Chapter 76 - Arc XI: Companionship- Chapter 3

At the temple, Asuna and Shoki stood in a knee-deep pool of water that was held in a stone basin inside the garden. There was a tall fence around the area, and beautiful flora all over, arranged by an artist. It was such a beautiful, tranquil place. Sakura would have loved to get married here, while Yuji felt at peace for the first time in a long while.

Yuji and Sakura were kneeling off to the side, watching intently as the ritual unfolded in front of them. It was a purification right, similar to what Yuji had been through once before, as a favor to Asuna when she first took the Uzume title.

“Shoki, you have to take your clothes off for this part, okay?” Asuna told him gently. “If that’s uncomfortable for you…well, you have my word that my eyes won’t leave yours.

Shoki was apparently more interested in fixing his eye than retaining his modesty, as he stripped quickly. Sakura looked away politely, a light pink hue on her cheeks (she’d seen her patients naked before, but this seemed different, somehow) while Yuji focused on Asuna. He was too far away to hear what she was saying, but he could see her making a mark on his chest with the water. She then lightly applied some of the water to his eye, rubbing it over his eyelid then circling below his eye.

Shoki muttered something unintelligible, then began to fall backward. Asuna caught him and eased him down, letting him lay in the water. Yuji and Sakura stayed where they were with some difficulty, until Asuna waved them off.

“It’s okay. He told me this might happen,” she told them all, staying calm. “He did well. I think he’ll be fine, Yuji. Whatever effect this had, it won’t be damaging. Unless he catches a cold from lying in this water. It’s freezing!”

Yuji shrugged off his coat and laid it on the ground. He took off his shirt and rolled up his pants before wading into the water. He and Sakura were already barefoot, so she joined him in the water, taking the boy’s pulse as Yuji carried him to the coat. He laid the boy down, wiping him off as best he could with the coat, then covering him with it as much as he could wrap it around his body.

Yuji let Sakura check Shoki out while he talked to Asuna. She was standing a little bit away, her arms crossed. The white top of her Miko uniform was wet, making it somewhat revealing, but Asuna wasn’t the type to freak out over that, hence the arms crossed.

“Thanks for taking care of this.”

Asuna gave Yuji a small smile, shrugging a bit. “You guys are family. If I don’t take care of you, who knows what would happen?”

Yuji smirked, partly in agreement. She’d done so much for them. But there was so little he could do in return. For now, anyway.

He handed his shirt to Asuna, telling her she could use it to wipe up if she wanted.

“I don’t need it back or anything, so don’t accuse me of being a pervert.”

She rolled her eyes, taking the shirt all the same. “Yeah, that’s why you stripped so readily. What are you teaching Shoki?”

“That it’s okay for women to walk all over you if they can do something for you,” he shot back.

He’s changed, Asuna noted, trying not to look at Yuji’s shirtless body. He wouldn’t have taken his shirt off like this before. And he definitely wouldn’t have teased me! It seems that getting the Ten no Kishootsu ability was good for him. He seems happier. But I can still sense his loneliness. I would be able to even if Azami hadn‘t stopped by to tell me what happened.

“Asuna?” Yuji asked quietly, looking at Shoki’s peacefully resting from. He held his silence for a while, despite her immediate answer. He just kept looking at Shoki, shaking his head a little. Finally, he spoke up about what was on his mind.

“I wonder what he thinks about like that? I’m not his father, or even his brother. I happened to be engaged to his sister in the most informal of ways. And yet he trusts me. But all I’ve done is let him see his sister die. I don’t know how to be a good influence outside of telling him to work hard. And…”

Yuji hesitated, note sure how to put this in a good way.

“I…feel like I need to coddle him a bit. So I want to keep him off the front lines. And I want there to be a good female influence in his life. I’m no good with things like feelings…”

Asuna snaked her arm around his, resting her head on his shoulder. “Don’t sell yourself short. You feel things, no matter how much you pretend not to. And you’re a fine example for him. You know I would tell you if you weren’t.”

Yuji fingered the pendant around his neck. The ring Miko had worn for that short time was fixed around his neck almost permanently these days. It was similar to a worrying stone in that Yuji rubbed it when he became worried. A spot on the ring was worn; the color weathered where his thumb had rubbed it’s surface constantly.

“Thanks, Asuna. It’s just…lately, I wonder how it would have been if I’d been able to save her. Miko. If she was alive, and we were married. Even if it was just for Shoki…well, no, that’s not true.”

A small smile crept onto his face; his eyes a million miles away.
“It was for us, too. We were too young to comprehend marriage then, so we agreed to not be in love. But I don’t think either of us was capable of ever marrying without love involved. I at least love her enough to not be able to find another girl. It feels like cheating on her.”

Miko shrugged a little bit, cozying up more to him. Azami was such a fool to pass this up. Even if she couldn’t have him, at least they were good friends.
“Maybe you were in love with her. Maybe you still are. But she would want you to move on. I know her better than anyone- even you. And I know she wouldn’t want you to deny yourself companionship just for her memory.”

Asuna held Yuji’s cheeks and kissed his forehead sweetly, smiling at him. She gently memorized the surprised look on his face, thinking it was such an honest expression. It was refreshing to see the truth on his face for a change.

“Memories fade. Love does not,” she told him, putting her forehead against his. “I think there’s enough room in you to love again. Failing that…At least get laid.”

A real, spontaneous laugh burst from both their lips. It was so funny for a shrine maiden to say that. But it was a form of healing, after all. And Asuna knew best, didn’t she?

“You’re the boss,” he said.

“Don’t you forget it. Now go find a nice girl. Or two, if you can swing it.”

“Doesn’t your position forbid that kind of talk?”

“My position is the one that decides what’s forbidden.”

There were unspoken words of thanks said through looks and goodbye hugs. Asuna was a master of her craft. She knew just what Yuji needed to hear at that point, and she could say it and mean it, too.

I hope things don’t work out in a bad way. This fight hanging over his head is so damning, no matter what the outcome is. Is the only way out to shatter the prophecy? And at what cost?
--
--

When Shoki woke up he immediately slapped a hand to his eye. He was afraid, he decided. He didn’t want to know if he could see normally again. What if he couldn’t? The thought of being blinded completely horrified him. The mere thought of it was maddening. To be trapped in darkness forever, with no way out…

But he had to open his eye to find out if Asuna’s ritual had helped. His eye wasn’t hurting, so that was a plus right there. But what of his actual vision?

He moved his hand aside, then removed his fingers one at a time, reluctantly. Relief watched over him as he found he could see normally. Indeed, he could see better than before. His vision had been far better than 20/20 before. Now it had to be doubly good from what it was before. He had a wider range of vision, too, as he could see some of the floor while lying face up.

There’s the relation to the Byakugan, then. So this eye was descended from Rinnegan as well. I knew it had to be related because of the way it affected Pain. But what makes it different?

Rolling over, Shoki peered into the water nearby, pushing his bangs up and out of the way. His blinded eye was a dull grey as usual. But his good eye had changed. There was one large, central diamond-shape where the pupil had been before. On the top, left, right, and bottom of it were four smaller diamonds that intersected with it.

For once, Shoki decided that his eye looked cool. Normally he wished to simply be normal, but this…wow. It brought a smile to his face for the first time since his sister had been killed before his eyes.

Miko…

Could I have saved her if I’d had this eye? he wondered. Yuji-senpai did everything he could and more. And he’s even sort of adopted me. I’m…lucky.

He wished he could share some of his luck with senpai. It was awkward to be naturally skilled while Yuji was not.

All the same, it was time to see what his eye could do.
--
--

“You sure?”

Azami rolled her eyes. Geez, Kojiro was cute, but he could be so damned dense sometimes!

“Yes, I’m sure! For the last time! He won’t kill you, I promise!”

Well, strictly speaking, that was a lie. Azami had never seen Yuji so disappointed before. She’d never seen him completely lose his dignity. He may have been cast into a servant’s role, but he retained the honor of a jonin at all times. For him to beg the way he did.

It had only been a couple days, but it still made Azami feel sick. To turn down someone who so obviously loved her. She felt awful, playing the ‘there’s someone else’ card; even if it was absolutely true. It really was the one way to make sure Yuji gave up on her completely.

Kojiro adjusted his vest for the fiftieth time this trip. Azami wondered if she should have had him wear a shirt under it. It wouldn’t help her case if her new man was more physically appealing than Yuji. In that respect, the two were opposites. Korjiro was tall and tanned; Yuji was average height and pale. Kojiro was a fisherman; Yuji was a warrior. Korjiro had big muscles; Yuji was more lithe.

Azami found both attractive. But there was something about Kojiro. Aside from the fact that she decided she still didn’t deserve Yuji, Kojiro’s down-to-earth nature appealed to her. Yuji’s life was going to be stained with combat; Kojiro could give her a measure of peace.

“Just take it easy, okay?” Azami warned him. “Relax. Yuji won’t hurt you. He still likes me as a friend. So just be yourself, let me introduce you, and then he can have some closure.”

“Sorry, sorry. Meeting your…ex? Or whatever he is. It’s a little…”

Azami snuggled up on his arm, her head on his shoulder. “Remember, I’m here with you. I chose you. Yuji isn’t a threat to you, or me, or ‘us’. Okay?”

Kojiro nodded, running a hand through his shoulder-length black hair. Azami loved that- when she could look into his eyes. They were deep as the sea and matched it in color. And with that bronzed look to his skin.
She licked her lips, imaging what would come next.

All of a sudden, they were both hit with a blast of hot air. It knocked them both back, nearly off their feet.

“What the hell?” Azami murmured. She clapped a hand to her mouth. Yuji!

Kojiro gaped open-mouthed. “Tell me that’s not the guy I’m supposed to meet…”

Azami wished she could tell him that it wasn’t. But that was most certainly Yuji. But she’d never seen him like that before.

He was floating just above the ground, dark tongues of fire surrounding him. In his ‘Ten no Kishootsu’ state, his hair turned a shiny black like obsidian. But this was the first time she’d seen him in full bloom. His wings, normally hidden, were spread regally, extending out from his back. He was unarmed, but his hands and feet were coated in nearly black tongues of fire. He apparently hadn’t noticed them, because he wound up and unleashed his most powerful jutsu at a dead tree almost 100 meters away through living trees.

“SHOUKYAKU JUTSU!” he bellowed, his voice deeper than Azami remembered. There was another huge back blast of heat. Azami used a wind jutsu to shield herself and Kojiro from the worst of it. They both watched as Yuji’s jutsu took effect.

The tree exploded, then disintegrated in the matter of a millisecond.

Then, for one moment, Yuji turned, his mouth opened in surprise. For a second, an expression that could only be described as hopeful ecstasy crossed his features. His mouth opened in greeting.
Then he saw him. Kojiro.

Instantly, Yuji let himself ‘power down’. His wings disappeared by exploding outward with a small sound similar to breaking glass. The sparks of flame settled to the ground gently, fading out upon contact with the earth.
Yuji’s hair settled down, and he also stopped floating. But in the instant all that happened, his expression had smoothed to something more neutral. Even in all that, Azami had seen his mouth gape for a just a second.

Did I do this too soon? No, no, it’s better to do it quickly and end the pain. For his sake.

“Yuji, this is Kojiro. You said I could bring him for a visit, so I…”

As to be expected of Yuji, he was a perfect gentleman. He slapped on a slight smile, snapped his arms to his sides and bowed.

“It’s good to meet you. Azami told me a lot about you.”

Azami could feel how hard he was trying to conceal a very unstable, dangerous chakra. She thanked him silently, because there was no doubt in her mind that if he decided to be a jerk, he could have incinerated her new boyfriend. And quite possibly, her.

“I’m sorry; I was just in the middle of some training. I didn’t know you were coming or I wouldn’t have been doing something so dangerous…” he apologized, still bowing.

A patented lie. Yuji had felt them coming a mile away thanks to a new jutsu he was trying out. But no need to tell them that. He could tell that his little stunt had scared Azami’s new boyfriend, and that was all he needed. Now he could be nice; now that Kojiro knew pulling any crap on Yuj’s turf was not tolerated. Best to established boundaries early.

I did not win her, and I need to accept that. Perhaps it’s best. I’m going to be in for the fight of my life. For my life. I don’t need another person to worry about.

He knew it was a lie. He knew he was not over her. And seeing her on the arm of another man infuriated him beyond all belief. But the last truth anchored him. He had a purpose to continue living. He had a mission. Even if he had little else, he still had that.

“I would love to have you two over for dinner, if you’d care to join me,” Yuji heard himself say. He smirked inwardly at the worried look on Kojiro’s face. Did he think Yuji was going to eat him? ‘Good’ came the next vicious thought.

Azami clasped Kojiro’s hand almost deliberately. Her silent response to his show of power and boundary-setting.
“We’d love to. Is tonight okay?”

“Sure. Stop on by. Shoki will be around; is that alright?”

“Fine by me. See you then, Yu.”

Yuji nodded, gave another friendly grin, and turned to walk away. He heard Kojiro whisper something to Azami, then he heard the sound of sandals running behind him. He turned, careful in case of an attack. But Kojiro stopped well short. Good thing. Yuji’s fist was cocked out of reflex, ready to strike.

“Listen, Yuji, can we talk? Like, at a bar or something? I know this is your turf; I know she was your girl. I don’t want trouble, okay? I want to talk. Man to man.”

I don’t wanna talk to you! But damn it, this jerk approaches me honorably- what am I going to say?
-

They wound up in a bar not far from where Yuji had been. Yuji opted for green tea while Kojiro chose some sort of sake. Neither man was there for the drinks, and they both knew it. The ball was in Kojiro’s court. It seemed to take him a while to formulate his thoughts into words, but finally he just spat out what he wanted to say:

“I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

Yuji wasn’t completely shocked, but he felt a flare of anger all the same. It was quickly suppressed.
“Hey, congratulations!”

Kojiro looked nervous. “Thanks. I…guess I wanted you to know so it didn’t surprise you later. And, well-”

“You don’t need my permission,” Yuji said/snapped. He tried not to be so bitter. He tried to feel genuinely happy. But he hadn’t felt happy in so long he wasn’t sure he remembered what it even felt like.

Softening his voice, Yuji added “I’ll duck out; give you kids some privacy.”

Kojiro thanked him, deciding to stop talking there. After a minute, Yuji spoke up a bit, asking Kojiro about his work and the like. It only took a very uncomfortable ten minutes for them to agree to return to what they were doing.
--

As it turned out, Shoki would not be joining them. He had sent word via one of the Leaf’s birds that he wouldn’t be returning until late. Yuji privately cursed him for that; of all the ways to make this even more awkward! He couldn’t help but feel like he was without allies at this little dinner party. He felt like shoot, quite frankly. But when his company came, he put on a brave little smile.

Look at me, being a little fracking trooper.

“I’ll be right back; I need to bring Ojousama her dinner.” Yuji excused himself quickly, carrying a container to the home Sakura usually shared with Naruto.

He hadn’t made her dinner in a long time. She normally disdained that. But maybe tonight, he could persuade her to join him. He found her really didn’t want to be alone with the happy couple waiting for the food to be done.

Reaching the main house, Yuji knocked at the door.

“Come in!” came Sakura’s voice. Yuji obeyed and nearly swallowed his tongue.

Sakura was sitting on the floor wearing a pair of shorts and a baggy white sweater that hung off her shoulder. She was painting her toenails (Yuji managed to tear his eyes away, but not before noticing that her toenails were now the same color as her eyes). Seeing her relaxing like this was a major turn-on.

“Ojo- er, Sakura, I was hoping I could convince you to join me for dinner tonight. I’m…in a bit of a….that is…それは…”

Sakura looked so nice, and so sweet, that Yuji just opened up and told her everything.

“My God! I’m so sorry, Yuji! But don’t worry, it’ll be alright!”
She gave him a little wink and a nudge with her elbow.
“Let me go slip on a party dress and I’ll come down.”

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