Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 114-A "Snakes and Maidens"
Patron Release 2020.03.30
Shiki's Crabshack wasn't much of a shack these days and, despite the name, didn't actually serve any crab. In fact, it wasn't really Shiki's either. Well, not originally. The original Crabshack had been his grandfather's and soon after it had passed to Shiki's father Gato had seized control of Nami no Kuni.
Gato's thugs had always been happy to have another place to eat- and that became harder and harder to find as other restaurants were forced to close their doors- sometimes being so grateful as to actually pay something to their tabs.
Unfortunately crab- all food, really, but there were less ships going off to gather crab as Gato's stranglehold had tightened- had become too expensive for the man to procure- especially when his patrons probably wouldn't be paying- and so he had turned to cheaper options. Gato's thugs would eat just about anything they didn't have to make and as long as it was hot and served with copious amounts of alcohol they would happily devour whatever was put before them.
And that's how the family restaurant had become more or less a bar over the years. Shiki would have liked to be able to put crab back on the menu but the only problem with that was the tiny detail of not actually knowing how to cook it.
Normally he would have been taught as his father did it but seeing as his father hadn't been able to get ahold of any Shiki had instead learned the cheap shit his father had adapted to serving.
That wasn't completely fair. The recipes had been created with cheap ingredients originally but Shiki had put a lot of time, effort, and Gato's money- thank Tsukuyomi for the Wolves taking over and divvying up the late Gato's fortune to the remaining people of Nami no Kuni- into applying those recipes to better ingredients.
The results were...passible, but that was just fine for a bar. Really, that was probably the only reason Shiki had any customers at all.
That, too, was a bit misleading. Shiki's Crabshack was a local favorite- most of that could probably be attributed to the familiar feel of the building and the fact that the family restaurant had been in Nami no Kuni since before Gato- and was usually packed. Granted, most of his patrons were generally older sailors who liked to come here and complain about soft youth, the loss of their glory days, or how much of a bastard Gato had been.
The only thing they didn't bitch about was the Wolves and that was because Shiki wouldn't have it in his shack. He did not need angry Wolves kicking in his door and putting the family restaurant to the torch, thank you, and whether it was because he expressly forbade it in his shack or because the sailors didn't have any reason to complain about the Wolves in the first place no ill word about their liberators had echoed against his walls.
And the Wolves hadn't slaughtered him and his family yet, that was the important bit to be perfectly honest. Fuck the building, he'd much rather get his wife and children out okay. That had led to plenty of late night discussions with that lovely wife of his debating the merits of simply selling the shack and leaving Nami. Land was in demand and the city was booming, so they could probably get a pretty good price for it.
Despite that, the dockside building had been in his family for decades and he hoped to be able to pass it on someday in the future. If things started to look like they would be taking a turn for the worse, however, they would be out of there at the first sign of trouble.
Resilient his family may have been but brave they were not. As his friends liked to say, he was the only roach anyone would ever find in the kitchen.
And so, Shiki's Crabshack continued to operate, selling cheap drink and frying whatever they could get their hands on for their drunken patrons attracting all manner of sailors looking for something warm to fill their bellies after long voyages without losing all their wages.
Narutally, that meant it had been the first place Yokida and his crew had stopped into after returning from delivering the Wolves to Mizu no Kuni. It was then that they shared their story with fellow sailors, recounting their interactions with Tsukuyomi himself and it was a tale repeated every time they returned to port.
While nearly every regular at Shiki's had heard it at least once groups of them still listened with rapt attention each time Yokida and his first mate Suda took turns describing in careful detail everything they knew about the Daimyo most of them had never seen.
"They tinkled so softly, like little bells in the wind, but between each click of his chains Dento's limbs were pulled more taunt. We thought it might be his clothing at first, ripping away under the pressure of those horrible black chains, but it wasn't…" Suda trailed off, lost in the memory that remained fresh in his mind regardless of how much he spent on drink. "Oh, gods, it wasn't."
Yokida clapped him on the shoulder supportively as he took a quick swig from his glass. Wiping his mouth on his arm he continued for his first mate in the same manner they'd been doing for weeks.
"Dento's limbs were dragged from their sockets and we could hear as ligaments began to tear- He didn't move a goddamn muscle. He just kept watching from beneath that broken mask of his, his eyes cold and focused. Two more chains lashed out, cutting deep gashes across Dento's torso and splattering his blood all over my wheelhouse floor. We couldn't do anything, not against someone who could call upon those damned chains without so much of a twitch." Yokida shook his head. "It was over then, with a final tug he ripped Dento apart and left him lying on the floor with barely a glance."
"What a monster." One of the other patrons mumbled into his drink with a solemn shake of his head. "I can't believe people are actually supporting him here." A few of the others shot his cautious looks, not only was that coming very close to breaking Shiki's rules- and they quite liked being able to come home to somewhere familiar after a long journey- but it was also getting very close to treason.
Like it or not, he was their Daimyo. Insulting him- especially if there were any Wolves nearby either lurking or off-duty- was inviting horrible fates to befall you and your family.
That was the assumption, anyway. If anyone had actually seen someone make that mistake and knew what had happened to them afterwards they were keeping it quiet- if they were still alive, that is.
"No." Yokida's gruff voice shot that down immediately. "He's certainly no benevolent ruler," He admitted. "But he's no monster. He's a man. A harsh man, a cruel man, but ultimately a fair man. Do you know what he said as he left us there with what remained of Dento? Do you?"
Most of them did but they shook their heads and offered mumbled "no"s anyway. It was always better from the captain's tongue, they hads found.
"He said 'Go home to your families and make sure his share goes to his.'. Are those the words of a monster? Dento was an example, one I wish he hadn't felt like he needed to make, but it was Dento's actions that brought his fate upon him. And yet Tsukuyomi orders us to return home to our loved ones and to make sure Dento's family was not left empty handed. That's what tells me there's a man beneath that mask."
Suda chimed in then, trying to add a lighter note at the end of their story. "Even if he is more violent than a drunken stepfather."
"Ha! Step-Father Tsukuyomi." Yokida gently knocked his glass against Suda's. "We'd best hope he stays drunk and we stay unnoticed!"
"Or we can stay drunk enough that he goes unnoticed!" suggested a patron, immediately being met with raucous agreement.
"I'll drink to that," Laughed Suda. "To forgetting Mommy Nami got remarried!"
In the corner Inari picked at his shrimp tempura with a frown, observing the drinking sailors from the corner of his black eyes. He could hear them from his place in the restaurant- everyone in the restaurant could hear them. It confirmed some of his feelings about Tsukuyomi but it also brought with it some doubts. How on earth could they defend someone like that immediately after speaking of such horrible deeds? Ensuring innocents were cared for because he slaughtered a man didn't outweigh his senseless violence, not in the slightest.
Appetite thoroughly lost, he left enough scattered bills and change to cover his unfinished meal before slipping off the stool and making his way out of Shiki's Crabshack.
A place that forbid the criticisms of Tsukuyomi and his dogs -wise, perhaps, but cowardly even by Inari's standards back when Gato was in charge- was not going to give him any accurate idea about how the people of Nami- the natives, not those coming here now that everything was safe and opportunities abounded, the vultures- truly felt about their new Daimyo.
Maybe Kikyo's bar would be less censored in their opinions.
If nothing else, he wouldn't have to hear anyone defending the man.
He hoped.
She took a few minutes simply standing in the road, staring up at the great western gates of Konoha. The southern gate would have been faster but both it and the northern gate remained locked unless there was an emergency and the city needed to be evacuated. Even then, most of the time they would still be closed seeing as standard Konoha evacuation procedure prioritized moving to the Hokage Mountain to the east.
You'd think the fact that the rest of the world knew about that plan would make it less effective but so far no one had managed to make it to the hokage mountain in an emergency, let alone found the way to the civilians within. If they were smart they would start there before Konoha knew anything was happening but Shinobi seemed to become less subtle with every passing year so the likelihood of that actually happening was low.
With a deep breath of the fresh air- it was always a strange feeling for it to be missing the salt of the ocean- Haku resumed her walk into the very first of the hidden villages. While this was technically an urgent matter it was never a good idea to run towards the guarded gate- it had a tendency to put people on edge.
So it was with the leisurely steps of a tourist- or perhaps just a lazy diplomat- that she made her way to the small line before the gate. She was fortunate that there weren't many people arriving today and only a handful of travelers were ahead of her, ushered quickly into the village without much hassle.
Off to the side a cart had been pulled away for a Konoha Shinobi to search and it's driver stood nearby protesting the resulting disorganization earning muttered curses from the two directly in front of Haku. If she had to guess she'd say they were probably traveling together and she didn't think it would be too much of a stretch to say they were probably wishing they weren't.
They moved forward in line steadily and were passed through the gate with minimal fuss just to end up waiting impatiently to the side for the cart to be cleared- something that seemed increasingly unlikely the more the driver badgered the Konoha Shinobi about the search.
"Business in Konoha?" The bored voice drew her attention to the guards in the gate. One of them sat up straight, filling out paperwork- probably for the two who had just been given access to Konoha- while the other- whom she assumed was the one to speak- slouched over the desk before him, his chin resting against the wood and his arms dangling like wet noodles.
"I'm here on behalf of the Mizukage, Mei Terumi." She thought that might have elicited a response of some sort but his eyes barely looked up from the desk to briefly glance at her. He seemed more interested in the fact that she was a young woman than an envoy from Kirigakure. Even so, they quickly returned to staring at nothing.
"Kiri, huh?" He mumbled. "Don't suppose you'd have much in the ways of passports quite yet, would you?" With a sigh he glanced to his partner and back to her. "Got a headband at least?"
She pulled a fresh headband- courtesy of Mei- from her kimono and briefly flashed it at the bored guard who gave her a shrug in return. "Meh, good enough. You'll be trailed but you probably expected that already."
Haku gave a nod but wasn't sure if he had even been able to see it. His partner had finished up his papers and watched with a dissatisfied frown on his face but otherwise didn't object.
"Should I go straight to the Hokage tower, then?" She asked the more profesional of the two.
They took a second to think before responding. "No, we'll send word that someone's arrived. Did you have an idea where you'll be staying?"
"I have somewhere in mind, I have a friend that lives here."
The guard nodded. "Wherever you end up staying, you'll get word there on when Hokage-Sama is able to meet with you. Probably in the next day or so but what would I know? I don't arrange his schedule."
"Thanks." Her words didn't exactly convey any sense of real gratitude for that last answer but he didn't seem to mind. Neither did, really.
"No problem." He didn't seem sincere but Haku couldn't really blame him if this is what he did all day every day. "Name?" He pulled out a fresh stack of forms and set his pen near the top.
"Haku."
"Family?"
"Yuki."
"And from Kiri, correct?"
"Yes."
"Length of stay?"
"Depends on your hokage."
He looked up at that answer, taking a few seconds to eye her critically before giving a shrug. "Fair enough, I suppose." He scribbled something down on another line. "And the purpose of the visit is international diplomacy." Tearing off the bottom section of the first form he handed it to her. It didn't have much, just a date, her name, the name she assumed was the guard's, and a long string of numbers that would tie it to the larger form he would no doubt be filing later.
"There you are, you're all clear. Enjoy your stay in Konoha"
"Thanks." This time there was a hint of gratitude but if he noticed he didn't seem moved.
That was fine, there was only one person in Konoha she actually wanted to be interacting with.
With a smile she couldn't quite keep from her lips she set out to find herself a sunflower.
Like the mountains that surrounded this land completely Aya had been surrounded by her siblings eager to hear about her service to the high priest.
Much like the clouds that wisped up from behind those mountains and danced along their peaks she very much wished she could float away. Not that she'd let it show that obviously but while she'd like to revel in the honor that came with her suppoised service to the High-Priest she knew the truth was there to bite her in the tail at a moment's notice and thus took the safe, more humble route.
"He just called because he needed a letter delivered to the Snake Sage," She answered simply, doing her best to seem casual. "Apparently that's the only reason he's ever summoned any of us." She didn't explicitly say it but those around her caught on immediately, their heads swiveling over to give narrow gazes at Ashun who lay sunning himself on a rock.
One of the snakes directed the look at her instead. "You're back pretty quickly for a delivery, was it within his…" It took a second for the snake to decide on the word. "..village?"
And there it was, a question that could have sent her crashing down if she had made her work seem like a big deal. Fortunately she had Ashun's mistakes to learn from and learn from them she had.
"He, uh, decided to use one of his men to deliver it instead and dismissed me."
That had hurt- a lot- and she would freely admit that. Both speaking it now- which hit her pride- and the fact that it had happened in the first place - which hit her pride even harder- was something she wished she could have avoided. Unfortunately lying to serpents was probably a bad idea if she had made the folly of believing one before.
Obviously she was not the greatest at detecting deception, she would be a fool to turn around and try to use deception on everyone here. The truth was her only real option. She just hoped it wouldn't sting too much more than it already did.
Much to her relief those around her didn't focus on her part in this story and instead had their attention caught by the High-Priest's actions.
Most of the snakes looked outraged at that. "He would trust a task to a human before a child of Aū?" Voiced one before another spoke up. "Ashun was usually gone for a while, was he just lazing about the physical world like he does here?"
A debate spread through the serpents, soft hisses growing in harshness and volume until only a word or two could be understood at a time.
The few who didn't become angry at her words had instead begun giving her suspicious glares. They didn't doubt her words but they had come to the conclusion that the High-Priest did indeed trust his humans over her. He had used Ashun, however, so the problem wasn't with the High-Priest- it was with Aya.
"I think we should go speak with one of the elders, Aya." One of them suggested. Only it wasn't a suggestion, not really. They were going to go speak to an elder so her actions- or inaction- could be judged.
"Of-of course." Reluctantly Aya followed behind the larger snake, the others falling behind so she couldn't slip away. Things weren't looking good for the serpent Aū's High-Priest wouldn't trust with his tasks.
Two sharp raps on the wooden door drew Kushina's attention from her half-finished brunch. She had- upon waking up- decided she'd be taking the day off from clan duties and rolled over to enjoy a few more hours of sleep. Beng in charge of two clans was taking its toll- especially when one of those clans really didn't want you to be in charge of it- and she was pretty sure she'd be giving the Yamanaka heiress full reign of her clan just so Kushina didn't have to deal with it anymore.
Setting down a book she hadn't really been reading she scooted back from the table and made her way to the door as another few knocks sounded.
"Coming, coming." She really didn't know who it could be. She didn't exactly have any friends these days and if Jiraiya was stopping by for some reason she doubted he'd end up knocking. That man hadn't asked permission to enter a place for longer than she'd been alive.
Unlocking the doors she opened it to the outside world and was greeted by a pretty young woman who blinked up at her in surprise, a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"T-this is the Uzumaki compound, isn't it?"
"It is." Kushina gave the young woman a critical gaze. She seemed about the right age, maybe she was here for-
"Ah, is Naruko available?"
Bingo.
"She should be training with her team this morning. Are you one of her friends?"
That was probably accurate, though Haku would certainly be very happy to be much, much more. "I'd like to think so. We met when she was on a mission in Nami no Kuni, she saved my father's life."
"Oh!" Kushina's eyes brightened. She didn't hear much about Naruko's missions- mostly because she was often swamped with work- so it was always nice to hear about the good she'd been able to do as a Kunoichi. It was also nice to meet one of her friends, as it was Kushina couldn't recall a single time Naruko had brought one of her friends to the compound.
In fact, Kushina didn't know what friends Naruko even had.
"She's usually back in a few hours," She'd been around on Naruko's return on a couple of occasions and she would say she knew Kakashi well enough that it was probably normal for him to let them off just past noon each day so that he could go home. "You can come in and wait for her here if you'd like. I'm sure it's been a long trip from Nami no Kuni."
The young woman also happened to come from the country that her son's friends the Wolves had set up shop, so if there was any knews to be had about their recent activities she might be able to learn of them from her.
"It's been a bit longer than that," Haku gave a polite smile. "I'm actually here from Kirigakure. My father and I were simply fortunate that Naruko was in Nami no Kuni when we were." It was not a complete lie, not at all, but it was certainly misleading. Kushina was able to recognize that something was a bit off but she let it slide for now.
She'd have more opportunities to glean details about that mission as they conversed anyway.
"Kirigakure? That is a long trip. Come in, come in." Kushina opened the door fully and stepped to the side to grant access into the Uzumaki compound. With a grateful smile Haku accepted the invitation.
"Thank you very much Uzumaki-san."
"Oh, no, call me Kushina, please." She closed the door. "I'm so sorry, but I forgot to get your name."
"Ah, Haku. Sorry, I should have introduced myself earlier."
Kushina gave a brief laugh before scratching the back of her head nervously in a way that erased all doubt in Haku that this was Naruko's mother. Well, that or a hot older sister. She wasn't completely sure, but they were definitely related.
"I guess we both messed up, huh?" Kushina grinned. "Let's just call it even, then. Can I get you something to drink?"
"Water would be fantastic if it's not too much trouble."
"Water?" Frowned Kushina. "Are you sure?" Water was boring and Uzumaki usually weren't too fond of boring things. "I can put on some tea or get you some juice from the fridge..." Kushina eyed the young woman up and down, She seemed like she might have been old enough to drink but she couldn't tell for sure. "I might have some Sake still if that's more to your preference."
"Tea, if you're sure it's not too much trouble."
"Not at all, make yourself at home."
If things went well, that was more or less Haku's plan for her stay in Konoha. And, perhaps, more permanently sometime in the future.
A young woman could certainly dream.
The elders were the first of Au's children and when they claimed places in his domain they had chosen those closest to their father. Part way up the great mountain a plateau had been cleared and in the remaining rocky edges caves had been carved out to house them. It was to the closest of the caves that snakes ventured, arranging themselves in a semicircle around it.
"Elder Akishi!" Called one of the snakes."We would speak with you on a matter of great importance." From the caves spilled soft golden light from a source no one quite agreed upon.
Some said there was an opening at the top of the caves so that Aū's light could still reach them and others claimed that as the elders grew closer to Aū's radiance they too began to shine with his light.
If anyone knew for certain they'd been sworn to secrecy and had as of yet maintained their vow.
Or they and everyone they told had been devoured. There was a possibility there that could not be overlooked.
The air filled with the sound of shifting scales and two large crimson eyes opened just within the rock of the cave, standing out against the golden light. "Then speak, hatchling." The size of the serpent hidden within was such that anything they said would be a mighty rumble but despite the volume it came out remarkably smooth and feminine.
"One of us was just called by the High-Priest, Elder Akishi, they returned only minutes later, the task unfulfilled."
The red eyes narrowed and a displeased hiss rolled from the cave.
"Someone has failed the High-Priest?" She asked. "Is that what you're telling me hatchling?"
"I'm afraid that may be the case, Honored Elder. I believed it best that she speak in her defence in the presence of an Elder."
The red eyes scanned each of the serpents before her cave and came to rest on a nervous Aya. "Speak, quickly." Ordered Akishi. "Before I lose my patience and devour you for your transgressions."
Knowing she was very likely only moments away from death Aya did her damndest to plead her case. "After Naruto summoned me he asked me to carry out a task for him, I was surprised when it was so different from what Ashun always describes and he seemed displeased that I had trusted a serpent."
Akishi's ire melted away quickly as she began focusing on the more important parts. First, naturally, was the name of their High-Priest.
"You know his name?" She asked. Akishi couldn't remember the last time she had known a High-Priest's name but to be fair she often had trouble remembering when they last had a High-Priest.
"Ah, yes, Elder." Aya bowered her head, hoping this had bought her more time. "I mentioned Ashun and the High-priest had not been aware of his name. I introduced myself and he gave me one of his names."
Akishi hummed appreciatively at the thought of their Priest having many names but she continued to follow the parts that were standing out to her. "Who is Ashun, why would the High-Priest expect him?"
"Ashun was the first to answer his call and has been serving as his summon since. He recently gave those duties to me."
"What?!" The soft sound of shifting scales from earlier became a furious scratching as the elder writhed around her cave in agrivaton. "You cannot give away that sort of position, the High-Priest must choose another to serve them!"
"I-I didn't know."
The eyes softened considerably, the Elder Snake's voice dropping down to a much more calm tone. "No, you wouldn't have." Agreed Akishi. "None of you would have known. That was something only Ashun would have been told after his first return. He had been bestowed a great honor by being the first called by the high Priest, we shall see what he has to say about his actions." Akishi turned to one of the other serpents surrounding the cave. "Bring him here, let him know Great Akishi demands his presence at once. I will not be kept waiting."
"At once, Great Akishi." Three of the snakes spoke in unison and slithered away without hesitation to retrieve the child of Aū who had been given the honor of serving the High Priest.
As they left Akishi turned her attention back to Aya. "Tell me, child, every detail about your interaction with this...Naruto…" The name rolled pleasantly off her black tongue. "So I know what damage has been done."
And as Akishi commanded so it was done, Aya recounting each word to the best of her ability to the ancient snake. The more she spoke the angrier Akishi seemed to become and Aya almost- almost - felt bad for Ashun.
Served the asshole right for not telling her what she should be doing if she was to take on his duties.
She wondered how things would have turned out if she had known that she was, in fact, capable of fulfilling the High-Priest's request and knew the kind of things she would be doing for him.
"Aaaaaaaaah" Ganju sunk into the hot water with a sigh, arms resting on the rock edges of the new hotspring. Around him his helpers also slipped into the waters, enjoying the soothing warmth on their aching muscles.
"We did pretty good, didn't we boss?"
"Yeah," Ganju agreed. "We did real good. I can't wait until Tsukuyomi-sama learns about it, wish I could see the look on his face when he does." A few nods around the hotspring showed his siblings' agreement.
If it had just been Ganju things probably would have taken much longer but with three others assisting things had gone very quickly. When you thought of the hotspring as just a fancy sort of pond - though perhaps pool was more appropriate- it really wasn't that complicated. Dig a hole, line it, prepare the piping for waterflow, find a way to heat it and viola- one hotspring ready to go.
There were a few more steps, of course. He'd used cement over the lining just to make things a bit more resilient and covered the bottom with flat stones to retain a more natural feeling. The benches, likewise, were large rocks with flat tops and he'd decorated the walls and leftover space of the room to make it seem like they were in an outdoor bath.
He was especially pleased with the wooden fencing that had been nailed to the walls and the way Kanyo had painted wispy clouds into the now blue ceiling and upper walls.
Really, this had to be their best work yet. He wondered what the next project would be and how he could possibly exceed what they had just done here.
"Hey, shouldn't Tsukuyomi-sama be the first to use this?"
"Nah," Shrugged Ganju. "It would be dumb to let him use it before we test it, we don't want boiled Tou-sama." The others nodded in agreement. "Besides, you really think we'll get many chances like this after he takes possession of it? If he's not in it it's more than likely to be occupied by one of his girls. If you have the balls to join a bath with one of them I'll start calling you "boss"."
None of them were dumb enough to try that. If the women didn't kick their ass for trying a possessive Naruto- and that trait was not a secret among the Wolves- would be hunting them down as soon as he had heard. Well, that was the consensus, anyway. No one had ever actually tried but no one really wanted to be the one to find out first hand.
For all they knew the girls wouldn't mind and Naruto wouldn't think anything of them bathing together.
It was just safer to avoid it unless invited and the chances of that happening were beyond slim. If anyone was about to be invited into the hotsprings by one of those women it was going to be Naruto himself and you probably didn't want to use the hotspring immediately after they'd finished, either.
Regardless of how much they'd be able to use it in the future, they had still done a damn fine job building it and that was something they could all take pride in.
It was always a pleasure to serve the needs of Tsukuyomi-sama.
Sealkeeper: He Who Binds
Chapter 114-B "Ashiki"
Patron Release 2020.04.06
"I'm home!" Naruko slammed the door closed behind her, fully expecting her greeting to have gone unheard by an empty house. Her mother usually wasn't back until around dinnertime and her brother hadn't been home in years. She was thus pleasantly surprised when she did receive a response.
"In the sitting room, Sunflower." Came her mother's voice. "We have a guest."
While she'd like to believe- for even a second- that their guest was Naruto she was unfortunately not so naively hopeful. That left either Jiraiya- and it would be weird for the man to be having a civil conversation with her mother, he tended to drive her crazy and not in the good way- or maybe Tsunade- and if it was Tsunade she expected much more damage to be seen around the house unless they had gotten everything out of their systems back at the Senju compound first- if her mother had actually reached out to her as she was planning.
Beyond that, she had no idea who could have stopped by for a visit. Dropping her Kunai pouch near the door and kicking off her sandals she made her way into the sitting room to be greeted by the sight of her mother sitting on one of the couches with a cup of tea facing...Haku?
While the last Yuki's lips only twitched into a polite smile upon seeing her it was impossible to miss the way her entire countenance seemed to alight. Even Naruko couldn't be oblivious to it which meant it hadn't gone unnoticed by Kushina either. The Uzumaki matriarch's eyes widened slightly before she reached up to hide her smile with her free hand.
"Haku?" Even though she knew it was her she still couldn't believe it nor did she know what had brought the slightly older girl all the way here to Konoha and, specifically, to her home.
"Naruko-chan!" She was greeted as Haku placed down her own tea and rushed over to sweep her into a hug. Before she knew it Naruko had been spun around by a positively glowing Hyoton user. "It's been too long," Haku smiled. "I've missed you."
Naruko glanced over to her mother, noting the sparkle in those green eyes and the salacious grin she was failing to completely hide. Oh, lovely. She wasn't going to be hearing the end of this anytime soon. It would have been much better if Kushina didn't suspect they were more than friends but that seemed like too much to ask for at this point.
No amount of Naruko saying otherwise was likely to change the woman's mind, either. No, that would just reinforce Kushina's assumption. Even, by some miracle, she did manage it the simple fact that she was half right meant there would be reason for her to return to those beliefs.
Naruko, not actually having considered the fact that she might run into Haku again someday, hadn't spared any time at all contemplating the kiss- kisses, if she was to be perfectly honest- that they had shared. They hadn't been initiated by Naruko, that was for damn sure, but she couldn't exactly say they had been completely unwelcome either.
And, well, if Haku wanted a few more she wouldn't object.
So long as her mother wasn't around, that is. The woman had enough material already, no point giving her more to tease her with.
"I missed you too, Haku." The older girl still hadn't let go, hands on Naruko's waist. Whether or not she was even aware of this fact Naruko couldn't say but regardless they didn't seem intent on moving anytime soon. Wrapping her own arms around the last Yuki she gave her a brief squeeze before dropping her arms back to her side. "Is everything going alright with you and Zabuza?"
As Naruko's hands dropped to her sides Haku realized where hers currently were and she suddenly became very aware of the fact that Naruko's mother- she was reasonably certain of that by now- was present and very much watching the two of them. With a slight blush- which showed up brilliantly on her pale skin- she let her hands fall away but didn't miss the opportunity to have them trail down Naruko's hips on their trip.
Haku opened her mouth to answer when she paused and turned her head to Kushina who's eyes had widened significantly.
"Zabuza?" Asked the Uzumaki matriarch. "Momochi Zabuza?!"
Ah, yes. Maybe she should have mentioned that the father they were talking about earlier was the Demon of the Bloody Mist? No, probably not. Haku doubted it would have gone over any better without Naruko here, though the woman was going to make the connection any second now and realize her daughter had saved the man's life.
And the fact that there was something between her daughter and the daughter of the demon.
With a morbid sort of curiosity Haku wondered which one she'd be more upset about.
"Heh, whoops?" Naruko met Haku's eyes and shot her an apologetic smile. Suddenly facing an angry mother didn't seem daunting in the slightest, though it probably helped that Haku already had an ice mirror in the garden in case she needed to make an escape.
Even if most of the lessons she learned from Zabuza were matters of not doing what he did, she had picked up some valuable bits unrelated to his extensive history of poor choices and even poorer luck.
Tsume rose a brow as Mai walked into her living room and collapsed onto the couch opposite. With a glance to Kuromaru she set down her book and rose from her couch as her partner hopped off his chair to make himself scarce.
"Mai?" Asked the Inuzuka matriarch. "Is something wrong?"
Whatever answer she was given was muffled by the couch enough that even her hearing wasn't able to make heads or tails of it.
"Did we want to try that one again, Mai?" Tsume lifted Mai's shins to clear a spot for herself on the same couch, slipping into her new spot and resting Mai's legs on her lap. Placing one hand on Mai's lower back she rubbed small, comforting circles through the fabric.
"I said I'm an idiot." Mai lifted her face from the couch just enough to speak before allowing it to drop back down with a huff.
With a roll of her eyes Tsume's circles became a gentle pat. "You're not an idiot, Mai. Tell me what happened."
Mai rolled onto her side, face to the couch. "I asked Naruto about our relationship."
"Ours or yours?"
"...Sort of."
"Mai…."
"Mine, mine and Naruto's."
"And? Come on Mai, there's no reason to drag it out. I can't' fix anything if you don't tell me what's wrong."
"There's nothing to fix."
"Then what's the problem?"
"We're…" Mai hesitated, the next words felt heavy on her tongue and actually speaking them made the situation so much more real. "We're taking a break from..whatever it was we had together. So I can sort out my feelings."
"Figure out your feelings?" Tsume hoped she sounded as incredulus as she felt. "You love him! What more is there to it?" It was obvious to anyone looking at the pair and Tsume was reasonably certain Mai had been aware of this too. Tsume had been there the last time something like this happened, after all.
"But I love you too, Tsume!"
The sudden surge of elation Tsume felt at hearing those words was tinged with bitterness as she looked down at an upset Mai. She didn't want to feel happy when the girl was in such distress but how could her heart not soar to hear the words she had wanted for so long?
"...I don't know what to do." Mai admitted. "It's just too confusing."
"Wh-what part's confusing? Let me help you work through this." It seemed pretty simple to Tsume, so what part was she missing? Was there a detail she didn't know about or was there something Mai had overlooked?
"I asked Naruto what we were, what our relationship was, and he suggested a couple things it could be but he didn't have an actual answer. Nothing he suggested felt right, they were all missing something."
"Well? What do you think the two of you are?" Asked Tsume.
A defeated laugh escaped Mai's lips. "That's just it, I don't have any idea either. How is it that neither member of a relationship even knows what the relationship is? What's right? What are we supposed to be doing together?"
With a suddenness that was almost painful Tsume realized exactly what the issue really was and fought back the groan that threatened to sound. Gods above, that couldn't be the problem, could it? She really hoped it wasn't but the more she considered it the more it seemed to fit.
To think this is what had been causing someone like Mai issues with her relationships was so sad it was almost humorous again.
Almost.
Mai was structured, ordered, and propper for the most part so perhaps it was fitting that placing her in a situation that involved none of that had her on the backfoot. The whole issue was that in this case Mai didn't know what was propper. There was no doubt in her feelings, there was doubt in how she was supposed to be expressing them in the undefined relationship she found herself in.
In other words, she needed either a formal name for the relationship so she knew what was appropriate or she needed to sit down and talk with Naruto about what the two of them would be expecting of each other in the relationship.
"If you told Naruto what you wanted from this relationship do you think it would make it easier for you? Lay some ground rules for your relationship?"
Mai shook her head into the couch. "I can't do that."
"And why not?"
"Because he's the one in charge."
And that's why she hadn't' done it herself. Tsume knew Mai wouldn't hesitate to take charge and ignore the hierarchy if she thought it was to Naruto's benefit but apparently she wouldn't do it to take care of her own. That properness was not mixing well with the professional relationship they had at the cost of their personal one.
Which means it was going to be up to Tsume to get Naruto to get Mai what she needed to be able to return to her old self.
She was about to not only get the two back together, she was going to solidify their relationship.
The things she did for this girl.
Sometimes she hated herself for being so godsdamned nice but if it brought a smile back to Mai's face, well, that would be more than worth it.
"I see. How about you go upstairs and lie down a bit? I'll take care of some things and then come join you."
"Hurry, please." Mai pleaded as she pushed herself up from the couch. "I need a cuddle."
With a smile only slightly bitter Tsume pulled her in for a brief squeeze. "I should be up soon, I promise."
Hopefully Naruto should want Mai's happiness at least half as much as she did and would listen to her about how they could get it back. She didn't think it would take too long at all.
"Hey, hey, what's the big idea? Don't you know who I am?" Two serpents pressed their sides against Ashun, moving in sync to force him forward towards the cave of elder Ashiki. Despite Ashun's protests neither seemed inclined to stop or even so much as speak and while Ashuin had been given the honor of being the High-Priest's personal summon- even if he had delegated those duties to a naive Aya- he was not the largest of snakes. In fact, he wasn't large in any sense of the word. He didn't stand a chance fighting against the coiling muscles of two snakes both nearly three times his size. "I'm the High-Priest's personal summon, you'll answer to him for this!"
"Will they?" Ashiki's silky voice was a rumble of thunder to anything smaller than her, filled with a dangerous edge that had Ashun immediately worried. Sure, the High-Priest might be angered at anything befalling him but Ashun had never really introduced himself- it was too much of a bother, really. Not like the man needed to know who was carrying his mail- and the High-Priest's wrath really wouldn't do anything to bring him back if one of the larger snakes devoured him.
Really, he was protected by his status only in name. Anyone willing to risk the High-Priest's wrath could do as they liked.
The voice of the Great Elder- well, one of them- brought Ashun's attention to his current position before one of the large caves of Au's domain. He knew what dwelled in these caves and the voice that had struck out from within told him that this one in particular was very much occupied.
Occupied by someone who was- for whatever reason- not entirely pleased with him at the moment. The glowing red eyes peering down at him in disgust helped him determine that.
"Elder." Ashun inclined his head slightly, pushing his nerves to his tail. "Am I to understand you wished to speak with me? A request would have sufficed, I did not require an…." He glanced to the serpents holding perfectly still to either side of him, heads bowed like some sort of garden statue. "...Escort."
"I would disagree." Her tone was short and clipped. "If you knew you may have tried to run."
"Run?!" Ashun gave an insulted huff. "You're implying there would be some sort of reason I might suspect you've accused me of wrongdoing with a summon. I've done nothing of the sort, there's no reason I would expect a summon to be anything to run from."
"Oh? Perhaps I have the wrong Ashun, then." Despite her words Ashiki's tone implied that she was beyond skeptical and knew exactly who she had called. "You are the Ashun who answers the High-Priest, are you not? His personal summon?"
Ashun rose slightly higher, curving his length towards the Great Elder as if puffing out his chest. "Of course I am, there is only one Ashun. We should hope he has no need of me as you hold my attention so...forcefully."
"The only one?"
"The High-Priest has only one whom he calls upon." Ashun declared. Ashiki's immediately narrowing eyes told him he may have just made a grave mistake.
"So it should be, yes." Ashiki agreed. "And yet we have another answering his calls, don't we? One who is not known to him and knows not how they can serve him."
Oh. Oh.
This was...not good. If Ashun had to guess he'd say this had something to do with Aya, he should have known better than to pick her of all serpents. Sure, she was easy to convince but it seems as though she had messed something up and now he was going to be taking the blame for it. Lovely.
By the father's sheddings, he should have let Akiri do it even if he did have to give up his favorite rock three days of the week in exchange.
"Aya expressed a desire to serve him as well, I was gracious enough to allow her the opportunity to carry out one of his tasks. I have not heard anything from her as of yet and assumed she was still being of use. Has something happened?"
"Something would be an understatement so belittling of the gravitas of this situation that it insults each and every one of us, Ashun. I would watch that tongue of yours before it gets you into even further trouble."
Oh, for father's sake. What the hell had that girl done?
"My deepest apologies then." He dipped his head for a second. "I had not been informed of such a serious occurrence."
"I find that strange considering it is your duty to ensure good relations between father's High-Priest and his children." She sneered. "Anything that happens around him should be known to you."
"Of course, of course." Ashun agreed without protest, he had no desire for her to- somehow- become even more angry with him. "Even so, this development has not been made known to me as of yet and I would appreciate knowing what you've called me to speak about."
"I haven't called you for what happened, that situation is a direct result of the failure's I have called you to answer for. I'll give you the grace of knowing the consequences of your actions after you've explained yourself."
They- and all the serpents around them, which Ashun realized were quite a few- knew that she was doing things in that order simply so he couldn't try to claim some benefit- assuming anything positive resulted from his actions- as something intended. He would be trying to defend himself mostly blind and could only use what he had prepared in trying to persuade others to take the responsibilities of his duties from him.
"Very well." There really wasn't any way he could successfully protest a decision by this Great Elder unless it either went against Au or Au's High-priest. Unfortunately neither had forbidden this as far as he was aware. "What questions did you have for me, Great Elder? I'm certain we can clear up this matter easily enough." That was a damn lie and just about everyone there knew it but none of them were going to call him out- directly- for trying to maintain dignity. He was the High-Priest's personal summon- for now, anyway- after all. He represented the High-Priest and, through him- Au himself at the moment.
"We will see." And there was the indirect doubt delivered by one of the few who would be able to do so without seeming as if they were rebelling against the Father. Ashun did his best to hide his wince.
"First," She began. "You can explain why you would send someone in your place when these tasks are your sacred duty. What words do your twisted tongue hold for this?"
"I've explained this already, Great Elder. Surely your memory is not already fading?" As her eyes narrowed again Ashun hurried to restate his earlier defence.
"Aya expressed a desire to serve him and in a fit of graciousness I permitted her the opportunity to carry out one of his tasks."
"And who are you to permit such? What words did the High-Priest have on this matter?"
Recoiling slightly Ashun knew his tail must be twitching nervously. "I-" He swallowed nothing from his suddenly dry mouth. "I did not consult the High-Priest on this matter."
"Why?"
He needed something and he needed it qui- got it. "As his personal summon I would be so bold as to say I know him much better than any here. I know that as long as the tasks he commands are seen to he cares not who accomplishes them on his behalf."
There was a hiss of agreements from the surrounding crowd and Ashun felt his confidence soar. He could get out of this mess and back holding the respect he deserved as the High-Priest's personal summon. Of course, those thoughts were quickly dashed by the elder serpent's next question.
"What is his name?"
Ah? Ashun's attention moved from his fantasies of his favorite rock and the respect of his siblings to the cold red eyes of Ashiki. Had she just asked for the High-Priest's name? He could admit he was slightly confused. What relevance did this have to his- oh.
Fuck.
Fortunately Ashun wasn't a serpent for nothing- actually, that had no real meaning in this situation. He was born as a snake, it hadn't been something he had any sort of control over. Still, he was a crafty snake, or so he liked to consider himself- and managed to both pull himself together and an answer from his tail in short order.
"The Rank of High-Priest far exceeds any human name," He scoffed with false confidence. "It was his preferred address while I served him."
"Is that so?" A black tongue flickered out of the cave, as if it could taste the lie Ashun had just uttered. "Very well," She seemed to agree. "You did not call him by name. That is understandable." She paused and the silence carried a weight Ashun couldn't identify. "But what is his name?"
The glowing red eyes lowered in the darkness of the cave to get as level to Ashun's own as they could, narrowing into a suspicious glare. "If you're as close to him as you want us to believe, surely you would at least know his name.
"I asked," Claimed Ashun, no sign of the growing nervousness filling his scales being allowed to show. "But even with me he would not share it."
He did not like the way those red eyes seemed to become pleased by his words and as they returned up to the top of the cave he swallowed heavily. Something was wrong and he had a bad feeling he was about to find out what it was.
He was right.
"You say he refused to share it and yet on her very first meeting the one who you abandoned your duties to was able to obtain it by simply introducing herself." She gave a few seconds for that to sink into the audience that was continuing to grow. "Aya, come. Tell us of your meeting with the High-Priest."
From the elder's cave Aya slipped into the surroundign light, appearing miniscule against the surrounding backdrop.
Ashun was really starting to regret not agreeing to Akiri's terms.
The attention of the surrounding serpents moving to focus on the smaller snake at the entrance of the cave was an almost physical force and Ashun could feel it just as much as the mounting dread that filled his scales.
"N-Naruto-sama gave me his name as soon as I introduced myself." Aya began. "When I mentioned Ashun by name the High-Priest expressed confusion." Displeased hisses cascaded throughout the crowd as the surrounding serpents began to come to their own conclusions. "It seems Ashun had never even introduced himself to the High-Priest as he fulfilled his tasks of transporting mail between Naruto and the Snake Sage Orochimaru."
Ashun winced at that, not because Aya had managed to learn his name but because her last sentence dismissed all his tales of assassination and espionage he had been spreading around to secure respect from his peers. Working for the High-Priest was an honorable position, but acting as a courier wasn't exactly exciting.
Of course, the fact that he had never introduced himself was pretty bad too. That wasn't going to benefit him here.
"Knew him so well without ever having introduced yourself, was it?" Ashiki glared down at him. "The amount of disrespect you show to our High-Priest and to the rest of your siblings is staggering but ultimately not what I called you here for. When you abandoned your duties to another, what did you tell her about her new role?"
Cocking his head to the side Ashun performed a serpentine equivalent of a shrug. "There wasn't much to say, she would be serving the High-Priest. What he asked for she would do."
"And did you think to mention the fact that she would be allowed to do those things?"
"What? No. If the High-Priest is asking for something we already have permission to complete his tasks. Everybody knows this."
Hisses of agreement followed his defence.
"Even when it involves interacting with Father directly?" The agreements stopped. Au always watched over his children but one did not approach the Golden Serpent of the Sun. He approached you if he had need of you or if he had decided to give his aid. Going to him- and many of their heads turned to the peak that loomed over their world- was one of the few things they were expressly forbidden from doing. Most thought it was some sort of test considering how close he actually was, a way for him to measure the resolve of his children.
Regardless, each and every one of them could understand the hesitation one would feel at being commanded by the High-Priest- Au's right hand- to break that sacred law.
All but one, anyway.
"Au's personal summon serves as his way of communicating with Father." Ashiki continued. "It is your duty to ensure they remain connected. Without you present he needed to call upon another who knew only that such a task was forbidden by the only one above the High-Priest and thus the High-Priest's words have not yet reached our Father."
That was more dramatics than fact and Ashiki wasn't ashamed to admit it. Manipulation was the way of the serpent and while some used that to place themselves in greater positions of power and influence than their peers Ashiki had always found more pleasure in riling up the masses.
Really, after one of Au's children had bonded to the High-Priest he would be able to reach out to Au through that connection whenever he needed to. It was the primary reason that the positions came with such respect. Through the bonding the personal summon became the conduit that linked their Father to his High-Priest and both would speak through them.
When one normally wouldn't be expected to have the honor of speaking to either, regularly being connected to both sounded more like fantasy than anything else.
Though that did bring with it another question. If the High-Priest was connected to Au why would he need Aya to pass on anything?
"She should have taken his message, then." Was Ashun's defence.
"She cannot visit Au, she is not the one bonded to the High-Priest. You know this." Ashun stiffened and prayed that no one else had noticed it but as Ashiki's eyes narrowed further he realized he was probably in even more trouble now. Almost deceptively she abandoned that line of questioning. "But these discussions of your mistakes can wait, I think. What's more important is that we apologize to the High-Priest."
She gave him an expectant look and after a few seconds asked "Well? Are you going, Ashun?"
"I- uh, the High-Priest has instructed me that I am not to bother him unless called upon. He prefers to work in secret and my sudden appearance might give him away." That was a truth and Ashun would smugly admit he was quite proud to be able to use it to defend himself.
"You were called upon," He could see her fanged grin reflecting the light despite the fact that the rest of her face was completely hidden. "You'll just be answering late."
"I don't think he'll see it like-"
"And I don't care." Ashiki shot him down immediately. "You should have thought about that before you sent Aya to answer his call."
"Are you trying to order me to go against the High-Priest?" Ashun puffed up with false affront, confident that it would be enough to at least make the Great Elder hesitate.
He was wrong.
"Yes."
"Wha-?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. Right now the most important thing to do is ensure that this...misunderstanding...is cleared up as soon as possible. You can either go or he'll need to bond to another-"
"Are you threatening-"
"Because I'll eat you." Yes, yes she was. With A nervous gulp Ashun weighed his options. He could lie- and he really didn't think that was going to end well for him- or he could tell the truth.
That one probably wouldn't end well for him either, to be perfectly honest.
But if he was going to end up in massive amounts of trouble regardless he was probably better off telling the truth. It wouldn't negate much but he certainly didn't need to be adding to his issues.
"I can't summon myself to the High-Priest." He admitted, lowering his head.
"And why not?"
"We...we never actually bonded." Silence filled the immediate area only to be filled with panicked hisses as the surrounding serpents realized what that meant. Those who didn't connect things were quickly made aware of the situation with Ashiki's next words.
"Do you mean to tell me that in the months since the High-Priest has been chosen that he has never been given the opportunity to hear the voice of Father?" She had gathered this much already, back when it became apparent he needed to summon one ofher younger siblings in order to send a message to the Golden Serpent, but this just confirmed it. "How is he to serve as the High-Priest when he is kept from the will of the sun?"
Ashun- not having an answer for that- remained silent. After a minute or two of this Ashiki scoffed in disgust.
"It seems as though your failures stretch out far beyond anything I could have imagined. We will decide later what your punishments will be, for now you will remain ready to answer his next summon. When he does you will inform him of the bonding but you will also provide him the opportunity to choose another of your siblings, even if you have to bring him here for him to choose. I will consult with the other Elders," Her eyes narrowed. "Especially with Ahkra. He was the one to introduce you to the duties of your new role, was he not?"
"...He was, Great Elder."
"Then he too will have much to answer for." She directed her attention to the snakes still flanking Ashun. "Take him from here before he makes my cave reek with the stench of heretic. Make sure he does not get away."
"As you command, Great Elder."
As Ashun was escorted away the other serpents also began to disperse and within a minute there was only Ashiki and Aya remaining.
"Am-am I free to go, Great Elder?"
Ruby eyes blinked in surprise before looking down at the tinby serpent at the mouth of her cave,. She had completely forgotten about her. "Yes, yes. You may go. I would advise heeding the High- Priest's advice in the future, you should not believe so easily in the words of a snake."
"Yes, Great Elder. I'll be more careful." She went to leave but paused, turning back to the much larger serpent hesitantly. "Do- do you think he might choose me for the bonding, Great Elder?"
No. Absolutely not. If he had been so cross with her that he dismissed her without having the task he needed done being fulfilled there was a damn good chance he wouldn't be trusting any future tasks to her, Ashiki thought. In fact, he was probably more likely to just bond with Ashun because he already knew he could accomplish the tasks he had for him. It was the only reason Ashiki hadn't simply devoured him and been done with it. It would be up to the High-Priest to determine that worm's fate.
Still, there was no reason to dash the young thing's hopes so mercilessly.
"He knows the name of two of Au's children now." Ashiki answered truthfully. "If he makes a decision without coming to visit then it will be between Ashun and yourself."
Aya's eyes brightened considerably. "Really? You think so?" She released what Ashiki thought might have been some sort of excited squeal- the Great Elder, in all her years, had not been aware that it was possible for a snake to even make that noise and couldn't think of any reason they would then decide to actually use it- and wriggled strangely.
Perhaps Ashiki was simply too old to remember such youthful naivety or the dreams that came with it.
"I think that if he does decide to go with someone other than Ashun then he already has a headstart on his decision seeing as he's already met you." Also true, she just didn't mention that the headstart was towards deciding not to bond with Aya. "Now, I think you'd best be on your way. I have much to do now thanks to Ashun."
"Of course, good luck Great Elder!" She slithered away cheerfully and only when she was nearly out of view did Ashiki let the disdain she felt show on her face. Sure, she was still young, but she wasn't going to have a very promising future among Au's children if she didn't grow up quickly. Ashiki had been thinking about eating Ashun whole but she was damn certain that if Aya had spent any more time with the High-Priest he would have devoured her. Anyone who could gain the favor of Au was going to possess at least some traits of the serpent, after all.
She doubted he would be the sort of person with the patience to deal with someone like Aya for any substantial amount of time, but she may just be projecting. Ashiki certainly couldn't manage it for long.
With a sigh Ashiki retreated into her cave. Ashun's laziness had created a lot of work for not just her but form all the Elders now. It had been far too long since Father had a High-Priest, priestesses, or temples and it was apparent that the majority of his children had forgotten what that entailed.
If things were going to be returning to what they once were his children needed to be ready for the changes that would be coming. That alone was going to be a headache as most of them had never even been to the physical world let alone interacted with any humans. Beyond that, they also had to patch things up with the High-Priest who, honestly, probably had his confidence in them shaken when they couldn't accomplish basic tasks that he requested and would have it only shaken more when he realized that they had failed to take the steps to actually make him the High-Priest.
As it was now, the title -despite what Ashun had tried to claim in his defence- probably meant next to nothing to this...Naruto...which meant the chances of losing him were exceedingly high.
That could not happen, not when this was the first wearer of his amulet that Au had approved of in centuries. Hopefully this one would actually manage to reestablish Au's faith on the physical realm so they would be able to return. While this world took care of their needs well enough it was dreadfully boring and was far to cramped for Ashiki's - and most of the elders'- tastes.
She couldn't wait to make deals with mortals again, watching the consequences of their "dreams" coming true was always amusing.
For those interested, the Commentaries on Eyazahrid-dot-net have been brought up to chapter 113. I had stopped updating after the Commentary for chapter 109 to focus my time on the chapters themselves but as several of you expressed dissapointment that they had not continued I will be returning to writing them on the regular schedule.
Thanks goes to my Patrons whose support keeps that website running.
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