"No." An answer. More like a line in the sand, Koharu thought.
Tobirama continued, "For the security of the village, we will speak no more of it. This has become a confidential matter only to be discussed on a need-to-know basis."
The boy's face shifted and broke. Whatever resolve had carried Sakumo out to face his father; wavered.
"I don't understand." Sakumo's voice cracked. Koharu held her breath.
Tobirama flicked a glance towards the exit, then back to his son, impatience mounting. "Right now, I don't need you to understand. I need you to do as you're told."
Sakumo's brow knitted together, his lips parted to argue, but then, with a horrible abruptness, his face fell blank. This time his voice was steady. "Yes, sir."
Koharu looked on in alarm at the boy's ivory mask expression. A memory, unbidden and unwelcome, emerged before her eyes. Tobirama, in the days after his wife's death; eyes vacant and bruised, a voice with no inflection, a shell where the soul had retreated from any further pain.
It seemed, like his father in moments of hurt, Sakumo buried his emotions until he looked like a Sunagakure puppet, and the most painful part…Tobirama did not even seem to notice.
Seemingly satisfied, Tobirama nodded and turned away down the hall, his sandals never making a sound. Looking from her sensei's retreating back to the eerily motionless boy, Koharu felt an unfamiliar urge to hug him or maybe it was a need to shake him back to life. Undecided, she reached out her arms meaning to—
"Koharu." The sharp call of her name snapped her to attention. Tobirama stood nearly at the end of the hospital corridor, but his voice carried deep and clear. "We are not finished."
In the years to follow, Koharu would think back on that moment and, with the curse of age and wisdom, she would wonder at the naivety of her younger self. She would remember turning to look back at Sakumo and see the emptiness that had been there only moments ago vanish. A convincing smile had taken its place so abruptly, it was not hard to persuade herself she had imagined the whole thing, that she had projected her fear of Tobirama disappearing again onto his son.
"I'm okay, Koharu." He looked up at her, his smile seemingly so sincere. "I'll just stay here with Ami. I don't want her to wake up alone."
I'm okay, Koharu. Stupid her, she had believed him. Believed that perhaps that empty stare had not signified brokenness, but merely a fleeting hurt.
She nodded, ruffling his hair before hurrying down the hall to her sensei's side, convinced whatever hollowness she had seen in Sakumo was gone.
"Fetch, Saru." Tobirama said when Koharu reached his side. His eyes remained focused straight ahead. "You two will need to give a full account of what you just told me to Hashirama. We will meet back at the clan compound."
"Tonight?" She asked dumbly, but Tobirama had already disappeared.
Koharu looked sulkily down at her tattered clothes and caught a horrible whiff of dried sweat and dirt. She was beginning to wish she had never heard of the stupid little village of Oshino.
AbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbA
Sakumo waited until the pair turned the corner, before returning to Ami's room. He found her fast asleep, curled tightly into a secure little ball. Her steady breathing exuded a lovely tranquility, but Sakumo found himself gazing around the room in agitation. The calm silence of the room clashed harshly with the screaming in his head. All the terrible things he had wanted to shout at his father, bounced viciously around in his skull.
It had taken every ounce of training to keep his feelings buried beneath the surface. His family's killer had been waiting for him. Waiting for him in his own home. And all that, his father would have kept from him. If it would not have woken Ami, he could have punched his hand through one of the perfectly sterile walls.
With Tobirama's one-on-one training, he had been tricked into believing his father cared. He thought Tobirama had wanted him to become better and stronger so they could take down the scarred bastard together, but after tonight, he could see the truth; his father was not a man motivated by revenge. The coldness he had seen in Tobirama's eyes, the flatness of his voice, were proof of how impersonal all this was to him.
Had his mother meant so little to him? Did her murder feel like nothing more than the passing of a brief acquaintance? The thought felt horrible and heavy, so heavy, he had to sit down. He sunk deep into the chair at Ami's bedside, surprised by the sudden tiredness that overcame him, but his mind was not quite ready to settle. His Hatake pride boiled, urging him to rise from that chair, caution be damned, and track down the scum to the gates of hell that very night. But instead, he took in a deep breath and slowly unfurled his fists. That way of thinking would not get him far in a fight.
His vision of avenging his family side by side with his father shattered, Sakumo was faced with a dilemma. As much as it pained him to admit, he was not ready to go after his family's murderer alone. If training with Tobirama had taught him anything, it was that he was good, but hardly exceptional. His jaw clenched, remembering the last time he had faced the scarred man.
"Keep scowling like that and you'll have more wrinkles then me." Tomo huffed, his short, pudgy frame a comical silhouette in the doorway.
Sakumo, not all together surprised to see the dog, lifted a finger to his lips for silence, nodding towards the bed. Ami turned over, but her breathing remained steady.
He followed the little beast into the hall.
"Did he send you to make sure I don't try and run away again?" Sakumo asked, proud of the levelness of his voice.
"Of course." Tomo lifted a back leg to scratch behind his ear. "He's concerned."
"Concerned?" Sakumo repeated, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "The only thing he's concerned about is his precious little village."
The dog paused mid scratch to look reprovingly up at him. "That's not true."
"Did he tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"He was there, Tomo," he said, his voice cracked. "That scarred bastard was in our home, waiting for me."
The dog's squished muzzle parted.
"If Ami hadn't told me, I would have just gone on training with him forever like a clueless idiot," Sakumo ground, throwing a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'm sure he was just hoping I'd forget and fall in line like a good little shinobi."
For the first time in Sakumo's life, he watched the little pug's face turn uncertain.
"Perhaps…" The dog hesitated. "It is best you do forget." But Tomo's voice held no conviction.
Seeing the dog's hesitation, sparked hope in Sakumo's chest. A plan formed.
Since he had arrived in this village, Tomo had counseled caution; telling him that embracing the safety of the village was the best way of honoring his mother's memory. It had not occurred to Sakumo till now, that perhaps there was a small part of the creature that wanted to see justice done. After all, when she lived, Tomo had loved his mother with a singular devotion, never leaving her side. Surely, the knowledge of her murderer; staying in their home, standing over her grave, galled the dog's instinctive loyalty.
Sakumo chose his next words carefully. "I think you want to see that man dead as much as I do, Tomo." The dog's head jerked up, but he did not disagree. Encouraged, Sakumo continued. "If we could just figure out where he is or where he's going, we could—"
"You cannot leave this village, boy." Tomo snapped abruptly, his bulbous eyes narrowed.
"I know, I know." Sakumo placated, raising his hands in surrender. Tomo reluctantly leaned back on his haunches. "But you could."
"I could what?"
"Leave the village. Track down the bastard."
Tomo blinked. "I can't leave." Again, the voice seemed less certain. "Who would watch over you?"
Sakumo dug his hands deep into his pockets to hide his exasperation. "I'm perfectly safe here."
The dog licked his chops. "I suppose you are. And I suppose it would not be for very long. I am a very good tracker. I am sure I could find him in a day or two." Tomo seemed to be talking more to himself, Sakumo leaned against the wall, not wishing to interrupt.
Tomo lifted his head. "I will have to tell Tobirama of this, of course."
"Tell Tobirama!" Sakumo's spine straightened with a jerk of alarm. "What the hell do you have to tell him for?!"
Tomo's head cocked to the side. "I am sure he would like to be informed."
"But he won't let you go."
"Why not? He has sent me on countless reconnaissance missions."
Sakumo tapped his foot with impatience. "Because he called this a confidential matter. Meaning he never wants to talk about it again. He doesn't care."
"He does care. He—"
"Don't defend him." Sakumo snapped; the darkness and hurt he had been trying to keep buried, rose to the surface for the briefest moment.
With a sigh, Tomo stood. He looked over the stubborn set of the boy's jaw. The arrow straight determination of his stance. The hard flint of his eyes. Painfully, it all reminded him of Kana.
Kana, who after discovering Tobirama had left in the cover of night, ran after him. Kana, who had ignored all sense and reason and tried to follow him, deep into the wild where she first found him half drowned in the river. Tomo and her father had tracked her down the next morning. They found her in a small alcove of rocks, lost, shivering and heart-broken.
If Tomo did not track down Kana's murderer, Kana's son would simply go after him. Hatake were frustratingly dogged like that. And Tomo might lose him, just like he almost lost her that day.
Another long-suffering sigh and the old dog's mind was made up. "I will not tell Tobirama." The boy's shoulders visibly uncoiled. "If you promise to stay in the village until my return."
"I promise!" The answer was given thoughtlessly, but it was a great relief to Tomo.
He nodded once. "Then I am off."
AbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbA
They are so few now, Mito thought as she looked at the empty chairs that now outnumbered the living members of the Senju Clan. Her eyes settled on the place her eldest son once occupied.
She shivered.
When Katsuro had been born, she had whispered a mother's prayer of protection into his wet, downy hair. Wasted words, she thought bitterly.
"Was the scar on his right or left cheek?" Butsuma asked testily, kneading the words out of empty gums. Mito's attention returned to the two young faces under interrogation.
Koharu, looking worn and ragged, answered with only the hint of a sigh. "The right, Lord Butsuma."
Hiruzen nodded in confirmation.
Butsuma leaned back in his chair with a harrumph, suspicions confirmed. "Then it's a damn Uchiha for sure."
The two young shinobi exchanged a glance of alarm. Mito looked sharply to her husband, but he bore an unreadable expression.
"There is no proof of that, Father." Hashirama said thinly.
"Proof!?" The old man furiously sputtered. "We have two witnesses that saw him! A baldhead and an x-shaped scar on the right cheek! Who else could it be, but that bastard, Goro Uchiha!"
"We saw no proof of the sharingan, my lord," Hiruzen bravely interjected. Mito could see why the Senju brothers had decided to put their hopes of the future on the young Sarutobi's shoulders. "Nor did he exhibit the typical fighting style of the Uchiha clan."
"Not to mention, Goro Uchiha has been dead for almost twenty years now," Toka grumbled under her breath. Leaning back in her chair, she appeared bored by the entire ordeal.
"His death was never confirmed," Butsuma shot back, his milky eyes wide and wild.
"This is getting us nowhere." Tobirama growled from across the table. He had remained silent as his two students were interrogated, but his patience with his father had always been thin. "If you have nothing helpful to contribute, then I see no point in you being here at all."
The elder Senju pointed a crooked finger accusingly at his younger son. "You failed to defeat Goro before and it cost your brother his life! Will you make the same mistake twice?"
A silence fell across the room; so loud and deafening it made Mito's ears ring. Only Butsuma moved, resting his hand on the table, smugly enjoying the fire he sparked with the tinder of his words.
If there was one small blessing in Katsuro's death, Mito thought, it was the fact he did not have to die in Ryuu's arms. That was the purpose of this sacred village after all—to protect those that are precious. To never again watch the light die in a brother's eyes as Hashirama watched Itama or as Tobirama watched Kawarama.
To the great surprise of the room, it was Toka who jumped to Tobirama's defense, though the disinterest never left her voice. "It was not Tobirama who sent Kawarama against such a dangerous opponent, Uncle."
"This meeting is not to discuss the past," Tobirama's harsh voice interjected, before the old man could retort. "It is to address the death of this clan's heir."
The eyes that had been watching Butsuma with horror, now shifted to Tobirama's glacial face. If his father's words had stung, he did not show it.
"Unless Kaede gives birth to a boy, Katsuro will have left behind no male heir to lead our clan. A clan with no heir is a clan with no future."
"From what your students have reported, it sounds like any heir you name will have a target on their back." Mito spoke flatly, eyes narrowed, as the instincts of a mother screamed in her ears.
"This clan will not live in fear from the threat of one man," Butsuma snapped.
"No it will not." Hashirama sighed in agreement, his usually youthful face appearing haggard. He reached for Mito's hand, folding it gently between his callused palms. "I know we did not raise Ryuu to be head of the clan, but he has always known he has a duty to the family."
"He's just a boy," she weakly protested, already sensing the battle lost. The wrinkles around Hashirama's eyes crinkled into a sad smile.
"Tobirama and I are not dead yet, my love. I promise you; he will have time to grow and learn before such great responsibility is thrust upon him."
She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe the myth that the Senju brothers were immortal, but she knew better. She knew better than anyone. Beneath his cheerful exterior, Hashirama was weakening and they both knew he did not have the kind of time he had just promised her. And Tobirama. Well, Tobirama was not meant to make old bones. There was something frightening in him that seemed to welcome death. And with them gone, Ryuu would be alone. No one to protect him. No one to push him. No one to balance him.
Reading the thoughts in her eyes, Hashirama gripped her hand tighter. "He won't be alone, my love. He will have Sakumo."
The room shifted uncomfortably at the name. From the corner of her eye, Mito noticed Koharu stiffen, a she-wolf sensing danger in the wind.
"Tobirama has agreed to recognize Sakumo as his own before the heads of the other village clans."
Butsuma jerked back in his chair as if he had been struck. "A bastard? Recognized as a true Senju? Ridiculous!"
"More ridiculous than an old man allowing his ancient clan to disappear because of his own prudishness, Uncle?" Toka asked, one eyebrow innocently raised in challenge.
Butsuma sputtered. Tobirama spoke. "The decision is made. Our clan still has many enemies. Enemies eager to take advantage at any sign of weakness. A strong continuation of the Senju line is what is needed to keep the village clans in check."
Hashirama and his two students frowned, knowing exactly the clan he meant.
Toka leaned back in her chair. "An heir and a spare, huh."
"These are boys not political pawns, Tobirama," Mito snapped, the fury in her chest rising. How could he be so indifferent to putting his son and nephew in such a clear line of danger.
Tobirama stared levelly across the table at her. "I am aware."
"They will not be in danger, Mito. " Hashirama quickly intervened. "Team Toka will only be assigned missions within the safety of the village until this man is caught."
"And is there a plan to catch this monster?" Mito asked.
"There is," Tobirama answered grimly, but it was clear he had no intention of elaborating.
Mito grasped Hashirama's hand tight. Tobirama's far too calm demeanor produced in her a wave of frustration like she had never known.
Hashirama knew from experience now was the time to change course. Fights between Mito and his brother were an unparalleled match of fire and ice.
"Koharu," he said quickly. The kunoichi's spine straightened. "Perhaps we should discuss your habit for bringing in poor strays to the village."
Sarutobi struggled with a smile as Koharu's chest deflated slightly. Before they had entered the chamber, she had naïvely convinced herself the girl would simply be forgotten considering the bigger picture.
Koharu cleared her throat, all eyes turned to her. "It was not my intention to make it a habit, Lord First." She said trying to make her rough voice honey-like. "I was only trying to follow your example of making this village a refuge to the weak and vulnerable."
"Kiss ass," Toka muttered under her breath. Hashirama pointedly ignored her.
"You are a credit to your sensei, Koharu," He said without a trace of smugness. "I suppose we should decide what is to be done with the poor girl."
"The women of the orphanage can see to her care until this mess is cleared up," Tobirama answered swiftly.
Koharu frowned. It was clear that Tobirama had some adverse feelings upon seeing the girl, but she saw no reason why the girl should be punished for it. Before she could offer to take custody of the girl in atonement for her poor judgment, but before she could make her offer—Mito rose to her feet.
"The young lady will be staying with us," she informed Tobirama levelly. The white-haired Senju opened his mouth to argue, but Mito was in no mood to listen.
"I think the poor girl has been traumatized enough and it sounds as if she means a great deal to your son." The redheaded kunoichi regally lifted her chin, her eyes never breaking away from his. "A part of being a parent, Tobirama, is to take care of those precious to your child."
AbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbA
Sakumo was there when Ami awoke the next morning, his head bent over a task in his hands. She watched him work for a long, unfocused moment, before recognizing the glint of the shinobi weapon. A sharp intake of breath and she had Sakumo's full attention.
His tired face broke into an uncharacteristic expression of joy, his eyes alight and teeth flashing. It made him look…beautiful.
"You're still here," she whispered in disbelief, certain that the events of last night had been a cruel dream. But the warm chuckle that came from him was solid and real. This was no ghostly apparition.
"I had to hide every time the nurse came in to check on you." He confessed. "You're not supposed to have any visitors."
She looked gloomily around the whitewashed room. She had almost forgotten she was in a hospital far, far away from her grandmother and the only home she had ever known.
"Am I—" She hesitated, already frightened of the answer. "Am I a prisoner here?"
Sakumo shook his head furiously. "Of course not!"
"Then you can take me home?"
He hesitated; his kind expression turned blank. "I don't think so." Then seeing her face fall. "I mean, not yet. Not until it's safe."
Safe? She wondered at the word. Ami felt suddenly irritated. Her throat was dry, the sheets scratched horribly against her legs and Sakumo was feeling more and more like a stranger.
"Why do you have a knife in your hand?" She demanded, glaring accusingly at the weapon he still held in his hand.
Sakumo blinked down at it sheepishly. "It's a kunai. You have to clean it or it will rust."
That answered nothing.
"But why do you have it?" She persisted. "Don't you remember Juro lost a finger playing around with the one he found in the river?"
A wrinkle appeared on Sakumo's brow. "Juro was an idiot, Ami. I'm a shinobi."
As if to make his point, he twirled the blade elegantly through his fingers before returning it in a swift motion to a pouch at his side.
Ami's sweet face fell blank. "That isn't funny."
If he had seen the man with the horrible scar or the three terrifying shinobi that had come to her grandmother's door, he would know better than to joke about such horrible people.
Sakumo's stony expression did not change. "I'm serious, Ami. I've trained to be one all my life."
"But…but your family are—were farmers," she said struggling to keep her voice level; trying to sound reasonable.
"The Hatake were a shinobi clan before they came to Oshino." Sakumo's tone never changed. It was as if he thought what he was saying was perfectly sane. "And now I'm all that's left."
Catching her disbelieving expression, he at least managed to look somewhat embarrassed. "I'm sorry I had to hide that from you."
This could not be right. This could not be true. Sakumo did not have the look of a killer. His eyes were always so kind, his manner so polite. Until today, she would have never even thought him capable of deceit. He did not belong in the same realm as the man with the horrible scar and maniacal laugh or even that girl with the unflinching gaze and sharp voice.
"You—you don't have to be," she finally managed to sputter past the lump in her throat. "When we get home, you can—"
"Boy!" A voice boomed from the doorway. "I thought I told you, you weren't allowed in here again!"
Sakumo looked guiltily across the bed at the furious nurse. The appearance of a redheaded goddess right behind her, saved him from having to mumble an excuse.
"It's all right, Ima." The woman assured, stepping lightly into the room. "It was probably good for her to wake to a familiar face." The nurse huffed doubtfully, but she seemed to realize she was in no position to argue with such an imposing woman.
The woman settled in the chair next to Sakumo. He appeared ignorant of anything extraordinary about the presence of a goddess in this humble hospital room.
"Ami," the goddess whispered kindly. Her name had never sounded so beautiful before. "I've come to take you home with me."
Ami looked at the red-haired woman with saucer-like eyes. This woman looked as if she stepped out of a fairy tale; a real-life princess and here she was offering to take a little peasant girl to her palace.
But Ami hesitated. "I'm sorry, my lady. But—" she gulped. "I'd rather go home with Sakumo."
Ami braced herself for the storm, certain this ethereal princess would turn on her in a fury for refusing her generous gift, as they did in all the fairy tales.
But the woman only smiled. "Of course you would. How fortunate it is that Sakumo also lives with us."
Ami's ears perked at this. "He does?"
"Yep," Sakumo confirmed eagerly, the familiar smile finally returning to his face. "You can have the room next to mine. It's right by the garden, near a Sakura tree."
He had remembered her favorite flower.
Mito pulled a kimono from the basket at her feet and lifted it up towards Ami trying to gage the size. "This should fit you nicely. One of my ladies has a daughter close to your age. She was kind enough to loan a few things, until we can get you properly dressed."
The kimono was by far the nicest thing Ami had ever seen in her life. Not even the wealthy butcher's wife had anything near as beautiful.
"Thank you," she managed to say past the lump in her throat.
"I will take things from here, Sakumo." Mito said, nodding her head towards the door in clear dismissal. "I believe you are expected for a mission. Ryuu is waiting for you downstairs."
Sakumo started. He had completely forgotten.
AbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbA
His cousin seemed to sense he was in no mood to answer questions about why he had spent the night in the hospital. They walked in silence until they reached the main street. While it was usually a crowded place, it seemed today to be the center of the world, with every inch of the street covered in people, wagons and goods.
Sakumo stopped short at the sight.
"Who are all these people?" Sakumo gaped, looking down at the village gate flung wide open to allow even more humans, carts and pack animals through. Ryuu had to dodge a pole of freshly caught fish before he could answer.
"Mostly merchants and their families." Ryuu shrugged, frowning at the smell of fish that still lingered. "They're here for the big festival."
"Festival?"
"Yeah. It's to celebrate dad founding the village or something."
"Someone was sleeping through their history lesson." A voice chuckled. The pair turned to see Kagami Uchiha, looking a little worn but otherwise cheerful.
Sakumo had had every intention of not liking the Uchiha. Especially after observing the way he looked at Koharu, but there was something about the young man that made it hard to hate him.
"The festival is to celebrate the peace between the clans of the village and to renew our contract with the Land of Fire."
"That's what I meant," Ryuu said waving his hand dismissively. Kagami cocked an eyebrow in amusement.
"Did you just get back from a mission?" Sakumo asked, taking in the older shinobi's tired appearance.
Kagami smiled. "My team and I were escorting the Daimyo's emissary here from the capital."
"That's so cool!" Ryuu said, leaping to his feet. "We never get any missions outside of the village! Did you have to fight off any thieves? Kidnappers? Rogue nin?"
"This was a pretty quiet mission." Kagami snorted. "No fights, but I did get to do a bit of shopping in the capital." The Uchiha reached into a side pouch to reveal a narrow-carved bamboo box. He lifted off the cover to show them the treasure inside.
The boys' faces fell in disappointment. The sunlight gleamed on a traditional hairpin with two small pearls neatly tied to one end quietly nestled in white paper.
"What do you think?" Kagami asked nervously.
"I don't think your hair is long enough to use it," Sakumo answered truthfully. Ryuu nodded in agreement. The thin box snapped closed in indignation.
"It's not for me, idiots! I got it for Koharu."
"What's she gonna do with it?" Ryuu asked dubiously.
"Wear it, I hope."
The two boys shared a look of disbelief. Koharu was a kunoichi. No way was she into girly stuff like that.
"Good luck with that," Sakumo snorted, certain he knew Koharu better than this clueless Uchiha.
"Kunoichi don't wear jewelry," Ryuu laughed as if repeating a well-known fact.
Kagami returned the box to his pouch, undaunted. "Shows what you two know about women."
"There you are!" Haruki's voice cut shrilly across busy street. The trio looked up to see the third member of Team Toka expertly squeezing through vendors and patrons to get to them. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Toka-sensei is waiting!"
The two boys did not shift from their positions. Missions lately had mostly involved old ladies and lost cats. They doubted this assignment would be any different.
"Hey Haruki, you're a girl. Do you like jewelry?" Ryuu asked more to stall then out of any real curiosity.
Kagami watched in amusement as the young kunoichi stuttered, her pale cheeks suddenly covered with a violent blush. The two boys were in no hurry, they waited patiently for her to answer.
This forced her to straighten and lift her nose in the air. "Of course not! And I certainly wouldn't like anything from the likes of you two!"
Ryuu quickly turned his head to Kagami, his mouth twisted in a triumphant smirk. "Told you so."
The young Uchiha watched as the two boys reluctantly left to follow Haruki through the crowded street.
"Idiots," he grinned.
AbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbA
"Nice of you two to join us," Toka said, not looking up from the mission sheet as her three students appeared. "We will be spending the next few days helping unload merchant caravans."
She looked up warningly, clearly expecting complaints. The trio remained silent. They had learned the hard way that Toka-sensei did not tolerate whining.
"Good. We will start with the Tamagashi party."
The three exchanged looks of confusion. Haruki was the only one brave enough to speak up. "But, Toka-sensei. Don't the Tamagashi live here already?"
Toka began to walk and her students dutifully followed. "We will be assisting Fuyuki Tamagashi, the Fire Daimyo's emissary. He will be staying with his brother, who you have already met."
"Oh great," Ryuu grumbled. "She will probably be there too."
"Probably," Sakumo said miserably.
"You two aren't afraid of some girl, are you?" Haruki teased.
They didn't respond to the taunt, their attention captured by the sight of the overloaded carts that sat outside of the Tamagashi compound.
"Just how long is this guy staying?" Ryuu gasped.
Toka shrugged as she began to walk into the compound. "You three start unloading, I will inform Lord Fuyuki that we are here."
They had only just managed to uncover the first cart, when the Tamagashi girl made her presence known.
"My uncle still thinks this village is little better than a trading camp. He can't bear the thought of having to go without all of his precious things."
"Great, it's that crazy Tamagashi girl," Ryuu whispered just loud enough for Sakumo to hear.
The girl wore the same bored, yet imperious look, as the last time they had met. Her hair was neatly coiffed and her dress was ridiculously pristine.
This was a girl that would appreciate a hairpin, Sakumo thought.
"I suppose compared to the capital this place is a little…provincial." She said, looking the three up and down as if they were the very definition of the word.
"If you don't like it," Ryuu said through gritted teeth. "Why don't you just leave?"
"Oh, I intend to," she assured the seething redhead. "Father says Uncle Fuyuki is bringing me a marriage proposal. From a wealthy lord, no doubt; who plans on taking me to his beautiful palace!"
Haruki pulled a face of clear disgust. "But you're just a kid!"
The girl straightened herself up to her full height, which was not altogether too impressive. "I assure you that I am a full-grown woman!"
"Oh please," Haruki rolled her eyes. "Did you just get your first moon-blood or something?"
Sakumo had absolutely no idea what Haruki was talking about, but he appreciated the way it made the girl purse her lips and turn a brute red. Too furious to answer back, the girl turned haughtily on her heels and disappeared into the compound.
"That was amazing," Ryuu said, looking his teammate over with new admiration, but Haruki did not look that pleased with herself.
"What's the matter?" Sakumo asked.
"Nothing," she said quickly, turning to a cart and untying a lumpy parcel. "I just wouldn't want to be around when she learns her handsome young prince is really an old man with no teeth and a hump on his back."
"I'd still think he'd be the one who got the short end of the stick." Sakumo grunted, lifting up a heavy package of his own.
It was late afternoon by the time they were almost finished unloading the carts. The spring air was unusually warm and all three were drenched in sticky sweat.
"There is just one more thing!" Ryuu's voice echoed from the back of a covered cart. "But it's pretty heavy!"
Sakumo sighed as he climbed onto the bed of the cart, his muscles as soar as if he had been training with Tobirama all day. He walked to the back only to find Ryuu pulling the wrapping gently off the parcel.
"What the heck are you doing?" Sakumo asked, causing the redhead to flinch guiltily.
"It's one of those photographs." Ryuu answered, pulling the brown paper back even more.
"So?"
"So. I've never seen one made this big before. Have you?"
In truth, Sakumo had never even seen a photograph before. Their village had been far too poor for such a luxury. He came to stand by his cousin, curious to see what the fuss was about. The face that looked back struck him.
"She looks just like that Tamagashi girl."
Ryuu looked down in disbelief. "She does not! This lady is way prettier."
"That's just because she is not looking at you like you are the dirt beneath her shoes."
Sakumo studied the face for a long moment, intrigued by the realism of the photograph. She stared past him with faraway eyes.
"Would you guys hurry up!" Haruki shouted, from the end of the cart. "I'm starving."
Ryuu quickly covered the photograph up with the brown paper and took one end while Sakumo took the other. They walked her reverently in through the back door and set her down with the rest of the piles by the stair to be unpacked by the servants.
"That is to be taken to my office," a voice ordered stiffly from the top of the stairs. The pair looked up into the face of a stern looking man; a deflated version of the fleshy Fumio Tamagashi. A crisp grey suit was neatly trimmed on his slim frame and the moustache he wore seemed to have no time for nonsense.
Fuyuki Tamagashi looked thoughtfully down at them for a long moment, before addressing them again. "Be very careful with it, boys. It's intended as a gift."
Ryuu and Sakumo dutifully carried it to the office where he pointed. Sakumo lingered for a moment after they set it down. It didn't seem right to leave her here with this family. She seemed far too fragile to have to suffer under the glares of the likes of Fuyuki and his niece.
Toka-sensei allowed them to head for home from the Tamagashi compound, saying she would turn in the paperwork. They were too tired to be suspicious of her uncharacteristic kindness.
"If she looked just like that girl then it's probably her mother," Haruki sighed, after they told her of their encounter with Fuyuki.
"Why would her uncle have it then?" Sakumo asked.
"Don't know," Haruki yawned. "Don't care."
"And why would he be giving it as a gift? Wouldn't they already have her photograph?"
"How should I know?" Haruki scowled. "He's rich. Rich people do weird things!"
"I kind of feel sorry for her now," Ryuu said.
"Sorry for who?"
"That girl. I mean her mom is probably dead. You don't go around with large photographs of people who you can just see every day!"
Ryuu had a point. A sudden feeling of guilt washed over Sakumo as he thought of the loss of his own mother. The anger and the contempt he had felt when he first arrived in the village. He had really been no different than her.
Sakumo stopped in his tracks and quickly pivoted back towards the compound.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Ryuu called after him
"I just forgot something. I'll meet you back home," he said over his shoulder.
It was a servant who opened the door and told him to wait outside while he fetched the mistress. The girl appeared bewildered at the door, her expression hardening when she recognized Sakumo.
"What do you want?" She asked crossing her arms. The gesture was almost as intimidating as when Tobirama did it.
"I wanted to apologize for what my teammate said this afternoon. We weren't very nice."
Large, dark eyes blinked in surprise.
Sakumo shifted uncomfortably. "That's really all I meant to say…I should really—"
"What's your name?"
It was Sakumo's turn to look surprised. "It's Sakumo. Sakumo Hatake."
She looked him over again; only this time there was no contempt only a quiet thoughtfulness. "I'm Shiori. Now you don't have to call me That Crazy Tamagashi Girl anymore."
"Oh," Sakumo said, his ears suddenly hot. "Sorry about that…Shiori."
"Will you be attending the festival?" She asked.
"I-I suppose so." He gulped.
She nodded, suddenly prim again. "Then I will accept your apology there. Goodnight, Sakumo."
The door was promptly shut in his face, leaving Sakumo in a state of utter confusion.
AbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbA
"A security detail?" Hiruzen looked up in surprise from the mission dossier he had been passed. Homura and Koharu looked at the file over his shoulder, their faces set in similar confused expressions. It had been quite a while since their team had been assigned such a low-ranked mission. Not many individuals could afford their level of service.
Hashirama nodded gravely. "You are to escort Lady Manami Tamagashi from the capital so she may attend our festival."
"Tamagashi?" Homura lifted his head in recognition. "As in…?"
Hashirama nodded again. "As in the sister of Fumio and Fuyuki Tamagashi."
Homura and Koharu shared a glance. The Tamagashi family could certainly afford their services. Hell, they could afford to buy an entire army of jonin.
Impatient with Hiruzen's careful reading, Koharu reached over to pluck the file from his grasp. Ignoring the photograph, she quickly scanned the mission parameters.
"Decoy to be implemented." She read aloud with a frown. Her eyes rose indignantly up to the hokage. He had the good sense to look embarrassed.
Scratching the back of his neck, he tried to explain. "Lady Manami specifically requested a body double be used for her protection. A transformation jutsu will be impossible to maintain for such a long period of time, but I think with the right kimono and make-up, you will make a…passable double."
Hiruzen frowned at the unusual request. "Is she expecting trouble? Someone threatening her?"
"Not that she has mentioned. It sounds like this is more for her and her brothers' peace of mind. Lord Fuyuki will be arriving sometime today and expects his sister to not be far behind."
Homura snatched the file from Koharu's loose grip. He examined the photo, then looked his female teammate up and down with a discerning eye. He failed to hide his laugh beneath a cough.
"What?" Koharu demanded, already irritated by the plan that, in her expert opinion, seemed inspired by a cheap romance novel.
Homura passed her the photograph. "Best of luck."
Eyes and hair color are things easily replicated. Height can be difficult, but with the right tricks, easily disguised. It was mirroring her innocence that was going to be the challenge of Koharu's life. Although certain that Manami was a few years older than her, there was an impossibly angelic look about the woman that made her seem no more worldly than a child. How could she; a kunoichi, a killer, be expected to imitate that?
"Let's hope there really is no one after her." Koharu said. "Or this will never work."
Hashirama gave her a patented smile of encouragement; the one that made you foolishly think you could do anything, because he believed in you. It was the kind of look Koharu normally rolled her eyes at, but she needed all the assurance she could get for this mission. She certainly did not want to be the one to tell the wealthiest man in the Land of Fire that she was the one who lost his baby sister.
The trio left the Hokage's office just as a squad of Inuzuka members walked past. While, his two teammates continued on, Hiruzen paused and turned to watch the Inuzuka members file into Tobirama-sensei's office. The door closed behind them with a meaningful click.
"Something the matter?" Homura asked, when Hiruzen caught up with them.
Hiruzen, the hairs on his neck on end, didn't know how to answer.
AbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbA
The borrowed kimono fit Ami beautifully and as Mito showed her around the Senju compound, she thought this is what it must feel like to be a princess.
"And this will be your room, Ami." Mito said beckoning her into a room at the end of the hall. She looked around in disbelief. The room was larger than her grandmother's entire hut. And just as Sakumo promised, she could see the shadow of a grand Sakura tree through the delicate shoji screen.
"It's beautiful," she whispered with hushed reverence.
Mito smiled kindly down at her. "I know what it's like to leave the only home you have ever known. It is unimaginably daunting. I want you to feel at home here for as long as you stay."
"Thank you," Ami said, eyes shining with a sudden devotion. "For taking me in. And especially for taking Sakumo in."
"But of course!" Mito blinked in surprise. "Sakumo is family. This is where he belongs."
It was Ami's turn to look surprised.
"Sakumo did not tell you?" Mito hesitated before remembering it was Tobirama's intention to broadcast Sakumo's lineage to the entire village. "Sakumo is the son of my husband's brother."
Ami blinked. "I'm afraid you are mistaken, my lady." She said, straining to keep her voice as polite as possible. "Sakumo and I grew up together. His parents were farmers just like mine."
Mito recognized stubbornness when she saw it and so chose not to argue with the girl. She had been through a great deal. She opened the shoji screen to the garden to allow in the gentle spring breeze before delicately folding her legs beneath her. She beckoned Ami to join her.
"Tell me about Sakumo's family then." She encouraged, her voice light and subtle. "I'm afraid we know precious little."
Ami happily obliged. There was something comforting in talking about the familiar.
"Sakumo's mother grew medicinal herbs for the village healer and if the healer was away, we would simply go to her for help." Ami paused for a moment, then continued. "She took care of my parents when they caught the fever. She couldn't save them, but she made them comfortable."
Was that how Tobirama met her? Mito wondered, trying to piece together the mystery of her brother-in-law's long absence. Had he been somehow injured and in need of a healer?
"She was nice. A lot nicer than my mother. Pretty too." Ami sighed. "The whole village mourned when she died."
"She must be the reason Sakumo is so good," Mito said, silently grateful Sakumo had inherited his mother's temperament over his father's.
"Must be," Ami agreed quietly, pulling her knees up against her chest for comfort. The memories no longer felt calming. Instead, they felt cold and far away.
"What was her name?" Mito pressed, sensing the girl closing off.
The girl looked as if she might have answered, were it not for the looming shadow that cast across her face. Ami squeaked at the sudden presence of the white-haired shinobi. She had not forgotten the way he had glared at her as she lay in that hospital bed.
"Good evening, Tobirama," Mito greeted innocently. She felt the young girl move instinctively closer to her, as if the very shadow of the Senju burned her.
Tobirama kindly ignored her presence, his attention focused on Mito. "Has Sakumo returned yet?" It was a thin and obvious excuse. The greatest sensory shinobi of the ages most certainly could tell if his own son were on the grounds.
"Not to my knowledge," she answered, playing along. She wondered just how much he had heard of her little interrogation. He nodded and made to leave, but Mito had no intention of making things easy for him.
"You have met Ami, haven't you?" She asked innocently. Tobirama faced her with an expression of chiseled stone, still not bothering to look at Ami.
"I have." He managed to sound composed, though his eyes flashed. Perhaps she could have left it at that, but Mito was not in a merciful mood.
"Ami was just telling me a little of the village she and Sakumo grew up in. Is it as charming as it sounds, Tobirama?" Her voice was honey-sweet, but where Ami was disarmed by her charms, Tobirama was well guarded.
"I'm sure I wouldn't know." He glared down at her.
It was difficult to say who was saved by the arrival of Ryuu and Sakumo, but as their boisterous voices carried across the courtyard the cat-and-mouse tension abated. The pair made their way towards them, pushing and shoving all along the way like over-eager puppies. Sakumo only stilled when he noticed his father's presence.
"Whose this, Mama?" Ryuu asked, looking at Ami with interest. Sakumo stepped forward, almost as if to block the girl from his cousin's gaze.
"This is Ami," he answered, though seemingly reluctant to even give her name. "She's from my village."
"No kidding," Ryuu said, cocking his head at the girl. Mito looked pityingly over at her son. It was painfully clear Ami had eyes only for Sakumo. Tobirama seemed to sense this as well. Mito watched with delight, a vein pulse in his temple. A girl was most certainly not in his plans for Sakumo's future.
Perhaps it was time to end this little game. Mito rose to her feet and Ami quickly followed suite. "I'm sure dinner is almost ready," she said, straightening a sleeve. "Why don't you two show Ami to the table."
The boys were quick to obey, Sakumo eager to get away from his father. To Mito's surprise the young girl was able to keep up with their mad dash across the garden.
Tobirama remained firmly planted in place, his arms folded in deceptive ease.
She looked at him innocently through her lashes. "Something wrong, Tobirama?"
"Leave it be." It was not a request.
Perhaps before Katsuro's death she would have obliged, but Mito was tired. Tired of all the things this family kept in the dark.
"Tell me her name and I will."
He stared at her, pallid face calm and cruel. "I don't remember."
AbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbA
Kagami removed the stained cloth and lifted his head to allow Torifu to examine his nose.
"Is it broken?" He managed to wheeze.
Torifu's forehead scrunched in thought, as if that would somehow make him more qualified to give a diagnosis. "I don't think so."
Kagami let out a curse regardless.
"Did someone really get a jump on you, Kagami? You?" The Akimichi heir asked in disbelief.
Kagami spit a glob of blood from his mouth before answering. "I wasn't jumped."
Torifu cocked an eyebrow incredulously. It was clear he had no plans of moving until Kagami provided more details.
The Uchiha cleared his throat, suddenly embarrassed. "It was a girl okay. She took me by surprise."
"Were you sneaking a peak with Hiruzen?" Torifu asked dryly. The Senju brothers' favorite had a gift for convincing even the most prudish of their ranks to join him in spying on the girl's bathhouse.
Kagami jerked his head, offended. "Of course not!"
"Uh-huh."
"I wasn't!"
Torifu held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay so you weren't being a pervert. What exactly did you do to deserve a broken nose?"
Kagami looked up in panic. "You said it wasn't broken!"
Torifu shrugged, unconcerned. "What the hell do I know?"
"I may have tried to declare my feelings and…" Kagami hesitated. "She may have been somewhat taken by surprise."
"Someone I know?" Torifu asked, lip twitching.
The Uchiha face flushed a beet red, a considerable accomplishment considering the amount of blood he had lost through his nose.
"No, no of course not!" He said, his voice uncharacteristically high. "It's just some girl. You've never met her!"
"Well whoever this girl is, Kagami—she ain't worth it."
The young Uchiha returned the bloodied cloth to his nose and thought of the delicate hairpin in his pocket. He gave a long-suffering sigh. "Yeah, she is."
AbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbA
As she walked to meet her teammates at the front gate, Koharu examined the bruises forming on her knuckles. It had been a long time since she had hit someone so carelessly.
Damn Kagami.
She had only caught a glimpse of the hairpin. Only heard the beginning of his nervous declaration. And her fist flung out like a shot.
Dropping the hurt hand to her side, she decided to ignore it; and if she could ignore the painful, possibly broken hand, then she could certainly ignore the butterflies that decided to flutter like hopped-up adrenaline junkies in her stomach.