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 Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2007 6:47 pm
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It's not much, but I haven't gotten that far from the end of this post. I'm not quite finished typing up that section yet. And yes, since I am typing up in Resurrection, it means that I am a little brain dead with Seeing the Truth. It just seems that plot ideas for Resurrection are popping into my head. I can't just ignore them, right?
The odd group of warriors stood in front of a wooden cross, stuck into the ground on a cliff. Wrapped around it was an orange scarf, flowing silently in the wind. Behind a stoic Zabuza, Team Seven and Takai were silent in respect for the fallen shinobi.
After another minute, Naruto clapped his hands together and bowed towards the small monument. The other Leaf-nin took this as a cue to leave Zabuza alone, walking quietly back towards Tazuna's house.
Takai stood still, thinking one last prayer for the innocent teen that had lost his life. She turned her smoky gray eyes towards Zabuza, studying his expression for a few seconds before opening her mouth to speak to the shinobi.
“I think he would have wanted you to live out your life as well as you could, Zabuza-san.”
His eyes widened slightly as he turned his head to look at her. Despite him being an A-class nuke-nin, both the fact that he was mourning a terrible loss and that Takai was experienced in looking for what is behind the mask (pun not intended) caused his mental barriers to loosen up slightly and let the former Commander sense his thoughts.
“Shut up. You don't know anything,” he muttered, getting over his surprise at her sudden statement.
The demon merely tilted her head slightly, now looking forward at his accomplice's grave. “Do not think that I do not know what you are feeling. The war has only just paused, and everyone who has lived during those times has felt loss, no matter what age they were.”
Zabuza scowled, a little temperamental at the moment. “What does that have to do with what happened today? Haku died!”
“And why did he die?”
His eyes narrowed more. “He died to save me, were you blind?!” he growled roughly. He continued his rant, though it was more to himself than to Motoko. “The damn kid's always been like that, after I picked him up off the streets—obeying my orders like it was the thing that he lived for. If he wasn't so damn kind-hearted, he would have lived.”
“Maybe he died because he wanted to. That boy, Haku...he had a kekkei genkai during the times of the Bloodline purge in the Water Country, correct? If he was alone on the streets, than he must have lost his family somehow and didn't know what to do. Then you must have come along and given him a reason to live by 'picking him up'. He wanted to be useful for someone—needed by someone, and that someone just happened to be you. You gave him a reason to live again.”
The nuke-nin went silent after Takai's very accurate reasoning, once again staring ahead at Haku's grave. Takai continued on in her monotone voice after giving Zabuza a few minutes to think over her words.
“Where are you going to go after this?”
Under normal circumstances, Zabuza would have given a sarcastic comment, flicked her off, then left. At the moment, however, he was struggling to regain his equilibrium.
“With Haku gone I'll have a lot more trouble dealing with everything. The Demon Brothers are gone, too...” he scowled now at the predicament he found himself in.
Takai stayed silent for some time, lost in thought, before finally replying. “There are certain people—certain organizations—that can help nuke-nin and outcasts such as yourself. I can direct you towards one that I trust, if you like.”
The image of a serpentine face appeared in Zabuza's mind. The demon seemed to know what he was thinking, because she then added, “No, it is not Orochimaru.”
This Healer (or so he thought) was a complete stranger, yet she helped him avenge his subordinate and might have just saved his life by stopping him from charging at Gatou's army of mercenaries. There was no real reason for this demoness to want him dead, and he didn't have much of a choice, considering what had happened just recently.
“I'm willing to listen to what you have to say...”
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:23 am
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:36 pm
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 3:55 pm
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Alright, this is the rest of the chapter. So, we're finally finished with the first chapter! WHOO! XD. Oh, and xxrokixx, can you give me your Fanfiction.net penname?
Takai walked soundlessly back towards the forest, in the direction of the little house that she had occupied soon after arriving in the Wave Country. Behind her, the sun was just about to set, casting warm orange rays across the blue sky.
The village was still celebrating the defeat of Gatou, and she was just coming back from checking up on everyone, living up to her title as Healer of their small, quaint village.
“Takai-san.”
She continued walking, letting the person behind her catch up. The only acknowledgment that she had even heard her name being called was the small tilt of her head.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow (not that the other one could be seen) before speed-walking to catch up. Once caught up, he walked leisurely beside Takai, turning a page of his Icha Icha Paradise book, only to be surprised when she made no reaction like a normal female would.
They carried on in silence, which was perfectly acceptable for Takai if not for the fact that Kakashi was testing out what perverted sounds he could make while reading that would succeed in annoying her, breaking said silence.
Takai let this carry on, ignoring the disturbing giggles and muttering. After five more minutes, Kakashi sighed, finally ceasing and casting a disgruntled look at the demon walking beside him. This time, it was her turn to raise an eyebrow. A sweat drop appeared on the back of his head.
“Is there anything you wish of me, Kakashi-san? I don't think I need to remind you that you should be sleeping to regain the chakra and blood that you lost today.”
He shrugged off the hidden 'doctor's orders'.
“You let him go.” He didn't need to elaborate; she knew who he was talking about.
“Yeah.”
She didn't say anymore, and Kakashi didn't feel up to prying any information out of the stern Healer. She seemed to be a demon that would keep her lips shut even to the death, and was smart enough to avoid slipping up.
“Takai-neechaaaaan!”
Both stopped and looked back to see Naruto dragging both Sasuke and Sakura towards them. They didn't look comfortable being dragged around by their shorter team mate, who was grinning at Takai and Kakashi. Once they caught up, Naruto didn't dare loosen grip on Sasuke and Sakura's wrists.
“Takai-neechan, I wanna show them the pictures in your living room—can I?!”
Smoky gray eyes observed them for a moment before she inclined her head a little. “As you wish.”
She turned around and continued to lead the way through the forest. The darkness that surrounded them once the sun fully set didn't deter her at all. After a few moments, the shinobi started to notice some peculiar things about the plants around them.
Scattered on the ground were groups of mushrooms that emitted a soft teal glow, lighting the way. On several trees were bunches of moss that did the same. Green and blue eyes widened in awe as they gazed at this small natural wonder. Two pairs of disinterested black eyes observed the scenery, one in a more lazy manner.
“You don't really seem like the type that would like this sort of thing...” said Kakashi, eyes following the path of a pair of fireflies that were flying leisurely around the glowing plants.
“The villagers need a way to get to me if someone is hurt at night. While a few did have concerns for safety, everyone else was against taking away such beauty,” came her response, devoid of emotion as was usual these days.
They arrived in the small clearing that her house occupied, where they were greeted by Hikaru, who peeked his head over his wing to screech softly before tucking it back under, going back to slumbering.
Takai called their attention back to her by opening the door and moving to the side to allow them room to come in. “Would you like some tea?”
There were a couple mutters of both yes and no, so she nodded once, pointed to her living room where there were a couple couches, and went further into the house, towards her kitchen.
Naruto dragged his teammates towards the portrait of the Tsubame cities (a decent sized portrait) hanging over what looked to be her work table. This was one of many portraits hung around the living room and throughout the rest of the house, if they were to look.
“Sugoi!”
Sasuke's wrist was released while Naruto and Sakura moved around the living room, peering at all the portraits. Despite the fact that he was let go, the young Uchiha was also looking at all the pictures, while also observing all the bubbling concoctions around the room.
Kakashi chose to lean against some free space on the ocean-blue-colored wall, opening up his Icha Icha Paradise book again.
Takai walked back into the room, balancing a tray with a teapot and teacups on her hand. She immediately analyzed everyone's positions in the room out of habit, though it was only a quick glance around the room. She set down the tray on a black kotatsu in the surrounded by gray zabutons middle of the room and poured tea for everyone, settling on one of the square pillows and grabbing a cup. The others gathered around and sat down while Takai sipped her tea and observed them without anyone noticing.
Sasuke was sitting between her and Kakashi, meaning he wasn't quite comfortable sitting next to his more talkative team mates yet or wanted to show Takai that he wasn't scared of her. Their sensei wanted to be close enough to Takai to watch her movements, but far enough so that his intentions weren't apparent. Next to Kakashi was Sakura, then Naruto, then Takai herself. Sakura was still wary of her and wanted to be close to someone that could protect her, since she was a demon, but Naruto didn't seem to care, wanting to be in between someone who understood how he felt and his crush.
Of course, only Kakashi was aware of his own actions. The younger shinobi had done this all subconsciously.
Naruto blew on his cup of tea a little, blinking in surprise when one of Takai's boiling cauldrons started to spew green wisps of smoke. “Anyways...where did you get all of these pictures?”
Takai set down her tea, getting up to the cauldron and adding something from a jar, which had a suspiciously purple color, before she answered while walking back. “It's become a hobby of mine to get portraits such as these. Several people and demons I know pitched in when they could to help me out.”
Sakura squirmed in her seat, earning a raised eyebrow or two. A couple seconds later, she couldn't take it anymore. “Could you tell us about them?” she blurted out, almost immediately slapping a hand over her mouth.
Naruto snickered a little. “Takai-neechan won't bite you if you ask questions, Sakura-chan.”
There was a tiny blush on her face as she reached out with her other hand and slapped him on the arm. “U-Urusei!”
Takai just nodded, seemingly ignoring the two last comments.
She pointed towards the portrait nearest to Kakashi, near the entrance to the living room. It was a city made of stone, surrounded by fluffy white clouds and a clear blue sky. “That city is Doshaburi, located in the Lightning Country. Do you see those green patches?” There were indeed many green spots all over the city. “Those are gardens in which medicinal herbs are grown. This city specializes in moving forward in the medicinal field. In fact, the cauldron that Naruto was looking at just now is filled with a potion that the civilians in that city invented.”
The demon took another sip of her cooling tea. Naruto pointed towards the portrait above her workstation. “Can you tell us about the Tsubame cities?”
Smoky gray orbs fixated themselves on him for a few moments before she nodded, albeit a little slower than she usually did.
“If you wish me to...” she studied the portrait for a couple seconds, before continuing. “The Tsubame cities, three in all, each had different purposes. The city on the bottom left-hand side was where all the larger farms and gardens were located. On the bottom right-hand side is the suburbs, where most of the population lived. That's why those two cities are slightly larger than the one in the middle, which is where you could go to all the shops, markets, and places where tourists would usually visit.” She sipped on her tea again, now staring at the castle-like building in the middle of the main city. The shinobi in the room followed her gaze and stared at it. Kakashi blinked once he recognized it.
“That's where the Ruling Family lived, isn't it?”
She nodded. “Correct.”
Naruto blinked. “They had a ruling family?”
“Yes. The ruling families of the Tsubame cities are descendants of the founders of the three cities. These three families take turns in ruling the Tsubame cities, and all live in different wings of the castle. The family that ruled right before the Tsubames were destroyed was the third ruling family, which, ironically enough, was the family that first made the peace treaties with all the other countries.”
Silence reigned for several minutes as each individual in the room sunk into their own thoughts. Takai let this continue while she finished up her tea and refilled the empty cups, though there was no need with Naruto's. He hadn't even touched his cup since she started talking about the Tsubame cities.
“Is there anything else you'd like to know about the portraits? Talking about the Tsubame cities, particularly its destruction, isn't a topic most like to talk about these days. It raises awkwardness during conversations, especially in the neutral nations. Besides, it was before your time and not really your concern. The past is the past. All we can do now is move on and repent for our mistakes, making sure that something like that will not happen again.”
The crickets chirping and owls hooting were the only sounds that penetrated the night. Kakashi opened up his little orange book again, disrupting the tense atmosphere. “Wise words...if only everyone heeded them...”
Naruto was slightly wide-eyed at her small speech. “How do you know all this stuff about the Tsubame cities?”
“I'm old enough to know,” came the cryptic answer.
“Whoa, how old are you?!”
“NARU-TOOOOO!” Smack. “You never ask a lady how old they are!”
“ITAI!”
“Hmph. Dobe.”
“What did you say teme?!”
“Are you deaf?” “Don't call Sasuke-kun that!”
“NANIIII?!”
“Now now children, don't yell...people might hear you in the village.”
“But they're really far away! Besides, Sasuke-teme started it!”
“It's not my fault you're so stupid.” “NARUTOOO! Apologize!”
“NEVER!”
“(sigh). My point exactly.”
This entire time, Takai studied Naruto's expressions and body movements. Daichi...he chose a very interesting container to seal you in...This boy...he doesn't seem to like others being in pain, despite what he himself has been through...he has great charisma. Perhaps he will become Hokage someday...
“I don't mind.”
With that one statement, the pre-teens froze. Naruto was cringing from the threat of Sakura's raised fist and Sasuke himself was caught mid-sneer. Their sensei was reading his hentai, giggling despite the chaos his team was creating in her living room.
Sakura blinked, gaping slightly. “Even after Naruto asked you so rudely, you'd answer?”
“I'm not the type of demon to be disturbed by these things. I'm the first demon he has ever met, and from the looks of it, this is the same with all of you except Kakashi-san. These things are to be expected, especially from the younger ones.”
The younger ninja returned to their original positions as they calmed down. The orange-clad shinobi stared inquiringly at her with his bright, expressive blue eyes. Yeah...he's definitely a people-person.
“For curiosity's sake, how old do you all think I am?”
It looked like they were struggling to convert demon years into human years, since the different races aged also aged at different paces, depending on what kind of demon they were. Naruto's eyes were screwed up comically.
“You can try it in human years if you like,” she added, staring at Naruto in particular with a raised eyebrow. He pouted.
“19?” Surprisingly enough, Kakashi was the first to guess at her age. The kids looked at him before studying Takai more closely. She sipped on her tea again, unabashed by the peering eyes.
Sakura's emerald eyes narrowed in thought before she carefully gave her answer. “...21.”
The two boys didn't give their answer for a while, still thinking.
Takai-neechan looks pretty young—like she could really be my nee-chan, thought Naruto. There aren't any wrinkles or scars that I can see. She acts so old, though...and her eyes are so emotionless and cold—guarded, like Sasuke-teme's. It's probably because of the war...
She acts like him. Silent confidence, emotionless appearance and attitude. She's just like...just like the b*****d. She looks really young, but she has such cold eyes...this year, he turned—
“17!” “17.”
“...Interesting.” Takai dropped her comment before any bickering could start over answering with the same answer, at the same time. The boys glared at each other before looking at Takai, waiting for her to elaborate.
“I'm flattered that a couple of you think I'm older than I really am...but, yes, I am about 17 years old in human years...” Despite her statement, she didn't sound flattered, so they weren't really sure if she was insulted or not.
Sakura seemed slightly disappointed at being wrong, if only by a few years. It seemed that even with what some would call 'female intuition', it just didn't stand up to understanding what pain can do to a someone—human, demon, or beast.
Takai gathered up the cups and teapot onto the tray and carried it back into the kitchen, leaving her guests to look around the room again—or, in Naruto's case, staring in awe at the pretty portraits while making sure to keep away from the fumes of the multiple cauldrons in the room.
She came back into the room with a jar of black seeds, only to meet the jinchuuriki's questioning blue eyes again. “Takai-neechan, why don't you have ninja villages like Konoha up on your walls?”
“I make it a point not to put up any villages or towns that are directly involved in the war,” she answered as she went over to the cauldron spewing green smoke sitting on her worktable. The black seeds were ground into a fine mush, measured, then added into the concoction. “If you were fighting in the war, would you want a detailed picture of your home village on the walls of someone who isn't fighting along-side you?” Takai stirred the potion clock-wise three times, then counter-clockwise one time. “As a neutral, I don't want to give either warring side an advantage, because that would mean that I support one of them.” She stepped back from the black cauldron as the green smoke turned lavender.
Naruto edged closer to the cauldron to take a peek inside, but Takai held out her arm, blocking his path before he got too close. “The fumes at this stage are toxic towards humans. It needs to sit for a few more hours before it's safe.”
“But if the fumes are toxic for us, why are you brewing it here?” asked the Haruno. She was frowning at the close call. “Don't humans visit you?”
The older female shook her head. “The elements in the air counter-act the chemicals in the fumes. They cancel each other out, but since the potion is creating so much fumes, they have to go a distance out of the cauldron before disappearing. Everyone in the village knows to stay away from any fumes or bubbling cauldrons, and we don't usually get visitors. But since the bridge is going to be finished soon, I'll start brewing these in a safer environment. This is the last one.”
The others became uninterested in where the conversation was going, as Sakura continued asking questions about Takai's potions and medicine, curious, while the demoness explained it as well as she could, recalling information she remembered her team's medic reciting towards the Shinigami whenever they got seriously hurt (though not giving any hints of an outside source).
Sakura eventually fell into a thoughtful silence when she ran out of questions, pondering the medicinal field. Her sensei looked at her from over the top of his book. She seems interested...maybe I can get someone at the hospital to take her in as an apprentice. She certainly has enough chakra control for it...It's a shame Tsunade-hime left the village...
“The bridge will be done in a week,” said Takai. The ninja all nodded. Their mission was to protect Tazuna until the bridge was finished. Naruto looked sad at the prospect of leaving so soon. He didn't want to leave his new nee-chan. After the week was over, he'd probably never see the demon again.
The Hatsuyoru traitor watched as his blue eyes darkened and lost its shimmer. “I'll most likely help finish up the bridge, to move around the heavier materials with the other oni.” The jinchuuriki's expressive eyes brightened up a little. Working with her would be fun...especially since it was getting a little monotonous. Now, he had someone he could talk to that would definitely listen to what he had to say.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
“And there's this place, called Ichiraku, that sells this awesome ramen!”
Takai glanced at him and nodded to show she heard him and acknowledged it before she worked together with another village demon and hefted up a bundle of steel bars, carefully maneuvering it towards the last section of the bridge.
They were in the home-stretch now. It was a bittersweet moment for Naruto. On one hand, the bridge that would save the Wave Village would be finished. On the other hand, it would mean that Team Seven's mission was over, and they had to leave this village behind, including Takai.
As it was, Naruto was sticking very close to Takai, milking these last few days as much as he could for more memories of the demoness. He didn't seem to be questioning the strange way he was drawn towards her.
Little did he know, the fox demon sealed inside of him seemed to be influencing him more than he thought, not that he didn't want to get to know Takai himself.
“All right people! We have one more day until this bridge is complete! Start thinking of names and tell me what you think it should be!” yelled Tazuna, his hands cupped over his mouth to project his voice better.
There were several cries of understanding before some relaxed conversations started up. With the bridge being almost finished, the citizens of the Wave Country, this village in particular, were looking forward to the brighter life ahead of them.
Like others, they are happy to leave the war behind and live out their lives again...but you cannot get rid of it that easily...there are still trace amounts of movements behind the scenes...from within the shadows. We must not allow ourselves to let our guards down.
“Takai-neechan?”
She nodded at him to show that she was listening as the two of them continued walking towards her little house in the woods. Tsunami had asked Naruto to go fetch her some medicine for her allergy, feeling a slight pity for the ninjas situation. At least this gave him some time to spend with the female demon alone, before he had to inevitably leave.
“I can't send you letters or anything, can I?” This was said in a sad voice—one that implied that he knew the answer, and only wanted to hear it directly from her to make it seem true.
“It wouldn't be wise to communicate with any demon, neutral or not, while you are taking up residence so deep inside Shirotori territory, Naruto.”
He nodded somberly, quite unlike his normal attitude. “Can I at least have something to remember you by?” Sad eyes were cast at Takai, and she merely glanced at them and soaked in his despair before looking forward again.
“Of course. I will give it to you right before you leave.”
His mood brightened up considerably afterwards.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The entire village stood in front of the newly finished bridge. Of course, the only thing left to do was give the thing its name, but Team Seven didn't have time to stay for the naming. They had to leave for their village.
Inari stepped back from the fierce hug that he and Naruto shared, trying to repress his rears—unsuccessfully. “Come back and visit soon, 'kay?”
Naruto grinned and nodded, knowing that this would never happen, but too warm-hearted to tell the kid otherwise. “Of course!”
He looked around the crowd, frowning once he realized that Takai was not there. The others seemed to notice his searching, and glanced around as well. Worry and sadness started to creep into his heart. What if Takai wasn't going to come see them off? Or did something happen to her?
“LET US THROUGH! MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY!”
The crowd parted instantly at the commanding voice, clearing a path for them. The owner of the voice seemed experienced at giving such orders, so the crowd's response was instinctive. A stern looking man bearing the symbol of one of the army representing the neutrals, the Kinsei, walked through the gap next to the missing demoness, harboring the smallest of frowns on her face. That expression alone told everyone there that there was a serious problem at hand.
They approached Team Seven, and from behind the man's back, Takai gave Naruto a look that clearly said 'Be respectful.' At this, the young shinobi straightened his posture and politely greeted them along with the others. The rest of Team Seven were inwardly amazed at how attached he was to her already, to obey such orders.
The man nodded in response, appearing satisfied with their attitude. “I am a messenger of the Kinsei army,” he said as a way of introducing himself, “there's been an...incident, and the Kinsei would like to kindly ask you to leave our territories as soon as possible.”
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this. “What is this 'incident' that you're talking about?” He spoke for all of them.
“It seems as if there was a planned attack near the borders of our territory, so you'd understand that we'd be much more comfortable if all foreign military weren't around.”
Kakashi nodded. “Ah...”
The Kinsei soldier nodded towards Takai, who stepped forward to stand beside him. “As we are in a state of emergency, we are having one of the most able-bodied demons in this village escort you out. This one has volunteered herself, and I deemed her acceptable.” He nodded briskly at them all. “I wish you good traveling.”
With that, he disappeared in a blur, living up to his job description as a messenger. A pensive silence followed his leave, but Takai broke it before anyone could fall too far into their thoughts. “If we want to get out of Kinsei territory before nightfall, it would be best if we leave now.”
They nodded and followed her as she walked onto the bridge leading back to the mainland, loud cheering erupting making sure that they knew they would be missed.
Naruto jogged up to walk next to Takai, peering interestingly up at her face. She looked back down at him, raised a delicate eyebrow, then shook her head at his silent request for the present. He pouted, crossing his arms and looking away while huffing silently. Behind them, Sakura muffled her giggles at how childish he was being.
“Once we get to the tree line, we will start gradually speeding up. Please follow me, because we're going to be going off of the road for safety's sake. Kakashi-san...” The jounin hmmed to show that he was paying attention. “You will be the one to suggest when we take any breaks, since you know your student's abilities better than I.” He nodded to show he understood.
“But what about you, Takai-neechan?” chirped Naruto. According to what she was saying, any breaks they took depended on whether or not the kids were tired, not Takai or Kakashi.
Takai shook her head. “I can keep up with you all. Don't worry, demons tend to have more endurance than humans.” She looked up as they reached the forest.
“Let's go.”
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 7:20 pm
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 12:32 pm
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 5:40 pm
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