Chapter 5 - Starless Night

"Fugit inreparabile tempus."Yomi lay sprawled across her bed, sighing dramatically. Her hair was scattered on the bed and Kakuzu casually flipped through his bingo book with a cup of coffee by the veranda. "I'm so bored!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing in the room.Kakuzu glanced up from his book, an eyebrow raised. "Why aren't you training with Jiraiya and his team today?" He had sent her to him specifically so she would be out of his hair for the week.Yomi rolled over to face him. "They're on a break today since it's their last day here. And besides, it's not like I can keep up with their pace," she said, pouting. She could barely keep up but enhancing her body, but once they started using chakra it was an impossible situation for her."Why aren't you hanging out with them then? You're not going to see Yahiko for a while after this," Kakuzu remarked nonchalantly.Yomi flushed, sitting up quickly. "Why are you bringing up Yahiko?" she asked, her voice higher than usual.Kakuzu gave her a knowing look but said nothing more, returning to his book. Yomi was about to press him further when there was a knock on the door. She jumped up and opened it to find Konan standing there. She was wearing a pretty dress with a paper rose and a black belt."Konan!" Yomi exclaimed, throwing her arms around her friend in a warm hug."Morning Yomi! Wanna go shopping with me?" Konan asked, smiling."Yes! Absolutely! Just one second!" Yomi agreed immediately.She quickly put on her shoes and stumbled back to the door; as she was about to leave, Kakuzu threw her a bag of coins. Which she caught on instinct. "Have fun," he said gruffly.Yomi caught the bag and looked at him in shock, he was actually giving her free money? "Thanks, Kakuzu!" she said, beaming – leaving quickly before he changed his mind. He merely grunted in response.The two girls set off, walking through the bustling streets of the village. Shops lined the streets, filled with colourful displays and enticing aromas. Yomi and Konan chatted and laughed as they browsed through various stores."How about this one?" Konan suggested, holding up a simple yet elegant dress."It's cute, but I'm looking for something more... ninja-like?" Yomi replied, scanning the racks. If she dressed the part, people wouldn't treat her like a normal civilian all the time.They wandered into a shop that specialized in ninja attire. Yomi's eyes widened as she spotted the perfect outfit. It was a unique set, as shown in the picture she had envisioned: an off-shoulder beige top, matching shorts, and a long red rope belt. The outfit also included black sandals and thigh bandages, giving it a practical yet stylish look."This is it," Yomi said, holding up the outfit with a huge grin.Konan smiled. "It suits you perfectly." Truthfully It wasn't a conventional shinobi outfit but she wasn't going to ruin her mood for no reason.After purchasing the outfit, the girls decided to stop for some dango at a nearby stall. Yomi's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at the colourful skewers."This is my first time trying dango," Yomi confessed, picking up a skewer.Konan smiled warmly. "You're in for a treat. They're delicious."Yomi took a bite, wincing.Konan laughed softly. "Too sweet?" She asked. Yomi nodded before putting the rest down."That's a shame, I quite like them." Konan said as she finished hers."Then you can have mine, my teeth feel fuzzy.."Konan laughed and took Yomi's dango.They continued to chat, the conversation flowing easily between them. Konan shared stories of her past, and Yomi listened intently, she loved that they were like family, despite everything they still had each other's backs.As the day came to an end, they made their way back to the inn, their bags filled with purchases and their hearts light with happiness.The both of them walked up to the top floor where Yomi's room was. As she pushed open the door to her room, she was greeted by popping sounds and a chorus of "Surprise!"Yomi stood in shock as she took in the scene. The room was decorated with streamers and balloons, and a small cake sat on the table. Jiraiya, Yahiko, Nagato, and even Kakuzu were there, smiling at her."Happy birthday, Yomi!" Konan said, hugging her friend tightly.Yomi felt tears well up in her eyes. She had completely forgotten it was her birthday. "This is... this is amazing," she said, her voice choked with emotion.Yahiko stepped forward, handing her a small gift. "I hope you like it," he said, his cheeks tinged with pink.Yomi opened the gift to find a beautiful hairpin shaped like a pair of wings. She looked up at Yahiko, her eyes shining. "Yahiko...""Don't cry on us. Come on, there are more presents! And cake!" Nagato said, dragging her to the cake. He had been waiting for her to show up so they could cut it and he could taste it."You guys..." Her eyes flooded with tears as she looked at the cake, clearly homemade. "Who made the cake?""Oh, when we told the granny at the reception that it was your birthday, she did it for free!" Yahiko said, sitting next to her."How did you plan all this?""Well, Kakuzu helped a lot."Yomi looked up at Kakuzu, who had a neutral face. "Kakuzu..." So that's why he gave her so much money earlier."Stop being so sappy," he said, struggling to stop himself from smiling. "It's your day, enjoy it."Yomi looked down at the cake. It had her name on it, made specially for her."Wait, before we cut the cake, I hired a camera! Everyone, gather around Yomi!" Jiraiya instructed. They all gathered, sitting next to each other. Yomi, who had been mostly unable to move, looked up to see Jiraiya's clone behind the camera.Yahiko took her hand in his, and she looked at him. He had a big, stupid grin on his face, like he knew her heart was full to the brim."Alright, everyone say cheese!"She held onto his hand tightly, like she was afraid all this would disappear. Her lips spread widely as she smiled at the camera.The next day, the sun was obscured by clouds. Yomi stood on the balcony, watching Jiraiya and his team leave. Kakuzu watched her look at them."Are you sure you don't want to say goodbye?" he asked. Since last night, she had been listless. This morning, she didn't want to say goodbye to them. He knew it hurt her, but if she ran away from her feelings, it would hurt more. She held the hairpin in her hands, clenched tightly in her fists."He promised he would train hard and get stronger... Hey, Kakuzu... why do people want to get stronger?""Hm... In this world, the only way to achieve your dreams is to get stronger.""I don't have a dream..." she said quietly."That's not true... You see him as your dream, don't you?"She turned to face him, her face in anguish. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Kakuzu, I don't think he's going to come back."He was startled at her outburst. She was talking like he would die. Her eyes were desperate, and for a moment, he was speechless."Yomi, if you are strong enough, death cannot stand in the way of your dream."Yomi's eyes widened. It had never occurred to her that in this world, death wasn't inevitable. She moved, placing her feet on the balcony's railing as a pair of beautiful white wings spread out behind her and she took off.Meanwhile, the trio with Jiraiya walked through the forest."So she didn't come to the very end, huh?" Nagato said before receiving a fierce jab to the rib by Konan. Yahiko was walking behind them, as if wanting to move slower so she would catch up to them."Yahiko, maybe she's not—""She will come!" he said. They hadn't started jumping through the trees because he was dragging his feet. His hair covered his eyes. "I know she will..." No matter what, he believed she would."Face it, kid, I don't think she will," Jiraiya said with a sigh.Yahiko didn't say anything, his heart sinking."Yahiko!"Her voice echoed through the forest. He looked up, searching around for her."What the hell?" Jiraiya muttered, his eyes wide.Yomi flew in between the trees, desperately trying to reach them."Is that..." Nagato started."Wings!" Konan exclaimed in excitement.Yomi descended upon them, the rain drenching her clothes completely, her hair sticking to her face. She looked like an angel."Yahiko!""Yomi—" She hugged him, taking this moment to feel him once more. He held her, his arms tightening around her waist. And then she kissed him, deeply."Come back to me, okay?" she said with a smile on her face. Despite the rain on her face, he could tell she had been crying. Her eyes were puffy, and in her hair was the hairpin he gave her. His body softened, his eyes starting to sting too."I promise, I will come back to you."Yomi watched the group leave, standing on a tree branch. The branch lowered as someone else's weight lowered onto it."You got me worried, try not to fly off without telling me where you're going." Kakuzu growled, unhappy he had to chase after her in the rain, now he was soaking wet. "Did you manage to say goodbye?"She nodded."That's good, we should get back, we need to leave tomorrow.""To Kirigakure?" She asked,"To Kirigakure."