Akiyama Yui lost her clan when a tailed beast attacked her village. For years she isolated herself from others and pushed through grief and depression on her own.
But on one fateful day when she stumbles upon a group of ninja form Konoha... everyth...
".. and I was left trapped in a dirty cellar with this guy called Yataro. Zabuza was a real ass too, calling me a wench and stuff. But as you can see I got my revenge and escaped." I brightly explained to the two men, fist bumping the air with a grin on my face. Gai seemed annoyed at the 'wench' part, but was equally as excited after hearing I got my revenge.
"You didn't defeat them though.. I fought Zabuza while you lied passed out in that forest. He got away too." Kakashi mumbled whilst walking behind us. I shot him a glare and narrowed my eyes, causing him to move to the other side of Gai. 'Thanks for ruining it..' I thought as I huffed in annoyance and folded my arms over my chest.
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"Now, now. I think it's very impressive that you fought him Yui. The Swordsmen of the Mist are.. formidable foes." Gai smiled, his voice faltering just a little. I raised a brow in slight confusion but Kakashi just shook his head as 'let it be'. I shrugged and turned my head towards the shops on the side, curious of what they were selling.
Among the numerous food stands and restaurants, something stands out in particular. My eyes land upon a shop I have never seen before,- one that sells memorabilia and other related stuff. Without much interest at first, I skim through the items quickly, but stop at a certain headband. Air gets caught in my throat as my mind tries to register the sight and deal with the wave of nostalgia at the same time.
"Something caught your attention?" Kakashi inquires as he tries to figure out what I was looking at.
"It's-.. nothing. I just got caught in the moment." I shake my head to get rid of the flashbacks and begin to turn away.
"You seem interested in the Akiyama Clan forehead protector, Miss. Care to bargain?" A man with a harsh voice and an ill looking expression steps forward from the shadows, wearing a suspiciously expensive looking robe for a small shop owner. His ragged and unkept beard moves up and down as he addresses me, his yellowed teeth forming a creepy crooked smile.
"Akiyama?" Kakashi and Gai both gasp in surprise, most likely not expecting that to come out of someone's mouth.
With a slight frown I turn my attention towards the person, disliking the corrupted aura around him. Starting to feel uncomfortable under his stare, I avert my gaze and look at the headband longingly.
The symbol of a snowy mountain strikes a cord in my heart, sending me back to the silent meadow near my home where we used to spend a lot of time with my friends. Where we used to make memories surrounded by fire lilies and friendly wildlife. A place where those memories still lie untouched by time.
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"By that look on your face, I presume you understand it's worth. It is one of the rarest items in my collection~." The merchant boasts, grabbing it from it's spot on the shelf and presenting it to us. I click my tongue in distaste and point my finger towards him accusingly.
"Where did you get it?"
"A cloaked traveler passed me by in the Land of Lightning... gave it to me for free and hoped I would return it to someone who belonged to the clan. What an idiot right?" The man cackled, possessively holding onto the headband with his dirty hands.
I felt my eye twitch.
"And you're selling it?" I asked, my voice sounding more and more annoyed after every word. Even though a person is free to do whatever they wish with their possessions, I can't help but feel angry.
"Why of course! That clan is... well- dead. Which also makes the thing a hundred times more valuable. Let's be real here, nobody remembers a person when they're alive.. it is after death when they gain all the value and recognition." He explains his sick views and places the headband back to it's spot on the shelf.
I clench my fists in fury and try to attack the disgusting man, but Gai appears behind me and places his heavy hand on my shoulder, preventing me from lashing out. I turn around to pry him off, but his kind smile pretty much evaporates all the anger I have. The warmth of his touch and the safety of his presence, all make me feel like I could just melt on the spot.
It is now that I realize, how absolutely beautiful his charcoal-colored eyes are as he looks down at me in a way like he'd shield me from the whole world, if he had to.
"I advice you not to speak of a tragedy in such a manner. It might cost you dearly." Gai suddenly warns, staring at the merchant threateningly. My anger then returns and I try to skewer the creep like a meat on a stick, but Gai's iron grip quite literally stops me from moving.
"Whatever do you mean.. who's going to get offended? There is none of them left." The man snaps, arrogance dripping from his voice.
Before I can really register his words, Gai moves his hands up my neck in an unexpectedly tender and intimate motion, grazing my skin and leaving behind a tingling sensation. I freeze and stare at his chest in utter shock as he blocks out the man's words by covering my ears with his hands. I slowly tilt my head upwards to see him mouthing something inaudible.
Time seemed to stop at that moment... and I could feel my heart flutter as I quickly looked down to hide my reddening face.
And then Kakashi's chakra spiked up.
~
~
Holding the headband in her hands, Yui smiles at the peach-colored sky with a tear running down her cheek. "Thank you." She speaks softly and wipes the tear away.
"No problem, he had it coming." Kakashi replies, a smirk evident in his voice. Yui chuckles and turns around to look at the two Jounin, who both share an equally mischievous look on their faces.
"No but really. Thank you guys.. so much. I might have done something much worse than a genjutsu, if you hadn't stopped me and if you hadn't politely asked him to hand over the headband." She says, winking at the last part.
"Don't even mention it Yui, you're our friend. Right, Gai?" Kakashi elbows his counterpart who stumbles with his words before slowly nodding and showing the woman a thumb.
"And you're mine!" Yui grinned and jumped at the two, embracing them both in a tight hug.
What went unseen though, was the crossed fingers Gai held behind his back while agreeing to Kakashi's sentence.
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To all of you old readers: I am editing the previous chapters because they were written by 2019 me, aka bad english me.
Sooo I advice you to re-read them at some point, now that they actually make some sense...
Hopefully I can make this book more pleasant to read in the near future! ,:)
