It was light outside in the Hidden Mist Villiage and the atmosphere was as nice as it ever could be. Children played outside with eachother as their mothers talked from a close distance. Academy students were outside jogging laps around the school's training grounds. And Haruhi Suzumori sat in the middle of her bedroom floor with a scowl on her face that could rival that of one made by Mika Hayashi.
"Stupid good for nothing tool!" she said as she threw a metal object across the room. It was the tool that was given to her with her new whip. It was supposed to help put the small individual pieces together, but it was being difficult and Haruhi was getting frusturated. Patience was something Haruhi was lacking.
It was today that she had been ordered to clean her room by her mother, and so she decided she would also organize, clean, sharpen, etc. all of her ninja tools. Then upon finding out there was another box of spare metal pieces for her whip, Haruhi came up with the genuis idea to attach them all and simply seal the too-big-to-carry whip in a scroll.
Yeah. What a genius.
With a sigh Haru glared at the box of metal pieces and stood, going to get that tool again.
Okay Haru. Focus. The quicker your done with this...the sooner you get to eat. she told herself.
Many long and painful hours passed before she finished.
Upon completing her task Haruhi stood and shook out her sore hands, smiling down at her creation. She wasent going to measure it out but....the thing was really long. Her next struggle was going to be figuring out how to use it again, but that was a problem for another day. She walked over to her bed and looked out across it. There were her kunai holster and hip pouch, or "butt pouch", was what she called it, five kunai knives, ten shuriken, her cat o nine tails whip, her real paper bombs, the fake paper bombs, a lighter, her mothers knife sharpener from the kitchen, the bingo book Hayashi sensei gave her, her forhead protector, and the scroll she bought for her other whip. That was what she grabbed. She gently broke the seal and spread it out. She did a few hand signs and about a minute later, that huge whip was reduced and held within a small scroll that could easily fit in her 'butt pouch'.
With a smile she placed the scroll back on her bed and went to get some food from the kitchen. Her mother was not here today. She had gone to the market to buy groceries and items they needed to replace around the house. Like always, Haru's mother had left her some food on the table which she took back to her room. The next hour of her life was spent cleaning and sharpening her kunai and shuriken, cleaning her forehead protector, and writing on a piece of paper some things she needed to buy from the item shop. Her list consisted of bandages and medicine, as well as some smoke bombs that Hayashi-sensei had mentioned earlier. After she finished she was dabating wether to go to the shop now or later....
Upon looking outside, she noticed that the day had gone by already and decided to put off her shopping until tomorrow. With that, she put her list in her pouch along with her scroll and whip. She returned her kunai and shuriken to their homes and placed them all on the ground next to her bed. As she went to lay down and rest her eyes, her foot hit something that was left on her bed. It was the bingo book. She picked up the book and turned it over in her hands.
"Why have i never bothered to look in here?" she asked herself as she opened the cover. She immediately flipped to page fifty. She remembered her sensei's face was shown there. She looked at it for a moment, smiling at her sensei's scowl on her face.
"Like usual." she said flipping the page. After her was Kakeru Nobu from the Hidden Sand she read a bit of his page and aparently he had like three more arms. Creepy. Then Souta Riku from the Hidden Leaf, apparently a former ANBU like her sensei, a guy named Kaito Yori who looked like he could murder the world, next was Shougo Suzumori from the Hidden Mist who looked a little familiar, then a girl Nanami Yuuta from the Sand Villiage she was really pretty and looked rather harmless...but apparently had killed over 30 people, a younger man named Taiga Shin...... wait.
Huh?Haru's eyes squinted as she thought for a moment. Her eyes drifted to her window as she though back on the names of the people she just looked over. One stood out to her...but she shook her head, confused.
Maybe i read that wrong. she thought as she flipped back a few pages. As she landed on the one she though was familiar, her heart stopped.
That doesnt make any sense.....no way in hell. This...this has to be a mistake. she thought in her head as her eyes read the page for Shougo Suzumori. She stared at a picture of her father with that same smile on his face he always had.
Shougo Suzumori
This picture here had a giant "X" across it and as Haruhi read farther down the page, her disbelief turned to shock and a little bit of anger. He was an S-Ranked criminal wanted for kidnapping, murder, theft, and the list kept going.
"Oh no...please dont let this be true." she said aloud to herself as tears stung in her eyes.
My Father isint a criminal. He's a hero. He saves people....he... as her eyes fell to the bottom of the page she noticed the amount of reward there was placed on his head. It was not the number she was interested in, but in small print next to it read
"Claimed by Zakito Hon of The Hidden Leaf" With a gasp she threw the book across her room like it had burned her. It banged loudly against her wall but she didnt care. she simply brought her knees up to her chest and started to weep.
She didnt know how much time had passed before she heard her mother calling to her from the kitchen.
"Haru-honey! Come in here, i bought some new foods I'd like you to try. Oh! And the old guy who sells those yummy Yakitori we always buy next to the market, he's selling Okonomiyaki now and its delicious." she stopped speaking and Haruhi just ignored her. She didnt want to eat right now. She just wanted to sit here and cry.
"Oh, honestly Haru, come out of your room and come see what i've got. I bought ingredients for us to make some Takoyaki together tonight. Though this time i bought some pork, you know i dont like that octopus.. ...Are you even listening to me?" her mother asked. She was going to reply but only a sob came out when she parted her lips to speak.
Dammit, now she's going to come in and see me crying.[i] she thought miserably. And sure enough she heard her mother's footsteps approaching.
"Haruhi, you know i really dont like being ignored by-oof!"[b] her mother had opened her door and Haruhi threw a pillow at her. [b]"Mom, dont come in my room without knocking first!" she choked out. Her mother rubbed her face.
"Haruhi, i'm your mother. Children dont throw things at their parents, its disrespec-....Haru dear whats wong with you?" her Mother's voice quickly turned from stern to worried in an instant once she saw the look on Haru's face.
Haruhi felt the need to start crying all over again once her mother asked her what was wrong. She wiped her eyes before pointing to the bingo book she threw across the room.
"That book. That book....that book. she repeated until her mom went to retrieve it.
"Page fifty four...he...Father is in there. But its wrong. You told me he died because he was sick. But...that book says it was another ninja. He had killed him for money." she hugged her knees again and started rocking back and forth.
"Please tell me thats not true Mom. she begged.
As Mai bent down to pick the book up, she turned to page fifty four like Haru had instructed. sure enough she saw something she was dreading to see since his death. Her husbands face was in the book....and all of his secrets were exposed on this page. She looked over at Haruhi who was staring at her.
"Why dont you look surprised Mom?" Haruhi asked her.
"Where did you get this? she instead answered with a question. Haruhi hesitated and Mai watched at her expression of sadnedd turned to anger.
"You knew about this didnt you? All these years you kept this from me?" she asked accusingly, moving to stand up from her place on the bed. Mai closed her eyes and the book and paused before answering her daughter.
"I did it only to protect you." she said simply.
Haru glared at her mother.
"[i]Protect me? Protect me from what exactly!? You had me thinking all this time that my Father was a great man. That he was someone i wanted to be like. It was my reason to be a shinobi..... What do i have to look forward to? I'm related to a murderur and a theif! Now i know why none of our family members even want to talk to us. They are ashamed to be a Suzumori!! she screamed at her mother.
["I was trying to protect you from becomig cold and heartless. I wanted you to be happy. I wanted you to grow up different from the sad kids your age i see walking around this villiage. I see their eyes, inside they are hollow. Filled with fear and pain, and i didn't want that for you." her mother said calmly.
Haru rolled her eyes.
"Oh, i see now. I completely understand. What an amazing excuse for lying to me for MY ENTIRE LIFE.""Haruhi, please try to underst-""I HAD A RIGHT TO KNOW! I had a right to know, and become whatever i wanted to be from there. And you kept that from me! You stole my right to do what i wanted with my life. she paused and clenched her hands into fists.
"..... What other lies should i know about?' she asked.
Her mother hesitated, parting her lips before closing them and saying nothing.
Haruhi nodded.
["Well then. I'm leaving." she said as she walked past her mother to her closet. She grabbed a back pack she had bought in case the team had an away mission and began to pack it. She grabbed her other set of ninja wear, which was exactly like the one she was wearing, as well as two sets of pajamas.
"Haruhi, honey please stop and let me explain. she reached out and grabbed her wrist which Haru forefully jerked away from.
"No mom, dont touch me...if you even really are my real mom. How am i to know, that could just be a big fat lie as well." she snarled angrily at her mother.
Mai hung her head in defeat and watched as Haruhi reattached her hip pouch and kunai holster. Her eyes drifted to the window and saw that the moon had started to illuminate the villiage in its pearly glow. As she looked back at her daughter, she saw that she had taken her money saving pouch and shoved it into her backpack as well.
"Where will you go?" she asked her.
"I dont know yet. But I've spent enough years of my life in this house of lies." she said as she stormed out of her room. Haruhi heard her mothers footsteps following her as she reached the door to leave.
"Haruhi. At least wait until morning, it's dangerous out here at night." she said, hoping it might buy her a night to talk and explain everything.
Haruhi paused and walked back to her room to retrieve her bingo book. She placed it in her hip pouch and walked straight past her mother to the door.
"Mom, i can take care of myself. I'm sorry but...i just need some space right-" her sentence was cut off by her face getting smothered between her mothers boobs.
"I understand honey. I'm...i'm so sorry. Just please be safe. No matter what you may think right now...your still my baby, and you always will be. I will be waiting right here when you decide to come home."Haru simply stood there and let her mother hug her. She smelled like safety and comfort. Everything she wanted right now. But, it was nothing Haruhi needed. She waited until her mother released her before she turned, opened the door and walked out.
Each step was so hard to take. She was moving farther and farther for a place her entire being told her she needed to be free from, but was so familiar with at the same time. As she reached the road, she turned back to look at her mother's figure standing in the doorway. She gasped and tears threatened to start falling again as she saw her Mother smile and wave to her. Haru turned on her heels and took off in a run before she had a chance to go crying back home.
She didnt know where she was going, she simply ran deeper into the villiage center and pushed past a few people who a little more than upset at her rudeness. Before long she leaned against a building and crouched down to catch her breath. Her heart started to ache in her chest and she pressed a palm there and focused on her breathing. She felt weak and sick but after the pounding in her ears stopped, she started to come back into herself, and started noticing the sounds and smells of the villiage. Her stomach growled from not eating much during the day, and the smell of Takoyaki got her mouth watering as well.
As she looked for the source of the smell, she thought about where she could go. Living on the street was not an option. Once she found the vendor, she bought a whole box of fresh made Takoyaki balls and started devouring them at once. when she found time to breathe she asked him
"Do you by chance know where Mika Hayashi lives?" the guy paused and thought for a moment.
"Mika Hayashi you say? ...hm...is she the mean looking one with black hair? he asked her. Haru hesitated. She supposed there was really no one else but Hayashi sensei that "looked" mean.
"Um, yes. she said unsure.
"Yeah i think i seen her around here. What a devil she is. She goes around glaring at the backs of people heads... She like's that damn rat Yashitori's Noodles though. Dont know why. He probably puts drugs in those noodles. Probably why she has that frown on her face. He probably tricked her mind! Made her keep coming back and gettin them nasty noodles and suffer! Oh, poor girl! Let me give you a piece of advice young one, dont ever trust a noodle guy! Their shifty, just like noodles!" "Uh huh..." she said with a frown.
"Thanks mister." she said before walking off. She heard him mumble something else about noodles but ignored him, and continued to eat her Takoyaki. After a few minutes she reached the Yashitori Noodle Shop and went inside. It was really packed and she looked around to see if her sensei was maybe inside. she didnt see her.
Oh she probably doesnt like to eat out with people... she thought. She went up to the counter and called for the cook.
"Yashitori-san!!! Can you come here for a second.he looked around.
"What!? Who's callin me!? she heard him say and he lumbered over once he saw her hand waving.
["Hey. Ain't it a lil late fer you to be out her this time of night? he asked her.
"Yes it is. Which is why i need your help. I'm looking for Mika Hayashi, do you know where she lives?"Usually i see her coming up from that there street on over that way." he said pointing to the left outside a window where a few building were lined up.
"Okay thanks Mister." she said before leaving again. She heard him yell at her to come back sometime for some noodles but she kept on going.
She started getting a little scared as she walked along the road. The road kept getting darker and darker and she started seeing less and less people. At one point she asked a stranger if she knew where her sensei lived and she pointed to a three story nice looking building on the right side of the road. She skipped up to it and knocked on the first door she saw. She waited a moment and a large guy who looked like he could use Haru as a toothpick opened the door.
She took three very large steps backwards.
"Um, I was....wondering if you knew which uh...which floor Mika Hayashi lives on?"The guy glared at Haruhi for a long time and she sized him up, trying not to look as piss pants terrified as she was.
"Three." he grunted and slammed the door shut in her face. Haru squealed in fear as he did, and did not take a moment before she slowly trekked up the stairs to the third floor. She knocked on the first door again and waited. This time a little girl answered and she screamed and ran away when she saw Haruhi.
What the hell...? Haru though to herself. She frowned a bit annoyed. Its not like Haruhi was ugly or something. A woman came to the door then.
"Can i help you?" she asked a bit annoyed.
"Um, yes. I was wondering which of these is Mika Hayashi's place?" Haruhi asked the woman. She pointed to a door in the opposite corner of the hall.
"Oh. Thank you miss. Goodnight." The woman muttered a goodnight as well and closed the door. Haruhi slowly walked over to the door where her sensei apparently lived and sighed. She raised her hand to knock on the door but paused.
Did she really think that her sensei would actually say yes if Haru asked to come and live with her? She didnt realize how unlucky her chances were that she was going to get a yes. Hayashi sensei had to see her at trainings and missions, as if she would actually put up with seeing Haruhi at home too. This was supposed to be her one retreat away from her pesky little students. With a groan she lowered her head and since she was standing so close to the door, it landed with a very loud and painful thud against it.
"Ow!" she whisper yelled and rubbed her head. With another annoyed sigh she simply leaned her head against the door and closed her eyes.
She started thinking about the time her and Hayashi sensei were doing their first training together. She remembered what her sensei had told her that day.
''Hurting people. Killing them. Deceiving them. Its part of a kunoichi's life. If you're weak, then you're nothing.''And she had lashed out angrily, not wanting to believe her words.
"What about protecting people, making the world a safer place for everyone!? You think I can just accept the idea that all I can do with my life is hurt those who care about me, or even innocent people? I won't accept that!"But in the end her sensei was right. All that she could do was hurt people and be hurt. Just like her Father had apparently done over and over again. It was not like she could go back now, change everything and leave all this behind. She didn't want to, but even if she did, it wouldn't matter. She was stuck.
The tears started falling before she felt them and could make an attempt to hold them back. She had tried not to cry anymore because she was afraid of looking weak but since no one was around this time, she let herself go. She pressed her palms to the door and let her tears fall onto her feet. She cried because all the pain of losing her Father had rushed back into her. She cried because she felt betrayed by her mother, and she cried because she had just learned the truth; that her reasons for wanting to become a ninja were now just dust. She was angry at the man who killed her Father for a reward.
Zakito Hon was his name and he had done so much more than just kill her Father, he had taken away her everything.
As she stood there pitying herself and drowning in her tears, she failed to notice footsteps coming from inside the closed door. It was not until she nearly fell over when the door swung open that she realized what was going on. She looked up and was looking into those same eyes she remembered from not too long before when she was with her sensei. They were not warm and kind like her Mother's, they were not bright and happy like her Father's, but they belonged to the only person Haruhi felt she could truly trust as of now.
"Hayashi-sensei..." she choked out relieved, and before she could stop herself she stepped forward and hugged the waist of her sensei tightly. She didnt care if she was going to be yelled at or pushed away. She simply needed a hug, and right now, her sensei was a victim of that need.
The woman was taken by surprise. If she hadn't notice it was Haruhi, she would have lashed out and tried to strangle the other. Almost stumbling back, Mika looked down on the girl that hugged her. Frowning, Mika wavered. She wasn't one for hugs and Haruhi should know better. The right hand of the young woman was placed on the head fo the young girl. For a moment, the woman just stood there with the young girl hugging her.
''Its kind of late.'' Mika began with a calm tone. To be honest, she wasn't sure what Haruhi was doing here or how she had found out where she lived. The girl was neither a tracker nor a sensor, so Mika grew a bit curious and thus decided to wait until Haruhi would speak up.
It took Haru a good few moments to calm down to the point where she felt she could speak without bursting into tears again. She peeled herself, almost reluctantly, from her sensei and reached into her hip pouch to retrieve the bingo book. She opened it and turned to page fifty four. Her eyes hovered on the picture there for a moment before she held it out to her sensei.
"I think...i might need a new reason for wanting to be a shinobi. Turns out i was being naive in how i thought that people who are say to love you are not supposed to hurt you."She wiped her eyes and looked up at her sensei.
"My mother knew about him, and about what he did. And even when I told her i wanted to be like him, she'd just smile and never told me that this was what i was aspiring to be." she looked down then and bit her tongue. She did not want her sensei to think she had a distaste for those faces in the book, because Haruhi was getting to know her sensei more and more, and she did not seem like a ...monster. She just never thought she would see someone she thought she knew everything about, who she saw as a hero, could be in those pages.
She sighed then and ran a hand through her hair. She felt the tears coming along again, but she held them back.
"I know it's late and im sorry if i woke you up...but i dont have anyone else that i can trust. I-...I left home and i dont have anywhere else to go...so, do you think i could maybe stay here until i figure something else out?" she felt as though a rejection was coming so she kept speaking.
"Um, and i wont be a bother, you wont even know that i'm here. And i can clean if you need me to, and i can even pay you. I have savings, so money so really not a problem. ...Please?" she asked.
''Second door on the right.'' Mika's voice sounded. The woman became quiet for a moment. The decision was taken fast, but she had her reasons for it. Lowering through her legs as she gently pushed Haruhi back, both hands on the shoulder of the young girl, Mika looked rather seriously.
''Listen up.'' She began.
''You and only you can find a reason to become a shinobi. As for knowing it, I knew it as well. So know that you can stay, but are aware that nothing will change. You can live and make use of the place. But don't grow attached nor fond of me. Remember, I can't help you with anything. Now.'' Mika's look became a bit softer. She raised up and kept her hands to drive Haruhi away from the front door.
''The room isn't a real mess and you need to get up early. So go to bed and rest out. You'll need it.'' Mika said as she closed the front door. Her place was rather an example of some luxury, but nothing too much. Most of the time she wasn't even around here. Turning around, the woman scratched her left shoulder. The decision of letting Haruhi stay didn't somehow bother her. Strange. Shrugging, she tried to stay indifferent about it.
Haruhi was surprised, sad, happy, and exhausted all at the same time. She didn't want to bother her sensei any more than she needed so she said a quick thank you, took her book back, and went to the comforting seclusion of the spare room.
She looked around as she went inside and closed the door. The room was nice and what made it great was that it looked nothing like her room back home. The bed was perched on the far side of the room instead of next to the window like at home, and her closet was in a different place as well. She went to stand next to the bed and she dropped her bags before walking over to the window and looking out.
It was dark, but as usual the moon looked out over the entire villiage, as if protecting it from the monsters that hid in the darkness of night. Haruhi wiped her eyes again, getting rid of the stray tears that pooled on her lids. She noticed it hurt as she did, the area under her eyes was raw and painful to touch, but she ignored it and focused on her problem at hand.
She needed a new reason to be a shinobi. But what did she have that was worth all of this pain?
As she pondered an answer to her question, she couldnt help but think about the act of kindness her sensei had just done for her. For reasons unknown to Haruhi, her sensei had allowed her to stay and live here, and that was something she would forever be grateful for.
Haruhi slowly pulled the curtains of the window all the way apart and frowned. She felt in her heart that wanting to protect the people she loved was a good enough reason to be a shinobi still. No matter what her Mother did, she would still always protect her. She wanted to protect her sensei, and her teammates, her villiage that grew her and nurtured her and taught her...she felt an amazing since of pride to be a part of the Hidden Mist, and be surrounded by people who cared about her. Even if they did not say it, she knew she could count on the people of this villiage. So this was reason enough to want to keep going.
But now that she knew the truth about her Father, she had to go down a different path to greatness. She had to be free of his shadow and take it upon herself to make a name for her family. For the longest time, she had thought there was no greater, or stronger a shinobi than her Father was, and yet he had been defeated by a ninja of the Leaf Villiage. She needed to know who this guy
Zakito Hon was. She knew his name would haunt her dreams until she confronted him about this, but the way she felt about him killing her Father, was an odd one indeed.
She did not want to kill him. Killing would just continue the cycle of anger, someone close to him would want to find her and end her then, and she couldn't protect his villiage if she was dead.
I just want to beat the living daylights out of him. Haruhi made a fist then and the look of sadness turned to one of determination.
"This guy...whoever he is...thinks he can just do whatever the hell he wants? Kill whoever the hell he wants? Well i'll show him. I'm going to get stronger...i'm going to become a better shinobi and kick that guys ass! Then he'll know...then everyone will know, that there is NO shinobi that is stronger than a Suzumori!" In her new found determined anger, Haruhi lashed out with her fist and it hit the window, her hand went straight through the glass and she squealed once she realized the damage she'd done. Carefully removing her arm from the hole she created, a gust of the cool night air came through and gently blew at and lifted her honey blonde hair.
With a sigh she used her foot to move the bits of glass that fell inside into a pile on the floor. Then she simply went to sit on her bed and rub her sore hand. She felt good with what she had come up with. Work hard to protect her friends, family, and the villiage....and train harder than ever to be strong enough to take on the guy who killed her Father. Once she had achieved that she didnt know what she would do, but it was pointless to think that far ahead.
She nodded to herself and sat there for a moment and looked around. She decided to probably get something to fix that window, so as reluctant as her body was to move, she stood and stretched, walking back over to the door.
Mika returned to her room. So Haruhi had found out about that little ugly secret? The woman heard the sound, glass shattering. For a moment the woman almost would head over to see if her student was doing alright. But she figured that if Haruhi would get it cold, it was now her own fault. Sitting behind her desk, Mika was searching through some documents. They were about some things, but nothing too important. For those who knew nothing regarding them. The faint light of the lamp on her desk made the rest of her room dark, not revealing the content of it.
''I will continue tomorrow.'' She whispered to herself, a bit frustrated as she stood up and stretched out.
As she opened the door and walked out, Haruhi looked around the dark place. For some reason she had a feeling someone was watching her so she slid along the walls until she found a light. She thought about finding her sensei and telling her the window was broken but was worried she might get upset about it.
Maybe i could say it was a bird that crashed into it...? she thought to herself as she walked down the hall and stopped at the door that had light coming from the inside.
Wait....there would be blood or feathers or something like that if it was a bird. Thats no good. Hm...what about a burgerler? .....No, that wont do. She's likely going to want to hunt them down and wring their necks. She sighed and hesitated knocking on the door. This was so stupid and childish because, the fact was that Haruhi doubted her sensei would really care....but this was just an an amazing excuse to get her sensei to stay with her. Haruhi was being selfish...because she just didn't want to be alone. It was odd that her sensei was actually tolerating her being annoying this time. This was going a little far, perhaps stretching her boundaries a little bit, but she had something to gain, and nothing to lose really. So she knocked on the door.
Mika froze for a second. She was near her bed as Haruhi knocked on the door. Turning around, Mika walked to the door and opened it, seeing the young girl. Because she was at home and thus more relaxed, Mika didn't look with a cold glance in the direction of her student.
''Can't sleep?'' Mika asked, but she figured already that would be the answer. Leaning against the door post, she waited for Haruhi's answer.
Haruhi gave a small nod before looking up at her teacher.
"Um, i also might have broken the window....accidently of course. I'm not sure how to fix it." A smile formed at the corner of Haruhi's mouth as she thought of something that was rather silly, but would be great if she got away with it.
"Um, could you come and take a look at it?" she asked her sensei innocently.
The woman looked at her student and sighed. Closing her eyes for just a second, Mika thought about a solution. She wasn't in the mood to check it out now or to even try to do something about it.
''Grab your mattress and stuff. You can sleep here.'' Mika told Haruhi as she straighten up, turning around and walking back into her own room.
Haru's eyes widened for just a second but she wasted little time and ran back to the other room. She went to her bag and took out her pj's and quickly put those on before walking over to the bed. She took the pillow and held it between her teeth as she grabbed the matress and pulled it off the bed frame. She couldn't help but skip in excitement as she pulled it back to her sensei's room. This was way better than what she had thought about before.
Sitting on her bed, Mika was reading a book, already with a sheet covering her lap. A faint light of a lamp, on a little desk, right to the bed of Mika was the only light source now. Looking up from her book, the woman said nothing before continue to read. It seemed she wasn't bothered by Haruhi's excitement as she had been during their first few meetings together.
Once Haruhi finished setting up her little space, she paused and looked around.
Oh, wait i forgot my blanket... she reminded herself and walked back to retrieve it. She thought about bringing the rest of her stuff but decided not to, she wasent moving into her teachers room afterall. After closing the door, she slowly trotted back, almost slipping on the long sheet about halfway there. When Haru entered her sensei's room she closed the door with her foot and laid down on the mattress. A moment passed and she stared up at the ceiling, unsure of where to look.
Mika said nothing as she turned a page. It was like she wasn't aware of the fact one of her students was now trying to sleep in her room. But she knew better. Without turning her eyes from the book, she started to talk.
''I take it that you want to talk about what you discovered today?'' Mika asked, still continue to read her book. Haruhi thought about that question for a long moment before speaking.
"Yes and no i suppose. Part of me wants to talk about it, but part of me is saying that knowing more wont change anything. Theres no point in making myself hurt more." she said quietly.
Her sensei listened to the words of her student, putting the book slowly away.
''You won't grow without a hint of pain. But its your decision.'' Mika calmly responded. She knew that Haruhi had a great deal of trust in her. After all, she had came to her place. Though Mika was wondering why Haruhi placed so much trust in somebody that killed her family without thinking twice, the woman realized she didn't want to think about it. Some part of her wanted to believe something.
"I dont know what i want." she said, covering up her head with the blanket. She felt on the verge of tears again and her chest started getting tighter and tighter.
"Can you just...tell me a story?" she asked, her voice cracking a little.
Asking a person like her to tell a story? Mika almost scoffed at it, but didn't do it. Leaning back, her back against the wall, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
''What kind of story do you want to hear then? You are aware you're asking me... a story...'' She said, sounding a bit amused as she looked from the faint cover of light towards her student. If there was more light, Haruhi would've likely seen the woman smiling even!
Haruhi did not remove the blanket from her head. She thought about changing her mind, maybe this was going a little to far.
"I mean, you dont have too. I would just rather talk about something happy." "Like princesses." she said, smiling slightly.
Princesses? Mika wavered as she tried to think of a story. And all she could think of were stories on how grim and tough the ANBU training were in the days of the Fourth Mizukage. Nothing that really came in same genre as the stories Haruhi was asking for, without a doubt. But she had a suggestion.
''What about a real story of a boy that started as nothing, but became somebody?'' Mika offered.Haruhi moved the covers from her head. That actually sounded like a nice story.
"Alright. Lets hear it. she said, turning to face her sensei.
As she wanted to hear the story, Mika seemed to think or ponder about something.
''I am not really in the mood to keep talking and risking to repeat something. Come.'' Mika instructed her student to come to her, but using the moments to formulate the story inside her head. Haruhi hesitated for only a second.
No way....she actually wants me to come over there. Yes! she fangirled in her head before getting up and hopping onto the bed with her teacher. The smile on her face was big and childish but she didnt care. She simply scooted over and snuggled under the covers before her sensei would have a chance of changing her mind.
With Haruhi near her, Mika began.
''His name was Takeshi and he was born around twenty years back. Here in Kirigakure as well. A boy, not part of any clan. Somebody that wanted to become a shinobi and tried his best to be as good as he could be. He however had not really a talent like a prodigy or something.'' Mika started to tell the story on a calm tone as she paused. Though it sounded like Haruhi could find some common ground with this Takeshi person, Mika told her the truth.
''So he tried to train differently, trying to find how he could become good. That he could serve Kirigakure. Training hard and for years, he managed to develop a fighting style that became his unique one. He is called Chakra Breaker by most who know him.'' Mika told her student, pausing to wait if she wanted her to continue.
The guy in the story made Haruhi think about herself. It made her happy, and was almost like a validation that if she kept working hard, she could become renowned too, just like this Takeshi guy. Once her sensei stopped talking she looked up at her so she could continue.
Seemed the story had the desired effect. She took it in a positive manner. Mika took the few moments when she wasn't needed to continue the story to keep thinking on how she could continue the story. Seeing that Haruhi wished to hear more, Mika then continued.
''It took him, like I said, quite some years before he managed to become good with his fighting style. Eventually, he managed to grasp the Lightning Chakra nature. Even to the point he is rumored to be able to use a series of lightning techniques that were developed by... Zakito Hon.'' Mika said. Again she waited to see what the reaction of her student was, knowing the name of the Hon was likely one she wouldn't forget soon.
Haruhi's eyes narrowed when she heard the name of the guy who killed her Father.
So that guy is a Lightning user as well.... She frowned as she thought about how strong this guy had to be in order to create his own techniques. Strong and smart he had to be in order to do something like that. She became a bit more interested in the story and hoped she would learn a little more about Zakito.
The frown was enough that Mika wouldn't continue on the last part. It wasn't that big part, but more information about the lightning abilities of Takeshi.
''Even to the point he was allowed to being appointed to get the rank of Jounin and is now leading his own team. And becoming my best friend.'' Mika concluded her story, briefly looking away as she thought of Takeshi. If he would see her now, he would likely never let her forget she was acting as nice as she could do.
Haruhi waited a few moments before speaking to make sure it was over.
"Thats all?" she asked, not really dissapointed but hungry for more really.
"That was a good story i suppose...though we might need to work on your story telling skills."Mika glanced back at her student and scoffed.
''Don't even dare to go there now. I did said I am not a good person at telling stories that are all happy and such.'' Mika retored before she paused. Then she leaned to the right side to put out the light.
''But you should sleep, tomorrow is going to be an early day.'' Mika said, turning the light out. She was already expecting the girl not able to sleep, but the woman wasn't sure if she could tell another tale. Not one as fun as that of Takeshi's was.
"Oh, fine." she agreed with her teacher. She stayed where she was, not sure if she was supposed to go back to her matress or not.
"Did you want me to move?" she just asked.
''Did I ask that?'' Was the response of Mika as the woman turned her back to Haruhi and laid her head on the pillow. Haruhi stared at her sensei's back, not answering her. She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep, though her mind was awake and active. Mika relaxed as she had closed her eyes. But she could hear Haruhi. By listening to the girls breathing, Mika was guessing the girl wasn't sleeping yet. Not a real surprise, but Mika waited patiently. Maybe Haruhi would fall asleep on her own soon?
Haruhi scooted as close as physically possible to her sensei without actually touching her.
"You know what sensei, I bet if i was older like you, then we would be best friends." she said quietly, almost whispering even.
"And then whenever you were sad and bad things happened to you, I could be there for you and we could have sleepover's like this. We could have fun and make happy memories for you..." It was then that the weight of the day was lifted off her shoulders and she suddenly felt close to passing out. But with great effort, she willed herself not to fall asleep just yet. She still had one more thing to say.
"Then maybe if your student came to you and asked you for a story, you would have a few better ones to tell." With a yawn she stopped speaking and closed her eyes. A few moments later she was drifting off into sleep.
And as Haruhi drifted away in sleep, there was a single tear rolling over Mika's cheek. She stayed silent, her eyes half open as she stared to nothing. The woman had let Haruhi talked, but the words had more effect than she even had expected. There was an old feeling coming back up and Mika knew that she wouldn't have a
nightmare this night. Not this one.
