Chapter Text
Broken pieces of discoloured and dirty shoes rain in slow motion around Pan when he is still five, in dirty and torn clothes, looking up at the sky with a pale expression and shaking eyes. He looks down into the abyss before looking back at ‘him’.
Said 'him' is an ANBU in a goat mask, but it also look like the creature Suzuko drew, she said that a 'demon' is what it looks like, was something that lived in hell and were made to tempt people into their own self destruction. His ANBU self simply puts on that mask, empty eyes staring back at him who feels small, like he is actually five again.
“How many more are you going to let die? And you call yourself shinobi?!” it feels like his skin is boiling away and even his skull is melting as he screeches at ‘him’ that expression… melts into a girl with long brown hair and bright red eyes.
A pair of dull blue eyes flares open in the dark as the vision fades into a ceiling he stares at a lot of times. He could just go back to sleep… no one would bother him about it… but with the nightmare threatening to pull him back into the abyss, he kicks out his blanket before getting himself ready for the day.
As he opens the closet, he stares at his ANBU grub and old hoodie with a tired expression as it lays there harmlessly. There was no demon, there was no dead bodies. It has been three and a half years since Nakano left… yet it felt like years ago were they were together as genins…
He isn’t that arrogant kid anymore… at least he hopes he isn’t. He takes out his new clothes from the closet. There was no time for him to be childish again. So he puts on his split jacket one side yellow, the other side black with white sleeves before closing the closet doors.
“Pan? Did you-” His mother, an old lady, looks past the kitchen door to the living room to find the bread taken and coffee drank. She sighs, these few days he doesn’t even have time to spare a second for his mother…
She cannot help but worry about Pan, throughout these three years as a shinobi, he seems to get worse and worse. She had tried to be stern about it but… Pan would give him his best smile and say that he is really fine and she shouldn’t worry about him as she already has enough problems with her knitting business. She should just enjoy retirement and let him work.
But Pan is only sixteen… she only wanted what is best for her youngest… and yet…
Pan walks through the pathways with a contemplative expression.
“Yo! Pan!” Junko beams, waving at him as she and Noeru meets him at the crossroads.
“Good Morning,” Pan replies, slightly robotically.
“Having trouble sleeping again?” Junki teases, but the worry is evident underneath that playful tone.
“No… I slept better than before… today must be a good day,” Pan smiles, that is a lie but it hurts no one to do so.
“Oh yes, I heard! Apparently Shi Tai is coming back today!” Junko exclaims excitedly.
Pan’s eyes were sleepy before but now they widened before turning soft.
“I see… how long has it been? Six years?” Pan asks, nonchalantly shoving his hand into his hoodie.
“Nah it has only been three and a half… but it feels like it has been a long time… isn’t it?” Junki grins.
“I bet he hasn’t changed! Still cute and small as ever!” Junko exclaims.
Pan remembers Shi Tai before he left the village…
"I'll train hard! Then I'll protect everyone!" Shi Tai grins tightening his headband.
Pan smiles, the nightmare forgotten behind him as he joins them to walk down the pathway. The bushes rustle in the wind as their laughter echoes through the pathway. They were shinobis but they acted more like kids right now.
This kind of peace was rare, so Pan follows them without complaints.
“Oh! Junki!” Junko beams waving at the trio in front of them. Junko jumps onto Junki, tagging her as they both run around Wakana who is slightly cornered that they might just trip over something.
“Can you two stop messing around?! We don’t have time for your antics!” Abe exclaims adjusting his glasses.
“Where are you in a hurry to go?” Junki asks with a frown as he weaves through Noeru. Nabi peers from Noeru’s shoulders, his head is too out so when Junko turns Nabi almost flies off her shoulder. Lucky for them, Junko has fast reflexes and caught him.
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief, even Pan’s eyes widens a bit.
But he didn’t flinch when a kunai lands beside him. Junki however, by proximity was almost hit and shrieks like a manly man. He clears his throat before shrieking again, this time octaves lower.
“My rival! We have finally met again!” Homura exclaims, standing tall and proud. She looks the same as she does when she was younger if not more unruly looking and she forgo the orange hoodie to wear just a black inner long sleeves and a white shirt with a little fire picture in the front..
As usual, Akira and Ayumu are behind her. Ayumu still wearing that lime green hoodie but this time with a white smile pasted on the front while Akira is also sporting his own style as well, with a blue shirt with a red sticker in the front and goggles.
“Who is your rival?” Pan asks, his words hurtful but tone drawling in amusement.
“After my B rank mission, I have seen the world, now to have our long-awaited rematch!” Homura exclaims.
Ayumu and Akira doesn’t look convinced however but they all step back to let them brawl out.
“I bet on 20 seconds,” Junko grins, nudging Junki.
“So fast?” Junki chuckles, “I think one minute!”
“You guys overestimate them… I say one second,” Noeru muses.
“Now you’re just grasping at straws,” Junko snorts.
As soon as Noeru says that, Homura charges towards Pan but before she could land her hit, fire pooling around her hand, was nullified as she collides with another hand.
“3 seconds,” Noeru beams.
Junko groans before handing Noeru a lollipop while Junki drops a coin onto Noeru’s hand. Noeru shrugs, accepting both as she tears open the candy.
“What’s with the youth fighting out in the streets these days?” A long silver-haired middle aged figure with a purple coat muses.
“You don’t know?” Sarutobi, Junko’s father snorts, he is a man who looks slightly younger with blonde hair and blue irises. “They always do these kind of things on the streets… what do you expect when you make kids who are born in times of peace into weapons of mass destruction?”
“Misusing their powers for absolutely nothing?” Gouzo, Suzuko’s father muses.
“Exactly!”
Pan smiles as Homura whines and cries as her arm is being twisted around.
“Give up?” He teases.
“Never!” Homura exclaims.
“Should we-” Akira asks Ayumu who shakes his head.
“It’s not our fault that Homura wanted to challenge him first, if we attacked him as a unit we might stand a chance…” Ayumu mutters.
Akira looks away, unconvinced. ‘You and Homura are the same breed…’
“Akira… Ayumu… Homura-chan… let’s go for our next mission…” a brownish red messy haired man with glasses trudge around the pathway as he calls to the three kids.
“Crap! I need to run away!” Homura exclaims, wiggling out of Pan’s hold.
“Why?” Junko asks in amusement.
“I’m not doing another D-rank mission! Move it!” Homura exclaims, punching and kicking at Pan who looks rather annoyed and angry at the hits that actually landed, he lets her go after he managed to find an opening… if he dropped her earlier she would have landed heavily on the ground with an injury and he didn’t want a crying Homura to deal with.
“Run!” Homura exclaims, dashing away with Ayumu and Akira.
“Ah… to be young again… they are a lot like us don’t you think!” Junko beams, patting Junki on the shoulder.
“That’s not something to be proud of!” Abe exclaims.
Pan huffs before smiling, remembering the time Nakano demands to have a harder mission.
‘Nakano… I hope you’re doing well… everyone here is waiting for your return…’ Pan’s expression sadens. ‘It should have been me instead of you… this peaceful time…’
Pan watches as he remembers a small Nakano having fun with everyone, but without fail… she would always notice him there and drag him into that happy picture… that happy picture he-
“Earth to Pan?!” Junko exclaims. “Don’t you want to meet Shi Tai at the entrance? If you don’t move now you might miss him y’know?”
Pan looks at Junko in surprise with Team Abe and Junki looking at him without judgement in his dreams… it is almost as if Nakano never left…
“Right…” Pan nods before following them. Noeru did look at him in worry but with a small smile, she smiles back in relief. “How did you even know that Shi Tai would be coming back today?”
“Yuri-sensei told me!” Junko beams.
Yuri has been in the village outskirts for a while now, while she could enjoy her break, she is also in charge of her students somehow that included Shi Tai.
“Rival!” Homura exclaims.
“Can you stop calling him that-” Akira grumbles.
Three of them appear out of the alleyway where they ran from their sensei.
“Would you three like to come with us?” Wakana asks in amusement.
“Where are you guys going?” Homura asks.
“To the village gate… Shi Tai should be coming back but… I have to pick up delivery for the hokage-sama too…” Abe sighs. “Still why can’t she get Sato-sensei to do it?” he whines, “I wanted to try the new ice cream flavour… won’t it have a long queue now…?”
“I can help you queue!” Homura exclaims.
“Really?” Ayumu muses, “I doubt you can sit still for a second.”
“I really can!” Homura pouts.
“It’s fine! Besides… don’t you want to see your Shi Tai too?” Abe asks.
“Right!” Homura and Ayumu exclaims at the same time while Akira shrugs.
“Akira… you should have your own opinions too, don’t always go with the flow-” Pan lectures them as they continue towards the gate. Unbeknownst to them however a young boy with a black and red hoodie walks through the village’s path with a figure in a purple coat.
It wasn’t until they reach the gate however did they realise-
“Why don’t you guys go back into the village? There might be a surprise waiting for you there-” Izuno grins.
“Oh! Does that mean!” Homura exclaims and the three genins dash back into the village. Pan looks surprised but also hesitant and it took Noeru grabbing his hand for him to be pulled back into the village.
Pan jumps a little, not expecting Noeru to be so bold.
Junko grins and looks at them with a knowing expression as Abe and Junki struggles with the lump of boxes they needed to carry back.
“This takes me back… the village hasn’t changed one bit-” a low voice muses as a lock of curly black hair looks up at the Hokage monument.
“What… looking at his face on the side of the monument… it’s a little funny…” Shi Tai muses as Aoi seems to agree behind him.
“It’s been a while, why don’t you go look for your friends?” Aoi muses.
“Shi Tai!”
Shi Tai’s eyes widen before looking back, Noeru was running too fast and almost slams herself into Shi Tai if not for Pan pulling her back.
“Slow down tiger,” Pan muses as he looks at Shi Tai in surprise.
He… is wearing a hoodie…
He remembers Shi Tai looking at one after meeting Ayumu…
It could just be a coincidence.
“You’re back…” Pan smiles.
“Oh wow! Shi Tai really grew as much as Ayumu did!” Homura exclaims.
Pan’s expression twitches a little, the two are three years younger than him but they have already reached his height… he cannot help but remember Nakano scolding him for not eating more to grow more.
Now he really sees the effect…
“Shi Tai!”
Shi Tai tilts his head as smoke appears behind him.
‘Sexy jutsu~’
Pan’s expression looks like he has been hit by a rock while Noeru looks away and covers her mouth to prevent herself from loosing too much blood. Aoi slaps his face loudly, embarrassed at the display.
“How about that?! Pretty nice waist, hips and bust huh?!” Ayumu grins.
Shi Tai chuckles, making Ayumu, Akira and Homura surprised.
“Ayumu… you’re not a kid anymore… you shouldn’t be using a jutsu like that…”
Pan eyes widen, since when did Shi Tai mature like that…?
“That’s such a boring jutsu!” Shi Tai exclaims, “Check out my freshly developed new pervy ninjutsu!”
Pan and Noeru seems rather blank at that exclamation until Shi Tai actually raises his hand to do a hand seal. A swift punch knocks Shi Tai away.
“Hey, you idiot!” Junko exclaims.
Ayumu, Homura and Akira hides behind Pan and Noeru while Aoi scratches his hair sheepishly.
‘Where did she come from?!’ Ayumu exclaims internally.
“Who taught you to do that?! Huh?! I want names!” Junko exclaims.
Now it was Aoi’s turn to hide behind Pan but even he is looking at him, unimpressed.
‘Ah… as scary as ever… but is it me or is she stronger than before…’ Shi Tai asks as he is being shaken around, dizzy.