The light may dim, but it is never extinguished(p)

How long.....how long had it been since he had walked through these gates.  His gaze moved across the gates of Konoha.  Standing outside he was quickly greeted by several guards, who after only but a word left him to his business.   The Akari family, perhaps not one of the pillars of Konoha, was still respected enough to allow its members certain rights.  Politics.....that was the word for it.  However, the man who stood at the gates had never had much time for such things.  His life instead had been more about......forceful negotiation.  

Standing tall Akashingo began to walk inside of the village.  If one cared to look at him, and knew him at all it would be obvious that something was amiss.  First off this was the first time in almost 17 years he had been inside the village.  A long absence, needed by an even longer mission.  This mission had only recently been concluded, and its conclusion was written all over his body.  His feet bare, as his sandals had broken off in the run.  His clothes covered in dirt, as they had been soiled by the confrontation.  His sword chipped and stained with red, for it had been the main point of his negotiation.  

It was a solemn reason he had returned to the village after all this time.  His mission would have  stretched another year at least had events not unfolded like they had.  However at the news that Aoiro Akari had died meant he had no choice but to return.  The secret message had found him but 2 nights ago.  Upon reading it, the fate of the group he had infiltrated had been sealed, and another threat to the Akari had been extinguished forever.

Aoiro the Blue light had been one of Akashingo's comrades in their youth.  Together they worked the front lines of the clan, no team had eliminated more threats than them.  It seemed their success would continue on forever, until a simple mission had forever changed that.  Aoiro's leg had been taken from him, and as such he no longer walked the front line, but instead sat at the council of elders.  A position Akashingo had vehemently argued for being a member himself.  In the end his words had reached his brother the clan head, and Aoiro was made a member.

Moving through the streets he soon found his way to his home.  Entering, the house was probably one of the most simple in the district.  Only three rooms, none of substantial size.  Even though he had been gone all this time, upon entering it was obvious his house had not been left to decay.  A single female came in each day no matter Akashingo's own where abouts, and cleaned, and kept the house ready for his return at any given moment.  As he entered his home, he first made his way into the back room.  There he stripped and showered.  Fresh clothes brought to him by the young girl.  Never did he look at her, never did he speak to her.  She did the same.  Her task was to anticipate, if he needed to speak than she had already failed.

When he was dressed, he sat at his small table where a cup of hot tea already sat infront of him.  Breathing in the steam, he reached for the pen and paper that had found its way in his hands path.  A quick note was scrawled and sent away to his brother.  He had arrived.  Finishing the tea, he removed himself to the back bedroom.

Leaving the back bed room with the girl still inside, he began to walk towards where the funeral was to be held.  Akashingo was 53 years old at this time.  His hair was not yet totally grey, his beard instead of long was cut short and neat.  No X shaped scar covered his face.  His blonde hair had a dusting at the temples but for the most part was still bright.  In the robes of mourning, he soon found himself at the meeting place.  It was here he would meet with the family, the body would be seen for last respects, and then they would continue the ceremony.

(704)

"Hana-chan, are you ready?" It wasn't a rebuke per say, the teenager reasoned as she scrutinized herself in front of the simple mirror atop her bathroom sink. No, it was a question. And yet her sister had a way of pronouncing everything so that it sounded like Akihana was either in trouble or about to be.

"Almost," the blonde called out, tucking her fringe neatly behind an ear and patting the twin pigtails for good measure to ensure they didn't look hastily constructed. Deep brown eyes gazed into the reflection, a small frown creasing the pale forehead of the fourteen year old currently studying herself as though preparing to critique a work of art for lessons. To be fair, Akihana really was looking rather critically at the girl in the mirror simply because she knew Senristu and Oka-sama would be doing the same not five minutes later. Better to catch anything off right now than be disgraced in front of her older sister, again.

The simple black mourning dress she wore would probably pass, the girl considered. Not because it was simple enough or because it suited her particularly well. No, the dress would survive anything the other women of the house could think to throw at it simply because it used to belong to Senritsu at one time and it was a hard learned fact that Senritsu's things were usually perfect. Her hair however were not so lucky. Where her sister had been blessed with wheat gold, silky straight hair that could be tied into neat plaits, Akihana had inherited the far more exuberant golden waves more common in Akari males. Her mother often referred to Akihana's hair as "loud" in a highly disapproving tone.

"We will not be late to Aoiro-sama's funeral because of you, child." This time, the tone was sharper, making Akihana look behind her instinctively for her mother. One last glance at the looking glass and she was bounding down the stairs. It was a well known fact that when mother spoke that way, no one argued with her. Not even Senritsu.

"I'm here mother," the youngest blonde uttered, stopping at the last step to take in the combined disapproving looks of both her mother and sister. Was it her hair again, was it too loud? Akihana wished she knew how to make it quiet but she had never worked up the courage to ask her mother what that meant and how she could remedy it.

"At least put some black ribbons on them," her mother murmured and as if by magic, Senritsu was moving towards Akihana, the aforementioned pieces of ribbon already in her slender fingers. In less than a minute, her sister had tugged the two pigtails in place and tied them with dark ribbon.

"Now let's leave, and I assume you do plan to walk normally?"

A deep pink dusted across the youngest Akari's face as she belatedly realized her hasty descending of the staircase had not been taken well. In a way, she wished it was mother who had admonished her though. Mother at least had the decency to sound as she felt - disappointed, disapproving and frustrated most of the time. With Senritsu though, her voice was always smooth, leaving Akihana guessing if the slight in her sister's words was real or simply imagined, a product of the constant inferiority she felt every day when compared to her older sister.

"Gomenasai, Senritsu-neysan," the medic in training murmured, bowing her head slightly to show she really meant it. Living with her family had instilled the importance of apology in Akihana at an early age. The rule of thumb was to just apologize because if she felt she had done something wrong or if someone implied as much, then she probably had done something worth apologizing for.

"Enough, we must leave. Your grandfather will be there too. Senritsu, make sure Akihana does not disgrace herself in front of him." With the final order given, the three Akari females left the house, walking in silence as befitted a congregation dressed in black heading to a funeral, each immersed in their own thoughts. If Akihana had to guess, she supposed mother would simply be worrying about how her daughters were presented. The teenager had come to learn that sad occasions did little to deter judgement on parenting so it was a constant worry on Oka-sama's mind. The blonde couldn't begin to think what thoughts plagued her sister as Senritsu often seemed above things like worry and fear. As for herself, Akihana simply wondered how long the service would last. In the fashion of typical teenagers, the girl had no wish to spend hours hearing stories of a clan elder she had never known.

Not that it would be her choice in the end. Akihana knew she existed for only one reason, to listen to her mother and sister. And as they kept reminding her, she wasn't even very good at that.

(827 words)

"How long has it been my friend.  Your strength was not so dimmed.  Your light was still so bright, and now I find you here.........I find you like this.  It shows how the strongest among us are cut down by the reapers scythe.  All your strength gone, and your life long legacy scribbled in ledgers."  In his mind Akashingo recounted the adventures and missions they had long performed all those years ago.  Their time together had been one of the best of his life, and now as all things tend to do, his friend lay forever still.

Akashingo was currently in the room alone.  Afforded the right of a private viewing of the body before the remainder of the clan would arrive to pay their respects.  The room was lit with many candles as was tradition.  The clan had gone all out to find special wicks to make the flames burn a bright blue, giving the room a haunted glow.  Akashingo's hands slid up and down the casket that held his brother in arms.  

A sickness they told him.  The common flu had entered his body and ruined it of life.  Something so miniscule, something so removed from the fields of honor.  Shaking his hands gripped the side, white knuckled.  A thin line splintered out from his grip along the course of the hard wood.  Almost undetectable unless someone was looking down in shame or embarrassment.  "I cannot avenge you from this Aioro.  I Cannot bring you honor in your passing for you have gone beyond where my light reaches.  I hope you find yourself in the presence of whatever deity you believed in.  If not.....I hope you give that after life hell until I get there."  With that he stood up straight and removed himself from the dead.  Opening the large double doors he allowed the remainder of the clan pay their respects.

His brother, the clan head was seated within the room shortly after it had opened.  As tradition dictated each member of the family moved forward bowed to the clan head, moved to the body to pay their respects, and then found their seat.  The main family sitting nearest and the more distantly related in the back.  Akashingo stood at the doors to shake hands with each member as they walked in.  For many this was the first time seeing him in almost two decades, for others it would be the first time.  Since his last time in the village he had heard he was gifted with a nephew and another granddaughter.  

His son...was less than he could have hoped for.  A secretary to the leader....two daughters......no notable differences made.  To some he would have been ideal, a man who had not brought any dishonor on the family, however to Akashingo....to live a life and not bring honor to the family was as bad as dishonoring it with actions.  His eyes remained in their golden state as he watched and met the gaze of each member.

The golden eye was a rare gift to the Akari clan, and at a funeral of a prominent member it was often shown off.  TO maintain the golden eye required focus and energy.  To hold it throughout the procession and service was a statement of respect and adoration for the deceased.  As Akashingo continued to shake the hands of each member he continued to look out for his new relations.  Though some said he was to strict he still cared for his family deeply.  

He perfered this postion rather than the one next to his brother for a simple reason.  At the head seat you saw the faces and the moves of actors.  Seeking to impress.  However here as the doorman, you witnessed the true attitudes and actions of the clan.  His golden eyes missed nothing as each member continued to flood in.  He weighed them, by their gaze, their walk, the strength in which they gripped his hand as he shook them.  He had a worry the clan was going soft, and this was one of the first ways he could discern such things for himself.

For the most part he was pleased with what he saw, however these were meant to be the most prominent of the family.  A true test would come later when he walked and greeted those who had not afforded an invite to the blue lights funeral.  

30 minutes had passed, and the funeral was nearly ready to start when he witnessed his daughter in law and his two grand daughters arrive.  A caddy women, a women who wore a mask then revealed the snake skin beneath.  He had not approved of her for the most part.  Her breeding was good, but the product was not.  However, his son had married he and it was done.  It made him thankful his own wife had died all those years ago, had she been like this one.....well he didn't know if he could stand ever to return home.  

His granddaughter Senritsu was ideal......had she been borne male.  As it was there was nothing particular spectacular about her.  He was told she was a prodigy, matching manners and skill unrivaled.  However.....she was a women.  Her place was to bear sons and to attempt to not shame the family.  Everything else was.....optional.  Instead it was his other granddaughter that caught his eye.  Her hair reminded him of his own when it had been long.  Her face....resembled his own.  

As they approached he ignored her mother and sister and kneeled.  "Hello there.  Akihanna I believe?  My name is Akashingo, it is a pleasure to meet you."  His smile would appear for the first time since he had taken up sentinel for the doorway.  His face not as scarred as it would become still displayed numerous blemishes from combat.  His teeth though white, were absent a few molars from the numerous fights he had over taken for the family.  This was not a man who had won every battle with ease.  This was a man who had thrown himself into the mud and blood and wrestled the families honor from the belly of the beast.

He would wait to see her response.  The tales of his life were something.....but he had no idea what she had been told.  His golden eyes would meet her should she look up.  He was patient...he could wait for her to get her nerve up to speak.

(TWC = 1788)

Leaving the house with mother and Senritsu for a funeral always put Akihana in mind of dark clouds gathering. Being raised in a shinobi village, even those of relatively young age such as her were no strangers to the mysterious and all consuming concept of death and as a result, even in her fourteen years, Akihana had been to enough funerals to know the drill by now. Her mother, sister and herself would leave the house clad in mourning clothes not unlike wisps of a larger cloud, seeking out similarly clothed people until the crowd traversing the streets swelled into the big dark storm that gave the young girl the impression she had of funerals. When Akihana was five, the girl had made the mistake of speaking her mind at such an occasion, wondering out loud why it was that everything looked so gloomy, only to be given a sharp look by her mother and a pitying glance from Senritsu. Even at eight, her sister had somehow managed to appear wise and intelligent, making Akihana question herself and her own abilities of understanding social situations.

A question that bothered her to this day. If she and Senritsu came from the same stock, the problem must be with her...  The young blonde had never dared ask the question out loud but it had started to gnaw on her mind more and more of late. In truth, Akihana was not as socially awkward or inadapt at communication. A shy and quiet girl by nature, she was raised with all the traits prized in Akari women. She was soft spoken, polite, never looked directly at her elders and never questioned an order by her parents. On her own, she may have even been passable but all that changed when she stood next to perfect Senritsu with a natural ability to charm and intellect as sharp as the needles with which she made beautifully embroidered patterns.

They reached the funeral home promptly as the viewing began, the womenfolk separating into their own little groups as the men went ahead to pay their respects first. While her mother and sister engaged in the social balance of polite greetings and condolences offered among the group, Akihana contented herself by staying quiet. Not that anyone had much to say to her other than a casual greeting to which only a slight bow of the head was required. The kunoichi always imagined her sister gliding as she interacted with people, perfect composure, perfectly arched eyebrows to convey both the sadness few the situation as well as hope for the future. Akihana wondered how Senritsu did it, another question she would never find an answer to.

"Hana-chan, time to go in," her mother's terse voice interrupted her train of thoughts and the trio of blondes entered the room with the casket. The room had been lit with blue candles to honor the elder who had passed on and the medic in training wondered how they did that. As the three women bowed their head in prayer, Akihana found herself wondering how people prayed for complete strangers. Praying for someone you loved and respected made sense but generic prayers like the ones these women who had never known the diseased were pressing down upon his casket confused her. She couldn't do it, another thing that set her apart from her sister, Akihana could not conjure insincere emotions. So while her family prayed, she simply examined the casket, her dark brown eyes taking in the intricate detail on the wooden casing right down to the hairline crack that had splintered the wood somewhat. Staring at the little fracture somehow reassured the teenager of the realism in the situation. It showed that at least someone had been both upset and angry as they stood by the dead, someone had felt genuine regret and sorrow at Aoiro-sama's passing.

Once her mother raised her head, both daughters did the same, this being their cue to leave. The others were all congregating to the larger hall with seats already arranged. An older gentleman awaited at the door leading into the hall and Akihana looked up scrumptiously at the tall figure. Beyond him and through the door, she could make out her own father near the front. Being nephew to the clan head, he and his family were afforded front row seats, a fact his youngest daughter didn’t care for very much. It was harder to get lost in one’s own thoughts and not be called out on it. But for now even the slight disappointment at front row seats couldn’t deter Akihana from looking uo in awe at the man which family photographs and genealogy scrolls told her was her grandfather. Having never met him, Akihana nonetheless felt they were on even grounds. After all, he had never met her too. Her natural shyness taking over, the girl slowed her pace, effectively placing herself behind Senritsu who had no such qualms about meeting their grandfather for the first time.

"Honored grandfather," the seventeen year old breathed, dropping her willowy frame into a perfect curtsy. "It gladdens my heart that we meet, though I wish circumstances were better." Her mother is next to approach the golden haired man, dropping into a similar though less graceful curtsy due to her thicker frame. "Father, it is such a joy to see you again." A silence greeted both their statements before her mother‘s gaze collided with Akihana’s making her cheeks burn. The teenager knew that there would be consequences for the slip up later. Of course it was her turn to bow. Making her way hastily to the front of the line, the young ninja was about to drop into a more clumsy version of the curtsy Senritsu had pulled off when to her surprise, it was the man that dropped his posture, kneeling down to her height, his scarred and crinkled face nonetheless breaking into a smile as he looked at her with golden eyes.

As he introduced himself, a grin slowly spread across Akihana’s face. Forgetting all about bowing, the young kunoichi nodded. “Oji-sama,” she greeted, her voice inflected with a tone of brightness that seemed out of place in the funeral home and would no doubt earn her mother’s ire. It wasn’t that she was loud, Akihana was never loud – the subconscious fear of raised voices stemming from the constant criticism against her hair evident in this mannerism to anyone who knew her well enough – she was simply happy, and the note of happiness was out of place here.

“I know,” the young blonde replied. “I read about it in our record books, you and-“ her speech was cut off by Senritsu who moved to place a warning hand on Akihana’s shoulder, her slender fingers only slightly digging into her sister’s skin. Pain wasn’t the object with this gesture, it was more a warning. “I mean, my apologies grandfather,” the brown eyed teen muttered, her head already lowered in apology as was the norm.

“Akihana is still learning,” Senritsu spoke, making it sound as though her sister was still a child that hadn’t managed the complex art of speech at fourteen. “My condolences on Aoiro-sama’s passing Oji-sama. I can only imagine what you must be feeling.” Senritsu lowered her head respectfully too, though it was clear that she was doing it out of grace unlike her sister who had been shamed into it.

(1237 words)

The two Akari women who had offered a greeting would receive but the slightest of nods.  He had not spoken first to them, and because of that......at least in his eyes that had been out of turn.  When he had been a young man such things never would have occurred, and yet now it seemed almost common.  An annoyance, but one he would endure for now.  Instead his original actions went through with his bow and brief introduction to Aki.

His granddaughters voice was soft...shy, it reminded him of the white light of a low burning candle in a room of darkness.  Out of place, but burning with its own beauty.  In fact as she spoke he could feel his smile grow wider.  This was how it was meant to be.  He had begun the conversation and she had responded appropriately.  That was until a new voice was heard.  The other daughter, the "perfect" one had interrupted her.  The hand had cut off the words that he longed to hear, and had elicited an apology.  The moment Senritsu began to speak a sharp snap could be heard.  So sharp that it caused many to turn and look.  It had been the older mans fingers that had made the snap somewhere in front of the eldest's nose.

"Silence is a virtue in children.  More importantly is the knowledge of when to speak.  That moment is when spoken to.  Yet.....I have not spoken with you at all.  I hope you will remember that in the future as you grow older and attempt not to shame this house."  The smile was gone, the gentle words replaced with a much sharper tone.....if sharp was even the word for it.  Not it wasn't sharp it was worse.  It was nothing but factual.  Indisputable logic form the house of the Akari.  Raising to his full height he would look at this daughter in law of his.  "I hope you have been trying to teach this one better than this.  She is the oldest, yet I fear she does not know her place.  You can go take your seat."

His last words where not a suggestion and instead an order.  As the brother of the head of the clan, the chief of missions, it would be hard to find a man of higher authority in the clan.  His golden eyes would watch as they moved past him towards their seats.  Except as they did a hand would find Akihanna's left shoulder.  "You will stay with me I think."

As many more family members entered only two or three seats remained open.  The two most obvious to the two figures in the door way would be the seat next to the head of the family, the seat for Akashingo, and the seat adjacent to Senritsu that was to be for Akihana.  As they stood there Akashingo began to sink to the floor and lean agaisnt the wall.  Soon he would be sitting on the floor, the dirty entrance way floor yet this did not bother him.  Patting the ground next to him he offered the seat to Aki.

As they sat a speaker came out and began to speak.  It was dull......that was really the only word for it.  It filled his heart with sadness to think the last memory the Akar would have of Aioro the Blue Light was a dusty old lecturer talking about events that hadn't the least amount of bearing on the man that Akashingo had really known.  If Aki had sat next to him as motioned he would lean close to her.  

"These things are a bit boring I have always thought.  Tradition though, no matter how boring needs to be upheld.  Though.....I defy you to find it in the scrolls it says I have to sit in that seat."  He would finish with a wink.  His words were a whisper, quit as to not disrupt the proceedings, but due to leaning so close to Aki she would be able to hear every words.  His breath came easy, a man confident in his own skin.  The smell of honey from his tea would be interlaced with every word he spoke.

"Would you mind if I tell you a story of the man I knew?  The real Aioro?"  He would wait, and perhaps for the first time Aki would have a real choice.  It was clear form his tone that the decision as to if she wanted to hear the story or not was completely up to her.  

(TWC=2548)

Head bowed, cheeks flaming pink and brown eyes to the ground wishing it would swallow her up whole in that instant, Akihana's head only jerked up to attention when she heard the sharp snap of her grandfather's fingers, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. For a moment, the fear in her eyes was evident. Had she done something wrong? Instinctively, her gaze flew to her sister, Senritsu was good at telling Akihana when she was wrong, so good she didn't even have to use words most of the time. One glance said it all.

Except for now.

At that moment, it was her honored sister who looked ashamed, her own head bowed in apology as her their grandfather admonished her. Akihana watched with horrified fascination as someone, anyone, called Senritsu out on something the older Akari had done. That was not how things went. It was usually the younger daughter that messed up. And despite all that her sister and mother had put her through, the young blonde still felt a pang of pity for both of them. No one deserved to be rebuked in such a public place. Mother would not be able to live this down, and father would certainly divide a fitting punishment for failing to reign in her daughters. The gossip among clan women was another matter entirely.

As the two older Akari made their way to the seats, sufficiently chastised, Akihana felt her grandfather's warm hand on her own shoulder, making her look up at the tall man with a question in her eyes. As a patriarch, it was well within his rights to order and instruct her to do anything his heart desired and yet, his statement sounded more like a suggestion, not something she had to obey. And it was this quality in his tone that gave her pause, making her nod her blonde head as she remained by his side. No one would grudge her that, not even mother or father could object to her staying by her grandfather's side on his wishes. Her two pigtails bobbed as she nodded, a tentative smile lighting her small, heart shaped face once more.

Her brown eyes widened in surprise however when he sank to the dusty ground where a hundred feet had trodden that day, her grin becoming a little wider when he gestured for her to do the same. Lowering herself neatly beside Akashingo, the teen sat with her curled knees beneath her, hands neatly folded in her lap as she leaned close to him. At his admission that he found such events boring and the challenge to find a rule that said they could not sit where they were, the little girl let out a soft, involuntary giggle.

"There is no rule," she confided in a whisper. "I read all the clan's history and scrolls in father's office." Together, they whispered like fellow conspirators as the lectures went on about the elder, someone Akihana hadn't known at all but now wished she had especially when she heard the wistful way in which Akashingo spoke of his lost comrade. It made the loss more real to her and the teen slipped her small hand into her grandfather's much larger palm, offering silent comfort where she could. When he offered to tell her a story, Akihana looked up at her grandfather, his own sincerity reflected in her brown orbs.

"I didn't know him very well," she confided. "But if you tell me about him, I will get to know him. And then I will be able to remember him just as you did, Oji-sama. And we can carry on his memory that much longer." It was a simple statement, made quietly into Akashingo's ear so as not to disturb the funeral proceedings. It also rang with her simple belief that to truly mourn someone, you had to know them. And she would be glad to know anyone her grandfather called a comrade.

Making her first real decision in a very long time, the kunoichi nodded. "Yes, please."

(674 words)

He listened to her words.  She had listened and the grin on her face showed that not many listened to her.  This was not an uncommon thing for females in the clan.  However, judging by her family she wasn't even being listened to by the other females in her family.  She was the second born though, like him.  He knew and remembered what that was like.  However, it was something that would make her stronger in the end, so she would endure.  His actions today would promise that when she went home she was in for hard times.  The scrutiny would be even greater, her sister even more high and mighty.  All these things would happen, he had known that from the moment he knelt before her, yet he had done it all the same.

She spoke like someone much older than she currently was.  Her mind was sharp and she understood the true meaning of mourning.  It wasn't the false mask like expression that the others wore, but a desire to really understand the man who lay in the box, instead of just going along like the rest.  Her simple word of yes though was what he had hoped for.

His voice was still low so no one but she could hear.  "Aioro the Blue Light is his name.  Many of us will gain a nick name depending on our preferred color of light.  I am Akashingo the Red Light.  Together in our youth we worked together.  We were closer than brothers.  When you are siblings you are forced to be close, when you choose your brother you learn what it means to be close.  Akihana, I hope as you grow.....you will find a friend who is half as loyal as Aioro was to me, and I will be able to count you one of the lucky ones."

He took a brief pause as hundreds of stories ran through his mind.  Each one a memory he would hold on until he joined Aioro in the next life.  As they flowed through his mind like a rushing river, finally he settled on a story.  "When I was 14 Aioro and I were asked to do a simple patrol mission.  It led us to outside the village to do a single lap and reveal what we saw.  It was around midnight, which is the time all good stories happen, remember that someday when you tell stories."  A quick wink accompanied this obvious alteration to his story.  "So there we were, outside the village when we both got ambushed."  His story told her about how they had been ambushed and with a quick word from Aioro they decided to give up.

"Sure we could have taken them.....but then what I ask you?  Would we have solved anything other than catching a couple bandits?"  His story went on how they were blindfolded and taken beyond the village further than he had ever gone.  It wasn't until they found themselves in one for the smallest villages he had ever seen was it revealed they were in the land of tea.  They were imprisoned and only because of Aioro did they keep themselves from trouble.  He spun a tale of how he was the third in line to take head of the clan and Akashingo was his watcher.  Somehow they believed them, the silver tongue of Aioro unrivaled by any he had ever met.

67 days they spent as prisoners learning the groups mission and goals.  Each day they were subject to some kind of torture, though he spun it to sound less gruesome than it had been.  His left index finger traced a long scar from his wrist to brachial artery almost absent mindedly.  "By the end we had everything we could hope for, and then we made our escape."  Licking his lips he smiled in memorium of the events.  It involved a cart, two cows, a case of fireworks, and a scandalously clad milk maid, though the real details were toned down just enough to be appropriate.  

"When we finally got back we were able to explain to the chief captain of missions what we had seen and done, despite them believing we had died.  The group had planned to kidnap the clan head."  He nodded towards his brother.  "They had agents inside the house as servants, had we not gotten back when we did then it surely would have gone through."  

He paused a moment.  "Akihana, I want you to remember something.  In this life you will find yourself in a situation.  A situation that you don't want to be in.  It will be horrible, painful, and you will long for it to end."  Looking her in the eyes his still activated golden eyes would look directly into her brown ones.  "That moment will pass, and you will be better for it.  However, I want you to remember this even more.  Each moment of this life has an impact.  Every moment is just as important as the last even if it isn't at first apparent why.  I went on a simple mission patrol and discovered a crime ring.  I was born second, which meant I could go on that mission.  Now...is that more important than the third day of my academy lessons?  Without that day my brother would have died, even if it seemed inconsequential at the time."

He would wait and let this sink in as the lecturer began to come to the end.  He had given her but the briefest of stories.  One that demonstrated Aioro has a quick talker and thinker.  One that showed he had lived, and his contributions to the clan were important.  He just wanted her to know....something of the man who had died.  Looking at her, he could still see a little of himself in her.  "I particularly want you to remember that after today."  He of course knew that she was in for it when she got home, even if she didn't know it yet.  Looking at the lecturer he would listen for the last couple minutes of the speech before he would have to stand and the procession would continue.

(TWC=3575)

Akihana listened to her grandfather quietly, her small frame still and her attention diverted to the man sitting beside her. Her mother had always taught her to listen to her elders but this time, the blonde did so out of interest and not duty and courtesy alone. The way her grandfather picked and chose his words when describing Aioro-sama made it clear how he felt about the dead man. His words on duty towards family but the luxury of choosing a friend also struck a strange chord with the genin. There had been no place for friends up until now in her short life, too busy had she been with keeping up with the responsibilities of being an Akari. A friend outside of the clan, outside these compound gates and outside of the current world of rules and regulations she lived in seemed as unreal as any fairy tale to the teen.

And yet her grandfather had clearly learned to break away from the sometimes suffocating presence of the Akari name. Since birth, every child of the clan had been taught that their surname, their clan, was bigger than anything they would ever amount to be. People were easily forgotten, it was families that remained and for those families to keep existing, everyone born into them had a part to play. Whether it was the males who advanced the clan through trade, women who secured the bloodline through marriage or children who ensured its continual existence by being infallibly loyal to it, everyone had a role in the hierarchy bestowed upon them at birth. Or so mother liked to quote as she brushed Senritsu's hair sometimes, claiming how her's used to be just as beautiful in her youth.

For a moment, the young kunoichi thought Akashingo was reading her mind as his words turned towards hardship and how to deal with it. He seemed adamant that any moment of hardship would pass, leaving her stronger. But more than herself, Akihana thought of the man beside her as he said those words. His many scars and marks were a testimony to the fact that he had seen more than his fair share of hard times. And if they had made him stronger, would it work the same way for her?"

"I particularly want you to remember that after today."

"I will," she resolved with a simple nod of her golden head. "I'll remember everything you tell me," she added with a shy smile before averting her brown gaze from his own golden one. Maybe one day she could have golden eyes just like him. "I know I'm not very strong right now, but I'm trying to learn from Mother and Neysan..." Her words trailed off, already hinting at how well that was going. "I want to make friends too, good friends like you and Aioro-sama. I don't have any yet but I'll keep looking. And if I find them, then I'll have kept Aioro-sama alive in a small way, just like you have."

(503 words)

At the front the man had finally begun to truly end, and was entering the finale of the speech.  His granddaughter spoke and he was proud of her.  The humility she displayed as opposed to her opposite in her sister.  He had not failed to see her looking back on several occasions.  Not that this concerned him.  Reaching his right hand over, a crooked finger reached beneath her chin and gently pushed it up.  "Chin up, do not look down while you are near me again.  You are an Akari, but more than that....you are the blood of my blood, and we.....we do not cast our light to the ground.  We send it forth, to meet the horizon."

He did listen to every word, and he saw in her a girl who simply wanted to make her family proud.  This was something he knew in his heart she would never achieve as long as she compared herself to her sister and mother.  They were both fake, hollow nesting dolls gorging themselves on their own complements.  But open them up, and their heads were empty.  

"Strength Akihana is not determined by others, but what you can do with whats inside.  You think your mother and sister are nearly perfect I gather?  Well, my brother is clan head, and my father was clan head, how would you like to be compared to that?  This has never once topped me from becoming the man I am today, and I do not compare myself to them.  I am Akashingo Akari, I compare myself to what I was the day before, and strive to be better.  You Akihana Akari, must find your own truth, and only then will you gain strength, but I promise you.....that strength will not come from others, it will come from in here, and here."  At the first here he pointed to her heart, and at the second he gave her a playful poke between the eyes while smiling.

As the speech ended, everyone stood including Akashingo, and hopefully Akihanna.  The prayers were said, and in front of them everyone bowed their head, except Akashingo.  As he had just said, his eyes remained forward looking towards the body.  If Akihana had attempted to look down he would perform the same action as before.  The rest of the procession would continue without much incident.  Cremation was the preferred ceremony for the Akari, and that was how Aioro would depart from this world.

Again, as the funeral pyre was lit ablaze, bright blue flames would consume the body, until only ash remained.  As everyone began to depart from the funeral to return home Akashingo would once again lean down to talk to Aki.  "So, why don't you spend the day with me.  Would you believe I haven't been in this village for almost twenty years.  I'm not sure if I know my way around anymore.  So I shall be requiring a guide, or I could get lost."  This was not entirely true, but he was enjoying their time together, and decided it should not end so soon.

"Unfortunately I am rather hungry, so we shall have to eat first.  So what would you like?  Ice cream, a pie, or perhaps some chocolate cake?"  He asked the question and awaited her response.

When her grandfather told her to look ahead instead of down, the kunoichi raised her brown eyes towards him, this time a small hint of hope sparkling in the otherwise plain orbs. The way he spoke of her, the way he spoke of family resonated a lot more with Akihana than any of the clan's history lectures or declarations. Up until this pint, the teen had been taught that she was a tool for the clan to use as it pleased. Only now was she beginning to realize with this man's words that there was a lot more to family than just that. He made it seem like she was a part of him, that everyone was a part of someone else even when removed from the rules and restrictions imposed upon them by the clan.

Akihana liked that idea, the idea of being a part of something greater than she was but by choice, not by other's wills imposed upon her. That along with her suggestion to not compare herself to Senritsu brought a full smile to her lips as she stood with him. The service had concluded and everyone was moving towards the door and the funeral pyre outside. Akihana stood slightly shyly behind her grandfather, watching other's pass to surround the burning blue flames. Most of the observers bowed their head in prayer including her family on the other side and instinctively, she felt the urge to do the same. But watching Akashingo gaze straight ahead into the flames as a last tribute to his friend, the blonde fought the urge and looked straight ahead. Is she was a light, she would stand tall like her grandfather and set it towards the horizon.

With the ceremony concluded, the crowd began to disperse. She could see a compliment of women assembling by the grieving widow, her mother would have usually been among them, offering sympathies and assistance as decorum dictated. However in light of her grandfather's presence, the rest of the family made straight for him, Senritsu looking sufficiently chastised and not even greeting him, raising a perfectly made up eyebrow only to look questioningly at Akihana who still held Akashingo's hand in her own tiny one.

"Father, welcome home," her own father moved to bow to Akashingo, startling the little girl from where she watched. Amaido Akari had never been the kind of man who bowed to people. The earliest memory Akihana had of her father was a strict man with an immaculately trimmed blonde toothbrush mustache and reading glasses that made his eyes look even more stern than usual. Being clan secretary, Amaido dealt with the delicate political communications between the clan and Konoha in general and everything about the man spoke of neatness, conciseness and order. Unlike his father, Amaido bore no scars or wounds from battles if he had ever been in any, his face smooth and blemish free. His mourning robes were starched to perfection and his formal black shoes shone even in the shadow of his dark hakama. Impeccable and unbending is what Akihana had always thought her father to be, except now he was bending.

"We have made arrangements for you to dine with the family," her father continued. "I see you've already met Hana, it would honor us greatly if you would join us for lunch. Sabuten is an accomplished cook."

Her mother raised her head slightly at the compliment, not saying anything otherwise. Akihana wondered how much she had confided to her husband of their initial meeting with Akashingo. Before anyone could respond, the young teen plucked up ehr courage and stepped u beside her grandfather, no longer half hidden behind him.

"Father, would it be acceptable if I take Oji-sama for a tour around the village?" The words sounded different coming from her, not as fun as Akashingo had made them sound but then again, they wren't laced with an offer of ice cream, or cake, both things Akihana knew would not be present at the family meal. "I can show him the new offices where our records are kept," she added to try and appeal to her father's more studious side.

"If your grandfather wishes it," Amaido replied with a quizzical expression tossed her way. "Though I believe Senritsu is better acquainted with the village layout and clan history. She could do a better job of showing him around."

Her sister spoke for the first time upon the suggestion, her tone even and apologetic as she addressed both men. "My apologies, I fear I have other commitments father, grandfather. Though Akihana will no doubt do a remarkable job in my stead." Once again, her sister's words left the genin a little stunned, never being able to tell if they were a compliment or a jibe.

"Very well," her father agreed, leaving it to his own father to have the final say. "If father wishes to see the village then so be it. But do find some time to stop by our house. If there is one thing a funeral brings to mind, it is that we do not see those living quite as much as we should."

(860 words)