{"id":1052,"date":"2014-04-23T00:34:59","date_gmt":"2014-04-23T04:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/?p=1052"},"modified":"2020-05-15T10:23:17","modified_gmt":"2020-05-15T14:23:17","slug":"37-running-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/?p=1052","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 37 – Running Away"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author’s Note: Chapter notes to come soon!<\/em><\/p>\n

Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose and stifled a sigh.<\/p>\n

But Katsuro didn\u2019t relent. He sat across the table looking straight past Itachi\u2019s dango stick and into his black eyes. He wanted an answer.<\/p>\n

It had been the only bright spot on the horizon for a week now. Clomping through the backwaters of Rain and the windy wastelands of the territories surrounding it, Katsuro thought of all the things he wanted to ask Itachi. When he finally met up with him at a dusty roadside dango stand, he wasted no time getting to the point.<\/p>\n

But Itachi wasn\u2019t as forthcoming as he\u2019d hoped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell then, what exactly<\/i> did Pain mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018\u201cHe meant exactly<\/i> what he\u2019d said,\u201d Itachi said blandly. \u201cAt 21 your chakra will fuse with the kyuubi\u2019s. You will no longer need to house it in the cell, and you will have complete access to all its chakra. That\u2019s what he meant by \u2018ultimate weapon.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy 21?\u201d<\/p>\n

Itachi shrugged, looking uninterested. \u201cWhy not? I didn\u2019t decide it, that\u2019s just the way it works.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo there have been others\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course there have been other containers for the kyuubi before you,\u201d Itachi said as if scolding a child. \u201cYou know this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katsuro ground his teeth. It was true, he did know that there\u2019d been others before him. But he never really thought about it . Someone else had held this terrifying power inside them\u2026. What happened to them?<\/i><\/p>\n

Katsuro\u2019s eyes darted over the rough-hewn table, thinking. \u201cPain said if I joined Akatsuki I could learn how to better control it. But what else is there to learn? I\u2019m doing fine on my own\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Itachi nearly rolled his eyes. \u201cSome things must be experienced, not explained\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

But the days of waiting and wondering and worrying had all caught up with Katsuro.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s worth me joining that group<\/i> that I can\u2019t figure out on my own\u2026or that you can\u2019t teach me,\u201d Katsuro snapped, leaning over the table. \u201cWhat does Pain know that you don\u2019t!?\u201d<\/p>\n

Itachi slammed his hand down, making the dango sticks jump in the tray. Katsuro knew he\u2019d finally struck a nerve.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is <\/span>nothing<\/i> that Pain knows that <\/span>I<\/i> don\u2019t. You wouldn\u2019t be here otherwise,\u201d Itachi growled. \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for <\/span>me<\/i>, you\u2019d be rotting in a Konoha jail cell.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Itachi\u2019s flare of emotion passed as quickly as it came. He took a breath, his voice evened out and he resumed his calculated calm.<\/p>\n

\u201cPain and I want the same for you, but we have\u2026<\/span>different<\/i> ideas about your path. Which is to be expected. He is from Rain, I am from Konoha. Even within an organization like Akatsuki, we are bound to retain our differences. However,\u201d Itachi added with a small smirk, speaking more to himself, \u201cthe Rain <\/span>is<\/i> doomed to fall.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His hand hovered over the tray then picked out another spear of dumplings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro frowned, utterly confused. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Itachi looked up, almost pitying. \u201cSometimes I forget you weren\u2019t brought up in Konoha.\u201d He swirled the dango in its sticky syrup.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a reason why the Rain is no longer a country. Why they lost it all. And Konoha had a significant hand in that.\u201d Katsuro thought Itachi sounded almost proud as he said it. \u201cYou are from Konoha, as am I. As is the kyuubi<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Itachi flicked his eyes to Katsuro\u2019s gut and took a bite out of the dango. Katsuro instantly clamped his hand over his stomach, feeling self-conscious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Itachi smirked as he chewed. \u201cWhen I was a boy in academy, there was a saying we often used during spars, \u2018The Rain is doomed to fall.\u2019\u201d His smile turned cruel. \u201cIt means that, like the Rain country in our history books, you\u2019re going to loose. It\u2019s inevitable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Itachi took another bite, locking eyes with Katsuro.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPain\u2019s methods are born of the Rain. No matter what the outcome, they will always fall behind Konoha.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro pressed his lips together, immediately thinking of the old captain and how many years he had struggled to see his country rise from the black waters. Even Pain had spoken passionately about Rain\u2019s resurgence, though reclaimed metal and stolen goods were the only thing keeping the place afloat now. But this is what the other countries really saw them as \u2014 a joke. The butt-end of a children\u2019s rhyme.<\/p>\n

The sense of purpose Katsuro felt the last few days inexplicably left him. He didn\u2019t think it was possible to feel worse, but the thought of the Captain\u2019s hopes, the hard-scrabble life of the Rain citizens, even the elaborate levels of protection, now made more sense. They had lost everything, just like Pain had said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro liked Konoha even less now. He didn\u2019t care how powerful Itachi made it out to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPain and I are at odds over your path. I think he took a calculated risk in telling you anything about the bijuu. I would not have done it, simply to protect you. In case you were caught or interrogated, ignorance offers a great deal of protection. But,\u201d Itachi shrugged. \u201cI suppose it\u2019s his way of persuading you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro sighed hopelessly. \u201cI still see no reason to join Akatsuki.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Itachi dropped the empty spear on the tray and shrugged as if it was already decided. \u201cThere are things that, as a host, you must learn by experience. Like a jutsu. It can\u2019t simply be taught. You must establish a bond, and Akatsuki is the correct step for you at this point in your development\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>My<\/i> development? Or the <\/span>demon\u2019s<\/i>,\u201d Katsuro said, suddenly feeling like a pawn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Itachi looked at him coldly. \u201cThey are both the same. You and the demon are intertwined. Inseparable.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The words felt like a noose around Katsuro\u2019s neck, tightening slowly\u2026confirming something he didn\u2019t want to accept.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Itachi continued, reciting as if reading from a textbook. \u201cAt 21, the host and demon chakras fuse completely and the demon vacates its cell. The kyuubi\u2019s chakra harmonizes with its jinchuriki and can be used at to its full potential without killing its host\u2026<\/span>if <\/i>it is done properly, of course. The host must be conditioned, trained and\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But catching the growing turmoil in Katsuro\u2019s face, Itachi lightened his tone. \u201cWell\u2026just unnecessary details, really. But that\u2019s when you become the \u2018ultimate weapon.\u2019 Incomprehensible power, all at your command.\u201d Itachi picked up the last dango stick and tipped his head. \u201cIsn\u2019t that what you\u2019ve always wanted? When I found you back in Konoha, and all you could spout about was how you wanted to be a shinobi? Well, if you follow the path we\u2019ve laid out for you, you could be the most powerful shinobi in the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro didn\u2019t respond. He picked sullenly at a splinter on the wooden table.<\/span><\/p>\n

Was this really what he wanted? To be the most powerful shinobi in the world? He certainly didn\u2019t feel powerful. Or special.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead this just felt like one more in a long line of blows. Konoha didn\u2019t want him. Sakura didn\u2019t want him. And Itachi\u2026well the answer was right in front of him, wasn\u2019t it? His worth was only what was locked in his gut. The life that housed it was inconsequential. He was only a vessel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Being the most powerful shinobi in the world was just a consolation prize.<\/span><\/p>\n

An all-too-familiar emptiness was slowly returning, chilling him to the core. He was unwanted in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

There were more things he wanted to ask, more facts that gnawed at him. And Itachi hadn\u2019t answered all his questions, not really, when Itachi suddenly looked to the road.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGood. They\u2019re here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro turned around. No one was there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am meeting some Akatsuki members,\u201d Itachi said. \u201cYou might want to stick around. If Pain has given you two weeks, they may help you decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is it,\u201d Katsuro asked, squinting into the distance. Someone must have tripped Itachi\u2019s traps at the edge of town. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeauty and the Beast, as you call them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro grimaced and stood quickly, ignoring Itachi\u2019s soft chuckle. Hidan and Kakuzu. Where most of the Akatsuki were intimidating, these two were\u2026<\/span>different<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo thanks. I need to be going.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lips curving into a sphinx-like smile, Itachi merely shrugged. Katsuro strode hastily for the corner of the shack, a little surprised that Itachi didn\u2019t try to stop him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was only at the moment that he rounded the corner, freedom nearly in sight, that Katsuro realized Itachi must have known\u2026. He nearly collided with\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Hidan.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Tall, lean and ridiculously handsome with his platinum hair and sharp grey eyes, Hidan grinned down at Katsuro from the middle of the path. He angled his triple-blade scythe in front of Katsuro, barring his escape.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh,\u201d he drawled, \u201cjust who I was hoping to see.\u201d Hidan sauntered toward Katsuro, pushing him back into the open until he was even with the tables of the dango stand.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Hidan walked, his black Akatsuki robe fell open, exposing the defined ripples of his chest and the glinting medallion that hung perfectly in the middle. Katsuro couldn\u2019t help but look directly at it, and Hidan knew it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hidan smiled toothily, reminding Katsuro why he disliked him. Hidan always carried an air that his good looks alone got him into Akatsuki. But Katsuro knew it was only a mask. His real face was the one he assumed for his depraved \u2018religion\u2019 and its lust for blood.<\/p>\n

Katsuro forced a polite smile, trying to buy some time, but his lip only curled in distaste. He bowed his head, deciding the open road behind him was the best option for escape.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou would make such a lovely sacrifice,\u201d Hidan cooed before calling over to Itachi, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you let me have him, Itachi-san. I\u2019d pay you well for him.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hidan reached out to tousle Katsuro\u2019s hair, but Katsuro jerked his head away. That was the last straw. Scowling, Katsuro turned on his heel to go, but instead he nearly ran his nose straight into the enormous black figure that had materialized behind him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A gravelly chuckle rippled through the air above his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kakuzu.<\/i><\/p>\n

Katsuro slowly tipped his face up. Kakuzu stood nearly a head taller than his partner. Where Hidan was trim and sculpted, Kakuzu was a huge and hulking. Where Hidan was beautiful, Kakuzu was hideous.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The skin across the center of his face was swarthy and unevenly matched. His eyes were blood-shot where they should have been white, and the clouded green irises that floated in the middle reminded Katsuro of spots of mold on fruit. And that was only the parts he could see. The rest of Kakuzu\u2019s face and head was covered by a cowl. A triangle of fabric hid his mouth and the enormous Akatsuki cloak concealed the rest of him. Katsuro couldn\u2019t imagine what else he was hiding beneath it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s useless to you, <\/span>dead man<\/i>,\u201d Kakuzu said, easing forward as he spoke and forcing Katsuro backwards.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAw now, don\u2019t be like that,\u201d Hidan said, a smile in his voice. \u201cI could use someone like him. He\u2019d be like\u2026an accessory! He would do my bidding, fetch my food and drink\u2026.\u201d Hidan nodded to Itachi who was pushing away the dango tray, unperturbed. \u201cAnd when he stops being useful I can sacrifice him to Jashin. See it\u2019s a win for everyone!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro glanced over at Itachi, silently cursing him for not helping out. They were just toying with him. Katsuro had long ago been instructed to be polite any Akatsuki member, no matter what they did, but still\u2026. Itachi didn\u2019t need to hang him out to dry like this. What happened to all that \u2018ultimate weapon\u2019 talk?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Out of the corner of his eye Katsuro caught Kakuzu\u2019s arm raising toward him, as if to point. The sleeve fell back exposing the black stitches that held together the skin on his forearm like a badly sewn doll. But Katsuro\u2019s eyes went painfully wide as the skin on Kakuzu\u2019s arm came alive with squirming movement and black tendons erupt from the seam. They wound slowly out of his skin, writhing and glistening in the light, moving straight for Katsuro\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n

Katsuro scrambled back, bumping into Hidan once and bouncing off, but he was pinned. Itachi never even looked up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe might actually be worth some coin if his name was in the bingo book,\u201d Kakuzu said. A black sinew snaked toward Katsuro\u2019s hair. Katsuro tried to dodge it, but another grasped his collar. \u201cThere\u2019s a couple of boys in there. But none like you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From behind, Hidan sunk his fingers into Katsuro\u2019s hair, ruffling it once before twisting hard and jerking his head over to expose his neck. Katsuro tried to fight, but Hidan\u2019s hand clamped down on his shoulder like a vice .\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kakuzu closed the gap between them. The black threads closed in. Katsuro stilled his movement, his body reacting instinctively to the predatory threat. Kakuzu\u2019s tendons slithered along the top of his cloak, licked at his neck and brushed his collarbone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taking delight in the fear and disgust on Katsuro\u2019s face, Kakuzu laughed meanly down at him. \u201cYou still have some secret lurking beneath the surface, don\u2019t you boy.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro cranked his head around, sure that Itachi would intervene, but to his horror, Itachi was watching now with a smirk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A black tendon coiled around Katsuro\u2019s neck and pressed hard against his jumping pulse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kakuzu smiled greedily. \u201cIt sits there,\u201d he hissed down into his face, \u201cright beneath the surface, waiting\u2026.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro growled and tried to jerk away, but Hidan\u2019s knuckles dug into his scalp. \u201cAh-ah-ah!\u201d he sing-songed with an extra tug.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cold tendrils slid beneath the top of his cloak. The skin at the base of his throat throbbed with his pounding heartbeat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heat was beginning to spiral in Katsuro\u2019s gut, waking in response to his emotion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can feel it there, fluttering\u2026.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro looked up at Kakuzu, a new fear brimming in his eyes with the realization that the kyuubi might have been discovered\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

Itachi didn\u2019t seem to care. He only sat chuckling at Katsuro\u2019s struggle, not even attempting to intervene.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro\u2019s cheeks burned in anger and an arc of demon chakra flared behind his navel, hot and wild.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Laughing, Hidan ended his torment, released his fingers with a final tousle and walked around the pair.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Kakuzu, who\u2019s black threads were still pressing into Katsuro\u2019s pulse points, felt the shift in chakra. He frowned at the sudden surge of power, the curious anomaly.\u2026 Katsuro could see the question forming in eyes\u2026. <\/span>How could that kind of power radiate from such a scrawny whelp\u2026.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cKakuzu, you don\u2019t want his heart. It\u2019s too little for you,\u201d Hidan said over his shoulder as he passed, sounding bored with the whole idea of him now. \u201cHe\u2019s better off with Itachi.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hidan flung himself onto the bench across from Itachi, letting his robe fall open again to its best advantage, and flicked two fingers for more dango trays.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seeing this as his chance, Katsuro ripped himself away, leaving the tendons grasping in mid-air and a deep frown on Kakuzu\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with him, Itachi,\u201d Kakuzu barked out, the fabric over his mouth puffing out with the words.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing,\u201d Itachi said, voice firm, accepting no argument. \u201cCome sit down. Have some dango. You don\u2019t need his heart too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro willed his pounding heartbeat to slow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That was what Kakuzu was after. My heart. And Itachi knew it. Damn Itachi. Damn Akatsuki.<\/i><\/p>\n

Katsuro pulled the cloak tight around his neck and glared at them. Kakuzu watched him suspiciously while the tendrils slowly coiled back up into his sleeve and disappeared.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, <\/span>old man<\/i>, come have some sweets,\u201d Hidan called around a mouthful of dumplings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro backed away, still watching them. Kakuzu slowly stalked to the table.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAw, you won\u2019t stay?\u201d Hidan taunted Katsuro like a schoolyard bully, waving a spear in the air. \u201cYou don\u2019t want a dango stick too?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro ignored Hidan\u2019s robust laughter and disappeared out of sight of the building.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But long after the laughter had stopped ringing in his ears and the cold pressure closing in on his windpipe had ceased, Katsuro still couldn\u2019t escape the feeling that he was trapped.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Kneeling beside the sluggish stream in the dim evening light, Katsuro rinsed his bowl in the little trough of pooled water they\u2019d dug when they\u2019d first set up camp. It had been an extra effort, but Katsuro had insisted. Now he was glad they\u2019d dug it. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When they first arrived to these barren woodlands deep in the Forest territory two weeks ago, the stream had been robust. Taichi took it as an auspicious sign, so they set up camp nearby. But it turned out the stream had just been flush with rain water. Now it trickled down in murky rivulets, puddling in some places and disappearing into wet muck in others. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not paying attention, Katsuro dipped the bowl in too deep and caught its lip in the cloudy silt. He sighed and rinsed it again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitting back on his heels, Katsuro wiped the bowl dry on the inside of his shirt. His knees made deep depressions in soft leafy ground. He could hear Itachi\u2019s voice in his head, telling him he should hide these obvious traces of his presence\u2026but he couldn\u2019t bring himself to care. These woods were as empty as he felt inside.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro pitched forward to stand and caught his face looking back from the pooled water. He quickly swung his eyes away. Dirt and leaves crumbled from his knees as he stood, shattering the reflection.<\/span><\/p>\n

He walked slowly back down the hill to their camp. Time was running out on him. Tomorrow they would meet up with Itachi. He had to provide an answer for Pain. Join Akatsuki or no.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He sighed. His answer was still the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing had happened that would make him change his mind. In fact, in the last 10 days, nothing had happened at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

They stayed in place, as Itachi has commanded, hunkered down while rumored shinobi scouts worked over the woodlands to the north and the south. But they never saw a speck of evidence of anyone else in these rolling woods. The specter of nins had held them in place for nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro\u2019s team brought this point home at every opportunity. Two weeks of being stuck at a camp with nothing to do had pushed them to the brink. The three men had agreed with it at first, but when the threat never appeared, boredom became their biggest enemy, pitting them against each other. But they\u2019d overcome it and united to work on Katsuro, hinting then begging then demanding. Well, demanding as much as they dared.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They wanted a night off. Just one. The lights of the nearest town filled their nightly campfire ruminations. They saw its lights glowing on the horizon \u2014 so Taichi figured it must be a decent size. They heard snatches of tunes \u2014 so Joro decided there must be tea houses and gaming halls. And sometimes, if the wind was just right, they even smelled cooking food \u2014 Koro swore it was sizzling skewers of meat from a street cart but Joro bickered that he could tell the mouth-watering waft of fresh ramen anywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro said nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n

By their last evening they had given up browbeating Katsuro and had sunk into outright pouting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro wasn\u2019t sure if they\u2019d worn him down or if he was simply inclined to agree with their repeated insistence that there was no one else around for miles. Or maybe he was just was numbed to the normal alertness he had always prized as a shinobi skill because it felt like<\/i> they were alone.<\/p>\n

Or maybe it was just his own feelings lately. He shook his head knelt down at the base of a tree where their mess-kit sack was propped, set the bowl down and jerked the bag open.<\/span><\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t matter now. They were already gone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As soon as the sun had dropped behind the hills and it was dark enough to travel with a modicum of stealth he had told them to go. They decamped immediately, not wanting to give him a chance to change his mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only Joro lagged behind. His small flashlight danced across the inside of his tent, and Katsuro thought to himself that he was probably still trying on clothes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro was just adjusting the stack of bowls already in the sack to make room for his when footsteps crinkled in the leaves behind him. Katsuro turned in mild surprise to see Joro stand there looking almost\u2026embarrassed. If Katsuro stared up at Joro\u2019s boyish face in the dim light, and he would\u2019ve sworn Joro was even blushing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh, boss, could I have a word?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro could fathom about what but nodded once anyway. \u201cUh\u2026sure.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joro cleared his throat, going from embarrassed to uncomfortable. A true blush burned onto his cheeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026. You see\u2026. There was this\u2026. Er, I was wondering\u2026. What I mean to say is\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSpit it out,\u201d Katsuro said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joro opened and closed his mouth like a fish, but the right words never came to him. Giving up, he shoved his hand down in a pocket and slowly drew out a necklace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He unfurled it in front of Katsuro\u2019s face, and it was all Katsuro could do not to fall backwards as if he\u2019d been punched.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sakura\u2019s necklace swung in front of his eyes, like it had years ago at the market. He dropped the bowl on the top of the bag and reached up slowly to take take the necklace. It was just like this, so long ago at that market, when he was still with her\u2026.<\/i><\/p>\n

But suddenly his open expression shuttered. He closed his fist before he touched the swinging stone. He was no longer with <\/span>her<\/i>. He turned back to the bag and wrenched up the bowl, refusing to look at the blasted necklace a moment longer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want, Joro,\u201d Katsuro ground out, guessing at his request but wanting to hear it spoken aloud.<\/p>\n

Joro cleared his throat again. \u201cWell, I found this, in that town we staked out. And I was wonderin\u2019 if I could\u2014\u201c He cleared his throat again. \u201cWell, I was wonderin\u2019 if it was yours. And if you didn\u2019t want it, then maybe I could\u2026um\u2026have it\u2026?\u201d His voice rose a notch before thinning out completely.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro guessed right. And what did it matter, anyway? Sakura didn\u2019t want him, so why should he want something that only brought up painful memories of her? He could hear Itachi\u2019s voice, telling him that emotional attachments would get you killed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro set his jaw. \u201cWhatever. I don\u2019t care,\u201d he said ruthlessly, shoving his bowl down onto the others with a hard clank then cinching the bag so tight the ropes nearly snapped. \u201cKeep it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGreat,\u201d Joro said, hurling the necklace into the air and catching it with the same hand. \u201cThanks boss! This will get me a long way toward getting into their good graces at the tea house.\u201d His smile curled impishly and his eyes twinkled. There was no trace of blush now. He waggled his eyebrows, adding, \u201cIf you know what I mean.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro blinked at the tree in front of him, not seeing it. Instead another scene unfolded before his eyes: He saw a tea house girl in her perfect kimono gasping at the necklace and holding it up to the light. He imagined her admiring it with her big brown eyes before Joro fastened it around her neck, clasping it beneath her upswept black hair.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Something possessive snarled to life inside Katsuro \u2014 something deep and angry and strangely un-kyuubi-like \u2014 and blocked out everything else.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It would never belong to another girl. That necklace was Sakura\u2019s. And if she didn\u2019t want it, then it belonged to him and him alone.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cOn second thought,\u201d Katsuro said firmly and held his hand out to the side, palm open. Joro stopped babbling about his conquests. He looked from Katsuro\u2019s hand to the necklace and back again before he understood.<\/span><\/p>\n

With a sigh that sounded almost like a whine Joro slowly stepped forward. Very reluctantly, he dropped the pendant into Katsuro\u2019s outstretched hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The moment Katsuro curled his fingers around the familiar stone, remembering the weight and feel of the pendant, he was instantly certain he\u2019d done the right thing. He opened his hand in front of his chest, greedily keeping the first glimpse of it all to himself. The stone glittered in his hand, the shades of jade and the streaks of white still visible even in the dying firelight. He suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted off him, one that he didn\u2019t know he\u2019d been carrying.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Katsuro wasn\u2019t cruel. \u201cSorry,\u201d he said curtly over his shoulder to Joro. \u201cMaybe you can find something else for your girl\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, you know\u2026.\u201d Joro said, kicking at the ground and sounding very much like child banking his disappointment. They both knew there was nothing out in these woods that would tempt a tea house girl. Joro hung around for a moment more, hoping Katsuro might take pity and change his mind, but eventually gave up and trudged down the path after Taichi and Koro.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alone again, Katsuro pushed the sack against the base of a tree and leaned back on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

He rubbed the rectangular jade stone between his thumb and forefinger once before holding it up in the fading light. Light from the embers shot through translucent leaf-greens, the deep shadowy emeralds and the clouded whites as it swung, and Katsuro remember how viciously angry he was when he tore it off in that bathroom. Now, in the soft darkness, he was surprised to discover it wasn\u2019t nearly as painful to behold.<\/span><\/p>\n

He felt torn over wanting to keep it. He knew he should hate it because of what Sakura had done\u2026. But having it again, he admitted to himself what a mistake he\u2019d made in throwing it away that day. He was so thankful it had come back to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

He bounced the stone in his hand, enjoying the feel of it just as he\u2019d done so many times in the past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was more than just a token of her, though. Hell, she didn\u2019t even know he had it. The old man had given it to him, <\/span>knowing<\/i> that he didn\u2019t have \u2018his girl\u2019 anymore. So really, it wasn\u2019t hers at all. It was <\/span>his<\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He turned the stone over once in his hand and saw it with new eyes as the realization dawned on him that had never had something of his own. Something that actually belonged to him and him alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The thought made him all the more glad he had a second chance to correct his rash mistake of throwing it away in anger.<\/span><\/p>\n

He leaned back into the bag and propped his arms over his bent knees, letting the pendant dangle down between his loosely clasped hands. Only the lowest embers were left now. The dim light glinted off the polished edges of the swinging stone and cast long wavering shadows behind the trees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It would probably be several more hours before his team came back from town, but he didn\u2019t mind sitting and waiting. It never once crossed his mind to accompany them.<\/span><\/p>\n

He had no desire to gamble or drink sake or listen to some teahouse girl gush over him. His team were close to his age, maybe a few years older, but listening to them go on, he realized he didn\u2019t want to do any of the things they did.<\/span><\/p>\n

He had only ever wanted to be a ninja. All his childhood, that was the only thing he focused on. Then, when he left Konoha, he spent every waking moment into being the best shinobi he could be. He loved it. It was all he worked for. Learning new skills and seeing new sights.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then <\/span>she<\/i> came into his life, and everything changed. He lived his life just to see her. And when he had to leave her, he did everything to protect her. But now she was gone. And with her went everything he thought he was, and everything he thought he wanted. And he was left with nothing again.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a fitting punishment for falling in love with a girl from Konoha\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

His heart seized in his throat. The pendant jerked to a stop in his hands. <\/span>Did he love her? Was that what this was?<\/i><\/p>\n

He let his head fall back against the tree with a hard thud. The pendant resumed its quiet swinging.<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, if it was, then it was over. Whatever it was, it wasn\u2019t enough for her. He wasn\u2019t enough.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t want him. Just like the rest of Konoha.<\/span><\/p>\n

He banged his head against the tree and cursed Konoha. He hated them too. <\/span>All<\/i> of them. An angry heat kicked up from his gut, warming in insides and making him feel better for a moment, like releasing pent-up steam. But it passed. The anger cooled, the chakra receded and the numbing emptiness seeped back in.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was almost unbearable.<\/span><\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t felt this alone since he was a child. And he hated it. Just as much as he hated still missing her, even though she didn\u2019t want him.<\/span><\/p>\n

He understood now why Itachi was the way he was, why the Rain soldiers were the way they were and even Pain\u2026. It was the bond that still called out, even when the thing you were attached to is gone.<\/span><\/p>\n

He just felt <\/span>different<\/i>. He dipped his head from side to side, as if stretching his neck muscles might somehow ease his unreachable discomfort. Something had changed within him. And he didn\u2019t know what.<\/span><\/p>\n

If he had to name it, he\u2019d say he felt almost like some part of him had died. The part that used to care.<\/p>\n

He had blamed it on Sakura, on Konoha, on everything that had happened, but he had begun to wonder if it wasn\u2019t more than that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Itachi had planted the idea when he said he was nothing more than a shell housing the kyuubi. Just a vessel that could not be separated.<\/p>\n

Katsuro bitterly refused it, but the idea loomed over him the last few weeks like the Akatsuki problem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Irrational fears crept in\u2026. What if it was true? What if, as he grew older and fused with the demon as Itachi had said, he was loosing more and more of himself to the kyuubi?<\/span><\/p>\n

Was this why he never wanted the things the other men invariably wanted? Because he was already loosing himself?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He clutched the pendant tightly and frowned. He worked hard, relying on his own strength to keep the kyuubi behind his bars, using his chakra only as he needed. He had always told himself he controlled it. It didn\u2019t control him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But what if he was wrong. And what if Itachi hadn\u2019t told him everything\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

Was he destined to loose himself and disappear through the bars, never to be seen again, just like in his boyhood dreams? Was he to be thrown away, yet again\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t want to accept it. But even now, it wasn\u2019t hard to feel the tug in his gut, twisting and churning, waiting\u2026waiting. What really happened at 21? Would he finally be dragged into the cell, through the heat and water, and be devoured by that menacing darkness behind the bars\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Footsteps crunched over the hill, startling Katsuro. He sat forward, blinking into the darkness, surprised to see Taichi cresting the hill in the direction of the town. Katsuro frowned. It was too early for them to be coming back.<\/span><\/p>\n

He shifted his feet in the leaves but didn\u2019t stand. He quickly shoved the necklace into his pocket. Joro would have told them, of course, but that didn\u2019t mean he wanted his childish attachment to a necklace rubbed in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taichi\u2019s thin flashlight beam bouncing along the ground as he approached. His brow was in pinched in thought.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro tipped his head. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d he said when Taichi stopped in front of him. The flashlight shined down on his shoes, but Katsuro was still in darkness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was strange. The gambling house was closed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro shrugged. This was the height of <\/span>his<\/i> problems. That he <\/span>hadn\u2019t been<\/i> fleeced out of all his money.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven though there I heard there was a big game tonight. But it they wouldn\u2019t let me in. Same with Koro at the club.\u201d He thumbed back over his shoulder at Koro who was trudging over the hill, looking forlorn that he hadn\u2019t gotten his head bashed in during a round of bare-knuckled fighting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro rolled his eyes and shoved the necklace in his pocket.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe left Joro there, but\u2026it was weird\u2026.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro was about to stand, readying the speech in his head about staying focused on tomorrow\u2019s journey, when Taichi\u2019s words caught his attention. He stopped. Still squatting, he screwed up his face at Taichi. \u201cWhat was <\/span>weird<\/i>?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe town. It was quiet. Everything was closed up. I don\u2019t understand\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

Joro came running up over the hill, no flashlight. Moonlight streaked across his face and Katsuro could see panic there. Real panic. Joro sucked in a breath, then his voice exploded into the darkness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRun! Run! <\/span>Run!!<\/i> \u2026 It\u2019s an <\/span>AMBUSH!!!<\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro reached for Taichi\u2019s flashlight to smother the light, but it was too late. A kunai whistled over Katsuro and landed with a sickening thud just above his head. Taichi teetered forward like a falling tree, and Katsuro scrambled backwards to avoid being pinned.<\/p>\n

The flashlight fell into the leaves and pointed back at Taichi\u2019s still face. He stared out at Katsuro, eyes wide and dead. The force of the fall pushed a last breath from his lungs with a wet gurgle. A kunai was buried to the hilt in the side of his throat. Blood spurted erratically from the front of his neck as his heart pumped its last beats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Horror and fear seized Katsuro and froze him where he landed. In the wake of Joro\u2019s cry, black shapes came dashing over the hillside. The two brothers tore off in opposite directions into the woods, crashing loudly and attracting attention in their panic. The black shapes split up and gave chase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro snapped out of his panic. He reached for Taichi, trying to find his weapons pouch, not wanting to touch the blood-slicked kunai at his neck, but it was somewhere underneath his thick lifeless body. Suddenly more kunai thudded into Taichi\u2019s prone body, the infiltrating nins thinking he was still alive. Katsuro realized it was only darkness that had kept <\/span>him<\/i> alive so far, and if he wanted to stay that way, he had to get out of there. He leapt over Taichi and bolted off toward the cover of the deeper woods, leaving any weapons behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before he disappeared into the treeline, Katsuro stole a glance at crest of the hill just in time to see more shinobis coming up. The metal plate of a headband flashed in the moonlight and the insignia turned Katsuro\u2019s blood to ice in his veins: Konoha. <\/span>Shit.<\/i><\/p>\n

Blood rushing in his ears, Katsuro bent to lunge into the canopy when a strangled cry shattered the woods behind him. It was Koro.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro hunched in the shadow of the tree and listened. Joro and Koro were still out there and needed help. <\/span>They were his team, he didn\u2019t want to leave them<\/i>\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro pounded his fist on the tree. But he knew exactly what <\/span>Itachi<\/i> wanted him to do. The idea had been drilled into his head for years now. These men were there to die for him. They were expendable. Their lives bought <\/span>him<\/i> time. Itachi wanted him to let them die.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond Taichi\u2019s body, the black shapes were relaying orders to each other and fanning out to flush anyone else out. It was only dumb luck that Katsuro had managed to escape this far unnoticed. And his luck was about to run out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro swore softly to himself. There was nothing he could do to help them now. He had to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

As he left, he heard one of the nins yell, \u201cDammit! Taichou wants \u2019em left alive for questioning\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

Staying low and soundless, Katsuro made a wide circle through the rolling woodlands back in the direction the ambush started, using the glow from the town to keep his bearings. If everything Itachi had told him about Konoha\u2019s infiltration style was still in practice then the other two teams would have cleared out of the woods and moved into their camp by now.<\/span><\/p>\n

He had covered quiet a bit of ground when he heard the unmistakeable sound of ragged breathing. Katsuro slowed to a creep. Easing around trees, Katsuro\u2019s eyes relentlessly darted from ground to canopy expecting an ambush, but none came. There was only heavy breathing, getting louder. The assailant made no effort to hide his location. Katsuro soon narrowed in on a dense bush at the base of a tree. When it shivered once with movement he was sure someone was hiding in there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro sidled closer, fists up. They would be his only weapons now. He didn\u2019t want to access the kyuubi\u2019s chakra for fear that someone from Konoha might detect it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro eased his feet down into the leaves, but not carefully enough to prevent a twig from cracking loudly in the still night air. The ragged breathing ceased. The edge of a boot suddenly drew in under the bush. Katsuro stopped, waiting. A dark-haired head swiveled in side the bush and two eyes peered out of the dark spaces between the leaves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Suddenly the topmost branches creaked back. \u201cB-Boss?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoro?\u201d Katsuro croaked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro was so relieved he could\u2019ve hugged him and almost did when he saw the big tears running down Joro\u2019s cheeks as he ducked into the hiding spot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought\u2014 I thought you all got hit,\u201d Joro half sobbed, making room. \u201cI thought I was alone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro\u2019s heart wrenched. He knew exactly how that felt. In that moment, Katsuro decided he was going to do things differently than Itachi had always instructed him. He wouldn\u2019t accept that the purpose of a team was just to die for the strongest one. If it was only Joro that was left now, then he\u2019d do his best to protect him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re not alone, Joro. I\u2019m with you. We\u2019ll get through this.\u201d Katsuro patted his arm roughly then looked him over. \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joro\u2019s silks were torn beyond repair and he had nicks and dirt smudges all over his face from where he\u2019d obviously run through thorn bushes. But he didn\u2019t seem to have any serious injuries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joro shook his head miserably. Still half-crying, his words came in choppy breaths. \u201cThey followed us up from the town. They were waiting for us. I don\u2019t know where Koro is. But Taichi\u2014\u201c A sob broke his voice. \u201cI think, Taichi got hit\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

Joro choked on a cry and big tears tracked his smooth cheeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro shook his shoulders. \u201cListen, we don\u2019t know anything for certain. They may have made it,\u201d he lied, pushing the image of Taichi\u2019s big dead eyes staring up at him out of his mind. \u201cWe\u2019ll find them later. Right now, we\u2019ve got to get out of here\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got to go back for Koro,\u201d Joro said pitifully, \u201cI can\u2019t just leave him\u2014\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll double back and find him, but now we\u2019ve got to move. We don\u2019t have any weapons, and I can\u2019t use\u2014\u201c Katsuro stopped himself. \u201cWe just have to run. That\u2019s all we can do now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro pushed out of the hiding spot and pulled hard on Joro\u2019s arm to follow. Joro snuffled loudly and followed, shaking the bush as he crept out.<\/p>\n

A sudden barrage of voices echoed over the top of the hill. \u201cOver here! I heard something! Down this way!\u201d<\/p>\n

Katsuro and Joro burst out of the hiding spot at a full run down the hill. Katsuro stayed on his feet, while Joro, much less agile, careened after him.<\/span><\/p>\n

They had the benefit of darkness and stayed ahead of their pursuers, and Katsuro was rattling through his options without weapons or light. The only thing left was hand-to-hand combat. But if this was Konoha, he couldn\u2019t tap into the demon\u2019s chakra. Itachi had always said that just tapping into the kyuubi\u2019s power around any Leaf nin was like sending up a flare into the night. <\/span>Shit.<\/i><\/p>\n

Joro wheeled past him. \u201cWhat do we do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro gulped. He couldn\u2019t give himself away. <\/span>\u201cJust keep running!!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

The town was just beyond the hill. If they could make it up and over, then they could hide within the warren of rooftops and covered corridors. The nins were still far enough behind that it was their best hope. Katsuro flashed two fingers at the hillside and Joro nodded. They\u2019d take the hill.<\/span><\/p>\n

Soundlessly, Katsuro and Joro ran through the gully and raced up the slope. They were nearing the top and almost in the clear when Katsuro realized Joro wasn\u2019t beside him. He didn\u2019t have the stamina Katsuro did and had fallen just a few steps behind. He was panting loudly in the darkness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro raced into the most dangerous part, a rocky outcrop just at the crest of the hill, but it was Joro he was worried about. Katsuro was wide open, there was no where to stop and hurry Joro on. He just had to hope he made it.<\/p>\n

Clambering up the last hillside, Katsuro glanced over his shoulder to gauge Joro\u2019s progress, but a burst of silver flashed from across the gully and suddenly the night sky exploded with shurikens. They rained down from the treetops, studding across the ground in long arcs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Run<\/i>,\u201d Katsuro bellowed.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it was already too late.<\/span><\/p>\n

A spray of shuriken cut Joro down as he raced up the slope. It bit into his side, his back and the base of his skull and pitched him forward into the leafy hillside in a wild sprawl. He slid back down, body twitching.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro\u2019s breath caught. <\/span>He\u2019d promised he\u2019d protect him\u2014<\/i> But there wasn\u2019t even time for the grief that threatened to swallow him. The nins were hard on his heels, ripping the air around him apart with senbon, stars and blades, everything in their arsenal. He pushed down his heartache and launched into the canopy where the weapons followed him like rain through the leaves.<\/span><\/p>\n

The nins were worthy of every warning Itachi had ever laid down about Konoha shinobi. They didn\u2019t give up. Even when they used up all their weapons and were flagging, they still pursued. Katsuro ran for his life, staying just a few steps ahead of them, until it was only his wellspring of energy that outlasted theirs. The distance grew greater between them, and eventually, he lost them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally Katsuro came to a stumbling halt on the large limb of a tree. Heaving, lungs screaming for more air, he kept his breathing tight and while he watched and waited, but no more nins appeared in the trees behind him.<\/p>\n

Sure he was alone, the grief he\u2019d held back finally overcame him. Katsuro grabbed fistfuls of hair and sunk down on the branch. Tears burned his eyes and a single dry sob ripped itself from his throat.<\/span><\/p>\n

He could\u2019ve stopped them. He could\u2019ve saved Joro. He could have saved all of them! If only he could have accessed his chakra.<\/i><\/p>\n

He cursed Konoha anew for both burdening him with the demon <\/span>and<\/i> being the reason why he couldn\u2019t use it to protect his team.<\/span><\/p>\n

A cold drizzle hissed through the treetops, slowly dampening his head and hunched shoulders. The sleeves of his fatigues were soon wet and sticking to arms. He had nothing left. No tent. No mess-kit. No clothes. No team. And the cold was settling over him like a cloak, chilling him inside and out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katsuro suddenly remembered the necklace and patted his pocket, expecting it to have abandoned him too, but was surprised to feel the shape against his leg through the fabric.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was relieved, but it didn\u2019t make him feel better. Not the way it did earlier. <\/span>When everyone was still alive\u2026.<\/i><\/p>\n

But they were gone. And he had failed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grief-stricken, wet through and beginning to shiver, Katsuro looked up the trunk of the rain-black tree to find a large crook in the branches above him. The rest of the canopy was slowly disappearing into mist.<\/span><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t dare stay on the ground, but he could at least hunker down in the tree and try to catch a little sleep. And from that position no on could sneak up on him.<\/span><\/p>\n

He climbed up the limbs, muscles rebelling at the movement, and dropped down into the hollow. It was open on top but at least he wouldn\u2019t fall. He sunk down inside, pulled his knees up to his chest and dropped his head to his knees. If he shed any tears then he didn\u2019t know it; cold rain erased any that might have slid down. The only thing keeping him warm was the demon\u2019s chakra in his gut with its churning, swirling heat.. Maybe he really was just a vessel after all.<\/span><\/p>\n

He buried his head in his arms as the rain drilled down.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\n\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author’s Note: Chapter notes to come soon! Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose and stifled a sigh. But Katsuro didn\u2019t relent. He sat across the table looking straight past Itachi\u2019s dango stick and into his black eyes. He wanted an answer. It had been the only bright spot on the horizon for a week […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-voice-in-the-wind","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hctF-gY","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1052"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3176,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1052\/revisions\/3176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swirlingpetals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}