I do not own Naruto.
Toshi is nine years old when he meets the Rakki Ryuu.
He's heard about her his whole life, only, he hadn't known they were a her until the day he meets her. He's grown up with stories told of them, and sometimes it was a them, sometimes a he, sometimes a her, sometimes both. He just knows that his friend, Kimihasu, that moved in when he was five, who had long white hair and red eyebrows, said that the Lucky Dragon saved their lives.
Kimi and her mom were cool, and they didn't talk a lot, but sometimes at night, Kimi's mom would tell them that the Lucky Dragon had sent word to the mothers and children that something called a 'purge' was going to happen. She said that the Lucky Dragon had given them time to escape, and though she was sad her husband was lost to them, she was not sad that she made the choice she had. She said she would make it again.
She tells them stories of a team, who were the best of friends. He likes them, and so do a lot of the children. Often, when the field work is done and Kimi's mom gets caught up at the clothes store, the kids will play games about them. He always likes to be the Chujitsuna Same, because sharks are cool, and Kimi will play Rakki Ryuu and then one of the others, sometimes Hotaro, sometimes Misami, will be Odayaka Oni. They'll run around and catch fish from the creek and fight the bad guys off.
It's fun, and sometimes, and about every two years, a group of people will travel through. They call themselves Mumei, which is weird, because he doesn't know if you can be nameless if you have a name.
Anyway, the Mumei are always fun, and they teach him how to make a cool bracelet out of fishbones and they say nice things. They tell him that he means a lot, and that he deserves to be alive just because he was born. They say that everyone deserves a chance, and every one is just as good as everyone else, just that some people are good at different things. He decides that makes a lot of sense, because even though Kimi can walk up tree's -which is supposed to be a secret, so, don't tell anyone, okay?- Toshi can tell when it's about to rain and can cook way better than her. It's stuff his grandad taught him, but all Kimi says about her grandad is that her mom told her that 'the men of the clan were stupid and pigheaded. We would not let them take us and their children to their graves with them.' Which he doesn't get, but, okay.
So Toshi knows about the Rakki Ryuu, in the same way he knows about the Sage of Six Paths and Bijuu. They're far away, just fun stories to think about. That is, until they aren't.
Because one winter, bandits come and Kimi's mom gets hurt trying to fight them. It's scary, because even though his uncle broke his leg working with the buffalo in the fields last year, he hasn't seen that much blood, ever. Kimi cries and so does he, and his mom and dad, who never really talked about Kimi or her mom, they come over and help. They tell him that if Kimi's mom hadn't fought them, then they might have starved and the bandits might have done bad things to them. They say that even though they she might not have gotten them all, that she got enough and protected the town.
Things get better between the grown ups, but not with the bandits. They come again, and Kimi's mom is still hurt. They take a lot of stuff and his aunt dies and he's never been so scared in his life. He doesn't know what to do, he has no clue.
Then, one day, a snake comes. Kimi's mom looks at it like she's scared, or grossed out, and he understands when the snake throws up a piece of paper. It is gross, but Kimi's mom picks it up and reads it on the bed before telling him to get his parents.
Two weeks later, after another attack, a traveler comes through. She not a grown up, not all the way, but she has candy and she gives it out. He gets some melon flavored ones that look like green glass in the sun, and he likes her right away. Later, she meets with the grown ups and they talk about a bunch of stuff, like secrets and security and ...schools?
Kimi's mom keeps looking at her like she can't decide what to do with her face. Sometimes it's scary and blank, and others she smiles softly, and sometimes she's a little angry.
He waits, and later that night he hears them talking when he's sleeping over.
"The snake? Treacherous, vile-" Kimi's mom says.
"Kaguya-san. I'll ask you not to speak like that about him." the stranger answers.
"He has my sister!" she says, and she sounds really angry.
"Any clan members that are there remain with him out of respect. He gave them refuge."
"Refuge from the war you started! The Kaguy-"
Suddenly there's a feeling like he can't breath, like something is choking him. A pressure on his back that weighs him down and makes him afraid, so afraid. He feels like a mouse in the eyes of a hawk, or a fish on the end of his hook. Something is going to kill him, he can feel it.
"The Kaguya that remained are dead. So are the Yuki and Hozuki. I told you no lies, and you made the choice. I exist because that treacherous snake saved my life. You exist because I believe in mercy, even to those who systematically beat me down. Do you think for a second I don't remember the clean walls and good food given to the clans? Do you think for a single moment I have forgotten the way you spat at the civilian candidates of the academy, or the whores of the red light? Do you think the Mumei would be so forgiving of the nobles who kept them starved and abandoned on the streets, without me there to remind them that everyone deserves a few chances?" the traveler's voice says, and it sounds cold.
"I thought that maybe, that whoever wanted freedom could take it. There remains a Kaguya clan because of me. It's scattered, but alive, just like the other clans. I asked nothing from you for this gift, and all I ask now is that you never speak of my partnership to anyone and speak respectfully about the man who helped me save you. It was not easy to cover the tracks of so many."
There's a choking noise, and he thinks he can't breath. There is a small gasp from above, and the pressure lets off.
"Ryuu-sama-"
A breath, something like a sigh.
"I apologize. I was meant to come here and help, not become irrational and let old feelings ruin everything." the traveler says.
"You...are right. I would not have my life if not for you, nor the life of my child. It was not my place." replies Kimi's mom.
"No, it is always a person's right to question, Kaguya-san. If you can't talk to me and tell me what you think I'm doing wrong, then I am a poor leader. That said, I think we can agree to disagree. Will you-?"
There is a relieved laugh that floats in from outside.
"I will keep your secret, just as you have kept the Kaguya's."
Toshi goes to sleep knowing that what happened was scary, but secure in the knowledge that adults are weird.
The stranger leaves that morning, and Kimi's mom watches her go. She says she'll come back, and she's right. She does come back, her shirt ripped and back showing, and the mark on her back is wild and tribal. He knows it, from the stories of the Mumei, a big cat and wolf chasing each other, circled by the skeleton of a snake that hangs down her spine. She's carrying a bag in her hand. She walks through town like she owns it, right down to the headman's house, and drops the bag. Grain spills out.
"The bandits have been dealt with. The grain is in a cave about fifteen miles from here." She tells them, and all around people cheer. One of the elders comes and takes her hand, raising it into the air to face the crowd.
"Tonight, a feast to honor the Rakki Ryuu, the one who saved us from starvation and avenged our fallen!" The town cheers louder, and Kimi lets out a squeal by his side, chanting the name over and over again, staring at the woman. Toshi thinks that she might pass out in excitement. He is also pretty excited. The Rakki Ryuu gave him candy!
There is a feast, and a big bonfire. The Rakki Ryu sits by the headman and eats a lot, and gives away more candy. Then she dances with everyone. She laughs and spins, and he doesn't think he's seen anyone be so graceful. Kimi almost dies when the Lucky Dragon bows and asks her to go around the fire, and he decides to tease her for the rest of her life about how red her face gets when she squeaks out a yes. She spins his friends around on the top of her feet before picking her up and tossing her in the air and catching her again. He watches the Rakki Ryuu bend down and whisper something in her ear. Later, Kimi will confide in him and tell him that the Lucky Dragon said she was proud that Kimi's mother protected the town, and that Kimi and her mom let her know that good things can come from bad places.
Then, the Rakki Ryuu smiles at him from across the way. The big orange flames of the bonfire cast shadows on her face, and Toshi thinks that there might actually be a dragon under her skin, because her eyes are old and a little bit scary. Her smile is warm though, and she gives him more candy and asks how he is. She listens too, and they both agree that river carp are hard to cook, but taste best when rubbed with chile and spice.
"Did you really save Kimi and her mom?" he asks
She hums and the looks at the duo, chatting excitedly by his parents, eating plates of food that they thought they wouldn't have.
"I don't think I saved anyone. I think I made a choice that let them save themselves." she tells him. He blinks and furrows his brows.
"What?" he asks. She laughs and he thinks about how nice it sounds, husky and light.
"I have no clue either. Just kind of improvising, don't tell anybody though."
"Alright." he agrees. He doesn't know what he would tell people, but he promises not to anyway.
She leaves, but Toshi never forgets her. He never forgets the taste of honeydew melon candy or the way Kimi freaked out. He'll always remember laughter and dancing by the fire, the heavy aura that she made when she was mad, or the way her eyes looked in the fire.
The town gets a new school, and Kimi's mom teaches there. Kimi says something about clans and education, but all he knows is that sometimes, after fieldwork, he gets to learn stuff. Like a ninja, but better, because he gets to learn about plants and breeding, which is way cooler, even if he does have to sit down and be quiet in class. He learns to read for the first time, and then later so does his dad. He has never seen his father look so proud in his life.
Turns out Toshi is really good with numbers, and Kimi is really good at building stuff. They help out with the wagons and the stock, and his family business spreads and they get their own store. It's awesome.
The Rakki Ryuu saved his town from bandits. She saved his best friend and her mom from dying. He thinks about all the stories told about her, and the things she's done. He thinks about the Mumei, who told him he was okay as he was, and how cool they are. Toshi thinks a lot of things. Mostly though, he thinks about the Rakki Ryuu, and how proud he is to have met her, how wonderful she she was. He understands why the Mumei follow her, because he wants to as well. One day, maybe, they'll meet again. He hopes she still has some of that melon candy when they do.
AN: SO! I got a lot of requests for this, see, I listen. Still here, just a thing I wrote before the trip. Some internet here, but eh. This is a cannon in the story as well, some of the interaction that is written about in OTRATS, but the things that go unseen. Some important details, but not a lot. Mostly just some things on how Ryuuishi is winning the people's favor and changing things up. Education of the lower classes will be important later on.
Yay! Stuff!
A big, fat, warm thanks to my beta, aturnofthepage. They're awesome and where a huge help with sentence structure this time around, where I kept changing my mind about what I wanted to say in the middle of saying it, then didn't change what I had already wrote. I hope they find money on the ground.