The Two Fawns:
Chapter 5: A Paper Dove, A Very Interesting Training Session and Find
Hey guys I'm back again!
Sitting in class the next day without the raven head had been lonely even with Hinata around. Though Yoshiko wouldn't admit it in a million years that she miss Uchiha Sasuke aka annoying-boy-whom-she-has-to-save-from-the-fan-girls. A part of her had been worried about him. The whole day passed without any drama and the whole village was very solemn and tense, even the children had caught on with the adults' behavior. For once, Naruto had not pulled a prank in class. For once, Ami had not picked on her. For once, Kiba was silent. When he father had arrived to pick her up from school; Yoshiko had mechanically followed him, her mind elbow-deep in her thoughts.
Her father had broken the news at the breakfast table when Yoshiko had asked him why had he looked so haggard. The whole Uchiha Clan had been massacred by Itachi Uchiha, a thirteen year old for power. Most of the civilians had believed the story wholeheartedly with all the talks of poor Sasuke on her way to school. Yoshiko had wanted to scoff at their obvious lack of logic and sense. Shikamaru would be skeptical about it as well. Something about the massacre had rubbed her the wrong way, it would be laughable that Itachi would be able to defeat Fugaku of the Wicked Eye who was the potential candidate for Fourth Hokage that easily. Though Itachi is definitely stronger than his father; his father had years of experience under his belt. Hence Yoshiko wouldn't be surprised if the massacre was a failed attempt on the part of Itachi. But the fact that he had succeeded meant that something was fishy. What was it? She thought long and hard again; she couldn't put her finger onto it.
"It's a drag but Yoshiko you look like you've got constipation, it's kind of ugly on your face, you know." Shikamaru drawled from his side.
It's a obvious social rule to not call a girl ugly. Shikaku signed when Yoshiko had looked up at Shikamaru with a predatory gleam in her eyes and her twin swallowed at it.
"What did you just say?" His daughter was currently prowling towards his son; like how a tiger would approach its prey and Shikamaru looked like a deer caught in the way of a moving caravan.
"N-nothing!" Shikamaru yelped when his sister missed him by mere inches by pulling free from her father and launched herself to tackle him. The two children ran circles around their father who currently looked extremely amused at Shikamaru's horrified face.
"Just you wait! Wait till I get you-" another miss, "I will personally show you what's ugly!" Yoshiko hissed. Yoshiko may be fast but Shikamaru was good at narrowly escaping from his sister's claws due to him being forced to play ninja with his group of friends.
They both gave a shout of surprise when they found themselves lifted into the air by their father. Shikaku gave a sign. "A man must never call a woman ugly to her face and a woman should not be as petty as to hold a grudge for a man saying so." And there was their father's lecture. If there was one thing in the world that Shikaku wished he could not do, that would be babysitting a pair of twins. They may be smart, cute and mature for their age; to Shikaku, a kid meant troublesome, two kids meant double trouble and it only becomes more troublesome when they argue.
Hmm... I guess I can look forward tonight's sake at the bar with Inoichi and Choza with a game of Go on the side... Shikamaru teaming up with his sister was still not a match against him; although he had admit that they did improved. Shikamaru with his usual genius ability to come up with complex strategies and Yoshiko's uncanny ability to pick apart her opponent's moves, whispering her findings to her brother to delay the inevitable defeat. Not bad, those two can stall him for an hour with their combi;Shikamaru on the offense and Yoshiko backing him up. He was itching for another round with Choza.
~Page Break~
A week later...
Sasuke jolted out of his bed, the images of blood and his parents' corpses seared into his mind. His whole body was drenched in sweat, fear gripped every fibre of his being. That man, why would he do such a terrible thing? Sasuke felt his already fragile mind crumbling again. He fought to retain some control over himself.
He looked around himself, too sterile for his liking. Too much white, the smell of medicine was nauseating, Sasuke suddenly felt very small. All that he knew was gone. Mother and father were gone, he was alone. Suddenly the silence felt suffocating for him.
A bubbling of rage held on to him viciously; anger towards that man that destroyed his life stroke him like a persisting itch that he longed to scratch. When he prepared to exit the hospital room, he caught sight of something he hadn't noticed before.
It was a pure white, like the walls and ceilings of the room he was currently trapped in. However it didn't make him feel as constricted as before. It was an origami in the shape of a sparrow made with plain paper.
'Don't stay down Uchiha, I need my tree partner back. P.S: if you become heavier than before, the vertical see-saw will not work anymore.' Despite the corny joke written in one of its wings, Sasuke couldn't bring himself to laugh at her own brand humor instead he gave a 'hn' in response to the note.
"Oh you are awake Sasuke-chan!" A nurse burst into the room with her tray of medicines for the raven haired boy. The chirpy voice of the nurse irritated him to no end. The nurses of the hospital coddled him like an injured animal; something that Sasuke found as a personal insult. They wouldn't understand him no matter what. No one would.
He was prepared to toss the sparrow to the empty trash can when he stopped himself. Holding the sparrow in his hand, he shoved it into his pocket. Knowing her, she will probably supplement the bird with chakra, making it stronger and more resilient to wear and tear. She was strange that way.
Unknown to the boy was that he was not having a private moment by himself. Hiruzen Sarutobi was looking at the whole thing unfold through his crystal ball.
"Hmm... Seems like Sasuke has become attached to that gift. I wonder if the sender share similar sentiments to her gift recipient." The old man mumbled pensively to himself.
~Page Break~
Three weeks later...
Yoshiko hadn't been surprised when Sasuke turned up at school colder than before. He had refused to speak to anyone, retreating to another corner of the classroom instead of his usual seat next to her. Well she understood his need to brood like a moody hen. All Uchiha males seem to like brooding, young or old. Unfortunately, not everyone was aware of the Uchiha's need for space.
The fangirls had been a lot worse in their clingy antics towards the object of their affection. Most of them expect him to go running into their arms for comfort. Yoshiko would have thought he needed that should she had been a true seven year old, but the older teenager in her had made her realize that sometimes what one needed wasn't assuring words but space.
Yoshiko could see a few parallels in her situation with Sasuke. When she was Jean, finding out that she had terminal cancer a few months after her eighteenth birthday had been a devastating blow to her.
She had lost all hope in that span of a few minutes when the doctor had confirmed that she had months left to live. She was filled with false hope that she will win that three year battle against the monster. So confident was she when her doctor confirmed that she was doing well, her condition was improving slowly but surely. She admitted that she was in denial at first; she had fought the doctor's cruel ruling and insisted that he had made a mistake. However, the cold harsh truth was still there. She could only accept it and make use of whatever time she had left.
She understood that what Sasuke needed right now wasn't the coddling, the comforting or support from anyone. He had to make it out of the woods himself. He needed to learn to accept things for what they were. No one can help him find the closure he needed, no one except himself. She hoped that he could do that, that he was strong enough to overcome that mental obstacle himself.
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she tuned herself back to the book she was reading and back to the paralysis toxin she was reading up on. Iruka-sensei would be there soon and all this chatter from the fangirls would stop; Yoshiko found herself developing a headache at their constant chattering on Sasuke.
When Iruka-sensei had finally arrived; the chattering had ceased as predicted, but the mumbling were constantly on the raven haired boy. Just then, Yoshiko had wished that Naruto had pulled a prank to lighten the whole atmosphere. He was the class clown and brought laughter wherever he went.
~Page Break~
Lunch time came soon enough for them. Once Iruka-sensei dismissed the hungry children for lunch; they had all but darted out of the classroom. Yoshiko had chosen to stay behind as she had some things she needed to consult the older ninja.
"Ahh... Yoshiko, what would you like to know?" Iruka had chosen to sit next to her at her desk rather than the teacher's table. Iruka was no fool, he knew that the Nara girl had no bias feelings against Naruto but she was quite the ambitious sort who knew what she wanted and she never subscribed to the whole pleasing the adults thing that most ninja children lived by.
That was obvious from how she would sometimes roll her eyes at him when she thought he wasn't looking if he made them recite the Will of Fire. She had deemed them unnecessary apparently when she very condescendingly told Mizuki that during a detention session. Iruka had caught on that double meaning that she was hinting at; but Mizuki hadn't and Iruka wanted it to stay that way. She was nice to Iruka, apparently the girl found his chakra appealing while Mizuki's revolting (for what reason he don't know) hence the difference in treatment.
That led him to form a few conclusions about the young Nara girl. A natural sensor, hence her abilities at controlling chakra (most sensory ninja are excellent at that field), a potential poison specialist and a hopeful medical ninja.
Iruka knew that Naruto had promise in becoming a ninja and he hoped that Yoshiko could become part of his squad. Knowing Yoshiko's personality and her drive, Naruto would be inclined to improve quickly if he gets positively influenced by her and not the opposite way. However, her next words shattered his ideal team that he had formed in his mind.
"Iruka-sensei, Genma-sensei had said that I will be ready to begin an apprenticeship at the Medical Corps in a few years time. I wonder if you could give me a rough idea of my abilities currently?" She asked Iruka owlishly. She knew what she wanted, she simply wanted his confirmation.
Therefore he had what few managed to get from a Nara, true approval and trust. A Nara often behave like a head stag of the herd, they are observant, cynical, protective, loyal and independent despite their initial lazy and laid back outlook that many had fell and paid dearly for.
Iruka hoped Shikamaru would one day be like his sister; although he suspected Shikamaru had a clear view of what he wanted, it was simply a matter of how driven he was to the certain goal.
Though Iruka would very much like Yoshiko to be Naruto's future teammate, he was not going to hold the girl back from her most ideal path. Combat medic would do best for her rather than a ninja practicing in the three main ninja arts.
"Yoshiko I shall be honest then. Your current pace in Taijutsu is not up to standards. Target practice is below average as well. I believe that your forte may not be amongst the common things that all ninjas are supposed to be good at. Once the year ends, I will be teaching you all the three basic ninjutsu which I believe is no problem for you given your chakra control. Hence I would recommend that you begin training as a medic after three years has passed." Iruka had high hopes for the little girl next to him as a future medical ninja and he had no intention to dissuade her from that path of hers.
After all, being a teacher meant that he was supposed to nurture his students to their fullest potential. If Yoshiko's full potential cannot be reached through him, he rather she reach it via the medical corps.
"However I sincerely hope that you would continue your friendship with Naruto. He may be the dead last in class and sometimes really annoying but he is Uzumaki Naruto, a future ninja of Konoha. And a precious person of mine..." He added the last part slowly watching the young girl's never changing expression. The Nara are sometimes so difficult to read!
At his words, Yoshiko gave him a slight smile that reminded him of her father. A smile too old to be found on this little girl's face. She was testing him all along!
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei. You have indeed a pure heart, your chakra had shown your true nature but seeing it in person made it all the more believing. One that others may mistaken as naivety but to those who can truly see, it's a virtue that not many possess. You really are a good teacher who lives by what he preaches." Once she said those words the girl stood up and left, leaving a rather puzzled teacher at her strange choice of words.
~Page Break~
Class finished especially early that day, her father was not able to pick them up due to him working overtime. Shikamaru was going to watch the clouds with Chouji at their usual spot on the roof hence Yoshiko was left to go home on her own. She closed her eyes in appreciation as the wind caressed her face gently. Konoha had nice weather that was not too cold or too warm when it's windy. She can feel herself slowly relaxing...oh wait maybe not.
"Hey Little Frangrance long time no see!" Of course she had the luck to run into Kotetsu Kagane. The one and only Kotetsu who gave her that horrible nickname that has long since stuck with every ninja in the village that she encounters. She walked away quickly, trying to avoid the Chunin. Only failing miserably in her pathetic attempt at escaping.
I'm going to ask Naruto for evasion lessons. Better yet get Genma-sensei to teach me how to run away from a persistent Chunin. Yoshiko made a mental note to herself before turning round to face the smiling Kotetsu.
"Good afternoon Kotetsu nii-san, I'm just on my way home from the Academy." She inched her way to her home, the thoughts of her soft bed seem more inviting than before.
"Great! Let me walk you home Little Frangrance." Kotetsu continued to follow her. She didn't actually dislike Kotetsu, it's just that he liked teasing her even more so than Genma-sensei and it wasn't really easy to control herself from pouncing on him. Mother would have her head if she was caught doing that. Hence Yoshiko stepped behind Kotetsu and walked behind him.
Kotetsu was glad to have found Little Fragrance aka his lucky charm for slacking again. Whenever she was around, it seemed like he would have a perfectly valid excuse for shirking his duties as the gate guard. Plus he could go to the Nara Compound for tea. Yoshino-san was a really nice cook with her signature mochi and egg custard. That would be a perfect treat for him after weeks of eating the plain onigiri while on guard duty at the gates with Izumo.
Kotetsu grinned secretly. Dear old Izumo will be wondering where he had disappeared to after going for a 'walk' to stretch his legs. Unfortunately it was a walk he didn't intend going back from for a long time. Hmm... Mochi... Wondered what the Nara Matriarch had in store for tea. Maybe he could even stay for dinner! Ahh... That will be ideal. A whole day of vacation, lazying in the Nara Compound.
"Hey how about a deal between you and I, Little Fragrance?" He asked the little girl who had him carrying her book bag for.
"What deal?" She asked knowingly. Being a Nara meant that she is quite lazy and didn't particularly liked doing troublesome things, hence she is probably rather sympathetic to his plight as a gate keeper. Kotetsu knew his little lucky charm has covered for him quite a few times from his teammate before. It was simple really, she pointed Izumo in the opposite direction of the Hokage building whenever she saw Kotetsu fleeing past her when she visited her father.
"Hmm... You keep Izumo off my back for the day and I will help you with whatever you need for the day." Kotetsu knew she was a growing poison specialist and a medic ninja hopeful with Genma the special Jonin as her tutor but gathering herbs was quite a hassle with the need to cut, wash and dry them carefully.
"Deal."
~Page Break~
Unfortunately for Kotetsu, the everything part did him in. The poor Chunin was currently at the mercy of a giggling little girl who had a little too much sugar making her a little crazy and she reminded him a lot of an overexcited chipmunk. Like a certain snake lady when she has too much dango.
Kotetsu yelped when he dodged yet another poorly thrown shuriken flying past his way. Yep he was officially on fetching weapons duty. Technically, the target was a far mark off from where he was, so he shouldn't get hit at all.
"Hey watch it! Even a blind bat can aim better than you!" Kotetsu yelled at the girl standing twenty feet away. Again another weapon flew past him, barely grazing him when he expertly moved out of the way. A kunai. She didn't suck that badly at kunai throwing.
"Hey that's one purpose!" He pointed a finger accusingly at the eight year old. "Yoshino-senpai!" He whined loudly to the older woman who was currently supervising their training aka Kotetsu-being-target-practice training session.
"Your dodging skills can do some work as well! Yoshiko change those kunai to senbon! Kotetsu, I expect you to dodge every single one!" The ex-special Jonin yelled from her spot under the tree where their mochi were waiting. That woman was scary as usual. Kotetsu wondered how Shikaku-san had managed to live with her everyday.
Kotetsu's eyes widened in horror. "No fair senpai!" That girl's accuracy with those long needles was rival to Genma when he was her age and that's saying something.
"But wouldn't Kotetsu-san become a hedgehog? Mom can I use those blunt needles?" The girl asked sweetly with a laugh in her voice. Ha. She's being mean! Kotetsu felt extremely insulted, did she just hinted that him a Chunin would not be able to dodge the attacks of an Academy brat?
"Alright then. Well since you are using blunt weapons, I expect you not to hold back." His Senpai was clearly enjoying this little training a little too much. Alright kid, you asked for it! Kotetsu decided to be serious for once. Knowing Genma's wicked ability for needles, his brat would definitely be better than most at it. The betting pool was on when Genma will be able to get her to tie her hair up using senbon or to start chewing on a senbon. Kotetsu was betting his money on a month's time. Aoba had his money on three weeks. The betting pool ranged from a week to a month; knowing how unfashionable needles are, Kotetsu knew that it would take a long time for a man without a single fashionable bone in his body to convince a noticeably vain little girl to do that. (Said girl wore chic styles for a shinobi when she thinks mom is not looking. Tying her hair and donning leather coats after Shikaku was one. Practical and fashionable rather than the red dress she was forced by her mother to wear to school.)
"I apologize beforehand Kotetsu-nii san." Yoshiko released two needles, flying directly at him. Too easy. Kotetsu dodged them quickly.
Three needles flew towards him when he was in a middle of dodging the first two. Tricky, still not good enough to get a Chunin. Kotetsu vaulted up from the tree he was next to, the needles falling lightly from the tree trunk. Kotetsu was an expert at weaponry and he knew that those needles wouldn't be able travel that far.
Oh shit! Kotetsu cursed when twelve needles headed towards him. Unlike before, they were traveling in different directions. Both his left and right side was being blocked and he was in mid-air. Heh, no problem. Kotetsu leapt down, effectively blocking that attack. That was one of Genma's easier moves, technically his easiest move. Well part of it anyways. The needles will always hit from both the left and the right giving the enemy a false sense of security before...
"Crap!" Another eight needles headed for him in point blank range. Of course the last part of that move was to attack the direction that the opponent had chosen. Would have worked on a Genin but Kotetsu was no Genin. Eyeing a branch, Kotetsu swung himself around it. This caused the needles to hit the tree branch instead.
"Stop." His senior said. The barrage of needles stopped after that. Another ten minute break was given. By now, Yoshiko had another task laid out for him. Herbs preparation in the Nara forest.
Kotetsu dragged himself along with the little girl who enthusiatically pointed out the different rare herbs that grew in the clan forests. Picking herbs was commonly a D-rank mission for most beginning Genin hence Kotetsu was prepared for another boring afternoon.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. Those rare herbs were found deep in the forest where the deer lived. The Nara deer are supposed to be gentle creatures of the forest that gave no trouble to the people collecting herbs there. Apparently what the Nara folks left out on that vital piece of information is that those deer are only gentle to the Nara clan members collecting herbs.
Kotetsu found that out the hard way when Yoshiko had sent him to collect some belladonna, monkshood and nightshade. Being poisonous plants, Yoshiko was not supposed to collect them without an adult's supervision. Being the adult, Kotetsu was supposed to help her harvest the plants. Yoshiko had wanted to tag along with him but Yoshino would have none of it, insisting that her daughter helps to prepare a filling dinner for their guest.
Kotetsu was prodded by the stags that apparently did not trust him. He was not very popular with animals (ostriches didn't count, those birds downright had issues with him!) and the deer often followed him around warily. Getting poked in the buttocks while cutting herbs was not fun at all. Being repeatedly jabbed was plain irritating.
Kotetsu figured that instead of the relaxing day he was probably planning on; he had exchanged one tiring task for another taxing task. No plan of his ever seem to go smoothly... The Chunin grumbled to himself. Free dinner is probably the only consolation for him.
Indeed it was a filling dinner with lots of warm steamed rice, gyoza, tuna, egg rolls and clam soup stewed with some fresh herbs gathered. Unfortunately, Yoshino had also insisted on giving a large basketful of dinner to deliver to his dear partner Izumo. That meant that rather than returning to his comfortable apartment after the day-shift had ended, he had to make another trip to the guards' post for a personal dinner delivery! The guards' post is located on the opposite end of the village from the Jonin Complex that he stayed at. Knowing Izumo, that guy would be staying at his job for at least an hour or so more to sort out the paperwork (that guy was a perfectionist and all too serious at his job); this meant that there was no escape from this delivery. Plus Yoshino had said the food had to be delivered hot and she would know if her cute little junior decided to head off home instead.
"Why must I be everyone's errand boy?!" The young Chunin lamented to the sky while speeding off on his dinner delivery.
~Page Break~
That night was the perfect example of a clear beautiful night. The moon hang clear and bright in the sky with the many stars visible, a rare thing in the village with a vibrant night life. In the Nara Main Compound however, there was hardly any activity in most of the house. Yoshino and Shikaku had retired for the night; Shikaku was exhausted when he arrived home, skipping his nightly dinner with his son and instead opting to catch his precious sleep. Yoshino often slept early as well hence leaving two perfectly awake and bored eight year olds staring at each other.
Normally Shikamaru would be off playing his solo Shogi with himself, something that he admitted was boring while Yoshiko would be lost in another book of hers. However, the two Nara children didn't want to follow their nightly routine that day.
"Let's play a game!" Yoshiko suddenly spoke up after a failed attempt at cloud gazing, unfortunately there were no clouds that night. Shikamaru rolled over as if to show his interest in his sister's suggestion.
"Let's play cards! Father has some cards in the living room!" Grabbing her brother's hands and Yoshiko dragged her twin like a stack of potatoes to the living room in their search for some playing cards.
"How troublesome..." Shikamaru grumbled but still continued opening the drawers in their quest for playing cards. Yoshiko was knocking her fist gently on the wooden floor tiles. Knowing her mother's aversion towards anything that remotely resembles card games, her father had to hide his stash somewhere in the house. Yoshiko knew of their existence when she saw her father playing a round of show-hand with his old teammates once after her training.
Her father was sneaky. That she gave him credit. The duo had been searching for those cards for twenty minutes; strange as it is, Shikamaru hadn't complained how troublesome the whole thing was, instead he was searching with more energy that she had ever seen him with for her whole eight years with him.
"Found something!" Shikamaru hissed at his sister, his hands on a wooden box. Yoshiko hurried over, both having identical evil grins at discovering their father's secret stash.
"Open it!" Yoshiko's voice sounded eager and smug. They were so going to hide it once they were done. Gambling or not, she missed playing poker. She liked the fact that one can bluff their way through the game; like how she used to trick her friends and family members while playing the game back in the old world. Jean played it when she was fourteen, Yoshiko is physically only eight, but it didn't stop her from feeling wager about playing a game of bluff with a child genius like Shikamaru.
Shikamaru undid the simple lock on the box, Shikaku had underestimated the drive of children once again. Lifting the lid, the only sounds heard from the twins were a collective whisper-yell and Yoshiko covering Shikamaru's eyes.
"What in the world is this?!"
What do you think the two Nara twins uncovered from their little treasure hunt?
Hahahaha poor Kotetsu. Well those two are kinda one of my favorite characters with their antics. Another would be Omoi with his exaggerating tendencies, comical pessimism and his lollipop. Plus his relationship with his partner Karui. Guess I'm not really into the main characters. I'm actually planning to let the side characters get more screen time in this fic, wonder what's the take on that?
Hmm... I'm sorry to those that may have wanted Yoshiko to comfort Sasuke. Unfortunately while she has a really mature mind and may empathize with him; she doesn't understand his rational behind pushing everyone away. Their young friendship will definitely break apart, although to what extent I'm not going to tell you. To those who hoped that she would be close to Naruto; that will be kind of impossible. Their social circles do not match and their personalities clash a little too much. They will be civil but not buddy-buddy.
Two questions I would like to ask my readers would be:
-Who is your favorite Naruto character and why?
-Who do you think Yoshiko's precious person is? (Not crush! She's definitely not interested in little kids. Holy shit that sounded creepy.)