It was getting harder to continue down the staircase. I didn’t know just how long we’ve been walking, but to me it felt like ages. I crash into Kakashi’s back as he stops abruptly. He shines the light in front of him, it was wood.
“Is a thick wall, think you can get through it?” Kakashi asks me. I nod, it was harder now to use my chakra, I don’t know why but I felt like being in this house was draining me. I step in front of him, but he kept an arm around me to keep me up.
“Just a bit longer Kiyoko,” He whispers in encouragement. I touch the wood wall with my palms, sucking away the life of the energy. It became brittle, and finally cracking away on its own. The bit of energy I gathered made me a feel better. We walk forward, there was a door on the other side. The door was made of wood from someone else’s chakra, and I would bet my money that my father made it.
“There is a seal, let me try to deactivate it so we can get on the other side,” Kakashi lets me sit on the last step of the stairs. Being in this house was tiring and draining, I’m not sure if we somehow went through a barrier or if there was something else in here making me feel so tired. It isn’t Ryuu who was draining me of my chakra. I felt like a rock sitting at the bottom of a lake. The strange thing is that Kakashi didn’t seem to be affected. I feel the wave chakra role over me and then I hear the loud band of the thick wooden door fall.
“It sure was a tricky seal, lets get to the other side, so I can get you home and rested,” Kakashi helps me once again. We step over the fallen door, and Kakashi holds the light in his other hand. The door led to what felt like a very large room, I can feel the cold stale air. No one has been here for years, maybe since the time my father was once last here if what he says is true. We walk further into the room, but I knew where I was going. It was straight ahead, it was there. I pull Kakashi to that way, he followed. My weak body grew excited the closer we got to where my body wanted me to go.
When we got closer, Kakashi shined the light in front of us. It was a long and tall bureau with one large door, my hand moved to pull it but Kakashi stopped it.
“What if its a trap?”
“The seal would have prevented from people coming in,” I tell him.
“But we’ve managed to get through,” he says.
“Ya but you’re Kakashi and I can use wood release so we aren’t just anyone. We’re more than than average ninja.”
Kakashi sighs but lets his hand fall. I grab the handle and yank it open. Dust rises from movement, I cover my nose and mouth to keep it out. I expected some sort of weapon that can destroy an entire village, but I didn’t. I found a large book, bigger than any book I have ever seen. The symbols written on the cover were unreadable. It was a secret language, but I knew some of the symbols on it.
“Kakashi, is that the sharingan and the byakugan?” I ask him as he grabs hold of the large book. There was another symbol in it, but I haven’t seen it.
“Not only that, but the Rinnegan too. My sharingan can’t decipher it, not when I only have half the power of the sharingan. But I have a feeling this book is full knowledge the world may not know,” He whispers. He lets me go for just a bit, so that he can pat away the dust.
“Rinnegan? Is that a visual power like the Sharingan and the Byakugan?”
“Yes, but it’s power is on a different level. Many believed that the Sharingan was the most powerful of the visual enhancement, but there are legends and myths of a rippled pattern doujutsu. It has power that only gods possess, but why is it under the Uchiha district? And why is it under this house? Perhaps your father knew about it all along, and...” He fades away.
“What? And what?”
“Perhaps your mother was an Uchiha, Kiyoko,” he tells me.
“But, my parents, they’ve always lived in the Moon Village! They were born there, and they were raised there and I was born there. My mother died there!” I try to explain. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. Kakashi grabs hold of me again, “Lets talk at home, I don’t want you fainting now.”
We manage to get up the stairs without tripping, Kakashi moves the desk back to where it belonged, but with the sudden movement, the picture drawer flew open scattering the pictures everywhere. The happy times of my parents in the village littered the place, but I knew that I found the start of my answers by just looking at their smiles. They were in love and they lived here. And my father was a Senju and my mother was an Uchiha, but for whatever reason they fled the Leaf Village. My heart believed it but my mind needed for persuasion. And maybe in a twist of faith, it was all a lie.
“This book that we have found, I have a feeling that it is more powerful than any weapon on earth,” I say softly. I hear Kakashi agree. We leave the pictures scattered, I’m sure no else would come here, there was no reason to.
“I’m quickly going to search the other rooms, maybe there are other doorways.”
Kakashi lets me rest in the living room, I was slowly getting my chakra back and I no longer felt so rushed to search the entire place. I came for one thing and now I know that I was looking for the book of the three doujutsu.
“Kiyoko,” Kakashi asks loudly from one of the doors.
“Yes?”
“Are you sure you were born in in the Moon Village?”
“Yes, of course I am.” I tell him, but right now I don’t think I am too certain of anything. I walk as quickly as I can to his voice, finding him inside the second door on the left. He stood there in the middle of a bedroom. I looked around, there was a crib, and a dresser. There were butterflies painted on the walls, and a mobile of birds hanging over the crib. It was a bedroom for any baby girl.
“Look at the blanket,” He says. I walk over to the wood crib, I run my hands over the edge, it was finely made, I can still sense the lingering chakra. A wood user must have made it, and that thought directed me to the picture of my father. It was a deep red blanket like the color of the Sharingan, and there was a sewed image of a large tree spreading its branches throughout the red background.
In yellow yarn was my name in cursive. Kiyoko.
“Maybe its all just a coincidence. Maybe we’re just looking into it too closely,” I can feel the tears in my eyes.
“Kiyoko,” Kakashi has his hands on my shoulders, letting me lean my tired body on his strong one. “ You may not believe it, but I think what you thought was the life you lived, it hasn’t all been true.”
“My father and mother were happy here, and they married and they were going or had me here in the Leaf Village. No wonder I felt so at home, when I first got here. Maybe this is my birthplace. And for some reason they had to flee and they found refuge in the Moon Village. But some things don’t add up. When I was under the genjutsu seal weeks after I arrived, I saw the first memory. It was the day of my birth, I was just minutes old. And my father was crying and yelling at me. From my eyes, I was already in the Moon Village. I saw the room I was born in, and it was in the Moon Village. It was the spare room in my old house, but it certainly was not in this house,” I tell him. I gather the cold soft blanket in my hands. This belonged to me, it was a strange sensation, perhaps my life wasn’t so bad. Maybe the hatred my father has for me is just a lie too. Maybe my misery was brought to me because of all the lies, but now I know the truth and maybe it won’t be so bad anymore.
“Lets get home. The sun is rising,” Kakashi says. I take my blanket with me, while Kakashi tucks the large book in his jacket. It made a bulge that was so noticeable. I locked the door behind me, but I kept the key on me. I take my necklace off, the one Kakashi gave me, and slipped it in. The key and leaf rattle, but I knew it would be safe with me.
“Kakashi why don’t you get home quickly before anyone sees you with that book, I’ll walk home,” I tell him. He lays his hand on my forehead.
“Are you sure you are doing okay? I don’t mind carrying you home, as a matter of fact, I would prefer to. You feel a bit warm,” He says. He doesn’t wait for my answer, because he takes me in his arms. I am too tired to complain.
We get home as the sun’s full circle glides over the mountain side. Kakashi sets me in bed, leaving both the book and my blanket with me.
“Get some sleep, I’m going to go report to Lady Tsunade,” He says, before he’s on a hurry.
Though I don’t get any sleep at all. Not with the blanket draped over me and the book right in front of me. I try to think of ways to find out if my mother really was from here, or how to tell if my father was telling the truth.
“Why don’t you just ask around? Grab a damn photo and ask the villagers. Jeez, Kiyoko you aren’t that bright.” Ryuu says from inside me. I roll my eyes, but he does have a great idea. I’m sure someone should recognize them. I make myself something to eat before I get into the shower. I think about who I would ask first. Twenty years ago, at the very least, I need to ask people who have been here since then. And if the Uchiha were still around then that would have been much more easier.
I was feeling much more better after showering and eating. It was just a few hours before lunch that I begin cooking for Kakashi and I. I play with my key and leaf while the rice cooks. I can’t do much but wait. I grab the book of the three doujutsus, while lunch is cooking.
The thin pages were inked in symbols, maybe this book could be deciphered by all three doujutsus together. A sharingan, a byakugan, and the rinnegan. But for now we only have one out of the three in certainty. Kakashi can’t read it now with only one eye, and Sasuke and Itachi sure are out of the picture. And as far as I know there are no survivors. The Rinnegan is nothing more than a myth, I’ve never seen it while I was on my travels. It would be remarkable if I ever decipher it in my lifetime.
I keep searching for something that I might know. Any names that might pop out to me. The back cover was blank, nothing at all. I grew frustrated by the minute, I didn’t realize I left the oven on and that the vegetables were burning.
“You left lunch on the stove,” Kakashi pops his head into his bedroom. “Don’t worry I brought lunch, I had a feeling you weren’t feeling too good to cook today.”
I nod. He gives me a side smile, trying to cheer me up. He sets lunch on the bedside table, before he takes the book out of my hands.
“Its no use Kiyoko, we won’t be able to decipher it. Not now anyways. Not when we don’t have the doujutsus necessary,” Kakashi says.
“I know. I know, its just, what are we supposed to do then? Wait for the answers to come to me? I’ve been lied to my entire life. I’m shocked that I know what is right and what if left. I feel like my world is about to explode at any moment,” I sigh. Its been a mess. Kakashi checks my temperature again.
“You’re warmer than earlier today. How about you eat lunch and get some rest. I’ll try to find a few things out,” Kakashi tells me. I nod my head. We eat together, Kakashi eating the few dumplings I couldn’t eat. He was right, I feel like crap. Kakashi leans in to give me a kiss on the forehead before the fever gets to me and I fall into a deep slumber.
Kakashi’s POV
I didn’t want to leave Kiyoko in the state she is in, but I wanted to start searching for answers. And I was going to begin with the records at the Hokage building. That archive was under lock and key, but I can get in there. I’ll go through the Senju files, and look for her father’s photo. I can’t be sure that Michio is his real first name. I leave a glass of water on the bedside table, and wipe the sweat off of Kiyoko’s forehead with a towel, before I lock the door behind me. I’ll be back quickly.
It was just at midday, but it felt like so much time has passed by. It was one of the longest day of my life, but my longest day would have to be going days without her. Revealing the truth has affected her, more than I thought. She was sick and in bed now, all because her memories have not been kind. She shouldn’t be finding these things at this time of her life. Perhaps after all of saving the world, would have been a better timing. The burden of finding the truth can be the heaviest one.
“Hey Kakashi! We’re you headed in such a hurry?” I hear Yamato say. He was walking on his way to the Hokage’s office too.
“Just checking in a few things. You’re back from a mission?”
“Ya, I heard there was an attack on the village from Kiyoko’s home town. How is she holding up?”
“She’s shaken up. She’s come down with a fever, but she is resting right now.”
“Hmm, well maybe a good root tea will kick that fever out. The store by the Yamanaka flower shop sells great remedies,” Yamato tells me as we walk up the stairs. We part ways, he walks to the Hokage’s office and I make it the library. It may not be the Library of Lives but its a start.
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Chapter notes: Sorry for the wait, I've been really busy. Honestly this time of the year is the busiest for me. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
Chapter end notes: Let me know what you guys think! Until next chapter! (sorry if there are silly mistakes).