A/N: Holy shit. This may sound weird… but you know how I emphasized Obito’s determination to show Setsuko how wonderful dango was/were? Before writing this chapter, I immediately checked what his likes and dislikes were (towards food) and found out that he really did like dango! Even if that was as Tobi, that’s still Obito! Ha~ I really am amazing. Kidding, LOL. But seriously, my mind is blown.
An Unwinding Perspective
I.
Setsuko gasped at the foreign sensation in her tongue, delighting her senses. She’d never tasted anything so amazing and mind-blowing in her entire life! Of course, she may have been exaggerating, but it was all true. Why hadn’t she ever tasted it before?
‘Oh yeah…that’s why.’
Obito leaned back with a triumphant grin on his face as he nodded in approval. Licking his lips and ridding them of the sweet taste, he ate the two remaining balls of mitarashi dango from the stick. He continued to watch Setsuko chew away at her own stick of dango, a resolute fire in her eyes.
“Am I right, or am I right?” He asked his new friend and crossed his arms.
Setsuko looked up, nodding vigorously and Obito couldn’t help but snort at the girl’s puffed out cheeks. He had the utmost confidence that she would like it, but he hadn’t expected the dark-eyed girl to stuff her cheeks as much as a squirrel usually did.
“Mhm!”
Grinning, Obito stretched an arm out to take another stick of dango from the plate positioned on the center of the table. “Enough talk, let’s keep eating!”
Setsuko had no complaints at all.
Amidst the darkness of the room, there was a pained moan and a loud thump that followed after. Usually gentle blue eyes literally glowed with unrestrained ferocity and rage, both fiery and icy at the same time.
“What have you done to my daughter?” A woman’s voice hissed; low and menacing yet could also be described as beautiful and almost ethereal. There was still that permanent hint of gentleness in her voice though, but it could hardly be heard underneath all the anger and pain she was ready to unleash.
Shinya, Setsuko’s one and only father, stood in one corner and watched his wife kneel down, using only her eyes to know what she was doing. His feet were near frozen—literally—but he was already used to such, despite the fact that his wife always chose to stay the same: Gentle and peace-loving, never angry. He didn’t stop her at the moment though-- even if it would be against Yukiko’s morals—just because he was as angry as she was, if not more.
The freezing, although thin fog that the woman emitted from her ice-cold body was nearly not enough to compensate for her pain, but the only reason why it wasn’t as intense as the couple had expected was only because she was merely holding herself back, unconsciously.
The victim’s teeth chattered violently, his lips blue and skin almost the same color as Setsuko’s and Yukiko’s, though for an entirely different reason. Of course, due to the ice that slowly inched its way up his stomach, covering his lower body completely, he found that everything in his body was numb, and as a result, he was unable to think properly.
“Answer me!” Yukiko nearly screamed after a few more seconds of silence. Her eyes served well to glow even more intensely than before that the victim almost had to squint to keep from hurting his own eyes.
Yukiko’s jaw clenched in anger and impatience and soon found that her victim was now useless.
She’ll just have to find someone else in league with Setsuko’s kidnappers.
Opening her palm, Yukiko blew into it, the frosty wind swirling around to form a single, foot-long icicle spear. She raised it above her head, and the last thing the victim saw was how her dark blue eyes widened and glowed dangerously like fire.
After Shinya had heard the familiar sound of splattering liquid and another loud thump, he walked slowly and carefully forward, letting the thin fog surrounding his feet guide him. As the fog’s temperature gradually decreased, Shinya leaned down and searched for Yukiko’s eyes. They had lost their furious burning, reduced to merely a weak glow, and he could tell that her eyes were lowered to half-mast.
Reaching forward, he touched Yukiko’s right cheek, making her face him. She wouldn’t look him in the eyes, but he didn’t blame her for it at all. Her skin was even colder than usual, it felt like he was fully pressing his hand against an entire block of ice, but he appeared to be unaffected nonetheless.
“We’ll find her, Yukiko… just you wait. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Biting her blue lip, Yukiko let warm tears flow down her white cheeks as she closed her eyes.
“If only… if only we were a normal family.”
Shinya shook his head, combing Yukiko’s long white hair back. He’d noticed that the blue comb in her hair had come off and fell to the ground earlier, but still didn’t care.
“Nonsense, Yukiko. Don’t say things like that. What’s important is that our Setsuko is safe… and hopefully, in good hands. Now, you stay here… I’ll find Kazuki.”
All of a sudden, Yukiko’s eyes widened, her blue eyes glowing for a much different reason.
“See? Didn’t I tell you, Obito?” Minato said, ruffling the young Uchiha’s hair affectionately.
“Yep, you were right, sensei! I managed to take advantage of Kakashi’s information to make Setsuko happy. You really are a genius!” Obito laughed, until he jerked his thumb to his chest, placing his other hand on his hip. “Well, so am I of course!”
Minato laughed, and Rin couldn’t help but giggle as well.
“Yeah, Obito! You did a great job.”
For a moment, Obito froze, staring at Rin with wide eyes. It took quite a while for her words to properly sink in. If he had heard correctly, Rin said “Obito”, not “Kakashi”.
Oh, the joys of life!
Obito denied the urge to pick at his ears. It might just offend Rin.
So instead, he grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, letting the blush slowly rise up his cheeks. He could feel some sort of warmth blooming in his chest, but unlike other people of his youth, he knew exactly what the feeling was.
‘Setsu-chan’s right. Maybe I really should give her flowers!’
“Heh, thanks, Rin. I’m sure you’ll do great too.”
Minato couldn’t help but let the warm smile spread widely across his lips.
“Hello, Setsuko-chan!” Rin greeted with a wide smile, standing right in front of Setsuko, who had just (warily) exited the Namikaze residence.
“I have never really introduced myself properly, haven’t I?”
Setsuko shook her head lightly. “I-I… I’m afraid n-not, Rin-san.”
Rin smiled all the more. “Well in that case, I’m Nohara Rin. Please take care of me,” she had said this before bowing. Of course, to be polite, Setsuko followed the gesture in her usual timid manner.
“Great! Let’s go, shall we?”
Setsuko nodded mutely.
After a while, Setsuko finally realized just what kind of tour they were having; she didn’t think she liked it one bit.
They were currently sitting on a stone bench, watching children play around with each other. Agitated was not a very accurate word to describe what Setsuko was feeling at the time. She couldn’t stop squirming and fidgeting in her seat, and flinching whenever at least one of the children came at least five steps closer to her and Rin. Setsuko knew that no one was aware of her secret—well, she wasn’t sure whether or not Team Minato and Kushina knew, or the higher-ups of the village for that matter. However, she couldn’t help but react that way whenever anyone would come close to her.
Sometimes, she just wished that she didn’t have to live a life where she was unable to explore anything without letting fear hinder her from growing. Sometimes, she would do anything to be brave.
“You seem a little down,” there was a hint of disappointment in Rin when she said this, “are you okay?”
Setsuko bit the inside of her cheek and turned her head slightly so that Rin could get a better look of it. However, the girl just can’t look Rin in the eye. For the reason that she might just reveal too much aside from what she obviously didn’t want at the moment.
“Why are you scared?”
Sighing shakily, Setsuko closed her eyes and shook her head. “I… can’t…” By now, she was mentally slapping herself repeatedly. How could she say that? Now they would know that she was hiding something! If they try to get it out of her… Setsuko feared for the process she would have to go through and what would happen after they find out. She didn’t want any more pain. She didn’t want to die, and she didn’t want her parents to get hurt either!
Especially…
‘Kazuki-kun…’ she thought with a sudden heavy weight on her heart.
Noticing right away that Setsuko started to tremble, Rin couldn’t help but panic. “No! Wait, I’m so sorry I asked. You don’t have to answer me, Setsuko-chan! It’s alright, I just got curious… but you know,” upon hearing this, Setsuko’s curiosity seemed to reach its peak.
“—there won’t be anyone to hurt you here in Konoha. That, I’m sure of.”
“…How…?”
“Well, for starters, Konoha is not just a village. We’re a family. Each and every one of us… we all stand up for each other. Powerless or not, we all treat each other as brethren, which is why I love this place so much! There is no way that we will betray each other. The residents of Konoha protect, they don’t hurt people. So I don’t really see how you could be afraid!” Rin said with a smile. Although it was completely laced with happiness, Setsuko could spot a trace of concern beneath.
Setsuko let out a deep breath and shook her head. Somehow the Rin had the feeling that the white-skinned girl was readying herself for something. “I’m s-sorry… Rin-san. I-I… I can’t tell you ri-right now.”
Rin let Setsuko continue.
“B-But… maybe someday… I-I might…”
II.
Shinya cursed himself inwardly as he gathered his unconscious daughter in his tanned arms. Setsuko was soaked from head to toe and she was barely breathing. At first, he couldn’t believe that such hospitable people would be the ones who had hurt Setsuko instead of her getting into many strange accidents, but he had just found her body starting to sink in the lake. That was no accident, and it was no coincidence either. Setsuko wouldn’t just jump into a lake either. She didn’t know how to swim.
With one arm, he pressed Setsuko closer to him as removed his black coat, wrapping it around Setsuko’s body.
As he ran through the forest, glancing at each mark that he had made so as to not lose his way, he could hear the pained, shaky breaths coming from Setsuko’s mouth. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he reached their home.
“Yukiko!” He called, sliding the shōji door open with his foot. Yukiko, who had just finished clipping her hair in place, turned around, only to gasp at the body in her husband’s arms.
“Setsuko?” She murmured in disbelief, her blue eyes starting to glow harshly.
Shinya’s brown eyes flashed with the same amount of anger as his wife, as he yelled, “There’s no time.”
Much to their relief, after treating Setsuko, they realized that nothing very serious had happened. Shinya was lucky that he was able to find her before it was too late. Next to him, Yukiko bit her lip, gently brushing Setsuko’s black hair away from her now peaceful face.
“Why…?” Shinya found himself asking.
Yukiko closed her eyes. “They know…”
“But that’s not enough of a reason for them to hurt her. Yōkai or not, she’s still a child.”
“Only our lives will compensate for the crimes my mother committed.”
Shinya would never tell it to his wife’s face, but he hardly thought that a spirit that killed so many travelers would count as someone who should be persecuted for committing crimes—if they were even counted as crimes to begin with. Nevertheless, even if he did, Yukiko would say anything to contradict him. That woman’s way of thinking had always been a little strange, due to the fact that it was difficult for her to forgive.
Setsuko’s eyelids lifted slowly.
“Mommy, Daddy…” she had unconsciously sensed the tension, but she didn’t know it even existed. Perhaps that was the reason why she fought to wake up.
Shinya’s head turned to Setsuko who weakly smiled at him. For some reason, she knew that her father was the one who brought her back home. He kept her from drowning completely—now that she’d remembered that, maybe that was why she knew; she was confident that her father would come to her rescue. He always did.
“Are you feeling better now, Setsuko?” Yukiko finally asked, and Setsuko was suddenly hit with the overwhelming urge to break down into tears.
“I’ll buy the ingredients for dinner first,” Shinya declared smoothly and left, but not before placing a soft kiss on Setsuko’s forehead.
For a very short while, the house was plunged into complete silence, with only the crackling of the fire on the heart of the irori.
Setsuko relayed the earlier events in her head. She was just picking flowers by the lake, and all of a sudden, several pairs of hands slammed against her back and sent her into the small, cold body of clear water. She was unable to resurface though, due to the three hands that kept her head down, preventing her from obtaining any air.
Biting her lip, Setsuko tried to rid herself of the memory. She had succeeded, but she was unable to keep the tears from flowing down her cheeks.
Yukiko reached forward with both of her arms and let Setsuko wrap her arms around her mother. Burying her face into her mother’s blue kimono, she tightened her arms, sniffling as she did so.
“I was so scared, Mommy…” she sobbed into her mother’s chest. At this, Yukiko smiled sadly, rubbing smooth circles on Setsuko’s small back.
“I know, love, I know…”
“Why would they? It’s unfair! I didn’t do anything bad to them… why?”
Inhaling deeply, Yukiko smoothed out Setsuko’s long black hair.
“Setsuko… we’re a strange family… we’re different from other people. We are not human… we are called yōkai.”
Setsuko froze. “That’s…”
“Yes, people fear us… which is the reason why they had hurt you. I’m so sorry, Setsuko. You would have had a brighter childhood… if it weren’t for the existence of your grandmother.”
“What… What are we?”
“We are yōkai more specifically known as Yuki-onna. Your grandmother was the very first in existence. Her name was Oyuki. She lived in the coldest mountain in the entire world: Shimo no Yama[1].There was a time when she struck terror into the hearts of many. She was infamous for murdering so many travelers and parents with missing children. Before she died though, she perished in the snow—and until now, has never given up on vengeance.
However, one day, she came across two woodcutters. One was named Minokishi—he was young, while Mosaku was quite aged. They were unable to return home due to a snowstorm and in a hunt, Minokishi himself witnessed a woman dressed in white breathe into Mosaku, killing him. Oyuki approached Minokishi to do the same to him, but she stopped due to his being young and beautiful, but she had also told him not to tell anyone else about her existence. Otherwise, she would kill him herself.
Several years later, Minokishi met a woman named Oyuki, and married her. They had quite a number of children and were a very happy family. Although, one of the things that Minokishi had noticed, was that Oyuki never aged.
One particular night, when their children were asleep, Minokishi told Oyuki that she reminded him of a beautiful woman he had met once, and that he wasn’t sure whether it was a dream or that she was a Yuki-onna.
Upon hearing the entire story, Oyuki stood up and harshly reminded Minokishi that she herself had told him that she was going to kill him if he were to tell someone about her existence. However though, she also told Minokishi that she wouldn’t because she cared for her children… and after that, she told Minokishi to take care of me and my siblings… before she melted and disappeared. Not once did she ever come back for us.
It was years after I grew up into a young lady that I was told of the things I could do and what my mother was exactly. My father and I couldn’t really identify what my two other sisters were, even with the help of our abilities. Although, we just decided that we were Yuki-onna… though not as complete and powerful as our mother, and thankfully, we had inherited our father’s personality. We were not as ruthless as our mother… but we, until this day, are unforgiving. It is because of my mother that you have gotten hurt for such a multitude of times. I’m sorry, my love. I’m sorry.”
As Yukiko let her tears drop onto the crown of Setsuko’s head, she also noticed that her daughter’s body was completely frozen from the weight of her words.
Yukiko may have been too direct… but she didn’t know how else to tell Setsuko. It was better that the child knew before… it happens.
[1] Shimo no Yama – Mountain of Frost
A/N: I did not proofread yet. :P And I know, the ending was a bit rushed. So was the info dump... and I didn't add more to Rin's tour... I think it's because of writer's block. Anyway, I won't be able to write for a while... though I really hope it will only last for a day or so. God knows that I need my rest :P