Chapter 94 - ArcXIII: Real World- Chapter 3

Two weeks later, Yuji bowed himself out of Tsunade’s office. His headband stayed with Tsunade.

He was an outcast now- officially. He retained service to Sakura and Naruto, but was offered no protection as a citizen and would not be paid for his work.

Quietly, Yuji left the village just before noon. Sai joined him at the gate.

“I cannot join you as planned, Yuji.”

“Superior reasoning?” Yuji asked, as if he’d expected this development. Sai didn’t acknowledge him, but bowed his head and left.

Your day will come, Danzou. For now, the external threat is greater.

Kuroko joined him not long afterward. She’d shed her maid outfit, and maybe Yuji was sad to see it go. In it’s place she’d donned an all-black get-up: black boots that came halfway to her knee; black stockings that reached mid-thigh, black mini-skirt that overlapped her stockings slightly, and black long-sleeve shirt.

“You know, if this will put strain on you and Shiroko…you don’t have to be here.”

She took Yuji’s hand gently, betraying no emotion- only letting him feel the warmth of another human. He’d missed that sensation. Yuji had been told long ago that men were somehow geared instinctively toward a woman for warmth, which was something beyond sex. He sort of understood.

“She understands. There’s no rivalry between us. I’m here for you. We both want what’s best for you.”

After two weeks, it still felt too soon to be another relationship. Maybe it was the rebound, maybe not. Yuji had always liked Kuroko; he just wasn’t into one night stands. But that wasn’t what she was offering this time. Now, she was a companion. Someone to trust. Someone to, in time, love, Yuji hoped.

He kissed her cheek as a rush of fondness and gratitude hit him.

The rendezvous point was just ahead. He could see Azami waiting up ahead, and behind her was Kojiro. Korjiro was shouldering a huge hammer- it had to be at least as tall as it’s wielder, and as wide as his head.

The four nodded, muttering quiet greetings. Yuji handed each of them a white cloak.

“This will make us stand out, which is the point. I want Sasuke to find me. We’re going to inhabit places where the advantage is ours, and we’re going to draw him and his group in. Now, your cloaks also reverse to a dark blue, which should make you invisible at night if you can shield your chakra. If you’re outmatched, then hide- quickly. No fatalities.”

“No fatalities,” each one echoed.

Yuji gave a grim smile to each of them. “Now, Sasuke will come quickly. We’ll all have to train. My battle is going to be different- a technique that I’ve never employed before. Something I’ve discovered since my…transformation, I guess. When we fight, Kuroko, you match up with Karin, the other female. Kojiro, you take on Suigetsu. Azami, I’ll leave Jugo to you. Do what you have to. This is one mission where killing may very well be necessary. No matter what, we all need to come out alive. Even if we stain our hands in the process- We must not die.”

Each of them nodded yet again.

“Good. Now, let’s go out and celebrate. They will be little to celebrate for some time…
--
--

The night had been fun. Eating, drinking, playing- then coupling up and falling into each other’s arms with reckless abandon. They had separate rooms for just this sort of thing. It was a way to say goodbye with an exclamation point of passion.

It was a bit awkward at first for Kuroko and Yuji. But they got over it quickly. Love or no, the warmth of another human; the touch of flesh; the togetherness- all those things would be at a premium. The distinction between ‘love’ and ‘companionship’- it didn’t seem all that important at the moment. Especially not when companionship was threatening to become love very quickly.

They lay exhausted, bodies intertwined. Yuji sleepily played with Kuroko’s hair. He’d always had a thing for ponytails and pigtails. Her shiny black hair was rapidly becoming one of his favorite things.

“So, what does your name mean?” he murmured. She responded by snuggling deeper into the space between his shoulder and neck, her lips just out of reach of his skin.

“Mm. ‘Isae’ means ‘Blessed with merit’.”

“It suits you.”

“ ‘Kuroko’ suits me more.”

“ ‘Black child’, huh? It sounds cool when you say it. Knowing your real name…that’s kind of cool, too.”

“How’s your name spelled?” she replied, her hand running down his cheek and onto his neck. She felt him subtly flinch and realized just how much he was trusting her.

“Kimihiro? ‘Look for Virtue’. Sounds old-fashioned.”

By now, the night’s exertion had left Kuroko tired. So she slipped her hand over Yuji’s stomach and snuggled up tighter. She felt his body curl protectively around hers before the blanket was put up around her shoulders.

She would remember the warmth for a long time. The feeling of really belonging. She wondered if he, too, felt it.

Then sleep took them both.
--
--

“C’mon, it was totally hot when you and I switched clothes!”

“You remember that?! I thought you were smashed!”

“I can hold my alcohol! You were way closer to being drunk! You even said ‘it sure feels comfortable to fight in a skirt. You get free leg movement. I feel kind of sexy…”

“I DID NOT!”

“You totally did!”

“No, no, you misunderstood! That was sarcasm!”

“Don’t think so!” Kuroko declared, her arm around Yuji’s shoulders. Azami and Kojiro watched with bemused glances. That was certainly a side of Yuji they hadn’t imagined, if it was true.

“By the way, you’d make a totally hot girl. It’s too bad you were born a boy,” Kuroko added. She grinned wickedly and placed a hand lovingly over Yuji’s groin, giving it a fond pat. “Well…too bad for everyone else. You’re mine.”

Eyebrows up all around there. Yuji could only smile. His last wish had been to involve a ‘normal’ girl like Kuroko in this fighting, but there was no way he couldn’t now. Especially because, after last night, she didn’t seem as ‘normal’ as he thought. He could sense something as their bodies connected…

Doesn’t matter. With any luck, she won’t even need to fight. Right now, I need to focus. I need to find Sasuke…

Yuji put two fingers to his temple, sending a brief message to Sasuke on a wave of Ten no Kishootsu chakra. He knew Sasuke would hear it, or at least sense it. This prophecy had a lot of unknown elements to it, but one thing that was perfectly clear was that he and Sasuke would be drawn together.
--
-

It took only three days. Sasuke came, as Yuji knew he would. Their battle would take place on a mountain, with a cave carved into it three-quarters of the way to the top. It was essential to Yuji’s plan this way. If worse came to worse, he could isolate Sasuke while his partners kept everyone else off the mountain.

Sasuke had since donned a black Akatsuki cloak. Yuji stood in stark contrast to him in his white cloak.

Yuji called to Sasuke across the mountain top. “We need not involve anyone else, Sasuke. This battle is between us.”

Sasuke approached Yuji alone. Yuji did the same. Kuroko gave his hand a squeeze, keeping her head down for fear her tears would be evident. It was so cute that Yuji actually stopped and kissed her- big time. It was one tongue flick away from being making out.

“I’ll live. I promise. I won’t die- not now. Not here.”

He had promised her that already, but hearing it seemed to calm her.
God, I don’t want to be a liar. I’ve got a reason to live besides duty. This is going to be difficult, but it’s possible. And as long as that possibility exists…

Yuji made his way over to Sasuke. Even from across the mountain, he could feel a deep, black chakra emanating from Sasuke. While the remaining six held each other in check, Yuji felt for a trace of Sasuke’s old chakra. He wouldn’t have been able to do it without being ‘Heaven’s Temper’, being that he hadn’t felt Sasuke’s chakra in so long. But even now, before Yuji completely let the Ten No Kishootsu chakra flow, he could feel a glimmer of Sasuke’s old, less malicious chakra.

So he does still exist after all. That means I can bring him back. Master, Mistress…will this finally repay my debt to you? A debt that even you do not know exists, yet must be paid in full. Yes…
-


“To live without purpose, Yuji, is to simply exist. And that is not living at all.”

So said the Third Hokage, speaking to Kimihiro at the end of a training session. The boy had surely given it his all, yet ended the session frustrated. He had not performed to his own expectations- a hallmark of his training. He always fell short of the benchmark he set for himself.

And that, in turn gave him purpose.

It was paradoxical, at best, to exist that way. Certainly humans sought out obstacles. But to purposely fail time and again…

Absurd.
Illogical.

And yet, here came the paradox. This failure spoke of a certain discipline. A rare one, at that. To live one’s life in loathing of oneself. Contritely, it meant to be in awe of the person you could potentially be, if perfection could be reached.

A quandary. One that Kimihiro was well aware of. Yet he persevered.

“Your purpose will someday be the next legends, among which you yourself may number. Let them give you purpose. Let them give you an irrevocable reason to live. To truly live, not just exist.”

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