Chapter 12 - Yui’s Worries

Yui leaned against the cave wall as she fiddled with a rock in her hand.

"So, what do you think we should do? Go back?"

She asked Aito who was still looking outside of the cave entrance.

"No, if we go back we'll miss our chance at obtaining the medical herbs."

"That's only if they still have them. We don't know what they talked about, nor what that fight was about six days ago. We don't know anything Aito, we are just assuming things."

Yui interrupted him as she stopped messing with the rock and glanced in his direction.

"True, but trust me on this. Have I ever steered you wrong before?"

Yui laughed.

"Remember that time we were little and you told me i'd be able to catch that small black fox if I waited by our ancestors' graves. I waited and waited, but that fox never came."

Aito chuckled.

"I wasn't being serious, I was only messing around with you. How was I supposed to know where that little black fox would appear? That thing is a tricky little fellow."

"You!"

Yui threw the rock in her hand towards Aito, but Aito raised his hand and caught it.

"If you keep that temper of yours, you'll never get married. That's why the men in the clan keep their distance."

Yui rolled her eyes and ignored Aito's comment.

"Hey Yui…"

Aito said softly almost as if he was whispering.

"Yeah?"

"Come check this out."

Aito fanned his hand towards her, telling her to come forward.

Yui came to the front of the caves entrance and kneeled down by Aito, both of them just inches apart. Yui's face slightly blushed as she gazed at his handsome face but swiftly turned her head.

"You see th… wait, why is your face red? You have a fever or something?"

Aito asked as he placed his hand on Yui's forehead to check her temperature.

Yui brushed his hand off.

"I'm not. What am I supposed to be looking at?"

Aito pointed in a direction, and Yui could see what he wanted her to look at. It was two ninja's being dragged towards the mountains.

"Aren't those some of the ninja who were clashing against Ernie and those two girls?"

Yui asked curiously as she squinted her eyes hoping to see a better picture.

Aito nodded his head.

"Yeah, but why are they being captured? I mean, we knew they were following those three just like us, but they kept their distance from them. I assume they thought the same as us, hoping they would lead us to the medical herbs."

"But, what i'm more curious about is this clan. This should be the Kizamaru clan right?"

Aito asked.

Yui nodded her head, this was indeed the location of the Kizamaru clan.

"Then, when did they get so big? Five years ago, they were only a medium sized clan with not that much power, but all of a sudden they seem to have changed. This definitely needs to be reported to the clan leader."

Yui looked at Aito.

"You don't think they've been hiding their real power all along do you? Everyone thinks they are the same clan they've been for years, but now that things have changed. You think they plan on aggressively expanding their power?"

As she asked that question, Yui's eyes were filled with worry.

Aito shook his head.

"I do not know Yui, I do not know. We can only hope that is not the case, or else even our clan may be in danger."

While Yui and Aito were sitting in the cave waiting for something to happen, Ernie was in a room with Hina and Himari. Both of them stopped crying at this point in time, as it's been an hour since they've received the news of their brothers death.

Now, they sat on the floor with their fist clenched.

"Sorry for saying that the two of you were my fiance's, it was something that needed to be said so that the old man wouldn't find out about what happened to the two of you."

Hina shook her head as she gave Ernie a smile, but he could still see her blue eyes were watery.

"We don't care Ernie, fiance or whatnot, we know that we'll end up in someone's hands eventually. At this point, what me and Himari want is to get revenge for our clan and our brother."

"Tomorrow, I will go to where the Itaku clan is and kill as many as I can! I don't care if I die as long as I can be with my family!"

Himari yelled out.

Ernie shook his head.

"Calm down. Take a deep breath and realize the situation you two are in right now. If you go to the Itaku clan, how many do you think you can take with you? One, two, maybe three? If you die there, how will you avenge your clan later on? Besides, the way you two are now, you can't take on the Itaku clan."

Ernie said to the two of them.

Himari jumped up and leaped at Ernie, grabbing him by his neck and shaking him.

"What do you mean? How can you tell us that? We will never be at peace! Never!"

Ernie gazed into Himari's blue eyes that were shedding tears. He rubbed her long silver hair.

"Do you know who are with the Itaku clan? No? Then i'll tell you, it's the Uchiha clan!"

Himari stopped shaking Ernie, but she sat on his stomach as she released her grip.

Hina's eyes opened wide upon hearing that it was the Uchiha clan.

"How can it be the Uchiha clan? How would you even know? You weren't there?"

Himari didn't believe Ernie.

Ernie sighed.

"It's true that i've come from a distance place, but I left something out. I was a member of a medium sized clan close by the land of water, we were relatively peaceful. But, as I said to the old man, the land of water is the worst place to be. You'll be dragged into a war even if you had no grievances with anyone. If you had something someone wanted, they would try to take it no questions asked.

One day, some ninja arrived at my clan, with weird red colored eyes, black hair and a symbol on their back. My clan tried to fight them off, but it was of no use. These ninja were the best of the best, and they were able to copy some of our jutsu's. My father and me were out training, but when we returned we saw the last of our clansmen being killed. So, my father took me and ran far away, as far as he could go. Together, we became traveling mercenaries, but one day a storm caused us to drift apart and lose each other. Now, i'm just hoping to find him again."

"So, you know it was the Uchiha clan because that ninja from earlier said they had red eyes and could copy their justu's. No wonder, we never knew Ernie."

Hina said with saddened eyes.

'Of course you never knew, because I just made it up!'

Ernie thought in his head.

"Yes, trust me you cannot beat them right now. The best thing to do is train, get stronger and try it again in a few years time."

"But, we have nowhere to go. No home to return to. Our only option seems to be us giving ourselves up to the Kizamaru clan. At least they might help us solve our problems if we marry into their family."

Himari said as she looked down towards Ernie.

"This clan is strange. I have a bad feeling about it, and we should leave here as soon as dawn breaks."

Ernie honestly said.

"Besides, you still have me!"

Hina and Himari giggled.

"What about you? What can you do?"

"I don't know, but if you don't leave me I won't leave you alone either."

Hina looked at Himari, who looked at her. Both girls started to laugh again.

"Glad to see the two of you laughing… but Himari… i'm slowly dying here mind getting off me?"

Himari noticed that she was still sitting on Ernie. But, did he just indirectly call her fat?

Her face turned red, and she hit him on his chest.