Here is the second instalment. Thanks for reading and please review. As always, enjoy!
1. A Gentle Breeze
Hana closed her eyes and smelt the gentle breeze falling down the sides of the mountains. She was walking along one of the many paths that carved up and around the mountains that protected her home village from attack. She came here often to clear her mind and escape from the troublesome situation that was her home. She closed her eyes and let the memories flood through her.
"You're pretty damn lucky he didn't find the very proposal to be an insult," her step-sister hissed sharply. Hana pulled her hair up into a bun and allowed Eri to rant. She had never gotten along with her step-sister, probably because she never accepted Airi as a mother. She wouldn't even call the woman her stepmother. That female had no claim to her as far as Hana was concerned.
"A butterfly is silent to elude predators." Eri hissed at this reply. Hana was never straightforward with her. She did it on purpose to get a rise out of her younger sibling, just as Eri would attack to get a rise out of Hana.
"You know what? I hope the Kazekage is a monster of a man and that he beats you every night. Maybe then you'll get what you deserve, you worthless piece of shit."
"He who climbs the tallest cherry tree has the longest fall."
"Maybe he shouldn't fall."
"All great things will crumble in time."
"Oh, go to hell, Mayonaka."
"The starter of the flame will eventually burn." With that, Eri lost her patience and struck out at her older sister. A small yet strong fist connected with pale, fragile skin. Hana flew backwards and landed on the ground. Even as she began to stand, a bruise was already forming where Eri had hit her. "You can quench the fire but the embers will burn on." The young shinobi growled in frustration and stormed out, leaving Hana to use makeup to cover the new bruise and then disappear. This was a normal occurrence in their household.
Suddenly, Hana was snapped out of her reverie as she heard the footsteps of someone's approach. She had heard them soon enough that she could've hidden had it been her wish, but she did not. After many years of forced training, she had given up on ever being a ninja and therefore would not hint that, in some ways, she might be semi-fit to become one. Knowing of an intruder's approach far before they were aware of her presence was definitely a hint she'd avoid giving.
"Oh, I didn't see you there," a man in a black outfit said, stopping as he rounded the corner of the path and nearly ran into her.
"My apologies," she said immediately, noticing the Suna headband sewn onto his hood. She had been forcefully taught that she was below shinobi, no matter what village they hailed from. Does this mean my future husband has arrived? she thought, watching the man with downcast eyes. He couldn't have been more than a year older than her.
"Don't apologize. It was my fault. Anyway, what are you doing all the way out here by yourself? You're not a ninja, are you?"
"Oh, no. I have not the skills to be a ninja," she muttered, stepping back and turning her face down the mountainside to peer at Iwa below. She could see the small portion of the village that her clan upheld as its own. "I come here to clear my head."
"I see. Well, I'm a foreigner here. Would you mind walking me down the paths so I don't get lost?"
"Of course," she said back. They began to stroll side by side. Hana stuck her hands in the kimono she had been forced to wear. The Kazekage was supposed to show up sometime that day. Was it possible she was unknowingly talking to him? "May I ask your name?" she began softly.
"Kankuro," he replied. "Although you may know me better as the Kazekage's brother." Oh, so it is not him, she reassured herself. "And you are?"
"Hana. I'm just a commoner. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Kankuro." He grinned sheepishly.
"Just call me Kankuro. So, Hana, if you're not a shinobi, what do you do?"
"I don't do much of anything, in truth. I have no real skills. I'm pretty much a burden to my family and those around me. The mountain paths are my release." The jonin was taken aback by her blunt honesty. "During the Fourth Shinobi War, I spent my time trapped in the temples, praying for the safe return of those fighting. That was all I could do."
"Don't be so hard on yourself. We're all different. I'm sure there's something you're good at." She noted the scrolls on his back.
"That's easy for you to say. You're the brother of the great Kazekage and probably a splendid ninja as well, while I'm nothing but a flower floating on the breeze," she replied, watching as a mountain blossom twirled its way down to the village below. Hana smiled abruptly. "But enough about me. I'm more than curious to know about yourself."
"Can I ask you one question first?" She nodded. "Do you know of a girl named Mayonaka of the Kuomori clan?" She nodded her head again, amazed that he didn't know her by her full name, Mayonaka no Hana. "What is she like?"
"It is said that Mayonaka is as unskilled as myself. She's said to be spiteful, hot tempered, smart-mouthed, and defiant. She does not bend easily to the will of others and, despite her faults, does not see why she is not treated with the same respect as those around her. She has no hobbies as far as anyone knows and she has bad relationships with her father, stepmother, and stepsister. I believe that her only friend is her stepbrother, Kaito Kuomori."
"Do you know what happened to her real mother?"
"She died on a mission when the girl was young." Kankuro nodded his head. So the rumors were true. It seemed as if Gaara was biting into more than he bargained for. The girl sounded like a hot mess. They strolled along in silence for a while before Kankuro asked if she could return him to the village. She did as she was bid, commenting that she should be heading home as well.
"It was pleasure meeting you, Hana. May our paths cross again."
"As to you, Kankuro," she replied. Then they headed off in different directions: he to his hotel, she to her home where she would prepare from the upcoming introductions with her fiancé.
►§◄
"I don't know; I've heard obnoxious rumors about this girl," Kankuro whispered as he, Gaara, and Temari stood together inside of the front room of the Kuomori's main family's house.
"If you believed all the rumors tossed about, then everybody would be a monster," Gaara replied monotonously.
"Just keep on your toes," Temari said sharply. "We don't know what we're getting into. She may be the head of the family's daughter but we have no reason to expect that she'll be pleasant and polite." Just then, the rice paper doors opened to reveal Seiji Kuomori, who they had already met, and a girl who looked almost nothing like him. Kankuro gasped in recognition of the young woman.
"May I introduce my eldest daughter, Mayonaka no Hana," Seiji began.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Hana," Temari began. "Please allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Temari, Lord Kazekage's elder sister and these are my brothers, Kankuro and Lord Gaara." Hana gave a small bow to the redhead, knowing her place well. Perhaps she wasn't well-liked in Iwa but there was no reason for her to be despised in Suna, or so she hoped.
"The pleasure is mine," Hana muttered. "May I invite you to dinner?"
"We would be honored," Gaara answered with the same level of formality. She led the three siblings to the dining room where her two stepsiblings and Airi awaited. Seiji introduced them and they all sat down. Hana sat beside her sister, to the left of her Father and Gaara sat across from her, Kankuro and then Temari next to him. Seiji was a good host and so the meal was tasty and the conversation light. Both Hana and Gaara were quiet, as was their custom. Finally, Kankuro decided to ask the question that had been bugging him.
"So, Hana, why is it that you did not properly introduce yourself when we met in the mountains?" Dark, violet eyes peered over at him but he couldn't find the emotion hidden within. She simply smiled faintly.
"As I told you, I walk along the paths to clear my mind. While I am there, I am a flower floating on the breeze, nothing more. Mayonaka no Hana does not traverse those trails. Only Hana does."
"But to speak of yourself with such distaste…"
"I told you what you asked for."
"You don't act like that though."
"In time, you'll see." He frowned but let it go. He had noticed how thick the atmosphere had become and the warning glare that was shot at his soon-to-be sister-in-law. If what she said about her relationships with her family had been true, then he didn't want to push her and get her in trouble. The last night with her family should be pleasant.
"Hana likes to speak in riddles," Eri stated with a slight hint of hatred in her tone. "She finds it amusing to watch others struggle to grasp her true meaning."
"Even the smartest of moths are attracted to the flame." Hana truly couldn't help herself. Frustrating Eri was too enjoyable, even if it did tend to leave her with a set of bruises.
"See what I mean?" Hana sipped at her tea to contain her laughter but Gaara noted the amusement in her eyes. He studied the way she held herself. She obviously meant to be respected but, at the same time, she was always on the defensive. It was as if she expected to be attacked at any moment. The way her eyes flickered from place to place showed him that she was attentive and hyperaware of her surroundings. She caught him staring and raised an eyebrow.
"Your hair is very strange," he commented instead of explaining his true actions.
"Hana was born that way, which is why we named her Mayonaka no Hana, after a flower we grow here in Iwa. It has black petals with a dark blue stripe running directly down the middle of each one. The center is violet, instead of yellow, and it only blooms at midnight during a full moon. The flower remains open for several days and on the third day, it is cut and given as a gift to confess one's love for another. It is very precious to us and the vine has medicinal purposes," Seiji explained. The Kazekage nodded.
"Why does she not carry the name, Kuomori?" Hana's father hesitated but she just smiled and put her cup down.
"I'm not suited to carry the name. Every member of the Kuomori clan, for as long as we have history of it, was a shinobi. Unless a miracle happens and I become one, I'll never carry the name. In fact, all Kuomori children are given names like Mayonaka no Hana until they become ninja. Then they drop the first part of their name and become "blank" Kuomori. For example, I'd become Hana Kuomori."
"A strange custom," Temari noted.
"It's to help preserve the honor of the clan." Before long, Airi switched the subject and dinner finished on a light note. Hana helped show their honored guests to their rooms, them already having checked out of the hotel, and then retired to her own. Soon after, Seiji walked in.
"You dishonorable, little brat," he spat, sliding the door shut silently so as not to disturb their guests. "You couldn't have led them along a polite conversation, could you?" She didn't get the chance to respond before he backhanded her. She didn't cry out or shed a tear, simply took it and waited. "We're already walking a thin line with marrying you off. We don't need you making yourself out to be worse." He hit her again. This kept up for about ten minutes before he finally felt satisfied and left. Hana simply let out a low breath. She had been dealing with that for the past thirteen years, ever since her mother died. It was nothing new.
Instead of dwelling on the past, Hana decided to look towards the future. She looked at the pack she was taking with her and recounted the scrolls she had sealed her belongings into. She didn't want to leave anything important behind. Once she was satisfied, she laid down and went to bed.
The next morning, she woke before everyone else. Or so she thought. As she leaped onto the roof of her home, she saw someone else had already beaten her to it. Seeing the head of red hair, she thought it might be best to speak with him. "May I join you?" Hana asked the Kazekage as she walked up from behind. He gave her a mere glance before nodding once. Hana sat on her knees and peered at the rising sun.
"You're up early," he noted smoothly.
"I'm excited for the trip. I've never been out of Iwa before," she answered honestly. Gaara glanced at her, secretly incredulous. Then he remembered that she wasn't a ninja and that most ninja families didn't travel. In truth, it shouldn't have come as a surprise that she had never seen outside of her village before.
"Suna is much different than here."
"I bet," she laughed. They sat in silence for some time before Kankuro and Temari woke. They both leaped down to the ground with fluid grace. The elder siblings were already wearing their packs and Hana quickly retrieved her own. Then they headed towards the exit of the Kuomori compound. Seiji was there, waiting to see them off.
"Be safe," he told the group.
"We will," Temari assured him.
When Hana hugged him to keep up their act, he whispered, "Behave. You're representing this family now."
She responded, "Of course, Father." The sentence was slightly hostile but he just smiled back, only a hint of quickly concealed anger in his eyes. With those last words, they departed.