Over the next two days spent in the hospital, Aoi's condition improved exponentially. He was able to move his arms freely now, though he would sometimes stumble while walking. Currently, he was sitting in the room with Shikamaru playing a game of shogi. After the initial day of Aoi being in the hospital, the others had decided that he would be alright and went about their business, only stopping by occasionally.
Shikamaru set a tile down with a clack, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet up. Aoi studied the board a moment, before looking up at his companion with the sense that he would say something. Sure enough, Shikamaru spoke up.
"Was Sasuke really so strong as to have put you into this position?" The intense stare in Shikamaru's eye was something that rarely showed.
Aoi considered, moving a piece before answering back. "While true that he has grown into a shinobi of great skill, and possibly at jonin level, I don't believe so. Not yet at least." Shikamaru frowned at the board slightly, the move Aoi had just played putting him into a position to take out a key piece in his own strategy.
There was a quick click as Shikamaru fixed the predicament Aoi had put him in. "Then what was it that caused this situation?"
"I am unsure, but," Aoi took his turn, and once again Shikamaru sighed, "it felt like my mind was clouded. I was bothered that Sasuke had attacked me at that moment."
"Bothered he had attacked you at that moment?" Shikamaru finally took attention away from the game, leaning forward with interest to the conversation. "Do you know why?"
There was only a moment's pause before Aoi replied. "Kou was there."
"Kou was there, and that bothered you when Sasuke attacked you." It was a statement, but Aoi nodded.
"Yes, Sasuke was attacking me, so Kou shouldn't have been involved."
A small twitch of Shikamaru's mouth drew Aoi's eye, but that was the only movement of his expression. "Tell me Aoi, what was the first thing you did when Sasuke attacked?"
"I pulled Kou behind me and used a table as a shield." Aoi didn't hesitate with the answer.
"Why did you pull Kou behind you?" There was the faintest traces of a smirk from Shikamaru.
"I-" Aoi hesitated a moment in thought. Now that he thought on his actions, there was no need to pull Kou behind him, as he could have simply deflected the kunai. His thoughts went even farther, as he realized none of the kunai had been aimed at Kou in the first place. "I wanted to protect Kou."
Instead of asking why, Shikamaru nodded slightly. "So when you said your mind was clouded, is it possible that you were angry at Sasuke for putting Kou in danger?"
"Though I don't know if it was because of that, I would say that I felt some anger towards Sasuke." A faint hum escaped Shikamaru's throat and they lulled into silence. "It's your turn Shikamaru."
Looking over, he realized he did indeed need to take his turn on the shogi board. Seeing the placement of all the pieces a sigh escaped him. "How troublesome, I wonder why I ever taught you to play this."
_+_
It was one week before the start of the final round of the chunin exams. The streets were even more lively, with banners stretching across the streets and lanterns that seemed to float in the air instead of hang from the wire that kept them suspended. The amount of people on the streets increased, as well as the number of shinobi from various villages. There were many different villages represented in the exams this time around, so the variety was almost overwhelming.
Two figures made their way through the crowd, the female clearly leading the male behind her. Aoi accepted his fate, letting Kou lead him by the hand to various stalls that had been set up to entrap tourists and inhabitants of the village alike. Hane sat on Aoi's other arm, nibbling the end of the pocky that stuck out of the blue haired shinobi's mouth.
After a few hours of this, Kou guided Aoi to a tea shop where they took seats at a table set up outside. People milled about them, enjoying the atmosphere of the festival. There was silence for a bit while the two sipped their tea. Almost mindlessly, Aoi hovered a finger over the surface of the tea. Using his chakra, he lifted his finger and a small ball of the liquid came up as well before falling back to the cup.
Ignoring this, Kou spoke. "You know Aoi, though I know it's your mission, I feel like I need to thank you for protecting me. It isn't just you either, Migota, Shikamaru, and Shino too. You guys are really kind to be able to potentially die for another person."
"I wouldn't call us kind, as many shinobi are not. However, of my comrades there is not one who would abandon their duties or friends unless the mission required it." Aoi turned up the corners of his mouth in a small smile, and Kou readily returned it.
"I stand corrected." Kou broke the inevitable lapse of silence before it could set in. "You and your father seem closer recently." Aoi nodded, as it was true. Nearly every day that Shin could manage it, he was by Aoi's side, whether the bluette was guarding Kou, reading a book, or simply strolling through the village.
Kou sighed slightly as Aoi continued to be nearly silent.
"You know what always bothers me when I'm around you?" Aoi tilted his head at Kou's question. Seeing this, she went on. "Why we look so similar. I mean, the first time I met you, you were impersonating me. You have any idea why we look alike?"
Aoi seemed slightly surprised at Kou's words. "Though unusual for us to look so alike considering our genders, we are siblings." At Kou's wide-eyed stare as if Aoi had grown a second head, Aoi became confused. "Did you not know?"
Slamming her hands on the table, Kou garnered a few startled reactions as she stood from her seat. "What!? You mean to tell me that... we're siblings? How long did you know?"
"The day on the beach with Shin." Aoi seemed unfazed by her somewhat frantic nature.
"But-" She froze a second before glaring. "You knew for three weeks or so that we were half-siblings and didn't think to share the information with me?"
"I did not know it was a big deal."
Kou threw her hands into the air. "Of course it's a big deal!" She huffed slightly, calming herself before taking a seat. "Whatever, I guess it doesn't matter much now. I suppose that is one mystery solved." Tapping her fingers lightly, Kou looked up. "That makes you my younger brother, doesn't it?"
"Yes, by three years I believe."
A wide grin spread across her face. "Heh~ Does this mean that you have to listen to everything I say? I mean, I am your older sister after all." A mocking light shone in her eyes.
"I think life experience should be used instead of mere age."
"Well in that case, I have at least three years more than you." By now she was smirking. Aoi remained silent, and Kou took advantage of that. "Well then, as your older sister, I demand you follow me right now."
Looking up, Aoi hesitated but a moment before he saw Kou turn to walk off. Not wanting to chance losing her in the crowd, Aoi followed quickly after her. After a ten minute stroll through the crowds, Kou stopped in front of a stall she had spotted earlier in the night. Aoi stopped beside her, looking over the wares. The stall was obviously that of a jeweler's, as a vast array of gems, necklaces, bracelets, and other assorted accessories spread over the table. Leaning in to inspect them, Kou's eyes shone with excitement.
The shop keeper seemed to notice as well and came over. "Hello miss, is there anything that I could help you find?"
"Ah! Yes, if you don't mind." She gestured to Aoi. "My brother and I are looking for some matching jewelry. Preferably a necklace and a bracelet if it isn't too much trouble, and maybe nothing too girly."
The man frowned ever so slightly when he saw Aoi, but it quickly vanished. His eyes lit upon Hane and he clapped lightly. "I know just the thing!" Looking over his wares, he quickly located what he was looking for. He held up a bracelet and necklace set for her to inspect.
The design on both was beautiful, two silver bands interwoven with a third golden one. Here and there along the bands were small, round, red beads. In the center of each was a bird in mid-flight, its wings spread wide with small blue gems for eyes. The necklace was a choker, and so it matched the bracelet completely.
Kou's eyes lit up in delight. "Aoi, don't you think they're perfect?"
Though Aoi had no idea what they were for, he nodded. "They look well made."
"Of course you would say that." She puffed out her cheeks slightly. "They are beautiful though."
"Each one is 23,650 right now." That seemed to kill the light in Kou's eyes. Even though she was a princess and that was a small amount compared to the other jewelry she had, she didn't carry that much money on her. A sigh escaped her lips.
Aoi stepped forward slightly. "Can I ask why they are that price?"
The vendor seemed to start in surprise at the question. "Because, even putting aside the workmanship on the pendant right now, the eyes are made of pure sapphire. Gems aren't cheap, even if they're this small."
"Could I ask where you might have obtained the gems?" Kou looked at Aoi in confusion, but didn't interrupt.
Staring straight into Aoi's eyes, he answered. "They're from the Land of Lightning, the only place with decent mines for any gem." As Aoi watched the man, he saw one corner of the mouth twitch slightly as it tightened.
Aoi gave a false smile as he responded. "You lied just there, these aren't from the Land of Lightning."
For a split second, the man's eyes widened and his eyebrows twitched. "Oh? And what makes you say that young man?"
"Simple, they aren't gems at all." There was a slight upward lift to the man's eyebrows before they drew together angrily.
"Are you implying that I'm lying about my product? I'll have you know that this is one of the finest detailing jobs that there is."
"I admit that the detail work is quite meticulous, however that wasn't what we were talking about." Aoi kept that fake smile in place, but his eyes held the light of a hunter with its prey within reach. "Don't dodge the subject, those so-called sapphires aren't what you want us to believe."
A faint tick of annoyance sounded from the man. "Okay, fine. So I lie about my product to get a few bucks out of drunk customers." The man was leaning forward and speaking in a lowered voice. "You can't really blame me though, these festival goers are quite loose with their purses. The eyes and beads are made by my friend who is a glass blower for a living. Though not as rare as sapphires, they are quite beautiful."
Aoi nodded while Kou's eyes widened in surprise. "It isn't as if I am uninterested in buying the jewelry, however I believe the price should be lowered considerably, don't you?"
"Well then, what do you suggest the pieces are worth?"
"They aren't worth much more than 9,500 if you think about it."
The man widened his eyes as the price dropped to below half the original price. "You're robbing me here, look at the detail on the bird. That kind of work doesn't come easy boy. That alone brings up the price to 16,500."
"As you said though, all the beads are glass. If I wanted I could find those at the regular market. The workmanship is quite well done, so perhaps I could go 10,600."
Kou looked back and forth between the two as they began bartering over the items. They did it so quickly that she found it hard to keep up with what was going on. One second Aoi had been accusing the man of cheating them, and now they were haggling over a price. Eventually however, they seemed to come to an agreement.
"I'm afraid that I can't go any higher than 13,000 for both." There was a light of finality in Aoi's eyes and the vendor sighed.
"I hope you know that you're robbing me here." He nodded though, agreeing to the price.
Money and merchandise changed hands before Kou could even blink. Suddenly something hit her though. "Ah, Aoi! I was going to buy them."
He blinked at Kou as the two walked off down the street. "You don't have any money on you though."
Patting everywhere she would keep her wallet, her face immediately flushed with color. When she had left her room earlier that evening she had intended to do so with some money, but now she distinctly remembered leaving the rather limited amount she had on her sitting on top of her nightstand. "I-I am so sorry Aoi! I can pay you back, I promise!"
A small smile tugged at Aoi's lips as she started to panic. "Do not worry. Aren't siblings supposed to clean up after one another's messes?"
Kou stopped mid-sentence. "Ohoh, look who's an expert on sibling relationships now. You know what? I'm not going to pay you back then. I mean, what good natured sibling would?"
Aoi didn't have a response, so he stayed silent at that. A few moments later though, he lifted the bag slightly. "Why did you want these?"
"Ah, right!" Kou clapped her hands and pulled Aoi off to the side of the street. "Well you see, I figured that soon enough we would be going our separate ways. I know I just found out we were related, but I wanted something to connect me with you better. Hence the matching jewelry."
Aoi nodded, though he didn't understand the logic behind it at all. "Well then, are you taking the necklace or the bracelet?"
"I think it would be a bit off for you to wear a bracelet. Besides the fact that Hane would likely spend a lot of time pecking at it, it's in a spot that would be more likely to get hit during battle. I'm sure you would be more inclined to protect your neck instead of your wrist after all." She plucked the bracelet out of the bag. "Besides, this is easier for me to get away with wearing. Chokers are pretty noticeable."
Taking out the choker, Aoi examined it. He unclasped the back, and where the entwined wire met the pendant it hinged on both sides. Bringing the metal up to his neck, he closed the latch and secured it in place. The bird rested just above the hollow of his throat, and Aoi rubbed at the unfamiliar feeling of the metal against his neck.
When he looked in Kou's eyes, he saw complete happiness as she finished clasping her bracelet in place. "Now then, this is our mark as brother and sister!" She smiled, closing her eyes in happiness. She opened them and glared slightly in warning. "You had better wear it every single day from now on."
Still not wanting to find out what threat may lie behind Kou's glare, Aoi nodded in agreement. "I will."
The smile spread across her face once more, and she took him by the hand again. "Well then, let's get some takiyaki and head back to our hotel. It's getting pretty late."
_+_
Bleachers were packed as the third round of the chunin exams was finally beginning. Just like every other exam, the final round would be in tournament fashion, so that the different nations and nobles could enjoy the fights. This time, there were eight competitors in the tournament, two from Konoha, one from Kiri, another from Suna, two more from Iwa, and the last two from the smaller villages of Yuga and Tani.
Aoi and his team were seated behind Kou as she sat next to her husband. Prince Komali seemed riveted on the fights, and would often turn to ask the shinobi what they thought. For the most part, the only one who responded was Migota.
There were, however, two fights that Migota didn't comment on, as the prince addressed Aoi specifically to speak. Those two fights happened to be Ryo's and Kodomo's. The first seemed to catch all the Konoha shinobi's interest regardless though.
From the beginning, Ryo's odd way of fighting drew interest. Before the match had even started, Ryo had his eyes closed. While many initially thought this was just him underestimating his opponent, it soon became clear that he wasn't. Ryo easily blocked the attacks coming from his opponent, and swiftly dodged out of the way of any jutsu they launched. When the opponent seemed to slow slightly from exhaustion, Ryo made his move. He broke off, sinking into an all too familiar stance for many shinobi who had fought with or against any member from the Hyuuga household.
As faint gasps and mutters were heard throughout the stadium, Komali turned back to face the shinobi team behind him. "Ah... Aoi-kun was it? Why is everyone so surprised right now?"
Aoi's eyes flickered to meet Komali's. "That stance is one particular to an important family in Konoha. It is called gentle fist, and is hard to emulate. This is because the Hyuuga, with which the technique originates, are masters of the Byakugan. The Byakugan is able to see the chakra network of opponents, and by combining it with gentle fist fighting, they are able to block chakra flow."
"Then is this Ryo person part of the Hyuuga clan?"
Aoi shook his head. "He is not. Ryo is completely unrelated to any major clans in Konoha, to be precise, his parents are actually civilians who were raised in Konoha because their parents moved in during the time of the second hokage."
Komali turned back to watch the fight, his curiosity satisfied. Migota blinked at Aoi, surprised that he had done that much research into Ryo's past, let alone any at all. Turning her attention back to the fight as well, she saw the other shinobi rush in after some hesitation. Ryo's opponent seemed just as surprised about the gentle fist technique as the audience.
What many thought might have been a bluff however, was soon found to be fact. Ryo deftly blocked the attack in a manner that made his opponent seem clumsy. Ryo's eyes seemed to flicker open for just an instant before his fingers dug into the fleshy skin on the inside of his opponent's elbow. His other hand flicked forward, hitting sharply against the shoulder and causing his opponent to fly backwards. Ryo then returned to a neutral stance with his eyes closed, waiting out his opponent.
This time his opponent threw kunai, aiming carefully for what seemed like vital spots. Without hesitation, Ryo moved to the side, a good two seconds before the first kunai even left their hand. A soft mew of surprise came from Migota. Ryo's opponent didn't let up though, and charged again once he saw the kunai miss. The same product came from this attack, except this time Ryo managed to hit three more points on his opponents other arm before they managed to jump back.
He started to form handsigns before he had even landed, but was beyond shocked when nothing happened. At the same time, Ryo rushed up to him and pressed his palm against their right rib cage. His opponent coughed and staggered back, before holding up a hand.
"I-I am outmatched. I forfeit." Ryo opened his eyes at the words, looking at his opponent. The proctor stepped forward.
"Ryot-" A glare from Ryo made the proctor pause. "Ryo is the winner of the match and will move on to the second round."
The crowd cheered wildly. Komali turned back to face them again, and this time Kou did as well. "That was amazing! Konoha sure is great!" Komali was practically bouncing in his seat. "He did all that with his eyes closed! How is that even possible!?"
This time he addressed the entire group, but Migota didn't have an answer, and Shikamaru and Shino didn't seem inclined to answer, so Aoi did. "He charged chakra into his ears it seems. Chakra greatly increases the senses, as it does with the Hyuuga's eyesight, or with a sensor ninja. Sensory ninjas typically charge chakra into their sense of touch, as that is what is able to sense others the best it is thought. However, by utilizing sound waves, one is able to sense nearly everything around them, such as weapons, jutsu, and other general movements like leaves. It is clear that Ryo as mastered this."
"That's so cool!" Komali's eyes shone with the excitement of a child before he recomposed himself. "Then what did he do to his opponent? Those attacks didn't seem to strike very deep, yet the opponent forfeited."
"Ryo managed to cut off the chakra flow, much like a Hyuuga it seems. The only way he could manage that other than the Byakugan however, would be to memorize key points of the chakra system. To do this would take years of study, and then years of practice to be able to hit them in the midst of battle."
Komali's eyes once again shone with excitement before he nodded and faced forward. It was clear that he was looking forward to the future battles. He was once again nearly bouncing in his seat. Kou remained facing the shinobi for a few more moments, looking them over with a small smile. Her eyes lit upon Aoi, and her smile broadened when she saw the choker around his neck. She returned to facing forward, nearly bouncing in her seat for a much different reason than her husband.
The next battle was Kodomo's, and seeing the leaf headband, Prince Komali leaned forward in even more excitement. After Ryo's battle, it seemed he expected a lot from Konoha shinobi as a whole. Kodomo and his opponent got into their stances, though Kodomo's seemed a little odd as his feet were barely spread apart at all, and one hand was held out in a fist in front of him.
His opponent looked at hims funny, her face twisting into a snarl. "Heh, you look ridiculous." Kodomo didn't rise to the bait, continuing to stare at her until the proctor signaled start. At this, the woman jumped forward, sliding a sword out of its sheath easily. It was shorter than most swords, easily maneuverable at close range.
Kodomo opened his hand partially, about a quarter meter, or two links, of the chain coming free. He held the end in his other hand, lifting it to easily block the strike she had aimed at him. It hit one link dead on, and he lifted one hand slightly higher to keep the sword from slipping down to where the links connected. From there, he lifted his foot and easily kicked the woman in the stomach.
At the last second, she released the sword with one hand, blocking the kick and sliding back a few meters. She grinned, taking a step forward to attack again, when she paused. Kodomo had leaned to his left and pushed of, disappearing from sight with his speed. The woman was in shock as Kodomo appeared behind her, she went to turn, then noticed that the black length of Kodomo's weapon was wrapped around her sword.
She tsked slightly before grabbing the chain and yanking on it, but other than stepping forward slightly he held his ground. He pulled back as well, and the chain seemed to slip out of her grip and off of her sword easily. The shock was evident on her face as this happened, sure that it was near impossible to slide out of the hold she had on the weapon.
The chain swung lightly at Kodomo's side now, though he maintained that normal standing position. He looked completely open, but as those two attacks had proved, he was almost more than prepared for anything. Deciding that keeping out of range of the weapon would be best, she sheathed her sword and jumped back a bit farther.
She quickly made handsigns before slamming her hands on the ground. There was a rumbling before three spires of rock came up to try and pierce through Kodomo. He did a back flip, ducking under the first and out of the way of the other two. Much to his, and the audiences surprise however, the spires twisted mid-attack, changing direction toward him again. Kodomo landed on one foot, using it to spin and push off to the side.
Again the spires took off after him, chasing him through the arena. Finally, Kodomo seemed to come to a decision, though he didn't seem pleased. He raised the hand holding the whip chain to his side before bringing it across his body in the way of the rock spires that continued to chase him. The chain whipped out, following the path. Unexpectedly however, water shot forward in that path as well, intercepting and cutting the spires in half. It stopped them, half because of the force of the cut and half because the woman took her hands of the ground in shock.
Before anyone could react to this, Kodomo slashed his arm diagonally, and a wave of water shot off in the woman's direction. She noticed just in time, dodging to the side and avoiding a fatal blow. Her leg did get cut though, and when she landed she collapsed to one knee. Kodomo was already in the midst of launching another wave of water though, and she quickly rolled to the side to avoid that as well.
When she stood, she formed hansigns again, and small pebbles launched toward Kodomo faster than kunai. Kodomo spun to the side gracefully, dodging the first wave. When the second wave came, the chain completed a full circle in front of him, and a circular wall of water formed. The rocks crashed into it, stretching the wall of water before falling to the ground without momentum.
Kodomo then crashed through the water wall, surprising his opponent with the unexpected move. The distance between the two was crossed in an instant. Before one could even blink, Kodomo had wrapped the chain around her neck, and was standing behind her ready to tighten it.
Loud enough to just barely be heard, Kodomo spoke. "You should forfeit."
The woman had her eyes open with fear, looking over her shoulder out of the corner of her eye. She raised her hand slowly, as if regretting it. "I forfeit the match."
Kodomo loosened the chain, and the woman sighed in relief. The chain fell to skim the ground, and in a swift motion he collapsed the black weapon into his palm before swiftly placing it in his pouch. It took a second for the crowd to recover before they started to cheer wildly again. The fight had been a good one.
Once more, Prince Komali swiveled in his chair to stare at the leaf shinobi. The light of curiosity shone in his eyes, and Aoi let out the smallest of sighs. The prince didn't seem to notice however and forged on with his question. "How did that leaf shinobi launch water like that? Don't you have to form handsigns or something first?"
Migota looked tired of the constant questioning, and sensing this Aoi spoke instead. "Normally, a shinobi would indeed have to form handsigns to launch a jutsu, however one way to bypass this is with chakra metal. This metal, when given chakra, takes on the properties of the user's chakra nature. In Kodomo's case, this would be water, hence the blades of water and the way the chain slipped out of that woman's grasp."
"Chakra metal sounds useful, so why haven't I heard about it before?"
Aoi nodded slightly at the question. "Chakra metal is indeed useful, however it is also rare. It only forms in deep underground veins. The only way to find it is to find naturally occurring chakra trees, which produce chakra paper used to determine chakra nature." Aoi's information was as detailed as he could make it, hoping to answer any questions that Komali would have. "The reason you haven't heard about it is because it is expensive. Not many shinobi have the money to afford it."
Komali smiled a little. "Do my questions bother you Aoi-kun?"
"Not at all, Komali-sama. I am here to serve and protect Kou-sama and yourself." Aoi tilted his head downward to show respect to the man.
"I see, well in that case, I'll have to thank you. You are doing a wonderful job Aoi-kun!" Komali smiled brightly, and Aoi nodded his head in thanks.
The rest of the tournament passed much in the same way, with Ryo being the overall winner and Kodomo losing in the second match from his opponent's sheer stamina. Komali remained completely captivated the entire time, as did almost the entire audience. When it was finally over, Komali stood and offered a hand to Kou.
They all made their way back to the hotel, the festivities still going on around them as it slowly turned to nighttime. The festival would last another day or two before they finally finished with it and let go of the festivities. When they had finally gotten back to the hotel, the weariness was obvious for the two royals. The two immediately went into their shared room, leaving the shinobi in the hallway to decide things for themselves.
Aoi looked over his group, seeing Migota having bags under her eyes and sensing the weariness from the other two. "I'll take first shift, you all go get some rest." Nodding, all went to their room to rest. Aoi stood in front of Kou's door, expanding his senses and becoming wary of any attack that might be made.
The hallway was more or less silent, but Aoi's eyes flicked open when he heard a slight sound. It took but a moment before he relaxed slightly, assured that it wasn't someone coming to attack. Kodomo and Ryo walked down the hallway, chatting lightly. When Ryo's eyes lit upon Aoi however, he glared, effectively stopping any conversation the two had been having.
Aoi nodded his head toward the two in greeting, but that didn't seem enough for Ryo as he stepped forward looking like he had something to say. For a brief moment, they simply stood staring at each other, then the younger spoke.
"You saw my matches?" Aoi nodded slightly in affirmation. "Then you know how much I have grown." It was a statement, but Aoi nodded regardless. "This is all for the purpose of taking you down. I will get you to regret not saving Kaori." Aoi didn't say anything, and Ryo fidgeted slightly as it became awkward. Finally he huffed lightly. "You know, when I told you not to talk to me anymore, it wasn't a complete order! It's really awkward when you don't even respond!"
Aoi blinked at this, unconcerned. "You should keep your voice down, people are sleeping."
"I- ah- Whatever! Just you wait until I the day of your regret! I won't give up until it happens, that's a promise!" With that, Ryo turned and stormed into the room, just barely managing to not slam the door.
Kodomo, who had been a bystander in all this, rubbed the back of his head lightly. Because he stood there, he heard what Aoi had muttered under his breath. "I already regret that day." Turning, Kodomo was wide-eyed at the words. He looked about to say something, but Aoi was already leaning against the wall, seemingly deep in thought now.
He went to enter the room as well, but paused with one hand on the door before releasing the knob and turning to Aoi. "I have forgiven you Aoi." Sapphire eyes quickly met obsidian ones as he said this, and though this caused him to hesitate slightly, he went on with what was on his mind. "Of course I'm frustrated with what happened that day, but for some reason I knew there was nothing you could have done. Kaori was just that type of person, to give her life for someone she cares about.
"The past has happened though, and as much as I wish it could be, it can't be changed. You shouldn't dwell on it too much. I'm sure Kaori would be happy enough if you simply remember her. I hope one day, Ryo will realize this as well, and let go of the grudge he has. In the end, I am sorry that you are blamed for this Aoi, it isn't your fault."
Aoi continued to stared at Kodomo before letting out a small sigh. A smile came to his face, but his eyes held a saddened light. "I am sorry that she was killed in my place."
Kodomo's expression mirrored Aoi's. "And that is enough, for me at least." With that, Kodomo disappeared into the room. Aoi sat out in the hallway, still keeping guard. His thoughts though, were stuck in the past.
_+_
Hey guys! I'm actually kinda sorry for the long chapter, but I had a lot on my mind recently... Writing is a good escape for me, so well, super long chapter this time. Um, some updates on my life I guess... I had bronchitis, not just a cold, but am over that now! I did get injured during karate though... you see, I was doing a really fun kick, and I guess managed to slightly tear my hamstring... lets just say it didn't feel great. Enough sad things though! On to lighter topics!
If you haven't noticed, this book is approaching its 50th chapter! That right, there have been nearly 50 of these little rants. Anywhore, I'm planning a super awesome 50th chapter! What does this entail? FAN CHOICE! That's right, you're gonna choose what happens in the 50th chapter! Message or leave a comment to put a scenario up for consideration. Want to see Aoi in a bathhouse? Maybe have him sick? Heck you could suggest a birthday party for all I care! The point is, the 50th chapter is any scenario you want Aoi to be in. I'll pick either the most popular, the most fun, or all depending on the amount of suggestions you lot have. You have five chapters, including this one, to put forward a scenario. And why stop at one? Suggest what you will guys, I'm open for anything!
RQ: Imagine you're in the situation where you have a death note. Would you use it? If so, what for?
Anywhore, that seems to be it for this chapter, which including this note is nearing 6,000 words... -.-' Remember that you guys are all awesome people! I hope you liked the chapter, and if you did, go ahead and vote. Comment if you want. Um... And if you really are just in awe of all that is me, go ahead and fan. Pretty much, do what you want! I lurv you lot! Okay, this got mushy and crap, I'm just gonna vanish now. Hope you read the next chapter!
-Nicky~