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It wasn't that late yet. Maybe around sunset—but I didn't have any other intentions then to meet with my brother again. Mostly because I wanted to piss my old man off by doing exactly what he didn't want me to do. I didn't care that it was practically a big 'fuck you!' to his face. He deserved it. Pissing on my brothers name like that. He barely knew the guy anyway. My stand in family meeting my real family. Least he could do is act somewhat excited. Even if he had to fake it. I didn't wanna see him scoffing and rolling his eyes at my big brother.
Finding him at his hotel, a nicer one on the upper parts of the tourist division in Kumogakure, I knocked on the door. He didn't answer though, which was pretty weird, as I was pretty sure I saw some shadows moving around inside.
Glancing around to make sure no one was around to see me being a stalker, I creeped over and peered through the window, squinting through the sheer curtains.
I didn't see anything at first, but after squinting for a few more minutes, I caught sight of what looked like a giant shadow giant moving across the room. Which was... weird. Then there was some weird groaning noises. Which sounded like they were coming from Hajime!
Wait... what if someone had broke in and was trying to attack him?! Like hell I would let someone lay their grubby little fingers on my brother. They were gonna get a piece of me before that happened.
Pulling a kunai out from my pouch, I channeled chakra into the blade, before walking over to the door. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my hand, before slamming it into the crack between the door and door frame. Thankfully the lock was suited for someone who wasn't a shinobi—so it sliced through the lock like butter. I wrenched the door open and charged into the room, kunai still in hand to jump at whoever was trying to take out my brother.
On the bed was my brother, shirtless, only... he wasn't alone. A girl—ahem... the same girl who he had come into the village with, and had given me some major lip— was sitting on his lap. Her hands were weaved through his hair, her lips running down his neck. His head was tipped to the side, allowing her more access to his skin.
"Holy SHIT!" I gasped, slamming a hand to my eyes. Not waiting for either of them to say, look, or even make an expression at the fact I'd walked in on a makeout session, I turned on my heel and strutted right out the door, slamming it behind me.
There was the distant call of Hajime shouting my name, but there was no way in hell I was gonna stand there stone faced as he pushed the girl off of him to address his little sister. The least I could do was stand on the balcony stone faced, waiting for him to put on a shirt and talk to me.
A couple minutes later, the door opened. Hajime, now wearing a white tee-shirt, leaned against the balcony, staring out at the view of Kumo. He let out an awkward sigh, but I still didn't say anything, lips pursed in the worst poker face imaginable.
"So... about that..."
I raised my hand, turning my head away from him. "Nope. We don't need to talk about it. I don't want to think about how I just cockblocked my big brother."
He let out a loud laugh, rubbing the top of my head. "Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it. Even though it's a pretty vulgar way of putting it."
I cracked a smile, swatting at his hand. "Alright, alright."
It was quiet for a second, the sun starting to dip behind the horizon. It was a nice, deep orange and purple across the mountain terrain. The sight made me feel all fuzzy inside. Kind of sappy, but it was true. It was familiar and comforting.
"There's something I've been meaning to give you."
"Oh?"
Hajime reached into his back pocket, pulling out a creased picture. It looked as though it had been handled quite a few times, the edges fading and the color not as bright as it probably once was. He tipped it in my direction, forearms leaning against the railing of the fourth floor outdoor hotel room.
It was a grassy area, a rather large, traditional looking house in the background. There was a pretty pond, bamboo and vibrant red maples surrounding the walkway. It was a pretty setting, but what was most captivating, was the smiling, happy family in the forefront.
There was a woman with dark, wavy maroon hair, and deep purple colored eyes. Her face was tan and sharp, but even so, her lips were curled into a bright, genuine smile. In her arms was a little boy with wild and curly maroon hair. His hands were thrown into the air, a smile that looked a lot like the woman's on his face.
Next to the woman, was a taller, pale man with dark curly hair. His eyes were dark, practically black—with long thick lashes. His features were sharp and defined, but even more so than the woman beside him. Like the woman too, he held a child, but in his arms was a young girl. She couldn't have been more than a toddler, her black hair tied into a low ponytail, a few loose frizzy black strands hanging into her face.
Unlike the little boy, she wasn't smiling. Instead her hand was tangled into the mans hair, violet eyes wide in curiosity as she tugged on his curls. One of his eyes was clenched in what was most likely a wince.
I chuckled at the sight. "Cute."
Hajime looked at me for a moment, before shaking his head with an snort. "Damn. You are a little slow sometimes, huh?"
I blinked, still lost at what he was trying to get across. He stared at me for a couple more seconds, before shaking his head. "Kohana, this is us. As kids."
My mouth dropped open, and all my attention honed in on the picture as soon as I registered what he meant. Taking the picture from him, I stared at it longingly, running my fingers over my fathers uncomfortable, yet still happy facial expression as I pulled on his hair.
The fact my father had held me in his arms at one point in my life. I knew him at one point, and he had known me. My real father, my real mother. I'd been held for, cared for, and loved by my real parents before. Here I had a real picture of what they looked like. Not just on a relived memory from my three year old self.
"This is one of the few things I managed to take with me before we got away. I tried to take other things, but Dad was busy protecting us, and Mom was... well... trying to get us out of the house and into the woods."
He turned away from me with a deep sigh, frown settling in on his features. It was a staggering contrast compared to the warm, nostalgic smile he'd worn while passing the photo my way. His eyes were cold and narrowed ahead at nothing in particular. His expression was soulless, and it caused my heart to clench in my chest.
"Do you know who did it?" I asked, hand tightening around the photograph.
"Who killed them?"
I nodded.
He sighed, before nodding his head. "...I do."
"Who?!" I gasped, leaping forward, grabbing ahold of his arm.
"I don't know him by name." Hajime responded, a dark look crossing his face. He stared at me for a moment, before running a hand through his hair and sighing deeply once again. "He's a powerful man. I'm not sure why he came after us. But I'm going to take a guess, and say it had to do with one of our parents. Maybe our father."
"Why our father?" I asked, totally confused, and baffled that he had known who our parents killer was and was letting him run free. Not only that, but that he had spoken to me about our parents, and what happened the night they were killed, yet failed to mention the person who ripped apart our family was still breathing. That guy needed to be put down without mercy. That much was for sure.
"Because why else would they target our parents? It couldn't have been by chance. There had to be some sort of history. Maybe it was our mother, I don't know."
I went rigid, eyes practically bugging out of my head. Blinking away the shock, I smacked him across the arm. "How do you know what history our parents had, or what they were involved in?! What the... what else are you not telling me? You didn't think I would wanna know this stuff? They're my family too!"
Hajime flinched, cringing at the anger in my voice. But I really didn't give a shit. He was withholding things from me! Things from me about my dad! I finally had the opportunity to know about my real family. Where I came from. I wanted to know everything, and I wasn't going to stand for him holding back.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry! I just... I got ahead of myself. I was excited to finally meet you. I know it wasn't my choice... but I didn't want to talk about our parents death as soon as we met." He rubbed the side of his face, squeezing his eyes shut. "Please try to understand. You're... I... after so long, we found each other. But I... I suppose I was thinking more about what I wanted, than what you needed. Please forgive me."
I frowned at the sincere expression on his face. I believed him alright, and I guess I did forgive him. It just pissed me off that he kept that stuff from me. Especially because they were not just his parents—but mine too! And I know I've said that so many times, but it's the truth. It hurt. It felt kind of like a betrayal... in a weird, indirect way.
"I forgive you." I frowned, giving a bit of a shrug. "It just hurts that you would keep something that from me. I need to know this stuff. They're my parents too."
He patted the top of my head, ruffling my hair. "Yeah, you're right. You deserve to know, and I shouldn't have kept that from you. So... I was wanting to talk to you about something. You don't need to make a choice now, but I want you to think about it."
"A choice?" I reiterated, looking at him with a raised brow. "A choice... about what?"
He folded his hands over the railing, a stern expression crossing his features. His brows scrunched together, eyes going unfocused as he thought deeply. "...The man who killed our parents. I know who he is, and we can find him. I want you to kill him with me."
I stared with wide eyes, trying to process what he was actually insinuating. "Like take revenge? Kill him... for killing our parents?"
Hajime snorted. "That bastard didn't just kill our parents. He tore apart our family. Forced me to live in a shitty village like Iwagakure, and in return caused you to fall into the hands of Kumogakure. He separated us."
"If you knew who he was, why did you wait so long to kill him?" I asked, looking at the picture in my hand. My gaze lingered on the smiling face of my mother, and the silly, scrunched up expression my father wore. "...why wait?"
"Because I wanted you to be the one to kill him with me." He looked over at me, a gentle smile stretching across his lips. He rubbed the top of my head again, tossing my hair around. "Like you said before. They're not just my parents. They're yours too. You deserve to get revenge. And we both should be there to make him pay."
Chewing on my lower lip, I looked back to the photograph in my hand. Running the pad of my thumb over the picture of a happy, put together family, my chest clenched. It hurt. Knowing that this was what I could have had. I wouldn't have been angry, bitter, and alone for those years. I would have had a family—a true support system. Sure, I had Kenji, but he... he wasn't there for me a lot of the time. He was gone on missions, not really around to see what I really needed. I couldn't really blame him for that, but it was frustrating. He took responsibility for me... the least he could do was step in and actually act like my father. He did affectionate things every once in a while, but he didn't feel like my father. Would... would have this man who held me in the photograph have felt like a real father?
Lifting my thumb to my mouth, I prodded at my lower lip with the pad of my finger.
"Another thing."
Hajime took the photograph from my hand, and flipped it over. On the bottom was a set of numbers, and upon closer examination, it looked kind of like a set of coordinates.
"These are approximately the coordinates to that place, where we grew up." He tapped on the house in the back of the picture after having flipped it back around so I could see it once again. "I'd like to go there with you someday. I've been holding out... hoping the first time I went with there was with you."
"You mean... the place where we were as kids?" I asked, looking at the picture once again, though this time with an excited smile. Especially at the thought of being in the same place my mother and father had lived, slept in, and raised my brother and I in. Something more to connect with them on.
"Yeah." Hajime nodded his head. "I'd like to go after we kill the person responsible for our parents deaths. My thought is... after the chunin exams are over... you take a leave if absence and come with me. I have a couple friends who would come with us, and they're good people. They'd be a lot of help. I trust them too."
"We'd... leave?" I furrowed my brows, trying to process what he was wanting. "As in... go away from Kumo? Go rouge?"
Hajime chuckled, shaking his head. "Eh... well... no... at least I'd hope it wouldn't come to that. Like I said, just a leave of absence."
I snorted. "Leave of absence? My old man, nevertheless the Raikage, wouldn't allow me to do that. Not that he doesn't trust me, but there isn't a shinobi I know that would get special treatment like that. It's crazy! No one can just leave and vanish for a certain amount of time without probable cause. In Raikage-sama's book, personal revenge isn't a probable cause."
Hajime rubbed the side of his face, thinking about it for a moment. Just as he was about to open his mouth to add something else, the door opened and stepped out the girl he'd just been sucking face with. Her light brown hair was a mess around her face, but even so she still looked pretty hot. Even though that was a gross thing to think about—especially because she and my brother were probably doing things other than just making out.
She grinned at him, batting her eyelashes. "Hajime, what's taking you so long? I know you're wanting to have a heart to heart with your little sister... but I'm getting a little lonely too you know..."
He glanced to me, before looking back to the girl who was wearing nothing other than an oversized grey shirt, which more than likely belonged to him. Knowing exactly what the look he was giving me meant, I waved him off with a snort and began to walk away.
"I won't cockblock you anymore. Have fun with your girl... I guess." I made a face at the thought of my brother getting it on with some girl, a gross feeling mixing in my stomach.
"Hey," he called, causing me to stop and turn around to hear what he had to say. He smiled at me, throwing an arm around the girls shoulder. "Think about what I had to say, okay? Get back to me, but there's not a rush."
Chewing on my lower lip, I maintained eye contact with him, before giving a firm nod. I gave him a small smile in return, though it was more of a mix between a smile and a smirk. "Will do."
Now that it was nighttime, I was getting pretty hungry. My stomach ached a little, hunger gnawing at my poor belly. So getting a bite to eat didn't seem to bad. Knowing what day it was too, I had a good idea about who else hadn't eaten yet too, so picking up something to eat for the both of us couldn't be too bad. Plus he probably wouldn't have ended up eating until some ungodly hour of the night if I don't.
Grabbing a lighter meal and a six pack of soda, I made my way to the village hospital. It was a nice place, not too overcrowded or busy thanks to a certain someone and their interest in medicine. Medicine and productivity, that is.
Walking up to the front desk, I leaned over the counter, humming as I peered around for a mop of black hair. But I didn't see anyone, which kind of sucked. Which meant I'd have to deal with... her.
"Oh! Kohana-chan! It's so good to see you!"
Cheered a voice from around the corner. As soon as it graced my ears, I cringed, turning my head away before I could throw on a poker face.
A girl with a golden brown skin came over to the desk, her red hair long and curly. She smiled brightly at me, the freckles across her face only highlighting the blindingly bright smile she wore as she sat in the desk chair and rolled her way over to me. The desk still separated us as she placed her chin in her hand, her perfectly manicured nails visible to me.
"It's good to see you too... Kirei-san..." I said slowly, feeling awkward at her undivided attention. I set the bags on the front desk and cleared my throat, rubbing the back of my neck. "...say is... Katsu around? I brought him dinner."
She gasped, clasping her hands together. Her brown eyes darted to the paper bag and pack of sodas, smile widening even more so. "That's so cute! Oh Kami... I'll tell you what, he's in the room just down the hall talking to a little kid who broke his arm. I'll take the food, and then run it up to the rooftop for you guys! Then you can have some time alone together!"
I blushed, taken aback by the eagerness she had while gathering the food and drinks in her hand. Putting a sign out on the desk that said 'be back soon!' She pushed the rolling chair against the desk, giggling like a little kid who was opening their presents on Christmas. "He's in room 288. Don't worry about the food, okay? I got this!"
Before I could get a word in, she turned around and took off down the hall, leaving me blinking and trying to process what the hell just happened.
Well... I guess since she's so persistent about letting her handle that... I'll just go get Katsu then.
Walking down the hall until I reached the right room, I noticed the door was open, giggles coming out of the open doorway. I cracked a small smile, peaking around the corner to see Katsu sitting on a small stool, a little boy with a reddened, teary face sitting on the patients bed. But he wasn't crying at the moment, the giggles coming from him as Katsu held a small teddy bear in his hand, making these animated kissy noises while nuzzling it into the kids neck.
"What?" Asked Katsu in a fake confused tone, cocking his head to the side. "You don't like kisses from Mr.Bear? He made you feel better though, huh?"
The mother, who stood beside her son, couldn't hold back her smile either, thumb pressed to her lower lip. She reached up and ran her fingers through his blonde hair, chuckling quietly. "Alright, sweetheart. Say thank you to Mura-san for taking such good care of you."
The little boy grinned. "Thank you, Mura-san!"
"Of course." Katu chuckled, enamored by the contagious happiness coming from this kid. He let out a playful grunting noise as he lifted the kid off the patients bed and onto the ground, the boy only making even more giggles from it.
"Say goodbye now!" Said the mother, taking her sons hand and giving Katsu a wave of her own. She gave him an appreciative smile as well—and I could tell she was extremely thankful for the work he had done.
"Bye bye!" The little boy waved to Katsu along with his mother, before walking out of the room and down the hall, going around me too. They didn't pay my peaking any mind, especially since I wore the shinobi head protector on my forehead. I gave the little boy a quiet wave, which he returned, his mother giving me a polite smile as well.
Katsu shuffled with some papers, setting the little bear back on the counter. Setting the papers beside the bear, he turned on the faucet and began to wash his hands under the water. I let out a small chuckle, leaning against the door frame with my arms crossed as I watched him clean up... do his sanitary precautions as he was now a medical shinobi. It was pretty cute watching him play doctor. Especially with a little kid like that. Katsu had always been a rather nurturing person, but this... it was something else. Definitely not something to turn your nose up at.
"You're really good with those kids." I said, speaking up for the first time.
Katsu looked over his shoulder, cracking a small smile at the sight of me. He reached up to the paper towels on the wall and pulled the lever, cranking a couple inches out, before ripping at it and using the sheet to dry his hands. Leaning with his back against the counter, he continued to smile at me, though with a raised eyebrow this time. "How long were you watching me? Such a stalker."
I snorted, kicking off from the doorway with my foot, and coming over to the counter beside him. Picking up the little teddy bear, I turned it over in my hands so I was looking down at it's face. Rubbing the pad of my thumb over the soft fur, I gave a small chuckle, along with a shake of my head. "...you're really good at this stuff, you know? I'm serious. Connecting with people. Really don't know how you do it."
"It's called getting people to like you." He said in a song song voice, pushing off the counter to throw the paper towel into the waste bin. He shot a teasing smile over his shoulder. "Though not cursing people out would also help your case."
"Ha, very funny. Guess I should keep the dinner I bought for you all to myself then, huh?" I gave him a knowing look, setting the bear back on the counter.
"Dinner?" He perked up at the sound of that, dusting off the navy blue scrubs he wore. "C'mon... you've been holding out food from me? A hard working servant of the public?"
Rolling my eyes, I walked out of the room, calling after me. "It's on the rooftop~!"
Sitting up there was pretty normal for us—especially as we sat on a couple discarded hospital chairs that smelled like cigarettes—most likely from doctors who came up here for a smoke break. But tonight we were confiscating them for our food.
"Ryuu said he hasn't seen you around much." Said Katsu, picking up one of the teriyaki lettuce wraps from the container. He leaned back in his chair, eyeing my over the glazed meat. "What's up with that? I know we haven't been talking since I've been at the hospital, but you?"
I chuckled, popping open another can of soda, having already finished my first. "Well... there's a funny story about that..."
He took a bite of the lettuce wrap, the satisfying crunch making me wanna reach for one of my own. So I settled for taking a piece of chicken from his food. One hand around the wrap halfway in his mouth, he slapped my hand with the other, but I pulled away to quickly, popping the chicken in my mouth.
He rolled his eyes, chewing up the food. "Rude."
Licking the sauce off my fingers, I shot him a wink, only bringing him to roll his eyes once more. But I realized I needed to get serious... especially when it came to dropping a bomb such as this. I'd kept the secret to myself for a bit. Had my fun. Now I wanted to share it with the people who meant the most to me. That meant Katsu was one of them.
"You remember how I saw my memories of my parents in Konoha?" I said, fiddling with the top of my soda can.
"Yeah. What about it?"
I ran a hand through my hair, letting out a breathy laugh. "Well, it appears that I have a brother. Not had, but have. As in... he's alive."
Katsu looked at me in shock. "Woah, actually? That's... that's great! How did you meet him?"
"He saw my tattoo while I was working the gate with Itazura." I gave a shrug, sipping leisurely at my drink. "Saw it, realized it was the Chinoike clan symbol, heard Itazura calling me Kohana, I look like a her... doesn't really take a mad genius to put that all together."
Katsu reached over, giving my shoulder a firm squeeze. "That's great! You deserve to know more about your parents. Your family... that's great. I'd like to meet him."
I smiled at the fact he was more inviting to the idea of meeting Hajime. In contrast to the way Kenji had reacted to it, this was a total upgrade. Katsu was happy for me. I really appreciated that. I needed it too. Someone to support me with this.
"I'd like you to meet him too." I pointed to one of his lettuce wraps. "But it's gonna cost you one of those."
Katsu snorted. "Such a screw over."
authors note:
hi! please tell me what you thought
of today's chapter! whether it be
with the revenge plot, katsu and kohanas interaction, or the girl hajime was
with. should Kohana try to take a
'leave' of absence and hunt down the
man with hajime? who do you
think the man that killed them is?
please let me know!!!
love youuuuu!!
-kat