Chapter 44: Clan Heiress Arc: Four

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I'm putting this note at the beginning since I normally have a long one down at the bottom and I don't want this to get lost in the shuffle.

I will not be posting new chapters of anything this coming Saturday, Sunday, or Monday as of yet, I am uncertain about Friday as well. I have an obligation which takes me out of town, so less time for writing. If, by some stupid miracle I do manage to write a chapter over the weekend, I will post it. If not, we shall resume next week.

"Come on, Hana-hime. We have to understand how you want to look for the announcement!" Cousin Kosha pulls me down the hallway of her house. My uncle Kegawa's daughters had been given the monumental task of dressing me for the Winter Festival this year.

And they took the idea very seriously, which is why I am currently being dragged towards their lounge area so they could pester me with questions. "Does this really have to happen?" I ask her, because while it had been a month since Koma-senpai...don't think about it so much. I cannot be entirely happy. Failure weighs heavily when confronted with the massive weight it brings.

She turns to regard me very carefully with her hazel eyes. "Hana-hime. We are not ashamed of you, thus, it is very important that what you're wearing during the process symbolize what you want for the future of our pack." Is that what this is? A declaration of what my position will be during my eventual reign? This must be tradition then. And Kaa-san had never experienced it since her ascension was a sudden one, but I am sure that Kosshi-baasan did.

We tumble into the lounge area, where Kotsuzui and Kihaku are already waiting. Kotsuzui-"call me Kotsu" she'd said when we had met again-is scarred, and I regret it. I am sorry I had to scar you. I find that we are not on different sides of a conflict after all. We had hurt each other because we did not understand not because we wanted to. She didn't find the burn scar stretching from her temple to her lips down the left side of her face to be particularly damaging to our good relationship though, and I try not to act as though it is the end of the world. "Hana-hime!" She points to the veritable mountain of cushions. "Tell us about yourself and your dreams."

"I want to keep my people safe. I want them to know that there isn't anything I wouldn't do." After Koma-senpai it becomes increasingly clear that I needed every resource that I could get to protect the people I love. I could not simply grow stronger by learning more jutsu. There are forces within the village that would harm them that I have yet to have the power to change. I will one day. One day I will be able to protect the people I call my own.

"Red then." Cousin Kihaku flips herself into a sitting position. "Blood red, more brilliant than the rising sun." She tilts her head to the side. "It'll match our fangs and be a symbol of a new reign." She pauses to consider it. "The obi might be better in orange though, as a symbol of luck and rebirth."

"It's a shame that you have such short hair now." Cousin Kosha sighs. "It limits expression, but then that might be better. We don't want the hairstyle to get in the way of the formal declaration." She turns towards Cousin Kihaku. "I don't think so, the obi is traditionally black and plain. We don't want to throw out all tradition. Hana-hime's going for an addition, not a complete uprooting."

"And the designs have to be in black." Cousin Kotsu adds. "I would consider either wolves or dragons for the kimono, and two chrysanthemums for your hair, one in black, the other in gold."

"Wolves for protection, power, and strength." I conclude. "Black for formality, and gold for refinement and chrysanthemums for nobility." And pairs, both designs and flowers would be in pairs, and only the red would stand alone. And red is the color of life. Five years ago, Tou-san and I flew a red kite. And now I will learn to lead, to protect and defend.

Are you watching me now, Tou-san?

"They'll hear you howl." Cousin Kihaku smiles, and her fangs gleam in the morning light. "I like it." She turns to her sisters. "We're the closest people Hana-hime has to sisters now. Collect Cousin Ashi, we need to get started."

Cousin Kosha runs off to find Cousin Ashi, and Cousin Kotsu turns to me. "Don't worry. We'll make sure that everything is in place. I'll coach you on what the ceremony is like."

I move my cushions over to her low divan. "I would like that." A peace offering made and accepted. Uncle Kegawa probably taught her with her own ascension in mind, and now she's going to teach it to me. We'll go forward together.

The day of the Winter Festival dawns clear and cool with a cutting wind but no snow. The true festivities begin as the firecrackers outside every house in the compound starts going off as the red sun rises. According to Cousin Kosha, whom I've learned is just two years older than me at nearly twelve, this is a time honored tradition to announce a wedding, or an ascension. Inuzukas preferred spring weddings actually, and an ascension always took place the day of the Winter Festival.

And today is the day of my ascension. The clan spills out into the spokes of the wheel into the dusty paths. The younger children carry bells to ring in the new year. We'll join the festival inside the village later in the day, but this morning we troop to the clan shrine for the ceremony, and then to the cemetery to pay our respects to our ancestors.

I stand and watch from the window in Kihaku's room. She grabs me by the shoulders. "Come on, Hana-hime, we have to show you the kimono now." She considers it for a minute. "And we have to do your makeup in black and gold."

All that I know is that in the past week, they've worked on the project, on choosing the fabric, measuring me, cutting the silk cloth, and stitching all of the patterns and designs. They had purposefully kept it from me as much as possible, and this is the first time that I am going to see it.

The first layer, the nagajuban is white, and by the time we finish, will be the visible only at the collar, and this is tied back informally with a smaller obi. And then Cousin Ashi and Cousin Kotsu bring out the red over kimono that everyone had worked on so hard on.

The red silk drapes over my shoulders, and I feel that it is right, somehow. It is a shade darker than the fangs on our cheeks, a deep and glowing blood red. The long sleeves sweep the floor, a black wolf embroidered on each sleeve, snapping guardians of my left and right hands. A furisode, for a young woman's coming of age day. Across the bottom gold and black chrysanthemums dance from the hemline all the way to my knees. They wrap around my legs onto the back of the kimono, but my actual back and shoulders are simply red. It's beautiful.

Cousin Kihaku ties the simple black obi around my waist and knots it in the back. "This isn't what the Hyuga or the Uchiha would do for formalities." She mutters. "The Uchiha and Hyuga girls will have highly decorative obis, but this is our tradition." And indeed, all of them also wear plain black obis and simple knots without the showy bows.

"I am proud of our traditions." I reply. Then I have sandals slipped onto my feet. "Thank you." I whisper, and all around the room, the four of them gather around.

"We're your sisters, Hana-hime." Cousin Ashi takes both of my hands and smiles. She's wearing dark blue stitched with pink peonies, like the rest of my immediate girl cousins. "And one day we'll make your wedding kimono too." She applies black eyeliner, and golden eye shadow, and then smiles. "The gold brings out the gold in your eyes when you're happy."

"We'll have to do cranes for longevity and happiness on that one." Cousin Kosha grins. "But today, you run with wolves."

Cousin Kotsu leans in to pin the two large chrysanthemums to my hair. "Make sure they hear you howl."

I nod. "Un." And then we step out towards the shrine.

Kaa-san stands in front of the statue of the wolf deity, Okami, in the temple, incense clasped between her hands. I kneel before her, the Triplets in a line behind me, and contemplate the statue of the man in the wolf pelt and the wolf beside him. Are you real? If you are, do you listen to our prayers? Kiba is standing with Uncle Teiru's sons. The last I'd seen of him, he'd been poking Shizen for some reason or another.

"We are gathered here to witness the ascension of the next pack mother." Kaa-san places a stick into the center cup. "As the current mother of the pack, I ask that Okami bless my daughter." Then she passes the rest of the incense to Uncle Kegawa who stands beside her.

He places a stick of it into the left cup. "And we ask that our ancestor Yama, the first wolf, to bless her, and through her, the heart of the pack." He passes the incense to Uncle Teiru.

Uncle Teiru places the last stick in the right cup. "And we ask that our predecessors guide her, teach her, and watch over her so that when the time comes, she wears the mantle as easily as she wears this ascension."

"May Okami bless our pack." The crowd echoes. "May we choose wisely and be blessed."

There is a different energy in the room, not chakra but more spiritual. Perhaps the deities really exist in this universe. The legend of the Inuzuka, Cousin Kotsu had told me while brushing out and trimming my hair. "We are the descendants of the first wolf, Yama." She'd said. "And he is the son of the wolf god, Okami and a human woman. That is why we walk with dogs."

And then we turn our heads towards the rising sun and howl. In that moment I can believe that the blood in my veins comes from the first wolf, and I can feel each member of the clan, can feel their unity and their hopes and dreams, their echoing joy layers upon layers of it.

I'm home. This is home.

After lunch at high noon, we join the village celebrations. There are still firecrackers and sprinklers going off in the streets, and the stands that sold wishes were set up on every street corner. A dancing dragon parades down the street followed by a pair of lions. I'd lost Kiba in the festive atmosphere long ago, and the Triplets had gone off to play with the other clan dogs roaming the streets.

Kaa-san is walking with both of her older brothers, a small smile on her face. Uncle Kegawa slaps her on the shoulder. "We should go drinking Tsu-chan. We've never done that before."

She frowns at him, but there's laughter dancing in her eyes. "Come now, Niichan, how could I let you be irresponsible like that?" It looks like the new year brings new beginnings with it.

Uncle Teiru laughs and steps between the two. "We could go play poker instead." The three of them disappear into the crowd.

I walk with my cousins as we visit the shrine of fire at the center of the village and stuff our faces with mochi and other desserts. "We should play sugoroku later." Cousin Kihaku announces. "We have five right here, so we need to only drag another person in for three teams of two pairs."

"No, we should light lanterns to float in the Naka River and watch the fireworks first." Cousin Ashi argues. "And we should buy wishes for the new year."

"But the koi sellers are here again for the first time this year." Cousin Kotsu counters. "Shouldn't we visit that first?" She looks around at us. "We need a new koi each to celebrate how much we're friends. I'll fish." She rolls up her sleeves. "Especially since Hana-hime shouldn't do anything with those sleeves of hers."

I frown at her. "I know that the furisode is impractical, but surely I can still fish for my own koi?"

Cousin Kosha shakes her head. "No, you'll get the sleeves wet." She tows me away towards a stand that sold the special slips of chakra paper for wishes. "Come on, I'll buy you seven wishes for the New Year."

Laughingly, I follow her. "Cousin Kosha, don't go so fast." I mock glare at her. "These shoes are difficult to balance on."

"That's your own fault, Hana-hime." She replies cheekily. "You don't wear formal clothing ever, and it's a habit we'll have to break from you before your wedding ceremony."

I giggle, a long sleeve covering my mouth. "We'll have a long long time before that happens."

She turns back to me, her black eye makeup making her hazel eyes stand out even bigger. "Or you could suddenly fall in love with a handsome shinobi, and you'll have a shotgun wedding just like Tsume-baachan." She giggles as well. "That means Tou-san will be so mad though. He loves wedding wine, and he plans to host at least three weddings." One for each of his daughters. A proud father-in-law three times over. "I'm sure he'll add yours to the lineup."

"I shall endeavor not to make Kegawa-jisan upset then." I reply. He means a lot to his family members. Surely then, he is not a bad man at heart.

Cousin Kosha turns towards the vendor. "Seven wishes please." Her cheeky smile and round red cheeks makes her cuter than she'd appeared that first time I'd seen her in the firelight.

"Coming right-" The vendor lays out the paper and reaches for the ink stick and brushes, but a hand stops him.

"Maa...Jiisan, I have to buy the flower at least one wish."

I look up, and there he is. Kakashi is actually a fungus. The greatest surprise though, is that he's actually wearing a kimono. Sure, it's just plain black with gray hakama over it, but still. It's nothing like his normal clothing. "You're not calling me a puppy today?"

He eye smiles at me, and it is only about eighty percent plastic. "Hana-chan, everyone knows that you're a little flower today." He nods towards my red furisode and the flowers in my hair. "You can go back to being a puppy tomorrow." Why, how kind of you. He flips a few coins onto the table. "Make a wish!"

I step forward, and with my none existent calligraphy skills write out a simple sentence. "I wish Hatake Kakashi-san would stop reading porn in public."

He shakes his head and flips a few more coins onto the table. "That's not a wish, Hana-chan. You'll have to do it over."

I write out another sentence. "I wish Hatake Kakashi-san stopped wearing his mask for a day. He has to go outside his apartment."

One of his hands lands in my hair. "You shouldn't be so-"

Cousin Kosha slaps his hands away. "Stop bothering my sister, Hatake." She steps in front of me and growls. "Tsume-baachan has a decreed that you're banned from the compound.

Kakashi eye smiles again and this time it is completely plastic. "We're not in the compound right now!"

I step forward. "It's okay, Cousin Kosha, I think Kakashi-san's a friend." I smile up at him. "I'll buy you a wish?"

He freezes. "Maa...that won't be-"

I grab his elbow. "You are going to wish for something, Kakashi-san."

He glances at me. "I do suppose I have a wish." He picks up the brush that I'd dropped and adds a wish under mine in truly deplorable handwriting. "I wish Hana-chan will stop calling me Kakashi-san."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "What am I supposed to call you? Idiot Scarecrow? Hey you? You there in the mask?"

He sighs. "Just Kakashi would be fine too." He eye smiles at me, and it is perhaps fifty percent plastic. "Friends don't use the san suffix with each other, Hana-chan!" And then he disappears off into the distance.

I turn to Cousin Kosha. "That..was strange."

She sighs. "Is he crazy? I've never talked to him before, but my impression is that he's crazy."

I giggle. "Yep! He's definitely crazy." We take the wishes, and several other wishes, serious ones, and wrap them to a Hashirama Tree.

We meet up with our other cousins cheering Cousin Kotsu as she scoops fish from the pool. She's actually really good. And across from her is...Shisui, and a conglomeration of Uchiha boys. "Yeah Shisui!" One of them slaps Shisui on the back. "You can beat her!"

Cousin Kotsu smiles, her teeth flashing in the light. "As if you dare, Uchiha."

Shisui laughs, clear and free. "I'll do my best, and you'll do yours, Inuzuka."

They turn back to scooping fish with paper nets, and I watch with bated breath.

I feel a hand tap my shoulder, and spin around, only to slightly trip over the edge of my kimono. A hand catches my own as I go toppling backwards. Luckily I do not end up on the ground. "Thank you, Ita-kun." I smile at him.

He smiles back. "It's good to know that you're just the same as ever." He glances down at the wolves on my sleeves. "You look very pretty."

I haven't the time to respond. Mikoto-san and Fugaku-san appear from beyond the crowd, and as soon as she spots me she races forwards. "Oh, look at you, Hana-chan!" She spins me around careful to not topple me or unbalance me the slightest. "You look so cute today." She turns to Fugaku-san. "Doesn't Hana-chan look especially pretty?"

Fugaku-san seems...lost somehow. "It must be the day that the Inuzuka announce a new heiress." He says at last, but nothing more.

"Anata..." Mikoto-san straightens to prod his shoulder and set a hand on her hip. "Won't you ever learn to compliment a pretty girl on her coming of age day?"

Fugaku-san looks slightly offended. Wait. Do I know what he's feeling now? He seems offended. "You have never complained."

"I know you, anata." Mikoto-san smiles down at me. "Don't you worry, Hana-chan. He thinks you're very pretty today."

I smile up at them both, and bow politely. "Thank you both for the compliments, Fugaku-san, Mikoto-san."

The Uchihas do end up taking their leave after Shisui uses his sharingan to help catch fish, right after which my cousins accuse him of cheating, and before bad feelings start to appear.

There is to be no ill will on New Year's day else a year's worth of bad luck will ensue. Thus, the Uchiha take their leave, and my cousins disperse towards other stations of fun and games. "We should find one of your friends for a game of surogoku." Cousin Kihaku takes me by the shoulder. "Wait for us by the edge of the square, we need to go and visit the Hyugas to locate that best friend of Hana-hime's."

Toku. We need to go and find Toku.

I haven't met Toku since before Koma-senpai-No. Don't think about it. I don't know how he would feel, or what amount of the truth he knew.

"And this must be our village's newest heiress." I don't look up far, into the face of an old woman, and then at the two men beside her.

"Elder Utatane." Cousin Kihaku bows slightly. "Elder Homura, and Elder Shimura."

My blood freezes even as I step forward with a small smile pasted to my lips. "It's an honor to make your acquaintance." It is most decidedly not an honor. I do not look at the man that I have sworn to take down. Danzo is no more special than the rest of them at this moment.

"A polite Inuzuka." Danzo comments. "How unusual."

I turn towards him, my smile widening. "My Tou-san did teach me manners." I murmur, and a flash of something dances through the man's dark eyes before disappearing completely before I can identify it. He has no bandages. None at all, not on his head, not on his arm.

And I am confused by this, but it is not important.

"And impudent." He rumbles. "As expected of your clan." He doesn't look entirely like a kindly grandfather, but for someone who had forced Koma-senpai to blind himself and corrupted so many so many ROOT members he looks surprisingly normal.

"I am an heiress." I quip. "And I must represent my clan somehow."

The three members of the Hokage's council move on.

Cousin Kihaku slides her arm into mine. "You are a popular one, Hana-hime."

I sigh. "Let's just go find the Hyugas alright?"

Koma-senpai and Toku and Haya-senpai are not hard to find. They are wearing full black, and standing far apart from the other members of the clan. There are no adornments on their clothing, not today, not when they are still mourning and recovering. Koma-senpai has a black band tied over where his eyes used to be, and Haya-senpai has her arm looped through his so that he does not trip over something.

He is still the first to turn towards me as we approach, as if he still has all seeing eyes. "Hana-chan." He inclines his head in my direction. "And a guest." A nod in Cousin Kihaku's direction.

"How did you know where we were?" Cousin Kihaku demands without a shred of shame. "You're fully blind right now, right?" It is a bit insensitive, but I had just wondered the very same thing.

Koma-senpai smiles. The bottom half of his face is unchanged, but there is a mass of scars that the black band of cloth over his eyes cannot change. "I am a chakra sensor, Inuzuka-chan. I still do know where most people are." Even if you are, Koma-senpai, losing your eyes cannot be easy.

I step forward. "I'm glad to see you're still alive."

He acknowledges my statement with a nod, and a grateful head tilt. "It is thanks to you, Hana-chan." No. I did not save you, Koma-senpai. But he is neither upset nor ashamed. He is as ever, the still, smooth water of a deep lake, and his calm is unshakable as ever.

"Thank you, Hana-chan." Haya-senpai murmurs. "We are in your debt, Koma-niisan and I."

Toku loops his arm through mine. "Come, Hana." He says, unusually subdued. "Walk with me to Mufu-an."

Cousin Kihaku opens her mouth to protest, but I shake my head at her, and her mouth snaps shut. "Of course, Toku."

We do not go to Mufu-an. Instead, Toku pulls me into a bar and sits down on one of the stools. "Sake." He calls. "I want a bottle."

The barkeep protests. "Aren't you a little young?"

Toku's veins bulge around his skull, and he stares, with his disconcerting white eyes straight at the barkeep. "I am a chunin of Konohagakure no Sato. I've been an adult for over two years now, and I say that I want sake."

He pours himself the first cup, and downs it in a single swallow. "I don't know what's going on anymore."

I wrap an arm around my shoulder. Does he know? Does he not? "What do you not understand?"

His hands clench. "I don't understand how the clan could force Niisan to do what he did." So he does know or at least he guesses. He murmurs, and laughs loudly in false cheer. "It's New Year's Hana." He passes me a cup of sake. "Drink up!"

"They are ignorant brutes." I reply, and we clink our cups together, sake splashing onto the table. "And of course I'll drink with you, Toku." I should not be feeding his feelings by being his drinking buddy.

But I do not care about that. "Kanpai!" The sake tastes like mild fruit juice to be honest, so I don't feel that bad.

We stagger out of the bar with our arms slung over each other's shoulders. To be honest, we probably look really strange, a twelve year old branch Hyuga who still refuses to cover his forehead dressed in all black with no adornments or makeup of any kind, and a nearly ten year old Inuzuka heiress with flowers in her hair, makeup and a brilliant red furisode.

We are still just Hana and Toku though, the same two people that met nearly five years ago at the Academy. No matter what changes, it wouldn't change that.

"Hana." He says, and he's so much more subdued than normal. "I wish my family was like yours." My family has ignored me for years because they thought it was what I wanted. We only recently made up, but I don't think that's what he really means.

"Your family loves you." I reply. Sometimes we need to hear the truth spoken before it becomes the truth. And curse the Hyugas for dimming his smile. They could use some lessons on how to live like him, and yet they're the ones considering him a disgrace instead of the other way around. Curse them all.

"I can't say I really think so." Toku sighs. "If they love me, why would they push Koma-niisan into a corner like that?"

"I said your family, Toku." I squeeze his shoulder. "I'm your sister."

His eyes widen. "You did not mean the Clan."

I tilt my head up so that I can look at him more clearly. "There is a difference. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." I close my eyes, and our foreheads touch in the chilly air. "Blood is thicker than water."

His hand tightens around my shoulder. "I will remember that."

The festivities end at midnight, with fireworks drawing flowers across the sky in bright flashy patterns, but I'm looking at the moon. "Okami-sama." I whisper. "If you're out there, could you listen to a prayer of mine?" Could you help Toku and Koma-senpai and Haya-senpai? Can you make sure that Kaa-san makes up with her brothers? Could you kick Danzo down a well? Could you change Itachi's destiny? Could you have Sensei recover faster? Can you make Kakashi better?

If you think I'm asking for too much from you today, could you give me the power do it on my own?

A.N. And we have the Winter Festival, and Hana's official ascension to clan heiress in the eyes of Konoha, that and a New Year's festival so it is less dark and more light hearted. (Also, the people who have read Fugaku's segment in Ashen, I think, would understand the nuances of his very small scene in this chapter.) That and just about everyone converging on Hana who's dressed rather pretty. Also, Hana has no idea that she has reasons even closer to heart to hate Danzo, thus, their interaction is fairly tame.

Also, polling question: Who has the most shipping moments with Hana so far? (I'm kind of curious what other people think.)

Thank you to rickrossed (Koma's life might indeed be happier this way.), Guest One (The Inuzukas and to an extent, Kakashi, speak dog when speaking to their dogs. I believe at one point, Toku mentions that Hana barks when talking to them, thus, no one actually knows what Hana is saying to the Triplets, except Kakashi.), Yuki Suou (Fugaku is so much fun to write. I think the inside of his head is a really interesting place to consider. There's subtext in every action that he takes. Truly, for him, actions speak louder than words.), LadyScatty (Ichi is the eldest of them, and there's another fun scene between Kakashi and Hana in this chapter. And yes, the elders, all elders should be burnt to a crisp by Katon: Kill It With Fire. Also, thank you so much for your offer, I might ask sometime.), bookdragonslayer (I love your name btw, and yep, Pakkun and Akamaru are very cute.), n1ghtdr34m3r (Yes, Hana and Itachi share many similarities.), CannibalisticApple (As I am not supposed to expose future plot points, I will not be able to answer that right now. Things will become murkier before they become clearer.), JustQuokka (Ships for Hana in Bloodless will officially set sail well into where canon begins. In quite a few more years yet.), Guest Two (Thank you so much. Your review means a lot to me.), Sam (Itachi's perspective, A Walk Through Fire, is in the works. Not sure when the posting will occur, but definitely looking at next week instead of this one.), LittleMissSugarLess (The other perspectives are in the side stories. It's called Ashen.), Estarc (Yeah, we're getting into some of the arcs that I really love.), May525 (When Kiba is slightly older.), WhiteFang001 (I'm glad I surprised you!), and libraryrockerr (I'm so glad you liked it!) for reviewing!

And for everyone who favorited and followed!

~Tavina.