When Rain Falls: Chapter 9 – Back to the Basics
Disclaimer: Everything, other than my own characters, belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Thunder rumbled in the sky as the grey overtook blue. The frost haired shinobi reached for her Ame headband only to recoil at the touch. She adjusted her aim and pulled the Konoha one to her face, inspecting the unfamiliar design. A sigh passed her lips before she tied it around her forehead. No one on her team wore the protectors around their foreheads except when they were first assigned to Toko's team. She had them place the band where they wanted to based on their personalities or combat styles. Kotone usually had hers attached to the sleeve of her jacket to symbolize her caring nature, but today was like the first day she wore hers. It was a sign of respect to the village and the person who had welcomed her to it.
Another rumble passed over her new house, though it wasn't strong enough to rock the foundation. "It's going to rain," Kotone mumbled to herself as she tied the black sash of her kimono. Kaori was waiting in her doorway, the house unfamiliar to her as well. Her headband was in the same place for the same honor.
Kotone smiled at her teammate who had already attended too many funerals and gave her black hair a pat. The usual bun was in place, but her usual turquoise cover was missing. They walked down the stairs to meet up with Toko and Takumi as well as Kotone's parents. They were all strangers to the village, but the Hokage gave them a chance to escape a village that didn't respect the lives of its citizens. The leader of Ame had even allowed them to move, giving full permission to their request as he likely had for others fleeing the turbulent city.
"What a welcoming sight," Takumi said as they walked to the funeral location. His eyes were searching the sky, however, not the crowd of black clad figures with their shoulders dipped in grief or held up in pride.
Kaori's eyes watered despite her lack of acquaintance with the Hokage. She had only seen him from a distance during the Exams, but she could feel the pain of the citizens. He had died to protect his village from further harm, a quality she could mourn.
They were met with suspicion as they climbed the stairs, a justified reaction given how this day had come to be, but the people of Konoha didn't reject them. Kotone stood behind Kaori as the ceremony started, her white hair almost looking like an intruder among the rest of the crowd. The grey skies couldn't dull the bright color of her long hair, but she knew no one was paying attention to it. Everyone's eyes were either downcast or focused on the picture of a happy man in the traditional Hokage robes.
When the rain started to fall, Kotone looked up. Drops fell dangerously close to her eyes, but she was used to watching the rain. Her life had started during a storm and every important moment since was accompanied by the familiar sensation of raindrops gently landing on her. She looked at the picture of the Hokage, recalling how he had asked her about the move personally. He only spoke to her briefly, but it was obvious he was a kind man. He was a protector, much like she considered herself to be, and he gave his all to keep his home and his citizens safe. But the grief left behind weighed heavy on her heart.
Kaori had to tug on Kotone's sleeve to make her aware that is was their turns to place flowers on the grave. She pat her younger teammate's shoulder in thanks and picked up a flower. She twirled the white chrysanthemum, twisting it on the stem, admiring the beauty of the flower. She closed her eyes in a short and silent prayer, "Thank you." She set the flower down before moving out of the way for her parents, the rest of her team having gone already.
It would have seemed odd that they were allowed this close to the ceremony, having only just moved to the village, but the Council requested it of them as a sign of good faith on their part. They had apparently resisted the move of the entire team until they realized Kotone's father was a master weapon-smith and would provide the village his innovative tools for a reasonable cost. Because of that the Council was pacified, but the Hokage had been okay with the move from the beginning.
The rain stopped shortly after everyone laid their flowers on the table. Kotone smiled as the sun slowly peaked out from the clouds and lit up the village. It meant the time for grieving would end, just like the rain.
"Who wants lunch?" her father's voice broke the silence as they left the service. His tone was peaceful as always.
Kaori was the first to jump at the offer though Toko quickly swatted her student's head and scolded her for being too excited to eat. Kotone and Takumi stood behind the rest, a familiar silence passing between them before they joined in the fun.
A few days passed with Kotone's father establishing his shop out of the first floor of their house, but he wouldn't open until more of the construction around the village was complete. His skills at crafting were applied to repairing houses and other buildings.
"Oh, Kotone! Take this to your father, please," Hotaru called out before throwing a bento at her. She caught it with ease and nodded though her mother was focused on her stitching. With some folks home's destroyed, Kotone's mother was crafting clothing for them to wear while they remade their lives.
Everyone seemed to ease into their roles as members of the village; Takumi was helping her father by recommending materials or ways to reinforce walls to prevent future damage, Kaori was using her strength to move materials, though Toko-sensei considered it training since she had to use her chakra to lift and move the supplies without destroying them. However, Kotone hadn't been tasked with anything to do nor did people seem to know what she could help with.
She sighed as she neared her father only to hear exclamations as part of a wall was about to collapse onto some citizens.
"Shit!" She cursed before darting above the wall and using her wires to stop the crumbling. She continued to enforce the wall with wires until it was nearly covered with them.
"Good catch, Kotone!" her father's voice reached her ears.
He moved in front of the wall an examined the way her wires were holding up the stone. He tapped his chin in thought as Kotone just sat on top of the building with her chakra flowing through her wires.
"Hmmm. Takumi, what would you do here? If Kotone releases her wires the wall will crumble and fall. But she can't hold the wall for the rest of her life either."
Takumi nodded, appearing out of nowhere and examining the wall himself. "We should brace it with planks in order to give the stonemason time to repair the stone, but Kotone will have to hold the wall steady until it is braced properly."
"Think you can manage that, Kotone?" Yuuto called out to her, his green eyes glinting in the sun.
"Yeah, but Mama sent me to give you this," Kotone held up the bento with her free hand. Her father's excitement grew at the sight of food, but his daughter's cruel smirk made him hesitant.
He rubbed the back of his head as he called up to her, "You're not going to let me have that, are you?"
"Not until I can get down from here. Once the wall is braced you can eat!"
He slumped his shoulders at the method his daughter used to make the job go by faster. He'd have to personally assist in bracing the wall in order to get it done in an hour. Takumi chuckled at the way the father-daughter pair treated each other and how much Kotone was starting to resemble her mother in her actions. The last thought made him shiver in fear though.
"How's the reconstruction been going, Takumi?" Kotone asked when he joined her on the building.
He plopped down beside her and sighed. "It's a long process, but it's been nice to use my brain for something that wasn't a fight. I'm cleared to go on missions at anytime though. No thanks to someone electrocuting me."
Kotone rolled her eyes at his efforts to tease her way of winning their match. "You wanted me to be serious and I seriously trained that ability so it wouldn't hurt you too much. You burned me with acid and blinded me in one eye!"
"Temporarily! Besides, if you hadn't been so easy in the beginning you would have been fine."
Kotone laughed at his casual admittance that she could have dodged everything if he hadn't caught her off guard. It could have been a very short battle for him whose success rode on being in the rear.
"Though you can throw a punch! I'm so proud!"
"Oi! Don't treat me like I'm that weak," he said though his thoughts went back to how sore he had been during his extensive fitness training with Toko. He had nearly cried from the later challenges he had to complete once he finished the basics.
"Have you seen Kaori at all today? I know Toko-sensei was using this opportunity to train her in a more relaxed atmosphere, but they didn't drop by the house today."
Takumi shook his head. "I saw her yesterday when she brought us a lot of the materials for the stonemason. Apparently she had to shatter a fallen wall so it could be safely removed from the area. I think she's getting the hang of her explosive chakra release, though my understanding is that she doesn't actually make contact with her target anymore."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"When Toko-sensei told her to observe the Hyuga's fighting style, the Gentle Fist, Kaori got an idea. Part of her issue was that she was trying to release her chakra at the exact moment of contact with her target. If she missed, her chakra backfired because she didn't have the touch to tell her to let it out. So now she releases her chakra before she can hit the target, causing massive physical damage with the vibrations of her chakra being released in a wave."
"So she can shatter my bones when she misses? Fantastic," Kotone deadpanned. The two laughed at the terrifying nature of their teammate's ability and how she was physically the strongest. She also dominated in close combat meaning that all their efforts to defend her for being young were likely hindering her.
"Kotone!" her father's voice called out, "Release your wires, we need to see if this will hold the wall until it can be repaired."
Kotone stood up and cut the wires with her chakra, waiting to see if there was any shifting among the stone. When it remained solid and in place, she smiled and jumped down.
"Now you can eat!" Kotone teased as she handed her father the bento.
Some of the nearby villagers chuckled at the dynamic. Some even teased Yuuto, "Oooh! Your wife makes you handmade bentos? Lucky!"
He blushed and rubbed his neck, "She knows I'd starve without one! Though it's my daughter that reminds me of that fact when she makes me finish my work first!"
The group erupted into laughter, even Kotone and Takumi joining in. Konoha had already shown it had more than Ame in the actions of the villagers alone. The suspicion died almost immediately after her parents offered their abilities to help. They were initially refused until Yuuto caught a panel that had fallen off a window, preventing a villager from getting hurt, and Hotaru had stitched a young boy's clothing on the street. After that they were treated as newcomers to the community, still kept at a short distance, but slowly being embraced.
"Oh, Kotone, have you eaten?"
She shook her head, her braid shifting at the movement. "Not since breakfast."
Her father pulled out some money which she tried to refuse, but he pushed it into her hands. "You should go get some food. I'd tell Takumi to go with you, but he just ate before you got here. Maybe one of your new friends could go!"
Kotone waved as she walked away from her father and Takumi. She put her hands behind her head and let out a sigh. She remembered Toko's words to her after the invasion was stopped:
"Seems like you've made a large amount of progress. While I catch Kaori and Takumi up to your level, you should train as you see fit. Don't think I won't notice if you slack off, Kotone." Toko's dark green eyes pierced through her.
"I'm not sure what I want to train next, though," Kotone mumbled to herself before she heard Naruto shouting from a ramen shop.
"Oh! Welcome!" the owner greeted from behind the counter.
Kotone smiled, but stopped when she caught sight of Naruto in his underwear waving his pants around. Her face deadpanned as he blushed in embarrassment.
"Ah, sorry about him! Naruto get dressed!" the owner went from apologetic to angry with impossible speed. Kotone laughed it off and took a seat next to Naruto, placing the money her father gave her on the table.
"Is this enough for two bowls?"
"That's enough for more than that," the owner replied with a smile.
"Naruto, order what you want. My treat," she smiled at the blonde boy. Naruto's blue eyes lit up as he rapidly ordered his usual while Kotone had the owner surprise her.
"Thank you, Kotone-chan! Itadakimasu!"
Kotone stared in awe at how fast Naruto ate. She chuckled before eating at a much slower, and likely safer, pace. Naruto finished eating before she did and he turned to her.
"Say, Kotone-chan. I thought you were from Amegakure?"
Kotone paused the chopsticks just before her mouth. "That's right. My parents sent a letter requesting to move to Konoha because Ame isn't in a very good state right now. It was already a hard village to live in, too small to have a Kage lead it, and a number of citizens live poverty there. However, the Hokage granted us permission and even let my team come with! Konoha has already proven itself to be more inviting!"
Naruto blinked at her a few times before approaching a tender question, "Your parents are here, but what about Takumi-san and Kaori-chan?"
Kotone sighed and made eye contact with the boy. "Takumi's mother chose to stay in Ame despite her situation there. It is her home. Kaori's parents..." she paused, uncertain if it was fair to inform Naruto of this.
With another breath, Kotone finally finished her sentence, "Her parents died just over a year ago, before she graduated from the academy."
Naruto and the owner of the ramen shop were surprised by the admission. While Kaori had never eaten there, it was a detail about someone that wasn't commonly revealed.
"B-but Kaori-chan is always so happy!" Naruto protested.
"Yes, she is. Her parents taught her to be a kind and caring girl so she looks for the good in everything. It was hard for her to move, but she's got a nice memorial set up for them in Toko-sensei's house where her and Takumi live."
Naruto stared at Kotone who had a relaxed expression on her face, her eyes softer than he had seen them before. He nodded, understanding Kaori a little better.
"My parents too," Naruto revealed, "I never knew them, but I bet they'd want me to do the same!"
Kotone smiled at him and rubbed his hair. "Of course they would!"
The owner was impressed with Kotone. Her personality was so open despite her being in a new home, one that had just endured an invasion no less. He smiled at the pair as Kotone finished her meal. She complimented the ramen after finishing, and the owner gave her and Naruto second servings.
"Naruto, you're going to continue training after this right?" he asked.
Naruto stared at the older man before thanking him. Kotone was just surprised at the second helping being given away. The memory of people fighting over food in Ame flashed in her mind and she smiled at the bowl.
"Kotone? Are you okay?"
She started to eat the second serving when another person entered the store.
"Oh? You really do only eat ramen!" a voice teased.
Kotone and Naruto turned to see a white haired man with red lines beneath his eyes.
"Oh! Pervy-sage!" Naruto accused.
"Pervy-sage?" Kotone asked, her eyebrow raised.
The white haired man quickly covered Naruto's mouth and waved to Kotone.
"No! No! He's just joking!"
Kotone glanced between the two figures before squiting at the older man. "Suspicious."
"Eh?!"
Naruto nodded after breaking free from his grasp. "Right?! Kotone-chan can see it too?"
"Mmhmm. A very suspicious person has appeared."
"Oi! Don't talk about me like that when I'm right here! Besides, I have a mission for you, Naruto."
Naruto waved goodbye to Kotone before following the man out of the shop.
"Well, I guess I'll have to find something to do today!"
"You're not going to train?" the owner asked her.
"Ah. I really should train, I just don't know what to do for training. My sensei is trying to catch my teammates up so she can't help me currently."
"Why not go through the basics? It seems like everyone is worried about learning something new, but reviewing the basics can help just as much."
Kotone blinked at the owner before realizing there was truth to his advice. When she had done her balancing training before the tournament she was sore the next day. Konoha had weather that allowed her to do more outdoor training including her wire working.
"The basics, huh?" Kotone thought hard about the basics. It had been a while since she had practiced simple things, but she knew the owner had a point. Everyone was always looking for the next best jutsu or technique.
She left the shop in contemplation over what basics were useful to her current tactics. Surely some had been tossed out the window over time. It wasn't until she bumped into something that Kotone realized she had walked for a while.
"Oi!" the loud voice Kotone had heard during the Chunin Exams called out. The boy turned around, his cheeks painted with red triangles.
"Oh, Shikamaru!"
"Tch, Kotone. Watch where you're going," he scolded though his face said it didn't bother him.
Kotone looked down at the boy, only just realizing she had a few inches on him height wise. During the Chunin Exams she hadn't really paid attention to the age and size differences of her opponents. She smiled and pat his head much like she did with Kaori.
"Sorry! I was lost in thought!"
Shikamaru blushed and swatted her hand away rapidly, surprising her. He was a genius, that much Kotone could discern from how he won his match. Maybe he knew what she could do while her team was busy.
"Oi, if you're thinking that much shouldn't you talk about it?" He asked before turning to walk away. Kotone stared at him with wide eyes until he gave the gesture to follow.
When they wound up at a large house Kotone realized it was his family's home. He slipped off his sandals and headed inside. She followed suit, though her knee high boots required her to unzip them along the inside seam.
"Oh! Shikamaru! You're late for lunch!" a woman's voice called out. When the brunette woman turned to further scold her son she spotted the unfamiliar snowy individual. "Ah. You were in the Chunin Exams."
Kotone nodded and bowed, "My name is Ueno Kotone. Sorry for intruding."
"Such manners!" The woman smiled at her, though immediately returned to glaring at her son. "You didn't want to warn me about company!?"
"She walked into me outside the compound. It wasn't planned," the boy responded, though Kotone noticed he avoided his mother's stare. "He's afraid of her!" she realized with a restrained laugh.
"This son of mine is hopeless. Well, Kotone-chan, do you want some lunch?"
"I ate only a little while ago. Please don't trouble yourself with making extra," Kotone smiled politely. She could see Shikamaru cringe from her peripheral.
The mother nodded and went back to making the snack for her son. Kotone smiled at the familiar dynamic. Hotaru was always aggressive toward her, but much like Shikamaru's mother she loved her child.
Shikamaru lead her to an outside porch where he say down at a small table set for shogi. She cringed at the sight of the board recalling a number of times Takumi and Toko had beaten her at the game. Even Kaori could top her on a bad day.
"So you had me follow you to get an easy win?"
Shikamaru let out a chuckle at the comment, but sat down on the far side. He waited patiently for Kotone to approach the board.
"Afraid of losing?"
Kotone's eyebrow twitched though she again recalled the few times Kaori won and the shame that accompanied the loss.
"I don't like to lose, but I know I'm not good at this game," Kotone replied though she sat down ready to play.
Their match started in silence. Kotone had expected it to go by quickly, but Shikamaru was constantly considering his next few moves. To mess with him she'd place a poor move down intentionally, knowing he'd consider she was plotting something. She smiled as he glanced from her last move to his. "I'm the one who thinks too much? Unless..." Kotone's eyes widened when Shikamaru won the game in the next turn. The result was the same no matter how much Shikamaru thought about the moves, Kotone was not good at the game. No matter how much she thought about what to do or how to go back to the basics, the result was the same.
"You were right. You lost," he said with a yawn. His mother came out at that moment and handed him his food, still bringing a drink to Kotone.
"Oh! Thank you!" Kotone sniffed the tea and relaxed her shoulders. "Gyokuro!" she recognized the smell immediately and took a happy sip.
"You must like tea, Kotone-chan," Shikamaru's mother noted.
Kotone's braid swiped along her back as she shook her head in response. "I do like tea, but sweet tea is hard to come by in Ame. Merchants raise their prices because of the rarity of tea leaves in general. This is my favorite kind!"
Shikamaru's mother smiled again and nodded, "You seem like the type who would enjoy it. Oh, Shikamaru, you beat her?"
He shrugged and glanced to Kotone who was perfectly content with her drink.
"You're never going to get married if you don't treat a woman politely! You're too much like your father!" His mother's scolding had him twitch and blush.
Kotone giggled at the thought considering he was even younger than her. Though her brow twitched when she recalled her mother mentioning arranged marriages a year ago.
When the two were along again, Kotone sighed and looked at the sky. "Now there's something I'll never get used to."
"Hmm?" Shikamaru was already laying down and staring into the blue.
"Sunny days happened in Ame, but even then I never really looked up at the sky. It's nice."
The lazy genius was surprised by that confession, though he didn't let it show, considering he had rarely done anything but look to the sky. His envy of clouds was obvious, yet here was someone who had rarely thought to notice them floating so casually.
"Thank you, Shikamaru."
"Eh?"
"I would've probably kept walking around until some answer hit me. That'd be a bigger waste of time than doing nothing. The basics, huh?" Kotone paused as she tracked a slow moving cloud, "Resting is part of the basics, isn't it?"
He grinned and nodded, relaxing in the warm heat of the sun. Kotone closed her eyes and sipped her tea, enjoying a strange moment of peace after everything that happened.
AN: So I do use some Japanese interchangeably with English. Words like "Itadakimasu" just don't read as smooth in English as I'd like. It's probably due to my watching the subbed anime, so instead of hearing "Thanks for the meal!" I heard "Itadakimasu!" Plus it's a cultural thing that just isn't present in America.
Also, I realized some of the math may seem funny with Kaori's age and the age of Kotone and them so here's a cheat sheet:
Kaori is 12, but graduated the Academy at 11 because her skills were impressive. It's also why she had to be put on an older team as her graduating early offset the number of graduates.
Kotone and Takumi are 15 and graduated in the same group at age 12. They had a third teammate named Jin who was also their age, but he hasn't been on their team for 2 years. Kaori has been on their team for just about 1 year as they went a while without a replacement and did the lowest D-rank missions they could find.
I know this chapter started off so down and then was more relaxed than some of the others, but I felt that a part of Kotone wasn't clearly showing up yet. I actually had a whole different ending (from leaving the ramen shop and on) but this felt truer to Kotone and her emotions regarding working and training and how she rarely sleeps on missions or even struggled to take a day off training last time.