Chapter 69: Tales of the Past

---

Like I said before, this chapter will get... dark, real, real fast.

---

"Well, I guess the best place to start would be the beginning, huh?

As you know, I was born to two average Chunin parents; Akio and Ai Kanei. My father, Akio, was as average as you could get; he struggled with the finer points of chakra control, but was decent enough with a blade and kunai. My mother, Ai, was a healer and archer, more of a support type Shinobi than anything else.

Sadly, I never got to meet her; my mother died giving birth to me, and that meant my father had to raise me alone, which he did much better than anyone would have expected of a single Shinobi.

I never wanted for anything... Food was always on our table, the roof was patched and the walls sturdy. I had clothes on my back and a warm bed to sleep in every night. Hell, he even managed to get me some nice boots and a comfortable coat for when I came of age.

Like most, I enrolled into the Shinobi Academy. 'The Will of Fire was strong with me' is what my dad used to tell me. He sent me to the Academy with a smile on his lips, pride in his eyes. He knew what kind of life I could face. After all, he and my mother lived it. But, he respected my choice to follow in their footsteps.

So, from my early years as a kid till I was just a teen, I learned the art of stealth, killing, interrogation, poisons, culture... As I advanced from grade to grade I found myself scoring towards the top of my classes, both practical and theoretical.

My skill with a blade, my accuracy with kunai and a bow, paired with my good chakra control allowed me to pass the official and unofficial Genin Exams, and I was placed in Squad 21.

Hakan Sensei was a former Anbu member who retired, and with the beginnings of a war on our horizon, was called forth to train the next generation... Trial by fire for us in the Leaf.

My squadmates were Jilyo Hyuga and Hiansha Inuzaka, both at each others throats all the time.

It was around this time that my dad had passed; it was an old injury, and we had both seen it coming for awhile. It still stung, but... I had it better than some of my peers, who's parents just never came home from their missions.

Anyways, you know what happened in the beginning; Jilyo and I grew close, and Hiansha fell for Hakan.

We took the normal missions early on, but... well, the war broke out, and it wasn't just a few border skirmishes or one Land creeping into their neighbors...

It was an all out war.

The Shinobi were dispatched first, but eventually the Daimyo's got involved, which meant the Samurai were sent forwards too.

So, Lord Third had the Genin Squads do reconnaissance and ambushes. Our squad was no different, and we found ourselves thrust into the war.

Kurenai, I know you fought in it as well, but those three years between us... well, the battles I witnessed, and the ones you witnessed..."

Shaking my head, I looked up at my raven haired wife, who was biting her lip.

She nodded, sighing.

"Yes, we got to fight at the tail end of the war; still bloody and harsh, but..."

Chuckling, I looked back down towards the table, my thoughts flashing back towards the war.

"The last few months of the war were nothing compared to its climax; entire Villages wiped out in the smaller nations, burned to the ground. Elders, women, children, the sick and wounded, civilians... it mattered not. They burned all the same. Hells, some were lucky if they died in the beginning. Families torn apart, women and children turned into playthings for the Shinobi, Samurai, and the bandits that capitalized on the situation..."

Shuddering, I could still hear some of the screams from a small town we had scouted; Kumo had breached our northern border, and that village...

It wasn't uncommon for Shinobi to... indulge their desires during the war, be it torture or ra.pe.

Taking a breath, I licked my dry lips before continuing.

"I spent three long, grueling years in that war before you even graduated from the Academy, Kurenai. During that time, I had to kill dozens of other Shinobi, some of which...

Hah... the amount of defectors, of Shinobi and Samurai who went crazy from the amount of chaos during that time...

Anyways, it was around the beginning of the third year that the worst happened.

It was just a routine scouting mission on our northern border. We had repelled Kumo almost a half dozen times, yet the bastards kept coming back, determined to carve more territory for themselves.

We were meant to find the vanguard of their Samurai battalion, which we did. Yet, they stationed a dozen Shinobi inside the battalion, as a hidden shield for them.

Our orders were to determine their location and potential routes, and then trap those routes. As we searched we found a small squad of Kumo Shinobi; they had pushed to far up, and were alone.

Or so we thought.

One well placed arrow later, and Hakan and Hiansha slit the remaining two's throats. Except, that squad was bait; Kumo was using their own Genin squads as bait.

Trailing them was a small squad of their Anbu, and they split to follow each of us.

We scattered, just like we were taught. Use your knowledge of the terrain to escape, then regroup back deep in safe territory.

Thing was, one of those Anbu had a grudge against me. I'm sure you've noticed, but bows are a rare weapon among Shinobi. So, she knew it was me who had killed her lover.

She chased me for hours, right on my tail.

Hiding in a cave, I tried to shake her, only to have trapped myself inside. I was still a Genin, after all.

The gap in strength was immense, as you could imagine. Over the years I had gotten dull with a blade; I spent my time sniping from the canopy, enjoying the range of a bow.

Overpowering me, the Kumo Anbu... She..."

Gulping, I shuddered again, biting my lip as tears sprung to my eyes.

Even years later it still haunted me, the utter helplessness I felt during that dark time.

Rubbing my shoulder, Kurenai comforted me, while Anko just stared at me, her face blank.

"She ra.ped me. I have no idea how long, but... she had her way with me.

Over and over again she used me, never letting up as she abused my body and mind.

I prayed to the Sage, to my parents... I wanted it to just... end.

Be it someone finding us, or her deciding to grant me mercy and just slit my throat.

Someone must have heard me, as eventually I felt a different warm liquid on my skin.

Hakan Sensei had found me, and killed her.

Cleaning me up, he took me back to our base, where we waited and waited.

Hiansha showed up, missing an arm, her usually vibrant brown eyes dull as she staggered into camp.

As for Jilyo...

Well, he never returned. Still have no idea how he died, or if he even was dead. For all we knew he had been captured and experimented on, to figure out how to get his Byakugan.

With that, our Squad was disbanded. Hakan Sensei resumed his position as an Anbu, Hiansha returned home, and I found myself alone.

Thing was, that was the last time I saw either of them.

Hakan Sensei and his squad had been surrounded, and they decided to used all the explosive tags they had to take the enemy with them.

As for Hiansha... Well, not every death during war is glorious.

I received word that her sister had found her hanging in her room after getting word of Hakan Sensei's death.

I was now well and truly alone."

Sighing, I closed my eyes, a small grin on my lips as I remembered the first time we all met.

Jilyo and Hiansha butted heads at every opportunity; the Hyuga always preferred a more calm, logical approach, whereas the Inuzuka wanted to brute force everything.

Hakan Sensei was always about stealth, beating it into us that it was better to remain unseen and live another day than risk your life for something small like a mission.

Over the first few weeks, we had grown a healthy respect towards one another.

Jilyo created intricate plans for us, helping us improve at a quick speed.

Hiansha wasn't all bark no bite; she hit harder than most of our peers, and under that serious, arrogant demeanor was a girl who cared deeply for her friends, willing to put her body at risk if it meant keeping them safe and happy.

I was the mediator and healer, keeping the two up to full strength while I hid behind them, using my precise attacks to support them

Hakan Sensei nudged us in the right directions, giving tips and advice when needed, staying quiet the rest of the time.

We may not have been a perfect squad, but we completed our missions cleanly, slowly raking in better and better requests as we honed our skills.

And now, I was the last one remaining...

"The Memorial Stone in our village... after the war, I swore to all three of them that I would live a long, fulfilling life for all of us. To do what they couldn't.

Retire, raise a family, grow old and guide the next generation towards a brighter tomorrow.

After the war ended I threw myself into missions. I couldn't stand being alone; I could still hear the screams of the dead, still hear that womans voice from the shadows.

Some nights it got so bad that I had to drown myself in liquor, hoping that it would wash them away. If it didn't, then laying in someone else's bed as we lost ourselves to lust did the trick.

That was when I met you two; Kurenai, you and I did a mission together, and you almost got yourself killed just to save our client. I still remember scolding you to hell and back for how idiotic that was; all you needed to do was block the kunai with your own, and yet you used your body instead."

She scratched her cheek, a small smile on her lips as she said "I just... wasn't thinking straight. I mean, that was a Noble we were escorting!"

I scoffed, flicking her forehead.

"Yeah, I know you weren't thinking."

Turning towards Anko, I gave the purple haired poisoner a gentle smile, watching as she bit her lip as she stared at me.

"And then I met you, Anko, at that bar. That night... well, it changed my life. Thank you... even if you piss me off sometimes..."

She chuckled at that, moving forwards as she wrapped me in a hug.

"That's my job~"

Even as she tried to cover her emotions, I could still tell that she was worried about me.

Caressing her head, I whispered "Ever since we three got along, I haven't had any nightmares, nor have I heard any voices... I've been fine, really..."

Her tense muscles relaxed slightly as she released a sigh.

"Koko... were you ever going to tell us?"

Hearing her question, I pursed my lips, before shrugging.

"Maybe, maybe not. If you asked, I probably would have, but... if there was no need to, why bother remembering it at all?"

Kurenai sighed behind me, shaking her head as she said "Doesn't it feel better to air that out?"

Again, I shrugged, before turning my eyes towards Cameia, who was staring at me with narrowed eyes.

"I would have never known that you suffered like that... not with how you act..."

I chuckled, grinned at her.

"Well, it's something we learn as kids; Shinobi must never show weakness. I guess I just took it to heart as an adult..."

She kept staring at me, before moving closer.

Gently laying a hand on my head, she awkwardly pet me, making me laugh.

Anko and Kurenai joined me, making the golden eyes woman confused.

"What? Is this not comforting?"

Wiping a tear from my eyes, I chortled "Yes, it's comforting~!"

She just nodded, keeping her hand on my head.

Being surrounded by the three women I fell in love with, I felt my eyes go wide as I heard something.

"Live..."

"For..."

"You..."

Looking behind Cameia, I saw an ethereal Hakan Sensei, Hiansha, and Jilyo standing side by side, staring at me with warmth as they spoke.

Hakan Sensei nodded to me; Hiansha grinned as she waved, linking her arm around Hakan Sensei's, while Jilyo just gave me an apologetic smile, bowing to me.

Tears streamed from my eyes as I watched them turn away, walking away from me.

As they faded from my vision, I muttered "I will..."

The three women were looking at me with worry, only to grow confused as I buried my face into Anko's chest.

---

2200 Words... whew~

Anyways, that is Kokoro in a nutshell; still more to explore, like what happened between the war and her meeting Anko/Kurenai, but thats for later. After all, that would be what truly shaped her; the war just created who she was.

While it was depressing, I hope you enjoyed this glimpse at our MC.

---