Tracen Academy, Monday Morning
[ X ]
The hat was out of the bag.
Hinata exhaled. She knew what would happen when her pregnancy became public knowledge. She had seen it before. Everyone would either go out of their way to do something for her, ask how she was feeling, or if she needed anything.
She was close to two months pregnant, if that! She had an idea of what was wrong when she had missed her period, but this sort of treatment annoyed her. Hinata was more than capable of doing everything for herself.
Hinata cringed, remembering that she had, unfortunately, treated Kurenai the same way when she had learned her sensei was pregnant. She lightly laughed to herself, shaking her head as she walked through the hall, exiting the front entrance. She could almost see Kurenai giving her a knowing but smug smile.
Hinata frowned. The fact that Kurenai would not be present bothered Hinata. It bothered her that Hanabi would not be around. Her father wouldn't get to see his grandchild after they were born...
With a shake of her head, Hinata focused. One of her trainees was not in class today. Skipping class was something she could understand. It could get quite tedious. But for Uma of this world, there was life after racing. It wasn't like back home, where a ninja was a shinobi for life, only retiring when their body gave out on them. They had lives and careers after their racing careers ended. They had to fit into society.
Only a few ever reached the status that allowed them to remain icons long after their racing careers, propped up by their fans' support.
Hinata had an idea where her absentee trainee was. She knew that she was still steaming after their scrimmage last week. She tried to watch the Pre-Open races and scout future talent to relax, but she was seething at the outcome.
"Gah!" A loud, shrill voice echoed from the track.
Hinata felt the hairs on her neck stand on end as the air crackled. The veins on her eyes bulged, and she carefully observed as her most talented trainee burst past the corner and down the straightaway.
"I was right... She already can," Hinata whispered, watching her training reach down and find another gear beyond her top speed as she finished the race she was battling in her mind.
"Still not good enough!" She snapped, stomping her feet on the track, breathing heavily as she took a moment and began to walk the track to catch her breath.
"The scrimmage is still eating away at you, isn't it?" Hinata posed the question, standing from the inside fence ahead of Tamamo Cross.
"Ahk! How did you... Where did you come from?!" Tamamo jumped, alarmed by Hinata's sudden appearance, before glowering. "Wait, have you been here the whole time?!"
"Maybe I have. Maybe I haven't." Hinata played coy and teased Tamamo. Her expression softened into a gentle smile, and she shook her head. "I assume if you are out here, missing class, that last week is still bothering you. Now, I can see why."
"You can see... Ah! I can explain!" Tamamo frowned before she flinched, her eyes widening before she rapidly began to speak. "It's not what you think! I wasn't hiding that I could go into the Zone from you..." Tamamo sighed, a glumness overtaking her, her ears drooping as she glanced down. "I'm not sure if the Director told you or if you read everything in my records."
"I have skimmed over them." Hinata nodded before jumping to the fence to join Tamamo on the track.
"Ahk! Are you sure you should be doing that?!" Tamamo freaked upon seeing Hinata skip over the railing, attempting to move to assist her trainer.
"I'm still in the first trimester. I have a long way to go before I need help." Hinata had to repress the urge to glower and snap. She understood where the worry came from, but ugh!
Her sympathy for every other pregnant woman dramatically increased.
"But a report can only tell me so much about each of you." Hinata redirected the conversation, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll learn more about everyone through moments like this. To see the real you."
"The real me, huh?" Tamamo muttered in response. She remained silent for a moment before scoffing. "Well, you saw the real me just now. How my frustration builds over, and I can just feel the air crackle as I find a second gear... It's funny. Getting rid of my last Professional trainer was the best thing for me. When I found myself caught in the pack again, I just found myself so mad at him, and I let it all out on the track... And White Lightning was born."
"It certainly was." Hinata gave a faint smile of understanding. "I'm curious. After such a horrible experience with your last trainer, one that left you so frustrated, why did you so openly accept joining my team?"
"Eh? That's what you ask?" Tamamo quirked her brow and leaned back, a little caught off guard. "I guess I get it, but I would have thought you would have asked why I didn't use White Lightning last week..."
"I do have my questions about what happened. However, I have more plausible answers for what happened on the track than I do for why you joined my team." Hinata responded with a hand on her hip.
"Huh, guess that makes sense." Tamamo scratched her head before eventually nodding. "I dunno. I saw Creek approach you without hesitation, and it made me curious why she was drawn to you."
"So you saw your friend accept me as their trainer and decided to join my team?" Hinata was further curious about Tamamo's reason.
"I wouldn't call Creek my friend." Tamamo squinted and glowered, recalling all the baby noises and attempts to feed her. "It's just someone who I know understands having a rough maiden year and was frustrated by it. She was sick for most of last year and unable to compete. Seeing her so effortlessly approach you, I dunno. It made me think, alright, I'll give this another shot. Can't be worse than my last trainer!"
"I read that as well. Both of you certainly went through a trial to start your careers." Hinata shortly nodded while carefully eyeing Tamamo and her posture. "And I can only imagine losing your first race since you found your zone bruised your growing confidence."
"I lost to the Emperor. I can accept losing to her. Heh, it only excites me that she had to go all out! Gah! I just want to race her again!" Tamamo grunted before momentarily grinning. That grin was dashed away, and a fire was lit in her eyes. "I'm mad that when she went into the Zone, I lost concentration! For some reason, I had this weight on my chest, and I couldn't activate White Lightning! Because of that, I lost to my dumb-as-a-rock roommate! Hmph! Everyone thinks she's so great, well, I'll show her!"
"I was right again," Hinata mused, her eyes twinkling as she was proven correct once more.
"What do you mean again?" Tamamo narrowed her eyes, questioning what her trainer meant by that. Had she predicted...
Tamamo froze, staring into Hinata's gaze. Her heart raced. She felt a weight press against her chest. Every breath was a struggle. Her very body began to tremble as she was lost in her trainer's gaze.
It was just like last week. This weight was so heavy. Tamamo couldn't move against it. She could hardly breathe! Every muscle felt so stiff, and she struggled to move.
And it pissed her off! She didn't want to feel so helpless ever again! She was Tamamo Cross!
She was the lightning!
The air crackled as Tamamo ground her teeth. She snarled, and she felt like exploding! Blasting past and...
"Huh?" Tamamo stopped, surveying herself and feeling the surge around her. "Wait, did I just enter the Zone... Without running?!"
"Good job," Hinata praised Tamamo with a simple smile. "The next time you face an intense will like that again, you'll be ready to fight back."
"Intense will?" Tamamo blinked several times, staring in awe as the lightning she felt crackling within her faded. Her eyes snapped wide open, and she jumped back. "Wait! You can enter the zone too?! WHAT?! How do?! Explain!"
"That is for another time," Hinata shook her head while smiling, much to Tamamo's frustration, while nodding her head in the direction of the school. "If you want to learn more, you'd better get to class. This school isn't just about showing off how good a racer you are. Your skills on the track grant you the ability to receive an excellent education."
"I... But... Ugh! Fine!" Tamamo groaned, rolling her eyes before she stomped away. "I'll go to class..." Stopping in her tracks, Tamamo whirled around and pointed at Hinata. "But after school is done and over with, you're gonna tell me just how you did that this afternoon, got it? If you can do it, that means does that mean..."
"Yes, my husband can do it as well," Hinata stated, much to Tamamo's chagrin.
"Ugh! That dolt is gonna learn how to do it! I can't be beaten by her again!" Tamamo reached up and gripped both of her temples in dismay.
"I don't plan on letting that happen again," Hinata quipped, her eyes closed as she could feel Tamamo's glower for a moment before she felt the confidence radiating from her Uma.
"Heh! Good! We're on the same page!" Tamamo pumped her fist and grinned.
"We are," Hinata nodded before Tamamo froze, feeling a sinister pressure weighing on her chest. And as she looked her trainer in the eye, Hinata simply smiled. "But if you don't get to class, young lady, I might have to flip the page."
"I'm going! I'm going!" Tamamo bolted from the track, rushing to the dorm to get cleaned and dressed.
"Good girl," Hinata whispered, shaking her head as she watched Tamamo rush to get ready for class.
It was so fun to tease others. She understood why Naruto always used to mess with everyone. She had even begun to give him a taste of his own medicine.
Which reminded her...
[ X ]
Meanwhile, in the Trainer's Room
[ X ]
"So this is how it feels like, huh?" Naruto couldn't help but smile as confetti popped out of his ramen cup and all over him. "Clever girl."
Hana recoiled, alarmed at the sudden noise. Despite her stern and stoic nature, even she had to bite back a snicker at seeing the confetti and party paper splattered onto and around Naruto.
"I must admit, you two have a cute relationship. And I have to say, it might be a positive influence on our young Uma to see what a healthy relationship for young adults looks like." Hana wryly smiled as Naruto cleaned off his table and withdrew another cup of ramen from his pocket dimension that he called a pouch. Even she had no idea just how he could store what he could in there.
"I guess you can say that," Naruto chuckled, scratching his chin with the biggest grin he could muster. After his short laugh, he shook his head as his eyes shimmered with determination. "Still got a long way to go though. Gotta figure things out if I'm gonna be a good dad. It is a different sort of responsibility, ya know?"
"I have to say, I am surprised that you two committed to having a child so early. It's becoming increasingly common these days for couples to wait longer to have children after their lives have become more stable. It's become rare to see such maturity for those your age nowadays." Hana sagely nodded.
"Heh, makes sense to me. Don't want to have a kid if you can't take care of yourself," Naruto agreed, opening his next cup of ramen...
Only for it to explode confetti in his face yet again.
"Oh my... Someone was in a pranksterous mood this morning." Hana bit back her laugh as Naruto stared at his fake ramen before laughing.
"I'm more curious about where she found these! This is a brilliant prank specialized for me!" Naruto laughed, shaking his head, wondering when she had the time to slip out and buy these fake ramen cups this weekend.
...Wait...
Rice Shower and Haru Urara were conveniently absent all weekend when everyone else was around...
Kid, you're thinking too hard about this. Hinata clearly found enough time to slip away. There's no way that innocent darling could have done anything so harmful! Kurama redirected, attempting to cover for their absence.
And his trail for floating the idea to Hinata in the first place after seeing that ad about a prank shop during those loony morning cartoon shows.
'Hm, suppose you are right,' Naruto mentally nodded, shrugging as he reached for a third cup before eyeing suspiciously. "This one seems off.. Yup." Naruto laughed as the third ramen cup popped like a party favor. "Did she seriously switch out all my ramen cups this morning?"
"Gah, gonna have to get her back for this travesty!"
[ X ]
Later, Lunchtime - Cafeteria
[ X ]
"Did you see Trainer-san's husband? We did it!" Rice modestly cheered, pumping both her fists before her as they sat together for lunch.
"Yay! Told you we could do it!" Haru gleefully cheered, without attempting to mask the fact that they were accomplices to the prank.
"Mah, what did you two do?" Tamamo set her tray down, narrowing her eyes at the guilty couple freely cheering that they had done something. What that something was, however, was beyond Tamamo.
"I imagine it was harmless." Super Creek set her tray down and joined them, smiling warmly as she patted Haru on the head. "They are both too adorable and cute to do anything wrong. They'll be good role models for Trainer-san's adorable baby."
"I will do my best!" Haru cheerfully cried while Rice Shower furiously nodded in agreement.
"I don't buy it," Tamamo glowered. She had noted that they had conspicuously spoken with their trainer after their morning run. And sometime before they went to have lunch, the two mysteriously disappeared and headed off on their own before rejoining them at the track.
What had their trainer asked them to do? And why was her husband covered in confetti while joining in lunch with Oguri...
Ugh! How could she eat so much?! Tamamo recoiled at the sight of Oguri chowing down.
"We pranked Trainer-san's husband!" Haru told on herself with a wide smile, unaware of the horror that crossed Rice Shower's expression as she did.
"Haru! That was a secret!" Rice winced and shrank into herself.
"Oh... Eh, whatever. Just get film of it next time. I wanna see the reaction." Tamamo's ears flicked, pausing for a moment before snorting.
"You should try something with coffee next time." Manhattan Cafe joined the table, sipping on an ice-cold latte alongside Tachyon. "The express shop I ordered my coffee from has many exotic flavors. The spicy brews might catch him unaware."
"Oh ho! I've taught you well! That will be a great experiment to observe!" Tachyon manically grinned from ear to ear. "I have several experimental liquids I've prepared if anyone is so bold as to spike his morning coffee..."
"Me!" Gold Ship seemingly popped into existence, her ears burning upon sensing someone was talking about pranks. She cracked her knuckles and grinned. "I've been waiting to get back at Trainer-san for all the times he makes me practice! If I could just give him a good kick to show him whose boss..."
"Didn't that end with you tied up in your own burlap sack?" Rice Shower raised her brow, recalling seeing something happen in the distance while she ran the track.
"Gah! He's too quick! He really is a ninja! I gotta be sneakier about it next time to catch him off guard!" Gold Ship responded, pumping her fist before her, undeterred by her previous failure.
"I guess. He does pop up out of nowhere as if he has been hiding in the room all along." Tamamo Cross scratched her head before her eyes widened, recalling what had happened this morning. "And so does Trainer-san..."
"I think she is," Rice Shower affirmed with a nod and a smile. "She always compliments me on my running style when I navigate a crowd. Says it reminds me of how others run back home."
"You mean when you run like an anime ninja?" Manhattan screwed her brow before nodding. "Hm, I wonder..."
"Gah! She really is!" Tamamo grabbed her temples as the events this morning played in her mind.
How she popped up in the middle of the track when no one else was there. How she was able to mimic the feeling of Rudolf entering the Zone?
Could she really be...?
"Trainer-san! Did you get the photos?" Haru happily waved as a presence snuck behind Tamamo.
"Gah! Stop sneaking up on me like that? What are you, some kind of ninja?!" Tamamo whirled around, recoiling as Hinata smiled and waved back at Haru.
"I am," Hinata didn't miss a beat with her answer, still smiling as she did. "So is my husband. We're not hiding that information. Or at least my husband isn't, so there is no need for me to hide that information."
"Eh!" Tamamo Cross jumped once again before narrowing her eyes. "Wait, if you are a ninja, why did you become a trainer?"
"Does being a ninja pay the bills?" Hinata smoothly replied, shaking her head and sighing. "No, Haru. I wasn't present when it happened. Hana got a chuckle from it, and even he found it amusing, so it was still a success."
"That's a shame. We can always go back to the store and buy more." Rice Shower giggled before her eyes twinkled. "Manhattan brought up the idea of coffee, and I know I saw pop coffee cans..."
"Mah, now that's a store I want to visit!" Naruto, who somehow snuck over, grinned as he placed his hands on a frightened Haru and Rice's shoulders.
"Ah! We're sorry!" Rice pleaded for forgiveness.
"We won't do it again!" Haru added, looking positively adorable while giving Naruto a stare that could only be classified as puppy dog eyes.
"Pfft. You're fine. I can take a prank. I'm the King of Pranks!" Naruto grinned, shaking his head before playfully glaring at his wife as Spe, Vodka, and Teio joined his side. "Now, it wasn't very nice to get your team involved, so I believe this means war."
"You've been watching the morning cartoons, haven't you?" Hinata smirked while her eyes twinkled.
"Gah! It was a good line, and you know it!" Naruto glowered, frustrated.
"It is," Hinata playfully beamed, placing her hand on her hip as her team joined her side. "All I have to say in response..."
"Bring it on."
[ X ]
In Director Akikawa's Office, A little while later
[ X ]
"Hana, are you sure about this?" The Director paused as she looked over the paperwork before her. Gazing back up at her school's top trainer, she frowned. "If this is about the money..."
"It's not. It's never been about that." Hana sighed. With a faint smile, she shook her head. "I've been feeling this for some time. I think I've done all I can do here and grown as much as I could. An offer like this to go abroad and learn how it's done across the ocean... I can't turn that down."
"No, I understand... It's just that we'll miss you. You've done so much for the Uma and staff here. It's going to be different with you once you leave." Akikawa gave a longing but understanding smile.
"At the very least, I have until summer to continue coaching Team Rigil. From there..." Hana's gaze fell onto the third individual in the room.
"I'll take over until the end of the school year. But after the school year is finished, Team Rigil will be disbanded." Symboli Rudolf stated, accepting the responsibility.
"I see... If you are willing to take on that responsibility, I cannot argue. Just don't overwhelm yourself. You already have a lot of responsibilities." Director Akikawa lightly frowned.
"It is of little trouble." Rudolf shook her head, placing her hand on her hip. She then glanced at Hana with a sullen smile. "It's going to be different without you here... And strange. You've been my trainer since I came to school here."
"I do apologize..." Hana grimaced, shying away from Rudolf's longing gaze. "I wanted to see your final year to the end, but for some reason, the American schools start at the beginning of fall..."
"Who says I don't have another year or two in me?" Rudolf popped her neck, shaking her head and smiling. "I thought this might have been my last year, but something about this next group coming up makes me want to keep going... To push them to their limits and, in return, have them push me to mine... Until this body can't keep up."
"Ah, so that's why you brought me this request about the Spring Festival..." Akikawa glanced at a well-written document of activities and events. "Hm, oh, that's gonna be fun! A school-wide water balloon fight? Three-legged races? Eating contests? Photo booths and painting competitions?"
"I thought it would be a great start to saying farewell to our trainer. To remind her of all the fun and fond memories she's spent here with us." Rudolf smiled at Hana before her gaze sharpened and her smile turned into a grin. "And at the same time, it is to remind our young upstarts why Team Rigil is on top. We aren't just the best in racing."
"If they want to start a war, we'll remind them who the Emperor is."