Honor of the Heart
Chapter 3-Events of Otafuku Gai! Disguised Kindness
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. However, I own this story, Akari Nara and so on. Also, the surnames will go before the first names like the Japanese and other Asian cultures do, since they just sound right to me because I watch anime too much.
A/N: Whoo-hoo! Over 100 views! ^^ Please leave more reviews, I'd love to hear what you think. Thanks to those who favorited and followed me! :D
*Warning*
This chapter contains aspects of depression, PTSD, and survivor's guilt. If you struggle with any of these very serious issues or are triggered by such issues, proceed with caution.
Akari's POV
Our first stop was a nearby stand that sold some cool popsicles.
Staring at them, my mood became somber as I recalled all the times my parents used to take me to festivals and eat them with me. All of us smiling, laughing and enjoying each other's company...
"Those days were so happy..."
"Hey Akari-chan, are you alright?" Taiki asked, snapping me out of my reminiscence of bittersweet memories.
"Yeah, I'm fine. So, two of these popsicles please!" I requested, accepting the treats after I paid.
They were double popsicles, so I broke one off for Chikara and handed the other two to Saburo and Taiki. "Here you go, Taiki-kun, Saburo."
"Thanks, Akari-chan." Taiki smiled gratefully.
"I've told you before, I don't like sweets," Saburo replied, declining the popsicle wavering before his face.
"Well, maybe your tastes have changed. Mine did. Now I like strawberries and hate turnips. So, try it." I insisted, shoving it into his hand.
He sighed, reluctantly tasting the popsicle. His mouth twisted into a frown as he tossed away the treat.
"Nope."
Chikara looked up at me in confusion. "What's so exciting about a town like this?"
"Hmm... the atmosphere? I've never been to Otafuku Gai, even though it's only 12 kilometers outside of Konoha..." I trailed off, inhaling the aroma of various cooking meats, powerful spices, and simmering soups from the food stands.
"Aren't you supposed to be focused on protecting me?" He queried, licking his popsicle.
"Yeah, so? I can enjoy myself while I'm at it, can't I?"
"Okay, how about we visit some other place?" Taiki suggested before anything could transpire.
"Psh, whatever you guys choose will be boring." Chikara scowled, starting to run off.
I reached out and grabbed him by the ear, dragging him back. "Oh no, you don't! It's dangerous to wander off by yourself."
Chikara pouted up at me. "Tch, you're just trying to do your jobs."
I pulled him closer by his ear. "We're not that boring! Come on, let's have some fun!"
I did my best to ignore all the pubs, so I made my teammates and client's son follow me to a game stand. Glancing at it, I noticed it read, "Ninjutsu is not allowed."
"Hey, Chikara! How about you go first?" I suggested while biting off a portion of my icy cool treat.
The chill filled my mouth, dousing out the dryness of the journey and beating sun. A sweet blueberry flavor danced across my taste buds, leaving me refreshed.
Staring back at me defiantly, he huffed, "And what if I don't want to?"
"Then another one of us will play or we'll go somewhere else."
"Okay, fine, I'll play the stupid game." The kid grumbled.
Smiling, I stepped back to give him more access to the stand, coincidentally standing in between my teammates.
"Can I go next?" Taiki pleaded.
I shrugged. "Yeah, sure."
"Again, why must I be here?" Saburo sighed, his ice-blue eyes drained of enthusiasm.
"Because you're part of the team, genius." I retorted, smacking him on the back.
I didn't mean to cause him any harm, but I accidentally made him go off-balance and caused him to stumble. Taiki forced back his chuckles as my fellow teammate shot me a glare.
"Ehehe... sorry."
"I'm telling you this game is rigged! It's the third time I've lost!" We heard Chikara exclaim.
"Nonsense, kid! You just don't have very good aim!" The owner of the stand protested.
"Here, let me give it a try." I smiled, taking up one of the palm-sized balls and placing the money on the counter.
Aiming carefully, I threw it precisely so that it would knock down all the bottles with a loud clatter.
"Yes!" I cheered, happily accepting the prize I was given, which was a special chocolate bar that was usually very expensive.
"Tch, you just got lucky." Chikara pouted, but I could see his hidden disappointment.
Extending my hand, I offered him the prize. "Here."
He placed his eyes on it in surprise. "Huh? Why are you giving this to me?"
I shrugged again. "Who knows? I don't really want it."
The daimyo's son gazed at it for a minute. "T... Thanks..."
It was the first time he used manners of any sort.
"No problem," I replied while he continued on ahead of us.
Sensing a stare, I turned my head to see a pouting Taiki. "What's wrong, Taiki-kun?"
"... I never got a turn."
Guilt hit me hard. "Oh... I'm sorry. I totally forgot."
He waved a hand. "It's fine, we can just go to another one!"
As we continued walking, I gradually got more and more upset about the stupid choice I made.
"Wow, I didn't know Akari-chan had it in her! She loves chocolate." I heard Taiki remark behind me/
Meanwhile, I slumped my shoulders with tears streaming down my face.
"It... looked... so... delicious... why must I have a soft spot for kids?!"
"No, I think she's regretting it now," Saburo replied, noticing my posture.
I didn't care and continued moping in silence when suddenly I could have sworn I saw a familiar figure out of the corner of my eye. My eyes widened as my heart plummeted.
Walking past was my best friend, Hyuuga Etsuko. Her smile and appearance were unmistakable. But it couldn't be; I got her killed.
Instantly I dropped my popsicle, whipping around to face her, only to find she was never there in the first place. My heart sank, feeling the tug of depression weigh on me.
"Akari-chan? You okay?" Taiki inquired when he saw my expression.
I forced a smile, even though it felt like I was rotting inside. "Yeah, I'm okay."
We went around visiting a few more stands, finding several games and foods to test.
I started munching on a stick of multicolored dango. The smooth bean paste filling spilled out inside my mouth as I tore at the soft dough. I was actually making myself eat it, even though I never felt like eating anymore. It was... sickening, for some reason. I'd long since lost the taste for food.
"How long are we going to do this?" Taiki whispered, and I craned my neck to answer.
"Probably until the sun sets, which is in a few more hours. Why?"
"Well, I just feel like we should be getting back now, is all."
"Nah, why should we? Hatake said we have until sunset to meet up with him. Might as well make the most out of this festive town while we can, right?"
"Yeah, I guess..." My brown-haired teammate trailed off, still sounding uncertain. "Do you think Hatake-san's even found a place to stay yet?"
Saburo replied, "Probably."
I snorted. "Yeah, and sitting around reading some stupid book. You know Jiraiya's been trying to get him to read his series? I think Hatake's starting to cave in, stupid pervert..."
With Kakashi
The silver-haired Jounin was indeed reading, but definitely not sitting around.
In actuality, he was searching for the proper inn. Apparently, it was harder than he'd initially imagined, since there were so many people in the town visiting. Thus, the constant struggle to find a large free room.
Suddenly he sneezed.
"Hmm... I hope no one's saying anything about me." He pondered aloud, his eyes, or technically, eye automatically wandering back to the inked words on the white pages that were illuminated by rays of warm sunlight.
As Kakashi's only visible onyx darted across page to page, envisioning the story in his mind, procrastination seemed like a very good alternative. Too bad the mission was A-rank...
"Okay, I know there's one open somewhere..."
Akari's POV
"Wow. I think you're the only person that's bothered by it so much." Saburo told me, and I shot him a glare.
"Whatever! I just don't like perverts."
"He's not that perverted. If anything he just used to abide by the rules too much, and that's improved a lot." Taiki argued.
"Hey, where's Chikara?" Saburo asked.
I snapped my head in front of me to see a vacant spot where Chikara had been.
Then I freaked out.
"Aaah! Oh no, where is he?! How could we have lost him?!" I exclaimed, on the verge of pulling out my hair. I felt my eyes nearly pop out of my skull.
"It must have been when we were discussing with one another." The brunette behind me noted.
"No duh. How very observant." Saburo retorted dryly.
I flailed my arms around, searching for the child frantically.
"Where is he?! He couldn't have gone far, right? I mean we only looked away for a moment and he can only run so far, I haven't sensed any outstanding murderous intents or anything and-"
"Akari-chan, calm down! We'll find him, we just need to start asking around." Taiki reassured me.
I took some deep breaths and nodded. "Right. Okay, let's split up to cover more ground. There's a lot of people here so someone must have seen him at some point."
They nodded and dispersed as I walked over to a nearby stand.
"Hello sir, have you seen a little kid about this tall with brown hair and sort of plump? He has a weird updo, too." I queried, using motions with my hands.
"Sorry, I can't say I have."
"Oh. Thanks."
I hurried off to ask more people.
"Have you seen a little boy about this tall with a weird hairstyle?"
"No, sorry."
"Did you happen to spot a child with a weird hairstyle? He's about this tall."
"Nope."
"By chance, has a little kid this tall and a strange hairstyle come through here?"
"Can't say I've seen anyone like that."
I groaned, desperately glancing around for any sign of Chikara. "Man! Who knew a little kid could be so elusive?"
"Excuse me, are you looking for a child?" A young man asked me.
I turned to face him. "Uh, yeah. Have you seen him? He's about this tall with brown hair in a weird updo."
"Yeah, I've seen him."
I lit up with hope. "Really?! Where did he go?"
"I accidentally bumped into him when passing by some pleasure quarters. I'm not sure why he'd be around there, though."
"... PLEASURE QUARTERS?!" I mentally screamed.
That's the last place I wanted to go to!
"O... Okay, thanks!" I edged a smile, then started checking out the quarters with great reluctance.
"Has a kid come by here?" I questioned a call girl who greeted me.
"Hmm, sorry sweetie, haven't seen any kids. Besides, children like you aren't allowed to enter places like this."
"Not that I'd ever WANT to enter a place like this!"
"Thanks anyway," I said, running off to more pleasure quarters.
"Geez, where did that kid go?!"
With Chikara
He chuckled evilly as he scanned the streets, biting off another piece of the expensive chocolate Akari gave him. It was so easy to slip away, he almost laughed while running off.
"And they call themselves ninjas!"
"Chikara! Where are you?" He heard a voice call out.
It was far behind, but the fact he could hear it made him jump.
"Oh no, they're onto me! And if that wench Akari finds me..." The child shivered at the possibility of suffering at her hands.
He searched for the closest place to run cover to, dashing into a building at random, accidentally bumping into some guy along the way.
"Sorry..." He muttered before entering.
Still looking at the entrance, he saw the feet of Akari walk by, with her calling out his name repeatedly. Sighing in relief, Chikara turned to see which building he had entered.
The room was somewhat dark due to the opaque drapes lining the interior. The twang of a kyoto prevented absolute silence. There was a slight haze about the air, and an intense scent of agarwood hit his senses.
"Incense? Just what kind of place is this?" Chikara wondered, then his eyes landed on someone that worked in the building and automatically his cheeks flushed with scarlet.
It was a woman dressed in a layered kimono, with a flirtatious smirk on her pretty face full of makeup.
"Don't tell me I'm where I think I am..." The kid thought in dread, stiff as a board as the woman strutted towards him with swaying hips.
"A child? Boy, do you realize that you are not allowed into places like this?" She asked, bending down to his level and revealing some cleavage.
Now as red in the face as a tomato, Chikara couldn't find it in himself to speak. He was as stiff as a board with sweat accumulating at the sides of his temples.
"I-I-I..."
"What's wrong, Koyuki? We were just about to start our session," A tall, middle-aged man said, coming to stand next to the courtesan and glared at the young royal. "Why is there a child here? This place is for men only."
Seeing how the situation was escalating rather quickly, Chikara started to back away from the menacing customer.
A hand descended onto Chikara's shoulder, causing him to flinch. "Oh no, the wench found me!"
Turning, he saw it was Saburo much to his surprise. The lights above him illuminated his face, leaching the color from his eyes to make them truly seem like specks of ice.
"There you are, brother. I've been looking all over for you. I apologize if he caused any inconveniences. Now if you'll excuse us, ma'am, sir, we're going to be late to join up with our parents." He commented calmly, swiftly dragging Chikara out of the pleasure quarters roughly.
"Ow! Watch it!" He snapped, yanking out of the brunette's grip.
"What were you doing in pleasure quarters?" Saburo questioned, complete and utter seriousness in his tone.
His demeanor frightened Chikara to an extent, leading to his uncharacteristic stuttering of "N-None of your business!".
"Since your father entrusted your safety to us and you took off unexpectedly while in our care, it kind of makes it my business." Saburo glared with his arms folded.
Caving from intimidation, Chikara answered, "Okay, so I might've wanted some time by myself, so what?"
"If you wanted that then you should have just said so. We would have stayed relatively close so you wouldn't get captured, but we know how to respect privacy. Don't do that again, idiot." The blue-eyed genin warned, flicking his forehead.
"Ow! I'm going to tell my father about that!" The child threatened, rubbing the red spot that started forming.
"And I'll tell him that you went into pleasure quarters while underaged." Saburo countered.
Chikara shrunk, unable to conjure up another threat. "Whatever..."
"Come on, I know a nice resting spot nearby that's away from all the noise." Saburo said, leading Chikara to a secluded spot underneath a tree that overlooked the town.
With Akari
"Chikara! Come on, please answer!" She shouted in vain.
Darting everywhere she could, the redhead spotted a head of brown hair and grabbed his shoulder, only to see it was a completely different child.
"Sorry..."
Taking a break, Akari sat down on a bench, holding her head in her hands. Tears of frustration, panic, and a crushing wave of fear welled in her eyes.
"This is all my fault... if I hadn't started that argument, then I would've been able to catch him sneaking off. And here I thought I could protect kids under my care, ever since that day..."
She struggled to suppress the incoming wave of panic as she bit her lower lip.
"What do I do?"
"What would Hatake do?"
She might not always get along smoothly with the young Jounin, but she knew he was incredibly smart. Smarter than her, or anyone else in her team.
Shaking her head, Akari stood up with a renewed determination. "I can't give up! I know he's around here somewhere! I just need to look harder!"
With Saburo and Chikara
The daimyo's son took a bite of his chocolate. "How'd you find this spot, anyways?"
"I saw it when walking around town. This is where I wanted to be instead of going to all of those stands with Akari. It was such a nuisance." The black-haired doujutsu-user replied.
Chikara continued to nibble away at the sweet treat. "Heh, that wench."
As if summoned by his words, Akari appeared below in the town yelling at the top of her lungs, coincidentally meeting up with Taiki.
When he said he hadn't seen Chikara, Akari repeatedly shouted his name twice as loud. "CHIKARA! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
The said kid was so startled he jumped and backed away a few feet. "Sheesh! She's everywhere! Why won't she just give up? It's not like I'd try to find my way home on my own or anything."
"In a busy town like this, anyone could pick you out of a crowd and have their way with you if they know who you are. Akari's simply worried about you and doing her job."
Chikara snorted. "Yeah, I bet she's just doing her job. It's just because I'm to be protected and I'm the daimyo's son."
"Akari isn't like that. She cares about people because of who they are, not because of money or status. I'm surprised she still can, considering..." Saburo trailed off.
"Considering what?" The daimyo's son inquired, finishing off the chocolate and pocketing the wrapper.
"She's lost a lot recently these past few months. We all have. Things she shouldn't have seen or experienced happened, and for a while I thought she'd give up. But she's stronger than most think she is. That's why, when she's this freaked out about losing someone, it means she really cares about you. She just can't express it really well, so I guess you could say she disguises her kindness."
Chikara stared in amazement.
"Well, you'll have to ask her for the rest of the details. It's not right for me to ramble about her past."
"HRAAH!"
The boy and genin snapped their heads to the town to see Akari's temper flaring as she curled her hands into tight, menacing fists. They could have sworn she was emanating flames.
"CHIKARA! IF YOU DON'T COME OUT SOON I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND KICK YOUR ASS BACK TO THE LAND OF NOODLES! LITERALLY!"
Chills crept up the spine of the now terrified child, who began quivering like a leaf.
"Well, we should probably join up with them before Akari goes on another rampage." Saburo sighed, stretching as he got up.
Chikara followed, albeit reluctantly. As they drew closer, they heard the two conversing.
"Akari-chan, I know it's frustrating, but we'll find him soon enough! I mean, Saburo still isn't back yet, so maybe he had some luck." Taiki told her cheerfully.
"It's just...he's so young, and he's our responsibility! If anything happened to him I'd never forgive myself..."
The boy trained his eyes on the ground in shame.
Saburo nudged him forward, prompting the child to glance back at him. "Come on, it's better than making her die of worry and guilt."
Slowly nodding, Chikara continued to walk forward, Saburo speaking up. "Hey, guess who I found bursting into pleasure quarters and bailed out?"
The two turned their attention to them, lush green and sparkling amethyst eyes widening.
"Chikara?" Taiki uttered, heaving a sigh of immense relief.
Akari walked towards him, anger lighting her features. "You idiot!"
Curling a fist she hit the back of his head, knocking him off balance.
"That hurt! That wench, isn't she at least a little concerned?!"
Wincing and gasping at the same time, Chikara whipped around to glare at her. "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be worried about-"
He was cut off as Akari ruffled a hand through his hair somewhat roughly, another on his shoulder. "I'm glad you're safe. We searched everywhere for you!"
Pulling away to look him in the eye, she grew a stern expression. "Now what do you need to say to us?"
Reluctantly, Chikara glanced at Saburo and Taiki. "Sorry..."
The redhead before him started to grow a smile.
"Saburo-nii, Taiki-niisan."
A vein bulged in Akari's forehead. "This little brat! I swear I'm gonna-"
Taiki lurched forward to hold her arms back again before she could harm Chikara.
"Sheesh, get this crazy wench away from me!" The child exclaimed.
"Huh? What was that you little-"
"Hey, can we just meet up where Hatake-san told us to, please?" Taiki interposed, making a rather good point.
The sun had started its slow descent, after all.
Akari frowned, glancing away as her temper cooled. "Fine, whatever."
Once they reached the rendezvous point, they found they had some more time to continue the abruptly halted argument upon realizing Kakashi had yet to arrive.
"And you had the nerve to-"
"Sorry I'm late." A deeper voice said from behind.
The teammates and Chikara all turned to see Kakashi reading his book.
"Hatake?" The only female in the group murmured, her rage dissipating.
His sudden presence had startled her, causing Akari to lose her pugnacious attitude.
"Hey. Before you say anything, I'm only a little late because it took longer than I expected to find a decent room." He informed them in a serious yet bored tone, which none of them thought was possible.
Akari gazed upwards, realizing the sun was now a golden orb set already halfway down in the distance. Pinks, purples, golds, and blues coalesced in the sky like colors splashed onto a canvas.
"Somehow I don't think you looked very hard." Saburo pointed out, a glaze over his eyes his only hint to a desire for sleep.
The silver-haired jonin stared him down. "Actually, I did. There are a lot of visitors in this town, so a majority of the larger rooms were taken. Thankfully, I finally found one."
"Can we please just go to the inn and get some sleep? We're all getting cranky and argumentative." Akari interrupted, effectively putting Kakashi and Saburo's discussion to a halt.
Hatake nodded. "Yes, shall we?"
With Kakashi in the lead, the group of five made it to the inn they were residing in for the night. Based on what he said, Akari had half-assumed it'd be some run-down, crappy hotel room with spiders and moldy walls. She was sincerely hoping to be proven wrong.
Chikara stared at the back of Akari, Saburo's words playing in his mind. "She just can't express it really well, so I guess you could say she disguises her kindness."
Was that really true? Akari never treated him like royalty, more like a younger brother or a child that needed scolding.
As if sensing his eyes trained on her, the redhead craned her neck to frown at him. "Something wrong, Chikara?"
Jolting at the sudden question, Chikara took a moment to clear his head before shaking it. "No."
She shrugged. "Okay."
Turning back around, Akari started pestering Kakashi about his book.
A light smile grew on the child's lips. "I guess I'll just have to find out."
A/N: Hey guys! I wanna give a shout out to KRenee and my beta reader G-ChanSanKun. They're amazing and have been extremely helpful! ^^ Review. Favorite. Follow. Three things that all take less than a minute to do and make me very happy ;)