- 12 - In the Dark of the Night -
- 12 - In the Dark of the Night -
-Shikamaru-
Shikamaru waited ‘till his mother had retreated to the kitchen for dinner preparations that evening, before he approached his father. “A match, Tou-san?”, he asked, pointing at the shogi-board.
Shikaku smiled slightly. “Of course.” They sat down and played the first few turns before Shikaku raised his eyes again to study his son. “Curiosity finally got the better of you? I’m impressed you were able to hold still this long.”
Shikamaru snorted and shrugged, then he moved one of the pieces on the board to a better spot. “I couldn't very well ask you about her with her standing just a few feet away. That didn’t sit right with me.”, he said defensively.
Shikaku laughed lightly. “That’s true, I guess. She really got to you, huh? I noticed that you seemed quite talkative today. That's unusual for you.”
Shikamaru slumped in his seat and frowned. “I can’t explain it. It’s like I found a new riddle to solve that nobody was able to figure out yet and I can hardly think of something else. But she isn’t an object or some sort of concept. I shouldn’t feel that way when it comes to her.”, he grumbled. It made him sick to even think of people doing that to her.
His father blinked a few times, looking shocked. “You aren’t objectifying her. So don’t worry about that.”, he said then, his voice sounding weak.
Shikamaru shot his father a questioning look. “I’m not?”
“No.” Shikaku shook his head. “Quite on the contrary. You fixated on her.”
Shikamaru’s mouth fell open and he was stunned into silence for a few moments. “I… thought we only fixate on objects or activities.”, he said meekly once he had found his voice again.
All of his Clanmates had a fixation that grounded them in reality. They tended to lose themselves in their minds without it so it was something they protected fiercely. His father’s fixation was playing shogi and strategizing through it. His uncle Enma had a quite large set of books on spy and infiltration techniques and learning to utilise every single one of them in perfection was his fixation. But Shikamaru had never heard of one of them having a person as their fixation.
“It’s rare.”, his father said with a nod and moved one of the pieces on the board. “But it’s not impossible. We even had a girl in the Clan who fixated on one of her teammates, that was about 10 years ago.”
Shikamaru looked up at his father and saw his frown. “What happened to her?”, he asked. Shikaku looked up from the board and lifted one eyebrow in question. “You didn’t tell me her name and you said we had a girl in the Clan. So obviously something happened.”
Shikaku sighed deeply and nodded. “ You’re right. She vanished 8 years ago, right after her fixation went missing on a mission to the Land of mountains. Her name was Eirika and her fixation was an Uchiha girl named Tomoe. We never heard of her again after she left to find Tomoe. Of either of them actually.”
Shikamaru nodded and looked at the board, getting lost in his thoughts for a while. “So a person as a fixation is much more troublesome than an object.”, he said with a deep sigh.
Shikaku snorted and shook his head. “It may seem so at first but you can also benefit immensely from being fixated on a human. They encourage you like nothing else can do for a Nara. The mightiest of our ancestors all had a human fixation. And she will be able to create a deeper mental connection with you once you two are a bit older. Especially since she is a Rayani.”
Shikamaru looked at his father questioningly. “A mental connection?”
His father nodded. “I can only explain what I was told when I became clanhead since I never experienced it myself. A Nara with a human fixation is sort of in tune with his counterpart’s emotions and needs. Depending on how deep you get involved with them you can feel what they need without a word said. And from what Inoichi told us about the Rayani they have a Kekkai Genkai that lets them form mental links to people around them that they have an emotional attachment to. It’s very much possible that it could affect your bond with her.”
Shikamaru nodded. “That is an unusual Kekkei Genkai. Most of the ones I know about are for attacking someone. But this one seems like it’s mostly useful for communication.”
Shikaku smiled. “I still have to learn more about it but I had an idea that would also allow communication without words spoken out loud as long as she is with this team. That could be handy for infiltrations.”
“Huh.” Shikamaru put his chin in his hand. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“And that’s why I am the Jounin-Commander, not you.”, his father teased good naturedly.
Shikamaru smiled and took a moment to observe the board before making his next move. Then he sobered up and looked up at his father again. “She hinted at some danger to her life when we talked today.”, he said.
Shikaku nodded but he made his own move before answering. “There are those in the shadows of our home’s tree that try to destroy some of Konoha’s roots.”, he said and Shikamaru knew that this organisation must have powerful protectors for his father to not be able to talk clearly. “She was kidnapped by them when she was 4 years old and held captive in a laboratory. We managed to rescue her about 4 months ago. But it took her quite some time to heal from the damage they have inflicted on her.”
Shikamaru’s Shadow reared its head at the mention of Minaru having been a hostage and screamed in pure anger. It took him several deep breaths to calm down again. “They are still after her?”, he said. It wasn’t really a question, it would explain so much of her behavior.
“She was attacked while she still recovered in the hospital. After that the Hokage placed a team of Anbu on rotation to guard her but after what you just told me I will need to talk to the Clan and Inoichi. We won’t see someone you are bonded to in danger and not do anything about it.”, his father said.
Shikamaru let out a relieved breath. “Thanks.”
Shikaku smiled at him. “Maybe we should visit the Yamanakas in a few days. We can explain some of it to Minaru-chan, she needs to know what she means to you. And I’m pretty sure she is smart enough to understand it.”
Shikamaru snorted. “She isn’t just smart, she’s a freakin’ genius.”, he said. He had to calm his shivering hands. He had dragged her into this situation. He would have to make sure it didn't end badly for her.
-Minaru-
Chick. Get in here.
Minaru was reading over some documents from T&I that Inoichi had given her to check over the facts of her capture when she heard Raya talking in her mind. She lifted her head in surprise. She hadn’t heard from the Phenix for a few days, so she was surprised to hear her talking so suddenly. But it seemed like her tenant had found something, so she closed her eyes and let herself sink into her mindscape.
Raya already waited for her, and at her side was… “Akane-oba!” Minaru smiled brightly at her aunt.
The woman grinned brightly and opened her arms. Minaru ran over to them and threw herself into her aunt's arms. Burying her nose in Akane’s top she inhaled the smell of family. It was still strange for her sometimes but she had begun to think of herself as just one being, not two different beings sharing one body. She was not yet sure if that was a good development, but she hoped so. At least she could say that she felt more stable now.
Akane rubbed her back soothingly and hummed softly, pressing a kiss to her hair. “It’s alright, Mina-chan. You don’t need to pretend that you are okay anymore.” Minaru looked up at her aunt with a question in her eyes. Akane smiled. “Your new tenant explained your situation to me. And it’s good that she did, we can support you better now that we know what you went through. In both of your realities.”
Minaru blinked. “I’m actually surprised that you can just accept it. It’s not like many people really believe in something like time travelling. At least not that I know of many.”
Akane huffed indignantly and shook her head. “That may be true but we Rayani were always aware of the most unusual circumstances in our world. And it would be a shame if we didn’t believe one of the Spirits we follow.”, she said.
Minaru perked up. Right. Raya was one of the Great Spirits of Nature and the Rayani followed the Spirits. “I… didn’t think of that.”, she said.
Raya laughed. Me neither, so don’t you worry about that, Chick. , she said. But once I explained what was going on Akane immediately offered to teach you some chakra techniques that you can use even with a damaged chakra-system.
Minaru’s eyes widened. “There are techniques that I could still use?!”, she whispered.
Akane nodded. “Yes. Normally they are considered high ranked techniques in our Clan that you would only learn once you are considered old enough. But your case is very special and the Clan-Elders decided that you would be allowed to start your training early.”
Minaru nodded. “What do I need to do?”, she asked.
“Well, first we need to determine your main affinity.”, Akane said and let go of Minaru. She signaled Minaru to follow her a little bit deeper into the forest of her mindscape. There lay a pond with several rocks jutting out of the water. Minaru hadn’t seen it before on her explorations so she guessed it was a new addition. The water was so clear she could see the floor of the pond. “Raya-sama helped me make this. Stand on one of the rocks in the middle, please.”
Minaru nodded and hopped over to one of the rocks. Akane landed on one right in front of her and closed her hands in a hand sign, she could feel chakra . Two large Cats of Prey puffed into existence right next to her on the two other stones. One was a massive Snow leopard with ice blue eyes, the other a tiger with purple eyes that shone with mirth.
“These are Claw and Fang. They are among the best hunters of the Cats.”, Akane introduced the Cats. The tiger was Fang and Claw the Snow leopard.
Minaru bowed her head. “A pleasure to meet you.”
Claw showed his fangs in a large grin. ‘What a polite girl. I like you, kit.’ He said. Then he turned to Akane. ‘What did you summon us for?’
“We need to check Mina’s main affinity. Her chakra-system was badly damaged so she will need to learn other techniques. But she is Twice Born so she knows the theoretic aspects of chakra by experience.” Akane explained to the Cats.
Fang growled lightly. ‘Of course.’ She said, sobering up. She hopped over to Minaru and raised her nose. ‘Lay a hand on my nose and extend the other towards Claw. Then let your chakra flow like you normally would.’
Minaru nodded and placed a hand on the soft nose of the tiger. Then she pointed her other hand at Claw and tried to pull up her chakra. She could feel it try to find a way around the damaged Tenketsu. And then a slight tingling started gathering between her fingers and a small spark of electricity rushed over to Claw.
The Snow Leopard grinned brightly. ‘A storm Cat. That is indeed quite rare. You are quite the sight, aren’t you, young lady?’
“Wh… what was that?”, Minaru mumbled, stunned. It felt a bit similar to Senjutsu but not quite like it. So what was that energy?
‘That was the pure energy of nature. Don’t worry, most are stunned by the feeling when they first experience it. Only a Rayani can summon this kind of power to their help. We will teach you to use it to your benefit.’, Fang explained.
Minaru nodded slowly. “So it is a higher form of Senjutsu?”
Claw nodded. ‘The original and highest form.’, he said with a satisfied looking smirk. Then he raised his nose and turned his head. ‘I… smell someone I haven’t smelled in millenia. How…?’
Minaru smiled. “Do you want to meet her?”
He looked at her and she could see his eyes were moist. He was surely lucky that Cats couldn’t cry. ‘Please.’
Minaru laughed lightly and led the way back to where Raya was resting. The Phenix trilled when she saw them approach her nest and the two Cats let out excited meows and bounced over to her. ‘Lady Raya!’ Fang practically sang, rubbing her head against the Phenix’s chest affectionately.
Fang. Claw. It’s good to see you again. , Raya said smiling.
‘How is this possible? When did you escape? We didn’t feel anything.’ Claw said.
That is a long and complicated story. The short version is that I am not the Raya you know. I came from a different reality. With my Chick over there. She pointed to Minaru, using her wing.
Fang looked between the two of them. ‘How bad was it?’, she asked then.
“What do you mean?”, Minaru asked.
‘I know our Lady Raya from the time before she was sealed into Kagome-sama. When another version of herself is here, coming from another dimension it must have been bad enough that she decided to try and change it.’, she said, her tail swishing back and forth in agitation.
Minaru swallowed and nodded. “You’re right. The soul that came here with Raya in tow and now is part of my soul lived through a war that destroyed all of the Elemental Nations. I was the last one standing. It was in the moment that everything was over that I met Kagome and Raya.”
Fang whined lowly. ‘You are a strong soul, kit.’, Claw said. He rubbed his head against Minaru’s waist. ‘So. Why did the Elders decide that your situation is warranting a training at your age?’, he asked.
Minaru shrugged. “I think because of my damaged chakra-system and the fact that i was attacked recently?”
“That’s part of it.”, Akane said with a nod. “You are also the first voluntary bearer of the Phenix of Light since Rayana-sama herself. The Elders want you to be able to protect yourself to the best of our abilities. We will not lose another bearer.”
Minaru tilted her head and looked over at Raya. “I didn’t know that Rayana was a Jinchuriki, too. You only talked of her as a good friend.”, she said.
Because that is what she was. I was hurt badly during a fight with some of her old Clansmen that wanted to capture me. She came up with the plan to hide my Spirit in herself and after she had managed to save my Spirit with this action she and the rest of the Rayani fled to the deserts and plains of the land where Taiyo No Kuni lies today.
Akane placed a hand on Minaru’s shoulder. “We don’t refer to the one carrying Raya-sama’s Spirit as a Jinchuriki. You are Rayana’Te, the heir of Rayana and Bearer of Light.”
“Minaru-chan, would you mind coming down for a minute?” Hanako called her when she was reading over the questions for the Academy’s entrance exam the next day.
She looked up and got to her feet before yelling “I’m coming!”
Downstairs she could see Hanako and Inoichi talking to... “Shikaku-san? Hello, I didn’t expect you to be here.”, she said and stopped next to Inoichi, looking up at the Nara clanhead. Only when she stood there did she notice that Shikamaru was there as well. She smiled at him and he nodded in acknowledgement.
“We wanted to talk to you for a moment if that would be okay for you, Minaru-chan.”, Shikaku said with a smile while putting a hand on Shikamaru’s shoulder.
She tilted her head and looked up at Inoichi. “It’s okay. He told me what he could about the situation. But that’s a Nara Clan-matter, we Yamanaka can’t get too involved there.”, he explained and put a reassuring hand on her back.
She nodded. “Okay.” Then she turned to Shikaku and Shikamaru and waved to them. “Follow me, there’s a place we can talk without being interrupted.”
She led them through the house and the adjacent greenhouse to a small alcove that overlooked the gardens in the back. There she sat down on some of the pillows that were laid out for the family. “So. What is so important, that you had to talk to me alone?”, she asked the two Nara.
Shikaku took a seat across from her while Shikamaru hovered near his father for a moment before coming over to sit next to her. When she glanced over at him she noticed his cheeks were slightly red. “Shikamaru-kun?”, she asked surprised. She wasn’t sure if she had ever seen Shikamaru blush. In either of her lives.
Shikaku cleared his throat and addressed her. “Did you notice something… off, when you met Shikamaru for the first time?”
Minaru tilted her head and ran through the meeting in her head. She had been overwhelmed, trying not to show her nerves since his death in Naruto’s lifetime had been overly present when she had met Choji and Shikamaru. So she was constantly on edge during this meeting.
But now when she went over it one more time in her head she noticed that she had felt a sort of familiarity with him that she hadn’t with Ino, Choji or Lee. And she hadn’t been the best of friends with either of them in her last life. ”I… had the feeling that we knew each other. Way before the meeting. But that's not true, I think.”, she said hesitantly.
Shikamaru nodded and reached over to take her hand. “You’re right, we didn’t meet before this day. I think I would remember if we did. It was… a strange feeling but I’m getting used to it.”
Minaru looked between the two Nara questioningly. “What feeling?”
“Shikamaru fixated on you.”, Shikaku said. “That is something that happens to all of the Nara. We tend to get lost in our heads so we have something to ground us in reality. Most of the time it is either objects or some kind of activity.”
Minaru blinked slowly, processing the new information. “But sometimes one of you fixates on a human?”, she deduced.
Shikaku nodded. “Yes. It’s rare, only one or two times overy generation. And it puts both of you in an… interesting situation.”
Minaru tilted her head. “What kind of situation?”
“If something happens to you Shikamaru will feel it. Some of our ancestors were even able to feel the emotions of their fixation. And we have no idea how the fact that you are a Rayani will affect your bond.”, Shikaku explained.
“And what will be expected of me?”, she asked.
She could feel Shikamaru stiffen and tighten his hold on her fingers. Shikaku shook his head. “Not much. It would be good if you came over at least once a week until the bond is stable. You see how it affects Shika right now.” He nodded toward the still silent Nara-heir. “Apart from that I only want to know if you feel something different from your Kekkai Genkai. We need to understand your bond better to protect both of you.”
Minaru nodded. “I understand.” Then she turned to Shikamaru who had gone pale by now. “Shikamaru? Are you okay?”
Shikaku got up and ruffled both of their hair. “I’ll go back to Inoichi. You two sort yourselves out then you can join us for lunch.”, he said before leaving.
Once his father was out of sight Shikamaru began to shiver and she worriedly placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey. What’s the matter?”
He turned to her with wide eyes. “I’m sorry.”, he mumbled.
Minaru blinked, shocked into silence for a moment. “Uh… what?”, she asked lamely.
“I said I’m sorry.”, he repeated.
Minaru shook her head to clear her thoughts and said: “What in Kami’s name would you need to be sorry for?”
“I dragged you into this mess without your okay. I didn’t even know we could fixate on a person.... But I should have known, I should have…” Minaru interrupted his tirade by placing her hands on his cheeks.
“Shikamaru… You said it yourself. You didn’t know it was even possible. And you didn’t ask to be bound to me either. So we just have to make the best of it.”, she said and placed one hand over his shivering fingers.
He gulped and took a few breaths before nodding. “Of course. You’re right.” He smiled slightly. “This will take some getting used to.”
Minaru laughed. “You don’t say.”, she said with a real smile that Shikamaru returned this time.