Dreams of a ninja.
Kuda Izuna was without a doubt, someone different from the other students in Kivotos.
Yes, everyone had their passions, aims, and goals, but Izuna was always drawn to one specific one. A goal so particular that few people really understand it, let alone support it.
Become the best ninja of Kivotos.
It was a big dream, the kind of dream that very few can imagine, especially due to the nature of it, and although Izuna was initially reluctant to announce it, the ninja dramas that she usually watches on television pushed her more and more to gain the confidence to overcome that insecurity.
Until one day, the girl started training seriously, certain that it was the right path for her.
A path where she found people more than willing to take advantage of her or her dream, where rejection, ridicule and condescension were common, yes, but it was also the path where she found that, if she put her mind to it, she could really achieve her goals, that everything was achievable through effort, and where she met her friends from the Ninjutsu Research Club.
And apart from all this, it is thanks to that path that he got to know Sensei.
Although few would believe it, and those who would hear her say it would think that the girl exaggerates, the young ninja blindly believes that from the moment she met SCHALE's teacher, her life changed for the better.
After all, she found someone who genuinely supported her.
Someone who understood her.
Someone who encouraged her.
Even after everything that happened that day when they met, Sensei has never stopped blindly trusting her. He has never rejected her. And he has never denied her his affection.
For this reason, and for more, the young ninja now found herself so nervous looking in the mirror.
Sensei had invited her to accompany him that afternoon while he was in Hyakkiyako. It would not be the first time where they would be together with no greater duty than the desire to be in each other's company, but after that moment they had on the beach, Izuna is not able to control herself or understand what happens to her every time she gets close to her Lord.
It is true that the girl already had difficulty doing it before, but the root of her emotions at that moment was clear as water. It was the pure happiness that being able to share some time with her Lord brought her, being able to help him with his duties, or simply to see that he was well.
But now, Izuna changed.
Her feelings had changed, and she couldn't understand them.
Izuna wanted Sensei to see her more, she wanted to hear her Lord pronounce her name, she wanted to see him with that happiness that he always gave her.
And at the bottom of everything.
At the bottom of it all.
Izuna wanted to be the source of said happiness. Just as Sensei was to hers.
Feeling her cheeks blushing, the young ninja patted her cheeks lightly to deal with the embarrassment.
"It's just like in the shows", Izuna thought.
Not that she's a stranger to the concept of love, her ninja soap operas tend to heavily cover the subject as well as the relationship between a ninja and her Lord, but for Izuna, who is still young, the strength of her feelings didn't seem to match with what she has seen in her shows.
She is supposed to simply be able to recognize it, after all, according to her shows, a ninja would never miss such an important detail as the feelings that people have for that Lord to whom they swore allegiance.
That feeling of anxiety that Izuna suffers around Sensei, or the nervousness that dominates her every time he worries about her, was not only something that did not appear in her shows, but also what made her lose control of herself, and her Lord deserved better than that.
Confused, the girl tries to escape her thoughts by looking at the outfit she would wear that afternoon.
The plan was to meet up with Sensei to spend the rest of the day together while Sensei still had to stay around the district, so according to her logic, she should naturally choose something that would allow her to move nimbly and also allow her to protect him.
But, taking one of her kunais, the girl looks in the mirror and questions that she had never considered begin to flood her.
"What if my Lord already has someone else?", "What if my Lord ends up getting upset?", "What kind of person would my Lord like?", the obvious nature of the questions leads to Izuna to feel strange.
To feel hurt.
She has seen Sensei with other students. Older than her. Prettier than her. Smarter than her.
She will never be able to forget that time when she accompanied him to the Millennium Science School, only to feel out of place while he was talking to a girl with dog ears about some kind of experiment she was carrying out.
Or how he has sometimes gone for a walk with a girl in a kimono and fox ears, not so different from hers, and who nevertheless always looked spectacularly beautiful next to her Lord.
And what does she have going for her?
She's small, it's hard for her to concentrate in her classes, and her grades aren't the eighth wonder of the world. In fact, due to how close she has come to failing some of her exams, Izuna often has to subtract hours from training in order to study more.
However, before she can continue drowning in that sea of doubts, Izuna's phone rings, showing her a message from her Lord on the screen.
"I hope I'm not bothering you, I just wanted to say hello and know how your day has been. I'm done here, so I'll be on my way to see you."
And from one moment to the next, Izuna's emotions flipped and joy returned to the girl, who ran to the bathroom to get ready.
For the ninja, knowing that her lord was on his way was one of the best things that had happened to her, not only because they will be together for the rest of the day, but she is usually the one who invites him to play, so having been invited by him felt like a complete novelty.
After about twenty minutes, Izuna gets out of the shower, and after changing into her usual clothes, she leaves her room jumping out the window, landing with perfect balance on the street wall, where she begins to run to her destination.
The sights in Hyakkiyako were wonderful, and that was reflected in the importance of the tourism sector in the district, thanks to that, there were a number of places that she would like to take her Lord, starting from the food shops, which she was sure that they are the best in all of Kivotos, going through the natural wonders, like that lake they had already gone to and it was so full of life, and even the local temples, with their particular mysticism, so different to what she has experienced of the life in SCHALE and other districts.
Finally, after almost half an hour of travel, Izuna arrived at the meeting place, and there, standing next to a tree, was Sensei, waiting for her with obvious nervousness that led him to sniff his shirt collar.
Standing on one of the railings in the area, the ninja stopped to gaze at her Lord.
Although she says that it is for surveillance and to prevent something from happening to him, the truth is that Izuna enjoyed being able to see him.
She loved that he was so attentive to everyone, how Sensei was always willing to help others, or how even when he was in a hurry, he always stopped to chat with any student who wanted to exchange a few words with him.
For Izuna, being able to see her Lord has always been a comforting.
The girl felt insecure, not in the same way she had been in her room before leaving, but this time it was a sensation that she strangely liked.
Izuna didn't take long to notice how Sensei had realized that she had arrived, or how his expressions relaxed once his eyes landed on her. For the girl, there were so many fascinating details in the actions of her Lord, that she was never tired of being able to learn something new.
And for this reason, dominated by the joy of seeing him, of being able to discover more about him, or simply of being able to be by his side, the ninja moves quickly to get to him.
It wasn't the sudden appearance of his student in front of him that surprised Sensei.
It wasn't the sudden public display of affection when she called out to him, or the obvious joy the girl was expressing through her always honest tail.
What took the teacher by surprise was the jump that his dear student had made.
Izuna crossed what must have been about ten meters in a single leap.
The teacher knows well the problems that Izuna usually has when fulfilling her academic homework, but, for him, the girl is nothing short of amazing, and all those actions that she did so casually and of which she barely noticed, was what captivated him so much.
Quickly, and without losing himself in his feelings, Sensei receives his student with an affectionate hug.
"Nice to see you.", having notorious trouble breaking said hug, Sensei takes a step back, creating some distance so he can look Izuna in the eye, "Did you have trouble getting here?"
Izuna was speechless.
Her cheeks burned, her tail did not stop shaking vigorously, and the words did not come out of her mouth, because, when she was hugged, a lot of things went through her head, but among them, she realized something.
Sensei took a shower and put on cologne.
It's not that Sensei smells bad, on the contrary, Izuna is fascinated by the smell of wheat and coffee that he usually has, she even prefers it infinitely many times before that smell of gunpowder and smoke that he sometimes wears on his clothes.
But Izuna had seen this kind of things before.
Sensei didn't usually wear perfume or cologne, and her ninja dramas usually only coincide in one reason why a ninja's Lord would dress up so much to meet someone.
Her Lord was going to meet a lover.
"Izuna?", surprised by the girl's silence, Sensei places one of his hands on her shoulder, shaking her softly and gently to regain her attention, "Are you ok?"
"Ah… Ah! Izuna is fine! My lord, I'm sorry! The hug… I let myself be carried away by the hug…", noticing her cheeks turning red at her own confession, Izuna lowers her gaze to the floor, embarrassed by his own words.
It's true, her ninja dramas had prevented her from all this, her Lord was amazing, not only for how he treated everyone, but also for everything he did for the good of the city. Izuna knew this, but she had never considered the possibility of Sensei having a lover.
"He might even have several.", she thought, but she didn't express her concern.
Part of her feels strange, as if her chest is being squeezed with a force she's never felt before, but her spirit, even to herself, feels strangely invigorated.
If her Lord was going to have a family, then in Izuna falls the duty of taking care of it.
After all, she was his ninja, and caring for both his life and his family's would be her greatest honor.
"Izuna.", Increasingly worried, Sensei bends down, getting at the girl's height, "Are you sure that everything is ok?"
"My lord, Izuna is feeling better than ever! Where would you like your ninja to lead you!?", with all the confidence that she can conjure, Izuna exclaims with her usual disposition, "Your ninja knows Hyakkiyako as the palm of her hand!"
Without realizing it, and acting like it was the most casual thing to do, Sensei gets up as he gets carried away by the girl's emotion. His mood always seems to be at its best every time Izuna is near him, and naturally, his hand moves to rest on her head again.
The girl's happiness at this is totally evident. Not only through her tail, which vigorously responds to her Lord's touch, but the expression of joy that seizes the ninja only further cultivates those feelings that were silently growing in his heart.
"Hm? That's a good question, I didn't really thought too much about where we could go," Sensei confesses, "How about we start at the park? I think it's a good place to start, besides, we have the whole afternoon to think about other places."
Without answering, Izuna begins the march towards the park, always a couple of steps in front of her Lord, always attentive to every movement or possible threat that might come his way.
However, the girl is quickly distracted from that self-imposed duty.
Except for her friends, Izuna doesn't have many people who are willing to listen to her talking about her interests, but Sensei has always given her both the space and time for her to express herself as much as she wants, and accommodating her gait so she can walk with him, the duo uses that time to chat about the latest that has happened in the shows and the life of the girl.
For Sensei, seeing Izuna was one of the most important things. Not a day goes by that he doesn't think about her or how to help her with her training, or even some excuse to talk to her.
Also, he likes Hyakkiyako. He likes how the academy has taken care of the natural spaces and has combined them with its unique architecture, he likes that quiet side that he tends to see every time he has to work in the area.
But above all things.
Inside, the real reason why is clear. He likes it, because it's Izuna's home.
She doesn't know, she has no way of knowing, after all, Sensei hasn't told anyone, but Izuna holds an irreplaceable position in her Lord's life.
It's true that the girl expresses constant frustration because her techniques don't usually work as she wishes, but Izuna's failures are categorically different from what her friends usually have.
Seeing Izuna run ahead of him so she could point out one of her favorite points along the way, Sensei remembers how she once got frustrated because she couldn't complete a kunai throw that should have been able to hide a second one in its shadow.
At that moment, he still didn't fully understood the motives behind the girl's actions, or if there was a real purpose behind those self-imposed challenges that lacked any consideration for what he considered to be normal.
But over time and as he got to know her, he found the answers to his concerns, and despite the fact that she always fell one step too short of reaching those goals, Izuna always ended up astonishing her Lord with what she did.
Smiling, Sensei can't help but admit the truth to himself.
It was fascinating to watch Izuna.
And from the bottom of his heart, Sensei is extremely grateful, as his ninja in his own unique way, has brought magic back into his life.
Caught up in his thoughts, and with his feelings taking over, Sensei walks closer to his student, and gently takes one of her hands as they continue walking.
It was an unconscious gesture, something he wasn't really thinking about, just an action born out of the affection that he had for the girl.
But, even so, it was noticeable enough to interrupt her monologue, taking all the attention the girl could offer.
For a brief moment, Izuna worried that she might have said or done something strange, the ever-energetic girl's mind seemed to run through all the possible reasons that could have led her Lord to take her hand.
Until a memory appears. A memory to which she is already accustomed.
Since that day on the beach in which her Lord taught her to swim, Izuna has been thinking about many things, about everything he has done for her and about everything she wanted so badly to tell him, but a new sensation in her chest eats again all those words that she wanted to dedicate to him.
Unlike that time, Izuna doesn't feel overwhelmed by the intensity of her feelings, on the contrary. She feels comforted.
Feels that everything is fine.
She feels genuinely happy.
Reciprocating her Lord's actions, the girl interlaces her fingers with him.
It was rare for them to be silent, normally one of the two would try to probe the other's thoughts, or try their best to cheer the other up.
But not this time.
After a few minutes of total bliss, Izuna realizes that her relationship with her Lord was completely one-sided.
Sensei has always given her space to express herself, to share what is on her mind, or simply to be guided by her in the many activities that she asked for his help to carry out.
Biting her bottom lip in frustration, Izuna stops.
"My lord...", calling him, Izuna can't help avoiding his gaze, no matter how much she steels herself to face him, "What do you want to do?"
Puzzled, Sensei looks at his student curiously, ""I thought that we already decided to start with…"
"It's not about that… Izuna wants to know her Lord! I want to know what you like! I want to know what you want!"
"Izuna, What's wrong? You know all that already, Did something happen?", bending down to be at the girl's height, Sensei gets a little closer to the student, trying to make eye contact with the girl.
The ninja doesn't know what to do, she thinks she should have thought better of what she could have said, but now she can't go back. Her heart won't let her. Not because of her duty as a ninja, but because of how remorseful she is for having been so neglectful of her Lord's feelings.
"I'm sorry… My lord, Izuna has been selfish.", closing the distance between them and hiding her face in Sensei's chest, Izuna closes her eyes, hoping that whatever was going to happen was for the best, "I have never asked about you. Or what you want to do, or what you are thinking… Izuna has never given you time to vent to her… Izuna is…"
Feeling how her Lord breaks the contact between their hands, Izuna shakes softly.
But she did not receive rejection or any kind of scolding from him.
But the only thing he gave her was a small kiss on the top of her head.
"Izuna, it's alright. You don't have to worry about any of that", hiding his face in the girl's hair, Sensei whispers.
It is evident to both of them, that the teacher was not with his usual confidence to speak or guide the students.
To Izuna, it was even surprising how much her Lord was breaking the barrier of physical contact that he seemed to have with everyone.
"Honestly, I don't even know where to start. Or what could I tell you."
Hearing Sensei's voice, so low and delicate, as if he was struggling to be heard, the ninja clings to him more.
It's not like she's trying to take advantage of the situation. Izuna would never do something like that. But she doesn't want to let her Lord to feel alone.
Not there, or never.
"I know it doesn't seem like it, but… Izuna… when I'm with you, everything that could be bothering me… no.", getting more comfortable and holding on to his friend, Sensei whispers into her ear, "The truth is that you make me good Izuna."
Izuna's surprise was so great that she didn't know what to say or how to react.
Her heart began to beat so hard and so suddenly, that the only thing the girl could think about at the moment was a timid wish that Sensei wouldn't notice.
"The truth is, what I want to say, is that when I'm with you, I'm very happy."
For the pair, at that moment, their surroundings had suddenly lost all importance.
Izuna felt so overwhelmed by everything that was happening, that she was afraid that if she moved or said something, her voice or body would betray her, and she would reveal to Sensei all the happiness that her words were causing her.
And it is that, for her, being able to hear something like that coming from him was so exciting, that the girl fought to hold back her tears.
She made him happy.
That's what he had told her. That she made him happy.
When was it that someone even said a similar thing to her?
Many people had condescendingly encouraged her. She had been told what they thought she wanted to hear, or what would cause the least trouble.
Izuna had already been through it.
Izuna was already over it.
But, hearing it from Sensei was different.
Deep down, she feels bad for thinking that way, but her friends are crossing the same path dedicated to ninjutsu as she does.
They encourage each other, because they are comrades sharing the same passions and dreams.
But not Sensei.
He was different.
To her, her Lord was special.
"What am I doing?", Sensei's thoughts, on his side, were much more chaotic than what his student was going through.
Not that it was a lie. He would never lie to his students. Rather, it was something he had promised to take with him to the grave if necessary.
Even being afraid of the girl's possible reaction, Sensei can't help but smile slightly.
Izuna really does him good.
"My Lord?"
Moving away slightly from the girl so that she could talk comfortably, Sensei progressively breaks contact with her.
"Izuna is also happy with you! Really, I'm very happy to be with you!"
Izuna was afraid that Sensei would hear her heart beating so hard, but for Sensei the situation was much worse.
Since a long time, his feelings for the girl had been leaking.
That they had been escaping from that repression that was imposed as a result of fear of what could happen.
But, seeing his student happy. To see her so radiantly happy. So full of joy.
She makes none of it matter anymore.
Izuna gives him courage to move forward. Just like she always has.
"Then let's keep being like this. Together."
With a single affirmation, Izuna and Sensei once again held hands and continued their walk through Hyakkiyako.
Happy to be with each other.
Happy to be able to experience those sensations with the other.
It wasn't until the sun began to set that the pair decided to stop.
The orange light in the sky brings back those memories of the summer that they shared together.
Of everything that was not said. Of everything that was kept silent.
Looking at Izuna, Sensei considers all that could have been if he had even a shred of his student's conviction.
For her part, Izuna breaks the link between their hands, and brings hers to her chest. It was evident that she wanted to say something, not only was her tail betraying her, but Sensei already knew very well the expressions who of was so special to him.
"Hum... My lord..."
"Yes?", keeping his sight on the horizon, Sensei tries to prevent Izuna from getting more nervous due to his gaze.
"Can Izuna be selfish? Just one more time?"
Surprised, Sensei turns to face her better, rather than allow it, he wanted to be able to make it clear that Izuna was always welcome to express herself as she felt best.
That she didn't need to ask him for permission or feel like she had to hide anything.
And without hiding anything, using her Lord's shirt, Izuna pulled him so she could meet his lips halfway.
It was only a few seconds.
But nothing else had mattered during that time.
Not the sound of the wind through the leaves. Not the sun on the horizon.
Not even if anyone could have seen them.
Only they mattered.
They only had themselves.
"My Lord,", embarrassed, Izuna let go Sensei's shirt, "Izuna loves you very much!"
They only loved each other.
Sensei didn't take long to cling onto Izuna upon hearing her confession.
Or to share a kiss with her again.
Even when Izuna was surprised, just as she had surprised him, the ninja did not resist, and clumsily, caught up in that unparalleled bliss, Izuna reciprocated her Lord's own confession.
The ninja's heart was finally going to rest from all those doubts that had been born that day on the beach.
Kuda Izuna loved her Lord.
Her shows had not lied to her. It really was that simple to know.
Although it would take them days to internalize what had happened and how their relationship was going to change, as well as clear up all misunderstandings, Izuna would remember that afternoon forever.
The best ninja that Kivotos would ever see, was happy.
And with the passing of time, she will be even happier.
Thanks everyone who read it.
Somehow, writing about Izuna was not as easy as i thought. Mainly, because i didn't had it in me to push this adorable fox trough much drama, so, i had a lot of attempts before settling in this one.
Anyway, thanks again for reading this story, and i hope to see you in the next one.