Chapter 23
"What the heck do you mean Ita-mphmurfblrble!?" I screamed uncontrollably, so loud that it almost felt like the house was shaking. Forcing Misaki to quickly muzzle me before I could reveal her 'secret' to the entire block.
"Quiet down!" She said, using her free hand to drill a finger into an ear. "Its supposed to be a secret!" Momentarily, Misaki was able to overcome her drunken stupor to drill in that fact, her eyes locking with mine to emphasize the importance of it. At least momentarily before they glazed over again and she started laughing, falling back into the couch once more.
"You should have seen your faces!" Misaki laughed almost hysterically. Confusion and frustration began burning inside my chest. I just couldn't tell if she was being serious or taking the piss. Fists clenched almost painfully as I tried to calm myself.
"What's wrong?" Sengo called out, running back into the living room. Looking extremely concerned over my outburst.
"Ah..." I wanted to comfort him but no words came to mind. I couldn't hold a single line of thought straight, much less form any words. Thankfully, Mom was quicker to take control of the situation.
"Oh it's nothing dear, Meiko just had a spider in her hair and panicked." She said with a small chuckle.
"Eh? Wait-" I tried to protest before both Sengo and Misaki started laughing.
"She was all like "Ahhh! Get it off!" Misaki added in, miming an imaginary act of me frantically grabbing at my hair.
"I wasn't-!" Laughter drowned out any and all hope of protest on my part, leaving me growling with embarrassment. But, once things had settled down and Sengo ran off again to play in his room, I did find myself calmer and able to think straight again.
"So," I said, turning back to the previous conversation, "What did you mean by that?"
"By what?" Misaki asked, looking rather groggy now. Her left eye drooped down slightly further than her right.
"By Ita-" I had to stop myself and lower my voice, "By Itachi being nominated for the Fi-achoo!" Another shiver ran up my spine, the worst one yet as I was suddenly reminded I was still soaked to the bone. Despite being inside, I was not warming up at all and, in fact, my body was starting to tremble.
"Meiko, go have a hot shower." Mom instructed firmly.
"But-"
"Now!" Pointing towards the bathroom, she was putting her foot down, almost literally as I noticed her leg twitch a bit. Looking back to Misaki, she was chuckling and cracking open yet another can. Apparently having completely forgotten what was going on. I had little choice at this point to obey, and after another sneeze, I knew it was the right thing. If I didn't get warm soon, I'd probably get sick.
After a shower and change of clothes, I quickly returned to the living room. Determined to get some answers but, to my dismay, Misaki was now snoozing away. Mom said nothing as she covered her friend with a blanket, merely holding a finger to her lips. With an aggravated sigh and slightly violent scratching of my head I had to give up for the night. Hopefully, I could get a word or two in tomorrow morning before I left for class.
That night was not a comfortable one to say the least. My mind was twisting itself into more and more knots as I tossed and turned in the dark. Only finally drifting off to sleep many hours later before being rudely awoken by a screaming alarm after what felt like mere minutes after. Groggy and half conscious, I was able to focus just enough to head straight for the living room only to find Misaki had already left sometime in the night.
"Damn it!" I cursed and immediately received a sharp smack to the back of the head.
"Language!" Mom scolded.
The sunlight scorched my retinas as I stepped outside. The crazy rains from yesterday seemed like a dream with how clear the sky was today. The only evidence remaining was the still slightly muddied roads and countless puddles littering the way. At least the humidity had finally broken.
The mud slicked trek to class was a hard one. Not because the roads were that bad, but because I was lacking the energy and motivation. A rough night and a brain that still buzzed with questions left me feeling miserable.
"Freaking Misaki... Dropping a bomb like that and then passing out without explaining..." I grumbled and kicked a stone. "What was she even thinking?"
"I wasn't, that's the problem." Came a familiar voice that sent a jolt of electricity up my spine. Jumping back with a start, I was temporarily shocked awake as Misaki stood before me. Although, it actually took me a moment to recognize her. She was wearing her work uniform, the basic shinobi gear with a thick flak vest. But her hair was a mess, random strands suck out at various angles despite wearing her usual ponytail. Not to mention her eyes were sunken in with deep bags underneath and a tinge of red.
"Wow, you look like crap." We said to each other in unison.
We both shared a chuckle. "Good morning." I managed to grumble, that earlier shock now wearing off and my tiredness quickly returning.
"Morning..." Misaki grumbled back before wincing and placing a finger to her temple. "Ugh, I drank way too much last night."
Normally, I'd be a bit more sympathetic to her plight. But considering what happened, my mood and sympathy were both in short supply. "About that, I want an explanation about-"
"I know, I know. That's why I'm here." Misaki said, wincing again and stepping a bit to the side so she was further in the shade of the building. "First off, I'm going to say that yes, what I said was true. BUT you cannot say anything to anyone." To emphasize the point further, she shoved a finger right into my nose. "I shouldn't have said anything, but I ended up drinking way too much. Now I'm paying for it in more ways than one." Rubbing her forehead again, I certainly understood. Mom had a similar, but far less severe look to her this morning.
"So, Itachi really is...?" I began to ask and Misaki silently nodded.
"Yup. And like I said, you cannot breathe a word of this. It's classified until they make an official statement." Shaking off her hangover for a brief moment as she spoke, I nodded back. Something on that scale must have a lot of bureaucracy behind it. That said, it still begged one massive question.
"How... Do you know that?" This was perhaps the biggest question on my mind at this point. Right next to how and why Itachi was nominated. Misaki wasn't exactly high ranking to my knowledge, she currently held Chunin rank and was just a patrol officer for the Police Force. Itachi's nomination for Hokage was something that would be a close-held secret. How exactly could Misaki come across that information?
Leaning back into the building again, a pained but sly smile crossed Misaki's face. "Do you remember me mentioning that new job a while back?" She asked and I nodded once again, "Well, believe it or not, Itachi himself was the one who approached me for it. I was shocked too." Misaki added in, anticipating my jaw dropping. "He said he needed to find someone who was also dissatisfied with the direction the clan was going. After that, the two of us started working to convince others to speak up and, well, long story short. We found them."
"It was hard, but the more of us who spoke up, the more who joined us and eventually we were able to start pushing back against the... Isolationists. Itachi backing us was the biggest boon, that's for sure. But we did it. Eventually there were some talks with Lord Hokage himself and, well, here we are." It took some time for Misaki's explanation to sink in. But as it did, more questions only began to surface.
Said questions however, came with their own answers. As my mind regressed back to the day Itachi confronted me. "Did he... Did he actually listen? And tried to change things?" I couldn't believe it. There was no way I managed to change Itachi's mind, of all people... Right? But if it was true, then maybe, just maybe, the massacre could be avoided? Should Itachi become the Hokage, then the grievances the Uchiha had for the village could be quelled. Then there wouldn't need to be any reason for them to die. Which would mean...
Misaki would live.
"Hey, are you alright?" Misaki asked, wincing again from her migraine. All of a sudden, I felt the strength leave my body, knees buckling and I yelped lightly. Misaki reacted quickly and grabbed my arm, giving me enough awareness to put my weight on her and keep myself standing.
"S-Sorry." I stammered, regaining my balance. "I'm alright." The only thing that came to mind was that I had felt so relieved my entire body just gave out. I had been worrying for so long, wracking my brain uselessly and spinning in circles for so, so long. And just like that, behind my back, everything had seemingly been resolved. I could only laugh before biting at my lip.
"Don't cry, don't cry..." I told myself, fighting back the well of tears that wanted to burst forth.
"I'm sorry." Misaki said, gently wrapping her arms around me. "It was my fault you got caught up in my clan's drama. I know you must have been so worried but its going to be okay now." It took several minutes for me to calm myself enough to speak again. Somehow keeping the tears back for the most part. "Better now?" Misaki asked and I nodded, pushing myself away.
"Good, now you should probably get going." Misaki said, patting me on the head. "You have class and I need to get back to my patrol before the grumpy old man finds me."
"Grumpy old man am I?" Came a grizzled voice from above. Misaki jolted as though she was just struck by lightning and freezing up. Looking upwards, there was a figure standing atop the nearby streetlight. Obscured slightly from the sun being at his back I couldn't quite make out who it was but his voice was familiar and he was wearing a similar garb to Misaki's.
"Ah shi-" Misaki said, quickly cutting herself off before slowly turning to face the man as well. Her movements stiff and almost painful to watch. "H-Hey there... Captain... How long have you been there?" She awkwardly greeted, raising a single hand.
The man huffed, "Long enough." Before vanishing. To my eyes that was literal. One moment he was there, the next he was gone. When I lowered my gaze though, there he was. Standing just a few feet away from Misaki and glaring her down.
I yelped involuntarily, the man hadn't even made a sound on landing. Although now I could see who it was. I recognized the man as Gento, the old Uchiha who was Misaki's direct superior. It had been a few years since I last saw him and in that time he had really changed. I remembered him as an old man, sure, but he was really showing his age now. His hair had greyed significantly and was almost turning pure white and the wrinkles in his face had deepened significantly.
"Misaki, what do you think you're doing?" He asked, his voice stern and controlled but the hint of anger or frustration on his tongue was undeniable.
"Ah, yeah..." Misaki started to say, her eyes darting back and forth as she tried to come up with some kind of excuse. "I was on patrol and I just happened to run into Meiko here, you remember her right? I thought I'd just say hi." Gento's glare as Misaki finished speaking caused her to jump yet again, performing a quick salute and following up with a quick "Uh, sir!"
Gento turned his attention to me, his gaze still stern and honestly, a little bit scary but it quickly softened as a smile peeked out from his greyed moustache. "Ah yes, I remember now. I see you're doing quite well." His gaze shifted back to Misaki momentarily, "I believe she's the one you've taken under your wing recently?"
"Y-Yes sir..." Misaki replied.
Gento nodded slightly before turning back to me. "I've heard quite a lot about you from Misaki. You've been working hard." That soft smile returned that reminded me of a grandparent.
"Yes, sir." I responded, mimicking Misaki. That got a laugh out of him.
"No need to be so formal, but I do need to 'talk' with Misaki so you should be on your way." Gento's voice was gentle but held a force to it that insisted I get moving. I pitied Misaki because I could tell she was in for a scolding. There really wasn't anything I could do for her though, this was a matter of her job and I had no place in that.
"Okay," I nodded before turning to Misaki. "Good luck and... Thanks." Honestly, I wanted to give her another hug after the sheer relief I was feeling from the good news. Instead I began jogging down the road.
"Ah, hey!" Misaki started to call out before yelping as I could feel a menacing aura emanating from behind me. I waved back and said a silent prayer for her before disappearing around the nearest corner.
As I made my way to the academy, my steps grew progressively lighter and lighter. Eventually, I was practically skipping down the streets. It was such a weight off of my mind learning Itachi was being set up as the next Hokage. While there was the slightest bit of lingering doubt at the back of my mind, thanks to this all my knowledge of what should happen in the future would be tossed out the window. But that was a possible problem for later. For now, I could finally relax.
Looking towards the clear blue sky, I couldn't help but smile. Today was going to be a good day.
It had been almost a month since then and the academy was abuzz with activity. Students were running up and down the halls transporting boxes and other various things. Our class was loudly discussing what our plans were going to be. These discussions had been taking up a lot of time over the past few days and really not getting anywhere. So Mizuki-sensei was determined that today would be when we finally made a decision on what we planned to do.
"Shut up already!" Mizuki-sensei shouted, slamming both hands down on his desk. His patience reached its peak after several, more polite attempts to settle the class down. "We need a decision and we need it now." Motioning towards the blackboard which was littered with ideas and doodles placed there over the course of the week. "Every other class has already started their preparations for the festival so what's the hold up!?"
The hold up was that no one could come to a consensus. There were two main parties vying for control with their ideas being a cafe versus a jutsu exhibition. With the main arguments against the former being 'it's boring' versus the simple fact that we only had learned one jutsu in class so far. Sure, a rare few of us had a couple more under their belts but that was almost exclusively limited to Kiyomi and Mana. It would leave most of the class doing nothing and those two alone shouldering everything.
After that, there were some smaller groups who's contribution ultimately came down to just blocking the other ideas. I sat in the neutral group, just wanting this to finish up and therefore voted yes on everything, hoping it would be enough to push one idea over the edge to no avail. Kiyomi wanted to do the jutsu exhibition of course, any chance for her to show off while Mana just grumbled at my side. She, of course, wanted to do a magic show but most people didn't even understand what that meant.
We were going nowhere at this rate. Chewing my lip I tried to come up with a solution before Mizuki-sensei threw in the towel and forced us to just help the other classes. That was what happened last year after all and this time I did want to do something. Looking to Mana who was grumbling away I knew I had to speak up.
But that was the hard part. Everytime I tried to say something, a wave of anxiety washed over me and caused me to clam up. It was stupid but public speaking was never a strong suit of mine. But looking at Mizuki, I could tell he was about to blow. "Come on, stand up. Say something." I tried to encourage myself. There was an idea in my head, to try and combine the two big ideas and satisfy as many people as possible. But I just couldn't get myself to speak up.
"Idiot! You just need to put the idea forward. That's all. Stand up and say it!" My hands trembled underneath my desk, clenched into fists as the anxiety continued to grow. The arguments around me started to grow quiet as I fell deeper and deeper into my own head. My pathetic social anxieties pulling me deeper and deeper under, threatening to drown me in the darkness.
That was, until a sharp poke got me in the back of the neck.
With a yelp, I jumped out of my seat and found myself back in the classroom. Everyone had fallen silent and all eyes on me. "Yes Meiko? Is there something you'd like to say?" Mizuki asked as he stared down from behind the podium. Panicking, I looked behind me to see what had poked me only to see Kiyomi refusing to make eye contact. A pencil still in her hands.
"You little!" I mouthed at her when Mizuki asked again. Jumping, I felt my heart bash hard against my rib cage. My gaze began to wander around the room, taking in just how many eyes were on me. I swallowed and tried to speak, the anxiety getting to me and wanting to just say nothing and sit back down but my voice caught in my throat. A mouse-like squeak came out as it cracked.
Laughter erupted and my face burned. I was certainly going to get Kiyomi back for this. My own eyes then fell to Mana at my side, the girl staring up from underneath her dark bangs with curiosity. The idea I had thought of would have her at the centre stage, if only I could bring myself to speak.
"If you have nothing to say, just sit down." Mizuki-sensei said with an exasperated sigh, "Alright, since we can't come to a consensus, I'll be assigning you to the other classes as assistants." With that, he turned and began cleaning off the board as the entire class moaned and started bickering.
"Wait! I have an Id-" I started to say as my voice cracked again. Thankfully, due to the ruckus I don't think anyone heard me. I coughed loudly a couple times into my hand before trying again, "I have an idea!" To my great surprise, my voice was clear and boomed over the entire class. Silence quickly fell and once more eyes were on me. Anxiety struck again with the force of a truck, causing all the air to leave my body.
Gasping, I took a couple seconds to breathe and calm myself. "Just say it already!" I screamed internally. Taking in one, final breath I just tried to force the words out. "How about dinner theatre?" I asked. The silence that followed was painful. Thankfully, Kiyomi was there to back me up with a question of her own.
"What does that mean?" Glancing back, she had an encouraging smile. Although it was tinted with a bit of mischievous glee from my earlier reaction. I hadn't fully forgiven her but... Maybe my retribution would be a bit gentler. It did help to ease my tensions after all.
"Well, the top ideas we have are a cafe and exhibition right?" I began my explanation, "But most of the class isn't interested in a normal cafe. Plus, we'd be competing directly with class B. On the other hand, how many of you here really know any jutsu that can be shown off? All we've been taught so far is the body flicker. There's only a handful of people who know actual jutsu to show off." There was a quiet murmuring as people begrudgingly agreed that I was right.
"So, I figured, why not combine both?" I added in after a few seconds. Again, the class felt silent. But this time I wasn't feeling so anxious anymore. "Rather than simple snacks we can focus on light meals for lunch while also putting on a show for patrons to watch."
"A show!?" Mana almost screamed at my side, "What kind of show!?"
"Calm down." I said, almost having to push Mana back into her seat. "The class wants a jutsu exhibition but we just don't have all that much to show off. Well, except for you and Kiyomi."
"Me?" Kiyomi asked, getting a bit more excited now. And while I had to admit it certainly looked like I was just playing favourites for my friends I'd just have to bear that. It was better than just being helping hands for the other classes after all.
"Mhm. You and Mana are the only ones who know any actual jutsu... Kinda." I chuckled while glancing at Mana. I think what I was insinuating went over her head though. "So the two of you would be the main act while the others who want to show off can come up with something to cover when you need a break." Turning my attention back to the class, I raised my hands in an invisible offering, "So, what do you think?"
The class immediately started chattering away again. My nerves started to act up again the longer I stood, but things were sounding good so far. Of course, there would always be those who would dissent. "That's dumb" Came a feminine voice from across the room followed by a couple giggles of agreement. It was Mimi and her friends. Oddly, I thought they would be in favour of this plan since she was the one who suggested the cafe in the first place. Then again, maybe she didn't like the idea of Mana and Kiyomi headlining everything. She seemed to have a bit of a rivalry with Kiyomi after all. They often butted heads over something or other., not that I paid it much attention.
Speaking of Kiyomi, she jumped to my defense in a literal sense. Her chair clattering as it barely kept its balance. "What's so dumb about it!? You're just mad no one voted for you!"
"And the Chihuahua starts barking again. Maybe stop protecting your little friend and let her realize how stupid her idea is for once?" Mimi replied.
Kiyomi slammed her hands hard on the desk, "What was that!? You want to go!?" She shouted, gnashing her teeth and in that moment I could almost see what Mimi was saying. It took a lot of effort not to laugh.
"ENOUGH!" Mizuki-sensei shouted so loud that even students outside the classroom paused out of shock. "Everyone sit down." The class compiled and quiet once more reigned. Sighing, Mizuki then took a deep breath. "Alright, this will be the last vote. Meiko's idea only. Everyone in favour raise your hand." There was more murmuring as people discussed it among themselves one final time. I found myself on edge as slowly hands began to raise one by one.
Our class had about twenty-one students so eleven was needed for the majority. We already had five in favour of the plan just from my friend group versus three against Mimi and hers. Two more hands were raised as the discussions continued. I shifted around uncomfortably in my seat and nervously chewed the inside of my lip. I could tell three more people had chosen to vote against as I scanned the room. Seven to six in our favour.
"Come on guys!" Kiyomi called out, trying to pump up last minute support, "You don't want to be gofers for the other classes do you?"
That got another hand raised. Eight, three more to go. The problem being that the ones who were left were basically the ones that had been stalling all the other votes. The ones who latched on to their idea and refused to budge. Another two made it obvious they would vote against this because of that, tying things up. My hands curled into tight fists, I really didn't want to skip out again this year.
The next few minutes sat at an impasse. The remaining students furiously debated their choices while the rest of us waited with baited breath. To keep the stalemate from solidifying, Mizuki-sensei decided to instate a time limit. "Two more minutes, then we'll just go with the majority." He stated. That bit of extra pressure got two more to lock in their votes, but still they sat even. It was so frustrating just sitting here and waiting as the seconds nauseously ticked down.
One minute left. Three people remained undecided. The decided voters were now shouting at them to make a decision, although any possible arguments were now being drowned out by the chaos. "Thirty seconds." Mizuki called out as one of the remainders loudly declared he was voting no because of all the people shouting at him. We needed the last two on our side at this point and time was almost out.
I couldn't take waiting anymore, doing something was better than just sitting here wallowing in my nerves. Slamming my palms down onto the desk, the slap was almost deafening and left my palms stinging something fierce, but the sound was loud enough to grab the attention of the class alongside my own shouting. "ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!" I shouted, voice bellowing off the walls. "We should let them decide on their own. Even if we end up not doing anything we can't force them to choose."
"Ten seconds." Mizuki followed up with, annoyingly not silently adding a few extra seconds out of consideration. The class however, was kind enough to give the remaining two some peace and quiet. Enough that we could clearly hear the ticking of the clock. Five. Four. Three. Two...
They both raised their hands.
Half the class burst out in cheers while the other groaned. Kiyomi even hopped over the desk, throwing an arm over my shoulder and grabbing me into a headlock "Nice work!" She complimented me but wasn't letting go. Still, I couldn't help but laugh with joy.
We were given a short time for celebration before Mizuki-sensei clapped several times. "Alright, settle down now. I'm glad we finally have a path forward so tomorrow we can finally start planning." Just as he said that, the bell to end the period rang out. "After lunch, head to the assembly hall for your tasks today." With that, we were dismissed.
As everyone was filing out for lunch, I took a small detour. Heading over to see Mimi and her friends, I called out to them just before they were able to leave. "Hey guys," I said, the trio turning with an understandable amount of annoyance.
"What do you want?" One of her friends said, stepping in between me and Mimi. "You want to rub it in, huh?"
Defensively raising my hands, I quickly shook my head. "No no no, I just had an idea I wanted to pass by you guys." I said, the girls scoffing.
Mimi rolled her eyes and pulled her friend back. "Look, we're not interested in your silly theatre. So just back off."
"But we need you guys for this to work!" I protested as they tried to leave, shifting over to cut off their path. "And I don't want you guys to feel left out because you didn't get your cafe. So I was thinking, you guys should come up with the menu."
"...What?" Mimi asked, wary but interested.
I nodded, "You guys fought really hard for a cafe, and while its not quite what you wanted, I think you guys deserve that much." The girls were quiet for a moment, communicating only through passing glances to each other.
"Why are you being so nice?" Mimi finally asked. A question that really confused me. Maybe she thought I really wanted to shut down her cafe idea?
"I just think you guys are going to be the best for it. We need to work together after all." Mimi blushed, much to my surprise but quickly shook it off.
"F-Fine then. We'll do it." She said, her friends were taken aback by that. Lunging forward I grabbed her hand and shook it in gratitude.
"Thank you!" I said, shaking furiously before darting out of the room.
After lunch, we made our way to the auditorium. Just as it was the last few days, we were split into various groups and assigned tasks to help set up the outdoor equipment. On top of each class hosting their own event, the academy itself was also hosting a wide variety of events for students to display what they had learned. Usually in the form of various contests. Everything from shuriken throwing, to racing and, for the later years, sparring. Basically, it was a sports festival for ninja.
My group was to help set up the welcoming banner. The banner itself was being designed by another group, we just had the heavy labour. Assembling and mounting the supports, that sort of thing. As such, our group was filled with the more brawny students from the third year and myself. Honestly, I felt a little out of place but Kiyomi thought I fit right in. "Team Gorilla!" She loudly laughed before running off.
To be fair, this work was right up my alley. There was just something so satisfying about smacking things with a hammer. Driving in the stakes and tightening bolts, it just felt right. I had to chuckle when that thought crossed my mind. Maybe working with Dad was having more of an effect on me than I thought.
Time just flew by as I lost myself in my work. Before I knew it, the bell rang out to dismiss classes for the day. Although there was still a lot of work left so most people didn't pay it any mind. Myself included. Which is why I almost missed Sasuke when he came jogging towards the entrance. If not for the fact he had to call out for the seniors to clear a path for him I wouldn't have even noticed he was leaving early.
"Oh Sasuke?" I said, mouth acting on reflex. "Heading home already?"
"Yeah." Sasuke said in a hurried tone, "Father told me to come straight home today, I can't stick around."
"Oh, that's too bad." I replied, "Something up today?"
Sasuke shook his head and shrugged. "Dunno. He just insisted I get home as soon as I can." Despite keeping his cool exterior, I could hear the hint of disappointment in his voice. As much as he tried to hide it, he too was excited for the coming festival. A thought passed my mind that it might have something to do with his brother and the nomination. It had been about a month since I found out myself so surely by now they must be preparing for the official announcement. To my knowledge, Sasuke had not been informed. If he had, I could only assume he would have been over the moon these past few weeks.
"Well, good luck with whatever it is." I said, sending him off with a smile. Sasuke only nodded and lightly jogged off around the corner. His departure reminded me I couldn't stick around too late myself. "Excuse me, Leader," I called out to our team lead. A third year and abnormally tall, he was picking up several lengths of lumber at the moment with a single arm. "Could you let me know when its four o'clock please? I need to head home a bit early today."
The next hour passed by in a blink of an eye. Once again I got so engrossed in work that I lost track of most other things. So when the team lead placed his hand on my shoulder to get my attention, I may have yelped. After finishing up my task I gathered my things and made my way home, making sure to apologize again on my way out.
The reason for me needing to head out was because my Mom had set up some reservations at a moderately nice restaurant. Because of the coming festival, both Dad and I were going to be extremely busy so she wanted to get at least one day where we could spend time together. And so, Mom wanted me to get home early enough so everyone would have time to get ready.
Turns out, the extra time was essential. Chaos broke out when it was time to start getting ready. It began with Sengo running through the house screaming at the top of his lungs. Mom chased after him with a dress shirt in hand. Apparently he really didn't want to wear it because, and I quote, he 'doesn't like buttons.' Stepping in to help out, I caught the little bugger and the two of us began to struggle to dress him.
Things only got worse when, as we finally got one arm through the sleeve did Dad enter the fray. "Gin, I think this suit might be a little too-" Before he could finish his sentence, the telltale sound of fabric tearing echoed over even Sengo's commotion. Mom freezing with bulging eyes. "...Tight." Dad finished.
I could see Mom's face going red and quickly pulled Sengo away. "You go take care of that, I'll handle Sengo!" I quickly said, trying to pacify Mom before she went ballistic. A few tense seconds passed as Mom was able to calm down and compose herself. Thanking me, she stiffly got to her feet and took Dad back to the bedroom to get that fixed up.
Meanwhile I was stuck with this little demon who took the opportunity to capitalize on my distraction to slip out and the chase was on again. "Sengo, come on!" I pleaded as I caught him again, "Just put on the shirt!"
"No! I don't want buttons!" He protested and even tried to bite at me.
That earned him a little tap on the head, "No biting." I said sternly. "Now let me put on the shirt already. Its not that bad." We continued to struggle for a few more minutes until I sighed loudly and decided to try a different tactic. "Okay Sengo. If you put on the shirt and don't try taking it off, again, I'll share my dessert with you after dinner, okay?"
"No!" Sengo shouted and I groaned in response.
"Come on, Mom really wants us to do this together. When was the last time all four of us went out?" Sengo scrunched up his face and crossed his arms tightly to protect them from the evil sleeves. "We can't go if you don't put it on. Do you want to make Mom sad?"
It took a few seconds but finally Sengo muttered out a small "No..."
With a smile, I gently grabbed his arms and placed them to his sides. "So will you wear the shirt?"
"...Yeah." He replied with a pout.
"Good boy." Patting his head, I was finally able to get his shirt on. "There, now don't you look handsome!"
"Nooo." Shaking his head bashfully, while failing to hide the little smirk on his face. With that little struggle finally finished, Mom and Dad stepped back into the living room after fixing up his suit. Although it still looked to be tight on him and I was having a hard time not laughing as Dad waddled along, trying to move as little as possible.
"Oh good, you got Sengo dressed." Mom said, sighing heavily with relief. "Good, good." I could tell she was already exhausted, "I left your clothes in your room. Go get changed quick and we can go."
"Okay." I replied and quickly ran to my bedroom. Although my enthusiasm quickly drained when I saw the one piece dress laid out there. "Urgh... Really Mom?" I grumbled. I should have seen this coming in all honesty. Forcing Sengo into his little getup and Dad into that suit, of course she would have something for me. "She knows how much I don't like this stuff and yet..." With my own sigh, I picked it up and resigned myself. After what I said to get Sengo to wear that shirt I had no right to complain. That said, there would be one liberty I could take. One she wouldn't notice.
"Ready!" I tried to say with gusto but fell a bit short. Not quite able to hide my disdain for my own attire. Mom spun around with a wide smile for about half a second before heaving yet another sigh. "Meiko... Take those off." She said with dull, tired eyes. I returned a rather confused expression causing her to point towards my right arm.
"Oh! Right..." I said as I realized my mistake. Out of pure habit I left my training weights on underneath the cotton warmers. "Sorry, one second!" A minute later I returned feeling lighter than ever on my feet.
"Meiko, don't run in that!" Mom warned me as I came dashing into the room, freezing on the spot and quickly apologizing. Brushing out some wrinkles as I did so. With another sigh, a small smile did rise on Mom's face. "I knew that would look good on you." She said as a compliment but I could only purse my lips and bite my tongue.
The walk to the restaurant sucked as I was keenly aware of the thin fabric bounding around with each step. I literally had to change how I normally walked to accommodate while trying to not let my displeasure show to Mom. There was a small highlight to it all though, and that was seeing how everyone was so busy setting up decorations and stalls for the coming festival. With just over a week left, the entire village was bustling to get things done.
I did love these annual summer festivities. The village always came alive in ways rarely seen otherwise. That and the food. The food was always a favourite. Speaking of, we finally arrived at the restaurant. The place stood out from the usual venue's we visited, first off it was not simply open to the street. Two large plane glass windows revealed a beautiful interior and people dressed in similar garb to our own.
Inside, we were greeted by a waiter who took us to our seats. Another little novelty when compared to most of the village establishments. After taking our orders we all engaged in some small talk while Mom also tried to keep Sengo calm while we waited for our food.
"So we finally decided what we're doing for the class event." I said once the conversation began dying down. Describing the general plan I had for the dinner theatre and how Mana would be the headliner. Going on about the work being done to get things set up and other small things. Eventually our food came and the talking died down a bit as we dug in. I was being extra careful when eating because I knew Mom would kill me thrice over if I spilled anything on this dress.
Dinner went long into the evening and by the time we were all stuffed, a feat for both Dad and I, the sun was almost set. We stepped outside into the fading orange light while the streets were bustling even more. People trying to cram as much work as they could with the last strands of sunlight left to them. "That was good." I said, satisfied and patting my stomach. Sengo had long fallen into a food coma and was currently napping on Dad's shoulder.
The gentle orange glow quickly faded as we slowly made our way home. The cool night air was a bit too brisk for my tastes this night. Looking to the sky, the stars twinkled in a beautiful canvas, unblemished by any clouds. I couldn't help but smile. This last month had been like a dream compared to the years of worry that had been stressing my mind.
There was no way I could have known what my actions would lead to...
The night was temporarily put at bay as a single, bright flash illuminated the street. A moment later, before I could turn to see what the origin was, there was a gust of wind followed by a loud bang. Looking westward, I saw a column of smoke rising into the sky. Small light sparked out before another bright light shot out followed by another delayed bang. Around us, people began to murmur with theories as to what was going on.
A short moment later, the emergency alarm began to roar and two shinobi dropped down into the street. "Attention! There is an emergency situation!" One ninja cried out, his voice enhanced by chakra and carrying over the growing panic of the crowd.
"Please stay calm and head to the nearest emergency shelter!" The other commanded. The growing tension in the air quickly settled as people began moving in an orderly fashion.
"Meiko, take my hand and no matter what, don't let go." Dad said sternly and grabbed mine before I could respond. Sengo was starting to wake up in his arms as though the explosion were merely an annoying alarm clock. "Don't worry, we're going to be okay. I will not let anything happen to you." I knew Dad meant that and woe to anyone who tried to test those words. Ninja or not.
As we moved along with the crowds, I couldn't stop myself from letting my eyes wander skyward. It was hard to see in the darkness but with a little push from my chakra, I could make out small figures darting about the rooftops. Like countless flies from my perspective that sometimes clashed with small sparks flying off. This wasn't isolated to just one area, there was fights breaking out all over the place from what I could see.
"What's going on?" I muttered aloud. My mind racing trying to figure out why this was happening. Although I didn't need to wait very long to get an answer. Ahead of us, two more shinobi were directing traffic when two figures dropped out of the sky and attacked them.
"Look out!" One of them called to the other at the last moment. A bright streak of crimson shot through the air as the man backed away. Wounded but alive. Although that detail quickly faded from my consciousness. Instead, there was only one thing I was focused on. So much so that the world seemed to slow down.
On the back of the assailant, of one of the people attacking the village...
...Was a red and white fan.