Stranger In Your Own Home [p]

It had only been a few days since the invasion. Since Konoha lost the battle. Since so many lives had been lost. Since Kotsuzui spoke with Xyxer. It only took hours to destroy Konoha, a village that once use to be a beacon of hope. But Kotsuzui and rest of Konoha all learned how it was far from such. Konoha was a mere shell of what it use to be, and Kiri showed them that much. How could they have been so foolish? How could they have grown so weak and no one noticed? Whatever the reasons were it was too late to try and fix them. The enemy came and they conquered. Kotsuzui couldn't tell if that were actually a bad thing or not. Lives were lost and that was a tragedy without a doubt, but maybe it's what's best for the village. Maybe they needed this war to happen. A crude wake up call that no matter where you are, you aren't safe. That no matter how safe and strong you think you are, you actually aren't. Things were going to change around here. Things had already begun to change.

The Kaguya found himself sitting atop the wall surrounding Konoha just beside the gates where the enemy, now "ally" had arrived at their doorstep. Sitting cross-legged draped in his all white attire, he simply sat there looking out to where the battle had taken place. It was a gloomy day. Luckily the rain had finally stop, but the clouds were still out and about. Every now and then the sun's rays would peak through the clouds and find its way to those below. But there were many clouds all clustered together, making it difficult for the sun to do its job. Kotsuzui simply sat there looking over the destroyed terrain, the remnants of blood and stray weapons missed by the clean up party. He replayed the battle out in his head, reminding himself of how weak he had been, how he failed to protect his village, and how lives were lost at the expense of his failure. 

His thoughts shifted to the one he failed to defeat, their new leader Xyxer. The conversation they had directly after the war was an interesting one to say the least. But most of all it confused the Kaguya. Having gotten to see things from Xyxer's view point created inner conflict within himself. In one hand you had Xyxer and Kiri invading his home, killing ninja in the process and claiming Konoha has his own. In the other hand, you had Xyxer who had simply been getting revenge for past Hokage's actions. Although Kotsuzui was a firm believer that children should not suffer from the actions of their ancestors, he doubted that he himself would do any different. Xyxer in fact did come offering peace, to avoid blood being shed and death. Even though he killed many, time and time again he had spared lives. He could have taken out the entire village if he pleased, but didn't. Maybe they needed him., to grow under him as Kiri has. Kotsuzui couldn't come to admit it himself, but he nonetheless had the thoughts circling his mind, conflicting with his thoughts of one day killing the same man.

The day was as dreary as she felt, traveling through the broken down village. It had been only days since the war, and despite their efforts to rebuild quickly, it would take at least a few weeks for the buildings to be what they once were. The people, however, could be mended again and again, yet never be the same. They had changed forever, and there was no turning back for some of them. Herself included.

Hikari’s sullen eyes traveled to the sky, watching the clumps of clouds overhead, waiting for them to cry and cleanse the city of it’s impurities. But of course it never did, leaving her to deal with the aftermath of their sins. She sighed heavily as her eyes moved onward, her body walking forwards as if it had a destination in mind.

She thought of learning more in the Konoha Library as she glanced upon the structure fro the street, towering over her petite frame, but her heart ached today and going to greet the always cheerful woman that knew her by name on this day was far too soon. It might always be too soon for the young woman, but she could handle the pain easier as time passed. A couple of days was not nearly enough time to be alright, despite the facade she held so well. A mask of the person she needed to become. If she wore it long enough, the lies would become truth.

The Konoha Hospital was the next building she saw, a place where her skills would be needed to treat the wounded during the war. Despite both sides having medics, the casualties just from the fire alone were grave. Normally she would have not hesitated to help all of the wounded, but her eyes glared at the building as she walked by. The last memory of the hospital she had was the hours leading up to the war, the time she spent practicing medical-ninjutsu that ended up being entirely useless. Hikari wished she had trained to become stronger that day instead of wasting her time learning pathetic jutsu that never even mattered. If she had been able to stop the man from crippling Salzem, Xyxer would not have ordered his death. Another shinobi would have died in his stead, and he would be walking alongside her at that very moment.

She gritted her teeth as the thoughts began to surround her, negativity being the only thing encompassing her mind since that day. She saw reminders of it everywhere, in the buildings and the people around her. If people dared to laugh or smile, the desire to wipe out their happiness gnawed at her heart briefly each time. Why did they deserve to be happy when she was in misery, internally drowning from all the tears she kept inside? Salzem didn’t get to smile anymore, why should they?

Of course she never did anything to those people, always walking away before she could say or do something she would regret later, after the grief stopped fueling the flames. She needed to relieve her pain somehow, yet her training couldn’t assist her for it also reminded her of Salzem and the times they would train or spar together and fighting Yen would only result in her demise or immediate failure. The only thing she could think of was to visit the forests, the first place she met her familiar, Kuro. He was still out and about somewhere, causing the Hyuuga to have missed seeing him the past few days.

Hikari was on her way to the forest, finally a destination in mind from her aimless walking, when she noticed a figure sitting atop the village gates. At first she wondered if it were a spy, another village surveying how weak they had gotten in an attempt to gain intelligence. Maybe they would be invaded yet again. However, just as the thought crossed her mind, it vanished as she recognized the familiar chakra signature of the shinobi. It was Kotsuzui.

She casually made her way to his perch, his white attire shining through the overcast day, his back to her. He seemed to be deep in thought as his eyes looked out over the horizon, the battle field and remnants of the war in front of him. He might have been going through the same as she, Hikari thought while jumping onto the wall and landing beside him with a light thump. Her own attire consisted of the same from the war, her kimono top and red miniskirt paired with a new set of tights since hers were torn that day and high heeled ninja boots. Her katana and ninjato shook slightly as she landed, and her hair cascaded back down once her feet hit the top of the wall.

“Hello, Kotsuzui.” Her voice was quiet, just barely loud enough for him to hear her as she sat down beside him (unless he stood at her approach, then she would stand alongside him). “I hope I am not disturbing you…” Her tone held none of its normal kindness, even though her words were reminiscent of how she had normally spoken, and was void of emotion, being surprisingly monotone to the young man from their first encounter. Yensung Aburame and the kiri shinobi had sucked the life out of her when they killed Salzem, and as of late, nothing had been able to breath it back into her. Not even her beloved Kuro.

(WC: 916)

Although Kotsuzui's focus was on the field ahead of him and his mind was running through the events of that day like it had just happened, he was still well aware of his surroundings. It had been something he made sure to do all the time, even going as far as to train and practicing doing so. So often until it had become an unconscious thing that occurred. His chakra sensory had become one of his main agents in staying aware of his surroundings, as well as being able to feel the vibrations through the ground. Although at this moment he had been relying on his chakra sensory for the wall surrounding Konoha was too high up to actually feel anything that wasn't on the wall itself. He couldn't recognize any of the chakra signatures as he had never actually taken the time to remember any, but he could still sense the movement of everyone in the village. He was mostly focusing on those closest to him. 

Now that Kiri were among them he needed to keep his guard up at all times. In truth he didn't expect any Kiri ninja to attack him or any other Konoha nin. They had gotten what they came for and that was the village itself, they no longer had any reason to attack its residence. Having said that, Kotsuzui still didn't know any of them or their intentions with the exception of Xyxer. He couldn't trust them. So when he felt the chakra signature of someone headed in his direction his senses had gone on high alert. Though he did not flinch and remained seated with his legs crossed. If someone had truly been coming to attack him they would have likely hidden their chakra signature, otherwise they were asking for an ass kicking. So he waited until the signature had now landed directly beside his seated position. With a slight glance up all of Kotsuzui's senses reverted back to a normal state. It was Hikari Hyuuga, the one he owed his life to twice over. 

Seeing her was a harsh reminder of the Kaguya's failure. She had given him a second opportunity to defeat Xyxer and save their village for a second time. Yet he had failed, for a second time. Because of him many people lost their lives, two of them being a member of the ANBU and Sazlem. Because of him Hikari had lost someone dear to her. Even in that she was unable to repay her for saving him. As it were she had saved his life for no reason. "Hey there Hikari" Kotsuzui answered in reply watching as the Hyuuga sat down beside him. She lacked emotion in her voice much as she did in her facial features. Though Kotsuzui could not blame her. He himself did not have much emotion either. "Not at all" he answered to reassure the female that she was not disturbing him. In fact her company was quite welcome for in a matter of weeks he may no longer be in Konoha depending on the results of the upcoming tournament. 

He had glanced back out to the horizon when she sat down, though slightly turned his head before speaking to her. "How are you holding up?" he asked. To be honest it was a pretty stupid question to ask as the answer was quite obvious, but he wasn't too sure what to say. He knew the Hyuuga was hurting from the loss of Salzem but he had never been good at comforting people. Words were never his strong suit. Though he knew sometimes the best way to deal with a situation was to talk about it. So he was going to try that angle. "How did you and Salzem come to know one another?"

The young man was either too deep in thought to notice her approach or was acting as if he didn’t notice, waiting until she got closer to spring his trap. He most likely would have attacked her had his purple tinted eyes not registered who landed beside him. He greeted her, his voice similar to hers, reflecting how dead inside he was as well. It seemed the war had taken its toll on him as well. She looked out across the battlefield, her sullen gaze crossing over forgotten weapons. Hikari felt nothing as she stared at the battlefield, the memories flooding back to her in a rush of events, blurring colors and faded faces. The last moment of the war clung to her mind, replaying over and over again, boiling the crimson inside her veins. She saw Yensung Aburame coming to his senses and realizing what he had done to Salzem, apologizing to an icy corpse. She also saw Kots walking away with Xyxer, leaving her alone as they went off on officially work.

It occurred to her just then that she hadn’t seen Kotsuzui since that day, and had no idea what Xyxer had wanted with the young man. Hikari turned her attention to Kots, about to open her mouth to ask what Xyxer had wanted with him, when he beat her to the punch, turning his head slightly towards her while asking how she was holding up. It was quite a loaded question, one no one had asked since the war ended. Everyone was avoiding the topic as a whole, not wanting to deal with the white elephant in the room.

Kots was different, he had always been different.

Since she met him during the fighting, he had been the only one who understood the pain she had suffered, what she had gone through. He had been there to remind her that she wasn’t the only one who sought revenge against the injustice placed upon.

“Truthfully...I am numb right now…” Her voice trailed off quietly, as she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, “I feel like dying...but I know I can’t just yet. I have too much to do before death.” It was a tragic thing to hear one say, and for one to hear themselves speak aloud. Having been broken until nothing remained left the girl feeling hollow inside. “How are you holding up, Kotsuzui?”

Hikari already knew the answer to her own question, it would be much like her own, feeling broken and useless. Their spirits had all been shattered, hers when Salzem died and most likely Kotsuzui’s when he was unable to defeat Xyxer. He could have ended the war had he been able to defeat the man, but Xyxer was more powerful than any of their shinobi, even one of their Anbu, the highest obtainable title under Kage, sacrificed her life trying to defeat him.

Her breath hitched in her throat when Kots asked his second question, having brought up her little brother. The grip on her arms tightened slightly, her fingers digging into her flesh. Her voice was soft and melancholic, “We met over two years ago, at the training grounds. I was doing some kind of workout when he ran over to me, asking me if I wanted to spar.” A small smile crept its way across her lips as she reminisced about the past, vividly recalling the first time they met as if it were yesterday.

Hikari was doing push-ups by a small river, when out of nowhere he appeared right beside her. They introduced themselves and Sal asked for a spar, to which the young Hyuuga had agreed to do. They had gone neck-in-neck for a majority of the match, but ultimately Salzem’s speed overcame her own, and he landed two crucial hits to her, injuring her arms. Instead of continuing the fighting, he called for them to stop, and used his medical-ninjutsu to heal her wounds. Instead of leaving her right after their sparring, Salzem even went so far as to offer to teach her new jutsu. Even without knowing her, he had been a kind and gentle soul, caring for her well being as a stranger. Every moment after that fateful day, they grew closer and closer as friends until they thought of themselves as family, finally not being alone anymore.

“During the spar I had gotten injured from his attacks, and he stopped our fighting to heal me. He could have kept fighting, my injuries were not harmful to me in anyway, yet he was kind enough to help me. Sal even went so far as to teach me new jutsu afterwards, when he could have parted ways after the spar.” Her eyes glistened, tears forming in the corners, left unshed as she blinked them away, “We ran into each other several times after that day, going on missions and sparring more together. I never ended up beating him, he was always too strong for me to handle, but I had hoped to beat him one day…” Hikari bit her lip as she trailed off, fighting every urge in her body to weep, the tears having been built up since the incident, not being allowed to fall.

She had to be strong, even in the face of her only friend, or else she would never be able to face those who had done this to her in the first place. Who had taken Salzem’s life from him far too soon. Crying and grief were weaknesses she could no longer harbor. Getting rid of those emotions would be her first task on the path of an avenger.

(WC: 948)
(TWC: 1,864)

The Kaguya sat with his legs crossed, hands resting on his knees and he waited and observed Hikari. She seemed hollow, a shell of her former self. Whatever made up the Hyuuga was long gone and now she seemed almost empty. Or so he though. She replied to his silly question, already knowing how she felt. Her answer only confirmed it, telling the Kaguya how she felt numb. To that he didn't flinch. Though her follow up caught the Kaguya off guard as he slightly turned his head sideways glancing at the Hyuuga's white eyes. Even though she felt like dying, she reassured the Kaguya that she wouldn't because there was far to much to do before that. "Good" Kotsuzui replied, "death is the easy way out. The weak way." But he was glad to hear that she would attempt to accomplish what needed to be done before going down that path.

The question was reciprocated back to the Kaguya and to that he did not know how to answer. He was obviously still disappointed in himself for losing to Xyxer and failing his home. But he had learned quite a bit since then. So he answered truthfully. "I'm... confused to say the least." There was a brief pause before he elaborated. "On the one hand I still want to kill Xyxer for what he did to our people and our home." He looked down at his left hand, closing it into a clenched fist as to symbolize his rage. Many people lost their lives all for the revenge of one person because of the actions of a former Hokage. Actions done before the time of many Konoha shinobi. "But on the other hand... Konoha is weak. If there's one thing I learned from the war it was that. And as much as I'd hate to admit it, we may need Xyxer. We may need him to bring this village back to its former glory. But just the thought of that makes me sick."

He waited for Hikari to answer his follow up question. At this point he had been looking back out into the horizon so he didn't notice the girl tense up to the question. He should have guessed so. Turns out the met in the training grounds asking to spar with one another. Kotsuzui couldn't help but grin at that. It was how most people met nowadays. If you were a young ninja you were likely always at the training grounds practicing. The best way to improve was to train with others and the best way to do that was to ask to spar. Turns out that's how Hikari and Salzem had met. She explained how they met and how kind and strong Salzem had been. It was a shame Kotsuzui had never gotten the opportunity to face off against Salzem himself. But in a few weeks he was going to get the chance to face the man who took his legs. That was something Kotsuzui was looking forward to.

Their meeting reminded Kotsuzui of someone he once knew. A Kirino Kaguya. The first time he met her they sparred as well. Kotsuzui also ended up losing to her and she eventually joined his genin team alongside Kisuke. But now she was gone, not sure where too. But his thoughts shifted from one memory to another. This one was of both Hikari and Salzem, the first time he had seen both if he remembered correctly. 

"I once saw the two of you together" he spoke. "It was at a cemetery. There were others there. But I remember him seeming to be grieving over someone. You were there with him. I don't know who's grave he was at but it seemed like the two of you once knew the person." He paused slightly before continuing. "I once had a conversation with him, much earlier. About helping him basically hunt down and find someone close to him." He glanced back at the Hyuuga beside him hugging her legs. The way she was sitting made her seem like a little girl. Kotsuzui was going to say something about that. It made her look weak, something Kotsuzui didn't want to see. If a person felt weak it would only make it that much harder to obtain strength. Her posture was oozing with it. But he refrained from doing so. Now was not the time. "Do you know who this person was, and if he had ever found them?" Now that Salzem was gone he wasn't going to get the chance to help out his former Konoha ally. Maybe Sal had been fortunate enough to find the person or people before his death.

From her peripheral vision she caught sight of the Kaguya turning his head and glancing at her eyes, probably taken aback by her claims of death. She would have been too if it weren't for the feelings pooling inside, gnawing away at her heart. He replied that it was good she wasn't going to die just yet, stating death was only the easy way out. The weak way.

She inwardly sighed at his statement, already expecting to hear of how weak she was. Xyxer had been the first to recognize her inability, and Kotsuzui emphasized the cowardice in her final wish. Hikari didn't want to live without her little brother, doing the things he could no longer do. It seemed unfair to continue living if he was gone.

The cross legged man replied to her own question, saying he was confused. She turned her head slightly as he had done moments before, waiting in his brief pause for a continuation, which came seconds later as he went further into his explanation. Part of him wanted to avenge the deaths of their fellow shinobi, taking the life of the man that orchestrated the havoc. Her blank eyes watched as he clenched his fist, the simple act embodying all his dark emotions.

For a moment the Hyuuga wondered if he felt regret or shame at himself since he wasn't able to beat Xyxer, placing all the blame on his shoulders. It was brief, disappearing just as soon as it had appeared, while he detailed the other half of his confusion. Kotsuzui felt they had grown weak as a village, needing a strong and merciless leader like Xyxer to bring them back to their former glory. It sickened him to say such a thing, and she wondered how sick he would become if he found out she agreed, and even more so wanted to be like the tyrant of a kage. Emotionless, powerful, and fearsome. Both the village and herself could use such qualities, but if the village Hidden in the Leaves became emotionless, she wondered if the Will of Fire would be extinct with the remade village.

Her mind was drawn out of its thoughts by his question, and her answer remained the same to it. He grinned as she mentioned Salzem had asked to spar her, his reaction most likely due to the typical way shinobi met in the village. Everyone was always training or sparring it had seemed, and they were no exception.

Hikari, who had turned to face the skyline when she had spoken about Sal, moved her head to look at his expression while he spoke. He mentioned having seen the two of them at a cemetery once, both grieving over the same person. Kotsuzui didn't personally know whose death they had mourned, he had said, and her mind flooded back to that moment in time.

It had been two years since they had seen one another. The last she had heard he was in Sunagakure, on some personal mission of his. Kouse had, a year prior, tried to bring their teacher, and friend, home but was unsuccessful, being knocked unconscious by Salzem and left at the border. She had planned to go after him in Suna, but had not been allowed to go. Thus it was a miracle when he came back unannounced and they ran into one another in the most unexpected place: a cemetery. He was visiting many friends it had seemed, ones she knew not of their passing until her arrival. Hikari had only gone to visit her parents, paying her respects to them, when Salzem noticed her and took a chance. He had not been sure it was her at first, hesitant to call out her name, but the moment he spoke she knew exactly who it had been. After they first hugged and greet each other, he mentioned Kouse and Cole had passed away, shocking the young Hyuuga. They were family to her, to hear their deaths brought her so much grief and sorrow. She had cried in Salzem’s arms, numb to the rest of the world. Because of that Hikari had forgotten all about the two other shinobi who had originally also been there when she entered, a man she later met again in the library and Kotsuzui, whom at the time had a bottle of what she presumed was alcohol. Hikari hadn’t realized Kots and herself had seen each other before the war, but they had on that fateful day.

“That day at the cemetery...it was our first time in two years seeing each other, and I found out two of our friends had passed away...we were grieving them together...” Her voice was quiet, sullen even, as she recalled seeing Kouse and Cole’s names engraved upon the darkened tombstones. She had no more tears to shed for them, having moved on and already accepted their deaths. They were happy memories in her mind now, of the times they had been alive. “I'm sorry, by the way, for not remembering you from that day. Although we didn't speak, I recall seeing you as I entered, with that dark haired young man whose name I don’t know.”

After she spoke a pause ensued, her ears perking as he spoke up, mentioning that he had had a conversation with Salzem before he saw them at the cemetery, wanting to help the lycan hunt down and find someone close to him. It was news to her, and shined a light on the reason he had traveled to Sunagakure. She wondered who he had been traveling to find. From their meeting at the cemetery, it had seemed he was unsuccessful at finding them, whoever they were, as he had mentioned, with tears streaming down his face, that he had cast them, being their family, aside for a stupid and selfish reason.

Kotsuzui seemed to read her mind, glancing at her while asking if Salzem ever found the person he had been looking for. She sighed sadly, releasing her legs from her grasp, letting them dangle slightly over the edge and leaning back on her hands, her gaze looking up into the sky, watching the clouds roll by.

“I don't know who he was looking for. He might have found them, but whatever took place in Sunagakure changed Salzem. Somehow he came back able to transform into a werewolf, and that day in the cemetery he was quite bitter about why he left.” Hikari paused for a moment, letting everything seep in for both of them, her eyes clear of any tears this time as she spoke of him. “He had called his mission stupid and selfish, so I can only guess that he either didn't find them or found them but something bad happened…”

Hikari paused in case Kotsuzui wanted to say anything. If he replied with another question or wanted her comment on something, she would reply accordingly. However, if he had nothing else to say or didn't need her reply, she would glance in his direction and ask what had been on her mind since seeing him again, “If I may, Kotsuzui...what did Xyxer want with you that day, when he ordered you to follow him inside the village?” She had been curious ever since he disappeared, wondering why the winning Kage wanted him and left her alone, despite him keeping her on Kirigakure’s side. There had to have been a reason, she just couldn't pinpoint why.

(WC: 1,249)
(TWC: 3,113)

Kotsuzui sat there as he listened to Hikari speak about the time back at the cemetery where he had seen both her and Salzem together after two long years of being apart. It seemed they had both been mourning the death of shinobi they once knew. Though Kotsuzui had not known this at the time, but one of the graves belonged to Kouse Uchiha. Kotsuzui knew him through his teammate Kisuke. The two had met somehow, likely due to being from the same clan. As a result he ended up joining their team. Though that was short lived. At the time of being in the cemetery Kotsuzui hadn't even known about his death, thus the thought of looking for his grave had never crossed his mind. Thinking back on it, Kotsuzui had gone through a number of teammates to fill in that third empty spot. First was Jin Yamanaka, having passed away from a heart attack. Odd at such an age. The next had been an Uchiha by the name of Kaze, followed by a Kaguya named Kirino. Though in time both of them left the team for reasons unknown to the Kaguya. Since then he hasn't seen them around. One could only assume they died. At this point Kotsuzui had grown accustom to the death of those he knew. John Kaguya, some other Kaguya who had been the first to train him, Jace Uchiha who he battled in the Jounin exams. He quickly learned that death was apart of the ninja life. If you let the deaths get to you it would destroy you.

She ended up apologizing for not remembering that Kotsuzui had been there, though she remembered him being with a dark haired boy. "No need to apologize" he replied. "I hadn't remembered seeing you that night either until I saw you on the battlefield." It took the Kaguya a moment to realize who she meant when she said the 'dark haired young man'. The memory came back to him. The kid was annoying. "That was Orokana. I wasn't with him, he just happened to be there at the same time as me." Kotsuzui couldn't remember if the kid had given his name back at the cemetery. But it didn't matter because he had gotten his name and memorized his face from the files Xyxer had him go through back in the Hokage's office. He was a missing-nin to the village of Konoha, a deserter. He was going to be brought back eventually if he were still alive when the time came. 

The Kaguya remained seated with his legs crossed as Hikari shifted her own seating, letting her legs hang over the wall before she answered his question. It seemed they were both out of the loop when it came to who Salzem was looking for. He found it odd that Salzem wouldn't have told Hikari about it seeing how close the two were with one another. Maybe there were some secrets people just couldn't tell anyone. But it was during this trip of his that he ended up being able to turn into a lycan as Kotsuzui had seen in both the Jounin exams as well as the war. He could only imagine what kind of physical enhancements occurred during such a transformation. But he wasn't willing to try it out himself. Since neither of them knew who Salzem was looking for it only left Hikari to speculate that he either hadn't found the person, or he had but things went south. "Shame" Kotsuzui would utter followed by a brief pause. "Had we known who this person was we could have gone looking for them for ourselves." That would be impossible now. It was best that Kotsuzui forgot about that, otherwise it would slowly but surely consume him. There were too many things for him to do than to be held back by the past.

Next came the question that Kotsuzui had expected the moment Hikari had arrived. The meeting he had with Xyxer directly after the war. Normally he would have told Hikari what they spoke about. How Xyxer had basically been looking for revenge for the death of his sensei at the hands of a former Hokage. How he was looking for answers about said Hokage, answers he wasn't sure Xyxer would ever find. How Kotsuzui had to prove himself in the upcoming tournament and his performance would decide whether he was going to go back to Kiri with him or not to become one of his own. How if he did, it would be Kotsuzui's role to make sure Konoha stayed in check. How he would be tasked with the job of hunting down Konoha's missing ninja. "Unfortunately..." Kotsuzui began, keeping his eyes trained ahead of him, "I'm not at liberty to discuss what Xyxer wanted with me. At least for the time being. Eventually you'll either find out, or I'll be able to tell you some of what went down. I guess you have to be patient for now." 

He wondered how Hikari would feel if Kotsuzui were to be taken to Kiri and become enlisted as one of their own. How could he know, he wasn't even sure how he felt about it himself. But to avoid lingering any further on the topic before Kotsuzui accidentally let something slip he'd ask another question. It was a broad question but it would help change the topic. "What exactly are your plans now, Hikari?" There were a number of possibilities. Maybe she was going to train to get stronger and make sure what happened to Salzem never happened again. Maybe she was going to take a break from life and travel like a few people Kotsuzui had known decided to do. Or maybe she was going to just leave the village all together. He hoped that wasn't the case otherwise he was going to have to hunt her down as well.

Her apology was met with forgiveness and understanding, the Kaguya beside her admitting he himself had not remembered meeting her until they saw each other on the battlefield. He added, after a short pause, that the young man he had been sitting next to that night was called Orokana. The way he said that Oro was not with him that night, but just happened to be there, gave Hikari the feeling that he didn’t want to be associated with such a person. She could vaguely understand why, he was a strange fellow, believing people should erase painful memories from their minds with Genjutsu. She wondered, briefly, if Orokana was dead like the rest of the people she knew, or if he deserted the village. She had not seen him since they ran into one another in the Konohagakure Library, about a year ago, so anything could have happened to the young man.

Her pale, lilac tinted eyes watched as birds flew through the sky and the clouds moved ever so slowly across their blue backdrop. It was a shame indeed, the young kunoichi thought, as her companion paused momentarily. She would have enjoyed finishing the task her mentor, friend, and brother had left behind.

Strange, she thought, that the only person she actually liked in the village, would have accompanied her on a task to find the person Salzem had been looking for. Hikari never expected to find someone that cared about Sal, even if just a little bit, and the thought gave her heart peace. He didn’t leave behind a legacy just for herself, there were others that cared for him after death. She wondered who else Salzem had left behind. How many friends would come forth from his death, rising together as an army against the injustice served to him?

Her eyes widened slightly at the thoughts running through her mind.

Did Salzem have a girlfriend, lover, or even wife? Was there a chance he had children?

If those questions rang true, she feared how close they had actually been. To keep a family secret from a sibling, could that have been possible? Or was it just that they never came into the conversation? Although one would think having a family was exciting news, able to make a grown man shout for joy from the rooftops.

Hikari had no way to verify if her mind was playing tricks on her or not, as the only one with the answers to her questions was no longer amongst the living. There was no possible way for her to find his girlfriend or wife, with no leads or even an affirmative that he had a woman, or man, in his life like that. Only fate could bring them together, if they existed.

She wanted to clear her thoughts from the saddening realizations brought about, deciding to focus on Kotsuzui instead, asking him the question that had been itching for release since the beginning.

With the word “unfortunately” leaving his parted lips, her heart sank. Even the closest person to her had to keep a secret, leaving Hikari in the dark once more. It seemed she wasn’t useful enough to be kept in the loop of her own village, or what remained of it from the Kiri forces. If she had fought Xyxer, would she have been given a task as Kots had? Would she have gained the trust of the strongest man she had ever known?

Time could only have told, but the past was frozen where it stood. Her what if’s lingered like a bad taste in her throat, yet she knew they couldn’t be solved. She was beating herself up over a situation she had no control over, and no possible way of surviving. She would have been murdered as Salzem had if she raised her fist against a Kiri shinobi. The hard truth hurt like a ton of bricks being thrown into her back.

Kotsuzui’s eyes remained ahead, as if he were afraid to see the expression on her face at his news. His purple orbs would have seen a blank, deathly void in her eyes, and a straight line across her lips. She didn’t blame him for his secrecy, he was probably trying to protect his life. He might have been given classified information, and spilling such intel could cost his life. Hikari didn’t want the young man to die, and as such, she didn’t push the topic further. Her voice was soft, wanting to reassure him she held no ill feelings for his actions, “If I must wait, I shall. However, when the time comes, I hope you’ll be the one to tell me.” The latter words were almost a silent prayer for his safety, wanting him to live long enough to explain to her what happened, and of course longer than that, instead of someone else being the one to inform her, passing on his torch to herself.

His next question was one she regularly asked herself. What was she to do next?

In truth, Hikari’s primary goal for avenging Salzem required her to gain strength and power. Simple enough if one had a starting point, yet her goal had yet to begin. She needed Xyxer. Needed him to train her, to show her what it took to crush a village by herself, to know what it was like to see fear flash before the eyes of her prey.

But telling someone her plans of being mentored by the man who started the invasion was a hard pill to swallow. Could she trust Kots to not look down upon her for this plan of hers? Would he understand what she was thinking, her reasons behind the gesture?

She sighed quietly to herself before answering, giving in to the truth and the trust she had in Kotsuzui, “I have a lot of plans in mind.” She began, her voice quiet while she organized her thoughts, “I want to avenge Salzem, of course. But to do that, I need to become stronger, gain enough power to defeat those in my way...Thus, I want Xyxer to teach me his ways, learn from him how to be powerful if he will have me.” She paused briefly for her next train of thoughts, giving Kots time to process everything she said, “But...I also want to become stronger so the same thing doesn’t happen again. To myself or others, the people I care about, like my student or yourself.” Hikari turned her gaze from the sky as she said this, her head forward but her eyes glancing in Kots’ direction to see his reaction. “I could have easily been in the same boat as Sal, if that Kiri shinobi had taken my legs as well. But he spared me, perhaps because I was only a medic. Yet the fact remains, I was at the mercy of Kiri the entire war. Xyxer could have killed me after I healed you, as my hamstrings were still rendered useless making me unable to escape, yet he, too, had enough mercy to spare my life. I can only imagine how many more wars I will go through in my time as a shinobi, and I don’t want to be as uselessly weak as I had been for this one...Most importantly, I don’t want to see another comrade murdered in front of my eyes, while I can only stand there helplessly…” She trailed off before her voice could become shaky, biting her lip to keep from crying at the thought of Salzem’s death. Hikari had yet to grieve over her brother, not granting her eyes the release it desperately desired. Not until she saw the cold face of Yensung Aburame, and maybe even the Kiri man.

Time would be given for Kotsuzui to react, allowing him to give a response if he wanted to, and receiving one back if necessary. Then she would ask another question, the same he had just asked herself, “What are your plans now, Kotsuzui, if I am allowed to ask?” She wasn’t sure if he could give an honest reply, or if his next plans involved the task or information given only to him by Xyxyer.

(Current WC: 4,485)

Kotsuzui listened as Hikari stated how she was ok with him being unable to disclose what was discussed between the Kaguya and Hozuki Kage. She asserted that once she were allowed to know it would be him to inform her. To that he would slightly turn his gaze over to her and without speaking a word he would nod. He truly meant the gesture. If he had the opportunity to let Hikari know what went on in the Hokage's office he would tell her. But would that time ever come? When the time came where he was to be tasked with hunting down the missing ninja of Konoha he would likely be able to tell her of that part, maybe even being able to get her help for it if need be. But for all he knew this could be the last time he was speaking to Hikari for some time. After the tournament that Xyxer was planning on holding he would be taking his Kiri forces back to Kirikagure along with Kotsuzui, assuming everything went according to plan. If that were to happen Kotsuzui may no get the opportunity to see Hikari one last time, and who knew how long it would be before Kotsuzui could return to Konoha.

He had kept his gaze on her as he waited for her reply on what her plans were for the future. She seemed to take a moment before answering the question, most likely contemplating it herself. Perhaps she was thinking about whether she could tell the Kaguya or not, whether it was something she should keep secret. But it seemed she decided to let Kotsuzui know of her plans. Her initial, likely most important plan, was to avenge Sal. That statement alone informed the Kaguya on what state of mind Hikari was presently in. A lot of people would resort to revenge, though it sends them down a dark path. One Kotsuzui hadn't been sure Hikari would take or not. But now he knew and all he could do now was hope she was making the right decision. It wasn't his place to tell her otherwise for if he were in the same situation he wasn't so sure he'd do it any differently. 

The next part caught the Kaguya by surprise. She wanted to help of Xyxer, the one who called for Salzem's execution, to train her and make her stronger. The Kaguya did not miss the irony of the situation. The best way to become stronger was to learn from the strongest. But to do it from the person who caused you so much grief and pain was strange. Although he couldn't fault her for he may be in such a position some time in the near future. He continued to listen to her as she explained how it was also to prevent such events from happening once more and protecting those she cared about. He listened on as she explained how it could have been her in the same boat as Salzem, how she had been at the mercy of Kiri the entire time yet they spared her. Kotsuzui could relate to that for he too had been at the mercy of Xyxer and had been sparred as well. Basically, he could relate to all of her emotions with the exception of her loss of Salzem. 

"I'm afraid that won't be so easy" he replied in response to her wanting to train under Xyxer. "Unless you plan on leaving Konoha to go to Kirigakure." The small bit of information he was about to relay to her he was not technically allowed to tell her. But he felt the need to so she could adjust her plans if need be. "Xyxer doesn't plan on staying here in Konoha. He will continue to rule over us, but from his seat in Kiri. To have him train you would require you to go there." He had almost informed her that he would be there as well but managed to catch himself before doing so. "I'm afraid I disagree with you" he continued, voicing his opinion on the way Hikari felt. "You were never really in the same boat as Salzem. He had been executed because he was deemed too weak. You were not. You risked your life to heal Salzem's wounds as well as my own knowing you could have died doing so. That shows a certain strength in you. A strength that you're willing to put your life before others. We were all at the mercy of Kiri during that battle but we weren't killed. Believe it or not but Xyxer did come here to kill us all. He owns us now, but he needs us to grow and some day be as strong as Kiri. To do that he needed to get rid of the weak. That is why Salzem was executed. You and I were not in his boat."

He wasn't too sure how his words to effect the Hyuuga, if they would at all. But he spoke his mind. It had been the way he perceived the events and Hikari was free to interpret them her own way. She followed up with the same question, asking what the Kaguya's plans were. His original plans had been forcibly changed. For the longest time ever Kotsuzui's plan were to obtain the rank of ANBU. They were essentially the Hokage's personal bodyguards and did what needed to be done to keep the village safe. He wanted to be the Hokage's personal body guard. The best way to keep the village safe was to keep the Hokage safe. It was one of the reasons why he charged towards Xyxer during the battle. It was his attempt at keeping Risako, the acting Hokage safe. But they way things were headed, becoming ANBU was no longer an option for the Kaguya. At least at the moment. So he answered as best as he could. "To obtain more power. I was too weak to protect Konoha and defeat Xyxer. I can't let something like that happen again. This village was weak as a whole. I need to help bring it up to a higher standard. We were too contempt with our current situation. No longer can we remain so low. Only once we're stronger can we free ourselves from the grips of Kirigakure." Kotsuzui paused briefly as it was his plan, but not the entirety of it. The rest he could not reveal at the moment because it would reveal some of what went on in the Hokage's office. It involved growing stronger, but under the wing of Xyxer. It provided the potential to bring Konoha to a higher standard as well as learn more about their enemy in Kiri.

"Do you plan on getting revenge on all those who struck Salzem down?" the Kaguya asked after he spoke of his future plans. Multiple people had done so, although the one Kotsuzui remembered most had been Kisuke. If her answer were yes and she planned on killing them all then it would surely cause problems. For one, killing so many fellow ninja would be a problem. Secondly, it would force Hikari and Kotsuzui to cross paths. Not that Kisuke needed the protection, but anyone who went after him was begging to be attacked by Kotsuzui as well.

Kotsuzui shifted his gaze, their eyes making contact briefly for the first time in a while during their conversation. He reassured her silently, his head softly rocking up and down to acknowledge her own quiet request. He understood she wanted him to come back safely and be the one to inform her of all that he could, his gesture giving her all that she needed to know. Or at least she thought so anyways. Things would have turned out differently if she knew this was potentially their last meeting for an unknown amount of time, but she knew not that he was going to leave with the Kiri forces depending on the outcome of the tournament and she knew not that he had been given a special task by the Mizukage.

The things left unsaid kept their conversation moving smoothly as she began to explain her plans for the future. His eyes lingered on her as she turned away, unable to continue holding their eye contact. It was difficult enough to reveal precious plans to someone, even if they had her trust, for it made them permanent. What she said was now a realization of how far she had sunken in her grief, and Kots was the one to bare witness to her resolve. She wasn’t sure if he would try and stop her from going down the darkened path of solitude and vengeance. The pink haired man beside her held his tongue as she spoke, neither trying to convince her that what she was doing was wrong nor confirming her actions as the right thing to do for Salzem.

Instead he commented on her following goal, her desire to be trained under the man that could have taken everything away from her. Hikari couldn’t say she was entirely surprised to hear that Kirigakure would return to their home soon, she had figured they only conquered them to take what the village had to offer, not to relocate themselves. She wondered if Xyxer would take any of their shinobi with him, perhaps the winners of the tournament to aid him in his take over of other villages. It would be logical for him to have the strongest fight and take only the winners back with him, as a fallen village had no hopes of being able to rebuild any time soon. It was a hard truth to believe in, but even if they had their strongest shinobi, the wreckage of their village was evident the moment one could see their gates and news of their defeat most likely spread to the remaining shinobi villages. It would only be a matter of time before more people tried to take them over, and they might not be as merciful as Kirigakure had been to them. If they submitted instead of trying to fight, maybe the outcome would be different the next time.

“I’m not entirely surprised that they will be leaving soon, I never thought they would stay as long as they have thus far. I don’t care if I have to leave in order to be trained by him, I’ll follow him wherever I need to if it means I’ll become stronger.” She wondered how ridiculously sad she sounded to him, acting like a puppy following someone around for their scraps, “I’ve always wanted to travel anyways, it might be refreshing to leave this place behind for a while…” To not be reminded of the pain this village brought me or the shame from those who started the war in the first place. The words caught in her thought fueled her desire even more, reminding her once again why she needed Xyxer to take her as a student, why she was willing to risk everything. Her eyes widened slightly as he replied to the second half of her monologue, saying he disagree with her about Salzem and herself. Hot tears threatened to fall as he explained why she was stronger than someone who fought in the war, despite the fact that she was too weak to fight any of the shinobi when the time came.

Salzem had been the strongest shinobi she knew, always being able to defeat her whenever they sparred, yet Kotsuzui had the audacity to say that she had more strength than him? It took everything the Hyuuga had to not lash out against him as her blood boiled. She had to reason that Kots was unaware what really happened between them, that he was overestimating her own strength and giving her credit she was undeserving of. A medic was always supposed to give their life for others, as were all shinobi to their village, so their strengths should have been equal. The only difference she could see was that Salzem fought back and Hikari didn’t. She remained submissive to them, obeying their orders without so much as blinking an eye. She was worse than any of them, willing to oblige so easily against their invaders while they all fought to save their village. All she cared about was saving lives, and she could hardly do that properly. Due to her own weakness, many of their shinobi were injured and had to wait until the war ended to be healed, and if their injuries had been fatal, they would have died. Their deaths would have been her fault, because she was forced to have her chakra drained to the point she couldn’t save anyone. What kind of medic allows themselves to be taken prisoner by the enemy and watches as people die?

Her clouded mind could hardly wrap its head around the sense that Kotsuzui was trying to make, her emotions blocking her from seeing the difference his point brought about. Her voice broke through after he finished explaining how he felt, a risky move he had done given the knowledge he had about her relationship with the man he had condemned, “A medic is supposed to risk their lives for others, Kotsuzui. I was just doing my job to save everyone.” She held no anger or rage, her words quiet and more gentle than she had been all day. The rage had left her body feeling weak and heavy, the strain of her emotions taking effect on her both physically and mentally. “But I didn’t even do that properly...I healed Salzem, yet he died anyways. Then I healed you, but everyone else was left to bleed while I had to stay by Kirigakure’s side. They could have died from the blood loss while they were kneeling, and I would not have had the chakra to save them. How is that strength?”

Hikari soaked in the silence a moment, blissfully emerging herself in the peace for a few seconds before she asked Kotsuzui of his own plans. He took some time to think about his answer, as she had done so previously, and when he spoke she listened intently. They had the same desire for power, both feeling weak in some way during the war, as many of their fellow shinobi most likely felt, however, Kotsuzui didn’t seem to want revenge against Xyxer for what he had done. He wanted to liberate the village with their own strength like a phoenix rising up from the ashes. Kots wanted them to never fall so low again, and she agreed with him that they needed to change their ways. To save the next generation from the sorrow and pain of war.

She nodded her head gently as he paused, not having enough motivation to voice a reply but still wanting him to know that she had heard what he said and agreed with him wholeheartedly. Then they would be the village of legends once more, the village people dreamed of and sought for its abundance of passion and vitality.

Her gaze flickered over to him as he asked another question, one that she found rather odd to ask unless he had an ulterior motive, or so she initially thought. Maybe he had wanted to see if she planned on killing all of their shinobi, as most of them had taken part in killing Sal, but maybe he was trying to save someone he cared about, and wanted to know if he needed to keep an eye on her. She wasn’t entirely sure if she could trust him with the short list, weary of his relationship with the aburame. If she said she wanted to kill Yensung, would be fight her for it or would he simply move on as if nothing mattered? She doubted he knew the kiri man who crippled Salzem, so she knew she could at least trust him enough to say his name, “The bastard that crippled Salzem.” Her tone hardened as she spoke of the man, her once gente gaze filled with hate. She averted her eyes from his face, not wanting to glare at her companion for he had done nothing wrong. It was everyone else who had. “And Yensung Aburame.” Venom laced her words as she spitefully said his name aloud, her hatred for him far worse than the kiri shinobi. He had actively been the first to strike Sal down instead of displaying the Will of Fire that a Jounin of their village should have done. He had betrayed them and their ideals with his declaration of Salzem’s death, and the moment he touched Sal he had signed his death wish with her.

She waited for his response, her eyes glancing at him to see his reaction. He already knew she planned on extracting revenge, but he never knew how many people she planned on killing until this moment. Would he think differently of her for wanting to take two people out? Would he try to distance himself from her and abandon her for her plans? Would he tell Xyxer about what she said, or would he take this to the grave with him? Hikari had no idea how Kotsuzui would react, and thus she could only wait nervously for his reply, if he even gave her one. He might decide to walk away without saying anything, wanting to rid himself of her as fast as he humanely could. She wouldn’t blame him, what she was risking her life for wasn’t something others could so easily understand. They had to experience loss firsthand in order to relate to her now.

(WC: 6,217)