Chapter 47: 46. Reflection & Resolution [5]

Akina returned to table with more fish for Rei and tea for all of them

{Why am I so hungry this morning?} (Rei)

"The Gold and Silver Brothers..." (Tai)

"They're the ones that attempted to capture the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox years before the First Shinobi World War right?" (Rei)

"Mhm. After the Nine-tails swallowed them, they fed on its flesh from inside the stomach and acquired its power when they were regurgitated. With their newfound abilities, they spent years in service Kumogakure, becoming one of its most potent assets" (Suzu)

"Right, they were once known as the 'Two Lights' of the village until they staged a coup d'etat during a peace summit between the 2nd Hokage and 2nd Raikage. The Hokage was severely injured and the Raikage succumbed to his wounds and died later" (Tai)

"Their end goal was to take control of the village. After that failure, they managed to escape the villages grasp for quite some. Taking along several loyal followers that ended up becoming the 'Kinkaku Force'. This rogue group under Kinkaku brought chaos and mayhem wherever they went, escalating the First world war to a ridiculous scale and even killing the second Hokage" (Suzu)

"They're the reason for Kumogakure's violent response to any who desert the village and it's ruthlessness towards missing-nin" (Tai)

Crunch! Rei listened quietly as he ate

{So that's why there were no Kumo members in "Akatsuki"...most would die before they got the chance to defect} (Rei)

"But...what does you being related to them have to do with being a ninja? It's not like you did anything wrong right?" (Tai)

"That's incredibly naïve Tai" (Rei)

"!" (Tai)

Suzu had a melancholy smile at Tai's innocent response

"My great-grandfather was the cousin to the father of the Gold & Silver brothers. We're distantly related, but that doesn't erase the bad feelings left behind by those who were wronged by them. All you have to do is look at their deeds" (Suzu)

"...They pretty much started a war and caused irreparable damage to the village and its people. Plus, if my memory serves me right, some members of the Kinkaku Force were related to them...members of your family. It's not hard to imagine how you'd be treated here" (Tai)

"No one goes out of their way to bother me, but whenever something wrong occurs near me, everyone naturally assumes that I'm one at fault. Like a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. It's why I do my best to stay away from people, a means of preventing accidents before they even happen" (Suzu)

"I..." (Tai)

Tai choked on his sentence. Unable to offer a response or words of comfort

Slurp! Rei put down his tea cup

"...Suzu" (Rei)

"Yes?" (Suzu)

"This may sound hard to believe. But I understand what you're going through...more than you might think" (Rei)

Suzu spoke with an irritated tone

"How could you possibly!-" (Suzu)

"It's their assumptions of you that bother the most right?" (Rei)

"Wha?!" (Suzu)

"They always think the worst of you in particular" (Rei)

"That's..." (Suzu)

"Whenever someone else performs a misdeed, it's a good person making a mistake. But whenever you perform a GOOD deed, they'll call it an accident. Believing it's only a matter of time before your so-called 'heinous' nature comes out, like a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off" 

"How do you know so much about-" (Suzu)

"I have been where you've been once upon a time. Surrounded by those who doubt and think less of you because of your heritage"

{That's pretty much the story of colored people in America. It's one of the reasons I left the country to continue my work after what happened with Alec...and Hector} (Rei)

"Rei..." (Tai)

"If you thought simply ignoring it would help, let me tell you from first hand experience...it won't help. Hell, it'll probably just make things worse for you" (Rei)

"..." (Suzu)

"You don't deal with strife by running from it, but rather, by running TOWARDS it" (Rei)

With a gloomy look on her face, she responded with a question

"Are you saying I should respond in kind to any mistreatment others may give me here?" (Suzu)

"Ah! Suzu that's...!" (Tai)

"No" (Rei)

"!" (Tai & Suzu)

A light smirk formed on Rei's face as he recalled something he enjoyed in the past

"Someone I admire once said, 'Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that'. What you're suggesting won't help you with your problems. Hell, it'll likely just makes things worse" (Rei)

"..." (Tai & Suzu)

"It's not a stretch to say that's why I'm here now. Why I keep saying, 'it's time to move forward', to you guys" (Rei)

"To truly grow..." (Tai)

"Then...what should I do? You say 'move forward' but...I don't even where to start" (Suzu)

"Well...why not start with us, with this team" (Rei)

"Eh?" (Suzu)

"I can't tell you, either of you how to better yourselves. That answer can only come from within. The only thing I can do is give you, give US, a fresh start and illuminate your path" (Rei)

Rei finished his food as Akina came over

"You three feeling better now?" (Akina)

"I know I am at least. What about you two?" (Rei)

"Eh?! Well...I...!" (Tai)

"Better than before at least" (Suzu)

"Hahahaha! There's nothing like a good meal to clear the air and brighten your day. Please do come again!" (Akina)

Finally done eating, Rei paid the bill and walked outside with others

"Wow! That sun is bright! A sight you would expect from a village located in the mountains" (Rei)

"Hehe! Well, despite how early you woke us, we were in that diner for over an hour" (Tai)

"Mainly because of your eating" (Suzu)

"Yeah, sorry about that. For some reason, my appetite has gone through the roof lately" (Rei)

Tai chuckled a bit

"What's so funny?" (Suzu)

Stretching his arms over his head

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"Oh, nothing. Just...it's nice having someone to talk to about these kinds of things. I've kept everything that going on in my life to myself for so long before today, and now that I've let it out...I finally feel like I can breath again" (Tai)

"Heh!" (Rei)

"Well...you're not wrong about that" (Suzu)

"Hm?" (Rei & Tai)

"One thing I didn't tell you. My last name...I don't have one. My family was never a prominent clan despite the service Kinkaku & Ginkaku provided to village before their betrayal" (Suzu)

"So no clan name..." (Tai)

{I forgot how surnames were such a big deal in this world's setting. It's like the Sengoku Period of Japan. In that case...}

"Well...why not choose one?" (Rei)

"Have her choose one?" (Tai)

"Yeah, why not? She's allowed to choose since she's emancipated and doesn't have one" (Rei)

"She is living by herself..." (Tai)

Looking at the two so readily discuss ways to better her situation provided a small sense of glee. Given the life she's lived thus far, it was truly a rare sight for her to receive such kindness

Never one NOT to respond with gratitude towards compassion, she expressed her appreciation

"Ahem" (Suzu)

"?" (Rei & Tai)

"Thank you, both of you. Coming here was...good. Refreshing. Something I've needed in my life for quite some time" (Suzu)

The two were taken aback by the behavior of this usually stoic girl. Suzu was famous for not being open to sharing her feelings

"Did...you come up with a surname?" (Rei)

"I already had a few ideas" (Suzu)

"Like?" (Tai)

She formed a smug grin on her face

"I'll keep that to myself for now. 'One step at a time', remember?" (Suzu)

"Haha, true" (Tai)

"That's fair" (Rei)

Putting her right arm on her chest, she looked at them with determination

"I need things to change. I...I want to move forward with you. With the team...if you'll have me" (Suzu)

Rei and Tai looked at each other. Rei smirked while Tai laughed

Suzu wondered why they responded like that

"Suzu...that was supposed to be OUR line" (Rei)

"We're the ones who are wondering if you'll accept us" (Tai)

"!" (Suzu)

After a brief moment of pause, the trio began chuckling. After a laugh, all them took a deep breath

"Neutral ground" (Tai)

"Fresh start" (Suzu)

"Moving forward" (Rei)

Nodding their heads at one another, they shouted in unison

"WE WON'T FAIL!!"

With no more to be said, the group went their separate ways. Ready for whatever challenges Tango would bring to their doorstep tomorrow

♦♦♦

Finally all to himself, Rei took his time getting back home

{Seriously, I feel like I could still eat more. What's going on with my body? Could it be some weird side effect of my Ōtsutsuki cells?}

Before he could ponder any further, Notitia called out to him

[Hey man! Not bad if I do say so myself!]

"You think so?"

[Oh absolutely, it was wonderful. That MLK quote was especially smooth ya slick bastard]

"Nothing slick about it, I truly did enjoy his philosophy"

[Yeah...you were getting pretty open about your history there. I was worried you were gonna slip and reveal your true origins]

"I'm not crazy enough to risk automatically losing this 'game' for breaking the first rule. It serves me no benefit for anyone to learn my true identity at this point in time anyway. I only got a little open with them about my past because...I...I can relate"

[How so?]

"The pressures of living up to an outstanding father...facing discrimination almost on a daily basis. Tai and Suzu's circumstances resonated with those of my past life, almost to an eerie degree. Besides, you already told me that you 'know everything there is to know about Raymond Parker' anyway. My actions shouldn't come as a surprise to you"

[That is true. So...you good?]

"What do you mean?"

[Ya know...the nightmares...the past...Alec and Hector]

"What's done is done. I've accepted the past for what it is. Nothing I can do will change that. I was indeed wronged, but I never bothered to acknowledge my own faults as well. You cannot progress if you unable to even do that. It's why I ended up here in the first place"

[Worried for your future now that you've finally realized you're in uncharted territory?]

"A little, but you know, that's just means I'm on the right track"

[...Do you trust them now?]

"I wouldn't say that. I'm never walking in blind again...MY trust has to be earned. It'll be a very long journey, and I have no idea what to expect. But like MLK said, 'You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step'. I'm pretty sure I'll end up where I need to be"

Asserting his new resolve, Rei said no more and continued on home

Notitia spoke again, yet oddly, Rei could not hear it

[Progress is improving...]

[...Don't worry about where YOU want to be Rei...]

[...We'll make sure...]

[...You're exactly...]

[...WhERe we'lL NeeD yOu tO bE...]

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