood and bruises began to etch into Ino's real body.
"Ino!" Shikamaru shouted in a panic. He let his shadow control go and tackled the hulking leader. "Get off of her!"
Ino's soul flew from the giant's body and disappeared. The leader of the bulging people and his momentarily knocked out comrade now ganged up upon Shikamaru. The leader kicked at Shikamaru, knocking him down. The man who had been possessed by Ino, along with the man the young deer buck had rammed, proceeded to pummel the young shinobi.
"Nariko, Takara!" Kentaro shouted as a reflex, "With me!" Nariko appeared at Kentaro's left, Takara at the other side. "Get off my student!" Kentaro screeched in rage. In one swift movement, Kentaro pulled out two kunai. Nariko pulled kunai that she'd made all her own. They were flowers, and more like small flying sharp disks than kunai. Takara changed into a large lion. Snarling, Takara attacked the deer's opponent, Nariko the other. In a blind rage, Kentaro flipped up the obviously taller man's back. Stabbing him with the kunai in the arms, Kentaro pushed the leader head first into the ground.
"Shikamaru, are you alright?" Nariko shook him.
"S–Shikamaru…" Ino entered the clearing, bruises and cuts all over her body. She looked so very tired, her head ached, and she could barely stand. She dragged her feet as she approached the fallen Shikamaru.
Shikamaru's body had been battered a lot, even given that the men hadn't had much time to hit him. Kicks to his legs, face, and stomach were apparent. Stones that had been stuck to their shoes had cut into any place not covered with his clothes. Shikamaru's eyes were closed, and did not appear to be opening anytime soon.
Ino fell to her knees, "Shikamaru, wake up!"
Nariko inched away from her fallen friend. She leaned against a tree, silently trying to stop from sobbing. If she started to cry, Ino wouldn't be able to remain strong either.
"Damn it!" Kentaro slammed the earth next to the fainted man he'd just stabbed. The ground dented, creating a large crater in the clearing. Suddenly, the roots of the trees flailed out of the ground violently.
Tears formed in Ino's eyes and she questioned, "He…He's alright, isn't he?"
Kentaro's eyes closed and he breathed deeply, calming the raging storm of temper within. His fists uncurled where they were in the dirt. Kentaro silently pushed himself up off the ground and walked towards Ino and Shikamaru.
"There's no reason for you to worry, Ino." Kentaro whispered to her. Asuma climbed down from his tree, the woman upon his back. She and her daughter reunited. The girl cried, having witnessed such a brutal fight.
"I'll take care of him, Ino."
"No, I won't leave till he's awake." Ino protested.
"Ino…" Choji said, also concerned.
Nariko buried her head into her knees and arms, her shoulders shaking.
Takara felt strangely out of place here. She wasn't like these humans. She was not a social animal, unless it was her family in the forest. She couldn't understand their concern for Shikamaru. He was not part of her forest family. Nariko was, but no Shikamaru.
Takara sighed, trying to calm her deep confusion. She turned and trudged into the forest unnoticed by her team. She dearly wished Shikamaru would not die. He was a nice boy with a kind heart and a strange love for deer, a common thing he shared with her. She didn't want him dead. That was that.
"What exactly is this extra practice for, anyway?" Neji questioned, the look on his face suggesting that he felt as if Tsuyu had insulted him.
Tsuyu chuckled, her light purple eyes gleaming in amusement, "I don't mean it in any offense to you or Tenten, Neji, if that's what you're suggesting."
Neji looked away in embarrassment.
"Then what is it for?" Tenten further questioned.
"It's special, and I can't tell you why." Tsuyu asked. When they turned to her in confusion, Tsuyu continued, "What I am doing, the higher ups would not agree with." Eyeing Neji especially, she continued: "Let's just say it's possibly a ticket to freedom.
"So, do you agree or not?" Tsuyu asked, "And remember: You CANNOT TELL ANYONE. Not even Yanagi, Neji. Do I make myself clear?"
Tenten and Neji answered in unison, "Yes, we agree."
"Good." Tsuyu said, back to her normal carefree and cheerful attitude, "Practice starts tomorrow."
Tenten and Neji nodded.
With a rustle of leaves, and the sound of a water droplet, Tsuyu was gone.
"That was peculiar, even for Tsuyu Sensei." Tenten commented
Neji nodded in agreement.
"But this training could help us find a way to break you out of his grasp."
Neji looked at Tenten in surprise, "Tenten… I never…I never asked you to come with me."
"You didn't have to, Neji." Tenten answered, "I've always been at your side, since the day we entered into the Academy, and I'm not about to stop now."
"Tenten…It's dangerous." Neji stated
"Let's wait till we get that far, Neji." Tenten said to her friend, "Then we'll decide."
Takara wandered about the forest. Where were all the animals? She couldn't sense one. She felt alone. They were probably scared away by the battle that took place not long ago. She knew, no matter how much she tried, the humans would never accept her as, well, human. To them she wasn't human. She was an animal to them. That was just as well. She didn't take this as an insult. She took this as a compliment. Just as she called them humans. They couldn't take that as an insult, because that was what they were.
Takara sighed and sat down against a tree. She could feel the world shifting, the ground rippling, life moving on. It was musical, elegant: poetic. She loved the life emitting from nature.
Takara sighed again. Why were humans and animals so different? Weren't humans animals as well? Yet they couldn't feel the ground shifting under them, couldn't sense a storm that was coming, couldn't sense anything of nature.
Takara shook her head. Humans were hopeless when it came to animals and nature. They just didn't get it.
"Here, Ino." Choji handed Ino a pack of juice. Ino took it thankfully, but laid it aside. She placed a cold wet towel over Shikamaru's forehead before drinking the juice.
"What did Kentaro Sensei say?" Ino wondered.
"He said that he thinks the rocks at the bottom of their shoes are there on purpose." Choji answered, "He thinks they were dipped in poison."
"If it's poison, can't we just take it out with that certain jutsu?"
Choji shook his head, "Sensei doesn't know what kind of poison it is. It's not native to Konoha, that's for sure. It's different than the poisons I've ever seen."
"It's all my fault." Ino said grimly, "If I hadn't used the Mind Transfer Technique, Shikamaru wouldn't be in this situation! I wasn't paying attention, and I was attacked…"
"It's not your fault, Ino." Choji stated firmly, "Look, things like this just happen, okay?"
"Takara!" Nariko shouted to the woods. "Takara, where'd you go?"
"What's the matter Nariko?" Asuma questioned.
Nariko looked up at him, "Asuma Sensei, have you seen Takara? After Shikamaru's attack, she just disappeared."
"Maybe she went for a walk." Asuma suggested.
"Probably…" Nariko agreed.
"What kind of poison did you dip those rocks in?" Kentaro asked their captives, his temper returned.
The men stared at the sixteen year old jounin with rock hard stares.
Kentaro's hand went to his pouch and asked again, "Are any of you going to tell me?"
The men glared at him. That was the last straw. A kunai flipped out of the pouch. Without visibility at all, Kentaro had cut the leader across the cheek. Blood seeped out from the wound.
"Who sent you?" Kentaro continued in a rant, "Answer me, swine!" Kentaro slapped the man across the face. When the man glared at him, Kentaro raised a fist.
"Kentaro Sensei!" Nariko grabbed hold of his fist. "Please stop! Beating these men won't stop the poison in Shikamaru!"
Kentaro growled in his throat but lowered his fist. Closing his eyes, he breathed slowly and calmed his temper again.
"You're lucky Nariko stopped me." Kentaro whispered in a low, dangerous tone, then said in a completely different tone, "Now, let's look for Takara." Kentaro was extremely protective over his charges.
"Suzuko, look!" Ryuusei pointed out a small boy around the age of eleven. He had light brown hair and big brown eyes, which were tear filled. The little boy reminded Ryuusei of a puppy dog. The boy wore a snow white, long sleeved shirt. His pants were a grayish color, and his brown shoes were worn out from travel.
"Is that a little boy?" Suzuko wondered, eyes bright, "Oh, he looks lost! I'll go help him!"
Kitsunata was too busy arguing with Naruto and Sakura to notice. "No, you cannot have a day off! We only have a limited amount of time to finish our missions!"
"Are you lost?" Suzuko said, placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. He nodded tearfully. "What's you name?"
"Akira." The boy replied.
"We'll help you find your way home." Suzuko told him. "Now, can you remember where you live?"
Akira shook his head, "No!" He cried out before beginning to wail.
"Oh, it's okay!" Suzuko said, hugging him comfortingly.
Sasuke, standing next to Kitsunata and Ryuusei, tried not to go deaf at Naruto's complaints of overlabor. He turned his attention to Suzuko and Akira, peering at Ryuusei in a quizzical way.
"She loves kids." Ryuusei explained.
Sasuke sighed, saying, "As if we didn't have enough troubles, now we have to help a kid too?"
Ryuusei smirked. At least he didn't say no.
"No breaks!" Kitsunata shouted.
"Oh, just give them the day off." Kakashi said kindly. "I'm sure they deserve it. We'll pick up our last charge tomorrow morning."
"Fine. But get here at sunrise, sharp. No one can be late, you hear me?" Kitsunata said in an aggravated tone.
Kitsunata mumbled angrily under her breath. She turned to go home when she noticed Suzuko leading Akira towards them.
"Suzuko, who's that?" Kitsunata questioned.
"This is Akira." Suzuko answered. "He's lost and I promised we'd help him."
Kitsunata sighed exasperatedly. "Let me take a look at him." Kitsunata turned a circle around him, observing all his features. Kitsunata ran a finger over the fabric of his shirt. It was made out of thick white fur, with a thick under coat as well, announcing, "Polar Bear fur…" She then examined his pants, "Seal skin…" Kitsunata looked at his worn brown shoes, saying "Caribou hide, tanned and softened. This boy is from Yukigakure(Village Hidden Among Snow)."
"Yukigakure?" Sakura questioned, "Don't you find that a bit farfetched? Don't you think maybe you guessed wrong?"
"No, I don't, Sakura." Kitsunata said, fixing her with a stony look, "Now who can tell me how this boy got here? Come on, just take a guess."
"From the Chunin Exams." Sasuke and Ryuusei said at the same time
"Good." Kitsunata said, complimenting the two, "Now, who will take the boy home till tomorrow morning?"
"Wait, we're actually going to help this kid?" Sakura asked, alarmed
"Well you can't exactly expect him to get all the way to Yukigakure on his own, now can you?" Ryuusei questioned
Sakura glared at her before turning her gaze back to Kitsunata, "I thought you said we didn't have time!"
"Ryuusei's right." Suzuko said, "He's only eleven."
Sasuke nodded in agreement. Sakura closed her mouth at that.
"If no one's taking him home with them," Kitsunata offered
"Oh, it's alright." Suzuko said, "I've got a whole compound to accommodate him. I'll take him home."
"Well, with that settled," Kitsunata commented, "Let us go home and rest till tomorrow. Remember, the gates, dawn sharp."
Kitsunata left the vicinity in a hurry, her album clutched tightly.
Everyone began to leave. Kakashi some how slipped away unnoticed, Naruto trudged away, muttering about labor laws, and Suzuko led Akira to her compound with Ryuusei. Sakura lingered, watching Sasuke in wonderment, which just simply stood there. Eventually, however, she too left. When everyone was gone, Sasuke slowly walked towards Kitsunata home.
Kitsunata dug into forgotten boxes in her home, like her jewelry box. She was rarely, or never, seen with jewelry on. It got in the way when she was on missions. She carefully touched the hand carved rowan wood. It was smooth with an eccentric design of clouds with thunder and lighting. Upon the top of the smooth lid the carving was a cruder, yet still beautiful, drawing of a flame. Kitsunata touched the flame. The way it was etched in to the wood was very familiar. Her finger lingered on the flame for a bit longer before she cautiously opened the box. Inside the box, there were many compartments they flipped out of it for jewelry, all filled with earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. But at the very center of the jewelry box, was a necklace unlike any of the other pieces inside.
The necklace was a beaded steel and silver chain with a ring hanging off of it. The ring was made with gold, slim and beautiful. It was outlined and reinforced with bright silver. A large silver topaz, set into the gold, served as the main part of the ring to look at. Slightly smaller than the topaz, the ring was studded gracefully with purple garnets, four on each side of the topaz. Inside the topaz, a gold-red-orange flame seemed to blaze. The necklace was carefully placed on a plush white cushion, tinted with pink rose.
Absent mindedly, Kitsunata picked up the necklace and rubbed all the dust that had collected onto it…
"Here." The black haired boy offered her the ring.
Six year old Kitsunata looked at the ring curiously, "What's this for?"
The boy pulled out a silver and steel beaded necklace chain and looped the ring on it. "I'll tell you when I'm ready to. For now, just keep it. Please, Kogitsune?"
Kitsunata turned and let the boy put the necklace on her neck. She pulled her long hair out from under the necklace. Turning back to the boy, Kitsunata was mesmerized by the brilliant fire within it, saying: "Thank you, Ryouko. It's absolutely beautiful!"
Kitsunata suddenly realized that she was holding her breath at the memory. She shook her head and looped the necklace around her neck, her hand self-consciously fingering the beautiful necklace. She sighed.
"How many will be entering Konoha?" The guard questioned urgently, his eyes darting between the two children at the bottom of the gates and the Tracker Nin running towards them at an almost inhuman speed.
"Two!" Eight year old, almost nine, Sasuke shouted to the guard.
The gold-orange eyed girl at his side shook her head, "No, Sasuke. You go on ahead; I promise we'll meet again." Then, shouting to the guard, said, "One, just him! Hurry, open the gates!"
The guards reeled the gates open in a quick pace of panic.
"No, I'm not leaving you here for them!" Sasuke protested.
The six, almost seven, year old girl suddenly pulled Sasuke to her. She kissed him across the lips, surprising him deeply. While still in surprise, the girl shoved Sasuke deeply behind the gates. "Quickly, shut the gates!"
The Trackers were almost up the girl.
"But, what about –" A guard protested.
"Just do it!" The girl shouted in a demanding voice.
The guards reeled the gates shut. Sasuke ran at the gates, shouting to the girl. The gates closed tightly.
"Kitaen(Kih-tay-uhn)!" Sasuke shouted, slamming a fist on the gate. He clawed at the gate, people behind him stopping to look.
The guards turned around to not look at the scene below as Kitaen was surrounded by the Tracker Nin. She looked at them all and pulled two kunai to protect herself.
The outside of the gate and ground exploded with blood.
Sasuke shook his head. He hadn't realized he was reminiscing on something of old. 'Wait a minute…' Sasuke thought, 'I thought Kogitsune was the one who had my first kiss…Who…Who's this girl?'
Sure, Kitsunata and he had kissed across the lips, but it was more a friendly gesture than something else, he was sure of it.
Sasuke sighed and quickened his pace, trying to not dwell upon the girl he didn't remember. But his mind kept wandering back to the girl. He couldn't remember Kitsunata in his memories anymore. Only this girl.
'Kitaen…' Sasuke thought in his mind. 'Who are you? Why are you so familiar?'
Sasuke rapped on Kitsunata door. She answered it, suddenly flinging herself on him.
"Ko-Kogitsune!" Sasuke stammered, a blush across the bridge of his nose and the tops of his cheeks, "What's wrong?" Blushing at first, then concerned in the next second, Kitaen forgotten.
Tears suddenly came to his friend's eyes. He wrapped his arms around her friendly and walked her inside.
Kitsunata cried for a long time, Sasuke confused about everything. But he held his long time friend none the less, trying to stop her tears.
Kitsunata wiped her eyes and saw Sasuke's tear soaked shirt, "I'm sorry, Sasuke…I…Your shirt…"
"It's okay." Sasuke said firmly, more concerned about Kitsunata than any shirt. "What is it?"
"I…I don't know…" Kitsunata answered, her voice weak. "I…" Kitsunata once again self-consciously fingered her necklace.
Sasuke could tell Kitsunata was exhausted, mentally and physically. He let her lean against his shoulder. Sasuke petted her like they did when they were younger till she fell asleep. When he was sure she was sound asleep, Sasuke carried her to her bedroom. He gently laid his friend onto the soft bed. He pulled the blanket over her and noticed her necklace. It was so very familiar, yet not. He couldn't remember Kitsunata in any of his memories. He was beginning to forget…
Sasuke shivered at the thought of ever forgetting Kitsunata. He shook it from his thoughts and covered Kitsunata, making sure she wasn't cold. She turned in her sleep to face Sasuke.
Kitsunata's eyes opened a peek and she whispered, "Goodnight, Sasuke."
Sasuke smiled at her and pet her head again. She fell asleep again soon after this. These gestures they'd done there in the woods in which they met. It was just reflex now.
Sasuke shut the door to Kitsunata's home gently. He pulled a key out and locked it for her. He sensed he wasn't alone.
"What were you doing here?" A female voice questioned in an accusing tone.
"I was here to keep Kogitsune company, Sakura." Sasuke said, irritated
"But why?" Sakura asked, stepping out of the shadows.
"Let me answer you with a question, Sakura." Sasuke said, "Why are you following me?"
"Before this year began, we were all friends and happy," Sakura stated, "You, me, Naruto, and Kakashi Sensei. Then we turn the corner to the next year. You're friendlier to Suzuko and Ryuusei than to Naruto and me!"
Sasuke sighed exasperatedly, "It's important to try to get along with new teammates, especially when we've got such a big team now. Besides, they've got more sense than you and Naruto put together."
"Then what about Kitsunata?" Sakura pressed, "You actually went to her house! You spend so much time with her, and none with me! I've known you longer! Why can't you spend some time alone with me? You spend so much of that kind of time with her!"
Sasuke's jaw clenched in anger, "Are you deaf? I told you at the start of our new team that I knew her since I was a child! Kogitsune is going through a lot right now, Sakura. She has to adjust to not only a new village, but a new team as well! That's more than I can say about you or Naruto! You act like being a jounin is like a skip through the park. It applies a lot of pressure! You and Naruto just aren't mature enough to understand that! AND WE'RE JUST FRIENDS! Nothing more, nothing less! Can't you understand that?"
"The way you're always near Kitsunata, the way you're always there to protect her, the way you're always taking care of her: You don't act like you two are friends at all! You even gave her a pet name!"
"Damn it Sakura!" Sasuke shouted in sheer anger, "Get off my back! You don't know anything about me, or Kogitsune." Sasuke turned away from Sakura and left.
Sakura sank to her knees, her head in her hands. She sobbed, tears flooding her hands.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Gaara questioned Suzuko.
It was morning. Suzuko had let her hair out of its usual band last night and was checking over her pack. Gaara was leaning against the door frame.
Suzuko pushed her long, spiky bottomed bangs from her face, giggling. Her bangs were separated from the rest of her hair by her ears. Normally, her bangs would expand to the side of her face, keeping it away from anyone's view, and the bottoms were strangely spiked, getting shorter as the went towards her eat. But Suzuko always pushed them behind her ears so everyone from the side could see her eyes anyway. She was about to begin to tie her hair up, when Gaara bound it for her instead.
"Thanks, Gaara." Suzuko smiled.
He then resumed his place at her door frame.
"Gaara, if I let you come with us that would be cheating!" Suzuko said, "All the other teams are going to complete their missions by themselves. Besides, Gaara, if I always have you to protect me, how am I supposed to learn to do things on my own?"
"If you put it that way," Gaara said with a hurt tone. He swung out of the door frame and headed towards his room. He was stopped half way, and almost knocked over from the force he was knocked at. Suzuko had hugged him hard from behind. He twisted around in Suzuko's grasp.
"I didn't mean it that way." She told him in an apologetic voice. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you mad at me..."
Gaara smiled at Suzuko and sank lower so his arms could come up under Suzuko's arms. He hugged her close, saying, "I'm not mad at you. I just want you to be safe. Come back, alright? Come back."
Suzuko, who was suspended in midair and only being held up by Gaara hugging her at the waist and her arms around his neck, because she was much shorter than Gaara, smiled serenly at him.
Suzuko laid her head gently on Gaara's shoulder, "I won't leave you here all alone. I'll come back. But, please… Promise me…I don't want to be left alone again. Keen, Zaku, and Dosu are great for company…But they don't know my whole story...My life. Please…Just…Just promise me you'll be here when I get back!" Suzuko looked at Gaara seriously. He could tell she didn't want to cry.
Gaara pulled her closer, if that were possible, to him and whispered, "I promise, I won't leave you alone ever again."
"Ready to go?" Kakashi asked Ryuusei from the living room.
Kakashi was Ryuusei's adopted father, and therefore lived in the same house as he did.
Ryuusei walked out of her own room, two rain straw hats in her hand, "Yup. We're going to need these today."
Kakashi pulled his pack onto his back, accepting the hat from Ryuusei. The two, putting on their hats, left for the gate meeting spot.
Sakura wiped her tears before grabbing her pink straw umbrella. 'I hate her. I hate Kitsunata!' She thought angrily.
Kitsunata walked in the rain towards the gate, their meeting spot. Why did she feel so weak? She swayed on her feet as she continued to walk, as if she were drunk. Tears flowed on their own accord as she continued to walk, her clothes becoming soaked.
She couldn't remember. She couldn't remember anything of her past, accept Sasuke. The gestures they did were just…Reflex, almost instinct. She couldn't remember why or how these gestures came to be. She couldn't even remember when they'd started.
Why did she feel so weak? Why so damn weak? And of all the times, during this? First Kenshiko has been seen, then her flash fatigues, these stupid memories suddenly rising, and now she was so very weak. She needed to be strong right now. She had to. Suzuko and Ryuusei respected her enough, and Kakashi and Sasuke acted towards her like they always were. Naruto…She guessed he wasn't that bad. At least he called her Kitsunata Sensei, and thanked her, if only briefly, for saving him from their opponents. Sure, he complained a lot, but he was okay; he wasn't the worst of them that she'd met. But Sakura…Sakura absolutely despised her. She disrespected her constantly, she never called her by her proper title, and she could always feel Sakura's angry glares at her back.
Kenshiko…She missed her, yet was afraid of seeing her. What would she think of Kitsunata upon seeing her? And what would Kitsunata do if she saw Kenshiko?
She needed help. She wanted help. She had to be strong. Kitsunata had to be strong, but she just felt like giving in. Kitsunata had to be competent enough for people older than her to respect her, especially when most people were older than she. She couldn't handle this anymore. Kitsunata couldn't handle this anymore.
"Sasuke…" Kitsunata whispered weakly, "Sasuke…Please...Help me…"
Kitsunata's legs gave in. Her legs crumbled like Styrofoam under home. She was sure she'd break her head on the hard earth.
She never felt the cold ground, only warm, strong arms.
"S-S-Sasuke…" Kitsunata whispered.
"Sssh." He told her, "It's okay, I've got you."
"Why am I so weak?" Kitsunata questioned, trying to stop her tears.
"You're not weak." Sasuke answered her.
"Yes I am!" Kitsunata shouted, "I'm weak! I can't handle this anymore! The fights! The blood! The dead bodies!"
"Kogitsune…" It was Sasuke's turn to whisper. She'd witnessed things she shouldn't have at her age. When she was still a young child, she was one of the youngest ever to become a jounin, and she'd been sent on many missions that made her have to kill her opponents.
She felt guilty. And now it was catching up to her, with the weight of not only having a new team, but also Kenshiko coming. With Kenshiko, unwanted memories came as well.
Kitsunata's arms went around Sasuke's neck. She openly cried into his chest. Sasuke held her close, comforting her as best she could.
To those who passed by, they obviously thought they were dating, especially by the soft looks they gave the two. But Kitsunata had cried like this when they were in the woods together in the past. Comfort wasn't something that Kitsunata had received in her previous village.
"I'm sorry…" Sasuke whispered to her, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you before."
"This isn't your fault." Kitsunata said evenly. "None of it is."
"But…" Sasuke said.
Kitsunata pulled away, wiping rain and tears from her face, "I'm fine now, Sasuke."
Sasuke shook his head, "Maybe you should rest for the remainder of our missions. You need to take it easy for awhile. Ryuusei and Suzuko are sensible enough; they'll be fine on their own. Kakashi only has to watch Sakura and Naruto, like before. We'll be fine."
Kitsunata shook her head, "No. I'm coming with you."
"Kogitsune." Sasuke said firmly, grabbing Kitsunata's hand in a very concerned movement. Kitsunata looked at him, stubbornness flashing in her eyes. Sasuke sighed, "Fine, you can go. But if you get too tired –."
"I'll stop and wait at camp." Kitsunata finished for him. Sasuke glared at his friend, who looked at him with innocent eyes. Kitsunata turned from Sasuke and muttered loudly, "I wouldn't be able to rest when I'd be worrying about you all the time."
Sasuke looked up at her, hearing her mutter, but not quite catching what she'd said, "Huh? You were saying something?"
"Never mind." Kitsunata stated. "Come on, we're going to be late."
Kitsunata took off with the usual shinobi speed. Sasuke sighed exasperatedly and took off after Kitsunta.
"Nice to see everyone was actually on time for once." Kitsunata commented, who arrived with Sasuke earlier than everyone else. "Except Naruto. Where is he? We're supposed to go get our charge from the Hokage of the village!"
Suzuko, although she had a straw umbrella, was half in the rain. She'd given Akira a straw hat and made sure the umbrella was over him. She'd also given him new shoes that kept him from slipping in the mud.
Kitsunata and Sasuke were the only ones who were standing with out any cover.
"Here." Suzuko offered straw hats to Kitsunata and Sasuke, "I figured someone would need them."
"Thanks, Suzuko." Kitsunata and Sasuke took the umbrellas with thanks.
"Hey everyone!" Naruto shouted, grinning. "Sorry I'm late!"
"Sorry you're late?" Kitsunata said in annoyance, "You're s–" Kitsunata stopped when she noticed her.
Naruto was wearing a straw hat, but made sure that the girl standing next to him was dry from the rain. She had short brown hair with dark blue tips. A green blue wave pattern spread across her cheek. Her eyes were green blue, kind, and warm. She wore a skin tight purple dress; her fourteen year old boy curved at all the right places.
"Well, you're finally taking up responsibility." Kitsunata said. "Now, let's get going already."
The team nodded. The gates slid open and they stepped outside of Konoha.
"Where's Shina?" Kyoshi questioned.
"She went into the forest to train, I believe." Kurenai answered.
"She needs to rest!" Kyoshi shouted, "We're sailing to the Land of Water tomorrow!"
"I'll get her!" Kiba stated.
He stood from the campsite and dove deep into the forest, where he knew Shina would be.
"Who gives a damn about that girl." Taura stated crossly.
"Well aren't we angry." Kyoshi raised an eyebrow at her. Taura looked away from him indignantly with a "Hmph."
"Aargh!" Shina threw the senbon at the logs. This time, all four didn't even go near the logs. Blood coated the senbon. Shina had thrown the senbon in frustration so many times, they had cut into the raw meat of Shina's hand.
Shina never minded the lost senbon and pulled out four more. Tears were beginning to fill in her eyes. It hurt, not only because the senbon fell into the bloody groves from her previous throws, but she just couldn't get it down. Shina shook the tears from her eyes and threw the senbon again. Again, the senbon flew off in another direction. Shina kept doing this, over and over again.
"Damn it!" Shina shouted, "How hard can it be to throw four tiny needle!"
Shina, in mid throw, sank to her feet, throwing them at the ground inside. Her shoulders shook and she stood again, pulling more senbon out of her pouch. They went deep into her skin, touching her bone. Shina suppressed a cry of pain.
"Oh god, Shina, no." Kiba said quietly from behind her.
Shina turned around, the senbon still in her hand. Her blood trickled from her wounds and down her senbon, making a pull beneath her hand. Shina shook her tears from her face.
"Shina…Why?" Kiba approached Shina, "What're you doing to yourself?" Kiba grimaced at the thought that Shina had cut herself so much with just senbon. How many times has she thrown these senbon to actually have wounds like these?
"Kiba…Don't…" Shina's non-bloody hand went to her head band, which she adjusted with her free hand. Kiba came closer, arms spread out.
"Kiba…Please…Just stop…" The senbon clattered to the floor.
Kiba held Shina in an iron grip. "You've gotta stop doing this to yourself. You can't keep going on like this!"
"I have to…" Shina said, her voice muffled against his shirt. "It's the only way…The only way I can prove myself…The only way is to be as good as he is."
"Why? As good as whom?" Kiba whispered.
"I can't tell you." Shina sobbed. She couldn't believe how she could be so emotional about something as small as not being able to throw senbon correctly.
"Shina…" Kiba whispered. He kissed her forehead. "Please stop abusing yourself…Don't you understand how important you are?"
Shina clung to Kiba's shirt, finally letting the tears to come out.
"You're hurting more than just yourself." Shina looked up at Kiba. "You're hurting me, too."
"Kiba?" Shina questioned. He leaned down and kissed her across the lips, lingering there for a moment to make sure she understood.
To Be Continued...
Next Time, On The Three Sacred Treasures...
Marise –
Shikamaru is deathly ill with poison. His team can't seem to stop the poison from spreading throughout his body. Kentaro's anger is pushed to the brink, and he holds a kunai to throat. Unexpected company arrives. All teams struggle to enter their assigned villages. Neji and Tenten struggle to keep up with Tsuyu's extreme training.
Questions are asked, hope is crushed, and trust is shattered.
"Do you love her?" "Yes, of course I do!"
Next Time, Bonds of Blood and the Heart