The walk to Keiko's house was a struggle on itself, but the pouring rain didn't help. According to specialists, the storms were hitting the land of fire because of the resurfacing of the two-tailed beast Nibi.
The rain here is not as extreme as the one faced the land of water. They had entire buildings and massive trees ripped out of their base and sent flying.
Satoru didn't bring an umbrella with him, probably because he thought he deserved to get sick for what he did to Keiko, or better, made her feel.
Satoru knocked on her door knowing she finally came back from another long mission. He crossed his fingers that the door wouldn't be slammed on his face.
Keiko slowly opened the door with a creak. Her face was covered in sweat and there was powdered chalk on her calloused palms. She was training... This early in the morning.
Keiko took one look at Satoru and wanted to close the door again. Satoru didn't fight this time, choosing to just stand in the cold rain, till she would open the door again.
The door didn't open.
Satoru closed his eyes to avoid the rain water falling into them. He felt like like several minutes passed by waiting.
The door opened again.
"Just leave, Satoru!" Keiko said in a 'I'm done with you!' tone, "I don't want to see your face right now."
"Are you still mad? I'm sorry for moving out." Satoru said. Keiko's expression changed in a way that immediately told Satoru he messed up.
"What's the problem now? Was that Reiko not up to your taste. I don't provide refund facilities." Keiko spat out, she looked around as if searching for a reason to close the door.
"I have already told you why I did what I did, and you know that Hinanoya had nothing to do with it." Satoru said, his eyes burned with emotion despite the wet hair from his forehead covering them.
"Told me? You didn't tell me anything back then? All you said was that 'you can't be with anyone because you're dangerous.' All those words, just for you live with your mother."
Satoru clenched his fist in anger. He wanted all this to be over, for things to back to normal...
"I... I'm going to do it again." Satoru said, the weight of those words left his body and regret filled the space.
"Do what? Leave me again? Go back to Reiko?"
Keiko looked into Satoru's bloodlusted eyes, it was the same as the ones that stared at her back then, when she called him a monster.
"Gods! Y-you... Who?" Keiko asked then suddenly her eyes widened, mortified by the realisation she just had, "Me? Is that why you want to stay away from me?"
Satoru shook his head, proving her wrong, making her guess again, "Mitsuki-sensei?"
"I've uttered the name of who I'll kill. If you want to get even for hurting you," Satoru's breath hitched, "T-tell the authorities about me. Three weeks from now in the forest or death."
"And if I forgive you?" Keiko was scared to know the answer.
"I will be right here waiting for you to open the door... With Hinanoya's blood on my hands."
Satoru stepped back as the rain started losing its intensity. Keiko watched as Satoru blended into the background and was gone.
---
The sun burned Satoru's skin from its high and mighty position. It was noon, the sun was directly above the sunburnt genin who was training to accumulate chakra within his body.
Satoru had developed a bad habit because of his swords. The sword allowed him to flow chakra into them and release everything out whenever needed.
He only had focus on channelize where the chakra went, and completely delegated the part of holding the chakra in place to be stored.
"For a medical ninja—who are held in high regard for their chakra control, you have greatly disappointed your peers." Shinichi said, demonstrating the part which Satoru struggled with.
"You've seen my 'bad habit' for months now. Why didn't you say anything before? Aren't bad habits meant to be removed before they become a problem?"
Satoru observed Shinichi's chakra accumulate into his palm, instead of quickly releasing it out as a punch, Shinichi held the chakra inside for minutes.
"You were supposed to be a medical ninja. Medical ninjas aren't supposed to fight. I'm teaching this now, because... You know, circumstances have changed."
Satoru continued to amass his chakra into his palm and make stay there, but just like trying to compress a inflated balloon with your bare hands, the chakra slipped back in circulation in one way or another.
"How do I get my chakra to stop slipping out of my hold?" Satoru complained, before stomping and releasing all control and letting the chakra free.
"You were trying to control it by stopping it? Were you not observing me? Stopping your chakra means death." Shinichi said matter of factly.
"I can sense chakra filling up your palm, I can't see what are you doing. I don't have a dojutsu."
"You don't need it. Your eyes can naturally perceive chakra when its in high concentration," Shinichi's eyes lit up in a way Satoru couldn't point out, "When your optic nerves are stimulated with chakra, they become a little more sensitive."
Satoru looked at Mitsuki, who was peacefully sitting under a giant umbrella, eating sandwiches with careless abondon. "She told me enhancing the sensory organs with chakra is risky and shouldn't be attempted unless done supervision and guidance."
Satoru then turned back to Shinichi, "And she was conveniently missing or busy when I needed guidance."
"I can understand her reasons. It is very hard to learn it. It is not an exaggeration." Shinichi nodded sympathetically.
"Will you teach me?"
"Hell no! Not now, at least."
Satoru went back to work with some advices. It was literally walking in the dark for him here, as he had no way to detect what Shinichi was doing.
Satoru trained till his skin color changed a shade from the tan. The moon was comfortable visible in the sky when Shinichi let him go.
Satoru walked through the streets, looking for something to eat. That's when he saw someone.
Reiko. She had a serious expression.
---
Satoru walked to the girl standing a short distance away. While his eyes were on Reiko, he was thinking about how to get rid of the tan.
Most of the tan came from the time when Shinichi made Satoru meditate in the sunlight while setting fire to things.
Satoru turned back to see Shinichi was flirting with Mitsuki, at least that was what Satoru thought he was doing. Apparently meditating despite harsh conditions is a sign of a strong mind.
Satoru was now only a few metres away from Reiko.
"Hello. Eating well? You're looking a little red." Satoru asked making Reiko step back and become 'redder.'
"Training well? You've been training intensely the past few months. What are you training for? A war?" Reiko chuckled at her own words as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Ah, you know..."
'to kill your father.' Satoru smiled back, "Kaito became a chunin so I won't be in Shinichi Sensei's team anymore. I'm making the best of my situation."
Reiko's smile faltered as her attempt at a joke flew over Satoru's head.
"Nice. What have you learnt so far?" Reiko asked, motioning Satoru to walk along.
"Getting rid of bad habits, learning some replacements... Stuff. Do you know how to get rid of sunburn? The cream Keiko recommends doesn't work." Satoru said, pointing at his sunburnt hands.
"I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders, "I don't go out much in the sunlight." Reiko answered. Her skin was as she said, pale as a basement dweller.
"Fine. Guess I'll ask her for some other options." Satoru said, his words made Reiko stop and look at his face seriously.
"Is something wrong?" Satoru asked, to which Reiko replied, "I should ask you. You... don't seem happy."
"What makes you say that?"
"You don't feel comfortable talking about her in front of me and me in front of her. Its not hard to figure out... But you mentioned her first today. Twice." Reiko said, getting very close to him.
"It could mean anything. How did you come to that conclusion?" Satoru said, rigid as a stiff board.
"Everything all right between you and Keiko?" Reiko asked suddenly, pressing him on.
"Yes."
"Don't lie to me. I know that it's not." Reiko spoke, determined to know the truth.
Satoru and Reiko had walked far enough from the training ground that Shinichi was no longer visible. Satoru suddenly realised that.
"What's it to you?" Satoru said defensively, "What will you do knowing about Keiko and Me?"
Reiko was about to say something but then stopped. She clenched her fist and Satoru saw her toes dig into her sandals as her entire body slightly shook in frustration.
"Get the damn hint, dummy!" Reiko said softly as if speaking to herself.
"You're speaking to me or yourself?"
Reiko then quickly grabbed Satoru's hands and intertwined her finger in his. Her tone was that of someone trying to fight a losing battle, "Tell me Satoru, don't you deserve to be happy? Don't you ever stop to think if you are loved by someone?"
"By someone? By you?" Satoru said cutting through the bushes she was beating.
"I love you, Satoru. I've kept it in for months. I tried to tell myself otherwise, but no. I love you."
Silence. That's all there was.
Reiko looked at Satoru's unreadable expression with growing anticipation. A part of her was wishing that somehow, someway Satoru would accept her. Meanwhile, another part of her had already accepted her fate.
Satoru's expression changed and Reiko understood. She let go of Satoru's hands and looked down dejected.
"Why?" She mustered up.
Satoru raised an eyebrow before asking, "Why what?"
"Why her... And not me? Is she really worth it?" Reiko asked, her tears left behind faint black trails on her face.
"I can't express in words just how much she is worth it. I just know it." Satoru said with an amount of emotion that was unlike him.
"Then what do I do with my heart? It wants you and no one else!" Reiko said softly.
"You'll move on eventually, find someone else. Like we all do." Satoru said without flinching, he almost sounded heartless—he had to, or she would keep hoping.
"We don't just choose who we love... Just like that." Reiko said stepping a little closer, her hands ached to hold his face, to kiss his lips, to make him hers.
"You are asking me to choose you." Satoru said leaving room for debate.
Reiko wiped her tears away and quickly spun on her heels and walked away. Satoru could hear the sound of crying get stronger as she got further away.