The journey back to Lescatie was a long and quiet one. No one spoke much and when they did it was usually to request a short break. In the distance the group finally spotted Lescatie in the distance and were glad to finally almost be home.
Shisui on the other hand was still thinking about last night's events. Why did that man want to avenge the 'mamono'? Why did he call Wilmarina a murderer? Was the Order with holding information about the monsters?
The garrison of knights had arrived at Lescatie's gates, which opened almost ceremonially for the returning heroes.
A small crowd of townsfolk had gathered around the heroes, with many uttering nothing but praise for the group.
"Everyone I understand you are all excited to see us again, but we need to report an urgent matter to the King." Shisui calmly explained to the exhilirated crowd.
Thankfully the crowd had listened to Shisui's request as they all quickly departed, albeit not without wishing them good luck.
Shisui was feeling uneasy for two reasons, the first was informing the King about the killer and catching him as soon as possible and the second was the unmistakable feeling that someone was watching him.
He decided to instead act ignorant to not let this unwanted follower know that he was aware of their presence.
(At the Palace...)
"Lady Merse! You are back! How did your mission go?" One of the guards guarding the Palace gates asked.
"Not how we expected it to. We need to speak to King Castor urgently." Merse ordered as the guards hurriedly opened the gates.
The other non-hero knights were ordered by Merse to return to their stations, leaving only Merse, Wilmarina, Primera and Shisui as the ones to enter the Royal Court to inform the King about what had happened during their mission.
The soft chattering of voice could be heard as the group neared the Royal Court, indicating that the city's higher ups were currently in discussion.
Upon spotting the heroes of Lescatie the guards immediately opened the doors for them.
The chattering amongst the council of Lescatie ceased when the saw the four heroes enter.
"Ah Lady Merse, you are back I see. Tell me how did the mission go?" The King asked warmly.
"Not very well I'm afraid. When we got there all of the villagers were...slain." Merse explained dolefully.
The entire room was filled with gasps, and even King Castor looked very solemn.
"No doubt it was those horrendous monsters who murdered all those innocents!" One of the councilmen stated.
"No it wasn't actually. It was a human man." Wilmarina added.
"A human? That is rather odd. Why would he turn against his own kind?" The King asked.
"We aren't exactly certain your majesty. But he told us that he was doing it to 'avenge' the monsters Wilmarina murdered." Shisui explained.
"Avenge? Why would any sensible human betray his own kind to defend those abominations?" Priest Noscrim asked.
"His reasoning for doing so was that all of humanity deserved to die due to how we are only capable of violence and nothing else." Wilmarina answered.
"Your majesty if I recommend that a bounty be placed on this killer." Merse suggested.
The King stroked his beard gently, and spoke up.
"Hmm yes that is a good idea Merse. I shall issue a bounty to be placed on the killer immediately. I have no doubt that if not a bounty hunter one of you will catch this murderer and bring him to justice." The King postulated.
"You have my many thanks your Majesty. I promise that this killer will be brought to justice." Merse said as she genuflected to the King.
"Good. Do you have anything else you'd like to report Merse?" Castor asked.
"No Your Majesty." she answered.
"Alright then. You are now dismissed." The King announced.
(Outside the Palace)
Shisui was currently resting atop one of the many buildings of Lescatie. The view was relaxing for him as it allowed him to think of out to find this killer and more importantly, the ongoing war between the Order and the monsters.
He never had time to think about it, but looking back at it had now only dawned on Shisui that he was technically a living ghost. He knew for a fact that he shouldn't be here right now, he should be dead. Why did he of all people have to be revived to fight for this Chief God? As he lamented on his purpose in this new world his thoughts trailed back to Konoha.
Did the Uchiha actually go through with their coup? How were Itachi and Sasuke doing? Oh how he desperately wished he could know what had been happening in Konoha since his supposed "death".
He was snapped out of his thoughts by loud thunder. Shisui looked up to see that the sky had become an ugly dark grey.
'It's gonna rain soon, better get back home.' Shisui said to himself as he departed from his current position.
On his way back home he heard a voice of a little girl call out his name.
Shisui landed on the ground and turned his attention towards the girl, whom he noticed was one of the Orphans that resided in the Orphanage.
"Yes?" He answered.
"Where are you going?" The girl asked innocently.
"I'm going home. It's about to rain and I don't wanna get wet." Shisui explain jovially.
"Aww for real? I'd love it if you could visit the Orphanage again. Please! Please come Mr. Shisui!" The girl pleaded.
Shisui chuckled at the girl's excitement at wanting to be in his company. It sure felt nice when people loved being around him. Deciding that he didn't want to be a jerk to the poor girl he changed his mind.
"Sure! I'll come to the orphanage with you." Shisui said smiling as he patted the girl on the head.
Shisui followed the girl to the orphanage who unlike some of the other orphans look genuinely happy. which deep down relieved Shisui. The two made their way towards the orphanage, or to put it more bluntly Shisui was following the girl because he embarrassingly didn't remember exactly where the orphanage was located.
"How are Sasha and the others doing?" Shisui asked the girl.
"They're doing ok. Although Miss Sasha has been looking...feverish lately. And when I ask her if she's feeling ok she always tells me she is ok despite still looking sick." The girl explained sadly.
"I'm scared Mr. Shisui! What if something bad happens to Miss Sasha? What if she...she..." the girl whimpered as tears fell down her face.
Shisui instinctively hugged the girl tight as her sobbing became a loud cry of pain.
"Don't cry ok? I promise if anything ever happens to Sasha I'll protect you all with my life." Shisui reassured the girl as he gently stroked her back.
As he was hugging the poor girl, Shisui noticed it again. The presence of someone watching him and this time he swore for a brief second he saw in the distance someone who looked like...Kirsch?
Why was she following him? Weren't they allies? Did she not trust him? He wondered to himself.
It then all clicked in his head, the invitation he received yesterday. He knew there was someone fishy about that Ice Flower group and for a change his gut instinct was proven correct that organization was just like ROOT. Shisui knew now he had to keep his guard up since he was now being watched 24/7.
Unlike last time though he wasn't going to make the same mistake he did when he undermined just how sneaky and desperate Danzo could be, and was already devising a strategy to deal with Kirsch.
Drip, drip, drip
The rain started to fall now, and wasting no time Shisui propped the girl on to his back and began ninja running.
(At the orphanage)
Sasha was currently pacing up and down the corridor of the orphanage. Jennifer was taking far too long than she had liked and to make matters worse it was now raining heavy outiside now.
'Oh Jennifer, where are you?' Sasha asked herself.
A soft knocking came from the door, and Sasha hurriedly opened it.
Standing there was a drenched yet smiling Shisui carrying Jennifer on his back.
"Sorry for brining her late." Shisui apologised.
"You don't need to apologise Shisui. Thank you thank you so much for brining back Jennifer safe and sound." Sasha said warmly as Jennifer hopped off from Shisui's back,
"No problem, it's the least I could do." Shisui stated.
"Miss Sasha. Can Shisui stay for dinner with us please?" Jennifer asked politely.
"Yes he certainly may. That is if he wants to." Sasha mentioned.
"I'd love to. As a shinobi of Lescatie I want to get to know my adopted family that I'll be protecting." Shisui declared with a thumbs up.
"Family? You see us as family?" Jennifer asked bemused.
"Yes. For a shinobi bonds are the most important thing it our lives. They give us purpose in life and a reason to protect those we hold dear to us." Shisui stated passionately.
"I can see why the Chief God blessed you as hero. You have a heart of gold Shisui." Sasha praised.
"Thank you...Sasha..." Shisui muttered as he felt a tug in his heart.
'Why am I feeling like this? I've been complemented by many people back in Konoha. But Sasha's words just..." Shisui trailed off, trying to understand this new feeling inside of him.
"Since I'm gonna be here for a while, do you need help with anything Sasha? I don't mind you know." Shisui offered.
"Certainly, I'm sure the kids would love your help in cooking." Sasha said smiling.
Shisui gave a thumbs up and flashed a smile towards Sasha. "Time to cook then."
(30 Minutes later)
Lunch was just about ready as Shisui gleefully assisted in cooking today's meal (truth be told he was so used to living off meagre rations that he didn't even know how to cook an actual meal) To make up for this shortcoming Shisui activated his Sharingan and watched the children and Primera, whom he was actuially very glad to see, prepare the meal, and from there he instantly knew what to do. Once he was finished cooking he offered to prepare the table and hand everyone their meal.
"Here it is, enjoy the food guys!" Shisui proudly exclaimed as he handed all of the seated orphans their plates of lunch before finally placing his own dish on the table last.
With everyone now seated Sasha began her usual prayer of offering thanks to the Chief God.
Once the prayer was done everyone dug into their meals, with Jennifer being particularly impressed by his cooking.
"Wow! This is so good Mr. Shisui. You should become a chef when you retire." She said happily.
Shisui chuckled. "I guess I could. Who knows maybe I could become a famous chef one day."
As Shisui was eating his food he noticed a red haired boy sitting next to Primera he had never seen before. Curious Shisui asked him for his name.
"My full name is Elton. But most people call me Elt or El." The boy named Elt answered.
"A pleasure to meet you Elt, I'm sure you've already heard of my name, but in case you haven't I'm Shisui Uchiha." Shisui replied.
"Shisui huh? Yeah I've heard about your name. The whole of Lescatie has been talking about you since yesterday ever since you bested Lady Vermut in a duel." Elt commented.
"I heard you teleported behind her before she could even react, is it true Mr. Shisui?" Jennifer asked excitedly.
"Yes it is. I didn't actually teleport, I used a technique of mine called the Body Flicker technique, which allows me to move either short or long distances at an almost untraceable speed." Shisui explained.
The room was filled with a mixture of ohhhhs and aaaaahhhs as they listened to Shisui explain how he bested Vermut.
"Shisui, ever since you arrived to Lescatie you've never told us about yourself. We've barely gotten to know you." Sasha spoke up.
Shisui froze for an instant, this was something he'd rather not discuss as it brought up too many painful memories.
"Of course if you don't want to it's'-"
"No it's alright Sasha. I did say you are all my family, so you all deserve to know more about me." Shisui said.
"Sasha...everyone. There is a secret that I never told you about myself since arriving here in Lescatie." Shisui revealed.
"What is it?" Sasha asked concerned.
"I'm not from Zipangu. If I may be honest I've never heard about the place before." Shisui revealed.
"I see...so then if you're not from Zipangu where are you truly from?" Sasha enquiried.
"I hail from another world, a world dominated by shinobi such as myself. And in my world..." Shisui trailed off, his voice becoming shaky as the buried memories arising again.
Sasha placed an empathatic hand on Shisui's shoulder, as if to tell him 'It's alright'
"We had three great wars, the most recent one ending only a few years ago. It was in this war, the third great shinobi world war that I lost both of my parents and my older sister." Shisui said gloomily.
It felt as if all the air and in the room had become cold and gloomy, like the raging thunderstorm outside.
Shisui could feel his emotions ready to overflow like a full dam. He always hated it when he cried, especially in front of others.
'People don't cry because they are weak, they cry because they have been strong for too long' Were the wise words of his late sister as she consoled him shortly after their parents passing. A few weeks after that day Shisui's sister would also sadly pass away.
Drip, drip, drip
Small droplets fell onto the table as Shisui sobbed silently. Sasha instinctively embraced the young Uchiha in a sisterly hug, which only intensified his sobbing into a cry of pain, sorrow and grief.
"You have lost so much in your life Shisui. And I am sorry for your loss, truly I am. But you must remember that you still have people who care about you, who will always be here for you no matter what. Please remember that." Sasha cooed as she felt Shisui's sobbing calm down.
"You're right Sasha. I lost all of my family before I was even 10. And that's why from now on I'll make doubly make sure to protect my new family at all costs." Shisui muttered as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"That's good to hear Shisui. But you mustn't keep all of your sad thoughts to yourself. You are not alone and if you ever want to talk about something that's bothering you, please come by the orphanage any time." Sasha assured Shisui with a sweet smile.
"Thank you Sasha, that means a lot to me." Shisui said as he returned a friendly smile.
"Mr. Shisui. I'll be here for you also!" Jennifer cried out as she ran towards Shisui and hugged him tight.
"Me too!"
"Me three!"
And soon almost the entire orphanage was hugging the young Uchiha, who was desperately trying to breathe amidst the many bodies that were around him.
"Children, children. I understand you all want to make Shisui feel better but you are suffocating him." Sasha said as she ushered the children away from Shisui.
Shisui on the other hand didn't mind the children hugging him, as it reminded him of simpler times of when he could enjoy being a child.
During the fun he was having Shisui had only just realized that Primera had left the table, which concerned him somewhat.
"Sasha, Where is Primera?" Shisui asked.
"Primera? She must probably be at the top of the church again." Sasha replied.
"Why is she by herself?" Shisui asked, concerned for her asocial behaviour.
"She's not very fond of people unfortunately. She prefers solitude and will only join us when Elt calls her." Sasha explained with a hint of sorrow in her voice.
"Well then. I'm gonna go find her and convince her to come join us." Shisui declared as he made his way up the church tower.
The stairway leading to the top of the church was incredibly dark to the point that Shisui could barely see in front him. Fortunately the stairway started to get brighter, albeit not much as it was still raining heavily outside.
Shisui reached the church bell, and sitting next to overlooking the outside storm was none other than Primera.
"Primera! Are you ok? Why did you leave?" Shisui asked.
"..." Primera remained silent at Shisui's question.
"Primera please. I just want to know why you are isolating yourself from others." Shisui asked again with the concern in his voice more prominent this time.
"Because they always treat me different due to my Elven heritage." Primera spat out, not even looking at Shisui.
Shisui felt a sense of sorrow at the green haired girl's explanation. It truly sickened and disappointed him that even in another world, people still discriminate against those they perceive as being 'different'
"You might not believe me, but I-"
"Go away"
"No." Shisui stated firmly as he hugged Primera from behind.
"Why do you care so much for me?" Primera asked irritated.
"Because you are my friend. And friends look out for each other." Shisui answered.
"Friend? We only just met yesterday and you're already calling yourself my friend?" Primera sneered as she struggled to free herself from Shisui's grip.
"Yes." Shisui said flatly,
"Will you let me go already?" Primera asked annoyingly.
"I will, only if you listen to what I have to say." Shisui said.
Seeing no other way around this, Primera begrudgingly allowed Shisui to speak his mind.
"Fine whatever. If it'll make you let go of me." She spat out.
"The reason I want to be your friend Primera is because my clan, the Uchihas suffer from the curse of hatred. This hatred robbed many people of their joy and merely made them empty shells of what they used to be." Shisui explained.
"And your point is?" Primera enquired.
"These negative emotions. Hate, envy, spite, don't let them consume you and turn you into something you're not." Shisui warned as he released Primera from his hug.
"What do you know about me? Telling me what I should and shouldn't do?" Primera asked angrily as she felt her temper flare.
"Huh! Tell me!?" Primera yelled as the thunder boomed her.
"That even though you might think you are alone, you aren't. Everyone in the orphanage, myself included care deeply about you." Shisui explained.
Primera's anger had ceased. She hated to admit it but Shisui was right, it was Sasha after all who gave her a home in the orphanage and she, along with Elt, were the first to accept her for who she was.
"I don't view you any different just because you're a half-elf. I've seen people discriminate against other full blooded humans just because of their social standing and physical appearance. If anything you have more humanity than a lot of humans that I know." Shisui added.
Primera felt her chest tighten. What Shisui was saying made her feel...happy and appreciated? Why couldn't he hate her like the other villagers? Why did he have to stand up for her?
"Please remember what I said Primera, you are not alone. Until next time, my friend." Shisui reminded Primera as he disappeared from the bell tower via the Body Flicker technique.
Primera was at a loss for words; for the first time in her life she felt genuinely happy. Lamenting at what Shisui said she merely sat down and looked outside as sunlight began to peak through the clouds, a rare but genuine smile spreading across her mouth.
"Thank you...Shisui."
A/N: Hi everyone, hope you all enjoyed this chapter as I really poured my heart into this one. So far it has been my favourite chapter to write for Crossroads of Destiny. Thank you for reading and please review if you can, until next time.