A Hummingbird's Prey (TLU Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Searching

The room held a heavy silence, other than an occasional sip or clinking of a cup being placed on the kotatsu. Meiji began to prepare another round of fresh matcha, despite Meilani's cup still being full. Still, she held onto the cup in both hands for it's warmth. As if trying to will it to transform into a living Hachi.
But she could still feel his body turning lifeless, hollow.

Kakashi didn't read, only stared at his cup that he quickly drank while Meiji was occupied. Under the kotatsu's blanket, he kept his knee against Mei's thigh. A faint reminder that he was there, she wasn't alone.
Meiji breathed in deeply, the earthy matcha trailing into his nose. His sharp eyes noticed Meilani tighten her grip on the cup.
"The village isn't safe with me here."
Kakashi looked at Meilani, observing her hardened gaze. Mei pulled her hair over her right shoulder, trying to keep herself from shaking her knee.
"I can lead him away from the village, build a trap for him."

"No," Kakashi answered, his unresponsive gaze earned a fiery glare from Meilani.
"I'm not going to endanger the village by staying here."
"Even if you leave, he will still be a threat. You were out of Konoha when he set your apartment on fire."
Meiji nibbled on a cucumber sandwich, and happened to find an interesting speck on the table to look at.

"And it'll get worse as long as I'm here, and he's out there waiting to attack next. What if he targets you again, or decides to go after Kurenai?"
"It's a risk we're both willing to take. What we're all willing to take." Kakashi moved his torso to face her. "And there's no way in hell you're going to face him alone. Especially after what your father warned us about."
Meiji tensed as his daughter turned her attention to him. "There has to be a way to break it."

"Er..."
"Even so, leaving the village isn't the answer."
"Says who?" Mei challenged Kakashi's words. "What if he's bloodthirsty enough to come after me?"
"What if you leaving is exactly what he wants?" He countered. "What about your genin? Are you willing to abandon them so quickly after meeting them?"
Mei's expression softened, but she turned her head away from him to hide it.
"I left some notes in the other room." Meiji stood briskly. "I'll be right back."
Once they were alone Kakashi's hand took a gentle hold of her thigh. He waited until she looked from his hand to his face so that he could look at her while speaking.
"It's us against him." He reminded patiently. "There's no need to face this alone."
The tension under Kakashi's hand melted away, though he still noticed the dimple under her chin.
"It's like he's a ghost." Mei whispered. "I don't understand how he's spent this whole time evading my father. The only theory I have is space-time ninjutsu."
Meiji walked back in with a small stack of notebooks.

"He's not that skilled," Meiji dismissed. "His favorite tactics are to evade and sneak behind the enemy, only because he relies on his genjustu so much."
Kakashi tilted his head. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around what exactly his genjustu is."
Meiji pursed his lips, favoring the left side. "The best way to explain it is, a combination of sleepwalking and experiencing a night terror. Most of the time he will pick through your worst dreams and memories and escalate them. And while that happens, your body will move as he pleases, almost as if you're a puppet."
Meilani finally took a long sip of her cold tea, contemplating her father's words.

"So, hypothetically, we have to break the strings before he pulls them." Kakashi murmured, leaning his face into his hand.
"To do that, we'd have to find whatever he latched onto in my mind." Mei gulped the rest of her tea with a slight grimace. "Alright, better get to it."
"Wait a minute," Kakashi glanced at her from the side. "You really should eat something first."
"I'm not hungry," Mei sighed. "But I could use a smoke sesh."
Meiji's right brow lifted. "I wasn't aware that you had a habit of smoking." He stood to retrieve his satchel. "I may have some tobacco from the Land of Earth."
Mei tightened her lips to suppress a coy look. "I prefer something other than tobacco." Mei averted her father's reprehensive gaze. "Kakashi, could you walk me, please?"
"Of course," he bowed to King Meiji before briskly taking Mei's hand and escorting her out.
"Be safe," the King called out to them.
Mei pinched her nose as her words rang through her mind.
"Why was that more terrifying than the melting zombie?" She hissed.