CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The calm before part-2
Two days later
The news of Naruto's return came with great fanfare. Tales of the defeat of Momoshiki at the hands of the old team 7 and team 4 had already spread throughout the village, and even beyond. Under pressure from the council, the sixth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake finally caved and pardoned those involved in the daring rescue for breaking protocol and deserting the village. He also decided to reward them for dealing with a major threat to the village in Momoshiki. Naruto and Sasuke were rewarded with houses for their actions and to no one's surprise, Sakura was officially promoted to head of the general hospital.
The members of team 4 weren't exempt from the praise either, with each of them being handsomely rewarded for their actions. There were whispers about promoting them to Jonin, but Kakashi didn't entertain any serious discussions concerning them.
That night, Konohamaru decided to ask Hanabi out on their first date. They discovered they didn't need to pay for much in their outing, business owners basically handed them things for free in gratitude for their actions in returning Naruto two days prior.
"Ok, there is no way I'm doing that" Hanabi said to Konohamaru who was walking with her back to the Hyuuga estate later that night.
"Why not?"
"Konohamaru, you must be insane if you think I'm going to prank my father like that"
Konohamaru folded his hands and looked to the side. "You're no fun Hanabi"
"I could get kicked out of the clan for that, be serious here"
"True, but have you considered that it'd be really funny?"
Hanabi chuckled to herself and finally put up a hand to Konohamaru. "No can do, sorry"
The two of them stopped at the front gate of the estate and faced each other.
"Sooo…." Konohamaru's voice trailed off as he subconsciously reached for the same shuriken he always carried in his left pocket. A few seconds later, Hanabi finally broke the ice.
"I had fun Konohamaru. Thanks" she flashed him a bright smile which he returned.
"Me too Hanabi, let's do this again someday"
The two of them stood speechlessly until Hanabi took a step back and made to enter the compound with a small smile. "Looking forward to it"
Konohamaru watched her slowly turn away and walk towards the front gate. He suspected she was waiting for him to do something….
"Hanabi"
He watched her stand at the entrance to the estate at her name being mentioned. She slowly turned around to face him, sending a wave of nervousness throughout him. Without thinking twice, he pushed himself to walk up to her and take a hand in his. Konohamaru found himself weakening with nervousness but the sight of her face looking up at him expectantly dispelled all the doubts he had before.
He wrapped his other hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him and the moment their lips touched, and Hanabi's hands found their way to his shoulders as she returned his kiss, he felt like he was flying through the air. His first kiss with Hanabi was better than anything he had imagined, and the hours spent studying the book Naruto gave him couldn't prepare him for the way he felt at that moment.
"Aww….how romantic!"
The sound of a familiar voice separated the teenagers in an instant. Hanabi looked up on the fence to find her older sister seated on top of it, watching them below.
"Hinata? How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to know you just broke the most sacred rule Hanabi" she dropped from the fence and made her way towards them, wagging a finger at Hanabi. "Making out on the compound is a huge no-no"
"Oh come on sis!" Hanabi complained but she was silenced by Hinata's raised hand.
"I don't make the rules, I'm just enforcing them"
Hanabi turned to Konohamaru for support but all the boy could manage was an awkward smile and wave at Hinata. Defeated, she reached for her purse, cursing under her breath.
"You don't even need the money"
Hinata's mouth raised in a one sided smile "So?"
Hanabi grumbled some more and finally produced a coin. "You may have won this round…." She frowned as she tossed the money at her sister.
Hinata accepted the bribe with a smile. "You made your bed, now lie in it." She turned to Konohamaru who was standing there embarrassed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad you two have found each other, Hanabi can be quite nice to people she loves y'know"
"And how would you know?" Hanabi snapped at her. "I don't love you" she said to her sister, Hinata dramatically placing a hand on her chest feigning heartbreak in response.
Deciding he had had enough, Konohamaru announced his departure. "I better get going, it's getting late" he said, taking a few steps backwards as he regarded the sisters. "Bye lady Hinata…..see you tomorrow Hanabi"
Hanabi watched with a small smile as she waved her teammate off and made to enter the estate, walking past Hinata who was grinning ear to ear.
"You've grown so much Hanabi, I'm so happy for you" she closed the gate behind her as she spoke to her sister who just kept on moving.
"I'm going to bed"
Shikamaru turned up a bit later than usual for work the next day. But instead of heading to the Hokage tower as usual, he took a detour to a different location. Finding himself at the detention facility, Shikamaru stepped into the reception, replying to a greeting from the shinobi at the desk and hanging his coat on a nearby rack. Hearing his name, he turned to the direction of the voice to find a familiar face.
"Good morning Shikamaru" a tall, middle aged man shook his hand firmly.
"Good day Kagawa" Shikamaru returned the man's greeting. "Is everything ready?"
"Yes sir" Kagawa replied. "We're all set and ready to begin at any moment"
"Then let's get to it"
Followed by Kagawa, Shikamaru walked further indoors until he came to a corridor and stopped to greet a blonde woman sitting in a chair with a magazine.
"You're late" Ino frowned at him with a raised eyebrow.
Shikamaru was taken aback a bit by her words. "By fifteen minutes?"
"So? still late."
The Nara sighed and reached for a cigarette but was stopped by his old teammate.
"Seriously Shikamaru, it's 7am"
Reluctantly, he returned the cigarette to its packet and picked up a briefcase being handed to him by one of the shinobi on duty.
"Whatever man, let's just get this over with….and hope it doesn't turn into too much of a drag"
Followed by Ino and Kagawa, Shikamaru made his way to the basement of the facility. He showed his ID to a pair of guards who allowed him into an underground bunker built to house particularly dangerous criminals. The group made their way to a particular cell they had been visiting frequently the past week and stopped at the entrance. Giving the okay to a security camera, the door to the cell rolled open to let them in.
"Gooood morning sunshine!" Shikamaru announced with a bright smile, walking towards the occupant of the cell seated on the floor with his hands in his pockets. "How are we doing today Mikasa?"
The young woman slowly raised her head up to face the group that had made it's way into her cell.
"Good" she said dryly.
Ino walked up to Mikasa and took a seat on her bed. "You know how this goes, and you know what happens if you try to resist or don't answer our questions. I promise you, Kagawa will never get tired of doing his job anytime you act stubborn with us"
Mikasa took a look at Kagawa staring down at her and shook her head. "I'll be good, I promise"
Ino looked at Shikamaru and then Kagawa and she immediately got to work, placing a hand on Mikasa's forehead. She focused as she used her technique to enter Mikasa's mind. She went through her memories of her at the hospital. She went through various events in Mikasa's daily life, but she had already studied them in the past week. Eventually she came upon a door floating high up in the air. Ino carefully made her way to the door and reached for the Handle only for a large stone slab with a sealing formula written on it to block her path.
"Huh? What the-" Ino was interrupted by several more stone slabs falling from above all around her. She frantically tried to dodge them but found it harder and harder to do so.
"Ino!"
The Yamanaka opened her eyes to find Shikamaru holding her shoulders and trying to get her to wake up.
"Ino, what happened in there?"
She rose to her feet and leaned against the wall, gasping for air. "She's using mind blockers again"
Shikamaru shifted his gaze to Mikasa with a frown. "You still want to act stubborn huh?"
Mikasa giggled in response and focused her piercing green eyes on Shikamaru. "You're deeply mistaken if you think I'll ever betray my family for you godless scum"
"You're the one bound in chains and sitting on the floor, Mikasa. Your days are already numbered, and this particular godless scum is going to watch with satisfaction when we finally lock you in a safe and toss you into the sea. Let's see if you like drowning forever and ever, psycho freak" Shikamaru said, his voice full of disdain.
Mikasa simply laughed in response. "You need me, Shikamaru Nara. I know you do. This entire world needs me, and when our redeemers arrive soon….I will save all of you"
Shikamaru signaled a guard to help Ino leave the room. Before following her, he lit a cigarette and nodded at Kagawa, who smiled to himself and reached for a buzzer in his coat.
Mikasa suddenly fell to the floor, writhing in pain as the electric collar on her neck buzzed loudly. Shikamaru took one look at her body on the cold marble floor and spun around to leave the room.
"Do as you wish, Kagawa"
The large man smiled at his words and signaled two guards to enter the room with the briefcase.
"Yes sir"
The door closed behind him as Shikamaru exited the cell, preventing Mikasa's screams from leaving the room. He made his way to Ino who was waiting outside for him.
"I take it you're feeling better now Ino?"
"Shikamaru, how long will it take to break her?" Ino asked, ignoring his question. "We come here everyday to watch the same thing play out. She blocks me from fully exploring her mind and then she's subjected to cruel torture for who knows how long…only to reveal nothing again the next day." The pair made their way out of the basement as they spoke and walked towards the exit of the facility to check themselves out.
"Don't tell me you're beginning to pity that woman Ino" Shikamaru asked her with a raised eyebrow. "You know what the Hokage said, 'no matter what it takes'. If it takes a month for her to cooperate then I'm okay with it. Kakashi is the only thing keeping her alive anyway."
Ino sighed and shook her head. "Momoshiki was one of the beings she revered, who knows how many more are out there?"
"That's what we intend to find out." Shikamaru replied, taking a puff from his cigarette. "Worst case scenario Mikasa doesn't know either, but regardless we're eventually going to find out who the rest of them are and how to deal with them...IF we can deal with them"
The two of them exited the detention facility and walked down the street to the Hokage's office. It had been about week since they started investigating Mikasa's mind, and so far they hadn't gotten any results. The village council was already growing impatient and pushed for the criminal's immediate execution which was a popular stance among the village's population. Kakashi tried his best to extend her detention period and had managed to squeeze out one more week for the investigation team to get something useful from Mikasa's mind.
In maximum security cell 98, a young woman lay on the cold floor grasping her side in pain. Next to her, a man stood with a white handkerchief, wiping a bloody pair of pliers clean.
"If I didn't know any better I'd say you enjoy these little sessions we have Mikasa" Kagawa spoke with a mischievous grin, looking at the injured woman on the floor. "How long has it been, and you still refuse to budge. I'm impressed"
Mikasa gingerly raised her head and focused on Kagawa. "Thanks"
The man wiped his hands clean with the handkerchief and shifted his gaze back to her. "We will be back tomorrow to continue our little daily routine miss, I'd rethink my options in here if I were you"
Unceremoniously tossing the bloody handkerchief at her, Kagawa exited the room.
"Clean yourself up"
The door rolled shut, leaving Mikasa alone in her prison. Wincing in pain, she carried herself to her bed and laid on it to wipe down her injuries as best as she could. Occasionally, the prison would send a doctor to treat her after her 'interrogation' sessions, but more often than not she was simply left to her own luck. Careful not to irritate her wounds, she clenched her teeth to fight through the pain as she lay down facing the ceiling. Mikasa reached for her forearm and rolled up her sleeve, revealing a small tattoo of a sunflower.
"Takeshiro, I'm still here" she whispered as she regarded the picture on her hand. "Give me strength to finish what you started, to finish the mission you were unable to complete." Mikasa reached for her necklace but finding nothing laying on her chest she remembered she had it taken from her.
"Serving god is….. it's hard just like you said it would be" she wiped a tear from her eye as she covered her tattoo and rolled to the side. "I wish you were here to help me…like always"
"Like you promised"