"the truth is rarely pure and never simple."
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- beautiful art of kira by small._.sketch on instagram! -

"You!"

Kira gasps and points at the old man. Every muscle in her body goes completely rigid, her heart plummeting to her stomach as she stares with bulging eyes. "How...what...?"

"You know this man?" Aimi demands, rounding on her daughter.

Kira flinches at the harshness in her tone. "H-he came to the stand while you'd gone back to the house," she stammers. "He said...he was looking for something special, and that I was just like Dad. Then, before I could ask what he meant, he just...left."

Aimi glares at the elderly visitor, and Kira finds herself stunned at the venom in her eyes. In all sixteen years of her life, she's never seen her mother so angry. Frustrated? Sure. Upset? Definitely. But never angry. The tension in the room is painfully heavy, like the whole world is holding its breath.

"I know you aren't thrilled to see me," says the old man. "I truly am sorry for intruding, but my promise can no longer be kept. I believe this cannot wait any longer."

"I believe you should leave."

"Mom—"

"Kira, go back to your room." Aimi's focus doesn't leave the stranger. "I'll see our guest out."

"Don't be hasty, Aimi," the man's tone gains a slight edge. "She deserves to know."

"Know what?" Kira cries. She immediately shrinks as both pairs of eyes fall on her, and her voice softens back to a whisper as she faces the stranger. "Please, whoever you are, I have to know...what do you know about my father? What's going on?"

There's a long pause. The man looks to Aimi expectantly. Kira stares at her mother with wide, pleading eyes. The woman's jaw grows impossibly tighter, the scowl on her face deepening—but the fire in her eyes begins to die, replaced by a look of exhaustion. As strong as her will may be, she's outnumbered.

"You're not going to leave, are you?" she mutters at last, turning to their visitor.

"I'm already here. You might as well allow me to stay."

Aimi heaves an exhausted sigh. "Come sit down then, both of you. It seems there's some explaining to be done."

--------------------------

Aside from the dim light of a table lamp, the living room is eerily dark as the three of them settle down. Kira sits on her knees, shifting from her perch on top of a mat. Aimi and their guest are seated across from her, her mother's gaze fixed on her feet.

"Allow me to introduce myself." Despite the strained atmosphere, the old man's eyes are kind. Staring into them, Kira can see they hold a sort of steady attentiveness, seeming to burn with infinite wisdom and knowledge. "My name is Wu. Your father was an old friend of mine."

Kira feels her chest constrict, as if some invisible hand is squeezing the air from her. She draws a shaky breath before speaking. "He was?"

"Indeed. He wasn't...an ordinary man, you could say."

"Meaning?"

Aimi lifts her head and opens her mouth to respond, but all that comes out is pained sigh. She falls quiet and averts her gaze once more. Wu spares a sympathetic glance toward her before turning his attention back to Kira. "Kenta was the quite opposite," he continues. "He possessed an ability unique to his family...an Elemental ability, to be precise."

"Elemental?" Kira's breath hitches. "You mean...like the Ninja?"

"Precisely. He was the descendant of an original Elemental Master, who were the guardians of my father, the First Spinjitzu Master. Elemental powers are hereditary, you see, passed down from generation to generation."

The son of the First Spinjutzu Master. Kira shifts forward, eyes bulging, until she's perched on the edge of her mat. "Are you an Elemental Master too? Is that how you knew Dad?"

"I suppose you could put it that way," Wu answers with an amused grin. "To answer your second question, yes it is. Your father was a former student of mine, and my, what a student he was."

Kira tries to wrap her head around what he's just said. A student of an Elemental Master? How much about her father did she not know? "Tell me more."

Wu obliges. "I assume you don't know much about your father's side of your family. Kenta's mother fought alongside my brother and I in the Serpentine War. She was such a kind woman, and powerful, too."

The Serpentine War. Kira wracks her brain quickly. She's read about it in history books—it was long ago, a time when man and snake battled viciously for control of the surface. Only with the help of the Sacred Flutes did the Elemental Masters of the time manage to prevail.

My family was a part of that?

"Kenta was fascinated with his mother's power," Wu continues. "I remember how he'd watch her train with awe, knowing he was to inherit it next. He begged his parents to let him train under me when the war ended. He was eager to help people and keep our world safe, just as his mother had." He takes a deep breath. "I had recently...lost a pupil of mine at the time. I wasn't sure I could shoulder the burden of being a Sensei again, but something about your father made me reconsider. He was so bright and full of hope, and perhaps it was his spirit that inspired me to do better."

"I...I see," Kira stammers.

"Your father made me proud to be a Sensei, you know. Using my teachings, he was able to tap into his powers and unlock his True Potential. Even after he finished training and left my monastery, he and I remained close friends. He told me about everything...all the places he traveled to, all the people he helped, even when he met your mother." He chuckles. "My brother and I were even at your parents' wedding, though I doubt your mother told you."

"You seem like you knew my dad well." Kira shifts even closer, hope fluttering in her chest like a butterfly. "So...do you know what happened to him? Or have you any idea where he went? Any at all?"

Aimi lets out a choked sound. Her eyes lock with Wu's, holding some emotion Kira can't quite recognize, but one that the old man seems to. He shifts, jaw tightening as his expression turns oddly uncomfortable. "Unfortunately, no. His disappearance took us all by surprise, but not a day goes by that I do not miss him."

Kira wilts like a flower. She swallows, trying to drown the disappointment rising in her chest. "Then...why did you come here?"

Wu exhales. "When we met earlier, I told you that I was faced with a dilemma. That dilemma was whether or not I should have revealed the truth to you. Recently I've been feeling...closer to Kenta than usual. I never stopped thinking about him after he vanished, but lately he's been on my mind more frequently, and in my dreams I see his face. I...I felt it was a sign. A sign that you should know the truth."

The truth. Kira always thought that truth was good. After all, it's supposed to provide clarity, supposed to make one feel better about things and lay any fears they might have to rest. This truth, however, does the opposite. This truth feels strange and shocking and so, so confusing, like it's slapped her in the face, made it hard to think or even breathe.

And speaking of the truth...

"Wait," she says, her voice beginning to waver. "So then...if my father was an Elemental Master, and elemental powers are hereditary, then..."

She cuts off, too stunned to even finish speaking, and instead points to herself with a trembling finger. Wu nods with a small smile, answering the unspoken question.

For a few moments, there's total silence. Kira's chest swells with some emotion. It isn't anger—no, she could never be angry, even if she tried. This feeling is something deeper and more poignant than that. It's disappointment, hurt, a heavy, sinking feeling that sends her heart plummeting down into her stomach.

"Why?" She looks to her mother, voice raising with anguish. "Why didn't you tell me? About any of this?"

For the first time since the conversation began, Aimi looks her daughter in the eye. "There was a reason."

"What reason was that?"

"To protect you." Her mother's response is instant. "You and I both know how much you miss your father. I knew if you found out who he was, that you had his power, you'd want to follow in his footsteps. But being an Elemental is more than having superpowers, flying around and saving people...it's dangerous, Kira. I didn't want that life for you."

Kira opens her mouth. No words come out. She can only sit there dumbly, struggling to wrap her head around everything that's just been dumped on her. Her breaths come quick and steady, throat dry and scratchy as she swallows deeply.

"At any rate," Aimi says, looking back to Wu with cold eyes, "did you come by just to drop that little bombshell?" Kira's brow shoots up. Never in her life has she seen her mother so openly hostile...what exactly does she have against their guest?

"Not exactly." Wu gives Aimi a pointed look before turning to her daughter. "If you recall our meeting earlier, Kira, I told you I was in search of something special. I believe I have found that in you."

"Me?" She sputters, shaking her hands rapidly. "B-but I'm nothing special! I told you, I'm a village girl, not an Elemental Master or a ninja. I couldn't possibly—"

"Perhaps you could become both, with proper guidance." The old master smiles. "I believe you could be something great, Kira, just as your father was. And that is why I'm inviting you to come train at my Monastery."

The girl gapes at him. The Monastery of Spinjitzu, where the famous Ninja live? Train the way they do, maybe even alongside them?

"The choice is yours to make," Wu continues. "But I promise that if you come with me, your decision will be greatly rewarded. My pupils and I will train you in the way of the ninja and an Elemental Master. You will unlock potential you never knew you had."

This can't be happening, Kira thinks. This can't be real, and yet it is, almost painfully so.

"I don't expect you to make a decision right away," the old man finishes. "I will return in a week's time, and you can give me your answer then. Should you accept, be ready to leave when I arrive in the evening. Should you refuse, I will leave you and your family in peace."

Yep, Kira thinks, this is insane.

Aimi stands abruptly, cutting off any further conversation. "Well, Wu, it's been lovely catching up," she says, voice dripping with cold sarcasm, "but I think my daughter and I should get some rest."

"Of course. I'll see myself out."

Wu rises to his feet and grabs his bamboo staff, walking steadily toward the exit. He glances over his shoulder, and Kira stiffens as he looks her straight in the eye, a small smile on his face. "I look forward to seeing you soon, Kira."

And then he's gone, the soft clicking of the front door a sure sign that he's left. Dead silence follows.

Kira sits glued to her spot, staring down at her knees. Her trembling palms move to her head as she tries to make sense of the millions of thoughts swirling through it. It doesn't work. Her brain feels fried, broken, like some sort of machine gone haywire.

"Kira?" Aimi speaks finally. Her voice is so quiet Kira barely hears it.

"I...I just need to be alone right now," she whispers. "Please."

Another long moment of silence. Aimi opens her mouth, only to close it again with a sigh. "Alright."

She watches helplessly as her daughter spins on her heel and rushes back upstairs to her room, leaving her standing alone in the dark.