Reunited (And It Feels So Good…)
Date: June 25th, 13 years aNb
Days until the Exams begin: 6
Time: 5:15 AM
"All right, that completes the checklist, Chouji. Go ahead and press the button." Asuma Sarutobi finally ordered.
Chouji Akimichi nodded confirmation to his Jonin before he flipped open the cover for one of the two buttons that controlled the South Gate. This caused a light to activate atop the Village wall, where Ino Yamanaka and Shikamaru Nara stood near the second control button. Their eyes were scanning the treeline for the first signs of sunrise beyond a faint glow on the limited horizon. In other parts of the Land of Fire, the sun could be up as early as 4:45 AM, but thanks to the thick and tall tree growth of Senju Forest, Konoha's wall was usually about half an hour behind with most of the Village itself being about 15 minutes behind that.
Ino yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "How's a girl supposed to get her beauty sleep when she gets put on the morning Wall Patrol?" Shikamaru merely shrugged in reply as the first rays of the morning sun rolled across the road through the clearing between the treeline and the wall. "Like talking to myself…" She muttered, flipping the cover for the confirmation button that would start the massive gears spinning to open the 100 meter tall double gate.
Her finger was scant millimeters away when suddenly her whole body froze; a sensation that she recognized by now as her teammate's Shadow Imitation technique. Shikamaru never used his ability on a teammate lightly - usually doing so only when giving a verbal command to stop might come too late or give their position away. "What? What is it?" Glancing around while wondering what she could have possibly missed that the slacker had noticed.
Nara pointed at the trees, a gesture Yamanaka's body briefly mimicked before the inky trail of his jutsu separated from her shadow. "I see movement between the trees... It's too early for civilians to be approaching - they know 7 AM is when they're permitted entry - and it's moving too fast. Could be a team returning or something troublesome…"
Ino grabbed the binoculars from the case where they hung; orienting on the point in question. After a few seconds she let out a minor grumble. "It's Oni and his Jonin… And, yep, there's Itou and Haruno." She returned the magnification tool to its resting place and hit the button; crisis averted. "Looks like Team 13 is finally back from vacation; the slackers."
Nara, who had briefly spoken with Takahashi after Team 11 returned from River Country alone and knew part of the story, snorted. "Yeah; I'd pay money to see you call it that around Inugami… Not enough to pay for your coffin, but I'd pay money." Ino scowled, flipping him off. "Not even if you paid ME, Ino. I'll go help Chouji with the intake processing; I know there's no love lost between you and Inugami's team." Shikamaru said before taking a step over the side and using the wall cling technique to slowly slide down the wall as smoothly as a champion figure skater across ice.
Yamanaka watched silently as Team Thirteen, the last active Genin team from this year's graduating class not currently in the Village, began to approach the entrance. Out of the 17 teams of graduates - excluding the team from one of the outpost villages that had gone back home after graduation - only five had avoided the dread fate of being sent back to the Academy for remedial education: Sakura's, Hinata's, Motoko's, and Kimiko's… In addition to Ino's own, of course.
Nara reached the check-in and had just enough time to give Sarutobi-sensei and Akimichi a heads up that Team 13 was inbound when the doors ground open to reveal the four ninja in purple, white, blue and red under their brownish-green travel cloaks standing on the other side of the brick tiles that marked the outer point of where the doors would swing. Kimiko and Nakahito were practically doubled over and breathing heavily; Sho had set a breakneck pace for their return trip and had lambasted the other two every time they fell behind their Jonin and himself. If not for some flooding at the border between Fire and Rivers, they would have been home yesterday and every hour delayed had only soured the medic-nin's mood further.
As irritated as the fire and water specialists were at Inugami, they all knew the reason that he was so insistent on getting home as fast as possible: Motoko Hata, the girl he loved that he hadn't seen in 53 days now because of their actions. Because of that - and how big a debt they owed him for pulling their asses out of the inferno of their own making - they had chosen to take his attitude in stride as best they could.
Letting the younger pair of students catch their breath, Miho Hyuuga stepped up to Akimichi while Sho Inugami approached Nara. The medic set down his passport before the dark-haired young man with a severe widow's peak and topknot. "Welcome home, buddy… Do I have to read the whole troublesome spiel or you good?"
The white-haired young man shook his head. "Inugami, Sho Daijo. Genin registration number 012613. Returning from an extended mission in the Land of Rivers." He rattled off before reaching into his uwagi and removing a small sheaf of paper that he gave to Shikamaru. "My C-5360-B forms for all things on my person or in extradimensional storage that were purchased or acquired during my trip with a value in excess of 1,000 Ryou."
The shadow jutsu user quickly flipped through the pages before pausing when he spotted something unusual; going back and forth a few times to make sure he'd actually seen what he thought... "Three… But Ana-sensei doesn't wear jewelry aside from her wedding ring because it's so troublesome to decontaminate them after work." He arched an eyebrow at his fellow genius level intellect. "You know, I've heard some skuttlebutt that a certain pair of redheaded swordswomen from different Academy years have been hanging out rather often since one of them returned from down south nearly two months ago… And that the twin of the older one has a bone to pick with the brother of the younger one."
Inugami frowned slightly at his friend's circuitous statement. "Not sure how I managed to irritate Raiden… I mean it's not particularly hard to do, but if someone's going to be mad at me, I want to at least know what I did to earn it."
The fact that Sho not only picked up the subtext but didn't even bat an eye floored the slacker supreme. "Dude..! Do you know how close I came to making a bet with Jeitsy about it being a bunch of bullshit?! Would it have killed you to drop a guy a line?" Shikamaru slugged Sho's arm as he turned to look at their mutual friend. "Chouji! He confirmed it!" Akimichi gave the medic-nin a quick grin and thumbs up before resuming the standard customs script with Hyuuga-sensei. "Wow, you and Hata-chan… Now that's a pairing I wouldn't have called, but then again, the quiet ones will usually surprise you."
Sho chuckled at that. "Surprise barely scratches the surface of what went down between us, Shikamaru… Speaking of, when they assigned your team this duty yesterday, did you happen to see when Team 11's next mission day is?"
"I think they're on the day before the Exams start…" Nara rubbed the side of his head. "It's too troublesome to keep days straight this early in the morning, man; definitely still in June, though. Raiden had an epic meltdown when he found out Takahashi - no, wait, it's Hashimoto now - wouldn't be healthy enough to handle the Second Exam stage for this go-around."
"Ah… Raiden probably decided to blame me for that since I couldn't repair the damage completely in Mizumiyo Palace and it probably got worse on the return trip." Inugami predicted, albeit wrongly.
"Probably as valid a theory as possible with that numbskull." Shikamaru agreed as he grabbed the visa re-entry stamp and applied it to his passport. "You're good to go, Sho. Welcome home, buddy."
Sho nodded and collected his passport before glancing at his Jonin, who was chatting with Asuma; catching up on what she'd missed in the past month-and-a-half. "Do we have to check in with Lord Hokage, Miho-sensei?"
The purple clad Hyuuga turned and shook her head. "No, I completed the after-action report via telepathic sharing with Okito-kun before he left with Team 11. Oh! Do let me know if you get assigned any duties through the Hospital or your parents for the Chuunin Exams so I can inform Sarutobi-sensei; he'll either exempt you from a mission or assign our team a task related to it." She grinned gently at him. "Going to see Motoko?"
The medic-nin checked his watch before pulling out the storage scroll with the Village materials left at Mizumiyo, which she took with a nod. "It's only 5:30 AM… As much as I want to do just that, I'd better hold off until a more reasonable hour. I don't know how her parents are going to react, after all… If they're anything like how my Dad acts where Karin is concerned, it probably wouldn't end well for me." The Jonin's free hand came up to cover her lips as she giggled.
Sho stepped aside, allowing Nakahito to approach Nara's station, and pulled out the gift Kanna had given Haruno from the storage seal he'd kept it in for the trip home. "Here, 'Hito. Safe and sound." Nakahio muttered thanks as he took it. Sho leaned in, whispering as he passed the wrapped photo over. "We still doing the thing on the 28th?"
Nakahito nodded, glancing in Itou's direction to make sure she was distracted by Chouji, who'd started processing her entry. "4 PM. I slipped Miho-sensei my copy of the key to Kimi's apartment the other day. She's going to arrange for a caterer to set things up while I have her at my house doing our usual birthday tradition that we do for just the two of us. I'll find an excuse to take her by her place at the appropriate time."
"Sounds like a plan; oh, before I forget..." He reached into another concealed storage seal and pulled out another sheaf of paper, which he handed to Shikamaru directly. "My teammate's C-5360-B paperwork. Catch you two later!" Inugami agreed as he left the check in station, heading home. With some help from Lord Daimyo Mizuzaki, the medic-nin had the basis of an idea for a unique birthday gift for Kimiko. He'd have to rope Karin and Motoko-sa to help him with it since they only had three days, but now that they were back in Konoha it was doable…
Closing his eyes and opening himself to his etheric senses, the medic-nin was pleasantly surprised to be able to pick up on the Flying Raijin tag inside his parents' small lab on their parcel of land that was on the far side of the Village from the South Gate. Whether it was from being older, the start of the reunification of his broken psyche, or just from the sheer number of times he'd needed to use the space-time teleportation jutsu while in Mizumiyo Palace building up his 'muscles,' his range for both detecting and the ability to produce new tags - while keeping the older ones active - had vastly improved in the nearly three months since the A rank mission had begun.
The world spun as he activated the jutsu, materializing in the lab with a pop of displaced air. "Kurando, you've got to take a look at this!" His mother's voice called excitedly as she made a certain natural assumption as to the source of the air displacement. The sound of his Mother's voice after all this time brought the precursor of tears to the medic-nin's eyes. He hadn't realized until that moment just how much he'd missed his family! "It's Motoko-chan's blood; I can't believe what I'm seeing in it!"
And just like that, icy fear suddenly gripped the white-haired young man's heart. Why was his mother analyzing his girlfriend's blood?! What could shock the woman who'd been studying the quirks and abnormalities of ninja DNA for nearly two decades?
> How about you just go and ASK her instead of worrying about it, you dumbass! < Imaguni Ohs groused testily. > It's too fucking early for an existential crisis over Motoko-sa when you don't know if it's good or bad news. <
Stepping around the corner into the main part of the lab, Inugami noticed that the reflection of Anastasia's face on the monitor had a bleary eyed look to it. An open bento box filled with slightly wilted food sat on the desk behind her; yesterday's lunch or dinner - completely forgotten while in her hyperfocused project work state. The computer was linked remotely to her main terminal in the JRD, allowing her to follow up on experiments without leaving the family for hours at a time… In theory, at least. Sho's own singlemindedness when it came to working on a project was clearly inherited from his mother.
'At least here at the house lab we can actually get in to see her in a hurry if something urgent happens.'
On the monitor was a human DNA strand that possessed some additional RNA sequence fragments that the system had color coded; an indicator that the sequences were already in the database. Sho frowned to himself, moving in a little closer. RNA provided the divergence from normal biology to make all the Kekkei Genkai in the world possible to exist; like a secondary train track that could be taken if the full RNA sequence was in place. For those that had biological Kekkei Genkai, like the Itou or Satou Clans, it allowed them to transform into or otherwise turn the ability on and off. In those like Hashirama Senju or Okito Tanaka, the RNA formed a bridge that allowed chakra elements, normally a standalone state of energy, to be combined into something that was greater than the sum of its parts.
And that's when Sho was able to see what had surprised his mother so much. In this case, the "track" was not created of a single sequence - as was normal - but instead what appeared to have been a spontaneous mutation had lashed two incomplete RNA sequences together to create a hybrid sequence with traits from both! Like a road that changed from cobblestone to asphalt with a dirt trail in between; usable, but not smooth.
"It looks like Motoko-sa had ancestors from two different Clans with Kekkei Genkai, probably from as early as her great-grandparents, but possibly further back, with the traits of them rendered recessive and inert until now… Holy…" He leaned in and felt his jaw fall open slightly as he finally got close enough to see the analysis of the strand. "Those are incomplete Hyuuga and Uchiha RNA sequences?! Motoko-sa's Reikigan is a hybridized variant of the Byakugan and Sharingan?" Sho frowned slightly. "We should probably check Raiden's blood as well… Somehow I doubt that this bridging effect occurred in only one of the twins."
Anastasia Inugami suddenly straightened up as the abrupt surge of adrenaline at hearing Sho's voice gave her a desperately needed second wind; she'd been working on this since she'd finished getting pheromone monitors on all the Satou the other day. "Synok!" She breathed as she finally saw her son's reflection in the monitor. She spun around in her chair and leapt up to wrap her arms around him, tears filling the emerald green of her eyes; the same shade Sho had inherited in his right one. "O, moy malysh, ty doma! Nakonets-to ty doma!" She cried in relief, burying her face in her son's shoulder.
"Yeah, Mom; I'm finally home…" He agreed; his own tears began to flow freely as he stroked the back of her head in an unspoken, comforting gesture for both of them even as he mentally ticked down the minutes before he'd be able to have a similar moment with Motoko Hata!
~•~
Time: 5:45 AM
Nakahito Haruno turned the key to the front door oh-so-slowly… His Uncle Kizashi had deliberately rigged the lock to echo very loudly in the house as a means of knowing whenever it was used - usually to catch him or Sakura from sneaking in or out after curfew. His letter to Sakura had indicated that he hoped to be home by the 28th, but thanks to Inugami's forced march pace they'd gotten home so early in the morning that he didn't want to wake his extended family that had been caring for him since the death of his parents nearly two years ago now.
As he felt the lock's tumblers twist silently, he let out the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. He eased the door open, stopping it at just under halfway open to avoid the loud groan of wood that the frame made when opened too widely. Nakahito started easing himself through the door…
And found himself looking directly into Aunt Mebuki's blonde features as she nonchalantly sipped a mug of coffee about 3 centimeters from his face.
"GAH! Mebuki-basan!" The brown-haired Haruno gasped in shock, falling back and landing on the front porch heavily enough to bruise his tailbone. "Oww…"
Mebuki giggled slightly. "I'm sorry, 'Hito-oi; I saw you coming through the window and couldn't resist a chance to get the drop on a ninja." Nakahito's aunt set her mug aside with a sniffle and a sigh. "You and Sakura have both grown up so fast…" She reached out to her nephew, helping him to his feet before hugging him close. "Welcome home!"
"It's good to BE home, Aunt Mebuki…" Nakahito breathed in agreement even as his thoughts were on how much he wished it was Kanna welcoming him home instead!
~•~
Time: 5:50 AM
Kimiko Itou paused to catch her breath on the landing one floor below the one her apartment was on. Her mind was still working at processing all the stories that Ayanami-ojisan had shared about her parents and sister - which hadn't been many as he'd only met them a handful of times before the Massacre - and her aunt, which he and Reiyuriko-nee had tons of for obvious reasons, making them feel more like real people than the half-remembered ghosts of her past.
"Kimiko-chan?" Old Mr. Fujiwara, Itou's downstairs neighbor, a semi-retired carpenter who'd been watching out for her since she'd moved into the apartments from the group home nearly 5 years ago, called, sounding confused as he noticed the large travel bag on her back. "Are you just getting home from your mission now..?"
"Yeah, I just got in as the Gate opened for the day, Kenzo-ji. Why?"
The older gentleman pointed to her unit. "I heard movement in your unit a few moments ago and had wondered if you'd come home last night after I went to bed at 8… I was just coming to check and see."
Itou frowned to herself; perplexed by this news. She'd been deliberately dragging her feet about going home since the only thing that would be waiting there for her would be three months of accumulated dust and the laundry she had PLANNED on doing after the mission to catch Lady Shimiji's cat before the mission to help her hidden family. After three months of waking up with someone nearby - whether it was Motoko-chan pretending to be Naru Narusegawa to help her start her day filling Reiyuriko-neesan's slippers or Miho-sensei sharing the guest quarters with her after the mission finished and they had to deal with the whole court thing - Kimiko had NOT been looking forward to going "home."
'That's weird…' She wondered to herself, gesturing for Fujiwara to be quiet, as she set down her travel bag and drew a kunai. 'This apartment's been my home for years! Why did I just put it in air quotes in my own head just now? Is it because Mizumiyo Palace was starting to feel like what home should be because of my uncle and cousin being there? Or is it something else..?'
The kunoichi began creeping up the stairs as stealthfully as possible, quickly reaching the familiar sight of her front door. The door was closed and a quick inspection of it showed no scratches on the lock or surrounding wood that would indicate it had been picked by a thief.
'That suggests someone who could turn into water like that Rain Jonin, but I don't think anyone in the Village has that ability; God knows I'd never even HEARD of it before I saw it used against my Uncle. So that leaves someone who has a key… I gave one to 'Hito's parents when I moved in here, which his aunt and uncle now have. I gave one to 'Hito, of course… Miho-sensei ought to have one; I'll have to ask the super if he's got extras already cut… Should probably give one to Sho as well; having a medic-nin on my team will come in handy during cold & flu season…'
Suddenly a grin split her lips as she remembered the only other person - other than the landlord - who had a key to her unit. Turning the unlocked handle as she put the kunai away, Itou saw a familiar red and white robe standing in her foyer/kitchen. To her surprise, there was not so much as a molecule of dust to be seen in her home. "Ojiisan? What are you doing here? How did you know when to be here?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, stood in her humble apartment, a grandfatherly smile on his lips. He had his pipe in his mouth, but - as he long knew that Kimiko disliked the smell of the smoke - it wasn't lit. "Well, I couldn't very well let you come home to a dusty apartment after you performed rather spectacularly in an assignment that was such a divergence from your typical personality…" He sighed, actually looking his age of nearly 70 for a few seconds. "I also figured you might want some privacy to yell at me for not telling you what you have undoubtedly learned in Kawa City."
Kimiko flashed back to the moment in the Imperial Family sento when Ayanami-ojisan had revealed the reason for her similarity to then Reiyuriko-hime: the hurt at Ojiisan not telling her, the flash of anger… Her eyes began to sting from the emotions warring within her once again.
But then she remembered what being angry at a past you had no control over had done to Akechi wa Jubei; sending him down a rabbit hole of crazed vengeance against his own blood kin and nearly destabilizing an entire nation.
And Itou surprised herself at what she found within herself. Something that had not been there since learning about the Massacre when she was 7… Peace.
Not the peace that would come when she properly laid her family to rest, but rather the peace of knowing that Hiruzen Sarutobi had done the wrong thing - keeping the truth a secret - for what was ABSOLUTELY the right reason; something she wouldn't have understood as a child, but she did now as a teenager. The emotions calmed and the sting in her eyes faded almost instantly.
Kimiko grabbed onto and hugged the Sandaime tightly. "Thank you for putting me on the path to truly honor my Clan… No, my FAMILY'S legacy, Ojiisan. I can only guess how many times you've second-guessed yourself in the last eleven years…" She took a deep breath as an epiphany hit her. She released the old man, noticing the glimmer of relieved tears in his eyes. "Oh my God, and not just about me! You must have had to make the same choices for ALL the orphans in that group home: me, Takahashi, Naruto and the others who had no clue about their parents or extended family!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi actually slumped into the wooden chair of the kitchen table with a sigh that made him suddenly look three times older than he actually was. "It is a burden that I accepted when Tobirama named me his successor forty-seven years ago and again when Minato fell saving the Village when the Kyuubi escaped its confinement nearly thirteen years ago... There is not a day that I have not questioned myself about at least one of the many choices I have made where the final outcome of my decision has not reached its finite conclusion. Be it about how I trained Orochimaru as a child - questioning where I went so wrong that led him to become what he was when last I saw him eleven years ago, how I handle Namikaze's legacy, or, yes, about your family, Kimiko-chan. I…"
Suddenly a heavy clatter of rain began to pelt the windows of Itou's apartment. The noise was so loud and spontaneous that the kunoichi let out a startled cry that interrupted the Sandaime. "That's funny…" She mused as her heart rate slowly returned to normal and she went to check out the abrupt maelstrom. "I could have sworn there wasn't a cloud in the sky when I started climbing the stairs…"
With her back to him, Kimiko Itou didn't notice that Hiruzen briefly removed his pipe from his lips and silently mouthed something before returning it to its place. A brief grimace crossed his face - as if a burden he'd thought he was finally about to be relieved of had reasserted itself.
The deluge and the discomfort on the old man's face disappeared almost as quickly as they had begun.
"Weird weather, huh, Ojiisan..?" The water specialist said as she turned back to face the leader of the Village. "Anyway, you were saying..?"
A sad smile crossed Hiruzen's mien. "I can only hope that the others can be as forgiving of me as you are in this moment right now, Kimiko-chan. Though I fear for many that will not be the case; there are vast legions of secrets that will perish with me when my time comes - as well they should! There are so many things I have learned over my many - almost too many - years as Hokage that simply can not - no, MUST not - be shared; even on the off chance the knowledge could provide some measure of peace after I'm gone..."
"Don't talk like that, Ojiisan." Itou whispered, tearing up. "Don't forget you promised me to be on my side of the procession to the shrine one day."
"And I shall… Whether it's on this side of the veil between life and the hereafter or the other. I failed to keep that promise once before to a girl I loved nearly as much as I do you, Kimiko-chan; I will not fail again." He coughed slightly to break up the heavy mood suddenly looming over them both. "But enough of such thoughts on today of all days! Many has been the times that I have told you a story… Right now I would love to hear the tale of how Kimiko Itou found her long lost family; if you're willing to share it."
"Well, such a story would require tea at an absolute minimum…" Suddenly the kettle on the stove to Itou's right began to whistle as its contents reached their boiling point. "Okay, one of these days you have GOT to teach me how the HELL you time things like that so perfectly, Ojiisan!"
A slight smile tugged at his lips as he reached over to pull the kettle from the flames. "Kimiko, my dear, when you reach my age - and heavens above know I hope you grow even older than me - you'll have already learned the trick along the way." He mused as he poured the contents into the large cup beside him to let the water cool to the correct temperature. "Sencha?" He asked, reaching for the container with Kimiko's preferred type of tea.
"Actually, no…" She turned to reach for her bag and remembered she'd left it by the stairwell when she thought the Hokage had been an intruder. "One sec; I'll be back before the water cools too far!" The Itou kunoichi dashed from the room and returned shortly thereafter, pulling out a tin labeled Midori Springs Hojicha Tea Leaves. "Ayanami-ojisan told me this was your favorite brand on the occasions you would pass through Kawa City on your way to or from a meeting with the Kazekage on neutral ground. I made sure to pick up a few tins to bring home for you. I'd be honored if you'd share the first pot with me, Sarutobi-ojiisan…"
A proud smile, the look of a grandfather touched by the kindness of a grandchild, flitted across Hiruzen's features as he accepted the tin and broke the freshness seal, adding the appropriate amount of tea to the pot for a stronger brew. "So, about that story, my dear..?" He asked again as he transferred the now slightly cooled hot water to begin letting the leaves steep.
Kimiko nodded, reaching into her cupboard with a small, airtight container that held the rakugan cakes she saved for the odd occasion the Hokage stopped by for tea. Her apartment was once again beginning to feel like home, but there was still something nibbling at the back of her mind that said something - or rather, someone - was missing. "Well, contrary to most stories you would tell…" Itou cleared her throat and began speaking in her best impression of Hiruzen's "narrator voice" that he used to use when he'd stop by the group home for story time each week. "'Not so long ago, in a place roughly three days from here as a ninja runs…'"
~•~
Time: 7:15 AM
Motoko Hata abruptly sat up in her bed. "What a weird dream…" She glanced at her clock and moaned. She had PLANNED on sleeping in until at least 9 to relieve Hashimoto and Kyouran, who agreed that Amaya Satou - even with the restrictions placed on her and her Clan sisters - was NOT to be trusted and had staked out the Land of Wind embassy in the unlikely event she tried to slip out in the night. The rival nation's territory was far too close to Sho-sa's home for her liking and she did not trust the Sunabitch one iota!
She slipped out of her bed with a sigh, throwing on her yukata robe and stepping into the bathroom to splash water on her face as she heard her twin's chainsaw-like snoring through the wall. "Well, at least ONE of us gets to sleep in… Still, where the hell did the thought that Sho-sa would somehow walk into the diner where Mom works, they would recognize each other from hogoshakai days, and she invites him over for pancakes come from?!" Motoko sighed as she headed back to her bedroom. Unlike Raiden - who could fall asleep at the drop of a hat - when she woke up, she was usually up for the day.
"Maybe I'll try recharging Sho-sa's last letter so I can…" A delicate scent of cooking wheat flour along with cherries and raspberries being cooked into a compote wafted up from the Hata family's modest two story home's kitchen. "And suddenly it all makes sense… Sakura and raspberry extract is what I used to make Saki Inugami's rakugan cake recipe the other day since Tanaka-sensei's family bakery was finally able to get the last of the ingredients ordered in. I'm never going to be able to smell that combo again and NOT immediately think of Sho-sa."
"Motoko..? Are you up? I made pancakes!" Kaasan's voice echoed up from downstairs.
"Hai, Mom! I'm coming!" She glanced down the corridor, briefly thinking about waking her twin up so he could have fresh pancakes before deciding she wanted some time without Rai being himself this morning.
Entering the kitchen, Masaki Hata with her waist-length orange hair hanging freely was puttering around the kitchen as if she hadn't just gotten off the overnight shift at the diner she worked at a few streets over from the Tanaka Bakery. Her father, Ryuken Hata, was at the table with his back to the stairs, a travel cloak already on so he'd be able to run to his job in the Village's accounting office as soon as he was done eating.
"Morning, Daddy." Motoko sighed, quickly kissing him on the cheek over his shoulder before walking to the cabinet to grab a plate for herself.
Her mother let out an odd giggle as the front door popped open and her father, with his close-cropped brown hair, dressed in his morning workout clothes stepped inside. "Morning, baby girl… You're up early!" He said, kissing Motoko on the cheek. The plate slipped from her grip as Masaki laughed a bit harder as her daughter tried to process this development. He paused looking at the table even as his daughter stared at him in confusion. "Huh, you're not one of mine…"
"He's one of the twins' classmates. He came into the diner to get some pancakes as I was about to leave… But Ishyu was the cook on shift this morning and I couldn't, in good conscience, leave him to those when my pancakes are far superior."
"I just confused someone from the Academy for Daddy and kissed them on the cheek?! Mom!" Motoko practically shrieked in mortified embarrassment as she looked at the older version of herself, though Masaki had brown eyes - the twins got their greens from their father, before burying her face in her hands. "Oh my God, I'm so embarrassed! Whoever you are, I am SO sorry for kissing you and calling you Daddy!"
"Oh, I dunno…" A voice that made Hata's breath freeze in her lungs even as her heart began pounding a kilometer a second replied, hints of amused embarrassment in his tone. "I mean it certainly makes coming home something to look forward to!"
"That it does..." Ryuken agreed, looking over to his wife. Then his eyes widened. "Oh, yes, I recognize you now! The studious fellow that used to sit in the back of the classroom reading a book during the downtime between lessons when my son and the others would be horsing around… Uh, it was..? Ugh, I'm so bad with names, sorry…"
After a few moments of trying to gather her wits, Motoko Hata finally built up the courage to open her fingers enough to look out on the smiling, but still slightly flushed features of Sho Inugami. Her boyfriend was really sitting there, at her kitchen table, with a stack of her mother's pancakes with sakura infused raspberry syrup poured on them…
Exactly as he had been in her dream. Clearly, her chakra sense had picked up on his presence and had tried to clue her in before she woke up.
"Hi, there, my Goddess of the Dawn." At his words, the same ones on his first letter to her, Masaki Hata eyes widened and looked like she was on the verge of squealing with delight; she'd honestly had no clue that the polite white haired young man and her daughter's mystery admirer were one in the same when she'd invited him over! Ryuken slipped around to pull his wife close, a slight frown appearing on his face when she whispered that the fellow at the table was the one who'd been sending Motoko letters for months, but he took this new development in stride.
> 'Are you seriously just going to stand there looking at him' us? < The disembodied voices of Good, Naughty, and Imaguni Ohs asked in Motoko's mind simultaneously. And incredulously.
Before either of them realized she was about to do it, the kunoichi tackled him off the stool he sat on with a massive hug, her hands going to his face as if needing to feel it before she would believe it. "Sho-sa!!! Are you really here? I'm not still dreaming, am I?!"
> If you were dreaming, would you be hearing me? < Ohs asked, hurt audible in his voice.
'Stop making this weird, dude. She and I both need this.' Sho thought at his subconscious; a thought Motoko's psychic radio picked up, causing her to blush.
Tears of unrestrained joy began to dribble from Motoko Hata's eyes. "I've… Oh, of all the ways I've dreamt of this moment..!"
Sho Inugami pushed himself up, cradling her face with one hand before leaning in to press his forehead to hers. "Yeah, an unintentional meet cute sponsored by your Mom was definitely not on my reunion bingo card." He briefly broke off to look in Masaki's direction. "Thanks again for inviting me over, Mrs. Hata!"
A tittering giggle of amusement replied. "You're welcome, Inugami-san."
> Oh, for the love of the Gods, would one of you kiss the other already?! I don't care who does it! <
'Seconded!' Naughty agreed.
Motoko's eyes left Sho's to glance at her parents, who gave a quick nod and left their daughter to have a moment of privacy, though both ninja doubted they went too far. "Welcome home, Sho-sa…"
Her lips pressed against his… and all was, at last, right in the world.
Suddenly, from upstairs, Raiden wailed as true love's kiss awoke him from his slumber. "AH, FUCK ME SIDEWAYS! HE'S BACK!!"
The couple's kiss was interrupted by the male Hata's cry of dismay. Inugami - and the twins' parents from where they were peeping from around the door - looked at Motoko in confusion.
"Ignore him, Sho-sa; it's his turn to suffer for a change." The emerald-eyed kunoichi giggled as she leaned in to kiss her boyfriend deeper and harder than before. The medic-nin's eyes practically bugged out at how intense she was being… Not that he was complaining!
But Raiden sure was as soon he felt what Motoko was doing through their now bidirectional bond. "TONGUE?! REALLY?!! COME ON, NEE-SAN, NOW YOU'RE JUST BEING CRUEL!!!!"
~•~
Time: 8:05 AM
[Why do we tolerate all these intruders in our territory again, Hashimoto?] Kyouran growled as he looked down on Embassy Row: the line of buildings not too far from the Hokage's office where every major and buffer nation had a legal foothold in Konoha… With two exceptions:
The principal exception was the Land of Lightning; their building had been empty for going on a decade since one of the major Kumogakure Jonin had attempted to kidnap Hinata Hyuuga only to be killed at the hands of her father, Hiashi. The Kaminari no Kuni Ambassador at the time had had the unmitigated gall to say there was no proof their ninja had been doing anything wrong and demanded the head of the murderer or they would resume hostilities with Konoha.
Hashimoto - along with most of the Village - had no clue how the Third Hokage had de-escalated things then, but it had ended with peace being maintained and the entire diplomatic corps being declared persona non grata.
The other exception - this one voluntary - was Kawa no Kuni, the Land of Rivers. They had requested their embassy be located by the Naru River to help prevent the ambassadorial staff not hired locally from having homesickness since there were very few places in that border nation where one could not see or hear flowing water. Their embassy was located where the bridge between the central market in the heart of the city and the South Gate crossed the river. It made for a bit of a hike when the Ambassador had to conduct business with the Hokage, but those occasions were few.
"The five major nations hold the Chuunin Exams every 6 months to promote the quality of their ninja programs by giving the most worthy Genin a chance to show off. Because of bad blood between our country and the nations of Earth and Lightning, we generally don't have ninja from Hidden Rock or Hidden Cloud attending our Exams as Iwa and Kumo typically run a second set of Exams at the same time as ours. If anyone from those nations shows up for our Exams, they're usually on the weaker side and simply weren't allowed to participate in their home nation's main Exam." Hashimoto replied, sliding a bleary eye across the ninja gathered below that were taking advantage of the opportunity to explore Konoha.
[Or they're spies.] Kyouran twitched his tail. [I hate spies like that bitch Amaya… Weak cowards; the whole lot of them!]
The scarred blonde chuckled. "You'll get no argument on that point from me. The last major village, Kirigakure, will send one or two teams to our Exams, but the majority of them attend the other one as both Iwa and Kumo are far easier to reach from the ocean than we are. Suna typically partners with us because they have funding issues, so sending their ninja to the other Exams would be too cost prohibitive. Grass, Hot Spring, Rain, Valleys, and Waterfall - the villages of the buffer nations surrounding the Land of Fire - will usually attend our Exams because ours, in general, has a lower mortality rate during the early stages."
The young panther cocked his head slightly. [Because of those like White Pelt? The healers?]
Hashimoto nodded. "That and the fact that Konoha ninja are trained to kill as a last resort. We'll…" His voice trailed off as a familiar figure stepped out of the Land of Wind embassy. "Huh, it's that girl we thought was Reiyuriko who led us to the Suna team working for Kodansyo… Tah… Tabitha?" He shook head as the girl with white and pink hair wearing a fox stole around her neck began to look around her. "No… Oh, Tarnia! Yes, that was it!"
[You reek of mating scent again, Hashimoto.]
Hashimoto flushed slightly. "Yeah, well, she's as cute now as she was three months ago when I last saw her. But she's from a rival Village; it's easily a case of look but don't touch."
"Don't… touch… what?" A voice asked from behind, speaking in stilted human.
The neko-nin and his trainer nearly jumped out of their skins. Their heads snapped in the direction of the voice and found that Nakamura had apparently scaled the building they were watching from in so few seconds it was stymying. "Oh, nothing important. It was Tarnia-san, wasn't it? I was still a little dazed after Suzuki beat the hell out of me when your sensei introduced you."
"Tarnia, yes…" She replied with a smile. "Help, please?"
"You need help?" The kunoichi nodded. "With what?"
Tarnia opened her mouth to say something, but was clearly having trouble recalling the words. She let off a high pitched whine of distress. {By the Sands, I wish someone, anyone, could speak my language.}
Hashimoto frowned. "Well, I can't speak it, but I understand it."
Tarnia Nakamura startled slightly, the whine shifting into yips and yelps. {You un… language of foxes? How?}
Her words became kind of fuzzy in the middle there, but he picked up enough to guess what she'd said. "Ehh, saying I understand might be a bit of a stretch... I've been training Kyouran here for over a year now, so I've learned Feline. I remember in one of the fauna classes Kiba Inuzaka made a joke that foxes are dog hardware running cat software; I'm guessing Kitsune must be in a similar language family."
{I've had a ha… me learning to speak Human. I spent most… desert foxes until… Suna ninja, Hanzo Nakamura, five years ago.}
The blonde Genin frowned in thought as he puzzled out what he heard. "You've only lived among humans for the last five years when someone from Hidden Sand found you living with the foxes that live in the desert? That's why your words in Human are stilted?"
"Yes." The kunoichi agreed in the human tongue. "Amazing…" She paused before giving him a genuinely cute smile. {This is the first real conversation I've had with someone other than Bara since I moved to Suna. Thank you.}
"Uh, you're welcome…" Hashimoto replied, blushing slightly as he rubbed the back of his head. "So, uh, what do you need help with?"
{That place…} She pointed to the Suna Embassy. {It feels too confining. When I feel that way in Suna, I go take a run in the desert, but Sensei told me to not go outside the Walls here. Plus I shouldn't let Bara here sleep too much longer.}
[Sleep?] Kyouran roared, confused. [You mean that fox around your neck is still alive?!]
Tarnia's face got a confused look as her lips moved as she tried parsing the young panther's words. {I see… mean… I understood a bit of that. Why are you so confused?}
"Uh, it gets pretty cold up here during the winter months. Animals are hunted and skinned to use their pelts for both warmth and decoration." He pointed at the fox around Nakamura's neck. "We assumed…"
The Suna kunoichi's striking purple eyes opened wide in disgusted horror as she placed her hands on the muzzle of the fox protectively. {You thought I'd killed my best friend and was parading around with his corpse on my shoulders?! That's…} She frowned, shifting to Human since it was clear she needed a word not in the Kitsune lexicon. "...barbaric."
"To be fair, we've met you all of once and - at the time - thought you were Princess Reiyuriko in disguise. We had no idea you had a connection to the foxes."
"Hmm… Fair." The horror faded from her features as her hand began to glow the same shade of purple as her eyes. The fox twitched and its slit iris eyes opened a pair of deep brownish-red eyes with a yawn. {Good morning, Bara.}
{Good morning, Inari-chan} The fox yipped as it lifted his brown-furred head and looked about, sniffing. {Well, it's not the open desert, but it smells interesting to say the least.}
[Inari-chan?] Kyouran purred in confusion.
{He calls me that, but he's never explained why.} Tarnia clarified, giving the fox a two knuckle noogie. {No matter how many times I ask.}
The fox's triangular ears lowered as his tail flicked. {I've told you the first time you summoned me, that name for you is etched into my very bones. It's why I came back the long way after you released me back to the Den.}
Hashimoto blinked in surprise. "Wait,... I thought summoned creatures were crafted out of chakra like clones!" Both Nakamura and Bara tilted their heads at him in confusion. "Uh, the Summoning Jutsu isn't part of our Academy's curriculum, so our knowledge is limited to 'it exists, you need to sign a contract to use it, and, no, we don't have any contracts available in the Village for any ninja under the rank of Chuunin to sign.'"
"Ah…" Tarnia acknowledged before shifting back to her primary language. {Resources are scar… and… Suna. We have summons for animals that… water, fertile soil, and shield the valley during sandstorms. Because… …each Summoning early with… …ning based on str… and cha… …age.}
[I think I got it…] Kyouran mewed. [Your land is short on survival resources, so you use summons to call animals capable of producing what you need, with what you are able to sign the contract for is based on how strong the student is and the importance of what you need? ]
{Precisely, young one.} Bara agreed. {After I met Inari-chan that day, I couldn't keep her off my mind, so I made my way to Suna the long way from our Den in the Land of Birds and have been her partner ever since.}
Hashimoto frowned. "I'm still confused… I've heard stories that ninjutsu using foxes specialize in producing fire and illusion magic in addition to acting as high-speed messengers; why would Suna have a fox summoning scroll?"
{They don't.} Tarnia Nakamura countered, stressing the second word. The Kitsune dialect was becoming easier to understand. {We were learning the skill and you can complete the jutsu without a signed contract - forming the summoning grid only. When it was my turn, to everyone's surprise - including mine, Bara appeared on the grid! As best as we can guess, sometime before my memories begin I must have signed the Fox Contract.}
"Before your memories begin? I know something about that…" Tarnia looked at the Konoha ninja in confusion, who gestured to his scar. "Sometime before I entered our ninja Academy, there was an explosion that gave me this, killed my parents, and left me as a blank slate; all my memories were lost. I was given the name Takahashi for the high bridge I was found by after the explosion in the Hospital. I go by Hashimoto now because Ryoushi, Kyouran's sire," He gestured to his black furred partner, "...renamed me when they officially inducted me into the Pride a few weeks back."
"Haaashi… mohto…" Tarnia tried to pronounce in Human, slurring two of the vowels. {When Hanzo Nakamura brought me to Suna, they estimated I was roughly 10 years old and placed me in an accelerated program so that a year later I was able to join the advanced class that included Amaya, Kane and Lord Kazekage's eldest, Temari. Before that, my memories are hazy; I remember my parents being afraid of something and faking my death before they were killed when I was about the same age you say you were when yours died… Running away and eventually being found by the desert foxes and being brought back to their den.} She shrugged. {The rest is just a blur; surviving in the open desert is mind-numbingly repetitive. I swear, the six or seven years I spent with my Pack felt like decades…}
The purple-eyed girl shook her head with a yip. {I don't know why I'm telling you all this; you're a ninja from a rival Hidden Village!}
[Everyone needs someone who doesn't know them to hear their story sometimes.] Kyouran mewled kittenishly. [My Pride Brother helped me learn Human by telling me his stories over and over. We're the first people that really understand your words - aside from your partner, Bara - since you left your Den.]
{You also probably recognize him as someone who understands what it means to be connected to a group from a different species, Inari-chan. There's a parallel between the two of you because of it: you with us desert foxes, this fellow with the forest cats.} Bara pointed out before he winced as his stomach grumbled. {Oh, damn…}
{Shit; sorry, Bara! I should have thought of that before I woke you from stasis!} Nakamura looked at Hashimoto. {That help I asked for earlier? Is there a park or nature preserve within the walls that is known to have mice or rabbits so he can hunt?}
[There's a TON of hunting grounds in the Village!] Kyouran mewled, thrashing his tail in excitement at the thought of fresh, bloody prey. [On this side of the Village, the biggest is in the Inuzaka zone to the southeast, but those stupid mutts are REALLY territorial. Some of the fattest rabbits I've caught are in the Hyuuga zone…]
Bara's tail fluffed up in fear. {No! No Hyuuga; they share the eyes of the Evil One of old!} The two humans looked at each other in confusion, but when Tarnia made a questioning yip, Bara merely replied with a whine of negation and the Suna kunoichi made a defeated shrug towards the Leaf ninja. {Anywhere else?}
Now it was time for Kyouran's tall to fluff up. [Well, I suppose the best place after those would be that small park by White Pelt's home. It's PROBABLY safe to go there since he's still down in Mizumiyo.]
"White… Pelt?" Nakamura asked in her halting Human.
"He's the medic-nin that patched me up after you tried healing the damage Suzuki did when we fought by your base in Kawa City. Kyouran calls him White Pelt because his hair is almost completely white despite being 15. There's something about him that my partner finds unnerving, but I've never noticed what it could be…"
'He must mean that Inugami person that Amaya and the other Satou that went to the Gala with Kari-sensei were bitching about when they returned to declare mission success.' Tarnia Nakamura thought to herself. 'Larissa was so pissed when she learned that Kane snuck out with the clients; even more so when she learned about Inugami. Amaya would undoubtedly be pleased to know where his den is… I remember how excited she was before the Gala to see Urashima again and how she cried when she learned he was Inugami; I'd never seen a heartbroken Satou before..'
She gave Bara a gentle stroke since she couldn't give him verbal orders without this Hashimoto or Kyouran catching wind. {Is it nearby?} The fox whimpered. {I don't like to travel, but I won't leave her without a member of the pack either, so Inari-chan puts me into a stasis sleep until we get to where we're going, but I'm always so hungry afterwards.}
Kyouran straightened up, clearly forcing himself to de-fluff. [It is a generous sacrifice you make for your furless sibling; I know I would do the same for Hashimoto were I in your paws.] He ran to the southwestern corner. [Follow me!] He roared as he leapt to the roof of the next building.
As the two humans and a fox followed the young black panther, Tarnia was surprised that Inugami's den wasn't very far from the Land of Wind Embassy. The small park in question was just on the other side of a brick fence/wall that surrounded a plot of land with two buildings on it and room for another two.
[Uh, oh…] Kyouran mewled, fluffing up again.
"What's wrong, Kyouran?"
[I smell White Pelt's scent… And it's fresh; he passed through here less than three hours ago!] The panther sniffed. [The mating scent is stronger than it was when we briefly saw him the morning we returned home; he must have been going to Motoko's.]
Hashimoto, who had finally had a chance to cope with the notion of his teammate and the medic-nin, chuckled. "Then he's not likely to be back anytime soon, Kyouran. After her temper flared about being separated from him the other week, I imagine that the mating scent coming from Motoko-chan is equally as strong."
[It WAS rather cloying when we were aiding Toru-chan during that last mission…] The panther agreed.
Bara, who had zipped into the 20 by 25 meter wooded park almost as soon as they had arrived, reappeared briefly - fresh, dark red blood on his tan muzzle. {By Lord Kurama, the rabbits here are fatter than any I've seen in years!}
"Come on, Lucia-chan! We're already late for first period; Iwana-sensei and Daikoku-sensei are going to be furious with us!" Karin Inugami yelled while yanking a tear-laden little girl with chestnut brown hair out of the house behind where the group was standing. "You're seven; you shouldn't be having tantrums like this anymore!"
"Nii-san doesn't love us anymore! Why else would he come home after 3 months and not wake us up!" The youngest of the Inugami siblings protested bitterly, yanking her small hand from her older sister's grip. "I hate him forever and ever!"
"Oh, really?" The red haired girl with a one-handed sword on her hip asked with a smile. "If you hadn't wasted time stomping around instead of getting dressed after Mom let us know he was back at breakfast but had to step out before it was time for us to get up, you would have found out that…" She held up a letter. "...he left a note for you, Munchkin."
Little Lucia's brown eyes lit up for a second, but then she deliberately scowled petulantly. "I don't want it! He can stay wherever he went this morning forever as far as I care!" She grumbled, crossing her arms.
"While I don't doubt that Nii-san and the person I'm pretty sure he went to see wouldn't be opposed to the notion…" The younger girl's face screwed up in confusion as her older sister smiled secretly. "...but he can't very well do that if he's going to pick us up after class lets out today." Lucia's scowl began to waver. "And he says he brought back presents for us from the Land of Rivers, where he's been…"
The girl's scowl faded as she snatched her brother's letter from Karin. "Well, let's go! The sooner we get to school, the sooner we see Nii-san!"
The swordswoman unlocked and opened the thick steel gate that bridged the gap between the two walls of the fence. Both Inugami girls flinched when they saw Tarnia, Hashimoto, Bara and Kyouran looking in their direction. Tarnia and both animal-nin had signs of fear stress on their features that confused Hashimoto and the Inugamis. They made a quick bow and dashed off as if embarrassed that they'd attracted attention.
"Motoko mentioned that Inugami had a pair of sisters... I guess that was them; I've never met them before." Hashimoto mused, looking at the others. "Hey, would one of you tell me what's wrong?!"
[White Pelt's sisters have that same unnerving aura about them that surrounds him every time I'm near him!] The panther mewed, beforehand by the encounter. [It's not a smell, because I just realized his scent itself wasn't bad… In fact, it reminds me of something between sugi and hinoki woods.]
Tarnia Nakamura nodded, her violet eyes so wide that Hashimoto couldn't help but be mesmerized by them, her brindled white and pink hair actually seemed to be fluffed up compared to what it had looked like before. {They smell like death…} She frowned, {No, that's… that's not quite right… They smell like the NOTION of death, like the concept itself broke through the walls separating the living from the dead and THEY are the rift. Something in my soul says there is something wrong about them and that I should leave them alone at all costs!}
Kyouran's golden eyes went wide as well. [YES! That's EXACTLY what it feels like, Nakamura-san; I just couldn't find the words for it before!]
{Miraculous…} Bara yipped, mostly to himself. {I didn't realize any Lords of Death still lived on this continent and they're so young, too… It's been a fox's age since I last saw one!}
"A Lord of Death?" Hashimoto asked incredulously. "What the hell did that mean?"
{Honestly? I don't have a clue.} Bara made a happy weee sound as his tail whipped about showing amusement at the disappointed looks on the features of Tarnia, Kyouran and Hashimoto. {You must understand, I was only a kit when I encountered one, but I'll never forget this feeling... The old vixens say they've been around since before Lord Kurama, the God of Foxes, was created by the Evil One's son. I only know two things: one, they have a role to play in the natural order of things and to leave them alone unless they ask for help and, two, the taoist priest that was with the Lord of Death I saw was asking what he was picking up with his Henryuuki senses as they walked past the den's bone reserves before they noticed the pack watching them and bowed respectfully to us.}
"Henryuuki…" Tarnia repeated in the human tongue. 'Why does that word sound familiar..?' She shook her head with a shrug. 'Ehhh… I'll ask Sensei later; she's been everywhere at least once it seems.' She smiled at the Leaf Genin. "Hashi-moto… Thanks." She made a "go on" gesture to her partner. {Go eat your fill, Bara.} The brown fox yipped with excitement, but paused. {Are you coming, young one?} Bara asked Kyouran.
[I'll have to eat later; that aura of White Pelt - and apparently his sisters - turns my stomach for hours. But thank you for inviting me; enjoy the gifts of this lesser forest!]
{Oh, I will…} Bara yipped as he vanished into the wooded area.
Hashimoto looked at Tarnia Nakamura. "Will you be able to find your way back to your nation's embassy?"
{I'll just follow your scent back… I've taken you away from your stake out long enough…} The scarred blonde looked shocked as the girl with the odd mix of pink and white hair chuckled. {The roof was rather saturated with the scent of you and Kyouran; I assume you're keeping an eye out for my teammates given what they did to you in Kawa City?}
"Oh, I'm not particularly worried about them coming after me... It's just Amaya set her eyes on the one my teammate seeks to pair bond with and, well…"
"Ahh…" Tarnia nodded in understanding before shifting back to Kitsune. {Understandable; Amaya's Clan is known for acting like Topi antelope during their mating season. Well, since you were kind to Bara, I'll tell you this... Amaya USUALLY hides indoors for the first day after traveling on the road if we're in a place that offers luxury amenities, which where we'restaying has; she's not inured to hard living.}
The eyebrow over the scarred side of Hashimoto's face rose. "I mean, I'm not terribly surprised by that, given the way she overreacted to Kyouran clawing her and how relaxed she seemed in Mizumiyo until I literally bumped into her and the older Satou girls, but why does your Jonin put up with it?"
"I have my reasons, Takahashi." The Desert Rose replied, using the last name she had for him, as she landed as agilely and silently as Kyouran on the cobblestone streets in this trendier part of the Village. She looked at her Genin, a hint of a frown under her mask as she looked between the two. "Are you okay, Nakamura? The sentries said you'd wandered off with a Leaf ninja that had been watching the Embassy all night."
Tarnia nodded, reverting to exclusively using Human. "Yes, Sensei... Bara needed… food." She gestured to the younger man from Konoha and then the wooded park. "Hashi-moto… show where."
The fox trainer made a yipping call; seemingly ordering Bara to return; which he promptly did, complete with a rabbit in his mouth. {Don't let on that you can understand me - Sensei is naturally suspicious - just be honest about why you were there.}
"My teammate was worried that Amaya would try to resume flirting with her boyfriend despite being told to stay away from him..."
A hidden smirk crossed the assassin's lips and her body language appeared to relax. "Satou was bitching about seeing her rival from the Gala at dinner last night, but her pride clearly was too great to admit to the details of the encounter. I suppose given the run-ins your teams had with her in River Country, I can't fault you for wanting to keep an eye on her."
He gestured to the kunoichi. "Tarnia caught my scent and must have figured Kyouran or I might know somewhere inside the walls where her partner could hunt. This is the nearest park not in the zones controlled by the major clans."
Kari glanced at Tarnia, who - in turn - flicked her eyes at the adjacent Inugami compound with its family crest and name on an identification placard. It was a testament to her professionalism that the assassin gave no sign that she'd noticed. "I must admit to my surprise that you'd help a member of my team, young man."
"Well, had it been Suzuki or Satou, I probably would have led them so they were reduced to an Inuzaka's chew toy…" A snort of amusement escaped the masked Jonin. "But you said Tarnia was the one who initially patched me up after Kane took me apart and Bara there didn't deserve to have to eat kibble from a pet store."
"Rather magnanimous of you." The Dessert Rose acknowledged. "But I will police my Genin for the duration of our stay and guarantee that Inugami, Hata, and yourself will have no problems with them. Do not follow us back to the Embassy or I'll have the Ambassador make a formal protest."
"Then, as in Kawa City, I will take you at your word, Kari of the Desert." Hashimoto casually dropped her name the same way the assassin had Sho and Motoko's - clearly she'd done her research since they'd seen her two months ago - and bowed slightly to Tarnia. "I wish you luck in the Exams, Nakamura-san. Kyouran?" The panther nodded and the two Leaf warriors headed out.
The Desert Rose waited until they were well out of eye or earshot. "If not for you finding the Inugami's family's 'den,' something I owe you personally for, I would be giving you a punishment, Tarnia…"
"Sensei?" Nakamura asked, sounding confused.
"Don't play dumb with me. You went on way too long when you called Bara back from his hunt. And the fact that he had your last name, which I was VERY careful not to reveal, tells me he somehow understands your native tongue and you talked with him. Why did you lie to me?"
Tarnia's face fell as Bara's triangular ears drooped. "Forgive, Sensei… Protect him."
"You were trying to protect him from me?"
The fox trainer nodded. "First conversation… Long time. Felt good…" A hint of color filled her cheeks. "Cute, too…" She straightened up as she realized what she'd said. "Not Pack; know that!"
"You're usually so level-headed compared to the others, I sometimes forget you're just a teenager, too, Nakamura." Kari sighed, shaking her head. "As long as you know where your loyalties are supposed to be, I'll let it slide this one time…" She raised a finger. "Just remember you're here for the Exam, not for impossible fantasies."
"Understood. Remember." Tarnia agreed.
"Also, you do NOT tell Amaya about where the Inugamis live." Kari said tersely, pulling out a map of Konoha that was meant for Exam tourists that showed the layout of the streets, their ninja Academy where the First Stage of the Exams would begin in six days, the Hospital, and the Arena the Finals would occur in on August 1st. She put a thick X on the location of the Inugami residence on the paper. "He may have broken Amaya's heart by not being what she thought he was, but his family owes me a debt from before she was born and I won't risk her interfering in my Hunt!"
Tarnia blinked her violet eyes as she heard actual, visceral hate in her Jonin's voice - not the annoyed anger her teammates normally invoked in the normally unperturbed assassin. 'I'll hold off on asking Sensei if she knows the word Henryuuki… She seems stressed enough as it is.'
The kitsune-nin trainer bowed. "Yes, Sensei."
~•~