Arghh! This one scene in this chapt — the Hinata-Naruto one — I'd planned ages back and wrote freaking ages ago, but it had to wait an extra 34,000 words to see the light of day T.T
Sorry this has been long overdue! Had a bit of a block with some segments of this, but I got there in the end... somewhat successfully, I think!
Hakujitsumu XVI
"Hinataaaa you're finally baaaaack! It's time to paaartyyy!" Ino's hollering had been the thing to greet Hinata as she returned from her afternoon training session, though her flatmate's idiotically over-excited voice had pulled a smile onto her face despite herself.
"Do you have to shout?"
"YES!" Ino was stood in front Hinata, where she pulled off her zouri, "C'mon! A good old-fashioned festival, with booze and games and people happy for once!"
"Ugh… just give me another five hours to take a nap first." Hinata trudged towards the kitchenette to grab a glass of water,
"No! Hina, you've got just enough time to get washed and get dressed, I've got a kimono you can borrow."
"So I've got time to sleep for four-and-a-half hours?" Hinata deadpanned, well aware of Ino's ludicrous idea of "prep time".
"No!" Ino yanked the emptied glass from her hands and span her around towards the bathroom "Go get in the shower!" She gently shoved the weary Hyuuga into the bathroom and closed the door. "I don't hear running water!" She impatiently demanded.
"Oh my god!" HInata impatiently snapped back as she heard Ino's laugh of victory; Hinata slowly brushed her teeth before turning on the shower, she stripped whilst it heated and stepped under it. The hot water slowly rose her from her fatigue as she merely stood under it for a few moments, feeling the ache of her muscles begin to release. She grabbed a hold of Ino's prized body wash.
She finally left the bathroom, feeling much better for the wash and found that Ino had hung the kimono up on her wardrobe; she slowly pulled out the under layers and began to dress herself in them. She found her movements oddly slow and purposeful, as if some ritual she hadn't been aware of was being performed, her mind returning to days when it was her mother telling her which layer to put on next and how to correctly roll them. Things were so different now, she was so different: she become both worst and better at the same time and now, here she was, in some strange slice of reality where she was better and worse still. It was truly, a confusing, wondrous, baffling, amazing time to be alive and she still isn't sure how much she wanted it. Thank Kami-sama, at least, for Ino, whom her thoughts had turned to as she pulled on the outermost layer and tied it around herself; to finally have such a friendship in someone she'd never suspected. She'd always thought of Ino as just another beautiful, stuck up girl desperate for attention when it had rather been confidence; Hinata had always found a strange pride in her own modesty that was nothing more than insecurity.
Ino had also left Hinata some of her make up which she decided would be a good time to indulge in. She'd worn a kimono many times but getting the obi tied was always the most difficult part and nigh on impossible for Hinata to do alone.
"Ino?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you help me tie my obi?"
"Sure!" Ino got to her feet as quickly as her own restrictive kimono would allow, "It looks beautiful on you." She smiled, taking hold of the long band of cloth,
"Thanks."
"Does it fit okay?"
"Yes… I hadn't thought we were the same size."
"Guess we are." Ino replied, stretching her arms around Hinata and pulling the cloth taught, "Too tight?"
She could feel Ino's breath on the back of her neck and her body heat on her back, "No." Ino tugged and pulled at the fabric for a few minutes,
"Sorry it's only a hitoe obi, this kimono really deserves something more formal, but I couldn't find my other one."
"It's okay Ino, it's kind of you to even let me borrow one."
"How could I not?" Ino laughed, settling her hands on Hinata's shoulders, "We're going to make everyone jealous! Are you ready to go?"
"Oh, just let me grab something from my room first." She hurried back down the hall, still able to feel the warmth of Ino's hands, she piked up the small wrapped parcel and her purse and tucked them against her side before slipping on the traditional zouri, and rejoining Ino in the living room. They shared a smile and walked out of the door.
"Been a while since we've dressed up like this, huh?" Kakashi asked, his formal dark kimono striking against his silver hair; he looked tall and imposing in the formal wear, in such a different way to how he looked in uniform. He hadn't yet put his mask on and Sakura relished the moment to look at him without it.
"Yeah, I guess it has." Sakura replied, somewhat absentmindedly as she looked him up and down.
"Something wrong?" He asked, talking a few steps closer to her, "You can say it." He encouraged, sensing her hesitation.
"Will you be offended, if… if I tell you that I think this looks better on you than the one you wore to our wedding?"
Kakashi's mouth dropped open and his eyes bulged as he registered her words, "What? I chose that kimono because it matched yours!"
"I know, but…"
"You'd rather I'd have just worn whatever?" Kakashi sounded downright scandalised.
"No, I mean… I didn't mean you didn't look handsome then, Kakashi."
"Ino and Kurenai and Anko all assured me that if I didn't match you properly, then the wedding would have been a disaster!" Kakashi said and finally, Sakura couldn't hold it in anymore as she burst out in laugher,
"You asked Ino? And Kurenai and Anko? Hahaha! Kakashi, that's so sweet!"
Kakashi folded his arms over his chest and took an unimpressed frown upon his face, "Well it's not like I had anyone else to ask!" She closed the gap between them and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Sorry I didn't mean it like that, I should have just left it at 'you look very handsome'."
"Yes you should." He muttered into her hair, his arms wrapping around her, "I'll do—I mean, are you ready to go?"
"Hmm?"
"Ready to go? It's about time we left."
"Yeah, okay." She decided not to push and they walked out of the door, Sakura locking it behind them as Kakashi pulled his mask into place, before they descended down onto the street. It was already dark, with each walkway illuminated by strings of criss-crossed lanterns. Little stalls had been set up with brightly coloured awnings offering games or drinks or food, most of which was of a freshly-baked pastry variety and smelled heavenly. The air was cool but the lights and joyous laughter of the party-goers had it feel ever so slightly warmer. Kakashi and Sakura walked, arm in arm, down the street, gently dodging others and enjoying, for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, some true happiness within the walls of Konoha.
"Hinata, do you want a drink?" Ino asked, her face betraying her happiness.
"Sure, is there any saké?" Hinata asked.
"Yeah, you like it warmed, right?" Ino asked over her shoulder and turned back to the salesman at seeing Hinata's nod, she brought the bottle and two cups over to the standing table Hinata was at, the area was crowded with plently of people at each table, but it still managed to somehow feel private enough, with Ino and Hinata to their own table, it felt not unlike a booth to themselves.
"Thanks," She poured out the two cups and they toasted, "This is quite a change from a month ago, huh?"
"Yeah, I can't believe everyone's behaving themselves so far, I'd half expected a lot of people not to show up, but I guess everyone from the Land of Iron have done wonders. I can't wait to see where the village goes from here."
"I know, it's like we're on the edge of a frontier, in a strange sort of way, Ibiki's still being a bit paranoid about everything, but things really have calmed down a lot over the past few weeks."
"I'm glad. What will things be like for the Intel division now that the internal problems have been smoothed?" Hinata asked, refilling their cups,
"Hard to say, I think we're still waiting on some direction from Tsunade-sama and the other kage's as to what the world's like, but I am honestly hoping to be very bored for the next few years, I'd like to think everyone's at least a little bit sick of the fighting, however unlikely that might turn out to be." Ino replied, rolling her eyes slightly at her own statement.
"Yeah." Hinata agreed, her eyes scanning over the slowly moving crowd of people around them, seeing nothing but unfamiliar faces; her hands subconsciously worrying the small box she'd picked up just before they'd left the apartment.
"If any of the Main House show up, I'll be right here, okay?" Ino whispered, drawing Hinata's attention back to her,
"Oh, that wasn't what I was worried about, but thanks." She smiled,
"Ah, Ino, there you are!" Lee interrupted before she could ask what Hinata was worried about.
"Hey Lee, finally got out of that spandex, huh?"
"Ah, yes, I thought I should dress appropriately for the occasions. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes. Hinata do you want to join us? We're taking Gai to see the new ramps, you should be there since you did most of the building."
"Yes! You must join us, Hinata! It is thanks to you and Tsunoko-sama that we were even able to build the ramps for Gai!" Lee agreed, a happy grin on his face.
"Ah, I can't sorry, I need to speak with Naruto, I agreed to meet him here."
"Oh, okay, we'll catch later, though, okay? You let me know if I need to beat him up for you." Ino laughed,
"Ah, Naruto is honourable, I am certain that he will be a gentleman!" Lee offered, clearly missing the point,
"It will be fine, we just need to… clear up a few things."
"Okay, bye!"
Ino and Lee weaved through the crowd and made their way to Gai's apartment, he'd not been very excited about the idea of the festivities, though he had cheered up considerably over the past week or so and Lee and Ino were hopeful for a successful evening.
"Gai?" Lee called as he knocked on the door,
"It's open." Gai called back and the two entered, "You two are very dressed up."
"We wanted to celebrate tonight, you'll come out with us, won't you?"
"Haa, I know I had previously agreed to celebrate the festival with you, but I would far rather stay in tonight, we can still celebrate it here together, can't we?"
"But you promised us!" Lee complained,
"Hold on, the point of going out tonight Gai, was that we wanted to show you something, how about you come out with us just to see the surprise, then we can come back here straight after, if you want to. How about that?" Ino offered, raising her eyebrows in encouragement; Gai sighed long and low,
"How long will it take?"
"Uh… twenty minutes, maybe half an hour if you want to stop for a drink."
"You've got fifteen minutes and that's it."
"Roger!" Lee sprung to attention with a salute, "So are you ready to go?"
"Yes, let's get this over with." Gai wheeled himself to the door which Ino held open and they all filed out into the street and walked slowly towards the old balcony favoured by Gai. "So what are these surprises?"
"You'll have to wait and see, but I think you will like them!"
"So there's more than one?"
"Yes! Three to be exact, though we plan to add more at a later date, but it was all Hinata and Tsunoko-sama had time for."
"Hinata? Hyuuga Hinata?" Gai asked,
"Yes, turns out she has a real talent for this sort of thing and very kindly agreed to help us with this project — before she even knew she had the talent!" Ino laughed,
"What does that mean? And who is Tsunoko-sama?"
"He's one of Mifune-sama's friends, he specialises in teaching non-combat related chakra."
"What?" Gai asked again, beginning to sound like a crotchety old-timer who'd forgotten everything.
"Don't you remember me telling you? About how Mifune-sama and others from the Land of Iron came to Konoha to help instruct the civilians on how to control their chakra?"
"Hmm, yes I think I do… but what has he got to do with Hinata?"
"He taught her how to make your surprise, we were both at a loss as to where we should even start." Ino laughed as they turned the final corner, just ahead of the ramp. "It's just here."
"On the balcony? I can't get up those steps, remember."
"Yes you can, look." Lee pointed, hurrying on a head to the foot of the ramp, "We — or rather, Tsunoko-sama — build this one so that you can still access the balcony and your favourite meditation spot."
"W-what?"
"The ramp, it will allow you to bypass the steps." Ino said as Gai looked between them for a few moments,
"But… how? How were you able to do this? The steps went all the way across."
"Tsunoko-sama can use chakra to manipulate the stone and move it into any shape he wants. He made an enormous tiger statue out of the other section of the steps. I tried to tell him that he should leave them, since you are fond of tigers, but we agreed it would cause too much of an obstruction." Lee grinned happily, and Gai rolled himself up the ramp with ease, "How does it feel? Not too steep?"
"No, no it feels perfect." He grinned widely as he wheeled himself up and down a few times, "I can't believe you did this for me."
"Of course we did, Gai, when we looked we couldn't find any access ramps in Konoha, you still deserve to be able to go where you want to and enjoy the things you used to; even if it has to be modified slightly, there's no reason why you can't. Come on, do you want to see the others?"
"Hey, Hinata, you look beautiful." His voice was honest, but she couldn't help but hear the slight trace of hopeful adoration colouring his words,
"Thank you, Naruto." She hesitated a moment, feeling awkward but even as she gripped the small box in her hand, it reminded her of why she'd needed to see him; she wished Ino was still at her side to give her a nudge in the right direction. But she didn't need someone to give her that nudge, she knew what she needed to do and closing this door would bee good for them both. She took half a step closer to Naruto, catching his attention; he looked hansome in his traditional wear, the lantern light catching his bright eyes, though Hinata clearly felt the difference. She saw him as handsome from an objective viewpoint and the recognition of him stirred nothing in her.
"Naruto, you understand what I told you back in my father's study? I don't want to get back together with you, but I do want us to still be friends."
"Of course! But… Hinata…" Naruto seemed to be struggling to find the right words,
"Can you accept it, Naruto?" She asked, gently,
"Yeah, I get it… and I heard what you told me, but… Iruka." Something in him told him to not let go.
"I've been thinking about that, come with me?" She gripped the small, carefully wrapped package, Naruto nodded and followed her through the thronging crowds until they were alone in a quiet side street, "Iruka's favourite spot was the training posts in Ground 3, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, he always wanted to hear that story of when I got tied to them, on that first training day with Kakashi."
Hinata smiled, "That was his favourite story, hearing about how his dad finally got to be a ninja and how you met Uncle Kakashi."
"Yeah," Naruto agreed, the bittersweet recollection tasting acrid on his tongue, "Where are we going?"
"To Training Ground 3." Hinata replied gently and they walked in silence, crossing the damp grass in the fading evening, the last light of the day just enough to see by, they stopped by the training logs, "I guess we can't leave it right here, it would interfere with training and it might get knocked and dirtied, why don't we choose the spot by the old KIA stone? Just out the way?"
"For what?" Naruto tried to keep his tone even, but he could feel the frustration and confusion gnawing at him.
"For this." Hinata carefully unwrapped the parcel, inside it was a small, sewn wreath of dried flowers, a finely painted tile, two ojuzu and a small candle. She cleared a small space on the ground, beside one of the overgrown bushes and placed the wreath down onto the tile, setting and lighting the small candle in front of it. "Iruka might not have really existed, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything to remember him," She handed Naruto one of the ojuzu, "Iruka would be turning six in little over a month, I wish I could have gotten to give him his present."
"H-Hinata…"
"He was real to us, what we experienced was real to us, Naruto and I think it's only appropriate that we honour that memory, his memory… our memories. I'm sorry that that's all they'll ever be, memories of things which didn't really happen, but I still think they have a place in our lives and they don't deserve to be simply tossed away." She said, looking up at Naruto who only managed a nod, tears making determined tracks down his cheeks, "Whatever happens next, wherever our lives go from here, he will still always be our son and you will always be my husband… sort of." She ended awkwardly and Naruto finally let out a breath of laughter,
"Thank you, Hinata… I know things can't go back and I know you want to move on and I support you, but I guess I just… can't."
"You will feel better, Naruto, we will always have our memories of him. If you ever want to talk about him, you can always find me." She pulled him into a hug, struggling to reconcile how divided she felt. Of how she recalled feeling Naruto's arms around her once made her heart beat so fast she thought she would pass out but now, she only felt the warmth of him blocking out the cold autumn night's air. Of how the world had never been more broken but united. Of how she had never felt more powerful and in control since her father had cast her out.
Of how she could possibly be so calm at the grave of her son.
…
She and Naruto had walked slowly back to the festival, talking about their memories of Iruka and each politely skirted the memories of their being together until at last they reached the lights and noise of the festival and parted ways.
"I am sorry to hurt you Naruto."
"It's okay, it's better you're being honest. Catch you later?"
"Sure." He waved goodbye and disappeared into the crowd. Hinata was not much in the mood for cramp and crowded — any more than she really had been earlier — though Ino's enthusiasm had swept her out the door with a smile on her face before she knew what was what. But she was cool from the stilted conversation with Naruto and the step back she had asked him to take. She wished Ino had been waiting for her and they could have gone for a quiet drink and an honest conversation, she would rather have Ino's warm smile and kind confidence than than the multitude of drunken bodies and mindless noise. Tonight was an evening for sombre thoughts and wishing the dead well on their journey. Iruka would never be more than a memory and had never been anything other than a dream, but Hinata hoped that his spirit was well and that he had nothing that might tie him to the earth. She skirted the main street for a little while, feeling the chill of the night air worsen until she found a small bar, with only a handful of people sat at the odd table.
"Good evening! Please come in!" The man behind the bar greeting enthusiastically, turning everyone's attention on to her, "What would you like to drink?" He asked at a more sensible volume as she approached the bar.
"A bottle of warm saké, please." Hinata spoke a little more stiffly than she'd intended, trying to quell the urge to punish the man for creating such a scene; she'd wanted a quiet place to avoid such a thing.
"Of course! Coming right up!" He placed a cup in front of her on the bar and turned to fetch a bottle of already warming rice wine, he placed both on a tray, "Where are you sitting?"
"I can carry it myself, thank you." She picked up the tray and carried it over to the far corner, as far from the owner's unnecessarily loud manner as possible. She slid onto the bench seat, grateful for their high backs and poured herself a cup full of the rich wine; she looked around the bar, quickly finding the gaze of an unaccompanied man. She averted her gaze quickly, annoyed that he'd ruined her undirected gaze so quickly. He'd offered a quick expression in the few seconds she'd been looking at him, something along the lines of "well?" Hinata half wished she'd brought a book with her just to look busy and not have him bother her, but alas.
"So here you are, we've been looking all over!" Ino's voice drew her attention as she stood with Gai,
"I-Ino?"
"We've been looking for you! May we join?"
"O-of course." Hinata sat up straighter, clearing her head of consuming thoughts.
"Hinata-san! How are you? Are you enjoying the festival?" Lee asked as he walked over to the table and put down a tray of saké; Ino pushed Gai's wheelchair up to the table and slid into the seat opposite her, Lee taking the free seat beside her. He began pouring out cupfuls for each of them,
"Hinata, it seems I have you to thank for my ramps." Gai said, "It was very kind of you to help build them."
"Of course, Gai, I was more than happy to help."
"Hey, are you all right?" Ino asked quietly her blue eyes boring into Hinata's, "You looked kinda lost there for a second."
"Yeah, I was just… thinking, I talked to Naruto."
"Oh, oh. Is everything… okay?"
"Yeah, yeah it is," She smiled, "We just, needed to put some things to rest and, I think we have. But it's not really the time to talk about it now. How did Gai like the ramps?"
Ino smiled broadly, "He's here isn't he?" And she turned her head to look at him, leading Hinata's gaze as they both saw him grinning and reaching over to hand Ino her cup and gesture for Hinata's.
"Thank you."
"We must all toast together, the recent months have been a trying time for us all, we should put them all aside tonight and do our best to move forwards and look only to the future… thought I admit I think I have been wallowing in my sadness for the longest among us…" Gai cleared his throat, "But I still want to take this as a starting point. As has been pointed out to me on several occasions, we are all alive and together, the village has been largely restored, we should take our chances to rejoice."
"Hear, hear!" Lee cheered.
"Yeah!" They all spoke together and raised their cups before drinking them back,
"I'm pleased you're feeling better, Gai, I'm sorry it's been such a difficult transition." Hinata offered as she lowered her cup back down to the table.
"You are kind to say so, Hinata, but there are always tests and mountains we must climb… I am ashamed that it took me so long to remember that." Gai's face fell slightly and Lee refilled his cup.
"I'd defy anyone to claim they haven't forgotten at least one thing through their lives, Gai, the point is that you remembered."
"Yes, yes of course! I suppose that is apt for this festival, it is in honour of a good number of memories, isn't it?" Gai had meant it kindly, though the sudden weight that descended upon the group was unmistakable. "Ah, but, it is also about fresh starts and beginning anew. My future is unknown to me — to all of us, I think — but we've got our past experiences to guide us and we will have to trust in ourselves and our friends." Gai had closed his eyes as he spoke (as often he had done with matter close to his heart) and Hinata had found that her eyes had settled upon Ino, whose gaze was firmly on Gai, the illuminations catching the angles and shadows of her face, her expression as soft as the light. She turned suddenly and their gazes met but her expression didn't change, whether she'd noticed Hinata's staring or simply didn't care she had no idea, but they stared and stared at each other. Ino was telling her a thousand undecipherable things with those big blue eyes and Hinata could do nothing but look back and absorb it all in whilst she forgot that her face was capable of making expressions.
"Hey, do you two want to order any food?" Lee's voice cut through the moment with such precision Hinata felt her body tense with the restrained reflex to lash out an attack;
"Huh?" Ino asked catching Gai's pointed stare before focusing firmly on Lee, "Oh, yeah I could do with something to eat, what's the menu like?" He handed her the copy in his hands, "Uh… I guess I wouldn't say no to pork bun or two. Hinata?" She handed the menu to her, though her eyes would not focus well on the text.
"Um, yeah, I'd like a pork bun, too."
"You guys can split an order if you like," Gai suggested, "Oh, they do a sharing box, where you can get a selection… I guess its for people for people who don't want meat?" He looked thoroughly innocent as he looked up from his own menu, though Ino still shot his a dark glare.
"They all meat bun in that box, though?" Lee asked, clearly confused, "Or are you looking at a different one, Gai?" He leaned over to try and read his menu,
"No, I think he's just been looking a bit too closely," Ino replied, her stare fixed on Gai, who was clearly desperately trying to reign in his grin, "He might need his eyes checked."
"Hello! May I take your orders?" The same boisterous man from behind the bar appeared,
"Yakitori, side of grilled karrage and egg rice, please." Gai ordered,
"Katsudon, please!" Asked Lee,
"The sharing box of assorted buns, please." Ino ordered, and the man bowed and walked away,
For how long they'd run, Suzuru had no idea; her abs ached from the tension of being slung over a shoulder and her feet had long gone numb from the lack of movement and her face from the cold air. The light had long faded and the only reason she knew they were still running through woods was the occasional thwack she received from the foliage and the long, haunting calls of owls; she felt as if all her senses and agency had been switched off and all she could do was be carried. Eventually Etsuko slowed to a halt and set Suzuru down to her feet, though she immediately stumbled and struggled to catch herself in the dark.
"Easy, easy." Etsuko's strong arms steadied her, "We'll stop here for the night, I have a hide up in the trees."
"What the hell?"
"A hide? It's not that rare—"
"No, I mean… you're a Hunter Nin? What the fuck?"
"Oh, right… well, I knew you didn't exactly like shinobi and not even people who like shinobi like Hunter Nin for Kami-sama's sake, so I just decided to hide that fact and I have been doing a damn good job for the past twenty odd years, thank you."
"Twenty… years you've been a Hunter Nin?"
"Yes, but we'll talk more about this in a minute, let's get into the hide and get a fire started, I'm cold and I've been the one running, I can only imagine how cold you must be." Etsuko said, "Come on, I think you do realise that I'm not your enemy. Satou and his cronies are your enemies, but I'm not, okay?"
"…Yeah." Suzuru replied, instinctively knowing the truth to her friend's words, or maybe she just didn't have the energy to question them, getting out of the damp night and a fire sounded great right about now. She felt Etsuko's hand on her back as she walked them through the leaf litter, her eyes had adjusted enough for her to see the vague outlines of the shapes around her.
"Watch your eyes as we duck under the branches," Had been Etsuko's warning — and in good time — though Suzuru still felt the branches tangle into her hair,
"Ow."
"Tree still go you? Here." She could hear the laughter on Etsuko's voice as even has her hands swiftly untangled her, "Keep low until you feel the trunk."
"Okay, got it."
"Do you know how to direct chakra to your hands and feet?"
"Uh, I think so."
"Do it… then climb the tree."
"There are no bran… that's why you said chakra."
"Bingo!" Etsuko laughed, "You go first so if you fall, I'll catch you, just focus on keeping your chakra flowing to your hands and feet and you should stick like a bug;" Etsuko didn't need to be able to see Suzuru to be able to guess what face she was showing, "And don't give me that look, Suzu, you'll be fine."
Grumbling under her breath, Suzuru directed her chakra to her hands and feet, though found her Subete Miru also activating, "Why does this tree have chakra?" She asked as she touched her hand to the trunk, as high as she could reach and found that it did indeed stick to the tree,
"I wouldn't bother activating your doujutsu now, it's a bit of a waste of chakra."
"It just did when I called upon my chakra."
"Okay, first lesson tomorrow will be chakra control. Just climb for now." And so they did, it felt to Suzuru as if the climb would never end, the only intermissions were her foot or hand slipping every now and then, but Etsuko had been there to catch her. "It should be just ahead."
"Ouch!" Suzuru replied, stubbing her fingers on some obstruction or other, most likely the hide, Suzuru stretched out her hand only for it to find empty space, she waved it around erratically for a few moments until it came to rest, flat on a smooth surface, "What the—?"
"Crawl in, it's the hide." Etsuko explained and Suzuru awkwardly scrambled over the edge, sighing with relief of being on firm, level surface again. Etsuko climbed in after her and whispered some words, "What?"
"Just sealing the door so no one can follow us in or see the firelight... and neither can the cold. Here." Etsuko explained before whispering a few more words and a lick of bright flame burst into life, forcing Suzuru to squeeze her eyes shut, "Sorry I should have warned you."
"It's okay." Suzuru breathed as she slowly opened her eyes and allowed them to adjust, inching forwards a little, greedy for the warmth of the flames; Etsuko shed her pack and began to dig inside it, pulling out a small piece of matting,
"Here, sit on this, the wood won't be enough to stop a chill this time of year and your clothes will be wet." She handed her the material and Suzuru did as she was told, quickly realising how right Etsuko was.
"So… why are you helping me? Isn't Satou your… boss?"
"No! I report directly the Mizukage, I won't bore you with the details, but after Mei-sama took over, she shook a lot of things up in Mist, I don't think a lot of the civilian population is really aware of just how things have changed, but the Hunter Nin's essentially dissented — a lot of them wanted to keep the old systems — but I and a handful of others sided with Mei-sama, we wanted change to happen and it is, slowly but surely." Etsuko explained as she handed a packet to Suzuru, "Rations are all we have for dinner, I'm afraid."
Suzuru took the packet but didn't open it immediately, "So… you're the reason Satou hasn't killed me yet?"
"Won't kill you." Etsuko corrected, through a mouthful, "But yes, in essence; Mei-sama ordered me to keep a close eye on you, we suspected Satou might try and kill you or imprison you, so I prevented that."
"How? Why?"
"We've had that apartment for a long time, Suzu, plenty of time for me to set the right traps and hide it from unfriendly eyes."
"Eh?"
"Don't feel bad for not spotting them, trapping and tracking are my top two skills, ya know." She grinned, taking another bite of her rations and Suzuru slowly opened her own and took a small bite (the bar looked and smell awful and didn't exactly taste great, but she was hungry).
"Did you know I had a kekkei-genkai before I told you?" She asked slowly, watching her friend carefully,
"Yeah, Mei-sama had been keeping a close eye on you and your family before she even took over as Mizukage; the Futusatome clan was revered and there were a lot of people who suspected that not all of them had been killed." Etsuko said, pausing to finish off her dinner, "And you and your sister raised a lot of eyebrows, twins are not exactly common in Mist, if you haven't noticed." Now that Etsuko had pointed it out, she hadn't met any other twins in Mist…
"But… Ensei…"
"Yeah, I am sorry about your sister, Mei-sama did her best to protect Ensei and stop any of the Hunter Nin getting their hands on her, but Satou had been keeping just as close an eye on Ensei as Mei-sama had been and unfortunately for your sister, more evil friends. I tried to help her, Mei-sama ordered me out to assist Ensei with her mission as soon as she found out, but I got there too late. I'm so sorry, Suzu."
She didn't say anything for a good long while whilst she took slow, mindless bites of food, "I had no idea you even knew Ensei… outside of being my sister."
"I didn't really, I avoided her as much as possible because I always loved hanging out with you and I was worried that you wouldn't want to keep being my friend if you knew I was shinobi, especially in that department. I've always wanted to keep my personal and professional life separate. They're both me and they're both right, but I never really wanted them to ever "meet" so to speak, even though a part of me knew that would be impossible to maintain forever. And after the fourth war and we all discovered what had happened, it became even more important for me to keep up appearances."
"Because of my bloodline?"
"Because I knew you'd need a friend more than ever… though I am a bit surprised you didn't figure me out sooner, can't your eyes see through objects? Can't you see peoples' chakra?"
"I never… actually look at you." Suzuru let out a cynical laugh, "Stupidly trusting, huh? I always thought I was cleverer than that."
"You've always been a kind and trusting person, Suzu, and I don't have many people in my life like that. I love those qualities in you, I think they're important to keep."
"Meeooowww!" A sudden cry broke the tension, Etsuko grinned and formed the handseals to open the hide and Spring Onion hopped in,
"What the fuck?" Suzuru snapped, "Onion?"
"How's she doing?" The cat asked, his bright green eyes scanning Suzuru, "Seems you both got away easily enough."
"We did, thanks to you, Onion. Are you injured?"
"Naw, though that asshole Satou grabbed me roughly, he was no match for my claws."
"Good."
"What. The. FUCK?" Suzuru cut through, her eyes bulging at the talking cat.
"He's a ninja cat, Suzu." Etsuko explained, but Suzuru could only open and close her mouth a few times in unsuccessful attempts to start a sentence,
"You're a cat… who talks… and you're supposed to be a ninja?"
"Yes." He replied, already exasperated, "Well, I'm not a ninja, but I am sensitive to chakra and have above average intelligence for a cat and yes, I can reply to human speech. Though it's not widely considered to be anything special among the house cats, they don't take us nin cats very seriously."
"Your name is Spring Onion, of course they wouldn't take you seriously…"
"Tell that to MooMoo Sprinkles."
The sheer absurdity of everything that had happened finally caught up to Suzuru and she just couldn't contain herself any longer and she burst into laugher which almost had her fainting for want of oxygen within moments. Spring Onion was in a far less chipper mood and turned back to Etsuko, "Mei says to move as quickly as you can but not until you're certain that you haven't been followed, I'll be your liaison to her until you reach Konoha. She recommends you go from the Southern port of Shuuma, she says she has an old friend there who will help you. His name is Takarai."
"Okay, thanks Onion. How is the village?"
"Most of the Hunter Nin are out for blood, mostly of embarrassment, but Mei and Ao are keeping them in line so far. I'll catch up with you at Shuuma… assuming she doesn't die of hyperventilation first." The cat turned to glare at the still hysterical Suzuru, who upon catching sight of the cat again only laughed harder.
"Thanks, Onion, see you soon." Etsuko smiled at the cat and opened the door for him and he was gone in an instant. "Suzu, really? Onion's one of our best assets, you shouldn't laugh at him."
"Bu—ut—-he's a fucking cat—MooMoo Sp—" Suzuru couldn't even get a word out before another peal of laughter cut her off and Etsuko merely sighed and began to set out the sleeping bags.
"Good night, Gai, Lee." Hinata bowed politely to them both,
"Good night Hinata, we're rooting for you!" He whispered with a genial smile before he turned to Ino, "Thank you, Ino. I hope to you'll consider training with me sometime soon."
"Of course! Just let me know when, Gai. Goodnight." Ino grinned her response.
"Good night… be sure to use protection!" He grinned wickedly as he wheeled himself around and down the street, cackling as he went, before Ino decided it was acceptable to punch a guy in a wheelchair.
"Oi!" Ino shouted after him, though thought better of shouting the rest of her sentence, "Asshole." They both turned to walk back towards Ino's apartment, neither entirely sure how to bridge the awkward gap of conversation. "Um, sorry Gai was being so embarrassing."
"It's okay." Hinata replied, watching her breath condense in the cold air; they were soon well out of lights of the main party and the quiet streets with the low hum of noise and people just out of reach left Ino feeling the intimacy of the moment. She felt entirely wired but even as she carefully watched Hinata from the corner of her eyes, she saw how tired she was - so was Ino - and despite Gai's buffoonery, she thought it best simply to enjoy the fruits of a successful evening. Their walk back home and close and comfortable as they bumped shoulders a handful of times, Ino sure that Hinata was just as grateful for them to have only each other for company once again; there was really no need to rush, after all and just as Gai had always told her: being too early can be just as bad as being too late.
..
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