The Unsung Story of the Inconspicuous

A/N: Ah, sorry for the belated update. This is one of two possible Chapter 21 options I had ready, and it took me a while to decide. In the end... I prefered this one.

Vanya, you're brilliant and I'm sorry for the two options.

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters or affiliates.


Raiku sat on top of the wall of the Gairano Compound, legs crossed as she sat and watched the sun sink down below the horizon. Dim orange and red light bathed her covered face, and a breeze she didn't feel ruffled her hair gently as it blew sweetly past. The sunset transformed Konoha into a place of serenity in this time between the fading of the bright sunlight and the automatic activation of the artificial lights that dotted the streets. Raiku's lips twitched slightly as she watched it, sighing in contentment. Under the guise of cowardice it had been easy to leave prior to the preliminary rounds, waving goodbye to her disgruntled teammates. In the light of the setting sun, it was the best decision for her to have made. Distant explosions sent mild vibrations through the walls as the Genin battled it out to make it to the Third Exam, faint tremors running through the ground and up the walls.

'Pretty,' someone said quietly.

Raiku nodded cheerfully, leaning back on her hands. 'Yeah.'

For a moment there was a somewhat expectant silence, until with a quiet exhalation two hands placed themselves on the wall next to her, hoisting the owner up.

Raiku didn't look away from the scene, tilting her head with that faint smile on her lips that required no crease of her eyes. A smile that simply an expression, not for a purpose.

For a moment the two females sat next to each other, until the taller, brown haired woman spoke, breaking the tranquil silence.

'I heard you left the Exams.'

Raiku nodded serenely.

'I did.'

Mura nodded, expression thoughtful.

Raiku stretched her neck languidly after a few minutes of silence, lips twitching upwards again.

'Do you forgive me?'

Mura paused, eyes flicking over to the cement just to the side of Raiku's leg. After a while, she nodded.

'You've always got time to change your mind,' she said softly.

Raiku's eyes creased ever so slightly, a result of her widening smile rather than affectation.

'No,' she said simply. 'I won't.'

Mura nodded again.

'No,' she said after a long silence. 'I don't suppose you will.'

They sat silently in the growing dark.


As Raiku entered- stumbled, shuffled into- the kitchen the next morning, scratching the side of her face and yawning hugely, her father serenely sipped his tea. 'Morning.'

'Morning,' she said, pushing her hair out of her eyes and making for the cupboard. She was wrist-deep in a packet of cereal when her father seemed to remember something. He turned a page of his newspaper with feigned nonchalance.

'Your teammate's in the hospital.'

She froze. Sugar practically crystalised on her hand as the high-calorie cereal tried to demand attention from its suddenly reluctant devourer.

He sipped calmly. 'Are you going to go visit him?'

Raiku paused, mechanically raising cereal to her mouth. She inclined her head consideringly. 'Might.'

He nodded absently. 'You want to know which one it is?'

Another pregnant pause. Her father's eyes slowly slid up as his head remained motionless, making direct eye contact. This time he didn't look away as her eyes burned directly into his retinas. She shrugged with slow, deliberate caution. 'I suppose.'

That was the way- cautious, non-specific and noncommittal answers. Show no concern, favouritism or inclination to situations predisposed to Drama. Don't care. Rather, care, but act careless.

'The boy without a last name,' he began, pausing to sip his tea. She grimly hoped he'd choke on it.

'Ryuu?' she asked, too quickly. She winced, glad he was looking back at his newspaper.

'... Hospitalised the Hatori boy,' he finished, glancing at her meaningfully.

'Ah,' she said slowly, trying desperately not to speak as quickly. 'That's... unfortunate.' She chewed on another mouthful of cereal, feeling as though she was trying to tap dance on a minefield.

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

No. This was worse than a minefield. She could deal with a minefield. Any Konoha-nin could do that. This was far, far worse. There was no accurate metaphor for this, or if there was Raiku had no chance of knowing it. This was, simply put, a test.

'Quite badly injured, the both of them,' her father continued on, turning another page. It rustled with unbearable volume in the tense air. 'But one... obviously came out on top.'

'I wonder how he won,' she thought aloud. That was permissible. Gauging strength was permissible.

'He was attacked with a series of chakra blades, or so the report said. He then responded with...' her father stopped to think. The undercurrents of the conversation threatened to pull Raiku under and drown her. 'A rather brutal attack that... sucked the air from his lungs?' he asked himself, frowning. 'Or something of that nature,' he dismissed, finally finishing his tea. 'Were you aware your teammate was so proficient in Wind techniques?'

'I find it hard to believe he improved so rapidly,' she shrugged with carelessness she didn't feel. She looked down as her hand encountered plastic, having finished the cereal without noticing. She put it on the counter.

'Bin,' her father instructed disapprovingly. She obligingly pulled the lid to the bin up, turning her back as she disposed of the packet. She took the opportunity to release a sigh of worry, brow furrowing in concern. Daisukenojo used chakra blades? Daisukenojo knew what those were? Ryuu would use that technique on a teammate?

Ryuu had used that technique... at all?

She smoothed her face as she turned back around, wearing a cheerful smile. 'I'm impressed at their improvements,' she nodded.

Her father finished his newspaper, folding it up and setting it aside. He looked up at her, wearing a similar expression. He was, after all, the one who taught her her stock facial expressions. 'Would you like to visit him? I believe your other teammate is also there.'

'I suppose it would be... suspicious, if I didn't,' she said after some rather keen thought.

'Well of course,' her father said, grinning abruptly. 'Good thinking.'

'I'll see you later,' she said, tilting her head and creasing her eyes further. He smiled at her affectionately.

'Of course. I'll be here.'

Of course he would be, she reflected grimly, opening the door into the hall and making her way to the front door. He would be waiting there to ask, nonchalantly, about her day. He would always, always be casual and always be assessing. Her father loved her, because a father should love his daughter, but he was a Gairano, first and foremost. So was she.

She frowned when she realised, pulling on her sandals. She'd only thought of her reasons for going after she'd decided to go, and that was problematic. She leant back, absently playing with a sandal. This was less than ideal. She needed to withdraw from the situation emotionally and reassess her options. It was at roughly this point that she found herself standing on the dirt between the gates of the Compound, still holding her sandal.

She looked around surreptitiously, blushing faintly. She cleared her throat and slipped the sandal on, brushing herself off self-consciously. She squared her shoulders and nodded to herself. She was evidently- she caught her foot as it tried to step away, yanking it back into position.

Evidently she was more concerned than she'd bargained on. She set off down the slope at a casual pace, or as casual as someone could be while half-walking half-skidding down, jumping lightly off as the slope cut off abruptly and landing lightly on the ground in a shower of earth.

Raiku felt a curious jolt that didn't originate from the usual source of her jolts as she noticed there was no one there to greet her. She put her hands stubbornly in her pockets and set off down the street, casually nodding to the people she passed with an amiable expression on her face. The hospital was that- 'Enough of that!' she snapped to herself as a blue spark jumped between foot and sidewalk after a particularly quick step.

A nearby child gaped at her in horror.

Raiku froze in mortification, colour flooding her face. She beat a hasty retreat in the direction of the hospital, arriving at the double glass doors so quickly she checked the sidewalk behind her to make sure there were no scorch-marks. Satisfied there were none, she entered into a room of Rookie Genin.

She blinked, momentarily taken aback. To her supreme horror, Sakura waved at her. Her eyes were tired and vaguely bloodshot from what Raiku could see, and she sat on the chair in the lobby like she was afraid to move from it. 'Raiku... you're here to see your team?' she called, rubbing her eyes in a movement that belied her exhaustion.

'Yes...' Raiku said, stuck awkwardly in the doorway. She wanted to find Daisukenojo and she wanted to check on Ryuu, not to mention how badly she wanted to avoid talking to Sakura in general.

Sakura smiled weakly. 'Naruto's just... checking in on Lee,' she offered.

'I'm going to... I'm going to go and check on him when I'm up there,' Raiku responded, mask easily hiding her cringe. 'But I should...' she made a vague gesture towards the desk. 'Should go and check...'

'Yeah,' Sakura nodded quickly. 'Yeah, you should... I'll... see you later?'

Raiku nodded immediately, relieved at the escape. 'Definitely,' she lied.

Sakura looked relieved, but probably for a different reason. Raiku's suspicions were confirmed when she began to speak again.

'Raiku?' she called as Raiku made her way to the desk. Raiku paused mid-step, looking over at her with helpful puzzlement. 'I ...' she gave a self-conscious, but lovely smile. It was beaten, bruised and scratched to hell, but it lit up her face and made the new imperfections seem inconsequential. 'It's just that we haven't ever spoken really, so since we're both Rookie Genin, I thought you might like to get together some time?'

Rejection was bad. Accepting was catastrophic. Raiku opened her mouth to refuse, and something mean niggled at the back of her head. Sakura was smiling at her. Hopefully. No one ever smiled at her hopefully. People smiled at her awkwardly, self-consciously, spitefully and smugly. No one ever looked to a Gairano with hope. Her rejection died on her throat, and she gave her a smile. 'I think...' she said hesitantly. 'I think I'd like that.'

Sakura's smile spread sweetly. 'Thank you,' she said sincerely. 'I'll... see you around?'

'Sure,' Raiku smiled in response, glad the mask concealed her uncertainty. She gave an awkward nod and walked away with brief, jerky steps, stopping at the counter.
Mayuko glowered up at her.

Raiku's uncertain, tentative and flawed smile vanished in favour of a bright and perfect one. 'Good morning Mayuko,' she greeted formally. 'Can you please tell me what room my teammate is in? As well as Rock Lee?'

They had an impromptu glare off, before Raiku paused and looked at her in feigned concern. 'Mayuko? Is there something wrong?'

The lowest of blows. Mayuko beamed up at her. 'No problem at all, Raiku!' she chirped. Chirping- the ultimate verbal defensive verb. 'Allow me to get that for you.'
Raiku accepted a small slip of paper with two room numbers written on it in the clear, decisive hand of a nurse who was trying to dispose of someone annoying who they doubted the intelligence of. She leaned forward as Mayuko gestured for her to do so. 'If you could get your other teammate to cooperate with us, that would be good,' she hissed into her ear. Raiku nodded in understanding, straightening.

'I'll try, Mayuko,' she said, inclining her head. She turned and made her way to the stairs, checking the paper. Rock Lee was obviously in stable condition and was a substantial risk at this time in terms of Naruto interaction, while Daisukenojo was in an observation ward. She wondered what Ryuu had done to him and what he had done to Ryuu as she padded up the stairs until she reached the appropriate door, pushing it open silently and slipping into the plain white hallway. The sun streamed in, filtered only by clear glass and the windswept leaves on the expansive trees outside, the autumn foliage casting beautiful shaded light onto the walls and floor. Four doors on the right and two suspicious nurses later, she knocked quietly on a closed door.

'Daisuke?' she called quietly and waited for a response. When there was none she slowly slid it open, eyes widening with barely contained surprise as she saw what was inside the cheerful, sterile white room.

'I didn't mean to hurt him,' Ryuu rasped from his seat next to the bed, unable to meet her gaze. 'I don't know where the technique came from.' He let his head fall forward into faintly shaking hands, hiding his face from her eyes. 'I didn't mean to hurt him,' he repeated quietly.

Daisukenojo weakly let his head turn towards her, skin a pale, unhealthy blue that contrasted with her bright hair and freckles to make him look like some sort of extra-terrestrial creature. He managed to nod very slightly, breath rasping in and out of him.

Raiku edged closer, putting a hand on his uncertainly. 'Daisuke?' she whispered, eyes wide and concerned as they scanned his face.

His lips twitched feebly, in what she guessed was a gesture meant to be wry or reassuring. 'Ryuu,' she whispered, blinking slowly. 'Who needs enemies with friends like you?'
After a moment Ryuu began to laugh hoarsely, sounding strained from his raw throat and shoulders shaking with what looked more like sobs than laughter. Daisukenojo's lips twitched again. He closed his eyes, forcing his head to turn back to Ryuu, who couldn't bring himself to look up. When he'd composed himself, he sighed. 'They said that my technique should wear off in a few days,' he said quietly, as though each word pained him. 'No... lasting damage.'

'That's good,' she said cheerfully, reaching forward to pat Daisukenojo on the forehead. He winced in exaggerated disgust and turned his head away a fraction.

'No, Gairano, it's not good!' Ryuu snapped, finally looking up. She managed not to flinch when the movement drew attention to a deep, clean cut on his chest, so deep it partially exposed bone. 'I'm using techniques I've never learned and I'm using them without ever wanting to! That is not. Good.'

Raiku smiled, lifting her hand to rub the back of her head. 'I use things I don't want to all the time... and it would be a lot worse if I didn't stop it as much as I can. So shouldn't you just stop it as much as- that is completely disgusting,' she gagged, putting a hand over her mouth as Ryuu shifted again, revealing a long gash of equal depth stretching from his collarbone to his back, exposing a white expanse of bone with veins pulsing over it. 'Get some treatment!'

Ryuu snarled at her, but it lacked the animosity she imagined it would confront medics with. 'I mean it, Ryuu! Daisukenojo almost killed you too, so if he gets help so do you!' she said, setting her hands on her hips. 'Get help or I'll show you some of what I can do without wanting to!'

They glared at each other as a while, coloured shadows shifting gently over their faces as the tree outside the window swayed in the wind. Ryuu narrowed his eyes and lowered his gaze, looking away. 'Go get a nurse,' he muttered.

Daisukenojo's chest jerked- she started in dismay before realising he was trying to laugh, falling short of the minimum oxygen requirement for vocalisation.

'Alright,' she nodded, giving Daisukenojo another pat on the forehead before she backed out. Left with the sounds of the leaves rustling outside and the faint beeping of the heart monitor, Ryuu and Daisukenojo failed to look at each other.


A/N: I have reviews! ... Quite a few! Maybe I should stop updating so quickly, if this is the result!

Reviews:

Vampy: Of course I love you. As for who she loves- I have no idea at the current.

envysXsin: (first review) There's the answer to that question- well, sort of. It was an accidental victory. As for the first paragraph- Raiku took off her sleeves to let them dry and sat with her team, is that any clearer? If not, please let me know.

XxXTwilight-SinXxX: I promise to continue to update (I am nothing if not belligerently persistent) and thank you so much for your reviews and compliments. If there's anything you'd particularly like to see, please let me know.

Chatter Box: Ah, thank you. I understand what you mean about the rating, and the rationalisation is as follows: the quick, mild read thus far is directly affected by her age and mindset. As Raiku continues to age and evolve she's inevitably going to be exposed to more mature situations, most likely language and violence to begin with. It's meant to be quick, but I'm slowing it down as it goes (hopefully). Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please let me know if there's anything you'd like to see or aspects you'd like to see differently.

Blinkin: Thank you, I've really tried to keep their awareness of the fourth wall a prominent aspect of their lives even as my character becomes distracted by other things. I'm relieved and endlessly pleased to hear that you enjoy this story so much, and I promise to continue to do my best and better. Raiku's abilities are a bitch, and I figure it should keep her free from Suedom. That and her relentless cowardice, which I love. I'll do my best to maintain this level of awesome.

envysXsin (singehandedly and devotedly raising my review count): Daisukenojo's big brother mode is very much automatic- six siblings will do that to you, I suppose. His caring's often eclipsed by his relentless need to call her names, but I'm glad it came across. Thank you for staying with me!