Red Kunai Bolts
Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing the story. I'm glad you guys like it. The differences between Asumi and Akemi will begin to show up in more outlines. I hope you guys like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. However, I do own Akemi, Asumi, the Amano clan, the nagare shogai, any other OCs that appear here and the plot.
Chapter Five
Discord
-o-
Akemi leaned gently against the white wall of the hospital with hands clasped behind her back while they waited for Tenten to come out of the room where she was receiving treatment. About five minutes had passed since they had arrived and settled themselves to wait. Gai and Lee had occupied some chairs directly across the room's door and were engaged in a conversation that included a sunset background, clenched fists, tears and shiny grins. Neji had opted to lean against the wall next to the chairs, directly across from Akemi. He had crossed his arms, closed his eyes and stayed in complete silence.
The silver haired kunoichi had not spoken a word to him after their personal incident on the training grounds. She had disliked it; the nerve of him doing such a thing when they barely even knew each other.
'I will make sure something like that does not happen again,' she thought, keeping her sapphire gaze on the floor.
She felt the touch of some eyes coming from somewhere in the corridor where she stood. She raised hers in the direction where she felt the gaze was coming from and met a pair of black orbs. They belonged to a tall and handsome medic-nin, who was walking their way with a record in hands. When her eyes made contact with his, he blushed lightly. And just as soon, her eyes narrowed slightly and she averted her gaze by looking back at the floor.
As a lady she had learned that it was important to honor her husband whether she liked him or not. If men gazed intently at her or blushed when her eyes touched him she had to quickly cut any connection between them. It would be shameful for a wife to pay attention to someone that was not her husband in any way that could be thought of as romantic. Even though Akemi had a little aversion toward her husband in terms of his arrogant personality, she was still a lady. And as a lady, she would pay him the respect he deserved as her companion.
The moment her eyes landed back on the floor, Neji's eyes snapped open and traveled over to the medic-nin that was approaching. He had felt him inspecting the young woman from across for some time now. Even though he had no attraction to her she was still his wife. It was disrespectful of a man to be gazing at her so intently. If he did not stop his behavior Neji would be forced to intervene in a different manner.
Akemi noted Neji was fixing a stare on the young man that was just a few feet away from them. Apparently, he had noticed what he was doing.
The medic-nin quickly looked away when he became aware of the look Neji was giving him. When he walked past them he bent his head while muttering a 'good afternoon' in general to which Gai, Lee and Akemi replied. The Hyuuga prodigy, in turn, followed him with his pale lavender gaze until he was gone. Then he cast his eyes on his wife.
The sapphire-eyed girl was looking at him, her deep eyes studying him from where she stood. It was as if she was waiting for him to say something…
"Ah, Tenten, you're finally out!" Gai exclaimed, rising from his chair as the girl walked out of the room, "let's go eat!"
The two Jounin tore their eyes from each other the moment the green-clad shinobi acknowledged the weapon mistress's presence. She seemed well, though a little tired. She attributed such a thing to hunger. So Gai and Lee announced they should hurry to eat lunch in case Tenten passed out. She sweat-dropped at the comment, but followed after them when they set off. Akemi and Neji followed suit, still without exchanging words among themselves.
-o-
"So, Akemi-san, what are your hobbies?" Lee asked after the five of them had ordered their food in the place they were visiting.
He was sitting between Neji and Gai on an all-men's bench since they had decided to leave the kunoichi one for themselves. He looked at the young girl with curiosity, wishing to know more about her. She looked like the type who didn't talk much so he was intent on making her speak.
"They are training, reading," she mused, gazing at him with a small smile, "and I used to sing and play the piano."
"Why don't you do that anymore?" he asked, earning a glare from Tenten, who sat across from him.
"I stopped singing several years ago," Akemi answered in a bit of a finishing tone while still keeping the eye contact, "and I stopped playing the piano when Mother died."
No one needed to know anything beyond that. She didn't want to discuss her personal life with strangers.
"What books do you like to read?" Lee asked, catching on Tenten's hint to change the subject.
"I read anything that piques my interest," Akemi answered just as a young woman came to serve them their drinks, "but I mostly read anatomy books."
"Anatomy books?" Tenten repeated after thanking the woman for serving tea.
"Yes," the silver haired kunoichi replied, also after giving her thanks, "we learn anatomy in order to have a better knowledge of how to use the nagare shogai depending on what we are doing. It allows us to know where to make blows that have the consequences we need in battle, or where we should apply an electric discharge needed to help someone in surgery."
"Do you have a lot of family working in the Iwagakure hospital?" Gai asked after he had sipped some tea from his cup.
"About half my family works there," Akemi answered, smiling her little smile, "the hospital finds the nagare shogai to be a useful ability, especially when they try to resuscitate a patient."
Gai chuckled. "I can imagine how many years it must have taken to have a good use of it. You need good chakra control to do that."
She nodded in reply before sipping her tea slowly, trying to savor the warm liquid.
"What about siblings?" Lee asked as Neji drank some tea beside him in silence.
"I have a younger sister," Akemi answered. At the thought of Asumi, she fully smiled. She wondered if the younger girl was doing well. She hoped to receive word from her soon.
"I take it you're fond of her?" Gai commented as Akemi picked her teacup again.
"She is my closest friend," the young kunoichi answered before touching her lips to the cup.
"Does the Amano clan share any physical trait in particular, like the Hyuuga clan does?" Lee asked as Akemi settled her cup back on the table.
Neji raised an eyebrow while turning to gaze at him. He had been listening to the conversation at hand but he had not expected his comrade to ask such a question, less of all use his family as an example. It was queer. But then again, Lee was a strange guy.
Akemi regarded the question in a rather humorous way, though she didn't express it. She understood he meant to ask if all Amano looked the way she did: strange, at least for him. She knew she was awkward to look at in Konoha. But in Iwa or anywhere else in the Earth Country, things were different for her or any Amano.
"We share various physical traits, although there is not one that is constant amongst ourselves. Not everyone has the same hair color or eye color, to put an example. But you can identify someone as an Amano for one of those traits. The Amano have either one of these hair colors: dark blue, silver or dark brown. As for the eye color, it's either one of these: honey-brown or dark brown," Akemi answered as a young man stopped by the table to deliver their food.
"What about your eye color?" Lee asked as the plates were set before them.
"I inherited them from my Mother," Akemi answered. She turned to the young man and smiled with gratitude. "Arigatou."
He told them to enjoy their lunch before he gave them a warm smile and retired to the kitchen. After that, Akemi's interrogation ceased and she was left to eat in peace. Gai and Lee engaged in another youthful conversation while the other three ninja ate in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts.
'I still lack information about Neji,' Akemi thought as she swallowed some rice, 'I know of some of his abilities, but knowing doesn't help much when it comes to the battle. Witnessing the abilities in action is much more helpful. But when will I get the chance to see them? Will today be that day?'
Depending on what she saw she would make a final decision on how she would commit the assassination. She wasn't going to risk blowing her cover; she was in the perfect position to do the job.
An hour later the five shinobi found themselves back in the training ground taking a rest of several minutes before continuing their training. They needed to digest the food before doing exercise. About five minutes after they had arrived, Gai announced it was time to resume their task. Tenten and Lee followed his instructions to do a hundred push-ups while Neji and Akemi watched from below a cool tree shade.
The silver haired girl had chosen to stay put for the rest of the afternoon until it was time to return to the Hyuuga estate. True, she had not done much training but frankly she preferred doing it on her own. After all, she didn't need them to know of what she was capable of nor what she contained in her jutsu and combat arsenal. She had already showed them enough.
'I wonder why is Neji not training?' she thought as her eyes rested on Lee while he did the push-ups at a fast pace.
The Hyuuga prodigy had not moved an inch from his spot beside her on the soft grass. He had merely observed with a blank expression when his comrades began to move toward the clearing and resumed their training from earlier.
"Is something the matter?" Akemi asked without glancing at him.
"No," he stated arrogantly as Tenten and Lee began to spar. "Do you want to return?"
"No," Akemi stated, watching the sparring scene unfold, "I'm fine here."
After that short exchange, there was no other. Several minutes later, however, Neji rose to his feet and commenced his training.
Just as Akemi had decided, she stayed put in her spot for the rest of the afternoon while watching the training her companions were doing. She was able to witness Neji spar, but he did not show anything beyond simple use of Jyuuken. He didn't unleash any special technique as she hoped but at least she managed to gather some information. She was able to study how he used such fighting style and got Gai to explain how it worked. Plus, she got a hold of an important fact: he was very strong. She had seen it in the way he fought. He had taken it easy. Perhaps he was stronger than what she had expected…
Hours later, Akemi bid farewell to her new acquaintances before she followed her husband back to the estate. As soon as they approached the front steps to the main house, he detained her with a curt statement.
"You could have evaded Tenten's attack," he stated as she removed her sandals.
He stood across from her sitting form, studying her expression with his pale lavender eyes. She did not deviate her eyes from the task she had at hand to emit her reply.
"She caught me off guard," she replied, grasping the shoes with one hand before rising to her feet. "Is there any particular reason why you are bringing this matter up?"
"Did you take pity on her?" he asked, scowling as he observed her.
"I'm not pitying anyone," Akemi answered with slight annoyance.
His expression and tone were beginning to get on her nerves.
'What is wrong with him?' she thought as their eyes met.
She didn't flinch or quaver beneath his gaze; she met it straight on.
"Is there something you would like to tell me?" she stated, her expression hardening under the realization of what he was trying to do.
If he was trying to intimidate her or something of the nature it wasn't going to work anymore. He was beginning to rile her up with his behavior, something that was not good. She had a difficult temper.
"You're an arrogant kunoichi," he said rather coldly.
"Interesting how I've heard that before alongside a smirk," she snapped, glaring. "You are a fine one to talk, Neji."
"Am I?" he replied, matching her glare, "I take it you're used to speaking this way to people?"
"Only when they bring it out of me," Akemi retorted, clenching her sandals, "now, I'll leave you to your cynicism."
She whirled around before witnessing his reaction and strode toward her room with a scowl. The sooner she got away from him, the better.
'If the rest of the time I have left here incurs in a similar way as it did today then hell will ensue,' she thought, lips drawn together in a tight line as she approached her room.
When she arrived at her door, she quickly slid it open and shut herself in. She haphazardly tossed her sandals on the shoe mat in one of the corners of her room before walking into the bathroom to wash her face. As she dried it off, someone knocked on the door. Instantly, she fixed a glare on it from where she stood. She knew who was at the other side.
"Leave me to myself," she said with chagrin as she gathered her short nightgown from a chest drawer.
"Open the door," Neji stated with his usual tone as Akemi placed her clothing in the bathroom.
"Get off," she told him, glaring at the door again as she went back into her room.
"Akemi, open the door," the Hyuuga prodigy stated coldly, glaring at it.
In a moment the door slid open quite roughly and Akemi stood before him, hair loose over her shoulders. She rested a slender hand on the door handle before turning her deep sapphire eyes on him to narrow them.
"What?" she snapped.
"Come outside," he told her, and Akemi's grip on the handle tightened.
'Is he talking with condescension to me?' she thought as he frowned at her, arms crossed.
"No," she snorted, meeting his eyes. "Don't come around to order me after an argument."
She gave a hard pull to the door and shut it on his face before locking herself in the bathroom to bathe.
Neji stared at the closed door with narrowed eyes before he scowled. 'What a horrid temper for such a woman.'
-o-
End of chapter. I would like to explain something about the argument. Neji told Akemi she was arrogant because he considers her way of speaking and interacting with others that way. At least, he considered it that way during their lunchtime. Akemi told him he was a cynic because she pretty much guessed he was telling her those things because he was having issues over their differences in branches of their clans. :D
Please review and keep reading.