The Past Catches Up
Disclaimer: Naruto characters, not mine.
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Chapter 8: Time for Change
Mitsuri stood in front of Tsunade with a blank expression. First she scratched her head. Then her arm. "Ne, Tsunade... What's the reason?"
The Hokage had told her that she was relieved of her duties as Team Eight's teacher. Mitsuri was surprised, but so many things were happening in her life that everything felt hazy, and she didn't know how to react. So she just simply stood there.
"You know Orochimaru is after you," Tsunade explained. "That would endanger the children, don't you agree?"
"I agree." Mitsuri smiled. She didn't argue, but she felt sad. She had grown used to the kids, and had wanted to see them grow up. Now she can't even go near them. "What about Sasuke? Will he keep teaching them?" At least if she wouldn't be there, Sasuke would be able to take care of the kids.
"No. I won't let him. He has some issues he needs to deal with, mostly it's all in his mind. But still, that can affect training, too." Tsunade started to shoo Mitsuri off. "Go, go! I have plenty of work to do."
"Tell me first! Who's going to take over Team Eight? Do the kids know already?"
"The kids will be told by the new teacher, Haruno Sakura. Do you know her?"
"Haruno..." Mitsuri tried to recall where she had heard that name. "Sounds familiar, but I don't think I know her."
"She was Sasuke's teammate. One who specializes in medicine." By now, Tsunade had shoved off mounds of papers from her desk in annoyance. Seeing that she would never get in the mood for work that morning, she decided to just sit there and wait for things to happen.
"Oh, so she was under Kakashi, too? I'm glad. I'm sure she's going to do OK. Thanks for explaining everything to me, Hokage-sama. By the way! I wanted to know... when this Orochimaru thing blows over, can I have Team Eight back?"
"Yes, you can. Depends on when that will be, though."
"OK, OK. See you!"
---
It was morning, but his room was dark. The windows were all closed and covered with blinds, keeping out whatever light from the outside. Sasuke was sitting on the floor beside his bed, doing nothing, thinking nothing. He had been like that since the night before, and his body was growing numb. He couldn't sleep because he was disgusted with his weakness.
The Hokage had informed him yesterday that he no longer needed to see to the kids' training, and he welcomed the news. He didn't want to be with anyone, he didn't want to be near Mitsuri. After their battle with Orochimaru and Kisame, Sasuke had played the scenes over and over in his head until he had gone somewhat crazy. He always kept silent, but his mind worked overtime.
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"NANI!?!?!?!?!?" Sakura screamed. "What do you mean Sasuke-kun's not going to be teaching anymore!? Kyaaaaaa, Tsunade-sama! He wasn't supposed to quit!"
"Hm?" A few minutes after Mitsuri left, Sakura had entered her office. Tsunade was still in a so-so mood, so she just nodded calmly at the girl and sipped her juice.
"I wanted to work with Sasuke-kun, that's why I offered to take Mitsuri's place!"
"You told me your medical experiences would make you a good teacher, probably even better than Mitsuri. You never mentioned anything about Sasuke. Well, it's my decision that they keep off from teaching jobs for now, and I won't change it. It's your duty to train those kids, so go and explain to them why you're there and why those two are not."
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Somewhere in the woodsy part of Konoha, Orochimaru and Kisame could be found. They were discussing a certain little matter named Mitsuri, and Orochimaru was overcome with glee.
"Kukukuku... such great abilities," the snake murmured. "I must have those powers, Kisame."
"I'll help you get them, if I get to destroy that Uchiha kid." Kisame had never been able to get over the fact that his former master and companion had allowed himself to be killed by such a weakling. Itachi had a soft side, after all, he thought with a small sinister grin. "I can't stand that face of his."
"That beautiful face? I've coveted it for so long. But you can kill him. He's of no use to me now... such a pretty face, too bad." Orochimaru was still in his own form. He didn't want to appear as Kabuto, because he believed his own body looked more commanding.
"So how are we going to get that Keiko? You said she's too powerful for us."
"We'll make our move next week," Orochimaru said with a chuckle. "My people will be here by then. They're attending to something right now, but by the time they're here, things will go smoothly."
---
"SENSEI!" Temiko yelled. She ran towards Kakashi and breathlessly told him that someone was looking for him.
"Hm?"
"It's that girl... You know, your old student! That girl with green hair, the one Omu said was your girlfriend!" The young girl's words were all rushed and mixed together, but her teacher got the point.
Mitsuri. "Where is she?"
"Over there," Temiko replied, pointing towards a bench near the spot where his two other students were playing cards.
Kakashi went over to Mitsuri and sat beside her. "What's up?"
"Oi, Kakashi, you're not training the kids. They're just lounging around!" The female jounin glanced around and saw signs of total relaxation all over the place. "Is this really all right? I mean, how are they ever going to become stronger?"
"Today is their break. But I still want them together, work on teamwork and all."
"Break? These kids have breaks?"
"Well, they're pretty amazing."
"Well, you're pretty lazy," Mitsuri shot back.
"Smart mouth." Kakashi pinched her cheek, partly avenging himself for the many times that Mitsuri had pinched his own cheek, and partly because he just wanted to do it. He grinned with satisfaction when he saw her pained expression.
"Idiot." Mitsuri rubbed her now red cheek and glanced at Kakashi.
"What have you come here for, anyway? You're not here just to lecture, are you?" the silver-haired man drawled. He had been reading the latest volume of Icha Icha and he was eager to get back to it. But he always found time for Mitsuri. He knew she would never see him during his work hours unless she was thinking about something important, or something was bothering her immensely and she needed someone to dump her thoughts on. "Did Orochimaru show up again?"
"Nah... Ne, Kakashi."
"Hm?"
"I'm not Team Eight's teacher anymore. That job's been taken over by one of your old students, Haruno Sakura."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Sasuke's not teaching, too. Tsunade said he had some issues to think about."
"Must be disappointing for Sakura," Kakashi mused.
"Huh? How come?"
Kakashi ignored the question and just yawned. He winced when Mitsuri's fist made contact with his face. He knew she was mad because he had yawned in the middle of a conversation with her, but he was used to it. He didn't even bat an eyelash. He just stared at Mitsuri and asked if that was the news she came all the way to tell.
"Well, no. Ne, Kakashi..."
"Hm?"
"People have been acting weird around me lately." Mitsuri was playing with her hands, not looking at Kakashi.
"What do you mean?"
"Fusubi was one of those who took me to the hospital. When I came to, he was gone," she mumbled. She finally looked at Kakashi. "Isn't that weird? He left without leaving any message. When I asked Tsunade about it, she told me he'd gone off to a mission. Just like that. Doesn't he care? Tsunade said he knows about my being a Keiko... but he didn't leave any message at all."
"Everything will be OK," Kakashi assured her. "Fusubi's the kind of guy who has reasons for everything. Besides, he was just back for a short while. You should be glad to know you're the first one he visited just after he got back from a previous mission."
"Really?" Mitsuri's face lit up. She had been worried about Fusubi, but now she felt better. "I guess he's always been a busy guy. That part didn't change about him." She grinned at Kakashi and hugged his arm. "Thanks for telling me that, sensei."
Kakashi was a little surprised. Mitsuri hadn't called him that in a very long time, but he didn't say anything about it. He cleared his throat. "You mentioned people?"
"Oh, yeah. There's also—" she started to speak. Then she stopped.
"What?"
"Never mind." She stood up. "I'm going. Thanks for listening to me."
"Any time."
---
Mitsuri walked off, not knowing fully why she had left without telling Kakashi about what was really bothering her. Why couldn't I tell him that I was worried about Sasuke? I always tell him everything. She didn't have a problem telling her former teacher about Fusubi, so why should things be different regarding Sasuke? She shook her head firmly, as if to brush off the obvious declaration of her heart's heart: that she cared for Sasuke. That she had feelings for him. And she was afraid of being found out.
But she couldn't allow herself to think that. It was all too ridiculous. Why is it ridiculous? She asked herself. She couldn't answer. Because there was no answer.
Just then he passed by a sushi shop. She halted when she heard a whiny voice mention her name. What? Standing near the entrance, she hid herself behind the wall and listened.
"... what's so great about her, anyway?" the voice was saying. "Keiko, Keiko, who the hell cares about that? It just proves that her skills are all thanks to her bloodline!"
"Maybe so," another voice replied. "But I'm sure she worked hard, too."
"So what? She'd have never become a jounin if not for her genes, you know. I'm sure of that! And I bet she's been hogging Sasuke-kun all too herself. I can't allow that! And look at the mess I'm in now!" the whiny voice was wailing now.
"Don't say such things, Sakura. Nothing can be done without hard work and determination," the other voice said.
"Oh you're too kind, Hinata! Keiko Mitsuri is nothing but a first class btch!"
Mitsuri couldn't believe her ears. On ordinary days, she would have walked in and clobbered up the owner of that annoying voice. But it had to happen on that day. She had been doubting herself lately, and she couldn't help wondering if maybe all that has been said was true. Maybe she's right, Mitsuri thought, walking on towards nowhere. Maybe it's all just because of the clan I'm from... If only she wasn't a Keiko. She didn't care about special clans and all that. She just wanted to excel by her own abilities. If only I'm not a Keiko...
She had been walking blindly, and when she bumped into another person, she wasn't prepared. She couldn't steady herself in time. When she saw the dark-looking man standing above her, she blinked. "Sasuke!" Mitsuri hurriedly stood up and faced her former partner.
Sasuke glanced at her, but no words were said. He just went on his way without looking back.
"Sasuke!" Mitsuri followed him, but he never stopped. "Sasuke, wait! Why are you like this? What did I do? You've been ignoring me since the time we fought Orochimaru! I'm sorry I caused you trouble, but don't be like this!" Her voice was pleading, but it showed no effect.
Hearing her words, Sasuke suddenly wanted to stop everything and just hold her close. He had become fond of her, but she was also a reminder of his lack of strength. And thinking about that, he ignored everything else.
"Sasuke!" Mitsuri was near tears now. She had never felt so rejected all her life. By now they were outside the sushi shop, where Mitsuri had heard those terrible words about her.
At the sound of a sob in Mitsuri's voice, Sasuke paused. Mitsuri stopped, too. She stared at his back. He appeared to be thinking, and when he impatiently ran his fingers through his black hair, it was apparent he was struggling with himself about something. Then he left, in a more decisive pace. Mitsuri looked after him but no longer followed. It looked hopeless.
What's going on? Why am I even doing this? I must be crazy! She stood there, mentally berating herself for having displayed such poor control over her emotions. She hadn't cried, but she had come close to it. Her head turned to a pink-haired girl who had come from the sushi shop. The girl had watched her during the excitement, and now she spoke.
"You're embarrassing. You must be Mitsuri," the girl said. "Chasing after Sasuke-kun like that. He doesn't care for you, you know. Your clan's great, but that's all there is to it."
"The Uchiha clan's not exactly a clan of losers, you know," Mitsuri retorted, not knowing why she said that.
"Whatever. Sasuke can't abide people who ride on their bloodline's success. He's lived on his own all his life." With that, the girl went back into the shop.
"So have I... In a way... so have I," Mitsuri said weakly to no one. And it was true. She hadn't grown up with her true family, she hadn't even known them. So why would Sasuke be mad at her about that? It wasn't her fault she was a Keiko.
---
That Night...
"Mitsuri?"
"Can I come in?"
Kakashi opened the door wide. "Sure. Come on in." He sat down on the couch, followed by Mitsuri. "Is something wrong?"
"Kakashi, I've been thinking."
"About what?"
"Isn't there a way to seal abilities? There is, right? Tell me there is!"
"What for?" Kakashi asked cautiously.
"Just tell me." Mitsuri's voice had a steely edge when she said that.
"All right. There is."
At those words, Mitsuri seemed lighter. She grabbed Kakashi's hands. "Kakashi, can you do that to me?"
Kakashi took his hands from Mitsuri and stared off into space for a while. "What for?"
"I have my reasons." Anybody could see she was serious.
"Do you know what that means?"
"Yes. I'm prepared to take the consequences."
"I can't, Mitsuri."
"Why not? You can, I know you can."
"But I won't."
"Why not?" Mitsuri's face was red now. She knew Kakashi would be difficult to persuade, but she still couldn't help getting mad. "Just do it, sensei. You have my full permission."
"You don't have mine."
"I don't need your permission!" Mitsuri stood up and kicked at the coffee table. She was acting like a spoiled brat but she was losing her temper. "Just do it."
"Mitsuri... it wouldn't be good for you."
"Having these abilities aren't good for me." Her eyes were filled with tears, but she held them back. "What do you know, sensei? You don't know everything about me."
That's true... Lately I don't know many things about you. "Why don't you tell me all about it?" He noticed that Mitsuri was starting to call him 'sensei' again, and he wondered whether this meant she was undergoing some sort of change.
"I—I can't. Just do it. Please."
Kakashi saw her lips quiver, and realized that she was close to crying. He hadn't seen her like that in years. For the first time in a long time, he truly worried about Mitsuri. She had been doing so well, but when this mess about her bloodline reached it's climax, her whole world seemed to be falling apart. Kakashi wanted to smack his head for not seeing this sooner. How could he not have seen what was going on? "Mitsuri..." he pulled Mitsuri back down and put his arms around her. He felt her stiffen for a moment but soon she relaxed. She buried her face on his shoulder and cried there.
She didn't make a sound but Kakashi knew she was crying. He had taken off his flak vest, and he could feel her tears soak through the material of his black shirt. "Sensei..." she finally spoke. He didn't release her, and she didn't ask to be released.
"Hm?"
"Do you think less of me because I belong to a great clan?"
"I don't."
"Everyone else does."
"Does it matter so much?"
"I thought it did." She raised her head and looked up at Kakashi's face. "But as long as everything's OK with you, I guess nothing else matters."
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "People you love and people who truly love you won't make you feel bad about yourself."
Mitsuri thought about that for a while. "But sensei... can you just seal this abilities and make them stagnant? Maybe Orochimaru will stop bothering me then."
"I'm not doing it, so just stop asking me to."
"Why not?"
"I don't want to change anything about you. And about Orochimaru, wouldn't fighting him be fun?"
Mitsuri put her arms around Kakashi and hugged him closer. "Arigatou."
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it's been a long time! Hahah.
tell me what'cha think. If it's loserific or what. Hahah
- Anko-dono