บท 10: Chapter 9 – Team 13: Echoes of a Tragic Night
Date: January 23rd, 13 years following the Kyuubi's attack
Time: 2:15 PM
About an hour later, Team 13 sat at a booth in the Shushuya barbecue restaurant, enjoying a late lunch. Miho-sensei smiled at her team, "I'm sorry that the test I had to put all of you through was so unnerving, but my uncle suggested it as a possible solution to help me truly gauge your skill. And I had to admit that the best way short of having an all-out brawl..." She took a drink of her tea. "This meal is on me as an apology."
"Thanks!" All three said simultaneously, before they look at each other and start laughing.
The owner/hostess walked over, "Welcome to Shushuya, what will you be having today?" She looked the team over before pausing in recognition. "Oh, Sho-kun, how are you today?" She asked with a warm smile.
Kimiko's and Nakahito's jaws unhinged slightly. Oni? Popular?
Sho smiled with amusement for a few seconds - before stunning them further by acting like a perfect gentleman. "Pretty good, Mrs. Nara. Let me introduce you to my team: The two on the far side of the grill, looking confused, are Kimiko Itou and Nakahito Haruno. The lady to my left is our sensei, Miho Hyuuga."
Miho Hyuuga smiled at the hostess. "Nara... Oh, you must be the mother of Shikamaru Nara, one of the other Genin this year."
Mrs. Nara nodded with a smile. "Yes." She looked back to Sho. "Did Shikamaru tell you? He and Chouji-kun are together on Squad 10 with Ino Yamanaka."
Sho smiled, "I hadn't heard yet; been so busy since the organizational meeting yesterday... But their pairing makes sense, given their skill sets." Inugami set down the menu; the day's special didn't catch his interest. "I'll have my usual, Samgyeopsal, Anshim gui, and Pajori."
She nodded, "Beef tenderloin, unsalted pork and the spicy scallion salad. And the rest of you?"
"2 orders of Dahk Galbi," Nakahito said, ordering the barbecued chicken.
Kimiko contemplated for a moment. "I think I'll have Dahk Gui. I like chicken, but I'm not fond of the barbecue sauce."
"I'll have the Jumulleok." Miho said ordering the sesame oil marinated short steaks." Mrs. Nara nodded and walked off to the kitchen to fetch the orders. Miho then looked over at Sho. "So you're a regular here?"
Inugami shrugged slightly. "More or less, yeah… I've had a loose friendship with Shikamaru Nara and Chouji Akimichi for years. Chouji's a bit of a nut for Shushuya's marinades, so we typically eat here when we're together. I'll also occasionally hang out with Naruto Uzumaki; when we do, the two of us typically hit Ichiraku Ramen."
"Where do you go when all four of you are together?" Miho Hyuuga asked out of curiosity.
Sho shook his head with a chuckle. "We don't. Naruto and I get along mainly because we're both disliked by most of the people in our age group, though Naruto's also got most of the village against him for some reason…" Miho, of course, knew the reason, but even though the host of the 9 Tails knew the truth of himself, the Hokage's decree remained in place. Children needed to be at least 17 or a Chuunin before they were allowed to know that Uzumaki was a Jinchuuriki. "Shikamaru and I are friends because we both enjoy strategy games, mainly Shogi. Shikamaru and Chouji are practically joined at the hip at times; they've been friends almost as long as Kimiko & Nakahito have been. Unfortunately, Naruto and the combination of Shikamaru and Chouji mix like oil and vinegar."
Mrs. Nara returned with their orders and the four placed their food on the in-table grill, one of the features of the Shushuya, allowing the patrons to cook their food to their own preferences. During the meal, they talked about the day's experiences. It was hard to believe that everything had taken only a few short hours.
"You know what I thought was the funniest moment?" Sho asked about an hour into the meal. "Was the look on Haruno-san's face when the first kunoichi one offered herself to him." Nakahito's face turned as red as his jacket. "He honestly couldn't make up his mind to accept or pass. I almost broke my cover trying not to laugh." Sho said, breaking into laughter at the memory.
"Okay, yuck it up." Nakahito sighed. "At least I..." At that moment Kimiko started laughing as well. "KIMIKO! Come on..!" He cried in disbelief.
"I'm sorry, 'Hito..." Kimiko said, barely able to contain her laughter to be able to answer him. "But he's right; that look..." She resumed laughing and laid her head on the table to hide her face.
Miho smiled and took a bite of her pie. 'It's hard to believe that they've been Genin for just a week, been a team less than 24 hours, and only a little bit ago they couldn't really stand each other. Uncle Hiashi was right; the Yondaime's Gambit really was the best option at our disposal.'
She gasped as she remembered what else Hiashi had revealed the previous night. "Oh, Kimiko." The young woman looked up. "Can I speak to you alone for a moment..?" Kimiko nodded as Nakahito stood to let her out of the booth.
As the two kunoichi walked over to the restrooms, Kimiko, feeling slightly intimidated, asked, "Is something wrong, Miho-sensei?" She saw the older kunoichi smile and shake her head, which helped ease her nervousness.
"No, Kimiko. In fact, I've got some good news for you..."
Kimiko looked confused for a few seconds. "What is it Sensei?"
"Well, when I talked to my uncle last night." Miho Hyuuga said with a widening smile. "He told me the answer to one of the things you have been wondering about for some time..."
"You mean?!" Kimiko asked; hope dawning brightly on her face.
Miho nodded with a smile, realizing that she was about to give this young woman a small bit of her birthright back. "Your sister… Her name was Reiko Itou. I'm afraid that's all I was able to get from him. I did do some digging and found out she was a Jonin while I was still in the Academy. I haven't found anyone who knew her all that well… The teams she was on were exclusively Itou clan members."
This small bit of information brought tears of indescribable joy to the Itou clan survivor. Kimiko grabbed Miho in a bear hug as the tears streamed drown her face.
Half a heartbeat later, Nakahito arrives, followed closely by Sho. "Kimi? Are you okay?" Nakahito asked in confused worry.
"Reiko..." Kimiko cried as Miho holds on to her. "My-My Onee-chan's..." She sniffled as Sho offered her a handkerchief. "Miho-sensei found out that Onee-chan's name was Reiko!" She blew her nose and looked adoringly at Miho Hyuuga, who had to be one of the greatest senseis in the world.
"Thank you, Sensei." She gasped in joy and hugged her tighter. "Thank you!"
* * *
Thirty minutes later, Kimiko entered her apartment, keeping in mind that Miho-sensei had told the members of Team 13 to meet her in the mission assignment room at the Hokage's palace at 9 am. She removed her boots, donning a pair of fuzzy blue slippers that Hinata gave her for her last birthday.
She then walked over to the fridge, opening a bottle of milk and finishing it in 3 deep gulps. "Ah, that hit the spot." She murmured to herself, dropping the empty bottle into the recycle bin and grabbing another, which she savored a bit longer than the first.
She washed the dishes from the morning before gathering her bath supplies. "A nice long soak is just what I need after that test..." She sighed, swapping from her slippers back for her boots and heads to the bathhouse.
* * *
Kimiko exited the changing room of the onsen - the open air hot spring bathhouse, entering the spring area. "I'm just glad it's not mixed bathing day..." She said aloud. As a soft gasp of surprise comes from the thick steam of the hot springs she stopped suddenly. "Is someone already here?" Kimiko called, worried that maybe it WAS mixed bathing day and tried to quickly grab her towel.
"Oh, Kimiko-chan, it's you!" A soft, gentle, and definitely female voice says, relief clearly audible.
"Hinata-chan?" Kimiko gasped in surprise, ceasing the attempt to protect her modesty as she recognizes the voice. "Is that you?"
A girl her age with short, midnight black hair and the same silver-white eyes that Miho-sensei has appeared from the secluded cove in the springs for those who wish some amount of privacy. Hinata Hyuuga, Kimiko's only female friend, smiled tentatively; half submerged in the warm water.
"He-Hello, Kimiko-chan." She replied in an almost whisper.
"So how's the water today?" Kimiko asked.
"It's nice..." Hinata's soft voice answered.
Kimiko climbed into the naturally warm water and sighed. "AH... Now this is relaxing." After a few minutes of soaking up the heat, she starts to wash herself.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hinata doing the same." Hey Hinata," Kimiko asked, "Want me to get your back for you?"
"Y-Yes, please. I'll get yours for you, too."
After the girls finish washing, they simply relaxed to enjoy the water. A few minutes later, Hinata finally asked, "So Kimiko, which team are you on?"
Kimiko started to giggle as Hinata looks confused. "What's so f-funny?"
Kimiko looks at her friend, shaking her head. "I'm on Team 13 with Nakahito." She pauses with a large smile. "Our sensei is..."
"My cousin, Miho." Hinata finished.
"That's right..." Kimiko said; a confused look crossing her features, "How did you know that?"
Hinata started fidgeting with her index fingers; embarrassed at being put on the spot. "Yesterday, she stopped by to talk with my father..." Her cheeks turned deep red in embarrassment. "S-She asked me about the time..." She gulped. "The time that Nakahito-kun asked me out. When you mentioned that you were with Nakahito-kun, I knew that meant she was your sensei, too."
"She only asked because Sho Inugami, our third member, told her about it." Itou said with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry if you got embarrassed because of it; he was mainly trying to get 'Hito flustered."
"Oh, I see..." Hinata sighed in relief as both of them relax.
"I also got to meet your Sensei today. She was helping Miho out with us..."
* * *
After finishing their bath and conversation, both of the girls were are standing outside the hot springs. "Good luck, Hinata-chan. Kiba's okay, but Akamaru makes up for his personality by being soooo cute and Aburame may be creepy, but he's strong and seems harmless." Kimiko said to Hinata.
"Thank you. Good night Kimiko-chan." Hinata Hyuuga said with an abbreviated bow before running off.
As Hinata walked away, another girl approaches the springs. This one has waist-length blond hair with a single lock partially obscuring her right eye and wearing a tight-fitting dark purple outfit with white tape wrappings on her arms and legs.
Ino Yamanaka notices Kimiko Itou and snorts derisively. "Well look who's here... Have they cleaned your filth out of the springs yet?" She asks snidely.
"Oh, yeah. It's all ready for all the dumb ass Sasuke groupies now." Kimiko snaps. "Pig-chan."
Ino growled as she clenched her fist. You could practically see lightning flashing between the eyes of the two women. "At least this groupie has someone at home waiting for me!" Ino yelled coldly.
Everyone on the street stopped, including Ino, who realized that in her irritation that she forgot she wasn't dealing with Sakura Haruno. The other people on the street who recognize Kimiko directed criticizing stares at Ino.
Tears fall from Kimiko's eyes as she dropped her bath supplies and ran off. Ino stands in the street, her mouth open, trying to spout an apology that the Itou woman wouldn't hear that night...
* * *
The Hidden Village of Konoha sounds like it's a quaint little place; at least to those that have never been there. Konoha is a village in name only, actually being a bustling metropolitan area that houses some 100,000+ people.
However, there are two fairly sizable areas that have permanently abandoned out of respect… One is the Uchiha clan compound; abandoned some six years previously when one of the Uchiha's own turned against his blood for reasons still unknown to all but a few.
The other is the Itou clan compound.
While the Itou clan had formerly been from the Land of Water, through honorable conduct since their defection, they had earned themselves a place of prominence in the village; on par with the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans. Since the clan's destruction ten years previously, the compound had lain silent and empty.
Tonight, it was not. Kimiko sat huddled on some water-warped planks in what had once her home; though she had very little in the way of memories of that time. Her arms were wrapped around her legs as she stares in silence through the dim light at a blank spot on the floor, the same spot she recalls as being where her sister's body had lain the morning after that horrendous night. Kimiko recalled – albeit dimly – that Reiko had looked uninjured, but had been so cold to the touch.
Fresh tears began to run down her face. "Onee-chan, I wish you were here... What happened to you that night?" A teardrop fell and landed on her star pendant, which seemed to ripple as if the tear were a stone dropped into a still pool. And in reaction, unnoticed to Kimiko, the pendant began to glow with a pale blue light once again.
* * *
There was a small lake, not too far from outer wall of the village, that began to ripple in tandem with the movement of Kimiko's pendant. A soft whisper emerged from the water, a voice as soothing as the ocean, but sounding just as heartbroken as the person whose name is spoken. "Kimiko..."
* * *
Meanwhile, back in the ruins, Kimiko was crying so hard that she didn't sense the approach of another person. A hand lands on her shoulder, startling the crying young woman, who looked up to see the familiar, caring face of Nakahito Haruno.
Itou tried to stand, but only manages to throw herself in his arms, "Na-Na-NAKAHITO!" She cried out from her world of emotional pain. Haruno held his crying friend in a caring embrace, stroking the back of her head comfortingly. "How...? H-how did you..?"
"Sakura-chan told me what happened." He said gently, still holding her.
"But she wasn't there…" Itou replied, sniffling in confusion.
"She was passing near the bathhouse when she ran into Hinata-chan, who saw what happened and told her." He clarified. "She told her what Ino said to you."
"And she told you..." Kimiko sighed, her tears spent for now.
"When I thought about what Ino said, I figured you'd be here." He says. "After all, this is where you usually go when you're thinking of them..."
Kimiko wrapped her arms around his torso in a life-clinging hug. "You're too good to me, 'Hito-kun."
He smiled as he began to stroke her bronze hair. "No... I'm just a friend who cares is all."
* * *
The ripples in the lake grew larger as feminine figure, one made completely of water, rose from the disturbed surface. "Kimiko..." The same heartbroken voice emerged from the figure. "You're in such pain... I wish..." The figure covered her face as tears fall from the water woman. "I wish I could be there with you…" The figure then loses cohesion, falling back into the pool, which then fell still once more.
* * *
Back in Kimiko's apartment, Nakahito pulled the covers up to the shoulders of a now-sleeping Kimiko Itou. He stayed by her side from the Itou compound all the way back to her apartment and remained until she fell asleep. He gently stroked her hair, kissing her lightly on the cheek as he turned to leave. "See you in the morning Kimi." He murmured, closing and locking the door behind him.
* * *
In her dreams, Kimiko found herself in the Itou Clan Compound once again, only now it's not in ruins. The Compound is well lit and there are people walking around her, each bearing the clan symbol in one way or another.
"What's going on here?" Kimiko asked, but her voice doesn't carry. She looked herself over, but she appears to be her usual teenaged self in her usual clothing.
Confused, she walks around a corner into the central courtyard, stopping short as she saw a woman in a pink silk kimono with raven hair holding a small girl with bronze brown hair. A pink kimono? Kimiko unwound the pink sash around her waist with shaking hands and held it up. The strip of pink fabric is faded, but the pattern on the fabric matched that of the woman's kimono.
"M-m-mother?" She half-called, half-asked, but again her voice doesn't carry.
The woman in pink smiled at the young child in her arms and lifts one arm to point down another entrance to the courtyard. The little girl looks down the alley and laughs in joyful recognition. Curious, Kimiko take a few steps closer to give her a clear view of where they were looking.
There was a young woman, in her late teens or early twenties, wielding a Wusha and performing a kata similar to Kimiko's own. The woman looked like Kimiko, but was slightly different… Kimiko gasps in recognition. "Onee... Reiko-chan!"
Behind her, the compound's inner gate slammed open as eight people wearing Itou clan symbols run in. "We're under attack!" The man in front shouted. "Get the non-combatants to shelter! All able-bodied fighters to the main gate!" The man ran over to the woman in the pink kimono as Reiko raced over to join them.
"FATHER!" Kimiko yells as she finally recognized the man.
"Get Kimiko into the panic room!" He ordered. "Then join me at the gate - the entire contingent of Cloud ninja is attacking us! We'll need both of you on the front lines." Kimiko's mother and sister nod, dashing over to the house whose ruins Kimiko had been crying in earlier that day, carrying the three year old Kimiko in their arms.
Suddenly realizing that she was reliving that night, but from the perspective of someone else…
But who? And how..? And most importantly of all, WHY?
Kimiko followed them into the sleeping quarters of the main house. Reiko pulled aside one of the tatami mats on the floor, revealing a hidden trap door. Kimiko's sister then pushed a section of the door and it drops open revealing a room large enough for an adult and a single child to lie prone for the 'All Clear' announcement.
The older woman placed the young girl in there, Kimiko watched as the child version of herself grabbed the woman by the outer hem of her kimono and cried, "Mumma no! Don't leave me here!"
"Sorry, Kimiko, but you have to hide here..." Her mother said, trying to break free of the girl's death grip.
The Kimiko's sister walked over and removed an item from around her neck; putting it on the small child. Kimiko gasps as she recognized the star pendent she always wore. "Keep this safe me, okay, Kimi?" The disoriented three year old simply nodded, still gripping her mother's kimono for dear life.
Her mother sighed in frustration and performed a quick set of hand signs, finishing with... "Ninpo, Forced Sleep jutsu!" The younger Kimiko started falling asleep, but the dream doesn't fade… Whoever's memory this was, it clearly wasn't Kimiko's…
At that point, her father entered the room. He now had a pair of Tonfa in his hands. "Hurry! They're beginning to break through the inner defenses!" He yelled.
As her mother tries to stand, she saw that the young girl, despite being forced into sleep, still has a death grip on her kimono. The woman quickly pulls a blade and cuts a long strip off. Reiko quickly slides the tatami mat back into place, hiding the existence of the panic room.
Suddenly, Cloud ninja burst into the room. The leader jumped at her mother, pulling back his sword for a killing blow, but before he can strike, her father throws himself in the way.
"MOTHER! FATHER!" Kimiko cried in unison with her sister as the ninja's sword skewered both of them. Both gasp in agony and look over to Reiko.
Her father smiled sadly at Kimiko's sister. "Reiko... My only daughter..." He looked into the eyes of the man who just killed him and his wife. "Please... Spare her."
Kimiko looks confused at the declaration that Reiko was his only daughter before quickly realizing that her father, despite his critical injury, was hiding the fact that Kimiko existed. He was also trying to save Reiko as well since she was out in the open.
The ninja looked at Kimiko's sister and shook his head. "Orders are orders. All Itou die this night."
"Onee-chan, run, damn it! Please, RUN!" Kimiko yelled, once again unheard by these echoes of the tragic past, uncertain if this was real or a figment of her imagination brought on by Miho-sensei's revelation of her sister's name.
Her sister smiled wrathfully. "Do you think the Itou clan elite will make it that easy for you?" She asked as her dying parents move their arms to clasp hands together.
Surprised that his victims can still move; the lead Lightning Country ninja looked away from the girl to the end of his blade. Kimiko's mother grinned cruelly at him. "No mercy for us..?" She looked at Reiko, bloody red froth in her mouth the same way the imaginary Cloud ninja Sho had "killed" earlier had. "No mercy for them!" Her eyes narrowed in hate and anger. "No matter what it takes; no limitations!"
Reiko nods agreement, her throat bobbing - was that fear? Rage? A mix of both? - and begins to make some hand signs: Horse-Hare-Monkey-Snake.
Kimiko's parents suddenly shout as one; distracting the Cloud ninja once again. "Aquatic Oblivion jutsu!" As they say the words, the forms of Kimiko's mother and father pulse as they convert all their available chakra and their remaining life force into a frothing torrent of water that blows the Cloud ninja out of the house.
The torrent remains after the initial surge, a water elemental that would last as long as the final will of Kimiko's parents could power it.
Kimiko looked out the door, seeing the wall of water that was her parent's final attack had left an ankle deep pool of water across the entire compound.
Reiko glanced at Kimiko and, for a heartbeat, she seemed to give her a warm smile - almost as if she could see the fine young woman her sister has become - before stepping into the doorway and masking Kimiko's view of her sister's face. Reiko then yells, "MIZUGAN!"
* * *
Kimiko jumped up, flinging the covers off her body covered in a cold sweat. "What was that...? A dream? A memory?"
Itou felt the same sharp pain in her eyes again, causing her to wince. "Damn... Again? I better go to the hospital in the morning and see if they can tell me what's wrong..."
She slid out of bed on the right hand side; grabbing an ice pack from her small refrigerator. Climbing back into bed, she placed it over her eyes and tries to go back to sleep.
Itou, in her pain, failed to notice the watery footprints leading from the bathroom to the left side of her bed and back again or the sound of water draining down the sink.
* * *
Kimiko walked out of the exam room of the Konoha hospital the following morning, feeling frustrated. The medic, one even more experienced than Sho, had found nothing wrong with her eyes. As she turned the corner, she almost bumps into someone; to her surprise, it's her teammate! "Sho?"
Sho glances at her. "Kimiko-san, what are you doing here?"
"My eyes were hurting again last night, so I came here to see if anyone else could found out what's going on." She replied.
"And?" He asked. She simply shook her head. She paused. "What are you doing at the hospital so early in the morning?
"Mom forgot something at the house and asked me to bring it by before mission assignment." He glanced at the wall clock. "Speaking of, we need to get going; it's almost time to meet Miho-sensei."
"Can we go by my place first?" she asked, "'Hito always comes by to get me and I don't want him to wonder why I'm not coming out."
"Sure; why not." Sho agreed.
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