Otoha and I stepped into the room.
"How'd it go?" Shisui asked.
I wanted to collapse. I had been cleaning since five in the morning. Afterward, I went to the tea house, where Otoha spoke to Tomoe for me. I kept my mouth shut, nodded, and signed when told to. By the time we came back to the inn, the first morning light was peeking over.
The sight was pretty, all the colors against the clouds. I had thought sunrise was the same as sunset, only the sun going up instead of down. I was wrong. Sunsets were dim, a warm glow of oranges and reds and purples. Sunrises were fresh, the sky a strip of yellow and pink. Added with lanterns, the leaves and blowing sakura, the creeks and old cobblestone roads, this place looked beautiful.
"The ma'am approved," Otoha told everyone. "We got her wage up from minimum to low."
"Yay!" Michio cartwheeled.
"When can she get promoted again?" Shisui asked.
Otoha folded her arms. "Two hundred hours is the minimum to go to standard wage. Continuing with the plan, she might just pay off her debt before her vacation is up... by pulling fifty-five hours a day out of her ass."
Michio was cheerful. "No problem!"
"Problem," Otoha said. "You seem to forget that the difficulty of labor increases with wage. The maids will need another bribe if you want more of their help. Also, I'm out."
"What!"
"Why?" I blurted out. I knew Otoha did not like me, but could she not find it in her heart to help a poor girl out?
"Because," Otoha said, sneering, "once you move up to low wage, you're a capable full-time worker of this district. You don't need a babysitter no more. The ma'am removed my position as your supervisor, so I'll be returning my original post."
"Nooo!" In a flash, Michio was grabbing Otoha's leg. "No go, no go!"
A growl. "Aye, I've got a job. Besides..." She looked at Shisui and Michio. "I believe you two have commitments of your own tomorrow."
They grimaced.
I felt out of the loop. Then I remembered. "Oh, do you have to go to Itachi's tea ceremony?"
"Itachi's what—?" Shisui asked.
Michio jumped in. "Ah, yes Shishi, we are absolutely discussing the tea ceremony, in which we concluded caffeine was necessary for all those long boring speeches about heirs, politics, government, all that fun stuff."
That was suspiciously specific.
"Oh!" Shisui nervously laughed. "Yes! Tea, yup. Good stuff."
"There is no tea, is there?" I deadpanned.
"Tea is a huge deal! Why would there not be?"
I pouted. "So, I've noticed that besides our clan, all the guests have all left. Yet the workers got more busy. Isn't that weird?"
"Err—"
I went on. "I mean, why all the fuss for a tea party? Unless this ceremony is way bigger than you made me think. And if so, you better go. I don't want to get you in trouble, and Itachi would need you too."
I plopped on the mattress, thinking. I had forgotten about the ceremony until now. That meant everyone helping me would be gone. Oh well, there went Michio's plan to pay my debt before vacation was up.
"Speaking of Itachi, he's been out for three days now. We better make sure he wakes up soon, or..." I trailed off.
Everyone was staring at me.
"What?"
"Squirt," Shisui began. "Just real quick, tell us what you think is going on."
I blinked. Okay. "Well, I realized this 'vacation' was actually a clan gathering. In Konoha were all my uncles. And here, all my aunts. But we're together again because of Itachi's mom and dad. They had a fight, but now they're apologizing in that tea house. And when they're okay again, then Itachi can be indu... indu... whatever this ceremony is for.
"Oh, and Tomoe doesn't like this, because she wants this heir thing that Itachi's getting. And since she's been wasting time on me, right before this big event, I guess I'm the bargaining chip. Really, Michio, Sasuke, and I together barely get eight hours, and I'm meant to do thirteen by myself? I'd never pay back, and she knows that. Plus, she burned Itachi's money. It never had anything to do with money, but all about this heir thing."
The room was silent.
Did I say something wrong?
"Michi..." Shisui said.
"Yes capt'n?"
"Those Heaven crash courses, tone it down a little."
"Roger," Michio squeaked.
Shisui turned back to me. "And squirt. Come on, squirt. I would not say bargaining chip. Where do kids get these ridiculous ideas nowadays—"
"So Tomoe writes thousand page contracts over wet floors for fun," I deadpanned.
When no one said anything, I sighed. "I'm right, right? Then I'd like to ask everyone to not tell Itachi. The contract, everything. He'll get really mad, and that's what Tomoe wants. So, when he wakes up, make something up about how we fixed everything."
"And how do you plan to hide the evidence?"
I looked down at my uniform sleeves and frowned. "I guess if I don't do jobs near him, then he won't know I'm working. I'll say I'm off to play somewhere."
"Would he not find it odd if your usual insistence for him to play with you is not present?"
"Well, I'll ask him once or twice. But he's still healing, so he'll definitely say he's tired or—"
I froze.
"Then you will be surprised..." The door behind me slid close. "By what he will tell you."
I cursed under my breath.
"Hey... someone's up," Shisui choked. "How long—"
"Long enough," Itachi said. "The contract?"
Shisui stepped back. "Ha, about that..."
I turned around. "Listen, Itachi, that's not his fau—"
I stopped. Bandages wrapped around Itachi's neck, stomach and chest, arm and hands. Some even peeked at his ankle. The sight made my stomach churn. It brought back the sounds of wrung towels and closed medicine boxes.
I took Itachi by the arm. His gaze snapped to me.
"Ayae—"
"You shouldn't be up," I said. "Let me help you back into bed."
"That will not be necessary," he said.
I held him tighter.
"No!" I got loud. "No, you're hurt. You need to rest. You have a big day tomorrow and, and..."
"I am healed." His voice got harsh.
I stood in place. "No, you're not! Look at yourself-!"
He pulled out a kunai. The kunai swiveled then slashed down. His bandages fell down, leaving clean skin.
I was shocked. Five days to three weeks for minor injuries, three weeks to a year for moderate, a year to never for severe. I might not have learned past those basics from my seminars, but I knew that there should be a scar.
But now that I thought about it, I never did see any scars on him. Even the bruises all those years back healed like magic the next day.
"I am fine, Ayae," Itachi said.
I would not believe it. As I touched him, I felt something. The tears in his skin, the bump of a burn. Even if I could not see it, I felt it. My fingers went down his arm. "Itachi... is this..."
His breathing stopped. Before I could touch him more, he pulled away.
"There is nothing, Ayae."
I was speechless. "No..." I shook my head. "No, no, I definitely felt that. That was..."
When Itachi avoided me again, I knew.
"You, you're using genjutsu!" I yelled. "I saw you yesterday. You are not okay. And now you expect me to believe some fairy healed you last night? I don't believe it! You're using genjutsu to hide away all your—"
He held my face.
"Ayae, you are worn down, you are tired, and now, you are becoming delusional," he said, eyes narrowed. "All this has you on wild, farfetched theories, one after another. Obviously, it is far too early. Please lie down in my room and sleep. Everything will get resolved."
"I..." I looked to everyone else in the room for backup. "I... I'm not going crazy, right?" I asked. "He's not healed, right?"
But no one said anything. Itachi was looking at them too. They looked back and forth at us and decided to keep out.
"I..." I clutched my head. The room was spinning. It was too early. I was tired. Maybe I was not thinking straight.
Itachi looked so sure too. He was right. He was always right. Maybe it was better to stop thinking and do what he says. He was the responsible one.
It did not matter if he was always cleaning up after me, and it did not matter if I hated it, because it was not like I could do anything.
I wanted to cry.
Itachi softened.
"I will help you to my room," he whispered. He held out a hand.
I nodded and took it.
When our palms closed around one another, I smiled...
…and used Hot Springs Technique 104 to slam his sorry butt down on the mattress.
"You must be really out of it if I can pull one over you, huh? Stop wasting chakra on genjutsu!"
His eyes widened. I pinned him down.
To answer him, I spat, "You forgot the mark Tomoe left on your face." The line on his cheek, the scrape by a naginata. It made me remember why I was here.
"Listen, Itachi," I said, shaking. "I spent three days in hell. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I'm going crazy. I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. All I know is that I want to punch someone right now, and as your friend, I ask you to please not make me hurt you."
No more lies. Itachi was smart enough to know if he kept this up, we were going to have problems.
When he gave in, I let him go.
Only to find my back slammed on the mattress, my arms pinned down.
"You do not understand what a dangerous position you are in, Ayae," he said lowly, his eyes staring into mine.
"You—!"
"I am giving you one last chance to sleep in my room, or I will take you there by force."
I counted. Three, two, one...
Headbutt-no-jutsu saved the day. He leaped back. I put on my best scary face.
"I'm the one in the dangerous position? Look at you. You can barely stand, barely hold me, using lousy genjutsu make-up, and you think you can show up at tomorrow's ceremony like that?"
I was tossed back down.
"Exactly. The ceremony is tomorrow," he said. "You must break out of your contract with Tomoe before then."
"Stop worrying about me and start worrying about your own butt!" I screamed.
"No. The laws of Miyako protect you, Ayae. They are merciful laws, and all duties must obey the jurisdiction of the district. You do not understand."
"Then help me understand."
He could not. He was tired too. "You will not. I was reckless, I made a mistake, and now I will resolve this."
I did not take that well. Steaming, I stomped after him until I was in his face. "I swear, Itachi, I am insulted that you can't see me as anything but luggage. I'm not leaving. We'll get through this together."
"We're all in this together," came a sing-songy voice.
We turned to Michio. I forgot we were not alone.
"Good morning, dear cousin," Michio curtsied to Itachi. "A pleasant day for a sparkling bottle of friendship, is it not? Now that you are awake, I believe it is time to return Miss Ayae to your care. Although, if I may, your tactless antics are a little too missing on the caring and a little too successful on the upsetting. Perhaps I should keep—"
I whacked his head with a nearby backscratcher. "I don't have time for this!"
A pout. "You mean we don't have time for his indecisiveness," Michio said. "No disrespect, but we have a schedule to keep up. He can either help or return to his royal nap."
Before I could get a word in, Michio grabbed my hand and dragged me to the door. "C'mon, honey doll!"
With a scoff, Otoha left. "I'm off for breakfast."
Shisui looked back and forth. "Err, yeah, I'm hungry too. Wait for me, songbird!"
They disappeared. That left Michio and I in a tug-o-war by the door. "I told you, I'm not leaving Ita—"
"No! Schedule!"
Itachi closed his eyes. "It is futile."
With a grin, Michio pulled out my work scroll. "Futile? Psh, once I get serious, I can do a hundred hours a day." To me, he flashed a smile. "Trust me, I will pull you out of this yet." My grip on the door ledge gave away. I was whisked away into the hallways.
The door slid shut behind us.
Sixty seconds later, the door slid open again. Michio dragged me back in.
"Okay, what you do to the words," Michio asked, holding up a blank scroll.
My work scroll had a list of all my tasks. Every line told us the task, place, and hours. Once the task was done, the scroll gave new ones. Once or twice, the scroll grew short. Never was it blank.
Itachi sat on the mattress. "Nothing."
"Don't give me that! You may not want honey doll working, but genjutsuing on her work scroll is plain obnoxious."
"I did not," Itachi said.
"Are you saying that on one of the busiest days of the year, Lady Tomoe has no work left?"
"No, there is plenty of work around this inn. Only Lady Tomoe did not assign any of them to Ayae."
"But why would—" Michio stopped. "But Lady Tomoe wouldn't—"
"She already has."
Michio collapsed on the mattress. "My plan no work?" he sobbed. "Honey doll is trapped. Michi could not help. Michi so useless!"
I jumped to my toes. "No, no, you're not!" I tried my spazzastic way of comforting him. "It's alright. So we miss a few hours. We'll just use the time to grab breakfast. It's great, actually."
My comforting did not work. Michio shook his head, snot dripping everywhere.
I turned to Itachi. "What's going on! Michio's plan was working fine until you—" I stopped myself.
"Until I woke?" Itachi said.
I winced. Wrong words. I wanted to prove that I could handle myself without Itachi, not sound like I was blaming him.
"I did cause this," Itachi admitted. "Lady Tomoe sensed that I had awaken and responded accordingly. Although, this is inevitable. She would have retracted your duties regardless."
"But if Lady Tomoe wants to make me miserable, why would she stop giving me work?" Just when I thought I had it figured out, everything stopped making sense again.
"To stop you from fulfilling your contract."
"But why?"
"That question, you have already answered."
I have? I had done more thinking in the past week than in my life. My brain juices ran dry. When I came up with zip, nada, Itachi sighed.
"You are a bargaining chip. To bargain, you must be under her possession. There can be no possibility of you earning your own freedom."
I did not understand. "But I can," I said. "The contract says if I do enough hours, I'm free." That was why I did not want Itachi to know. I wanted to free myself, not have him give up something for it.
"And should Lady Tomoe decide to not give you any hours for one year?"
I paled. I needed twelve hours to break even. If I go one day under, my debt will go up from board and food.
"By now, you must have understood that hour is not a measure of time. It is a unit that quantifies the worth of labor. Likewise, wage guarantees nothing of your pay at the end of the day. It is only a measure of competency.
"This law was established to encourage labor. No one will be motivated if one will earn the same regardless of what one does, but this new method ensures that the more one works, the more one is rewarded.
"Currently, you have exploited this law, completing fifty hours of work a day to pay off your debt sooner. However, Lady Tomoe can equally exploit this law. By withdrawing all tasks, you have no means of ever repaying."
It was time to join Michio in the sobbing corner.
"You're telling me..."
"I am saying," Itachi whispered, holding out a hand, "you should be treated well during your stay."
I stared at his hand. Defeated, I took it.
Itachi whisked me away to his room. His real room in the center of the main inn. It was two stories high with a door that led to a garden courtyard.
It was there that a row of workers came at single call. He ordered a meal, a set of clothes, and... a tub.
"What the—"
He knelt down. "This process will be much quicker if you do not struggle."
"No! Gimme my foot back!"
He did not. My foot got dunk in a tub of warm water. A shiver went up my spine. While Itachi washed my feet, a worker reclined the chair I was in. She gave me, great, a pillow.
"Pork or fish," another worker asked me, smiling.
"How about a roasted kunai to nail him with?" I kicked furiously at Itachi. I was pleased when I splashed him. To my surprise, he got back at me. A wet cloth slammed against my face.
My jaw dropped. "Oh no, you did not just—!"
"I did."
I was speechless when he went on to wipe my face. For once, his eyes were not staring, only gentle.
"Tell me you didn't just clean my feet with that."
He chuckled. He gave my hands a wipe down, then straightened my chair and showed me the pile of towels.
"There are calluses on your heels and toes, so I gave them an ointment," he said, lifting up my feet and patting them dry. "There is no need for it anywhere else."
I rubbed my cheek. "Then what'd you put on my face?"
"Nothing. That was just water."
"Was there something there?"
"Yes," he said. "Your stubbornness was showing."
He helped me down the chair. I wiggled my toes on bamboo floor. It felt nice.
A banquet was set up on his table. One sniff of the food, and I caved. I pigged out, jamming everything into my mouth. All I had to eat at Miyako was porridge, porridge, and porridge. By now, even vegetables smelled good.
I tensed when I heard a knock on the door, but it was only a worker. She brought in a stack of laundry.
"My clothes!" Biting my chopsticks, I readied to snatch them. Remembering, I stopped. I focused on bringing another slice of pork to my bowl instead.
Itachi took the load off the worker. When we were alone again, I mumbled, "Contract says I can't wear those."
He looked through the stack, ignoring me. "The pink dress looks lovely."
"You can try it on if you want." I stuck out my tongue.
"...on you." He handed me the stack.
I did not take it. "I like yellow."
"Would you like me to find you a yellow dress?"
"Depends. Is it mid-length with tied up sleeves and comes with brown pants and a matching bandana?"
His smile fell. "Ayae, it's over."
"No, it's not. And I don't want to be punished for taking off my uniform."
"Lady Tomoe will harm you no more." His voice was absolute.
"Oh, that I know. She got nothing on me." I blew up a cheek and flexed my arm. I got serious again. "I'm worried about you, okay? Will you let down that genjutsu?"
Wrong words. An invisible wall slammed between us. I lost him. The breakfast got silent.
When I could not stand the awkwardness anymore, I started blabbing. It was just my voice in the room. I told Itachi about Otoha and Michio. I talked about his brother, and the fiascoes Sasuke and I went through. I told him about the cool things I learned too.
"I mean, I don't want to brag or anything, but seventy-two sit-ups in a minute is pretty cool. Of course, I lost to that darn brat, but he was all, you trained him this, you trained him that, of course a girl can't compare, ugh, such a stuck up." I popped a salted peanut in my mouth.
"Would you like me to train you?"
I did a spit-take.
"No!"
"No?"
"No, no, no." I finished choking. "Yes. Yes. I would love that."
"How about right there." Itachi nodded to the open courtyard. I knew it was too good to be true when he added, "It might get a little dirty." My clothes were still on his lap, a casual shirt and pants on top this time.
Damn. He got me good. It took a whole two seconds before I gave in. I hopped into my pants on my dash to the door.
"Well?" I stepped outside, giving my shirt a firm tug.
He flickered to my side and asked, "What do you know of Heaven?"
"Mental perception," I said, smirking at my smart-sounding big words.
He was surprised. "Of Earth?"
"Physical capa-city."
"How about yin and yang?"
"Err... the black and white circle thingy?"
"Yes, the circle thing."
"Um, that it's probably good for you, and if it came in a vitamin bottle, I should take a few?"
Itachi chuckled.
"Yin and yang," he said, tracing a circle in the dirt, "the dynamic equilibrium between two opposite forces of a mutual whole, forever cycling, revealing what was once obscured, obscuring what was once revealed."
"Yin." His body unraveled to his first form, hand and footwork delicate. "Passive, diffusive, conservative..."
"Yang." His hand sliced as sharp as a knife. "Aggressive. Focused. Destructive."
With each word, he took another step forward and gave a strike.
He relaxed his stance. "Opposition. Would you like a try?"
I beamed. "Alright."
Itachi went into a basic form. I copied. His foot shifted. His hand extended. I yelped, staring cross-eyed at the fist before my face. Oh, so he was serious.
Itachi took another step. "Yang." Another strike. "Give."
I held up my hands to block my face. His fist made a small thud in my open palms. I peeked open an eye. "Um, yin? Take?"
I got it.
"Yang. Advance." He came at me with a chain of offensive forms.
"Yin. Back."
"Yang. Expand."
"Yin. Shrink."
"Yang. Rise."
"Eep, fall!" I ducked the high kick, then rolled and dashed off to find a weapon. "Yang, lead!"
"Yin, follow."
Beneath a plum tree, I jumped and used my weight to snap off a branch. With it, I charged. "Yang, attack!"
"Yin, defend." He blocked each swing with his arm, going from the shades of the tree and into the sunlight again.
"Yang, strengthen!" I slammed the branch down as hard as I could.
"Yin, weaken." And the branch broke, snapped in five places.
With a pout, I tossed it aside, and with a hop, flip, kick, "Yang, understand."
"Yin, abstruse." He disappeared. I was confused until I heard his voice again, from behind. "Yang, deconstruct."
"Yin, form." I tumbled away, spun around, and pushed. "Yang, start!"
"Yin, end." He caught me, and we fell into the ground.
We lied in the grass. Slowly, my breathing and heart calmed.
I closed my eyes, enjoying the sunlight against my cheek. "So is this yin, rest?" I said, folding my hands across my belly.
His fingers ran through my hair before he stopped himself. He sat upright. "Would you to sleep inside?"
My eyes snapped open. "Not sleepy," I said. "Let's do that again!"
"Ayae, it would do you good to recover some of the sleep you lost."
"I could say the same about you!" I bolted right up. "Like I don't know that the minute I'm asleep, you're going to Tomoe about my contract."
"Something must be done."
"No, I don't want you anywhere near her. Tomoe is crazy." I moaned, burying my face into my knees. "A total monster!"
"Lady Tomoe is... merely acting in our interests."
"You're kidding."
"Her methods are questionable, but her objectives are properly placed."
"I can't believe this. After everything, you're still defending her."
"Would nothing convince you she is not as bad as you believe?"
"At this point, you can tell me she builds orphanages for kittens, and I wouldn't care."
"What if I say she is the reason I am still alive."
"What part of kittens do you not—" I stopped. "What?"
Itachi gave a wry smile. "Yin and yang, forever cycling, revealing what was once obscured, obscuring what was once revealed," he said. "Lady Tomoe once saved my life. And, by all likelihood, is currently trying to save yours."
.
I did not leave Itachi's side. I was not letting him go anywhere near Tomoe, who, weirdly enough, left us alone.
Sasuke reunited with his brother in a giant tackle. Latching onto Itachi, he went on to gush about everything.
"—and then, and then, she dared to try pretending to be y—"
I clamped a hand over his mouth. I laughed nervously, holding the thrashing child. Unfortunately, it was like trying to dam a tsunami, and my whole fiasco got out. My soul escaped as Sasuke went line by line of my dreadful acting career. Never again.
"—and she was so awful, that I was trying really hard to act as if I fell for it, and then we fought, and I completely won, and—" Sasuke got a poke on the forehead.
"Don't go so harsh on Sister Ayae, okay?" Itachi scooped his little brother up. "Be respectful. She is still older."
Sasuke pouted. "Barely. Did I mention I won?"
I heard Itachi laugh.
It was the evening. The door to the garden was facing the sun. The way the light hit Itachi's face, there was a happiness there that could not be genjutsu.
"Eek!"
The moment shattered.
Michio had been sulking in the corner of Itachi's room, rereading my contract for loopholes. Now he was dancing on tiptoes, jumping away from the scroll as if it were diseased. The scroll was moving on its own. It withdrew tightly. The seal of an uchiwa fan burned.
I darted over. "What did you do?"
"I-I- nothin'!" Michio squeaked, hiding behind me.
Itachi separated from Sasuke. He picked up the scroll and unraveled it.
Like my work scroll, the contract was blank.
"What's going on?" I asked.
Itachi's face was unreadable, as he exhaled a breath over the contract. The scroll lit on fire. I cried when he dropped the burning scroll into a porcelain bowl. The paper darkened and shriveled up.
"What's going on?" I asked again.
"Lady Tomoe withdrew your contract," he said. "You are free, Ayae."
Michio and I both stared in disbelief. I wanted to say Itachi did something, but he was with us the whole time. Whether he knew something or was as confused as the rest of us, I could not tell.
Sasuke did not care. He hopped onto his brother's back. "I'm hungry. Can we get snacks, brother?"
Itachi nodded. To Michio and me, he asked, "Would you like to join us?"
I nodded slowly.
Having Itachi around made the inn feel very different. Our walk was not rushed. Every worker that passed us would stop to bow. Sasuke chatted freely, not caring about how loud he was.
We turned at a corridor that opened to big metal doors. Inside was all steel and chrome, granite and marble. There were the churns of ovens, the hum of machines, the tossing of pans, the scrapes of knife against knife. A flood of people in uniforms moved in the busy, steaming place.
"Tart's ready in five. Put more oil in that. Scallions in station four! The carrots are ready to be added in eight. Quick, the steamer on nine. Ooh, wonderful job there, that smells yummy."
My jaw hit the floor when I saw who was in charge.
"Thank you, sir."
"Daddy?!"
My dad dipped a finger into a batter and licked it. "Hm, a pinch of salt, maybe- sweetie!" He dropped everything. Literally. Including the tray of meat buns in his hands. A cook dived down to save them.
My dad pulled me into a tight hug.
"Sweetie! How have you been? Enjoying yourself? My, I haven't seen you in hours."
"Uh, daddy? It's been almost a week."
"Is that so! Well doesn't time fly!" He saw my friends. "Hello, Itachi. Sasuke, you've grown so big! And look, a new friend!" He took Michio's hand and shook it frantically. "Nice to meet you, I hope you kids are having fun, feel free to come by more often and get treats from us, oh, sorry, I'm Kenta, Ayae's dad, and your name?"
"Michi!" Michio said, returning the nonstop handshake.
"Well, Michi! Everyone, don't just stand there, come in, come in."
We got lassoed into a tour of the kitchen. My dad opened and closed ovens, tossed us a few chopped sugar canes from a basket, nearly tripped over three fry cooks, bumped into a baker who screamed and tried to rebalance her dangerously stacked cake, and pressed random buttons for no reason than to have fire or water spew in our faces, because he thought it was cool.
"And this is the Salamander!" my dad said dramatically, pulling down a lever. Blue flames blew out from the iron machine. He grabbed a pair of mitts and took out the tray inside. He showed us sizzling lamb skewers in juicy sauce. We all took one, except Michio, who grabbed five.
"So daddy, you're good?" I asked in disbelief. I was expecting him to be miserable or something.
"Good? I'm great! This vacation was the best idea ever." He stroke the metal grill as if it were a baby. "The technology invested in this place, the smooth efficiency, it's like a lab for pure creation!"
Oh no, he was gushing. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Once my dad gushed, there was no stopping him. And so, he talked on and on. The snacks piled up in my arms, from honey roasted walnuts to salmon bits on crackers.
"And the hostess is superb! I wouldn't have gotten this without her. The kitchen is closed off to guests, but she told me to use the kitchen to my content."
I choked on my kabob. "Daddy, that hostess... did she do anything else?"
"Oh, what didn't she do! Even gave me a pass so I wouldn't be troubled, my own staff to work with, and look, a snazzy uniform so my own clothes wouldn't get dirty. Ain't the poofy hat cool? Such a nice girl. She's a food connoisseur too, encouraged me to experiment my heart out. Look, plum pudding pie! It's crusty on the outside, gooey on the inside—"
He rambled on and strode ahead. I rushed to catch up.
For the rest of the time, I tried to get my dad to say something bad about Tomoe. But she was only wonderful. My dad was happy.
By the time we left the kitchen, our arms were cradling a mountain of treats.
Whatever Itachi was doing, it was working. Everything went from a nightmare to a fairy tale. We had skipping stone contests by the creek, played echo with the wells, and climbed the peach trees. I dangled on the willow vines with Michio. Inside, Sasuke insisted on hide and seek, so I hopped from room to room, exploring every closet and bamboo shoot and shoji screen. I sneezed when I tried to hide in a basket of eight starred spices.
Even the dread hot springs that I spent days cleaning were not horrible anymore. They felt so good, even when Michio decided to cannon ball in, drenching me head to toe.
At night, we got robes and crashed in Itachi's bed. Sasuke snuggled in the covers. Michio snored. I latched onto Itachi's arm, half-asleep.
Itachi sighed. "Stop forcing yourself awake, Ayae."
"Promise no leave when sleep. No Tomoe," I mumbled, my eyelids drooping.
"Lady Tomoe does not concern you now. Your contract is gone, Ayae."
"What you do. Can't prove, know you did it."
He said nothing. My eyelids dropped.
When I woke up, it was to the jolt of a nightmare. The moon was full, beaming. It took a while for me to remember where I was.
I noticed I was still holding onto Itachi's arm. He was asleep. He did not leave. He did not leave. I felt a warm buzz.
I was about to fall back asleep, when I heard something outside. My heart thumped. The door to the courtyard was wide open. Did we forget to close it?
When I touched the door, I saw a light flare up far away. Curious, I slipped on a pair of sandals.
The night was cold. I shivered on my walk through the garden and gates.
I was not seeing things. The next second, another burst of fire soared into the skies.
I ran down the cobblestone path, past the bridge, through the swivels and turns of ancient architecture. The bursts of fire led me to the charred garden, the bare branches of a cherry tree. Someone was there.
Only toes and fingers ever touched the ground, as if floating on air. Yet, each turn and thrust was as solid as metal.
Another blast of fire flew out of her fist.
Tomoe had a style of martial arts raw yet elegant. As the show went on, it became clear Tomoe did not just control the fire like Itachi did. She was fire, the crackles echoing to her breaths, every burst an extension of her arm.
The grass burned. Light danced across her face. She did not look cold or mad. Just solemn.
Then, like the beat of wings, a gust blew over everything. Her hair fluttered in the air before everything went black.
Itachi waited for me by the gate. In his hands was a lamp. He wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.
"Itachi." I tightened the blanket around me. "How close are you to Tomoe?"
"Why do you ask?" He guided me back inside.
I thought back to the Chuunin Exam, when I saw the flight of a phoenix.
"You told me earlier she saved your life. What did you mean?"
Itachi set the lamp on the table in his room. I sat beside him. I waited, as he thought over what to tell me.
"Lady Tomoe is the eldest of the three daughters of Miyako," he began. "Her mother died after the birth of the third child. When her father died as well, she took his position and duties. She was five, but she burned with pride, ambition, and talent. She was the prodigy of the clan, thought to be have been blessed by the goddess Amaterasu.
"A year later, I was born. Of the time, the main branch was thinning. I was pure of blood, as was Tomoe. Her parents were dead, mine were alive. She was female, I was male. She was cast aside, and my father was made successor of the head of clan.
"By the time I was four, she had as much battle experience as the oldest generals. There was conflict outside, but Konoha wasn't safe either. The clan could not be in the field and at home. Even my mother was called to duty. So, they assigned Tomoe to protect the children. She invented the candle cloning jutsu, and single-handedly fended off three invasions.
"She failed to save us from the fourth one. Shisui was with us of the time. He was old enough to be out in the field, but he had faked an injury to stay behind. He got baited by the enemies to leave the perimeters of Tomoe's protection. She sought for him back.
"That was when the enemies came, and I was taken out of Konoha for the first time."
He watched the flickering light. I watched him. Michio and Sasuke were asleep on the bed.
The night had gotten quiet. It did not feel like the campfire stories I shared with my classmates. Itachi was not even telling a scary story, but it felt like one.
Itachi closed his eyes. "Tomoe was faced with a choice. Stay in Konoha or find me. The posterity of the clan, or the life of the next heir. In the end, she thought they were dispensable, I was not. She chose me."
I was holding my breath. "She..."
"She made the wrong decision," Itachi said. "A massacre followed. Shisui was good at running. He hid in the lake. By the time the ANBU saved him, he nearly drowned. He was the only child to escape. Tomoe also endangered her own life. She cut my chains inside a burning building. Both their eyes changed from the experience."
"I was the result of everyone's sacrifice," Itachi whispered, capping a metal lid over the lamp. The flame inside began to dim. "But it was a wrong sacrifice. By the time I returned, I could not pick up a single kunai."
The fire was shaking. It died to a glow, a small orange tip.
"My father tried, my mother tried, the doctors all tried. I was the flame that suffocated in itself. It wasn't long before the elders told my parents to have another heir. Tomoe was righteously angry. I had shamed her."
"You're lying," I said. I unwrapped the blanket around myself. "You're the strongest kid in the clan, not Tomoe."
"Am I?" he asked. "You have seen the limits of my strength, Ayae. More times than my pride would like to allow. You have not seen hers."
"Then how did you..."
"Things changed. Sasuke was born. Konoha changed. The clan changed. The Konoha district and the Miyako district flow like a river, diverging and uniting throughout history. Unified at the time, they split once more. Tomoe left for Miyako, but not before she could fix her mistake."
"What did she do?"
"This." Itachi uncapped the lamp, and the glow of the wicker grew back to life. The fire burst back.
Itachi turned to me. "Was your contract painful, Ayae? Mine was."
"She bound you to a contract?"
"It served its purpose. I strengthened, I could fulfill my duty once more, and my parents refound their next heir. Lady Tomoe was my superior and my mentor, my protectorate and my mistress. Like a broken vase, she mended me, put me back together, and I would forever be in her debt." He smiled, a delicate kind. "However, sometimes, I wish she didn't discard some of the pieces."
"What—"
He turned to me. "The clan lost their children. Your father was in financial trouble. Two years after Lady Tomoe left, you arrived. It was only then that I fully saw what parts of myself that Tomoe had thrown away. And understood why it was best that she did."
"How, but I—"
He placed the blanket back over my shoulders. Before I could protest, he blew out the fire and led me back to bed.
"It is late, Ayae. No more stories." Then, he chuckled. "I hope I did not scare you too much."
.
I woke up panting for breath.
A chill ran down my body. The feelings of the nightmare were still there. I could still remember the beam of a full moon and the cold splash of a lake. It felt like a chase, and something sharp going through my stomach before I woke up.
I fell back on the bed and brought a hand to my forehead. I was sweating.
"Oh damn, Itachi, you... lost all rights... to telling me any more... bedtime stories..." I hid my face behind a pillow. I hugged it tightly.
I rolled in bed, forcing the bad dream to go away. It was only when I heard the echo of the gongs that I realized I was alone. I looked outside and saw how high the sun was.
"Oh no!"
I changed quickly then dashed down the hallways toward the clan event.
I thought it would be a big celebration. I found a funeral instead.
From the upper balconies, I watched people carry a coffin down the main gates and into a temple. They marched in rows and columns, everything solemn. Everyone was in black.
The most important people were in the front of the Uchiha banners. There was Itachi's father, his mother, and Itachi. Sasuke was hidden further back, and even further down the line was Shisui. Tomoe stood in front of the second banner, with Michio and several women behind.
Three of the clan elders were also there. They made the speeches.
I decided it was best to watch from the inside. I watched the clan file one by one into the temple. They offered a white rose, or a sword, or a seal. It lasted for two hours before everyone paid their last respects and the doors locked close.
I was a little scared at first. I could not figure out who was in the coffin.
It was only when Itachi's father was declared as the new head of clan that I realized who was missing: the old head of clan. The elder with the grey hair, traditional clothes, standing dignified. The old man I bumped into on my first day at Konoha.
I watched people stand for hours and say words that I could barely hear. I got bored and looked at my friends.
Shisui was actually still. Sasuke was a better kid than I thought, though he squirmed now and then. Granted, it was late in the afternoon, and he had probably been standing since early morning.
I looked at Aunt Mikoto the longest. After years without seeing her, she looked different. My gaze went past Itachi's father and down to Itachi. From the distance, he looked fine. No injuries in sight.
I knew better. Michio was not the only one who could change his look. I read about genjutsu in class. Itachi used genjutsu at the examination. It made me wonder how long he had been doing it. My gut twisted.
I made myself to look at someone else. Michio stood out. He always stood out, a head of white curls in a field of black. It struck me as odd seeing him in uniform. I had gotten so used to him in his weird clothes of dirty tanks and short shorts.
And finally, Tomoe. But before I could get a good look, there was clapping. Colors flipped, red and white banners rising from the black.
"...the new heir!"
Itachi stepped up and took the place of where his father stood earlier.
I strained my ears to hear what the elders were saying. "If there will be no objections, from this day forth, Uchiha Itachi will be the next successor as the clan head of the Uchiha!"
Itachi kept his silence.
I snapped my gaze to Tomoe. She was grinning. I held my breath.
When she said nothing, I sighed in relief.
The elder went on. I was surprised when Tomoe was summoned to Itachi's side.
I could not hear what the elder was saying. I leaned off the edge of the balcony, so far away that I nearly fell.
"If there will be no objections, from this day forth, Uchiha Tomoe will be the next successor as the head lady of the Uchiha!"
Surprised, I slipped. My heart thumping, I clung onto the banister and tried to get footing on the right side of the balcony. Clan lady? Did she also get some fancy spot—
All noise stopped.
The elder stopped. Everyone froze. I saw Michio tumbling over, Shisui dropping his jaw, Sasuke hiding, and Itachi's parents going into shock.
"What did you say?" the elder demanded.
"I said, I object," Tomoe said.
"Will you clarify your objection?"
"Under section twenty of the original Uchiha law, the head lady must be the strongest woman of the heir's generation..."
"Uchiha Tomoe. Are you suggesting you are not the strongest woman of the heir's generation?"
Tomoe smirked. "I am. You did not let me finish. Under section twenty of the original Uchiha law, the head lady must be the strongest woman of the heir's generation of whom the heir can defeat. To this day, Uchiha Itachi has not defeated me."
"That will change today." Heads turned to Itachi's father. His voice was so cold that Aunt Mikoto and Sasuke flinched.
Tomoe was not scared.
"Need not be rash," she said. "If Uchiha Itachi wishes to prove my claim incorrect, he may very well challenge me to an official duel right now. Although I am sure everyone here knows of section seven of the law, and of the consequences of when the heir loses such a challenge."
"You speak too boldly," Itachi's father warned.
"I speak only in the interest of your son," she said, her gaze up front. "Surely you understand the gap in our age and skill. Is it not wiser to have him reclaim me when he has fully matured, than to permanently relinquish his title to me, a woman?"
She silenced him.
"Uchiha Itachi," the elder called. "Do you refute her allegations?"
Itachi closed his eyes. "No, sir."
The crowd mumbled. Michio was dancing on his toes. He exchanged a nervous look with Shisui. Itachi's father looked like he was ready to kill.
The elder banged his cane on the ground for order. "Uchiha Tomoe is correct. If Uchiha Itachi does not refute her allegations, then she does not qualify as the title of the head lady. Who are the other candidates?"
There were whispers. "Sir, the age gap extends too far. The women of the clan are already engaged or married, and the blood of Uchiha Mikazuki cannot qualify..."
More mumbling.
A voice spoke up. "I nominate Uchiha Ayae."
I thought I fell off the balcony and died, because I did not just hear my name.
Aunt Mikoto had stepped up. "I nominate her as the successor to my title."
"This girl, what is her lineage?" the elder asked.
Tomoe answered her call of duty. "Father, Uchiha Kenta. Grandfather, Uchiha Hisoka. Great-grandfather, Uchiha Wataru."
The elder raised both his eyebrows. "Uchiha Wataru was powerful in his days. Uchiha Rumi was also a formidable woman. What is her age?"
"Ten years old."
"And the results of her duels?"
"Zero losses."
The elder looked pleased until Tomoe chuckled. "And zero wins."
The frowns deepened. The elders contemplated. "Uchiha Itachi, you have never challenged this girl?"
"No, sir."
"So you have not assessed her skills."
Itachi clenched his fist. "I have, sir."
"And?"
"She will not defeat me, sir."
"Well then, I believe today is a fine day for a fire duel. Where is this girl?"
"With all due respect, sir," Itachi said. "Uchiha Ayae is still gaining an academic education. She is not properly trained for a duel."
"Uchiha Itachi, if you find this girl below your taste, you may always challenge Uchiha Tomoe. Either way, a new head lady must be decided today."
In a flicker of candlelight, a shadow came out of the hallway. A clone of Tomoe lowered her eyelids, watching me struggle.
"Last chance to run away, little Ayae," the clone told me. Her fingers traced the banister. She did not try to pull me up.
"What are you talking about?" I asked. What did she want from me? Bind me to another contract? Push me off the balcony?
"The heir bought your contract yesterday, then burned it and freed you," she said. "If you do not run away from him now, then that will be your own foolishness."
I froze. "What? Itachi was with me all day."
I did not realize how stupid I sounded. Tomoe was not the only person who could make clones.
"Itachi, you freaking liar," I moaned, banging my head against the banister. "Do I even want to know how in debt I am to him now?" If it was above a million, screw it. I could live with being a freeloader.
"Maybe nothing, maybe everything," Tomoe chucked, tilting her head. "You see, our exchange was simple: the girl of the contract for the insurance of that girl in the contract. He and I are in a gamble. He bet he could protect you, keep you safe. And I, I bet that you would be slaughtered like the twenty-seven girls of the Uchiha that came before."
She stunned me so quickly that I slipped. Tomoe caught me by the wrist.
"The heir is foolish to think he can both be far and close to you at the same time. It leaves you not only involved, but unprotected. I tried to amend this situation. I tried to force you out; you would not have it. I tried to contract you in; he would not have it. But this is only denying the inevitable.
"The heir must decide today. Keep the girl, or let her go. Equally, I give you the same choice: will you run?" The clone beckoned to the hallway behind her. "Or will you stay?" A ten meter drop lied ahead.
My mouth was open, but I could not say anything.
Thankfully, I got out my answer a little faster than Itachi could. After the elder asked for the third and final time, Itachi opened his eyes and...
"Hi."
I stumbled after being flickered across the courtyard. I balanced myself before waving to him and my audience.
Itachi was shocked. "Ayae, how did you—"
"Um, word has it you need a girl lead for this act." I laughed nervously, scratching my head. "And you know, since I kind of owe you... yeah, please don't beat me up too badly."
.
"Ow, ow, ow!" I whined, as Michio dabbed my cheek with a cotton ball.
"Wah, honey doll so cute in a duel," he giggled. "Even if she sucks epically."
"He shot fire at me!" I cried. "I did not sign up for that."
"You don't have a single burn," Otoha scoffed, dropping my arm. She packed up the medical kit and left me alone with Michio, who bandaged me from head to toe.
The fight did not hurt anything except my ego. It had felt like a dance I did not rehearse for, and by time I could figure out the moves, my back was already flat against the ground, his fist at my face. Itachi looked sorry, just before he blasted one final burst of fire at me.
"Cousin dearest was sweet!" Michio said. "I don't think anyone but Shishi and I noticed the layer of water he coated you with."
"You mean that wasn't my super yin evasion skills?" I furiously unraveled my bandages, but Michio wrapped me faster than I could unravel. Before long, I was mummified. "Mhnhm!"
Michio took out a pair of scissors. In one cut, he rid me of my cocoon. "Congratulations, Miss Ayae. Starting today, you are the butterfly of our clan, the future clan lady!"
"Great. Just great." I shed the bandages off.
From behind, something silvery wrapped around my neck.
"This is just formalities," Itachi murmured.
I raised an eyebrow at the necklace and the ring looped in it. It was pretty. Looked expensive too. "What, this my reward for being the runner-up?"
Michio rolled on the ground, laughing.
"What?"
Michio was too busying pounding his fist on the floor to answer.
Itachi looked away. "Please do not lose it."
"Alright," I said, tucking the necklace under my shirt. "So, what exactly does this clan lady thing do ag—"
Before he could answer, someone scooped me off my feet and pulled me into a hug. The smell was welcoming and familiar, right down to the softness of her hair.
"Ayae dear, my brave little girl." Aunt Mikoto laughed, her eyes joyous as she set me down and pulled back my hair. "You've grown so much taller!"
That made me swell up like a balloon. "Yes, yes!" I agreed. "Did you know last month, I grew a centimeter?"
"Did you! Tell Auntie all about it. Where is your father? How have you been these years? How is school?" She led me by the hand away.
Life went back into normal again. Aunt Mikoto was back. Sasuke was back.
My dad spent a hearty afternoon bonding with Itachi's father and the rest of the clansmen. They fished, the traditional way to bro-bond within the clan. Of course, my dad caught the biggest fish every single time, while Itachi's dad grumpily sat there without a single sardine. It was the evil that scared the fishies away.
Across the Katsura river, Shisui readied his samurai armor. He battled Michio in an epic fight, with dramatic speeches and flashy attacks, each with a name longer than the last one.
"Super-duper-saiyan-kame-hame-ha-blast-of-DOOM!"
"Super-duper-saiyan-kame-hame-ha-blast-of-ULTIMATE-DOOM!"
As for me, I had a great time with my new friends. Everything was so good, I did not want to leave.
Only when everyone was packing up did I notice a pile of untouched textbooks, scrolls, and papers.
"MY FINALS!" I pulled my hair.
Michio hopped on board the ox wagon. He grabbed the top sheet, reading out loud the list of subjects. "The First Great Ninja War. Fractions and problems of battle strategy. Fine literature and poetry. The kawarimi, basic facts and hand seals. Performance in track, balance, shuriken accuracy…" Michio quieted. Then, he dropped the sheet, letting it glide down.
He laughed. "Ahaha, oh MAN! This is so easy! We'll ace this, honey doll!" he said, giving me a pat on the back.
"Are you kidding," I wailed, cracking open my history textbook and frantically flipping through the pages. "I didn't study at all. I don't even remember any of it." Stupid Tomoe, stupid contract, stupid inn. Oh damn, oh da—
I turned to Michio."Wait, did you just say we?"
"Yuppers," he cheered.
"What—" And that was when Otoha climbed into the wagon with us along with Shisui. The number of oxen doubled. The women of Miyako were packing their stuff, strapping their scrolls.
"Oh no," I said. "Please don't tell me..."
By the main gate, Tomoe held up the seal of tiger, bowing to a line of servants, who bowed back. In a woman's hand was a key.
Tomoe was out of her traditional garbs. Her hair was in a humble braid, her shoes standard ninja sandals, her clothes a casual shirt and pants under the jacket of heavy black kimono, the emblem of the Uchiha clan blowing in the wind.
"And Uchiha clan reunite once more. The ma'am will be coming home with you... brat," Otoha sneered, thumping me in the back of my head.
"WHAT!"
"Exams, squirt?" Shisui overlooked my shoulder. "Got your mnemonics on?"
Michio grinned. "Got your Sharingan on?"
"Hey, hey, it's not cheating. Just utilizing one's best ability to photographically speed read... though, looking back on it, not such a good idea," Shisui said, boggling his head. "You ready to pass your first three bars, Michi?"
"Naw, I think the first is good enough for now." Michio hung an arm across my shoulder. "I think I liken to be in honey doll's class."
I gave my second "WHAT!" of the day.
The Miyako district got smaller in the distance, all servants except Otoha saluting their farewells.
Meanwhile, I sat in a racketing wagon, books tossed in the air with every bump, desperately cramming for my finals. Itachi flashed in with us. Seeing me, he smiled and freed me from my igloo of scrolls.
"I believe I am in your debt after this week," he said, rolling the scrolls back up.
"Hey, I need to study those—"
"Leaves revealed bare bones," he said, "never was there such pity, sorrows of the lost."
I felt like a broken record now. Maybe I should ask my dad to invent a button that says "What?" every time I press it.
"White seasoned the fields," Otoha said, not looking up from her book, "stillness of the lake, frozen, a lovers' boat hushed."
"Wind carries glory!" Shisui said. "The sprout of a dashing youth, the blooming maiden."
"The throes of passion!" Michio dramatically gestured. "The sun rekindles my heart, a phoenix reborn!"
I fumbled through my papers. I hung an eyebrow when I found the poem passages. "You guys have got to be kidding me." I was surrounded by nerds!
Otoha scoffed and flipped a page of her book. "This is elementary poetry. Only an uneducated lowbrow would have not learned of them."
"Oh yeah?" I challenged.
At her raised eyebrow, I clamped shut my mouth.
Itachi looked through my books and tugged free some paper. "I believe mathematics is your weakest point, but it is also the easiest to strengthen."
"Ooh, ooh! I call dibs on helping honey doll with balance!" Michio exclaimed, already on his hands, his toes wiggling behind his ears. "Sasu-kins wouldn't mind having a shuriken study-buddy either!"
Hope flickered in my eyes. I might just pass this yet. Until I got to my first fraction, and my eye twitched at the numbers.
I may have survived Miyako, but yeah, I was still screwed back home.
