Hikari was annoyed. On their first training session, their Sensei had taken the time to give them individual advice, however brief. Since then, her sensei had washed his hands off them. As soon as he gave them some instructions, he opened his book and offered no guidance. She could work with teachers who expected you to figure out how things worked by yourself. But they weren't learning anything new. Today, they'd either sparred with each other or followed what Asuma was doing with his team.
She didn't need a jounin mentor to spar and try to better her arsenal by herself. Hikari wanted to scream in frustration. She had never had a worse teacher. At least with Tanaka Sota she was pushing herself. That wasn't to say that she preferred his methods, but at least he had a goal in mind. Kakashi-sensei just let them drift. Today had been the same.
Asuma had started out giving Ino senbons and her a neko-te. They'd worked on figuring out how they'd do damage with their weapons and meshing it to their fighting style. Then, Asuma had gone to motivate Shikamaru and Chouji into doing their own training. Sasuke and Naruto had alternated between insults, silence, and sparring. Today had been a waste for Team 7. She didn't blame her teammates for leaving as soon as they could.
"Hey," Ino called out.
"Yeah?"
"How's your training at the compound? Anything interesting?"
"I'm learning some new stuff on both apparatuses. They're beautiful tricks. Hard, though," Hikari offered.
"Tough. Are you heading there?"
"Yeah, I want to talk to Arata about something."
"Alright. See you tomorrow!"
Hikari hugged her and said goodbye.
"You didn't answer her," a voice drawled out.
She didn't say anything as she turned. She hadn't. Her best friend waited.
"I don't like the new trainer," she admitted. "Still, there's not much I can do."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"I -" she stuttered out. This is why she had to talk to Arata.
"Hikari?" His dark eyes shone with concern.
"Can I get back to you on that?"
He considered. "Tomorrow?"
"Yes. Tomorrow." She reached out and gave his hand a squeeze.
Unbeknownst to them, two elite jounin had watched both exchanges.
Ishikawa Arata wasn't just her Hand-to-Hand partner. Rather, they'd been put together because of who they were. The Ishikawa had stood beside the Sakasu since the beginning. Throughout the generations, the ties had remained unbroken. They were the right hands of the leaders of the kyokuba-dan. If she wanted to do this, she would need his full support. She wiped her hands on her trousers.
"Arata, we need to talk."
He nodded and followed her. She led him to her house's office instead of out. It was official kyokuba-dan business.
"Is this about Tanaka?" he rubbed his face. "I didn't think it was this bad. Honest."
"I know. But it's gotten to a point where we are all focused on keeping him away from the kids, and his training sessions are getting to me."
"Can we even do anything? Do you have a plan?"
"It's more of an idea, and it'd affect us beyond Sota."
"Alright?"
"Nara Shikamaru is my person." It was a powerful declaration for them. Your person didn't have to be your spouse or partner. It had nothing to do with love and everything to do with honesty. Your person was your equal, the one person you could trust implicitly and without reservations. The one you'd tell your whole truth to. It was the person who took the time to get to know you, and saw every part of you. With them, you wore no masks.
He stilled. "Congratulations, Hikari," he offered with a soft smile.
"Thank you," she smiled. She took a deep breath. "I want to open the clan."
She let him take in the bomb she'd dropped.
"To the Naras?"
She dipped her head. "I want to build a bridge between us. Pass along information, and have their support."
"They're a powerful clan. Still, maybe they'd benefit more from it. After all, they are strategists. Our information net would improve their plans drastically."
"And we'd stand to gain in connections and knowledge, both medicinal and politic. They win their fights because they think ahead and create the rules of the game. We admire that - setting the stage and changing rules to our advantage. We're isolated, which means we stand alone. They'd change that."
He thought about it.
"I'll support you."
She released the breath she'd been holding and smiled.
"About Sota, I think the Naras can get a message to my parents. Mom can handle it from there."
He nodded. "Sounds good. Do you want me to tell people?"
"Yes, but just do the groundwork with the heads of the disciplines and inform them I'll be reaching out to outside the clan. We can handle the full thing when we're all here."
He stood. "Congratulations again, Hikari. I think you're well suited."
She grinned.
DAY 9
"Shika?" she closed her book and turned her head.
After a morning filled with painting fences and picking up trash, they were in his backyard.
He hummed in question, still staring at the clouds.
She took a deep breath. "Remember the trainer?" she started.
"The one you don't like."
"Yeah. My parents' tour is almost done. I want them to come back fast, so they can kick him out."
Shikamaru sat up and pinned her with serious dark eyes. "Has he hurt you?"
"He's never touched me." He hadn't, not even to correct her or in stretching sessions.
"What do you mean by difficult?" He wasn't letting things go. She expected this - he knew her too well. He knew to pay as much attention to what she was saying as to what she wasn't.
"Long and... demanding. His comments are nasty. I -" she interrupted herself, unsure. His gaze remained on her, steady and intense. This is Shika. "I was thinking that, if you're okay with it, I could ask your dad for some help?" It was a completely different thing to ask Shikamaru for help than to ask his father. The repercussions that would ripple out of it would change her clan.
"Yes." His answer came fast. "If dad can help you, he will."
Her shoulders slumped. She hadn't even realized she'd tensed. Hikari gave her best friend a grateful smile. It wasn't that she doubted he'd help. It was just that... she shouldn't need help. It was kyokuba-dan business.
"I'm alright. Really," she offered to a furious Shikamaru. "And I'm sorry. I know I should have reached out sooner. I thought I could handle it without involving someone else." They both heard the unspoken 'without someone from outside'. "I do trust you, Shika. More than anyone else."
"Never again."
"I promise."
"Even if you only think something might be wrong, you'll tell me."
"If I can, I'll tell you. I promise you honesty and truth." she vowed.
"And you'll ask dad today."
"Yeah, I'll ask him today."
Shikamaru nodded, satisfied, before settling back down. She shifted so she was now lying on her back, head on his thigh, and went back to her novel.
After taking off his vest, Shikaku greeted his wife. Through the kitchen's window, he saw his son and Hikari under the old tree's shade. The sight was familiar. His interest was piqued as Shikamaru looked meaningfully at him, took his friend's book, and excused himself. He wandered into his backyard. The girl seemed less composed than usual, shifting her weight slightly. He marveled at the fact that she was willing to show her nervousness. For the first year they'd known her, she had been meticulously polite towards Yoshino and him, every gesture as measured as a small child could make them.
"Shikaku-dono," she greeted.
"Hikari-chan." The shinobi regarded her. He and Inoichi hadn't had any significant success in their self-imposed task. "Do you want to help me tend to the deer?"
"Yes," she said, relieved.
They gathered some feed and stepped into the forest.
"How may I help you, Hikari-chan?"
"I - " She hesitated. "I would like to ask a favor from you."
Shikaku frowned. He knew favors were her clan's currency. But... "Once, you told Shikamaru that trade didn't apply to the two of you."
She glanced at him, likely surprised that he'd remembered a conversation from so long ago. When she and his son were little, they'd figured out that her family and his clan were very different. For entire weeks, Yoshino and he had watched as they had attempted to bridge the gap between them, sharing and explaining their way of life. It had been tricky, as neither wanted to reveal their family's secrets. They'd thought the serious four-year-old's adorable.
"I told him that there would never be any debts owed or incurred between us," she agreed.
"Because you were best friends."
"Yes." Hikari clearly didn't see where he was going with this.
"Has that changed?"
"What? No!" She drew back, startled.
Shikaku frowned. They were talking about different things, then. He hadn't had to worry about offending his son's best friend in a while. Most misunderstandings had disappeared over time.
"If nothing has shifted, why are you opening an exchange?" He asked, as gently as he could.
"I'm asking you. Not Shika." The girl frowned.
Ah, another difference they had stumbled upon. Now that he thought about it, she had never asked him or Yoshino anything. "Are favors individual?"
"Some are, some are held between families. Others between groups. It depends."
It seemed to him that, in her compound, there were no rules set in stone. He fought the urge to rub his eyes. Trying to understand a system as complex and foreign as hers could be entertaining. Sometimes, though, it was just frustrating. Prices depended on the parties involved, their standing, the task, and how the favor asked could change both of their standings.
Hikari had once sat down and tried to explain it to him, in exchange for learning the rules for shogi. He thought he'd gotten it until she gave him some examples. Without knowing her compound's members, he understood it but could not predict the movements himself.
"I'm asking you, as who you are. Not as Shika's dad," she offered as the silence stretched.
"But I am always Shikamaru's father," he replied, amused.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. When she realized that he was teasing her, he was rewarded with a bright smile.
"I'm asking you for a favor. Because it's time sensitive and important to me and the kyokuba-dan, I'll owe you one of equal or greater magnitude."
He turned to her. "You will owe nothing to me. Not ever."
"You're refusing? Without even hearing what I'd ask?" She sounded hurt.
Shikaku hid his wince. This wasn't how he'd thought this conversation would go. He'd been trying to replicate the no-debts dynamic between his son and she, suggesting friendship between clans. But Hikari did hold debts of favours with her kyokuba-dan friends... Which begged the question of how Shikamaru was different, but that was for later pondering. Did the kyokuba-dan only deal with outsiders through deals and contracts? Did they fear the Nara would always hold the favour over them by not allowing them to give back? Or was this only Hikari, a tired girl and nervous with too much on her shoulders, misunderstanding his intentions?
Hikari took a step back towards the house and composed herself. "I apologize, Nara-dono. I only asked because Shikamaru thought you'd agree." Her tone was perfectly polite, no trace of pain lingering in it. He hadn't heard her be that genteel in years.
Yes, his son was going to kill him. He didn't understand, but he didn't have to in order to set this right.
She offered him a courteous smile and bowed. "Thank you for your ti-"
He reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving back and interrupting her. The child looked up at him, her large hazel eyes impossibly wide. It conjured an image of a startled fawn. He kept his grip loose. She could break it by taking a step away.
He was butchering this conversation. Hikari was reaching out, something neither him nor Inoichi thought she'd feel comfortable doing. She was breaking her clan's insulation. He couldn't let her go like this. The damage it could cause to the future his son was envisioning was too great.
She didn't dislodge his hand. He took it as a good sign. One of the first things they had learned about her people was that they treasured touch. They were also very particular about who could touch them and when. Public displays of affection, especially skin on skin, were considered displays of allegiance. Shikaku understood their reasoning. When someone's grip on you was the only thing standing between safety and a fatal fall, you equaled touch with absolute trust.
That she allowed the grip bode well. Still, he'd have to move carefully. She hadn't called him Nara-dono since she was a little girl.
"Hikari-hime, would you join me in the glade?" It was a beautiful spot, precious to the clan. They didn't usually take strangers there. Shikamaru had only taken Hikari once. The Sakasu understood symbols. This could show her that he wasn't rejecting her or changing their welcome. Sure enough, her nod was less hesitant and she let him guide her.
He gathered his thoughts as he walked.
When they arrived, they took a moment to enjoy the beauty of the clearing before sitting down.
Hikari wrapped her arms around her legs and hugged them to her chest. She looked impossibly young and small, but her voice was steady when she spoke. "We are not understanding each other, are we?" It wasn't a question, but she waited for his nod to continue. "It's... how do Naras come of age?"
He didn't know how the question was relevant, but it was a private one. Still... the girl wasn't an outsider. That was the whole point he'd been trying to make. They'd help, and nothing would be owed because help was offered freely.
"If our children choose to be shinobi, when they make chunin, we give them specific earrings."
"If our children choose to be performers, we consider them adults after their first show," she offered in return.
His eyebrows rose. That was... interesting. And concerning.
"It was decided that the Academy graduation wasn't enough." She paused. "Partners usually come of age at the same time." He nodded. It was the same thing for Ino-Shika-Cho trios.
"My Hand-to-Hand partner was supposed to perform a month after my parents left. The show was cancelled, but the deal with Tanaka had been struck. Within the clan, there's no issue. But with outsiders... " She trailed off. "Only my parents can formally dispel the contract. He's required to pass on some of his unique sequences in two apparatus. His teaching... leaves much to be desired. It has been... unpleasant."
She took a deep breath. "Shika told me you'd help if you could. I asked. You... said you'd never be open to trade. Does that mean you don't want any ties with the kyokuba-dan?"
She refused to look at him. He took in a sharp breath and chose his next words with care.
"Hikari-hime, when I said you'd never owe me anything," he paused as she winced, "I didn't mean that there would be no dealings between us. I meant that I offered help freely and with no expectations." He added the last part, since he'd once heard Hikari tell Shikamaru that, in the trading of favors, you never accepted anything free. Debts of gratitude were the most expensive of them all. He didn't want her to pay anything back. The trust she'd shown by coming here for help was its own reward.
"You didn't mean that Shika and I can't interact anymore," she said hesitantly. He looked at her sharply.
So, this was why she'd been so hurt, Shikaku realized. She thought that, by refusing to open an exchange between them, he was indicating a complete separation. Troublesome. He'd meant the exact opposite. If he knew his son at all, the Nara and Sakasu would one day be linked. They'd never merge, but it was ambitious. Connecting a shinobi clan that dealt in shadows to an isolationist clan who shone in the spotlight would be incredibly hard. Still, due to both Shikamaru's and Hikari's position within their clans, Shikaku thought it was unavoidable. And he'd be lying if he didn't see the kind of advantage the kyokuba-dan's knowledge and net of secrets could bring to his clan.
The fact that she was willing to reach out was significant. The Nara would extend their hand the rest of the way.
"Not at all. We want to help you, Hikari-chan, and we require nothing in exchange."
She allowed the less formal honorific. He watched as she closed her eyes and tightened her arms around her legs. Then, she slowly leaned sideways until her shoulder touched his own. He swallowed. Nothing had been lost today. In fact, maybe something invaluable and fragile was found.
"Their tour should be on its last days, in the Land of Rivers. I thought I could write them a letter. Tell them to come home instead of staying to supervise the disassembling. They could be here in a week, maybe."
"Closer to two, I'd think, since the messenger has to get there." He pointed out softly.
"So, you think it's doable?"
"Yes. I'll need you to write the message. As short as possible. I'll take care of it." There were shinobi coming and going to and from the Land of Wind, straightening out the next Chunin exams and what allies would be invited to Konoha. The Land of Rivers laid between Fire and Wind. Shikaku could easily ask a jounin friend to make a one-day detour.
"Thank you," Hikari whispered.
Shikaku put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side. "You're welcome."