The silence was getting more and more common for the group as the day wore on and not even Kasumi's angry outburst of violence could change that. In order to strike Daiki, Kasumi had to abandon her support from Tatsuya and lunge forward in order to reach her target. This caused her to lose her balance. Both the Yamanaka and Inuzuka found themselves on their knees as a result of the brief attack.
Still with the suffocating silence in the air, Tatsuya and TenTen moved in to help their friends to their feet. What was more of a surprise than Kasumi's attack was her refusal for help. Kasumi was furious. That much had been established by everyone else in the group and when Daiki was back on his feet next to Tatsuya, who was comforting a hurt TenTen, he came to the conclusion of the problem. His mistake.
It was too late.
"How dare you!"
Kasumi had just gotten to her feet, even if they were still very unsteady, and hadn't even bothered to turn back around when she growled out these three words. No one else moved as she staggered away. By the time the Yamanaka was out of sight of the other three, all four children had a cascade of tears streaming down their faces.
After Kasumi had stormed off the others had no idea what to do or what to think. No one even dared to say anything. Daiki may have figured it out first but everyone had realised it by now. Kasumi's family, her issues and her problems were not something to be talked about lightly. They were something discussed in confidence.
Daiki had no right to tell Neji.
Neji had no right to know.
It had taken a long time to build up Kasumi's trust in her friends and to get her to open up. In a moment of anger Daiki may have destroyed it all.
"Let's go,"
With a firm grasp of TenTen's arm now, Tatsuya began to lead her in the same direction that Kasumi had stormed off in but with a different intended destination.
"Where…?"
Daiki felt defeated by his mistake. The pressure of his regret and guilty weighted down on him to the point that his speech came out as barely a whisper.
"My place. Grab Katsu and let's go. We all need to rest. It's been a long day,"
"What about Kasumi? She looked so upset. What if she hates us now?"
This last question had been on all of their minds. TenTen had finally been able to choke out a few words as her own emotions ran wild. The girl was so worried that she had done something to destroy her new friendship. She didn't know what she had done but she finally had a friend. A friend who had refused her help and ran away in tears.
Wait.
What if Kasumi thought that TenTen was stealing her friends away? Replacing her? What if TenTen had upset her?
Civilians and orphans didn't make a lot of friends in the Academy. Everyone wanted to be buddies with the clan kids in order to get further standing and help with their shinobi careers. Even if this meant abandoning and bullying their own friends. This was what TenTen had been through. Now she had real friends again. Maybe.
This question had an even worse impact on Daiki. It was more relevant to him. He was the one who had upset Kasumi. He was the one she was angry at. He was the one she might never forgive.
Thankfully Tatsuya still had his clear and calm head. Even though he was crying just like the others he was able to lend everyone strength in his calming presence and give them direction with his words. He was never seen as a leader or as strong but when it counted, he was able to pull through for his friends.
"We all need to rest. Kasumi will be fine and so will we. Worrying won't help. She only just got back to school so we will undoubtably see her again tomorrow. If she needs some space then we will give it to her. All we have to do is make sure we are there for her when she needs us and that we have each other's backs now. Come on. Let's go,"
Tatsuya continued on his way while leading TenTen. Katsu soon followed on his heels. Before they had a chance to leave his sight, Daiki then started after them with a quickened pace. He was able to cover his eyes and hide his tears the entire way to the Shiota residence. He had been there enough times, most of them while Kasumi had been absent.
The one thought going through his head the whole journey home wasn't TenTen's question. He wasn't so worried about her hating him now, what frightened him was the possibility that Kasumi would never forgive him. He had betrayed her. Would she ever trust him again?
Kasumi was in a daze as she travelled the well-worn path to the Inuzuka compound. Her subconscious was able to lead the way while her mind continued its silent, angry rant. She didn't notice the strange stares and glances she received from the other citizens of the Hidden Leaf Village, nor would she have cared about them. Her tear still flowed and she made no attempt to hide them, or her sadness, or her anger. Her emotions were displayed for the world to see.
She didn't care.
She was tired, upset, confused and lost.
Why did Daiki do that? What did it mean? Were they all going to betray her? Were they just like her family? Was everyone like this?
What was she going to do now?
Knock, Knock
Without realising it, Kasumi had finally made her way to Nami's front door and announced her arrival. It had taken longer than usual due to her slow pace and stumbling but she had finally made it to her sanctuary, one of the only places she felt safe. Something that may change as well after everything that had happened that day.
"Kasumi! It's been too long. How are you-…? Kasumi, what happened?! Is everything alright?! What-?! Come inside. Come inside,"
The Inuzuka mother was clearly stunned by the sight of the young Yamanaka girl that greeted her behind the door but, as a true shinobi, she recovered and composed herself before ushering the girl inside. While Nami followed Kasumi down the hallway to the living room she made a detailed mental note of all of the girl's visible injuries as well as the hidden wounds shown only through behaviour and reinforced by the child's silence. The female Inuzuka feared for answers but at the same time craved them. If she was told that all of this was done by the Yamanaka's she would care about any sort of protocols or consequences, she would march right up to that house and give the same treatment to everyone under the wretched roof.
Instead of going to the living room, Kasumi quietly made her way to the kitchen table and took a seat. From where she sat, she was able to watch Nami get a glass of water from the kitchen. Nami then placed the drink in front of her small guest before taking her own seat across from the girl. Kasumi needed space but she also needed someone to be there for her. If need be, Nami could reach across the table and comfort the girl but at the same time she wouldn't be smothering the poor thing. If Nami was right next to Kasumi then she would hold onto her and never let go.
The silence continued as Kasumi slowly sipped from the gifted glass. It wasn't until the glass was refilled and Kasumi's tears had dried that Nami attempted to gently breach the dangerously sensitive subject. Nami was imagining every worst-case scenario but praying for it to be some trivial misunderstanding and reasonable explanation. Before the woman could begin to speak, Kasumi slowly put the glass down on the table. Next, she crossed her arms on the surface in front of her and placed her head on them, face looking to the side. If Kasumi was too uncomfortable to look at Nami while she talked then the Inuzuka wasn't going to push the issue. If the girl opened up, that was good enough.
"What do you want to know first? I don't know where to start,"
Nami didn't think that she would have to hold the young girl's hand so early into the conversation, especially since it hadn't even started yet, but she had to do it for her own comfort and strength as well as to help console Kasumi. She had a million questions. Her main inquiries were centred around her injuries, why she was crying, where were Daiki and Tatsuya and what had happened to her while she was under house arrest. She wanted to start of gently but everything seemed like a trigger in this situation.
"Where are Daiki and Tatsuya?"
Kasumi flinched at this and Nami instantly regretted asking this question first. Maybe another one would have been a better choice but it was too late now. After applying a reassuring squeeze to Kasumi's hand Nami waited for her first question of the predictably long afternoon to be answered.
"I don't know… I-I… I got angry at Daiki and hit him and then I came here. I guess they didn't want to be near me so they didn't follow. I don't know…,"
"Why did you get angry at Daiki? What did he do? I'm sure it wasn't on purpose and everything will be fine,"
"He-He told Neji about my family. He shouldn't have! I don't want everyone to know!"
After this Kasumi broke down in tears. She still hadn't turned to look Nami in the eyes but instead moved her head so that her tears fell directly onto her arm. With her face buried in her arm and the reappearance of the uncontrollable sobs, it was obvious to Nami that it would be a few minutes before the conversation started up again. All she could do was wait and make sure that she was still there when Kasumi wanted to talk again.
"I don't know what order you want to tell me everything in. I also know that you don't know where to start. So how about this? I will give you a few questions and you answer them in whatever order you think makes sense. Does that sound okay? You can tell me about everything that has happened today and then everything that happened at home or just answer the questions individually. Either way I promise I'll listen to everything and anything you have to say. Okay?"
Kasumi's sobbing had quietened over the time that Nami had taken to slowly talk and explain all of this.
"I would like to know three things. Your injuries, your tears and your home. When you're ready. I'll be here. I'll wait. It's alright,"
Soon Kasumi took one last deep breath to calm herself before going into her story.
"Today, I went back to the Academy. It was nice to see Daiki and Tatsuya and TenTen, our other friend, again. Class was okay but then we had taijutsu and combat training and I hadn't done any practise at all when I was at home so I had gotten worse, not better. Neji, Hyuga, always seems to be angry at me for some reason and he really wanted to challenge me to a fight. I thought I had gotten away with it but at the very end of the lesson I ended up fighting him anyway. He kicked my ass. That's where I got all of these bruises and stuff from. It was after school, when everyone had gone home, that we started to leave because I was a bit sore and couldn't move properly. Neji was waiting for us out the front of the building and that's when Daiki got into a bit of an argument with him and then you already know the rest. Daiki told Neji stuff about me and then I got angry at Daiki and then I came here. That's why I was crying. I was upset that Daiki told Neji and then I was upset because I was angry at Daiki and then it got worse when I realised that they might be angry at me now,"
The Yamanaka got a little emotional at this last part and started speaking faster and faster in order to get it all over with as quickly as possible. It was only a minute or so later, and another squeeze of her hand, that Kasumi continued the now one-sided conversation.
"The time I spent at home wasn't as bad as you all probably think it was. Besides the first night it was more isolation than anything. It gave me a lot of time to think. It was nice when Elder Runa came to visit and she told me that Daiki and Tatsuya had tried to see me but Airi and Ino stopped them. I kinda don't know where to start…
I guess the first night, when they put me under house arrest, is a good place to start. Airi and Ino started yelling at me for not being home the previous nights. They acted like they cared. They said they thought I had been kidnapped but they didn't do anything about it so they clearly didn't care enough. I know Ino would have only said those things to cause trouble. Airi then went on to ground me and forbid me from staying at anyone's house and seeing the others again. I don't think she would really care about the last two things though. It would mean she would have to actually do something concerning my feelings and health, or something like that. She was really angry so I refused to look her in the eyes, I was scared, so as she kept yelling and I kept ignoring her she decided to hit me,"
Nami noticeably flinched at this and gave Kasumi's hand the tightest squeeze of the afternoon. If it wasn't for the fact that she had promised not to let go of the Yamanaka's hand, the Inuzuka mother would have been out of that door in a second to confront the corrupted and disgraceful clan that dare to treat one of their children in this manner.
"I got a bruise on my face from it. I started crying after she hit me. This just made her even more angry. I thought she was going to hit me again. The worst part was that Inoichi took Ino away shortly after Airi got violent. I knew he had been in denial for a long time but the fact was he did nothing! He could have helped me! It was all happening right in front of him and the only thing he could think of was getting Ino out of there! Why?! She wasn't in any trouble, I was!"
By this point she had lifted her head up for the first time and was finally looking at Nami. Tears were once again erupting from her eyes and drenching her face. It was the final straw for Nami. Before a single tear had hit the table, the mother was on the other side of the table to comfort the child. Kasumi may not have been her blood but she was the only person Nami would call a daughter. It was obvious that the girl needed a mother and Nami was more than willing to take on the role. It was also very clear that Kasumi no longer saw her biological connections as holding any meaning. Airi and Inoichi were no longer mother and father to her, the only thing they were to her were people she was forced to share a roof with. Nothing more.
Nami officially changed her seat after this. Instead of sitting across form Kasumi and holding her hand she was now cemented to the seat next t the girl and was holding the trembling child as close as possible. Once again, it wasn't until Kasumi's tears and sobs had stopped that she continued confiding everything in the Inuzuka. This time with her face buried in Nami's shoulder and a fistful of her jacket in each hand.
"After that all happened, I was isolated in my room. As I said before, it gave me time to think about a lot of things. I decided that I want to become stronger. I want to become strong enough to leave that place forever. Once I graduate from the Academy and become a kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf Village I can finally live my life without them in it. To do that I need to graduate so I spent all that time studying. I wasn't allowed to leave my room except to use the bathroom and my food was left outside my room if Airi could be bothered or remembered or could be bothered to remember. I decided that I wanted to learn healing. That's how I was able to get rid of the bruise before I was able to leave the house. I figured it would mean less questions and, especially, less stares. I want to specialise in something that can keep my real family alive. The last thing I want to do is lose the only people who care about me. When Elder Runa came to pay me a visit, I asked her about this and she's given me some books on it. I know it will be difficult but I also know that most of it is study and chakra control. The former I'm certain I can handle and I've already started practising the latter, it was all I was able to do in the confines of the room. I went backwards in my taijutsu, after all that time you spent training me, but I was able to advance in other areas.
The main thing I want to focus on now is my plan for freedom. When I'm at 'home' all I'm going to do is keep my head down and avoid everyone. That'll mean I'll have to stay in my room the whole time but I have things I can do. I want to make sure to keep it clean. They might see me as trash but that doesn't mean ill let them surround me with it. I know that they will keep messing it up and making things worse but it doesn't matter, it'll give me something to do. Other than that, I can study and practise my chakra control. I'll try my hardest at the Academy. If I can graduate near the top of my class then that might give me a bit more standing as a genin and help me to get out of the clan with less resistance. I think Elder Runa will help me with that but I'll look at all of the paperwork later. I don't want to get my hopes up too early or I might start getting a bit impatient. Other than that, I'm going to spend every afternoon and every weekend training. I can't let my taijutsu stay this sloppy or get this bad ever again. Every waking moment is going to be dedicated to getting out of that house and out from under their control! I will be free! I won't give up!"
Kasumi was once again shaking but it wasn't just from anger and sadness. Determination was surging through her veins. Nami continued to hold her for a bit longer. When it became apparent that there was little more left to say, Nami picked Kasumi up and carried her to the living room couch. Hesitantly, she released the young girl from her grasp. It was time someone tended to her physical wounds, Nami had already done all she could to soothe the hidden ones. The Inuzuka didn't want to leave the child, she had promised that she wouldn't, but she had to briefly leave her side in order to get a medical kit. She was conflicted until her faithful ninken came to the rescue. Yusei climbed onto the couch and curled up next to the emotional girl so that his partner could leave without feeling as guilty about it.
The next hour, at least if not longer, was spent with Nami tending to Kasumi's wounds and Yusei keeping Kasumi company. When he wasn't getting in the way, Yusei was laying across Kasumi's lap, happily letting her stroke his fur and not moving a muscle when she accidently grabbed a handful of it out of pain. While Nami acted as the doctor, applying the different ointments and using bandages and patches when necessary, she also stroked Kasumi's hair, the same as Kasumi was playing with Yusei's fur. It wasn't just for Kasumi's comfort but also reassured Nami that the girl was alright. For that moment she was safe, she was there and not in that horror house she would have to return to at the end of the day.
Once all of Kasumi's injuries had been tended to, Nami went and exchanged the medical supplies for a blanket. The young Yamanaka girl was already using Yusei as a pillow when Nami came back. She was still stroking the ninken's fur as well but each movement of her hand was getting slower and slower as her eyes turned to drowsy slits. All Nami had to do was drape the blanket over the child and give a few strokes to the girl's own hair. Nami sat on the edge of the couch and comforted Kasumi as much as she could while she waited for the Yamanaka to fall asleep.
Neither of them had spoken a word after Kasumi had finished her recount of the past week. Kasumi focused on anything but what she had spoken, deciding to just play with Yusei's fur as a distraction while Nami tried to process everything and kept herself occupied with looking after the girl. The silence only stopped when Kasumi was on the brink of succumbing to sleep. The day had been physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting.
"Thank… you… Mum…,"
Nami was making her way through the streets of the village with her eyes down and her head in the clouds. After Kasumi had spoken those three words, Nami hadn't known what to do with herself. Now that Kasumi was resting and she had Yusei to watch over her, Nami didn't feel guilty about leaving her for a bit. The Inuzuka had always felt like a mother to the young girl but to hear her say those words in such an unfiltered manner that was full of such honesty and sincerity had brought reality crashing down on her. She wanted to be the girl's mother. She was that girl's mother. She had to protect her. She was going to protect her. She needed to help her. She was going to help her. Whatever it took.
Nami eventually made her way to the Shiota residence and was greeted by Suzuka at the door, Hiroki was still working at the store.
"Kids! You have a visitor! Come in Nami,"
Even with Nami's demeanour clearly visible to the civilian woman, Suzuka wasn't going to dampen the mood. She always tried to be cheerful and if someone else was upset then she just had to try harder to make them feel better. Nami refused the seat offered and didn't have to wait long until she was faced with three children. She hadn't met the girl but had been told enough about her to not be shocked by her presence with the boys.
"Mum?! What are you doing here? Where's Kasumi?!"
"Is she alright?"
TenTen was the only one who hadn't spoken but that was probably due to her unease. She was finally face-to-face with the woman whom each of her friends respected and trusted completely. She was either the mother or second-mother to her friends as well.
"Kasumi's fine. She resting now, Yusei's watching over her. I just wanted to check up on the rest of you, I hear it has been a bit of a long day for you all. I don't believe we've met yet but I guess we would have sooner or later if you're going to be joining the pack. I think the kids have made quite a good one for themselves. I'm Nami Inuzuka; I'm Daiki's mum,"
After being addressed directly TenTen tried to hide behind the person closest to her, who happened to be Tatsuya. The two boys chuckled at this and the pair of women smiled.
"It's nice to meet you. Are you sure Kasumi's okay? She's not mad at us, is she?"
"Everything's going to be fine. Tomorrow's another day. You all just need some rest. You should come over with the others tomorrow. I hear we have a bit of training to do and if you are anything like the others then you are very determined when it comes to getting stronger. I promise I'll help you all as much as I can,"
Tomorrow's another day.
Thank you to everyone for reading as well as the favourites, follows and reviews. I love you all and I will do whatever I can to keep posting at least every month. Even if my studies get busy and my life gets hectic I can always get a bit of control back in my life by writing this story for not just myself but for everyone who supports it.
I can't believe I've done twenty chapters pre-canon for this story. I'm getting close to the end of this 'arc' and then we can see how much trouble I can cause with Genin teams and the Chunin exams.
I'm really excited and I hope you all are too. :) 3
