Shattered Destiny

Chapter 26: Ryo of Water

I open the window with force. "Keiki?" A shinobi asks

"What do you want?" I yawn, it's two in the morning.

"Reassignments have been made, go to the Mizukage's office immediately."

"Already?" I bemoan, it hasn't been a day since Team Fours disbandment.

"Orders from the Mizukage I'm afraid." The shinobi shrugs.

"What about my parents?"

"Leave a note, but we need to go now."

"Who are you?"

"Ichiyo, nice seeing you again."

My mind takes a moment to process, and in that time Ichiyo-sama leaves. Why are frost shinobi in Kiri?

I change out of my pj's and leave the room. "Mama, Papa?" I ask through the crack in the door.

"Hmm?" Mama's still sleeping.

"Something wrong?" Papa sits up, clearly still sleeping.

"I'm being called to the Mizukage's office." I say sheepishly.

"What time is- it's two in the morning!"

"Hm, what?" Mama finally wakes up.

"Keiki's being called to the Mizukage's office."

"He just got home, they can't do this!"

"I'm sorry." I look down.

"Come here." Papa says in a much softer tone, I comply wordlessly. "It's not your fault, we should have fought harder to keep you out of the academy." He sighs.

"I'm going to complain at the shinobi offices… first thing in the morning." Mama yawns.

"Let's at least see him off, yuri." Papa nudges Mama's shoulder.

"Okay, you're right." Mama sits up.

I leave the room to let them change, and we leave as a family.

"Do you know what this is about?" Papa asks suddenly.

"Team reassignments have been made."

"That can wait until tomorrow." Mama groans. "Some of us need their beauty sleep."

"I can't imagine you any less beautiful, yuri." Papa holds Mama's hand, I start gagging and they laugh at my reaction.

"It's gross!"

"You'll get it one day." Mama chuckles.

"No, he'll never grow up and forever be our baby boy." Papa says with a straight face.

I frown at both of them, inciting more laughter. "I've never seen you frown like that before!"

I wish this could last forever, but it can't, I don't know what hurts more.

That I can't stay with my family.

Or that my childhood is being stolen by the village.

"Took your time." The receptionist notes as we walk in.

"I wasn't going to leave without saying goodbye!" I snort.

"And we're not going to let our son roam about in the middle of the night." Mama sets her jaw.

"He's a trained shinobi."

"He's still my little boy."

"My?"

"Our little boy."

"Right, I'm afraid that Keiki will have to continue alone." The receptionist adjusts her glasses.

"We'll be waiting right here, okay?" Papa tells me.

"Yes, papa." I nod furiously. After taking a deep breath I pass the receptionist and make my way up to the Mizukage's office.

My new teammates and sensei are already waiting on me. "Excellent timing." The Mizukage says closing a file and setting it aside. "Meet the last member of Team Mizuchi."

Water Dragon. "Don't just stand there, take a seat." My shock is amplified.

"Goro." I say dryly, but do as I'm told.

"Hey ryū." Junchi sighs in greeting.

My teammates are Junichi Arai, and Mei Terumi, both of who saw whatever I did to the Lightning Camp.

"Keiki-san." Mei nods, every time I see her her arm is bandaged, because of me.

"I'm well aware of your feeling of Goro-san, set them aside." The Mizukage tells me. "He's one of the few jonin who didn't grow up being taught that all Bloodline wielders in Kiri should be eradicated."

"What about Koi-sensei?"

"She's too loyal to let something simple as prejudice get in the way of duty, thought you'd piece that together."

"Wait, eradicated!?"

"There's serious bad blood between the villagers of Kiri and Bloodline users, twice they've been responsible for mass genocide in our village." Goro answers for the Mizukage.

I lean back in my chair. "What about my old teammates?"

"Satu's tending to the wounded and Zabuza is being tended to, we can't wait any longer for this perfect opportunity." The Mizukage says.

"And that is?" Goro asks.

"Some of the denizens of the ruins you've been finding have started making their way out of their tombs, it's chaos out there."

"How come we haven't seen any?"

"Being an archipelago has its benefits, they're infesting the Underwater tunnels and haven't found a way up that isn't heavily guarded."

"Is this why you've had the Kage of frost evacuate everyone from Shimogakure to here?"

"Indeed it is." The Mizukage interlocks his fingers. "This world is being changed, by what I don't know, but now's the perfect time to strike while everyone's distracted."

"Don't keep us in suspense, where are we going?" Junichi asks.

"The Land of Lightning, they're within easy reach and if we manage to get them out of the war it's one less front we'll have to worry about, among other things."

"What about Killer Bee, the jinchuuriki?" Goro asks.

The Mizukage points at me. "Alduin can fight him."

"No, no!" I scramble back over my chair. "You can't make me call him, I won't call him!"

Calmly he looks at me. "If you won't control him then he will control you, would you rather he come out in the middle of Kiri, or in the middle of Kumogakure?"

"He won't come unless I call him." I won't call him, I'll never call him again.

"And why won't he?"

"Because Al- he's dead! All that's left of him is an echo!"

"When a Bijuu dies they resurrect later and it's a hassle to find and capture them before any lasting damage is done."

"But he hasn't done that!"

"How do you know that? Alduin is waiting for you to let your guard down and take over, this is as much keeping Kiri safe as it is assaulting Lightning, two birds with one stone."

"I can't lose myself again." I mumble.

Mei touches my arm and gives me a knowing and sympathetic look.

"Where'd the ryū come from?" Junichi asks me.

"I-I think he's the source of my Bloodline." I state meekly.

"You have one week to prepare then you and another team will head out towards lightning, do not speak of this outside of this room, clear?"

"Yes Mizukage."

"What did they want?" Mama asks as I come back to the reception.

"I leave tomorrow."

"Why?" Papa asks.

It takes me a moment to formulate a lie, and it hurts that I have to lie to them. "Frost is being overrun with creature's we've never seen before and has asked for our aid."

"Okay, now what's the truth?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"Keiki I am your mother, I know everything about you."

That's not true. "I can't say, but it will be outside of Kiri."

"Does he mean tomorrow as in dawn, or tomorrow as in tomorrow." Papa puzzles.

"What?"

"Do we have the rest of today, until midnight, to spend with our son, or do we have until dawn?"

"It's not going to be dawn." The secretary pipes up. "If it was he would have specified dawn, not tomorrow."

"Thank you, that's the first helpful thing you've said since we've arrived." Mama says sarcastically.

The secretary rolls her eyes and returns to her paperwork.

"So… Anyone feel like fishing tomorrow?" Papa offers.

"But I'll be gone tomorrow."

"It's not tomorrow until dawn, you'll be gone the day after tomorrow."

I let out a laugh, a nice genuine laugh that I needed.

"Yoritomo-san!" I greet the otter excitedly.

"How's it going, Sekine family?" The otter asks, resting an arm on the small raft.

"Our son is being sent out again." Mama says sadly.

"So soon? I'd figure he'd have at least a week off, sorry kid." I think the otter gives me a sad look.

A smaller otter breaches the water and my eyes shoot open as he drags Yoritomo beneath the waves, to speak probably. "Who was that?" Papa asks, seeing the look on my face.

"The Chief of the Otter Clan." I say gawking at the spot the new otter just was at.

"That tiny thing? You'd think he'd be bigger…. It's a he right?" Papa wonders aloud.

"That's what I thought!" I exclaim. "But… don't tell anyone about them okay? They like their secrecy and they're trained shinobi otters." I poke my fingers together.

"Don't make the secret Otter shinobi angry, gotcha." papa nods.

"To think, that there was a clan of shinobi in our village that we've never seen before." Mama wonders.

"The Sharks also have a clan, they're typically not allowed in Kirigakure because well…."

"They're sharks." Papa nods in understanding. "Should we wait here for our otter friends or head out to sea?" He asks me.

"If they want to talk to us they'll find us." I answer honestly.

"Out to sea it is!" Papa returns to paddling.

I wonder what they're talking about. To much ninja in my life, is it too much to ask for everyone to forget about me for one day? I let out a soft sigh, already knowing that name.

As long as I possess Alduin's power, no one will forget about me. "Are you okay sweetie?" Mama rubs my shoulders.

"Just… thinking."

"It's about the mission, isn't it?" Mama guesses.

"Yeah." I sigh and mama gives me a hug.

"We can be a normal family, for today at least."

"Yeah."

We didn't see the otters again until we reached the canal exit to Kiri. Jin leaps out of the water and lands in the boat, curling up on the boat floor. He squeaks in finality.

"D-did any of you catch that?" Papa asks sarcastically.

"I don't speak otter, papa."

"I don't know if that should shock me more than if you could."

Yoritomo glides up to the side of the boat. "Jin's to keep an eye on you." He tells me, he doesn't sound happy about it though. He squeaks at his son, Jin squeaks back and Yoritomo dives beneath the waves, splashing water into the boat.

"Is Jin this adorable otter here?" Mama asks hesitantly reaching a hand out to pet the young otter.

"Umhm." I nod.

Jin purrs as he's petted. "He's like a sea cat." Mama says with a smile. Jin climbs onto her lap for continued pets.

"I guess we're free to go then." Papa hazards a guess. "Why's he to keep an eye on you?"

"Bloodline."

"After nine years I still don't know how that happened, neither of us are anything special." Papa says, then looks at mama. "Well… I'm not special at least."

"Yes you are." Mama chuckles, flattered.

"I'm confused." Neither of my parents have bloodlines, nor do they have dragons living inside of them… do they? I didn't know about Alduin until someone told me about it.

"You will when you're older." Papa laughs at the look on my face, he laughs harder as I pout at him.

It just makes me pout harder.

A bunch of blocks appears in my vision where a quest would be, slowly it becomes readable… barely.

Qu()() sta(){}() Joi[][]{} T{}e [](){}erial [](){}ion

[]()est {}[]rted (){}ning ()h[] Storm[](){}()[]

Ob)[{]}(ive: Join the (({}])er}{)(}} Leg{}on

[]()ject(){}[]: ()}{]] the Sto{})(clo}}}}

The quest keeps morphing from one to the other in an absolute mess, something is very wrong that much I can tell.

"Are you okay, Keiki?" Mama pokes my cheek.

"Just, something on my mind." I say looking at the 'quest' in the top right corner of my vision, what are the Legion and who are the Stormcloaks? They sound familiar, Alduin knew who they were… vaguely.

Jin waddles over and curls up on my lap, wiping away all my thoughts as my mind is consumed with elation of touching such a cute otter. He squeaks as if he knows what he just did to my brain.

Otters are the best.

"Help me with this Keiki!" Papa calls out as he's almost pulled into the water by the fish he's snagged.

"Coming!" Jin hops off my lap and watches the line bobbing in the water intensely while I grab hold of my father with one hand, the other is crackling with Sparks.

I'm going to zap it the moment I can see it.

"It's huge!" Papa shouts elated as it leaps out of the water in an attempt to get some distance.

-7 chakra. +18 Elemental Ninjutsu XP (177/275)

The fish writhes as electricity arcs from my hand, through the air and into the fish, frying it. The line falls flat and papa reels the fish in.

It takes the three of us to pull it in, and Papa's standing there with a stupid grin on his face as he holds it with both arms under it, straining under the weight. "I don't know about you, but this is the biggest fish I've ever bagged."

Jin is bouncing with joy around his feet. "I don't think you can have that one, silly." mama tries her best to not laugh. Jin pouts at her, but settles down.

"When we get back to the fishery I can get you some lobsters if you want." papa promises the otter. He stops his pouting to contemplate the offer before sitting down next to mama, intrigued.

I don't imagine that lobster is on an otter's menu that often, so this might be a first… wait. "Lobster?"

"We catch those too." Papa nods.

"But… we've never had any?" Mama pipes up.

"Lobster, squid and octopus are usually reserved for the storefront when we get them." Papa explains exasperated.

"They must go quickly since I've never seen one at your fishery's market front." Mama notes.

Papa just nods as he sets the dead fish down and grabs an oar. I don't think we can catch anything else with most of the ship taken up by this behemoth. "A Dolphin!" I point out to sea as a pod leaps out of the water in a majestic arc.

"The Dolphins are back, that's a good sign."

"Did they go somewhere?" Mama asks her husband.

"The sharks became super agitated for awhile, the only thing you could find was sharks, sharks and more sharks."

The Shark clan is full of bullies.

"Sekine-san!" One of the fishermen calls out as we pull in. "That is one enormous fish!"

"Juri-chan!" The fisherman's wife calls out. "Whoa! Need some help getting that off your ship?"

"That would be helpful." Papa lifts the fish up for him to take. "Anyone bring in any Lobsters?"

"It's heavier than it looks." He grunts. "Get the fish trolly please dear."

She nods and runs as fast as possible in her skirt.

"We're starting to get our traps back intact, we've got a couple crayfish and a King Crab even."

"Really, that's it?" papa rubs his head.

"It's not as if these traps catch mountains full of the crustaceans."

"Still no Big Lobster eh?"

"Big Lobster?" I pipe up.

"Lobster that's almost half your weight, Keiki-kun." Papa explains.

Wow.

"Nope, haven't seen one in years." The fisherman helps maneuver the boat through the busy fishery.

"I've never seen this many fishermen in one place before." I note.

"With the sharks calming down we can finally get some work done, which we haven't been able to for a long time."

"If you want to reserve a crustacean you know what you need to do." The fisherman reminds papa.

"I know, just wanted to know if we caught any, no use in reserving a fish that we don't have." Papa chuckles.

"Too bad we don't get any new blood around here, it's always worth a laugh." Once the rest of the fish are offloaded from our ship we pass through the otherside of the fishery and enter Kirigakure's canals.

"I had fun today, how about you two?" Papa turns to us as he rows.

"It's not often I go fishing anymore." Mama laments. "It's always an adventure."

"Yeah, are you going out with your friends tomorrow?" Papa asks mama.

Mama nods. "I'll be home all day the day after tomorrow though."

"It's a date." Papa grins like an idiot.

"Ew." I make a face.

"Did you have fun?" mama asks giving me a side hug.

"Yeah." I nod furiously. And tomorrow I'm leaving the land of water to set Alduin loose on the Land of Lightning. Yay.

Author's Notes: I know it's been awhile, when I finished the last chapter I was going insane from the constant writing and rashly 'ended' the story, I didn't want to write anything for awhile, a little bit ago I wanted to return but convinced myself that too much time has passed and Shattered Destiny was forgotten about, that nobody was reading it. But now I stand corrected, and humbled. I'm going to continue writing Shattered Destiny, but it won't be as frequent as I'm also writing other stories. And this will probably be the last Author's Notes I'll ever do period, so… Thank you everyone who stuck around, who's said that they wanted to see Shattered Destiny continued, and thank you for taking the time to read this. It means a lot. Thank you for reading, and I hope you'll continue reading my stories. Thank you.