Several years had passed since the last battle of the Hokage. Just like with the Uruha, the Hokage team had disbanded, so the members could finally move on and settle into their own personal lives. Life had become peaceful after that. Or at least, to everyone who were so accustomed to fighting, things seemed a lot tamer. Despite the lack of adventure and the rush of danger, however, it wasn't as if life had become less exciting. It was just of a different type than before, but they each found a new purpose and excitment in the life they had been making since the battles had ended. Besides, despite the team having disbanded, they all remained close to each other. After all, they were friends. Or more like family. There was no discussion, it just seemed natural for them to stay close despite having the paths they had taken and the changes that happened in their lives.
A lot of changes had occurred indeed. Not surprisingly, Recca and Yanagi had been the first to tie the knot. Although everyone knew it would happen eventually, it was still a joy to witness the love and bliss in both their faces.
And then there was Domon. He had accepted Fuuko's decision to remain friends with such a calm composure. But luckily for him, he had also found someone who was just as spirited yet deeply devoted as him.
Tokiya and Fuuko, as though drawn together by their being single for a long time, had somehow gravitated towards each other. It was surprising yet it felt like it was bound to happen somehow. Although both of them were focused on their careers and didn't have immediate plans to get married, it was still obvious how much they cared for each other.
And lastly, there was Ganko, the adorable little girl who they had fought and ended up rescuing from Kurei's mansion. But that was years ago, and now she was no longer that child.
Perhaps one of the biggest visible changes was with the youngest member of their group. Kirisawa Ganko, formerly Morikawa Ganko, who had been no more than a little girl when they had first met her in Kurei's mansion almost ten years ago, had transitioned into adolescence quite wonderfully. Despite having witnessed her grow up, it was still a bit surreal that the tiny brat who had always had a peculiar obssession with dolls and who was also considered a little sister to the whole gang was now a blossoming young lady. Although considering that her late mother had a striking resemblance to the mannequin Katashiro Reiran, it's no shocker what a beauty Ganko was turning out to be.
In terms of personality, she had grown a lot too. She still had that same sweet and sometimes childish air about her, often engaging in playful banters with the others, especially Domon, who - given the fact that Ganko had always had a bit of a tendency to be fierce and blunt even as a kid, not to mention she had been sort of raised by Fuuko as well - had no chance against her.
At first, it would seem that Ganko was still the same, but she had become stronger in different aspects. Growing up around people who had conquered the Ura Butou Satsujin itself, it was a given. Her adoptive older sister, for one, had taken it upon herself to teach her basic fighting skills, and while Ganko might never be able to reach the older girl's level, she could very well defend herself against basic threats.
More than being physically stronger, however, she was no longer that girl who had cowered behind the legs of her older brother and sister figures, as she had gotten a bit braver with regards to facing challenges and her fears and become more outspoken when it came to her thoughts.
No doubt that Ganko had taken after her sister more than the others. Other than the non-existent physical resemblance, no one could tell from one look that the Kirisawa sisters weren't blood-related. The blonde teen could be just as loud and spunky, and she could certainly throw a mean punch. Indeed, it was like having a second Fuuko whenever the younger girl was in a temperamental mood, unfortunately for the group. Still, Ganko was considerably softer on the edges and more feminine compared to Fuuko, in part due to Tokiya's influence. And when she wasn't being defensive on Fuuko's or any of her friends' behalf, or putting anyone in their place, she could be just as much of a sweetheart as Yanagi.
It seemed only natural that with a pretty face and tough attitude, she would catch the attention of more than a few boys in her school. Some were brave enough to make their intentions known, their attempts ranging from subtle verbal hints to more obvious physical advances, each of which she had either ignored or parried, depending on how direct or polite the person was being. Or in some cases, how overly bold and confident, to then which she would flat out reject them, without leaving any window of hope or a chance for a comeback open.
This was hardly an issue for everyone, and if they're being quite honest, it was rather a welcome thing for Recca, Domon, and to some extent, Tokiya - although the latter was more sensible and less of a wild guard dog compared to the other two. All three of whom had, at some point when Ganko had started growing taller, filling out her dresses, and drawing eyes towards her, readily assumed the roles of those men in her life. As in, those male figures in a girl's life who were ridiculously overprotective and made a habit of scaring off potential boyfriends. On the other hand, the women were more supportive, even going as far as encouraging her to accept one or two dates, as long as the guy proved to be respectful and trustworthy.
In the beginning, they all thought that Ganko would have her head in the clouds. Falling in love with the idea of romance like any girl her age, exhausting or boring the men to death with her nonstop chattering about boys, and constantly asking the women for advice. But as it turned out, it wasn't the reaction they were expecting. In fact, there wasn't much of a reaction, if at all. She didn't seem uncomfortable, but she didn't look the slightest bit flattered either. If anything, Ganko appeared to be unaffected, minding her own business and oblivious to or simply unbothered by the eager and hopeful looks sent her way.
Although somewhat unexpected, her attitude towards the whole dating thing wasn't unusual, and so everyone just attributed it to Ganko being a bit too young still that she hadn't gotten to that phase yet where she became curious and fascinated about these romance stuff. Then time passed, she gained another year on her as well as more life experiences, even so she had never gone out on a date with someone, never let a guy walk her home, much less introduced a boyfriend to her family and the gang.
Although confused, the team reasoned with themselves that Ganko's behavior was well within normal. Perhaps, none of those guys who were infatuated with her had caught her interest. Maybe she was searching for something specifically and hadn't found it yet. But after all, love wasn't meant to be rushed, so Ganko could take her time figuring things out until that special person crossed paths with her. But with a fair number of options in her hand, they had to wonder just what Ganko was looking for and how high exactly her standards were.
"I think we've been bad influence on her," Recca said, scratching at his cheek while gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling. It was during their meetup at the Hanabishi Residence for Yanagi's birthday celebration when the topic about the teenager - who was running late due to class - had come up. He was referring to what Ganko had once told them many years ago, that if she were to marry someone, she'd want the man to be just like her older brother figures. "I get that and all, but if we're her standards when it comes to finding a partner, then she'd never marry ever!" He finished with a grin, earning him a resounding thwack in the head from Fuuko.
They didn't worry too much about it, since they believed it was simply a matter of preference as well as timing. They supposed that no matter how many years had passed and how much she had grown, each one of them would always see Ganko as that cute little girl, which was why they couldn't help looking after her and noticing the changes that took place around her, thus, they're unable to help feeling concerned when something seemed off. Although quite frankly, the male trio specifically were just relieved that they didn't have to deal yet with pesky, hormonal teenagers around Ganko. They agreed among themselves that Ganko was indeed too young to think about serious relationships.
They needed not worry about that yet. In fact, they had no need to worry about that for a long time.