Wishful Thinking
The procession, finally, was moving on. The turnout for the funeral was nearly as large as Jiraiya's, and the ceremony nearly as grand. However, as with life, all things must come to an end. Only the remnants of Uplift remained around the casket, and the Hagoromo who would perform the burial surprisingly possessed a shred of dignity, giving the family space.
Kagome was blubbering, unable to get a word out. Noburi patted him on the shoulder, his own face twisted with pain. Hazō and Akane drew strength from each others' presence, but there were silent tears in their eyes too. Kei's expression, however, was completely blank.
Checking to see that they were truly alone, Noburi managed to croak out, "Kei…what the hell happened?"
The reply was hushed, with a hint of awe among the monotone. "She had infiltrated Waterfall a few weeks prior. She must have overheard talk of Cloud's surprise assault force and abandoned her post. Our forces at Takeuchi Bridge would have been obliterated without her."
"She abandoned her post?" Hazō repeated, shocked.
"Isn't treason more Hazō's thing?" Noburi said, attempting to brighten the mood a bit and getting a few weak laughs.
"It was for me," Kei said, not a hint of doubt in her voice. "Our jōnin were outnumbered 16 to 3, and all of us were wounded already. She arrived as a kami… all thunder, ash, and blood. She and her clones froze ten at a time, incinerated them in flashes of light. It was haunting. By the time we rallied to finish off the remainder, she had burned her coils dry. There was no time for words. She died thinking I hated her. Why? Why would she do this for me?" Though her face remained blank, her tone had become pleading.
Akane stated the obvious. "Because we're family."
"She was perfectly willing to throw my life away before! I had only become angrier with her since that time! She didn't love me anymore, if she ever did!"
Hazō shook his head. "She didn't see it as a sacrifice. She always thought, so long as I survived, I could fix anything. Her biggest mistake was trusting me too much. She always cared about you."
"Madness. Our relationship had nothing to do with you, Hazō. Her actions are logically incoherent! First she attempts to use me as a sacrificial pawn to save Hazō and then risks the survival of the entire village to save me?"
"She always cared about you," Hazou repeated, insistently. "From the first day her own family failed her, Mari's mind created Heartbreaker to keep her safe. But that was just another cage. Only someone like Heartbreaker could find the strength to survive Yagura's Mist, and even then… Even Heartbreaker was forced to flee to Swamp or be crushed by Yagura's will. But then she saw you struggling, and Mari got to wake up for the first time in decades. Heartbreaker may have taken us from our homes, but only Mari could comfort a child in pain. You saved her first."
"She only helped me so I would be a better tool."
"You don't believe that. It isn't true, either. Mari likely wouldn't have even taken me and Noburi if she hadn't already empathized with you. Genin would have only slowed her down, but she let us tag along anyways. And the more time we spent together, the more Heartbreaker receded."
"..."
"In fact, I think, despite it all…you were still her favorite."
Kei's blank facade finally broke, replaced with a mournful wail. More surprising still was when she pulled the rest of the family in for her first hug.
"Oh,
please," CynicalMari chided, wagging her finger at MotherlyMari, "You're keeping us awake for
this? Never gonna happen." The fantasy broke and the Councilroom of Mari reappeared.
"Kei's gonna hate us forever," Mariko agreed, glum.
TheHeartBreaker brushed Mariko's hair reassuringly. "I wouldn't worry about that dear. I'm sure Keiko will come around soon enough."
"Really?" Mariko asked, hopeful.
"No.
Hell no. You won't go near her," MotherlyMari said, rising from her chair and baring her teeth.
"Oh? What are you going to do about it, exactly? You're weaker by the day!" TheHeartBreaker replied, laughing politely behind one hand.
"They beat you once. They can seal you again."
TheHeartBreaker's facade flickered, but she put another winning smile. "A monster is only sealed when it is too powerful to slay, dear. They didn't
beat me, I merely took a much-needed vacation. I'm ready to get back in the action. Nothing less will protect little Mariko."
MotherlyMari stooped next to Mariko, placing her hands on the young girl's shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "She's wrong. You're strong. Stronger than any of us. One day you'll realize that." The girl didn't reply, looking at her quizzically. MotherlyMari kept thinking. "Until then…"
She made her way back to her chair, planning.
"Oh, was that all?" TheHeartBreaker jeered.
MotherlyMari ignored her. She
was right that MotherlyMari was weakening. Rising to the provocations would only weaken her more. She would have to preserve her strength, and act when the time was right.
