The way of the Samurai~Nakaya's Story.

[___youwillknownihilism]

Chapter Zero: The Early Days.

Nakaya Shouta was born to a family of mobile assassins exactly fifteen years ago. They were retired by this time of course, but that didn't mean they weren't targets. They had been under surveillance constantly, watched by all for a moment of weakness. The family had many friends in the vast world of the shinobi, families like the Shihouin and Uchiha holding them in high regards. These families helped keep them safe, sending a few ninja to act as escorts and protectors of the pregnant Yuki Shouta-Amenkake, so named for her beautiful snow like hair color. His father, Taki Shouta, went to great lengths to see this child brought into the world safely, and raised free of harm. The Shihouin, Uchiha, and various other well paid ninja formed a bond of protection, and even as the child was brought into the world, the 'family' decided to stay together, nurturing the baby together.

Protecting Kay was the top priority, and more than once their attempts to take the family down. The father a member of the chakra mouths bloodline, was more than surprised to not see a pair of mouths, on one each hand, on the boy. You see, he had the mouth branch of the bloodline, a direct descendant of famous explosion corps member Deidara. Kay, by age five, was used to being moved from place to place, living everywhere from the land of waves to the land of lightning. He was oblivious to the danger, but content. However, it was all about to come crashing down one night in the land of fire. An Uchiha, Red-Eye to Nakaya, had been out on patrol. He had abandoned his post according to another of the family members who came to report in. The man decided to investigate. Within a few minutes, he cried out in pain. The father, going out with everyone else promised the mother who didn't want him to leave the tent that he would return. Five minutes and five loud and powerful explosions later, and the fighting subsided. Kay was stuffed under the bed as the mother grabbed her katana. He watched as the door flew open and the mother fought valiantly to protect her cub. She felled three of them before a final shinobi entered the house. Much to her and Nakaya's dismay... it was the Uchiha. Over powering her was easy for the man. She fell to the floor, tears falling from her eyes as Kay almost uttered a cry. The clear tears were then stained by red, then flowed over by her blood. The Uchiha left the blade vertically lodged in her head. There was one last thing left to him. You see, he had been the grandson of one of the pair's earlies targets, over twenty years previous. After betraying the family he came to love, the Uchiha slit his own throat, leaving the child behind...

 

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Chapter One: Finding a purpose.

The Child, cold, alone and hungry, wandered aimlessly through the land of fire. He begged merchants passing, most of who were less than ready to help him. But the sight of this small child, barely able to walk and alone touched many. He got a few scraps here and there, and every once in a while a pair of clothes. He lived alone in the forest, surviving with the small bit of skill he had from his 'games' which he would learn later in life were just training for the shinobi world. He was naturally able to make his own traps to catch some of the small rodents in the forest. He killed them with the kunai he found in teh hands of uncle "Pale eye" who was the hyuga. Still, more often than not the youth would go hungry as he stared teary eyed up into the big white moon, which reminded him of nights he spent curled up in his mother's arms. He spent weeks this way, barely holding onto his will to live and finding no purpose in life. He was lonely, hungry, and generally angry, but he had not yet lost his will to live. Because of this, the youth was able to survive. One day an old man, long beard, short stature, found him and looked him over. Kay was lying under a tree, drool pooling as he knocked at death's door. The man saw something in Kay's eyes, he had to, for he grabbed Kay in both arms and rushed him to his home in konohagakure. He was a blacksmith, and had many other children in his care. They lived in the outskirts of the land of fire, a secret home for orphans the man could save.

It was here that Kay was slowly brought back to his health. The old man revealed himself to be a very old ninja himself, or rather something slightly different. And old swordsman, a samurai to be exact. Kay's natural talent intruiged the man, and he was more than eager to see what Kay could do. He had other orphans with him as well, most of whom were also prodigal samurai. Kay fit right in, his meager training enough to earn him respect among them. The old man, Yamamoto by name Nakaya would find out, trained them all together. He brought Kay up , strict and very old school, but the closet to a father he'd had since... back then. I let Kay sit in his room and read whenever he wasn't in battle. He read about jutsu and their applications, and also about what it meant exactly to be a samurai. He read old war books, about great leaders and their tactics. And he also did recreational reading. It was there that he found his purpose for living. To become a symbol of peace and protection in a world full of pain and danger. He was only seven years old by this point, having lived there for two years.

 

[___youwillknownihilism]

Chapter 2: The Right Words

Now that Kay had established some form of a home, he had also made a few friends. The first person he met, Aoi Tsubasa from the land of earth, became his best friend. She had very pretty blue eyes, and dark, wavy hair that fell to her elbows naturally. She had a very light voice, and was rather outgoing even if a little laid back like he was. She had been there when he first arrived, and was the first to greet him when he was able to stand again. In two years the boy and girl were joined at the hip, doing everything together, including training. While Kay was better with the weapons, and had a much longer reach, the girl had better hand to hand skills, and she also had flexibility. They made each other strong, and made each other strive to be stronger. The pair had another friend in Tomo Uno, an orphan from kirigakure. He was Kay's mental counterpart, and was in a constant mental battle with Kay. It is from him that Kay get's his competitive edge from. It started with games of Chinese checkers, or card games (though Aoi was the only one who knew those were games of chance.) In just seven more years the trio would be inseparable. Aoi had blossomed into a beautiful would be kuinoichi, her hair growing a little, but her height falling behind as Kay and Tomo grew a few inches over her. Kay's eyes, though he didn't like it, begun to become less brown and more rusty, turning almost red for some reason. For him, it meant he was becoming more like the one who took his life away. A constant reminder of the pain he always harbored. But Aoi's blue eyes seemed to balance and then wipe away his feelings of grief. He liked her company most of all, and she was a real firebrand on the court whenever they sparred. After all that time Kay still had reach, and she still had her incredible flexibility. He would often watch in awe as a punch sailed over her body, bent ninety degrees, and then in shock as like a viper her foot struck the opponent over the head and took him down. He never knew this, but she would often excitedly watch Kay tear down an opponent, almost in one hit usually, and then put on a facade when he came over to her. He could never find the right thing to say about her, and many awkward moments between the two ensued. She'd turn red at his compliments, and he'd awkwardly thank her or stumble through apologies afterwards. Tomo laughed at the two and commented often on how he thought they'd end up married someday...

Aoi would begin to develop respiratory problems around this time...

 

[___youwillknownihilism]

Chapter 3: Promises

One year passed and the children were finally allotted to venture out into Konoha. As his last batch of orphans, he gave them special lee way, which they took generously. Aoi, Kay and Tomo all spent their days aimlessly wandering the village in search of new fun and trouble to cause. Using Kay's cunning, and Tomo's eye for trouble, the three of them managed to pull many many child like pranks on the villagers. Whenever caught, either Aoi or Kay would charm their way out of the situation while Tomo typically thought up some way out of the situation in case they failed. It was fun because they were untraceable, even losing village chuunin sometimes. One day the trio took a trip to the marketplace searching for something to remember each other by forever. Nakaya suggested the three of them each by a promise ring and make a ninja vow on it. Tomo liked the idea, and Aoi was enthralled by it, thinking it was the cutest (and least dangerous) idea he ever had. The darker skinned Nakaya promised to protect his friends to the best of his ability, and die before letting them. Tomo swore to always grow smarter and smarter so that he could finally surpass Kay. Aoi promised she would never forget either of her best friends. Hers nearly brought Tomo to tears, and he left to go to the bathroom and flush the allergies out of his eyes. Kay and Aoi laughed after him. Kay would never forget a single detail of that day. Tomo decided to head back early, and the two of them went to sit under a tree in the land of fire pretty far from the 'orphanage'. She hung her head on his shoulder, her hand finding his. Kay turned red, even through his dark skin. She coughed a little heavier now, but it was still something everyone, including her, ignored.

"I meant it you know?" she said softly. Nakaya seemed to calm down and smiled.

"You mean your promise?" he asked seeing the bright silver ring in the light. She nodded, lifting her head to look into his eyes. A lotus flower moved in the wind next to him, nudging against his arm. Plucking it he placed it in her hair, just behind her ear beside on of her two, halo like braids. She smiled a little more and spoke again.

"Yeah. You two are the best. I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm really sorry about your parents, but I'm glad it brought us together," she spoke a little shyly. His heart jumped twice, knowing she meant no harm but still feeling a jolt of pain in his chest. But it was soothed away by her next few words, and he realized it was him who had brought together the trio. She looked into his eyes, almost as if searching for the answer to an unasked questions. Kay moved first, his lips meeting hers as the wind picked up around them. He felt the earth give way under him, the sky rip them both up into the sky as the kiss seemed to take his very breath away. They looked at each other, a smile and a blush turning the light skinned Aoi into a cherry, and Kay into... a... chocolate covered cherry..? They sat quietly, her head on his shoulder and their hands intertwined. They both fell asleep together. They woke up several hours later, the darkness threatening to over take the forest as Tomo found them after searching and, oblivious to the days exploits, joined the two on their way home.
 

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Chapter 4: Broken.

Things were very slow for a while. They were fourteen, and the two had told Tomo of their relationship. Aoi wasn't at all surprised to see Tomo laughing at the two. He had after all called it. The trio were closer than ever, Tomo able to outsmart them both on the battlefield and now easily able to care for Yamamoto, who had fallen ill recently. He was old, and this kind of thing was to be expected. No one panicked, as he assured them he'd be fine and the one constant in their lives had been his words and the truth behind them. In other news the relationship was very strong between the two. They had all kinds of adventures with and without Tomo. Nakaya had reach... she had flexibility. But she had been acting strangely. Waking up coughing sometimes at night, other times hiding her towels from the others... being very secretive in general, even towards Tomo and Kay. It came out eventually though, as Kay had peeked in on her one night as she went into the bathroom. She was wiping blood from her mouth, and her coughing was still bad. She saw him in the mirror, and he walked in, her wearing a pair of his boxers and a tank top, him wearing only his pajama pants. She fell weakly into his arms, claiming to be okay, and then passing out. Worried, he carried her to Tomo, and then when he oculdn't find any wounds or anything on her, to Yamamoto. He led him through the trees at light speed, Nakaya and Tomo denying her pleas and begging to be left alone, though she couldn't even stand.

They waited hours as medical ninja examined her. Finally a doctor emerged from the large double doors, and sat beside Yama and Kay. The doctor was certain, she was being afflicted by a very rare disease that was dormant inside her for years before slowly becoming more and more active. It was her healthy life that had lead he as far as she came, but she was succumbing to it. It was too late for her, and Kay was more than stricken with despair. Tomo began to cry a little bit, and Yama simply placed his face in both of his hands. "Yama!" Kay pleaded. "You have to fix this! You always have! Please do something.." he trailed off in tears on the father figure's lap.Yamamoto simply rubbed his back. Kay went into the bathroom, the others letting him be. He was so stricken with despair that he placed his hands on the sink and his chakra began to channel heavily and densely into his palm and fingers. An explosion occurred, equal to a paper tag, and he lay unconscious from chakra exhaustion. He woke up next to an awake Aoi, who was worried more about him than herself. She was so happy he awakened, and he smiled seeing her smile. He got up slowly, examining himself for injury. He had none. She explained, softly and slowly, what he had done, and that the doc said it was a clan ability. One from Iwagakure called explosion release. He also found out through Tomo the same day that the next week he was to be enrolled in the Academy. It all rolled off his shoulder as he sat at her bedside. He brought with him new stories and knowledge to the hospital to show Aoi everyday. She wasn't contagious, but she was monitored daily, and could barely stand on her own. But she was happy.
And then it finally happened. The three men closest to her, Yama Nakaya and Tomo, all stood by as the disease began to claim her. She gave Kay her ring, proclaiming that it was his duty to carry out her promise now. He took it, tears dripping from his face, and then she said a few words to Tomo about how she wanted him to keep on learning so he could teach her when they met in the next world. Yamamoto prayed for her and she thanked him for everything he had done for her. She brought Kay closer to her face and whispered into his ear. Holding his face in her hand, and with one final kiss, she said: I love you... and then her hand fell with her last breath... Broken down again as he had been when his mother was killed right before his face, he screamed out in pain, as if it would help. He lost his voice screaming so loud. And then Tomo hugged him. But no hug could fix this...

 

[___youwillknownihilism]

Chapter 5: Moving Forward

So much sadness had befallen one person at such a tender age. Kay sat in his room most of the day now, Tomo and himself growing apart slightly in the time after Aoi's death. They still hung out whenever they left the home, but even then Kay was never truly happy. The academy was rather boring to him, as he was more than ready to graduate, and he no longer needed training with Yamamoto. He just wallowed in a pit of utter despair most of his days. He wore his ring and Aoi's on the same finger now, and continued to keep her promise by keeping her memory in his heart. Yamamoto came to him one day with a sword, a real one, in his hand. He sat beside Kay, who had sat up on his bed when Yamamoto entered.
"This sword was the last blade that she made working with me as an apprentice blacksmith in the village, and she told me there was something special about it. I kept it with that in mind, but I think you should have it. she'd want you to move on, not sit here depressed." He left Nakaya with those words, and Kay sat with the blade in his hands. His power channeled through it, and it glowed a little. Sheathing the weapon, Kay smiled as a tear dropped. He rose from his bed and left the room to find Tomo so they could really hang out again.

His new found resolve was a little late though, as Yamamoto was ready to send the batch of boys and girls on there ways. Tomo, originally from Kirigakure, felt it was in his destiny to go back to his birthplace and bring honor back to his family name by joining the legendary seven swordsman of the mist. The day came and Tomo and Kay shared their favorite memories of each other.. and Aoi. Kay was ready to let Tomo go on his way, and Tomo felt the same for Kay. Promising the next time they met would be when they were both well-known, Tomo gave Kay back the ring he had given him. He put it on the finger with Aoi's. As the two walked in seperate directions, Tomo with a group of other kiri bound ninja and Kay with the only constant in his life, Yamamoto, he had no idea that was the last time he would ever see his friend...