"Neither are you." The black haired boy deadpanned.
Kotetsu stayed quiet as he appraised the boy. The boy wore a brown sleeveless shirt firmly tucked into a pair of dark robe-like pants. Still hanging upside down, Kotetsu attempted to intimidate the boy with his glare. It appeared to carry no weight and simply bounced off of him. Kotetsu continued to glare.
"You're in my trap." The boy broke the moment of silence.
"Well, you sort of left it sitting around." Kotetsu reflexively retorted.
The boy simply raised his eyebrows in response. Then, looking around the area, the boy spotted Kotetsu's fallen sword sticking out of its sheath. His eyes squinted in suspicion.
"You're… A shinobi?" The boy questioned disbelievingly, glancing back up at Kotetsu.
Kotetsu refused to respond. Instead, he allowed the vines to flip him back to their neutral position, effectively turning his back on the boy.
At that moment, Kotetsu could just about feel the annoyance flowing off of the boy who huffed in return.
"Well, I might as well leave you here, seeing as you can't get out. I have plenty more traps to check, after all…"
Kotetsu heard the quick stomping of footsteps.
"Wha- Wait!!" Kotetsu nearly shouted as he forced his body to unnaturally twist in one motion. Surprisingly, he came face to face with the boy once again. The boy who had been stomping his feet in place, not actually having moved away. Kotetsu felt his temper rise as he saw the boy smirking.
"Answer my question." The smirk vanished as the boy spoke once again.
Kotetsu would not simply accept a loss like that, but he conceded for the moment. Not gracefully, however.
"...Yes." Kotetsu answered bluntly.
After waiting a few more seconds, the boy rolled his eyes and seemed to accept the answer.
"Fine. Since you're a trespasser, I need to take you in to be questioned further." The boy declared.
Then, he proceeded to reach under Kotetsu's head, grabbing the fallen blade still loosely held in its sheath. The gleam of the sword's edge vanished as he took the strap loop and threw it over his shoulder.
"Careful with that." Kotetsu growled.
Ignoring Kotetsu and clapping his hands, the boy formed a handsign that Kotetsu couldn't quite make out, before touching the snaring vines. The vines holding Kotetsu up fell loose as if cut from a blade. Kotetsu landed with a hard smack right on his head, rolling to one side.
"Ow."
Despite no longer being suspended, Kotetsu noted the vines still firmly secure around the rest of his body. His arms and hands were still restrained as well. He wouldn't be getting up and moving by himself anytime soon.
Then, with a sudden tug, Kotetsu's legs were lifted into the air as the boy grabbed a trailing vine, bodily pulling him along the forest floor. Kotetsu barely maintained his dignity as his head found various loose stones and sticks caught in his hair.
Not once had Kotetsu even considered himself to be in any danger at any point. His mind was doing everything it could to keep him distracted from the cacophony of thoughts that begged for his attention. That had inadvertently led him to wandering the wild without much conscious effort, as he feared that focusing on anything too much would lead to the horrible thoughts.
During the last week of Kotetsu's life, he had been mentally bombarded by what he had come to name horrible thoughts. Images of things he had never seen, voices he had never heard, all holding feelings of physical pain, exhaustion, stress, and things he could not describe. Kotetsu was fairly certain that he had gone crazy.
This led him to barely sleep as that would simply intensify the horrible thoughts. His days were spent constantly clearing his own mind, trying to keep his thoughts as mundane as possible. No matter what he did, however, the horrible thoughts eventually found their way in.
Now, Kotetsu mentally replayed his first encounter with another human again and again, finding it a suitable distraction from the horrible thoughts. He replayed chasing the boar, trying to picture a way he could have caught it. He thought about the snare. Then, the conversation with the boy now pulling him along. The way the boy seemed to control the vines.
His mind came to a stop as the stream of thoughts brought a realisation to Kotetsu.
Vines, and the ability to control them. Vines were plants. Trees are also plants.
The boy was a Senju.
"Shit." Kotetsu sputtered.
The boy, still towing Kotetsu, glanced over his shoulder and questioned. "What did you say?"
"Oh… Nothing. Just uh, hurt my head. With a big rock." Kotetsu tried to play it cool. His mind ran in circles as he tried to think of a way out of the sudden danger he found himself in.
Growing up with the Hyuuga, Kotetsu had heard plenty of stories about the Senju clan. Mostly about how ferocious and bloodthirsty they were in battle. When he lived with the Uchiha, that sentiment had been affirmed. Though, the Uchiha's stories were more about their attempts to win against the Senju. None of the younger Uchiha he spoke to had ever confirmed that they had confronted a Senju, though there were many stories of battles involving their ancestors. Teruo, Atsuo and others had once kept Kotetsu up one night to tell him about these stories.
In short, Kotetsu wanted nothing to do with the Senju clan. Not now or anytime soon. In the middle of this reminiscence, an idea suddenly flashed into Kotetsu's mind, halting all other thoughts.
"Hey… I have to pee." Kotetsu ventured.
"It can wait." The boy said, not even looking at him.
Kotetsu cursed himself. He'd have to use his ace card.
"Uh… I have to poop." Kotetsu tried again. The boy didn't even respond.
Kotetsu tried to initiate any sort of conversation with the boy, but he remained silent. Several minutes of a one-sided conversation ensued. For Kotetsu, his state of mind only grew more delirious as he rambled on. The Senju boy could sense his nervousness.
Kotetsu occasionally pulled his head up, trying to see where the boy was dragging him. Taking his latest peek, Kotetsu saw an abnormally huge tree directly in their path. It was as if several trees had grown in a ring, producing one large super tree with a diameter well over 10 meters. The boy continued to drag Kotetsu straight at the tree. Kotetsu began to protest, but then with one step to the next, the boy started walking up the base of the monster tree with no change in pace, shutting Kotetsu up as he flipped upside down and was pulled up its side.
This continued for several minutes. Kotetsu watched the branches of the tree pass by, attempting to ignore his steady rise above the ground. Suddenly, his view shifted followed by hitting something solid as the boy swung him several feet through the air. The boy walked around the prone Kotetsu, and knocked on some wood out of view. Before Kotetsu could think to ask what was happening, the sound of wood sliding along wood and the voice of an older man spoke.
"Boy. What have you brought me?" The voice was gruff, croaking with considerable age.
"A trespasser, sir." The boy answered in an opposing high tone.
After some shuffling and several seconds later, Kotetsu was being pulled once again. It was getting quite boring by this point. His vague view of the sky and branches above were obstructed as a wooden roof appeared overhead.
"Put him up here." The old man ordered.
The boy suddenly appeared over Kotetsu, grabbing and hoisting him up by his shoulders.
"Hey, what are you-"
Kotetsu was suddenly pinned up on a wall and hung slightly off the ground. Now, he had a clear view of the two Senju, who were clearly related. The boy seemed like a younger replica of the much older man. The man seemed to be his grandfather, perhaps. He had greying black hair, much darker tanned skin, black eyes and clothing similar to the boy's. The only difference was the addition of a brown leather cloak around the old man's shoulders.
The room they stood in was nothing special. Well, at least at first. But as Kotetsu glanced around, he noticed that each surface in the room was made of incredibly detailed wooden panels. The panels had intricate nonsensical patterns etched into them. The door was similar to the walls, and was pushed into a groove in the floor and roof that would allow it to slide and reveal the doorway. Besides that, the room held two chairs, a small table holding some cups and a pitcher, and two surprisingly comfortable looking beds. Everything was polished smooth.
Kotetsu finished his inspection of the room, and turned his attention back to the two Senju, who had remained silent, simply watching him with neutral expressions.
"Uh… hi." Kotetsu suddenly felt awkward.
Turning to the boy, the old man spoke with a commanding tone.
"Report."
After that, the boy began to recount his day in an analytical tone. Apparently, the boy had been hunting the boar that Kotetsu encountered for the better part of the day, the boar having escaped just that morning. The boy discussed his encounter with Kotetsu, Kotetsu nodding along as the boy accurately summarised his interrogation. Something the boy said confused Kotetsu.
"My hunt for the Asura has been unsuccessful so far. However, the beast will inevitably fall for a trap sooner or later. I will place more snares once I-"
"Hey."
Kotetsu interrupted after having listened to most of the boy's report. The old man had turned to continue his observation of Kotetsu as the boy told his story. The boy now turned to look at Kotetsu as well, glaring.
"Kind of busy."
"Yeah, I see that. Look, I just have a quick question, then you can continue or whatever. What's an 'Ash-err-uh'?" Kotetsu fumblingly asked, suddenly feeling like he's been in this situation before.
The boy looked annoyed, and was clearly not going to answer the question. Suddenly, the old man spoke.
"You don't know?" His face did not change despite his questioning tone.
Kotetsu shook his head. The boy looked at the old man in surprise.
"Father, what are you doing?"
The old man did not respond to his son.
"The Asura my son speaks of is the boar that you were chasing."
Kotetsu's immediate next question was to ask what the heck an Asura was, but something in the old man's eyes kept him from voicing the question. Kotetsu was absolutely not satisfied with the conversation, but he was at least surprised to learn that the old man was the boy's father. He thought the man was much too old for something like that.
The old man motioned for his son to finish his report, but the son shook his head.
"The rest is purely speculation. How should we question the intruder, father?"
The old man looked contemplatively at Kotetsu. Then he turned, and pointedly stared at the sword slung over his son's shoulder. The son looked at his father with a questioning gaze and reached for the sheath, pulling it off and handing it to the man.
The old man did not reach out to take the sheathed blade. He merely studied it. Then, after several quiet seconds, he reached out and gently tugged at the handle, only to discover that the blade refused to budge. A look of slight surprise was apparent as the old man continued to pull only for the blade to stay firmly locked within its sheath. Nodding in confirmation, the old man turned to peer at Kotetsu, truly appraising him this time. Kotetsu felt a bead of sweat drop down his forehead. The old man let go of the handle.
"Taisei, go and give my request for the Matriarch's presence. She can better judge this situation than either you or I." The old man suddenly spoke, not turning from Kotetsu.
Kotetsu turned to look at the suddenly flustered and nervous boy, who he just discovered was named Taisei.
"...Yes sir."
The boy named Taisei moved to leave, but his father spoke again.
"And, Taisei?"
"Yes?" Taisei turned, holding the door before closing it.
"Please leave the sword with me."
Taisei did not hesitate to put the blade down by the entrance. And with that, the boy was gone, pulling the sliding wooden door shut behind him. Now, Kotetsu was left alone with the curious old man. After a few seconds, the old man moved to one corner of the room, pulling a chair from beneath the small table and taking a seat. He pulled a cup from the table to his face and sipped. Kotetsu could either watch, or pretend that the two of them weren't the only things in the room. He decided to look at the ceiling.
"I knew your grandmother."
Out of all the things that Kotetsu could possibly imagine the old man might say, not one thing was even reasonably close to what he said instead. Snapping his head down, he openly gaped at the old man. The old man did not smile, or frown, or show any emotion. He simply stared back, occasionally bringing the cup to his lips and drinking.
"What… What does that even have to do with any of this?" Kotetsu blurted, honestly and totally confused. Suddenly, sharp intrusive thoughts scraped along the inside of his mind. The horrible thoughts came once again, like a wave trying to overcome a dam. It felt as if his head would explode from the pressure.
"Show him…"
"Be better."
"Escape."
"Do it again."
"I can't win."
The voices came along with endless imagery swirling around his mind. Clenching his eyes shut and gritting his teeth, Kotetsu focused on the act of not thinking. Something he had gotten very good at lately.
Slowly, the barrage weakened, before eventually stopping. Kotetsu slowly opened his eyes. In front of him, he saw the old man still sitting in his chair, but now looking at Kotetsu with an expression of concern. Or disdain, for all Kotetsu could tell. It had only been a minute, perhaps. The old man had not responded to Kotetsu's outburst.
Kotetsu swallowed, but found his mouth to be unusually dry. He tried to smack his cracked lips a few times. Then he remembered just how long it had been since he had drunk more than a few scoops of water. Looking at the old man, Kotetsu's gaze was drawn down to the cup and its mystery liquid.
He was so thirsty.
"Uh, hey, so I know I'm a trespasser and all. But, could I get a drink?" Kotetsu posited.
The old man's face returned to a neutral expression as he observed Kotetsu from his corner. Then, he appeared to actually consider the question, tilting his head to one side. He suddenly got up and, after grabbing a second cup off the table and filling it from the pitcher, walked over and stood before the bound Kotetsu.
"Drink." The old man offered the cup without any hesitation.
Kotetsu opened his mouth, and the old man tipped the cup back, feeling serene as the cool water was greedily absorbed by his body. The cup was empty after only a few seconds. Kotetsu looked down with sadness as the old man pulled the empty cup away. Before the old man could return to his chair, Kotetsu spoke out pleadingly.
"Excuse me, kind sir, I, uh… need to pee. Please." Kotetsu tried tossing in some manners at the last moment, but feared that he was too hasty in his execution. The old man had stopped to look back at him. To Kotetsu's utter astonishment, it appeared that the man was, once again, considering the question.
But before Kotetsu could see what decision the old man came to, the sliding door suddenly opened. Taisei entered first, immediately stepping to one side and pressing his back up to the wall. Another person entered just behind him, much smaller in stature and slightly hunched. An old woman with shoulder length hair turned white from age. Her body was draped in a kaleidoscope of colourful cloth, wrapped in such a manner as to hide where one strip of cloth ended and another began. Kotetsu wondered how awkward it must be to get in or out of the clothing.
The old woman turned his way, and Kotetsu got a look at her face. Her eyes were a piercing yellow, filled with a cold intellect, instantly reminding him of his sister Emilia. She looked first to the old man.
"Touma. What is the meaning of this?"
However, before anyone could speak further, she glanced around the room seemingly out of habit and spotted Kotetsu. Her gaze lingered on his face. If Kotetsu had to describe her expression, she held annoyance upon first entering the room. But now, it slowly shifted to something darker. To Kotetsu, it appeared that her eyes were now filled with hunger. The old woman clearly commanded the attention of the two males.
"...What have you brought me?" The old woman spoke. Her words held the clear tone of an order.
"An intruder, Matriarch. He was caught by one of my son's snares." The old man named Touma reported.
She proceeded to look him up and down.
Kotetsu had no idea what was happening anymore. But he felt as if he had made a huge mistake. When the Matriarch began to smile without any humour, that feeling only solidified, turning into a rock in his gut that tried to pull him off of the wall with its weight. The Matriarch lightly shuffled toward Kotetsu, speaking as she did.
"You're likely curious, brat. Don't worry, you won't be dying today…" The Matriarch's words made Kotetsu's dire situation quite clear.
"I have plenty of questions for you." She stepped in closer.
"Your grandmother will roll in her grave after I'm done with you."
Kotetsu blinked. He panned his eyes around the room, looking first at the old man sitting in his chair whose name was apparently Touma, and Taisei, still pressed to the wall by the entrance. Taisei had a slightly confused look on his face. Finally looking down at the old woman, Kotetsu spoke the only thing on his mind.
"I, too, have a question."
The Matriarch was close enough that Kotetsu could faintly smell incense and clay.
"What is it, brat?"
"Was she nice?" Kotetsu asked with all the caution of a child.