• Author's Note: Check out More Than You'll Ever Know (1) before you read this please.



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    Chapter II: A Bond Forever Broken
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    When Jounetsu returned lugging Kitsuko's lifeless body, Nobuyuki was the first person to intercept her at the gates. Together they brought Kitsuko's remains to the hospital to be tended to. The memory of watching the medical ninjas take her brother away on a long metal stretcher still lingered in her mind. The sight of Kitsuko's pale face was enough to keep her stomach doing flips and it took many trips to the restroom before she managed to calm down.

    The atmosphere in the Raikage office had been solemn and tense, A finally decided to use the door for once, instead of breaking through the wall. Jounetsu had stood leaning against the wall, staring out onto the fine view of Kumogakure from the office’s picture window. She would have easily passed of as her father in the pose she was in, and Killer Bee had let a small smile grace his face at the sight before him. My, you have grown, he had thought to himself. A, seeing the young Kaichu's current stress level, had sent her home without a second's notice.

    Despite her protests about requiring to submit a report she eventually agreed and was accompanied home by her best friend Nobuyuki; more likely for her own good as she was still rather tired from her battle with the S-class criminal not a few hours ago. Their walk to Jounetsu's house was filled with silence and the occasional stare thrown their way. With Jounetsu's right arm slung across his shoulders to keep the higher ninja from stumbling, Nobuyuki managed to locate the house key which Jounetsu had hidden within a bird's nest that clung to the nearby wooden post and opened the door t lead to Jounetsu's personal quarters.

    Now, Jounetsu lay on her queen-sized bed, rumpling the supposedly newly washed bed sheets. The blanket was bundled up in a lump at the foot of the bed after she kicked it off due to annoyance. Outside the sun was slowly beginning to rise above the mountains, shedding its warm rays over the entire village. She allowed her oasis blue eyes to drift to the slanting bars of sunlight from her window. Mornings like this were getting more and more frequent. She would stay up until who-knows-when at night then wake up an hour or three later and ponder again about all the people who have died around her.

    Only difference is that now, she told herself, Kitsuko is among them. She slowly shook her head, banishing the thoughts. Despite her body’s insistent protests of pain, she managed to sit up on the bed, bending her knees up to her chest and then burying her face into them. Her hands coiled themselves into her shoulder-length hair, fisting them into her hand and tugging. She was so caught up in willing her depression to go away that she hadn’t even noticed it when someone had entered her house, nor hadn’t she heard the soft, almost feather-light footsteps gliding over to her room.

    “You shouldn’t tear yourself apart every morning,” a voice said from somewhere to her left. Light and bored. She realized now that his voice never changed, no matter what the situation. She took a deep, calming breath, feeling her lungs greedily take it in, thankful that she was finally remembering to breathe normally. With her face still in her knees and hands trapped in her hair, she answered with a hollow, “You’re reason for coming, what is it?” She absolutely hated mornings like this. Nobuyuki’s blandness didn’t help any bit.

    She stared at the matured young man standing by the doorway in his standard jonin uniform. Nobuyuki was a good four inches taller than the young Kaichu, with soft brown hair that fell over his face, bringing out his forest green eyes. He was a jonin from the Special Tactician Unit that consisted mainly of jonin of c-rank and above who were skilled in formulating battle plans. They had known each other ever since their academy days. He had been the first person to see her cry twelve years ago when her parents died in a mission to protect the village. He was the first to stand up for her during the Kage Summit and was there on her first trip to the hospital.

    Without invitation, the earth user covered the space between him and her in three long strides. She watched, wide-eyed, as he stiffly sat at the edge of the bed. Neither party made a move; each reveling in the presence of the other in the heavy silence of the room.



    Author's Note: I'm really sorry about how short this is. It's hard to think of a scene for the two of them since I'm not used to writing about a couple. Yes, those two love each other, well, maybe just Nobuyuki since Jounetsu is kind of offish. But I'm planning to get them together in the following chapters, just don't know when. Ciao!