The Will of Wind

Rainbow Dash lifted a kunai gingerly from the small cloth pack lying open on the table. The kit  had been rolled tightly together when it had been tossed to her, bound by a thin piece of fabric. When she had pulled at the simple knot, the tightly furled pack had fallen open, with ten of the knives resting in individual slots. Each one was held loosely by a loop of cloth around the grip to keep the blades from falling out no matter how the ninja contorted their body, while the deadly edges of the kunai were sheathed in small cups of the heavy fabric, keeping the blades from slicing through the kit at some inopportune moment.

It took Rainbow a moment to figure out how to pull the blade from its holster, tugging hard from several angles before her instructor took pity on the girl. Slowly, the man had put his finger through the steel ring of the pommel, and pulled the kunai free from its sheath with a soft schnick. Without a word, he had slid the kunai back into its place, and stepped back to watch.

Now, with one of the heavy knives in her hand, Rainbow looked back to her instructor. The scarred man nodded his head behind her, and she turned to see a straw dummy, vaguely shaped like a human, a few meters away. It had several rings drawn on its body, one in the center of its chest, another on its head, and one on each thigh and wrist. It was the same set of targets that had been painted onto the dummy she had been told to practice her taijutsu attacks on, the vulnerable parts of the human body. The places she could most easily kill or incapacitate a target.

“Throw.” Her teacher grunted, his eyes closed. Rainbow froze for a moment, looking over her shoulder at the man. Then, shaking slightly, she lifted the knife and tightened her grip. She had seen a few ninja practicing with the weapons before. Even the children had tossed around the blades like they were toys. Each and every one of them had held the blades by the padded grip, tossing them with a single fluid movement of their arms. Taking a deep breath, Rainbow straightened, and force her arm to relax. She exhaled slowly, and flicked her arm out like she had seen the others do.

And nearly succeeded in stabbing herself in the foot. The kunai tumbled from her fingers with so little force that it simply fell. Rainbow barely had time to realize that the knife wasn’t speeding towards the target like she had wanted it to, and jerk her foot out of the way of the kunai.

The blade sank into the earth easily, burying itself almost to the hilt. Rainbow felt her pale, human cheeks flush red with embarrassment, and stooped to tug the knife from the ground. She tried again, throwing harder this time, and sent the kunai flying into the table a few feet away, were it stuck in the wood mockingly.

Behind her, her instructor sighed. “Look,” he said, lighting a cigarette with a glowing bulb of flame at his fingertips. He took a slow drag, and sighed out a cloud of smoke. “Have you ever thrown a ball?”

“Um,” Rainbow said, tugging the blade from the table with a grunt. “No, I don’t think so.”

The man opened an eye, giving her a skeptical look. Smoke curled from his nostrils as he sighed, letting his head droop. “Troublesome.”

“You’re holding the kunai wrong.” He said, reaching behind his back to grab one of his own kunai from a pouch. “Look at this? See how my fingers are just resting on it, barely tight enough to keep it from falling? And my index finger is lying along the grip like this?”

Rainbow nodded, shifting her grip to match his. She still wasn’t entirely used to her new fingers, but after days of practicing hand seals with Kumiko, she had achieved a slightly above average grasp of dexterity. The kunai felt odd, held like this, and it strained muscles she hadn’t been aware of, but she managed a rough mimic of her teacher’s grip.

“No.” he sighed, stepping closer to her. “Move your fingers back a bit, and let the ring rest against your palm. Like that. Your fingers are the fulcrum, you let the kunai’s weight keep it in your hand. Feel that?”

“What?” Rainbow said, focusing on the blade between her fingers.

“The way most of the weight is on your last three fingers?” He explained, waiting as Rainbow nodded. “Good. Now, watch my arm. Do you see how my whole arm straightens in one movement? Use your index finger to point where you want the kunai to go when you let it slip between your fingers. Now, try again.”

Rainbow tried again, doing her best to keep everything her teacher said in mind. Once again, the kunai slipped from her fingers, and she felt her face heating up. She glanced back at her instructor, who was watching her beneath lidded eyes, seeming tired. He made no move to correct her though, and she grabbed the kunai from the ground again. Her second try went a little better, with the kunai landing about halfway between her and the target. Pleased with herself, Rainbow snatched another kunai from the pack, and tried again.

This time, she added a little more power to the throw, and was pleased to see it zip through the air. She missed her target, and the knife thudded into a nearby tree, but the young woman practically glowed. Quickly, the rest of her kunai pack followed the first two, the seventh blade even managing to slice into the target dummy’s side. The knife kept flying, and sank into the soft ground several meters further, but the bright yellow of freshly cut straw was a sign of her improvement, and Rainbow was thrilled.

Quickly, she ran out onto the field, and collected her weapons again. At a nod from her teacher, she quickly threw the lot back out, only to miss the target with each throw. She was closer than she had been through, and grinned.

Most of the afternoon passed like this, with her teacher occasionally giving her advice in between long puffs of smoke. Mostly, he leaned against the tree with his eyes closed, or looked up at the clouds passing overhead. Meanwhile, Rainbow threw her new blades again and again, slowly improving her aim. Eventually, when eight out of the ten kunai struck the dummy, her teacher told her to collect her blades. When she got back, she found another dummy had sprung up, a few meters further away. Without a word, she started again, tossing the kunai out and trying to hit the new target.

By late that afternoon, Rainbow was exhausted. Her arms were trembling from strain, and though she hadn’t noticed until she stopped, the cloth grips of her kunai were stained pink from the blisters that had burst on her hands. Her fingertips were rubbed raw, and the pads of her palms were missing several layers of skin as well, bright pink patches worn in the pale flesh. Her teacher had, after she had begun to hit with the kunai more often than not, insisted that she learn how to throw with her other hand as well, and started the whole exercise over again.

Wearily, she trudged over to the target. With a wince, she wrapped her fingers around the handle, and jerked the kunai out of the dummy with weary motions, slipping then back into the pack. She rolled the pack into a tight scroll, tying it clumsily, and stowed the bundle in her own waist pouch. Then she stumbled back to her teacher.

The Nara had been asleep for most of the day, waking up every so often to check on his student’s progress. Now, the tired shuffle of her steps roused him, and he looked up. He glanced at the sky, and then at the tired woman stumbling towards him, sharp eyes noting the slowly beading blood dripping from her fingertips. He sighed.

“You didn’t have to train that hard.” He said, when she was close enough that he wouldn’t have to raise his voice.

Rainbow glanced at him in confusion, head tilted to the side. “I’ve always trained hard. I’ve always dreamed of becoming a Wonderbolt, and they only accept the best fliers. I used to practice all day, every day.” She paused, and added as an afterthought. “At least, when I wasn’t napping.”

The Nara snorted out a laugh, pulling out another cigarette. After a moment’s thought, he held out the pack to her. “Want one?”

Rainbow nodded, pulling one from the pack, and letting her teacher light it. She copied him, holding the small paper thing between two fingers, and lifting the filter to her mouth. She watched as he took a deep drag on the cigarette, watching as the smoldering tip glowed orange in the failing light. Her teacher held his breath for a moment, before exhaling slowly.

Cautiously, Rainbow lifted hers to her mouth as well. The paper tasted like… well, like paper. It took her a moment, but Rainbow realized that she was supposed to hold the thing between her lips, not with her teeth, and she took a small breath.

The acrid taste of smoke made her cough, hacking as the cigarette tumbled from her lips to the ground. Rainbow coughed again, wisps of smoke escaping her mouth, and glared up at her teacher. Voice rough, she demanded “What is that?”

“You’ve never smoked?” Her sensei asked, dry amusement evident. When Rainbow shook her head, he just chuckled. “It isn’t for everyone. I like it, helps me relax.”

Privately, Rainbow thought that if her teacher relaxed anymore, then he might just stop breathing. She didn’t say anything though. Kumiko had heard Rainbow backtalk her, once. Rainbow’s spine ached at the memory of the beating she had received from the annoyed kunoichi afterwards. Instead, she stomped on the innocent looking cigarette, grinding it into the dirt beneath her sandal.

“Not much I can teach you with kunai. Now, you just need to practice. Try to stop before you tear your hand to shreds next time.” He said, cigarette bobbing. He turned and began walking away, lifting a hand in a casual wave as he did. “Kumiko will be back in a few days.”

“Thank you, Sensei.” Rainbow said, bowing like she had been taught. That had been the third lesson her usual teacher had taught her.

“Sure.” The man said, not looking back. A few moments later, and he vanished, seemingly swallowed by the shadows beneath the trees.

When he was gone, Rainbow sighed, and began to walk back into the city. Konoha, being a ninja village, didn’t keep the same hours that most cities did. Many establishments, from markets to weapon shops, were open at night, to serve the ninja who might be more of a nocturnal bent.

Ichiraku’s Ramen was one such establishment. From what Ayame had told Rainbow, her father cooked in the morning and early afternoon, while she did the work in the evenings. From what Rainbow could tell, the two made a tidy profit, and more importantly, they made food that was as close to divine Rainbow had tasted since the last time she had been at the Grand Galloping Gala.

She had stumbled into the small ramen stand, literally, by accident one day after training. Kumiko had handed Rainbow her rump, yet again, and the sparring match had left the young woman angry and sore. When she had stumbled into the stand, the hostess had told her that she was going to sit down and have a decent meal, before she dropped.

It hadn’t taken long for the two women to become friends, Rainbow’s first since coming to this strange new world. Ayame was happy to have someone to talk to, since her little brother had gone off to train two years ago, and Rainbow loved the food, and the company.

Wearily, she dropped onto one of the stools, and let her head fall onto the counter with a thud. From the small kitchen, she heard a chuckle. “Hello Rainbow. Hard day?”

Rainbow groaned loudly, and lifted her head just enough to speak. “I was learning how to throw kunai.” she mumbled, hoping she was loud enough to hear. “Sensei said I worked too hard.”

From the kitchen, she heard a snort, and Ayame poked her head through the doorway, lifting the cloth flaps away from her face. “Out of curiousity, was he about this tall, with dark hair that looked like a pineapple?”

“Huh?” Rainbow asked, looking up. “You know him?”

Ayame snorted, and rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know him. His name is Nara Shikamaru, and if you were moving at all, he would think you’re training too hard. He’s probably the only person lazier than Hatake Kakashi.”

“What? You mean Kumiko-sensei passed me off to some bum?”

“He isn’t a bum” Ayame reprimanded, bopping Rainbow in the head with a ladle. “He may be lazy, but Shikamaru is a genius. He was the first one of his group to be made a Chunin, even though he lost his fight.”

“What fight?”

“Oh, I forgot. You weren’t here for the Chunin Exams. They’re a really big test that ninja take to see if they are qualified to become Chunin. Last year’s test had a written exam, and then two fighting contests. They had so few teams make it through the written portion that they didn’t bother with a second phase. Shikamaru and Naruto both went through the exam together, on different teams. I was watching the fighting tournament that day, and even though Shikamaru lost his fight, he only did because he didn’t have enough chakra to win, and he knew it. He outsmarted his competition, and when the Hokage saw how he acted, he was promoted to be the first Chunin out of the twenty or so combatants.”

“Wow,” Rainbow murmured, feeling impressed. “So he’s dangerous?”

Ayame looked at her young friend with a raised eyebrow. “He’s a ninja.”

“Oh, right.” Rainbow blushed a little, and hastily tried to cover her embarrassment. “So, can I get some ramen?”

Ayame rolled her eyes, and ducked back into the kitchen. She returned a moment later with a large bowl of noodles and broth, setting it down in front of Rainbow. “Miso ramen, with carrots and lettuce, just like you like it.”

Rainbow let out a happy little “Squee!” and dove in.

“Hey, Ayame?” Rainbow asked, turning to look out at the city. It had taken her a few days to get used to the open and airy ramen stand. Kumiko had left her student with enough money to buy herself dinner when she was done with the days training, but had vanished immediately after handing off the small pouch of ryou notes. Rainbow had been left to wander around the village until she caught the delicious scent of lettuce and what she soon found was peanut oil.

Her nose had lead her into a small restaurant, where the man behind the counter was grilling an assortment of vegetables. The pegasus had found it odd that, time after time, she had found herself indoors. In Ponyville, very little was done indoors that wasn’t private. Eating, shopping, even most taverns were all outdoors, sheltered beneath an awning if there was a storm scheduled. It seemed that Konoha was the opposite, with all but a few places being bounded by four sturdy walls, and a solid roof.

Except the little ramen stand, which was as much a part of her love for Ayame’s business as the delicious ramen the young woman cooked. One of the reasons that she loved the lack of walls was the feel of wind on her skin. But the more practical part was that it gave the ninja-in-training a wider range of vision. There was usually nothing to see, only a few civilians going about their business as night fell, and a few of the shops for ninja turning on their signs. Tonight was different though.

“Yes,” Ayame answered, poking her head out of the small kitchen, one hand lifted to brush aside the strips of cloth that curtained the doorframe. “What is it, Rainbow?”

“Who is that?” Rainbow pointed out into the gloom, at a trio of small figures standing in front of one of the nearby shops. The figures were hard to make out in the darkness, but she could just make out a long scarf wrapped about the neck of the leader of the squad. They had several small boxes arrayed nearby, and were looking around furtively.

“Oh,” Ayame said, rolling her eyes and smiling. “That would be the Konohamaru Corp.”

“Who?” Rainbow asked, turning back to face the woman. She caught Ayame chuckling as she looked out at the trio. Briefly, Ayame lifted a hand, waving to the troublemakers, before turning to her new friend.

“Konohamaru Sarutobi, Moegi, and Udon. They are a genin team, and they are the local pranksters.”

“Pranksters, huh?” Rainbow said, rubbing her chin as she turned a speculative eye back at the three ninja. “What!?”

 By the time she turned around, the pranksters were gone, along with the boxes that must have contained various paints. They had left behind what, Rainbow supposed, would be considered graffiti. It was surprisingly… well, she hesitated to call it beautiful, but the artwork was most definitely striking. The front of the store, including the doorway and windows, was painted over to depict a massive, nine-tailed fox. It’s tails lashed out behind the creature, and fire leaked from between ferocious jaws. And standing before the fox, undaunted, was another figure in orange. A shock of blonde hair covered the figures head, and a glowing ball of blue and white rested in each of his palms. In the painting, the figure’s head was turned just enough for one piercing blue eye to glare back at whoever was looking at the picture, as if warning them not to interfere in his battle. three whiskers were visible on his face, and his mouth was contorted into a feral growl.

“How did they paint that so fast?” Rainbow asked, turning back to Ayame. Her mouth was opened to ask another question, when she saw the look on the young woman’s face.

Rainbow had never seen Ayame look so lonely before. Usually the young woman was cheerful, always ready to greet a passerby with a smile and a wave. But looking at the picture, at the storefront directly across from her little stand, she looked horribly sad. Rainbow could see longing in the woman’s dark eyes, and in the way her knuckles were white as she clutched her ladle to her chest.

Rainbow had never been the most observent pony, but after seven months of grueling training by ninja, she had been forced to pick up more than a little talent for it. She had been instructed in all sorts of expressions and body language, in listening to what was unsaid as much as what was spoken aloud. She had even been taught how to fake several of those reactions herself, though Kumiko had merely deemed her adequate at such fakery.

Ayame was a civilian though, and Rainbow doubted that the woman would have the training needed to fool even a student ninja. Everything, from the way the ramen chef was leaning slightly forward, as if about to run, to the slight crinkling of brow and eye told Rainbow what she needed to know. It was enough to make the brash young woman bite her tongue, and speak softly.

“You love him, huh?”

Ayame jumped, letting go of her ladle as she turned to face Rainbow. She opened her mouth, ready to deny the accusation, but saw the serious look on the normally cocky woman’s face. Ayame’s mouth snapped shut, and she nodded jerkily, almost as if she were afraid to admit it.

Rainbow nodded her head, and gave her friend a warm smile. “Who is he?”

“His name is… Uzumaki Naruto. He’s sort of like Konohamaru’s mascot, and his idol. He see’s Naruto as somewhere between a rival, a friend, a father, and Kami incarnate.” Ayame chuckled, and Rainbow felt her ears twitch as she detected a faint tremble in the woman’s laugh. Ayame looked down, worrying her ladle with both hands as she spoke slowly. “Naruto… he isn’t well liked in the village. Most of the civilians hate him, and while most of the ninja don’t hate him, exactly, they certainly don’t like him. The older generation, at least, ignore him. Even among his own age group, he only has a few friends.”

Rainbow nodded her head, keeping quiet as she waited for the woman to continue.

“It was… bad, when he was young.” Ayame whispered, knuckles going white again. This time though, Rainbow could tell by the harsh lines as the woman tensed herself, it wasn’t sadness. For the first time since she had met the woman, Rainbow saw her friend angry. “Most stores wouldn’t serve him, and the places that did charged him four or five times what they normally do. He had to eat scraps, and live in a horrible little apartment for years. He… from what he said, he had to choose between a roof and eating about half the time.”

Rainbow’s eyebrows jumped as she blinked in surprise. Then they too furrowed as she felt indignant anger boiling in her own chest. Slowly, her hands curled into fists.

“He was six when we moved to Konoha. He had been living on the street for a year, since his landlord had raised his rent again.” Ayame’s voice was trembling as she spoke, and Rainbow could see her eyes glistening with tears. The thick coils of anger and grief gripped the chef, and her breaths grew shallow as she tried to control herself. “The first time he came to the shop, he was so little. Daddy gave him some ramen for free, we felt so bad for him. Then, when he said how yummy it was, Daddy told him to come back tomorrow for the grand opening.”

By now, Rainbow could feel her own chest tighten in sympathy with her friend, and with the plight of a child she didn’t even know. In Equestria, foals were precious, and nopony would even think of treating one so horribly. Ayame’s words grew choked as the tears she had been holding back with her anger began to spill out anyway.

“He said he couldn’t afford it, that he had no money. That the restaurant he lived behind charged him almost all of his money to rent a box, and a blanket. And when I tried to give him a hug, he fell off his stool, trying to run away. He thought I was going to hurt him, and take the money he had left.”

With that, Ayame fell forward, catching herself on the counter. Her head was lowered, and the tight bun she had pinned her hair up into had come undone, hiding her face behind a brunette curtain. Her shoulder’s shook are she cried, but Rainbow could see her hands. She had dropped the ladle, it had clattered to the floor as she fell forward. Her hands had been splayed on the counter when she caught herself, but now they were curled into tight fists.

When Ayame spoke, words broken by her silent sobs, her words carried a venom Rainbow hadn’t thought possible from the sweet woman.

“He didn’t know what a hug was. He had never been held, been touched by someone who didn’t want to hurt him.” Ayame lifted a fist and slammed it down on the countertop. “Nobody had ever been nice to him before. They hated him, every adult in the village. They were cruel and petty, and they hurt a child. Daddy asked Naruto if he had anything in his box, and told him to fetch his precious things. He looked so scared, like he thought Daddy was going to take them from him, but he went anyway. When he left, Daddy told me to go home, and pull out an extra futon.”

By the time she had finished speaking, Ayame had calmed herself enough to speak without sobbing. She thudded her fist against the counter again, before taking several deep breaths. Then, as she exhaled, she stood straight. Brushing her hair back, she smiled at Rainbow. Even if it was watery, Rainbow could see that genuine happiness behind the smile.

“Since then, Naruto lived with us. Up until last year, when he left with his sensei to train. And ever since that day, I’ve never seen Naruto sad. Even when he’s upset, he always has a smile for everyone, trying to make everyone a little happier.” Her smile faltered for a moment, and melancholy stole over her features. “Except for the last day of the Chunin Exams. Konoha was attacked by Oto and Suna, and we almost lost. Konoha won the battle, and Suna sued for peace soon after. But the battle cost us our Hokage, the only person Naruto had before he met me and Daddy. And Daddy died in the attack. A giant snake crushed the stand before he could get out. I was watching the finals at the time. That was the only time Naruto stopped smiling.”

Rainbow stood, walking quickly around the counter. Before she could second guess herself, she reached out, wrapping her arms around Ayame. She could feel the woman shaking, and it took a moment before the pegasus realized that she wasn’t the only one. Ayame hugged Rainbow tight, squeezing her friend wordlessly. Speaking softly, the chef’s breathing began to steady out.

“Thank you, Rainbow. I… haven’t been able to talk to anybody about Naruto since Daddy… since he died. And Naruto left right after. I guess it’s been… on my mind recently. It’s almost his birthday.”

“He won’t be back for his birthday?” Rainbow asked, pulling away from the other woman. Silently, Ayame shook her head. To her surprise, Rainbow found herself grinning. “Well, that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate it anyway, does it? When is his birthday?”

“October tenth,” Ayame said, with an odd edge to her voice. She had tensed again as she spoke, as if she expected the words to anger Rainbow Dash.

“Well, we’re going to have a celebration. And you can tell me all about him, if you want. After all, I’d love to hear about how you two fell in love.” Rainbow said, before slapping a hand over her mouth. Her cheeks flushed a brilliant scarlet as she stared wide eyed at her friend.

“Don’t worry,” Ayame laughed, bending down to grab her ladle. “I won’t tell anyone that the big bad Rainbow Dash has a girly side.”

Rainbow, like the mature pony she had been before her transformation, did the only thing a self respecting ninja could do in the situation. She ignored her brilliant blush, and stuck her tongue out at the ramen chef.