Under the Sun

Chapter Twenty Eight

It was time to get up. The day of the duel was upon him. Win or lose, his fate was going to be decided. Seiichi opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. He'd been in bed for most of the morning, trying to get some sleep. The night before he was too jittery to close his eyes. He sat up in cot provided, pushed his bangs back, and swung his legs over the edge. His bare feet hovered above the floor. Seiichi lowered them slowly. It took a moment for him to adjust to the cold but he when he did, he rose and went to wash the dryness from his face and brush the germs from his teeth. There wasn't going to be time for a bath, so Seiichi scrubbed a loose bar of soap between his hands and went to work cleansing his body as best he could. It was a week since a change of clothes had been brought to him. Thus he wore the same old outfit they'd let him borrow. The material was too thin to protect him from the early morning chill but at least it covered him completely.

Sounds of commotion from outside spilled in through the walls of his temporary prison. The clan was making final preparations. The guards came for him when he finished dressing. They walked him out into the light and Seiichi noticed the sun's rays faintly piercing through the branches of trees missing their leaves. It was going to be a cloudy day - perfect for fighting. The guards brought him to the quad, where a small crowd was beginning to form a circle around a square shaped platform in the center. Hanabi was among them. She stood out in her yellow print kimono. Red colored flames licked their way up her skirt. They reminded Seiichi that today he was going to burn for his crimes.

He was tugged towards a group of older men standing in a corner of the platform. They were decked out in their nicest outfits as if they were going to attend a ceremonial gathering. Seiichi wanted to laugh but seeing them made his empty stomach clench. Hizashi was with them. When he spotted Seiichi being brought over, he stepped away and walked over to greet his escort. The body guard duo at Seiichi's sides handed him over into Hizashi's care. Then they left to rejoin their friends. Their job was done.

Hizashi's, however, was just beginning. He lead Seiichi away from the quad to avoid causing an upset before the event started. Seiichi felt the eyes of onlookers staring at his back. Someone shouted his name to get his attention but Hizashi ordered him to ignore the person and keep walking. So Seiichi did. Once they were concealed behind a row of tightly packed buildings, Hizashi stopped. It was safe to talk.

He double checked that no one else was around, then asked, "Are you ready?"

"Somewhat."

"That's good enough."

Seiichi wanted to know if Hinata would be watching. Hizashi told him that she should be. An absence on her part would put the council and Neji in an awkward position, and it would signify that she did not support the Hokage's decision to revive a primitive custom.

"I didn't see Neji out there," Seiichi said.

"He's in a meeting with the council right now. He will arrive when it's time."

"I see. So he's receiving last minute instructions."

Hizashi ignored his comment. "Seiichi, I want to talk about your byakugan."

"What about it?"

"I did some research and I think it's possible to recover some semblance of it. It won't be like before but you may gain back some of the sight which you lost."

Seiichi snorted. "Is that right? Well, don't bother doing anymore for me. I'm fine with the way things are."

He hated that this was being brought up again. Hizashi had no right giving him hope when his entire existence was about to be decided on a duel between former brothers.