𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 | tobirama's daughter

↳˳;; ❝ THREE ᵕ̈೫˚∗

Guess I'm alone again... surprisingly, the thought sends a pang of... sadness, I suppose, through my chest.

Just as the thought flickers through my mind, Hiroshi returns, dragging a panicked-looking Kagami with him.

"H-Hiroshi! I said stop!" Kagami stutters, face flushing red as several heads turn towards the commotion. Hiroshi sits back down in his seat, dragging Kagami with him.

I watch, amused. And though I'll never admit it, even on my deathbed, slightly relieved.

Our table actually seats three. The only reason we're alone is because the kid that had been assigned the third space in the beginning of the year had requested his seat to be changed. The air was probably too tense around me and Hiroshi. Because of, you know, the burning rage and competitiveness eddying around us like currents in the air. I've overheard on multiple occasions that they're almost tangible.

"I hope you don't mind if he sits with us? Hiroshi asks, turning to me.

"Of course not." I say politely. Pleasantly, even. Having a third person at our table will be a nice change, even if only for a couple more weeks.

I silently chuckle as I notice Kagami fidgeting nervously. I recall how he sat alone for literally the entire year, and now, he's been forced to sit with... us.

As everyone begins settling down, the teacher clears his throat.

"I understand that this can be a sensitive topic, as it happened only several decades ago. However, I expect all of you to be able to act maturely. If you do not, I will move all of you back to your assigned seats. Do I make myself clear?"

A chorus of 'yes sirs' echoes around the classroom.

"Alright. We're going to get right into our first topic, then. The warring states era!"

Oh? Finally something interesting.

"Now, we'll start with the very beginning. Take out your writing materials, we'll be taking a lot of notes!"

————

I silently sigh in relief as the end-of-the-day bell rings. My right hand is cramped and aching from all the writing I'd done. My brain is equally exhausted from all the information that had been brutally stuffed into it.

...Perhaps a snack after school wouldn't hurt...?

No, I decide. There's no time for that. I can do a million things more productive than stuff my face with snacks. I quickly jam my belongings into my black messenger bag and stand up to leave.

As I walk toward the door, I stop as I hear my name being called. I turn to see Hiroshi bounding toward me, Kagami trailing behind him as quietly as ever.

"Hey, wanna go get a snack with me and Kagami?" He asks energetically, slinging his arm around my shoulder, almost knocking me over as he puts his full weight on me.

Geez. He acts too friendly. It repulses, no, disgusts some fundamental, base part of me very, very much.

"Have you ever heard of personal space? We're not friends, ok?" I hiss, prying his arm off my shoulder.

Oops. I can sense more than a couple heads turning in my direction.

Ah, shit.

He rolls his eyes, but laughs heartily. "Alright, no need to make a fuss."

"Sorry. I'm... Um... Not comfortable with people touching me." I tried to recover, but I think that made it worse. Why would the Hokage's daughter be uncomfortable with people? Now that doesn't seem right.

"Ah. Don't worry. It was my fault. But you still haven't answered my question. Cmon, will ya? It'll be fun. Don't be a loner."

"..."

I begin to sweat as I come to realize more than a few people are listening in; waiting for my answer.

"I'm actually busy after school, sorry." I keep the grimace off my face as some people around us sigh and grumble quietly. They probably want something to gossip about.

"Ohhh. My bad, my bad." Hiroshi laughs, patting my back. "Sorry, sorry. I'll leave you alone now. You must be getting annoyed, huh, princess?" He laughs again, an annoyingly contagious laugh. God, can this guy take anything seriously?

I sigh, wanting to cover my ears. He's too loud.

"Don't worry. If I'm free next time, I'll consider going. Would that be ok?"

"Of course! No need to ask. It's always fun having new people to hang out with." Hiroshi replies, chuckling. "Especially since you never like doing anything else other than training or studying."

I don't reply as we exit the building.

"Well, see you tomorrow! C'mon Kagami! Let's go!" Hiroshi, with an energy I can never hope to match, bounds off, leaving Kagami behind.

"Pfft."

I cover my mouth, hoping no one heard me snicker.

Apparently, Kagami did.

"He's quite intense, huh?" He asks softly, staring off in the direction Hiroshi had gone.

"Yeah." I respond.

An awkward silence fills the now empty field.

"So... How'd you guys become friends?" I blurt out, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"Oh. I guess you must be kinda confused about how a quiet, shy weirdo like me became friends with someone like him, huh?" Kagami asked, nodding thoughtfully.

Damn. How'd he know what I was thinking?

"Well, we became friends before we entered the academy." he says thoughtfully, a finger tapping his chin. "We're neighbors, actually. We met a couple years ago when he first moved in. My parents told me to be nice to him because... Well, I'm sure you know why. Surprisingly, we became close very quickly. I thought I wouldn't like him at first, but..." a short laugh. "He's the kind of person that people just can't help but like."

————

Published 8/5/22