Chapter 22
"Yah!"
I knew it was a mistake the moment I threw the punch, but by then it was already too late. My momentum carrying through made it impossible to stop. The counter was swift and effective. My arm was caught and twisted as my opponent spun behind me, kicking out my foot and pushing me down to the ground.
"Gah!" I grunted as I landed and some air forced out of my lungs.
"Do you give up?" My opponent asked, while I couldn't see it I knew he had a rather smug grin on his face.
"Yeah, I give!" I replied, tapping my hand in the dirt several times. Instantly my arm was released and the weight holding me down lifted. With a groan, I pushed myself back to my feet, brushing off some of the dirt on my shirt.
"So what do you think?" Sasuke asked, looking quite proud of himself. "My brother taught me those moves."
"I preferred it when he taught you shuriken jutsu." I grumbled back, "It was better for my health." I could hear Sasuke laughing behind me.
"You know, maybe you could join us next time. Then maybe you wouldn't end up eating so much dirt." He taunted, but I could tell his offer was genuine from how he started kicking the dirt and looking away.
I laughed back, "But it tastes so good!" Quickly trying to change the subject with some humour while also hiding the shiver that ran up my spine. While I couldn't deny the lure of training from someone that talented, I really did not want to encounter Itachi again if I could help it. The last time left me scarred well enough as it was.
"I wouldn't know, I've never tried." Sasuke shot back with more smug laughter.
"Well, one of these days I'll be sure to give you a taste." I retorted, a shallow threat for sure but it seemed to be working to divert the conversation away from Itachi.
"As if," He began but was cut off as a bell rang out through the air. The ten minute warning that classes were about to start. "Already?" Sasuke sighed
"Saved by the bell." I chuckled while my tone insinuated he was the one being saved.
"Really? Then round two at lunch?" Sasuke countered.
"We should really get going! Don't want to be late!" I quickly replied and backed away.
With a smug chuckle, Sasuke nodded. "See you next time then." And then started off towards the building first. We had to leave one at a time to avoid the inevitable mobbing he would be subjected to upon being spotted. If I was at his side, I would instantly become a target.
"See ya, oh and remember, game face!" I said as he was leaving, putting on my best impersonation of his 'cool guy' persona. Upon seeing that, Sasuke flinched and momentarily had his cheeks flare red. I couldn't hold my impression as laughter broke it.
"Tch, whatever!" He shouted back and ran off. Watching from the safety of the treeline and, as predicted, Sasuke was immediately mobbed. At least eight girls, headed by Ino and Sakura almost instantly surrounded him. Already a pro at dealing with this, Sasuke simply continued walking while barely acknowledging their existence. The girls parting like the Red Sea for him and swooning over his cool guy attitude.
I chuckled at the sheer disparity between how Sasuke was acting now to just moments before. Around almost anyone else, Sasuke was that cool, stoic guy who could do anything. When it was just the two of us however he was more, well, normal. It had taken a long time but I guess he didn't feel the need to keep up that persona of his around me. It was a big reason for the jealousy from the groupies.
That said, lately I had noticed he had been in an even better mood than usual. It seemed that his bother Itachi had been home a lot more lately, thus he could spend more time with him and learn more skills which were immediately tested out on me. I rotated the arm he had pinned earlier, a slight stinging of pain shooting up it as I recalled my latest trouncing at his hands.
There was one other person who could break through that shell of his, a certain blonde boy who was, thankfully, nowhere near the line of fire at the moment. The second warning bell rang out and it was time for me to get moving. Spotting a decent group of people, I figured I could slip in behind them with little issue. My hands made a quick seal and chakra surged to my legs. Moments later I was out of the trees and standing beside the building. Slinking in with the passing group and heading inside.
As I was slinking into the building, I passed by Sasuke's groupies. Ino and Sakura were fighting again. I wasn't sure what caused it but it was disappointing to see. I couldn't say we were close enough to be called friends but I did know them in passing. We met up on occasion when I was visiting Kiyomi. But they had been very close friends until recently. While I knew it was coming and that they would eventually make up, it was still sad.
Quietly groaning, I slumped into my desk. My sentiments were shared between most of the class. This past week the village had been in the grip of an unforgiving heatwave. The humidity so thick it may as well be a second later of skin. Even being indoors only gave a minor reprieve. A single rotary fan stood in the corner of the classroom, proving moral support more than anything.
"I'm dying..." Mana said weakly. I groaned in agreement. We were only halfway through the morning at this point. The worst part would be the afternoon when we had to go back outside. Glancing to the window, all I could see was a dull grey. Thick storm clouds hovered overhead, threatening, or more like taunting us with the chance of rain. A silent prayer for it passed through my mind alongside the hope it would finally break this heat.
After what felt like an eternity, lunch finally came and went. No one really wanted to move so most ended up eating at their seats. Then it was the dreaded afternoon, the outdoor classes. My prayer for rain went unanswered so the class made their way outside. Stepping out of the building, I was hit by a wall of humid air. The kind so thick it made breathing hard and felt like a slimy veil over my skin. "Gross..." I grumbled.
Strangely, my sentiments were not shared with the rest of the class. Despite the heat, there was an energy quickly growing among them. "Hey Kiyomi, what's got everyone so excited for?" I had to ask.
Kiyomi turned to me with a look of disbelief verging on offence, "Are you serious?" She asked, "Did you forget or something!?"
I nodded, trying to hide the fact I was blushing from embarrassment. "Yeah, kinda..." I grumbled, "This heat is too much. My brain is an omelette right now."
"Right now?" Kiyomi said with such a deadpan tone it physically hurt. "Sometimes I worry about you, you big dummy." With a sigh and pitiful patting of my shoulder, she finally answered my question. "Today's the day we learn our first jutsu!"
Slowly the gears ground to life and I finally recalled this simple fact. "Oh!" I said as the light bulb finally clicked on. Kiyomi sighed again as the class came to a halt. My own excitement starting to grow to match theirs. It was kind of funny how excited Kiyomi was to learn our 'first' jutsu, considering just how many she already knew. But that's just how she was, she loved learning new techniques more than anyone I could think of.
"Quiet down!" Mizuki-sensei called out when we reached the centre of the field. The class silenced themselves so fast even he couldn't hide his shock. Quickly recomposing himself with a small cough, he began.
"Ahem, well then. I can tell you're all excited to learn what jutsu we have in store for this class." The class started murmuring with excitement once more, forcing Mizuki to fake another cough, much louder this time. The noise quieted down again but the air was still electric with their excitement. "Rather than boring you with a long explanation, it will be simpler for me to just give a demonstration, so eyes up."
There was practically a collective gasp as it felt like everyone held their breath. Waiting and watching with rapt attention for what Mizuki was about to do. Enjoying the power he held, Mizuki forced us to wait for several agonizing seconds before forming a basic hand seal. With a loud pop, he was obscured by a cloud of smoke. A moment later it cleared and he was gone.
The class erupted as many started questioning where he went and most were looking around trying to find Mizuki-sensei. My excitement however, utterly plummeted. Of all the jutsu, it just had to be the one I already knew. By my side, Kiyomi was smirking. "Body Flicker, nice." She said to herself. Mana too was bouncing slightly, despite being perhaps the most affected by this heat this new 'vanishing trick' had her rapt attention.
Another pop and Mizuki re-materialized. There was another collective gasp and he quickly silenced the chatter. "So, does anyone know what I just did?" He asked, eyes scanning the crowd. Kiyomi's hand immediately shot into the air, as did Mana's. There were a few others as well and so I weakly added mine to the pile.
With an intrigued grin, Mizuki called upon Mana first. "You disappeared!" She happily shouted.
"Well, you're not... Entirely wrong." He stammered, unsure how to really handle Mana's earnest, yet oblivious answer. "How about you." Quickly turning away from that possible headache he motioned to me.
"That was the Body Flicker Technique, right?" I stated flatly.
"Correct, I assume you've seen it before?" He asked, although it was rhetorical. "Yes, this is the Body Flicker Technique. While not technically a jutsu, it is still an invaluable skill for all shinobi to have." It was at this point I started to tune out the speech. Having already learned all this and combine that with the heat I just didn't have the energy to focus.
It took Kiyomi driving an elbow into my side to bring me back. "Ack, what?" I asked before Kiyomi pointed out the class was dispersing.
"Spacing out again? Come on Meiko!" Kiyomi said, "We're going to practise for a bit and at the end of class we have to do a demonstration." A quick, but to the point explanation on what I had missed. "I'll help you out, so come on."
Grabbing my arm, Kiyomi began to tug me along to an open area so we would have room to practise. "Where did Mana run off to?" She asked aloud, head on a swivel as she searched for the dark haired girl who, to the best of my memory, had been beside us during the lecture. "I'm a little worried she got the wrong idea about the jutsu..."
That was a valid concern. Mana had lit up thinking it was some kind of vanishing act and considering she had just vanished herself, well, she may have gone off to do her own thing again. "You should go look for her." I said, planting my foot hard into the ground and pulling my arm free. "I think I'm going to go practise on my own."
Kiyomi looked back at me, a bit bewildered and slightly offended. "What? Why!?" She almost shouted back, "I've seen it, you have a lot of trouble with other jutsu. I just want to help!"
"I know," I replied, feeling a bit guilty that a part of me still wanted to keep the fact I could use this particular technique a secret. Something I could use to surprise Kiyomi and finally beat her at something. I knew it was childish and petty but right now it was the one thing I could say I was better at than her... Assuming she didn't just naturally figure it out on her own.
"I don't want you to embarrass yourself when you screw up in front of the class." Kiyomi added, her lack of faith in my abilities stung. The fact there was no malice behind her words only made it sting all the more. My track record certainly spoke for itself and, had I no experience with the Body Flicker I certainly would have been quite the laughing stock.
"...Its that bad, huh?" I asked with a pained smile, eye falling to the ground.
"Duh." Kiyomi replied immediately, "If you try on your own you'd probably run face first into a tree or something."
"Guh!" Another shot straight to the heart. I couldn't even muster a reply as a montage the countless times I smacked straight into the wall played in my mind.
"And I don't want that brat Mimi taking another shot at you." Kiyomi grumbled with a surprising amount of anger.
I raised my head at that, my confusion evident on my face. "Eh? Mimi? What about her?" Mimi was one of our classmates but I never really interacted with her. If memory served, she may have been one of Sasuke's groupies. Lately, she had occasionally tried talking to me but our conversations quickly died out. So whatever Kiyomi meant by 'shots' went right over my head.
The blonde let out an exasperated sigh, "Dummy," She said, shaking her head. "Anyway, come on. Let's get started." It was plain to me that Kiyomi really did just want to help, even if her words were a bit on the harsh side. Keeping my ability secret at this point would just be spiteful.
"Kiyomi, you should go practise by yourself." I said, "I can already use the Body Flicker."
That got a raised brow from Kiyomi before a short laugh. "Really? You? Since when?" I had to bite my lip as her flagrant dismissal caused a flare of anger to burn. I took a quick breath to soothe myself before answering.
"Misaki taught me over a year ago." I replied, keeping my tone steady. "Although..." My voice trailed off a bit as some heat kissed my cheeks, "I really could only use it well recently..."
Kiyomi was silent for a moment, her expression quickly shifting to one of annoyance. "Alright, prove it." She commanded. Anticipating this, I had already begun preparing my chakra and the moment she spoke, I formed a Ram seal and shifted my focus to the area behind her. The familiar sensation of rapid movement began as the world blurred then snapped back into focus.
Now I was standing directly behind my friend. Momentarily, my mind needed a moment to steady itself as I was hit with a sensation similar to vertigo. Extremely minor and lasted barely a fraction of a second but it was still something I was unable to completely overcome. The more I used the jutsu in succession the worse it got. The same was true for the further the distance. I had meant to ask Misaki about a possible solution but it kept slipping my mind.
I poked Kiyomi in the back, causing her to jump with a yelp. Spinning on the spot she raised a hand, ready to give me a good slap out of reflex. With a yelp of my own, I stepped back just enough to narrowly avoid the counter. "Careful there!" I shouted, Kiyomi glaring at me with frustrated embarrassment for what I made her do.
"You're not supposed to dodge it! Dummy!" She chastised but thankfully didn't throw out any more attacks.
"I don't want to get hit!" I countered before laughing. "Anyway, you should go practise on your own."
"Heck no!" Kiyomi replied instantly, grabbing my hand in both of hers, "You're sticking around and helping me this time!" With eyes sparkling and grip tightening, I gave in.
"Fine, fine." I sighed, "I'm not sure how much help I can be though." We moved to a more open area, well away from the others and any obstacles. My prior experience taught me this would be best, that and I caught at least one person flinging themselves into a tree out of the corner of my eye. It also allowed Mana to find us, appearing from wherever she had popped off to.
"So, uh..." I tried to begin, never having taught anyone anything I wasn't quite sure where to start. "I don't think I need to repeat anything Mizuki-sensei said, just uh, give it a shot I guess?" I placed a large rock I found on the ground as a marker point. "Just try to stop near this rock."
"You really suck at teaching..." Kiyomi said flatly and I really couldn't argue.
"Yeah... Sorry." I apologized. "You have to try it first to really get a feel though. If you use too much chakra, you'll fly out of control, too little and you won't even move. Plus, you really can't see where you're going. Its just too fast. It took me months of trial and error to get enough of a feel that I can mostly stop where I want to."
"Months?" Kiyomi echoed before a massive grin overflowing with smugness stretched across her face. "Well, I guess I'll just have to master this today then." I bit my lip again as Kiyomi stepped forward, knowing that confidence wasn't just her bragging. She could very well do it with ease thanks to her talents, frustrating as that was. I found myself holding my breath as she formed the seal and vanished.
Her startled cry drew my attention to her destination. Kiyomi had overshot the marker by a large margin. It was certainly a good thing we grabbed an open area otherwise she would have most certainly crashed into something.
"Whoa, okay you were right." She said, turning back to face me, "You really can't see a thing. Ugh..." A cautious hand rose up to her mouth for a moment before Kiyomi relaxed. "So, how do you do it?"
"Do what? See?" I asked back before shrugging, "I don't. Like I said, I had to spend a lot of time getting a feel for it." Crossing my arms, I tried to figure out a way to best describe what I do. "Like... I guess I can just tell how far I've travelled so I just stop when I think its far enough. Its not perfect, but I really don't know what else to do."
"Eh?" Kiyomi groaned with disappointment. "That's not helpful at all! You're talking like Mana!"
Speaking of, it was Mana's turn to try. The girl had been waiting patiently on the sidelines, rocking back and forth from heel to toe. "You want to give it a shot?" I asked, half expecting Mana to poof off somewhere.
"Nah." She replied, "It doesn't look fun."
I chuckled, after Mizuki had shot down her idea of turning invisible, Mana's enthusiasm had all but died out. It didn't help that, in essence, the body flicker technique was just 'running really fast' and Mana was not a fan of physical exertion. Deep down, I could relate. A long time past I was similar and I think that regret was why I could push myself so hard now.
Despite that, this was an important technique for her to learn and I had an idea to get her excited again. "Are you sure? I can think of a few tricks you could do with it. It might not be flashy but its definitely useful." I could practically see her ears twitch as she stopped her rocking and stared hard at me with those silvery eyes.
After a few long moments, Mana nodded, "Okay!" She said with an innocent smile and stepped forward. "So I do this with my hands, right?" Mana asked, forming a Ram seal. I had to suppress a chuckle at the sight of her actually using hand seals. Somehow she could use her little custom jutsu just by waving her arms around so being constrained like this was just a bizarre sight.
Even Sensei was stumped as to how she pulled that off. Mana had insane levels of talent, but her attitude and utter disinterest in being a ninja held her back. That said, she was maturing. She no longer thought of everything she couldn't immediately explain as magic. But that still hadn't ruined her dreams, she still wanted to become a magician. An odd choice being in a ninja school but one that really seemed to suit her.
"That's right," I nodded, "Now just focus your chakra to your legs, its pretty simple to start."
"Mhm." Mana nodded again. I had thought this would be a simple matter for her, considering just how easily she had done more insane feats. Yet after several seconds of nothing happening, I was starting to worry.
"Hey Mana?" I started to ask before noticing a weird sound coming from her, almost like pressure building in a pipe. Her cheeks were puffing out and face scrunching up as though she was trying to force something out.
A few more seconds later and she suddenly exhaled with the force of a balloon popping. "Meikooo," She moaned "Its not working!"
Kiyomi and I shared similar expressions of bewilderment. The fact that Mana couldn't even move was unbelievable. "Mana, what happened?" We asked, practically in tandem.
"I told you its not working!" She repeated, more frustrated now. "Look!" Repeating the seal, Mana started focusing her chakra once more. At least, I thought she was. To me she looked... Well it would be rude to say. Kiyomi on the other hand, stepped over to her side.
"Your chakra seems fine..." Kiyomi muttered, waited a few more seconds, then sighed. "You're supposed to move now." She said before pushing Mana's back. Hilariously, the girl stumbled forward and vanished. Reappearing a short distance away, tumbling into the ground.
"Oh crap! I'm sorry!" Kiyomi cried out and ran to Mana's side.
"Are you okay!?" I called out as I joined in.
Mana pushed herself up a bit before rolling onto her rear and holding a scuffed knee. "Ow..." She said weakly, tears welling in her eyes. "I don't like this one! Its dumb and it hurts and I'm dizzy!"
Kneeling down by my friend, I took an immediate look at her injury. Raising a hand to Kiyomi, "You got a tissue or something?" I asked and she quickly produced a handkerchief. Turning my attention back to Mana, I gave her a soft smile. "You're alright, its just a scratch." I said, trying to reassure her as I gently dabbed her knee to clean off the dirt. Some blood stained Kiyomi's cloth but thankfully it wasn't much. A few scratches and maybe a bruise would be the only lasting damage from what I could tell.
Tying the cloth around her knee, I helped Mana to her feet. "You should be okay. Wash it off and a bandage and you'll be good as new."
"Thanks..." Mana said, gingerly putting weight on the leg.
"Didn't think you'd be that good at treating injuries." Kiyomi said, sounding almost impressed.
I chuckled, "Yeah well, I scuffed myself up a lot trying to get the body flicker down myself. After watching Mom patch me up I guess I picked up a few things."
"There has to be something we're missing." Kiyomi muttered, "Not being able to see where we're going is too dangerous..." Stroking her chin, the girl went deep into thought. While she was doing that, I helped Mana over to the main building. There were some faucets there we could use to clean up her knee.
"I'm sorry Meiko..." Mana apologized as I soaked the handkerchief.
"For what?" I asked.
"Screwing up..." She replied before wincing as I washed the knee for her.
"Its fine, everyone messes up." I said, unable to hide a small snort as I laughed at myself. "You really should have seen me, I was practising this technique in my backyard and you know how big that is." Standing, I wrung out the cloth again and gave it a quick rinse. "I was constantly bashing into that tree or my house. Face first." I laughed, "Its a miracle I never broke my nose. It quickly got to a point I was piling up old pillows to cushion the impact."
Mana was quiet for a moment, looking down at her knee. "So why didn't you quit?" She finally asked meekly.
"Well, if you asked Kiyomi, she would probably say I was too dumb to know when to quit." I said, laughing again. Kneeling down to tie the cloth around her leg again before realizing it was soaked and I didn't have a replacement. "Crap," I muttered.
"You're not dumb!" Mana protested.
Smiling, I got back to my feet. "Thanks, but I can't completely deny it. Guess I'm just too stubborn and..." I paused, the faces of those whom I cared for flashing behind my eyes, "Well, I got my own reasons. I'm not like you or Kiyomi, I'm no good at jutsu. So I have to work so much harder. But because of that I can say that you can't let small setbacks like this keep you down. Otherwise you'll never get anywhere."
Snapping my hands together in a quick seal, I flickered away and back almost immediately. "If you keep at it, you'll figure it out eventually. I did after all, so you'll get it in no time." Mana's head dropped to the ground as she considered my words. When she raised it back up, there was a wide smile on her face.
"Okay. I'll try." She replied with a nod.
Smiling back, I offered a hand. "How's your leg? Can you stand?" I asked, glancing down at her knee. The skin glistening from the water but thankfully the bleeding had already stopped.
"Better, I think." Mana replied, taking my hand and gingerly getting to her feet. Kicking the ground a couple times before giving it a couple swings and placing her weight on it. "Yeah, better."
"Good, now let's get back." I said motioning back towards where Kiyomi was waiting, having not moved an inch yet, "I can almost see the steam coming from her ears."
"Steam? Is she a kettle?" Mana asked so innocently I couldn't tell if it was a joke or not.
As we were heading back, Kiyomi appeared to get an idea. Attempting the technique again, the girl vanished before appearing again a short distance away. Overshooting the mark again, to my mild annoyance, by only a couple meters. The fact she started hopping on the spot with excitement clearly indicated she had some kind of breakthrough.
"Meiko!" She shouted once she noticed our return and sprinted towards me. "I figured it out! Its so simple!" I braced myself for a possible tackle, if not violent shaking but thankfully Kiyomi stopped short of that. "You just need to focus on your eyes!" She continued, using her fingers to pull her eyelids wide open.
"What do you-" I started to ask before she grabbed both mine and Mana's wrists and pulled us along.
"Chakra reinforcement!" Kiyomi stated, standing proud that she had come to this answer. "Try it! Focus on your eyes specifically!"
"Uh, okay." I replied, a bit overwhelmed by Kiyomi's presence. Closing my eyes, I focused chakra into them as I would normally for chakra reinforcement. When I opened them, it was like the entire world had changed. Everything was so vivid and crisp. The world in literal high definition.
"Whoa..." Was all I could say to it.
"Go on, try it now!" Kiyomi insisted, pointing towards the marker. "I'm sure it'll be easier for you now."
With Kiyomi's assurances and my newfound visual prowess, I did just that. Made the seal, surged my chakra and felt the usual sensation of high speed movement. This time however, I could see. I could actually see. The world blurred slightly around the edges of my vision but where I was focused on was crystal clear. The results were so surprising I accidentally overshot my mark, stopping a few meters past the small rock.
"Holy crap." I said, turning to Kiyomi. "You're right."
"Told you!" Kiyomi replied, throwing up a thumb. "I can't believe you never thought of that."
"Me neither." I had to admit, the thought that chakra reinforcement could enhance my senses was something that never really got through my thick skull. Even though now, in hindsight, it was stupidly obvious. Now that I knew however, the gears were turning in my brain. "That might work now..." I mumbled under my breath.
"Now that we'll be able to see, Mana and I will have this jutsu down easy!" Kiyomi bragged but I really couldn't hear her. Well, more I wasn't listening. I was going over a training method I had abandoned because it was simply impossible to do if I couldn't see. Now that I had overcome that hurdle, maybe it would now be possible.
"Meiko! Come on! You gotta watch us kick your butt!" Kiyomi called to me again, slightly annoyed I was ignoring her.
"Hold on, I'm going to try something." I said as I formed the needed seal and initiated the jutsu again. Being able to see while moving made such a difference. It was like I was using a completely different jutsu. Moving to the marker, I stopped for a moment before immediately reactivating the jutsu and darting off in a different direction. Once reaching that spot, I activated it yet again, returning to the marker. I repeated this pattern for a while. Darting left, right and all around the area.
The fun finally came to an end after what felt like a full minute. Stopping one final time atop the marker, I turned to my friends with a grin so wide it was hurting my cheeks. "Kiyomi! You are brilliant! I could see everything! It was amazing!" While waiting for their reply, I finally realized the two were just staring at me with the biggest look of shock on their faces.
"Guys? You alri-urp" I tried to ask before my stomach just suddenly wretched and I tasted bitter acid in the back of my mouth. "Uh oh..." The world began to spin, or perhaps it had been spinning the whole time and I just didn't notice. Either way, it was hitting me hard and, well...
My lunch was now all over the grass.
"Meiko!? Are you alright!?" They cried and rushed to my side, carefully side stepping the puddle of muk.
Barely holding myself on my feet, I spat a few times before replying. "Yeah, yeah. Just got really dizzy there. I got too excited."
After a minute I was able to get myself reoriented and ready to continue with the class. At least we would have if not for the low rumbling that began overhead. A last second warning call as rain finally began to fall. A few drops at first that very quickly turned into a downpour so hard Mizuki-sensei had no choice but to call everyone inside.
The rain didn't let up at all for the rest of the day, relentlessly pounding against the window and coming down so hard the world outside was practically washed away. The walk home was going to be brutal and muddy. I said a silent thank you to Mom who insisted I bring and umbrella, but with this level of torrential rain I feared it would do little good.
I was on my way back from the bathroom after classes had let us out for the day and heading back to collect my things as I passed by some gossiping girls from another class.
"He's out there again."
"Really? In this weather? What a weirdo."
"I know right? He's not even good at anything. Like, what's the point?"
Normally, I tried to ignore such gossip, but they were not trying to be subtle about it at all. Still, I payed them little mind, got my things together and made my way towards the exit. As I was moving down the hallway however, I caught sight of Kiyomi from the side of my eye.
Standing by the side exit, she was staring absentmindedly out into the rain. Almost transfixed by something beyond the wall of water that I couldn't make out at this distance. Even as I approached, Kiyomi showed no signs of even noticing me.
"Hey Kiyomi, what's up?" I asked.
"Eh!? Oh, Meiko. Its just you." Kiyomi yelped but quickly regained her composure. Although there was a strange look in her eyes as she just turned back towards the rain. "Nothing really..." Following her gaze outside, I tried to find whatever it was that had managed to hold such rapt attention from Kiyomi. Although with how hard the rain was coming down, I could barely see a few meters out before everything was drowned out.
Even enhancing my sight helped very little. Instead I mostly saw the rain drops in individual, crystal clear detail. Which, admittedly, was pretty neat in its own way. "So... What are you looking at?"
Kiyomi didn't immediately reply, that same strange look in her eyes that I couldn't quite figure out. "He's out there again. Even in this weather." She finally said, although it felt like she was talking to herself as much as me.
"He who?" I asked, looking out again. Straining my eyes, I was able to make out a vaguely humanoid blob in the downpour, around where the striking logs were. "What the heck? Why are they out there in this weather?" The words of the gossiping girls then came to mind, they must have been referring to this person.
"He's there everyday. Has been for a while." Kiyomi replied quietly. "Doesn't matter what the weather is like."
"I see..." I replied, not knowing how to really reply to that. Whomever this was, they were certainly working hard, maybe too hard. "They're going to catch a cold at this rate."
"Yeah..." Once again, Kiyomi replied very quietly, although this time I noticed she was holding a towel. The school provided free ones, they sucked and were worn down from years of use but, considering the weather, it was better than nothing. The fact she had gone out of her way to grab one though, that was a surprise.
"I take it you're going to wait for him then?" I asked.
Kiyomi shrugged, "Dunno."
"Alright," Patting her shoulder I turned to leave. "Well, good luck then. And be careful getting home. It looks like the wind might be starting to pick up, so it might get really nasty."
"Okay..."
It felt strange, leaving her behind like that. But I just had the feeling that girl wouldn't budge until she was ready. I couldn't understand what had come over Kiyomi, this wasn't her usual stubbornness. Heck, she didn't even seem to understand why she was doing that. "I wonder who that guy is?" I muttered, popping open my umbrella and stepping out into the maelstrom.
The run home was brutal. The unrelenting rains had turned the normally hardened dirt roads into thick sludge. The umbrella itself could barely hold up against the brutal beating too. Countless raindrops striking heavily on the thin fabric, threatening to collapse it at any moment. On top of that, the winds added in a double threat. I had no choice but to fold it up least it be destroyed. Plus, it really wasn't helping to keep me dry at this point.
"This sucks." I mumbled, standing under an overhang. "Be careful what you ask for, huh?" Sure, my prayer for rain had been answered but this was a bit of overkill. And since there was no signs of this letting up anytime soon, my best bet was going have to be running home as fast as I could. Well, might as well see how well I can use the body flicker under bad weather.
Rooftop running in this weather wasn't the easiest thing. The winds were unrestrained up here and grown so strong they occasionally threatened to throw me off. Plus, it was hard as heck to see more than a few feet ahead. On the bright side, no slippery mud. It was still quite the trek but I managed to make it home in one piece, one cold, shivering piece.
"I'm home..." I called weakly as I stepped inside, muddy and soaked sandals squeaking on the hardwood flooring. The house was, surprisingly, filled with laughter. Two female voices from what I could tell so Mom clearly had a guest over.
"Meiko! Welcome home!" Came Sengo's voice, breaking through the laughs as he ran to the entryway. "Haha you're all wet!"
"Come here bud, give me a hug!" I said, reaching out to grab the little guy who screamed playfully and ran off.
"Welcome home." Mom called to me as I stepped into the living room, her words slightly slurred. The reason was sitting beside her. Misaki had brought her usual offering of alcoholic beverages.
"Hahahaha, what happened to you?" Misaki laughed, her cheeks a bright red and, considering the amount of discarded cans, was well into her drink.
"I figured I'd have a shower after class." I shot back with a massive smile.
"Why didn't you use your umbrella!?" Mom then cut in, now realizing how soaked I was. In response, I just raised it up to show her how ragged and wet it was. With a sigh, she pointed towards the bathroom. "Go dry yourself off before you catch a cold."
"Okay." I said and started moving. A hot shower would help to get this chill out of my spine. After that, I would probably keep Sengo entertained so Mom and Misaki could have their time together. Mom didn't get out too much after all, despite our insistence she should take more breaks. Besides, it wasn't like Misaki and I would be doing much in this rain. Another chill ran up my spine and a small sneeze escaped me.
"Oh! Meiko!" Misaki called to me in a cheerfully slurred tone. "I gots some good news for ya." Peering back around the corner as I had just made it into the hall, I wondered what she might have in mind. Considering how drunk she was though, I wasn't expecting a whole lot.
With a wobbly grin, she then turned to Mom, "But ish a big secret. Hic. You guys have to promish not to tell anybody." Chuckling, she took another sip from her can before realizing it was empty. Tossing it aside, she grabbed a new one. Honestly, I was half expecting her to just have some dumb joke and, as another chill ran down my spine, I just wanted to get warmed up.
Misaki wasn't waiting for our assurances though. "Hehehe." Giggling like an idiot, she cracked open the new can. "I know who the next Hokage will be~" I froze up and from the looks of it, Mom did too. Even for a drunken joke, this was far beyond any expectation. The next Hokage? That shouldn't be coming up for years. Not until the Lord Third passes away in the... Anyway, needless to say I wasn't moving until I had an answer.
"Oh my, is something wrong with the Lord Third?" Mom asked with tipsy worry. There was a large lump forming in my throat as my pulse quickened. Despite straining my ears so I wouldn't miss the slightest sound, the thumping of my heart was almost deafening.
"What's going on? Next Hokage? Why? How?" My thoughts were a panicked mess as I tried to sort things out with what I was hearing and what I could remember. Calling upon the breathing lessons from class, I was able to quickly calm myself somewhat. "No, Misaki is just drunk. She's probably just poking fun." I tried to rationalize, "There's no way she would know that sort of thing anyway. But... Why this specifically? If it was just a joke, its a weird choice..."
Misaki continued chuckling, clearly enjoying how she held our undivided attention. "Ash far ash I know, Lord Hokage is jush fine." Grinning, she raised her drink to her lips, stopping just short of a sip. "Remember, you can't tell anyone. I'll get in sho mush trouble." Before we could reply, Misaki then threw back the can and took a long chug.
"Pwah! That's good." She exhaled after downing what must have been the entire freaking can. Wiping her lips, she looked back to us again. "Sho?" Words weren't needed, Mom and I were far too invested at this point and had to know. Even if it was going to be some dumb prank.
"Okay." Misaki leaned back into the couch, crossing one leg over the other. "Thish isn't official yet. But Lord Hokage has choshen his next succeshor." Purposely pausing for dramatic effect, she was clearly waiting for one of us to ask who it was. So I bit the bullet.
"Alright, if that's true, who does he have in mind?" In my mind, I envisioned Tsunade taking up the mantle. But for all I knew, she wasn't even in the Land of Fire and bringing her to the village would be an endeavour in of itself.
Leaning forward, Misaki beckoned Mom and I to come in close. "You're going to love this." She said to me specifically, "The candidate for the Fifth Hokage..."
"...Is Itachi Uchiha."