Chapter 39: Forgive Me
'Inner thoughts'
°Telepathic communication°
Writing
Small Timeskip
Ryota's POV
Once we finished going over the plans for tomorrow's mission we agreed on getting takeout. "I want miso ramen," Yukino said as she took out a pouch of money.
"Can you get me spicy curry?" Emi asked.
"Sure." Catching the small pouch Yukino threw me I left the room. Remembering each of their simple orders I made my way downstairs to the lobby. 'What should I get myself… I mean tomorrow we have that mission so it can't be something heavy. Or something that could give me a stomach bug.' I hummed as I reached the first floor.
Turning the corner I froze, standing in the lobby checking in were people I never expected to see in these parts. Even from this distance, I could easily tell that the spiky-haired girl talking to the receptionist was Temari. Hearing her make the arrangements for the room I glanced to her side spotting her brother still dressed in all black. Trying to spot their younger brother I couldn't from the spot I was currently in. 'He must be closer to the entrance.' Slowly turning the corner to not catch their attention I quietly ran back upstairs the moment I was out of sight.
Opening the door I quickly entered and shut it behind me. "Where's the food?" Was the first thing Yukino asked when I entered the room.
"Forget about that, the sand siblings just checked in," I whisper yelled.
"What!" She exclaimed nearly falling off the chair she was sitting on. "Did they see you?"
"No, I left before–" Cutting myself off I looked to the side hearing the familiar voices next door.
"Not bad! We can really settle here for the next couple of days…" I could hear Kankurō say through the walls.
"Keep your voice low, everyone can hear you!" Temari yelled as I heard a scream of pain.
Quietly listening as it as their voices lowered we jumped and turned around as Emi exited the bathroom. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
"Okay, we stick to the plan and just move to another inn." Yukino walked over to the room and started packing her things. "We can't fail this mission. There's too much at stake."
Understanding I began to pack up my own things as Emi did the same. Feeling a small tug in my head I knew who it was. °Why are we leaving?° Emi asked but before I could answer Yukino did it first.
°Remember that conversation we had about? You know about people I've met and try to avoid? Well, the people next door are the siblings I told you about.°
'When did we have that conversation?' I asked myself as I finished packing my things.
Helping Emi with hers we finished in a matter of minutes. But before we could leave we cleaned up the room making it appear as if no was in it that day. Once that was done we carried each of our things and made our way downstairs. Reaching reception Yukino took out the room keys and extended her hands gesturing for the copy I held.
Placing my bags down I looked in my pockets only to feel the warm-empty ness. "I think I left them upstairs."
"Here." She handed her keys to me.
Going back up to our room. I unlocked the door and entered spotting the keys the moment I opened the door. Swiping them from the table I opened the door a crack and looked around. With the area clear I left the room closing the door quietly behind me before I made my quick descent.
Running into the lobby I stopped. There was no point now. Standing in the entrance were the people we had hoped to avoid. All silent with surprised expressions as they saw the one person they didn't believe they'd run into ever again.
With a sigh, Yukino broke the silence and dumped her stuff on the ground. "I'll explain everything."
Yukino's POV
Borrowing the tea room I herded everyone in, some more hesitant than others.
Each of us sat across from each other with the siblings taking the seats closest to the door, therefore blocking our exit if we tried to be bold about it. Feeling the smothering silence between us I sucked it up and spoke first. "Well first things first. Yes, I am 'Aiko'." I quoted since that was my alias during that time. "But that wasn't the first time you met me." I looked at Temari confirming some of her suspicions. "We met before when Yashamaru-san was still alive. I used my real name then." I did the signs necessary and transformed my appearance to the one of when I was young. "I looked like this." I stood up as the smoke dissipated. "You should remember Temari. You were older when we met." I said in my younger self's voice. 'I'm sorry.' I apologized as she stared at me with wide eyes.
Returning to my current appearance I glanced at Ryota and Emi as they both sat to either side of me silently looking down. "Why didn't you tell us?" Temari asked compared to her brothers who just sat quietly to her side.
"One." I raised my finger. "I didn't want you guys to know since I was forced to leave my village because of a tragedy. Two, your father didn't want me associating with you after a certain accident." I left out the fact of my crime. 'They can never know that.' °Ryota, Emi. My stuff is still in the lobby, checkout and I will meet up with you after this.° I told them.
°Are you sure? I really want to hear this.°
°Ryota,° Emi mentally shoved him causing him to flinch physically. °Be nice. But he may be right they may suspect something if we both leave.°
°You're right. Emi you go and take the stuff. Ryota will follow after a couple of minutes.° I quietly passed her the keys under the table.
Grabbing them she slipped them into her pockets. Cough. Cough! "I'm sorry, Yukino-sama. May I please go to the nearest clinic?"
"Sure. Go ahead." I waved her away. 'Why did she call me sama?'
"Wait how can we be sure you're Aiko?" Kankurō asked still in disbelief ignoring Emi as she left.
"Hm…" I hummed and realized something that could no doubt prove it. 'It's been so long since I used it.' Still humming I closed my eyes and focused on opening a portal by my hand. 'Please work…' Feeling around I felt a scroll and pulled it out. Deactivating my eyes I looked down and was relieved to have found the correct scroll. 'I thank my organized behavior.' Placing the old scroll on the table between us I unrolled it and Poof! The puppet I made long ago came out still somehow in the same condition as when I put it in. "I'm sure that you remember Rei, right?"
"You still have it?" He asked in wonder as he reached towards the puppet. Grabbing its arms he tested the mechanics. "It even has the poison compartment!"
Watching with a smile I glanced at Gaara. The moment our eyes met he looked away. With a sigh, I leaned over the table while Kankurō fawned over the puppet and whispered. "Gaara. You haven't said anything yet. It's about that, isn't it?" He tried to speak but stopped. "I'm fine. See? I was luckily unharmed that day." I put on a smile.
"Yukino do you want something to drink?" Ryota asked, placing his face right beside mine.
"Sure." I kept my head in place as he stood up and walked out. °Okay, tell me what happens.° He managed to tell me quickly before he cut off the link the moment he closed the door behind himself.
"Hey, one thing we are wondering," Temari said, moving the puppet to the side. "Why did you leave so suddenly?"
Surprised by the question I suppressed any emotion I could've shown and took my puppet back. "Oh, that day I left?" I smiled as I put Rei back in its scroll. 'I need to be careful…' Keeping it simple I sighed and scratched my head. "That day was crazy. My family took me back home so suddenly that I didn't even have time to take my stuff… But now that I remember I had everything back the next morning." I hummed hoping that that lie would be enough. 'They should make their own assumptions from that.'
"So that's what happened?" Temari scratched her own head slightly confused.
"Rasa-sama never told you three?" I asked.
"No, he told us something completely different."
'Oh right, Rasa-san probably told them I was dead or something.' Shrugging I just sighed. "He never liked me much."
"Aiko, er… Yukino. You mentioned Yashamaru what else do you remember from that visit?" Temari asked with a hopeful tone.
"Hm… I remember Mr. Cuddles." I snorted and covered my smile.
"Mr. Cuddles?" Kankurō asked confused more than Temari was. There was however someone who did remember and was literally cracking slightly from the embarrassment.
"Hm… nobody. But hey Temari I do remember you asking your uncle about adopting a certain someone~" I smirked aiming my gaze directly at her.
"Ah– That was a long time ago. How would you even remember that!" Her face brightened. "No, you must be mistaken." She shook her head.
Smiling I knew she remembered but didn't want to admit it. "I do remember however that Gaara was very cute when he was little." I sighed exaggeratedly, "I wonder what happened?"
Cough! Hiding the laughter with the coughs Kankurō drew the siblings' attention to himself. Knowing that this was the opportune time for me to leave I pretended to look around confused and annoyed. "I'm sorry to cut this short but I need to look for my friends. They seem to have left me behind." Making my way to the door quickly I stopped and turned around with a smile. "It was nice to speak with you guys again… just don't corner me again. It brings bad memories."
・・・
The moment I exited the inn I ran to the side of the building to the garden and took in a deep breath to collect my thoughts before doing anything else. Hearing my heart pounding in my ears I crouched down and held my head in my hands. 'Great, I got carried away and revealed too much. I wonder if they will look into it. Don't tell me that I'm going to have to tell Baki-san to pretend as if he never heard about me.' Taking a deep breath I stood up quickly and brushed myself off pretending as if no worry was troubling my mind. 'I'm going to have to go back to Suna aren't I?' Looking up at the falling colorful autumn leaves I sighed quietly at the peaceful scene before me. 'Well, it seems that I will have to cram that visit into my schedule.'
Deciding that that small break was enough I was about to break into a sprint when my hand was yanked back. Turning my head to argue with whoever did that my lips were captured by someone else's. Someone who wasn't Itachi.
Without even thinking I slapped Gaara's head causing him to fall to the ground. Staring at him I looked at my hand realizing the jutsu I had just used.
'What have I done? What if I wiped his mind.' Looking around me I saw no one. Grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt. I pulled him towards the shadow of the nearest tree. 'Idiot! Why did you think kissing someone without permission was okay!' I internally screamed at him but didn't share the thought, there were more important things to be dealt with.
Shaking my hands nervously I prepared myself to enter his mind to make sure I hadn't sealed away anything too important. Looking around once more I made sure there was nobody. Relaxing I steadied my nerves and entered.
Looking around his mind space I noticed no locked memories except for one among his most recent ones. Looking at the locked memory I saw the moment I left the room. His mind was still thinking about the past how he felt regret of what he wanted to do that night I left. What he thought he did. Not wanting to leave things like this without apologizing he left the room in search of me. Stepping out of the inn he looked around but didn't see me. Closing his eyes he looked back at the memories he still had of me trying to think of where I could've gone. Small flashes of me popped into his mind of me reading books of foreign lands. Some that seemed oddly creepy since I didn't notice him back then. One stood out in particular of me staring at a page with a sakura tree and ginkgo tree. Opening his eyes a colorful yellow leaf fluttered by his face. Looking in the direction of where it came from he spotted the bright yellow ginkgo tree. Running towards it he saw the moment where I was preparing to sprint. Fearing that I would disappear again he reached out and pulled on my arm pulling with more force than anticipated our faces were pulled close resulting in a kiss. Albeit not intentionally a kiss was still a kiss.
Unlocking the memory before the chase I kept the kiss locked up as well as anything that he would remember after that. Knowing that a new memory would be created to replace this one I aided in the creation of this new false memory.
Walking to the tree I stood again but instead of me preparing to run I made it so that I turned around noticing him. "Gaara?" I spoke, putting that memory inside. "I'm sorry but I will need to leave again. Let's talk next time alright?" I spoke while watching the me in this fake memory wave sadly before leaving towards the trees. With my input done, I watched as his mind filled in the rest of the gaps. He reached out but hesitated the further I got and with that, he sat down staring emptily at the falling leaves.
Placing the new memory in front of the locked one. I sighed feeling heavy pressure in my chest. Touching my lips I sighed, 'I can't return something like that even if it was accidental… Not when I like someone else.' Frustrated at myself for using this technique on someone I know I wanted to scream but held back. Sighing I leaned against the shelves hearing something from the books.
Emi's POV
The moment I left the tea room I returned the keys and checked out taking everyone's bags with me. Since I didn't have Ryota's or Yukino's eyes I dragged everything with me as I made my way to a new inn.
The moment I checked in and entered the new room I left the things by the doors and began passing my hand under the furniture looking for listening devices. Finding nothing but dust I inspected each painting in the room for cameras or holes that could lead to another room. Nothing. 'That's good.' But before I could settle down I closed the doors and partially closed the windows for privacy. Unpacking my stuff I looked through the clothes and weapons-making sure everything was there.
Repeating this process for when Ryota came in he began to share what had happened. "Ryota, should you really be telling me this? Maybe she doesn't want us to know."
"I doubt it. She has been pretty open about her past. You even know about her friends back in Konoha."
"I know, but still… there must be some stuff she doesn't want people to know right?"
"Yeah… you may be right." Ryota sighed, opening a window he looked out for a small moment before walking to her bags. Confused as to why I was about to ask when I saw what he pulled out. The bingo book. 'Did he see someone out there just now?' I wondered making my way to the window to look for any face of any rogue that I remembered from any of the bingo books that Yukino had. 'We could add it to the mission to help her gain her freedom.'
Hearing the pages flip as I scanned the people outside I noticed what could be Yukino in the other inn's courtyard. Suddenly the sound of flipping pages stopped. "Ryota?"
"Look!" He pointed at the page showing me the picture of a man on it.
Itachi Uchiha. Was written under it. 'He's a rogue from Konoha. That's where Yukino's from.' I noted as I saw the bounty and information for what he's wanted for. "What about him?"
"This guy here is the one dating Yukino." He pointed at the picture rather harshly.
"Hm… okay." I shrugged finding it believable.
"Okay?"
"Didn't Yukino infiltrate the Akatsuki?"
"You have a point there." He closed the book and placed it on the table still troubled by this. Without a minute passing between us, he created a mind link and said, °Still… it's just that the crime matches up with something she once told me.°
°Ryota, I'll help you investigate if you're worried.°
"Really?"
Slam! Jumping at the sound of the door swinging open we both turned our heads to the sound grabbing the nearest weapon on instinct.
"We need to go there tonight." Yukino hissed as she closed the door behind her and dove to her bags. "They were sent to capture the Demon Foxes," she called us by the name we had been well known for as she began to undress in front of us.
"Wait that's why they're here?" Ryota asked both surprised and confused. Completely unfazed by the exposed breasts in front of him. 'Why does she keep doing this?' I questioned the scene before me though I've seen it enough times to have noticed the steady growth over time.
"Yes. We need to carry out the mission while they are here. So 1) they don't get in trouble for not capturing us and 2) we don't engage in battle with them."
°Yukino, that throws off our whole plan.° I argued.
"I know Emi. But the boy with the auburn hair" she tapped her forehead as she said it, "is the Kazekage and we do not want to engage with him in battle mostly in close quarters." She finished the sentence as she finished putting on her mission clothes. "I don't want you guys to be injured," she shivered, closing her eyes tightly. "Let's just go today while they are distracted."
Having already prepared the plans for tomorrow night I knew that the siblings' involvement would cause an even greater wrinkle in our plan tomorrow if we chose to stick to it. "Okay, let's go." I agreed, much to my dislike.
3rd POV
Three shadows moved in the dark the moment the clouds covered the moon. Following the plans meant for tomorrow, the one with the sapphire embedded in the mask jumped up on the walls surrounding the property with the help of the masked nin with a ruby on his mask's right cheek.
With the clouds close to revealing the moon the third member with the emerald on their mask ran to the masked ruby nin and jumped up. Being the most inexperienced of the group she extended her hands and was pulled up the wall with the help of the sapphire demon. Looking down at the ruby demon he jumped up with a running start and they both pulled him up.
The moment the clouds revealed the moon once again the three were gone already on their way to the target. Like every mission, no chakra was allowed. Each member suppressed their chakra signature to almost nil to not be discovered or noticed by anyone on the lookout for intruders. However, there was one exception and that was for when the mission was over.
Reaching the main building they each split up taking their planned routes to the rendezvous point. With a nod, they looked at each other before darting in their different directions. 10 minutes. That's all it would take. Depending on who took longer to arrive would determine those meeting up next actions.
With no trouble in her path, Emi reached the room first ahead of time. Needing to wait for Yukino or Ryota for the next part she sat in the dark and waited patiently.
Ryota on the other hand nearly ran into two guards on the way to the room but avoided each of them by hiding in the shadows of the ceiling cast by the light coming from the windows. Even with the tantō on his back, he was able to nimbly climb up and hide the glint of the handle behind him.
Yukino taking the hardest route stayed close to the floor crawling into the smallest shadows to hide even while carrying her sword Nagareboshi on her back. The moment the clouds covered the moon and the halls were engulfed in darkness she quietly made her way around the guards she encountered staying close to the ground so they wouldn't feel the draft of the air she created while passing by.
Seeing each other the moment they turned the corner Ryota took out his tantō and Yukino her sword as they met in the center to the meeting point. Opening the door they entered and noticed a glint from a kunai. Relaxing they closed the door behind themselves. °Are you all, all alright?° Yukino asked the group noticing no injuries.
°I'm fine.° Ryota answered as he took out the tools for the next step.
°I encountered no problems.°
°Good. Emi, keep an eye on the door. Ryota hand them over and keep an eye outside.° She held out her hand for the tools.
Moving to their given positions Emi paid attention to any sound outside the door while Ryota kept his eyes outside looking for any potential dangers. While they did so Yukino kept the mind link so they could alert each other of danger. Removing her gloves she touched the door looking for any seals or jutsu but found none the only obstacle in their way would be the locks adorning the door. Opening the small bag Ryota had carried she opened it and looked through the lock picks choosing them carefully. Carefully she unlocked each lock one at a time.
Click! Glancing from their post at the door they all stared at the open door and waited for a solid second. Nothing. Opening the door more Yukino stopped, noticing the tag with a seal on the floor ahead. Putting her head through the gap she created she looked around noticing the other tags in the room that connected to the one on the floor. A trap meant to capture thieves like them.
Backing back to the room she took out blank pieces of paper from inside her clothes and began to draw on them nullifying seals. Doing the signs she held the seal and carefully prepared her aim as she needed to place it exactly in the middle of the tag to nullify the seal on it. It would be simpler to activate it and let Ryota and Emi take what they came for and escape with the Getsugan. But the danger with that was that the seal could also be an alarm to warn everyone of intruders and they couldn't take that chance.
Sure of the point she quickly placed the seal on the tag and waited. The seal had not activated and she could still move. °I did it. Anything to report?° She asked looking at the big room filled with scrolls and books that could be older than her.
°Nothing on my side.° Emi responded.
°Nothing on mine either. But I did see a guy leave.°
°I see,° she responded while putting her gloves back on. Stepping into the room she carefully glanced around looking for any more traps. Staying close to the sides she looked through the books spotting fakes looking like the ones she was looking for. 'Did some else take them?' She wondered when she spotted a set of oddly covered scrolls. Taking one out carefully she looked at the paper cover around it with the name of a novel on it. Removing it she found the scroll she needed. Taking out a blank scroll for the occasion she put the fake cover on it and placed it on the shelf while she tucked the old scroll in the pockets of her clothes.
Repeating the process a couple of times she looked through every scroll in the room finding the ones she came for and some she didn't expect to see. But never the less she found them and equally tucked them into her clothes which were increasingly becoming tighter with each addition.
°Temari and Kanurō entered the manor.° Ryota warned.
°No worries I'm already done.°
°Are you sure?° Emi asked as everyone could hear the worry in her mind.
°Yeah, I even found some additional treasures.° Leaving the room she looked down at her tag and swiftly removed it. Closing the door she locked it back up. °Let's leave.° She smiled. No longer concerned about suppressing her chakra she activated her eyes and opened a portal for their exit. Ryota did the same but instead of it leading back into their hotel room it led to the garden.
Picking three ice roses Yukino had created before the mission he threw them like kunai towards the wooden floor. The moment they landed on the wooden floor he hopped through the portal and into the safety of the inn leaving the only proof of their presence back in the manor. With the mission complete, Yukino placed their spoils on the table for all to see.
Ryota's POV
Seeing everything that we recovered from the manor I stared in awe at the jutsu that were taken from the shrines. "Kichi-san will be so happy to have them back." I held up the old scrolls imagining her happiness at recovering our lost techniques.
"This one's for the Kokuei clan isn't it?" Emi asked, lifting a dark scroll with no name.
"Kokuei?" I asked already in the process of changing back to my normal clothes.
"Remember the old man?" Yukino asked. "He's the head of the Kokuei clan."
"Oh…" I thought back at the previous chief. Droppy eyes and dark hair gave him a gloomy look but on a closer look you could see the wrinkles that formed a constant smile on his face."He's really nice. I met his granddaughter once when he visited the city."
"He mentioned how she was talented. Maybe she'll join the Inu forces." I pointed out thinking of the small division in the newly established Anbu forces on the island. It was small now but they were selected carefully by Yukino. Those with special talents who may soon leave the island and do the things we were doing so we could do other things. "I wonder if I should join the Inu forces too. I don't think I'm suited to be part of the Koi division."
"You may have a point the Koi division is limited to the waters surrounding Uzushio. You, on the other hand, I think you will be happier exploring new areas so the Inu forces should be better for you since they're land scouts." She quoted the last two words still unsure of the right word for it.
"Emi which division will you join?"
Surprised for a moment she crossed her arms and looked down in thought. "I don't think I'll join any of them."
"Really?" Both I and Yukino asked with surprise.
"Yes, I was thinking of going back to the hospital as part of the herbal department."
"An herbalist?" Yukino mumbled and just thought about something in silence. "That seems promising. Okay, it's decided I'll open a portal to my garden for you whenever you want. I'll also share everything I know about that area with you." Standing up she walked to the rooms and picked up something from her bag. "Okay, but before all that put the scrolls here." She took out three bags. "Organize them by the clan that they belong to. I'll write the mission's report." She took a blank page and left for the room to work in silence.
"Will do mam." I joked as she closed the door but before she did I heard a small snort. Proud of myself I turned to Emi and smiled. Working on sorting the scrolls there was a small knock at the door. "I'll get it," I answered since I was the closest to the door.
Opening the door I stared blankly at Gaara and shut the door. Not expecting him to be there I gestured to Emi to move away from the door's line of sight before I opened it again. "Gaara?" I asked loud enough that even Yukino could hear on the other side of the door.
"Ryota." He greeted simply. "Is Yukino here?"
"Yeah, but she went to sleep a while ago." Turning away from the door I saw Emi throwing a blanket over the scrolls. "Uh… Emi I will go for a walk."
"Sure. Go." She waved me away getting the idea of what I was going to do. "Oh, buy that food you promised earlier." She said loud enough that even Gaara could hear.
"Sure." I walked out of the room closing the door behind me with an audible click. "What did you want to talk about?" I asked him making my way towards the entrance of the inn. 'Why isn't he with his siblings?'
"I… I wanted to apologize for something I did."
"I see." I hummed feeling the pouch of money in my pockets. "You'll get the chance to do it one day. I'm sure she will forgive you no matter how bad it might've been… she's probably been through worse."
"What kinds of things?" He asked.
As he finished saying that we passed by a window and I caught a glance as the crescent moon outside. Stopping I looked around me. The halls were empty leaving the moon as the only witness for what I would say next. "Gaara, I suggest that you get rid of those feelings towards her."
"You still don't like me do you?" He closed his eyes and sighed quietly.
"It's not that." I patted his back. "She already has a boyfriend and honestly he's very gentle with her." I smiled as I remembered the times I ran into their private moments together in the infirmary. Their quiet whispers. Gentle laughter and soft glances at each other made me envious. 'I almost can't believe he's an S rank criminal.' "I don't want you to go after something impossible," I told him honestly.
・・・
With the food I was supposed to get earlier I returned to the room rather calmly. He had left without another word. Somehow it made me feel guilty about telling him but I had to it just didn't feel right to continue loving her when she wouldn't return the affection.
Returning to the room I felt something in the air. Looking at the window Yukino sat on the chair wearing a frown. 'Oh, boy.' Thinking of everything wrong she could've done to beat herself up about I wasn't prepared for the following.
"I kissed Gaara." Almost dropping the food. I told myself it was nothing and placed it gently on the table thinking that was it. "I then sealed the memory." She sighed looking at her own hands in disgust.
'When did this happen? I just talked to him?!' I wondered. "Yukino…" I sighed, knowing that him forgetting about the kiss was for the better. 'He loves her and I doubt that she would be the type to cheat.' Walking up to her I placed my hands on her head. Allowing me to enter her mind she showed me the memory. "Yukino we can believe that you did it in consideration of his feelings."
"I replaced his memory of the kiss with another. I saw his fears but even knowing I still did nothing. I left things without being solved."
"You two will resolve things when its time."
"You two will meet him again," Emi added.
"I know…" She sighed. "I'm going to have to tell Itachi about it."
'Ah, I forgot about that important piece.' Not knowing how to respond I just stared blankly at her hands. 'Oh wow. When did she paint them pink?' I sighed suddenly really curious about them. 'Nice shade.'
"Why aren't you two saying anything?"
"This is one mission we can't take." I stood up and walked to the food. "But this is."
Hugging her knees she groaned. "What if he hates me…"
"It was an accident and you didn't want it." I pointed out that one thing. "If he doesn't understand that then well…" I shrugged. "What else is there to do?"
Sometime later… another mission
"All that's left is just one more herb on our list." Yukino hummed as she crossed out another item.
"It should be here right?" I pointed at the map. Looking at where we were currently and where we needed to go I made the quickest route there.
"Hm… hey, let's stop here." Yukino pointed to a village close to our route. It would take a completely different path from our destination but it still led to where we were going.
"Why?" I asked her. 'We've never been to it and I don't think it's popular.'
"We've never been there and who knows maybe we'll find something worthwhile there."
"Hm… okay, let's head out tomorrow." I hummed. "Oh, Yukino how did that conversation go?"
"That? Well… He understood." She answered but soon turned red. "Yep! It went perfectly!" She turned around and jumped into her garden to escape any more questions. "Ugh, lovey-dovey birds," I grumbled remembering the way she sometimes sighs when thinking of him. 'I want someone to sigh over like that! It's not fair I'm older!' I threw myself to the floor and stared emptily at the ceiling. 'No fair…'
Emi's POV
Waking up before Ryota I looked around the room spotting the empty futon that Yukino had slept in. Leaving the room I was greeted to a rare sight. Sitting by the window Yukino held a book in one hand and a cup of tea in another. A rare sight to me. "Oh, Emi you're awake."
Jumping in surprise I looked at her as she smiled. "Morning," I responded.
・・・
Following behind them as they took their predetermined path Ryota talked about makeup to Yukino telling her how she could improve on her own disguises. Just listening to their conversation I should've guessed that they wouldn't forget me for long.
"A cutesy look, on the other hand, would suit Emi perfectly." Ryota gestured to my face as he slowed down making Yukino do the same.
"He's right. A nice shade of pink would suit you perfectly." Yukino nodded and sighed. "If you dressed up you could pass for a princess. I, on the other hand, would look like a shrine priestess."
"It's an elegant look–Ack!" Almost tripping on something he staggered behind a bit making Yukino smirk. Only lasting for a second she went back and inspected him for any injuries like the healer she was.
Looking around I just now noticed the dense forest we were in as well as the fog around us. Something about it seemed familiar but every foggy day made me feel like that I so ignored it. "Hey, we aren't lost are we?" Ryota asked as he looked around confused.
"No, I've been keeping an eye on the path we've been taking. We're actually really close to the village it should be just ahead."
"Really? then I'll race you two there." He yelled and took off, running into the fog.
"Let's go Emi." Yukino laughed, racing after him.
Following them blindly into the fog I later came to regret it once I saw the village I was sure I would never see again. "Yumegakure…"
"You know this place?" Yukino asked with a hint of surprise.
"Yes… there is nothing important here." I avoided her eyes as I felt like a fly falling towards a spider's web. 'Why here?'
"Really?" Sigh. "What a shame…" She crossed her arms disappointed that it held nothing of interest.
"Hey, guys let's go explore!" Ryota pointed to the village with pure curiosity. Without a second thought, Yukino agreed and followed after him forcing me to follow after them.
・・・
With Ryota finding a cosmetics store out of pure luck we were dragged inside. The moment he stepped in I sighed knowing what would happen after. With bright eyes, Ryota and Yukino darted in opposite directions looking over different shades of lipsticks, eyeshadow, and even eye contacts. Leaving the makeup store we headed to a nearby park. "Let's try it on!" Ryota suggested holding the bag with the things he chose.
"Sure!" I put on a smile.
Sitting quietly on the park bench as they put on makeup I obediently listened to their commands. "Done." They both said while taking a step back. Pulling out a pocket mirror Ryota held it up for me. Staring at the person in the mirror I noticed that my features were softened by the blush and my restyled hair making me look almost doll-like. "I really like it."
"Good. Now my turn." Ryota sat down next to me with the energy of an excited puppy. "Regal beauty like Kuzunoha-sama."
"Emi?" Feeling my heart drop. I slowly turned my head and saw the old woman I never thought I'd see again.
Glancing at Yukino and Ryota they looked at each other with a quizzical look in their eyes but before they could say anything the old woman grasped my arms. "Oh, Emi! I thought I'd never see you again!" She began to sob into my clothes.
"Who are you?" Ryota was the first to ask.
"Oh, my dear Emi. Thank you both for returning her home safely!" She said amid fake sobs. Feeling my heart race I closed my eyes and began to block out her words and before I knew it I snapped out of it.
"Emi!" A woman yelled, running to me and clinging on to me the same way her mother just did. "Emi my dear child! I never thought I would see you again."
"I know mother," I responded blankly as my tears began to fall but not out of joy but hatred but never the less this is the reaction they sought.
Watching the tearful reunion both Ryota and Yukino stood to the side watching as these women both dressed in rather expensive clothing hugged and cried over their friend. 'Why didn't she tell us about them?' They both wondered once they both knew of who they were.
After the "tearful" reunion I wasn't given a chance to speak to my friends before a servant guided me to a room and told me to rest for the night.
Once the door shut behind me I snapped out of my stupor and stared at the beautifully decorated walls contrasting the ones I saw growing up. 'Why do they want me back?' I asked myself. Knock. Knock. Looking up at the ceiling I saw two smiling faces. "Ryota, Yukino," I whispered happily.
Jumping down from the ceiling they both looked at each other and nodded. "Are you okay?" They both asked.
Wanting to lie I held back and just fell to my knees feeling an odd sense of security even in this suffocating village. "No, I'm not." I shakily whispered. "How could I? They were the ones that sold me off." I clenched my fists angrily at the memories of my old home.
・
Flashback to a year ago
By the time I was fifteen, all I had come to know were the walls of my previous home. The only place not surrounded by fog and suffocating silence. Being born out of wedlock I was a reminder of my mother's mistake and my grandparents' disappointment.
The freedom I never had and the isolation I felt with every minute I spent in the confines of my previous house I came to learn at a young age that I wasn't wanted. Devoting myself to be the best that I could, I taught myself many things from the books my grandfather left behind.
I worked to be perfect in every way I could but it was never enough for them. Until the day they needed me. "Marry him!" My grandmother urged my mother.
"We'll be able to return to our previous lifestyle if I do this." My mother added. "But… what about that?"
"I can arrange it."
Without warning, I woke up one day in a strange situation. No longer surrounded by the walls I called home. I stared at my home slowly being engulfed by the fog as I was taken further away from it. 'Why?' I asked myself wondering what I did wrong. Since that day I had come to terms that I just wasn't wanted. That was until the day I was rescued.
Flashback end
・
"Emi…" Yukino whispered, pulling me into her arms. "Let's leave." She said soothingly.
With a nod. I was pulled up and without a doubt, we would leave the manor my so-called family chose over me. "Wait. I just remembered that I left something." I stopped. °I'll catch up.° I reassured them.
"Emi," Ryota placed his hand on my shoulder softly, "please be quick."
With a nod, I slipped out of the room and sought out the woman who birthed me.
"What are we going to do?" I heard her voice coming from a few doors over.
"We can always marry her off dear." My grandmother responded. 'They haven't changed.'
No longer wishing to hide I repeated the hand signs Yukino taught Nori-san before I opened the door and let myself inside. "Mother, grandmother." I smiled as their looks of surprise showed clearly in their faces. "I'm glad to have found my home."
"That's wonderful my dear." My mother enveloped me in a tense hug.
"But I never said it was here," I told her as I placed my hand on the back of her head. Slumping over my shoulder I let her fall off me and toward the floor.
"What did you?!" My grandmother gasped staring at her daughter.
Quickly teleporting behind her I placed my hand on her head as well. Slowly her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground. By the time they wake up my existence should be erased from their memories. Not like I was a big part of it, to begin with. It will be just like it always was. Walking out of the room I closed the door behind me and ran out towards the people who actually saw me as part of their lives.
Ryota's POV
Yukino and I both knew what Emi did that day. After all, she was smart enough to learn something like that on her own. We didn't say anything only Yukino went back to make sure that their minds weren't completely wiped.
Much to her surprise the only thing gone from their minds was Emi's existence which sadly to say was just a small part of their overall memories. This, of course, was something we both chose to withhold but we somehow believed that Emi probably knew. 'Maybe that's why she seemed fine even after locking away their memories.' Looking down at the bustling streets from my apartment's balcony I just sat there.
Looking up at Uzushio's night sky for the first time in weeks I felt an odd sense of tranquillity. But even that feeling didn't last. Leaving the balcony I stepped into my room and closed the doors. Plopping myself onto my bed I stared at the blank white ceiling. Taking in a deep breath I sighed. The whole incident in Yumegakure reminded me of home and my own problems. 'I have to go sooner or later.' Sitting up I activated the Getsugan and opened a portal leading to the familiar forest I've seen my whole life. With a hesitant step forward I crossed through and stepped back in my hometown.
Glancing back at the closing portal behind me I turned my attention to the town ahead and walked towards it.
Staying close to the shadows I made my way to my home feeling nervous more than anything. Reaching the entrance to my previous home I knocked on the door and waited. Hearing the heavy footsteps on the other side I knew who would open the door before I saw who it was.
"Ryota?" My father asked staring at me the way Yukino would whenever she thought she saw a ghost. Looking up at him I realized just how much I've come to resemble him during my time away.
"Otou-san, I uh… is mom home?"
"Y-yeah, she's meeting with the council."
"Thanks," I awkwardly stood at the door for a solid second expecting something, when nothing happened I turned around and ran to the shrine.
Reaching the shrine I was about to knock when I heard my mother's voice inside. "Her condition has improved but I don't know how long she will remain like that."
"I see…" one of the elders sighed. "It was inevitably going to happen to us one day."
Before they could sense me I knocked on the door. "Who goes there?" One of the elders asked.
Opening the door slowly I stepped in. "It's me Ryota, I came to give my report."
"You've been gone for a year!" One asked surprise. "Why did it take you so long to come back?"
"I was curious as to what she would do and you asked me to keep an eye on her to see if she was who you thought it was. I was able to confirm early on that she had royalties but by then she began to do things that caught my interest. Uzushiogakure. She's been building it back up again with the help of everyone there." I told them. But without knowing why I said the following. "Let's all go back to Uzushio that's where we're meant to be."
Glancing at each other I saw the concerned looks between them. "Ryota…" Someone said pityingly.
"We can't." Another said.
"It will just repeat everything all over again."
"It won't!" I blurted out. "A barrier was set up to protect the island. To disguise it as ruins so no one will give it a second look. We even began trade again using another island as a cover!" I told them.
"That barrier will be pointless. It will collapse again."
"And you think this one won't?!" I argued. "You are the only ones with any training and talent to keep this barrier up and you know it! What will happen when you all die, who will keep the barrier up?"
"We will find another way but returning to that island will just end up repeating things."
"You've searched for others for years but the moment you do you don't want to?!" I snapped. "If that's the case what was the point of sending Haruka out there?!" I screamed, almost bringing myself to tears.
"Ryota!" My mother who had been silent the whole time cut in. "Be quiet. You will alert the whole village."
"Fine. I know now what is best for me and I hope you realize it soon. I'll come back again in case you change your mind." Turning to leave the elders called out my name but I just ignored it. 'She would agree. She would.' I told myself, giving me the courage to continue walking forward.
"Ryota-kun," I heard a small voice whisper. Looking around I spotted red hair poking from behind some bushes.
Peeking out Kohaku-chan showed her face. "Kohaku-chan, aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" I asked the small girl.
"I couldn't sleep." She stepped out of the cover of the bushes. "Can I go to the island?" She asked.
"Kohaku-chan…"
"It's not like I have parents to anger." She reasoned.
'She got me there.' I sighed. "Fine… just write a letter saying where you're going."
"Okay." She nodded once and ran to the shrine taking the side entrance to go back in. Standing outside letting my eyes adjust to the night I waited for a few minutes before she came back out. "Done."
"What did you write?"
"Well…" It's me Kohaku. I heard about the island and I want to see it! Hope you guys come there soon. Bye. "That was it." She smiled.
Sighing I shrugged. 'That's good enough at least she was honest.' Remembering what my mom mentioned earlier I kneeled down and asked her a simple question. "Hey, Kohaku-chan if you don't mind, can we make a stop before going to the island?"
"Why?"
"I want to pick up some medicine from a friend of mine."
"Is it for obaa-chan?" Nodding once she smiled. "Then go visit your friend."
"Thank you." Activating my eyes I caught a glance of her shocked expression as a portal opened up right in front of her leading to a library with an enormous tree in the center. The glass ceiling drew her attention more as she ran in there without hesitation. 'I should've told her about it beforehand shouldn't I?' I covered my mouth remembering the process that Yukino did before showing me.
Spinning around with her eyes to the glass ceiling she tripped and fell down. Running in I helped her up. "The thing closed." She said.
"It's fine I can make another opening."
"Since when could you do that?" She grabbed my face suddenly and stared into my eyes inspecting them. "Can I do that?"
"My friend taught me," I mumbled. "The one we're visiting."
"Really?! Let's see her then!" She ran to the doors in the library that led to nowhere in particular.
I can't believe It's already been two years since I started this story. Thank you for reading. When I finish this story I may go back and change a few things. It's embarrassing seeing what I wrote two years ago. This is after all the first story I ever published. Thank you for reading.
Stay safe out there. Wash your hands and if your city tells you to stay indoors please do so.
~Special Extra~
"Itachi, how is the most beautiful person in the world feeling?"
"I don't know. How are you feeling?" He asked with a soft smile.
"That's not fair," Yukino sighed, "I was going to say it to you."
"I know." He sat down next to her laying his head on her shoulder. "That's why I did it first." He gave her cheek a small peck.
"Guys," Ryota barked, "I'm right here." He blinked rapidly. "Stop rubbing your affection right in front of me." His voice cracked making him tear up more. "It's not fair… I only came for some medicine."
"Ooh…" Kohaku said as she poked her head out from the portal surprising everyone else in the infirmary.
