Welcome to Gaia! ::

Chapter One

“Nikona-sensei doesn’t hate you,” the boy with dark auburn hair pointed out as he walked next to his purple haired cousin, “At least I don’t think it’s that strong.”

“That statement about being the girls must be lady-like during the festival was directed at me!” Arashi cried, “What idiot makes kindergarteners do a tea ceremony anyways?”

“Apparently she does,” Taran sighed, “Maybe Auntie Phoe can help you with your manners.”

“Her class is doing a planetarium, it’s so not fair,” she growled, crossing her arms, “I can’t even go to kendo club tomorrow because stupid Nikona-sensei wants all the girls to report for a special flower arranging class.”

“She has us taking a calligraphy class to make the scrolls,” he stuck his hands in his pocket, “The entire thing sounds boring, kinda wish that your idea for the robot fighters wasn’t shot down.”

“I had worked so hard on the presentation too,” she whined as they both stepped through the school portal to the mission board in the main room of the Kazekage tower, “Auntie Kana and I stayed up all night putting it together.”

“Considering that most the kids in our class have some skill with the puppetry arts, it made sense,” Taran smiled to assure her as they crossed the room to go through the door leading to their family house, “Good luck with that note.”

She shrugged, taking it out of her messenger bag, “Not like Daddies aren’t used to getting these,” she muttered, “It’s just the first one for me,” she waved to him and ran up the stairs to the rooms that were set aside for her fathers and her.

Taran watched her leave, then shook his head as he went to his own section of the house.

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Sora looked up from his book as Arashi closed the door, “Problems at school?” he asked with a crooked smile.

“It’s horrible!” she cried as she collapsed on the couch, “Nikona-sensei told me that my idea was not a good example of things that she wants us to learn from her class, and she ignored everyone else’s ideas. We’re doing a stupid formal tea ceremony instead!”

“Kana-chan will be happy to hear that, she’s been wanting to you to wear a kimono for a while now,” he placed the book down and held out his hand, “Give it over.”

She sat up, turning bright red, “How’d you know?”

“We had one almost everyday,” he said as he pushed up the dark frames on his face, “And you’re just as stubborn and temperamental as we are. So what’d you do when she said all that?”

She crossed her arms, “I might have placed a cream pie in her chair when she wasn’t looking.”

“Not very original,” he commented, “But effective. Did you get caught before or after she sat down.”

“After,” she grinned as she handed it to him, “She squealed so loud too. Must have been the most anyone ever paid attention to her butt!”

“From what I‘ve heard, I’ve got to agree,” he opened the letter, “Ara-chan, if I ever get that frigid, do me a favor and shoot me.”

“Or just throw him in the bedroom with me and send up a can of whipped cream and a bowl of cherries,” Haru said as he stepped into the room, looking over Sora’s shoulder as he threw his arms around him, “Man, pie in the chair? And what’s this about ‘displays inappropriate behavior’? You kiss someone at school?”

“No,” she sighed, “That was because I knocked some sense into a boy that was picking on Koto-chan for wearing glasses.”

She blinked as both chuckled, “Brings back some memories doesn’t it?” Haru said, “What was it that those bitches called Chi?”

“Stick haired demon brat, and they called Kano worse,” Sora shook his head, “At least our teacher never was as bad as all this. The notes Mama got were far less formal.”

“And mostly him wondering how the hell she could tell us apart,” he pointed to another part of the note, “And made more sense. Why tell us about the tea thing in the same note that she’s getting onto us for being bad parents?”

“She said it saved paper,” Arashi pointed out, and the twins stared at her for a long moment before all three burst into laughter.

“Come on, I’ll make dinner,” Sora said as he stood, ruffling her hair as he passed her, “And then I need to take your measurements to make the kimono. Kana-chan will have my head if you don’t have a nice one.”

“This whole tea thing sounds boring,” Haru followed him into the kitchen, “Good thing we’re going to the festival.”

Arashi giggled, “Didn’t Baa-chan and Iruka-sensei tell you that you had to behave?”

“Who said that we were going to act up?” both smirked, “We just know how to have fun even when the venue isn’t. Besides, your class is the only boring one. We’re going to see all the other booths too.”

She nodded, smiling as she watched Sora put on an apron and start cooking as Haru set the table.

It had been a month since she woke up under the ruined peach tree, been a month since she first really met them. Before that…

She frowned, every time that she tried to think of where she was before she came here, she found that she couldn’t, just a strange darkness everywhere she looked, and a warm feeling that she was loved, but she never could tell by who.

“Want some okonomiyaki?” Sora asked as he looked over his shoulder at her, “Since you had such a bad day, figured it would make you feel better.”

“I’d love some!” she grinned as she ran into the kitchen, letting herself be swung up into Haru’s arms, for now not worrying about where it was that she had been. She was here now, right where she belonged.

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A knock came at the door later that night, and Sora went quickly to answer it, a glance at his sleeping daughter nestled safely in Haru’s arms, “She’s asleep,” he whispered as he opened the door.

“Get Kana-chan to watch her,” Chihiro chewed the inside of her cheek, “Daddy’s calling a meeting, something’s happened.”

His eyes widened, and he nodded at Haru, who slowly got up, careful not to wake Arashi as he carried her to her room. Sora reached to one of the scrolls he always had on him, biting his thumb and forming hand seals as he rubbed a black bracelet on his wrist and unfurled the scroll.

A child’s skeleton dressed in a indigo kimono appeared, “We’ve got to go out Kana-chan, I know I promised you a free evening…” she held up a hand, her fleshless face smiling at him, “Yeah, you don’t really care, but still,” he ran his hand through his hair, “I’ll bring you back something pretty.”

“You have to be the only Mekagami that actually bribes his skeletons,” Haru teased as he grabbed his brother’s wrist, “Kana-chan, keep an eye on Arashi, we’ll be back soon.”

She nodded and bowed, turning to head to the child’s room.

“So what’s the big emergency?” the twins chorused, turning to their sister.

She stared at them, “Looks like Arashi wasn’t the only one to wake up this last month.”

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“Nnn,” she opened her eyes to see Kana-chan sitting in the rocking chair and working on some embroidery, “Are Daddies out?” she asked sleepily, then stepped out of bed, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

She wasn’t surprised when the skeleton followed her out of the twins’ series of rooms and down the hall to the joint bath area, she expected as much, as did Kana-chan standing guard outside the door as she went in, smirking as she slipped through the room to the door leading to the other side of the home.

The house was strangely silent, and she listened for a moment before quietly stepping into the hall, “Family meeting?” she whispered to herself, then heard the murmur of voices coming from the main meeting room.

Nodding, she headed down towards the secret hiding spot she had discovered last week that let her see what was going on in there without herself being seen, and peered inside to see the adults of her family in heavy discussion.

“We did seal it away,” Sin pointed out, “Problem is that it was sealed in that pit.”

“That was just a link to Shi’s realm,” Hoshi said, “The Juubi should have been sealed there,” she looked at Chihiro, “Are you sure about the rumors?”

“It has numerous sightings thus far,” she folded out a map, “A black beast of undetermined species with ten tails and a dark haired woman in white that has been leading it. The destruction so far has been minuscule, these are more like hauntings than anything else.”

“We can’t take the chance that it will turn into anything else,” Gaara folded his hands, “Yet,” he looked to Haru and Sora, “If it is her, wouldn’t she have contacted you?”

“There’s no way of telling,” both sighed, “And Hoshi would have known the second she came back to our plane.”

“That’s true,” the Scion said quietly, “The three of us have this strange connection.”

“So we can assume that it’s not her,” Temari glanced at the map, “The sightings are spread out all over the place, I can’t see a pattern here.”

“Neither can I,” Haru sighed, “And that makes it difficult to make up a plan.”

“Maybe there’s something else tying the sightings together,” Mira suggested, “Does anyone know what the weather was like those days?”

Everyone stared at her for a long moment, “You might be onto something there,” Kankuro slowly said.

“In any case, I want two teams to investigate the sightings,” Gaara said quietly, “Temari, you lead one towards the first of them, see if there was something that might have triggered this. Yuri, you lead the second, see if you can figure out the pattern here.” Both nodded, and the family moved to leave, “Haru, Sora, stay.”

Both twins looked at their father, “What is it?” they asked after everyone else had left the room.

“Only Chihiro knows this part at the moment,” he said quietly, and upstairs Arashi leaned closer to listen, “The sightings started the thirteenth of June. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

“You think that she’s in danger?”

“I think that we need more information. But I would certainly advise watching her closely, if she does have ties to this, it won’t wait much longer to strike at her. At the very least that woman seen with the Juubi is the ghost of her mother.”

Covering her mouth, she slowly got up, running back to the bathroom, and out the other side before Kana-chan had noticed she was gone.

It wasn’t until she was in her bed again, and listening to the voices of her fathers as they came back into the rooms that she realized that she had never even heard anyone talk about her mother before.

She clutched her blankets close to her, wondering just who the woman that gave birth to her was, and why she seemed to be a great secret.

And why couldn’t she remember anything from before her fifth birthday a month ago?

Chapter Three

Chihiro was working in the missions board when the man with arm wraps covering even his fingers and wearing the mask beneath the white hood came in and walked to the incoming missions line.

She hadn’t seen him before, so she watched him out of the corner of her eye, seeing nothing out of the ordinary about him, many desert dwellers were dressed as he was. There was something beneath the surface about this man that struck an alarm.

When he gave his mission to Baki, she gave him her full attention at the mention of a single word.

Kin’ichi

“I’ve take it that you’ve heard of it then,” the man said in a low grating voice as he turned to the youngest of Gaara’s children, “Your reaction is miniscule compared to others, but it speaks worlds to me.”

“The legendary lost city,” she narrowed her eyes, “Not even memories in my sand can confirm or deny it’s existence. You’re wasting our village’s time to think that we can find it.”

“I will pay handsomely for it’s discovery and it’s secrets,” he said as he took out a bag of gold coins and placed it on the counter in front of Baki, “I will even pay almost as much for a team to research and attempt to find it.”

“It’s a good investment Chihiro,” Baki said as he took out the coins and inspected them, “We get paid even if we don’t find the place.”

“What secrets of Kin’ichi are you after exactly?” she asked as she crossed her arms, “The treasure or the weapon that was said to be developed there? Or are you after the immortality that’s given from drinking the waters that are in it’s well system? I don’t like dealing with people whose faces and motives that I cannot see.”

He lifted up his hand to undo his mask, causing most in the missions board who saw to reel in terror before he placed it back on.

Chihiro gazed at him, unmoved by the hideous scarred and burnt flesh, “You have seen horrors beyond your years child,” he said quietly, “The sight of a rotting face is nothing to you?”

“Anyone who has seen the dreams of Shukaku have seen far worse than that,” she said, not noticing the stares of the others in the room now directed at her, “He was in me for exactly seven days, but the sand and I will remember what he has shown us until the end of our days. That was nothing compared to what my father has endured in the fifteen years he carried the ichibi.”

“You are the one that I can trust to find Kin’ichi then,” he said, “You do not want it’s secrets.”

“I’m still wary of why you seek them.”

“I seek the weapon. You have a chance to destroy it before I can use it,” beneath his mask he smirked, “How can you not take the mission now? Knowing that I will simply hire another for this?”

She frowned, “Give me a week to place a team together and research what I can find.”

“Then it is true that your grandfather was researching it,” he reached into his belt, pulling out a scroll.

“He wanted to find the weapon as well,” she took it as it was handed to her, “He sold his soul to try and make Suna as strong as that legendary city.”

He regarded her for a moment, “You have no such desire,” he nodded, “One week. I trust you to find me the city and to stop my delusions of grandeur then.”

He moved to leave, and she turned to him, “Why take the chance that I might stop you?”

“My dear child,” he said as he looked back at her, amusement dancing in the clear sapphire eyes that were untouched by the rotting that had spread across the rest of his body, “Perhaps I merely am bored with what little life I have left and want to see if that legend is true? Has it occurred to you that it might be that simple?”

She stared at him as he left, then looked to the scroll that he had given her, “It might be,” she whispered, “However, I have a sinking suspicion that it isn’t,” with that she whirled out of the missions board, heading to her family’s home.

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“I’m feeling fine!” Arashi complained as Sora checked her temperature, “I’ve got to get back, there’s no telling what tortures Nikona-sensei is putting Taran through without me distracting her.”

“And no, you can’t take the dragon teeth to school,” he said giving her a crooked smile, “You can’t control the skeletons that those grow quite yet,” his face became more serious, “Did you have any more dreams of your mother?”

She shook her head, “I can only remember the last day with her too,” she said glumly, “Why can’t I remember anything else?”

He ruffled her hair, “When you need to Rashi, you’ll have it,” he promised, “Now get dressed, you’re good for school. No cream pies though… you can do better than that,” he winked, “Just use that cute head of yours.”

She grinned, and got out of bed as he went to her door, “We’ll find her and bring her home right?” she asked suddenly as she tied her red headband on.

He stopped, turning to give her a small smile, “Definitely. We’ll get her back to where she belongs, that’s a promise.”

She turned away from him, picking up her school clothes, not seeing the smile turn sad as he opened the door and walked out.

Sora sighed, leaning against her closed door as he ran a hand through his hair, “If only she belonged here… Damnit, how the hell do I explain that?”

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“You arranged for this mission to start after that festival at the joint academy,” Gaara noted, “I take it that you want your brothers and Kano to accompany you on the mission?”

Chihiro turned to her father from where she was staring out of the window, “I need Sora’s extra insight on this matter, and Haru and Kano are the only ones that I trust enough other than him to team up with. I was manipulated into taking this… and I let him do it.”

“You’re worried that others would be tempted by the legends and unable to keep whatever disaster this one has planned from happening?” he gave her a wry smile as he folded his hands, “Chi, we’ve got to talk about this distrust you have of everyone.”

She crossed her arms, “Daddy, you can’t say a thing on that particular subject. I can count the number of people you trust explicitly on one hand.”

“You haven’t counted yourself and your brothers then,” he said giving her the briefest of smiles, “Arashi will be accompanying you on this mission.”

Her eyes widened, “Why?”

“Yuri’s report came back. Apparently Mira was on the right track when she mentioned the weather, each sighting of the juubi and the woman with him came directly after a storm,” he handed her the paper, “And there’s more.”

She scanned the page, “All of them?”

He nodded, “I have a feeling that they, for some reason, are looking for her. And then Sora gave me an interesting bit of information last night that further makes me think that she’s in danger.”

“You’re not going to tell me that part are you?”

“No. It isn’t your business,” he took out another document, “I’ll brief those two on the mission, you inform Kano. I take it that you want leadership?”

“Haru’s the team leader,” she said with the same crooked smile as her brothers, “Sora and I are the brains, and Kano’s the muscle. That’s how it always worked for us, no need to change it now.”

“That makes it difficult if I decide to give you the Kage position after I retire,” he said as he signed the paper.

“Who said that I wanted it?” she took the document that marked the mission as official.

“Who said that I did when I was handed the hat?” he remarked, giving her an identical crooked smile, “I have something that might help you. Dad kept a journal of his own research into the city.”

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Nikona glared at Arashi, placing the note from Iruka on the desk before growling at the girl to go to her desk and turning to the blackboard.

The purple haired girl grinned as she walked down the aisle towards her seat, something that made Taran cover his face with his palm as he waited for the teacher’s screech at whatever it was that his cousin just did.

Sure enough, almost as soon as Arashi sat in the chair next to him, not just Nikona, but all most of the children screamed in panic as the skeletons rose out of the ground around her desk.

He glanced over at his cousin, “Dragon teeth?” he hissed.

Her face was pale as she concentrated on the three skeletons, “Daddy said that I couldn’t, but I need to show him that I can help find her.” she said in a low voice as she formed some hand seals.

“That’s your doing?” Yoru watched the skeletons chase the teacher around the room.

“I heard about the remedial calligraphy,” she said as she formed the last hand seal and there was a crash of thunder in the room as all three skeletons burst into flames and disintegrated.

“You’re going to get something worse,” Kotori hissed as she turned around to glare at her, “She was already mad about Phoe-sensei’s class yesterday being so loud!”

“Don’t be such a goody Koto-chan,” Arashi smirked, “What’s the worse…” her words were cut off as her ear was grabbed by Nikona and she was dragged out of the room.

“You could get sent to Iruka-sensei’s office,” Kotori and Taran chorused dryly as the girl waved to the class.

Chapter Five

“Let’s see, your card is…” Arashi closed her eyes and turned over the card on the ground in front of her, “The Inverse Moon!” she said happily then frowned, “What’s that mean again Daddy?”

Sora pushed his thin black glasses up and gave her a crooked smile, “I’m in for a bit of visionary madness if I remember correctly. Didn’t I tell you not to use the dragon teeth?” he glanced back at his brother who was rifling through Iruka’s desk, “And what are you doing?”

“Seeing if our stuff is still in here,” Haru grinned, “Remember that time that we spent detention in here?”

“Which one?” he sighed, “There were…” a slight blush passed over his face, “Oh yeah. It’s the floorboard beneath the bottom left drawer,” he turned back to their daughter, “Ara-chan, what if you had lost control? They would have overtaken the school.”

“Wouldn’t that mean that the teachers here suck?” she asked, “I only brought three.”

“They can break parts of themselves off to make more,” he pointed out, “That’s another reason why it’s supposed to be forbidden. I’m not quite sure how we get around that little detail.”

“Because any Mekagami worth his salt can control them before they go crazy, it’s part of the training we undergo. Even Chain can do it,” Haru said as he pulled out a package from beneath the desk, “Koi, it’s still here!”

“What is?” Arashi asked with wide eyes.

“You’re too young to know,” Sora started.

“So were we!” Haru grinned as he looked inside the bag, “And hey! Looks like it’s still in good…”

The door opened, and he stuffed it into his shirt, hurriedly getting up as the blond boy entered the office.

Not a second passed before both twins had taken out their sai and pressed it against his throat, “What are you doing here?” they chorused.

“Daddies wait!” Arashi ran to them, “That’s…”

“Shi,” both said as they narrowed their eyes, “We know exactly who he is Ara-chan.”

“Do you really?” he asked, “Then you should know that Sister chose her fate. She could have lived if she didn’t stop time.”

“That’s Imamiah!” Arashi pulled Sora’s arm, “He’s the one that I need to find! He knows where Mama is!”

“No s**t, he’s the one that took her to his realm,” Haru looked up in surprise as Sora put away his weapon, “Koi?”

“Except that all evidence points to her not being there,” the younger twin crossed his arms as the elder also sheathed his weapon, “What happened? I thought it was impossible to escape you.”

“There are ways,” he said as he took out his book and began writing, “But she and Sorath didn’t escape, they were taken along with a few other souls. The only one that I can ask to return my realm to it’s natural state is one that was born there,” he looked up at Arashi, “You still have the protections on you that she placed. You can enter and leave as you choose.”

“Why give her that ability?” Sora asked, “Doesn’t sound too much like you.”

“I made a promise to Sister,” he shrugged, “I’m not sure why she was so adamant on it at the time, but now I believe she had a prophecy about this as well.”

“So what’s stopping us from finding her and living as a family?” Haru snapped, “Why should we help you get her and those others back.”

“Because of the curse those who leave my realm receive,” he said as he resumed writing, “I believe that it is called the kuro-gui.”

“Black eater?” the older twin blinked and looked at his brother who was frowning, “You heard of it Koi?”

“Only legends,” he said quietly, “The flesh turns black and rots away. It’s a lot like the penalty a host receives for summoning an Aeon, only much more painful and it’s constant.”

Haru chewed his lip as he remembered seeing the exposed spine of his godfather and namesake, “Does it end when there’s no more flesh?”

“No,” Shi said and all three looked at him, “It only ends when the soul itself is devoured. First the flesh, then the bones and internal organs, and then what spiritual residue is left. No chance for reincarnation, no Reaper status, nothing is left. And Sister knows this more than anyone else, she’s the one who made the curse for me.”

Arashi covered her mouth, “Can’t we do anything?” she asked in a small voice.

He walked to her, taking her hands and placing something in it and closing her fingers over it, “I was able to ascertain the two things that he was after. One is you,” he glanced at the twins, “The other is something that I placed in the city of lost treasures.”

“What a coincidence that we have a mission to find it,” they chorused.

“One of those that left with Sister was the one who hired you. Make sure that he doesn’t succeed, though he isn’t your enemy,” Shi walked towards the door, “I can offer one more day with her, but only if you can return the lost ones to my realm and only if you can find her before too much has been taken by the kuro-gui.”

He disappeared and the three looked at each other, “What’d he give you Ara-chan?” Haru asked.

She blinked as she opened her empty hands, “I don’t know…” she said with wide eyes.

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“What are you doing?” she asked in a weak voice.

“Shouldn’t you know? I thought that you foresaw every possible thing,” the shadow said as a green and blue yukata placed itself around him, “I decided that it’s a good day to be going to a festival.”

Her eyes only widened a miniscule amount, but harsh laughter sounded, “So that is where the brat is at! And here I was only guessing,” he whirled to her, “Make it easier on yourself, who is the child? What does she look like?” he snorted, “I can’t imagine that you would trust that power to anyone.”

“Is revenge all that you can think of?” she whispered, “No wonder you and your descendants were cursed.”

He grabbed her throat, “And who was it that cursed us Mother?”

Her amethyst eyes turned cold, “Not I. You know this better than anyone. If you want someone to blame, then blame yourself for the consequences of your actions.”

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“Kana-chan, is it supposed to be this hard to walk?” Arashi asked as she looked over the red kimono with pink flowers, “And I think the sleeves are a bit long.”

The skeleton shook her head, and smiled at her as she went to the shrine in the main room, taking down a doll dressed in the same pattern, then walking back to her, holding it out.

“But I can’t take Hina!” she said, “Yours and Naku-kun’s ashes are in there and…”

“It’s yours Ara-chan,” the twins chorused from where they were leaning against the wall, “You can start the Mekagami training during the holidays. Besides, your teacher wanted you to bring a girl’s day doll, and we don’t have any.”

She looked at them and then back at the small skeleton, then grinned as she took the doll, “I’ll take good care of her!” she promised, then looked up at them, “Can Kana-chan come to the festival too?”

They gave her crooked smiles, “Of course!” they said, “She’s family!” Haru formed some seals and rubbed some blood on the coin around his neck and a slightly older skeleton appeared, “Naku-kun’s coming too. He’s the best when it comes to choosing souvenirs at this sort of thing.”

Arashi nodded as Kana-chan went to hug her brother, “And he’s family too!” she agreed as Sora picked her up, “Daddy I can walk!”

“If you’re anything like Chi, then not in that,” he winked, “She hates formal events just because of that, she’ll take a step in a kimono and fall flat on her face.”

“Karin’s worse,” Haru pointed out as they left the rooms, the skeletons following behind, “She can’t even walk normally without falling flat on her face!”

“At least I don’t have a criminal record as big as the entire continent,” retorted their older half-sister as they got to the portal room, “And why are they coming?”

“You’re bringing Yomi and Yoshi,” they pointed at the two fiery haired puppets.

“They’re Taran’s sisters!” she snapped, placing her hands on her hips, “Those are just Arashi’s babysitters! And that’s just creepy! She’s going to end up worst than you!”

“I think Kana-chan’s cute!” Kiyomi smiled, “You really should ask Daddy for some clay to add some flesh, just a little will make her so much more adorable.”

“Like that’s not worse,” Kiyoshi sighed, “We’re completely artificial remember?”

Her sister blinked, “I don’t get the difference,” she said, “Taran’s birds sing just as well as the real thing.”

“Not quite,” their brother muttered, “Shouldn’t we be going?”

“Sorry I took so long,” Mira called as she came running with a few boxes, “I wanted to make sure that we had enough bento…” she tripped and Haru caught her while Sora caught the lunches.

“And you get the klutz gene honestly,” both chorused to Arashi, “Mama’s the worst of them all. Strange it only affected the girls though.”

“Shush you two,” Mira said as she gathered herself, “Karin, Kankuro’s not coming?”

“There was an emergency at the missions board,” she sighed, “He was looking forward to seeing Taran’s work too.”

“Or lack thereof,” Arashi snickered, ignoring the glare that her cousin sent her.

“I guess it can’t be helped,” Mira sighed, “Gaara will be along later, so let’s get going. Maybe he can grab him on the way.”

“Knowing Dad, he will,” the twins chorused as the family started going through the portal, “Chi’s already there because she’s helping Kano with his class.”

Chapter Seven

“You didn’t get into too much trouble did you?” Taran asked.

“Huh?” Yoru blinked, then looked towards where the young puppet nin was pointing, “Oh with him, no, he was just giving Sero and me some money,” he looked up as a bird landed on Taran’s head, “The scout is back.”

“Mama gave me some money and a bento too,” he said as he took the bird down, “She and my sisters are going to check out some of the,” he grimaced, “Cuter girlier attractions, so she said that I can go off on my own. Wanna come with?” he took out a scroll, “Sparrow says that there’s almost no line at the games right now. The roller coaster has a little one, but I bet if we leave now we can get in it really quickly.”

“Let’s get going then,” Yoru grabbed his hand, “We don’t need to wait on anyone else do we?”

“Nah, Arashi’s changing, then going off with her dads. Besides, she’s going to stop by the kendo class, and I get my a** handed to me almost every time I go there,” Taran shrugged, “I suck at fighting on my own. Guess it’s a good thing I inherited my Dad’s skills,” his voice lowered, “He promised me this really neat puppet when I pass the genin test in a couple of years.”

Across the room Kotori was examining her kimono, “It didn’t get stained did it?”

“Not even a little,” Shinsetsu assured her, “So what do you want to do first? Kara-kun and I are yours all day.”

“Let’s go see how the medical exams went,” she said happily, “Ryu-ni-chan promised me a big treat for helping him with his studying.”

“That and you want to grab some money from Mom,” Karasu sighed, “Fine. Shin-chan wanted to see how Fuyuko did, so I guess that’s alright.”

“She and Katami helped Ryuuichi study too,” he smiled, “I’m going to have such a cute brother-in-law soon!”

“That promise doesn’t count!” Karasu squeaked, “They’re way too young…”

“Never too young for love!” Shinsetsu grinned, “Come on Koto-chan, let’s go see how they all did!”

“Wait, what promise?” she asked as he led her away, “I thought that they were all just friends!”

Her elder brother sighed in defeat. “Are you Uchiha Karasu?” a voice asked, and he looked behind him to see Sero.

“Yeah,” he said quietly as he studied the boy, “Why?”

“She talks about you a lot,” he nodded towards Kotori, “Just wanted to see you in person.”

There was a lie in there somewhere, but not where Karasu could place it, “My sister didn’t annoy you with exaggerated stories about me did she?” he asked as he placed a hand behind his head, “I’m not sure why she looks up to me so much…”

“Hey Sero, do you want to come with us?” Kotori asked, having come back to grab her brother, “Shin-chan says that Auntie Mira gave us a bento too, you’ve got to try her cooking!”

“We might be able to find out who that was,” Shinsetsu signed into Karasu’s hand, “The more the merrier,” he said out loud, “We haven’t really met any of Kotori’s friends besides Arashi and Taran. And I keep having the sneaking suspicion that poor Taran is more of a punching bag than a friend.”

“And Aunt Mira did make a good deal of extra food,” Karasu pointed out, “So long as it’s fine with your guardian.”

“Dad just gave me money and told me to enjoy myself,” he shrugged, “He already went back home.”

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“Join the Seven Swords Demons!” Sachiko was announcing, then sighed as she placed the bull-horn down, “We’re never going to get those last four members Sensei.”

“That’s why the demonstration!” he exclaimed, “We need to get more interest!”

“You couldn’t find one while you did that wandering?” Juugo asked as he sipped his tea, “Chain got a few students in the class and club, but I don’t think…”

“He’s here!” Arashi said happily, “Juugo-sensei, when did they get back?”

He smiled at the small girl, “Just today Ara-chan,” he turned to Suigetsu, “This is the new star pupil, Chain’s even been training her at home from what I understand.”

“He’s just happy someone at home will work on swordplay with him,” the twins chorused from the dojo’s door, “She gets some work-outs from Kano too.”

“Hmmph,” Sachiko crossed her arms, “If she’s that idiot’s apprentice, then she’s no good for a Swords Demon.”

Suigetsu was quiet as he examined Arashi, “Care to have a practice match? I want to see how well he teaches,” he turned to Sachiko, “You be her opponent. Go get the wooden swords.”

“You’re Kotori’s big sister aren’t you?” Arashi asked smiling, “She really likes you.”

Sachiko froze, “That brat is not my sister,” she hissed as she tossed a practice sword to her, “And don’t think I’ll go easy because you’re a little kid.”

Suigetsu narrowed his eyes, “Temper. A good swordsman keeps it during battle,” he looked at the two girls, “Begin.”

Arashi closed her eyes as she held out her sword while Sachiko charged forward, blinking in confusion when the girl vanished from sight, then quickly blocked the attack coming from above her before Arashi vanished from sight again.

“I can see why you named her that,” Suigetsu whistled to the twins, “She moves like one.”

“Something like that,” they chorused, “She won’t be joining.”

“Isn’t that her decision?” he snapped.

“It is. Ask her and see what she says.”

They turned their attention back to the fight. Sachiko had the upper hand… but Arashi was making her sweat.

“Enough,” Suigetsu said, “She passed,” he smiled at the small girl, “You won’t be able to beat her for a couple more years. So, what do you say? Want to join the Seven Swords Demons? I even have the perfect sword for you.”

“No thanks,” she grinned, “None of those are mine anyways. Besides, I won’t be able to keep any promises made to fight alongside you when needed.”

Sachiko placed her hands on her hips, “That’s why Chain quit and gave back Fang and it’s partner!” she snapped, “What the hell are you doing in Suna?”

“It’s not Suna,” she said, “Chain has to serve Hoshi before everything else, and I’m the same way,” she scrunched her nose, “Don’t know who I’m going to be serving though… it’s just a feeling I have.”

“And you two are alright with that?” Suigetsu asked under his breath.

“We’ve got someone we serve above all others too,” they said quietly, “Even if she is gone.”

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“Where is she?” he muttered as he walked mostly unseen through the crowds, “Damn that woman for being immune to my eye.”

He didn’t notice the heavily bandaged man that was quietly following him, instead he haughtily went through the attractions, occasionally pulling the arm of a girl and staring at her.

“Ouch!” one cried as she rubbed her arm, “Did you see that?”

“No,” her companion shook his head, “You just kinda tripped or something.”

“It felt like the world was on fire,” a hand went to her forehead, “I don’t feel very well…”

The bandaged man went past her, keeping his eye on the dark shadowy man in the green and blue yukata as he ducked into a fortune telling booth, studying the girls in there, “What gifts does she have? I only know of one for certain…” he smirked, “But being her daughter, this is the most likely place.”

“Would you like your fortune read?” a girl with dark hair asked, “Right this way Mister.”

“I want to have all of you read it to me,” he said, a sickly sweetness entering his voice, “The most accurate one will win a prize.”

The bandaged man started to enter, “What are you doing?” a voice asked and he turned to see Chihiro standing there.

“Stopping him from finding someone,” he whispered, “He stole me to try and get me to lead him to her, something I’ve been able to resist doing so far.”

“Following him is going to stop him?” she crossed her arms, “I won’t ask who… I have an idea already,” she narrowed her eyes, “But you look suspicious as all hell right now. Come with me to the library, I have some questions for you.”

He reluctantly let her lead him away, a wary look back at the tent, “There’ll be blood.”

“You haven’t heard about the protections at this place then,” she said quietly, “Trust me, so long as they’re here, he can’t hurt them. And none of them have anything he wants.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you weren’t moving to save any of them,” she pointed out, “Whoever that guy is, he’s your enemy, you owe him something, but only just enough to let him go until he makes his move. You said that he stole you away.”

“The answers are in Kin’ichi,” he said, a smile beneath his bandages, “Have you found it’s location yet?”

“We’ll be moving to find the markers for it first. Luckily I’ve already contacted the Free Tribes to help me with that. I expect a message from Taidana any day now.”

His eyes widened, “You’re more surprising than I realized. I take it the alliance between the Villages and the Nomads was your doing?”

“That was five years ago when the treaty was made,” she said as she raised an eyebrow, “I’m shocked you haven’t heard the details of it already. As am I shocked that he doesn’t know where to look if he specifically chose you… or were you chosen because you already were looking for the legendary city?”

“You know who I am.”

“I figured it out when you hired me. The eye color was enough of a throw to the others there, but some things you can’t hide,” she glared at him, “I haven’t told anyone yet, but it’ll be obvious soon enough.”

Chapter Nine

“You have to leave this place,” she said as she took his small hand, leading him and the boy that had been his friend since infancy, one he loved more than anyone else, “They’ll…”

“What are you doing Michi?” a voice said and he looked up to see Kimimaro standing in the tunnel ahead of them, “You’re not trying to take my Yoru away are you?”

“He’s your son! You can’t seriously be thinking of letting him be a sacrifice!” she exclaimed, “Help us escape!”

He drew out a bone from his arm, “No. Are you certain that he wants to leave? It‘s the greatest honor in the world to serve our Lord that way,” he stepped towards them and Michi let go of Yoru’s hand to hug the other boy protectively, “But you aren’t worried about him at all, are you? You’re trying to save your own brat, not him.”

Yoru turned to look at the woman as Kimimaro said those words, saw for the first time the dark look in her eyes as she clutched the other boy. The bone sword was placed in his hands, “You decide what to do with them,” Kimimaro whispered in his ear, and he looked up to see the gentle smiling face, “Then if you still want to leave here, I’ll help you better than she ever could.”

“Don’t listen to him Yoru,” the woman held her son closer, “I was the one that took care of you since birth!” her voice was faltering, “I never thought of you as a replacement body. He only sees his Lord!”

He was silent as he regarded her pleas, the continued fear and hatred in her eyes that was directed at him, the boy that he called brother crying.

That made the decision for him, she had made the one he loved cry.

And yet as her blood splashed against the boy’s face, he looked at Yoru with the same eyes that she had, “I won’t forgive you!” he cried as he clutched his mother’s body, the fear and hatred now emanating from him.

It broke his heart. He raised the sword once more…

“Hey wake up,” a voice said and he opened his dark eyes to see Taran’s green ones staring down at him, “You were having a nightmare. You alright?”

“You’re not scared of me,” Yoru whispered, a hand going to touch the other boy’s cheek.

“Should I be?” he asked.

“I’ve killed. You’ll be next if you stay with me.”

“Must have been a hell of a dream,” Taran took his hand and helped him sit up, “Hold up a sec,” he pulled out a scroll from his belt and opened it up as a small brown bird appeared and flew to Yoru’s head, “I made that one after hearing a lullaby from Auntie Phoe,” he grinned, “It keeps bad things away when it sings,” he rubbed the back of his head, “Or that’s my theory anyways. It really just helps me sleep.”

The puppet started to sing, “How many of these types of puppets do you have?”

“Just three, but you can keep Nightingale,” he smiled as he handed him the scroll, “He just sings when summoned, so there’s nothing to controlling him like there is Sparrow and Wren. He’s the first one I built too.”

“Why give him to me?” Yoru blinked in confusion, “We might end up becoming enemies.”

“Can you wait until I get the really good puppets so we can have a better match then?” Taran asked, “It’s too easy to beat me up now.”

He just stared at him, “Wai…what?”

Taran pulled out another scroll, unrolling it between the two of them, showing schematics and notes chaotically written all over it, “I’m going to get all of Dad’s puppets, but I’ve been working on something really cool! So wait a while to fight me so that we can try it out!”

“Don’t call it Justice Gundam,” Yoru said dryly as he pointed to a part of the blueprints.

“I suck at names,” Taran sheepishly admitted as he rubbed the back of his dark auburn hair, “What do you say though? Wanna help me test it when it’s done?”

“I wanna build it,” he grinned as he picked up the plans, “A weakling like you needs help for something this big anyways.”

“You’ve forgotten all about that bad dream already!” the other boy grinned as he rummaged through the bento, “I think Baa-chan…”

Yoru grabbed his shoulder, “Don’t tell anyone about that,” he hissed, “Or I really will kill you.”

Taran winked, “Never happened. Just don’t let your brother touch Nightingale. I have a feeling he’s the type that dissects small animals for fun,” he handed Yoru a peach, “So what’d you think of my favorite place here?”

He leaned back, looking at the wild garden around him as he took a bite of the fruit, “Any chance we can keep this place to ourselves?”

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Sero had slipped away from Kotori and her family, not minding at all being temporally forgotten as he walked through the different attractions, he preferred quietly watching to being involved with others as it was.

Much easier to find those that would follow him in that way. All he needed was a weakness to get in and then he could easily control them. That was why he and Yoru were sent here after all, to start raising their armies.

He cautiously looked around, then nodding to himself, slipped into the back of the maid café that one of the grade four classes was putting on.

“Good to see you Master,” an older blond boy bowed, “Is your brother joining us today?”

He snorted, “There’s no telling where that idiot is,” he said as he sat down at a small table, “Is everyone else here?”

A coffee was placed next to him, “We can close in just an hour, and everyone should be here by then. Are you really letting us come…” he closed his mouth as Sero held up a finger.

“Not just yet, it’ll draw too much attention. But I will be coming to visit each of you in turn this holiday,” he took a sip of the coffee, “Leave me be until everyone is here for their orders.”

The blond bowed again, and then went to the front of the café to finish up there.

Sero shook his head, “How come I’m doing all the work?” he muttered to himself, “Yoru better recruit someone or Otasan will have his head.”

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Arashi whistled as she walked back to her classroom, having told her fathers that she needed to get her kimono and promising to hurry back.

Blinking, she stared at the blond boy in the back of the classroom, “Ima…”

He glared at her from over his book, “You should call me Shi in this world, and I will do the same by calling you Arashi. It’s dangerous otherwise.”

She shrugged, then went to sit next to him, “Okay, but why are you here?”

“Someone is about to die,” he said, “You can stay and watch, but you can’t interfere,” he took his quill and pricked his finger, pressing the blood onto her forehead, “They won’t see or hear you.”

Hugging her knees she looked over to his book, “Who’s it going to be…” she started, then looked up as she heard the noise from the front of the class, “Not…”

“It’s not them,” he said quietly as he watched Yoru and Taran with his ruby red eyes, “Just watch.”

“Guess we missed most of the rides,” Taran said sheepishly as he picked up his bag, “Sorry about that.”

“I didn’t mind,” Yoru glanced around, “Nikona-sensei isn’t around right now, want to get her back for the calligraphy and that death-glare she gave your cousin?”

“Ara-chan can fend for herself,” he grinned, “But I do owe her a bit…” he blinked, “You know this will be my first prank, I’m not sure what to do.”

“Since it was calligraphy,” Yoru went to the art supplies, “How about we show her how much we’ve learned?”

“Good one actually,” Arashi commented as she watched the two boys paint lewd words all over the classroom, “Not the best prank in the world, but it’ll sure piss her off,” she glanced over at Shi, “You sure someone’s going to die?”

“Just wait,” he said as he wrote, “I’m never wrong when it comes to…Ah, here she comes.”

“Who?” she started, then turned at the shrill shriek.

“Have you no respect?!” Nikona was screaming at the two, then went to roughly grab Taran’s arm, “You’re the nephew of the Kazekage! You need to stop acting like that brat foundling and take responsibility for your actions.”

“I like my cousin!” he snapped as he tried to pull his arm away, “You wouldn’t have any problems with her if you gave her a chance!”

“Tell her!” Arashi shouted, and crossed her arms, “And she’s sooo gonna get something from me for all of this.”

“Trust me when I say that she’s getting something already,” Shi said quietly, and the girl looked at him confused for a second before turning back to the slapping sound.

Her cousin was sprawled on the floor, rubbing his cheek as he looked up at Nikona, “That brat has no real reason to be here,” she growled, “Ones who cannot concentrate in the classroom are shown to also fail on the battlefield, causing too many casualties to count.”

“How would you know!” Taran argued, his eyes widening as she drew a kunai.

“I have too many scars from carelessness!” she said as she stepped closer to him, “You should get one as well for failing to see that…”

Arashi clenched her fists, trying to figure out what she could do and keep her promise to Shi, “Hurt one hair on his head and I’ll…”

Neither finished their sentence. Nikona because a white bone impaled her from behind, causing red blood to splash onto Taran, and Arashi because she was too busy staring at the boy that produced it.

“I warned her to be careful around snakes,” Shi commented as he wrote down one last line, “You can’t let either know that you saw.”

She nodded, “I wanted to do the same thing he did,” she said quietly, then blinked as the classroom faded away, her arms wrapped around the kimono she had gone in to get, “Shi?”

He was gone, and she looked around before realizing that she was in the girl’s washroom on the other side of the school.

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“Thanks,” Taran said breathlessly as he took a scroll out of his case, “Is she…”

Yoru stared at him, “You really aren’t scared of me,” he whispered, then shook his head, “She hurt you.”

“We better clean this up,” the other boy said, “I carried an extra, we can load the body there, and then we better scrub everything down,” he chewed his lip, “I uh… I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Give me the scroll with the body,” he kneeled beside him, “And the rest of the bento, there’s a place at home that no one will ever look,” he brushed the dark auburn hair that had fallen into Taran’s eyes back, “Let me take care of the clean-up from here on out, you have too much at stake.”

“No way!” he argued, “We’re in this together!” he took out another scroll, “I’ll have Sparrow and Wren act as look-outs. No one else should be coming, since everyone else already…” his voice trailed off as he looked around the class, “Yeah, everyone’s stuff is gone, and it’s an hour before they lock everything up. We can get the whole place cleaned up and get outta here by then.” he summoned the two bird puppets, causing them to fly in opposite directions from the classroom.

The two set to work, sealing the body being the easiest of the chores, then set themselves to using the class’s cleaning supplies to remove any sign of blood or their earlier prank from the room.

Finally Taran sighed, “That’s it,” he panted, “You can’t see anything else can you?”

Yoru turned to him, “Just one bit,” he said as he pointed at the blood on Taran’s face and clothing, “Do you have a change?”

“Crap,” he looked down, “I do, but I don’t do the laundry at home.”

“Give your clothes to me too,” he said quietly, “We can always say that I spilled something on you during lunch and I offered to wash them. Your parents will buy that won’t they?”

“You’ll have to come over sometime and bring my cleaned clothing back,” Taran smiled, “But yeah, they’ll buy that,” he opened up his bag, stripping down as he took out another scroll, “Even if you say that you burned or lost the clothes, they’ll buy that too. Mom’s a horrible klutz.”

“But why would I still come over then?”

“Because I want you to,” he wiped his face with the soiled shirt before sealing it and the rest of the clothing away, “Did I get it all?”

“Hold still,” Yoru cupped his cheek and leaned forward to lick the last bit of blood away, “You’re awfully calm about this.”

“Runs in the family I guess,” Taran shrugged, “Dad covered for Uncle a few times too. Besides, it was an accident,” he got up to pull on his clean clothing, “No reason to condemn someone for protecting a friend, and I’m not going to let a friend get into trouble if I can help it.”

Chapter Eleven

“So I get to stay with you from now on?” Kotori said happily as she walked down the palace corridor with Shinsetsu.

“It’s part of the Young Diplomats program,” he smiled, “Kokoro-dono started it a long time ago for girls of all ages in the countries,” he neglected to say that it was really started because she was lonely, “Not only does it teach valuable skills for civilians and nin alike, it’s set up to build confidence.”

“I guess I did need someone besides Sayuri in it,” Kokoro said thoughtfully as she watched the two pass by, then her hands flew to her face, “And you should have brought her here sooner! Your sister’s adorable!”

“She’s off limits,” Karasu crossed his arms, “And I took the liberty of giving this year’s enrollment packets to Iruka, so that we can have a full fledged program for once,” he smirked, “You’re going to actually have to teach.”

“Meanie!” she pouted, “This is because Shin-ni-chan gave me those brownies instead of you! You got jealous!”

“Why would I be jealous of someone so flat-chested?” he sighed, “Besides, you’ve been placing cameras in our rooms again. If I were to get you for anything, it would be those pictures you sold to the fan clubs.”

“Damnit, Sayuri was so sure that you didn’t notice,” she huffed, “At least you didn’t catch on to the tea…” she covered her mouth, “Durn your sharingan!”

He resisted the urge to laugh, “It’s not even activated,” he pointed out, “You just can’t keep a secret from friends,” he ruffled her hair, “Come on, your vacation isn’t over until tomorrow morning, let’s go see if Sayuri made any dinner.”

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“Hey Taran, have you seen Ara-chan?” Haru asked, “She hasn’t come back yet.”

“Last I saw her, she was going to the kitchen,” he looked up, “That was…” he blinked as he saw the clock, “About an hour ago I guess. Doesn’t feel like it.”

The elder twin chewed his lip, “This isn’t like her,” he muttered, “If you see her again, let her know that we’re looking, alright?”

He nodded, “Okay… hey, you don’t think that she went after Uncle and Dad by herself…”

“Nah, she knows better than that,” Haru started.

“Hey!” Sora called from upstairs, “She’s alright! Hoshi found her!”

Taran watched as Haru leapt up to the balcony, then shrugged and went back to his puppet, “I hope Yoru likes this,” he said quietly then froze as he felt the arms wrapped around him.

“Soooo who’s Yoru?” Kiyomi asked, “Did Baby Brother get a boyfriend?”

“Idiot,” Kiyoshi huffed from where she was sitting across from them, “He’s five, how is he going to date anyone?”

“Mama was five when she and Daddy met,” Kiyomi pointed out, “She knew then that he was…”

“Do you have any idea how disturbing that is,” Taran groaned as he gathered his materials, “And Yoru’s just a friend. Mama’s met him already.”

“I don’t know, that’s a special type of puppet you’re making,” Kiyomi teased, “Is that the one that’s coming over?” she sighed, “Sounds pretty romantic to me…”

“And I want you to leave him alone when he gets here,” he said with the faintest of blushes, “No teasing, no weird games of yours, just leave him be.”

“Yomi, you might be right,” Kiyoshi said with wide eyes, “It does sound like he has a crush. He’s showing signs of being embarrassed by his family,” she took out a book, “That’s critical for those developing feelings of love…hey!”

“And no analyzing him either!” he snapped as he held it away from her, “Or I’ll tell Dad about that weird book collection of yours!”

“You leave my Icha Icha out of this!” she crossed her arms, “Fine, I’ll be good.”

He turned to Kiyomi, “And if you do anything, I’ll tell Mama about the kissing booth.”

“You wouldn’t!” she gasped, “Fine, me too. But you owe me.”

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Both of the twins stared at Hoshi, “Run that by us again?” they chorused.

She winced, “Ara-chan went off with Shi,” she said sheepishly, “Not sure how she managed that, he’s really kind of a loner, but she’ll be back… maybe after a couple of days.”

“The God of Death Shi?” Haru asked and she nodded, “The permanent stick up his a** Shi?”

“He’s not that bad,” she sighed, “And he had a really good point,” she held up a letter, “The guy after her is after Kin’ichi too. Safest place is right by him.”

“True…” Sora mused as he took it from her, “But exactly why does he care what happens to her anyways?”

“Well…” Hoshi wrung her hands.

“What?” both narrowed their eyes.

“Um… Meiro might have bullied him into making a few promises,” she rubbed the back of her head, “And there was something about Ara-chan being able to get something that he doesn’t actually want anyone to have. Not sure what though.”

“So he’s just preventing that from happening,” the elder twin crossed his arms, “He didn’t have to kidnap her…”

“Arashi chose to go,” Sora said quietly as he read the letter, “And I believe him when he saws that she’ll be coming back,” he folded it up and placed it in his pocket, “Much as I hate to say this, we might as well trust him for now. We’ll just put her on dish detail when she gets back.”

“And morning training with Kano,” Haru agreed, “Ho-oh, think you can convince Chain to come up with some sort of terrifying punishment practice?”

“If he can’t, Yuri can,” she grinned, “And she’ll be fine, promise!”

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Yoru studied the small bird puppet, “He’s pretty good,” he said quietly as he touched the mechanical beak, “Wonder why he didn’t make it look real though, it’s nothing but gears.”

There was a knock at his door and he sealed the bird back in the scroll and stuffed it under his shirt next to the one containing Taran’s clothing. “Coming,” he called as he opened the door.

Kimimaro stood there, “Your outing has been approved,” he said as he entered the room, “I’m a bit nervous about you being gone for a week.”

“I won’t forget my real purpose,” Yoru said, “I am Lord Orochimaru’s body,” he looked up at the white haired man, “It’s the greatest honor, and I won’t do anything to jeopardize that.”

“I know,” Kimimaro said smiling, “I was more nervous about Doku missing you. He pouts when you’re at school. And Sero will be gone to check on his ‘followers,’ so it will be rather quiet around here.”

“I won’t lose to Sero,” he said, sensing the real reason for the visit, “If by some weird chance he becomes more worthy than I am, then I’ll give him my eyes. But that won’t happen.”

The older man nodded, “Make sure that it doesn’t. I want Kabuto to know that he failed once again,” he walked towards the door, “He was mentioning a laboratory that has recently been abandoned. I could suggest that he take Doku for an outing while the two of you are gone.”

“Then you would have Lord Orochimaru to yourself,” Yoru said cheerfully, “Go for it Kimi-haha,” he leaned up and kissed his cheek, “And when I am the body, I’ll make sure that you always come before him.”

He locked the door after Kimimaro left the room, reaching into his shirt for the scroll containing Nightingale, “I’m not real either,” he whispered as he watched the bird fly to his bed and perch on the post, “I wonder if that’s why he likes me.”

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“This is boring,” Arashi complained as she walked behind Shi, “At least let me see what’s in the book.”

“You’re the one that wanted to come with me,” he said as he continued his writing, “Were you expecting something else?”

She petted the kitten, “I guess I was hoping for something more exciting than the fifty old people you just got,” she sighed, “And before that it was someone that just froze to death. You realize the most interesting soul you took was Nikona-sensei yesterday?”

“I thought that the humans regarded peace as a good thing,” he looked up, “Here’s our next stop.”

The surroundings came into view and she blinked at the dark cave that they were in, “This looks promising,” she said, “Where are we?”

He shrugged, “Some hidden place. Why would I care?”

“Aren’t you ever curious about why they might end up being collected?” she asked, then jumped as she heard the loud screaming.

“There is no need,” he said as he sat down, “There are some stories that should never be told.”

She watched with wide eyes the sudden movement a few feet away from her, then looked up as a door above them opened, letting in a pale shaft of light that illuminated the woman in ragged clothes that was holding a rotting bundle.

“Be thankful that you can’t smell this place,” Shi commented as he dipped the quill in a red liquid and started writing.

Arashi stared at him for a second before turning her attention to the one walking on the railing above them, “Sero?” she asked quietly with wide eyes.

“You came,” the woman smiled up at him, “We’ve been waiting for you to come back to us. Look!” she held up the bundle and Arashi covered her mouth to keep the bile down at the sight of the decaying corpse, “Ichi has been wanting to play with you again, he misses his brother so much!”

“How did he die?” Arashi asked quietly.

“He slit his throat,” Shi said as he continued his work.

“I’ve been told that you no longer have a use,” Sero said coldly, “Not even as an entertainment value.”

“Let us just spend a little more time with you,” she pleaded, “Ichi promises to be better, he even tore out his eyes because you didn’t like the color, look!”

“Those without use need to remove themselves,” he said as he turned away, “The knife is in front of you.”

“Of course Sero…” she smiled as she reached in front of her, finding the handle, “Everything for you.”

Arashi closed her eyes shut as the woman lifted the knife to her throat, squinting them open as she heard a third voice upstairs, seeing the white haired man pushing up a pair of glasses as he led Sero away from the room and closing the door.

Thankfully the scene changed after that, taking them to a canyon in the middle of the desert, “She refused ferry as her son did,” Shi commented, “They will turn into the dark things that wait.” He glanced over at the girl, “There are reasons I don’t care to find out the why behind Death. Do you understand now?”

“His eyes,” she shivered, “Yoru’s eyes weren’t like that at all! He was saving Taran, but Sero…”

“Avoid the both of them. They will be meeting me in ten years and their lives will amount to nothing but sacrifice for another. Not many will even remember they existed,” he said quietly, “You can try to warn your cousin.”

She stared at him for a moment, “You have everyone’s death in there?” she asked pointing at the book, “Is that why you won’t let anyone see it…” she blinked, “But if that’s in there already, then what are you writing?”

“Confirmation,” he said simply, “There is still time for you to return.”

She looked at the kitten that was sleeping in her arms, “No, I want to stay,” she said quietly, “You won’t scare me that easily,” she smiled at him, “Besides, you’ll be lonely if I went home. You’ve seen a lot worse haven’t you.”

“There is no need for you to worry about me,” he said, “Come along, we rest here for a bit before continuing on with my duties. This is one of my places in the living world.”

Chapter Thirteen

“Where is this place?” Arashi asked as she skipped across the river running through the bottom of the canyon, “We’re not that far from home are we?”

“This is a place in the Wasteland beyond the desert controlled by the Free Tribes,” Shi said as he walked beside her, “The way here is secret, and to come without my permission means death.”

“This was where I was before wasn’t it?” she asked suddenly, “When Mama and I were together, that’s right isn’t it?”

He bent down, picking up a small object, “No. This is where you were before,” he said holding it up, “Any memory that you have of your mother is a vision she placed in your mind. Until that tree was struck by lightning you simply did not exist.”

“Huh, she must have really loved Daddies then,” she smiled as she placed her hands behind her back, “Because she went through a lot of trouble to get me to them.”

He shrugged, “A waste of power. I never understood her or why she did anything. Even the events happening now are partially of her design.”

“She’s lonely too,” Arashi said suddenly, “And so are Daddies, they really regret what happened then don’t they?”

“I don’t understand any of that,” he said as he took out his book, “They come to my realm when the time comes, that is all that I know or care about.”

She chewed the inside of her cheek, about to answer when a dark humming drew her attention, “What’s that?” she asked as she saw something sticking out of one of the islands, “Hey Shi, why is something like that here?” she ran to it, blinking as she saw the dark katana with the blood-red sheen to it’s blade sticking from the stone, “Looks like it should be taken back,” her hand went out to grab the hilt, her fingers barely touching it before her wrist was grabbed in his icy hand.

“That is only for one,” he said, and she stared at the harshness in his voice, “Lucier predicted that the one who would draw this without consequence would be the Companion of Death, all others would be cursed to attempt to appease the bloodlust on the blade, their souls being ripped from them in the process,” he looked at her, “And I will never chose one for that. No one but myself will hold the crimes of this sword.”

“Then why keep it?” she asked, “You could have destroyed it instead of hiding it away.”

“Even I am allowed to be sentimental,” he said as he pulled her from the katana, “When I was created, that was in my hands. With it I destroyed everything that I could find until the last Scion was able to calm my rage,” he held up the book, “This is my tool now, this and the quill. It is my duty to ensure that those who come into the realm of shadows are accounted for.”

“Wait, how’d Hoshi save you when she wasn’t even born yet?”

“Her light transcends time and space, that is her duty as the Scion of Stars,” he looked at her, “Strange that you have a semblance to her, but I suppose it’s that you are of her family, you believe in the same ideals. I would have expected you to be more like the one that created you.”

She glanced back at the sword, “You really are lonely aren’t you?” she asked quietly, “That’s a part of yourself that you had to lock away,” turning back to him, “You’re an interesting person Shi.”

“You’re taking the news that you’re not real surprisingly well.”

“I’m real enough,” she grinned, “Daddies love me, and Taran loves me, and Oji-chan loves me. That’s enough to make anyone real,” she ran in front of him, “And I bet even you’ll love me!”

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“This makes no sense,” Haru said as he looked at the contents of the scroll, “It’s a map, but with no names. So what do we do?”

“Wait,” Sora took out the notebook, “There’s no way that it can be this simple,” he turned the book towards his brother and Chihiro, “What do you think?”

“I’ll inform our client,” she said quietly as she stood and went to the tent entrance, “It’s the best chance we have.”

“Hey Chi,” she turned back to them, “How long?”

She sighed, “Four months,” she chewed her lip, “You know how he is, it’s hard for me to tell him.”

“He’s going to figure it out eventually,” Sora pointed out, “Besides, you know that he’s good for it.”

She looked outside to where Kano was trying rather unsuccessfully to talk to the boy of the tribes, “It scares him,” she said sadly, “He didn’t even like his birthdays because of it.”

“You think we don’t know?” Haru stood next to her, “Chi, you can’t hide this.”

“Idiots,” she huffed as she left the tent, walking towards the small tent that held their client.

“We move out when the sun sets,” the elder twin sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, “Heading further west.”

“Good thing that Taidana provided us with a few of the Tribe’s supplies then,” the younger said as he opened another scroll, “Hey Haru… think it’s possible that the legends are actually true?”

“I’m interested in only one of those treasures,” he flashed his brother a crooked smile, “It that’s there, then we don’t have to honor that agreement with Shi, we can take her back ourselves.”

Sora shook his head, “Forget it,” he whispered, ignoring his brother’s shocked look, “You know how she is, she wouldn’t forgive us,” he kissed the pouting lips, “Hey, we’ve got a good deal of time before we leave, wanna goof off a bit?”

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“Hey!” Karin called, “Taran! You forgot the bento I made for you!”

“Just keep walking,” he muttered to Yoru, “It’s poisonous.”

“Your mother tries to kill you?” he asked with wide eyes.

“No, it’s that she has no clue as to how to cook,” he sighed, “I blame Dad. Ever since he got poisoned by Sasori he had a bit of immunity to most things, and then when she started cooking things, it only helped build it up,” he yelped as wires wrapped around his legs and he was drug back to where Karin and his sisters were.

“Just take it shrimp!” Kiyoshi said as she let go of the wires, “Mama went through all the trouble to make it for you two.”

“It’s a declaration of love!” Kiyomi shouted, “You shouldn’t ever ignore that!”

“If you value living, you do,” he muttered, then slowly stood up, bowing to his mother, “Sorry Mama. But I wanted to give Yoru the lunch that I made.”

All three fiery haired women’s hands flew to their faces, “So cute!” they all said, “I guess we can forgive if that’s the case!”

The bento was shoved into his hands, “Give that to Kankuro then!” Karin said happily, “And welcome to the family Yoru!”

They walked away, and Taran sighed as he hit his head against the wall, “Why me?” he moaned, “Why is it always me?”

“I don’t know, I kind of like them,” Yoru commented, “It’s really not that bad is it?”

He glared at him for a minute before opening the box just enough for a black cloud to escape and form a skull in the air before screaming away, “And this is a good day for her,” he grumbled, “I had to eat this stuff since I was a baby, it’s a wonder that I survived at all.”

“Still, it’s nice that she cares enough to try and make you a home-cooked meal,” Yoru smiled, “I wouldn’t mind someone being that domestic for me.”

Taran blushed, “I uh… did learn how to cook from Baa-chan,” he said sheepishly, “I don’t know how good I am, but if you want, I can make something during the camping trip,” he grimaced as he placed the bento on the counter, “It’s bound to be more edible than that anyways.”

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Footsteps sounded in the corridor beyond the dark room, moving further away and eventually disappearing as she opened her clear eyes, “It’s time Sorath,” she whispered as she sat up, “He was foolish in leaving the chains off.”

The beast whined at her as it shambled to her hands, “Wait for me in our realm,” she smiled sadly as she scratched behind his ear, watching as he dissolved into darkness and float away, “I’ll be bringing a new delicacy for you to devour soon enough, and after that, you and I will never worry about these mortals and their games again,” she frowned, “No… it seems that there are still those that demand my attention, my part is not to be done for a long time.”

Slowly she stood, her strength returning to her as pieces of rotted flesh fell away from her, revealing glowing pale skin beneath, her hair grew from the matted crop her captor gave her to it’s once luxurious length.

“It took you long enough to find me,” she said as she turned to the shining woman standing behind her, “Sister, I’m grateful for your rescue attempt, but as you see, it isn’t needed.”

“You’re stringing that guy along,” Hoshi narrowed her eyes, “Why?”

“Believe it or not, I do pay my debts,” Meiro smiled, “He wanted me to suffer, so I did. Now that he is done with me, there is no need to keep the charade. I wonder, has our Brother already approached my darlings?”

“He’s got Arashi,” she gripped her naginata, “What if he’s holding her ransom…”

“You overestimate his feelings,” she said, “No, he won’t lift a finger to save me, he just wants those that belong to his place to return. I just wonder if he made a rather unprecedented deal to achieve that,” she closed her eyes, “A day, he promised them that little? Come little sister, I need to rectify this immediately.”

“But you can’t do anything in this realm anymore,” Hoshi said with wide eyes, “And Haru and Sora can’t be touched by anything you do now.”

“I am merely going to offer them the choice I should have given a long time ago,” she said as she waved her hand and a door appeared, “I shall wait for them at the legendary city, offer them whatever treasure that they want,” she turned to Hoshi, “It is time that your companions underwent the Test as well, is it not? Are you truly alright with things as they are?”

“You should already know the answer to that,” the silver haired woman smirked, “They passed with flying colors. And so did Haru and Sora, why are you doing it again?”

“Because I want to be sure that it is entirely their choice,” Meiro stepped through the door, “We are talking about Eternity dear Sister. It is a long time to regret if you made a bad decision.”

With that the door vanished and Hoshi was left alone in the dark dungeon, “It’s also stupid to second-guess yourself all the time,” she snorted as she swung her naginata and stepped through a silver portal.