Butterflies and Puppets

Chapter 34

"I know, I've already talked to Kumiko. She told me all about it. Even about you meeting him."

"Do you think she's in danger my Lord?" Kumiko asks softly knowing that I was going to ask. Living with a nosy woman like her, but she's very observant she learned me easily almost better than myself. He turns to the us two girls in the window and looks straight at us.

"No." He says eyeing us. He gives a quick glance at Kumiko, being one of his right hand, she already knows the possible danger I could be in. Kumiko nods at him understanding what he's thinking. "I must prep for tomorrow." He says standing up. "If you two would excuse me." He walks out of his office and down the hall.

I turn to Kumiko and look at her. "Are we sure everything is safe?"

Guilt eating Kumiko inside and gives me a big smile and puts her hand on my shoulder. "Everything will be fine. Just, I know you have friends in Sunagakure, just.. be careful. We really don't know what's going on but maybe we were just shocked and on edge or something with.. with our run in. So, let me do some paperwork, and maybe later we can train some. Maybe show off a little bit." She winks.

"Alright Kumiko-Sensei." I laugh. "I need to go find Tsume and Sota." Kumiko nods as I jump off and disappears.

I walk over to the Inuzuka compound and inside seeing Tsume in the living room reading. "TSUME!" I shout.

Tsume jumps up and drops her book. "WHATS WRONG!? WHATS GOING ON?!" She yells and Kuromaru barks rushing next to her.

I laugh and run into Tsume's arms. "Nothing, absolutely nothing." I say softly. Tsume is taken back by my random gesture and tightly embrasses me. "I just wanted to sit and talk for a little bit." I say letting go and sitting in the floor in front of Tsume as she sits on the couch. I think it's time to really talk to her for once. It's been long over due.

"This isn't one of those sappy conversations where we cry and hold each other right?"

"Ha! Only if you cry first." I tease. "No, I just wanted to talk because we never got to talk at all before I left.."

Tsume looks down at me and smiles slightly. "I know, how are you holding up?"

"I don't know.. I feel. I don't know."

"No words can ever express how you feel Mayumi. Trust me, it's not an easy process. The deepest feelings always show itself in silence. And you have always been silent Mayumi."

I take a deep breath, thinking about what she said and look back up at Tsume. "How are you feeling Tsume?"

Tsume looks away for a moment before speaking. "I'm trying to hold on, it's not an easy thing to lose your best friend. And I hope you never have to experience that in your life Mayumi.... Oh!" She gets up and runs to her bedroom and comes out with an envelope and sits down.

"What's that?" I lift my eyebrow.

"This, this is what your mother gave me years ago before their mission. She made me promise to give it to you.." She swallows the lump in her throat and hands me the letter. "Don't open this right now, wait a while."

I nod and place it in my weapons pouch where I will read it later. "I guess I need to get going." I say softly. "I need to see a few more people and train some before tomorrow."

Tsume smiles at me as we both stand up. "Mayumi, friends are what keeps you together, you need them more than anything right now. As for me, I have my best friends daughter who means the entire world to me, it has been an honor watching you grow into your own person, you have overcome some hard times. I know about the abuse you have been through, that's why I always had you stay here." She explains as a stray tear falls down her cheek. " I treat you like my own, and I help you like my own, and I will always, always love you like my own daughter Mayumi Sarutobi."

"It's Mayumi Sarutobi Inuzuka." I smile at her as ee both let our tears fall down together. Tsume quickly grabs me into a tight hug and we stay there for a moment crying in silence until we finally pull away sniffling. "This is not us." I say as we laugh.

"What have we become?" Tsume laughs as we wipe their faces.

"We are getting soft." I reply as we laugh harder.

"Better not let anybody else hear you say that. We are some of the toughest women in this village." Tsume teases as we finally calm down laughing. "I'll see you later?" she asks as we walk to the door.

"I may stay at home tonight." I reply as Tsume nods her head and gives me a small smile as I start walking out the door.

I stop and turn around and hug Tsume one last time. "Thank you, for everything Mama Tsume." I say softly as I let go and rush off.

🍃🦋🍃

I make my way to Ryota's parents bookstore, the little bell on the rings as I enter.

"Hello?" I call out Ryota's mom appears from the back room.

"Mayumi! It's been a while since you've been in here." She smiles at me. "I can't believe the girl who always comes in here to buy books is on the same team as my little Ry. Everything okay?"

I look around the store to make sure nobody else is around then reach into my backpack and pull out one of the book the Illusionist gave me. "Actually I was wondering if you had any books in the back or could get any books on Dojutsu like this?"

Ryota's mom takes the book and looks through it. "I think I can see if I can find some, it may take a while but I'm sure I can." She says handing the book back to me.

"Thank you so much!"

"Of course! anything for my best customer!" She smiles at me. "Oh! Before I forget! Here are those other books you wanted" she says reaching under the counter and pulling out a few books wrapped up. "I wrapped them up for you in case you weren't going home right away."

"Thank you so much." I smile and stick my Icha Icha Paradise in my bag. "I will see you later!"

Now I'm running across the rooftops to find my Uncle, it doesn't take me long to find him sitting on a bench smoking. "Shouldn't you be training Shikamaru?" I say sitting next to him.

"Nah, he's fine." He says looking over at me. "How did your training go? I heard Kumiko trained you." He grumbles.

"It went well. Sounds like everyone knows who I trained with."

"Yes, she's a very close friend and very respected Kinochi in this village."

"Well apparently everyone knows who she is except me." I say pulling out an orange and peel it and shove some in my mouth.

"That is because she disappeared for a few years in a mission then Kurenai and I found her half dying in the forest trying to get back home."

I look over at him. "I never knew that."

He shrugs his shoulders. "She keeps to herself a lot. So what are you doing? Shouldn't you be training?"

"Yeah, I had a few things to do before I find Kumiko again."

He nods and looks at me. "Are we good?" I look at him and smile. "We're good Uncle 'Suma" 

"Alright! Let's go find Kumiko, I want to see how my little niece has been training."

"Oh just you wait 'Suma, I can't show everything I've learned while training you have to wait until tomorrow!" I grin.