"Time is running out quickly, and we cannot afford to let this threat grow. We need to act now, before Miyu is unstoppable. At this point in time, we have scouts searching for and keeping tabs on Orochimaru. Our latest report shows that he has moved closer to the village, likely in preparation for attacking Konoha," Tsunade said, looking over the room filled with Jonin and Anbu.
"We will be sending a team to fight them head on, consisting of Hatake Kakashi, Might Gai, Hyuuga Neji, and Katanashi Hikari. Multiple teams are to follow behind closely, to provide backup."
A whisper spread across the room, and an Anbu raised their hand.
"Is it a good idea to send the person they are targeting in the main team? Wouldn't it be better to keep them in the village, where it is safe?"
"You think you could keep me here?" I said, making everyone turn to me. I stood at the back of the room next to Kakashi, arms folded.
"Hikari-san knows the skills of the Katanashi clan the best of everyone here. She will know how to counter Miyu's attacks," Tsunade said.
"Can't she share the information so everyone knows?" a Jonin asked.
"Will she even be able to defeat her sister?" a different Jonin said. People slowly started talking more and more.
"Shut up!" I yelled, making every fall silent immediately.
"Hikari," Kakashi said quietly, as a warning.
"I put this village first, and I have no familiar feelings for a girl who abused me for a large portion of my life so far. I will not share clan secrets, and I will not be benched while other people fight for me. Your Hokage knows what she is doing, so stop assuming things about a situation that is bigger than you realise. You may not have faith in me, but where is your faith in Tsunade-sama?" I said, stepping forward slightly.
Kakashi put his hand on my shoulder firmly, and I took a deep breath to calm myself.
"Hikari, come up here," Tsunade said, and I blinked in surprise. Kakashi released my shoulder, and I walked up to the Hokage.
"Before you is a girl who is merely nineteen years old, who has lost her whole clan, and yet is putting aside her relationship with her only relative for the sake of the village. She is willing to die for her village, an act that means taking the only survival of her clan with her. Does she deserve to be doubted? No. So stop complaining and distracting each other, and accept the plan. We will win," Tsunade said. I turned around beside her, facing the group, and I could see the determination that had formed on their faces.
"You will receive your mission briefs within the next week, be prepared to protect your village. Dismissed!"
After Tsunade said this, the Jonin and Anbu left the room, a few lingering behind.
"Hikari, that was reckless," Kakashi scolded, walking over to me.
"I wasn't going to stand there and listen to them talk rubbish," I said, shrugging.
"I respect your desire to keep your clan secrets, however many of them do not come from clans with Kekkei Genkai. They don't understand," Tsunade said.
"But that was badass, Hikari. Shutting down all of them at once," Anko said, appearing beside me and wrapping an arm around my neck.
"I know I am putting you in a dangerous situation Hikari, by putting you in the front line. I need to ask though, do you really think you can defeat Miyu?" Tsunade asked.
I averted my eyes, my mind looking back on the recent failures and my lack of progression with the clan abilities. Disappointing Tsunade wasn't an option, but was I ready enough?
"She's been struggling to develop her skills, but she doesn't see how much she has actually managed to do. She can do it, and she won't be alone," Kakashi said, making me glance at him. He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me away from Anko, who let go immediately.
"Ahh, so the rumors were true. That isn't your affection speaking, is it Kakashi?" Tsunade said, an amused expression on her face.
"No, it isn't. I've fought her to help her train, and she's getting better and better," he said, rubbing my side gently.
"I've been back in Konoha for months now, and I haven't made as much progress as I should have by now," I said, frowning.
"Hika, you've improved a lot."
"Can I talk to Tsunade-sama alone?" I asked. I was looking at the floor, avoiding meeting Kakashi's eyes.
"We'll be waiting outside," Anko said, grabbing Kakashi's arm and pulling him away before he could object. The door closed, and Tsunade sat down on the very front edge of her desk.
"What's wrong?" she asked. I looked up at her, and a small sigh escaped my lips.
"I will be able to defeat Miyu, I'm fairly confident of that. But...I can't guarantee I'll come out the other end," I said quietly.
"You're worried you won't make it back. Is that because of fear?" she asked.
"No, it's not fear. Miyu won't be holding back. Her own mortality will probably mean nothing to her. I doubt I'll be able to win if I'm holding back to protect myself," I said.
"Do you need more time to train?"
"That won't make a difference.... I just want you to understand that if I don't make it back, it is my choice. I want you to give everything I have to Kakashi if I don't make it. It's unlikely, but there may be a few young Katanashi hidden out there somewhere. I want him to protect my library, just in case," I said, pacing slightly.
"You are really willing to die for this village?" she asked, standing up.
"I am. She's become how she is because of me. I'm going to take responsibility for that," I said, and she placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I understand, I'll write down all of what you requested as a will. Please, do what you can to come back. Konoha needs more kunoichi like you," she said. I gave her a small smile.
"No promises."
*#*#*#*
Though it took some convincing, but I sent Kakashi home so I could walk around town. I didn't really have anywhere I was heading, just walking through town, trying to clear my mind.
I bought some food at a grocer, and looked through a few stores, not finding anything interesting though. Out of nowhere, a flower shop caught my attention. Holding my bag of food with one arm, I looked at the different flowers.
A flower leapt out at me, a bright purple cluster, and I read the label.
"Rare to see someone admiring the purple hyacinths," a familiar voice commented, and I looked up at the shop doorway.
"Ino-chan," I said, a small smile on my face.
"Hey, Hikari-san, it's been a while," she said, smiling at me.
"Oh, drop the formalities. How are you?" I said, giving her a one-armed hug.
"I've been pretty good, working at the family shop around missions. What about you? I heard you got back but we've never crossed paths," she said.
"I'm alright, I've been reading and training more than anything," I said, chuckling sheepishly.
"Hey, our old class is meeting up for lunch soon. Why not come with?" she said excitedly.
"You sure?" I asked, hesitating.
"Yeah! They'd love to see you," she said, grinning.
"It won't be awkward or anything? I mean, I hang out with your senseis," I said with an awkward smile.
"You were our classmate first," she said, smirking slightly.
"Fine fine," I said, giving in with a laugh.
"Yay! I was about to finish up here, though I'm heading over later than everyone else. They should already be there, apart from Sakura. She has training with Tsunade-sama," she said.
"I'll wait for you," I said, turning back to the purple flowers, "what did you say these were?"
"Purple hyacinths. The represent regret," she said. I smiled weakly.
"Sounds about right," I said softly. Ino tilted her head in confusion, but I just shook mine, saying I didn't want to talk about it. She didn't pry, and finished up her shift.
As we walked alongside each other, I asked about how things had been for her. Since basically the whole group became Chunins, they didn't always operate as teams. She had spent some time training under Tsunade-sama, but no where near as much as Sakura. Things seemed to be going well with all of them, from what she told me.
When she asked what I had been doing, I told her some of it, but left out the stuff to do with Miyu and the mission coming up.
"Oh! One second, Ino-chan," I said, something coming to mind. We stopped walking, and I stepped back far enough to perform my summoning jutsu.
"Hikari-sama!" a cheerful voice squeaked, and a small white fox leapt out of the puff of smoke into my arms.
"Hello Yuna," I said with a slight giggle, petting her head.
"Is this your summon?" Ino asked, stepping closer.
"Oh, hi there!" Yuna said, looking over at Ino.
"This is one of them. Yuna was the first white fox summon I got, and while others of her clan are bigger, she's my go to," I said.
"She's so cute," Ino said, scratching Yuna's chin.
"I know. But, I didn't call her here so we can dote on her," I said, making Yuna giggle.
"How can I help? I see we're not in a fight or anything," she said, licking my cheek affectionately.
"I need you to find Kakashi for me, tell him that I'm meeting up at the normal barbecue place with my old classmates," I said.
"He's not here? But aren't you two attached at the hip?" she teased, winking.
"Oh enough of the sass. Go tell him," I said, putting her down gently. She rubbed on my leg like a cat, and gave me a nod. She quickly put her nose to the ground and scampered off.
"You and Kakashi-sensei are close?" Ino asked. We resumed walking, and I shrugged.
"I guess that's one way to put it. It's always been there for me," I said.
"We're here!" she said before I could say more, "oh, I cut you off, sorry."
"You're fine. Go ahead. I'm just gonna go to the counter," I said, laughing. We walked in, and she headed over to the group. I could hear them all talking loudly.
I walked over to the counter, and ordered some more meat as well as a bottle of sake for myself.
"Who's the hot blonde you walked in with?" I heard Kiba ask, to which Ino didn't reply with anything other than a giggle.
"Put everything from that table on my tab, I'll pay for it at the end," I said to the girl serving me, who sent me a hesitant look.
"They've ordered a lot, ma'am," she warned.
"I know. But I mean it," I said with a giggle. She smiled and nodded. I took the bottle of sake she handed me and the cup, and started walking over.
"Hello gorgeous," Kiba said, leaning forward with a smirk on his face. Clearly, he hadn't worked out who I was. A similar smirk grew on my face as I decided to toy with him.
"Oh look at this handsome young man. Aren't you a looker?" I said, looking just past him, but not enough for him to tell. I continued walking, and right when he started to make another comment, I passed him, walking to the happy white dog that had been sitting beside him.
"You've grown a lot, haven't you?" I said, still smirking as I reached out to scratch Akamaru.
"Huh?" Kiba's smirk fell as Akamaru barked, tail wagging happily, and gave me a sloppy lick on the hand.
"You were just a little puppy when I left. Did you go grow up without me?" I cooed, scratching him happily.
Throughout all of this, the others had been watching in confusion, but watching me walk past and talk to Akamaru, some of them had caught on. Tenten, Hinata, Shikamaru and Chouji had started laughing quietly, while Ino and Lee were in full on hysterics.
"Hey Kiba, didn't see you there," I said, shooting the brunette a smirk as I left Akamaru and sat down at the edge of the table.
"Wait...Hikari?" he asked, finally clicking.
"Bingo," I said, winking as I took the lid off my bottle.
"You got super hot," he said, resulting in instant scolding from Ino.
"You can't say that!" she hissed.
"But it's true. I mean, look at her!" he said quickly.
"Don't look too hard," I said, pouring myself a glass of sake.
"How have you been, Hikari-san? It's been such a long time," Tenten said, smiling happily.
"I've been doing okay. Really busy though," I said, smiling back.
"Meet any hotties in other villages?" Ino asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"You are too young and innocent to discuss such matters with," I laughed. I took a sip of my sake, and the chat resumed. The discussion seemed to split into a couple different groups, everyone catching up on what had happened.
Sakura joined us not too long later, and slipped in beside me.
"Hey, Hikari. I didn't expect to see you here," she said, giving me a quick hug.
"I ran into Ino and she invited me," I explained.
"Did I miss all the meat?" she asked, looking slightly disappointed.
"Ah, don't worry about that," I said, and called for a waitress. I quickly ordered a bunch more.
"You've hardly had any, Hikari-san. Don't worry about us," Shikamaru said.
"Oh come on, you'll say no to free food? I'm sure Chouji isn't complaining," I said, waving carelessly.
"But Hikari...," Ino said, frowning.
"I'm not taking no as an answer," I said stubbornly, taking another sip of my drink. Somewhat unwillingly, the group accepted it.
"You're not having too much fun, are you?" Kakashi's voice appeared behind me, making me jump slightly.
I tilted my head back to look up at him, where he was leaning over me. Clearly he had come over after Yuna told him where to find me.
"How could I? You aren't here," I said, poking my tongue out.
"Good answer. Is she behaving?" he asked the others, with a chuckle, making me pout.
"I'm not a child, Kashi," I said.
"She's been fine, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, laughing.
"Good, though I'm afraid I'll have to cut your fun short, Hika," he said, and my pout turned into a frown.
"Did something happen?" I asked.
"No, I just felt left out," he said with a chuckle. I giggled, and shook my head slightly.
"Yuna wasn't kidding about us being joined at the hip, was she?" I teased.
Kakashi chuckled some more, and bent down to press a kiss to my lips through his mask. I smiled and returned the kiss.
"Well, how about I cook dinner tonight to make up for ditching you?" I suggested.
"Or, I'll take you out to dinner. We haven't actually been on a date after all," he said.
"I'm not letting you spoil me like that. If we do, I'm paying," I insisted.
"Like I'd let you," he chuckled.
"We're too stubborn, aren't we?" I said, poking out my tongue.
"Perhaps. I'll be at your place at six, okay?" he said, standing up straight again.
"Sounds good," I said, a wide smile on my face.
"It's a date then," he said, smirking, and left. All at once, I remembered that my old classmates were there, and I looked back at them. All of them were watching me, and I could see a range of emotions. Hinata was blushing ever so slightly, being the cute girl she was. Ino, Sakura and Lee were surprised but very curious. Shikamaru and Tenten seemed mildly interested, but not too worked up over it.
Kiba seemed to be pouting the the corner. I sat down with a sheepish chuckle.
"So you and Kakashi-sensei huh?" Sakura teased, elbowing me gently.
"What about us?" I asked, sipping on my sake.
"How long have the two of you been together?" Ino asked.
"Hmm, we've been a couple since I came back, so almost six months," I said, tapping my chin in thought.
"Six months and we're have only been blessed with your presence today?" Lee exclaimed, and I blinked in surprise.
"Wow, you are almost a clone Gai," I said, and Tenten sighed.
"I know. I knew you were back because Gai-sensei was going on about how someone had stolen your heart," she said.
"Seriously though, why haven't we seen you until now?" Chouji asked through a mouthful.
"I've been busy, nothing really to say other than that," I said with a shrug.
"Busy with what?"
"Preparations and trying to improve my skills."
Shikamaru gave me a knowing look, and I sighed slightly. I knew that he was too smart for his own good.
"You're referring to the huge mission everyone has been preparing for?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm a big part of it," I admitted.
"That can't be easy, considering who you need to defeat," he said.
"Wait, how do you know about this?" I asked, frowning.
"Asuma talks a lot while we play Shoji," he said with a shrug.
"I'm surprised you didn't know about Kakashi and I then."
"Oh, I knew. I heard all about how he found out," he said, smirking slightly. I laughed sheepishly.
"Well, that's awkward."