Chapter 9 – Team 13: Echoes of a Tragic Night

Date: January 23rd, 13 years following the Kyuubi's attack

Time: 2:15 PM

About an hour later, Team 13 sits at a booth in the Shushuya barbecue restaurant, enjoying a late lunch. Miho-sensei smiles at her team, "I'm sorry that the test I had to put all of you through was so unnerving, but my uncle suggested it as a possible solution to help me truly gauge your skill. And I had to admit that the best way short of having an all-out brawl..." She takes a drink of her tea. "This meal is on me as an apology."

"Thanks!" All three say simultaneously, before they look at each other and start laughing.

The owner/hostess walks over, "Welcome to Shushuya, what will you be having today?" She looks the team over before pausing in recognition. "Oh, Sho-kun, how are you today?" She asks with a warm smile.

Kimiko's and Nakahito's jaws unhinge slightly. Oni? Popular?

Sho smiled with amusement for a few seconds - before stunning them by acting like a perfect gentleman. "Pretty good, Mrs. Nara. Let me introduce you to my team: The two on the far side of the grill, looking confused, are Kimiko Itou and Nakahito Haruno. The lady to my left is our sensei, Miho Hyuuga."

Miho Hyuuga smiles at the hostess. "Nara... Oh, you must be the mother of Shikamaru Nara, one of the other Genin this year."

Mrs. Nara nods with a smile. "Yes." She looks back to Sho. "Did Shikamaru tell you? He and Chouji-kun are together on Squad 10 with Ino Yamanaka."

Sho smiled, "I hadn't heard yet; been so busy since the organizational meeting yesterday... But their pairing makes sense, given their skill sets." Inugami set down the menu; the day's special didn't catch his interest. "I'll have my usual, Samgyeopsal, Anshim gui, and Pajori."

She nodded, "Beef tenderloin, unsalted pork and the spicy scallion salad. And the rest of you?"

"2 orders of Dahk Galbi," Nakahito said, ordering the barbecued chicken.

Kimiko contemplated for a moment. "I think I'll have Dahk Gui. I like chicken, but I'm not fond of the barbecue sauce."

"I'll have the Jumulleok." Miho said ordering the sesame oil marinated short steaks." Mrs. Nara nodded and walked off to the kitchen to fetch the orders. Miho then looked over at Sho. "So you're a regular here?"

Inugami shrugged slightly. "More or less, yeah… I've had a loose friendship with Shikamaru Nara and Chouji Akimichi for years. Chouji's a bit of a nut for Shushuya's marinades, so we typically eat here when we're together. I'll also occasionally hang out with Naruto Uzumaki; when we do, the two of us typically hit Ichiraku Ramen."

"Where do you go when all four of you are together?" Miho Hyuuga asked out of curiosity.

Sho shook his head with a chuckle. "We don't. Naruto and I get along mainly because we're both disliked by most of the people in our age group, though Naruto's also got most of the village against him for some reason…" Miho, of course, knew the reason, but even though the host of the 9 Tails knew the truth of himself, the Hokage's decree remained in place. Children needed to be at least 17 or a Chuunin before they were allowed to know that Uzumaki was a Biju. "Shikamaru and I are friends because we both enjoy strategy games, mainly Shogi. Shikamaru and Chouji are practically joined at the hip at times; they've been friends almost as long as Kimiko & Nakahito have been. Unfortunately, Naruto and the combination of Shikamaru and Chouji mix like oil and vinegar."

Mrs. Nara returns with their orders and the four place their food on the in-table grill, one of the features of the Shushuya, allowing the patrons to cook their food to their own preferences. During the meal, they talk about the day's experiences. It was hard to believe that everything had taken only a few short hours.

"You know what I thought was the funniest moment?" Sho asks about an hour into the meal. "Was the look on Haruno-san's face when the first kunoichi one offered herself to him." Nakahito's face turned as red as his jacket. "He honestly couldn't make up his mind to accept or pass. I almost broke my cover trying not to laugh." Sho said, breaking into laughter at the memory.

"Okay, yuck it up." Nakahito sighs. "At least I..." At that moment Kimiko starts laughing as well. "KIMIKO! Come on..!" He cries in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, 'Hito..." Kimiko says, barely able to contain her laughter to be able to answer him. "But he's right; that look..." She starts laughing and lays her head on the table to hide her face.

Miho smiles and takes a bite of her pie. 'It's hard to believe that they've been Genin for just a week, been a team less than 24 hours, and only a little bit ago they couldn't really stand each other. Uncle Hiashi was right; the Yondaime's Gambit was the best option at our disposal.'

She gasps as she remembers what else Hiashi had revealed the previous night. "Oh, Kimiko." The young woman looks up. "Can I speak to you alone for a moment..?" Kimiko nods as Nakahito stands to let her out of the booth.

As the two kunoichi walk over to the restrooms, Kimiko, feeling slightly intimidated, asks, "Is something wrong, Miho-sensei?" She sees the older kunoichi smile and shakes her head, which helps ease her nervousness.

"No, Kimiko. In fact, I've got some good news for you."

Kimiko looks confused for a few seconds. "What is it Sensei?"

"Well, when I talked to my uncle last night." Miho Hyuuga said with a widening smile. "He told me the answer to one of the things you have been wondering about for some time..."

"You mean?!" Kimiko says; hope dawning brightly on her face.

Miho nods with a smile, realizing that she is about to give this young woman a small bit of her birthright back. "Your sister… Her name was Reiko Itou. I'm afraid that's all I was able to get. She was a Jonin while I was still in the Academy, so I haven't run into anyone who knew her all that well…"

This small bit of information brings tears of indescribable joy to the Itou clan survivor. Kimiko grabs Miho in a hug as the tears stream drown her face.

Half a heartbeat later, Nakahito arrives, followed closely by Sho. "Kimi? Are you okay?" Nakahito asks in confused worry.

"Reiko..." Kimiko cries as Miho holds on to her. "My-My Onee-chan's..." She sniffles as Sho hands her a handkerchief. "Miho-sensei found out that Onee-chan's name was Reiko!" She blows her nose and looks adoringly at Miho Hyuuga, who had to be one of the greatest senseis in the world.

"Thank you, Sensei." She gasps in joy and hugs her tighter. "Thank you!"

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Kimiko enters her apartment, keeping in mind that Miho-sensei had told the members of Team 13 to meet her in the mission assignment room at the Hokage's palace at 9 am. She removes her boots, donning a pair of fuzzy blue slippers that Hinata gave her for her last birthday.

She then walks over to the fridge, opening a bottle of milk and finishing it in 3 deep gulps. "Ah, that hit the spot." She says to herself, dropping the empty bottle into the recycle bin and grabbing another, which she savors a bit longer than the first.

She washes the dishes from the morning before gathering her bath supplies. "A nice long soak is just what I need after that test..." She sighs, swapping from her slippers back for her boots and heads to the bathhouse.

* * *

Kimiko exits the changing room of the onsen - the open air hot spring bathhouse, entering the spring area. "I'm just glad it's not mixed bathing day..." She says aloud. As a soft gasp of surprise comes from the thick steam of the hot springs she stops suddenly. "Is someone already here?" Kimiko asks, worried that maybe it WAS mixed bathing day and tries to quickly grab her towel.

"Oh, Kimiko-chan, it's you!" A soft gentle, and definitely female voice says, relief clearly audible.

"Hinata-chan?" Kimiko gasps in surprise, ceasing the attempt to protect her modesty as she recognizes the voice. "Is that you?"

A girl her age with short, midnight black hair and the same silver-white eyes that Miho-sensei has appears from the secluded cove in the springs for those who wish some amount of privacy. Hinata Hyuuga, Kimiko's only female friend, smiles tentatively; half submerged in the warm water.

"He-Hello, Kimiko-chan." She replies in an almost whisper.

"So how's the water today?" Kimiko asks.

"It's nice..." Hinata's soft voice answers.

Kimiko climbs into the naturally warm water and sighs. "AH... Now this is relaxing." After a few minutes of soaking up the heat, she starts to wash herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Hinata doing the same." Hey Hinata," Kimiko asks, "Want me to get your back for you?"

"Y-Yes, please. I'll get yours for you, too."

After the girls finish washing, they simply relax to enjoy the water. A few minutes later, Hinata finally asks, "So Kimiko, which team are you on?"

Kimiko starts to giggle as Hinata looks confused. "What's so f-funny?"

Kimiko looks at her friend, shaking her head. "I'm on Team 13 with Nakahito." She pauses with a large smile. "Our sensei is..."

"My cousin, Miho." Hinata finishes.

"That's right..." Kimiko says; a confused look crossing her features, "How did you know that?"

Hinata starts fidgeting with her index fingers; embarrassed at being put on the spot. "Yesterday, she stopped by to talk with my father..." Her cheeks turn deep red in embarrassment. "S-She asked me about the time..." She gulped. "The time that Nakahito-kun asked me out. When you mentioned that you were with Nakahito-kun, I knew that meant she was your sensei, too."

"She only asked because Sho Inugami, our third member, told her about it." Itou said with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry if you got embarrassed because of it; he was mainly trying to get 'Hito flustered."

"Oh, I see..." Hinata sighs in relief as both of them relax.

"I also got to meet your Sensei today. She was helping Miho out with us..."

* * *

After finishing their bath and conversation, both of the girls are standing outside the hot springs. "Good luck, Hinata-chan. Kiba's okay, but Akamaru makes up for his personality by being soooo cute and Aburame may be creepy, but he's strong and seems harmless." Kimiko says to Hinata.

"Thank you. Good night Kimiko-chan." Hinata Hyuuga says with an abbreviated bow before running off.

As Hinata walks away, another girl approaches the springs. This one has waist-length blond hair with a single lock partially obscuring her right eye and wearing a tight-fitting dark purple outfit with white tape wrappings on her arms and legs.

Ino Yamanaka notices Kimiko Itou and snorts derisively. "Well look who's here... Have they cleaned your filth out of the springs yet?" She asks snidely.

"Oh, yeah. It's all ready for all the dumb ass Sasuke groupies now." Kimiko snaps. "Pig-chan."

Ino growled as she clenched her fist. You could practically see lightning flashing between the eyes of the two women. "At least this groupie has someone at home waiting for me!" Ino yells coldly.

Everyone on the street stops, including Ino, who realizes that in her irritation that she forgot she wasn't dealing with Sakura Haruno. The other people on the street who recognize Kimiko direct criticizing stares at Ino.

Tears fall from Kimiko's eyes as she drops her bath supplies and runs off. Ino stands in the street, her mouth open, trying to spout an apology that the Itou woman wouldn't hear that night...

* * *

The Hidden Village of Konoha sounds like it's a quaint little place; at least to those that have never been there. Konoha is a village in name only, actually being a bustling metropolitan area that houses some 100,000+ people.

However, there are two fairly sizable areas that have permanently abandoned out of respect… One is the Uchiha clan compound; abandoned some six years previously when one of the Uchiha's own turned against his blood for reasons still unknown to all but a few.

The other is the Itou clan compound.

While the Itou clan had formerly been from the Land of Water, through honorable conduct since their defection, they had earned themselves a place of prominence in the village; on par with the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans. Since the clan's destruction ten years previously, the compound had lain silent and empty.

Tonight, it was not. Kimiko sat huddled on some water-warped planks in what had once her home; though she had very little in the way of memories of that time. Her arms were wrapped around her legs as she stares in silence through the dim light at a blank spot on the floor, the same spot she recalls as where her sister's body had lain the morning after that horrendous night. Kimiko recalled – albeit dimly – that Reiko had looked uninjured, but had been so cold to the touch.

Fresh tears begin to run down her face. "Onee-chan, I wish you were here... What happened to you that night?" A teardrop falls and lands on her star pendant, which seems to ripple as if the tear were a stone dropped into a still pool. And in reaction, unnoticed to Kimiko, the pendant begins to glow with a pale blue light once again.

* * *

There was a small lake, not too far from outer wall of the village, that begins to ripple in tandem with the ripples of Kimiko's pendant. A soft whisper emerges from the water, a voice as soothing as the ocean, but sounding just as heartbroken as the person whose name is spoken. "Kimiko..."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the ruins, Kimiko is crying so hard that she doesn't sense the approach of another person. A hand is laid on her shoulder, startling the crying young woman, who looks up to see the familiar, caring face of Nakahito Haruno.

Itou tries to stand, but only manages to throw herself in his arms, "Na-Na-NAKAHITO!" She cries out from her world of emotional pain. Haruno holds his crying friend in a caring embrace, stroking the back of her head comfortingly. "How...? H-how did you..?"

"Sakura-chan told me what happened." He says, still holding her.

"But she wasn't there…" Itou replied, sniffling in confusion.

"She was passing near the bathhouse when she ran into Hinata-chan, who saw what happened and told her." He clarified. "She told her what Ino said to you."

"And she told you..." Kimiko sighs, her tears spent for now.

"When I thought about what Ino said, I figured you'd be here." He says. "After all, this is where you usually go when you're thinking of them."

Kimiko wraps her arms around his torso in a life-clinging hug. "You're too good to me, 'Hito-kun."

He smiles as he begins to stroke her bronze hair. "No... I'm just a friend who cares is all."

* * *

The ripples in the lake grow larger as feminine figure, one made completely of water, rises. "Kimiko..." The same heartbroken voice emerges from the figure. "You're in such pain... I wish..." The figure covers her face as tears fall from the water woman. "I wish I could be there with you…" The figure loses cohesion, falling back into the pool, which falls still once more.

* * *

Back in Kimiko's apartment, Nakahito pulls the covers up to the shoulders of a now-sleeping Kimiko Itou. He stayed by her side from the Itou compound all the way back to her apartment and remained until she fell asleep. He gently strokes her hair, kissing her lightly on the cheek as he turns to leave. "See you in the morning Kimi." He murmurs, closing and locking the door behind him.

* * *

In her dreams, Kimiko finds herself in the Itou Clan Compound once again, only it's not in ruins. The Compound is well lit and there are people walking around her, each bearing the clan symbol in one way or another.

"What's going on here?" Kimiko asks, but her voice doesn't carry. She looks herself over, but she appears to be her usual teenaged self in her usual clothing.

Confused, she walks around a corner into the central courtyard, stopping short as she sees a woman in a pink silk kimono with raven hair holding a small girl with bronze brown hair. A pink kimono? Kimiko unwinds the pink sash around her waist with shaking hands and holds it up. The strip of pink fabric is faded, but the pattern on the fabric matches that of the woman's kimono.

"M-m-mother?" She half-calls, half-asks, but again her voice doesn't carry.

The woman in pink smiles at the young child in her arms and lifts one arm to point down another entrance to the courtyard. The little girl looks down the alley and laughs in joyful recognition. Curious, Kimiko take a few steps closer to give her a clear view of where they were looking.

There is a young woman, in her late teens or early twenties, wielding a Wusha and performing a kata similar to Kimiko's own. The woman looked like Kimiko, but was slightly different… Kimiko gasps in recognition. "Onee... Reiko-chan!"

Behind her, the compound's inner gate slams open as eight people wearing Itou clan symbols run in. "We're under attack!" The man in front shouts. "Get the non-combatants to shelter! All able-bodied fighters to the main gate!" The man runs over to the woman in the pink kimono as Reiko races over to join them.

"FATHER!" Kimiko yells as she finally recognizes the man.

"Get Kimiko into the panic room!" He orders. "Then join me at the gate - the entire contingent of Cloud ninja is attacking us! We'll need both of you on the front lines." Kimiko's mother and sister nod, dashing over to the house whose ruins Kimiko had been crying in earlier that day, carrying the three year old Kimiko in their arms.

Suddenly realizing that she was reliving that night, but from the perspective of someone else…

But who? And how..? And most importantly of all, WHY?

Kimiko followed them into the sleeping quarters of the main house. Reiko pulls aside one of the tatami mats on the floor, revealing a hidden trap door. Kimiko's sister then pushes a section of the door and it drops open revealing a room large enough for an adult and a single child to lie prone for the 'All Clear' announcement.

The older woman places the young girl in there, Kimiko watches as the child version of herself grabs the woman by the outer hem of her kimono and cries, "Mumma no! Don't leave me here!"

"Sorry, Kimiko, but you have to hide here..." Her mother says, trying to break free of the girl's death grip.

The Kimiko's sister walks over and removes an item from around her neck and puts it on the small child. Kimiko gasps as she recognizes the star pendent she always wears. "Keep this safe me, okay, Kimi?" The disoriented three year old simply nods, still gripping her mother's kimono for dear life.

Her mother sighs in frustration and performs a quick set of hand signs, finishing with... "Ninpo, Forced Sleep jutsu!" The younger Kimiko starts falling asleep, but the dream doesn't fade… Whoever's memory this is it wasn't Kimiko's…

At that point, her father enters the room. He now had a pair of Tonfa in his hands. "Hurry! They're beginning to break through the inner defenses!" He yells.

As her mother tries to stand, she sees that the young girl, despite being forced into sleep, still has a death grip on her kimono. The woman quickly pulls a blade and cuts a long strip off. Reiko quickly slides the tatami mat back into place, hiding the existence of the panic room.

Suddenly, Cloud ninjas burst into the room. The leader jumps at her mother, pulling back his sword for a killing blow, but before he can strike, her father throws himself in the way.

"MOTHER! FATHER!" Kimiko cries in unison with her sister as the ninja's sword skewers both of them. Both gasp in agony and look over to Reiko.

Her father smiles sadly at Kimiko's sister. "Reiko... My only daughter..." He looks into the eyes of the man who just killed him and his wife. "Please... Spare her."

Kimiko looks confused at the declaration that Reiko was his only daughter before quickly realizing that her father, despite his critical injury, was hiding the fact that Kimiko existed. He was also trying to save Reiko as well since she was out in the open.

The ninja looks at Kimiko's sister and shakes his head. "Orders are orders. All Itou die this night."

"Onee-chan, run, damn it! Please, RUN!" Kimiko yells, once again unheard by these echoes of the tragic past, uncertain if this was real or a figment of her imagination brought on by Miho-sensei's revelation of her sister's name.

The sister smiles wrathfully. "Do you think the Itou clan elite will make it that easy for you?" She asks as her dying parents move their arms to clasp hands together.

Surprised that his victims can still move; the lead Thunder Country ninja looks away from the girl to the end of his blade. Kimiko's mother grins cruelly at him. "No mercy for us..?" She looks at Reiko, bloody red froth in her mouth the same way the imaginary Cloud ninja Sho had "killed" earlier had. "No mercy for them!" Her eyes narrowed in hate and anger. "No matter what it takes; no limitations!"

Reiko nods agreement, her throat bobbing - was that fear? Rage? A mix of both? - and begins to make some hand signs: Horse-Hare-Monkey-Snake.

Kimiko's parents suddenly shout as one; distracting the Cloud ninja once again. "Aquatic Oblivion jutsu!" As they say the words, the forms of Kimiko's mother and father pulse as they convert all their available chakra and their life force into a frothing torrent of water that blows the Cloud ninjas out of the house.

The torrent remains after the initial surge, a water elemental that would last as long as the final will of Kimiko's parents could power it.

Kimiko looks out the door, seeing the wall of water that was her parent's final attack had left an ankle deep pool of water across the entire compound.

Reiko glances at Kimiko and, for a heartbeat, she seems to give her a warm smile - almost as if she could see the fine young woman her sister has become - before stepping into the doorway and masking Kimiko's view of her sister's face. Reiko then yells, "MIZUGAN!"

* * *

Kimiko jumps up, flinging the covers off her body covered in a cold sweat. "What was that...? A dream? A memory?"

Itou felt the same sharp pain in her eyes again, causing her to wince. "Damn... Again? I better go to the hospital in the morning and see if they can tell me what's wrong..."

She slides out of bed on the right hand side; grabbing an ice pack from her small refrigerator. Climbing back into bed, she places it over her eyes and tries to go back to sleep.

Itou, in her pain, failed to notice the watery footprints leading from the bathroom to the left side of her bed and back again or the sound of water draining down the sink.

* * *

Kimiko walks out of the exam room of the Konoha hospital the following morning, feeling frustrated. The medic, one even more experienced than Sho, had found nothing wrong with her eyes. As she turns the corner, she almost bumps into someone; to her surprise, it's her teammate! "Sho?"

Sho glances at her. "Kimiko-san, what are you doing here?"

"My eyes were hurting again last night, so I came here to see if anyone else could found out what's going on." She replies.

"And?" He asks. She simply shakes her head. She pauses. "What are you doing at the hospital so early in the morning?

"Mom forgot something at the house and asked me to bring it by before mission assignment." He glances at the wall clock. "Speaking of, we need to get going; it's almost time to meet Miho-sensei."

"Can we go by my place first?" she asks, "'Hito always comes by to get me and I don't want him to wonder why I'm not coming out."

"Sure; why not." Sho agrees.