Fubuki: The Blizzard to Come

Chapter 3: Acceptance and Departure

Junko was always the first one up in the mornings, she needed to get herself together and look the way she normally did for the children. They couldn't know, it was already to late for her to recover. The most time she had left was about a week, and that's if she was lucky. Junko had to prepare herself for the worst, she had to be strong, as the pain would be unbearable at times. She would have to persevere and act like it didn't hurt.

She would always find Fubuki gone after her morning routine, but she knew he was training. He couldn't stand being caged up indoors, he preferred the cool winter temperatures outside.

Junko had to worry if he was like his mother, Nami. His mother had an absurd amount of talent as a shinobi with her mastery of her kekkei genkai, and Nami was the only person she knew within her clan that was able to control ice by her will. But with that power she had a condition that made her venerable to heat stroke. She smiled remembering her older sister. She was always smiling and happy, even when times were rough.

Nami was the type of person that trusted people too easily, so when Nami introduced Junko to her future husband Kazehaya, she immediately took a disliking to the man. Though in due time she just found that he just wasn't good at meeting new people, he would hole his emotions up and shy away from them. Once he warmed up to her, she was surprised at his jokingly sarcastic personality. Kazehaya Tatsumaki was also a talented shinobi, he specialized in taijutsu and medical ninjutsu in combat.

Junko smiled sadly, remembering them always brought her to the happy times of her life.

She stopped thinking for a moment, there was one other thing she had to worry about... would Fubuki turn out as eccentric as them? She sighed at the thought, his parents were crazy. Then she wondered how her train of thought derailed to think of such things. Looking around, she realized that she had been thinking for too long and got up to finish her daily routine as per usual.

The rest of the week went by slowly with the same routine. Get up, change her own bandages, make breakfast, Fubuki would train, and Junko would help him occasionally. She was shocked at the process he made he had already gotten the weapon making down, and was now working at making them at a faster pace on the side while they went over a new topic. They went over the abilities of their special chakra and how it worked. She gave him ice centric chakra control exercises to work on during her lectures.

Haku was another problem. He shelled himself up in his room, avoiding Fubuki as if he was the plague. This worried Junko, and she came to realize that she had become even more of a worry wart than she already was.

Now it was about time that they would leave their separate ways. She would take Haku to live somewhere else for him to live a new, happy life. A fresh start.

Junko was packing her things when Fubuki came down the stairs.

"Junko, are you sure you can carry that?" Fubuki asked, worried for her because she looked as if she were in pain from carrying the light bag.

"Yes dear, I'm fine." She gave him a pained smile. Then Haku walked into the room, giving Junko some of his clothes.

Fubuki gave her an unimpressed look, huffing softly, "Just wait a minute, I'll be right back." He glanced towards Haku who just avoided his gaze. Fubuki turned to go to his room, ignoring Haku. If he didn't want to talk, he wouldn't talk to him, even if he didn't show it he still felt that pang of hurt in his chest.

Ascending up the old stairs, he moved to his room and rummaged through his packed bag. He found what he was looking for and took the empty scroll from it. He thought it could carry food for the trip, but he could also just hunt for food, like rabbits or fish. So he decided that he could lighten her load by sealing all of her stuff into it.