Divine Intervention!

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

Here is the request for this mission.

Suzaku sighed as he stood in the midst of the small out of the way community, a look of frustration playing across his angular features as his amber eyes moved in slow scanning motions while searching for any indication of where his client might be. The teen was not amused at all by the recent turn of events that saw him being handed a mission that was likely to prove far more difficult than any he had done in the past. Not only that but his supposed partner, Masamori, had somehow managed to wiggle his way out of the assignment, leaving Suzaku to bear the responsibility for the mission's success alone. How and why the Yuki had been allowed to shirk his duties was beyond the amber-eyed youth and the more he contemplated these questions the angrier he grew. Truth be told, the difficulty of the mission wasn't the true source of the boy's frustration, but rather the details he had been given. The client was a somewhat poor laborer whom had managed to get himself romantically involved with the daughter of a rather wealthy lord within the community. As in all caste-crossing relationships conflicts quickly arose as the two became closer and more serious about their affair, leading up to the man proposing to the woman. As local custom dictated, a man who intended to marry a woman was expected to pay dues to the bride's family as a show of good faith. The woman's father, being a typical noble, didn't seem to take too kindly to the man's intentions and in an attempt to dissuade his daughter's suitor, set the price for his daughter's hand far beyond what a normal laborer of the man's background could ever afford to pay in a single lifetime. Not only did the situation not sit well with Suzaku simply for the fact that it was a perfect example of the rich bullying the poor but the entire mission itself struck the youth as one big farce.

In what realm of possibility would a spoiled princess ever genuinely fall for an impoverished nobody? The cynical teen couldn't help but wonder if this was just an act of rebellion against an overbearing father rather than a true matter of the heart. Not only did the whole scenario seem ridiculously unlikely but the one loophole to all this seemed uncannily convenient. Local tradition stated that should a man be unable to pay the demanded price that he could prove himself in battle against one of the woman's relatives. Further, in the event that one of the combatants was unable to fight they could procure the aid of a substitute warrior to fight on their behalf. The whole thing seemed overly complicated. The fact that Suzaku had been chosen for this mission seemed like a sick joke to the boy. Though the youth knew that combat was an inherent part of being a shinobi, the fact remained that Suzaku was largely a pacifist, usually opting to reason through problems peacefully rather than draw a weapon or raise a fist. This was not to say that the boy was lacking in physical prowess when it came to wielding his tools, as he had spent a great deal of his time in the academy honing his skills, but such skills were rarely used in genuine practice for fear of both injuring others (even his enemies) and trampling all over the values his father had instilled in him. Suzaku knew that there would be many situations in which fights could not be avoided but this bout in particular seemed like a needless one.

Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, Suzaku began to move, stepping quickly as he moved down the thoroughfare, his eyes searching for the small blacksmith's shop where his client was said to have worked. With such a small community it didn't take the genin long to happen upon the store, promptly entering through the door and moving to the counter where a large, muscle bound man stood, regarding Suzaku with a welcoming yet strangely intimidating stare that caused the teen to shrink slightly under the man's gaze.

"Hello, I'm looking for a man named Kanji. Does he happen to work here?"

With a large grunt the large man turned, his voice booming across the small shop as he called to the back room. "Kanji, get your ass out here. You have a visitor!" A few awkward seconds of silence would pass before a rather slender, tall, red haired man would emerge from the small door way at the rear of the shop, quickly hurrying to the counter as the larger man made his way toward the room from whence Kanji just came. "Hello. I'm Kanji. Are you the ninja from Konohagakure?" The man spoke in a timid fashion, his dark green eyes staring down at Suzaku with an anxious expression as the young genin gestured subtly to the headband hanging from his belt, over his left thigh.

"What do you think?"

The man seemed to jump at this revelation, his face breaking into a large smile of both delight and relief. "Oh good! I was worried you wouldn't make it here in time. The duel is scheduled to take place first thing tomorrow morning." Nodding in understanding the teen did his best to hold a stoic expression despite his annoyance. "Would it be a problem if I asked you to come by my home after we've closed up shop? I can tell you more about the situation once I'm finished working." Nodding again, Suzaku spoke gently as he projected an outward appearance of calm serenity.

"Alright, I can do that."

The man's large, child-like smile remained as he gave the youth the finer details on how to find his residence, until the time they were supposed to meet, however, Suzaku was left to do as he pleased. With that Suzaku left the shop, finding both the presence of his client and his client's boss to be rather unsettling. Sighing with relief, the boy stepped out onto the streets, his eyes scanning the surrounding area for any sign of something to occupy his time with.

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

The hours had crawled by in a painfully slow manner as the small community had little in the way of entertainment. It was such that the raven-haired youth had spent most of the time between meeting the client and visiting his residence, resting under a tree on the outskirts of the village. Had the boy not been working he would have surely indulged himself with plenty of alcohol which would have allowed the hours to just slip away while the youth sat in a drunk stupor. Alas, this was not the case and the teen was forced to remain both sober and painfully aware of each minute that moved by. At one point Suzaku had genuinely tried to allow himself to sleep but sleep never came, the child still both restless and upset over the situation in which he found himself.

Now the sun was beginning to set, the bright, orange-yellow ball dipping behind the distant mountainous horizon as it both bathed the sky in a similar orange hue and cast elongated and distorted shadows across the ground. The citizens of the small community walked slowly along the main thoroughfare, most likely finishing their errands for the day or heading home. All in all the village seemed like a peaceful and somewhat simple place if one excused the meager collection of nobles and wealth that congregated a good distance from the village proper. As always money seemed to bring complications. As Suzaku moved slowly toward the location specified by his client he couldn't help but wonder if the small community would have been better off without such affluence in their presence. While the boy was fully aware that the creation and maintenance of such a place, at least during the early years, was most likely heavily in part or even fully due to the wealthy families which the boy was currently condemning, he couldn't help but feel that such individuals had served their purpose. They were big fish sitting in a small pond of their own creation and rather than let any of the other smaller fish grow they seemed to take glee in choking the life out of their "competition". Survival of the fittest, he supposed. Still, even if such a concept existed in the world, Suzaku didn't have to like it. He had seen what rock bottom looked like and he both feared for and pitied anyone who faced such a predicament.

"Even so... I wish I didn't have to get involved..."

Suzaku had his own problems to worry about. And while he could appreciate the effort people went through to pull themselves out of the gutter, this whole thing still stank of deceit and foolishness. The teen wasn't convinced that this was true love. The sinking feeling that all of this was a spoiled rich girl's attempt at rebelling against her overbearing father still remained firmly fixed in the pit of the boy's stomach and made him grimace every time he went over the details of the mission in his head. Suzaku was the wrong person for this assignment. His cynicism wouldn't allow for him to truly believe in the two star-crossed lovers.

Taking a moment for himself, Suzaku's pace slowed and eventually came to a stop as he moved to retrieve both a cigarette and his lighter. All this thinking was giving him a headache and the anticipation of gladiatorial combat that was to come in the following morning was admittedly making him nervous. The boy was, for all intents and purposes, a pacifist. Sure, he'd fight to save his own life or the lives of others he felt were in danger, but he was not inherently a violent person. The thought of combat for combat's sake did not sit well with him and the entire concept of fighting to prove one's worthiness in the eyes of another went against everything Suzaku's father had taught him. The boy reminded himself though, that he had known that one day such a mission would arise. This would not be the first. It was part of the profession. There was no such thing as a peaceful shinobi with clean hands. Every ninja had to do things they didn't like or agree with. Every ninja had to dirty their blade one way or another. Suzaku was only thankful that such a day would most likely not be today or tomorrow. While this upcoming fight didn't sit well with him, the fact was that it was non-fatal. No one needed to die. Hell, if Suzaku played his cards right then there was even a chance that no one would get seriously injured.

"I just need to find a something worth fighting for..."

Something to protect. Right now the boy saw nothing worth protecting though. He could not, in good conscience, draw his blade without something worth saving. It was a core value instilled in him by his father and it was something he truly feared breaking in the morning to come. "I can help with that."

In the next instant Suzaku's world was filled with pain as the boy felt a sharp stabbing pain biting into his left flank, causing him to stagger toward his right as his hand instinctively moved over the injured area, feeling a familiar warm liquid spreading through the fabric of both his navy blue, short sleeved shirt and overlying grey fleece jacket.

"I'm bleeding... Why?"

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

In the diminishing light of the setting sun, Suzaku's wide, amber eyes stared fearfully at the man that stood a full meter from the injured youth. Clean shaven, with his long black tresses tied back in an elegant pony tail, the young man glared down at the teen with unfeeling, dark brown eyes that might have well as been as black as coal for Suzaku saw little difference between the two shades, especially in the dusk's scant light.

"Who are you?"

Suzaku managed to bark, his voice still managing to hold a small semblance of a menasing tone despite his current state. This however, was lost on the stoic male before him who continued to glare at the teen, his grip tightening around the blade which he had used to injure the genin only moments ago. "Ryu Takahashi, brother of Sakura Takahashi." Despite the pain that coursed through Suzaku's body, the boy couldn't stop himself from bristling at the man's words. Ryu Takahashi, the man whom he was supposed to fight in the morning. The man whom had been selected by his family to fight for his family's honor in order to keep her from marrying Kanji. He was here early and from the looks of things was hoping to ensure that Suzaku didn't make it to the fight tomorrow. No. That can't be it. If he wanted to stop me from coming then he would have went for a fatal blow. This hurts but it's not fatal in the least. Then...why?

Though Suzaku didn't speak, the question was all too obvious on his face; a fact that he was made painfully aware of by Ryu's sudden and self satisfied smirk. "No. I'm not going to kill you. Such a thing would garner unwanted attention by my family and sully their good name. I know Kanji has no intention of fighting tomorrow. I know he has hired you to fight in his place for my sister's hand. My family, nor I can stand for this type of cowardice. These fights and traditions are important to us, sacred if you will and your interference is unacceptable. You are nothing more than a mercenary. Even now you were musing to yourself about how you had no reason to fight. So now you have every reason not to fight. Your injury is severe enough that you have virtually no hope of winning tomorrow's fight with me. Kanji will see this and will be forced to fight on his own behalf and I will prove to everyone that he is unfit to marry my sister. You are just an unfortunate casualty in all this. You should be thankful though that you will leave here with your life. Now go to Kanji and show him your injury."

With that the man turned suddenly, his loose fitting, robe-like clothing flowing gracefully in the wake of his movements. Suzaku was left helpless and panting as he tried to endure the pain radiating throughout his form. The cut had been quick but very deep, deeper than he had first realized. The bleeding wouldn't stop and if he didn't stop it he'd most likely be dead in a matter of hours. "By the way...if you do choose to fight tomorrow I won't go easy on you. While I'm not allowed to kill you, there is no rule against dismemberment and permanent injuries. If you step into the ring tomorrow then it will be your last day as a ninja. This I promise you. Now, go with peace, young ninja from Konoha." And like that the man was gone, vanishing into the night as Suzaku fought to keep himself from crying out in both pain and frustration. How could he have failed to notice the man's approach? He needed to get to Kanji and somehow stop this bleeding.

With a great deal of effort Suzaku began to move, his body already feeling heavy and each step causing him to inhale sharply as his left hand remained plastered to the injured area, applying as much pressure against the affected area as he could endure. The boy didn't need to look to realize just how much blood he had already lost, his hand was completely soaked in the warm crimson liquid, his clothes stained on that side as a small trail of trickling red formed behind the youth. Come on Suzaku, one foot in front of the other. You're not that bad off. This is all mental. Indeed, Suzaku had been hurt worse and had operated under such injuries. The cut, while deep, really wasn't life threatening so long as he managed to bandage himself off and rest. He would be fine. It was hard to move quickly though without that healthy dose of adrenaline that usually accompanied such injuries. The last time Suzaku had been severely injured had been during his team's first meeting with their sensei in the Forest of Death. Adrenaline had coursed through the boy's veins all throughout the experience, helping him ignore his injuries and how his body protested to each move he made. Now? No such boost was to be found. There was no danger, just...frustration. Frustration at the fact that he had been sneaked up on. Frustration that he and his client had been seemingly outwitted by some pompous rich nobleman. It angered the boy to no end.

"That bastard..."

Growling angrily the child cursed Ryu under his breath. He had to make it to Kanji so that he could rest and show the affluent swordsman that his tactics would do little to dissuade the Konoha nin from completing his mission. I'll fight and I'll win. With that thought Suzaku moved steadily toward Kanji's home, his right hand coming up to pound on the door. In the next few seconds the youth heard someone approaching from behind the barrier, the door swinging open to reveal Kanji's bright and welcoming small, only to have the expression shatter when he realized that Suzaku was bleeding. "Shit! What happened?! Are you alright?!" As the tall man spoke he moved forward, grabbing hold of the teen's shoulders, ushering him inside.

"I'll be fine, I just need to wrap this and lie down..."

"Right. We'll get that wound wrapped then I'll get the town doctor."

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

"I disinfected and stitched the area and dressed it. He should be fine so long as he rests. Do you have any idea what happened to him?"

The doctor's words came slowly, the older male obviously not alarmed in the slightest with Suzaku's wounds. Strangely enough this calmness brought some peace of mind to Kanji whom had spent the last twenty minutes in fidgeting nervously in the next room over. Now, staring at the physician with his deep green eyes, the red haired male cleared his throat before making the effort to speak. "No..."

It was a lie. Kanji had managed to get the answer out of Suzaku before he had left to get the doctor, though Suzaku had warned the older male against telling anyone about what had happened. Such accusations against a noble family would only serve to hurt Kanji's reputation. Money talked and Kanji had little of it. "Well, the boy doesn't seem very willing to talk about it but maybe you can get him to tell you once he's rested a bit more. It looks like he was attacked and if that's the case it needs to be reported to the proper authorities."

Kanji nodded at this, his eyes closing for a moment before speaking again. "Yes, you're right. I think I'll let him rest but I'll get the answer out of him. For now, thanks for everything. I'll drop the money off at your office tomorrow." With a small smile the doctor nodded in understanding. Kanji looked as though he had been through a lot and the doctor couldn't bear to insist on his payment here and now while the man was obviously upset. "That'll be fine, Kanji. Just make sure the boy rests so his injuries don't open up again." Once again the doctor's words were met with a small nod from Kanji before the man finally left.

Once the doctor had left Kanji made his way slowly toward the room in which Suzaku was resting, sighing lightly as he stared at the unconscious teen. It was hard for the man to fathom how someone so young could be a trained warrior. Kanji was in his mid twenties and had never even seen true combat. Though he had spent his life around swords he never had to use one. Suzaku looked so young and now that he was asleep, looked far too child-like to ever harm anyone. "What was I thinking? I can't have him fight my battles for me. I'm sorry Suzaku."

Hearing Kanji's words, Suzaku's eyes snapped open, his amber hues staring up at the ceiling with a dull expression.

"Oh shut up. You hired me to do a job and I intend to do it."

At this Kanji jumped, not only startled by the suddenness of Suzaku's response but also by what had been said. Suzaku still intended to fight? No. That was insane! "You can't! Not in the condition you're in."

"So what? You're going to fight Ryu yourself? You don't stand a chance. The man's a coward and a sneak but he's not an amateur in the least. The cut was clean and controlled. He did as much damage as he intended. No more. No less. If you get in the ring with him the match will be over in no time. What's more...he'll probably make it so you can never work as a blacksmith again."

Ryu's words echoed in the boy's head. The warning the man had given Suzaku about what he'd do to the genin if he stepped into the ring to fight. There was no reason to believe he wouldn't do the same thing to Kanji. Ryu wasn't a nice person. It was obvious that he felt such matters were not only an annoyance but an insult to his abilities and social standing. No. Kanji would be crippled in such a fight. The bottom line was that even while injured, Suzaku stood a far better chance of winning than Kanji. "Then I'll call it off!"

"You do that and I'll break your teeth. I'll teach those arrogant bastards that they can't push people around just because they have money."

"Suzaku..."

"Just shut it. I'm going to fight tomorrow. You want the girl right? So keep your mouth shut and let me rest."

Kanji sighed, his green eyes watching as the boy's slowly drifted shut. Without another word Kanji slowly stepped back, heading toward the main living area, sitting in one of the rather worn down lounge chairs, his head tilting back to stare up the ceiling. "Thanks..." He'd whisper to himself before trying to close his eyes to get some sleep, pushing his worries to the back of his mind.

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

The morning came fast, faster than either of the males had wanted. Suzaku had amazingly been the first to wake, his training kicking in and causing him to rise only an hour after the crack of dawn. The fight was soon and he needed to be ready. After having checked on his still healing wound the boy had gotten ready, arming himself and warming up with some light exercise before eating a light meal that Kanji had made soon after waking up. The two had traveled together to the designated spot for the duel, arriving to find that much of the town had already gathered, the commoners and lower class seemingly gathered on one side while the nobles all stood across the clearing behind Ryu, Sakura and their father. Upon seeing Suzaku, Ryu's expression shifted from a serene affect to a glare. It seemed as though he realized that Suzaku still had evern intention of fighting. Ryu's father, however, managed to keep his stoic mask, his brown eyes focusing on Kanji then drifting toward Suzaku. "Who is this, Kanji? Are you too afraid to fight your own battle?"

"This is Suzaku of the hidden leaf. As per our traditions I have chosen to have him fight on my behalf. Call me what you will but I have done nothing wrong. The whole reason for this fight is because you have set such a high price for your daughter's hand in marriage and it is beyond what I could ever hope to achieve given my current income. I am no warrior or nobleman but I love your daughter and she loves me and so I will do what I have to to have the privilege of being with her."

At this Suzaku noticed how Sakura smiled, looking as though she were about to speak but quickly reconsidered as her father suddenly spoke up. "I care for my daughter and her well being. I will not have her marry someone who cannot care for her properly. It is my right as a parent to be cautious about whom she will be betrothed to." The crowd on both sides of the clearing rumbled, debating on who was right. Both sides seemed to have made decent points that resonated with the people but in the end words wouldn't solve this, as much as Suzaku sincerely hoped they would. Seconds turned to minutes as the young amber-eyed youth stared at his opponent-to-be. A sigh escaped him as he finally stepped forward, showing that he was ready to fight. Likewise, Ryu moved forward, a determined look in his dark hues as he stared down his younger opponent. As the two moved toward one another, taking slow, measured steps the crowd around grew hushed, slowly drawing back to give the combatants ample room. "I'm surprised you came. I told you what would happen if you chose to fight."

"What can I say? The pay was too good to pass up."

With a sneer, Ryu drew his katana, holding it firmly in both hands as he brought the sword down to his right side, the tip barely hovering an inch off the ground. Suzaku watched with a dull expression, his eyes drooping ever so slightly as he regarded the man and his weapon with feigned disinterest. What was he going to do now? His father's words echoed in his head. "One should never draw their weapon unless they intend to kill....or to protect that which is precious to them." Sighing lightly Suzaku's hand moved shakily for the hilt of his weapon. Ryu watched with anticipation, seemingly waiting for Suzaku to make the first move.

"I can't..."

Suzaku muttered to himself as his hand released the hilt. At this Ryu's eyes widened and the man rushed forward with incredible speed. Though fast, the man was hardly a blur. Suzaku could see his movements and more importantly react. With a quick motion Suzaku dove to the side, landing hard on the ground and breaking into a tumble across the grass as he narrowly avoided an upward, diagonal cut that had been aimed for his injured side. Immediately the boy let out a pained grunt as he felt his wound starting to open, blood starting to leak through the white bandages beneath his shirt. Quickly righting himself, Suzaku barely managed to avoid the man's second strike as an overhead vertical swing came down aimed for Suzaku's left shoulder. Once more the boy dove to the right, landing and sliding across the grass, unable to roll at this point. Again, Ryu closed in, bringing his blade up, spinning it in his hands before aiming to thrust it down. At that moment however, Suzaku's leg whipped out and around in a semi-circular arc, sweeping Ryu's legs out from beneath him, causing him to fall backwards as his legs were pulled forward.

Landing with a loud thud on the ground, Ryu's arms instinctively splayed out to the side as not to impale himself with his own blade, an opportunity the injured genin didn't fail to capitalize on as he scurred to his feet and rushed over to stomp on Ryu's right wrist with his right foot, using the left to harshly kick the blade from the down swordsman's hands before suddenly dropping down with his elbow square into the man's gut, causing him to cough and yell loudly. To all those who watched the fight seemed to devolve into a school yard brawl. There was nothing elegant or skillful about this. Moving quickly, ignoring the pain in his side thanks the adrenaline that now coursed through his system, Suzaky moved to straddle the man's abdomen, his fists flying one after the other as they punched at the man's face as he desperately tried to shield himself from the blows, attempting to reach up to grab Suzaku's throat. The man was a swordsman, true, but that was all he was. He had trained in the art of kenjutsu. Suzaku was a scrapper. He had fought all his life, hands, feet, any type of weapon anyone could imagine, Suzaku had worked to be proficient in almost any form of physical combat and while he expertise did indeed lie with blades and swords, he knew how to fight unarmed when the situation called. Moving instinctively, letting his anger take over, Suzaku continued to pound the man's face, turning the once flawless visage into something battered, bruised, and bloodied.

The crowd watched in a hushed silence as Suzaku continued, unsure of what to make of the situation. This hadn't been the fight they had expected to see and the look on Suzaku's face as he continued his assault frightened them. Anger and pain bled through those amber eyes as he continued to throw punch after punch against the man's feeble and quickly dwindling resistance. How dare he think he was better than Kanji. Better than Suzaku. Better than anyone else just because he had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. How dare he think it okay to sneak up on people and injure them for his own amusement. How dare he look down on all those who didn't have the benefit of their family's wealth. He was no different than the nobles of Konoha and the rest of the world. No one was better than anyone else and this was proof. Money made no difference here. Suzaku had won. Not because he was rich or better but because the man had underestimated the teen. Now this former vagabond would make the noble pay.

In the background Suzaku only vaguely heard the sound of Ryu's sister crying out in alarmed protest for the boy to stop. A faint echo that the genin ignored as his fists continued to collide into the soft flesh of the struggling man. Finally a pair of arms locked themselves benath Suzaku's shoulders, pulling him the child away from his downed opponent all while Suzaku fought and struggled.

"Suzaku! Suzaku stop! Please! He's done!"

"Let me go! I'm not done! I'm not-"

"You're bleeding, you idiot! You'll pass out at this rate!"

The man's words hit Suzaku, breaking through the fog of anger and stealing his energy. It was only now that the teen realized just how tired he felt and how out of breath he was. The fight hadn't lasted more than a minute or so before the onslaught had begun, but Suzaku felt as though he had been fighting for hours. His hands were sore and torn from the few times his knuckles had connected with the man's teeth. His fingers felt sore and broken, most likely fractured from the repeated trauma. Now calmed somewhat, Suzaku stared in disbelief at Ryu as his sister rushed forward to kneel by her brother's side.

"Come on, Suzaku. We should go."

"What about-"

"Forget it...What happens now is out of our hands. We need to treat your injuries."

A pang of regret hit Suzaku hard and instantly the boy felt his body beginning to sink. He had gone too far. He had won, sure, but at what cost? Would Sakura still want to be with Kanji after this? Shaking his head in an attempt to push the thoughts away, Suzaku moved with Kanji's help away from the scene, heading to town as he felt several sets of eyes focusing on the two vanishing figures.

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

Suzaku sat in the bed, his eyes hanging low, staring at the ground as the doctor worked, stitching up the wound that had torn open. Kanji sat in the entrance of the room, in a chair he had brought in, his eyes also downcast as the doctor worked in relative silence before finally speaking up. "I heard about the duel this morning. I'm guessing you're the man who beat up Ryu Takahashi?" Suzaku could only nod somberly at the mention of his opponent. Though Suzaku couldn't honestly say he was worried for the noble, he regretted hitting him so hard. The man hadn't just been beaten, he had been pulverized. While there was little doubt he'd recover from the injuries, there was a good chance his face would never the same. The thought caused Suzaku's injured right hand to move slowly toward the scar on his right cheek, touching it gently with the tips of his fractured fingers. Scars and deformities had never been something the boy had really ever considered important but he knew that for some, one's face was a sacred and valuable asset. A scar, while perfectly acceptable to Suzaku, was not okay for someone like Ryu. "Was Ryu the one did this to you last night?"

The question had caught Suzaku off guard but with a drawn out sigh the boy would nod again, seeing no point in hiding it anymore. Kanji could only watch in silence. It was hard for Suzaku to imagine what might be running through the man's head at this point. Was he upset? Worried? Sad? Suzaku could barely manage to look at the red haired man. Had Suzaku screwed up the red-head's chances at love? While the boy still didn't believe that Sakura truly wanted to be with Kanji, he couldn't help but feel bad for not even giving the two the chance. "Well, I'm done with your side, now let me see those hands." Shifting on the bed, Suzaku brought his hands forward, allowind the doctor to tend to them. As the three sat there in silence a knock came at the front door. Instinctively Kanji cringed before slowly standing heading toward the door. "He'll be okay."

The doctor suddenly spoke, drawing Suzaku's attention away from the murmuring voices at the front of the house.

"Huh?"

"Kanji will be fine. Whatever happens, he's a strong fellow. He'll pull through this. I doubt things are as bleak as you two seem to think."

"I don't know, doc. I think I screwed up."

"Why'd you do it, by the way? From what I heard, you looked like a rabid dog."

"I... I don't know... I can't explain it."

The doctor fell silent, continuing to work on the boy's hands, splinting them and palpating for any obvious breaks. By the end Suzaku's hands were bandaged and set. As if on cue, once the doctor had finished, Kanji returned with a smile on his face. The sight was off setting for the young genin, causing him to stare with a confused expression at least until Sakura appeared behind him, a hesitant smile on her face as she stared at Suzaku. "Suzaku-san?"

"Yes?"

"I... wanted to thank you. It's because of you that Kanji and I can finally be together."

Suzaku felt his breath catch in the back of his throat. Was she being serious? As if searching for confirmation, Suzaku's eyes darted toward Kanji only for his gaze to be met with a small nod.

"I... There's no need to thank me. I was just doing my job... But I'm sorry about hurting your brother. I didn't mean for it to get that bad."

The boy's words brought a small frown to the woman's face, as if she were being reminded of a painful memory. The expression was short lived though and soon she was moving with the grace of a dancer across the room, approaching the bed before leaning forward to plant a gentle kiss on Suzaku's forehead.

"You're a kind soul, Suzaku-san. I know you didn't intend to hurt my brother and as strange as it sounds, my father feels the same. It is for that reason that he wanted me to present you with this."

Upon finishing her statement the woman slowly brought out a small, strange trinket. At first glance it looked like some sort of locket that one wore around their neck, but hanging from the silver chain was a crest of some sort. A circular pendant of sorts with a crest engraved into the metal. Suzaku stared at it with a rather confused expression, his eyes focusing on the object before turning his eyes up toward Sakura as she slowly moved her hand forward, placing the trinket on his lap.

"This is to show that you are both forgiven and welcomed by our family. I do not know if my brother will seek revenge for his humiliation, but that crest is our family crest and any family hired assassins who see it will most likely call off their attack for fear of the consequences. My father also hopes that you will assist us in the future... It's not really a gift you want to refuse."

There was a sense of foreboding in her words as she spoke that made Suzaku nod slightly. A token of good faith along with a calling card. Suzaku didn't seem to have any choice in accepting the gift.

"Tell your father that I accept the gift..."

Suzaku would finally mutter in a defeated tone, realizing that he had just been "drafted" into something he didn't think he wanted any part in. In his current state he didn't want any more trouble. He'd most likely be healing for the next few days from his injuries. Pushing his concerns away though, a sense of relief washed over him as he realized that the mission had, for all intents and purposes, been completed successfully. The next few days were spent recovering at Kanji's house, spending time in the village and building a bit of report with the townsfolk and even the Takahashi family, though tensions were noticeably high between Ryu and Suzaku. On the day of Suzaku's departure Kanji presented the boy with a rather extreme gift, a new blade that he had claimed to have forged specifically for Suzaku, made from a special chakra conductive metal. Unable to bring himself to refuse such a practical and impressive gift, Suzaku accepted it before making his way back home, sad to leave his friends (and perhaps makeshift family) but glad to be returning to Konoha after being gone for so long.

End