Burn
"There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you, and there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself."
― Lemony Snicket, Horseradish
Chapter Five
"Mozuku knows ciphers!" I hissed to Kakashi who continued to walk me out, "We should talk-"
"No." He replied flatly, placing a hand on my lower back and ushering me away, "We shouldn't."
"Darling! He knows how to read them! We should see if he can help." I hissed back.
Kakashi sent me a look. I imagine it's the same one he sent to Naruto often.
"We don't know what happened. We don't know how detrimental this is. Keep it silent for now." He hissed softly in my ear. I flushed and quieted. He was a bit too attractive right now….. Fine, then. I breathed out softly.
"Fine. We can try this alone, but I'd rather the help. He's a good sort." I murmured to him.
Kakashi glanced at me one last time. He had already said his peace. I knew better than to push. Back to square one. So I kept my peace.
We met up again after I got off of work. My darling had gotten instructions that he'd be off on another mission soon, and we wanted to see how far we could get on our own with this puzzle.
That night we went to look into that Shisui character. Kakashi had apparently known him as well.
"Do tell, have you worked with the entire village?" I asked him as we snuck into the Uchiha compound once again. We jumped the gate this time instead of unlocking it. There was no reason for the world to know what we were doing.
Kakashi paused, scratching his chin as he mulled it over.
"Maa." He grunted, folding his arms. He looked at me and gave a small shrug. "Probably."
I just stared. What?
He shrugged again and turned to carry on. Curiosity was practically eating me alive. I followed after him, trailing behind him down the barren street.
"You're serious." I continued.
He gave another vague shrug. I followed him, just staring. There was no way he worked with that many people.
"I helped train a lot of students when I was young after graduation. Sarutobi-sama thought it would help me. I was kicked out of every team I was on until Namikaze Minato wanted to mentor me. After my team -... I went into the Anbu. I later helped train the recruits." He explained briefly.
Why would he have been kicked out of teams? He was such a team player and so-.
Those who abandon the mission are scum, but those who abandon their team are worse than scum.
As a child, My Darling probably prioritized the mission above all else. Especially after losing his father the way he had. Recalling his medical history, it supported that.
That friend of his, Obito, must have made quite the impression on Kakashi. For him to change so drastically, it must have made a big impression on him. It was too bad I never got to meet Obito. I'd rather like to thank him. Imagine if he hadn't snapped some sense into my Kakashi? He'd be a different man.
I reached out and gave him a comforting squeeze on the arm.
"It's too bad I didn't come sooner to pester you, mm? Might have been fun." I teased him softly. There was a small uptick in the corner of his eye but not much else. He fell silent after that, probably lost in thought again.
He soon showed me to the old residence of Uchiha Shisui. Surely at one point, it had been a cute little apartment for one. The paint on the sides was faded and falling off in chips. The roof itself looked a little caved in. As we arrived at the door around the side, a cat sat outside of the home. It looked like a Maine Coon, with deep brown colors and soft cream-patterned fur. The cat sauntered off as we got close. It wasn't that odd to see strays bounding around. But this one - he seemed like he was watching us. Odd.
I chose to ignore it, focusing on the task at hand. I picked the rusted lock on the door and we slipped inside.
It was almost like old times.
"You take the left, I take the right?" I teased him with a wink. He rolled his eyes at me. The cad.
We instead worked side by side. Maybe if we could find something?
Shisui was not an introvert bent on pouring out his every thought. Looking around the room, he had little else besides a low table and a futon. We did see his desk in the corner. I peeked through - nothing much. There were empty envelopes and not much else. No amount of whistling or knocking on floorboards would resolve this mystery.
"Were I a man who had a secret, where would I keep it?" I mused quietly.
Kakashi hummed softly and crossed his arms.
"What kind of man was he?" I asked, looking up at my Darling. He blinked and offered a vague shrug.
"He - he was a lot like my Sensei in a way. Optimistic, selfless, and reliable." He explained softly.
"Was he introverted? Liked alone time?"
"Not exactly…." Kakashi mused, "but he was selective with who he was open with."
I hummed. The chance Shisui left anything here was slim. Didn't seem like the type.
"Do you know where he preferred to hang out?" I asked. Kakashi inclined his head and we went out of the house. I trailed after him; he showed me to a small, private training area. The kunai target looked old and used. The fabric that used to stretch across the front lay in tatters at the foot of the wooden structure.
"I used to find them here." He said softly. I glanced at him; were they friends too? How close was Kakashi with Shisui and Itachi? One dead, the other a murderer.
"What do you think happened?" I asked softly.
Kakashi breathed out quietly. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at the sky.
"Don't know," Kakashi said finally. "I never understood how he killed his father. It was clear he was murdered awake. Fugaku-san was… a very powerful shinobi."
I hummed softly, watching him. He looked like he was lost in memories again. My lips twitched as I tried to smile. It was hard to even attempt, considering the situation.
"Did you know him?"
"He let me keep Obito's eye," Kakashi murmured.
I nearly wanted to stop the investigation right then and there. Did everything go back to my Darlings' pain? His torn childhood and devastating past? Obito's death, his father's supposed disgrace, and the students he trained. I pressed my lips together.
But again - I couldn't let Sasuke down again. I did it once. No more.
I licked my lips and went to my darling's side. I gently tugged his arm.
"Come on, then." I murmured, "Let's go. I've an early morning and you have a mission to prepare for."
"Maa - Tami-chan, I'm fine, I'm fine." He grumbled.
"I'll cook." I offered, "You critique, and maybe I'll share a few things from my past, mm? Make it square?"
He scoffed, eyeing me with amusement.
"So you have a file somewhere I can snoop through?" He asked humorously. Despite myself, I laughed.
"Oh, Darling. I'll do you one better. I've a book. But no worry - I'll answer three questions straight on, no hiding." I teased. Of course, he'd be free to ask me anything, no matter how often.
"Eight." He countered, a light dancing in his eye.
"Four." I offered back jokingly.
"Five."
"Done."
His eye crinkled and I nearly swooned. Goodness, what was becoming of me? Practically melting over the Hatake charm. Odd how he suddenly had it. We picked up a few things from the market and headed over to his place to cook it up. Knowing how meticulous he was, I tried to be careful. He sat at his little table, watching me cook. While he sat back as if he was relaxing, I could see the pressure in his legs and arms that he was ready to jump up if needed. Instead of calling him out, I left it be.
"Well, darling. What have you for me?" I asked him as I started on the veggies. Might as well answer some questions as I cooked.
"Who cared for you? Before your Uncle. The book wasn't clear." He began. I paused for a moment. Well, he was going deep, wasn't he?
"My nanny - Francine," I replied. I missed her; and tried not to think about her too much. She tried to warn me about my father, about how it would be. Me being a little snot told her that she just wanted to keep me away from my parents. How wrong I had been. She had been kind enough to reach out to my Uncle after my father kicked me out. It had been some time since I had spoken to her. Even before I arrived here. Sometimes my pride got the best of me.
Kakashi murmured through the name, sounding it out slowly. He gently drummed his fingers on the table. I smiled and decided to continue.
"I - well, she was lovely. I grew up in the countryside. Flowers and fields as far as the eye could see. Me and Nan would read through books all the time. Father used to ship off Mum's flowers from her events and send them to me. Silly me thought that they meant something, and Nan was too sweet to correct me. Went through every meaning of every flower." I explained. Well, didn't that sound a little pathetic? I scoffed, "Nan warned me later, by the by. Told me my father was a sleaze. Wanted the image of a perfect image. Didn't listen to her. I should have."
Kakashi hummed softly. He relaxed a little bit in his chair now. He wasn't so tense - I was grateful for that.
"Why did you forgive Ryuu-... Robert." Kakashi asked next. I gave a halfhearted shrug. Robert made me angry but he was who he was.
"Truthfully, I'm not sure. We were still kids. Knew him for years, and we were good friends." I explained.
"Do you do that often? Forgive cheaters?" He asked, his tone almost seemed amused. I sent him a look over my shoulder.
"Mmmn - best have no ideas. I don't play games with the heart." I warned him, waving the knife that was still in my hands. I had since moved on from the veg to the meats and so on.
Kakashi hummed again, his eye lighting up. He stood up and moved over to me. Without warning he pulled me into his arms, his chest against my back. I flushed and stiffened.
Wait, wasn't he supposed to be the one flustered around me? I tried to play it off. My goodness, it's warm. Did I accidentally turn on the oven?
"Just making sure we're on the same page." He said against my ear.
Oh my -. He had to be doing this on purpose.
He took the knife from my hand and finished cutting up the meat before pulling away and sitting down again. He looked as pleased as a peacock, his chest puffed out like he won a prize! I stared at him, nearly slack-jawed.
"You were taking too long, Tami-chan." He explained innocently. I sent him a look and hurriedly turned to focus on what I was making. The absolute cheek of that man! When did this happen? He used to stutter around me! And now he was making these moves. I'd have to watch it around him.
"Right. Impatient?" I asked over my shoulder. He simply gave me his best eye-smile. I continued with what I was doing. I was nearly done when he spoke up and asked me something else.
"Would you sing for me sometime?" Kakashi asked. I froze for a minute and looked back at him. I knew he had one of the albums Jiraiya had made. I saw that blasted poster every time I visited. For some reason, I didn't really think he cared one way or the other for my singing.
"I - if you wish it. I can." I agreed softly. Looking back again, he seemed more pleased with himself over that. I couldn't help it. I felt warm again. It was probably the stove again.
I stayed as long as I dared but knew we both needed a good night's sleep. So I left to go home. The walk back had been uneventful. Nothing special. It wasn't until I walked in my front door that I worried.
My kitchen light was on. I certainly hadn't left it that way.
The last time someone had been in my kitchen, it had been the Hokage wanting to talk. He was dead. I doubted Kakashi decided to sneak in for fun. I thought about running back to his place but I decided against it. I slipped out a kunai and prepared myself. A genjutsu should work well enough. As I crept into my house, I peeked into my kitchen.
Owl.
I let out a sigh. The man had made himself at home in my kitchen with a cup of tea.
"You could have called and saved me the stress," I called out, pocketing the kunai. I stepped into the room, Owl sitting there like he was my roommate waiting up for me.
"Would you have answered?" He asked curtly. I raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe. Would you have actually called?" I countered.
Owl remained silent. I crossed my arms. I wasn't sure why I was upset with him. He hadn't left a note for me, even though I knew he had helped save me. In fact, I was sure of it. Hadn't he arrived right when I passed out?
"You're doing better, I see." He said finally. I breathed out slowly and went to make myself some tea.
"Well, enough. What brings you to my kitchen?" I asked him, glancing over my shoulder at him.
"Why are you still hanging around Hatake?" He asked shrewdly.
Ah, yes. He still thought My Darling was psychotic. No - he wasn't, obviously. I sat down across from him.
"So?" He prompted.
"Oh, hello Tami. Rather good to see you again. Hear you almost died. Quite grand to see you mucking about again." I carried on, sending him a look. "Come on, then, Goblin King. No pleasantries?"
"You usually don't like them." Owl said, his head tilting. "So I'm Goblin King again? Why?"
I leaned back in my chair.
"Because," I said and then looked into my cup. "My business is between Hatake and Tsunade-sama. Not my business to spill."
I didn't know why I chose right then to lie. Owl wasn't usually like this and it bothered me. He was, of course, a pain. But he usually wasn't quite so - direct.
"So that's why you went to his apartment tonight after buying groceries." He said.
I raised my eyebrows at him.
"Jealous, luv? Haven't gotten that princess kiss yet, ah?" I commented drily. "Again. My business with him is my own and Tsunade-sama's."
Owl breathed out and sat back. He played with the mug in his hand. Thankfully he seemed to be reevaluating why he had come.
"I… imagine losing that kid to Orochimaru was hard. You must be… working through it." Owl tried. I looked away. Something about this all was just wrong. Owl didn't visit often. Not like this. And he didn't pretend to care either. Owl was a black-and-white sort of man. It was either death or life - it was or wasn't. Him curious about my personal matters, feelings, and such - he never cared. And then to talk about Sasuke so distantly, and almost like he died too.
Odd.
"I'd rather not talk about it, as it were," I murmured, looking over at him. He was tense, too. Grand. What was he doing? And who sent him?
Ibiki?
No. No, Ibiki was far too direct with me. He'd get in my face and beat answers out. He wouldn't send Anbu. Someone else sent Owl.
Who?
My question was never answered, as I'd find out.
Owl instead shifted, his mask turned to me. For not the first time, I wondered who he truly was.
"We should do this more often. I'll have to come by." He said finally, before getting up.
I raised my eyebrows. What was he up to?
"Oh?" I began.
"Don't worry, I'll avoid your lover," Owl replied in a drawl. I should have denied it and snapped at him. I was too busy sitting there, stunned.
He left quietly, climbing right out the window in my kitchen.
I really needed to learn how to use seals. Men shouldn't be climbing in and out my kitchen window. For many reasons.
X
Sasuke had a long week. Between the test, training, and experimentation he was going through, he was exhausted. Sasuke returned to his room, laying on the mattress to recover. His body felt heavy and his eyelids were weak. He needed rest. His room was sparse but he had no desire to decorate a room he wouldn't be in for too long.
He had to plan.
He hadn't been able to sneak over to see Oliver. He was a little hesitant to do so.
The one day Sasuke had been a little hesitant, Orochimaru smirked at him.
"Maybe if you won't, maybe our guest will." He drawled. Sasuke kept his mouth shut from then on out. He didn't think it would save Oliver, but it might delay the inevitable.
He deserves it. His weakness costs him. Sasuke thought despite himself.
"Do you want to be like your brother?"
The question came up unprompted.
No. No, he didn't want to be like Itachi. He was gathering his strength, letting Orochimaru believe he wanted only power and only revenge.
The Snake Sanin didn't know.
Sasuke looked at the silly little bat-shaped kunai Tami had given to him years ago.
He wanted to be a force for good; to protect those people. That did mean people like Oliver. And the man did have some strengths that Sasuke might be able to learn from. Maybe.
Sasuke rested for a few hours, getting up to sneak his way to Oliver once again. He snuck down the long corridor, switching to the vents when he saw the remainder of the Oto shinobi that failed. He dropped down outside of the jail cell and-.
He should have known.
Oliver lay in the cell, without a cot this time. His eyes had bags under them, and his skin had paled considerably. There was a small mark on the man's hand to show an injection site. Sasuke recognized it from his time around Orochimaru.
His hands curled into fists by his side, his fingernails biting into his own flesh.
Oliver shouldn't have been touched. But what did Orochimaru care? The Sanin was ruthless and had no other use for him if Tami wasn't coming. The two made sure Tami didn't come.
It was Sasuke's responsibility to make sure Oliver got back to Konoha. And he would make sure it happened sooner, rather than later.
X
Maya lay in bed, watching the clock. 4;25 a.m. She had stared at that clock for an hour. Her room was nice at least. But it wasn't her own. It had been a few months since she had last seen her own bedroom. She wondered what had happened since she had left. What else had happened?
Did anybody miss her?
If Maya was honest (and she did try to be), she didn't really miss home. She had no future. She was a hairstylist who didn't want to work on hair all the time. She loved her Italian roots but never got to really enjoy it. She had little else other than her little manga and anime shows.
And yet she made a leap into a world with a half-baked thought.
Maya didn't know what she wanted. But she knew what she didn't want. Maybe that would be enough for now?
She grumbled to herself and sat up in bed. First step; What did she even want? She got up and trudged to the desk near the window. Her Japanese homework from Ebisu sat there, half-finished. He was an interesting guy, not entirely creepy. But… Maya was still hesitant around him.
'I don't want to be scared of the future.' She wrote. What would be the opposite of that? Trust, she guessed? Trusting that things would just work out, even if it all felt like it was suspended on a thin wire and- no, stop it.
So; she wrote; trust others.
Okay. A vague start but fair enough. Tami surely wasn't going to go into the field much anymore, Maya bet Tsunade had "grounded" her. There was no way Tami would become a Jounin. Tami hated fighting, preferring to use her words instead. Maybe a Tokubetsu Jounin, but even then she doubted Tami would be allowed out of the village.
Well, maybe Maya could talk (somehow) to Tsunade about it when it got closer to the Pain arc. Oh! And Kakashi, too. Tami might not even make it - might be better if she stuck it out instead.
So she had one to-do item.
The next item; she wanted to cook more. And bake and - oh! That would be so much fun! Maybe she could open up her own little noodle shop. The Ramen shop did pretty well. Maybe she could make an Italian noodle stand!
She giggled at the thought. That would be funny and fun to do all at once.
She jotted down "food stand" besides cooking more. Maybe in the future sometime?
And - and if it all went well? She could have her own little home. She surely couldn't spend forever in Jiraiya's home. It would just be weird. He was weird.
Maya looked at her work and nodded. Okay. She could do this… okay, maybe blindly trusting people might not work out but - it could work.
With that thought it made her think of Tami and her question. Itachi…
The secret Itachi carried, what really happened, could destroy the entire village. He knew it, Maya knew it - the entire fanbase knew it. Which was why, in the original story, they remained quiet about it.
For the safety of the future, and what needed to have happened, Maya looked at her sheet. She penciled in "Don't tell Tami" at the bottom. If she was some world-class detective she could figure it out for herself. Surely Tsunade would know how dire the secret was. Although Maya didn't want Itachi to die (he was absolutely amazing), she didn't see a way for it to work out. It couldn't… right?
X
Owl's sudden reappearance in my life made me feel a little on edge. This behavior wasn't like him at all. I woke up too early because of it, and couldn't go back to sleep.
Best to just get up and work through it. I reasoned.
I went out on a run, trying to sort through the thoughts I had. Sasuke was gone, my Uncle was still captured, Maya was distant but at least friendly. I had to train and reach Jounin to even see if I could go out and help my Uncle be found. I bet I could find him. Orochimaru and the like left nasty little trails all over. I bet he was experimenting on people again. But I didn't want to think about that. Maybe he would keep Uncle out of it. Maybe Uncle could talk his way out of it.
I didn't want to think about what Sasuke was enduring.
And then, Itachi had a big nasty secret he was hiding too. The difference between how he carried himself when I had met him to how he spoke in the journal about Sasuke was night and day. What happened? And even before I met him - when he had hurt My Darling using that eye of his. Even then it simply felt odd. Why Itachi hadn't mocked Kakashi or tortured him the way he did Sasuke?
He wanted Sasuke for something then. And why not kill Kakashi? Or myself. He didn't kill either of us and we both were important to Sasuke. Instead of killing me, he cursed me for getting in his way.
I licked my lip, mulling it over.
I stopped running.
Itachi wanted Sasuke to kill him. He was actively provoking Sasuke. It's the only thing that made any sense. He probably never even thought Sasuke would go to Orochimaru - if he cared at all. Was it the guilt that made him want Sasuke to kill him? Or some perverse sense of justice?
I didn't know. But I needed to find out. Mozuku was an option blocked off for now. Instead, I ran by that little Uchiha training ground. I had gotten distracted the last time I had come by. Wanting Kakashi to be at peace was more pressing to me than the mystery. I tried not to feel guilty about this.
'Forgive me Sasuke. I keep getting distracted.' I thought.
I started to look the area over. I inspected the grounds, looking at the trees surrounding the area. Knowing most Konoha nin preferred the branches to the ground, I combed through all of it - just to see if I could find even a knick in the trunk. Boys liked carving into trees, didn't they? Maybe they left a key or a little lockbox or some such.
Nothing. Nothing at all.
I dropped from the tree, landing lightly on my feet. Finally, I made my way to that simple broken target. Of course.
I flipped it up and looked around. Nothing below it, nothing hidden in the dirt. It wasn't until I inspected the target itself did I found it.
A symbol had been carved into the target. Had I not been looking for it, I wouldn't have found it. I took note and set the target down. It looked like the key I had been looking for. Mind, I'm not sure of the correlation between the target and the symbol, but maybe my Darling would. I doubted we'd find anything better than this. Maybe Kakashi had a hidden talent in figuring out code?
I went to my training session with the trio. We had agreed to go and train until they had to leave (which would be less than a week). I trained with the infamous Kankuro for a time. I had hoped to get a better look at those chakra strings he used. If I could figure out how he used them - maybe my Spiderman dreams would be realized.
I wanted to so badly draw him into a genjutsu, showing him the Chicago production of "We Both Reached For The Gun" but I refrained. I already stood out far too much. Best not rock the boat. At least not right now.
He was a decent taijutsu fighter. More and more I realized my taijutsu and power level was a shame. I was decent - for a Chunin. But my skills were unpolished. We eventually traded off every so often. Temari was a heavier hitter than myself with her wind. I felt for little Tenten who squared off to her. Poor girl. Gaara was in another league of his own just by being untouchable, encased in sand. The previous slight weakness he had to my Call had been immediately corrected. It didn't work anymore.
I didn't want to use lethal force, not that I had it in the first place. It was an eye-opening experience to be sure. I left it at that for the day, Temari sending me a critical look. I couldn't say I blamed her. All of my combat skills were defensive in nature. I was good at traps and defense, not offense. This was why I had stepped away from the battles in the first place. And yet. Here it was - mocking me again. I needed to get better at fighting
I sat at the bank, waiting for Gai and Lee to arrive as he wished to train with me after hearing how I was training and lifting weights under the water.
The two arrived in a jolly fashion. Gai had breathed in to announce something.
I had to ask him before I lost my nerve.
"Train me in Taijutsu." I rushed, forgetting to even ask it as a question. Walker, you idiot. I flushed and sat back. Gai stared at me. Lee's eyes widened. "Forgive me, could you please-"
"Tami-chan!" Gai gushed, "You wish to walk the path of springtime youth?!"
My mouth dropped. I've never seen him get so excited.
"Yes! How fun will this be! A new pupil to your way, Sensei!" Lee added.
"How I've longed for this day, Tami-chan! To train so passionately and with such conviction!" Gai continued.
I sat there as the duo continued to crow. They really were lovely. But sometimes they simply carried on.
In the end, I would be training with Gai over the next few days until we knew I could fight better. I was going to be rather sore, I was sure. But at least I could fight.
For at least that day, we trained my way. We swam and carried weights underwater. I had the luxury of being at least semi-used to the strain that this put on my body. It took Gai and Lee a moment to acclimate, them splashing up to the surface every so often for air. They hadn't been used to controlling their breath like I did so often, but they also carried heavier weights than I did. The willingness both Gai and Lee had to just throw themselves into an entirely foreign training routine was touching. They trusted me to oversee it and make sure it ran smoothly. I'd have to return the same energy when Gai trained me.
I'd have to relinquish a little bit of the control I always felt I had to have.
Well, who said being a Kunoichi would be easy?
End Chapter
AN: I'm a little iffy on this chapter. Not a lot happened but I'm trying to go deep and not "busy". And trying to get better at adding in grounding details so that it's not characters interacting in a blank space x_x Anyways. I hope you all are doing lovely! I know it's not as long as I usually write but this chapter feels like it's "complete". Owl is back on the scene, Tami is training and seeing where she is failing and Maya is figuring out her life.
Thank you guys! I hope your new year has been amazing so far and it's going well.