Chakra Wizard
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Alright, now onto that decent explanation I promised*_* lol A lot of flashbacks coming up, so be prepared for those, too. Anyways, enjoy
Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:
Chapter 065: Stray
????: Hey, what the hell is this!?
????: Where did that dog come from!?
????: I think that’s that kid!
????: What!? How the heck’s that possible!?
????: How did a damn mutt get into the Chūnin Exams!?
????: This is bullshit!!
????: Yeah!
This irate heckling carried on for several minutes on end, the entire duration of which Taigen couldn’t stop shaking, nor could he look away from the ground. His companions watching over this from above could only look on in horror and pity at their friend’s despair until finally, Airon could take no more and glanced over at Nakama.
Airon: Give him a hand.
Complying almost immediately, she began focusing her chakra and her earthy pathway reemerged once more for Taigen to use. Hesitating a moment out of fear, a nod from Airon persuaded Taigen to take advantage of this escape route. No sooner after he reached the balcony did the pillars return to the ground from whence they came, and no sooner after this did Taigen curl up next to Minto’s leg, seemingly on the verge of tears. Feeling nothing less than the greatest pity for his dear friend, Minto kneeled down beside him and began running his fingers through his thick fur.
Minto: It’s alright, Taigen. …It’s alright.
Taigen: …I was so close, Minto. …I was almost in the clear. We were-
Minto: Sssshhhh…sssshhh…I know, buddy. I know.
Unable to hold himself back, Ryūza quickly used his sand to teleport himself down to the competitors’ balcony, causing everyone still there to look at him in surprise, excluding Taigen.
Ryūza: How unbelievable. Losing to a mutt-
His potentially violent grievance came to a swift end as the tip of a katana found itself less than a centimeter from his neck, the hand of a relatively furious Airon tightened around his handle.
Airon: Keep your mouth shut if you ever wanna use it again! …Don’t you ever speak ill of my friends…or my comrades.
When it became clear that his intimidation had completely silenced him, Airon looked back down at Taigen, who continued to whimper next to Minto’s leg. A thousand regrets coursed through Airon’s mind as he stood there and although he couldn’t see him, similar thoughts coursed through Suzaku’s mind, as well.
Suzaku: I was stupid…forgive me, Taigen.
Ayumi grasped his hand upon hearing this to bring reassurance, a tactic which only half-worked, while up above them, his father soon found himself under pressure of his own, courtesy of his shocked colleagues.
Darui: This whole time…how were my senses too dull to recognize his chakra signatures?
Chōjūrō: This couldn’t have possibly slipped past the Leaf village’s entire shinobi system…that’s almost too big of an oversight to comprehend.
Gaara: Did you know about this, Lord Hokage…did you, Naruto?
The latter suspect didn’t even bother to turn around and face his accusers and continued to stare off towards the competitors’ balcony in guilt, leaving their entitlement to an answer to fall upon Konohamaru, who sighed before fulfilling it.
Konohamaru: I know the ninken well. He’s lived in my son’s home for over five years now…I never suspected something like this, though.
None of them seemed completely satisfied with his response, something he attempted to dispel while on the nearby balcony, Airon and Minto exchanged remorseful glances before looking down at Taigen again, both of their minds filled with memories of how they met the young ninken.
On the outskirts of a deep forest resting near the border of the Leaf village, two young boys – one already a genin, the other not quite yet – scurried past the tree line at varying speeds. One was wearing a black tracksuit with blue pants, while the other wore a roomy green shirt and gray pants, and the latter continued to look up into the trees as he followed the former through the forest.
????: Could we go back, Airon, please?
Airon: Relax, Minto. These woods are perfectly safe.
Minto: You don’t know that! You’ve only been in here once! And besides, part of these woods belong to the Nara clan! How do you know you’re walking into their territory right now!?
Airon: (He shook his head in annoyance, though he was much too excited to stop grinning.) I just know, alright? Now quit being a pansy and come on.
Minto: (He held his arm out to protest, but quickly dropped it and took off after Airon started leaving him behind.) Ugghh, forget it. (Why does he always do this!?)
They continued through the woods for nearly ten minutes, keeping to the ground as Minto could not yet employ his chakra reserves. They eventually came near the center of the forest, where a small stream of water pointed them in the direction of Airon’s destination. The faint semblance of a stalker a short ways into the trees caused Minto to jump, only to catch his breath moments later when he recognized its shape.
Minto: Huhh, just a deer…gosh, this place is freaking me out.
Airon: Minto…
Minto: I can’t believe I let you talk me into these things, Airon. We’ve got a river running straight through the village. A huge one, but because this one’s in the middle of a forest we shouldn’t wander around in, we gotta go find some tiny little creek that probably won’t have a whole lot of fish in it.
Airon: Minto.
Minto: You know what, Airon? Next time you wanna go out and do something stupid, how about letting me decide what it is, alright? You’ve got the strangest sense of humor and what’s fun to do, and I honestly can’t take any more of-
Airon: Minto!!
He flicked Minto on the side of the head to gain his attention, causing him to rub the spot where he was hit in irritation as he looked off in the direction of Airon’s finger. To his surprise, he found a gray dog of medium size, standing a few feet away from the stream up ahead.
Minto: A ninken…in the wild?
Airon: Must’ve gotten lost out here…but…
He peered closer to get a better view, finding to his surprise that the ninken was in the process of eating something, prompting him to look even further until he could tell what it was.
Airon: Is that a…momonga?
Minto: (His eyes widened in surprise after noticing this and he proceeded to look up at the tree tops.) It is. Those things usually stay in the trees, though…it must be pretty talented to catch one of those.
Airon: (Intrigued, he grinned and began tugging on Minto’s arm.) Come on. Let’s go.
He started moving before Minto could respond, causing him to stare to him wide-eyed before reaching out to grab him and pull him back.
Minto: What!? Airon, you don’t what that dog will-
Airon: Hey there! What’re you doin’ all the way down here!?
The ninken immediately looked up, its mouth covered in specks of blood from its prey. It proceeded to stare at Airon for several seconds, running away immediately when he began moving again, much to Airon’s amusement and protest as he took off after him.
Airon: Hey, don’t run off like that! I’m just trying to talk!
Minto: Airon, wait up!! (You’re chasing a dog now, you moron!? Why do you do that!?)
They proceeded to follow the ninken through the forest a short distance before finally losing sight of him. Insightful as ever, though, Airon merely smirked and looked up, finding the ninken running over the tall branches of the trees and proceeding to climb up after him with ease. Unable to follow them up, Minto continued moving forward on the ground, eventually losing sight – but not sound – of them as he leaned down to catch his breath.
Minto: Huhh…huhh…huhh…how the heck does he do that? …Huhh…where the heck did they go now?
Airon: GOTCHA!!!
The sound of a nearby scuffle pointed Minto in their direction, finding the ninken pinned down underneath Airon after several seconds of running.
Airon: Hey hey, easy! You’re the one who started running in the first place!
????: Don’t hurt me! PLEASE don’t hurt me!! Lemme go! Lemme go, PLEASE!!!
Both of their eyes immediately expanded and all movement stopped between them, excluding whatever Airon required to keep it pinned down.
Minto: …It talks.
Airon: No kidding…what’s a talking ninken like you doing out in the middle of the forest? I thought for sure there weren’t any wild dogs that could speak human.
Having been asked a question, the ninken’s thrashing all but ceased as its heavy breathing became more audible.
????: I just was out here looking for something to eat. I didn’t mean to do anything, honest! …Now please, let me go!
Minto: Airon.
Following the direction of Minto’s finger, Airon was surprised to find that despite the thick layer of fur that covered its skin, its ribs were still painfully visible. Now curious to a fault, Airon slowly removed his hands and stood back up.
Airon: Looks to me like you could use more than just a little momonga there, fella. …You have a name?
It looked just about ready to take off once again, but the nature of the question and the concern in both their eyes prompted a brief hesitation on its part. He eventually gave up all thoughts of abandoning them and gave an answer.
????: He used to call me…Taigen.
Minutes later, the two boys were walking through the forest with the ninken walking between, Airon’s hands in his pockets and Minto’s resting at his side as they both listened to his story. A victim of overwork and abuse by a master who took advantage of him for his strength and intelligence, Taigen finally managed to get away from him after three years under his roof, leaving his mother behind as per her encouragement prior to her death. For the year following that, he wandered the wilderness on his own, afraid to seek help from humans for fear of being hurt any further, eventually finding himself near the Hidden Leaf Village.
Taigen: …And I ended up deep in this forest before I knew it…I didn’t really care where I was, though, since I was able to get away from him.
Disheartened by his story, Airon and Minto exchanged troubled looks with each other before looking back down at him.
Minto: Where do you plan to go, though? You can’t live in this forest forever.
Taigen: (He gave some thought to it, but eventually came up with nothing.) I haven’t really thought about going anywhere…getting away was all I wanted.
Minto looked back up at Airon after hearing this, his expression obviously suggesting something from him. When the latter cocked his eyebrow and tilted his head in response – which here meant “With Kei, really? I think we both know your home is the better alternative.” – Minto smiled in amusement and looked back down at Taigen.
Minto: Well hey, my family’s part of one of the largest clans in the village, and our home is pretty big. …If you want, you can…you know…
Taigen immediately stopped and looked up at him, prompting him and Airon to do the same. He opened his mouth to reply, but still nothing came out for several seconds.
Taigen: I don’t…I…
He turned in the other direction when he noticed Airon kneeling down next to him out of the corner of his eye. After a few reflexes from Taigen subsided, he slowed buried his fingers beneath the fur on his back and smiled gently at him.
Airon: That’s an offer worth taking, Taigen. Trust me…you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better one later on down the road.
He looked up at Minto after hearing this, who was also wearing a gentle smile. He couldn’t bring himself to return the gesture at the time, but after several seconds of silence, he finally nodded in acceptance.
No more than two hours later, Taigen and Minto were walking through the Sarutobi residence, the latter’s mother and brother standing behind them while his father led the way. After a brief tour of the house’s most important rooms, he finally brought them to a small room at the end of the main hallway, containing a large bed, two dressers with and without a mirror, and a small closet.
Suzaku: And this is our guest room. My parents are the only ones who’ve ever used it, though, and they haven’t done that in years, so feel free to take this one for yourself.
Taigen: (He walked towards the middle of the room, looking around in wonder before turning back to Suzaku.) I-I dunno if I can take this huge room. I mean, I’m just a dog, after all.
Ayumi: Hmhmhmhm, that’s certainly not what I see when I look at you…I see an intelligent young creature in desperate need of a nice home to come back to.
Raiden: (He rolled his eyes at this as he leaned against the doorway.) Pffft, looks like a mutt to me. Honestly, why is it living in one of our rooms? It’s a ninken. Take it over to the Academy or Kemono’s clan. They’ll find a good use for it there.
Minto: (He glared over at him and coiled his fists as he retaliated.) Cut it out, Raiden. He’s a friend who I offered a chance to stay at our house, not a new pet. Got a problem with it, eat your own.
As he spoke, Taigen did nothing but stare up at him in admiration, prompting both Suzaku and Ayumi to smile in spite of the fact that their sons were arguing. Raiden, on the other hand, merely stared back and forth between his brother and Taigen until he came up with a response.
Raiden: A friend…heh, yeah. Someone whose actually weaker than you that you can call a friend and not just a bodyguard like Airon. …Enjoy your stay here, Taigen.
There was a hint of sarcasm in his words, but the fact that he used his name was enough to make Taigen nod in appreciation before he stormed off. Suzaku and Ayumi both watched him as he walked away, the former looking back towards Minto in disappointment once he was out of sight.
Suzaku: Don’t retaliate, Minto. You’re better than that, you know that.
Minto: (He gazed down at the floor as he answered.) …Yeah, I know…sorry.
Ayumi: (She walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling in reassurance.) Don’t worry about it, babe. We’re just proud of you for showing such generosity to your new friend.
Suzaku: (He smiled and nodded in agreement as she kissed Minto on the forehead.) Hmhm, that’s right. Anyhow, make yourself right at home, Taigen. If you need anything, just let one of us know.
Taigen: (Having been watching their interactions and hearing their words this entire time, he couldn’t even lift his head to express his feelings properly.) …Thank you…so much.
His lip trembled as he spoke, hinting that he might have been on the verge of tears at the moment, a sight which warmed their hearts as they responded to his gratitude.
Ayumi: You’re quite welcome, dear.
Suzaku: Well, we’ll get out of your way now, you two.
They left the room just as they came, and no sooner after they did, Minto shoved his hands into his pockets and looked off towards the end of the hallway with a frown.
Minto: Sorry about Raiden. He’s always been kind of a rotten twerp since he started in the Academy…
When he got no response, he looked down at Taigen, who was still staring at the floor for some unknown reason.
Minto: What’s wrong?
Taigen: …Did you mean it?
Minto: Hm? Mean what?
Taigen: (He looked up at him as he replied.) …When you said I was a friend.
The tone in his voice as he voiced his concern only hinted at the level of doubt and mistrust he had built up over his short lifespan, and it caused Minto to think over his basis for this show of kindness he had given him just minutes after their first meeting. When he could only find one logical conclusion, he turned back to Taigen and smiled as he gave his answer.
Minto: One hundred percent.
With that, all doubt was removed from Taigen’s thoughts, and he smiled for the first time since their meeting in the forest.
Taigen finds faith in humanity – through who now is his dearest friend!!!
The End
Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:
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Chapter 065: Stray
????: Hey, what the hell is this!?
????: Where did that dog come from!?
????: I think that’s that kid!
????: What!? How the heck’s that possible!?
????: How did a damn mutt get into the Chūnin Exams!?
????: This is bullshit!!
????: Yeah!
This irate heckling carried on for several minutes on end, the entire duration of which Taigen couldn’t stop shaking, nor could he look away from the ground. His companions watching over this from above could only look on in horror and pity at their friend’s despair until finally, Airon could take no more and glanced over at Nakama.
Airon: Give him a hand.
Complying almost immediately, she began focusing her chakra and her earthy pathway reemerged once more for Taigen to use. Hesitating a moment out of fear, a nod from Airon persuaded Taigen to take advantage of this escape route. No sooner after he reached the balcony did the pillars return to the ground from whence they came, and no sooner after this did Taigen curl up next to Minto’s leg, seemingly on the verge of tears. Feeling nothing less than the greatest pity for his dear friend, Minto kneeled down beside him and began running his fingers through his thick fur.
Minto: It’s alright, Taigen. …It’s alright.
Taigen: …I was so close, Minto. …I was almost in the clear. We were-
Minto: Sssshhhh…sssshhh…I know, buddy. I know.
Unable to hold himself back, Ryūza quickly used his sand to teleport himself down to the competitors’ balcony, causing everyone still there to look at him in surprise, excluding Taigen.
Ryūza: How unbelievable. Losing to a mutt-
His potentially violent grievance came to a swift end as the tip of a katana found itself less than a centimeter from his neck, the hand of a relatively furious Airon tightened around his handle.
Airon: Keep your mouth shut if you ever wanna use it again! …Don’t you ever speak ill of my friends…or my comrades.
When it became clear that his intimidation had completely silenced him, Airon looked back down at Taigen, who continued to whimper next to Minto’s leg. A thousand regrets coursed through Airon’s mind as he stood there and although he couldn’t see him, similar thoughts coursed through Suzaku’s mind, as well.
Suzaku: I was stupid…forgive me, Taigen.
Ayumi grasped his hand upon hearing this to bring reassurance, a tactic which only half-worked, while up above them, his father soon found himself under pressure of his own, courtesy of his shocked colleagues.
Darui: This whole time…how were my senses too dull to recognize his chakra signatures?
Chōjūrō: This couldn’t have possibly slipped past the Leaf village’s entire shinobi system…that’s almost too big of an oversight to comprehend.
Gaara: Did you know about this, Lord Hokage…did you, Naruto?
The latter suspect didn’t even bother to turn around and face his accusers and continued to stare off towards the competitors’ balcony in guilt, leaving their entitlement to an answer to fall upon Konohamaru, who sighed before fulfilling it.
Konohamaru: I know the ninken well. He’s lived in my son’s home for over five years now…I never suspected something like this, though.
None of them seemed completely satisfied with his response, something he attempted to dispel while on the nearby balcony, Airon and Minto exchanged remorseful glances before looking down at Taigen again, both of their minds filled with memories of how they met the young ninken.
– Five Years Prior –
On the outskirts of a deep forest resting near the border of the Leaf village, two young boys – one already a genin, the other not quite yet – scurried past the tree line at varying speeds. One was wearing a black tracksuit with blue pants, while the other wore a roomy green shirt and gray pants, and the latter continued to look up into the trees as he followed the former through the forest.
????: Could we go back, Airon, please?
Airon: Relax, Minto. These woods are perfectly safe.
Minto: You don’t know that! You’ve only been in here once! And besides, part of these woods belong to the Nara clan! How do you know you’re walking into their territory right now!?
Airon: (He shook his head in annoyance, though he was much too excited to stop grinning.) I just know, alright? Now quit being a pansy and come on.
Minto: (He held his arm out to protest, but quickly dropped it and took off after Airon started leaving him behind.) Ugghh, forget it. (Why does he always do this!?)
They continued through the woods for nearly ten minutes, keeping to the ground as Minto could not yet employ his chakra reserves. They eventually came near the center of the forest, where a small stream of water pointed them in the direction of Airon’s destination. The faint semblance of a stalker a short ways into the trees caused Minto to jump, only to catch his breath moments later when he recognized its shape.
Minto: Huhh, just a deer…gosh, this place is freaking me out.
Airon: Minto…
Minto: I can’t believe I let you talk me into these things, Airon. We’ve got a river running straight through the village. A huge one, but because this one’s in the middle of a forest we shouldn’t wander around in, we gotta go find some tiny little creek that probably won’t have a whole lot of fish in it.
Airon: Minto.
Minto: You know what, Airon? Next time you wanna go out and do something stupid, how about letting me decide what it is, alright? You’ve got the strangest sense of humor and what’s fun to do, and I honestly can’t take any more of-
Airon: Minto!!
He flicked Minto on the side of the head to gain his attention, causing him to rub the spot where he was hit in irritation as he looked off in the direction of Airon’s finger. To his surprise, he found a gray dog of medium size, standing a few feet away from the stream up ahead.
Minto: A ninken…in the wild?
Airon: Must’ve gotten lost out here…but…
He peered closer to get a better view, finding to his surprise that the ninken was in the process of eating something, prompting him to look even further until he could tell what it was.
Airon: Is that a…momonga?
Minto: (His eyes widened in surprise after noticing this and he proceeded to look up at the tree tops.) It is. Those things usually stay in the trees, though…it must be pretty talented to catch one of those.
Airon: (Intrigued, he grinned and began tugging on Minto’s arm.) Come on. Let’s go.
He started moving before Minto could respond, causing him to stare to him wide-eyed before reaching out to grab him and pull him back.
Minto: What!? Airon, you don’t what that dog will-
Airon: Hey there! What’re you doin’ all the way down here!?
The ninken immediately looked up, its mouth covered in specks of blood from its prey. It proceeded to stare at Airon for several seconds, running away immediately when he began moving again, much to Airon’s amusement and protest as he took off after him.
Airon: Hey, don’t run off like that! I’m just trying to talk!
Minto: Airon, wait up!! (You’re chasing a dog now, you moron!? Why do you do that!?)
They proceeded to follow the ninken through the forest a short distance before finally losing sight of him. Insightful as ever, though, Airon merely smirked and looked up, finding the ninken running over the tall branches of the trees and proceeding to climb up after him with ease. Unable to follow them up, Minto continued moving forward on the ground, eventually losing sight – but not sound – of them as he leaned down to catch his breath.
Minto: Huhh…huhh…huhh…how the heck does he do that? …Huhh…where the heck did they go now?
Airon: GOTCHA!!!
The sound of a nearby scuffle pointed Minto in their direction, finding the ninken pinned down underneath Airon after several seconds of running.
Airon: Hey hey, easy! You’re the one who started running in the first place!
????: Don’t hurt me! PLEASE don’t hurt me!! Lemme go! Lemme go, PLEASE!!!
Both of their eyes immediately expanded and all movement stopped between them, excluding whatever Airon required to keep it pinned down.
Minto: …It talks.
Airon: No kidding…what’s a talking ninken like you doing out in the middle of the forest? I thought for sure there weren’t any wild dogs that could speak human.
Having been asked a question, the ninken’s thrashing all but ceased as its heavy breathing became more audible.
????: I just was out here looking for something to eat. I didn’t mean to do anything, honest! …Now please, let me go!
Minto: Airon.
Following the direction of Minto’s finger, Airon was surprised to find that despite the thick layer of fur that covered its skin, its ribs were still painfully visible. Now curious to a fault, Airon slowly removed his hands and stood back up.
Airon: Looks to me like you could use more than just a little momonga there, fella. …You have a name?
It looked just about ready to take off once again, but the nature of the question and the concern in both their eyes prompted a brief hesitation on its part. He eventually gave up all thoughts of abandoning them and gave an answer.
????: He used to call me…Taigen.
Minutes later, the two boys were walking through the forest with the ninken walking between, Airon’s hands in his pockets and Minto’s resting at his side as they both listened to his story. A victim of overwork and abuse by a master who took advantage of him for his strength and intelligence, Taigen finally managed to get away from him after three years under his roof, leaving his mother behind as per her encouragement prior to her death. For the year following that, he wandered the wilderness on his own, afraid to seek help from humans for fear of being hurt any further, eventually finding himself near the Hidden Leaf Village.
Taigen: …And I ended up deep in this forest before I knew it…I didn’t really care where I was, though, since I was able to get away from him.
Disheartened by his story, Airon and Minto exchanged troubled looks with each other before looking back down at him.
Minto: Where do you plan to go, though? You can’t live in this forest forever.
Taigen: (He gave some thought to it, but eventually came up with nothing.) I haven’t really thought about going anywhere…getting away was all I wanted.
Minto looked back up at Airon after hearing this, his expression obviously suggesting something from him. When the latter cocked his eyebrow and tilted his head in response – which here meant “With Kei, really? I think we both know your home is the better alternative.” – Minto smiled in amusement and looked back down at Taigen.
Minto: Well hey, my family’s part of one of the largest clans in the village, and our home is pretty big. …If you want, you can…you know…
Taigen immediately stopped and looked up at him, prompting him and Airon to do the same. He opened his mouth to reply, but still nothing came out for several seconds.
Taigen: I don’t…I…
He turned in the other direction when he noticed Airon kneeling down next to him out of the corner of his eye. After a few reflexes from Taigen subsided, he slowed buried his fingers beneath the fur on his back and smiled gently at him.
Airon: That’s an offer worth taking, Taigen. Trust me…you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better one later on down the road.
He looked up at Minto after hearing this, who was also wearing a gentle smile. He couldn’t bring himself to return the gesture at the time, but after several seconds of silence, he finally nodded in acceptance.
No more than two hours later, Taigen and Minto were walking through the Sarutobi residence, the latter’s mother and brother standing behind them while his father led the way. After a brief tour of the house’s most important rooms, he finally brought them to a small room at the end of the main hallway, containing a large bed, two dressers with and without a mirror, and a small closet.
Suzaku: And this is our guest room. My parents are the only ones who’ve ever used it, though, and they haven’t done that in years, so feel free to take this one for yourself.
Taigen: (He walked towards the middle of the room, looking around in wonder before turning back to Suzaku.) I-I dunno if I can take this huge room. I mean, I’m just a dog, after all.
Ayumi: Hmhmhmhm, that’s certainly not what I see when I look at you…I see an intelligent young creature in desperate need of a nice home to come back to.
Raiden: (He rolled his eyes at this as he leaned against the doorway.) Pffft, looks like a mutt to me. Honestly, why is it living in one of our rooms? It’s a ninken. Take it over to the Academy or Kemono’s clan. They’ll find a good use for it there.
Minto: (He glared over at him and coiled his fists as he retaliated.) Cut it out, Raiden. He’s a friend who I offered a chance to stay at our house, not a new pet. Got a problem with it, eat your own.
As he spoke, Taigen did nothing but stare up at him in admiration, prompting both Suzaku and Ayumi to smile in spite of the fact that their sons were arguing. Raiden, on the other hand, merely stared back and forth between his brother and Taigen until he came up with a response.
Raiden: A friend…heh, yeah. Someone whose actually weaker than you that you can call a friend and not just a bodyguard like Airon. …Enjoy your stay here, Taigen.
There was a hint of sarcasm in his words, but the fact that he used his name was enough to make Taigen nod in appreciation before he stormed off. Suzaku and Ayumi both watched him as he walked away, the former looking back towards Minto in disappointment once he was out of sight.
Suzaku: Don’t retaliate, Minto. You’re better than that, you know that.
Minto: (He gazed down at the floor as he answered.) …Yeah, I know…sorry.
Ayumi: (She walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling in reassurance.) Don’t worry about it, babe. We’re just proud of you for showing such generosity to your new friend.
Suzaku: (He smiled and nodded in agreement as she kissed Minto on the forehead.) Hmhm, that’s right. Anyhow, make yourself right at home, Taigen. If you need anything, just let one of us know.
Taigen: (Having been watching their interactions and hearing their words this entire time, he couldn’t even lift his head to express his feelings properly.) …Thank you…so much.
His lip trembled as he spoke, hinting that he might have been on the verge of tears at the moment, a sight which warmed their hearts as they responded to his gratitude.
Ayumi: You’re quite welcome, dear.
Suzaku: Well, we’ll get out of your way now, you two.
They left the room just as they came, and no sooner after they did, Minto shoved his hands into his pockets and looked off towards the end of the hallway with a frown.
Minto: Sorry about Raiden. He’s always been kind of a rotten twerp since he started in the Academy…
When he got no response, he looked down at Taigen, who was still staring at the floor for some unknown reason.
Minto: What’s wrong?
Taigen: …Did you mean it?
Minto: Hm? Mean what?
Taigen: (He looked up at him as he replied.) …When you said I was a friend.
The tone in his voice as he voiced his concern only hinted at the level of doubt and mistrust he had built up over his short lifespan, and it caused Minto to think over his basis for this show of kindness he had given him just minutes after their first meeting. When he could only find one logical conclusion, he turned back to Taigen and smiled as he gave his answer.
Minto: One hundred percent.
With that, all doubt was removed from Taigen’s thoughts, and he smiled for the first time since their meeting in the forest.
Taigen finds faith in humanity – through who now is his dearest friend!!!
The End
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