?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter Seven — Meadows of Wind and Fire ~ ?￢ﾜ ?

Ryujin—much to the alarm of the surrounding Shinobi—quickly read through every single C-Rank mission file there was. Please tell me it's here, please tell me it's here, please.

He looked, and he searched, and he dug. Luckily for him, his labor bore fruit. His demeanor calmed just a bit as he held a C-Rank mission file.

Rank: C
Objective: Travel to the Land of Grass, retrieve the client, and provide safe escort to Konoha.
Client name: Aiko
Potential threats: Bandits, wild animals.

Ryujin took the letter and let out a breath. I need to inform Lord Hiruzen that I'll be gone for a while. With swiftness, he turned to the stairs and traveled up the tower to the Office of the Hokage.

After a knock on the door, he was permitted entry, and that he did with the objective to plead his case. "Lord Hiruzen, I request permission to take this C-Rank, it's urgent." Ryujin placed it on Hiruzen's desk.

The Hokage gave a curious look toward his subordinate as he took the paper. "Judging by your word and tone, I assume that there is much more to this."

"Indeed. Aiko is an old friend of mine, and she's in trouble. I'm sure you've heard of the rumors of a brewing civil war in Grass; well, they're true. Her father was murdered for being a prominent political figure, and there's surely a target on her back as well."

Nodding along slowly, Hiruzen listened to Ryujin's explanation.

"Because all the money her family owned was stolen by the revolutionary Blade Faction, she didn't have enough money to her name to pay for anything more than a C-Rank." Ryujin looked Hiruzen dead in the eyes. "I can not let my friend die."

Smoke filled the air as Hiruzen blew from his pipe. "I agree to your terms. Not only that, I shall pay you the proper sum standard for an A-Rank mission."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," said he, letting out a relieved breath.

"But, only under one condition," Hiruzen continued.

Ryujin's brow was raised as he looked up. "...And what might this condition be?"

"Bring Team 5 along with you," said the Hokage, exhaling from his pipe.

Eyes widened, he shook his head vehemently. "With all due respect, are you insane?! You want me to bring a team of rowdy Genin into a war zone?"

"A possible war zone," Hiruzen corrected, placing his pipe down on the table. "Am I correct when I say that there are less than ten people who exist in the world that can challenge you?"

Ryujin's eyes narrowed. "Yes…"

"Is it also true that all of your Genin are mostly in Chunin tier when it comes to skill and strength?" asked Hiruzen.

"But that doesn't change the fact that their teamwork is still in tatters, and that I do not want them to slow me down at all," argued Ryujin firmly.

The Hokage looked up at Ryujin from his desk. "Their lack of proper teamwork is exactly why I recommend they go."

Ryujin looked at the Hokage incredulously. "I'm sorry?"

"When I was still the Sensei of the Sannin," he began. "Their ability to work as a cohesive team was not much better than Team 5's at the moment. However, I decided to take them on a C-Rank despite that fact. The C-Rank went south, and I was separated from them."

Ryujin nodded along irritably to Hiruzen's story. I'm wasting time here…

"When I found them once again, their issues with team work were much less of an issue than beforehand. I believe a similar experience will help Team 5 in the same way."

Ryujin shook his head. "I'm still against it."

"I understand, but you are stronger than I was at that time. I wasn't in my prime quite yet," Hiruzen said with a chuckle. "While passing down your Will of Fire to the next generation is important, and having the next generation cultivate their own is equally important."

Letting out a breath, he agreed. It would take less time than arguing. "If anything happens to them or Aiko on this mission, I'm blaming you and you alone," Ryujin warned before turning his back.

"I wouldn't accept it otherwise," agreed the Hokage as he picked up his pipe. "Good luck, Ryujin. I have faith in you and your team."

He let out a sigh and thanked him as he left. The moment he exited the tower, he made three shadow clones, which darted into a trio of separate directions. The original flickered in the direction of his own home. He needed to be prepared.

—⊱✿⊰—

"Shit!" cursed Shinrai as the inked paper in front of him blew up in his face for what seemed like the millionth time. "These fucking seals are going to make me kill someone, I swear!" he ranted, dusting himself off.

He uncrossed his legs and stood. "I'm gonna go get something to eat," he murmured as he exited his room—which looked like it was ravaged by a tornado—to enter his kitchen, which was spotless. A grin plastered his face as he opened his fridge. I'm gonna try to make this sandwich Ms. Miya made for me…

A frantic knock on the door jolted him out of his thoughts. Shinrai sped toward his door and opened. "Ryu…? What's up?"

"We're going on a mission. Prepare your things and be quick about it. Meet me at the village's gates," Ryujin said before puffing into smoke.

Shinrai was left alone, slightly confused, but most of all… stoked out of his fucking mind. "FINALLY! I GET TO LEAVE THIS SORRY ASS VILLAGE!" he cheered before bolting to his room to prep.

—⊱✿⊰—

Gosei exhaled, the fortification of his mind constructed themselves. With an inhale, the force of his body empowered itself. His eyes opened, and he looked upon the meditation pool of the Senju Garden in all its tranquil beauty.

He tilted his head in curiosity as he saw Natsuyo walking on the water toward him. "Gosei! Your sensei came."

"Why would he do that?" he asked, stepping down from the platform to meet his sister.

She grinned. "You're going on a C-Rank!"

"No way!? Finally," Gosei said breathily as a smile grew, raising one of his fists into the air in triumph.

"But he seemed in a rush. It was a clone, and he told me to tell you to hurry up with this deep and scary voice," she recounted dramatically, waving her hands around.

Gosei chuckled. "That's his normal voice, Natsuyo."

"...Wow. He must have a real big stick up his ass," she mumbled.

The air filled with Gosei's laughter. "I can't say you're wrong, exactly."

"Anyway, so let me help you pack for your first mission! It should help you go faster, right?"

Gosei nodded in agreement. "Yeah, c'mon." With that, the eldest Senju siblings walked across the pond which shimmered in mid-day light.

—⊱✿⊰—

Kusari struck at Neji. He dodged to the left and attacked from the right. Her Byakugan pulsed as she barely deflected the strike. To make distance, she leapt back with her feet skidding across the dirt.

"You've improved greatly, Kusari," complimented Neji.

Kusari smiled. "Thank you, brother." She darted forward to start another exchange, but Neji effortlessly blocked her strike, his attention elsewhere.

He was holding back the whole time?! Kusari thought, disheartened.

"Your sensei is here," Neji informed, retracting his Byakugan.

With a sigh, she turned and entered their home, answering the front door. "Yes, sensei?"

"We're going outside the village on a mission. Meet me at the village gates once you're done quickly packing." Ryujin then turned into a cloud of smoke.

Kusari tilted her head. Interesting…

"So, what was it about?" asked Neji as he entered.

"I'll be leaving the village on a mission," Kusari informed.

Neji furrowed his brow. "Really? On this short notice?"

"He told me to be quick, so it's probably something urgent," Kusari guessed.

Neji narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I'm coming with you."

"On the mission?" she questioned with a raised brow.

Neji shook his head. "No, to where ever your team will be meeting for this mission. There's something more to this."

"...Alright," Kusari conceded, trusting her brother's judgment. He was rarely ever wrong.

—⊱✿⊰—

Ryujin stood with Shinrai and Gosei at the village gates. Ryujin tapped his fingers on his grey and flame-colored flack jacket. Shinrai watched the clouds go by. Gosei read a history novel.

Two sets of footsteps steps caught the rest of Team 5's attention as Kusari and Neji walked toward them.

"Woah, you must be Kusari's brother." Shinrai looked at him in awe-filled curiosity.

Neji nodded. "I am."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Gosei greeted respectfully.

Ryujin's eyes narrowed. "What made you come along?"

"I simply wish to see my sister off on her first mission outside the village," he said, hiding his suspicion.

Ryujin let out a breath. "Okay. Now that everyone is here, I'll outline the parameters of the mission. I have a friend named Aiko who lives in the Land of Grass; it is our job to travel there and provide her safe escort to Konoha."

"Grass?" Gosei questioned. "The country that's on the verge of a civil war?"

Shinrai's jaw dropped. "My first mission is going in a war zone?! Let's fucking go!"

Kusari shifted. "Is that why she wants to leave? She doesn't want to get caught in the middle of the conflict…"

"...That's the gist of it," Ryujin admitted.

Neji looked at Ryujin with a cold stare. "That does not sound like it fits the mission parameters of a C-Rank."

"If it was up to me, I would not have brought any of you here," Ryujin said matter-of-factly. "It was the Hokage's orders. I need all of you to be on your best behavior." He glared at Shinrai and Gosei, more so the former.

He turned his look toward Kusari's brother. "Neji, I promise you that nothing will happen to Kusari," vowed Ryujin with an assuring gaze.

Neji clenched his fists, cursing his powerlessness. "You better keep your promise…" he muttered as he turned toward his sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. "May fate be on your side."

"It is, I can feel it," Kusari responded, placing her hand onto Neji's with an affirming grip. He let out a sigh and walked off without another word.

Kusari walked toward her team with a neutral expression. "I'm ready."

"Good." Ryujin exited the village and his team followed behind. "If any of you jeopardize this mission…" he turned back to face Team 5. "There will be nothing you can do to earn my forgiveness."

A collective understanding was embedded into Team 5 by Ryujin's intense yet undeniably worried glare. They gave a nod of affirmation, and then they set out of the village and to the world abroad.

—⊱✿⊰—

Hours later, a man stood on a tree. His black cape blew in the wind alongside the rustling leaves which glistened under the sunlight like the golden trim on his outfit. From behind his featureless midnight mask, he looked on.

He looked on toward the three Genin, which trailed behind their Jonin-sensei. It was obvious that they were struggling to keep up. Amusing, he found it. A guilty laugh escaped his breath as he mulled over the fact that he was partly to blame for this little goose chase he sent Hiyenzo on.

He knew that simply watching three Genin try their hardest to keep up with their S-Rank Sensei would only appease him for so long. Doing something about that would serve his favor.

Luckily, he knew about a lowly group of bandits that would surely provide some entertainment…

With a smirk, he became one with the wind-drifted leaves.

—⊱✿⊰—

…This is exactly why I didn't want to bring them. Ryujin frustratedly observed his fatigued Genin. Shinrai looked like he could keep going, but not for long. Gosei was in a similar state, but Kusari was out of it.

It took every fiber of self-control not just to pump the kids full of Kyuubi chakra to get them moving again. On second thought… Shinrai and Gosei can surely handle it, and Kusari could probably handle a bit… right?

"Yo! Ryu!"

The Jonin froze. That voice… He shook it off and flared his chakra, much to the confusion of the Genin.

"Hey, hey, hey," the voice said as he approached Ryujin with eyes of hazel and unruly brown hair, seemingly invisible to the Genin.

Ryujin flared his chakra again, stronger. But the voice remained. "Dantai…?"

He laughed, walking toward Ryujin and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Who else?"

The hand on his shoulder… It was real. No illusion. No Genjutsu. Reality. "What trick is this?!" He yanked himself from the grip and slashed at Dantai.

With a frown, he caught the kunai effortlessly. "Alright…" Dantai conceded. "If you don't want me here, I guess I'll go…" Looking away, he simply faded from Ryujin's sight.

Shaking his head, he let out a sigh. He looked toward Team 5 saying, "Sorry about…" They weren't there.

Eyes wide, he looked up. Bandits were unconscious on the floor. Kusari and Gosei both stood above them, starting in shock at…

"SHINRAI!"

The Uzumaki stood impaled by a giant sword in his chest. "SHIT!" he yelled, laughing. He pumped chakra into his elbow and shattered the blade in two. "I've never been impaled before! This is new!"

Shinrai took his kunai and drove it into the bandit's skull, cackling as blood poured out of his face. Not making a sound, the bandit's lifeless body fell to the ground.

Ryujin flickered toward Shinrai. "I'm going to give you some Kyuubi chakra so you can live."

"I think I can survive this…" Shinrai mumbled, before coughing up blood. "Okay, maybe not—"

"Stop talking," Ryujin commanded as he placed his hand over the broken sword piece still embedded in his chest. The sounds of boiling hit Shinrai's ears; bubbling red chakra seeped from Ryujin's hand and he channeled it into Shinrai's wound.

The Uzumaki winced, and his entire chakra network burned. "Shit… this is kinda nice."

His body is reacting surprisingly well to the Kyuubi's Chakra… Ryujin noted. Is it because he was around Naruto his whole life?

Pulling his hand away, he retracted the Kyuubi's chakra and Shinrai let out a bloodless breath.

Ryujin carefully picked Shinrai up and made two clones. "We're picking up the pace. The Kyuubi's chakra can only do so much when you're not its Jinchuriki."

"Sensei," Gosei began with an accusing tone. "What happened to you? Who were you talking to?"

Kusari nodded in agreement. "Yeah, are you alright?"

"Don't worry about it," he said dismissively. I'm losing it. I'm fucking losing it—I'm seeing ghosts.

Ryujin's clones scooped up Gosei and Kusari—the former vehemently against the notion—and flickered toward Grass at breakneck speeds. I should've learned the Flying Raijin….

However, observing from a distant treetop, the black-masked man laughed. "Entertainment acquired…"

—⊱✿⊰—

Naruto laid on his back, breathing hard as he stared into the forest canopy that obscured the evening sky. It was a red sunset, and there was only one person that color reminded him of.

This was the longest he'd gone without seeing his brother since they first met. He nearly died twice since he saw him last. First, when they were ambushed by the Demon Brothers; second, when they were attacked by Zabuza. It made him sick… homesick.

His own house didn't even feel like home; all because Shinrai wasn't there. Naruto missed his brother. That much was obvious. However, what was just as obvious was that he was still mad at him. Strongly, he felt it in his gut.

But, one thing was for sure, he wanted to see him again.

"Hey, you giving up, Naruto?" Sasuke taunted as he looked down at his teammate.

Naruto immediately sat up. "No!" he countered before leaping to his feet and racing up the tree, with Sasuke not far behind on his own.

—⊱✿⊰—

The sun was sunken low on the horizon; and on that same horizon something rose… A wall of grass made black by the silhouette of evening.

Ryujin stopped in front of the grass, being stopped by the guards. They were openly aggressive, pointing their distinctive Grass Cutter blades at Team 5.

"State your business, Konoha Shinobi," one of them spat.

Ryujin's clones let down Kusari and Gosei—much to the latter's relief—and then dispersed into smoke. The original and the rest of Team 5 handed in their authorization.

The guard reluctantly mulled it over before looking at Shinrai. "What about him?"

"Uh," he mumbled, going into his jacket pocket and pulling out a bloody and ripped paper. "Ta-da!"

The guard glared. "I can't accept this."

"You can see he's injured. I'm sure you can make an exception," Ryujin argued sternly. "He has the required documents."

One shook their head. "Not for Konoha Shinobi."

"Mm…" pondered Ryujin, closing his eyes. "How about for your lives?" His eyes opened and devilish crimson eyes, slit with killing intent, he glared at the guards.

They froze, dropping their blades. "S-sure! I'll guide you through the maze."

"Make it quick," demanded Ryujin as his eyes returned to normal.

They nodded. "Of course!"

"C'mon," he called to Team 5, nodding his head.

Gosei followed with a raised brow. "You sure that using a Kyuubi intimidation tactic was a good idea?"

"Yeah, they won't remember any of this," Ryujin said.

Kusari looked up at him curiously. "Genjutsu?"

"Bingo," he confirmed. "Oh, by the way; none of you mention the Kyuubi once we reach Aiko's."

Shinrai let out a chuckle. "Hiding things from your girlfriend isn't the best idea…"

"She's my friend," Ryujin corrected. "Nothing more, nothing less."

Shinrai shook his head playfully. "That's what they all say."

"Especially every girl you've ever talked to."

"Oh, fuck you."

—⊱✿⊰—

Aiko sighed at her desk, auburn hair falling from her head and resting on the wood. Ryu should be coming soon, then I'll be safe.

She pushed her hair back into order and stood. Her one-story house was colored with artificial golden light, as if she lived within the sun itself.

Once she walked out of her room, she was greeted by a small, yet warm, smile from a girl. Her red eyes shone with the cleanliness of the surrounding room—and her black hair dutifully matched her all black outfit of sweater and pants. "I cleaned out here for you, Ms. Aiko."

"Yoraika… You know I'm going to be leaving soon. You didn't have to," Aiko said with a mix of guilt and appreciation.

Yoraika hung her head. "I know," she admitted with a sigh.

With a small smile, Aiko placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can leave, you know. You tried your best, it's okay."

"It wasn't enough…" She nearly whispered, scolding herself. "That's why I need to keep you safe until you leave." Yoraika looked up at Aiko, determined enough to make her eyes shine like stained glass. "Please, let me help you, Ms. Aiko."

The smile on Aiko's face turned solemn. "I'm happy that it was you that came to help me."

Yoraika returned the smile. "I'm happy it was you that I helped."

A knock on the door caught Aiko's attention. Please be Ryu. Please be Ryu, she pleaded as she walked toward the door, but Yoraika stopped her.

"I'll get the door," she stated, grabbing the handle of her white Grass Cutter. Cautiously, she stepped to the front door, and there was another knock. "Who is it?"

"Ryujin!" said a man from behind the door; Aiko's heart soared.

Yoraika kept her hand on her blade and opened the door. Behind it was a man with brown skin, black hair, and ember eyes. Aiko couldn't help but let out a smile of relief. However, before anyone had the opportunity to speak, all direction was pulled toward the boy in Ryu's arms.

He had crimson red hair, black eyes, and dark skin, but more importantly, he was currently impaled by a broken sword. Despite that, he was as cheery and chipper as ever as he exclaimed, "so, you're Ryu's girlfriend!"

Both Yoraika and Aiko were shocked into silence.

—⊱✿⊰—

A sickly pale woman, a child's tears, and lightless scarlet eyes.

"Never again," she promised.

A promise broken.

A sickly pale man, a girl's tears, and broken scarlet eyes.

Redemption arose.

A bloodied boy, a girl's hope, and determined scarlet eyes.

My mother did not die for nothing… resolved the girl of scarlet midnight. Her care was methodical, guided by the hand of a woman who was her spitting image. Other than age, there was one difference between the woman and the girl.

The woman was dead; the girl was not.

The girl's hands shimmered green with the ethereal palms of her mother fueling the shimmer. I won't break my promise again. No, never again. She hovered her hands over the open wound where a sword once was.

The bloodied boy groaned through his unconsciousness. His condition was already stable… surprisingly enough. She simply had to keep it that way. The boy's wound closed under her Mystic Palm and she couldn't help but allow relief to let her breathe again. She did it… the first step, at least.

He slept peacefully in the bed she knelt over; it was covered in towels to prevent the blood from staining the sheets. He slept peacefully because of her…

Just like how Ms. Aiko's father died because of her.

Just like how Ms. Aiko cried because of her.

Yoraika shifted. Because of me. Because I wasn't enough.

A helpless sigh escaped her breath. All she could do now was work toward a hopeless redemption, just like she'd been doing before. But, it seemed that with this boy, it was different.

With him, she knew that she was enough. She'd dealt with wounds worse than this.

When it came to mutilating bodies, Blade lived up to the name.

The quicker she healed him, the better she healed him, the safer Ms. Aiko would be. Now that Sir Ryujin was here… she couldn't help but feel useless.

She was a Chunin who was only allowed promotion due to shortages.

He was an elite Jonin who was allegedly one of the ten strongest Shinobi in the world.

On top of that, he was Ms. Aiko's actual friend. Ms. Aiko didn't need her to keep company anymore. That meant she was lonely again… Like always. She was used to it. It was okay.

All she could do was heal, and heal she was going to do. Scarlet eyes hardened with determination. Everything was on this boy right now. Her broken promise to herself, her broken promise to her mother, her broken promise to Ms. Aiko…

If I can mend you, then I can start to mend everything else.

Yoraika gently placed her hand on the boy's arm. "Until you're healed, I'll never leave your side… Shinrai."

—⊱✿⊰—

"Sorry about that…" Ryu mumbled an apology, next to Aiko under the sun-like light of her living room, the rest of Team 5 gaining their bearings elsewhere. "We had a delay on the road."

Aiko nodded in understanding, even saying as much. "I just hope he's okay…"

"Shinrai's resilient, he'll be fine soon enough," Ryu assured before looking at Aiko. "But are you fine?"

"My father just died, Ryujin."

Ryu pursed his lips. "Right… I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

Discomforting silence fell between the two. Ryu fiddled with his flack jacket, not looking at the person he hadn't seen in decades. Aiko twirled her thick auburn hair between her fingers. "Uh," he said to break the silence, and Aiko's blue-diamond eyes turned toward him like a crystalline spotlight.

He nearly froze like a startled deer. "How has… everything else been going?"

Aiko shook her head. "Terrible."

"...Ah." It felt like the two were laying in the ash of a burned bridge.

"It's just that—"

Unknowingly interrupting her, Ryu chimed in. "Usually, when things are going bad, I train. But you don't really do that, I assume. What… are your hobbies again?"

Aiko gave him an unamused look.

"Okay—whatever they are, just do them more. I've let some of my own hobbies fall to the wayside because of moods like this. I don't want the same to happen to you," Ryu rambled, genuine in his efforts and with his amber eyes shining.

Aiko forced a smile. "I appreciate it, Ryu."

"Of course," he responded in an assuring tone. "As long as I'm here, I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe."

Her smile shrunk, sacrificing size for authenticity. "Thank you," she said with a breath of relief.

"No problem." Ryu forced his smile to be bigger in an attempt to emulate his younger days. It felt… unnatural. He quickly dropped it. Who he was as a kid was dead, who… she used to be was gone as well.

A light chuckle exited Aiko's lips at the antics. "You've changed."

"So have you," he responded without missing a beat, ignoring the twinge of hurt that came with that statement.

She shrugged. "Touché."

Silence fell again, and Ryu groaned internally. He hated carrying conversation, but for Aiko, he'd suffer through it. "Is that girl your ward or something?"

"No…" she answered. "She's the girl I hired to… help my father." Aiko's face fell further and Ryu cursed himself.

To his surprise, she continued. "Yoraika's determined; I'm grateful that it was her that came when I hired a healer."

Ryu nodded along. "I see…"

"She's racked with guilt because she couldn't save my father," said Aiko with a deepening frown. "She tried so hard to…"

Ryu placed a hand on Aiko's shoulder, and she let out a breath. "...prevent his death. Many sleepless nights, she was always in and out of the house, spending money out of her own wallet to buy medicines and anything else to help."

Aiko's hand drifted to Ryu's on her shoulder and she tenderly grabbed it. "When he passed… she cried almost as hard as I did."

"I see…"

With a nod, she used her free hand to wipe away a tear. "She's refused all compensation I tried to give. She's been going above and beyond to make sure I'm happy, and she won't leave my side until I'm safe and out of Grass."

Nodding, a small smile curled his lips, and he gave her a comforting rock. "You must have rubbed off on her then."

"Stop it," ordered Aiko with a small laugh. "She's like that all because of her own merit, not me."

Ryu chuckled. There, there it was… that spark. "I know, but just sayin' that she sounds like you."

"If you insist…" conceded Aiko with a chuckle. "Are you hungry?"

He shrugged. "I could eat."

"Let's go make something," she suggested.

"Like what…?"

Aiko stood, taking Ryu's hand off her shoulder and firmly into her palm. "Let's see what we have in the fridge."

"Sounds like a plan," Ryu agreed as he followed Aiko into the kitchen.

That spark, he'd turn it into flames by the time they were in Konoha.

—⊱✿⊰—

Glowing crimson eyes with triple midnight tomoe stared the boy down. "Shinrai Uzumaki, you're coming with us."

He trembled—shivering to his very core. Into the eyes he stared mindlessly, looking directly into the shining, monstrous eyes of the men in front of him. They beamed like a crimson moon and that was all he could see; hypnotized by the crimson red eyes.

Crimson red eyes glared him down and there was nothing he could feel but fear as all sensation left his body.

Crimson red eyes…

Scarlet red eyes…

Scarlet red eyes stared him down, and it was followed by the most beautiful voice he ever heard in his life.

"You're awake!" exclaimed a girl around his age.

Shinrai jolted, and he slammed his head on the hardwood headboard. "Shit!"

"Hey! Watch it," she scolded. The look in her eyes shifted and chills went down his spine.

Shaking his head, he apologized. "You're… Yoraika, right?"

"I am; I'm also the one healing you, so please don't undo my hard work by hurting yourself," she ordered.

Shinrai pouted. "Why did you put me to sleep? I said I wanted to be awake when the sword got taken out."

"Because that's stupid, and it would've hurt," Yoraika answered, crossing her arms.

His frown deepened. "But… I wanted to feel the pain…"

"Sir Ryujin wasn't wrong when he said you were a weird one."

A laugh of pride escaped his breath, wincing as the pain in his chest erupted. "Being weird is a good thing, you know!" Shinrai put on a grin as he felt his cheeks flush. No way a girl this fucking beautiful exists… right here, in front of me, TALKING TO ME!

Vision drifting, he focused on her hair. It was long and straight, tied behind her in a silky midnight ponytail that shimmered like gold under Aiko's lights. Her skin was pale, yet far from sickly or ghostly. He drifted over her eyes with a shiver, and down to her white-pink-shaded lips; they were thin, and they were moving. Her lips were moving.

She was talking to him.

"Uh…" Shinrai started awkwardly. "Can you repeat that…?"

Yoraika looked down at him, looking unamused. "You were looking right at me… and not listening?"

"I-I was…" he admitted, averting his gaze.

However, she laughed. "What were you thinking about?"

FUCK! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO ASK THAT QUESTION OF ALL FUCKING QUESTIONS?! Clearing his throat, he grinned as he spat out the whitest lie he ever told in his life. "Nothing!"

Yoraika chuckled. "Like I'd believe that…"

With widening eyes, Shinrai gulped. "We have, like, swapped features! My hair is red and my eyes are black, but your eyes are red and your hair is black!"

She nodded along. "I noticed that."

"Yeah, it's like we go perfectly together!" Shinrai added without thinking. Once he thought about it, his heart dropped. Oh, my god… WHY WOULD I SAY THAT?!"

Yoraika laughed, tilting her head curiously. "Perhaps we do…" she noted off-handedly.

All of Shinrai's mental faculties crashed into a million pieces. Okay, maybe that was a good thing to say…

Yoraika laughed more, and a drop of sweat dropped down Shinrai's forehead. "How much time has passed?"

"It's been an hour since you got here," she answered.

Shinrai let out a breath. "Okay, so I should be good now." The Uzumaki sat up and Yoraika gasped.

"OW!" Shinrai yelled as he grabbed his chest, which felt like it had been stabbed… again. "The fuck…?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" She gently placed a hand on Shinrai's chest, and the other on his back, and guided him down to the bed. He barely registered the fact that he finally felt the touch of a woman through the pain. "A wound like this takes two weeks to heal."

Shinrai furrowed his brow. "But I snapped my spine in half and was moving around fine after a couple hours…" Yoraika looked at him slack-jawed. "Isn't a broken back worse than this?"

With wide eyes, she nodded quickly. "Yes! Much worse. A broken back takes six weeks to heal at least… and you did it in hours?!"

"Yeah…" Shinrai pouted. "Why am I healing so slow…?"

"Even still," she began with a sigh. "You're recovering better than most."

Shinrai turned his frown upside down. "Well, that's because of my Uzumaki blood!"

"Uzumaki, hm?" she pondered.

He nodded. "Yeah! We're known for our amazing durability and superhuman vitality!"

Yoraika leaned forward with a hum. "Tell me more."

A light shone behind Shinrai's eyes, and his smile grew. "Prepare for a lecture."

"We have time." Her scarlet eyes twinkled and Shinrai swallowed.

"Okay, so…"

—⊱✿⊰—

Kusari smiled, watching her sensei and Ms. Aiko squabble in the kitchen. It was playful, yet awkward. Over little things. How much salt should go on the chicken, how long the potatoes should be boiled for, the exact method required to clean the rice…

Kusari hummed. It's obvious that they haven't seen each other in years.

Soon after, Gosei walked into the room beside her. "I want to show you something." Placing an open book next to her, Gosei took a seat. "This book details the history of the Land of Grass."

"And this would interest me because…?" asked Kusari with her head tilted back.

He turned the page. "The Hyuuga Clan apparently had… interactions with a clan that once resided here."

"What do you mean by interactions?"

"The Hyuuga are the reason why I referred to them in the past tense."

Kusari paused, silently sliding the book closer to her, displacing her own novel. Then she read. Gosei left as she started down the page.

One hundred and fifty years ago, a clan existed. Their name has been lost to time, but their abilities have not. They were another clan adept at the Sealing Arts, similar to the more well-known Uzumaki Clan.
They, however, didn't have the exceptional vitality or the powerful Yang Affinity that their counterparts had. The seals of the Uzumaki may have been more powerful, but the seals of this clan were more complex. They created an entirely new language of Seals which, like their name, have been lost to time.
Their downfall, however, came when the Hyuuga Clan sought them out during the height of the Warring States period. The power-hungry clan, led by the dastardly Shiroida Hyuuga…

Kusari stopped at that name, her brows furrowed in sudden recognition. Shiroida Hyuuga. This name was entirely unfamiliar to her, and yet she felt connected to it. She wracked her head for something—a mention in history class, Gosei dropping it during one of his historical rants, an elder saying it in passing…

She came up short.

With a sigh, Kusari continued reading.

… entirely and utterly eradicated the Sealing Clan of Grass. A brutal massacre by the Byakugan-wielding clan left less than ten members of the clan alive when they formerly numbered in the hundreds.

Shame washed over like pure ice that forced her to hunch over. Did my clan really do this? This can't be true…

Their barbaric practices didn't stop there. They even went as far as stealing a certain prison seal from the Clan in order to enslave their own clansman. A Jutsu known as the Caged Bird Seal.

Kusari's heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening as she re-read that segment over and over. A trembling hand was brought to her forehead. She lightly grazed the metal with her fingertips, but the headband was not her focus.

No, it was what the steel-clad fabric concealed.

An imaginary ache over her seal made her wince. Kusari closed the book and slid it across the table, away from her. Was this really the legacy of the Hyuuga? The legacy of my clan?

Kusari rubbed her temples, banishing those thoughts to the depths of her mind to never return.

For now, they wouldn't return, anyway.

Shortly after, Gosei returned—with his hands already on another history book—and took a seat next to her.

"So, your thoughts?" he requested with a hum.

Kusari remained still, and neither teammate looked at the other. "I'd rather not say."

"Ah," Gosei realized. He looked toward his Hyuuga comrade. "I understand… I feel similarly toward the Senju at times."

Pale lavender widened at the statement. "Do you really?" she asked, meeting the eye contact.

"I dislike how the Senju so thoroughly integrated into the village… I guess it's poetic that my clan became one with the village it founded. But I can't help but feel disappointed in the lack of pride, the lack of identity," explained Gosei.

Kusari nodded slowly. "I see…" With a deep breath, she continued. "I'm disappointed in the barbarism the Hyuuga displayed. I wish I could dismiss it as the past…"

He was going to use the seal on me?! For this?!

"...But, I can't. Especially because something as notable as the origin of the Caged Bird was omitted from the Clan's general knowledge," she stated with an edge to her tone.

Gosei raised his brow. "I understand, but don't use this as an excuse to go against your clan."

"I would never," she responded.

For the first time in her life, there was a hint of doubt in those words.

—⊱✿⊰—

Later that night, Ryujin grumbled as he ate his food. It was probably the Kyuubi chakra that interfered with Shinrai's healing factor… The Yin must've interfered with the Yang. We're going to be here for too long. I have no idea how much it's been slowed by, and Yoraika said that a wound like that takes two weeks to heal… maybe I can try to—

"Ryujin!" Aiko called as she relentlessly poked his shoulder.

Broken from his thoughts, he looked around the dinner table, seeing all eyes on him, said eyes being Aiko's, Kusari's, and Gosei's.

"Yes…?" he answered.

Aiko opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. With a hand drifting to her chin, she pondered. Then she huffed. "You made me forget what I was going to say."

"My bad—" Ryujin apologized. "I was simply lost in thought."

Aiko raised her brow. "About what?"

Ryujin froze. "Uhh…"

Kusari and Gosei glanced at each other knowingly.

"He does this a lot. It's nothing," Kusari answered. "Space seems to be his favorite thing to stare at."

Reluctantly, Gosei nodded in agreement. "Yeah…"

"Hmph," grumbled Ryujin, catching onto the plan and putting up a facade of guilt. "I do not."

Aiko laughed. "What happened to, 'a Shinobi must always be aware of their surroundings,' huh?" she questioned playfully.

"Now see, if you put a knife in my face, then I would've reacted the first time," Ryujin defended.

With a hum, Aiko nodded slowly. "So, when I want your attention, I have to attack you… noted."

"Aiko—no," Ryujin denied, earning another cackle from her. It was nostalgic, hearing her laugh like that… A small smile curled his lips.

It really brought him back… Back to the past. A past that didn't exist anymore. Ryujin's smile dropped, feeling the demon's presence inside him rise.

I don't know how much longer I can keep this up…

With a tap against wood, Ryujin's attention was caught by Kusari. Inconspicuously, she tapped at the table more in a seemingly random pattern. Gosei's brow rose.

He listened intently, and his eyes narrowed once the message came across.

You will have to tell her eventually.

With a sigh, Ryujin nodded in response.

Kusari returned to her food while Gosei shook his head.

"You're doing it again!" Aiko accused with a pointed finger.

Ryujin let out a breath. "Dammit—"

Aiko laughed again.

—⊱✿⊰—

Shinrai continued to ramble about the Uzumaki to Yoraika. Much to his surprise, she was listening; intently, at that. It wasn't hard for him to tell with how intense he felt her gaze on him—not that he'd dare to look in her eyes to meet it.

"Y'know…" she began. "You're lucky to have a sibling; being an only child is kind of lonely at times."

Shinrai frowned, both in sympathy for her situation and of the mention of Naruto. "Yeah, I get it."

"But you have a brother?"

"Yeah, just my brother. No parents, nobody I could call a friend… not until a month ago. I have two friends now," Shinrai explained, putting on a smile as Miya and Kusari entered his mind. "Not to say that Naruto wasn't enough, of course. He means the world to me."

"Oh." Yoraika hung her head lower. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," dismissed Shinrai.

Yoraika let out a breath. "I think I can relate to you a bit." She took a pause, and Shinrai looked just under her eyes. "The loneliest I've ever felt is when my mother died."

Biting his lip, Shinrai's face deepened into a frown. He didn't say anything, allowing her to continue. "My father was always distant, even before that; he was only involved with me when it came to training, or telling me not to fall into Seed's brainwashing…"

"Sorry that it had to be that way for you."

Yoraika shrugged. "It's fine. I'm used to it."

"That doesn't make it any less okay."

She paused, letting out a chuckle. "I guess you're right…"

"Okay, I'll promise you this." Shinrai shifted upward in the bed carefully and slowly. Then he shot her a grin that he'd stolen from his brother. "As long as I'm here in Grass, you're not gonna be alone."

Yoraika stammered. "I…" she shook her head. "I'm the one that's supposed to be helping you!"

"Why can't I help you back?" he rebutted.

She let out an exasperated breath. "It's okay, Shinrai."

"Didn't you just agree with me saying that it wasn't?"

At a loss, Yoraika let out a chuckle. "But you're not gonna be here long…"

"Then I'll make the short time that I'm here the best time of your life," he promised.

"You—" she started, playfully frustrated. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?"

Shinrai simply showed his teeth with a sly grin.

She sighed, allowing a smile to curl her lips. "Since you don't have a lot of friends, I'll be your friend too."

"Hey!" rebelled Shinrai. "Then I'll have to do something to even the score again!"

Yoraika's eyes twinkled as she let out a mischievous giggle. "Then I'll one-up you again."

"Try me."

"No, you try me."

Shinrai huffed.

Yoraika stood, playfully poking Shinrai on his forehead. A chill went down his spine and blood rushed into his face. "Plus, it's not like you can do much of anything when you're bedridden."

"Oh, fuck off…" he mumbled, rubbing his flushed cheeks.

She backed away, revealing the rest of her black-clad outfit, along with the lower half of her body that the bed was blocking. "If you want me to leave, then fine…"

Her words barely registered as his eyes drifted to the gorgeous ivory white wooden sheath, which had a simple stripe of midnight painted down the middle. It was strapped to her waist, and Shinrai was enamored. "Woah…"

With a furrowed brow, she traced Shinrai's eyes to see that he was looking below her waist. "Hey! What do you think you're looking at?!"

"Sword!"

Her face turned the shade of her eyes. "Oh—right…"

"What did you think I was looking at…?" Shinrai questioned, raising his brow. "Pervert!"

Groaning at the accusation, she looked down. "Shut up…"

"Anyway, can I see it?!"

"See what?!"

"Your sword!"

"Oh—"

"You really are a pervert—"

"SHUT UP!" she commanded, her blush increasing ten-fold.

Shinrai laughed. Hard. After years of accusations and name-calling… calling someone else a pervert was retribution as sweet as a dozen desserts.

"I've had this for so long that I barely register that it's there anymore…" she said in an attempt to excuse herself as she grabbed the handle of her blade. Chills went down his spine as the sound of an unsheathing sword sliced the air.

The silver blade glinted gold in the light of Aiko's house. There was no guard, no pommel, simply a blade so sharp it made a razor look dull, attached to a wooden handle that matched perfectly in the sheath.

"This is the signature blade of the Land of Grass: The Grass Cutter. It's great for landscaping!" she introduced with a prideful grin.

Shinrai's coal eyes were wide with desire and his mind whirled with fantasies at the mere sight of the blade. "I wanna cut someone's head off with it."

"Oookay!" She cleared her throat. "The Grass Cutter blade was based on the original Kusanagi Blade of legend, but it was stolen by… Orochimaru." She spat the name with distaste.

The mention of that name made Shinrai's heart skip a beat. His brow furrowed at the shiver that went down his spine. Why am I scared…? Because she could kill me? That's hot, not scary—STOP!

"You okay?"

Shinrai nodded.

She nodded back. "This one in particular…" she let out a breath. "It's nothing too special. My father took me to the armory one day, made me wait outside, and then came back out with this sword. I didn't even get to pick which one I wanted…"

"Well, I think it's beautiful…" Shinrai smiled. "It fits you!"

A flattered expression took hold of her face as she let out a chuckle. "Thanks… I've grown to appreciate it."

"Did you give it a name?"

Yoraika pondered. "A name?"

"Yeah, I always knew that If I ended up with a blade, I'd give it a name. I'd never let it leave my side, clean it every day…" he rambled, looking off into the roof dreamily. "Treat it like a friend, y'know."

Yoraika frowned. "I see…" She gave him a look of sympathy in his eyes. Scarlet met coal but only for a second as Shinrai quickly looked down. She looked at her blade, smiling.

"Shinrai," she said simply.

He furrowed his brow. "Huh?"

"That's the name of my blade, Shinrai."

He shook his head. "No way…"

"Even when you leave, I'll still be able to keep my promise of taking care of you, and you'll be able to keep your promise of never leaving me alone," she explained with a smile.

This time, it was Shinrai who was left speechless. "I'm… I…"

"You don't need to say anything," she assured as she placed Shinrai back in its sheath and walked away. "I need to give an update to Sir Ryujin and Ms. Aiko about your health."

Shinrai sank into the bed. "I wish I could walk around…"

"No, not yet." That was the last thing she said before leaving the room, leaving Shinrai along with his heart, which soared like a bird flapping its wings to the fierce beat of the wind.

No way, no way, noooo fucking way, he chanted in denial. His heart was beating so hard that it made the wound on his chest throb. Not that he cared… at all. The ice inside him was nothing but a distant memory. His chest was hot, it was heavy, and he loved this feeling.

He could feel the excitement tingling in his breath, pumping through his veins. Yoraika… Shinrai chuckled. Yup, I have a crush… It's a shame that she's in a different country though…

He shrugged. That was the least of his worries at the moment. For now, he just needed to hear the melody of her voice.

—⊱✿⊰—

Gosei finished his food, deciding to stay at the table with his empty plate. Comfortably sitting in the chair, he decided to think. That bastard must be having the time of his life being alone with a woman… He didn't particularly enjoy the fact that his first thought was of Shinrai, so he changed it.

Speaking of her, she's a Shinobi, so she must have a more nuanced view on the conflict here in Grass… he pondered. Aiko is biased heavily here, not that I can blame her…

He looked across at Kusari, who was also at the dinner table, doodling away with her pen and paper. She hasn't spoken to me since I showed her the history book. Perhaps I upset her?

Leaning forward, he decided to test that theory. "Hello, Kusari."

She looked up, her pale lavender eyes looking at him with her signature neutral expression. "Yes?"

She doesn't look upset… he noted. "How are you?"

"Why do you ask?" she inquired with an accusing undertone.

She was seeing through him as if she had her Byakugan active. "Nothing…" he dismissed, looking away.

With a shrug, she returned to her drawing.

Gosei grumbled internally. His attention—and Kusari's as well—were caught by light footsteps on the carpet. It's her!

Yoraika entered the dining room, and she beamed at the sight of food. "Ooo!" she cheered. Clearing her throat, she turned to Gosei and Kusari and bowed her head. "Where's Sir Ryujin and Ms. Aiko?"

Both Gosei and Kusari pointed to the living room, where the two in question sat on the couch together, in a presumably comfortable silence.

Yoraika looked on with a frown. She probably felt guilty about interrupting the two. "Thank you." She walked over to them and said something about Shinrai's health. He wouldn't have cared much if his recovery wasn't the timer on when they'd leave.

A week at least? You've got to be kidding me… Gosei shook his head. Didn't he recover from a broken back in a couple of hours? The hell happened…?

His mind brought him back to a couple dozen minutes earlier, right after he returned from where Shinrai rested. Ryujin-sensei… Then we had to save him from being found out…

It clicked. It was the Kyuubi, he muttered. Of course…

Yoraika concluded her medical report to Ryujin and Aiko, who both thanked her, the latter much more so than the former. As she walked over to the kitchen, Gosei caught her attention. "Excuse me."

"Yes?" she responded, looking over at the Senju.

"I would like to know your perspective on Grass' civil conflict," he requested.

She blinked, caught off guard by the question. But before she could speak, Aiko interrupted. "Blade is a group of bastard terrorists and they never should've been formed in the first place."

Yoraika bristled at the comment and, seemingly, not the interruption. Internally, Gosei noted this.

"Seed's just trying to keep the country together," Aiko continued, then her fists clenched. "Blade's trying to tear it apart, for no good reason too!" she ranted passionately.

Letting out a sigh, Yoraika agreed. "Pretty much…"

Even Gosei could tell she was lying. Judging by the look Kusari had on her face, she could tell too, much more so than he could hope of deciphering.

Not saying another word, Yoraika went to the kitchen and prepared two plates. One for herself, and one for Shinrai, he assumed. He didn't take his eyes off of her the entire time.

There's something more to her… He knew there was.

—⊱✿⊰—

No way, I'm sleeping in the same room as a girl… Shinrai realized in awe. I wish we shared the bed though—No! Stop it, bad Shinrai… But then we'd get to cuddle, maybe even—STOP IT YOU BASTARD! How can I even get close to her like that if I can't even look her in the eyes…?

Turning his head, he saw Yoraika sleeping in a bag on the floor next to the bed. Frowning, he couldn't help but feel bad. He offered her the bed she'd been sleeping in before he came, but she refused. She was way more stubborn about this than she was about anything else…

Shinrai smiled. Stubborn people were usually irritating, but she… she was different. Yoraika was stubborn in a good way; listening to her was a given the moment she opened her mouth, especially because she was stubborn in the sense of caring…

She was kinda like Naruto… The bittersweet thought made his smile drop. I miss my brother…

Rolling over, he touched the bandaged wound on his chest. Because I'm healing slow as all hell, I won't be able to see Naruto for longer… Fuck. Does he even want to see me still? He's definitely gonna kick me out of the house again.

If only I could take back that damn Genjutsu! He shouted, punching the wall out of frustration.

"Hey! Watch it…" Yoraika called to him.

His heart skipped a beat. "I thought you were asleep…?"

"I thought you were too… until you hit the wall."

Shinrai let out a chuckle, rolling over to face her. It just so happened that she did the same. Luckily for his nerves, her eyes were invisible in the darkness. "Not gonna lie, I thought your eyes would glow in the dark."

He heard Yoraika laugh, and the melody made his heart soar. "Why is that?"

"I dunno," he lied, shivers—crimson red eyes—and ice rocked his body.

She rolled on her back. "Why did you hit the wall?"

Shinrai stayed silent, pursing his lips. Shame froze his heart over once again.

"Shinrai?"

He let out a sigh, going against every fiber of his being as he delved into vulnerability. "My brother… I made him mad at me. We've been estranged for two weeks… I just wish I could take everything back.

"I know he's a forgiving person, and that he won't be mad at me forever, but I wish it didn't happen in the first place—it shouldn't have happened in the first place. I should've been better."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's not even just that, because of what happened afterward, Ryu's mad at me too. I can tell he's way less happy to see me every day… it hurts. Luckily, I still have Kusari and Ms. Miya… but…" he sighed. "I'm sorry, I rambled."

He felt the mattress move as the weight of two elbows was placed onto it. "Don't be sorry," she said, her voice much closer to him now.

Shinrai's heart raced, the slight moonlight hitting Yoraika's eyes just the right way to make them glow. Exactly how he thought previously. But… it wasn't like the crimson eyes… Her scarlet twinkled like stars, and this time he couldn't help but look.

They were hypnotizing… but in the way where his heart was implored to slow, his muscles felt the need to relax, and the cold had no choice but to be warmed.

"I love your eyes," he needed to say.

Her pupils expanded, shrinking her iris as she shifted out of the moonlight. "Thank you…"

"No, I'm not done," he corrected, having no idea what he was going to say next.

"What?"

"Scarlet eyes… They hypnotize, like blood I need them to live, I'm lost in them like in my own thoughts… You know what, this is horrible—"

Yoraika laughed again. "Nono, keep going."

"I'm better with poetry when I have time to think…" he admitted.

"Then think," she suggested. Shinrai didn't need to see her eyes to know that her gaze intensified.

"Okay, gimme a sec…" he mumbled.

The mattress shifted and creaked as Yoraika leaned forward in anticipation.

"Scarlet eyes… pure beauty.
Radiant, bright like starlight.
Eternal Yora."

Silence followed, and Shinrai's heart grew cold with anxiety. Fuck—did I say something wrong?!

"Yora…" she finally said. "Nobody's ever given me a nickname before."

Shinrai chuckled. "Well… I just had to shorten Yoraika so it could fit—"

"Well, I like it," she declared, bouncing the bed.

"Yora… huh?" pondered Shinrai.

"Yes!" she confirmed, surprising both herself and Shinrai with her excitement. "Call me that!" She paused, sheepish. "Please…"

Shinrai grinned. "Of course!"

"Thanks…" Yora said, sliding off of the bed. "We should get to sleep."

"Nah," denied Shinrai. "Can you… talk?"

"Yes, that's how I'm communicating with you."

He sputtered. "No—I meant like… I just wanna hear your voice."

"You're hearing it right now."

Shinrai let out an exasperated breath. "I want you to ramble while I listen to everything you say, like you did with me… You know more about me than the other way around."

"Mmmm," she thought, the rustling of her returning to her sleeping bag filling the room. "That's true."

"So… please?" he asked, putting on a smile that she couldn't even see.

"I think it would be better if I sang, no?"

"Singing…?" Shinrai questioned, his heart fluttering like a jar of fireflies.

"Yeah, it's my voice, but better," she enticed.

"I didn't think you could sound any better than this…"

"You're in for a hell of a surprise then…"

Shinrai's eyes widened as an inexplicable feeling of anticipation filled his entire body. Silence followed, and the feeling grew exponentially with every passing second.

"Slow conversations with the blade mean more… than I've ever said to anyone," Yora began, and Shinrai's ears were blessed by soft melodic beauty… misplaced in the mortal world. A voice like hers had place in the choir of angels.

"So keep in happiness and torture me while I… tell you 'let's go in style…!'
A million hooks around, a million ways to die.
Darling let's go outside, it'll be all right."

For the first time in years, tears welled in his eyes, but he didn't dare let them spill over. He wiped them away, but the heaviness in his chest didn't leave, neither did the urge to have her in his arms and never let go.

"Yora… that was…" he let out a breath as he felt more tears welling. "Beautiful."

"Thank you… I came up with that one myself."

"How?" he asked.

Silence fell. But not for long. "Before I came to Ms. Aiko's… I was on the front lines healing the injured, like I usually am. One day, a man came. His Grass Cutter was broken… yet he always kept it with him. He yelled at me when I suggested throwing it out…" Yora chuckled.

"He said that he loved his blade, that he'd never let it go. He always talked to it…" Yora sighed. "When I left to get supplies, I came back and he took his own life with that blade."

"Oh—" sputtered Shinrai. "I'm sorry…"

"It's fine…" she dismissed. "It just stuck with me, the experience… So I made something I could sing to myself. Or… you!"

"I see…" said Shinrai. "I wish I could see you…"

"That'll—"yawn"—have to wait until tomorrow," Yora said, and she could hear him pout. "Stop being a baby," she scolded with a giggle.

"But if I sleep like one, then tomorrow will come faster," Shinrai reasoned as he turned on his side.

"And so will your healing," Yora added.

"Even better…" he agreed, drifting off into the realm of dreams.

—⊱✿⊰—

A leisurely stroll, that's what he took. An act that seemed so innocent… yet it would lead to ruin. The black-masked man smiled. The thick blades of grass around him towered above like trees as he kicked up dirt with every step.

He approached a tower which stood tall like a mountain around the forest of grass. It was constructed out of black wood and metal and seemed impenetrable. That was to most Shinobi, at least. To him, it would be child's play.

And so, play like a child he did. Effortlessly, he walked into the tower as leisurely as he approached it, not even bothering to hide himself at all… it's not like anyone could acknowledge his presence. No, he wouldn't let them.

Up the stairs he went, all the way to the top floor. Opening the door to the only room on the tower's summit, he smiled. "Kowasu! My old friend!"

The gray-haired man pulled a dark green Grass Cutter from his waist and pointed it at the black-masked man. "Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?!"

"Don't worry about how I got in here; as for a name, you can call me Zero," he answered, taking a seat in front of Kowasu, not at all worried about the blade pointed at his face. "I have something to tell you~"

"Spit it out," he commanded, patience waning.

"As the commander of Blade," began Zero. "I thought it would only be right that you know that Ryujin Hiyenzo, the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, is currently in your land, and planning to escort Aiko, daughter of Greenseed Okano out of Grass."

Kowasu narrowed his eyes. "How do you know this?"

"Because I have eyes and ears," Zero answered with a giggle.

"Where?!"

Zero twirled his gloved hand and pointed to where his eyes were behind his featureless mask. "Two eyes right here… one is better than the other…" He brought his other hand up and pointed both left and right fingers to his ears. "...And my ears are right here!"

"Don't play with me!" Kowasu shouted, pointing the Grass Cutter even closer toward Zero; the tip of the blade was mere centimeters from his mask.

He didn't even flinch.

"I'm not! I'm not!" Zero defended, putting his hands up in surrender. He leaned back in the chair and rocked back and forth, allowing his mask to lightly tap the tip of Kowasu's blade. "What I am doing, however, is suggesting that you should take care of your little fox problem."

Frustrated, Kowasu gripped his blade and placed it on his desk. "You're no threat… You're a fool."

"Not a threat…?" Zero questioned. Suddenly, the flow in the air froze with the shift of the atmosphere.

Kowasu swung his blade at Zero's exposed neck, but the masked man stopped it with a finger. The right side of his black mask illuminated itself a hypnotizing crimson and Blade's leader stumbled.

"I could uproot your entire faction if I truly wanted to," Zero said simply, no threat in his tone, only truth. "But, I'm not. I'm deciding to help instead. Be more appreciative, would 'ya?"

"Who are you?!" Kowasu questioned as a drop of sweat rolled down his forehead.

The masked man stood from his chair and turned his back. "I told you already…"

The red half of his mask intensified tenfold as he looked back at Blade's leader.

"I'm Zero."

With that, he disappeared as if he was a ghost.

?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter End ~ ?￢ﾜ ?