It's my turn to fly
A proving ground tonight
Try to be the best that I can
Grown to be a man
Only humans could understand
I fill my lungs with fear and I exhale
It's my turn to fly
Father, be with me tonight
I'm right on target (keep your dream alive)
It's my turn to fly
Gotta prove this tonight
-The Urge, "It's My Turn To Fly"
People think of many things the morning after any life-changing event. That was especially true the morning after Team 7 returned from the Forest of Death. For most people in the Leaf Village, Orochimaru was the focus. Would their children be safe? How had the criminal managed to evade security and enter their home in the first place? Did he have anyone else working for him?
Uzumaki Naruto, fortunately, wasn't most people. After scarfing down his usual morning meal of instant ramen and assorted junk food, plus regular milk (his last experience with the raw stuff had taught him a rather painful lesson), he pulled the directions that the Third Hokage had given him from under his pillow. "Go to the base of the mountain," it said, "and then head east until you come to the Uzumaki house. Don't ask, you'll know it when you see it."
As he headed out, the young Genin looked up into the sun. Its bright rays were a welcome sight after spending three days in the gloomy forest. Today would be a good day, and rightly so. Maybe once I've gotten familiar with the training ground I can practice the Naruto Bakudan again…see if I can't learn to control the power and range. Otherwise I'll probably fry some poor Genin when the Chuunin Exam starts again. The thought of turning Sasuke into a crispy critter brought on a little snicker, and Naruto whistled a jaunty tune as he strolled towards the Hokage monument.
Across the village, Haruno Sakura rose slowly out of bed, blearily blinking the sleep out of her eyes. Getting a full night's rest in an actual bed felt like a luxury after living the forest life. The pink-haired girl winced as one of her remaining bruises brushed against the sheets. Luxury was not what she needed right now; training was. Sasuke was still miles ahead of her, and Naruto had gone from a hothead with some power to a decent threat after only being knocked out. Sakura? Not even close. When had she become the third wheel of the team? Things had to change, or else she might as well just stay home. What use was there in being a Chuunin if the enemy could take you out with scant effort?
Now was the perfect time to start getting stronger again, with no missions to go on, and the exam suspended. She could go and ask Kakashi-sensei to tutor her, and she might even have a little fun in the process! It was the perfect idea! Feeling more energized than she had in weeks, Sakura prepared to leap out of bed and greet the new day.
It probably would have been a good idea for her to untangle her legs from the sheets first, however.
"Ow." As she picked herself up from her little faceplant, it seemed the new Sakura was a little behind schedule. All the more reason, then, for her to rise with what dignity she had left, dress and head out to find Kakashi-sensei.
The Jounin in question was sitting in the Konoha infirmary, across the table from a grim-looking Mitarashi Anko. The examiner of the Second Test rubbed her neck as they both looked over at Sasuke, resting in bed.
"You think he's still around?" Kakashi asked the other Jounin quietly. Anko knew who her counterpart meant.
"Maybe not in the village proper, but he's close. Probably having his people bring him reports about what's been going on since he attacked the Uchiha boy. Orochimaru knows Hokage-sama would settle his hash if he took him on directly."
"I never would have expected this to happen, not least when there was an exam going on." Kakashi sighed, his visible eye closed. "Orochimaru knows Sasuke's mindset well. Maybe too well. With that desire to get stronger, he'll have a hard time controlling the effects of the curse seal. If he should falter…" The Copy Ninja balled his fists. The prospect of killing one of his own students to keep him from turning traitor was not a happy one. Especially when it was someone as talented as Uchiha Sasuke.
Things had him spooked lately. From Orochimaru to his misgivings about the Chuunin Exam, the curse seal, and even Naruto's odd disappearance, nothing seemed right in the Leaf Village. Hatake Kakashi felt a little guilty for not going to find the hyperactive Genin, even though he knew Sasuke was the real priority.
He's grown up fast, Sensei…I wish you could see him. Naruto's come so far in such a short time, it's scary. He gets more and more like you every day.
Arashi's prediction to his son had, indeed, been correct. Almost from the moment he laid eyes on Uzumaki Naruto, Kakashi had uncovered his former teacher's last secret. The child might not have been named Kazama, but his features and spirit told a different story. But what to do? Arashi-sensei had never told him to look out for his son; indeed, the Fourth had never told Kakashi anything about having a child. Should he have protected Naruto? The boy wouldn't have stood for it, as independent as he was. Besides, that would have been showing favoritism; not Kakashi's style. He'd uneasily settled on trying to keep the boy safe until he could figure out what to do. Things had spiraled out of control from there, from Zabuza to Haku, and now Orochimaru. When he should have been keeping his charges safe from harm, they had saved him instead, Naruto and Sasuke freeing him from Zabuza's prison. And when the criminal missing-nin had struck, he hadn't been there at all. Of all things in life, Hatake Kakashi hated not being able to protect his friends and comrades. After that incident… He had to do a better job of looking out for them from now on. The only question was who to protect first, and how?
Painful as it was, there was no avoiding reality. He needed to supervise Sasuke and work the boy through this seal first; the safety of the village demanded it. Kakashi only hoped that Naruto could stay out of harm's way until he could find a way to repay the debt he owed to Arashi-sensei. Forgive me, Naruto. You'll be on your own a little longer, it seems.
At that moment, Uzumaki Naruto could have cared less what anyone else was thinking. Now he understood what the Third Hokage meant when he'd said he'd know the place when he saw it.
A tall wooden arch stood in front of him as he cleared the tree line, the name "Uzumaki" carved in beautiful hiragana on a wooden plaque at its apex. Beneath it lay a path of crushed stones, lined with stands of bamboo. And at the end of the path…
It wasn't much of a place, as houses in the Leaf Village went. Wide and spread out, rather than the tall apartment building he was used to, and its dilapidated appearance gave him an odd feeling. Was it regret? Loss? As he saw the Third Hokage approach, Naruto pointed a thumb back at the residence.
"Hokage-sama…how come I wasn't brought here when my parents died? It's a big enough place, after all."
The Third sighed as memories of the Ninetails' attack assailed him.
"Because of who the Uzumakis were, Naruto. They were the most secretive clan in the village, almost all of them Anbu or retired from it. There are traps in that house that nobody other than an Uzumaki would know how to disarm or avoid; so many that, with most of the family gone, having someone take care of you here would be suicide. Perhaps once you have completed your training here, you'll be able to move in and make it safer for others.
"For now, I suggest you come with me. The training ground is separate from the house and dojo, and it's safer…figuratively speaking."
Naruto noticed the large wooden box the Third carried under one arm as they walked around to the back of the house.
"What's in the box?"
"Your father's instructions, both to me and to you." The Third looked down at the box and thought back to the night he had received it.
* * *
"You look like hell, Arashi-kun."
The Fourth Hokage looked up from the scrolls he was packing into a box, to see his predecessor striding into the room.
"Yeah, if you're going through hell, might as well look the part." His face haggard, Kazama Arashi continued packing.
"Getting ready to evacuate?" The Third's halfhearted joke fell flat; they both knew Arashi wasn't planning to run.
"Don't tell me you're actually going to try this harebrained scheme. You said it yourself; this is a suicide mission."
"Without Haruka…" Arashi gritted his teeth. This was not the time to fall prey to emotions. There was no time for anything but the job at hand. "I can't kill the demon outright. The Tenchi-ken was one of the only ways we might have done it, and I can't do it alone. It has to be a paired jutsu. All that's left is to weaken the Ninetails and seal it away; then I'll join her."
"So you're going to seal it in a box?" The Third looked at the growing pile of scrolls within the container, arching an eyebrow. High-level stuff.
"Hardly. These are for Naruto. If he's to become strong enough to kill the Ninetails, he'll need training. In my absence, these will have to do. I've written out everything I know, from what I taught Kakashi to what Jiraiya-sensei taught me." Stuffing the last scroll in the box, Arashi shut the lid and handed it over to the Third.
"I hate to do this to him…and to you, but secrets were made to be kept, after all. We can't afford to have him grow up weak or coddled. If his bloodlines become common knowledge he'll be a hero, a sympathetic figure. No…as much as I'd like people to know the sacrifice he'll be making, for the sake of everyone, I'd rather he grows up on his own, unheralded. With the Uzumaki Clan almost wiped out, there's nobody to take care of him anyway."
"He's your son, Arashi." The Third shook his head. "Nobody deserves a life like that. At least let me try to find one of the other Uzumaki clan members out there. Perhaps the other sennins would know."
"Believe me, sensei, I've tried everything. But without Jiraya-sensei in the village, nobody knows where to find Tsunade. Even if we did find her, she's just a distant relation. No guarantee she'd return just to raise a kid she doesn't know. And other Uzumakis? Forget it. I don't know them, and they didn't know of our Uzumakis. Better to leave them be in their own villages.
"Besides…" Arashi's mouth twisted in a savage grin. "I never could resist the opportunity to go for a little poetic justice. This way, Haruka's son will get to take revenge for his mother. Not only that, he'll take the demon's strength for himself. No better vengeance than that."
"He won't be avenging you, then?"
"Hell, no." Arashi shook his head slowly, an odd smile on his face. "After what I'm going to put him through, he's going to want to kill me himself.
"When he's ready, sensei…give the scrolls to him. They'll say what needs to be done better than any stupid will or letter could."
"As you wish, Hokage."
* * *
The words were roughly written, a hasty scrawl marred by the occasional dot of ink on the paper. The Third had handed Naruto two scrolls from the box before he unlocked the gate to the training ground and headed back to the village; he was now looking at the scroll marked "Introduction."
I don't know how to do all that dramatic crap, so I'll just cut to the chase. If you're reading this, Naruto, it means you're ready to start training yourself to kill the Ninetails. The place you see before you is the ancestral training ground of the Uzumaki Clan, where the Diamond Body and Invisible Body taijutsu styles can be learned, and eventually mastered. Under no circumstances are you to reveal the secrets you learn here to ANYONE, not even your friends or teachers. Not only could it come back to hurt you, but, well…your mom would kill me if she ever found out I'd let the Uzumaki techniques slip.
Naruto kept his legs slightly bent as he strolled into the training grounds, still reading the scroll. He remembered the last time he'd been here, and wasn't too keen on being hit with another log. As he approached the spot where the dream log had swung out of the sky, Naruto stopped short – just in time to get slammed to the ground by a net of rocks. Where the hell had THAT come from? Looking down at the scroll, a loud curse escaped him.
Time for your first lesson; don't bother trying to memorize the course layout. The entire course is set up with a timed mechanism that switches all of the obstacles within it into random patterns every day. The only things that never change are the entrance and exit. Naruto could have sworn he heard his father's snide chuckle on the wind.
"Dad, when I get my hands on you, you're a dead man! Or dead ghost…uh, well, dead spirit! Oh, hell, you're just dead! You hear me? Dead!" He stopped yelling when he saw the next paragraph of the scroll.
And don't waste your breath cussing me out about it. I wasn't the one who set this thing up anyway. If you've got the strength to complain, you've got the strength to do something about it. So get off your ass, go back to the entrance and read the scroll first before another trap gets you. Painful lesson learned, Naruto beat a hasty retreat.
Okay, now that you're ready to start, you need to make a plan for your training. You've got three basic choices: learn the Diamond Body first, learn the Invisible Body first, or, if you're feeling adventurous, you can try to learn both of them at once. According to your mom, it's possible, but it's been a generation or five since any Uzumaki's managed to pull that off. Of course, as our son, that means you should have no problem at all with it.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Ever heard of something called modesty, Dad?"
Take today and maybe tomorrow to get yourself familiar with the course. If you get yourself beat up some, don't sweat it. You'll get used to it, or you'll get so fast you won't have to. Once you've done that, it's time to pick up all the equipment you'll need to use here.
A short list of odd items followed; Naruto scanned it, getting more and more puzzled as he continued. What did steel plates and ring weights have to do with a zipper-pocketed jacket and pants? Bandages he could understand, but why a ball and chain?
There's a few pros and cons to start. The Diamond Body is painful to learn; I ain't gonna sugarcoat things. But you may want to either learn it first or do the two-in-one method (hint hint). I say this because the Invisible Body can be misleading if you master it first. You'll get so fast that you won't want to absorb the punishment that the Diamond Body requires. If that happens, you've just cheated yourself out of a valuable technique. Wouldn't want that now, would we?
"Probably just wants to see me get pulverized for kicks," Naruto snorted.
* * *
Two days later, a battered Naruto staggered into the training ground, dragging a huge bag behind him. "Getting familiar" with the place had meant absorbing tremendous punishment from all sides. With the obstacles constantly changing position, he was basically one big bruise from head to toe.
As for training choices, there really hadn't been any – not after Arashi's first scroll directed him to read the "Chicken Scroll" if he chose anything other than learning both styles at once. His father hadn't appeared in any dreams the past two days, so Naruto was reduced to grumbling as he opened the scroll marked "Dual Path Training."
I'll assume you've got all your stuff and you're ready to get started. Step one: Get the steel plates and ring weights, as well as the zipper-pocket clothes. Insert one plate each in the shoulders of the jacket, and one ring in each pant leg. And, of course, put the clothes on.
Naruto clapped a hand to his forehead. "What am I, five years old?"
No, it's not armor. Well, at least, it's not intended to be armor. You'll note that you can't move as easily as before; don't worry, that's the idea. This builds up your strength for both paths. Gradually, you'll notice that it gets easier to move around each day. When you can move with the same speed as you did before you put the plates in, add another set of plates and rings. Quite simple, really.
Of course, there's an added bonus. While learning the Diamond Body, you'll find that your natural danger sense will make you try to dodge the mid-air traps whenever possible. If you're trying to train toughness and stamina, that doesn't help you improve. The extra burden of the weights will keep you from being able to dodge as easily, and you'll be forced to toughen up instead.
"I knew he wanted to see me get pulverized."
Step two: Do one run through the course, to get yourself used to the sensation of being slowed down. Then go home. By the time you get through this first run, you probably won't be in any shape to do anything but get some sleep anyway.
"Says you, old man." Naruto rewrapped the scroll slowly, gauging the slowness of even this slight movement. Perhaps instinctively, he'd purchased the heaviest weights available. The set he wore now felt like an anvil on his shoulders, and it wasn't so much walking as it was like trudging through a deep bed of mud. No dodging, indeed.
Walking over to the starting area, he knelt, gathering strength, and then he was off. Unlike the old training ground from Arashi's memories, pressure plates and other sensors had apparently replaced the tripwires. Naruto had no idea when or where to expect an attack. Running into the first clearing, all he could do was keep his eyes peeled.
There. Out of the corner of one eye, a log descending from the trees. He had to dodge…no, wait. Thinking back to Haruka's methods, Naruto leaped up instead, trying to meet the obstacle in mid-air. Unfortunately, he didn't have the benefit of Haruka's training, especially in geometry and physics. Curled up into a ball, Naruto did manage to meet the log. Unfortunately, he'd met it at an angle that bounced him right into a nearby cluster of poles and trees.
By the time Naruto had ceased to be a human pinball, his father's instructions actually made sense. A bath and a couple days of sleep sounded damned good.
Of course, he'd have to get through the rest of the course first. Oh, that does it. Too slow to dodge, too hurt to run. This course is toast.
Gamely advancing, Naruto grabbed onto poles and tree trunks as best he could, feeling movements he could have done blindfolded turn clumsy and slow, missing paths he could have taken through the course just yesterday. It was rough going; frustration building quickly. THAT was all according to plan. By the time the exit came in sight, he could barely summon the strength to move. It didn't matter. One last assault loomed, and the Genin could feel it coming. That was perfectly all right; he was prepared this time.
Screw control; give me some power!
"Naruto Bakudan no Jutsu!"
Rage and anger exploded outwards to meet wood and stone; nature lost. The conflict was over before Naruto's shout had even had time to echo through the woods, dust and dirt blanketing the clearing. Scorched ropes smoldered, dangling in the air where the traps had been.
"What do you have to say to THAT, Dad?" He unwrapped the scroll, wondering what Arashi had scheduled for the next day.
Oh, right. Forgot to tell you something the first day. No Uzumaki Clan means nobody to maintain the training ground but the trainee. In other words, you break it, you bought it. Destroy a trap and you'll have to put the logs or rocks back by yourself before the course will work right again. Axes and saws are in the toolshed behind the house, along with extra rope. Don't forget to lift with your legs, huh, kid?
"DAD!!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
* * *
"Somebody oughta warn that Sakura girl about your temper."
"Don't start, Dad. If I could move, I'd kick your ass back to wherever you were hiding for the last 12 years." Naruto lay on his bed, the dream shaping itself to his will for once. Well, except for the bruises. Those had stayed.
"Well, you've made it through three days. Pretty good. I thought for sure you were gonna pull a Ghost Girl."
"Pull a what?" Naruto gingerly turned his head to face Arashi, leaning back in a chair with his feet on the lone table in the room.
"Well, she had a name, but it was so long ago the villagers had forgotten it even back in my day. I heard the story secondhand off another Jounin, when I became Hokage. There was this girl in the Academy who was born brilliant; the best trainee the teachers had ever seen, sure bet for Jounin at a young age, maybe even Hokage, but she was bone lazy. On the day of her Genin exam, she never showed. Turns out later she slept through the whole thing. They gave her two more chances, she slept through those, too, or just blew 'em off. Flunked out of the Academy, never even made Genin. After that, nobody ever saw her in the Leaf Village again. So we call her Ghost Girl, 'cause she just up and disappeared. Couldn't take it."
"Weird. I'd hate to be her parents." Naruto wondered why anyone would throw away the chance to be a ninja.
"You'd hate being her a lot more. Imagine the ridicule, the shame she'd have to go through. I understand why she left; better to start anew, even if ya can't be a ninja. Go find something else to do, get your mind off it."
"I guess…but doesn't anybody wonder what happened to her?"
Arashi snorted. "You can wonder all you like, but you'd be better off getting some sleep and resting those bruises. Ghost Girl can handle her own affairs without our help."
* * *
Some say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In this one case, however, it began with a single, explosive sneeze inside a busy restaurant.
"ACHOOO!"
The petite waitress standing on the other side of the room started in surprise, and the tray of dirty dishes in her hands began to fall to the ground.
"I better not hear a plate crack, or else it's comin' outa your salaries, slackers!" Gruff and loud, a voice rang out from the kitchen, though nobody was at the window looking out. It was obvious this was business as usual. Less obvious was the lithe form streaking across the room to catch the falling tray in one hand, while balancing a similar tray.
The offending waitress sighed in relief as she watched her coworker come to her rescue. "Oh, thank you, Setsuna."
Her savior was a willowy woman in her early thirties, black bangs drooped almost to her eyes, which themselves looked half-closed. Setsuna put her tray down and returned the dropped one to its owner.
"Well, I caused the problem, Miki. Might as well fix it."
"Do you have a cold?" Miki's brow furrowed in concern.
The raven-haired waitress shook her head. When she spoke, it was with an easy drawl, like she couldn't be bothered with health or anything else. "Nah. Musta been someone talkin' about me. Can't imagine who that coulda been."
Again, the voice from the kitchen. "Get back to work, ya slackers! You can admire your tray-catchin' skills when we ain't got a lunch rush to deal with!"
"Screw you, Slinger!" Any thought that the waitresses disliked their target vanished when the customers saw the smiles on their faces. Simple banter between old friends, and nothing more. Then they turned back to their meals, and all was right again.
"Bartender, another round of sake for my ninja waitress. Saved me fifty bucks in new dishes at lunch again!" Slinger Ozaki, Head Chef of the Udon-ya Restaurant, waved a hand in Setsuna's direction as she and Miki lounged on the other side of the bar booth.
"How many times I gotta tell ya to stop with the ninja stuff, Slinger? Not a ninja, don't wanna be one. Too many responsibilities, all those missions. Who'd want that life?" She regretted saying it the instant the words left her mouth, as the cook went into his would-be hero mode again.
"You kiddin'? Assassins in the night, climbing walls like spiders! Shadows to the left, shadows to the right, you sneak up on 'em anyway, and POW!" Miki and Setsuna had already leaned out of the line of fire. Years of experience had taught them that Slinger's drink always came flying out of his glass at the height of his fantasy. The big man sitting in the next booth over, however, didn't know Slinger Ozaki. Judging by the look in his eyes as he wiped off the remains of a shot of hot sake, all he wanted to know was how long it would take to turn the cook into a bloody pulp. Slinger was apparently thinking the same thing about his opponent, from the look in his eyes.
"Got a problem, buddy?"
Oh, not AGAIN. Setsuna and Miki looked at each other, and then at the ceiling in exasperation. Their roles in this recurring drama were well-established. Miki grabbed Slinger and yanked him out the back door with surprising force, leaving Setsuna to face the offended drinker.
"Hey, big boy. He's drunk; let it go. It's only sake."
Setsuna groaned inwardly as, like most foes in this situation, the man simply looked her up and down. The thought that she might be a threat didn't even register to him. Thinking with the other head, are ya?
"Enjoy the show? Then get outta here and drop the thug act. Don't go makin' trouble ya don't need." Like most of the people she'd faced over the years, he didn't even move.
"I think your pal owes me an apology and a little exercise. You'll do, for starters."
"You sure, big boy?" Setsuna's drawl had dropped all the way down to a whisper. "I'd hate to be the one who had to tell his friends he got his ass kicked by little ol' me."
"Like to see you try it, girl." His sneer wiped the feigned fatigue right out of Setsuna's eyes. Her opponent stepped back a pace when he caught his opponent's new expression.
"Then throw down, already. You're such a tough guy? Make the first move." He didn't need any more prompting; getting taunted by a woman half his size was more than enough motivation. A ham-sized fist sped at her face. It never got there.
The few patrons still left in the bar gaped as Setsuna's hand shot out and seized her opponent's lead arm by the wrist, stopping it cold. A second later, if their jaws could have hit the floor, they would have. A deft pressure point pinch and arm twist left the big man kneeling on the floor in agony before the waitress delivered a short, brutal knee to his head, scoring a knockout.
"I really gotta find myself a new line of work." Rubbing her knee, Setsuna grumbled to herself as she walked out of the bar.
How long had it been? A year? Five? This was the longest she'd stayed anywhere since things had gone wrong. Perhaps it was time to think about moving on. Absent-mindedly, she looked at the little box on the mantel in her apartment. It was a happy memory, of sorts; a home that had all but forgotten her – and the one person who hadn't. Opening up the lid, she scanned some of the letters within the box.
Hey, sis. Things haven't changed much. We tried to talk Grandfather out of it, but he's set on disowning you, and as Clan Leader, he can't be overruled. I guess you don't really care, but it still sucks.
Hi again, sis. Hope you're doing well; just remember to send the letters to Emiko's house; she doesn't have to worry about HER grandparents scanning everything in the mail. I swear, ever since I started dating that guy I told you about, everyone here's paranoid or something. Anyway, let me know if you're moving and send me something when you get there, so I know where to reply.
It had been a welcome reminder that someone still cared. She'd hated the life of a ninja – that was no lie. Nobody understood her when she said she'd do missions if they wanted, but preferred to live a carefree life. It was just too much pressure and nonsense. She could have done it, but with so many willing candidates, the village was set for life. What did one little Genin matter? To her family, it mattered more than she'd thought.
Only her younger sister had kept in touch – and even those letters had stopped. Turning the last envelope over in her hands, Setsuna opened it. It had only been read once, and she'd been running from it ever since.
Sis, I don't really know how to say this, but by the time you read this letter, I'll probably be dead. The village is under attack by a fox demon, and nobody we have can stop it. Arashi-sama thinks he has a way to seal it off, but he's been at it for two weeks and he's still not done with the new technique. Grandfather's dead, and so is Daddy. In the end, Daddy stood up to the demon more than he ever did to Grandfather. I guess he felt guilty about what happened when you left. Strange way of showing it, though.
I suppose I should apologize; been hiding a secret from you the last few months. That's why you're getting this letter, really. I need a favor, and it won't keep.
Setsuna closed her eyes, shame bringing unwanted tears to them. For twelve years she hadn't read past this line; hadn't wanted to read the end. She owed no duty to the Leaf Village, or to her clan. But her sister… Can't be carefree forever, girl. Everyone's got some responsibilities. Past time you faced yours, instead of hiding here and kicking back.
She opened her eyes slowly and, hands shaking, unfolded the last part of her sister's final letter.
I have a son, almost two months old now. His father and I didn't see eye-to-eye on how he should be raised, so we haven't married yet, and he's still part of our clan. But right now, I'm about to go out there to fight the demon. I know I'm not coming back. Arashi-sama still needs more time; I think I can give him that. But it could mean leaving my child an orphan, and that's just not going to happen before I make backup plans.
People here have forgotten you, even if you seem to think you're some legendary failure; it's safe to come back. I know it's a lot to ask, but I'd feel better about this fight tonight if I knew my child was going to have someone to watch over him when I'm gone, should his father follow me into the grave (as that over-emotional idiot probably will). I'd be honored if you were that person, Setsuna.
If you don't want to come back, I understand. No matter what you decide, know that I'll always be there, wishing the best for you, hoping you're safe. That's what family is for, right?
Setsuna looked out at the moon as she slowly packed her bags. Slinger and Miki had been her family here, but blood was blood. She'd been running away long enough. Time to go home, and hope that she wasn't too late to take up the duty that had been given to her. Time to go and find her real family again. As she prepared to leave, the letter lay on the table, its final lines burned into her memory, lending her resolve.
Your loving sister,
Uzumaki Haruka
A/N: Please Support Me On patreon.com/The_Alchemyst