I winced at the sunlight. A ceiling came to view. This wasn't my bedroom.
I turned and saw Itachi sleeping next to me. Remembering what happened, I jolted up. I was about to shake Itachi awake too until I saw how pale he looked. I noticed bandages around his neck and shoulder.
The door slid open, startling me.
It was Otoha. She had shadows under her eyes. "You're up."
She pushed the shoji door wider so I could join her in the neighboring room. I gave Itachi another glance before following Otoha inside.
The neighboring room was cluttered. Stuff piled in giant mountains, from baskets and drums to statues of naked ladies. I could not see the floor.
In the middle of the room was a table. Shisui sat there, scraping the bottom of a jar.
He saw me. "Look who's alive!"
I beamed. "What's for breakfast?"
On the table was a stack of jam jars and a basket of biscuits. Hungry, I took one of the jars. The lid did not open. I shook it, banged it, and gnawed on it with my teeth. Even when I went blue, it would not open.
"Ha, here." Shisui patted my head and opened it for me.
Curious, I took a sniff.
"Ew!"
"If you don't like cherry, there's also lemon, grape, or… what fruit is brown again?" Shisui peeked into a brown jar.
"That's not peanuts?" Otoha asked.
"Really? I'm thinking peach. The colors change after a while."
Otoha looked suspicious. "How long you've had these jams?"
"This was my emergency stash back when I was ten." Shisui laughed, rubbing his neck. "I made sure that I can survive on jam and biscuits when the apocalypse comes. That, or the day Tomoe gets really mad."
Giving up on the jams, I bit into a biscuit. My jaw vibrated. Frustrated, I threw the biscuit.
I never did have good aim. The biscuit smashed into a straw basket, which toppled over the pipes, which broke the rooster, which snapped off the head of a naked lady, which fell into everything else and buried us under twenty tons of junk.
Peeking open an eye, I saw we had teleported to the top of an inflated mattress.
Otoha face palmed.
"Sorry," I squeaked. My stomach growled. I looked at them sheepishly. "Is there any other food?"
Shisui dropped his chin into his hand. "The jams were all I had."
"Shisui, those jams are nasty," I said.
"Well, if they are below your standards, your excellency, feel free to fetch more food out there." Shisui gestured to the hallway door. "Tomoe awaits."
I gulped. "Can you go?"
"Me? You go! This is your fault."
"What!"
"Because you threw your temper tantrum, we're stuck here hiding from Tomoe. Because of you, we're running out of chakra, food, water, and… and… air!"
I was taken aback. "I'm not stealing anyone's chakra, food, or water."
"No, we're giving it to you. And what have you given us so far?"
"Um…"
"That's right," he said. "You're nothing but a liability. You cannot work. You cannot even get your own food and water, all on top of an abrasive, volatile personality that gets you in trouble."
I was hurt. "Hey, I tried my best. It's not my fault."
"Then whose fault is it!"
I could not believe Shisui was blaming me! "Not me!"
We yelled at each other until Otoha had enough. She grabbed a nearby frying pan and pounded it into the mattress. "Will both of you SHUT UP!"
Huffing, Shisui and I had our backs to each other.
I curled myself up in a ball. I never had a fight with Shisui before. It made me feel horrible.
I stared at the hallway door. Making up my mind, I jumped off the mattress.
"Fine, I'll get us food, okay?"
I hopped onto a footstool, then crawled across a roll of rugs. Only to slip and tumble the rest of the way down.
Otoha peeked down. "Have you lost your mind? The ma'am is out there, and she wants you dead."
"Well, if I do see Tomoe, I'll apologize and set everything straight," I said.
"You idiot," Otoha said. "She isn't gunna forgive you after what happened, so get your ass back there!"
"You're going soft, birdie," Shisui told Otoha. He watched me with a smug look. "Don't worry, Ayae won't pull through with this."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Trust me, she ain't."
I slid the door open.
I took one step…
…before my face was buried in paper bags.
"Wherecha going, squirt?" Shisui's head popped up from behind a bunch of grocery bags.
"Shisui?!"
Was he not... on the mattress?
"Yup, who else—" Shisui noticed his look-alike on top of the mattress. The look-alike waved back.
"Shishi darling! You're back!" the look-alike said in a higher, squeaker voice.
"Hey, what are you doing here, Michio?" Shisui said.
In a puff of smoke, the fake Shisui got smaller. He ruffled his white, messy hair. "Nath'n," he said, smiling with crooked teeth. "Just hab'n fun with cousin Ayae!"
"What!" I cried.
The fake Shisui turned to me with a catty grin. "Ya, it's called 'Can Ayae see Michio.' Ayae no good at games, no good at all." He stood up, dressed in a grey tank and low cut shorts. There were brass bracelets around his ankle. "No wonder she cannot survive Miyako," he sighed, his voice dropping.
Before I knew it, he had teleported in front of me. Up close, I could see his eyes were black. He had thick eyebrows, a soft cheek, plump lips, and a low jaw. The more I stared at his face, the more he looked like a girl.
But before I could think, he kissed me.
"Sorry I didn't introduce myself," he said. "I'm Michio, and Aunt Miko was so right. You're absolutely precious."
What did that mean? Why did he kiss me? Why was my face turning red?
"Can I ask you a question, Ayae?" he asked.
"Yeah?"
"Will you be my girlfriend?" He smiled, his fingers curled into a heart.
.
"Owie…" Michio whined, rubbing his bruised jaw. "Does this mean you want to be my boyfriend instead?"
A vein throbbed in my fist. I wiped the kiss off my cheek and turned to the real Shisui. I pointed to the boy-girl. "Who is this!"
"Aw, Michi's just playing around." Shisui laughed. "Glad you're awake, squirt. How's your head feeling—"
Michio pushed me away. On tiptoes, he stared at Shisui with furrowed eyebrows. "Shishi darling, why you ask her, but not me? I haven't seen you in eons."
"Eh, three months—"
"Shishi darling doesn't miss me! He no care 'bout Michio, he no lub Michio n'more…" Michio broke down. He shrunk into a sobbing heap on the floor.
I jumped back, caught off guard. Shisui just smiled.
"How ya been, Michi?" he asked.
Michio jumped back to life, all rainbows and sunshine. "Wonderful!"
Again, I was caught off guard. This kid had a talent for acting. Added with transformations and many voices, he could be anyone.
"… and I called an arm wrestling match but the little rat got away from me," Michio finished his story, snapping his fingers.
"Ooh, that reminds me. How'd ya do in the tournament?"
"First place!"
"Thatta way!"
They locked hands and did a manly chest-bumped. "Huzzah!"
Then they slapped their hands back and forth, knocked fists three times, stacked them up, broke away by fluttering their hands, did a hokey pokey that turned into a square dance, and ended with a double hip bump.
"Who's the best?" Shisui asked.
"We are!" Michio exclaimed in the stance of a sumo wrestler.
"And what are we?"
"Super duper fantastically awesome!"
"Good job, cadet." Shisui ruffled Michio's hair. Michio gave the widest smile, rubbing his cheek against Shisui's chest.
I wondered how long they knew each other. Was this Michio person Uchiha? I was not sure. Every one of my relatives was fair skinned. Most had dark hair. But Michio had dark skin and white hair. Even his eyebrows were white.
Michio caught me looking at him. "I know, I'm hot, but if you just said yes earlier, you wouldn't need to resort to staring."
My eye twitched.
At least we didn't need to worry about food anymore. Early in the morning, Shisui had left to get us yummy snacks. But we still needed a plan. Tomoe was out there, and we were in deep trouble.
Shisui laid down a map. It showed the Miyako district.
"So right now, we're here. It's my old room." Shisui pointed to a southwestern room in the biggest building. "Figured it would be the last place anyone would look."
I saw many buildings on the map. "There are many inns," Shisui explained. "The one we're in is for our clan only. Here is the Eastern Tea House." Shisui tapped on a hexagon near the woods. "That's where Itachi's parents are. I admit, Itachi had the right idea to ask his mom for help, but he got there too late. Once the meeting begins, it can go uninterrupted for weeks. The Tea House is what the she-devil is guarding too. She hasn't moved from that spot."
I got confused. "Wait, if Tomoe isn't leaving, then why are we hiding?"
"The ma'am regulates the district with fire clones," Otoha said. "In every inn, there are storage rooms with candles. Her chakra is buried into the wax. Once lit, the clones will continue to act until either the flame goes out or the wax is gone."
"It's not like the clones you learned, squirt," Shisui added. "These can be infinitely far from the original, and they don't go away after a hit."
"And since it's FIRAH, it can burn you with just a touch." Michio giggled, poking me.
I kicked him away.
"How hard is it to fight one?" I asked. Surely Tomoe can't—
"Like teaching engineering to morons."
"Like find'n water in the Suna desert!"
"Like getting a date with the hottest girl in Konoha."
There went that idea.
"She's on a whole other league, squirt. Facing her is a bad idea," Shisui said.
My mind went to Itachi, who was still out cold. Did Tomoe do that to him? My stomach churned at the thought.
I looked at the food. I asked if we could keep hiding. Shisui told me that needed this thing called a detection barrier, but he was running out of chakra to keep it up.
After more thought, I said, "Let's leave. We can sleep near the river. I camp at school all the time for survival training." That way, we could all be safe from Tomoe.
Michio raised his hand, bouncing in his seat. "Ooh, Michi go with Ayae dollie. I wanna camp! I wanna leave!"
But there was a problem with that plan too. Otoha worked at the inn. She was to supervise me, not quit her job. Itachi could not leave either.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Um well, you see, that's a good question…" Shisui stalled, scratching his head. He looked for an answer when he thought of one. "Tea ceremony! Yeah, giant tea ceremony. It's a clan thing. You know, tea and sitting and talking... all that boring stuff."
My eye twitched. "Why would Itachi stay for that?"
"Uh, he likes his tea? And he'll drop dead without it? You know, the caffeine and… help me out, Michi."
Michio's ears perked up. "What Shishi means is that cousin dearest needs to go to an important clan thingamabob. There, he'll be inducted as the official heir. If he doesn't show up, it'll be treason and he'll get executed!"
Executed as in... head chopped off? That's bad.
"What if we come back later?" I asked.
"Tomoe won't let him back in." Michio smiled wickedly. "See, if Itachi's not here, the heir title is up for grabs. It could be me, it could be Shishi, it could even be you! But the default is Tomoe, and that is a bery scary thot."
"Oh." Maybe that was why Tomoe gave Itachi a hard time. "Ohh…" I got it. Tomoe wanted the heir thing for herself, so all this madness went back to politics. Just like in the movies. Okay, sure, I would buy that.
On second thought, no, that still made no sense.
"Oh, and there's another point to the ceremony," Michio said. "It's when they choose the—"
"Thank you, Michi!" Shisui jumped in, muffling the kid in his chest. "So, are we leaving? If so, then we have to split up. You, me, and Michi. Songbird stays behind with Itachi."
I frowned. My idea did not seem that great now.
"Michi's okay with that! We can camp by Katsura and eat fried fish and tell scary stories! And at night, we can all cuddle!"
When he tried to glomp me, I extended my foot. Okay, my idea was horrible. "No! I change my mind, let's not."
Unfortunately, that meant we were left with the last option: fix things with Tomoe.
.
I had a plan.
Step one: find Tomoe.
Step two: make her forget all of this ever happened.
Best plan ever. Michio even dubbed it 'Operation Awesome.' Now, if I knew how maps worked, we could get past step one.
"Hold on." Otoha stopped us. She placed a finger on her lips and motioned to the hallway behind us.
We waited.
Everyone tensed. Before I knew it, Michio vanished, Otoha dashed off, and I hanged from the ceiling thanks to Shisui.
A minute later, I saw what was up. Or rather, down.
"A cat?" I watched the kitty cat strut down the halls.
The gang came back. I dropped down.
"D'aw, whatcha do'n here?" Michio picked up the cat and squished it in a hug.
"That's odd. All cats are banned from the main inn after the Waterworks Disaster." Otoha frowned, eyeing the cat with suspicion. "And all the cats should know that."
The cat hissed at Otoha, then gave an angry meow.
"Does it look like I care? Rules are rules."
Meow.
"What do you mean your rights are violated?"
Meow!
"Well, you sure ain't any safer with us."
Meow?
"We are on a sour note with the ma'am."
Me-OW. The cat squirmed out of Michio's grip. It was about to strut off when its ears perked. It jumped back into Michio's arms. Meow!
"Uh-oh, trouble."
There was a pitter-patter, then a boyish shout and missiles everywhere. For once, I met someone with worse aim than me. Shuriken fell left and right, jutting in all directions.
"Come back here, lousy cat!"
The next second, I had the air knocked out of me.
"Ow." We both hit the floor.
A small boy scrambled off me, his eyes dead set on the cat in Michio's arms.
A kunai appeared in his hand.
Michio looked at the sharp kunai, then at the cat, then at the boy, then at the cat, then at the sharp kunai. Then, Michio held the cat toward the boy with the sharp kunai. "Ya can hug 'um too if ya want!" he said. The cat panicked.
Thankfully, Otoha took away the weapon, and Shisui grabbed the kid by the collar.
"You know, it's this same rash behavior that is going to make you a petty, international criminal prone to half-ass revenge gimmicks one day," Shisui said.
"Back off!"
"I stand corrected. A rude, petty, international criminal. Of all the things Itachi's teaching you, you'd think manners would be at the top of the list."
"Oh, sorry, your majesty, please back off!"
"Ah, well, at least sarcasm is up there. His majesty is pleased." Shisui dropped the boy.
The boy was short with perky hair. His cheeks were soft and rosy. His eyes were wide and bright. Who did I know was like that again?
Young boy... young boy...
"Oh!" I hopped in place. "Oh! Oh! Sasu—"
"Sasuke," the boy said, patting his clothes.
"Yeah! That's it!" I scratched my cheek. "Huh, you were smaller the last time I saw you. And quieter. And such a cute—"
He narrowed his eyes. I shut up.
"Who are you?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Ayae! I used to come to your home often, remember?" I said.
"No."
"Oh, come on, I saw you like three times a week!"
"What are you, an Uchiha?"
"Yes."
"Don't look it."
"Well, I am?"
"You're lying."
Shisui scribbled in a notepad. "Ah, I shall add tactlessness to the list."
"Wait, if you're here, then is Brother here too?" Sasuke asked.
"Yeah."
As soon as Shisui said that, Sasuke sparkled.
"Where is he?" Sasuke demanded, the cat forgotten.
"Itachi's uh, out of commission. He ran off with the circus."
Sasuke glared.
"Is kidnapped by a princess more believable?" Shisui tried again.
"Where. Is. He."
"How about he turned into a cat?" Shisui should stop trying.
"Why don't you try training," I whispered.
"Training is a classic," Shisui whispered back, "but I'm afraid that excuse doesn't work for this one. Just try the words shuriken practice, and you'll see."
"Where is my brother!" Sasuke screamed, melting our eardrums. "If you don't tell me now, I'll... I'll..."
"You'll what? Spit on me?" Shisui teased.
"I'll... tell brother that you... you hit me again!"
The threat was so weak, I snorted. But Shisui paled. Sasuke had a cocky smirk.
"You wouldn't," Shisui dared.
"I would."
A spark of lightning.
Silence.
Shisui straightened. "Okay. Go ahead..." Without warning, he grabbed my wrist and twirled me over to stand between him and Sasuke. I felt a spike of chakra through my body. Around me was a puff of smoke.
"Itachi's listening."
"Itachi's wha—?" I began.
Sasuke gave a small yelp. "B-brother?"
"What—" I looked at my hand. I touched my hair. My jaw dropped. "Shisui!"
Before I could say another word, Shisui leaned down and grinned. "Yes, I-ta-chi?" he asked out loud.
I gritted my teeth. "You can't believe this would work."
"I put him under a genjutsu that can make him believe you're a rainbow robot unicorn if I wanted. Added with the henge, just be on par with a third-rate wannabe actor, and we might just pull this off," Shisui mumbled.
"Why can't we just tell him?"
"You want to tell this overly clingy child that his most precious person is unconscious in some barricaded room, be my guest. I'll also inform you of his uncanny ability to make lives hell."
Why me!
"Brother, why were you henged as a girl?"
I whipped around. "Ah—um—" I felt a pinch on my back and jumped. "Uh, training! Deception! Deception training! I, um... got you!" Oh, kill me now.
"Oh!" There was awe in his eyes, as Sasuke took the story completely. I felt sweat trail down my back. Things got complicated.
Sasuke jumped on me. "So smart, brother! I would never think you would pretend to be an ugly girl."
Shisui grabbed me before I could strangle the brat. Ooh yeah. Things got very complicated.
"Itachi," Shisui told me, "why don't you tell your little brother to go away now while we handle some very important matters concerning you-know-who before you-know-what happens."
"No!" Sasuke hugged me tighter.
"Uh, Shisui's right," I said. Michio winced at my acting. Clearing my throat, I half-heartedly tried a deeper voice. "So... uhh... go play or something."
Tight became rib-crushing cobra constriction. "NO!" There was a falter in his voice, and I saw that he was on the verge of tears. "You always leave. I won't bother you. I've gotten stronger now, I promise. Just let me show you. I have the book—no, I left it back in—NO, don't go. Don't go." He broke down into a whine and buried his face into my chest.
He was crying. What do I do? What do I do! I turned to the other three for help. They were not helpful, all taking a sudden interest in the walls.
"I—Ah—Sasuke, it's alright." I patted him on the head. "I'm not leaving..."
And thus, thanks to Shisui and his brilliant idea, I got my fourth companion. I marched through the hallways, a map in hand, a five year old on my back, cat in front, and three followers behind.
"Brother?"
"Yes?"
"Where are we going?"
"Outside."
"Are you going to train with me?" The hope in his voice was heart-fluttering.
"No," I said. He was disappointed. Now I was guilty. "I have some things to take care of," I said. "Maybe afterward?"
Sasuke wrapped his arms tighter around my neck, choking me. "You promise?" His nose nuzzled against my neck.
"I guess? Yeah." Maybe this deal was not too bad. I remembered Sasuke never wanted to play with me years back. But he was sweet. I would not mind playing some tag or hide-and-seek. It would be fun.
"Brother?"
"Yeah, Sasuke?"
"Why do you smell so bad today?"
My smile died.
The kid fell to the ground. I marched on, wondering if Itachi would mind if I dropped the brat in the woods filled with nice, hungry wolves.
I slid open one last door and faced the bright afternoon sun. We were finally outside.
Michio snuck up on me. With a grin, he asked, "So, honey doll, what be the course of action if this gets messy?"
"What do you mean?"
"With Tomoe. What's the strategy if she doesn't listen and atakatack!" He pounced on me.
"Run?"
"No fight? If you're scared, we'll fight for you." He swayed to my side with a smile. "Just tell us what to do."
He seemed sincere. But I wanted to fix everything with Tomoe alone, not drag anyone else into my problems. It would be awful if a fight broke out and more people got hurt, like Itachi did.
"No, I got it," I said.
"Whatever suits you." He flashed his crooked teeth.
After a long walk through the district, a hexagonal building came into view. The temple had painted wood and arabesque details, with a ring of blossoming trees and shrubbery all around.
We stopped at a bridge that led to the tea house.
"I'll be right back," I told Sasuke. After some struggle, I yanked him off and put him under Otoha's grip. As I walked down the cobblestone path, I felt Shisui's chakra lift. The henge went away.
The clouds shifted. The sun beamed. I stood at the base of a series of stairs and looked up. I took a deep breath and went on.
The entrance gate was huge, with carvings of lotus flowers and deities. As I got closer, I saw the main door to the tea house was barred, the curtains to every window drawn. Every time the wind blew, there were chimes. I reached the last step of the stone stairs.
On top of the bracketed roof was a silhouette.
"So the mouse comes out."
"L-Lady Tomoe."
Tomoe raised her chin, strands of hair sliding down her shoulder.
Snapping shut my eyes, I bowed and said, "I'm really sorry about the mess. Please give me another chance." I kept my head down.
Tomoe looked at me from head to toe. "So you have that much audacity."
I gulped and waited.
Finally…
"Fine."
Shocked, I looked up to see Tomoe flash before me, her robes in a floating descent. With a hostess smile, she took out a scroll.
"If it is a chance you wish, it is a chance I shall grant."
She tossed the scroll onto the floor. The scroll unrolled, stretching along the cobblestone. It bounced down the stairs, never-ending. I saw numbers after numbers in ink.
"But do not assume I will be as generous as the first time," she said. "Previously, I gave you free room and guest privileges. Do you know the exact price of that, girl?"
I shied away from the scroll and shook my head.
"1,700 for room, 1,000 for board, 1,300 for service, 500 for springs, 2,275 for access to recreational areas, 185 for utility and other expenses, all a grand total of 6,960. Per night."
My jaw dropped.
She was not done. "Your stay is ten days, so I gave you a value of 69,600 ryou. What did I ask for in exchange? The most basic of chores? Unfortunately, after your little episode, you've dried up our generosities. I do believe I spent three hours with carpenters and paid 14,875 to return my inn to its original condition. Can you compensate that, girl?"
Frightened, I shook my head again. I had a bad feeling.
"Shame. Then you'll have to work for it. In servitude. For someone with no experience but full competency, the wage is 35 per hour, which for thirteen hours, totals to 455 per day. But I assume you do need a place to sleep, meals to eat, baths to take, and with the poorest board, it will be 420 ryou per night. Thus, if you work thirteen hours a day, seven days a week, for one year and two months, then you will have paid your debt."
I backed away, my foot shakily landing on a stone step.
Tomoe did not stop. "And I have not yet considered the resources wasted on you: the ruined clothes, the wrecked rooms, the extra hours for my maids. Every second I pull Otoha out of her job to babysit you, I am losing profit. With this, your time escalated to one year and seven months, but realistically, counting the days you are sick, you make mistakes, you are broken down to the bone, I can bind you into a contract for over forty five years. Assuming you live a day past ten."
After one glance at me, she chuckled and snapped her fingers. The scroll retracted. She caught the scroll and held up the seal, an insignia of the uchiwa fan in red wax. "These are only the basics. If you agree to the above terms, then we shall continue with negotiations."
I could not say anything.
Tomoe read my thoughts. "I'll take your silence as a rejection. If so, you have ten minutes to leave this district and never come back. The Miyako district will no longer acknowledge you as customer nor associate of our clan. The damages will be transferred to your father."
My eyes widened. "W-what? But my dad can't pay that much."
"Unlike you, your father is an adult and will pay one way or another. But what do you have to worry. The heir seems to have gotten a new hobby of cleaning up after you. I'm sure he will take full responsibility."
"Itachi? He can't…"
Slowly, her lips stretched into a smile. "Oh, he has the money," she said, chuckling. With a flick of her wrist, she fanned opened hundreds of bills.
"To be exact, 160,000 ryou."
My eyes went wide. I had never seen that much money in my life.
"To pay for you and your father for all ten days," she said, brushing her fingertips along each bill. "It was amusing to watch the lengths he would go to for you. Almost pitiful. But boys like him should never play hero..." The edges of the bills began to singe, blacken, and ashen. Before I could do anything, the money was on fire.
I could not talk, could not think, only watch the money burn in front of my eyes. I ran up, trying to save it.
The money fluttered. A naginata hung in the air. I held onto the banister to not fall down a hundred flights of stairs.
"You wish to fight me, girl?" Tomoe asked, curling the blade around my throat.
I gulped.
"I-I'm sorry. I w-wasn't—"
"Get out," Tomoe said. "I have no need for the insolent. The heir can fall to his knees, offer whatever blood money he has, but he cannot redeem you, and he cannot make me accept this disgrace into my district."
My body shook. The money burned on the floor, crackling, making the air sweet.
"I'll..." I swallowed. "I'll go," I gasped in one breath.
The naginata retracted.
"If you don't hurt them," I added. My heart was thumping loudly. "Please don't hurt Otoha. It was my fault. She tried her best. I was responsible for the water. And Itachi—" I choked. She was definitely the one who got him bed-ridden. "Please don't hurt Itachi anymore..."
No more bruises. No more blood. Tomoe and Itachi were family. I did not know what went on in the past, but they were family.
The money crackled.
"Or what," she said.
I froze.
"Or..." I stopped and looked into her eyes. "Or else this inso-whatever disgrace will turn your inn inside out," I spat. "You think dirt in your hallways is bad, wait until I get serious. Toilet paper parties and blown-up roofs are all the rage. Oh, and remember, blood is very hard to clean, so have fun cleaning up mine!"
My legs steadied. "Listen, Lady Tomoe," I said. "What kind of innkeeper are you if you can't even handle one kid. All you can do is shoo me out. But what if I don't leave? What will you do then?" I spread my arms out wide. "Hurt me? You don't fool me. You're just another kid, and guess what, you are in huge trouble the minute the adults realize anyone bullied me!"
I was so dead.
But then, I learned something scary. Tomoe was not angry. I thought she would go crazy if anyone insulted her. But I could spit on her face, and she would be calm. She would always be calm.
"What are you saying?" Her eyelids lowered, as she waited for me to go on.
She was not angry. She did not feel anything that would make her lose sight of what was valuable and what was not.
"Don't hurt my friends, and I'll accept your contract," I said. "And thank you for telling me about Itachi's deal with you, because he sure forgot to mention he gave you 160,000 behind my back. And thank you for saving me the trouble of looking for a job. And thank you for never firing me, so I can screw up as much as I want."
I could not run away now. I felt too guilty to run away now.
Tomoe hid her grin as she handed me the pen to sign. I realized too late that she was never going to let me go.
Before we parted, she whispered, "Control a boy through his wrath, but control a girl through her sensitivity. I look forward to your working for me, Ayae."
.
"Are you MAD?" Shisui frantically shuffled through the scroll, scanning for loopholes. "Squirt, you are never to handle any type of negotiation ever again, ya hear me!"
I buried my head in my knees.
Otoha looked over the contract with Shisui. "Idiot doesn't even describe you anymore. From what I can tell, you are not leaving Miyako within the next millennium." She looked at Shisui. "Can Konoha do anything about this?"
"Konoha can't do bubkus! Hell, not even Fugaku can interfere at this moment. My god, Itachi is going to murder me."
Shisui and Otoha looked over the contract more.
Below us, under the bridge, Michio and Sasuke were playing in the stream. Michio was cartwheeling on the surface of the water. Sasuke tried but kept sinking in. The cat was curled up, napping on the bridge railing.
Otoha rolled up the scroll. "It's not much. I can pay this back within a month. But for her, at thirty-five an hour, the only way I can see this happening is if she cuts her losses and moves up to higher pay."
"Just accept this contract? Are you nuts? The only way to break even is to work twelve hours a day!" Shisui said.
"There are children working for one ryou an hour for fifteen hours a day at the age of four," Otoha said. Shisui shut up. "These terms are harsh but doable. If she can please the ma'am, then she might move up to standard wage, and she'll have a chance to get out in a year."
"A year! All because of a lousy twenty thousand!"
"What do you mean a lousy twenty thousand, Mr. Cheapskate?" I snapped. It would be great if they would stop talking as if I was stupid. Maybe I was. But still. Not nice.
"What he means," Otoha said, closing her eyes, "is that there are better means to pay the ma'am back. What would take you years, Master Itachi and this buffoon can make ten times over in a day. You should have left when she gave you the chance."
"And leave this to Itachi to fix when he wakes up?" I asked. Itachi already got hurt by Tomoe over this. There was no way I—
Otoha smacked my head. "Yes!"
I held my head and glared.
Otoha glared back. "You, you need to understand exactly how ridiculously lucky you are to have Master Itachi here to buy you a way out. And after you understand that, you will swallow your pride and accept his help, because you cannot help yourself, and you sure cannot help him."
"I can, and I will!" I snatched back my contract. "I don't want his help, I don't!"
"So you'll dig a deeper hole for yourself? What was a mere twenty thousand, hundred sixty thousand, whatever, has now escalated to an arm and leg."
"No, Itachi is paying nothing, because I don't need him!"
"Then you'll rot here."
"Then let me!"
Otoha took a deep breath. "Do you know what you are, brat?"
"What?" I snapped.
"Selfish! Prideful, narrow-minded, useless, and worst of all, UNGRATEFUL! You just don't see, do you? As ill-fated as it is, there are people here who love you. And you threw yourself away, the product of everyone's sacrifice, in under a second, because you could not handle feeling bad." She yanked the scroll from my hand and threw it over the bridge. Then she stomped away, going to the other side of the bridge to pace.
Silence.
I bit my lip. What was her problem. Ungrateful? I did this to cover her butt too.
Shisui sighed.
A wet hand grabbed the bridge railing. A mop of white curls peaked over. Michio hung onto the wooden railing, Sasuke latched onto his leg, my scroll in hand.
Michio flipped onto the bridge, catching Sasuke. Shisui put the henge on me again.
Michio shook his head, splashing water on everyone. The cat screeched and jumped away.
"Y'know, I just thought of something," Michio said.
"What is it, cadet?" Shisui asked.
"No one can break the contract, right?"
"Right."
"But Tomoe can."
"You think she'll change her mind?" I asked.
Michio shook his head. "But we can force her," he said gleefully. "Right, Shishi?"
They made eye contact. "Fire duel," they said.
"What?" I did not understand.
Shisui leaned back and stared at the clouds. "A fight of taijutsu and fire-release ninjutsu, used to settle matters within the clan. But there's no way anyone can beat her."
"Worth a shot," Michio said. Leaning down, he grinned at Sasuke. "So, Sasu-kins. How about that shuriken training with your big brother?"
Sasuke beamed. Suddenly, shuriken spun on his fingers. "You promised, brother!" He threw one my way. The shuriken landed a centimeter away from me. My spine crawled. Usually, people would be scared of good aim. In this case, I was scared his bad aim.
"Cousin dearest really wants to see how strong you've become, Sasuke," Michio said cheerfully. "Why don't you two have a spar?"
Sasuke glowed.
"You're asking me to fight a five year old?" I hissed under my breath. "I can't hurt him!"
Michio chuckled lowly. "Then work at it until you can." Out loud, he patted me and said, "Go super easy on your darling little brother, hm?"
Sasuke grinned. "Don't do that, brother! I've gotten stronger than you think."
I dodged another horribly aimed shuriken.
Before I knew it, I was in a fight. Sasuke ran up the railing, jumped on me, and wrapped his arms around my neck. I tried to fling him off, but he rolled away.
"What's wrong, brother," Sasuke asked, dropping on three limbs. "You're so slow today."
I frowned. Okay, losing to a five year old would be embarrassing, so maybe I should be more serious—
He was gone.
I blinked, then felt a kick against my back.
"You're so weak today."
Gritting my teeth, I kicked back, but he dropped to his palms. He rolled and kicked up, bruising my leg.
"And soft and unbalanced and ugly." With that, he pushed me down. He narrowed his eyes but kept his cute voice. "What's wrong, brother?"
I threw my foot up. Luckily for him, he backed away in time. I flipped up and swung my leg. I made contact with his stomach.
My eyes widened, but Sasuke just grinned. He grabbed my leg.
I realized my mistake too late. The next second, I was on my back. I tried to get away, but he body-slammed me back down for extra pain.
He straddled my waist and pouted. "Why do you always run away from me, brother? I've gotten stronger, haven't I? So why are you never here?" His voice dropped. "Why do you always leave me here? In this stupid district with these girls. I don't like them, brother. I'm sick, sick, SICK of girls! I want MY BROTHER, UNDERSTAND?" He slammed my shoulders down.
Done, he stomped over to Shisui, tossing him a nasty look. "And you! You will pay for this too."
Despite the threat, he still looked cute.
"You figured it out earlier, didn't you?" Shisui sighed, releasing my henge.
Sasuke scrunched up his nose. "There was no 'figuring out,' fool! I never bought it from the start!"
"What!" I screamed.
"I'm done playing games! Where. Is. Brother. Itachi!" Sasuke stomped on Shisui's foot.
"Ow, ow, OW," Shisui hopped on one foot, then flashed on top of the bridge railing, shying away as if Sasuke was a vicious dog. "Dang, and I thought I had Itachi nailed. What gave it away?"
What didn't give it away?
The boy snarled. "Like I would tell you. You can make this girl look like my brother, smell like my brother, act like my brother, but you're still better off making me believe she's a dancing rainbow robot unicorn! Don't make me ask again. Where is Brother Itachi!" Sasuke looked like a ripe tomato ready to burst. Shisui readied to jump off the bridge.
"Ooh, ooh, pick me!"
We all turned to see Michio with his arm raised, bouncing excitedly on the bridge railing.
"Where," Sasuke demanded.
"Not telling~"
A kunai appeared in Sasuke's hand. He glared with all the murderous intent a five year old could muster.
"Until you beat Lady Tomoe."
Sasuke froze.
"What does that lady have anything to do with this?"
"Kind of everything at this point. You see, Ayae here is in a bit of a gunk." Michio wiggled the contract scroll. "The only way to get out of it is to beat Lady Tomoe. None of us are strong enough to do that. But with some training, there might be hope for two you." Michio gave a catty grin. "What do you say, Sasuke? You help us, we help you."
"Like hell! You want to die, go die alone! There's no way—"
"—you stand a chance?" Michio pouted. He bounced back. "Okay! My mistake. I guess it wasn't fair to assume Itachi's little brother could be as strong as him... Ayae, honey doll?"
"Yeah?" I asked warily.
"Do you still want training?"
I blinked. "Sure."
"Ha, I knew you were the one with the untapped potential all along." Michio appeared by my side, swinging an arm around my shoulder. "Itachi's going to be so impressed when he sees you've beat Lady Tomoe at her own game."
"You think so?!" I asked, gleaming.
"Yeah, you're going to come out of this so overpowered."
We walked off.
We had barely reached the edge of the bridge when Sasuke shouted, "STOP."
Michio stopped, smiling like a cat who just got his fish.
.
The tension was heavier than the steam. Sasuke and I knelt on the gravel floor, sweat trailing down our backs. We held gaze with Michio.
"To be a successful ninja, understanding is crucial. Let us see what both of you understand." Michio used a smart tone. He paced back and forth, smacking a tree branch as if it were a ruler. "Question one. What are the three universal powers of a shinobi?"
Both Sasuke and I shot up a hand.
Michio pointed the branch toward me. "Honey doll?"
"Taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu," I answered.
"Bzzt!" Michio faked pity. "Ooh, too bad. Sasuke?"
"Heaven, earth, man," Sasuke said. When Michio nodded, Sasuke sent me a smug grin.
"What!" Heaven, earthman what?
Tsking, Michio said, "He is correct, honey doll. Question two. What are they?"
Sasuke's hand shot up again.
"Sasuke," Michio called.
"Heaven represents the Mind, or perception, compre-henshion, awareness, and intelligence. Earth represents the Body, or speed, strength, an durance, and pre-session. Man represents the unison of the two, as well the Soul."
"Correct!"
My eye twitched. Five year old knew some big words.
"Question three. Which must be the first to be mastered?"
"Heaven!"
"Three – zero! Question Four. Why?"
"Because intel is the most coolseal in any mission. If your goal is wrong, all your efforts go to waste."
"Four - zero!"
I moaned and shot up my hand. "Yeah, Teacher," I said, "I don't get this. Or how this will help get me out of debt."
Michio swatted down before me. "Good job! You stopped to question."
"Huh?"
"What we are saying," Michio said, "is that before we make you physically stronger, we must make you mentally stronger. You must learn to think and be innovative, understanding what you wish to accomplish and the most efficient way to accomplish it. You can push a boulder, or you can roll it. You can seek out your prey, or you can bait them. You can increase troops, or you can position them. Never fight the current when you can adjust a sail. Get what I be saying?"
I blinked. "What do rocks have to do with my debt?"
Sasuke facepalmed. "This is my rival?" he asked. "How can my brother stand her? How is she even related?"
"Yes. Don't know. And genetics are tricky things," Shisui answered. He joined us at the hot springs. "Songbird and I got the hallways, laundry, and garden done. We bribed some maids for the room services. Day one of a hundred years is covered, so you guys can start day two."
"Which will be what, capt'n?" Michio asked.
"Cleaning the hot springs!" Right on cue, the water in the springs behind us drained away in whirlpools, leaving two grimy craters in the ground. "Good luck!" Shisui flickered out.
Michio thought over the situation, stroking his imaginary beard. "Alright then! Let's test what you two have learned! Sasuke, you get the left, Ayae, right. Let's see who finishes first."
"Cleaning?" Sasuke was not amused. "You're making me do women's work?"
"Did I mention the winner gets to hear Itachi dearest's most embarrassing secret?" Michio said.
Sasuke and I pushed each other out of the way. "No way!"
"Yes way."
We did not need another word.
Sasuke and I dashed to the closets for buckets and soap, sponges and brushes. I skidded into one of the giant craters, rubbed on some soap, and scrubbed my heart out.
The craters were wide and deep and uneven at the bottom. Everything smelled awful. There was a layer of sludge all over my body, and I found three bath towels lodged in goop and a pair of underwear. I kept on going anyway, dashed out, and dumped another pail of water in. The grime came off if I worked hard enough.
When Michio cried out lunch break, I stopped to look at my work. About a quarter looked clean. My arms were throbbing, but that was fine. This was training.
By the time I climbed out, I heard a crash of rushing water from Sasuke's spring.
My jaw dropped when I saw his spring was clean to the point of sparkling, the water in place. He sat beside it, removing the scrubbing brushes tied to his feet.
"Good timing," Sasuke said, taking a food tray from Michio. "I was just done."
"What- how- HUH?" I triple checked the brat's work.
From behind, Michio laughed as he took the apple from my tray and bit into it. "And that, my friends, is a lesson in Heaven. Really, Ayae, did you get nothing of what I said?"
"I really didn't," I deadpanned. He used big words. The most I got was that when you come across a boulder, you can either push it or roll it. And while I did come across some boulders during my cleaning, I did neither.
"Do you know how Sasuke beat you, honey doll?"
The brat used evil magic.
"No," I said.
A sigh. Michio placed down the tray of food. "Sasuke didn't beat you because he was faster or stronger than you. He beat you because he was smarter than you."
Oof. My ego did not like being told a five year old was smarter than me.
"As an example, he asked me to read to him the instructions." Michio pointed to the small print on the paper covering the soap. "This is specialty soap. First dissolve in a bucket of water, then dump the water in the area you wish to clean. Wait ten to twenty minutes for the soap to settle in and the scum to loosen. When you scrub afterward, it easily comes off.
"Following instructions isn't all he did. He lacks strength, so he used weight to his advantage. He used his hands to scrub the sides, but his feet for the bottom. This distributes the stress on his body, so he'll tire less quickly and work more efficiently. All this combined, he won. Nod if you understand."
It took a while, but I nodded.
So the brat did not use evil magic.
Okay, fine, two can play at that game. I grabbed a scrubbing brush and tied it to my feet too. I waddled on my knees and forced myself back in the spring to finish the job.
"Oi, you really should eat first to gain more efficiency," Michio called out.
"This is my rival?" Sasuke deadpanned. Michio laughed nervously.
"Oh, and by the way..."
While I was dumping soapy water, a brush in my mouth, I heard a cry.
"What do you mean you don't know the secret!"
"Yeah, I lied."
Sasuke's way of cleaning worked wonders. One hour later, I released the water to fill the springs.
I collapsed, hugging the gravel floor. Only to be kicked back up.
"Oh, honey doll," Michio sang. "When Tomoe assigned you to clean the springs, you do know she meant twenty, not two, right? Up! Up! Salt and mudbath are next! And Michi shall teach you more and make you super intelligent and super strong!"
Moaning, I covered my head.
For the rest of the day, I was burned, drowned, flung into mud, digested, and beaten by a five year old in everything I did. And through it all, I learned about some pretty cool things like focus and control, flexibility and agility, precision and concentration, stamina and endurance, harmony and balance, chakra channeling, and the five basic elemental manipulations.
At nightfall, Sasuke and I fell into our futons. The room was smaller than the smallest closet, but it was the only servant chamber available. Shisui had given away Sasuke's luxurious room to the other workers in exchange for their help. Sasuke was not happy about this, but he was too tired to care.
"How'd it go," Otoha asked, a bundle of towels in her arms.
Michio thought about it. Then, "They were both absolutely pathetic!"
I slammed a pillow over my head. Sasuke did the same.
Michio left our cramped closet, sliding in with Otoha into the neighboring room. Their room was next to my corner, so I heard them through the wall.
"... has nothing beyond whatever Itachi dearest has taught him. He gets too rash and impatient when he doesn't understand. Honey doll is worse, not even familiar with the basics. She's so soft and unexposed."
"Gunna give up, then?"
"Nope. They suck, but they'll get better."
"You know the ma'am has caught on to your plan, right?"
"What can she do about it? The contract states that the damages will be paid through an equivalent worth of labor. Nothing says people can't help Ayae if they want to."
"And of Master Sasuke?"
"He's not stupid. He acts like he hates it, but he enjoys spending time with us. Mud-ball fights can be bery fun."
"And you think all this will work out? Just fulfill the contract as quickly as possible?"
"It has to. Honey doll doesn't belong here. She needs to get back home."
"Why?" Otoha asked.
"Hm?"
"Why are you getting involved in all this?"
"Well, I faithfully serve captain Shishi all the way!" Then, in a softer, warmer tone, "But I do want to help. I like Ayae."
I snapped open my eyes.
"How."
"Hm, I'm not sure! I didn't like her at first. Shishi worked so hard to take care of her, but she acted like everything we did was nothing, like we existed to serve her. But it's funny. She's like that not because she doesn't care. She just doesn't know. Because once she knows, it was clear she cared, the type of caring makes her act.
"Miyako is filled with too many people who know, but don't care. I guess Michi got sick of that. Ayae doesn't know how to help, but she does her best anyway. And she's far from capable, but she is willing to go through something till the end. I guess I like that, birdie."
A silence.
I blushed, curling into my futon. Never did I think that Michio meant—
Otoha spoke up. "So, in other words, you see a painfully clear connection between Master Itachi and a girl. It has never happened before. You're curious. Probably jealous. And bored from being bottled up in this district, so now you're trying to see if you can steal her away from him by acting as a wonderful, helpful friend, all before Master Itachi can regain consciousness and know what hit him."
A hurt gasp. "Ehh? Why would—"
"And you made sure the girl behind this paper thin wall can hear your heartwarming compliments and sappy declaration of love, no doubt thus securing her affections for you." Otoha knocked on the wall between us.
I returned two knocks, showing I understood.
"D'aw, why birdie?" Michio whined, rising to a childish voice. "Hey, Ayae, honey doll, if you can hear me, which you do, she's kidding, you know that was all just a lesson in Heaven... understanding... perception... see through lies... ya!"
I banged the wall where Michio's head was. When I heard a yelp and fall, I smiled and snuggled in my futon.
