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 Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:03 am
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TABs h i r a y u k i 白雪
〈 s h i n i c h i 新一 〉 ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ TAB TABA p p e a r a n c e ↴TAB↪ the face in the mirrorA tall lanky man who, while looking weak and bony from a distance, actually has lean muscles under his loose clothing. His hands are large and prone to sweating, with rough, calloused fingers. No doubt as a result of the many years of handling a nodachi. Scars were something he hadn't had to deal with in his early shinobi years when he still had a medic-nin at his side. But now he has 7 years worth of them as souvenirs of his reckless combat style. His favorite in particular is the crescent-looking scar on his back that he received in a fight with one of his ex-girlfriends.
Like many Uchiha before them, he and his brother were very attractive and popular with the female population of Konoha. And while he is a middle aged man now, he'd still be considered attractive were it not for the mask that he wears 24/7. Thing is, he and his brother obtained their good looks not from their Uchiha mother, but the Hyouton-user who impregnated her. His biological mother was considered not only an average shinobi, but an average looking female. Perhaps the only things he and his brother inherited from her were their hair and eye pigments. And, in his case, the sharingan. While his brother was given their biological father's Hyouton kekkei genkai.
During his years as a shut-in, he used to have long and smooth rapunzel hair that grew all the way down past his back... until an unfortunate encounter with a berserk Hyuuga Yokou. And then he shaved the mohawk Yokou had (not so graciously) given him for baldness so that his hair could grow evenly. Over the last two years he let his hair grow past his ears and maintained that length; the hairstyle he used to sport when he was an active hunter-nin. Shinichi and his brother had enough sense to escape the Uchiha duck butt curse that seemed to plague the clan. TAB TABW a r d r o b e ↴TAB↪ the worse for wearShinichi is not a hunter-nin anymore, but he continues to wear his mask. A white porcelain mask with a tauntingly red smile painted on its face, appropriate for Konoha's Scarlet Joker. The two of them avoided the trademark Uchiha shirt collars, perhaps one of their ways to rebel from the clan and their customs. Instead, they took to wearing flashy and brightly colored clothes (as opposed to dark colors like black, much their grandfather's endless dismay). Though the colors they seemed to gravitate to the most were red and yellow, tacking on as many shiny and gaudy accessories they could obnoxiously put on. It was their way of taunting their opponents, as if to say, "Here I am! Try to beat me."
This changed when he came out of retirement and decided to go for practicality. Shinichi took to earth colors for better camouflage and wore clothes a few sizes larger than what he should actually be wearing (done on purpose to make his opponents think he's skinnier and weaker than he actually is). Another change to his ensemble is his hitai-ate, formerly worn by Shoichi and passed on to him the day they returned to Konoha. When Team Shoichi formed, he, Seiji, and Shoichi all pierced their ears together. Shoichi, both his ears, with a pair silver-toned wing earrings. Shinichi, his left ear, and only one wing. Seiji, his right ear, and the other wing. Shinichi would later pierce his right ear as well and wear Seiji's earring.〈 hi'ate 〉→ Black, worn around the neck. 〈 head 〉→ A pair of wing earrings.〈 neck 〉→ A set of three dog tags; the names of Team Shoichi.〈 shoulders 〉→ None.〈 armguards 〉 → Dark brown, white band strings. Worn on both arms.〈 torso 〉→ Kusari Katabira; AKA Japanese Chain Mail〈 legs 〉→ Dark brown combat boots.〈 shinguards 〉→ None.TAB TABf u n d s ↴TAB↪ for important purchasesTAB TABI n v e n t o r y ↴TAB↪ for the common day▪ Nodachi (1)
The Nodachi is a really big and long katana mostly used to deal with cavalry in open ground combat, however the sword can be also used for normal combat by skilled people.
Damage: 5 - 16 + 1.5x str. mod.
Range: Melee + 5 ft.
Special: +2 to Dodge Bonus and blocking checks. Can be used while mounted on a horse. Causes Bleeding upon a critical hit.
Dual Wield: No.
▪ Flashbangs (5)
A ball which emits a tremendous flash of light that can temporarily blind an opponent. It will also extend any shadows, which can be beneficial for techniques such as the Nara clan's Shadow Imitation Technique (Kagemane no Jutsu). The flashbang also produces a large amount of sound which causes temporary deafness to anybody in immediate range.
Effects: First round: Character is blinded, partially deaf and dazed resulting in -26 to all rolls. Character also loses the dex mod bonus to his dodge bonus.
Next 10 rounds: Character slowly regains his vision and hearing and the penalty is reduced to -10 for 10 rounds. This penalty acts like a countdown that is reduced by -1 every round. Character can now add 1/2 his dex mod to his dodge bonus.
▪ Smoke bombs (5)
An item which creates a dense cloud of smoke that can provide an opportunity to attack.
Effects: Increases Stealth roll by +6.
▪ Scrolls (3)
Scrolls remain one of the most important pieces of equipment in a ninja's arsenal. Because of their size, multiple scrolls can be carried into battle in the front pouches of a flak jacket or in a pouch. This will save space and not sacrifice a much needed piece of equipment which may be required later. The scroll allows the ninja to summon creatures, people and items to their aid. For more information check the Technique List and the "Tobidogu" technique.
▪ Canteen (2)
You'd be an idiot to go into a mission in the wilderness without one of these. TAB TABs e n t i m e n t a l ↴TAB↪ the things close to the heart▪ Porn Magazines (5)
"What? You never know when they might come in handy in the middle of a fight." It has also been a long time family tradition for Shirayuki Yamato to buy an issue of Ninja Girls for his son on his birthday.
▪ Shin-san
A cat plushie that his younger sister Kaede made for him on one of his birthdays. Aptly named after him.
▪ Pillar of the Earth
"You're kidding me... someone actually wrote an autobiography about that a*****e!?" Said a*****e is Senju Zephyr, and it was yet another birthday present he received from someone who clearly didn't know her dear uncle well enough. According to Shinichi, it is a very inaccurate portrayal of the Juugodaime.
▪ Old Worn-Out Photo
The only photo of Team Shoichi and Takani Fuu together.
▪ Laminated Letters
Filled with memories of a time when he was closest to family members other than Seiji: his grandfather and Harusame.
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Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 2:36 pm
TAB TABm i s s i o n s ↴ TAB↪ the brilliant accomplishments ▪ S-rank
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▪ A-rank
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▪ B-rank
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▪ C-rank
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▪ D-rank
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▪ E-rank
TAB TAB TAB0 TAB TABp e r s o n a ↴TAB↪ all the different faces ▪ perverted
Unless you are one of his precious family members, he will refer to any member of the female population by their chest sizes. Though it may seem like he is picky about the women he chases after, he's actually not. He can appreciate women of any face, race, weight, chest size, thigh thickness, or buttocks volume simply because they are women. His only limitations seems to be age (AKA, he does not go after women old enough to be his grandma or girls Kaede's age). He'll shower these women with attention and gifts. However, his heart is another matter. Shoichi once theorized that Shinichi's unhealthy approach to women stemmed from the lack of a mother figure in his life (or maybe he's just being too psycholanalytical like Shinichi claims).
▪ devious
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▪ amoral
He is right and anyone who disagrees with him is wrong. That's his absolute. Rules, class, and status are something he'll step all over whenever he feels like it, just because he can. Honor is merely an obstacle to getting important objectives accomplished. So he will fight anyone (man, woman, child) if the situation calls for it, and he will fight dirty the whole way through. Things like clan loyalty or village loyalty are moot point. He's also not very loyal to his past 'flings'. But betraying and hurting those precious to you, that is the one taboo he cannot forgive. And that's something that puts him at odds with Mangekyo Sharingan users and Senju Ran.
▪ irresponsible
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▪ selfish
What's his is his and what is yours is also his. It's futile to try to compromise with him. He doesn't like people touching his things, and he's less fond of people talking to his friends, family, or even girlfriends. Almost everything he does, he does it for his own self-satisfaction.
▪ hot-tempered
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▪ impulsive
Contrary to popular belief, he's not stupid. He's intuitive when it comes to mathematics, learning jutsu, and memorizing things. And he's a very creative and unconventional thinker when he wants to be (like pranks, or dirty fighting tactics). He just has a tendency to act before thinking things through. It also doesn't help that he tends to act irrationally when he's all riled up.
▪ obsessive
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▪ overprotective
You wouldn't know it from first glance, but he's a family man. Diss his dad, and he'll deck you. Mess with one of his younger sisters or his niece, and it's black avenger time. Kami help you if you're romantically interested in of them. He'll demand a thorough background check: passport, social security number, income tax returns, transcript records, medical records, criminal records, family tree, photo ID, everything.
▪ narcissistic
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▪ competitive
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▪ lazy
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Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 2:40 pm
TAB TABb a c k g r o u n d ↴TAB↪ the secrets you don't need to knowTheme: Kikujiro No Natsu
"Keiji? Seiji? Where are you two?"
...
"This isn't funny. I'm serious. SHOW YOURSELF RIGHT NOW."
But the man was met with the howl of the wind and the rustling of leaves. There appeared to be no other life forms present except the occasional chirping of birds to signify the beginning of day. The splash of sunrise on the canvas of the sky would have been a splendid sight to enjoy... if the situation wasn't so dire.
"I can't believe this..." Daisuke muttered, angrily rubbing his temple. "We're running late on their first day of the academy and they already decided to ditch. Damn pair of troublesome brats!"
"I'm not a brat, old man."
His head snapped up all the way to the trees, where a dark-haired little boy sat, perched up on a branch with his hand resting on the tree's trunk. He peered down at the Daisuke with a smile.
"Keiji-"
"... Keiji?" The boy inquired, cocking his head to the side. "Who's that?"
Not cute.
This little brat is not cute at all. Did he not know how important and pivotal this day will be!? It took a lot to convince the hokage to accept these troublemakers into the academy after they had graffiti'd all the classrooms AND tepee'd the hokage tower during summer break. The clan had to clean up the mess, write so many apology letters, AND he had to bow down to the Juudaime. Bowing down to a SENJU HALF-BREED... that was down right miserable. And there was no way he was going to do it again!
"Uchiha Keiji, don't make me come up there. I swear I will drag you out of those trees. And when I do I will-"
The little boy rolled his eyes. He then stepped off the branch, gliding down from one branch to another branch, until he finally planted his feet on the ground without losing his balance. His landing was so flawless, that the boy couldn't help but dramatically pose afterwards with a triumphant "Huzzah!" If this was two hours ago, right before he and his brother decided to run off and hide, Daisuke might have been proud of the boy's feats. Instead, he immediately walked over to Keiji, ready to yank the boy's ear and give him the lecture of a lifetime. That brat needed to understand the importance of his education, his future, especially considering the circumstances of his and his brother's birth.
"Kei-"
"I'm Seiji. Yellow backpack, see?" He motioned to his backpack for further emphasis. "Keiji's the one that wears a the red backpack. And I call you old man while Keiji calls you Gramps. Geez... I know you're going senile, old man. But you should at least know the names of your grandchildren."
"I'm not old, brat. I'm forty-nine."
"That IS old!"
Uchiha Daisuke continued on, ignoring the boy's words. "You both know just as well as I do, that if you two would just stop matching clothes, people wouldn't confuse you with the other. It can't be helped. And, I told you both time after time to stop wearing that hideous color scheme. I didn't buy you dark-colored clothes to fill up space in your drawers. I bought them so you would look presentable in front of your sensei!"
"... but I like yellow and red."
"SHINOBI SHOULDN'T LOOK LIKE A KETCHUP AND MUSTARD MESS!"
Seiji pouted. "That's fine 'cause I don't wanna be a shinobi."
A long exasperated sigh.
"Then exactly what is it that do you want to be?"
"An octopus!" Seiji happily chirped. "Keiji is going to be a dolphin and we're going to rule the ocean together and look for mermaids and eat free sushi everyday and party with pirates!"
"..."
The visible vein on Daisuke's forehead looked like it was ready to burst any moment. Was this kid serious...? He and his brother were constantly pestering him to enroll into the academy early, day after day after day after day... until he FINALLY caved into their demands and now... now they change their minds!? And for the DUMBEST idea he has ever heard!?
"Why..." his voice very, very, very strained.
The man was relying on sheer willpower to stay calm, when he would love to just grab the boy by the shoulders and shake him violently while yelling in rage. Or better yet, just drop kick the boy back up the trees, forget this whole thing ever happened, and enjoy the sunrise with a cup of calm, soothing tea (he could really use one).
"Why don't you want to be a shinobi anymore? You were so eager about it before."
Seiji looked at his grandfather in the eye, as if purposefully pretending that the impending storm before him did not exist.
"But Kaa-chan died because she was hurt by a shinobi. I don't wanna be someone like that."
"Oh..."
Oh.
At those words, Daisuke relaxed considerably, eyes softening. So that was the problem. His daughter's sudden death had affected him considerably as well. Wait, then does that mean they know...? No... no. He was overthinking it. Because had the children known the truth, they would do more than just ditch school. Much, much more, knowing them. He had to rectify this, because they will have to know eventually. ... even though that's the last thing he wants. And when they do, he wants to make sure he's there for them. Daisuke gently placed his hand on his grandson's head and ruffled the boy's hair.
"But she was hurt by a bad shinobi. If you go to the academy, your sensei there will show you how to become a shinobi that will make your mother proud."
But he won't tell them the truth right now. Someday. Maybe a year. Maybe two years. They'll learn why their mother died. They will learn of the curse that comes with the blood that runs in their veins. Let these boys stay innocent a little longer. After outliving another child... after losing another dream... that's all this old man dares to wish for anymore.
"Mmm... I'm not so sure now. I still think it would be cool to be an octopus."
And any gentleness Uchiha Daisuke felt curled up and died at that STUPID idea. If he could threaten the kid into complying, he would. But Seiji was very intelligent... his equally mischievous brother was very intelligent too. Yet Seiji was the smarter one, if only by a few IQ points. He knew that his grandfather was soft-hearted in his own way under that tough exterior. Smart and troublesome. He'd have to go about this a different way.
"If you go to the academy and graduate at the top of your class, I'll buy you that Kamen Rider action figure you and Keiji always wanted."
"I don't want it anymore. There's a new Kamen Rider season."
"Okay... what is it that you and Keiji want now?"
There was a glint in the child's eye, as if he had some trump card up his sleeve. A trap. He just didn't know exactly what kind of trap it was. Daisuke had a really, really bad feeling about this...
"Teach us your powerful trademark lightning jutsu."
Ahaha, as if.
If he did that, he might as well just put the insurance companies in debt. He'd liked to see Konohagakure in one piece, thank you very much.
"I refuse."
"Aaaw, why not!?"
"How about I teach you just a fire jutsu? Goukakyu no Jutsu?"
"Lightning jutsu. Or I'll never tell you where Keiji is hiding."
Damn it. This kid inherited his mother's stubbornness and he drove a hard bargain.
"... Fine, I'll teach you a lightning jutsu but ONLY for one day. If you two can't learn it afterwards, I'm not going to teach it again until I see you're both mature enough to handle it."
"You promise?"
It seemed his offer pacified the child... for now. Besides, it wasn't like a little kid could learn a technique that complex even if he was smart.
"... yes, I promise. Now will you tell me where Keiji is?"
It was almost surprising how compliant the boy could be when there was something he wanted on the line. Seiji lead his grandfather to the entrance of the Uchiha compound, where the boy glanced at a bush to his right with an impish grin.
"I got Gramps to promise to teach us the Rairyu Dageki Dangan. You can come out now, Seiji."
A head popped out of the bush and began to shake wildly to get the leaves and the sakura flowers out of his hair. When the boy looked up, he wore a smile eerily similar to his brother's.
"Sweet."
"What!? Seiji? I thought you were-"
"Actually, I lied, Gramps. You better keep your promise!"
Keiji grabbed his brother's hand and the two of them started dashing for the academy in a set of giggles.
"Oi, you brats!"
But they were already long gone. Daisuke sighed, and watched their silhouettes vanish into the horizon. He really hoped he wouldn't regret this.
________________________
The Burden That Comes With Blood
"Did you hear about those Uchiha twins? Entered the academy at the age of four and picked up their hitai-ate a year later. What a crazy clan... those Uchiha." -Kubo Yajirou
"You lied Gramps!"
"Oh hush up, brat. I said I'd teach you guys a lightning jutsu. I didn't say I'd teach you the Rairyu Dageki Dangan. Now look at my handseals and imagine how the chakra would flow, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, old man. We're watching," Seiji dismissed airily.
"Okay, now repeat to me the handseals."
"Right. So ram, boar... ox, snake... and dog?"
"..."
Daisuke's eyebrow twitched. If only looks could kill... but no, it was too troublesome to try to think about killing his best friend for something like that. Too bad fallen Uchiha couldn't say the same thing.
"You just recited to me the handseals for the Kawarimi no Jutsu. Kami, are you two even trying!?"
Seiji sulked and kicked a rock, "I am."
An aggravated sigh. Child had the nerve to lie. And poorly too. They may qualify to become genin, but there was still much, much, much more for those two to learn before they could call themselves proper shinobi. Daisuke rubbed his temple and closed his eyes.
"I would think that, while learning a new jutsu would motivate you two, it would only be temporary. And I'm right, from the lack of concentration two are putting into learning this jutsu. It's even more suspicious when I think about how much effort you two put into your academy studies. So..." Daisuke opened his eyes and stared intensely at his grandsons. "Let's be honest here. What really motivated you two to graduate early so much?"
The twins didn't answer. They merely looked at each other, silently sending each other messages.
"Come on, now. I'm not as stupid as you think I am."
And it was Keiji who spoke up.
"Worthless."
"... what?"
"The kids at school said Kaa-chan was worthless. Even though the adults don't say it to our faces, they look at us with the same eyes."
"... and why is that?"
But he already knew the answer. He just hoped... it wasn't what he thought it was. They were supposed to hear it from him, their grandfather, and in... kinder words.
"Because she was 'raped' during some mission. I don't know what that means, and the kids who kept spouting that crap don't know either. So we tried asking the grown ups but they start looking away and won't say anything. Whatever... it's probably something really stupid. So Seiji and I made a bet that we would graduate before the rest of them did. If we won, they would have to admit that Kaa-chan isn't worthless. But what I don't get is... why? Why did the bad shinobi do it? Why did it have to be Kaa-chan?"
A sad sigh.
So it came to this... it was going to happen eventually. They would have to be told eventually but...
Too soon.
It was happening much sooner than he had hoped for.
"... because of the sharingan. It's the most feared weapon of our clan, and a bad shinobi wanted that power for himself."
"But that doesn't make any sense," Seiji said with a frown. "They used to say Kaa-chan was a failure because she didn't have a sharingan."
"No... but she had the potential to produce children with the kekkei genkai. You two."
If he hadn't found Rie... if he hadn't chased off her tormentor... would these children, for all the grief and mischief they had ever caused him, still be in front of him? Would they still be alive? Would they be able to smile with empty socketed eyes? Would they know what color the sky was? These were things that Daisuke had contemplated every once in a while, when he needed to shed the immense sense of failure he had felt over Rie's death. And it was during that long painful silence, that a thought occurred to Seiji.
"So then... if Keiji and I didn't exist-"
"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" Daisuke roared.
And for the first time in their lives, the twins were scared of this man before them. This man whose face and fists contorted with intense bitterness and rage... pain from a scar that had yet to heal even though five years have passed since then. But it wasn't directed at the children in front of him. No, it was a hatred directed at many, many people.
"You two have no idea... NO IDEA how much time and effort it took to get you two where you are now.
The pale, limp, and abused body of Uchiha Rie was found in Kiri, isolated away from civilian and shinobi society. Her teammates long dead, killed in the midst of an ambush, yet still preserved by the frostiness of snow. And her only companions in that icy prison would be the one who killed her teammates and his accomplices. By the time Daisuke's squad found and rescued his daughter, she was mentally distressed and traumatized from captivity and sexual harassment.
"She was seven months pregnant. Her physical health deteriorated, and the medic-nin said that she would... die if she went through the pregnancy.
High risk factors involved with twins and triplets. They said.
You could abort them. No one will miss shameful products of rape. They said.
No one has yet to know of this scandal. The clan's reputation can still be saved. They said.
It's either you or them. They said.
But even after all the suffering her mind and body went through, she still retained her stubbornness. His beloved daughter died without any regrets... and that was more than what most Uchiha could say.
"But Rie went through with it because she loved you both very, very much."
"That's illogical," Seiji interrupted. "She never met us so how could she...?"
Instead of getting offended like their last outburst, Daisuke merely chuckled. His angry visage dissipating like wind tickling leaves off of a grand tree.
"When you're older and you two have children of your own one day, and Kami help us all and the women you choose that you're mature by the time it happens... you will understand your mother's feelings... and mine."
"I hope I don't turn out as ugly as you when I get that old, Gramps-OW!"
Keiji tearfully rubbed at the bump swelling on his head where he had been bopped.
"That hurt!"
Daisuke merely ignored his complaint, "Well now, enough talking about that. Let's get back to jutsu training, shall we boys? With this depressing topic out of the way, you should be able to concentrate much better now."
Another thought occurred to him, and then he turned around and looked at the twins very sternly.
"New rule: no one can have dinner until one of you can walk out of here able to produce a passable Hiraishin no Jutsu or at least a Gyokakyu no Jutsu."
"What!? That isn't fair, old man!"
Daisuke was being harder on Rie's children more than he had with his own because they were Rie's children. Especially because they were Rie's children. They might think his methods were harsh, but it was the only way he could preserve his peace of mind. If Uchiha Daisuke had to let go of his grandchildren early, then at the very least arm he would arm them with something they can protect themselves with. Because even in Konoha, especially Konoha, there were fellow shinobi who would love to get their hands on the Sharingan and what better than fresh Uchiha? There were Uchiha who learned to covet the power that came with their blood, and then there were who learned to treat it like a curse. Either way, Kami forbid the same tragedy should happen to Rie's last remnants.
He wouldn't know how to carry on the rest of his life if that happened.
________________________
Our Gemini Stars
Theme: Dearly Beloved (remix)
"I wished we had been born conjoined twins. That way, we'd never be separated." -Uchiha Seiji
It is morning now. And the two of them are wearily heading for the academy. It took forever, but it was Keiji who had managed to learn the Hiraishin no Jutsu. Well... more like, he was the only one out of the two who can. And as they neared the steps of the academy, Seiji's footsteps faltered.
"I... I don't want to go in Keiji..."
Keiji pauses, hand on the door and turns around on his brother. His eyes squint from confusion.
Huh? But shouldn't he be happy because we're finally going to be acknowledged as shinobi today?
"Are you still mad that you can't do the Hiraishin no Jutsu or the Gyokakyu no Jutsu? But grandpa said that's because your elemental aff... affniteeee or whatever isn't the same as mine so it's okay. Besides, I think 'ice' is pretty cool. Haha, get it!?"
"No... I mean, not the pun. I like the pun, but... I'm not sad over that."
"Then why are you sad?"
"We're going to get sorted into teams," Seiji muttered darkly.
"Yeah, so what?"
"So... that means once you're put in that team you won't have time to talk with anyone else, right? Wh-what if we don't get placed in the same team? What if we stop talking all together and you f-f-forget me?"
Oh... he never thought about it like that. And now he was getting a little jittery too. What if...?
But.
But there's a reason why such a thought never occurred to him. Because they were born together, he truly believed it was a given that they would be buried together.
"W-well... that won't happen, even if we aren't in the same team. Because Seiji's my other half. I won't ever leave you, Seiji."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"Okay... and I promise I'll never leave you either Keiji."
They hold out identical pinkies... and linked together a bond strong enough to connect souls for life.
________________________
It Began with a Recipe for Disaster
Theme: The Egg and I
"...and as for Team 5, cell placement is... Okamura Shoichi... Uchiha Seiji... and Uchiha Keiji under jounin sens- WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!?" - Yamanaka Miyu, Academy Teacher referring to the cheers and whoops coming from the Uchiha twins
It's been almost an hour since the other teams and Shoichi have left. The twins have been standing in the rain for some time now, watching... waiting for their future sensei, but it was okay. The wait may be growing longer, but it was fun to splash in the puddles and stick their tongue out for rain drops. They were in no hurry.
Then, a boy approached them. It was their other teammate, thirteen year old Okamura Shoichi, the dead last of their class.
"I've been asking last year's drop outs... we haven't actually graduated yet. Seems there's some sort of bell test our jounin sensei gives us. Oh man, oh maaaan, we're not going to stand a chance."
"What do you mean? You got the top two students in the class on your team."
"Yeah, I know Seiji-kun, but this is a jounin."
"So?"
"So she's really strong. And no offense you two, but it's really hard to adjust to the fact that I'm stuck with teammates who both are younger than than half my age."
His peers are never going to let him live it down...
Keiji merely scoffed. If it was him and Seiji, then this jounin wouldn't stand a chance. No matter how strong she was. But as for Shoichi's capability for teamwork, well... it wouldn't be surprising if the older boy found it hard to socialize with others. The kids loved to make fun of him. Especially about his father and his mother... mothers? In any case, moreso than they make fun of him, Seiji, and Kaa-chan. Keiji could sympathize with him.
"And that's where teamwork comes in." And it would seem Seiji thought the same thing too. "I got a plan, guys. Group huddle."
Suddenly, from the circle of fervent muttering and plotting, Shoichi jumps out in alarm yelling.
"What!? Are you crazy Seiji!?"
"I think its a pretty good plan, actually. Two versus one, you're outnumbered. Let's do this Seiji."
"Bu-but th-mmf!"
Keiji clamped his hand over his teammate's mouth.
"Quiet!" he hissed. "I hear something coming..."
From the leaf hitai-ate and the green vest dripping in rain water, it would appear to be their jounin sensei. And fortunately for the boys, she was unsuspecting of their attack.
"Hey, sorry I'm late guys, I wa-"
!
________________________
We Really Should've Seen This Coming
"You know... looking back on this day, it was pretty damn funny how things turned out, don't you think?" -Uchiha Keiji before Okamura Shoichi rages and punches him in the gut.
"Oh. My. God."
They were sitting inside the Hokage tower. Shoichi is curled up into a little ball with his hands clamped over his eyes, as if trying to block out some horrible mental image. Contrasting this panicking and utter misery, was Seiji calmly sitting on the same bench, casually flipping through the latest Konoha Times newspaper. Across from them, leaning against the wall, Keiji was absentmindedly chewing on bubble gum and juggling a pair of bells in his hands: evidence that they had passed the bell test. However, it was their, well... Shoichi's last concern at the moment.
"OHMYGODOHMGODOHMGOOOOOOD!"
It was pretty funny to see their teammate panic at first...
"Shoichi... would you SHUT UP!?" Keiji hollered.
... but after doing it for two hours straight, it was getting really annoying.
"What!? You're getting mad at ME? I'M not the one who got the team SUSPENDED FOR A WHOLE WEEK because we attacked our jounin sensei with a LIGHTNING JUTSU. And was that henge no jutsu of your grandfather naked really necessary Seiji!? You said the combination would knock her out, not put her in a COMA. s**t. What are we gonna doooooo? Clearly no jounin sensei in their right mind would to want to lead this crazy team. Everyone already thinks I'm a loser, but now Yuri-chan is gonna... Yuri-chan is gonna... shiiiiiiiit... s**t, s**t, s**t."
Seiji looked up from the comics section, meeting Shoichi's tearful glare with a frown of his own, "Who cares? They suspended us and we have no jounin sensei."
"That's what I just said!!!"
"But they haven't taken away our hitai-ate, right?"
"... so?"
"So that means we're still shinobi. We can do missions and whatever shinobi squads do. You don't really need to confine to the standard four man squads. It's just a nice round number, that's all."
"Hey, great idea Seiji!"
"Bu-but..."
"How about this," Seiji began to pitch. "If you agree to join us, we'll name the team after you. Team Shoichi-chan. Sounds good right?"
"I don't know about that..." But the ambitious gleam in the boy's dark brown eyes said otherwise. "But I might change my mind, if its Team Shoichi-sama."
Keiji scoffed.
"That's lame. Team Shoichi-chan."
"Team Shoichi," Seiji mediated.
"Fine. Whatever. We're Team Shoichi." Keiji shrugged. "But man, I can't wait until the week is over. This is going to be AWESOME!"
________________________
And Now We'll Soar
Theme: Demons
"Even though those two graduated from the academy earlier than the average shinobi, it took us six years to become chuunin. The truth is, our abilities were average... but our teamwork was, and still is, unmatched. Those days were frustrating, what with everyone playing around instead of working. Frustrating... but fun, probably one of the happiest times of my life. We only became true geniuses when we found a true motivation to fight.." - Okamura Shoichi
"Mmmmph! Mmmph!"
A swift kick into the hostage's abdomen.
"Shut up or I'll do it. I swear I'll do it," he hissed.
There's a rustle in the bushes and the man tenses. His grip on the kunai tightens until the blood in his fingers build up and his knuckles go white. Oh, ********, ********, ********... he was so god damned sure that their targets were harmless little fish. But once they grabbed this boy, the girl turned into a violent dragon that overwhelmed his teammates with her fighting prowess. This was not in the god damned mission debriefing.
Where? Dilated eyes are twitching all over the place for any moving shadow, for any sound. Where? Where is she going to attack? From behind? Will it be a senbon barrage, a nodachi attack, or a nasty genjutsu this time? Wait, what if there's a genjutsu already in effe-
"I'm back."
...!
"Damn it! You scared the s**t out of me, man. I thought you were... I thought..." he shook his head. "So how was the surveillance?"
"A total body count of three, if we include this hostage and the objective of our mission over there. The other girl should show up at any moment to rescue this one... if this boy is as important to her as we assumed he was- gggk!"
Ohshitohshitohshitshitshiiiiit!
The blade of a nodachi popped out of his partner's chest, and behind him was surely that girl. He didn't need to look at her to feel the furious killing intent pouring out into the atmosphere. He could hear the sound of blood - oh thank kami it isn't HIS blood - spraying everywhere and feel warm wet droplets sliding down his forehead... mixing with the cold sweat and the thumpthumpthumping of adrenaline.
"N-n-not so fast!" he threatened, kunai pressed up against the hostage's neck.
Step back, one, two, three, four, five... as far as possible away from the girl.
Out of weapon range?
Yes?
... yes.
But it isn't quite safe to breath or blink or...
"Drop your sword."
Was the clatter of metal just a product of genjutsu? Shiiiiit... he really couldn't tell and the genjutsu expert on their team became a senbon pin cushion five minutes ago.
Now back up... let's back up to the retreat point.
This mission is a total failure, but all that's on his mind now is how to survive for at least five more minutes. He blinked, and...
Big mistake.
The girl explodes into a mushroom of smoke...
"What? Two!?"
... and darting out of the smoke are two boys. One is the crazy sword demon - wielding his weapon which meant that the sound WAS a projection of genjutsu. Ffffffff... -and the other boy, the taller and older one, was probably the genjutsu mastermind, expelling just as much killing intent as his partner. The kunai is kicked out of his hand and a knee rams into his stomach, sending him flying into a tree like a ragdoll. Pangs of pain are jabbing at his brain and he's sure he just broke a rib and-
Shiiiiit he's getting closer, closer, CLOSER.
Last the poor man ever saw was a pair of red wheels furiously spinning down at him, one comma in each eye.
That was all the man could get out before the demon jammed the nodachi into his mouth. Keiji kicks the body off of his sword without a second glance at his victim. No. The welfare of the hostage was a much more important issue as far as he was concerned. He rushed over to his brother's side, lifts him up into a sitting position and removed the gag from his mouth.
"Are you okay Seiji?"
Two shaky hands would cup his twin's bruised up cheeks, trying to soak up any warmth that affirmed any signs of life. He would intently watch and wait until those eyes opened up. And when they did, his heart would unclench and relax a little.
"Y-yeah," Seiji croaked. "Mmmfine. H-how's... the escort Sh-sho-chan?"
"Madoka-sama is just unconscious.... she'll wake up in two hours. They weren't out to kill her. They were only shinobi hired to kidnap her just like you predicted Seiji. Thank goodness. And the man Keiji impaled is dead for sure. No breath and no heart pulse. How about the guy on your side?"
Keiji stood back up and rounded on the body on the ground with a low kick to the abdomen. A loud squish and more blood squirted out. Not a sound. But the stench of urine meant that the corpse's bladder just emptied. Keiji wrinkled his nose.
Gross...
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's dead."
"You... YOU... I can't believe... WHAT THE HELL!?"
"Chill, Sho-chan. He's dead."
"That's going overboard!"
"b*****d tried to slit Seiji's throat. Why the <********> should I give him any courtesy?" Keiji blinks and the red of the sharingan bleeds out for pitch black pupils. "Besides, you were all for violence when he hurt the escort."
"Th-that's... that's because..."
"Yeah, whatever."
He didn't care who or how strong a person was. No one tries to kill his brother and gets away with it. The men they just slaughtered were only two genin and two chuunin. And today... if, if... his sharingan hadn't activated... Keiji glances back at the bruise swelling on his brother's forehead and the small cut on his throat, the dribbling of blood. One of his hands started to tremble. A fresh sharingan wouldn't be enough to protect his teammates had there been a jounin, or even a whole team of chuunin...
"Hey guys... I... I'm going to start training with Gramps tomorrow."
"Wait... am I listening right? Uchiha Keiji is actually going to step it up? Is this the same immature kid who said he didn't care what his clan thought?"
Rather than being geniuses, the Uchiha twins were known for being lazy slackers. Keiji moreso than Seiji.
"Well today's different. After nearly failing our mission," and watching Seiji almost die, "I realized we can't make it by doing everything half-assed. So... I'm going to start putting in my all from now on. What say you guys?"
Helpless.
It's the first time he's ever watched something happen and... couldn't do a damn thing about it. Keiji frowned. Compared to training with a cranky old geezer all day, he'd rather just mess around with people and laugh over it with Seiji. But if Seiji's gone... then what's the point? What's the point of it if he's all alone?
Power.
He needed more power so he could protect Seiji, even if it meant having to train, or doing whatever Gramps wants, or bowing down to his stupid clan or quitting pranks for the rest of his life. Because Seiji was worth more than all that. He was his other half, after all. Never again will he feel helpless.
Yet surprisingly, it is Seiji who protests this time.
"I don't know..."
"Huh? What do you mean you don't know? We're Team Shoichi. Team needs to stick together."
"And at this point, I'm just dead weight on the both of you. You really can't call someone with a Hyouton affinity and doesn't know any Hyouton jutsu a ninjutsu specialist... can you?"
The silence that followed afterwards answered his question.
"Well... if it makes you feel any better," Shoichi offered. "No one else in the village knows any Hyouton jutsu either."
A pause.
"Kami, you're really dumb Sho-chan."
"What!? I was trying to comfort-"
"You're making it worse, dumb a**. Here, I'll come up with a plan this time, Seiji... We've got my sharingan right? So I copy a ton of jutsu and teach them to you guys."
"And how," Shoichi sighs. "Are we going to find someone to copy Hyouton jutsu off of?"
Keiji shrugs. "Go around and beat up some shinobi until one of them fires off a Hyouton jutsu guess."
"... I like it better when Seiji is our strategist."
"Hey man, I'm smart when it comes to fighting."
To be more specific, learning jutsu and memorizing things... it all came naturally to Keiji. But maybe that was a prerequisite that came with knowing a sharingan, rather than his own talent. He didn't know, and he didn't care all that much since this power helped him save Seiji.
"But trump cards and planning out? That just isn't my thing. I like to go with the flow. Besides, it's not like you could do any better Mr. Let's-go-run-all-the-way-back-to-Konoha-for-help."
"Okay, I'll admit its a stupid idea when you think about it."
"Not just stupid. It was beyond retarded."
"Damn it. I was trying to think of something, Keiji!"
"Yeah, and it sucked."
"See?" Shoichi said, deciding it was best to ignore Keiji. "You're not as useless as you think you are. No one can replace Seiji."
That's right... no one can replace Seiji. Even if they had the same face. And that makes him feel really special to have such a brother... yet it also it makes him feel really scared.
Seiji glanced between both Shoichi's and Keiji's stares and sighed. Though their words were a slight comfort, he still lacked confidence in his own abilities. But one look from Keiji, one that was desperate and lonely, urged him to remember their promise.
...
"Alright, Keiji," he finally acquiesced. "Let's do this. I'm going to go do some research and then we can plan this idea out some more. We've got almost a year until the next Chuunin Exams to prepare."
"You know what? I'm so proud of you guys right now, I could almost cry. If only your grandfather was here right now to hear your words..."
"Oh shut up Sho-chan. We can be mature if we want to..."
If there's a good reason to be. And usually that was only when there was something they wanted.
"Anyway, Gramps isn't off the hook yet. I still need to steal his dentures and hide them. Payback for burning the porn. Hehe. AND IF YOU SQUEAL ON US, SHO-CHAN, I'M GOING TO SPILL THE BEANS TO HANA-CHAN."
"... I spoke too soon."
________________________
The Grizzly Bear From Outer Space
Theme: Lazy Detective Agency
"She's meaner than Maiko-obaachan's slobby chihuahua. She's flatter than a cutting board. She can't take a joke without flipping out. Her punches hurt like hell. Nothing like her namesake at all! Spring Rain? More like... Rampaging Hurracane." - Uchiha Keiji
Uchiha Daisuke sat at his desk wearing a gravely serious expression on his face.
It was that time of year where he would have to take one of those difficult missions. And each time, he had dreaded it dearly. Each time, they had ended as huge disasters, and he never liked being there when when the inevitable explosions came. But the Uchiha Clan entrusted this to him because there was no one else who could handle them, not in the way he could. It couldn't be helped. Sitting across from him, were the biggest obstacles he'd have to face.
"Seiji, put that comic book away. Keiji, stop picking your nose," he snapped. "Honestly, you're shinobi. Start acting like it!"
His scolding didn't even phase them.
"So what did you call us over here for?"
Seiji, naturally, had intuitively picked up that this conversation would be leading into something more purposeful than a simple scolding. Daisuke let out a long, tired sigh.
And here came the most difficult part.
The 9th birthday of the Uchiha's princess would be coming up, only a few days away from now. Despite the clan's... less than friendly treatment of his grandsons, they were still considered a part of the family, if only legally. Which meant that Keiji's and Seiji's names would be on the invitation roster. Like always.
"Soooo... what you're basically saying is that since it's Haru-tan's birthday party, we need to do something special?"
"No," Daisuke told Keiji sternly. "You don't. You don't need to make any flashy entrances. You don't need to make any grand speeches. You don't need to do anything. Just go inside the reception hall," Keiji was about to open his mouth and object that that was doing something, before Seiji elbowed him and shook his head that no, now was not the right time for that or they'll have to listen to the old man yack away for days on end, "find your seats, sit through the ceremonies, eat your food, and then patiently wait until it's time go home. That's it. That's all. So just... just be on your best behavior, please."
The brothers shared a glance at this, as it to consider the benefits they'd get from accepting such conditions.
"And if you can do that, I'll let you eat as much cake as you want."
That seemed to seal the deal.
"Hmmm... okay. I promise I won't make any huge commotions."
The definition of a 'huge commotion' was subjective, but coming from Keiji, it was the best he could hope for. Then, he turned his gaze at Seiji.
"You too."
"What?"
Daisuke glared. "You're my grandson. I know how you think. You'll go behind my back and do something that'll embarrass the entire clan. And once I confront you about it, you'll just say, 'Keiji made the promise, not me.' I've been watching over you two for 10 years, I'm not that stupid."
"He caught on."
"Aw. Darn."
"Seiji!"
"Alriiiight old man. Don't be so uptight. I also promise that I'll properly behave myself. But I do have a question."
He knew he would regret but, "... What is it?"
"Can I wear my octopus cos-"
"No."
"But it's really cute and the tentacles can-"
"NO!"
Daisuke groaned into his hands. He could feel more a migraine coming on, and it wouldn't be long before his hair had completely grayed, giving his grandsons more ammunition about being old. Unfortunately for him, the awaited day had finally come, he would later find more gray hairs on his head.
"Seiji."
"Hmm? What is it Keiji?"
"What're those?" he pointed at the objects in Seiji's arms.
"They're firecrackers, a ukelele, and a kazoo."
"I can see that. ... But we promised Gramps that we'd properly behave ourselves."
"I know. I'm just going to give our precious Haru-tan a present. Isn't that the proper thing to do at a party?"
"Hahaha! You're so evil, Seiji."
"I know," he smirked.
"But I didn't know you could play a ukelele."
"I can't. But I figured just singing happy birthday wasn't enough, y'know? Gotta toss in some instrumentals too."
Keiji nodded along, that made perfect sense.
"I take it I'm going to be playing the kazoo then."
"Right."
"And the firecrackers?"
"It can't be called a party unless we go out with a bang. Of course."
Keiji remembers the first time he had laid eyes on Uchiha Harusame. He simply saw a girl. He couldn't understand what was so 'princessy' about her. He had been expecting some delicate, prissy little girl who would have cried from fright, maybe even faint dead, at their first prank on her (doing a henge of her father crossdressing, hugging Haru-tan, and asking to be addressed as 'Mother' from now on). But she did no such thing.
She was different from their stiffy relatives; she was devoid of the hoity toity so called clan pride, perhaps even shared their apathy to the Uchiha name. And it was these qualities that drew the twins' curiosities. At first their encounters would start off as pranks. Not for the purpose of bullying her, but to give them an excuse to approach her. Making friends 'normally' was something brothers knew nothing of. Their friendship with Shoichi had begun with their team assignments, and it was a given that they'd have to spend time with each other whether they liked it or not (but thankfully, they liked it quite fine). But Harusame (seemed) to accept them the way they were, and that was more than what they'd ever expect.
Her entrance into their lives was like a refreshing spring breeze. And for once in their lives, there was someone other than their grandfather they could call 'family'.
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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:36 pm
Heartfelt Distances
Theme: Strangers
"It was a mission up over in the Mizu no Kuni, to investigate a series of kidnappings and hunt down the man responsible for them. The victims were people from distinguished clans with a kekkei genkai. We thought it would only take us three weeks. It ended up taking three whole months to complete." - Uchiha Seiji's report
Quote: Hey Haru-tan.
We heard you almost burnt down the academy. And that you almost roasted your jounin-sensei. So that means we are related after all. Good job! We always knew you had it in you.
- Seiji and Keiji
P.S. Hope you like the statue of the two kissing fish. Saw it at a shop in Kiri, and well... just think of it as a future wedding gift for you and your boyfriend.
P.S.S. And relay the love to Gramps too, okay?
Quote: Goodness, this method is just so...slow.
Hey, idiot one and idiot two...how's life...? Compound's almost a bit quiet without you two around making noise. Hunh. Strange how life goes...
You're a little late on the news. We've probably attended the most...weirdly philosophical Chuunin Exams ever. Blasted Fubuki. Messing with our heads...though Kiri was pretty cool. They have some pretty nice souvenirs there. Anyways, Fubuki...kind of remind me of the Hyuuga, but don't tell Sensei that. He'll deny it. And NO. Like HELL NO am I becoming a terrorist like you two anytime soon! Besides, there's plenty of Senju running around, they would've put out the fires sooner or later... Anyways. The Academy was totally his fault (Sensei's) too. Long story. Miyu-sensei actually slapped him (the handprint remained there for several good hours - I sure didn't know the Yamanaka had that much brute strength!).
Well, the hair. That was his fault too. See, he really shouldn't have bragged. So he got what he deserved. It grew back quite well too. Chibi's work. Anyhow, we just recently become Chuunin. Strangely, Suzi is changing her field now. She said she didn't feel like she will ever get any better with the medical arts, so she's considering the Ninjutsu field instead. I'll hate to ask (since it's you two) but when you get back, won't you see her? Not that I'm admitting anything, but, I don't want her...going to otou-san or those other stiff-necked freaks (our deareast family) instead. I would've asked your gramps, but... Well...anyhow....
It's hard for her, see, since...no one in her family can use Katon... AND DON'T GET ANY... WEIRD IDEAS. Honestly. She'll have a heart attack. Suzi's...very delicate.
So... Chuunin Exams. Oddly enough, originally we weren't supposed to fight an elimination match. Something about using the intellect part of shinobi. Chibi was supposed to graduate alone but then...chibi had to go all heroic and defy rules and fight that b*****d Kiri Sennin. But Fubuki did give him a present. It was a nodachi. Something about God's Legacy blade, whatever that is...but chibi misplaced the sword somewhere during our stay in the Wave Country (en route back to Konoha). We were eating in a restaurant, see...
Sensei wasn't happy.
Speaking of which, chibi got a second promotion, and is a Tokubetsu Jounin of the Ninjutsu division now. But he was talking to Suzi, and had no plans to become a Jounin officially. He doesn't want a team (imagine that, a Sensei younger than his students...I'll fear for what they'll do to him).
I don't like where this is heading. Suzuran goes into nervous stammering mode whenever I ask, but...I swear I heard that chibi plans to pursue the ANBU selection mission this winter. There's also something else that's been... Never mind. You two won't understand.
P.S. When will you two get it through your thick skulls that he's NOT my boyfriend? And the statue...I thought it was for the garden... So I placed it near the dog house. The dogs kinda smashed it... But, which artist sculpted that? I couldn't even tell if it was a koi fish or a salmon. And Suzi couldn't, either. Which is PRETTY bad considering Suzi is quite good with recognizing different kinds of fishes (she raises them).
Are you sure it's really from Kiri? The jewelry we saw there was extremely nice. Some shady vendor might've thought it funny to jip you two out of house and home...not that I'm worried, or anything, cause the clan's not paying.
When were you two there? Before the Chuunin Exams, I suppose... Didn't stay long either...?
P.S.2. Will do. Also, Daisuke-sama is... Well... I suppose...he's just a little more tired recently. Suzi brought chrysanthemum tea over from the Senju compound for him (and chibi brought over these honey suckle candy that the Senju make). I know, Daisuke-sama doesn't eat candy, but still, he was touched. He only wished you two were as "well behaved grandsons" as chibi.
Suzi tried to cook in our estate and the...the...toast. It blew up. On contrary, Chibi's cooking, which I was expecting to be terrible... His cooking actually ended up pretty good. But your rooms, which are kinda upstairs... She's really-really sorry about it. Most of the things are replaced back to the way they were, but Keiji's porn is gone. What was done with it, you ask? Chibi and Suzi (and feel free to thank the ninth level of hell and back your gramps was a step too late coming upstairs) didn't see. I took them all up and burned them all in the backyard. Be grateful I was first in line to clear out such rubbish!
P.S.3. Almost forgot. Chibi says he could almost miss you guys. When we were replacing Keiji's bed, he...kind of remodeled it. Keiji, you don't mind colorful flowers on the headboard? Right?
And Seiji, he added an ocean theme on yours. With an octopus and a dolphin. He looked so happy painting I couldn't stop him. The drawings were actually pretty nice. Heh. I didn't know chibi could draw like that.
- Haru
Quote: Hey Haru-tan,
Keiji injured his hand and he can't hold a brush steadily, so it'll just be me writing. More on that later.
First things first: after much debate Keiji and I have considered you all partially forgiven. You still owe him 4 d-rank missions worth of pay for burning the porn. He would also like to know WHY you burned the porn. To quote, "Couldn't you just hide it? Why did you have to burn books? Books aren't rubbish. What did literature ever do to you? Stop hating on works of art, fasciiiiiiist."
Or something to that effect.
Are you sure this isn't some sort of Senju Conspiracy? Are they still mad about that one time Keiji and I ran around the Senju Estate slapping Uchiha clan symbol stickers on their walls? How does someone accidentally mess up AND blow up toast? What the? I don't even...
And now you're telling me you want Keiji to teach Miss Incompatible-With-Toasters how to fire off Katon Jutsu. Not sure that's a good idea. I mean, we're both excited about her destructive potential, but not if it's going to be directed towards us. Buuuut, if she hands us one or two fish tanks - you did say she raised fish - so that we can start a mini aquarium in the Uchiha compound, then we'll consider it a deal. See, Keiji and I caught a bunch of fish in Kiri. Don't tell Gramps we were slacking off in the middle of the mission or he'll blow a gasket. I'm thinking about naming the fish after our relatives. They look at everything with dead fish eyes and they open their mouths a lot but nothing worth listening ever comes out. The resemblance is uncanny don't you think?
I had no idea chuunin exams were in Kiri this year. Congratulations on making it. Philosophical? What did they do? Quiz you on civilian literature books or something? Or like, riddle mumbo jumbo about the meaning of life?
And what do you mean Bonzai-chan got a God's Legacy nodachi and misplaced it? Keiji got so mad when he found out. He says that if, "Pinocchio-chan is gonna go waste a good sword, he should've given it to ME, that b*****d!"
Or something to that effect.
I don't blame Bonzai-chan for not wanting to look after a team. Shinobi are the very last sort of people you'd go to for babysitting. Imagine having to become more responsible. If you're so worried about your boyfriend joining ANBU, go confirm it with him. It won't go away unless you confront the problem, right? The sign of a healthy couple is one that doesn't hide any secrets from each other... I can't believe you'd abuse your future wedding present so casually. You know what they say about couples who don't take good care of their wedding presents? They become a doomed relationship. Okay, that's bullshit and I just made that up, but still...
Kiri is pretty cool, about 10 degrees celsius cool. I never knew you had developed an appreciation for puns while I was gone. It's a pity we never encountered each other in Kiri so we could make punny jokes all day.
You're right. We didn't stay there long. While we were trying to get a familiar feel for the village, our target took note of us and ran off. He gave us a good run, making us have to chase him for two days to some cave. But what nagged at me most was how it was possible for a guy to run that long without getting the least bit exhausted.
So I said, "Something smells fishy here."
Get it? Because we're in the Mizu no Kuni and there's lots of fish here? Sho-chan and Keiji don't get it, because they looked at each other and rolled their eyes. It's so hard being a genius. No one ever understands you.
Anyway, I was right. It turns out one of his accomplices had been leading us on with a Kori Shinchu no Jutsu. I had Sho-chan dispel it, but when he did, the accomplice began chucking a buttload of ranged weapons at us. I sorta already anticipated something like this, and froze most of his artillery before it could even reach me. Keiji tried to catch one of the kunai and throw it back at him. But he didn't notice it had an explosion tag. He managed to throw it away quickly enough to still have all his limbs intact, but he still ended up burning part of his right arm in the explosion. b*****d got away, so now we're back to square one with no leads. Sho-chan is going to have to do lots of info hunting so our stay here might take longer than we had anticipated. I'm guessing we'll be home around winter...maybe even spring.
Keiji and I are going to play around in the beach in the meantime. Until Sho-chan says he needs our help. Will be sending you bleached sand dollars soon. Try not to misplace them this time around, okay? Stay angry and healthy. We'll try our best on this side too.
-Seiji
P.S. Keiji's kind of excited to come back home to see how the remodeling went. He claims "it's only to make fun of Pinocchio-chan's sad attempt at art."
P.S.S. Keiji's burns aren't healing any faster. I'm considering learning a few Eseijutsu techniques. First aid just doesn't cut it. Can you imagine how the people back home would react if they knew? An Uchiha learning Eseijutsu... sounds like a prank rumor Keiji and I would have made up for giggles. But it's not.
P.S.S.S. From the tone in your letter... is there something going on with Gramps?
Quote: Dearest Seiji and-not-so-dear Keiji,
Today, a certain starving, shaking hawk crashed into my bedroom window. I opened it, and scooped him up from the balcony. But I'll get to that later...
Anyways.
Can't be helped. I only had approximately 2.5 seconds before they came up behind me. Naturally, the only viable option was lightly roasting the books (they thought it was due to the explosion)... But as a member of the "fairer population"...Keiji should be just happy that he won't be rendered incapable for the future HAD Suzi been the one to arrive first on the scene. (You two will forget by the time you come home...but I'll remind you again. Anyways, among Senju of this generation, Suzi's brute strength is probably rivaled by none other than Chibi.) Obviously, by duty I too am obligated of getting rid of worthless things properly. So final clean-up was done in the backyard.
But tell Keiji this:
You call [those] piece(s) of CRAP...literature...? Don't make me answer that. Worse, you are THIRTEEN. By all means, the Yamanaka should be interrogating you for breaching Konoha law...not that you ever cared for the law, I know. You drag Seiji into these weird ventures. So he's innocent. For now.
Seriously.
Juunidaime's recently had it, and had been cracking down on illegally sold items (and illegal participants!). You should be VERY HAPPY not to be spending any time in jail once you come home. Won't you miss Seiji if he's not in jail and you are? Or did you want me to send a ticket instead? A fine, of like...1,000,000 ryo. And I doubt the clan's paying. Do you have that much money...? No? Thought so. So it's jail then. Compare 1000k ryo to your measly four mission's worth. I owe you nothing. And I'm not stingy. Only quite reasonable.
On the other hand...
I never saw Suzi cook before. But after several recent experiments (she made...the most...amazingly...rock-like riceballs I have ever seen)...I'm not so sure anymore. Chibi pointed out that at least, this time, the stuff didn't explode. Anyways...I think you would've admired them, Seiji. Seriously. How does a riceball turn ROUND! And it actually shone too, like a CANNON ball. Don't even ask how it tasted... My stomach, much importantly my teeth, hurts just remembering... I think Chibi was lying through his teeth when he said "it was good" to her - with a smile, too! How could he? Of course, I told Suzi it was awful, and Chibi got mad at me. Honestly, I feel kind of sorry for whoever is on the receiving end of Suzi's affections in the future. Do you think they'll die due to bad cooking...? She'll be the first to kill her beloved that way, either that, or he has been blessed with a strong stomach... Dear Amaterasu.
Tanks? I'm sure Suzuran'll be glad to get new ones for you guys. Actually, Suzi had wanted for a long time to make a koi pool for us. Senju did Hyuuga's, and apparently it's one of the favorite spots of visiting guests there. But...what sort of fish did you two find...? There should be plenty of tropical fish near one of the islands. By the way, if you guys find a manatee, bring one back for me. Alive. Find some way to keep it alive, you hear!
Hmn...yeah, something to the effect of the last option. The meaning of shinobi life was the focus of the exams. Hey. Don't ask me, I'm not a Hyuuga. Sensei can probably explain it better. I still don't get it, to be honest... And yes. Though, originally, I heard the exams were supposed to be on Kikojima island. Except, a last minute volcanic eruption buried the stadium under 60 feet of ash. So Kiri had to move it to the main island.
The sword... Couldn't be helped. It was an onsen restaurant, Seiji. Some jerk made it off with Suzi's necklace. I didn't see what happened, as I was first to race after that b*****d (with Chibi and Suzi following shortly). Sensei came running after us, only after grabbing what he thought were all the bags. He didn't see that Chibi left it by his chair, that sword. It wasn't until we were nearing Fire Country borders that I remembered to ask Chibi where did the sword go... But anyways! We hung the jewelry thief upside down the Great Naruto Bridge.
Sensei doesn't approve. Said we shouldn't have done that to a non-shinobi. But, he was a marathon runner, and made us run. And that's not allowed.
Revenge was pretty sweet. You wouldn't want to have seen Suzi crying while beating up that guy either. He should've known better than to take the only memory a girl has of her mother.
...
Seiji. He's ten. He's been, a shinobi, for what...? A few months? Been in Konoha for a few more? Worse, he's not just aiming for any division. He wants the Hunter's division. And you know perfectly well what I think about those kinds of missions...
And how was I supposed to know? The package actually came before your letter (ARE you two feeding Kuro properly...or even at all...?). I just assumed otou-san or someone in the house ordered it, though it was quite strangely uncharacteristic of their usual choice of decor. Did you leave Keiji with the task of marking the package? "Present for a future husband and wife" was hardly very informative. See, Kureha got married to a businessman lately. The estate was making ceremonial preparations.
Chibi and Suzi never get my jokes, either...
Anyways! Presents... I attached items to Kuro's pouch. He's been looking quite awfully...suspiciously lean. Are you two feeding him properly...? Don't tell me you cut off money from Kuro's expenses "to leave things to the natural order" so that Keiji can get replacements for his books. I know he's the family hawk and all, but you are not allowed to abuse animals. He's the only hawk not to peck Keiji too. Remind him of that.
Anyways, the burn cream is a present from chibi and Suzi. They were giving aloe vera extraction lessons at the Senju estate a few weeks before your letter came. He seemed to have gotten a little worried (though he tried not to act like it) when he heard his "eternal rival" got hurt. Goodness. Couldn't Keiji SEE the exploding tag attached...? According to Chibi, your hands are most important for Jutsu. Suzi made the antiseptic bandages, by the way, and she added also a soothing gel using the extracts of cactuses. Suzi may not be able to do Mokouton, but, she is quite excellent at preparing medicine. She can show you a few Esei techniques when you come back too, if you like, Seiji.
Love you both. Seriously looking forward to the coming new year, when the house is all nice and noisy again.
-Haru
P.S. I'm glad to hear Keiji's excited. That means he's recuperating properly. Tell him to get plenty of sleep, and not to read crap either in the middle of the night. Sleep, according to Suzi, helps cellular regeneration go faster. Considering it's during the "Hour of the Bull" when your body is especially active in repairs.
Supposedly, that's why a lot of shinobi die early from illnesses. From a lack of sleep. Keiji wants to live a nice, long life, right? I'll rather much prefer to see the both of you old and gray. Just so I can make fun of Keiji for his no-longer youthfulness... I can just already blissfully hear his cries of dismay at his handsomeness being robbed away.
P.S.S. And tell Keiji to avoid leaning on the injuries when he's sleeping. The friction will be bad for the new skin that hasn't quite healed too. Change the bandages frequently too, to avoid infection. Tell him to stop being a lazy bum. It is not worth it.
P.S.S.S. Not at all... It was just a little cold. Don't you two worry. Suzi's ginseng tea seems to be working well, though your gramps doesn't find it very taste-appealing (me either...she made that for me the last time I had a cold).
Quote: "Hey Haru-tan, guess who isn't a virgin anymore?
If your first guess was Sho-chan, then I take back every good thing I said about you. In fact, I don't even know you. Buuuuut... if your first guess was The Amazingly Suave Keiji, then we're still relatives. No I'm not lying. I didn't drug anyone and I didn't push her into it. She came on to me. You read that right. Okay, so maybe she was a little tipsy and she really pitied my burnt arm. Still, it was awesome and at the same time... not. Some advice coming from your elders: you can look at as much porn as you want, but when it comes to the real thing, you've got no experience. And it showed rather painfully... but I'm not too worried. You know what they say: practice makes perfect and I plan on practicing lots. :3
So keep the money. (actually, we totally forgot about that awful disaster until we read your letter... )
But I still got a few complaints to give you.
1. What are you, my mom? I will go to bed whenever I feel like it. And I'll sleep however I want to. And I will read porn if I so wish to. Age has nothing to do with maturity when you're a shinobi. If you can handle a few deaths here and there, something like nudity shouldn't be oh so traumatizing. And I happen to be a very experienced one so a stupid law like that shouldn't apply to me. : <
2. You are stingy. And cheap. Don't deny it.
3. Fairer sex? Psssh. You girls are just as perverted as us guys. I know all about what goes on in your girl talk sessions and your harlequin romance novels and your yaoi doujinshi. And you don't see me beating you guys up about it.
Hypocrites.
4. It's not my fault I didn't see the exploding tag. I was wearing pirate cosplay at the time. I'd like to see YOU try the same stunt I did with an eyepatch on. (Which, in case you didn't know, severely hampers one's depth perception. Soooo... no you.)
5. Nodachi. NODACHI. NODAAAAACHIIIII. I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR EXCUSES. I HAD TO STAB A GUY TO DEATH WITH A RUSTY KUNAI TO GET MINE. YOU LET A FREE NODACHI GO TO WASTE. YOU WASTERS. THAT THIEF BETTER BE HANGING AT THAT BRIDGE FOR ETERNITY. >O
6. I may have been the one to write on the package but I didn't waste a costly wedding gift. WASTERS.
7. Stop accusing me of purposely neglecting Kuro. >( Bird food is also hard to get by (I put out the fish we caught just for him, so I thought he'd eat it) and we sorta forgot. It won't happen again. Promise."
... is all Keiji has to say.
His arm is looking better these days thanks to you guys. But he still can't do anything beyond c-rank jutsu. As you can see from his response, he didn't take your words to heart. But he did go to bed ten minutes earlier than he usually does, so that has to count for something.
And while we're on the subject of health... if Miss-Incompatible-With-Toasters is so lethal when it comes to cooking, are you sure it's a good idea for her to feed said cooking to Gramps? What if his health gets worse from food poisoning? Also, I don't think it's a good idea for her to be near any kitchens if she's gonna botch up something as simple as toast or riceballs. I'm pretty sure the food safety committee has some law against walking hazards being allowed in a kitchen. And if not, it should certainly be made into a law.
I hope she's better at eseijutsu than she is at cooking. Because I really would like to see someone demonstrate them for me. I was thinking about inflict a few wounds on myself and having her heal them to get a feel for how it should be. But... it wouldn't be a good idea if she's gonna botch it up. However, I will give her credit where it's due and the medicine worked great. I have to wonder though. Soothing gel extracted from cacti... (by the way, the preferred way to write 'cactus' plural, Haru-tan. Common mistake, so I'll let that slide.) there's none in Konoha. I know Senju can grow all kinds of plants, but how does that work? Don't they need to have physically experienced (sight, touch, smell, etc) certain plants before they can grow them? Or can they just look at picture of a plant in a book or make up a plant in their heads to grow them? It would be amusing to see Miss-Incompatible-With-Toasters grow a literal eggplant, a giant beanstalk, or a blue rose. Ho hum.
You're right, the ANBU division isn't a kiddy playground. It's all about having the skill and the right mentality. And last I checked, they only let in people who display both. Which means that the tests aren't going to be so easy that your average ten-year old can get it. If Bonzai-chan doesn't make it, then your concerns were confirmed. If he does, then that just means he's ANBU material. And if you're still not reassured, perhaps you should go express your worries to him? It might work (try faking tears as a last resort if you must).
It's funny how any shinobi exam involving your team ends up in ashes. Perhaps this is all a sign?
The beach is amazing during autumn season. We found mandarinfish, foureye butterfly fish (which disappointingly didn't have wings), clownfish (which also couldn't appreciate my jokes), mackerel, pelagic butterfish (didn't taste like butter at all), damselfish (which didn't look all that distressed until Keiji started poking them), and goatfish (which didn't make any goat noises). Best of all, it was mostly vacant except for Team Shoichi so we got to hog the whole beach to ourselves. Sure, Keiji complained about the lack of sexy bikinis, but watching Sho-chan hilariously attempt to surf made up for it. We found a few vendors nearby that sold some cool things like Keiji's pirate cosplay. The people here are great and so is the scenery. I was thinking. I love Konoha and all, but it'd be nice to have a summer house here. Maybe when I'm old and retired... if I even live that lo
At the very least, I'd like to be buried there som
Anyway, Sho-chan's almost got his research together so now all that's left is to wait for Keiji to heal up. We're probably going to spend this year's Christmas as a team, instead of with girlfriends like Keiji had been hoping. Not that Sho-chan could land himself one. Speaking of which... you should probably take this time of month to start dropping hints for your boyfriend. Lots of guys tend to be clueless when it comes to gifts and Bonzai-chan seems to be king of oblivious, if his admirers are something to go by. As for us, we got you something more practical this time (blame the budget), a swiss army knife. Sent Gramps a bracelet made of the the seashells and the agate stone we found at the beach. Apparently our mother was really good at that sort of thing so we think he'll like it. Give the rubik's cube attached to this letter to Bonzai-chan. Keiji says he'll kill you if you tell him who it's from. Oh, and the book on origami is for Miss-Incompatible-With-Toasters. This letter probably won't be on time, but happy holidays.
- Seiji
P.S. Start looking up names for your manatee.
Quote: Dearest Seiji and I-Don't-Know-You-Any-Longer-You-Enemy-of-All-Women,
Of course I didn't guess Shoichi-san. He gets nervous looking into the eyes of a girl alone. If it had been Sho-san, I'll consider the Apocalypse being a step closer. Which I certainly hope will not be anytime soon! By the way, Keiji, I'll make Seiji's present twice as great this year, just to spite you. =)
And which Ninja Academy on the face of this earth did you study at, Keiji? I certainly hope not Konoha's. Because the last I remembered, they never suggested something as...stupid as wearing an eyepatch in the middle of a deadly mission. Do you want to lose an eye for real? That'll put a dampener on your popularity with the ladies. Not to mention, a pirate costume of all things...they make sure shinobi fashion doesn't come with loose clothing for a reason... And don't give me the s**t about the Hyuugas and the Sennins. They do that since they're overconfident. Better be safe than sorry (Sensei DID lose his hair since he was careless).
Anyways, the thief who robbed Suzi had 3 ribs broken, and many other bones. And no, it wasn't Chibi who did it. You don't wanna see Suzi crying while beating someone up... Frankly, it's almost terrifying. And no, she wasn't crying because she was sorry that she had to hit him. It was more that she was upset the clasp was broken. Chibi did the knots, so assuming a little credit to Senju, even when that guy's rescued by the Wave Country police, I'm assuming they'll have quite a bit of a problem freeing him. So Keiji can be consoled - at least the original culprit had it coming.
I'm glad to hear the burn cream worked, Seiji. Oh...really...? Hmn...that's quite an accomplishment for Keiji...all right. And no, he doesn't get a reward for that. But maybe I won't slash the funds for his Christmas present.
Don't worry about the food. Chibi and I always make sure to get to it before Suzi does. She...I feel a little bad for writing this, but... Anyways, as a medical student, she's very busy if not studying anatomy lessons at the hospital. So she kinda entrusts us with the food delivery. So in the time she's gone, we throw away and try to remake everything. The tea, however...we're not sure exactly what medicinal formula Suzi uses so we told your grandpa to consider it medicine. On the other hand, your grandfather seemed to really like Chibi's chewable honeysuckle candies. Something about it helped wash down the taste of the tea...
And no, we never got quite the heart to ask Suzi what she placed in it. If it's any reassurance, we kept your gramps company for tea. Aside from it being rather on the bitter side, I don't think there's any ill effects... I'll admit Suzi isn't Haruno Sakura Esei-student prodigy, but at the least where that concerns, considering she has been treating mine and Chibi's injuries since the dawn of time (well, Team 13's time), she does know what she's doing.
Che. Grammar Nazi, Seiji, you...anyways, in case you were curious, these weren't Mokouton grown. Chibi didn't want to take it to that step yet, as he's still testing...so the cacti were Suna imported. Chibi is very adamant about using "naturally grown products" for medicine. He looked very happy cutting up the cactus, so we didn't want to press the Mokouton question. But yes - one time a while back Chibi did grow a peach from the ground (a literal peach, no trees and all) and in my opinion, it did taste like a peach. I'm going to assume that they needed to have experienced something before, but don't take my word for it since I see Senjus growing extremely rare plants. (And those aren't the kind a logical, sensible being will eat!) I'll ask Chibi to check up with his gramps on that.
I don't expect the ANBU selection mission to be easy. That would bring unnecessary distress, as I will wonder too what the hell our village is doing. I don't want to say I hope Chibi fails, either, because he's been working very hard and that wouldn't be...well, wouldn't be courteous of me to say. I'm just saying there's a problem with the ANBU ideologically itself, if they allow him to become a Hunter. He hasn't even been aware of the shinobi world for very long, Seiji... Current eligibility based on rank is one matter. It's just that there's something greatly discomforting of a...a...child going around delivering the execution punch-line. I don't know, really...I think casualties in the line of self-defense during missions are one matter but...to willingly seek out a death...
No, forget what I said. It's stupid and unfitting for a shinobi.
Hey. Not my fault our dearest family teach us how to burn things young.
Glad to hear you guys enjoyed Kiri. We didn't get as much time to explore, and so stuck mostly to the village in the period we have...I supposed if our team ever goes back there, it would be nice. =d All right, I'll tell Chibi the present was from you then, Seiji. And thanks for the knife. It'll be useful for skinning animals the next time I need to hunt on a mission. As for Suzi, I'm sure she'll appreciate the origami book - when she's preoccupied with it, we'll take the kitchen. =)
Equal Love,
Haru
P.S. And for the last time, I DON'T like Chibi that way. Besides. His gramps will have a heart attack. Can you even imagine...?
P.S.S. You guys got the manatee!?!? =O
Quote: If you receive this letter, then it means that we've failed our mission.
You're probably thinking in your head right now that we're stupid. To run off into an unfair battle, where there were so many odds were against us, and get killed.
But there's a reason why we had to gamble with our lives.
I'm sure most of you know of this, our relatives and the villagers were always whispering about it since as long as we could remember. There was a certain man who ruined our mother's life. And we were born as a result of that. Our grandfather doesn't talk about her much, but we've always known that the fact that that man is still out there, alive, continues to eat at him.
Well, as it turns out, it was probably fate that we were given this mission. That man is an instigator of the kidnappings that we've been sent to investigate. He's repeating our mother's tragedy with these victims. He hasn't changed at all since then. And that's completely unforgivable.
Sorry Haru-tan, in the end we won't be able to celebrate New Years together. Life is unpredictable like that, after all. We didn't think there was any place for us in the clan compound. But then we met you. Deny it all you want, but deep down you're a troublemaker just like us.
You're not a princess at all. You're loud and kind of screechy when you're yelling at us. You're incredibly stubborn but lazy about some of the weirdest things. You're a big stick in the mud, second to Sho-chan and third to Gramps. Your smiles can be ugly sometimes, but your tears are uglier. So don't let something like this get to you. You're a strong girl, and strong girls don't cry, okay?
Pinocchio-chan, you're stupid when it comes to girls, and getting jokes, and well, everything. It must hurt your head, being so incredibly stupid, so don't do something stupid like getting hung up over me. It's not like I wanted things to end the way they did, especially when I haven't gotten my triumphant winning streak against you yet, but it seems it can't be helped.
Haru-tan might not say it, but she will be lonely now that we're gone. So you have to be strong and hold the fort. Stay by her side and protect her with all you got. You're my one and only rival. If anyone can do it, I know it's you.
Gramps, sorry. Before a mission, you'd always tell us to be careful, that we shouldn't recklessly head into battles we know we can't win. But you know us, we're bad at listening and we're especially bad at following orders. At the very least, she has been avenged.
There was no way you could fill in her shoes, but you were the closest thing we had to a father. They always said that we would never amount to anything. And even though it would be putting you through so much trouble, you would always raise the bars and push us and push us to prove them wrong.
Because you believed in us.
And because you believed we would do the right thing (when it mattered the most), you would always lecture us. Whenever we didn't, you would always chase after us and try to push us back onto the right track, because it was your odd way of caring for people. We didn't show it often, but we appreciate it...
But you must've already known that. Right, old man?
Sorry everyone.
It was fun.
It was short.
But we got to meet all of you, and that's more than what we could ask for.
Thank you.
Goodbye.
- Keiji and Seiji
This would be the last of the letters.
The next time Uchiha Harusame would hear from the twins, it would be in front of a grave.
________________________
Flowers For Yesterday
"He was a beloved son, brother, friend, father, grandfather, and most of all... a shinobi of Konohagakure. Rest in peace Uchiha Daisuke." - Headstone Inscription
Theme: To My Beloved Ones
The cold December winds blow throughout the graveyard in the Uchiha compound. Everything is barren, burning in in the frost, fading away and dead.
Dead like their grandfather.
They stood there quietly, skins icy from the absence of his warmth. Three months ago, no one would have ever guessed these two were the same energetic pair that had wreaked so much havoc in this very compound. For the first time in their lives, they wear black. For the first time, they start to look like the shinobi their grandfather had always insisted they should be. They're not sure what he would have said if he could see them right now. No matter how hard they wonder, they'll never know.
In they end, he had died of cancer and they had survived their mission. They had killed that man, but they didn't feel like they had won.
Especially not Seiji.
Upon encountering that man - it was a sin to call him "father" - it wasn't hard to figure out which side of the genes they physically resembled most. Who gave them their facial features, who gave them their large chakra reserves, who gave Seiji his Hyouton Affinity. It's a wonder how Uchiha Daisuke could love these children without seeing the monster who ruined his daughter's life lurking in their shadows.
But somehow he did.
That's why they could say with absolute certainty, that there was no remorse when they had fought that man. It was Seiji who dealt the killing blow. It was there, standing in the bloodstained snow... that the twin who inherited their mother's rapist's kekkei genkai made an oath to become different from that frozen corpse. He made the oath of a medic-nin and put to rest his Hyouton abilities. The decision baffled many people.
An Uchiha, as a medic-nin?
Completely unheard of.
But knowing the old man, he would've backed that decision. Maybe give Seiji a stern look, maybe tell him that if he was serious about this, then he'd better start studying with all he's got and come back with perfect grades.
Maybe.
"Y'know, its funny old man. Right after you died our relatives didn't hesitate to get rid of us... maybe they've always wanted to do it since the day they learned Mom was pregnant. But you were the one who kept us included in the clan, right? I'm sorry it took this long for us to figure it out. So much for my intelligence huh?"
Seiji took all the words out of his mouth. So all Keiji could do was bow his head in prayer.
"Gramps... thank you for being there for us. Thank you for everything. And please, keep watching over us."
A bouquet of flowers - It was the month of December after all, the month of barren trees and life. And so Keiji had to go to a mokuton user to have these specially grown. Zephyr didn't say anything when he made his request, and for that he was grateful. - is placed next to the head stone. After one final moment of reminisce, the twins departed the Uchiha Compound. While they are allowed to enter the burial grounds to visit their grandfather, they no longer call it "home".
They meet up with Shoichi in the main village. But all they do is sit on a bench and watch the people passing by through the holes in their ANBU masks.
Tomorrow would be New Years Eve.
Tomorrow, it would be the first year they spend without their grandfather. There is no longer any desire to go around skirt chasing, doing missions, training, or even causing commotions and pranks. It isn't as fun anymore unless he is yelling at them. And so they gave him a long, long moment of silence.
For the next three weeks, Konoha was peacefully undisrupted.
________________________
Eternal Rivals
"Zephyr...? Who the hell is that? Pinocchio-chan is Pinocchio-chan." - Uchiha Keiji, insisting that that is Senju Zephyr's real name
Though he will often claim their first meeting was hate at first sight, it wasn't.
It wasn't, but there were many things about that boy that had bothered him. He's so oblivious when it comes to girls that it's a sin. He's a male and yet he's girlie enough to pull off Haru-tan's clothes and look better than her... probably. And for some sheltered caveman that has never played poker, juggled kunai knives, or solved a sudoku puzzle, he's incredibly good at them for a beginner. So much so, that the only explanation that Keiji can up with is that there's some diabolical mind behind that innocent face that Haru-tan refuses to see (because love has made her blind). When he tastes defeat from someone like that, all the little bothersome things about that kid that had been building up just snowballs from there.
One thing was for sure, his attitude towards Pinocchio-chan had nothing to do with their lineages.
He didn't really put any pride in the Uchiha name, and he definitely didn't believe in the so called Uchiha-Senju circle of hatred.
Never did and never will.
Because what he feels towards that little weirdo isn't hatred (he will never admit it, of course). Sure, everything the kid says and does never fails to aggravate every fiber of his being somehow, but even when he's feeling down (especially when he's feeling down) he picks fights with him because the thrill of their challenges never fail to entertain him.
Today was no different.
"Oi! Sho-chan. Where's Pinocchio-chan? I want to go challenge him again."
"Give it up Keiji."
"What the hell? You two have no faith in me this time? You're my teammates. You're supposed to support me, you bastards."
"He has you beat at everything. The score is what... 25-40?"
"Pssssh... today is different."
"Yeah, you always say that and then you'll be coming back to us dazed and pissed off."
"The kid," never mind that Keiji is only thirteen years old. "may be better at jump rope, baking, and tongue twisters but there's no way he knows anything about ping pong. I totally got this in the bag. JUST YOU WATCH."
25-43 later...
"Wha...? How...?"
"Told you so."
"That's crazy... there's no way those twists and flips are humanely possible. He must've cheated with ninjutsu while I wasn't looking, damn it!"
"Hahaha, are you... jealous, Keiji?"
"Me? Jealous?"
Keiji blinks... takes a few steps back to a time when Haru-tan had come to the clan compound, a ten-year old brat trailing behind her like a shy little puppy clinging to its mother. Already Keiji feels that he's won over the kid, being two years older and a few inches taller.
Is this kid for real?
Haru-tan said he needed help for the genin exams. And boy did he need help. He was as nervous as Sho-chan is when the loser is in front of girls. It was like he was asking to be teased (Haru-tan didn't appreciate it, but it was pretty hilarious). But in a way, it was incredible and kinda sad in a way.
Later, he would pick up on the rumors surrounding that boy and also get an idea of how his school life had been.
Something inside Keiji stirred then.
Children produced from rape are considered bad luck, an abomination of its own. Especially to a clan like Uchiha, whose reputation is often smeared over and over from the abnormal amount of missing nin and tragedies it produces. And while Gramps meant well in emphasizing good reputation, it was only stifling. Why did he and Seiji need to make up for another man's sins when they had done nothing to their clan other than exist? In a way, he could relate to this... no, not a boy, he was too lacking in social interaction, too lacking in comprehension to the matters of the heart, to truly call himself a boy.
But it was okay, he turned out okay. It was okay because he had Seiji with him at school, so they would bully their bullies together. He had Gramps and Haru-tan at home so he didn't let his relatives get to him. He had Sho-chan in the absence of a jounin sensei.
But what about Pinocchio-chan?
"Naw... I pity him."
Truly heartfelt words.
So he challenges the patsy; pokes, prods in all directions. Because something inside Keiji senses that this Pinocchio-chan might have been what Seiji turned out... if he, and Haru-tan, and Gramps weren't there. If Seiji had let their mother's tormentor's ice freeze his heart to numb the pain of existing. And that really irks him. It really sounds stupid. But he doesn't need research or evidence or logic whatever to prove it. Because he's Seiji's other half, he can feel these things.
A few years later, even though the patsy eventually becomes something resembling a real human - Though he isn't the catalyst for the transformation. That would be Team 13's sole honor. - ... and one aggravatingly taller than him, he still challenges Pinocchio-chan. Because the games are still one of the few things that can aggravate and entertain him.
________________________
Getting Back Into The Daily Commotion
Theme: Poketto wo Kara Ni Shite
"You know what would be funny? If we got three llamas and numbered them 1, 2, and 4. Set them free at the Uchiha Compound and see how many days they spend trying to find number 3. I bet you five dollars it'll take them 4 days." - Uchiha Keiji to his teammates
Shoichi glowered.
WHERE WERE THOSE TWO?
They had just finished a difficult mission... but at the cost of the demolition of an entire street. Keiji really didn't know the meaning of "restraint", especially considering that Konoha was made of wood and his fire jutsu tended to... y'know, BURN WOOD. And when the time came for writing up the mission report, and a million apology letters, those two conveniently chose the right time to ditch him.
Oh ho... there was absolutely NO WAY he was going to patch up this entire mess alone, and when he finds them... Ohohohoho!
Shoichi turned his attention to the Hokage Tower with a frown. Those two had expressed a great deal of interest in pulling a prank just for nostalgia's sake. Perhaps... no, there's no way they would be so stupid to spend more ryo on spray cans after- but wait... familiar obnoxious laughing. Crap, he really gave them too much credit. Shoichi angrily turned around the corner ready to yell but when he sees the scene that lay before him, all he could muster out was a...
"... Dad?"
"Shoichi?"
"Sho-chan?"
His father's hands are stained purple from paint and in his hand is a matching purple spray can. Seiji's got three llama on leashes, and Keiji is petting one of them on the head. From the looks of it, the three were loitering around some mural on the wall of a museum building nearby. A collaboration portrait of Uzumaki Naruto. And on the center of the Hokage's accurately painted grand smile and squinty face... was a giant purple unibrow.
And all anger and plans he had built up inside his mind for disciplining his teammates shriveled and... it's all so weird. He blinks and he blinks... until he remembers that what his teammates AND his father are doing is completely indecent and borderline sacrilegious. Three hours later, after a long and loud lecture that could be heard across the village, the mess was cleaned and the llamas were returned back to their rightful owner. All four of them decided to walk over to the tenement that Shoichi's father lives in.
But not without another lecture of course.
"Okay! Okay! No spray cans. No stealing llamas. And if we are going to do something or we need to go somewhere, we'll tell you so you can hold our hands like the lost little children we are. Geez, you sound like a mother."
Not that he or Seiji knew what it was like to be raised by a mother. But if they had, Keiji imagined this is a gist of what could have been. He imagines the what ifs a lot when he's alone or bored. But he'll never admit it to anyone.
Even Seiji.
"Hey! That's not-"
But Shoichi's father interrupts.
"Hey, you two want to visit hang out at my house?"
And Sho-chan chokes on his words. He turns around to his father with wide "no-no" eyes, but it was amiss on the man.
Hrm... did he have something to hide? Blackmail material hidden in his room? Maybe passionate love letters or secretly taken pictures of his crushes? Secret stalker Sho-chan? Heh heh heh.
"Sure Pops," Seiji cheerfully accepts.
"D-dad... I don't think its-"
"Oh you're right. I should clean the place up a bit before I let you all in. Wait here."
"-a good idea."
Shoichi sighs in defeat.
They watch the man walk away before rounding on Shoichi.
"Hey, I never knew your father was Pops. Why didn't you tell us you were related to Shirayuki Yamato? I thought we were teammates, Sho-chan."
"..."
The twins thoughtfully observed the frown creasing their teammate's face. Clearly this was a sore subject for him. Perhaps he didn't want his teammates in his house because he was embarrassed of who his father was?
"... You've heard the story right? The whole village pretty much knows that I'm the illegitimate child that made Loser Yamato a father."
Yet Keiji shrugged.
"And we think Pops is pretty cool. You shouldn't change your last name just because you're ashamed of your dad."
At least he wasn't a criminal, like their mother's rapist.
"That's not... that's not it. My surname is Okamura because I lived with my mother. Dad wanted the two of us to live with him, but Kanegawa-san... father's first wife... she never really liked us."
There's a wistful look on Shoichi's face here, most likely from a surge of unpleasant memories that he didn't want to elaborate on. But it wasn't hard to imagine the kinds of things he had to endure, not when they had gone through similar experiences.
"It's just easier to live separately and talk out in the village like this, than to live together and fight all the time. You two of all people should understand. You don't live with your relatives anymore, right?"
"Hmm..." Keiji puts his hand on his chin. "Well, even though we're related by blood, we were never really family in the first place. We didn't try talking to them and they didn't try talking to us. Sure, Gramps tried hard to get us to fit in. But some people just aren't meant to get along."
He didn't hate them or resent them, truthfully. It is wasteful effort and they weren't trying to vie for their acceptance. They were a pair of black sheep that didn't mind grazing grass without a shepherd or being apart of the flock. They only relatives he was still on speaking terms with was Haru-tan and her little brat of a brother Ahiru-pii. But ruffling Ahiru-pii's duckbutt was more like a casual relationship between kohai and sempai. The Uchiha who would go into the tailoring trade - He'd go to him when he needed to repair his ANBU armor and his clothes. Never fails to fix them up 100%, no matter how battered or torn up. - and his civilian girlfriend who baked the best cookies ever. were awesome. But it wasn't the kind of special bond where he could talk to them about everything. Not like Gramps. Not like Haru-tan. Not like Seiji. But he's quite fond of the two. He still thinks that they should name their child, if it is a boy, Kiyoshi, after his favorite horror film director. Of course, Sho-chan keeps reminding him they aren't married yet. But they will someday and they will have a kid. The bond was obvious. But Sho-chan doesn't see that yet because he's dumb. Just like he didn't see the connection he had to his father.
"But it seems to me you and your father get along fine."
"Yeah, we do. I love being around my dad. I love him. It's just... awkward to express. I mean, it took me a while to get over the rumors and the teasing. And I accept things the way they are now. But sometimes I wonder if Dad and Kanegawa-san would still be married... and happily if I..."
Seiji is probably thinking of Gramps when he said, "But you know... no matter how things would have turned out, he loves you more than he loves your mother or Kanegawa-san."
He sighs and smiles, "I know."
And then Yamato returns to the group a bottle in hand.
"Hey guess what I found? Want to have some sake with me?"
"NO DAD. YOU'RE GOING TO CREATE MONSTERS."
________________________
Brothers in Arms
Theme: Beautiful People
"Hey. Hey Keiji, Seiji... since you two don't have a home anymore, how about living with me and Shoichi? I mean adoption. Shirayuki Keiji and Shirayuki Seiji? How about it?" - Shirayuki Yamato
Sho-chan, like the killjoy that he is, had wasted perfectly good sake and poured it down in the sink. Anyone would have taken that action as a declaration of war. And so the three of them played the game of "who-can-make-Sho-chan-the-most-miserable". Which lasted two hours until their stomachs started grumbling. You can't have fun on an empty stomach. So the three of them went to go buy chinese take-out, while Pops went to go grab adoption papers. Sure, he can't read, but that didn't mean someone else couldn't read them out loud for him.
"Don't be so pissy, Sho-chan. We let you out of the closet eventually and we even cleaned up your room!"
"Yeah... after trashing it!"
"But if we didn't, then we wouldn't have discovered your love letters to your Doka-chan. And besides, that was a pretty interesting and educational conversation we had with your father. Who knew he had such extensive knowledge in courting?"
"Uuugh, you two can say that only because you got... got..."
"Free condoms!"
"WOULD YOU PUT THAT AWAY? It's embarrassing to walk with you guys when you're waving those around like idiots! What if someone see us? I don't want Madoka-sama to think I'm a sex fiend!"
"Aaaw. Are you jealous Sho-chan? Do you want some? Not that you'd ever find a proper use for it..."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"
"Let's see... there was Yuri-chan who rejected your confession because you 'smelled funny'. Hana-chan who hates shinobi. And by the way, we all saw that punch coming. Aya-chan who was already dating Fujinosuke at that time. You never really did anything with that crush either. Oh yeah, and Shiki-chan who only got close to you so she could hit on Seiji. That was pretty damn funny. Anyway, who's to say that number 50 isn't going to reject you this time? And a formerly high class lady, I might add?"
He's had a crush on, maybe even loved, that woman for what... eight, nine years? Must've bonded around the time they had to protect and escort the young lady to Konohagakure so she could inherit her father's business. Her uncle wasn't too happy with those arrangements. But its not like any of it mattered anymore now, with the company going bankrupt three years later.
"It-it... Madoka-sama is different from the rest. I can feel it this time. I swear!"
"Oh, really? Let's go meet your Doka-chan then."
"Oi! Hold up you b*****d! You better not do anything embarrassing this time or I'll, I'll..."
"Don't worry Sho-chan," Keiji said patting his soon-to-be-officially-legal brother on the shoulder.
"If she isn't my type I won't hit on her."
________________________
Nightingale With The Iron First
"She won't kill you, but by the time she's through with you, you might wish you were dead."
If he isn't on a mission, if he isn't in the village chasing girls, if he isn't laughing with Seiji or messing with Sho-chan, then he's at the hospital. Sometimes to visit injured teammates, sometimes for faked injuries, and sometimes just for real injuries. Like his broken jaw and his broken ribs and his aching arm. Jyuuken Kempo Ryuu hurts like a b***h. No wonder the Hyuuga are so feared.
But no matter what reason he uses to show up at the hospital, he's always seen flirting with the nurses. Though it would seem his charm on them has been declining lately. The hospital bed is comfortable, moreso than the futons Pops had lying on the floor. Soft. But not as soft as his head buried in a woman's crown of hair or lips brushing against a flushed cheek. Keiji tries to make eye contact with the medic-nin, but she simply ignores him and focuses on wrapping his arm in a cast.
As expected.
Seiji used to play this little game with him too. Until he found himself tied down to a very gorgeous girlfriend in the form of a fellow medic-nin. And one with a vicious bite too.
"Why so cold C-cup?"
They both knew he knew the answer to that question. But to point that out would break their routine.
"Don't call me by that stupid name and don't talk to me."
She gave him a withering glower.
"Aw, you can't blame me. It's hard to remember the name of a beautiful flower when there are so many in this white haven!"
He tilts his head and gives her the most sickeningly innocent expression he could manage.
"Damn pervert."
"But at least I'm a sexy pervert."
She really couldn't argue against that statement. To do so would insult her fiancee's face.
"... you should be in jail for sexually harassing Hyuuga Yokou. Honestly, isn't she thirteen years old?"
"Oh, that?" Keiji began casually. "I thought it'd be funny to see what kind of expression Flatchest would make if I fondled her flat chest. The Hyuuga are so weird you know, faces always blanker than their eyes. A real turn off. But I'll admit that she has the potential to be a total babe when she grows up. Still... she'll never beat you in gorgeousness, C-cup."
...!
"Hey... are you jealous of Flatchest?" Keiji smiles slyly.
"Oooow! Fffff...!"
C-cup punched his broken arm.
It's a wonder such a fierce woman was allowed to become a medic-nin. But he knew what was going to happen if he said that. Sure, C-cup was gorgeous, maybe his type... okay she's his type and he's loved her since the day they met.
But she's Seiji's girl.
He flirts and teases but he never touches... because Keiji could never do that to his other half. And she goes along with his play and hits and fixes his wounds, but she never looks him in the eye... not without seeing Seiji.
"Hardly. I just don't want to be the one who mops up after your corpse when the girl's family and her teammates catch wind of what you've done. You're so reckless. How will Seiji feel when you're gone?" she sniffed with disdain.
"Aaaaw. ♥ Don't worry, I won't die so easily."
He's young.
He's got a lot of years ahead of him.
He's invincible.
Keiji truly believed that... once upon a time.
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 2:34 pm
Icarus Once Flew
Theme: Night Fight
"Heard that there's a loose Kusagakure experiment running around near Hi no Kuni borders and wiped out a few shinobi squads. Had a damn nasty kekkei genkai too."
A smoke bomb went off.
They grabbed a hold of their teammate and made a run for it. Two masked figures carrying carrying half a figure dart out of the cloud and into the cover of the forest. Regroup, heal and formulate a new plan. Because this is wrong. All wrong. In the mission debriefing there was only a mention of one monster. Not a whole damn team of them. And it was that simple detail that was almost costly.
"Sho-chan?"
Damn it. They need to do something about the trail of blood. But it wasn't like it was Sho-chan's fault he's missing his legs. They drop him down behind a bush under a tree. The designated retreat point. And Seiji closes up the bleeding around Sho-chan's stumps. From his twin brother's bleached face and the trembling of his hands it would seem that he's at his chakra limit.
"Nnnng! I'll be... okay."
"You sure?"
"I'll hide here with the Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu, so go!"
The twins creep along the cover of bamboo and tall stalks of grass. Ears are perked up.
The chirping of birds.
March of insects along the base of a tree.
The rushing flow of a river.
Footsteps.
Where are the footsteps?
Snap.
A misstep. Suddenly his ears pick up a high pitched scream... from the left! Keiji tries to jump out of the way but he feels three sharp jabs in his arm. s**t. Senbon trap. And in his main arm. Colored smoke blossoms up into the sky. A signal. <********.
"We need to move," he hissed.
Now the enemy knows where they are. Someone will come at any moment. Sho-chan's horrendously bleeding half-thighs and lack of feet and knees flashes in his mind.
Alert.
He needs to be alert so that he never has to see something like that again. The sharingan is glaring all about, heart pounding against his chest... ticking quickly like a clock that could expire at any moment. He feels the weight of two lives in his hands. They're depending on him.
Damn it. Having a byakugan would be more useful at this point. A hand shoots out of nowhere and grips his wounded arm.
...!
The ANBU swiftly turns around, two hands clenched around the handle of his nodachi and presses his blade agains-Oh, its just Seiji. Keiji sighs behind his mask, becoming aware of just how much he's freaking out. Unprofessional, but if Seiji... if Sho-chan... if something happened to them... He glares and grits his teeth, feeling Seiji's chakra flow inside his arm, cold like a rush of icy water.
"Seiji... you still haven't healed your wounds!?" Keiji rips his arm away. "Forget me and heal your own-"
His brother shakes his head, "I won't need it."
"What the hell do you mean you won't need it!? If you're out of chakra and you have no weapons, what can you protect yourself with!?"
"I'm resorting to a last ditch plan. But we can't make this work unless you cooperate. You're the only one with the sharingan."
"I can't-"
"SHIRAYUKI KEIJI. WHO IS THE CAPTAIN OF YOUR SQUAD?"
Keiji knew what his brother was really asking him to answer.
A look.
The squad would be losing their edge in battle if their only fighter at this point was in a poor condition, his logical side says. And Seiji was only a medic-nin... even if he was going to die, he would not break his oath. He would not rely on their mother's rapist's kekkei genkai. Keiji reluctantly gives his brother his arm.
That's right... this situation called for a shinobi.
Not a protective brother.
He had to kill his feelings, pick up his nodachi and become a weapon for Konoha. But even so...
"... you are."
Even so, Seiji is his other half. Seiji thinks he's inferior just because there's two of them. Because he's the twin that doesn't have the sharingan. Because he's replaceable. But he's wrong. He's important. To C-cup, to Sho-chan, to him... They had the same face but different insides. Couldn't the b*****d figure that out?
"What was that I again? I can't hear you."
"YOU ARE."
"Good."
"Wh-wha...?"
Keiji looked down at his nodachi's hilt. And to his horror his brother guides his hands... into stabbing Seiji's chest. Body heat escaped from the wound in his other half's chest, covered his hands like warm blood red mittens.
"Y-you know what t-t-to do right? We beat- Gasp. ... their kekkai genkai with a st-st-stronger one."
"SEIJI THAT PLAN IS STUPID! STOP THIS!"
But coldly the most logical choice from a shinobi perspective.
"Too lat-ggggk! Cough."
Shitshitshit.
Seiji's coughing blood.
What to do?
What to do!?
He's the one who makes holes in people's chest, not plugs them damn it.
"ARE YOU A DUMBASS? USE YOUR ESEI-"
Seiji smiled wryly and shook his head. A chilling cold sinks to the depths of Keiji's stomach when he remembered that Seiji had depleted himself of his chakra, all so that he could heal his wounds.
"Pr-promise me s-some... thing."
"STOP TALKING."
Dilated spinning copy wheels frantically dart around the forest. Maybe he could grab Seiji and Sho-chan and run all the way to Konoha. It'll take three days but...
"Promise me... nnng! Huff. Huff. That n-no matter what hap...pens... Huff. after th-this, you'll -l-liiiive... life to the f-fullest."
"SHUT UP!"
Funny.
He sounds wounded, as if he's the one dying.
"Pr-promi-"
There's still a chance. He could make it. Somehowsomehow- The hand that is clutching at his hands own jerks Keiji out of his thoughts. Weak grip, yet desperate. It prickles his chest and he doesn't how to do a damn thing about it.
"Okay! Okaaaay! I promise I'll live life to the fullest, Seiji. Are you happy now!?"
"... I'm happy."
And he can't help but watch speechlessly as his brother gave him a serene smile.
"... Seiji?"
He could hear three sets of footsteps nearing. But he doesn't give a damn right now because his other half... his other half...
"Seiji!"
Nothing.
The grip loosens and Seiji's hand drops to the ground.
His eyes are deader than Gramps.
"What the hell? Got crazy and killed your own teammate? Why am I not surprised it is coming from the Uchiha."
Killed your own teammate.
Killed your own teammate.
kIlLeD yOuR oWn TeAmMaTe
He just... killed Seiji.
Murdered his own brother.
Stained hands around the hilt of his blade are trembling. Clench. Unclench.
Y-you know... what t-t-to do... right?
Mangekyo.
Kaleido eyes are crying blood, mixing with the tears. Hurts, hurts like hell. But it doesn't hurt as much as his chest. They are unfazed when a whip of chakra-controlled blood juts out from one of the enemy's arms and snakes around his neck.
Amaterasu.
Right now he's angry, and hateful like a child with a tantrum. Not a shinobi fulfilling the objectives of a mission. Right now he wants to break things to feel better.
"AAAAAAGH!"
Black flames crawl up the man's arm and eats his skin. A bitter smell of burnt flesh and coagulating blood penetrate his nostrils. The chokehold loosens and falls apart with a splatter of red. There is no satisfaction in seeing the man writhe on the floor.
Seiji is still dead.
"Y-you b*****d!"
That voice is so god damn annoying.
"Shut up."
Keiji turns around - slow, since when did the man who crippled Shoichi's legs move so SLOW - the firey mass of Susanoo erupts to block the speeding torrent of wind that would have surely killed him, and he unsheathes his sword to decapitate the man's head.
Seiji is still dead.
His ugly - dead - face pisses him off. So Keiji sets fire to it too.
The final one is alone. He needs to be more careful now. Keiji throws his nodachi like a spear and pins the man into the tree. Careful so this one doesn't die quick. Two stained hands curl around the man's left arm and-
CRACK!
Apathetic red eyes watches the toy squirm and writhe. Next was his right arm.
Sing.
CRACK!
"AAAAAAGH!"
And finally-
Sing.
CRACK!
- the neck.
Why won't you sing for me?
He managed to brake the entire team... But Seiji is still dead. There is nothing left to kill.
But the rage is still there.
With nothing else to do, the child glances up. They sky is so very blue. Why is it so god damned blue!? The sight of it stirred the torrent hate roaring inside of him. So bleeding eyes are cast upon the very large and grand tree.
How dare it stand so tall and green?
Set it ablaze. Make things... anything... everything burn, grass, river, songbirds, the whole package, just burn it all to the ground. Make the whole world end because his world is ending. And even then, he is still not satisfied.
There is still a gaping hole in his chest.
At a loss of what to do, he grabs his nodachi from the corpse and walks away from the flames and the smoke and the ashes.
"Keiji? What happened Keiji? Where's Seiji?"
"Dead."
Nothing matters anymore.
"Wha... what!?"
But the little boy does not elaborate any further. He becomes silent and one of the walking dead, carrying half of a man on his shoulders. Walks slowly, lifelessly, legs trudging all the way back to Konoha. When he drops Shoichi on a hospital bed, his shoulders and his feet do not feel lighter.
________________________
Adrift the River of Styx
Theme: The Chairman's Waltz
"Castor and Pollux were twins. But while Pollux was born with the gift of immortality, Castor... Castor did not."
White.
The sky is white. He glances at white walls, white sheets, and the tick tock tocking of the clock.
... he isn't dead.
And somehow there is a sense of disappointment.
His hands are still stained with blood. Dark red and dark brown... old blood. Crusted fingers clench. And it irritates him. The way it contrasts with the stark white... so he gets up and drags himself to the bathroom. Opens the door-
He looked into the mirror and saw Seiji's face staring back at him.
And then he remembers.
He remembers that he murdered his brother. But no, it isn't his brother's face... Seiji doesn't have the damn mangekyo sharingan. A mark that he was a monster... he wasn't a god damned Uchiha.
No...
Uchiha?
Keiji is a Shirayuki now. And yet a pair of red eyes are glaring back at him.
You murdered your other half to get this power. Admit it. ADMIT IT.
Seeing Seiji's face with the mangekyo pisses him off, so he closes his eyes. He starts to imagine...
Once upon a time, he didn't kill Seiji.
He is five years old.
His hand is on the academy door and his five year old twin is hesitating on the stone steps. The limbo between civilian and shinobi and the stupid little kids don't really understand what they're really getting into.
"What if we stop talking all together and you f-f-forget me?"
What if neither of them had inherited the sharingan? Was the mangekyo sharingan really the only way to win that time? It's the most ******** retarded power ever. What's the point in getting it if he has to kill the one he wants to protect the most? Why couldn't it be his kenjutsu that won the fight? Or his ninjutsu?
What if these eyes never existed?
What if?
What if?
"W-well... that won't happen, even if we aren't in the same team. Because Seiji's my other half. I won't ever leave you, Seiji."
Sharp pain sears both his eyes. But that doesn't matter...
Seiji?
I've purified these eyes Seiji.
"You promise?"
He feels liquid spill from his eyelids. It'll probably stain the bathroom but that's fixable. But this...
Come back.
You promised... we promised.
"I promise."
"Okay... and I promise I'll never leave you either Keiji."
never leave you either Keiji.
never leave you either keiji
never leave you either kei ji
never leave you either k e i j i
never leave you either k E i J i
never leave you either k e I j
never leave you eitherK xEi j I. . .
never leave you either K e i j
His five year old little brother turns from the academy door and the giggles dissolve with his silhouette.
Shattered.
The promise is shattered.
The bond is shattered.
His world is shattered.
Shattered like the bathroom mirror. Glass, glass is probably everywhere from the sharp pain that is pricking his hands and the warm liquid that is spilling, spilling, spilling, like his eyes...
Liar.
Seiji you liar... you broke the promise.
When the nurse came back with a tray with a plate of oranges and a glass of water, she could only gape in horror to discover that her patient had gouged his own eyes.
________________________
Dark.
Why is everything dark...? Wasn't it supposed to be morning now? Did he oversleep?
His eyelids flutter open - It hurts, worse than having soap in your eyes. Why does his eyes hurt!? Fuuuuuuuck... - and it is still dark. Something is touching his eyes.
His hand - Bandaged... since when? Who...? Wha-? - shot out and tightened around the other person's fingers.
"Please calm do-"
"What. The. ******** was a female's voice. That soft-spoken gentleness is vaguely familiar, but a face does not come to mind.
It doesn't matter... it isn't Seiji's.
"What the <********> do you think you're doing!?"
"What do you think? You're my patient. Now hold ******** that... I'll heal just fine without your help. Now move... argh!"
Keiji found himself falling off the bed, his face eating cold floor.
"Fine and healthy, huh?"
"Shut up!"
...
It's cold and dark and he doesn't know where the ******** door is. He is going nowhere at this point. He doesn't know what the color of the sky is right now. But compared to being a monster...
"Fine, heal my wounds. But don't touch the eyes."
"But once the wounds close up, you'll never be able to see aga-"
"Anything but these god damned eyes," he firmly insists.
...
"No one blam-"
"Finish that sentence and I will kill you."
"Fine..."
Why the ******** does she have to sound so sad? He already feels guilty damn it. Can't this person tell that he just wants to be left alone!?
Go away.
"I'll heal everything but your eyes."
"Good."
________________________
Singularity
Theme: Soldier's Poem
"In the end, what the hell were we trying so hard for...?"
Seiji is gone...
He is rotting in a hospital bed, a tray of food neglected. And while he cannot see, he can hear was the rough housing of children running out in the streets... and Seiji is gone. His hospital bed mates are happily chatting over... he can't care to know of it... and Seiji is gone. And while sunlight hit his eyes, it could not warm his soul. No... it angered him, very, very much.
"... should've been at the bar last night man. This guy, see his girlfriend..."
Seiji is gone and the clock is still ticking.
"... so he runs up to the b*****d and goes BAM! Into his face!"
Seiji is gone and the world is still spinning.
"... weird thing is, that drama queen doesn't press charges. So it would seem the rumors are true."
Seiji is gone and no one, not even the sky is crying for him.
"Whoa, really? Hahaha!"
It itched terribly.
It frustrated him.
He wanted to kill someone.
Like the Uchiha clan for their stupid eyes and the stupid mangekyo. He wanted to kill Seiji's murderer too.... he wanted to kill himself. He wanted to kill everyone in this dumb village. How dare it stand and continue to move on while the man who gave his all to protect it is dead! Ungrateful! Anything. Anything to let this rage that clawed at his insides, singed his eyes and his nose and his throat, screamingscreamingscreaming LeTmEoUtNoWlEtMeOuTnOwLeTmEoUtNoW... NOW! wOuLd YoU sTiLl Be LaUgHiNg If I sTrAnGlEd YoU wItH tHe Iv CoRd!?
And yet...
Yet he couldn't.
He couldn't do it to Seiji.
Because Seiji, who could not produce a Gyoukakyu no Jutsu... Seiji who did not have a capacity for the Sharingan... Seiji who took the path of medic-nin... Seiji who the least like an Uchiha out of all of them, loved this village very, very, very much. And to kill this village... to kill his clan... to kill himself... would kill whatever Seiji had worked his entire life for. It would be killing the last pieces of evidence that Shirayuki Seiji ever existed.
"Okay! Okaaaay! I promise I'll live life to the fullest, Seiji. Are you happy now!?"
They had the same face, but different insides.
Helpless.
Helpless like a baby fresh out of the womb. They didn't know know the words to pain of breathing - its their first time using their lungs after all - so they do what instinct tells them to do...
... cry, cry, cry.
Seiji is gone and there's nothing he can do about it.
Crying was all a helpless man could do at that point.
________________________
Crossroads
Theme: Porcelain
"We've done all we could. As for the state of his mental health... whether he wants help or not, that's up to him." - hospital director, to Shirayuki Yamato and Uchiha Harusame
"What are you doing here?"
There's the squeaking of... wheels inching closer. That voice is very familiar. The vague outline of a face sketches itself on the back of his eyelids.
"Keiji...? Are you awake Keiji?"
"... Sho-chan?" he croaks.
He hadn't seen him since... the hospital. He has been crawling around the village on all fours, and he doesn't care how stupid it looks. He's sick of stumbling and having to pick himself off the ground. Then he got sick of moving around. So he stays on the ground... somewhere. He doesn't care where that somewhere is as long as no one bothers him.
"It's been what... a month?"
"Six months. Kami, your sense of time has deteriorated."
"Whatever."
"You haven't eaten anything lately have you? You've been sitting there rotting your life away."
Why did Sho-chan have to sound so accusatory?
"And?"
A challenge.
He has nothing to hide.
"You'll die if you keep that up."
"So what?"
"..."
"You're not the only one who lost something. That day... I lost two dear brothers. No legs and no team... I gave up becoming a shinobi. And now I'm living off the money Dad sends me to go to a civilian school."
The guilt resurfaces, but he smothers it. Tries to hide it.
"Moved on? Good for you."
He hears a sad sigh.
Damn it Sho-chan.
Knock it off.
Or he'll really feel ba-
"But there's still a lot of things I regret I couldn't do back then. So I'm here to get back a brother I lost. Because he isn't lost forever... I hope. I really do."
"But someday-"
"You can meet Seiji again someday can't you? We all will... But what about the rest of us? Aren't we important to you too?"
That's right.
He still had a... family didn't he? There was still something to... well, he couldn't really protect it anymore. He doesn't know where to swing his nodachi. He's already forgotten how to walk on his feet. But... he could still waste the rest of his lifespan with them. He can't die just yet, because of a promise to a man who broke one. Because twice in his life he knew how it felt to lose someone important.
But someday...
"Fine, you win for once, Sho-chan. I'll-"
!
"Wh-what... what the hell!? he sputters.
He finds himself wet, head to toe, probably a bucket of water... and it's FREEZING COLD. Sho-chan had every right to be pissed off at him but this is-
"I can't have my best man coming to the wedding smelling like old cereal and eggs. It's supposed to be a special day."
All that's left is to wait.
________________________
Going Through The Motions
Theme: It's Been A Long Day
"Well if you don't like the name Keiji then what else am I supposed to call you? Huh? You want me to name you? Hmmm... how about a Shinichi? For "new". What do you mean there are multiple meanings!? Depends on the kanji? DO I LOOK LIKE I KNOW HOW TO WRITE!?" - Shirayuki Yamato
Wake up.
Bathe with Pops' help.
Wish him off to work.
Eat breakfast.
Chat his little sister Akimichi Chouko and his adoptive father's wife, Akimichi Ayame.
Wish Mei-chan off to work.
Wish Ko-chan off to school.
Eat lunch.
Meditate. Meditate. Meditate some more.
Maybe count the number of ticks it takes until someone gets home... but its too late to start counting.
Give up.
Take a nap.
Mediate.
Welcome home Mei-chan and Ko-chan.
Talk and play with his little sister.
Tuck her into bed.
Welcome Pops home.
Talk with his adoptive father.
Drink with him if he buys sake.
See him and his wife off to bed.
Then say good night and sleep... if he could.
That was his usual routine. But tonight wasn't so lucky. He saw Seiji's face... or his face... or, whatever, THAT face in a dream. So he wakes up and doesn't try to go to sleep until the next night. He meditates some more.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Damn... he really doesn't feel like getting up to answer. People are a pain in the a** to deal with. Besides, its nighttime. Everyone should be asleep. If he ignores it, it will go away. It's just him sitting with legs crossed on... a lumpy carpet. Pops, Mei-chan, and Ko-chan are sleeping right now. He is alone in this room. He is at the center of this little world shedding all thoughts and all feelings, dissociating from this mortal coil. No worry or care of what will happen tomorrow. He's as close as he can be to being dead without breaking his promise to Seiji. No people and no sound and no-
Knock. Knock. Knock.
No bothersome people. No sound. Peaceful. Everything is peaceful like... he doesn't know, peaceful like rainbows and leprechauns and sunshine? Okay, that's a bad simile. Its hard to describe, when he knows no peace. He's forgotten the colors of the rainbow. And its night time, just how he likes it. Because it is only during this time that he knows he isn't the only one stumbling around in darkness. It's peaceful like...
Knock. Knock. ******** he still had eyes, they'd probably be twitching right now.
"GO AWAY NO ONE LIVES HERE."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
God damn it.
Who the ******** knocks on someone's door at 2... 3... in the morning!?
Impatiently, the man crawls on his hands and knees, feeling across the carpet. It's around the twentieth... step/crawl, that he knows the door should be close. Cautiously he moves, because its always around here that his head bumps into something hard and that always hurts like hell. Forward.. a little more, a little more... a little more...
But he still bumps into the door... or wall, anyway.
"Fffff...!"
The man angrily feels his way up the hard rough and bumpy wall/door... until he could feel cold round metal. The doorknob. Shinichi rips open the door an hollers, "WHAT THE ******** DO YOU WANT!?"
But there is... nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Still ******** doorbell ditcher.
How many times has this happened? Fifty-two? Sixty? Joke gets old and it wasn't even funny in the first place.
He hears a yawn coming from behind.
"Is that my package? Mmm, yep. That would be mine."
... or not. But he's still kind of pissed. Shouldn't the delivery man say something? It was pretty damn obvious from the scars on his face that he couldn't see.
"What is it, Pops?"
"A baby."
...
"... what?"
"A baby. You know, when a man and a woman-"
"Yeah, I know. Do you know who you're talking to? Anyway, I didn't know there was a pelican delivery service now."
"You mean stork."
"Okay, now you ruined the joke. And besides... all birds look the same."
"Y'know... you've been in a grumpy mood ever since you came into this household. Besides family, have you ever even tried talking to anyone?"
"That's none of your business."
"There it is, that grumpiness. You know what could cheer you up? Holding this baby."
"... Huh?"
"Trust me, you need to do this. Real bad."
"I can't hold it... these hands-"
"Reality check. All babies are born into this world covered in their mother's blood. Ain't cleaner than your hands or mine. This little girl won't know the difference. So don't try to argue with me son. I've witnessed childbirth eight times in my life, and four of them were my own kids. Now suck it up and hold her."
A bundle was shoved into the protesting man's arms. And if he could see, he'd try to shove the baby back, but he doesn't want to risk bumping into something and dropping the baby.
b*****d.
Pops knew it too. Sure, the guy didn't know how to read or write, but he was smarter than people gave him credit for. So he gives up. Reluctantly... a rough hand searches for the child's face. She had her father's nose and his ears, and was that just drool he touched? Gross.
"Careful! Drop her, and I'll kill you."
"Are you listening to yourself Pops? If you don't trust me enough not to drop her then why-"
He could feel that wet drooly mouth curl into a smile. Shinichi fell silent. Something inside of him jolted, but it wasn't quite the same spark he felt on that day he met Pinnochio-chan. On that day he wanted to light a puppet. Today it's this little infant who lights life in a corpse.
Reborn all over again.
Phoenix rising.
"When you're older and you two have children one day of your own, and Kami help us all and the women you choose that you're mature by the time it happens... you will understand your mother's feelings... and mine."
"Oh..."
"Yeah, see what I'm talking about? I my childhood in an orphanage you know. Growing up, I used to be jealous of a lot of people: rich people, smart people, even normal people. I would always compare myself to them. I wanted parents. I wanted the same nice things they had, like clean and new clothes, my own room, and books. I wanted to have a talent, something that I'm good at. I wanted something special, something unique to only me. When I held Shoichi for the first time... I felt that I had that special something. And when I realized that he'd be depending on me... well, you become a parent when you don't live for yourself."
This little bundle would be depending on Pops... and a monster like him. Could he be trusted... one more time? Can he live for someone other than himself? As if reading his mind, a tiny hand reached out for the murderer's finger.
...
"What are you going to name her?"
"Hrm... I'm feeling a Nadeshiko or a Kaede."
"Wow. Nadeshiko...? Seriously!? Just put a target on the kid's back why don't you."
"What? I think Nadeshiko is an alright name."
"Yeah, for an old HAG."
"Alriiiiight. Alright. Don't throw a fit, son. Kaede it is."
________________________
Reprieve For The Heart
Theme: Daughters
"No I-I don't have one o-of those. Sniffle. But I c-can give you my stuffed k-kitty. His name is Sh-shin. He d-doesn't like to sl-sleep without a nightlight, and he h-has a lot of nightmares s-so y-you'll have to s-sing a song for him. A-and he doesn't l-like to be pet." - Shirayuki Kaede to Senju Taiju at the Calm Meadows
"What... what is this?"
"What do you mean Shin-san?"
"That. I mean that!" Shinichi accused with a pointing finger in the general direction of her voice. "You used to call me 'Shin-nii!' And so cutely too! And now we're all formal? What, did you outgrow your big brother already Kae-chan?"
"My coworkers told me its polite to address people with '-san'."
He glowers and pinches her cheeks.
"I don't want you to treat me with politeness."
"Bu-"
"I want you to treat me like a brother. I want you to call me 'Shin-nii'. Got that?"
When he felt her head attempting to nod in his hands, he let her go.
"Uhm... this is for you, Shin...-nii."
Something soft and lumpy is placed into his hands. Shinichi brings the object closer to sniff it. It smells of... some sort of cloth and a hint of detergent. Scarred hands squeezed the object, feeling something squishy push back against his fingers.
"... it's a stuffed animal."
"Mmhmm."
He touches what feels like a rope of cloth... a tail?
Or a leg?
And there's whiskers?
"A cat."
"Yep!"
"For me?"
"It's a Shin-san for Shin-nii."
"... I'm a cat?"
"Mmhmm, you're always crawling and sniffing at things like a kitty."
"Wouldn't it make more sense to make a dog then? I don't exactly land on my feet. And I don't have nine lives, thank Kami."
"But I don't like dogs."
He chuckles.
"So you like me?"
"Mmhmm."
"More than Sho-chan?"
"Equal. I like Sho-nii and Shin-nii equally."
A frown.
So was she saying he's the same as that killjoy twip?
Most. Unfounded. Comparison. EVER.
He had to fix this.
"You should stop hanging around him, Kae-chan. It isn't good for your health. Otherwise you'll pick up his social retardation and that annoying tendency to freak out at every little thing."
"But Sho-nii is fun and he was the one who showed me how to make the cat. You know... he said something similar the other day. That if I hung out with you too much I'd pick up your... your... d-delinkwuensi?"
Badmouthing him - nevermind that he was doing the exact same thing just a few minutes ago - and trying to corrupt his Kai-chan's image of him!?
That's it. He's going to rig the b*****d's wheelchair.
Shinichi wore the most withering glower a man with no eyes could have.
"So if you like us equally, then why give me a stuffed cat?" he sulked.
"Happy birthday."
Oh.
"..."
"You don't look so happy. Why?"
"Kae-chan... I don't think becoming 30 and over the hill is exactly something to celebrate."
Truth is, since Seiji died, he began to really hate those words. He used to always celebrate it with Seiji, used to share their birthdays together. And while Kai-chan meant well, he couldn't really find any joy in them anymore. To him, his birthday has become just a day signifying that he a step closer in rejoining his other half.
"But today is the day Shin-nii is born isn't it? I'm happy."
I'm happy you exist.
...
"Aaaw.... my little Kae-chan is so cuuuute. Come here you! ♥"
"Waaaah!"
________________________
Self Worth
"Garbage man? You're actually going to let them call you that?" - Shirayuki Shinichi to Shirayuki Yamato
"Holding... hands... with your... hands-"
"-Heart to see you. Only blue talk and love."
"Right. I was going to say that."
Damn. Learning Braille sucks.
But he needs to learn job skills.
He needs a job.
He needs to get a job somehow. Because Pops refuses to tell Sho-chan that he lost his job, and no one wants to hire an old man with a useless arm. Not when they can hire a young man with two useful arms for the same price. Not to mention Pops made Shinichi swear on Seiji's grave not to tell. If Sho-chan knew that his father was barely making it by to pay for his chef schooling, he would drop out and move in with them. So all Shinichi can do is try to find work to ease his adoptive father's load... even though Pops is much more useful than a blind man.
From what Kae-chan has read to him from the newspaper, - Why isn't there a damn newspaper in braille? HANDICAP DISCRIMINATION.- it would seem there is a lack of civilian jobs and a heavy need of shinobi. He never cared much for politics since like, ever. But he figured the state of the economy was for stupid reasons.
But what else could he do? He didn't know how to cook or fix appliances or sort books at a library. But knew how to kill and he's done it for almost his entire life. They paid pretty damn good for it too.
For first time in almost a decade, he's considering returning to the shinobi world.
________________________
Under The Same Sky
Theme: What Can I Say
"Even though we're not living together anymore, we'll always be family. You'll always be my sister. So stop crying already. Look, I'll even give you my last piece of strawberry shortcake, okay?" - Akamichi Chouko to Shirayuki Kaede
"Shin-nii. You're leaving aren't you?"
s**t.
He doesn't dare turn around, not that doing so would do any good since he's blind. He is doing exactly what Mei-chan did to Pops just a year ago, and she took Ko-chan with her too. What Seiji had done before he had allowed himself to die - not "before he murdered his brother" he begins to realize that he's slowly forgiven himself - and he can already hear Kae-chan sniffling.
The guilt takes hold of him.
Shitshitshit.
This is exactly why he wanted to leave before she noticed.
"... why?"
Why does she have to sound so miserable? It makes him look like the bad guy.
"For the job I was thinking about, I'll have to go outside a lot. I need to remember how to walk..."
And how to dodge kunai, and slit a throat, and how to electrocute a man... but she didn't need to know that.
"We don't think of you as a burden."
A tired sigh.
"Kae-chan, I've basically been mooching off you guys for years. Never worked a single day since I got here. Yet my little six year old sister has worked more jobs than I have in my lifetime. That's really pathetic."
"..."
"Will you come back?"
She's a lot stronger than she gives herself credit. If it was another child, he or she would cling and cry and scream words they don't mean and...
His little Kae-chan was more mature than this grown man.
"We'll see. Can I see your face one last time, Kai-chan?"
He would say, "I promise." But people shouldn't make promises they don't know they can keep. He feels small soft hands curl around his own and move them to an even softer face. Rough calloused fingers linger on baby cheeks velvet and fuzzy as a peach, then moves through wispy hair to find her ears. Kami, his little Kae-chan is growing up real fast. One hand used to be enough to see her face and now he needed two.
"S-s-see you Sniffle. again, Shin-nii."
"Yeah..."
I hope I see you again too, Kae-chan.
He opens the door, literally crawling, like a mole out of its hole after many years, and feels sunlight hit his face.
________________________
Sharpening A Dulled Blade Takes Time
Theme: The Person Dear To Me
"It's almost surreal... finding out for myself just how much can change in a decade. It's like I was sleeping for a long time. I wake up and now Pinocchio-chan and Haru-tan are gone..." - Shirayuki Shinichi
He doesn't want any more people inquiring about his god damned eyes, or where he's been these past years or whatever. So he buys a mask. And its best that way, because last time he walked into the village without one... someone had mistaken him for Seiji. And last he saw that person, she was at work smiling with his brother. He can't hear her beautiful voice without remembering that she was once Seiji's girl. And she can't look at his scarred face without remembering the love that could have been, but never was... just a decade ago.
"Hello, I don't believe we've met. My name is Takani Fuu."
Takani, huh...
So she hasn't moved on from Seiji yet, has she? He can't really blame her... he hasn't completely either.
"And my name is Shirayuki Shinichi. Pleased to meet you."
"Shinichi, huh? What a nice name..."
"Thank you, Takani-san."
It's a lie.
This whole meeting is a lie, but that's more than enough to keep the ball going. A test to see how long the charade can churn. Before she cries and hits him over and over for lying and hiding. Before he calls her C-cup and hugs her and apologizes.
Apologizes about Seiji's death, for not being Seiji, for not comforting her when she needed it most. Before they could be back to being Keiji and C-cup.
"I need to go now. See you later Shinichi-san."
"Alright. See you Takani-san."
Until now, they carry the guilt, wear this lie like a mask and depart for their destinations.
He walks into the store, feels the familiar heat of flames... blacksmithing flames, touch his face. Shinichi slaps his nodachi on the counter.
"I want you to make to turn this thing into a concealable weapon. Make it look like a walking stick."
"That's a custom service. It's going to cost you a lot, sir."
"That's fine with me."
________________________
The Sun Will Rise
Theme: Reunion
"Hey, Sho-chan? Want to come on a long road trip with me? Just for old time's sake." - Shirayuki Shinichi
They are standing at the shorelines of Kirigakure, where they listen to the heartbeat of the sea rocking and churning. It wasn't that hard to leave the their village, or to be allowed into this village. Not when one man is blind and crawling and feeling the ground on all fours and the other is bound to a wheelchair.
Harmless, right?
He realized how much he's healed... that he can now stand in front of the sea... scatter Seiji's ashes, his remains, into its waters without feeling pain... and just let go.
Shinichi used to believe that because he was born with Seiji, he would also die with Seiji. That their team was strong because of their teamwork and was infallible for that sole reason. That they'd always be together, the three of them.
Funny how things turn out.
"Of all the jobs you could have moved on to, why a chef?"
"Well, I thought about becoming a babysitter. I've got about 42 years of experience in that field. There weren't any kids I've met brattier than you and Seiji combined," Sho-chan chuckles.
"But I wanted to do something different. I thought back to my childhood, and well... See, it was always my dream to become a skilled chef and own my own restaurant. So I thought, 'Hey, its never too late.' Right? Second chances. Turn a new leaf."
Right... second chances.
But he can't quite quit the shinobi world. Can't quite see himself doing anything else. Perhaps he was not like Sho-chan, maybe he is in the path he's supposed to be in.
Maybe...
"Hey... Sho-chan. If becoming a shinobi wasn't your first choice, then why...?"
He can hear his older brother scratch the back of his head.
Embarrassment?
Oh ho ho...
"... don't laugh. Don't laugh okay? I MEAN IT."
"Okay! Okay... I might not."
He doesn't need to see his older brother's face to know it is wrinkled in a scowl.
"... I became a shinobi to impress a girl. You remember my crush on Yuri-chan?"
"Haha... what!?"
"I know. I know. In the end I didn't get the girl I wanted. I got a better one," he huffs. "I didn't become the super strong taijutsu shinobi show off that I had idealized myself to be when I was young. I became something cooler. It's a shame that things had to end that way you know?"
"Yeah..."
It was a shame the three of them couldn't mess around as shinobi until the end of time.
"Mmm... in my childhood I wanted to be a shinobi... or a dolphin. And Seiji was going to be an octopus. Heh. Pretty stupid right? But he really loved the sea, man..."
Which is why he and Sho-chan trekked all the way to Mizu no Kuni to bring him to rest there. Pain in the a** blindness and wheelchair and all. It was worth it.
"But doesn't matter how strong we used to be or how things could have been. I've got a family. I got a wife. I've got one of my dreams fulfilled. I'm pretty content right now. What say you?"
He thinks back to Seiji's last words.
"... I'm happy."
Seiji... I have kept the promise.
"Yeah, I've found my happiness."
Pops...
Sho-chan...
Ko-chan...
Kae-chan...
And as for his childhood dreams... dolphin... dolphin used sound to see right? Maybe... just maybe... the gears in his mind start to click and churn.
Sound jutsu.
Sonar.
Echolocation.
Maybe he could become something like a dolphin after all.
The gist of a jutsu starts to formulate.
Perhaps he will be able to "see" again.
And this time... maybe... he can find the power to protect that happiness. It will be a long, long while... when he's hopefully old and wrinkly and surrounded by his loved ones, before he can decide whether this new sight... possibly new strength, surpasses the "protection" or "sight" provided by something like the mangekyo.
Echo of the Siren.
________________________
"So now what? You haven't exercised in years. You can't do any taijutsu the way you are now... that's like, double your handicap."
"I've been thinking Sho-chan... until I gain my muscles back, until I get the hang of seeing, how about teaching me your jutsu?"
"I only know genjutsu, Shinichi. That's a whole different style of fighting right there."
"That's fine."
Who the hell did he think he was talking to, anyway?
He's Shirayuki Shinichi.
He can handle it, blind or not.
"It's going to take a while to learn, you know. And this time you don't have the sharingan to learn the jutsu."
"That's fine."
"Mm... alright, let's do this. I'm warning you right now, just because you're my brother doesn't mean I'll be going easy on you."
This time, it would be Sho-chan to teach him jutsu. Not the other way around.
"Bring it."
________________________
They stand at the gates of Konoha for the first time in five years.
Five years... but it only feels like yesterday that he was just here. He wonders if Pops is still hanging in there. Wonders if his mail came through or if the mailman stole the damn money. He wonders if Ko-chan has now developed that trademark Akimichi belly or if she takes more after her father. He wonders how much taller his little Kae-chan has gotten.
Maybe he should show off some of his jutsu. In case they get to that age where they start to realize just how lame he and Sho-chan are.
Another thought occurs to him.
"Hey."
"...? What's wrong?"
"Can I have your old hitai-ate, Sho-chan?"
"Huh...? You're telling me you don't know where your hitai-ate is? What did you do with it?"
"You never change do you? Always asking dumb questions... I pawned it off to an Oto-nin, of course."
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:31 pm
TAB TABt i m e s k i p ↴
TAB↪ the three years that passed us by
Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text
Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text
Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text
Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text
Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text
Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text Test Text
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