A/N: Two OCs at the start! I'm sorry, that's just how it is.
I tried to keep things coherent with Kishimoto's world, but there will be variances. In this story, Akane is 22 and Genma 28.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Resonance
Edge of The Cliff
Chapter 1
Akane sat at the edge of the bench overlooking the sea, stretching her legs out before her, enjoying the rhythmic sound of waves.
She came here often, a sanctuary from endless chatter and the suffocating routine of life. Dispensing herbal creams in her parents' pharmacy. Chores. Eating. Was this all there was to life?
She knew she was lucky, for she had her wits and all her limbs. She was healthy and did not have a hard life. But was this all there was to life? Absence of suffering?
She came here often to think about this, wondering if this was how life would pass her by. And to enjoy the view, which was glorious. And, alright, she came when she wanted to play hooky too.
Leaves rustled and she turned, then smiled.
"Hello," she said, feeling warmth in her chest settle closer to her stomach. Haruki smiled back. He had been enjoying the view. Akane had wavy hair, untameable, almost explosive when she was younger, although it had mellowed somewhat the past few years. There was always a strand out of place, and no matter how many times her parents told her to comb her hair (not that she did, it made no difference) the waves would not subside. But when the wind blew, her hair rippled and she looked like something from a myth.
He realised he was still smiling, and hadn't responded. "Hello," he grinned, taking a seat beside her. The bench was wide enough to be comfortable for two.
"Your parents are wondering where you are," he said with a sideways glance. "Where should I tell them this time?"
"I'll be back in time for my shift," she sighed.
"What's bothering you?" Haruki plucked a piece of grass, fiddling with it.
"Nothing."
He smiled.
"How do you know something's bothering me?" Akane asked, making a face at his back.
Haruki just laughed. "So what is it?"
"I don't know, sometimes I," she hesitated. "I just wonder what's the point of being alive. What was I born for?"
His eyes were like a pool of honey and always made her feel a bit like she was melting. He hummed a little, thinking.
"I tend to just do what I'm interested in doing and try to enjoy the process," he said finally.
Akane knew no one had an answer for her search for meaning. It wasn't fair to ask Haruki. It was something she'd have to figure out for herself, or maybe life didn't need to have meaning, it just had to be lived. All different answers she'd gathered over time.
She huffed a small sigh. "What are you interested in now?"
He gave her an enigmatic look and stood. "I'll update you on my life next time." He stretched out his hand. "Come on, your parents are waiting." He pulled her up with ease.
As they walked back, at first she only noticed the smell. The faintest thread of ashes and burning. Haruki hadn't caught it yet, but she was always more sensitive to scent. She grabbed his arm and pointed to the sky. Thick black smoke was visible through a break in the trees. Even as they watched, another spire joined the first.
"Bandits," Haruki breathed.
A flashtag exploded in the village. Even from a distance, the explosion shook the trees. Two more followed. Colour drained from his face. "Shinobi," Haruki whispered. "Not bandits. We have to call for help. I - I'm going to the falconry."
Akane stepped after him.
"No." He gripped her arm. "You must hide. You know the drill. Hide in the forest."
"I'll go with you," Akane said, hearing her voice as if separate from her person.
"Akane. The falconry is a target. The village is not safe. Stay here, I'm begging you!" His voice broke. "Please, hide!"
He turned and ran off. She watched his back disappear in the shadows. They didn't stand a chance against shinobi. A small fishing settlement with no riches or anything anyone cared about, trouble rarely came. On the rare instance thugs came, the villagers had been able to hold their own through sheer numbers and teamwork. But shinobi… another explosion, and she dropped to the ground, pressing herself against a tree. Everyone would be killed. Even reinforcements from Konoha would take a day or more.
But could she live with herself if she hid? Shaking, Akane walked slowly towards the village. Her parents. At the very least she had to find her parents.
Genma relaxed in the salty breeze, for all appearances asleep. He had volunteered for the mission in the Land of Water because he had been looking forward to visiting it again. His old sensei, Chouza, had joined because "there's good seafood there". Raidou was here because, well, he wasn't sure but he guessed the man just wanted a break.
As expected, there had been good food - massive amounts of it which Chouza had demolished with ease - and the mission had been relatively simple. A B rank mission to escort a minor noble who, it turned out, didn't really have anyone after his head.
Genma opened his eyes slightly, feeling a shift in the air. Raidou stood as a distant speck in the sky steadily grew larger. A screech cut through the air and the boatman flinched at the sound.
Genma sat up and grimaced. "I don't like the sound of that."
Raidou shaded his eyes from the sun. "That bird's in a hurry."
Genma stretched subtly, rotated his shoulders. Here we go. They were a good team and he didn't have anything to worry about. It would even be nice to fight in the same team as his old sensei again.
The hawk landed on Raidou's outstretched forearm and let out another ear splitting screech. "B Rank," Raidou read, unfurling the paper. "A village I've never heard of. But it's close." He turned to talk to the boatman.
"I guess we will be fighting as a team after all, sensei," Genma said with a smirk.
Chouza shook his head, reading the scroll. "Some missing nin hit a village just hours ago. There may not be anyone left to fight or to save. You know how it is."
Genma froze and his eyes narrowed. So it was that kind of mission. He would do as commanded, but this type of work gave him no joy.
When the boat finally landed at a rocky beach, they set off at a sprint, chakra lending them wings. "Godspeed," the boatman had wished them, for the smoke was visible in the far distance, thick and oily black, like a curse mark in the sky.
It was always a sight, Genma mused absently, to see his old sensei sprint so effortlessly despite his bulk. They did not need to check their coordinates and simply headed in the direction of the smoke.
The closer they got, the stronger the stench of burnt flesh grew. It was sweet, nauseating, and if they were younger, more green, they would have emptied their stomachs. As it was, the only sign they noticed was a tightening of the jaw. Closer to the village meant closer to the missing nins as well. They couldn't afford distraction.
Chouza paused, and the other two stopped a few paces ahead. Bloodstains on the leaves, almost imperceptible. A flash of white cloth in the trees. He moved into the trees.
An older woman staggered to her feet, one arm clutching her child, a tousle haired boy of maybe two. Her other arm was bleeding. She looked at them, white faced, poised as if she did not know whether to run or attack. The child stared at them with serious eyes.
"Ma'am," Chouza said, stopping a few feet away. "We are not here to hurt you. We are shinobi from Konoha, called to help your village."
"Called…?" The woman had a slight intake of breath. "Haruki's falcons were swift…"
Raidou was already rummaging in his pack for a bandage. She did not flee as he approached and he quickly bound her wound. "What happened, ma'am?" He asked. The wound was deep and had almost cut to bone.
"I don't know," she said, tears forming. "We have not had missing-nin attack us… ever… as far as I remember. My husband told me to take our child and run…"
"How many were there?" Genma asked.
"Two came into my house, but there were more." She grasped her arm, already staining through the bandage. "They carried swords… they had explosives…"
Chouza nodded. "Stay here. Keep your boy close to you."
Genma handed them his rations, nodding as the woman whispered her thanks. They moved back to the path and they sprinted off again.
"Trash making trouble," Genma said as they ran.
"It's a fishing village in the middle of nowhere," Raidou replied. "They probably didn't expect criminals…"
"It does not sound like a targeted raid," Chouza rumbled. "Genma may be right. Just drunk or in the mood for trouble." And the village paid in blood.
They stepped out of the trees, coughing as the smoke clung to their throats. Buildings burned, some already collapsed, others groaning as flames hollowed them out. A few corpses lay charred beyond recognition.
"Three?" Raidou guessed, glancing over the scene.
"Five," Chouza said, pointing to a cluster of sandal prints. They split up without a word to look for survivors, when a scream split the air.
Two hours earlier, Akane had not been able to find her parents. She had not dared to search the village, alone and exposed, with charred lumps on the ground that she tried to block from her mind. She had vomited everything in her stomach, retching till nothing came up, and staggered to the falconry. She should have hid, like Haruki asked her to. But there was nowhere to go, nowhere was safe. She would never be safe again.
Akane moved slowly to the small tower at the edge of the cliff. It took time - she couldn't tell how long, it was usually only ten minutes' walk, but her steps were strange and floating and she ducked in fright at every rustle in the bushes. By the time she reached, the sky seemed darker. Or perhaps it was the smoke blocking out the light.
She entered the tower. Haruki was nowhere to be seen. Climbing up the spiral staircase, she saw with relief that the falcon chicks were unharmed. They cheeped when they saw her.
"Where's your mom?" Akane asked, looking out into the distance, and was replied with more cheeps. Haruki was not here, but she had a feeling he would not be far from his birds. She walked back down, and took a drink of water before stepping out. Where would he go, she wondered, and walked towards the cluster of trees near the outcrop.
"Haruki?" she whispered, barely loud enough for herself to hear.
"So there are young lasses in this village after all!"
Akane spun round, heart pounding in her ears. Three men walked into view, blood splattered on their clothes. All had slashes on their hitai-ate. Her legs felt cold, numb. She could not move.
