Author's Note:

The letter referenced in this chapter can be read in the beginning of Chapter 30.

Thanks, and do remember to review!
- Rii

Chapter 39 - Drafted Pattern

The end result of one further day of negotiations was a ceasefire, of sorts. A promise to not bother each other, at least, until further negotiations could be planned.

Kiine had put it casually, but eloquently. "We're stepping on each other's toes and neither of us can make much change; especially with attitudes like this, yeah? So let's just take a break from each other and come back together when we're in better moods. And no hostages this time."

Given that the negotiations prior to Kiine's involvement had been at an annoying standstill, with lots of barely-restrained shouting and plenty of passive-aggressive pot shots, this didn't seem like such a bad idea.

The Hakaza clan agreed to halt their trade routes in the Land of Lightning—temporarily, mind—but not shut down their businesses, in exchange for a pause in ninja agitation, until both sides agreed to meet again. The Taki clan made no promises, but very little of the dealings had to do with them in the first place.

Kou took a while to recover fully from the sedatives they'd been keeping him on, even though a Cloud medic nin treated him (in the full and watchful presence of both his father and his father's bodyguard and his own bodyguard) and had him on his feet again by the time the clans and the ninjas parted ways a day or two later. Tensho promised Shin further treatment from the family doctor, for when they got home.

"Can't trust ninjas, Boss Shin. Even with this stuff."

Shin only agreed for Kou's sake.

Kou, meanwhile, was hardly ever out of Kiine's sight, when she wasn't in with the ninjas and discussing things with them. "You'd better make a full as hell recovery, man, okay?" she told him.

(She was holding his hand.)

"I'll try my best…" Kou said.

(Yuki was watching, eyes downcast, reminding himself.)

"However did you do that?" Shin asked Kiine, later, enthusiastically, happily. "Not only in bringing my boy back to me—but the way you handled those ninjas. Both in battle and in the negotiations, I am impressed!"

Kiine shrugged. "Well, the negotiations… I just tried to think from their perspective is all, yeah," she said. "B'sides, getting Kou back was the easy part."

"You are surprising me, girl! I feel so excited to be your father-in-law—though, if you want to call me 'Dad' already, well, I certainly wouldn't mind that."

(As far as anyone knew, the wedding was not off. Not remotely.)

(Kiine tried not to think about it.)

(Tensho tried not to think too hard about his own situation, similarly. The anger and the pride and the risk of angering Shin was far too great.)

When the time came for the groups to part ways, the Hozuki hesitated. "My son and I have already done our jobs," he said. "An' you paid in advance, so there's no reason for me to come back with you. I'll come back in a month if you need me for anything else."

From the way he was sucking at his straw, as if his water were made of contempt, and the fact that Shingetsu was already saying his goodbyes to Kiine and Yuki, he left little room for argument. Tensho let him be.

The separation and return home happened with little other incident. Mikan greeted them with relief and the suggestion of some sort of celebration.

"Your boys will like it. It'll look good," she told her husband, once the two of them got a moment alone.

"You organize it," Tensho replied. He rubbed his eyes.

He felt Mikan's soft hands on his back. "Something the matter?"

He told her about Kiine.

All she did was smile, softly, and say the things he wanted to hear. Words of, oh, how she was worried too, once she noticed that their daughter was missing, but how she knew Kiine could take care of herself. Telling him that his anger was understandable, telling him that he should be patient and see the positive in the situation.

(And, inside, feeling the strongest pride for her daughter.)

(That was her girl.)

And once she had calmed Tensho down with soft words and soft touches and soft kisses, she left him to rest in their room while she got everything ready.

Oh, was there ever a party.

And in the hungover, raucous morning, a letter arrived from Konoha.

"Are you serious, more ninja shit…" Tensho rubbed his temples from the annoyance and his headache.

The courier-nin, standing in the dining hall, shifted his eyebrows awkwardly. "I could always deliver my message at a later time if this is not convenient. But all messages must be delivered, sir. It is my duty."

"Who's it from?" Mikan asked.

"The Hokage of Konoha, ma'am."

"Sounds important, Tensho. Want me to hold onto it for you?" she offered.

Tensho groaned noncommittally. Mikan took it, and sent the courier-nin on his way.

"Who the hell even let that guy in anyways," he grumbled, returning to his omelet.

(The courier let himself in, actually, after being refused at the gates, repeatedly. The mail must always be delivered.)

(Also, he was a ninja. What else was to be expected?)

Mikan brought up the letter to Tensho during lunch, when he was feeling better. She told him she hadn't read it.

(She had.)

Shin craned his neck, from beside Tensho. "What is that thing, anyways? From the Hokage? Whatever would he want with you?" he asked, craning his neck, narrowing his sharp, snake-like eyes.

Tensho just groaned, again, reading over the scroll, slowly. "He wants me to attend these… exams he's hosting. Chuunin. In September."

Shin's thin, black eyebrows rose. "The chuunin exams, you mean?"

"What, you know what the hell it is?"

"Oh, it's like a tournament. Marvelous sport, really," Shin continued. "Great way to scout out mercenary power, too; my father used to take me, when I was small, and let me watch while he decided which country to hire from that year."

Tensho's mouth opened, slightly, in addition to his eyebrows knitting closer together. "Wait, you mean to say-"

"What, not all ninja are like those pesky Cloud fellows. I've hired from the Land of Earth many times. Delightful people, really; you ought to talk with them. Big on art. You ever heard of some fellow named Deibara? Daidara? Oh, whatever it was." Shin's hands fluttered as he talked. "He was big when we were children, years ago."

Tensho exhaled, head reeling. "Boss Shin, c'mon."

"Fine, fine," Shin said. He reached out a hand. "Here, let me have a look at that letter." He took it from Tensho before he could resist, squinting his eyes. "Hikawa, darling, my reading glasses."

(Tensho tried not to say anything whenever Shin said things like that, or whenever he noticed gazes or touches lingering too long to be accidental. What other Bosses did in their private lives was none of his business.)

(Unless they were making it his business.)

Shin's reading glasses were square and blue-framed, matching the color palette of his outfit that day. He read quickly. "What's this about debts, Boss Tensho?" he said. "Mind, it's perhaps none of my business, but."

"It is none of your business," Tensho said. He felt Mikan's hand on his hand and his temper cooled just that little bit.

"Hm, well." Shin adjusted his glasses, cleared his throat. "Whoever this Hokage fellow is—I haven't met him, myself—he certainly seems amicable. Better than that… despicable Raikage." He shook his head as if a shiver were going up his spine. "Goodness."

"Never met the guy neither," Tensho said. "You met him for me, didn't you, Nobu?"

From behind him: "Yeah, he seemed okay."

(The running-away was still off-limits in conversation.)

"Seems awfully fond of Kiine, this Hokage. He invited her to the exams himself there at the bottom. Did she, ah, meet him during her time in Konoha?"

(Or so Tensho thought.)

"I wouldn't know," Tensho said, lowly.

"Why don't I ask her? Kiine-chan!" Shin took off his glasses and raised his hand, beckoning toward her. "Come over here, I want to ask you something."

"Boss Shin, the hell are you…!" Mikan's hand moved from his hand to his shoulder, a soft restraint.

Kiine, sitting across the room with Kou, with Yuki, looked up, stood up, and sat before Boss Shin. "What is it?" she said.

"What do you make of this, dear?" Shin handed the letter over to Kiine.

Another hand on Tensho's shoulder. His teeth ground against his teeth.

Kiine's blue, fox eyes darted over the paper, quickly. A smile began growing on her face, blossoming into a gasp as she reached the end. "Did Naruto-san send this to you, Papa?" she said. She held the letter in her lap as she turned to face him.

Tensho didn't respond. Mikan's right hand moved down his back, slowly, and then back up.

A rough, sharp, small chuckle escaped from Shin's mouth. "You two are on a first name basis, are you?"

Kiine's eyes fell. "Well, that's what he insisted on when I met him… Didn't let me call him Uzumaki-san or anything, yeah." Her voice was small, unfittingly sheepish. She cleared her throat. "At any rate." She looked over the letter again, to avoid looking at anyone else.

Then, she paused, narrowed her eyes. She looked up at her father. "Papa, what's this line about 'debts' about?"

Tensho shifted away from Mikan's touch. "I don't know and I don't care."

"Papa… Nobu, then? What's all this about?"

From behind Tensho, Nobuhiro squirmed slightly. "We… mighta left some… outstanding debts from our time there. But I just figured we didn't… need to… pay." His chin lowered, further and further, the more he spoke.

Kiine's face folded up from frustration. "Nobu, are you serious? We should probably take care of them. It's unfair not to."

"Depends on what kinda debts they are," Tensho added, sharply, gruffly. "If it's somethin' stupid then we can handle it later."

"And if it's something not stupid?" Kiine rounded back.

Tensho's eyes, burnt brown, fixed themselves on Kiine. "Watch your tone, young lady."

"Boss Tensho, please, don't be unreasonable," Shin said, waving a hand, his face pinched. "It's a fine and dandy thing to be on the owed end of a debt, but if you owe someone anything then you ought to take care of that as soon as possible."

"Yeah, see?" Kiine added. "Papa, honestly…"

Mikan's hand was on Tensho's again. He exhaled, deeply. "Y'make a good point, Boss Shin," he said. "Nobu, you an' me can discuss this later an' figure out what's going on."

"You really should talk to Naru—I mean, Hokage-san, though, too. I mean, there might be some stuff looked over, or forgotten, yeah," Kiine said.

"I'm not gonna get swindled by some ninja, Kiine," Tensho said. "They'd probably just rack up some imaginary shit we didn't do."

"Naruto-san wouldn't do that!"

"And how do you know that."

"How do I… I just do, okay? He's a good person! He invited us to the freakin' chuunin exams, yeah? Spent only one sentence asking us about the debts, even!" She held up the letter for emphasis.

Tensho snatched it away. "That's not enough to make me trust him."

"You've never even met him!" Kiine's voice rose.

"I don't need to." Tensho's voice sharpened.

"You're not even going to try?"

"You have no place telling me what to do."

"Yeah? And who says you do, either?"

Mikan had both of her hands on Tensho's shoulders.

The servants in the small, personal dining room were starting to stare.

"Both of you, both of you. Please calm down," said Shin. He had both of his hands raised. "Let's not get upset over this. Kiine-chan, would you absolutely vouch for this Hokage fellow's character?"

"Absolutely." Her eyes were full of honest, earnest fire. "I'd trust that guy with my life, yeah."

"Well, then. From that, and the generous invitation in that letter—not to mention how friendly he sounds—I'd be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and meet with him about this… situation." Shin tilted his head, almost sweetly.

"…I appreciate the advice, Boss Shin, but this is my business," Tensho said, his head lowered, eyes burning below red eyebrows. "Not yours."

Shin paused. The sweetness in his expression hardened. "My, now if that isn't interesting, hearing that from the other side."

"Hearing what."

"Isn't that what I said to you, just a few days ago? When my dear Kou was… well, I needn't elaborate. The point is." He shifted his position. "Given this… union between our clans, I feel this matter involves me just as much as it involves you."

"I appreciate the help," Tensho said, slowly, deliberately, "but this don't have anything to do with you."

"…actually, um." A nervous laugh nearly entered Kiine's voice. "See, the thing is, these chuunin exams are international, yeah? Naru…to-san told me about how it works, yeah. It's an opportunity for all the Kages—y'know, the ninja leaders—to meet an' discuss stuff with people."

"…and your point is, Kiine?" Tensho said.

"Well… it'd give us an opportunity to meet with that Raikage guy in person. Square away stuff with him 'bout the trade routes and what happened with Kou, with no middlemen to mess things up." A pause. Kiine glanced at Shin, at her father. "I dunno, I just thought that might be a good thing for us."

Shin was the first to speak. "What a novel idea! Two birds with one stone, isn't that what it is?"

"Yeah! I mean, if I went along with you guys, I'm sure I could talk to Naruto-san an' arrange something for you with his help, Boss Shin." Kiine continued, quietly. "I mean, if you let me come along…"

"Kiine-chan, dear, why wouldn't we bring you?" said Shin. "Not after everything you've done so far." His face creased with his laughter and his smile. "Besides, you were asked for by name. I wouldn't want to risk angering our host."

Tensho was not smiling. He stood. "Boss Shin, y'mind steppin' out with me for a moment?"

Mikan pulled on his sleeve from where she sat. "Dear, sit down, you're not finished with your lunch."

"I won't take long. C'mon." Tensho jerked his head sideways. "Nobu, stay where you are. I don't need you."

"And what about me?" Kiine stood when Shin did.

"You sit down and finish your lunch," said Tensho. "This ain't your business."

Tensho and Shin had exited by the time her mother glanced at her, almost apologetically, and gestured toward her seat.

Outside, Tensho quickly had Shin cornered, his back to a wall. "Y'know, I really don't appreciate all this meddling that you're doing."

"Meddling? Where am I meddling?"

"Oh don't play dumb. Starting all the way back from when… Kiine got involved in that Kou thing," Tensho said. "The way you backed her up. An' now you're stickin' your nose in my business an' encouraging all this stuff in her. I don't like it."

"You don't like it? You can't deny she's been a help, Boss Tensho," Shin said. "I mean, if it weren't for her-"

"I'm not gonna deny… that she helped with the Kou thing," Tensho said. "Even though she disobeyed me; an' what she did was incredibly reckless besides."

"What, you mean you told her to stay home?" Shin went on, even though Tensho didn't even nod. "Why didn't you ask her to help in the first place? She's obviously very competent."

"She's rebellious. I can't go indulging her, 'specially not after what happened a month ago," Tensho said. "She doesn't know enough to survive out there. I don't want her to get… tangled up in something bad."

"And how do you know that? That she won't survive?"

Tensho's muscles tensed. "Are you saying I don't know my own kid?"

"I'm saying," Shin replied carefully, "that maybe you're just not trusting her enough."

"Trusting her? What with her sneaking out without permission all the time? And I'm not even touching the…" Tensho grunted and thrust his hands downward. "She just does these things, you don't know a damn thing about 'em either. How can I trust her?"

Shin breathed in, slowly, through his nose. "Let me ask you, then. Has anything truly bad come out of anything she's done? Has anything bad happened to her?"

"You're getting off the subject."

Shin sighed. "Maybe I am. But the fact remains. I think you should trust Kiine-chan more. I think she knows what she's doing."

("I knew she'd be okay," Mikan had said to him. "I trusted she'd find her way home one way or another.")

Tensho just shook his head. "She's just a kid. Barely sixteen. Didn't you think you knew everything at that age? She's rebellious, on top-a that. It's not a good mix."

"And weren't you rebellious at that age, too?" Shin said, with a tilt of his head. "Yes, she's at an age, but still."

"Y'don't understand. When I was her age, I was…"

(Tensho's mind strayed to a memory of beautiful, brown, sleepy eyes set into dark sockets, on a face that was far too gaunt to be healthy.)

(And a moment later, a blinding flash, a slap, a burn on his arm.)

"She's lived too comfortably," he said. "She may think she's tough but she has no idea how bad things can really be."

(A memory of bruises covered by makeup, a rebellious smile at breakfast, a beautiful, apologetic boy with hardly a scratch on him.)

Shin was quiet, for a while; his yellow eyes slid downward, thoughtfully. "Isn't that just it, though," he finally said. "Worrying about that sort of thing. You can't help but do it. No parent can."

"Worrying about what, how dangerous the world is?" Shin nodded. Tensho scoffed. "Sure, I suppose."

"Well, don't you think your parents ever worried about your well-being?"

(A memory of a dark, dirty house; the smell of beer, tobacco, and apathy.)

"My folks didn't care what happened to me none. We're getting off the subject again," Tensho said. He shook his head. "So maybe I worry about her a bit. I have reasons."

"And I'm sure they are very good reasons, Boss Tensho," Shin said. "But you can't let that worry stifle Kiine-chan. Goodness knows I certainly need to work on that with my Kou."

"Stifle her, huh."

"Yes. She's going to be in my care soon, anyways, so maybe it's not even worth saying," Shin said. "But regarding this matter—you know, the invitation and everything—I honestly think you should set aside things for just a little while and let her help with it."

Tensho sighed, he shook his head again, he crossed his arms. "So first it's trust, now it's worry. Tell me, what makes you such an expert on all-a this?"

"…well I'm a father too, aren't I?" Shin replied, crossing his arms in return, but like a woman would, with his hips tilted. "Maybe I'm not an expert, but I at least can see things from a more… objective point of view. Given, well… Kiine-chan isn't my daughter."

"Nope."

"So I'm looking at her from a different perspective, yes? I see a lot of potential in her! And pardon me for saying this, Boss Tensho, but I really think you're just letting it go to waste as it is."

Tensho's head lowered further. "Potential, now."

"You'd have to be blind not to see it. Then again," Shin added, cautiously, quietly, seeing Tensho's expression, "that's… just my opinion."

A moment of thought.

("Kiine's a strong girl, Tensho. She really does take after you.")

A sharp exhale. "You really think I should do this, huh."

"Oh, trust me. If I had a son like your daughter, I wouldn't think twice," Shin said. His smirk was like a child's. "Maybe I'm just getting too excited about this, but it's true."

Tensho, finally, backed away, taking a few paces down the hall and back. "You really think so."

"…let me put it one other way," Shin said. He cleared his throat. "I know, Boss Tensho, that you're not the most fond of ninja. I'm normally quite all right with them; well, not those Cloud chaps, but the Leaf ones seem just fine."

Tensho glanced sideways. "And?"

"And Kiine-chan obviously has some experience in dealing with them, if not an outright alliance of sorts." Tensho's expression remained skeptical. "…well all right, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But from a purely practical standpoint, the experience alone that she has is invaluable. She more than demonstrated it in her help with the negotiations alone."

("I trust her, Tensho. Maybe if you did too you'd worry about her a little less.")

Tensho started to walk away.

"I was just making a suggestion, you know!" said Shin. "I didn't mean anything against you by any of it!"

"An' I never said I wasn't takin' it!" Tensho yelled back, and opened the door to the dining room. "Kiine!"

From across the room, Kiine looked away from her conversation with Kou. There was the slightest pinch of worry in her expression. "Yes, Papa?"

"After lunch, help me write up a letter to this Hokage guy. We're going to the exams. And… you're comin' with."

Her smile was as quick and as dazzling as a firework. "What, you really mean it?" Tensho nodded, several, slow times. "You got it, Papa! Just lemme know when, yeah!"

Shin caught her diving into conversation with his son and that fetching little bodyguard of hers immediately after, before he took his seat beside Tensho. "Well this is unexpected," he said.

"I just… thought about it some, and I came to a conclusion," Tensho said. "I figured, she's only gonna be with me a little while longer. And she did have a point, I guess, 'bout this having to do with the both of us. So if this turns out great, hey, it turns out great. An' if it falls apart…" And he turned back to look at Shin with a playful smirk, his daughter's smile. "Then she's your problem."

Shin had to wipe his eyes, once he was finished laughing. "Yes, yes, I suppose she will be."

"You're gonna take good care of her, anyways?" Tensho said, returning to Mikan. "No matter what she does."

"I'd be a fool not to, Boss Tensho."

For many reasons.

Later in the afternoon, Kiine sat with her father in his office and helped him draft up a letter to the Hokage. Tensho was not much for writing—he was nigh-illiterate when he had come into the service of the Taki clan, a fact which hadn't been vastly improved upon in the years since.

(The good thing about being Boss was that generally you could have other people do those things for you.)

During their time, Kiine did not ask why exactly her father had had such a sudden change of heart, and Tensho didn't bother bringing it up, and that suited them both.

In the end, two letters were sent out. Tensho only knew about the first, it being his letter. Kiine did her best to edit it and make it clean and diplomatic—she was good at that sort of thing, anyways—but most importantly get the point across that, yes, they were coming, and yes, they were willing to negotiate.

The second letter was Kiine's, one she drafted in the privacy of her own room, bursting with unrestrained glee and excitement and how much she couldn't wait to see Naruto again and tell him about everything that had happened.

They were sent out at the same time, by Mikan, and were to arrive in Konoha within a few days.

Generally, the mood at the Taki complex was hopeful. Anticipatory, but hopeful.

The Cloud ninja weren't having nearly as good a time.