Trust In Me (Uchiha Love Story)

Chapter 10: The Voice of Reason

Well, I'd like to wish every one a late Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, which ever you prefer! And an early Happy New Years!

OoO

All that night, Anju had stayed awake, working with what the keeper had sent her. Much to her disappointment, nothing she was sent had much to do with the object, and what she assumed would help her was undecipherable. There was no doubt in her mind it was much like the stone tablet at Naka Shrine. If that were the case, she was screwed. How were scrolls she could not decipher any help to her?

To make things worse for her new anxiety and paranoia that came with not being able to defend herself, Izuna had not returned last night when he said he would. She didn't even feel his chakra come near her home, but she felt him within the boundaries of the clan. She knew she had no reason to worry and that he would be fine, and that he could handle himself well, but that didn't stop her. Without anything in her arsenal to help protect the clan in any way now, she felt alone and useless. She couldn't even walk down the hall without running out of breath.

How was she to keep the respect the clan had for her now that she was useless? All of that hard work she had put into making them believe in her, was gone. The clan wouldn't respect her anymore. She was nothing more than housewife now. She saw how they got treated. At this point she'd rather die than be sitting around miserable. The only thing kept her from doing so was the thought of her little brother.

Sure she had Eiko and Hakuoh, but Eiko was more focused on her husband and child than she was her own sister. Then there was Hakuoh who couldn't keep her hands off of one man. That woman needed a kick in the ass. Unfortunately, Anju could not give that to her now. Hisen was the only one Anju ever spent any time with. She trained him until he could defend himself and inflict severe damage, and she became his mother after theirs passed away. He still needed her and last night confirmed it. If Izuna and Madara thought they would be able to train Hisen, they were wrong. He needed a kinder environment to learn, and she knew how the brothers trained. It was not kind.

What could she do? Nothing, or at least, not in here. She had been waiting for the storm outside to rest, and finally it had. That's exactly what she needed. She needed to see her father's and Aito's grave, to see the evidence for herself and pay her respects. It had been such a long time since she had gone to the Uchiha graveyard to visit any of the deceased, including her mother. Maybe now was a good time to start into the habit again.

Lucky for her, there were still yukata's in her old room that fit her. She needed something simple to get into, and, since she could no longer be considered a shinobi, she could not wear the clothes of a shinobi. No more of those long shirts with high collars, or dark pants bandaged at the ankles. Yukata's would be her source of clothing, though she had only worn them a handful of times in her life. Not many were in her draws, but she managed to find a plain black one and took her time dressing herself and tying a matching obi around her waist. It was quite comfortable and the large sleeves were soft and roomy.

"Hmmm..." Although it was more comfortable in a material sense, it was not so in a personal sense. She felt uncomfortable in such an item. Her wardrobe was pants and shirts, not yukata's and cute little bows that the common Uchiha woman wore. She wore the clothes of a housewife or a maid, and she did not like it, no matter how soft and roomy the clothing was. It felt wrong.

She had no choice though. There was nothing else for her to wear and this was easy to slip on and off, and she needed that for her arm. Minimal movement was best, but it was still in pain. The fast healing process she had been so accustomed to was gone as well, and she was really feeling it.

"Ken, Ren – outside."

The eagles immediately woke to their name and flapped their wings. Anju pulled back the sleeve of her yukata and strapped leather around her right forearm. Only one could be carried if they so wished, but she knew both loved to fly and the birds knew she was in pain. They would most likely to watch her from above, but it didn't hurt be prepared.