H~

[Kleee]

Toya yawned and propped his legs up on the large desk in front of him. Papers were strewn across the wooden surface, and many more lay scattered on the floor in both organized piles and chaotic messes alike. Inheriting such a huge trading company meant that a lot of responsibilities had fallen upon the young genin. He did have plenty of people who did much of the work, but all of the big deals and other ‘really important’ stuff came directly to him.

In the middle of his little break, a young woman in her early twenties stepped into the office. Her hair was a deep shade of pinkish-red, and it was tied up in the back by a light blue ribbon.

"Toya-sama, you know you shouldn’t put your feet on that desk, you know how much it cost. And you should really be focusing on the paperwork, do you realize how far behind you are?” A quick look around the room made it extremely obvious how far behind he was, but the woman cracked a smile despite the mess. ”Well I guess we can’t always put so much pressure on you. Not many people your age could even make it this far. Now you said your teammates were coming over soon, so shall I prepare anything for them?”

Toya finally lowered his feet from the desk and set them down on the floor. ”Some tea would be fine I guess, Kohaku. We’re just supposed to be meeting for a short talk about our future plans.” The servant nodded and turned to leave when Toya spoke up again after recalling a stray thought. ”Actually, some cake to go along with that would be nice. Thanks, Kohaku.”

Kohaku seemed surprised by the request, since her master usually did not have a big sweet tooth, but she walked out anyway, figuring that it was for one of the guests. And now that he was alone once again, Toya swiveled around in his chair and faced the large window behind his desk. Picking up a stack of papers on the floor and a pen in his other hand, he sighed and went back to reading and signing.

When Ryou and Kei eventually showed up, he knew that his other maid Hisui would most likely take them right to his office without speaking more than a word or two. She was much less talkative than her twin sister, even though their outward appearance was almost identical aside from their choices in hairstyle.

Anyway, Toya figured that he had at least another good twenty minutes of work time before either of his teammates showed up. So without thinking anything of it, he kept his chair facing the window and let his mind wander off into the tedious task of keeping his company going. Besides, he was sure that Kei and Ryou would be making plenty of noise to warn him when Hisui led them inside…

[Kleee]

Ever since the great success of their 'meeting' at Ryou's house a few days ago, Kei had insisted that the three of them get together more often in order to straighten out various details that had to do with their future as a team. Not that Kei had the slightest idea of what any of those details were, but they sure sounded cool. Which was why Kei, anxious for the day to begin, had been up at the crack of dawn, a near legendary feat for someone as notorious for oversleeping as herself. She'd gotten herself ready and set out down the street to Toya's house as soon as possible.

Now here she was, standing at the entrance with Ryou, being welcomed inside by someone named Hisui. At first Kei had assumed the woman was Toya's sister or something, and it was only when she offered politely to lead Ryou and Kei to "Toya-sama's" office, Kei realized she was actually a maid. Kei snorted. Toya had maids? What was it with her teammates and money, anyway? First Ryou and his fancy house, now Toya and his... maids. Weird.

Well, Kei didn't need a maid to do all her work. "It's okay, we can find it ourselves," she said casually, walking straight past poor Hisui. Not being familiar with all this 'rich people ettiquette' stuff, Kei simply assumed Hisui was offering out of politeness. She didn't realize how much more there was to it than that, and was completely oblivious to Hisui's protests as she dashed off in the direction of what she guessed would be Toya's office. Kei never paid much attention to quiet people anyway.

After bursting into a few different rooms at random, she finally found it. The office. Toya was sitting at a desk, his back to the door, surrounded by stacks of paper. He seemed to be hard at work reading and signing, and apparently had yet to notice Kei's entrance. She crossed the room, glancing over his shoulder at the papers.

"Ew. Paperwork."

There was a brief moment of awkward silence. And then...

"...Wait. Paperwork?"

Something was was wrong with this picture, Kei knew. She just wasn't sure what it was. Normally there was nothing out of the ordinary for a person to be doing paperwork, but... Suddenly, something clicked in Kei's brain.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be blind...?"

[Kleee]

There was a first time for everything. For Toya, it was actually inviting people over and taking things into his own hands. For Kei, it was actually being punctual. For Ryou, it was enthusiasm.

After the way he had behaved on the day when his teammates turned up at his house, scratch that. More like, the way he had behaved from the moment he had first met them, he didn't want to let them down again. After all, they had been kinder than others would have been, but nevertheless, even they didn't go around handing people third chances on a plate. And so, Ryou had tried very hard to actually get up on time, put on some of his nicer clothes and leave home in a good mood. It was something of an effort, but he had managed. The whole thing still wasn't his cup of tea, but Toya wanted to discuss important details and these sorts of things required the entire team's presence.

He wasn't going wreck this.

Meeting up with Kei about half way, Ryou walked with his teammate towards Toya's house. Or where Toya's house allegedly was; he didn't know if he could trust Kei with a map or not. The pair of them didn't really say anything to each other on the way. Kei was either bursting with too much excitement or anxiety, he couldn't exactly tell, whilst he didn't exactly know what to say. He had never been much of a talking person. More of the shouting type, actually. He just walked alongside Kei, his eyes glancing around casually as he swept through the snow. Until he saw Toya's house, that was.

Because that was when he just stopped in his tracks.

He had never seen a more expensive looking house, other than his own. Woah. The place was huge. This... this couldn't be right. If he recalled correctly, Toya was an orphan, living by himself. How on earth could he be living there? Surely Kei had the wrong place. He made to call out to him to point this out, but he had already moved towards the door. And before he knew it, there was a young woman at the door, saying that they were here to visit "Toya-Sama" and offering to escort them.

Toya-Sama? That couldn’t be right. Why on earth was this maid calling him that. And why did he have a maid anyway? Even Ryou didn’t have maids. And he was the Daimyou’s son. What the…?

"It's okay, we can find it ourselves,"

And what planet was Kei on anyway? Who didn’t ask a maid to their work for them? That’s what maids were paid to do anyway. And besides, Kei was probably going to get lost in a place like this anyway. And just like that, Kei did get lost. The pair of them walked around aimlessly for a while before the hyperactive boy actually found the right spot. Ryou considered calling for the maid several times, but before he managed it, he was completely bedazzled by the expensive furniture in each and every room. These were things he had never, ever, seen anything like before. Not at his house, not at all the big, rich people conventions he had attended with father, not anywhere. How on earth was Toya so rich? He must have had been adopted by some rich couple or something…

When they actually found the right room, he was proven wrong again. There was Toya, all alone at a desk, sorting through paper with his legs on the table. Kinda like his father did, just with even more of the “I’m a big boss, I can do what I want” attitude. The only catch was that he was actually doing paperwork. All Ryou’s father ever did was sign things But still, there was something more important he had to say.

“…Hi Toya,” he said, not actually looking at the boy, but at the room around him, “May I ask? Why are you richer than m-”

…Okay, that didn’t come out right.

“…Nice house you got here. You must have inherited al-”

He didn’t know exactly what he was going to say without offending anyone anyway, so he considered himself pretty lucky when Kei saved the day by voicing something that he had been too busy gaping at gold to notice.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be blind...?"

Ryou's head shot around to look from Kei's to Toya's, his eyes narrowed. Hang on. That was a bit off.

It looked like income wasn’t the only thing the “blind” man had been hiding…

[Kleee]

For the past ten minutes Toya had become completely absorbed in his work. It took a surprising amount of his concentration to keep up with some of the proposals and transactions written in these documents, and the house was big enough to keep him from noticing the sound of Kei stomping through the different rooms of the building.

In fact, he was still staring diligently at one of the papers with his pen moving speedily across the page when both of his teammates entered through the door behind him. Apparently, Hisui had been left behind as she attempted to follow Kei on his little detour through many of the random rooms in the large house. And now there was nothing left to alert Toya to the arrival of hi guests.

It wasn’t until Kei’s voice rang out from a position uncomfortably close to his ear that he even realized he was no longer alone.

"Ew. Paperwork."

Toya mentally shared the sentiment, but it was a job that he had to deal with, whether he liked it or not. It came with the territory of being the only living relative of his father, the founder of the company itself. But wasn’t there something odd about hearing Kei commenting about his work…? It didn’t hit him until he heard the next few words.

"...Wait. Paperwork?"

This could not be happening. Even on the day the team first met, Kei had come dangerously close to discovering Toya’s secret when he had mistakenly commented about the boy’s mismatched wardrobe. And now that the two genin had walked in on him while he was working, there didn’t seem to be any excuses left to use. He could hear Ryou in the background blabbering about something relating to money or some other trivial subject, but his mind was focused solely on the bigger problem here.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be blind...?"

Damn. Toya knew that at this point, there would be no way to talk himself out of this one. Even Kei would eventually get to the bottom of this, even if he tried to make up an intricate lie. He had certainly not planned on divulging such an important secret to these two at this point. Maybe after they built a stronger foundation of trust and teamwork, but right now? Would they even be willing to accept what he was about to be forced to tell them?

Luckily, they were interrupted by the simultaneous arrival of Hisui and Kohaku. The latter was carrying a tray bearing a tea set and the cake that Toya had requested earlier. Well at least this would buy him a few minutes of time while he formulated a proper answer to give his teammates.

”Thank you for sending my guests in, Hisui. Kohaku, you can set that down on the desk. My teammates and I will need a few minutes to speak alone now.”

The twins nodded in unison, and after the tray had been placed in the only section of the desk that was not buried in paper, they shut the door behind them as they left. Now a tense silence filled the room as Toya quietly cleared his throat before speaking up.

”Okay, I’m not going to lie about this anymore. It is true that my blindness is only an act, and the story behind it is a matter of life or death for me. Now I know we may not be the closest teammates yet, but I am willing to tell you the full truth if you can promise to keep it to yourselves. Besides, if we are going to be a successful team, I would have had to tell you eventually.”

“Full truth” was actually a relative term. Yes, Toya did plan on revealing the brief history of his mother’s clan and the powerful eyes that had been passed down to him. But the true circumstances surrounding the death of his parents and the reason for them would have to wait until he felt much more comfortable with this team and its members.

[Kleee]

Toya didn't respond immediately to Kei's inquiry, and for a few moments she wondered if he was just going to ignore it altogether. But Kei wasn't going to let him. They were supposed to be a team, and teammates didn't keep secrets from each other. At least, not big secrets like this. It wasn't like he'd just gotten his eyes fixed or anything, Kei was pretty sure blindness just didn't work that way. And so she kept watching him, waiting for him to speak.

Not even when Hisui returned, along with another (identical!) maid, bearing a tray with cake (cake!! ...Why did it seem like people only offered Kei cake when she was supposed to be paying attention to something else...?), she did her best to stay focused on Toya, awaiting his reaction. She wasn't going to let him get away with this.

Finally, he spoke.

”Thank you for sending my guests in, Hisui. Kohaku, you can set that down on the desk. My teammates and I will need a few minutes to speak alone now.”

The maids nodded in unison (had they planned that or did it just come naturally? 'Cause it was pretty creepy, Kei thought absently), and soon left. Toya cleared his throat and then continued.

"Okay, I'm not going to lie about this anymore..."

Kei listened intently. What he was saying did make sense... after all, hadn't he commented on the color of her clothes during their first team meeting...? Why hadn't she remembered that earlier? Oh well, it was too late for that now. Besides, it was beginning to sound like Kei not discovering earlier had actually been a good thing... what did Toya mean by 'a matter of life or death'? That sounded serious. Why on earth would eyesight be a 'matter of life or death'? Kei gulped, and then nodded.

"Your secret's safe with me! You can tell us anything," Kei assured him quickly, and then elbowed the boy next to her. "Right, Ryou~?"

Alright, so maybe Kei's assurance wasn't the most convincing one judging by her personality, but she did truly mean what she said. If Toya was going to trust them with a secret of this level, the least she could do was make sure his trust was well-placed.

[Kleee]

”Thank you for sending my guests in, Hisui. Kohaku, you can set that down on the desk. My teammates and I will need a few minutes to speak alone now.”
As if looking identical wasn't enough, but the way these maids just seemed to move was completely insane. It was like they were robots, programmed to do everything Toya said in an instant without any hesitation. Having grown up in a very Upper Class society, Ryou had seen maids and butlers alot in the past, but he had never seen that much respect and effenciency before. Giving the maids a customary little nod of thanks, Ryou picked up a piece of cake as they walked out the door. He just stared after them in their congruent movements until Toya cleared his throat, signalling that he was going to start talking again.

”Okay, I’m not going to lie about this anymore. It is true that my blindness is only an act, and the story behind it is a matter of life or death for me,"

Huh. Ryou almost choked on a piece of cake as Toya spoke these words. The blindness, an act? A matter of life and death? What the. Why would anybody want to kill anyone over eyesight? Why would you go around faking blindness for your whole life (...Especially while being some highly respected millionaire at the same time). Trying to hide a cough or two he looked up at Toya, not exactly sure if he wanted to hear what came next.

"Now I know we may not be the closest teammates yet, but I am willing to tell you the full truth if you can promise to keep it to yourselves. Besides, if we are going to be a successful team, I would have had to tell you eventually.”

Heh. "Closest Teammates". Not even close. There were still so many things he didn't like about the whole teammwork thing, and even though he was trying to change his ways, he didn't know if this much trust was something he could accept without feeling very guilty later.

"Your secret's safe with me! You can tell us anything," Kei jumped into say quite quickly. She seemed more than happy to hear Toya out, "Right, Ryou~?"

Well, it all came down to this. Either promise not to blab or lose his only chance at a shinobi team. As much of a responsibility as it was, he still would have much rathered the former. After all, it was one of the first stops to establishing their team.

"Well, I'm all ears," he said with a smirk, folding his arms and waiting for Toya's secret story.

[Kleee]

"Your secret's safe with me! You can tell us anything. Right, Ryou~?"

"Well, I'm all ears."

Toya let out a deep breath and nodded before continuing. This would probably be a lot for them to hear all at once, so he had to make sure he spoke concisely and made sure that they understood the importance of what he was about to tell them.

“I take my current family name from my father’s clan, the Nanaya. He built this company and used to have a reputation as a harsh, but skilled businessman. However, he married a much more common type of woman from an obscure clan, my mother. Her family name was Shiki, though she was forced to hide that identity. You may have heard something about this clan if you’ve studied shinobi history.”

Knowing that even with Ryou’s status, his studies would not have covered such a specific topic and that Kei was… well Kei was Kei, Toya knew that he would have to explain more about the significance of his mother’s heritage.

“The Shiki clan was originally a normal group of people until shinobi experiments went wrong. Now, every Shiki is completely blind at birth, born with eyes carrying a cursed power. Their sight usually returns during the age of puberty, and my eyes were restored two years ago. So actually, I really was blind for most of my life, not that it justifies me deceiving you now, but you may understand when you hear the next part of my story.”

Pausing for a moment, Toya took another breath and thought about how he was going to word the rest of this. He would have to be careful to leave out certain details that he was still not yet ready to reveal at this point.

”Once a Shiki clan member’s sight is returned to them, they finally can wield their power known as Fatesplitter’s Vision. It causes them to see strange red and black lines on every living and inanimate object. Extended viewing of these lines can cause headaches or worse health conditions, but the power is like no other. These visible lines reveal natural weak points of everything in the universe, and a skilled Shiki can exploit these by inflicting excruciating pain, wounds, and even complete decapitation of a human or structure with just a few careful strikes. The only problem with this is that people feared this untamable power. Hundreds of clan members were hunted down, and the rest were forced to flee or feign blindness to blend in with other people.”

Toya sighed and leaned forward in his chair, looking both of his teammates in the eye. Would they really accept all of this, or was this the biggest mistake of his life? Well he was about to find out in a minute…

You can see why my mother and I had to hide our conditions, though she is gone now either way, along with my father. Because if the majority of people saw these, it would be the end of me or any Shiki foolish enough to reveal his power.

Carefully raising one hand towards his eyes, he carefully pulled away the dark lenses and placed them on the desk in front of him. Now the normally invisible eyes could stare directly into the normal eyes of his teammates. Those ominously black orbs with a small red pupil in the center began to waver with anxiety and hesitation as they looked at Kei and Ryou. What could they possibly think after hearing such an extreme tale and seeing the frightful eyes of the Shiki clan? Toya’s heart raced as he waited for the response that he already feared he would receive…

[Kleee]

“I take my current family name from my father’s clan, the Nanaya. He built this company and used to have a reputation as a harsh, but skilled businessman. However, he married a much more common type of woman from an obscure clan, my mother. Her family name was Shiki, though she was forced to hide that identity. You may have heard something about this clan if you’ve studied shinobi history.”

Now that he thought about it, Ryou had heard the name Nanaya somewhere before. He was pretty sure he had heard his father mention it in some discussion about buisness and tax or something. But as for the "Shiki" clan, he had never heard a thing of them. Or maybe he had. He had never been too good at paying any attention in his shinobi classes.

“The Shiki clan was originally a normal group of people until shinobi experiments went wrong. Now, every Shiki is completely blind at birth, born with eyes carrying a cursed power. Their sight usually returns during the age of puberty, and my eyes were restored two years ago. So actually, I really was blind for most of my life, not that it justifies me deceiving you now, but you may understand when you hear the next part of my story.”

Woah. Hearing Toya talk so much sure was a new thing. It was usually just Ryou and Kei doing all of the verbal stuff while Toya added a word or two every so often. Still, shinobi experiments? Ugh, why would anybody go for such a thing. Just the words sounded so horrible. But still, it looked like the Shiki got what they had coming at them. Blindness from birth? How on earth could somebody live like that? But still, Toya wasn't actually blind, so why had he been hiding that fact? Shouldn't he have been proud of his vision or something? Ryou unfolded his arms, and stood up just a little straighter, trying to show that Toya actually had his full attention at this point.

”Once a Shiki clan member’s sight is returned to them, they finally can wield their power known as Fatesplitter’s Vision. It causes them to see strange red and black lines on every living and inanimate object. Extended viewing of these lines can cause headaches or worse health conditions, but the power is like no other. These visible lines reveal natural weak points of everything in the universe, and a skilled Shiki can exploit these by inflicting excruciating pain, wounds, and even complete decapitation of a human or structure with just a few careful strikes. The only problem with this is that people feared this untamable power. Hundreds of clan members were hunted down, and the rest were forced to flee or feign blindness to blend in with other people.”

Whilst it was one thing that Toya could talk for so long, it was another wonder that Ryou could keep his mouth shut for this much time. And it was at this point that he wanted to just open it and shoot out the questions. How exactly did that power work? How on earth could you know everything's weakness? But he didn't say anything. Not out of respect, but out of pity. He almost knew what it felt like. Getting hunted down simply because of power. It was just one of those things he had been somewhat sensitive about; ever since the corrupt political party had hunted down his mother and murdered her, and almost murdered him too, simply because of his father's position of power. And in his case, it was just one person and because of politics. But Toya's story was just so... brutal, and unfair.

You can see why my mother and I had to hide our conditions, though she is gone now either way, along with my father. Because if the majority of people saw these, it would be the end of me or any Shiki foolish enough to reveal his power.

Still speechless, Ryou watched as Toya removed his glasses. His first instinct was to yell something, but even as he opened his mouth, no words came out. He didn't know how to describe those eyes. So black, it was like they were just holes, holes with no bottom. As he gave Toya's eyes his uncertain glance, the full impact of Toya's story began to sink in. So this was why Toya had to go to the trouble of feigning blindness and living such a difficult life. People just feared these eyes. Ryou looked away, his arms automatically moving into their snobby folded state as he glanced up at the ceiling.

"Well I for one think it's stupid," he said, looking serious and much more like his old self at first, but slowly, a smirk began to play on his face, "Stupid that people are against it. Like I mean, sure, some people use that thing for bad and all, and when it gets out of control, it's not a good thing, but that doesn't mean you're a bad person through and through. I personally don't think I've got anything to fear,"

He looked back at Toya and gave his teammate a nod, just another one of those courtesy things he knew but never practiced. He glanced at Kei now, waiting for his reaction...

[Kleee]

Kei did her best to pay attention as Toya launched into a long and detailed explanation of his clan history.

“...I take my current family name from my father’s clan, the Nanaya. He built this company and used to have a reputation as a harsh, but skilled businessman. However, he married a much more common type of woman from an obscure clan, my mother. Her family name was Shiki, though she was forced to hide that identity. You may have heard something about this clan if you’ve studied shinobi history...”

Despite all the burning questions that kept forming in her mind, Kei listened in silence as he continued. She'd never studied this sort of thing in the academy (and even if she had, it wasn't like she'd paid attention or anything), so it was all new to her. Nanaya, Shiki, 'Fatesplitter's Vision'... It sounded complicated, so much more complicated than she had expected it to be. And confusing. Untamable power? Weak points of the universe? Even if she asked, Kei probably still wouldn't be able to figure it all out completely, but she didn't care. After all, that wasn't important at the moment. At least, not to Kei. What mattered here was her teammate.

Sure, Kei had never experienced any of the horrible things Toya was talking about now. She had no idea what it would be like to inherit an ability so powerful that there were people out there willing to kill her to destroy it. She had no idea what it would be like to not be able to trust anyone because of that. She had no idea what it would be like to have to deceive everyone she cared about...but she knew it had to be lonely. And Kei knew all too well what it was like to be alone. Nothing on Toya or Ryou's level, but she still understood.

Maybe that was why Kei kept insisting that the three of them stick together as a team; despite their differences, they were all very much alike on the inside.

Toya finally removed his glasses to reveal his eyes.

So, this was it. The secret that Toya couldn't trust with anyone else, and here he was showing it to Ryou and Kei, of all people. His eyes.

Next to her, Ryou's mouth dropped open as if he wanted to shout, and Kei's eyes widened. She was shocked as well. His eyes were... they were different. Completely-jet black, no whites or iris to speak of. Only a small red pupil in the center of each. Kei hesitated momentarily unsettled by how different they were, and then realized just how uncertain Toya's gaze was. His eyes were wavering as he glanced from Ryou to Kei. Yes, his eyes were different, Kei realized. Different, but not inhuman. Suddenly, she felt ashamed of her reaction earlier.

"Well I for one think it's stupid," Ryou said suddenly. Kei looked up.

"Stupid that people are against it. Like I mean, sure, some people use that thing for bad and all, and when it gets out of control, it's not a good thing, but that doesn't mean you're a bad person through and through. I personally don't think I've got anything to fear."

There was a brief moment of silence, and Kei blinked in surprise, realizing the others were waiting for her to speak.

"Well, I... I don't really get this kind of thing, to be honest," Kei began. "Clans and stuff, I mean. But you haven't done anything wrong. And I know you wouldn't misuse that power, so it's like Ryou said. We don't have anything to be afraid of. It's not fair for someone to be afraid of someone else's power without even getting to know them first. People who think that way... they're just cowards."

"So..." Kei faltered for a moment, not sure how to finish. Then she looked Toya in the eye. "I still think of you the same way. Annoying, but mostly pretty cool. And most importantly, you're still our teammate." She grinned. "And whether you like it or not, that's one thing that isn't ever going to change."

[Kleee]

"Well I for one think it's stupid."

Toya didn’t know what to think of this statement. Was he saying that all of his words had been stupid, or was it a specific part of the story? Either way, he almost didn’t want to hear what Ryou was going to say next.

"Stupid that people are against it. Like I mean, sure, some people use that thing for bad and all, and when it gets out of control, it's not a good thing, but that doesn't mean you're a bad person through and through. I personally don't think I've got anything to fear."

A wave of relief washed over him. It was an amazing feeling that filled him with warmth, even if it almost seemed like Ryou was somehow being arrogant about what he was saying. He had been expecting to hear an audible reaction when he revealed his eyes, but his teammates had managed to restrain themselves for the most part. And now that the stubborn Ryou had given his response, Toya turned his attention toward the third member of their team.

"Well, I... I don't really get this kind of thing, to be honest. Clans and stuff, I mean. But you haven't done anything wrong. And I know you wouldn't misuse that power, so it's like Ryou said. We don't have anything to be afraid of. It's not fair for someone to be afraid of someone else's power without even getting to know them first. People who think that way... they're just cowards."

Even if it was certainly not the most intellectual answer in the world, it still meant a lot to Toya. Kei had spoken genuinely, and it was definitely true that all of the people who had persecuted the clan in the past were complete cowards who could not bring themselves to trust people. Why couldn’t everybody be as simple-minded, yet understanding and accepting as Kei?

"So..." Toya almost had to turn his head when Kei met his eyes directly. He was still unconsciously ashamed by those black spheres. Most people would be too afraid of them to look directly at them. "I still think of you the same way. Annoying, but mostly pretty cool. And most importantly, you're still our teammate. And whether you like it or not, that's one thing that isn't ever going to change."

He finally managed to return Kei’s grin with a small smile of his own. Now including Hisui and Kohaku, there were four living people in the world who knew of his powers and accepted him. There was still more to eventually tell his teammates about the full circumstances behind the deaths of his parents, but… for now, enough had been spoken. He finally stood up from his desk chair, glad to finally stretch his legs after sitting for so long.

”You guys don't know how much those words mean to me. I hope that this means we can be one step closer to becoming a team who can live and fight as a compatible unit. So…” He paused for a moment before completing the question. "Would you guys be interested in seeing a small demonstration of the ability? Ryou, hold your arm out towards me for a second. Don’t worry, I’m not going to give you any injuries.”

Maybe it was a little too early to be doing something like this, but if they were going to fight as a team in the future, they would need to know each other’s abilities completely. Besides, it would be fun to see how Ryou would react to his request…

[Kleee]

”You guys don't know how much those words mean to me. I hope that this means we can be one step closer to becoming a team who can live and fight as a compatible unit."

It was good to know that their words had had a positive effect, and that Toya was feeling at least slightly better about this. He seemed a bit friendlier than before, too. Kei smiled. Maybe they truly were one step closer now to becoming a real team. It seemed like these meeting really had been a good idea after all.

Anyways, now that was settled... Kei made a beeline for the cake.

Finally.

It seemed Toya had a bit more to say, however. "Would you guys be interested in seeing a small demonstration of the ability? Ryou, hold your arm out towards me for a second. Don’t worry, I’m not going to give you any injuries." Kei smirked. Well, Ryou had said he wasn't afraid, after all... it seemed now was the time for him to prove it. And besides, Kei was interested in seeing this ability for herself as well. She'd probably understand it better once it was happening right in front of her, at the very least.

[Kleee]

Ryou was relieved when Toya took their words to heart and quickly dropped the matter. He had just realized how strange the act he had just performed was. It honestly wasn't like him to just be accepting of other people like that and actually be the first to say it. Usually it would have been Kei who would have jumped to the friendship speech first. But whatever, what was past was past. Nobody needed to worry about Ryou's sudden act of kindness and make him keep it up again.

”You guys don't know how much those words mean to me. I hope that this means we can be one step closer to becoming a team who can live and fight as a compatible unit."

Or not.

"Why me!? That's insane!"

It was simply Ryou's natural instinct to yell something like that without thinking, but even as the words came out of his mouth, he realized the irony of what he had just said. He had just proudly proclaimed that he had no fears, and then he was yelling about letting Toya reveal his powers. So, maybe they hadn't believed him when he said it, and this time, Toya was going to test him.

And if he considered himself a true teammate, it was a test he had to pass.

"Alright, fine, guess it couldn't hurt," Ryou said, rolling up his sleeve. He took a step forward and held his hand out, feeling his stomach give the slightest churn. He forced a smirk as he looked up at Toya, "...After all, you know who my father is. It wouldn't exactly be a good idea to hurt me,"

[Kleee]

"Why me!? That's insane!"

Toya simply smiled at Ryou’s response. After proclaiming so bravely that there was nothing to fear, he had just made it completely obvious that he still had doubts about it. This was going to be more fun than he thought.

"Alright, fine, guess it couldn't hurt.” Don’t laugh, don’t laugh… “After all, you know who my father is. It wouldn't exactly be a good idea to hurt me,"

”Oh, of course not. It would be terrible if the Daimyo’s son were to ever be hurt by anyone. In fact, I’m surprised he did not shut down that tattoo parlor for sticking that needle into you.”

Toya smirked and reached out, grabbing Ryou’s hand to steady the arm. He then used his other hand and placed his index finger on his teammate’s forearm. He quietly stared at the arm for a brief moment, until finally deciding on one of those annoying red lines to use as his demonstration. He moved his index finger to the edge of the line and then slightly pressed his finger down to apply a bit of pressure. Then, he moved the finger down Ryou’s arm, finally stopping after moving it about six inches along the line.

This movement took only about a blink of an eye, and the effect would come just as quickly. After applying pressure directly on the “weak spot” of Ryou’s arm, the boy would feel a quick and incredibly sharp pain along the area that Toya had pressed on. The pain would feel like the genin had just been slashed across the arm with a kunai or other bladed weapon, but it should only last for a few seconds, hopefully. Toya had not exactly had too many opportunities to perfect his power, but either way, there would be no physical evidence of his actions, and no physically permanent injury on Ryou’s body. That would be convenient if the boy actually got mad enough to tell his father that Toya had done something to him…

[Kleee]

”Oh, of course not. It would be terrible if the Daimyo’s son were to ever be hurt by anyone. In fact, I’m surprised he did not shut down that tattoo parlor for sticking that needle into you.”

On that comment, Ryou had to try very hard to not revert to his old ways and go back to jerk mode again. Suppressing his fury with a half frown half sneer, he looked up into Toya's eyes again. Up close, those things were alot more scary, that was for sure. Now Ryou was really beginning to have second thoughts about what he had said, but at this point, it was too late to back out without looking like a complete coward.

Toya was smirking now, a gesture that the usually smug Ryou couldn't even try imitating in the current situation. He looked away from Toya, down to his own arm instead, as Toya placed his index finger on Ryou's wrist, tracing his arm upward. The chill that accompanied this was just a hundred times worse than when somebody else usually touched your arm. Then Toya just stopped. Stopped at a random point on his arm. Ryou didn't even get a chance to blink before it happened.

"AAAaaaaaaaah!"

Pain. That was all that it was. It was like Toya had just put a burning poker to his wrist. Ryou cringed as the burning started, looking away and closing his eyes, mouth open in a scream. He was both furious and scared; Toya had promised not to hurt him...

And surprisingly, he had kept that promise.

...The pain subsided as quickly as it had started. His arm suddenly feeling cold and numb. Ryou's mouth came to a close as he opened his eyes, looking around to his arm, expecting to see a slash, blood and other horror, but his arm looked just as it had before. There wasn't even any redness. Shocked and confused, he looked up into Toya's eyes, mouth hanging open again.

"That was crazy!" he spat out, "...Crazy but awesome!"

[Kleee]

Ryou protested at first, just as Kei thought he would. But as she'd predicted, he couldn't exactly back down now, not after his earlier declaration of fearlessness. Ryou stepped forward and held out his hand, but, being Ryou, he probably couldn't help but add a little threat in there just in case.

"...After all, you know who my father is. It wouldn't exactly be a good idea to hurt me."

”Oh, of course not. It would be terrible if the Daimyo’s son were to ever be hurt by anyone. In fact, I’m surprised he did not shut down that tattoo parlor for sticking that needle into you.”

Kei smirked. Toya had gotten him there... you couldn't exactly be a shinobi if you were afraid of pain, after all. Still, Toya had said he wasn't going to hurt Ryou, so there was really nothing to worry about. Right? Kei watched closely as Toya grabbed Ryou's hand, placed his index finger on the other boy's arm, and...

"AAAaaaaaaaah!"

"Whoa!"

...Well, so much for understanding it as she saw it, apparently.

It had all happened so fast, Kei barely had time to process what was going on.

"That was crazy!" Ryou shouted, staring at his arm. Kei blinked. Toya hadn't broken his promise, had he? No, there was no way he'd do that. But... "...Crazy but awesome!"

Kei stared. Apparently... she had missed something here. She looked from Ryou to Toya, and back again, utterly confused. It didn't look like Ryou had gotten hurt, but he'd screamed earlier... Now though, he was fine. "What happened!? What did you... how does that even work?"

[Kleee]

"AAAaaaaaaaah!"

Toya blinked at Ryou’s loud reaction and almost wondered if he had gone too far… nah, he was probably just being a baby about a little pain. Just like how he had screamed at the tattoo
parlor, it was just another overreaction. Then again, Toya had never actually felt his own power used on him before…

"That was crazy... Crazy but awesome!"

He grinned and pulled his hands back, releasing Ryou’s arm in the process. Apparently Ryou had stopped freaking out long enough to see that nothing had physically happened to him. Well “physically” the nerves had still felt the pain of an injury, but his actual body was still in perfect condition. The power of the Shiki clan remained a mystery, even to its users.

"What happened!? What did you... how does that even work?"

”Well that’s something even I’m not too sure of. My power is completely self-taught, since my mother passed away when I was born and I have never met another member of my clan. But basically, if I accurately strike one of the “fate lines” that my eyes can see, it does an extremely elevated level of damage to the person. Unfortunately, I am only skilled enough to cause a large amount of pain, but I’ve heard stories that an experienced Shiki can kill a man with a single strike if they find a certain weak spot on a human…”

Going into such serious details after everyone already has so much to think about seemed like a bad idea, so Toya decided to end things on a lighter note.

”Anyway, we can talk more about this stuff some other time. And since you guys are my guests for today, it would be better to relax and drop all this serious business.” He turned his head towards the cake and Kei, who seemed to have been half-focused on it the entire time. ”Go ahead and help yourself. I had Kohaku make it just for you guys, and it would be a shame to waste it.”

After he had finished speaking, he carefully picked up the sunglasses off the desk and placed them back over his eyes. His teammates may have accepted him and his eyes, but the world was certainly not as willing. But even if it was only two more people, it was still one step closer to being a normal person. And maybe someday, he could stand proudly with his team and reveal his power to the entire village. Maybe…

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