What An Awkward Trip (Kotsuzui)

Time seemed to stand still as the snowy haired woman awaited the response of her brightly hued companion, the thoughts of how he would react chilling her to the bone more than the falling snow and brisk air around them.

He had been one of her only allies since the end of the war, and today she might’ve lost him due to her stubborn heart growing attached to someone she only knew by name. How stupid and careless she had been, too open and trusting of him. That would be her downfall, her one true mistake in this life. She should’ve never gotten close to him in the first place, her heart would have thanked her for saving it from such a heartache as what she was waiting for. At least then she would’ve always been alone and their conversation would have never happened. She would’ve been able to mourn the murder of another young soul in peace, had she been wary of him from the very beginning.

Her life would’ve been safe, and her reputation as a strong kunoichi of the leaf left intact. But alas, she just had to disclose her personal details to him during her weakened state after they lost. Oh how she wished more than anything right now for the ability to turn back time and save herself. Even being able to freeze time would’ve helped her in this moment. Her short, thin legs could have reached the village and hidden before she unfroze time, being long gone from the wrath of the barefoot man beside her.

Subconsciously she clutched Kotetsu’s cold body closer to her chest, the anticipation sending a chill down her spine. They had been walking for a while but it felt like forever in the silence, even if it was as brief as a few seconds, and the freezing wind was making it worse for her to think of an escape plans.

The only route viable enough to save her in such tight proximity was her creation rebirth technique. All she had to do was release the diamond shaped chakra storage seal on her forehead and she would be almost immortal, plus the seal was instantaneous. Combined with her barrier from the tattoo on her back, she would have plenty of time to fend Kots off and make her run for it, even with his teleporting capabilities she would stand at least on an equal level to him.

But could she actually fight the man off even if he was actively trying to murder her?

Could she kill him if it came down to it?

She wasn’t so sure she could, although she had never been in a position where a former friend was trying to kill her. So perhaps the situation would strengthen her and her resolve to live, or perhaps the body in her arms would be enough of a reminder as to why she couldn’t die here in this frozen land.

As the two continued to tread through the blinding white snow, getting closer to the borders of this freezing land with each step, Kotsuzui waited to hear a reply from the Hyuuga. Assuming there was going to be a reply at all. Maybe she was just going to keep her opinion to herself. The two companions always had differing opinions. Now was no different and they both knew it. Perhaps Hikari was justt rying to avoid some sort of intellectual conflict. Perhaps not.

Eventually she gathered her thoughts and would begin voicing them, the remains of what was once a young shinobi lifeless in her arms. She brought up the fact that the missing nin was likely a kid when he fled, being forced to do so because of his parents. That he was too young to know what was going on and did was any sensible child would do. Join the academy of where he was. She believed it should have been the parents who died and not the kid. Just that statement alone shocked the Kaguya. he was surprised Hikari had even suggested that someone die, at all. From what he had gathered about the Hyuuga, she was against people dying at all. Perhaps his view of the kunoichi was too far fetched.

Her words took the Kaguya back a bit. The message behind them hit Kotsuzui hard. That children should not suffer for the sins of their ancestors. Those were the words Kotsuzui had told Xyxer when he attacked Konoha. Now those were the words Hikari was using to rectify the dead shinobi in her arms. So what made the two situations different? Were they different at all?

Before he could think of any potential reply, she continued voicing her opinion explaining why she was so bothered. The betrayal reminded her of Konoha's betrayal to Salzem. Now there were two shinobi who died for reasons that were not their fault. Or so it seemed. In one way Kotsuzui did agree with the Hyuuga. Kotetsu did not deserve to be killed by his mentor, his teacher. It was a pitiful move by the Kage. But what is done is done. However where the two did not agree was on the matters of his missing nin status and him dying for it. Hikari claims he was likely too young to know better and just went to the academy. But he should have learned about it in the academy. Learned about being a shinobi and what being a missing nin meant. He knew what the outcome would be if he became a shinobi of a village he fled from. ITtwasn't his choice to flee, but it was his choice not to return.

Kotsuzui kept his disagreements to himself, instead replying with a brief snort of a laugh. "Sometimes I wonder if you're too good for this dark and ugly world" the Kaguya spoke before without looking over to his companion. "We may not see eye to eye on things, but we could use a few more people like you in this world." He didn't add anything else, not sure if anything else needed to be said. Instead he followed up with a "let's pick up the pace. I don't like the snow." He'd let Hikari lead the way and pace himself with her. After all, she had the limb body in her hands.

[Exit to Konoha]

Her eyes scanned the horizons, noting every little crevice and hole he could potentially fit through if it came down to her fleeing. Even with the snow picking up her vision wasn’t obscured yet, giving her an advantage like it always did. The byakugan might one day become her saving grace, the blood flowing through her veins saving her from the clutches of death like no medical technique could.

Yet today was not that day, no, instead if was a day full of surprises unlike any other she had experienced in all of her twenty one years of life.

Kotsuzui snorted a laugh, which at first she had mistaken for mockery and only eventually did she come to the realization that it was actually a more ironic kind of sound. A noise reminiscent of a more melancholy memory, or a noise one makes after recalling a time in their life when they themselves had been so utterly misguided in their assumption of what had happened.

Much to her astonishment, the young, white clad man  didn’t shun or look down upon her for her views, or at least he didn’t voice his opinion if he had qualms about her statements. Rather, he accepted them with an open mind and heart, going so far to say that he thought she was too good for the world they resided in.

That alone caused her to stifle her own snort of laughter.

How could she fit that role of a good person when she actively wanted to murder someone for the crimes they committed against her? What kind of saintly human could desire such a thing and still be considered holy? How is she any better than the rest of the lot with that kind of mentality? For fuck’s sake she even suggested murdering two people to save one child, when their deaths might not have even been necessary to begin with.

Hikari knew she was no longer someone who was like how Kots described her as. If anyone wanted to say otherwise, they were deceiving themselves by thinking she was different. Or maybe they just didn’t want to acknowledge who she no longer was, they wanted to believe she was still that same childish, naive little girl who thought the world was all rainbows and butterflies. That a smile and a friendly face was all one needed to survive in this world. That death didn’t hunt down the young, only those who had been among the earth for far too long and craved the warm embrace of the end.

Yet he continued on, saying that despite them not seeing eye to eye, he felt that the world could use a few more people like her.

He was greeted with her silence for she was too weary and cold to voice her objections a loud. It would be a useless notion anyways, for neither of them would budge on what they thought about her. She knew he would deny her accusations and say something like that despite it all, she was still a decent human being and that was better than he could say about a lot of people in the world. Kots may know her quite well, but she knew him enough to be able to reason out his response in her head. Her previous thoughts of him harming her were preposterous and absurd, she knew that deep down all along, but a part of her would have rather him do harm physically rather than verbally.

Wounds and bruises could be healed and would go away with time, but the scars on one’s heart would never leave, always a permanent reminder of the damage she went through and the pain that would forever haunt her everywhere she went, for even dreams can turn into nightmares in an instant.

In the darkened stillness they traveled further onward to escape the onslaught of snow as soon as possible, both left to their own devices and neither wanting to speak out again. Whether that was due to the freezing cold or the heavy clouds of emotion hovering over her, she wasn’t sure. But for once, Hikari didn’t mind the quiet atmosphere between them, finding solace in listening to the air whoosh as it brought more and more white flurries with it.

(Exit)
(Instant travel to Konoha)