Author's Note: Guess who just got their first hate review?
Meeeeeeeee.
Two in one, actually. From the same person. Just one day after C&C hit its 1000th follower milestone...after working 10 hours. :D Yeah. That was nice to come home to. I said my piece, though, and moved on with my life because I have better things to worry about BUT there are a few things I want to address first - things I've seen in multiple fandoms since I started getting into fan fiction some ten years ago. From quizzila to deviantart to here to Archives of Our Own, it's been everywhere. After this, I have little intention or desire to bring it up again.
One, OC-focused fics are not for everyone. I get that; that's okay. Here's the thing, though: It is also completely harmless fun as is most fan fiction, so really, there is absolutely no excuse to go around trashing people's (a lot of them kids) stories or making them feel bad because they want to hold random character A's hand or just want to be a ninja/wizard/warrior/whatever. The same applies to self-insert stories. Making fun of people's hard work like that is rude, immature, disrespectful, and just makes you a bully. It's not cool or okay or no big deal. It's just plain mean. Grow up.
Two, I don't like the term "Mary-Sue" for any character whether canon or otherwise. I see it as just another way of putting someone's character design down and being lazy about it at that. If you think a character (OC or not) is too perfect or one-dimensional or way overpowered, say that. If you think a relationship between characters is underdeveloped or unrealistic or just plain stupid, tell the writer and then tell them why. Critique, criticize, give feedback that is constructive. Also, why do I hear constant complaints about these "Mary-Sues" and rarely anything about a "Gary-Stu?" Come on, guys, think about it.
Three is more relevant to C&C, and that is Takara's own character design. A lot of people have called her annoying/irritating/borderline harassing Kakashi with how much she pesters him, especially in the first few chapters. And these people are very, very correct. Hinamori Takara is - as many characters, canon and original both, will say - truly an obnoxious human being. Maybe in future chapters she won't be so annoying as she matures or maybe she'll be even more annoying than ever. Depends on which character you ask. But who knows? (Oh, yeah, me.)
Moving on.
Answer to last chapter's question: On a weekend shortly after the last update, I participated in a No Hate rally/march. And I continue to educate myself and do what I can to support causes greater than myself. Real talk, guys, there is a lot of bad stuff going on right now in the world but now it's somehow been labeled as "okay" or "acceptable" in the last couple years. Please educate yourselves, stay safe, and speak up.
Curiosity and the Copycat
...a Naruto fanfiction story...
Curiosity and the Copycat © Mx. Irony
Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto
Takara is a Bisexual Badass
chapter 8
The Price of Kindness
"My son is now an 'entrepreneur'. That's what you're called when you don't have a job."
Ted Turner
Snip.
A sniffle.
Snip, snip, as the scissor blades slid against each other. One decisive cut after another without pause.
The little girl whimpered.
"Quiet."
She swallowed back a sob, opting to hold her breath so no noise could escape.
Curls of orange hair floated to the floor.
Takara opened her eyes slowly and blinked at the ceiling, drowsily looking around the room. She slowly sat up from her futon. The back of her night shirt was soaked through with sweat. She reached behind her back until her fingers found a messy braid. Takara pulled her long hair over her shoulder and held up the tail of her braid for closer inspection. The woman stared blankly, lost in thought.
Where the back of her neck was exposed, her skin itched. She scratched at it. Inexplicably, in the early morning humidity of Konoha, she shuddered. Takara shifted her gaze to the window above her head. A patch of clear blue sky peered down at her through the foliage of houseplants on the window ledge. Takara stood up to open the window and was greeted by the Konoha weekend rush: streams of people walking through the streets, birds singing, the occasional flicker of people (ninja) moving across rooftops. Normal, by Konoha standards. Almost normal by many other villages' standards.
Yet something felt...off.
Stepping back, Takara carefully closed the window. Her hands were shaking and she couldn't explain why.
Across the street, in a tree opposite of her window, a man in a porcelain hawk animal mask watched Takara draw the curtains shut.
Name: Hinamori Takara
Clan: Hinamori (civilian)
Parents: Hinamori Nobuyuki (living, age 44, Aomori Farmers' Union), Hinamori (née Natsume) Kikue (deceased, age 32)
Siblings: Hinamori Hotaka (age 21), Hinamori Hiraku (age 12), Hinamori Rikuto (age 10)
Date of Birth: May 14, 19-
Citizenship: Land of Fire
Origin: Aya, Aomori Prefecture, Land of Fire
Blood Type: O-
Current Address: 〒 722-5983 Konohagakure Koenji 2-Chome 303
Employment: Unemployed
Status: unknown
Notes: Subject moved to Konohagakure in May on a B-2 Visa. Took up residence in apartment building in the Koenji District (note: within close proximity to Hokage Residence). Subject's apartment neighboring S-Class Leaf Shinobi [blacked out] and other active/retired shinobi personnel. On June 29, the subject was observed speaking with [blacked out] and [blacked out, blacked out, blacked out]. Since then, subject has continued to associate with [blacked out]. Further surveillance mandated.
"I'm sorry, Takara-san," the woman said. Her glasses reflected the light, hiding her eyes from view. The rest of her expression was stone-like in its professionalism, lacking any genuine regret. "But we've come to the conclusion that you may not be the best fit for us."
The interview had gone well. Very well. It had been the best one yet and Takara had left with a fleeting sense of optimism. She'd been asked to come back a few days after but what for? For her to stand before this person's desk, not even offered a chair, and only told point blank "Thanks for coming. Turns out we don't want you, though?" This doesn't add up, Takara thought. What changed?
The back of her throat burned. Takara swallowed. Her voice came out a little flat when she said, "I'm sorry to hear that as well. But...and I appreciate you taking the time to tell me directly but I was under the impression that this meeting was for something very different."
The woman's expression faltered - just a small twitch but Takara caught it. "No one wanted to get your hopes up. However, there have been some recent changes in our business and - "
"Such as what, may I ask?"
"There's...we've decided it best to turn to local sources. Surely you can understand that, Takara-san."
Why?
Takara wanted to snap back, a retort tickling the tip of her tongue, but she forced it back with a polite smiled and raised eyebrows. "Local."
"Indeed." The woman straightened some papers on her desk and picked up a pen, continuing with work as though Takara weren't there. "Now excuse me, Takara-san, I have some work to be doing."
You waste my time and then have the nerve to act like I'm not worth a second more of yours?
"'Local' sources," Takara repeated. She stepped closer until she was inches away from the other woman's desk.
The woman had to crane her neck to meet Takara's gaze. "Yes. We want keep our focus local."
"Local focus for a business wanting to expand outside the village," Takara mused. "That's an interesting business strategy."
The other woman's hard expression gave nothing away. "Our shinobi leave the village everyday and come back from far off lands. We know how to handle foreign clients."
"Of course." Takara took a step back. "But there's a difference between how shinobi run their business and how a entrepreneur runs theirs. Best of luck in that."
The woman's mouth twitched; Takara wasn't sure if it was an almost smile or a sneer. "No, Takara-san, good luck to you."
Takara stared hard at the woman's face, taking in her shiny black hair and red lipstick. Her name tag, neatly pinned to her white blouse, said Toya Mitsumi. Takara made note of that name.
"Thank you...for your well wishes, Toya-san," Takara said smoothly, keeping direct eye contact. "I look forward to working with Nakamura & Co. another time in the future."
Toya looked condescendingly at Takara over the top of her glasses."We won't be looking for new hires again for quite a while."
"Oh, that's not what I meant. I have absolutely no interest in applying a second time."
Her jaw dropped.
Takara flashed a smile. "Have a nice day!"
Bowing swiftly before Toya could get in another word, Takara left the tiny office into a larger, more open room where multiple desks were located. As soon as she stepped into the main office, she felt eyes on her. Without sparing a glance at anyone, Takara took long strides towards the front doors. Whispers erupted where she passed by.
Why?
She asked herself this, again and again, and tried to make sense of it. There was none to be found. Gai had briefly mentioned the job before leaving on a new mission. Taking the chance, she applied, resume and all, and was asked to interview. The interview went well - extremely well. This time, there hadn't even been a subtle question about a local reference or anything; the interviewer had even seemed excited about her outside connections to various farming communities in the Land of Fire. Within the week, she'd received a phone call (or rather an irritable Ogino-san had) to come back again. And then...this.
Gritting her teeth, Takara tore her hair from the its elaborate bun and scratched her fingers through it. Everything had been off this week, she noticed. First Akiyama didn't even look at her while checking out books, then the postmaster at the office "closed" early when she went to collect stamps, then there was the sudden cold shoulder from some of the other apartment tenants, and now - now this.
"No, Takara-san, good luck to you."
Had it not been for what the woman said, Takara would have chalked everything to yet another string of bad luck since moving to Konoha. But that made her suspect something was up. But why? What could have caused this?
"Hey, lady!"
Snapping out of her glower, Takara's head jerked up. She smiled instantly. "Hello again, Naruto-kun."
The little blond skidded to a halt in front of her. He looked up with her wide big, sparkling blue eyes and a goofy grin. "You will not believe what happened today!"
"I think I can believe it more than you calling me 'lady' again," she said dryly, raising a brow.
In a split second, Naruto's expression froze. It nearly broke her heart.
"But tell me," Takara backtracked quickly. "What did you find?"
Instantly, that sunny smile resurfaced and Takara couldn't help a muted version of her own, right cheek dimpling. She listened attentively as Naruto chattered on, practically vibrating in his excitement, and she nodded along. It was like he had months worth of words stored inside, just waiting to be shared with another person, and here they came pouring out to her. Naruto glowed under her attention.
Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine in the July heat. Takara's head whipped around towards the nearest treeline. A bird fluttered away from one's branches but there was nothing else as far as she could see.
"Hey, lady? Lady? LADY!"
Bb-bump, bb-bump! She stared at the trees.
"...Onee-san?"
Instinctively, Takara snapped back to attention at that word. It took her a moment to process that it was Uzumaki Naruto, a child she just met, who called her and not either of her little brothers. She blinked at this realization.
Naruto scuffled his feet. His voice was small, subdued. "I can call you that...right?"
He looked so hopeful yet vulnerable when he said this. Who could say no?
"...I don't mind 'Onee-san,'" Takara said quietly. She thought of Rikuto and Hiraku the last time she saw them. Riku bawled at her departure. Hiraku had been trying so hard not to cry. "Sorry I spaced off a little there, Naruto-kun. Why don't you show me where that river you were talking about? The one with all the frogs?"
A giddy grin erupted from the boy's whiskered face. Naruto snatched her hand from her side and eagerly led her down the road (undoubtedly to said river), talking a mile a minute. He called her "Onee-san" at every opportunity since, almost as if he couldn't get used to the sound of it and had to repeat it again and again just to hear it one more time.
Arm poised behind her head, Saeko sat leisurely in her chair - practically lounging. She looked as comfortable as she would've been in her own living room, Kaori just down the hall, and not in a dark, cramped little room within Konogakure's Intelligence Division being interviewed by the head of Torture and Interrogation himself.
"How's it hanging, Ibiki-kun?" she asked casually.
Morino Ibiki's face was like stone. "This isn't a game, Saeko."
"Yeah? Doesn't look like you've been having too much fun," Saeko said with an arched eyebrow. She deliberately scanned the deep scars running across his face. "Shame. You used to be such a cute kid, too."
Were he a ninja with any less training, Ibiki might have snapped at his old senpai. But having graduated only a few years after her, he was already familiar with Saeko's strategic taunts to gain leverage on targets. It was a specialty of hers that might have earned her a place in the Interrogation Unit had it not been for the last shinobi war and her role in it. As insubordinate as she acted, Saeko was a good soldier: Observant, clever, quick on her feet.
She still was.
Once a Leaf nin, always a Leaf nin.
Ibiki continued, "I would like you to tell me about anything or anyone you may have noticed in the last two months."
"Let me guess," Saeko drawled. She leaned back further so her chair tilted backwards, leaning on its back legs. She heaved her feet on top of the stainless steel table; mud-caked shoes facing Ibiki. "This is about Takara-chan hanging out with the Uzumaki brat."
Ibiki forced himself not to look at the specks of dirt falling onto his recently cleaned, disinfected table. He instead gazed sternly into Saeko's eyes, sharp in contrast to her unimpressed facial expression. "What do you think about this Takara?"
"Well, to start off, that girl has no fucking clue what she's gotten herself into. But she's smart, real smart. It's only a matter before she figures it out."
Ibiki gave Saeko a wary look. "And what exactly do you think she'll figure out?"
She smiled grimly. "Exactly everything you don't want her to."
A long silence stretched between them.
Finally: "Tell me everything you know about Hinamori Takara."
Curry was not one of Takara's favorite foods. For one, she hated rice - specifically plain white rice - and plain white rice was often served with any curry dish. For another, she preferred foods she could really chew on. But this...
This, this was paradise. This was the grand design. This was love and kindness and world peace all rolled into one flavorful, hearty bite. This -
Bless you, Maito-san.
She had found a god in this restaurant and it was on her plate. Anything that wasn't ramen was divine to her taste buds.
Gai barely held back his laughter at the dreamy expression on her face. She had yet to remove the spoon from her mouth after the first bite. "Heh. Ahahaha - ahem." The man cleared his throat, trying to regain control of himself.
"Mm?" Takara looked at him, still dazed, spoon poking out of her mouth.
"How do you like the curry, Takara-chan?" Gai asked, dark eyes filled with laughter.
Sliding the spoon out of her mouth, Takara beamed. "You have no idea. You, Maito Gai-san, are a saint." Having only recently returned from a mission, it had been some time since Takara last saw Gai. The first thing he did upon returning home was track her down and ask how the interview went. When he learned of the rejection, he insisted on treating her to lunch to "cheer her up" (also muttering something about having to do 300 jumping jacks to "make up" for some kind of failure) despite Takara's protests. Ninja or no, the man was a saint in Takara's eyes.
When she told him as much, Gai blinked. Well, that's a first. Gai could not recall a time anyone had called a shinobi such a thing, least of all him - one of the more powerful, therefore frightening, ninja in Konoha. This girl was an odd one. He liked her for that.
"I am only passing on the Youthfulness," he said, waving a hand.
"This 'youthfulness' of yours sounds like the beginning of a new spiritual movement," she teased lightly, spooning another bite into her eager mouth. "It won't be long before I start seeing others running around in green jumpsuits, preaching the message."
The idea was doubtful at best but Takara enjoyed the mental image of a little boy with a similar penchant for bowl cuts and green. Maybe bushy eyebrows to match? She nearly snorted at the idea. Ridiculous.
Gai rubbed his chin. "It's funny you would mention that, Takara-chan."
"Hmm?" Takara managed mid-slurp.
"I've..." Gai paused, gathering his words. Takara immediately put down her spoon and leaned closer, attentive. "...actually been considering taking on some disciples of my own."
"Disciples?"
"A squad of genin."
"Genin... Genin, genin, genin." Takara tapped her bottom lip. "That's the lowest rank, right? Just graduated from the Academy?"
"Indeed! The most youthful of ninja, fresh sprouts in the springtime."
"Aah. You'd be a great teacher. How old are genin when they graduate?" Takara pictured Gai with older teenagers, about a few years older than her younger brother Hiraku, and smiled at the thought.
"Age varies, depending on a student's skill level, but the average age is twelve or so."
"Aah, that - " Takara stopped and blinked. "Wait, twelve?"
"Nowadays. They've upped the age a little in the last ten years or so. I was about seven when I moved up," Gai said, looking nostalgic.
"Seven?" She immediately pictured of a tiny Gai (except for his eyebrows), having just lost a baby tooth, wielding a pair of nunchucku and shouting a high-pitched for "YOUTH!" The image did not mix well with actual combat in Takara's mind. Her stomach turned at the idea.
Chin in hand, Gai nodded. "It took a few years for me to advance to chunin but I trained hard everyday and made rank at 11."
"...eleven?" Her voice cracked.
"Indeed I did!" Gai said proudly. "Why, I remember this one time - " He launched into a story about one of his first missions as a chunin.
Takara listened as the man spoke. He described everything in great detail, from the walk to the distant village in the Land of Tea and the weather to the village itself. Her eyes widened to the size of plates at the scenes he painted, talking about such distant places that she'd only read about them in books. Those eyes did not waver from Gai as he went on to an account about the group of thugs that attacked him and his client.
"Were you alright?"
"Of course. Though the same cannot be said about the greedy, unyouthful men who attacked." Gai told her further details, slipping into more depth than he usually would with a civilian.
To her credit, Takara did not flinch. She did not cringe. She did not say another word. Her face paled slightly but she listened without breaking eye contact with Gai even through the more gruesome parts of his story: deep cuts and smashed bone, some of which he freely admitted to doing himself.
Not once did she look away. It was like she was seeing him for the first time, really seeing him, and saw past past the jovial grin, the bright eyes, the sunny disposition. For the first time, she noticed - almost startled - the crooked nose, previously broken; the roughly calloused and scarred hands; and the ease with which he spoke of violence.
Gai's keen, dark eyes observed her as she took in his story. After he finished, Takara looked down at the table. She took a deep breath.
"Are all your missions like that?"
"More often than not." Gai's face was calm, placid, but his eyes were equally serious. Watchful.
A pause.
"Sometimes... It's not always self-defense." A statement. The civilian girl was not nearly as naïve as people assumed.
"That's right." Gai watched grimly as Takara shook her auburn-haired head. She let loose a soft sigh and closed her eyes.
"It's weird..." Gai's ears perked while Takara continued. "I knew this already and I can even picture it to an extent but I can't seem to look at you - any of you, really - and think..." Assassin, killer, murderer. "Mercenary."
At the word, Takara glanced up to gauge his reaction. Gai's expression remained neutral, open to what she had to say.
"I suppose you could be called that," she went cautiously, eyeing him carefully. "Honestly, though, it doesn't really change my opinion of you. You've been very, very kind to me. A true friend. And, in the end, that's what matters to me."
"I'm glad to hear that, Takara-chan. You've been a most youthful friend to me as well." Gai said, voice uncharacteristically quiet but meaningful. He looked at her with some sense of wonderment. She was still innocent by hardened ninja standards but… He thought back to his original idea, quickly evolving into a plan. Yes. Yes, this could work.
"So!" Gai perked up. "What are your plans this week, dear spring flower?"
Smiling wryly, Takara shook her head. "Nothing that can't be changed at a moment's notice. I still don't know why you call me that."
"Hmm?"
"Spring flower."
"Because, dear Takara-chan, you are a blossoming young woman in the very spring of her youth. As beautiful and sweet as any flower."
Bull shit. Takara nearly called him on that one but stopped herself. "Honestly, I think I like summer better. When everything has fully grown and at its strongest. New plants in the spring are too delicate."
"Ah, yes. Perhaps something hardier would suit Takara-chan better." Gai glanced at the ceiling thoughtfully. Then he looked at her long and hard. Takara tried not to squirm as she waited. He suddenly snapped his fingers. "I know!"
Expectant, Takara arched her eyebrows.
"Sunflower!"
"Sunflower."
"They're bright and cheerful with a sunny disposition but are some of the strongest flowers there are. Can grow in the worst of conditions."
Takara tilted her head. "That's what you think when you think of me?"
"Of course! You're an incredibly resilient person. It's what I admire most about you."
Cheeks warm, Takara looked down. She rubbed at her left shoulder. "I don't know about that..."
"But you are!"
"If you say so."
"I do!"
"Okay."
"Okay!"
"What did you want to do this week?"
"I'm so glad you asked!" Gai said, swiftly switching gears. "My eternal rival is due to return to the village any day now."
Takara's eyes widened. "Rival? I didn't know you had a rival."
"I do indeed," Gai confirmed, tone deepening dramatically. "A most formidable opponent, heralded as a genius from the time he entered the Academy. We have been competing against one another for years. The score is at a standstill: sixteen to sixteen. I plan to challenge him when he returns and finally reign victorious. Or I will have no choice but to complete 250 squats on the edge of a bridge."
"Maito-san," Takara admonished, "you cannot do squats on the edge of a bridge."
"Then I must win this challenge!"
Takara sighed. "I'll be rooting for you then."
The ninja's teeth gleamed in his broad grin. "It heartens me to hear you say that, my dear sunflower, but I have a much bigger role for you."
Glancing down at her mostly finished meal (paid for by Gai), Takara looked back up at him. "And that would be...?"
"To referee of course!"
"...uh-huh. Okay. Isn't your rival a ninja?"
"Yes!"
She scratched her cheek. "Am I really, erm, the most qualified person to referee a challenge between two shinobi?"
"More than enough."
"Would your friend - "
"Eternal Rival."
"Eternal rival be okay with that?" Takara asked. "Or with me even being there? Civilians aren't supposed to be on the training grounds." According to her neighbor at least. Takara briefly thought of Hatake; she wondered what he was up to now or if he had any "eternal rivals" of his own waiting for him at home or some fellow ninja to spend time with outside of missions.
"Gai explained, "Only certain ones. Even some ninja are restricted from going to the more challenging ones alone."
Never mind. Takara was never going to listen to Hatake again.
"But is your eternal rival going to be okay with an unknown civilian refereeing this challenge, whatever it might be?" Takara was now more than familiar with how touchy some ninja could be about "stranger danger" than others.
Gai's eyes glittered. "Of course I'll vouch for you! And I have the utmost confidence that you two will become great friends."
The thought sounded nice and admittedly, Takara was curious as to what kind of person would be her dear friend's "eternal rival." It had to be someone very interesting, she thought. Someone as lively and energetic as Gai if they could keep up with him enough to be considered a rival.
Food Hazard Report Form
Name: Hinamori Takara
Location: Mori-Mori Groceries 〒 314-2011 Konohagakure Koenji 4-Chome 511
Date: July 12th 20-
Description of hazard:
Perishable foods in the refrigerated section were not kept at health code mandated temperatures. Food handlers were observed serving food without appropriate gloves, hairnets, or aprons; service area itself was also unclean. Saw insects within the produce aisle. When health code concerns were expressed to staff up to and including supervisor, they were dismissed in a rude, abrupt manner.
Signature:
Hinamori Takara
日奈森 宝
"Hmmm."
Hiruzen Sarutobi peered into the crystal ball. Naruto's familiar face appeared in the sphere, laughing as he ran through an open park. Close behind him, a girl - a stranger, a foreigner - chased after him. It wasn't unusual to see people chasing the ten-year-old, especially after he developed an unfortunate interest in pranks, but this person was laughing as well. She was a tall girl, seeming seventeen or eighteen although her file stated she'd recently turned twenty months ago. After initial reports, she'd been easy to track and identify with long, bright orange hair which swung behind her as she played with Naruto. It seemed innocent enough. Perhaps Hinamori Takara really was a simple civilian girl with a good heart, unknowingly reaching out to the Nine-Tailed Fox's cotainer as all she saw was a young boy in need of a friend. But no shinobi lived a long, successful life and career without suspicion.
"Has she asked you any questions about Naruto?" Sarutobi asked.
"She hasn't once mentioned him since I returned from the Land of Birds," Gai told him. He watched Takara in the crystal ball. She and the Nine-Tails boy found themselves in a river. Naruto was the first to splash her; she returned the favor by dunking him in the river. It made him want to smile. "I almost didn't believe it when I heard but truth be told, I wasn't surprised."
The Third Hokage inhaled from his pipe; smoke curled out of his nostrils. "Why's that?"
"Takara-chan is a very kind, nurturing person. But she isn't one to back down or be pushed around either."
Sarutobi exhaled. "You've seen her lose her temper before?"
"I have not," Gai declared.
"Then how do you know?" Sarutobi asked.
Gai chuckled. "Hokage-sama, we don't get many new residents in Konoha. And the few we do, none of them are single 20-year-old women with detailed business plans."
Wincing, Takara sucked in a breath through her teeth.
"Relax. I haven't even poked you yet," Nurse Ikeda said, voice warm with amusement as he wiped her upper arm with disinfectant. This was their second meeting, meaning time for the second immunization dose, as agreed upon previously. Despite Takara's best attempts, idle conversation about the weather did nothing to distract from the main purpose of her visit. As before, Ikeda was all business and got straight to the point.
Ha. Literally, Takara privately joked.
"Sorry... It's cold."
He started filling the shot with the vaccine as he spoke, "You were just complaining about the heat a little while ago."
"Because it's hot," Takara mumbled. She refused to move her gaze away from the far opposite wall to look at Ikeda or the needle. The private hospital room was small, cramped, and there were no windows. Instead of white, the walls were painted light brown - worse than the white, she thought. It looked like the walls were caked with dried mud.
Ikeda scoffed. "No, it's not."
"It is to me."
"Wait until August."
Takara blanched. "You mean it might get hotter?"
"It will get hotter," was Ikeda's response before pushing the needle through skin.
Takara's eyes clenched shut. She breathed through her nose.
"There. Done," he said, already disposing of the used shot and peeling off his gloves.
Takara blinked, peering at the smooth skin of her arm where it still stung. She went to tentatively poke at it but Ikeda swatted her hand away in order to put on a band aid. Takara sulked at that.
"Now. Do you want to pick out a candy?"
She gave him a look.
Ikeda returned it with an almost grin. "You know I can't get away with anything with the shinobi, so I gotta make do with you."
"That's called bullying, Ikeda-san, and I do not appreciate it."
"So sorry, Hinamori-san. I'll make it up to you." Ikeda washed his hands quickly, scrubbing thoroughly. Takara noticed how red and irritated his skin was as he dried them. "Cherry or green apple?"
"Green apple, please."
Candy delivered, Takara poked the sucker into her mouth. Ikeda plopped into the chair across from her, rubbing his knees. He leaned his head back and sighed. Takara watched him carefully, hand tucked under her chin, and leaned toward him.
"How are you, Ikeda-san?"
Ikeda rubbed at his forehead. "Good. Ish. Busy. It's always busy, though, and I knew that coming in. I prepared myself for this. But it's nice to just...breathe sometimes."
Takara's brow furrowed.
"I'm fine, Hinamori-san. Some days are just heavier than others." Ikeda opened his eyes and looked at her with a serious expression. "What about you, Hinamori-san?"
Removing the sucker from her mouth, Takara considered him. Then she answered, "I'm alright. To be honest, the job hunt hasn't gotten any easier but I have ways of figuring stuff like this out. Don't worry."
"...really?"
"Mmhmm."
"Has there..." Ikeda shifted in his chair, crossing and uncrossing his legs. "...been anything else? Anything different?"
Takara arched a fine eyebrow at him, otherwise keeping a straight face. "No, I wouldn't say that."
"You haven't met anyone new? Anyone a little...uh, little?"
"Ikeda-san."
"Yes, Hinamori-san?"
"Is this about what I think it is?
"Yes," he agreed immediately. "It probably is. What do you think it is?"
"I think it has to do with the same thing at least five people have brought up with me this week alone," she said dryly.
Ikeda grimaced. "Then yes, it's exactly what you think it is."
"Who," Takara corrected.
"The short blond boy."
"Naruto-kun."
Ikeda nodded gravely.
"So you know him."
"Everybody in the village seems to," Ikeda confirmed. "I hear his name a lot, especially among the chunin sensei. I also know what you did."
Takara said nothing, waiting.
Ikeda let out a long, slow breath. Quietly, like he was afraid of being overheard, he said, "And I'm glad that you did it. I'm glad someone did something."
"So..." Takara swallowed. "Ikeda-san, you know how he's been treated in some places."
"Not just some places, Hinamori-san. The entire village."
Takara expected as much; she hated that this didn't come as a surprise to her. "Why though? He's just a - "
"Just a child?"
"A baby! He's just a little boy, Ikeda-san."
"There's no such thing in Konoha," Ikeda muttered, expression grave. "If you saw the little genin that go through here... Some are hardly older than eight."
"Naruto-kun isn't even a genin. He hasn't graduated yet. And besides, that's - those are from outside the village, not in it."
"You'd be surprised what shinobi parents put their children through for the sake of 'training.'" Ikeda's eyes darkened, as though recalling several unpleasant incidents.
"I have some idea of it. But this isn't some type of weird village-wide 'training' just for Naruto-kun, Ikeda-san. They're ostracizing him."
"I know they are."
"It's awful."
"It's cruel, that's what it is. You've only seen the surface of it." Scowling, Ikeda shook his head.
Looking down, Takara rolled the sucker between her fingers. Quietly, she asked, "Do you know why?"
Ikeda stared hard at the floor, frowning deeply. "I don't know... I really don't know. Maybe he's the son of a traitor or picked up somewhere from enemy territory after a battle. I've seen a lot of that. I even heard this one story where a five-year-old was shunned by the whole village because his father made one mistake on a mission. People here - some people are just merciless like that."
Takara's head spun from it all. "That's - that's - "
Ikeda nodded. "I know."
"So wrong."
He shot her an increasingly familiar look often passed between them. Takara read it as, What the hell is wrong with these ninja? She'd really like to know the answer herself.
"Have you ever talked to Naruto-kun? Or tried to reach out?" she asked desperately. "You could've done something, too."
The nurse scoffed. "My supervisor won't even let me examine him during his annual physicals. I don't know what it is about that little boy but something about him, about his past, just sets the villagers off but they're also so guarded when asked about him. No outsider is actually allowed contact with him."
"No...outsider?" Takara remembered the random chills, the itching at the back of her neck, the feeling of eyes watching her everywhere she went. Oh, no. She paled as the realization hit her. "Why? Is there some kind of secret? What kind of secret would - "
"Hinamori-san." Leaning forward, Ikeda until his face was inches from Takara's. Quietly, he said, "I've worked here for two years, and I can count everything I've learned about the Leaf on one hand. What little I do know is confidential. It's called a hidden village for a reason, even if the gates are in plain sight. But there is one thing I can tell you."
Takara listened, eyes wide.
"Word your questions carefully - you never know who might be listening - and be very careful of who you're asking and where. Remember the cat. This is a place where even innocent curiosity can get attention from the wrong people."
"...thank you, Ikeda-san. For the vaccine and everything else." Takara pushed back her chair and stood. Then she threw the wrapper, gathered her things, and walked to the exit.
"Hey."
Takara paused at the door frame.
"If you need anything, let me know. Even if it's just to talk, I'm okay with that, too," he added, not looking her in the eye.
She smiled slightly. "Thanks, Ikeda-san."
"Please be careful, Hinamori-san."
Only a little worse for wear, Kakashi knelt before the Hokage after he finished reporting full details from the mission. He was dirty, covered in dirt and a little blood, and his muscles were satisfyingly sore after a week of reconnaissance work before the final battle. Suffice to say, he was eager for bed and could only hope his neighbor wasn't around when he got back to the apartment building. He only wanted to go straight to bed after this meeting, and he had Obito to visit shortly thereafter.
"I have something else to discuss with you, Kakashi, about an entirely different matter," the Hokage began.
"Yes, Hokage-sama?"
"Do you know a woman by the name of Hinamori Takara?" the old man asked.
Kakashi froze, brain processing what the kage just asked. The first thought that occurred to him was, What did she do?
Slowly, carefully, as if admitting a secret shame: "...yes. She's a young civilian girl that moved into Konoha almost two months."
The Third Hokage took another long drag from his pipe. "And what is your relationship to her?"
"She's...my neighbor," he admitted, reluctant.
"What is your general impression of her?"
Quiet, Kakashi considered the question. What did he think of that girl? He had done everything to shove her away, keeping her at a distance as he did others, but she always came back one way or another. In the process, he'd seen different sides to her: obnoxiously polite, never shuts up, loud, nosy, too nice for her own good, constantly apologizing for thing she shouldn't be sorry for. Then there was another side to her, just under the surface of her earnest demeanor, one he caught glimpses of on days where she was a little quiet, drawn into herself. And at night, when she didn't think anyone was around to hear her, she was out on the roof. Then she was completely different person from who she was in public.
How would he describe someone like that?
"Annoying."
The Third's thin lips twitched at that. "Is that so?"
"She's too curious for her own good," Kakashi said bluntly. "She involves herself where she has absolutely no business being involved and cares too much for strangers. She's naive to the world but much smarter than she lets people believe."
"Hmm." The Hokage opened up a thick file on his desk to read its contents.
Kakashi stared at it, realizing what it was and what it meant: Hinamori had a file now. He'd only been gone for a week, and she had a file. What's in it?
"Would you consider her to a threat by any means?"
What did that stupid girl do? he wondered. "Not from what I can tell."
A vague answer but one that meant its own weight coming from Kakashi. If anyone could detect a potential threat, it was him. Especially if that potential threat slept literally meters away from him behind a thin wall. There was no hint of Hinamori having any kind of ninjutsu training; she barely had a notable chakra signature. Everything checked out so far. He told the Hokage as much when he inquired further. Kakashi was honest when he said, "She's probably more of a threat to herself than other people."
Sarutobi stroked his goatee, humming in thought. "Thank you for your insight, Kakashi. And I'm afraid you may be right about that."
Kakashi gave no indication of the twisting feeling in his gut.
"Your neighbor ran into Uzumaki Naruto awhile ago and seems to have befriended him."
What?
"I have relayed strict protections for Naruto as Hokage but I cannot offer the same for Takara, a foreign civilian here on a visa."
"Hokage-sama, has anything - ?"
"She remains unharmed but unfortunately, I believe Takara may have found some villagers to be less hospitable since she's started keeping Naruto's company."
Less than hospitable? More like downright hostile. Whatever aggression villagers held back from Naruto, as required by law and ensured by Anbu security's protection, would be funneled to Hinamori Takara. Talkative, naive Hinamori. Stupidly bright and persistent Hinamori who greeted him every time she saw him and tried to meet him where he was. The silly civilian girl who took initiative to move to Konoha by herself and start a life without any family or friends for support, with just a few boxes to her name. Hinamori who faked almost all her smiles but always lit up when she saw him. Hinamori who - because she persisted and argued with him, refusing to back down - saved his life.
Of course. Of course she would come across his sensei's orphan and take Naruto in. That's exactly what she tried to do with him this whole time, right?
And that kindness of hers had gotten her into trouble.
"What?"
Hands shaking, Takara fingers crinkled the paper. Her breathing quickened. There's been a mistake. She couldn't - wouldn't believe. Someone messed up. This was wrong. This didn't make any sense. Takara wanted to scream and rage and maybe throw something, too, for good measure. She almost wanted to cry.
She was completely and totally -
Dear Hinamori Takara and all Occupancy:
This notice is addressed to you, Hinamori Takara, and all other tenants and/or occupants within the above address under lease. Due to our concerns regarding rental and utility fees, your contract with us has been deemed void. According to Konohagakure housing laws requiring 30 day notice, you have until August 28th at 8 a.m. to vacate the premises. If you fail to move out by this time, a lawsuit to evict will be filed in Konohagakure Municipal Court.
"Shit."
- screwed.
Author's Note: Poor Takara.
Thank you for everyone's patience with this update. Life has been extremely busy lately, so it's been hard to carve out time for to complete this chapter. I always find writing C&C that much harder when there are not any actual interactions between Takara and Kakashi. It feels off. But the whole point of this chapter was to set up the whole Takara-is-completely-screwed premise which will lead deeper into plot and - I promise - some good Kakashi/Takara content. Their official ship name, by the way, is now Takashi. Thanks for voting!
Also, C&C has not just met and passed its 1000 followers milestone (by over a 100!) but it now has over 500 reviews. For both of these achievements, I felt it appropriate to have not one but two pieces of bonus content as thanks to all of you readers. Really, thank you so much. Its your positive feedback that really keeps me and this story going. Both should come up soon but really, I just wanted to finally get this new chapter up because I've kept you guys waiting long enough. I'm debating whether to post it as its own bonus chapter right here or make a separate "story" for it and other alternative POVs, extra scenes, and the like. What do you guys think of that?
Here is your actual question of the chapter: What element is your affinity and why do you think that? Also, what do you think Takara's chakra affinity would be?