The Red Maelstrom

[32] Sentimentality

It was the day after Kohana trained with both Sasuke and Sakura. After winning against Sasuke, Kakashi had promptly (and a little too brusquely) dismissed her, saying that if he kept her for even longer, Osamu wouldn't let her become Sasuke's training dummy again. Kakashi was lucky Kohana found the prospect of acting as designated dummy for her friend exciting. She could even say she was grateful; her two favorite people in the world were off preparing for the final phase of the examinations, but Kohana was still allowed to spend whatever time she could with one of them—regardless of how busy Sasuke was. It was a shame she didn't even know where Naruto was nor what this Ero-Sennin was actually like. Apart from what the incriminating nickname implied, anyway.

Kohana kicked a pebble that was in her path as she walked along the river that cut across the eastern section of the village. It was a day just as good as any other for training, but apparently, Osamu thought that Sakura dealt enough damage on Kohana to call off the day's session. Now, with nothing left to do (she didn't know where Kakashi and Sasuke were; their sensei made sure of that), all Kohana could do was walk around like some fool. Of course, she'd tried to train on her own, but somehow, Osamu knew and made sure she knew that he knew by sending her a shadow clone threatening to multiply the repetitions in her regimen by three if she disobeyed.

"He's like some creepy hawk," she grumbled, almost shuddering at the thought. Jōnin were frightening.

She walked past the hospital, pausing for a moment to consider visiting Lee, but after what Sakura told her, Kohana wasn't so sure if her presence would be welcome. Even if it was, she wouldn't even know what to say; Lee was likely utterly devastated and there was nothing Kohana could do to fix that. They didn't know each other, and the last time they talked, they'd agreed to spar. Surely such a memory wouldn't be pleasant to a kid who got his limbs crushed in a battle despite his best efforts to emerge victorious.

Wincing, Kohana shook her head and briskly walked away. She needed to find something else to occupy her mind. Lee wouldn't appreciate her pity, even if he wasn't around to see it. Kohana just wanted him to get better soon so she could take him up on that spar and see him all weird and sprightly again.

As she strolled in front of the Administrative buildings, something in the distance caught her eye. Standing at the gates of the Academy was a vaguely familiar figure crouched low and talking to someone hidden away behind the gate. There were no twin swords to clue Kohana in, but as she approached, Yoshiaki's outstanding features gradually became more apparent. Tan skin, shiny black hair, long limbs—the only thing that threw Kohana off was the civilian attire.

And, well, the soft smile on his face that was more contagious than it was unsettling.

Kohana jogged over to him. Whoever it was the normally alert Yoshiaki was talking to, they definitely had his undivided attention.

"Yo!" Kohana greeted, almost unable to withhold a snort when Yoshiaki's head jerked to the sound of her voice.

"Hey, Big Bro!" a high-pitched voice called. A series of protesting noises followed as tiny and chubby hands grabbed Yoshiaki's faded green shirt. Some heads popped out from the side of the gate to see who it was that caught Yoshiaki's attention. Kohana had to tear her eyes away from the comical look of horror Yoshiaki was giving her to eye the rowdy ingratitude of children now crowding around Yoshiaki. If someone had told the past Kohana that she'd be seeing such an image today, she would have laughed her ass off. Yoshiaki seemed like a pretty cool guy, but far too stiff to be popular with kids.

Among the chorus of children demanding Yoshiaki's attention, some demanded who Kohana was, even going so far as to shake the answer out of Yoshiaki. His laugh was strained as he tried to placate the children yelling at him to play with them.