They were insane.
Plain and simple.
They were going to die. They were going to die. They were going to die.
Nami was too scared to do this and she was super scary. Kasumi was too weak to break free and she was the strongest of them.
What chance did they have?
They were dead. They were dead. They were dead.
The Village Hidden in the Leaves was going about its business, with people strolling the streets and talking as they browsed and did business with the numerous shops and stalls, as if they weren't aware of the internal crisis currently being suffered by the two boys.
"Hurry up Tatsuya! The sooner we get there the sooner we can see Kasumi!"
How the hell can Daiki be so confident?!
Tatsuya snapped his head up from where it had been staring at the ground as his feet reluctantly covered the distance to the Yamanaka compound in order to complete their mission. Daiki had Katsu in tow and instead of procrastinating, as Tatsuya's slow pace was doing, he wanted to treat this terrifying encounter like a band-aid, get it over and done with quickly. Both boys were eager to see their friend but both concerned about what the repercussions could be for them and Kasumi.
Brown eyes and met green and the stronger emerald colour won the staring contest with Tatsuya admitting defeat with a drawn out and exasperated sigh. The two boys were certainly different, from appearance to attitude, but in a sense, this meant that they complicated each other. After all, they did have a common goal and it meant that they had more ways and opportunities to accomplish it.
"Hurry up!"
"Hey! Daiki! There's no need to run… Wait up!"
Tatsuya was almost beginning to regret his ninja training as it felt like he had gotten to the entrance of the Yamanaka compound far too quickly. He should be proud of his improvement but right now it was not helping him at all. The compound wouldn't be as scary if it wasn't for the information that Tatsuya, and Daiki, had about some of the monsters that lived inside. The exterior was much like other clan compounds with its singular entrance into a courtyard that led off to different residences and buildings. The difference with the Yamanaka compound entrance, to no one's surprise, was the floral decorations and abundance of various plants and vegetation. While most of the clan compounds had a similar entrance they all tried to add a bit of clan individuality to the gate and its immediate surroundings in order to distinguish the clans and show a bit of pride at the same time. The Yamanaka's floral knowledge was invaluable in terms of poisons, antidotes and medicine, something that anyone would take great pride in and show respect for, so of course they would try to remind people of this specialty whenever possible.
Basically, it was both beautiful and scary. Which is exactly how Tatsuya's father had described women and if that was the case then Tatsuya would be more then happy to never make one angry or be foolish enough to marry one. Who would want to constantly live with a potential time-bomb? Bachelor forever. At least that could be said to be one good thing about being a civilian born, he didn't have clan obligations to have children although his mother may kill him if he ever voiced these thoughts about not wanting a scary wife, therefore denying her grandchildren. The more Tatsuya thinks about it the more it seems that he will never escape the wrath of females no matter what he does.
Procrastination again.
Tatsuya looked over at his dark-haired companion, expecting another comment along the lines of 'hurry up' but instead was met with an uncertain Inuzuka. Daiki wasn't moving and had found the ground quite interesting. Maybe the two of them could walk away. Come up with some excuse. Kasumi was their friend but they were also just kids and from what they had heard, and imagined, they could be facing a lot of trouble!
They were going to die. They were dead. Just back away slowly.
Still with his eyes on Daiki, Tatsuya took a tentative step backwards. This movement meant that the eyes of the two boys met once again and they were both as scared and devoid of strength as each other. Tatsuya was truly surprised when Daiki's sad, green eyes locked onto the ground again and his own foot took a slow pace in the direction that they had just come from.
What were they doing?! Could they, no, should they leave Kasumi like this? They had just spent the past few days praying for answers and now they were running away. This must be why Kasumi doesn't trust anybody. They all just let her down.
Could they really allow them to create a moment that they would be ashamed of for the rest of their lives?
Tatsuya couldn't continue on with this particularly sad and dark train of thought as Katsu had started backing at the gate.
Daiki and Tatsuya stood as still as statues, not sure whether to act with honour or run with their tails between their legs while they still had the chance, as the gates slowly opened to reveal, unknown to them, the two most hated Yamankas in their books.
No going back now.
This is probably for the best.
This is all for Kasumi.
What the hell were they doing here?!
This was the only thought running a million miles an hour through the mind of Daiki Inuzuka as he stood paralysed in front if the Yamanaka compound.
The night before had ended on a high with both of the boys determined to march into the compound and demand their friend back. Daiki had carried that enthusiasm over to this morning when he couldn't wait to reach this place and even had to get Tatsuya to pick up the pace in his rush to get here. But actions speak louder than words and things are easier said then done. This could never be more true then right in this moment as Daiki froze upon coming to the formerly eagerly awaited destination. Daiki would usually be insulted at being called a coward but even he knew he was being one in this moment. Worse than that he was considering leaving a member of his pack behind, someone who had trusted and helped him and he was going to repay her by abandoning her in her time of need all because he is too scared to take a couple of steps forward and get over this sudden feeling of fear.
Good thing Katsu has more sense than his human companion as the little pup, who is constantly ridiculed for being a weak runt, went straight to the gate as soon as he noticed Daiki's intentions to retreat and begun pawing at the gate with a few accompanying small but strong barks. Thankfully, and unfortunately, the gate opened soon after and the now open doorway revealed two female Yamanakas, a mother and daughter. The woman had brown hair and brown eyes just like Kasumi and the girl had blonde hair and blue eyes but shared the same face as the Inuzuka's dear female friend.
Them!
It was two of the three Yamanakas that Daiki had come to see with his human comrade and canine partner to talk to about Kasumi.
This wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Now that Daiki were face-to-face with the people who had treated his friend horribly almost as long as she could remember he was no longer scared but instead flooded with pure rage. All he wanted to do was scowl, growl and attack. His body was shaking. Anger. And shame.
He was not leaving.
From the sudden firm grip on his arm, neither was Tatsuya. Turning his head to look at his friend Daiki was able to see the renewed determination but also the silent plea to not do anything stupid. Don't charge in. Fighting wasn't the way to save Kasumi this time. If they did that then there was no way that they would ever be allowed in, Kasumi would likely be punished too.
Daiki understood all of this int hat moment but obviously Tatsuya didn't realise that he did as the red head almost had a heart attack and produced a squeaking noise as the Inuzuka marched towards the open gate. The green eyes were intense and taking in the two females who had yet to say a word or address the situation at all. Instead of doing anything stupid Daiki simply crouched down to pick Katsu up and as he returned to a standing position gave a slight bow; which tore at ever fibre of his being and would likely be his anger fuel for training for the next decade. The mark of respect felt almost as morally wrong as his then polite tone and speech.
"Morning Lady Yamanaka,"
A signature Inuzuka grin would hopefully cover his scowl that had formed at directly communicating with the monster. If the woman was surprised then she was doing a great job of covering it up, or likely she just didn't care but would indulge the two boys for reputation purposes.
"What can I do for you little Inuzuka?"
If it wasn't for Kasumi's stories then Daiki would have likely believed that this Yamanaka was indeed as nice as she sounded. He wondered how pleasantly she would be acting when she heard why he was here and the subject of Kasumi was brought up.
"Is your daughter here? Can we see her?"
He couldn't bring himself to say her name. Saying it now would just get him emotional. Probably the same reason why Tatsuya still hadn't said anything and was now taking shelter behind Daiki's slightly broader shoulders.
There wasn't much of a reaction to this. With his attention fixed on the brown-haired woman he was shocked when the blonde brat opened her mouth and addressed him instead but not nearly as surprised as when he registered what she was saying.
"I don't know who you are. We're going shopping now anyway,"
Daiki was forced to turn his attention to the blonde girl now but he did so very begrudgingly. Ino had the same face as Kasumi and it made her absence even more apparent. If it wasn't for the different coloured hair and eyes, and the fact that she was so snotty and obnoxious, Daiki may have even hugged her just to pretend that Kasumi was back.
Thinking back on his question he should have specified. Of course Ino would assume they meant her even if they didn't know each other, why on earth would she believe that someone cared about her sister. Even considering this it was hard to believe that they simply wouldn't acknowledge Kasumi's existence, it must have been obvious they didn't mean Ino.
Surely.
The shock was still a thick cloud over Daiki's mind but obviously not as dense as with Tatsuya as he was the one to break this trance and speak up. Just one word. Mumbled from behind the Inuzuka's back.
"Kasumi,"
The reaction that Daiki had been expecting at the beginning was finally seen on the face of Airi Yamanaka and even more prominently on Ino. Their faces were twisted in cruel expressions of disgust at the young Yamanaka's name. Airi looked like she wanted to slap the two boys and with this registered Daiki tightened his grip on Katsu and moved to shelter Tatsuya even more. Ino actually had the audacity to stomp the few steps needed to close he gap between them and proceed to send spit into his face as she aggressively yelled at the trio.
"Why would you want to see her?! Are you that stupid that you are actually friends with her?! How pathetic! Move out of our way! We have better things to do than deal with you and her!"
Ino then turned her nose up at the boys and stomped past them. Airi smirked, held eye contact with the boys as she closed the gate and followed her favourite daughter without a word. Nothing verbal to confirm the situation with Kasumi, her condition or if they could ever come back to see her, not that the answer wasn't already obvious. She didn't even reprimand Ino for her extremely rude behaviour, just smiled at the blonde as they held hands down the street. Daiki would have been skinned alive by his mother if he had spoken like that to anyone and Inuzukas aren't renown for their manners either.
Daiki could do nothing though.
He was powerless.
No meant no.
There was nothing he could do.
As the two true Yamanaka monsters walked happily down the street Daiki stayed put, not trusting himself to be able to move. All he could do was hold Katsu even tighter to his chest and let his black fur soak up his tears, just as he was letting his Shiota friend use his shirt for the same thing.
They came here knowing that there was a good chance of rejection. They just didn't think it would be this bad. Or that they would actually glimpse what it was that Kasumi was going through.
There was nothing they could do.
If it wasn't for the fact that it was the head of the clan, Runa would have stepped in by now. Saying that if it wasn't that family then Kasumi never would have been the centre of this hateful superstition. It took all of her self-control as it was around that dreadful Airi and bratty Ino on a normal day but this was too far!
Elder Runa had just finished her shift at the Yamanaka Flower Shop and was returning to the clan compound when she witnessed the disgraceful and disgusting scene concerning the poor boys and the Yamanaka mother and daughter monsters. Kasumi's superstition had nothing on the actions of those two!
The elder was about to snap when the conclusion of the situation left the boys in tears. They were just children! Just like Kasumi! They shouldn't have to endure this at such a tender age! They only got their childhood once and would have the rest of their lives to deal with the tedious hardships of life.
This really was just too much!
If it wasn't Airi then she could help. She could let the boys see Kasumi. She could use her authority as an elder. Unfortunately, Airi was the wife of the clan head and doing something like this would cause repercussions throughout the whole clan and harm Kasumi even further.
Damn them all!
Anger aside, Runa had to do something. A few minutes had passed now and the two young boys had yet to move from their positions or run out of tears. Runa herself had been stationary as she observed the consequences of Airi and Ino's actions.
The boys didn't even look up as she approached them. It wasn't much of a surprise considering how they must be feeling right now. Even so, she thought that they might have wanted to see a familiar face at this point.
"Daiki, Tatsuya,"
Said boys looked up at the mention of their names but couldn't bring themselves to smile, even for the kind-hearted elder they had come to know through Kasumi; one of the few people that the young girl trusted and they knew this. Even then there was nothing but sadness on their faces. They couldn't even bring themselves to hope that the elder would be able to pull off some sort of magic and make everything better. They were much too aware. They no longer had the drive of youth that made them believe that anything was possible. They were now aware of limitations, boundaries and rules and the chances they had to break through them.
Right now, they had no chance and this was written clearly on their faces.
Runa was doing everything within her realm of self-control to supress her rage towards Airi, Inoichi and Ino and avoid directing it onto the innocent boys or have them misinterpret something. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt these boys any further. They had suffered more than enough for their age and more then what some people would be lucky enough to experience in a life-time.
Moment of truth. Could she keep her voice steady? Would they see through her lie and attempt to reinstall hope?
"Kasumi will be fine boys. I'm going in to check on her now. Everything will be alright. I'm sure she will be back at the Academy again in no time and then you three can come and visit me again in the shop, of course Katsu is more then welcome to come as well,"
Daiki and Tatsuya shared an uncertain glance between them as if deciding amongst themselves whether or not to believe this. Runa knew it had to be hard on them but their worry for their friend's wellbeing was too much for Runa's smile and cheery voice. Or maybe the boys could just see through her act? In that case they were already on their way to becoming fine shinobi but right now this wouldn't seem like much of a constellation.
"You know you boys are always welcome at the flower shop when I'm there. There's only so much Airi can do but it will all work out you'll see. Once you all grow up into fine Konoha shinobi then you will be in charge of your own fates a little more. Just promise me that until then you will enjoy being children and stop worrying about all of your problems? When you're young you have time to wait for things to get better. Nobody can say you haven't tried. I'm proud of both of you and I'll tell Kasumi you tried to drop by. I can guarantee that it will make her day. Now run along and enjoy your day off!"
This last part was delivered in a cheery voice along with a hearty laugh and accompanied by a large, warm hug that engulfed both Daiki and Tatsuya, as well as almost squishing Katsu in the middle. The boys may not have returned the embrace or Runa's smile but at least they were no longer crying and staring at the ground in defeat. The Yamanaka elder would just have to settle for this small victory for now.
As she sent the two boys off with a wave she made a promise to herself that she would not allow her clan to further ruin the lives of the three small children she had come to cherish. They had earnt her respect and shown her respect. They would all grow into fine warriors; strong, wise and compassionate. Runa would prefer her legacy live on in their success instead of with a clan that can't look after or accept their own.
Things had been really boring the last couple of days.
Really boring!
Kasumi was now having to re-read old books. Not that she minded too much. It was always good to refresh her mind and she could pick up on things that she had missed previously or apply a better understanding from the extra knowledge she had gained from the other books; but that wasn't the point! The brown-haired Yamanaka had basically been trapped in her room. Her meals were left by her door and if she took a step out then it was only for the bathroom and even then, her mother would still complain, that scowl that was reserved for Kasumi's presence planted firmly upon her would be beautiful features.
Kasumi had the opportunity to learn and would be ahead of most of her peers when she returned to the Academy even with this extended period of absence but her biggest struggle upon returning would be her physical abilities. While her mind could be exercised within the confines of a small room her body needed space to grow stronger. The most she could do was stretches and some basic routines involving push-ups, sit-ups and the like but when it came to running, punching, kicking, flipping, dodging, throwing and everything else that was incorporated into combat she could do nothing. It just seemed that all of Nami's efforts to train her would be for nothing. The Yamanaka would return to the Academy worse then before. Kasumi tries not to be a prideful person but this would definitely sting, not to mention that she would have to deal with ridicule from her classmates as well.
Guess she just had to get stronger.
There wasn't much time to dwell on this though, surprisingly. Only seconds beforehand Kasumi had all of the time in the world to think about this but it had to be put on hold when there was a knock at her door. Had she said something out loud? Did her 'mother' hear her? Or was the grumpy woman angry at something and decided she was going to yell at Kasumi?
Saying that…
If it was Airi then she wouldn't have bothered to knock. There would have been yelling up the hallway and it would have gotten louder until the door was flung open with the dreadful Yamanaka storming in. When all of this was considered then what could be going on? No one would be allowed to visit and if anyone tried then Airi would have enacted the previous scenario.
Who was it?
"Kasumi?"
That voice!
"Elder Runa,"
Even though she was brimming with excitement and happiness at her visit she knew she couldn't scream it out at the top of her lungs like she wanted to. If Airi heard then there would be trouble. It seemed that Kasumi wasn't allowed to be happy and would be punished otherwise. Just another lame excuse for Airi's behaviour and weakness to external pressures. Hopefully she would suffer all she was due some day and Kasumi would be fortunate enough to witness it. Kasumi liked to think she was a nice and caring person and as she never wished unnecessary harm upon any living creature, Airi had shown that she possessed no heart and therefore didn't fall under this category.
This dark thought didn't stop Kasumi from springing up from her seated position upon her bed to open the door to the only kind Yamanaka there was.
"Elder Runa,"
This second utterance of her name was muffled within the older Yamanaka's clothing as Kasumi couldn't contain her joy and needed to express it in the form of a hug before she exploded. Runa didn't seem to mind as she returned the strong embrace in kind.
"I've got a lot to talk to you about Kasumi. You'll never believe who I just ran into at the gate,"
For the rest of the day Kasumi had Elder Runa for company and they talked about everything. They talked about Daiki and Tatsuya and the flower shop. They avoided the topic of Kasumi's bruise and isolation, instead they focused on the future. While Elder Runa was able to give Kasumi more knowledge on medicinal and poisonous flora the most important thing that the younger Yamanaka gained from the day was a question.
What's your plan?
When Elder Runa had asked this during their conversation Kasumi assumed she would be able to answer straight away. It was obvious that Kasumi wanted to get out but when she started to think about it that was all she had so far. She wanted out. She wanted freedom. But she had no direction to get there. She knew she would have to be stringer but there is no point in having strength if you don't know how to use it or don't use it for something.
What was she going to do?
Once Airi and Ino returned from their shopping trip and shift at the flower shop it was time for the conversation to end. Elder Runa left Kasumi's room with a devilish smile on her face and met the other female Yamanakas by the door. Airi was clearly not pleased that the elder had visited her youngest daughter but a few muffled words from the eldest Yamanaka had her biting her lip and ignoring Kasumi. Whatever Runa had said it worked in Kasumi's favour as there were no repercussions of the visit, then or for the rest of the evening.
Once the elder had left Kasumi wasn't going to push her luck or take any chances and instead remained in her room and continued to follow the routine that had been established during Kasumi's imprisonment so far. At least this isolation gave her time to think and if it wasn't for Ino's incessant talking outside the door about how great she was, how great her day had been, the amazing things she got to do and how much Kasumi sucked in turn then the younger twin would have been able to concentrate more on her problem.
And it was an important problem too.
She needed a plan. How was she going to get her freedom?
Once the Yamanaka household had settled down for the night and there was no more Ino to deal with Kasumi was able to focus all of her energy on this problem. After all, it wasn't like she was doing anything tomorrow so she could easily sleep in without anyone caring.
When the sun rose the next day it brought with it hope.
If she could get her plan to work then most of her issues would be solved. Once she became a genin she could petition the Hokage to leave her clan. This would be difficult but she would cross that complicated and political bridge when she got there. Before this she couldn't appear to 'live' somewhere else. This would 'look bad' and at the moment that seemed to be the only thing that Airi cared about. All Kasumi had to do to fulfil this was sleep here and do well at the Academy. If her performance slipped then there may be consequences but not because her parents cared about her future but because it would make the clan seem bad and make them appear as worse parents. Both of these were true anyway but if they wanted to try and hide it then it didn't matter, the truth would be revealed in the long run once Kasumi was free. When it came to being within the confines of the Yamanaka compound Kasumi will simply resign herself to staying quiet and unseen. Her life will be like what it has been for that last few days. She will remain in her room, likely have her meals brought to her door and only exit to use the bathroom or leave the house. This would reduce contact with the 'family' and any problems that would arise from that. But Kasumi didn't intend to rot away in this room. No. she was going to spend as much time as possible away from this place. Whether it was at the Inuzuka's, Shiota's, the flower shop or training it didn't matter because she wouldn't be here and she would be getting stronger.
At the moment that's what mattered.
People tend not to bully those that are stronger then themselves. People also tend not to harm the loved ones of these strong people either.
100 reviews, over 250 favourites and over 350 followers. Not to mention over 60,000 words now.
I love you all so here's a little something fun. I will write a second half to this at the next lot of milestones
This is also a bit of an apology for the last update to take so long. Work was terrible and sapped all of my time and motivation. If it wasn't for the stream of reviews asking for more I probably would have left it.
Thanks everyone!
Fast Forward: The trio of Kasumi, Daiki and Tatsuya are all genin and find themselves at the Inuzuka compound for some extra training with the one and only Nami!
This was going to be nice.
It had been a while since Kasumi had trained with the boys at the compound like they had in their Academy days, but they all had the day off today. It was nostalgic but some important training as well. Kasumi knew that she couldn't afford her feelings or emotions allow her to slack, she would never hear the end of it from her sensei if she did. Good intentions or not.
"Alright kids, listen up!"
She already had their attention but Nami seemed to always enjoy being loud. At least it was a way that Kasumi could always tell that the Inuzuka woman was in a good mood. If she was silent then you had to run!
"Follow me!"
All three of the genin were surprised at this command. They had always trained in this clearing. Not only that but Kasumi was becoming suspicious of Nami's behaviour. Yes, the woman was usually cheerful and happy but this was a little bit too energetic to be called normal. Reminded Kasumi too much of someone else; an eternal cringe would never be enough for that thought.
Either way kids began following Nami after they recovered from the unexpected order and found themselves in a garden.
WTF?
Nami did say that they were training right? Kasumi had no idea what was going on and she was usually known for being the bright one of the group; something she was not ashamed to admit that she was proud of. Even with this she had no idea what was going on anymore. There was no way that they could be doing training in this surprisingly well pampered garden, I mean by Inuzuka standards this place was amazing! If they damaged something then they would have hell to pay and likely from Tsume personally.
"Mum! You're insane!"
It seemed that Daiki had caught onto the same logic as Kasumi but the rest of what he had to say was caught in his throat at his mother's next command.
"That you take your clothes off now kids,"
WHAT!
Nami Inuzuka seemed suspiciously proud of herself for producing the current reactions of Kasumi, Daiki and Tatsuya to this bit of information. The woman wore a victorious smirk on her face as her fisted hands were placed on her hips; her look completely contradicting the serenity of their surroundings. The reaction of the trio was mostly the same. All had their mouths open and varying degrees of an embarrassed blush at the prospect of removing their clothes in front of the others.
"You'll get wet otherwise,"
Wait a minute.
Unlike her male friends, Kasumi thought over this new bit of information. One of the reasons why this garden was so beautiful was because of the clear pond it held as its centrepiece. Kasumi had heard of a few basic water techniques, and only one of them would hold the possibility of them getting drenched to the point of making the removal of their clothes a smart thing to do at the beginning.
Nice.
With this realisation Kasumi started to happily remove her clothes, despite the protests from Daiki and Tatsuya as they looked in the other direction and covered their eyes. Kasumi's underwear wasn't embarrassing or anything. Both pieces were black. A sports bar and briefs that were just short shorts if anything else. Everything was covered. There was nothing to worry about. It wasn't as if there was much to see anyway. She was barely twelve.
"What are you doing?!"
Although the boys didn't seem to think it was no big deal. Their backs were fully facing her and Nami seemed to think that this situation was very amusing from her chuckles.
"Come on boys. Do you really want to go swimming in fully dressed?"
"What?"
Both boys responded by turning their heads to the side to look at Nami but conveniently not enough to look at Kasumi standing behind them.
"We are going swimming. Very likely anyway,"
From instinct Daiki and Tatsuya turned to look at her as she spoke, only to quickly turn back a fully one-eighty degrees.
Nami might have been onto something. This was very amusing indeed. If only a little cruel as well.
After a bit more prompting from Nami the boys started to hesitantly undress as well and while they did this Kasumi turned her back on them to give them some 'privacy' and to also admire their training area for the day.
Unlike the training areas, the ground here was completely covered in lush green grass. The area in all was just peaceful and perfect. The grass, the clear water, even the slender trees and colourful flowers. There was a wooden bench facing the pond and the forest on the far side of the clearing. The two remaining sides were home to the trees that offered little shade to the edge of the water. The perimeter of the grass was marked by the flowers whose colours and types held no pattern or reason yet the chaos in itself was beautiful. It added a nice Inuzuka touch to the place. Deliberate chaos. It worked anyway.
When Daiki and Tatsuya joined Kasumi in front of Nami in their boxers it was finally time for the training to start.
"You all know how to walk up trees,"
Not much of a question but still earnt nods.
"Well you're moving onto water now,"
Realisation dawned on the boys' faces as Nami triumphantly, and dramatically (honestly stop, I get enough of this from my sensei), pointed to the opposite side of the pond.
"That's your goal! No run-ups. No jumping. Walk. Let's see how many times you guys fall in,"
With that Nami placed herself on the wooden bench and waited for the first brave soul to tackle the challenge.
Kasumi had the strong and confident feeling that things weren't going to go in their favour for this training.
It was going to be a very long day. Very.
At least it wasn't a cold day.
