Chapter Five: Eve of Battle
(!WARNING! Depiction of rape in this chapter !WARNING!)
~~Border of Fire and Wave - Land of Waves, next morning~~
Yugao, Hana, Tsume, and Anko were working their way through the forests leading to where they believed Fen would be. Given the review of the mission, the village where Tazuna lived shouldn't be far from them now. Perhaps a few hours if they pushed themselves at full speed.
When Hana and Tsume were told of the situation they were quick to prepare for Fen's retrieval. Yugao expected Hana to come, but not her mother. After some explaining on their part, she just nodded along with their reasoning. She hoped she could get Kurenai to come with them too, but she had gotten a mission for her genin team and couldn't just ignore it and go save the Nord. Thankfully Tsume came, or else they would be down a man for this mission.
Hana looked over to Yugao, the woman leading the group as they jumped from branch to branch. "Yugao, you never told us why he ended up taking this mission alone. Did something happen with the team he was with?"
Yugao didn't turn her head, just nodding as they ran through the trees. "Yes, but it is not my place to say what. Feel free to ask him once we get to him if he is still breathing that is."
That little comment pissed off Tsume and Hana, the older Inuzuka snarling as she spoke up. "I know for a fact that wolf isn't dead. He is too strong to die on some A-Rank, he's faced worse. I can promise you that!"
"Oh? Does that have something to do with that part of his past Hana won't tell us?"
Tsume turned her head to Anko, who was at the end of the pack. "What do you mean? What did Hana tell you?"
Anko sighed, rolling her eyes as she kept focus all the while showing her annoyance. "That's the problem, she won't tell us anything. All we know is that he is very strong, very handsome, and is some sort of kind Nord. That's all we got from your daughter."
The oldest of the group just sighed, shaking her head as she looked to Hana who in turn looked away embarrassed.
"Let's just get to the guy and bring him back in one piece before he gets into some deeper shit than he already is."
~~Tazuna's Village - Land of Waves~~
In the middle of the village square sat two people at a small fountain at its center. Fen, sitting down on the cold stone, was working and needling the fur of one of the rabbits he had skinned the bay before into the leader of a deer. He kept sewing the thread through the thick hide, turning the fur and leather into a small coat. He turned his head, smiling at the little girl that sat beside him with interest in her eyes.
The girl was the same one that came to him yesterday when he gave the meals to the people, the one wearing the torn, tattered dress. He promised her he'd make her some proper clothes and he was making sure that happened sooner rather than later since the weather of the coastal village was chillier than the dress could help with. The girl giggled as he told her some stories about his land. The one story she liked to hear the most is the tale of the squirrel that ran up and down a large tree to spread lies and rumors about the dragon gnawing on the tree's roots and the eagle sitting in the branches of the tree. She found it funny that such a small creature could cause so must mischief to two animals that should be smarter than the squirrel. She asked him to tell him that story several times already, never tiring of it. Thought it was giving Fen a bit of a headache to repeat it over and over again.
"I don't know, I think I've said it enough times now." He chuckled as he draped the chest of the coat over her, seeing if he needed to adjust the size of the leather. Thankfully it was rather fitting for her. He smiled, taking the coat back off of her and getting to work stitching the sleeves to the coat.
She looked up at him, her feet swinging over the edge of the stone she sat on. He put his cloak under her so that the cold rock wouldn't touch her skin directly as she sat.
"I guess…Uhm, Fen? Can I ask you something?"
Fen just nodded, his eyes focusing on the work he had in his hands but still listened to everything she was saying.
She smiled, looking to the edge of town where the docks lay. "Is it true that Nords never abandon their families?"
He chuckled, nodding his head as he pulled snuggly against the leather to make sure the string was tight. "Yes. There are a few things that we believe bring dishonor to ourselves. One of them is abandoning your family."
When he started to attach the first sleeve to the coat's center he noticed her seeming to look sadly towards the docks. He raised an eyebrow, not a bit concerned for the girl.
"Why do you ask, Fumiko? Did your family abandon you?"
The girl just slowly shook her head the pain clear in her eyes. "I guess so. My mom died a year ago when Gato started to make business people pay money to him. She said he called it his protection fees. I didn't know what that meant, but mom made it clear she needed to pay it every month. Then one month she couldn't, no one could buy from her since everyone had no money. The day Gato's men came to take it, they took her instead since she couldn't pay."
Fen just frowned, looking down at the coat in his hands as he started to work on the second sleeve. "I see…how did they not take you, Fumiko?"
She shrugged, her eyes looking down at her feet. "Mom always hid me under the floorboards when they came around. She didn't want them to know where I was. I think she didn't trust them."
The needle and thread in Fen's hands didn't move for a moment, the thought of little children like her being taken to Gato as some sort of payment did not settle well with him. He had to take a deep breath to calm himself as he went back to his leatherworking.
"What about your father? Do you know where he is?"
Her eyes went back to the direction of the docks. She couldn't tell him. Her mom wasn't afraid to tell her the truth about who she was but warned her that some people would treat her badly for who her father was. She just sat there in silence at the question til she felt the hand of Fen on her shoulder. She turned her head to see the smiling face of the man saving her village. He showed no hate, no anger, nothing mean in his eyes. She sniffled, looking at the coat now finished in his hands. He handed it over to her and she took it with a smile on her lips.
He helped her put it on, chuckling as she did a little twirl in her new coat. It was long and reached down to her knees. The coat itself was made mostly of deer hide with the rabbit fur sown through her sleeves and covering her chest and back down to the midriff where it went back to pure hide. It looked like a dress of sorts in the end.
She giggled as she felt warm again for the first time in a while, though the slight cough she had developed reminded her that she was still sick. She brought her hands up to her face, covering her mouth as she cough viciously into her hands. Fen knelt next to her, bringing a hand over her forehead and seeing she was running a low fever based on how hot her skin was. He sighed, standing up and offering her his hand.
"Come, let me take you to Tazuna's house. I will whip something up for you to drink to soothe your throat and quell that fever."
Fumiko just blinked, looking at his hand before slowly bringing her's up to hold it. It felt nice, someone looking after her again. She barely managed to stay alive from the scraps of what she could find around the village and the bounty she always seemed to have ease with finding in the woods. When she looked back at him he smiled and leaned down to pick up his supplies. When it was all packed up in his knapsack the two made their way to Tazuna's.
While they walked Fumiko could see the change in the people around her. A lot of the sad faces that she always saw on the adults were gone, now content smiles on their lips as they were talking about how to harvest more from the forest. Fen had offered to teach a few how to live off the land properly, and about ten men and five women volunteered to be trained. They no longer cared that he was a Nord, the prejudice that Gato perceived for his people was no longer in the village as he showed them all that anyone, even a Nord, can show compassion to another.
The girl stopped walking, her hand still holding onto Fen's and stopping him mid-step. He turned to the girl, noticing she was shaking a bit while she looked at the ground.
"Fen…you said that Nords never abandon their family, right…?"
He nodded, kneeling to her again but keeping her hand in his. "Yes, why do you ask this again Fumiko?"
She sniffled, looking up at him as she felt the tears leaving her eyes for the first time since her mother was taken away. "Then why did mom say dad left us..?"
This caught Fen completely off guard. He just looked over at the girl, trying to see if there was anything to indicate that she was telling the truth. He did notice that she seemed a bit taller than she should be for her age, which is odd since she had been malnourished. She shouldn't be growing this strong. He asked her to take off the coat for a second, and she listened though hesitantly. He reassured her that he wasn't taking it away, easing the hesitation she had. He tossed the coat over his shoulder as he felt up and down her arms. Indeed, her bones were a bit bigger than that of someone of the Elemental Nations, but not as thick as a full-blooded Nord. Then it clicked in his mind. The coughing, the fever…she must be experiencing the Change, as his, or well, their people called it.
He helped put the coat back on her, smiling as he tied the strings loose at the front of the coat around the bones he attached to give it some way to stay all together instead of the chest being exposed.
"Hmm…I see now, you are like me."
Fumiko blinked, looking up at Fen, her tears staining her cheeks but her eyes wide in wonder. "Y-Your like me? So you…have a dad that left on the longships too?"
Fen couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head as she stood back up. "No, my father was from the Elemental Nations, this land, while my mother gave birth to me in her homeland, the Northern Realms."
The smile on her face couldn't get any brighter. She wasn't alone like mother had thought. She leaped up and hugged her, holding him close as she let tears of toys trail over the ones of sadness from a moment before. He brought his arms around, encasing her in his embrace as he stood back up and started walking down the streets toward Tazuna's harm. As she held him she felt the warmth of family for the first time since she lost her mother, and it didn't matter to her that Fen might not be truly blood-related. She was like him, someone that people would hate to know existed. She pulled her head away from his shoulder, looking up at him with a smile on her face.
"So, does that mean we can be a family? Can you be my big brother? Can you teach me to do the hunting thing as you do? Does this mean I can make wolves my friends? Can I-"
She was quickly cut off by Fen chuckling and shaking his head. He kept his eyes forward, now thinking about what to do with her so that he knew who she was.
"One thing at a time, Fumiko. No, that doesn't mean you can make wolves your friends like me. We have no idea who your father's clan was, which means I don't know if you're from a clan like mine. Yes, I will happily teach you how to hunt, I will show you all that I can. I am not opposed to being your big brother, or you join me as a sister. However, you need to understand I do not live a safe life, Fumiko. I live a very dangerous life in a village that doesn't like me too much. You might be seen as an outsider like I am there. Do you want to live that sort of life with me?"
The girl did not hesitate to answer by hugging him tighter. She nodded her head against his chest as she spoke into his tunic. "I am sure, big brother! I want to learn everything about what being a Nord is! And when I get strong enough and know everything I'll go out and save my mom and find my dad!"
Fen couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh, making the girl giggle as she heard him. His arm was over her and rested his hand on her shoulder as the snow started to fall on the ground. He would need to make more proper clothing for her instead of this dress. He turned his head enough to see her smiling with her eyes closed as she wrapped her little arms around his neck. He couldn't help but feel some sort of connection to her. She was in a land that would hate her for being something she had no choice in. Neither person would ever truly accept her, just like him. They were alone in this world, and that fact alone made him want to protect her. Even if he just met her the day before, he was already ready to strike anyone down that would ever harm her.
~~Port Village - Land of Waves, same time~~
A group of men stood around a bonfire outside the village their ships docked in. They were all tall, muscular men and women who were covered in green and white. Many of them were joking, making light of the early day as they waited for their orders. A scream was heard as a woman ran out of a tent only to be grabbed by her shoulders and dragged back in. Some of the men chuckled at this, shaking their heads and making jokes about fraile Elemental wenches. This didn't bother the women of their group, who just snickered and joined in on mocking the woman.
The joking was soon cut short when a man walked into the village. The man wore heavy leather armor, the chainlinks of metal underneath while his head was covered with a skull-cap style helmet with a visor covering his face down to his nose. On his back, under the wooden round shield kept together with iron bindings, was a cloak made of the fur of a brown bear. The small group of warriors looked up to the man who walked into the camp, causing their joking to be stopped while the cries of prisoners rang out from tents and cages.
The man looked over them all, eyeing everyone one of his warriors before he spoke up. "I have gotten word from Gato. The mercenary he hired seems to have died from one of those hunter ninjas. His contract is void with the tyrant I took it up. We sail set sait as soon as camp is packed up. Get to it you lot!"
His voice left no room for discussion, authority in every word. The group got to work taking down camp, moving the prisoners into the ships, and putting out the fires of the firepits and torches they had about the camp. The man turned his gaze to the tent the woman had been dragged into a few minutes ago. He rolled his eyes, moving to the tent before opening the flap to see a man on top of said woman. The girl just lay there, naked and cold. The look in her eyes showed no emotion anymore as the man on top of her did as he pleased to her body while he violated her. Her body was battered and bruised, the sign of the constant abuse she had to endure since being given to Gato, and in turn, the abuser over her.
The leader cleared his throat loud enough that it got the other man's attention. The guy sighed, getting off of the woman before covering himself with a cloak.
"What is it Knud? Can't you see I'm busy at the moment?"
The leader, Knud, just shook his head as he took his eyes away from the woman. He did feel bad for her, though he cared little to nothing for the slave in the end. "Get to packing your things, Brandt, we are moving to stop the bridge builder ourselves. Gato promised the total amount that mercenary Zabuza would have been paid."
Brandt just rolled his eyes, went to a stand he had in his tent, and started to put on his equipment. His armor was similar to Knud's, but instead of metal studs in the leather, he had small, thin plates of iron bolted into the hide. He finished getting ready pretty quickly, draping himself with the cloak of a black wolf over his shoulders. The last thing he put on was his helmet, which was nothing more than the painted skull of a large wolf over his head with leather adorning the insides. It was all held together by the thick straps of leather tying the jaw together. When placed on, the only thing one could see were the eyes of Brandt. The deep, emerald eyes of a killer.
"All of us just to kill one man that doesn't even hold a weapon? Don't you think this is overkill brother?"
Knud snickered, his lips seen to his brother who looked at him a bit more interested now. "Seems that the man protecting the builder and who killed Zabuza is a Nord. And apparently, this Nord holds wolves as large as horses at his beck and call."
The information made Brandt grin under his helmet, his eyes seeming to ignite with anticipation. "Well, it must be a Norung with some of Fenrir's pack. This must be fate, I always wanted to add more of that mongrel's children's fur to my collection of pelts."
The snicker on Knud's lips faded, eyeing his brother before he made his way out of the tent. "Do not take him lightly, Brandt. Killing a spawn of Fenrir in the wilds is one thing, but to take on three along with one who is attuned to them is another level of power."
Brandt just shrugged his shoulders, reaching over and picking up his weapon of choice. The axe he now held in his hand was two-handed. The shaft itself was nearly six feet long and made of some sort of red and white wood. Engravings on the shaft were also visible, the markings in the wood showing chains swirling up to the head of the axe itself. Though the blade was made of simple steel, the design on it was not as simple. The engravings on the metal showed the great wolf Fenrir howling to the sun with smaller depictions of his pack before him.
The axe was a valuable treasure to the Nord, holding it with care as he worked to start getting his tent in order. Knud just made his way out of the tent, not looking at what he was doing as the woman he held as his slave started to cry after the sounds of flesh being beaten with blunt wood rang out.
"I fear for you, brother. The ancestors will not turn their eyes away from the lack of control you show. I just hope we can restore the honor of the clan before it's too late for you…"
~~Tazuna's Village - Land of Waves, two hours later~~
To say that Tazuna and his family were surprised when Fen brought one of the street orphans of the village into their home would have been fair. However, after Fen took her to his bed and laid her down to rest in a warm bed for the first time since going to the streets, they were shocked to hear she was half-blooded like himself.
He told them of the talk he had with her, about her mother being taken by Gato's men and her father just abandoning them. The story, as sad as it was, was not an uncommon one in their country these days. Men would abandon their families to find a better life for themselves, and mothers with no one to protect them or their children would be taken away for Gato's use. Fen knew that, he figured that out when a lot of children were roaming the streets with no one to call family. This just made the determination to end the suffering even stronger.
Now, after talking to Tazuna and the others, Fen was at Fumiko's watching over her as she tried to sleep. The fever wasn't anything drastic, but he knew it made it hard for the girl to get comfortable. He brought a cold cloth to her forehead, placing it gently on her skin before reaching into his knapsack to get the herbs he needed to work on helping her fight this change happening in her.
She was going through what all Nord children, and even the ones with half their blood, went through around this age. Her chakra reserves were overflowing thanks to the inability of a Nord to use it like the ninja of the Elemental Nations. Normally a Nord child could not live through this change outside of the Northern Realms since the temperatures of the Elemental Nations make it difficult to force their bodies to use the chakra to adapt their bodies. However, she was not a typical Nord child. He hoped like how his body mutated differently from his kin, hers would too. He just needed to make sure he did everything his mother did for him when he had the same fever all those years ago.
~Flashback~
The young boy lay on the bed, coughing loudly as he had been for the last few days. Fen was sick, a fever taking his body and showing no real signs of easing up. He knew that he was going through the Change, his mana bleeding into his flesh and morphing it to adapt to the levels of the overflowing energy within him. What he didn't understand was why he got so sick. The others didn't have this happen to them, nor did he ever see anyone get sick like this before. It scared him greatly, thinking that there was something wrong with him. He feared the idea of sleep, thinking that the next time he closes his eyes they would never open again.
As the coughing finally ended the door to his room opened and a beautiful brown-haired woman came in. She smiled down at Fen as she sat at his side, the large woman running a hand over the boy's forehead to check his temperature.
"Still no change I see. How are you feeling my little warrior?"
She tried her best to comfort her son the best she could, but she did worry about what was happening to him. She hadn't left the village once since he had fallen ill, always a moment away from her only child if he needed her. She hoped that this was something normal for a child in the Elemental Nations, but after looking over the few books she had taken before coming home about child care of their people it told her that a fever can be deadly to a child this young.
Fen smiled, be it stiffly, at his mother as she looked over him. "I-I feel okay mother, I just ache so much."
She chuckled, running a hand through his growing locks before getting to the bag hanging on her shoulder. She brought out a cloth and soaked it in the water basin by his bed before pressing it against his forehead.
"I know my son, I know. But I think I found a way to take care of this."
She kept her smile while she shuffled in her bag, pulling out a small pouch. She untied the string around the pouch's mouth and took out an assortment of herbs. She crushed them in her hand, flakes of their powder leaking from her fingers as she started rubbing the herbs over his chest.
"This is King's Grace, though it goes by other names in other lands. I read about how it soothes and relaxed the body when inhaled. I think it will help you deal with the Change."
The boy just inhaled the powder and instantly disliked the smell. It smelled like mint and burnt animal fat. Though the scent was awful he did feel his tense, sore muscles relax some. He closed his eyes, inhaling more of the foul herbs as he felt her hand bringing his head up a bit as she helped him drink some water. He looked up at her, smiling back at his mother as she took care of him.
"Thank you…" He whispered as he felt himself getting tired.
She just chuckled, laying his head back down on the pillow of straw before standing up to leave. "Of course, anything for my son. I'll be back in a few hours to put more herbs on your chest. Rest til then my love."
She went to the door, grabbing the handle before she heard Fen speak up again.
"Mom…I'm not different, am I?"
She looked at her son one last time, her smiling never daring to leave her lips as she spoke back to him. "No my son. You are not different, you are special. Now rest, I will see you soon."
~Flashback Ends~
The memory faded from his thoughts as he finished putting the King's Grace over Fumiko's chest, baring sure to keep the covering of the sheets over her the best he could while not exposing her. He sighed, standing up as he ran a hand over her forehead as he watched her sleep peacefully. She was a fighter, he could see it in her eyes when she talked about her dreams. It was just a shame she was given such a rotten start to life, but that was going to change now. He would raise her, teach her, and show her the power her blood gave her once the Change finished coursing through her system.
His thoughts were interrupted by the gentle knocking on the door. He turned to see Tsunami peeking her head through, a look of worry on her face. "Fen, we got news from the port village north of us…we need to talk."
Fen looked back down at Fumiko, taking his hand away after one more once over her hair with his hand. The smile she had on her face feeling his touch only melted his heart more. With a heavy sigh, he left her, closing the door softly behind him as he followed Tsunami downstairs to the living room.
Sitting on the couch was Tazuna with a sake bottle in his hands. The old bridge builder looked up at Fen, worry staining his features much like Tsunami's.
"What's the situation Tazuna?"
The man took the sake bottle to his lips, taking a swig of the liquor before putting it down and letting the bad news out. "Two longships of those Volsung are on their way here. They should be here in three hours."
Fen could visibly be seen tensing up. He was too preoccupied with helping the villagers with their hunger and Fumiko's illness that he didn't plan his defense of the village. This was a horrible lack of judgment on his part, but he wouldn't let the people he was trying to save suffer for it.
"Tazuna, alert the villagers and tell them to run to the woods. Take Inari and Fumiko with you and make your way to the Land of Fire's borders. There is little doubt that there won't be a patrol stationed at the road leading into it. When they confront you tell them of the situation. They will take you in as refugees."
The Nord got up and went to the counter of the kitchen where his weapons lay. He started to equip himself, tightening the new deer leather bracers he made against his forearms. He wished he had more time to work on them, but it was now or never. Behind him, Tazuna and Tsunami followed.
"Wait, you're asking us to leave our home?"
Fen just nodded, strapping the quiver to his back and the axes to his belt. He held his bow in hand, looking at the two. "If I fail to defeat them then they would have killed a Leaf ninja. With your testimony about Gato's involvement, the Hidden Leaf will likely issue an A or S Rank mission to kill Gato for killing me. Either way, in the end, I keep my oath."
He brushed past them, going to the door and gripping the handle.
"Stop!"
The yell did not come from either Tazuna or Tsunami, but from Inari as he stood at the foot of the stairs going to the second floor. Fen turned his head but kept his body facing the door. "What is it Inari?"
The boy sniffled, trying to stop the tears in his eyes as he saw yet another father figure he was looking up to going out to face Gato and his goons head-on. He lost his stepfather to Gato, he couldn't lose the man who was saving his village too.
"Please…come with us. We can come back after they are done, we can rebuild with you leading us…you don't have to fight…you don't have to d-die…"
Fen let out a heavy breath before letting go of the door handle and walking to Inari. Like before he knelt to his level, but this time he was smiling at the boy as he ruffled the hat on his head.
"Inari, dying isn't something you should be afraid of." The boy looked up at him, attention fully on his words. Fen chuckled, reaching to his belt and pulling out the small knife he used for his skinning and sometimes fighting. He handed it over to the boy, letting him take it in his hands.
"Death is not truly the end, Inari. It's only the conclusion of the first part of your life. If you are afraid of dying then you are afraid of something natural for every man and woman. I know it's scary, but trust me I am scared too, but there is a trick to finding courage when facing a foe in battle. Do you know what that trick is?"
Inari slowly shook his head, making Fen smile more as he stood up. "The trick is to know what you are fighting for. The man you saw as your father knew that and was not afraid to fight for you and your home. Now, it is my turn to pick up the gauntlet he left behind. But Inari, even if I die I want you to know one thing."
Slowly Fen stood back up, went to the door, and gripped the handle once again. "I face death knowing that what I am fighting for is bigger than me, and it's bigger than you. I fight to make sure that your people will never suffer again. Now go with your mother and grandfather, I need to prepare for the battle."
With those final words said Fen walked out of the house and closed the door behind him. He took a deep breath, steeling his resolve as he made his way to the docks. He knew that is where they will land and start their raid. If he knew how his people were, they would do more than kill the one man they were assigned to kill. They would plunder this entire village for everything it was worth.
The walk to the docks was accompanied by the panic of the people. He kept his eyes forward as he heard the frantic cries and hurried steps of them all. He was glad they listened to what he had asked and hoped that when it was all over there would be a village left for them to come home to.
As he walked, he lowered his head and brought his hood over his head, masking everything but his lips and chin. He was sort of thankful that Skoll, Hati, Freti, and Kibi weren't with him at the moment. He needed them to stay and protect the villagers. He just hoped the high-pitched whistle was heard through all the panicking. He knew his companions would understand the whistle: the sign to protect. They would likely listen to his command, but at the same time feel guilt for not staying behind to help him. At least he knew, in the end, that the three wolves would protect their half-sister Kibi. Perhaps he should whistle for Skoll to come to him so he could inform him that Fumiko was to be protected since she is technically part of the pack now.
That thought was pushed back when the familiar voice of Fenrir spoke in his mind.
"You're really going through with this, aren't you?"
Fen stopped at the docks, looking over the wooden planks before kneeling down to them and feeling the wood. "Yes, I am. These people are like the clans back home, wounded and desperate for help. I can't abandon them, it would be hypocritical of me."
"These people are not of your blood, your pack. They mean nothing in the end, Fen."
"That may be true, and I know that I am not fulfilling the deal we made, but I can't leave them now. Fumiko, Inari, the children…they are innocent in this all, and if I don't stop the raid and stall enough time for them all to escape they will be enslaved or killed."
"That pure heart of yours is once again pitting you against your kin, pup. Honestly, at this point it is troublesome…but I do not deny that these clansmen need to be stopped. Even I can see they abandoned the ways of the Nord in exchange for a life of carefree raids and plundered women. I stand with you in this fight, Fen. Even if we are to die here, I will die knowing it was for a cause greater than the one I champion."
Fen smiled, standing back up and looking over the sea around him. "Thank you, Fenrir…do you have any idea how we can win this? I am strong, but to face sixty of them on my leaves the odds in their favor."
"Hmm…I do have an idea, though it will cause our souls to meld deeper than they already are. I believe if we do this, we might obtain the same level of cooperation as those containers of tailed beasts."
Not a single moment of hesitation passed before Fen answered. "Do it. I trust you, brother."
This made the wolf chuckle, now done talking to his container and working on his plan of fusing their souls closer together. He doubted the boy would notice or feel it, his Nord body would be too dense from the Change to sense any of the changes about to happen.
With the conversation over he got down and sat on the ground, one leg laid out straight while the other was bent with his arm resting on it. His hope, in the end, would be that the Hokage would seek vengeance for his sacrifice, and in turn free the Land of Waves from the control of Gato. The thought of such a death did bring a smile to his face. He could greet his ancestors in the Great Hall with honor in his heart knowing he died protecting those who were too weak to do so on their own.
The sound of the waves brought an idea to the boy's mind. He smiled, trying to remember the words before he started to sing a song he had learned as a young boy.
(Song: My Mother Told Me from Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. Performed by Peyton Parrish)
The lyrics of the time-honored song rang out at the now deserted village, his voice echoing through the streets as he continued his melody. The song was that of a mother telling her child that one day he could buy his own ship with good oars and would travel to the distant shores. To steer the vessel high on its prow with a steady course to the havens across the horizons. To sail and cut down the foes they would find on their travels.
His mother use to sing this song to him when the other children mocked him when they were told that he was a bastard. They treated him badly and excluded him from their games and training. They even tried to get him to lose the trust of the wolves by blaming the pranks they would do on him. Thankfully the wolves were not as dumb as they thought and knew who the true culprits were. His mother always told him that they were just mad that his father was too great to be tied down to her. She told him the tales of his father's battles and prowess. It always cheered him up listening to those stories. Stories he forever held close to his heart. It was the only thing he knew of his father, but never his name.
He looked up to the sky as he started the second verse of the song, keeping the beat to the lyrics as his voice continued to ring out through the quiet town. He smiled as he sang, wondering if she was looking down at him now. Would she be smiling in pride at what he was doing? Was she mad at him for letting his life be forfeit for people he barely knew? He just chuckled as he finished the second verse, his smile unable to leave his lips as he came to grips with what was to come.
"Uhm, that's a really beautiful song."
Fen turned his head back to see who was still there but was shocked to see Hana, Tsume, and two other Leaf kunoichi he has never seen before. He blinked, standing up slowly as he looked at them.
"What you four doing here? This mission was abandoned by that team."
Hana nodded, going to stand in front of him with a smile on her face. "Yes, it was. The news of what happened was reported to the Hokage, and he sent us as a team to bring you back home."
Behind her Tsume walked up, smiling at Fen with her feral grin. "We were told to take you back even if you resisted. We were prepared to do so since you seem to be a stubborn one based on what Kakashi's report said…but then we ran into the villagers that were fleeing."
The next to walk up was a girl wearing a cat ANBU mask, her voice distorted a bit from the mask as she spoke. "They told us of what you did for them since you got here. You fed them and breathed life into them. And now you are about to fight the Nords that come to kill Tazuna and at the same time pillage their village."
Lastly, the girl with a spikey, wild ponytail with purple hair walked up and put her arm on Hana to lean on. "And we thought to ourselves, this Fen guy we are coming for is a stand-up guy. Lying or not, Kakashi and the team shouldn't have abandoned the mission. So, with that in mind, what's the plan?"
Fen blinked, looking at them confused. "Do you mean to stand beside me in this?"
Before any of the girls could answer a new voice spoke up. "Not just them."
All five of them turned to see two people coming from a street that was connected to the docks. Zabuza Momochi and the hunter ninja that had taken him away. The four kunoichis instantly got into their stances, knowing exactly who was coming towards them. Before they could act though Fen waved and greeted the Demon of the Mist.
"Ah, seems you have made your choice. And glad to see you up and about."
Zabuza chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck where the ninja had pushed the senbon into his flesh. "Yeah, those wounds of yours did a number on me and I needed to recover. During that time Gato came and visited me and let's just say I had to have Haku kill me again before he came in. We made our choice. We are standing with you, at least for now."
Fen just nodded, a smile on his face. He figured now the odds were more in his favor as he heard the bellowing of a horn in the distance. He looked back to the waves, seeing the ships in the horizon.
"Sixty against seven. I like these odds better. I just hope you all can keep up."