Kasumi had spent the entire day trying to prepare herself for what she would do when the school day came to an end. No matter how many ideas or outcomes she came up with she was still too scared to try any of them. What if everything went wrong? What if she had lost her only friends forever? Kasumi was pondering all of this while standing solitary by the Academy entrance. What little nerve she had managed to muster throughout the day she had to desperately fight to hold on to or she would run away right then and there.
What was she going to do when they finally came out of the building?
She didn't have a long time to wait. If she had much longer to go over all of the worst-case scenarios she would have run away.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, it wasn't one of her friends who exited the building next and caught her attention.
"Yamanaka,"
"Hyuga,"
"It's good to see that the time away hasn't changed your academics, although you desperately need to work on your taijutsu,"
"That was all solidly established yesterday,"
It was obvious from the brief and awkward interaction that neither child really knew what to say but they were both thinking about the concluding events of the day before. Kasumi didn't know what to do with the fact that Neji knew about the dark side of her life and Neji didn't know what to think about it. Neji had his own secret side to his life and he wouldn't know what to do if others found out about it. Secrets were dangerous. If people know them, they have power over you. Neji didn't want to be vulnerable but he also didn't know what to do now that he had power over Kasumi. He wanted to be better than her but this was different. It almost seemed unfair.
"Will you get better?"
"Excuse me?"
"You need to be at your best for our next fight,"
"Be careful what you wish for,"
It was the least hostile exchange the two had ever had but was also one of the shortest and most awkward. It was no surprise that the uncomfortable silence that followed Kasumi's last remark was shorter than their conversation. Neji soon left her company once it was clear that there was nothing else left to say. It was obvious that neither of them was going to bring up what had transpired the previous day.
Kasumi was once again left to the mercy of her own destructive thoughts. Kasumi didn't know what she would do if the others rejected her. Just when she feels like she belongs somewhere she messes everything up. They had no reason to forgive her. How could she have done that to Daiki after everything he and his family had done for her? What did Tatsuya and TenTen think of her now?
Everything seemed hopeless. Kasumi felt terrible and worthless. She had to try and distract herself from all of these self-deprecating thoughts.
The sun was warm on her face. She closed her eyes to avoid the brightness and tried to enjoy the heat. Her face was tilted upwards and she found that it was starting to work as the distraction she needed. It was clearing her mind but, most importantly, she was no longer staring at the Academy entrance in dread. Every movement that came from within the building sent fear flooding through her veins but now she was oblivious to everything that was going on around her. It wasn't a very good quality for a ninja but she was still young and still at the Academy so it wasn't that much of a big deal. She also needed a break. She may not have deserved it but she desperately needed it. Now more than ever she wished that the arrival of the trio and ninken would take longer to occur but at the same time she wanted an answer to her fear.
Kasumi wished she was like the sun. Bright, warm and necessary.
Katsu was worried. He didn't understand a lot of what was going on but he knew that whatever was happening wasn't good. Everyone had been sad all day.
Daiki and the others didn't sit with Kasumi in the classroom or during the breaks. Katsu tried to say hello to her during the day and instead of picking him up, putting him on her lap and petting him like she usually did, she turned him away. The small ninken was used to getting ignored by most people but Kasumi was one of the few who cared about him. Kasumi didn't just love him because he was small, fluffy and cute, she loved him because he was a part of her pack.
He had been there when Kasumi hit Daiki. At first, he had been angry at the girl and protective of his master but then when no other threat came, he was fine. The one thing he did understand was the display of power and disapproval. It happened all the time with the interactions of the other ninken in the Inuzuka pack. If they did something wrong, they would receive a bite or a nip as a warning. That was all that Kasumi was doing. She was letting Daiki know that he had done something wrong and that there would be consequences if he did it again. Katsu doubted that the consequences would be particularly dangerous physically, probably another punch, but he was concerned about what it would mean to the dynamics of their small pack.
Kasumi was important. She didn't act like it but she was the alpha of their small pack. Daiki had decided when they first met to follow her. She was loyal and caring and that was why the pack had grown. It was still small but it wasn't numbers that determined a strong pack. Katsu was proud of his partner and the alpha he had chosen.
But the pack was starting to fall apart. It needed to be mended and fast. The more time that went by the larger the breaks would become and the harder it would be fuse everything back together. Breaks were never a bad thing, the pack would always come back stronger, but that was only if it was mended quickly.
Katsu was eagerly waiting for the trio of pack members to go and make things right. Both parties needed to meet and fix things; mend the pack. The school day had ended but the others were taking a really long time to leave. They were all sad but Katsu was just impatient. After another few minutes Katsu decided to take things into his own paws and his impatience manifested itself in the form of incessant barking. In the silence of the group it seemed almost deafening and definitely shocked Daiki, Tatsuya and TenTen into paying attention.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
The thing with the Inuzuka clan and their connection to their ninken wasn't that they could understand each other perfectly but that they could understand the basics. Daiki could understand that he was impatient and angry but still had to try and figure out why.
Hurry up! Stop being wimps! Go talk to her!
"What's wrong Katsu?"
TenTen crouched down to pat the small bundle of fur but was met with nothing but a snarl and a half-hearted lunge at her outreached hand. This caused her to recoil and the boys to echo her earlier statement. Daiki didn't fully understand what was going on with Katsu. Only that he was angry at something. A stronger connection was something that would evolve with time and practise.
"Why are you angry at TenTen?! What did she do?"
Katsu could only sigh at this wrong interpretation and tried to do what he could to communicate his message. He did this by walking over to the door, sitting down and continuously barking. You didn't have to be the smartest person in the room to figure out the small ninken's meaning now, but it still took Tatsuya saying the obvious out loud for the group to start moving.
The journey through the corridors of the Academy was mostly silent until the final leg of the trip. With each step the group took towards the inevitable encounter with Kasumi the more awkward and fidgety everyone got. It was traits like this that Katsu didn't understand in people a lot of the time. They had nothing to be scared of or nervous about. It was only Kasumi; their alpha.
Once again, the group started stalling. Their pace was getting slower and slower.
WOOF!
"Katsu!"
Katsu just had to keep telling himself that he was doing this for Daiki's own good. It made him feel better about what he did and had to do.
Katsu latched on to Daiki's leg as soon as it stopped moving. He was not going to let them get out of this situation. They needed to keep moving forward. One step at a time. Even if he had to drag them there himself.
Daiki was able to shake Katsu off easily but the ninken then proceeded to nip at the heels of the human trio, forcing all of them to continue making their way down the hallways. He was persistent. No matter how much they screamed or asked him to stop kept forcing them to put one foot in front of the other. Surprisingly and unsurprisingly it was Daiki who was the most stubborn of the trio. After a while he barely had to convince Tatsuya and eventually TenTen gave up the struggle as well.
He only stopped his assaults completely when they finally made it to the entrance of the Academy and that was so he could race off and greet Kasumi.
And for the first time that day, he saw her smile.
Kasumi was woken from her daydreaming by very excited barking that she knew could only be coming from one creature on this earth. After the time her mind had spent in darkness, with the sun only shining a little light on her current mental situation, it was good to see Katsu. Involuntarily, she smiled. She didn't even realise that she was doing it until the small canine was at her feet giving her a smile of his own. Kasumi almost lost the smile, knowing exactly who would be following shortly behind the ninken, but a shadow of it still remained as Katsu started pawing at her leg. His joy and energy were infectious. Soon he was standing on his hind legs, using the Yamanaka's leg for support and balance, and Kasumi couldn't resist giving him a scratch behind the ear. This earnt a delighted bark from Katsu but Kasumi was interrupted before she could pick up the precious ball of fluff.
"Hey, Kasumi,"
The girl had been so preoccupied with Katsu and grateful to be distracted from her sadness that she hadn't been paying attention to the speed of the trio's approach. She was currently crouched down with one knee in the dirt, having been prepared to pick Katsu up, but was now frozen in place. Thankfully her position meant that her eyes were focused downwards and so long as she didn't stand up, she would have no reason to look at them. She didn't know how she would react emotionally if she had to look them in the eyes. She was terrified of the emotions she would see reflected back and the meaning they would hold concerning the fragile and priceless friendship.
There was silence and it wasn't about to change anytime soon. Nobody moved either for a good few awkward moments. Finally, TenTen shuffled her feet in an attempt to expel some of her nervous energy and Kasumi completed her movement of grabbing Katsu. Kasumi wanted to make sure that she could continue avoiding eye contact so instead of fully picking Katsu up she just started slowly moving into a more comfortable position with him in her lap. Now she was crouching on the ground with the ninken held in the crook of one arm and the other scratching him behind the ear.
After a few more minutes of inactivity and the confirmation that nothing was going to get done there and then, there was movement again. With her field of vision of the ground, Kasumi noticed one of the boys take a couple of tentative steps forward. Kasumi had no idea if it was Daiki and Tatsuya and only then realised how little attention she paid to what they wore.
But that was something that she would have to revisit later. Right now, she had to concentrate all her efforts and concentration on the current situation.
The feet stopped a respectful distance away from the frightened Yamanaka and Kasumi got confirmation of who it was that was taking charge of this precarious predicament.
"We're all heading to Daiki's to train with Nami. We'll meet you there when you're ready…Please come,"
With that, Tatsuya turned and kept walking pass Kasumi. It didn't take long for Daiki and TenTen to follow suit. The Inuzuka hesitated longer than the girl and Kasumi wasn't sure if it was because he was waiting for her to release Katsu or maybe because he had something to say to her. Kasumi hoped it was neither. She hoped he would do nothing and keep following the others.
For once, the world was kind to the emotionally damaged Yamanaka and gave her a temporary reprieve. Daiki continued after Tatsuya and TenTen and left Katsu in Kasumi's arms.
Kasumi didn't move until a couple of minutes after she heard their footsteps disappear, just to be sure. Keeping a firm and desperate hold on the ninken, Kasumi slowly rose to her feet and proceeded to stretch out the cramps and return feeling to her legs from the prolonged time in the somewhat awkward crouch. Then it got to the difficult part. She had been dreading this encounter all day and had miraculously been able to dodge the situation moments before but that didn't mean that she was clear. She had to endure it at some point. She also knew that the longer she waited, the harder it would be. But she just didn't have the strength right now.
She wasn't strong enough.
She would probably never be.
But she certainly wasn't going to get stronger standing around feeling sorry for herself. Tears wouldn't solve anything. Fear wouldn't control her. She couldn't just wait for someone to save her. Nobody would be able to anyway. She had to do it with her own two hands.
With her first step forward, she reignited her determination to save herself.
As if hearing her inner vow, Katsu barked happily and they began the slow journey to the Inuzuka compound.
Kasumi only hoped that having Nami there when she interacted with the others would give her the inner strength that she was currently missing. But there was still no guarantee. She would likely want to run away, cry, remain silent, not know what to say, not look them in the eye and fear the worst possible outcome. Nami wouldn't be able to fix all of that but there was also no harm in asking for help anyway.
Kasumi took her time slowly wandering the streets of Konoha. She took a number of detours. She passed the shop that Tatsuya's parents ran and the Yamanaka Flower Shop. If Elder Runs had been working, Kasumi may have been able to legitimately stall for more time but as it was, she was pushing her luck. She couldn't justify taking any more time. Her prolonged absence could be causing even more damage to her friendships with the others. Katsu was also starting to get impatient. He was wriggling around so much in Kasumi's arms that she had to put him on the ground shortly after they passed the windows of the flower shop. This was when her pace was forced to quicken in order to keep up with the bundle of energy. Katsu knew exactly what he wanted and he knew exactly where he was going.
"Katsu!"
By the time they had turned the first corner he was already forcing the girl to run in order to keep up and this concerned Kasumi.
"Katsu! Stop! You'll tire yourself out!"
Kasumi knew about how weak Katsu was. He was the runt which meant that his strength, speed and stamina were all well below the average of a normal ninken and that meant that she was going to do everything that she could to keep him safe. Right now, that meant trying to get him to stop. If he kept running at this pace all of the way to the Inuzuka compound he would likely exhaust himself to the point of being bedridden for the next week. It was usually the reason why the small canine was always sick; he would push himself too far to try and show everyone that he wasn't weak. Kasumi worried about Katsu and Daiki. It mustn't be easy for either of them and she was going to make sure she could do everything she could to keep them both safe.
For a runt, Katsu sure was fast. It was good because it showed how determined he was to prove himself and become stronger but it was also something that could get him hurt. Kasumi was all for him getting stronger but not if he permanently injured or killed himself in the process.
"Katsu! You stupid dog! Get back here!"
They both knew the 'insult' was just empty words meant in jest. Even though she was concerned about him, she couldn't be mad at the little guy. She loved him too much. With this, she continued to chase after him and eventually caught him about two blocks away from their destination.
Once again, Kasumi held Katsu in her arms and finished the rest of the journey at a cautious pace. Then Kasumi prepared to face the music as she stood on the doorstep of Nami's home. Katsu didn't even wait for her to hesitate about knocking on the door and barked a greeting to the residents of the house. When the door opened it was revealed that Yusei was waiting for their arrival.
"Hey, Yusei,"
Kasumi put Katsu down, voluntarily this time, and replaced the comfort of holding the ball of fur with giving Yusei an embrace. She hadn't forgotten what the older ninken had done for her the previous afternoon. He had no obligation to act as her pillow or stay in that position for as long as he did and the Yamanaka was very grateful for this simple and meaningful gesture from the canine.
"Where are the others?"
When Kasumi was able to muster her voice and strength again, she followed Yusei down the hallway with Katsu close at her heel. Kasumi could hear everyone training outside. This meant that she didn't need Yusei's 'guidance' but she wanted to make sure that he was there. She needed all of the comfort she could get.
Kasumi's senses were heightened from her fear. She noticed every note in the creak of the wooden floorboards and as she got closer to the back door, she could decipher each person's voice and each thud of a hit or fall. The Inuzuka house was always a completely different smell then the one that surrounded the Yamanaka compound. While Yamanaka's were always associated with flowers and herbs, the Inuzuka's were always surrounded by their ninken. Kasumi liked the Inuzuka atmosphere better, the canine smell reminded her that she wasn't alone and it reminded her of family, home, friends and safety. It was definitely an acquired aroma. Most people weren't too keen on the smell of dogs, especially when wet. Kasumi didn't mind. At least it brought a smile to her face, unlike the flowers that littered the Yamanaka compound and the Flower Shop. It was claustrophobic and Kasumi detested everything it reminded her of but she also knew that they would be useful for her kunoichi career so she was determined to endure it. But only when absolutely necessary.
Kasumi was occasionally grateful that her mind went off on such tangents, it helped in distracting her from her problems and calming her fears. It wasn't until she was on the balconied porch of Nami's house that she recalled her purpose for being there.
Here goes nothing.
What was taking that girl so long?
Nami was getting a little impatient but she was more worried than anything. Kasumi wasn't one to go breaking her promises easily and the Inuzuka woman knew how much her friendship with the others meant to the young Yamanaka. Kasumi was going to come, no matter how scared she was. The girl did have the ability to always come up with the worst-case scenario.
Nami couldn't let herself become too distracted thinking about the child, she had to also pay attention to the other three she was currently trying to train. She had promised after all. Nami also wanted to learn more about the new girl, TenTen. It wasn't that she distrusted or disliked the girl but Inuzuka's were known for being overprotective. Also, if she was going to be figuratively adopting this girl then she would like to know a bit more about her personality and the girl in general.
In terms of the training, Nami was able to determine that TenTen was above average in her taijustu and another observation was her ability to banter with Daiki.
No wonder the two young girls got along.
It was also good to know that Kasumi was getting a female friend. Boys could be difficult at times. This was something Nami knew from experience.
Yusei had been sent inside to wait for Kasumi which left Nami alone to deal with Daiki, Tatsuya and TenTen. Nami loved her biological son, but he was the most difficult to deal with out of the group of children. This elicited an exasperated sigh from Nami as she contemplated whether that was due to her parenting or if it was because he was too much like his father, rest his soul.
"Tatsuya! Keep your guard up!"
Nami had tasked the trio with practising their taijutsu and for now, was just observing and commenting on what she saw. If they made a mistake, she tried to correct them and made a mental note to help them improve on it later.
"Don't slack off either Daiki! Keep making mistakes like that and TenTen will kick your ass,"
Just as Nami made this comment, said young girl took advantage of the opening that Nami had been warning about. This resulted in Daiki eating dirt and TenTen laughing victoriously. Tatsuya was failing to mask his own chuckles and when Daiki heard these poorly muffled noises, he became angry. Nami couldn't help but notice how cute he looked with the feral scowl on his face. Cute, but funny. Nami joined in the laughter at her son's expense.
"Hey! It's not funny! I'm going to get you!"
Daiki's indignation was brief until he suddenly got to his feet and started chasing after TenTen. When the girl went to hide behind a surprised Tatsuya it just created another target for the Inuzuka.
"TenTen! Stop, what are you doing? Hey Daiki! What did I do?"
"You laughed!"
"Sorry Daiki, I couldn't help it,"
This didn't help decrease Daiki's playful anger and so Tatsuya and TenTen had to continue running away.
"Run Tatsuya! Run!"
"You started this TenTen and now you've dragged me into it,"
"Yeah, well Daiki shouldn't have given me that opening,"
"Hey! Take that back!"
"Make me!"
Nami enjoyed watching the children have fun. It was good for them to have fun while they were still children and before they became initiated into the world and life of a shinobi. There childhood would end then and most graduated from the Academy before they were teenagers.
All Nami could do was smile and shake her head at their antics but she froze when she sensed Yusei behind her, knowing who would be accompanying him. The Inuzuka didn't turn around but simply patted the wooden deck next to her.
But Kasumi didn't take her seat there. Instead, the Yamanaka continued past Nami and onto the grass. The trio of Daiki, Tatsuya and TenTen stopped instantaneously in their game of tag when they noticed her coming towards them. Katsu and Yusei remained by Nami's side in the spot she had previously reserved for the Yamanaka.
The only one who moved was Kasumi. All eyes were on her.
Nami was worried. She had no idea what the girl was going to do or what was going through her head. She was also proud. Kasumi was overcoming her fear for the betterment of her friendships and friends. Kasumi was a strong kid. While this event has been painful it will make her even stronger and has already.
Nami didn't even know how she would handle a situation like this and while she had tried to come up with a solution to help Kasumi, she had been unable to come up with anything good.
"Kasumi…"
The Inuzuka woman whispered out the name of the child she wished she could hold in her arms at that moment. But she knew that she couldn't interfere. All she could do was watch.
Kasumi finished her approach towards Daiki, Tatsuya and TenTen and once she had arrived everyone was then motionless. Nami could tell, even from looking from behind, that Kasumi's eyes were firmly fixed on the ground.
Then the girl did something unexpected.
Instead of just her eyes looking at the ground her whole upper body moved so it was parallel with the dirt and grass.
"I'm sorry,"
And that was all it took.
Here's the next chapter! I know things are slow but so long as I don't go off on too many tangents we should get to an interesting part soon, hopefully by chapter 25 or so. I'm also going to look at adding a bit more to the introduction, considering everyone says it is confusing and a lot of them don't want to wait until further chapters. Oh well.
Thanks for reading!
