Chapter 4 - Yomi and Yahiko sitting in a tree

The room was tense. Jiraiya, his students, and even Kakuzu were stunned by the unexpected turn of events. Yomi's confident handling of Kakuzu was something none of them had anticipated. The group sat around the table in Yomi's inn room, a steaming hot pot on the table with various side dishes around."I really hope this doesn't happen again," Yomi said, her tone firm. "We're here to relax, not cause trouble."Jiraiya nodded, finally relaxing a bit. "Agreed. Let's put this behind us and enjoy the evening." He opened a can of beer and handed it to Kakuzu, who took it and drank a large gulp before clinking it with Jiraiya's."Give me a can too—" Yomi started to ask."No," Kakuzu and Jiraiya said in unison. She looked at both of them, one second they were fighting and now they were joining hands to parent her? What?"Having kids is hard, isn't it? I wonder how you cope," Kakuzu said like some old man who had actually raised a kid."It gets easier, just hang in there.""We're still here, you know," Yahiko said, rolling his eyes."Yeah! I'm his partner, not his kid!" Yomi clarified."What's with that anyway? You don't have any chakra. How are you a bounty hunter?" Yahiko asked, his nervousness now gone after the adrenaline of the fight."I'm curious too. Are you really good at combat?" Konan asked, taking some food onto her plate."Hmm, well... I can't use Jutsu at all, but I have my own abilities. I'm just blessed by god~"Nagato scoffed, "Yeah right, he probably just takes you on missions.""That's not true!" Yomi said, "I am blessed by god!""Guys, calm down," Konan said. "It doesn't matter either way. Kakuzu-san can protect her.""Konan, not you too... Why don't you believe me?" She feigned tears, holding her heart dramatically like she had been shot."I believe you! Someone this beautiful has to be blessed by god; it only makes sense!" Yahiko said, stuffing his face. Of course, he would say the most romantic line she had ever heard and didn't even realize.Her heart skipped a beat."Wow, you're actually good at this?" Nagato said, referring to his flirting."Good at what?" Yahiko asked, looking up from his food, talking with his mouth full, putting Nagato off."Never mind."Jiraiya was cheering for Yahiko internally; having a kid chasing him was damn uncomfortable."How long will you guys be in Kusa then?" Kakuzu asked Jiraiya."We're just here for the week. Wanted to train somewhere with sunshine for once.""If you guys are training, take Yomi with you. She needs it.""Wait, why can't you train me?" she asked Kakuzu, wondering why he was passing her around like a parcel."I'm afraid I might kill you by accident," he said casually before taking another drink.Yomi didn't know whether to laugh or cry; she fully believed he would actually kill her on accident."Yay! Yomi, you can join us tomorrow!" Konan said, taking Yomi's arm in hers. Yomi felt better."Konan... you're so cute!" Yomi said, giving the girl a hug. Having female friends was the best after all. She failed to notice the blush on the girl's face.The next morning, the sun rose bright and early, casting a warm glow over the inn. Yomi woke up feeling refreshed but also a bit nervous to see Jiraiya. She didn't have any specific training clothes so she did what she could with chest binding and her leggings from yesterday with a jacket and made her way to the common area where Jiraiya and his students were waiting."Good morning!" Yomi greeted cheerfully, trying to mask her anxiety."Good morning, Yomi!" Konan replied, equally enthusiastic.Jiraiya smiled at the sight of their eager faces. "Alright, let's head out. We'll be training in the forest nearby. It's a perfect spot with plenty of open space."As they walked to the training ground, Yahiko kept glancing at Yomi, trying to muster up the courage to talk to her. Nagato noticed and gave him a nudge. "Go on, talk to her," he whispered.Yahiko took a deep breath and walked up to Yomi. "Um, Yomi, are you excited about training today?"Yomi turned to him with a bright smile. "Yes, I am! But, to be honest, I've never done anything like this before."Yahiko's face lit up. "Don't worry, we'll help you out. Jiraiya-sensei's training sessions are always intense but he'll go easy on you."As they reached the forest, Jiraiya clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright, everyone, let's start with some basic exercises to warm up. Then we'll move on to more advanced techniques."Yomi followed along, doing her best to keep up with the others. However, it quickly became apparent that she was struggling. Her movements were awkward, and she was out of breath within minutes. Konan noticed and smiled encouragingly at her."Yomi, you're doing great! Just take it slow and pace yourself," Konan said."Why is my chest hurting" Yomi gasped a weak reply, her muscles were killing her, her chest stung with every breath and she felt like she was genuinely going to die. What the fuck was this? If this was exercise she never want to do this again!After the warm-up, Jiraiya paired everyone up for sparring. Yahiko eagerly volunteered to spar with Yomi, while Nagato and Konan paired up."Ready, Yomi?" Yahiko asked, trying to hide his excitement."Ready!" Yomi replied, taking a stance that was more hopeful than confident. Truthfully all she knew about fighting was through YouTube, so you can imagine how this turned out.On her back flat on the floor."How did you survive this long?" Nagato asked genuinely shocked, she was awful. She couldn't fight, she had the physical prowess of a chicken, and didn't have any chakra."I made god my bestie." She said between pants. Nagato rolled his eyes. Yahiko helped her up and let her rest leaning next to a tree."You can rest while we finish," he offered."I just need a few seconds and I'll be ready again." She said before closing her eyes, she had a better idea of what her body was meant to be like now so she got to work."Hey it takes some time to recover from stuff like that don't rush-""I'm ready." She said opening her eyes.Her jacket hi her physic, if the others saw her change in stature they would be weirded out so she kept her body shape mostly the same, she took down her boobs a few sizes, as much as she enjoyed having them big she really could not fight with them in the way."Are you sure?" Yahiko asked. "Um, I don't want you to get hurt you know.""Thanks but I'm sure, let's do this!"Jiraiya watched the both of them come back out. He noticed something different, he frowned and watched intently.Yomi took her stance which felt more natural this time around, taking a deep breath she focused, increasing her circulation to her newly formed muscles, increasing lung capacity forcing her pupils to dilate as she watched his movements intensely. As he moved his movements felt slower, and her body was now faster. She blocked a kick, strengthening her bones so they could withstand the force. Yahiko looked shocked, retreating he punched trying to keep to her limbs but no matter what he did or where he punched she managed to block and remained standing."What the hell.." He muttered and raised his onslaught a notch. Still nothing."Ho h oho, look at that, It seemed like you're not that strong." She taunted flicking her ponytail. "Or I am indeed blessed by god!"The taunt worked, and Yahiko started to utilise his chakra.Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he watched, seeing Yahiko get riled up he interrupted. "Let's take a short break, everyone," he said. And Yahiko snapped out of it."Aw, but we were just getting started" Yomi whined."Well, It's better to stop here, I probably have a few questions for you Yomi." He said, his tone serious. "I didn't take you seriously before but now I'm curious, what is your ability?"She smirked, it was finally her time to shine."I-ma-gi-na-tion."She spelt it out for him, but they looked at her blankly, "Look if you don't want to tell us it's fine-""Oh my god why can't you guys just accept my words for once!""Yomi we-""Look, I've been saying the truth this entire time, believe it or not. You make me feel like I'm talking shit; it's not cool." Yomi snapped, truthfully, she didn't know why it angered her that they kept questioning her words. She could have been nicer, she didn't need to snap like that.She staled off not giving them time to react and no one had the confidence to go after her.But Yahiko.The three team members stood looking at the two leaving. "I need to talk to Kakuzu. You kids just go back inside." Jiraiya finally said before vanishing."Should we go after them too?" Konan asked Nagato."No, it's Yahiko's chance, if he fucks this up he's truly hopeless." Nagato said with a shrug."Ugh, I overreacted, didn't I?" Yomi, who had followed Yahiko, heard her voice from above a large tree. "I know, but still! They should have at least given me the benefit of the doubt. I hate it... They act like I don't know what I'm talking about. I hate it.""Yomi?" Yahiko's voice caused Yomi, who was sitting on a branch, to almost fall off."Yahiko?" she said, looking down to see Yahiko at the base of the tree."Um, who were you talking to?" he asked, looking around to see no one."No one," she said immediately. "What are you doing here?""I was worried. You ran off like that. How did you get up there?" He asked, curious about how she had gotten so high up without any chakra."I flew," she said casually."What—" he was about to react but, seeing her frown, he stopped himself. He took a deep breath and smiled. "Oh, I see. That makes sense."Yomi listened for any signs of sarcasm, and since she heard none, her face lightened up."Can I come up?" he asked, his voice shaky as if he was asking for something more significant."Yeah, of course," she said with a giggle.He jumped up, landing on the tree bark and walking the rest of the way."You look so cool," she said absentmindedly. She had to admit she hated not having chakra, but she was happy with this life right now. She could speak, she could walk, she had freedom. What else could she want?Yahiko got up to her branch and sat next to her, falling into an awkward silence."I'm sorry for snapping like that," she said, breaking the silence."I'm sorry for not believing you," he replied. He still didn't believe her, but he wasn't going to say that. He was slow but not stupid. She gave him a small smile before asking him,"You know, Yahiko, sometimes I wonder if I'm dreaming.""What do you mean?""Well, I can feel the sun on my skin, the wind in my hair. I can feel pain, I can feel joy, I feel alive. Sometimes I can't sleep because I'm afraid this feeling will be gone."Yahiko wondered what she had gone through to feel that way, but he had to admit he could understand. The days he spent training with Jiraiya were some of his best years. "I suppose we just live every moment with no regrets, face the future with courage.""You're surprisingly wise for a kid," she hummed."I'm literally older than you.""What?""I'm 16."She blushed aggressively. How old did she think he was?"How old did you think I was?" he asked, almost hurt. This entire time she didn't see him like a man?"I don't really know. I just never registered you were my age," she confessed, feeling a bit guilty."Ugh, I can't wait till I grow up. I'll get piercings like Jiraiya and be a super cool ninja. I'm gonna collect all the strong shinobi and stop any more wars," he said."Well, to be fair, Jiraiya is a Sannin. You shouldn't compare yourself to him."He sighed. "You're right. How can I compete against a Sannin? I was destined to lose."She looked at him, confused. They were competing? Huh?'He likes you, idiot.'Her eyes widened. He looked up to meet her gaze, and they stared at each other for a few seconds before diverting their gazes."Um, so uh... do you feel better?" Yahiko asked, flustered."Yeah, I do!" she replied in a fake high-pitched voice and regretted it immediately after.'This is too embarrassing to watch. Talk to you later.'The two sat in silence, looking in opposite directions. Yahiko finally mustered his courage to confess to her."Okay, so I know I'm not as cool as Jiraiya-sensei, but if you wait for me, I'll be a man that surpasses him. I'll look badass and have my own piercings and everything!" Despite having the courage to speak, he still didn't have the courage to look at her."I don't understand... Why me?" She turned to face him, his ears obviously bright red."Well, you said it yourself... you're blessed by god..."She paused for a second, but then a beautiful smile blossomed on her lips."You're pretty, confident, and you're surprisingly alive despite having no chakra or training. That takes some skill, right? So you are very talented in being unskilled. I know it sounds weird, but I think that's really cool... Also, like the way you made Kakuzu-san apologize? You gotta admit that's cool—""Baka," her soft voice interrupted his rambling. "Look at me."Yahiko took a deep breath and swiftly turned his head only to be met with her lips meeting his.His eyes widened, refusing to close in case he was dreaming. She kissed him. His body relaxed, leaning in to kiss her back. As he slowly closed his eyes, he noticed a large pair of beautiful white wings on her back. He reached out tentatively, his hand trembling as he touched the feathers. They felt soft and real under his fingertips, sending a shiver down his spine.Yomi looked at him with smile that could destroy nations. "I told you, I'm blessed by god."Meanwhile at the Inn Jiraiya looked at Kakuzu with a serious expression on his face; he felt conflicted, could he ignore her existence? Did he have to report this to Konoha?"I thought she was crazy when I first met her, but the more time I spend with her I realise she was probably telling the truth." Kakuzu said, he had a beer in hand, his arms resting on his knees."So what you're saying is..""She's not from out world, she doesn't exist here. It's like she's another reality parallel to ours." He expression was casual, but truly he knew this was a big deal. "The first time I took a mission it lasted for quite a few days, It was an easy mission so we didn't talk much, I hadn't realised it but by the time I came back and saw her I realised I had completely forgotten about her existence, like she was never hear in the first place."Jiray's brows furrowed. "Then we will also.."Kakuzu nodded. "Once you guys leave, you'll probably forget she ever existed.""...Does she know that?" Jiraiya asked. Kakuzu merely shook his head. He would prefer she never had to find out.